Darvish strikes out 10 in Dodger debut as LA blanks Mets 6-0
NEW YORK: Yu Darvish fit right in with the steamrolling Dodgers, striking out 10 over seven innings of three-hit ball during his Los Angeles debut to pitch the top team in the majors past the New York Mets 6-0 on Friday night.
Chris Taylor hit a leadoff homer against Jacob deGrom, and Mets nemesis Chase Utley added a two-run shot as Los Angeles improved baseball’s best record to 77-32 with its 11th victory in 12 games. Yasiel Puig also went deep for the Dodgers, who have outscored New York 42-11 in winning all five meetings this season.
In his first start since being acquired from Texas for three prospects just before Monday’s trade deadline, Darvish (7-9) only made the Dodgers look even better. With his confident teammates behind him, the four-time All-Star snapped a fivegame losing streak and won for the first time in nine outings since June 12 at Houston.
DeGrom (12-5) allowed three runs and five hits in five innings. He has dropped consecutive starts after winning eight straight.
Nationals 4 Cubs 2: In Chicago, Daniel Murphy homered twice and Tanner Roark pitched into the seventh inning, leading Washington to the victory.
With the game-time temperature at 63, Murphy hit a two-run homer in the first and connected off Kyle Hendricks leading off the sixth for a 3-0 lead.
Roark (9-7) was working on a shutout before Javier Baez chased him with a tworun homer with one out in the seventh.
Hendricks (4-4) gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings. Chicago has lost three straight after winning 14 of 17 following the All-Star break.
Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances since he was acquired from Oakland on July 16.
Indians 7 Yankees 2: In Cleveland, Trevor Bauer won his third straight start, and Cleveland extended New York’s losing streak to four.
Bauer (10-8) allowed one run in seven innings, on Todd Frazier’s fifth-inning homer. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela made an outstanding defensive play on Clint Frazier’s grounder to throw out Ronald Torreyes at home plate, and Gary Sanchez stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout.
Traded from Atlanta to Minnesota to New York, Jaime Garcia (1-1) became the first pitcher to make three straight appearances as a starter for three different teams since Gus Weyhing in 1895, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Garcia gave up six runs, five earned, and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Twins 8 Rangers 4: In Minneapolis, Bartolo Colon threw his first complete game in two years to earn his first win with Minnesota.
Brian Dozier homered twice and Robbie Grossman also connected as the Twins won for just the third time in 11 games.
In his fourth start for Minnesota, the 44-year-old Colon (3-9) scattered nine hits in his 37th career complete game and first since Sept. 5, 2015, with the New York Mets.
Elvis Andrus had three doubles and Carlos Gomez homered for the Rangers. Martin Perez (5-10) got the loss.
Diamondbacks 2 Giants 1: In San Francisco, Paul Goldschmidt had three hits for Arizona, and rookie Anthony Banda earned his first career win.
David Peralta doubled and reached twice to help the Diamondbacks (63-46) beat Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in the first matchup between the NL West rivals since early April.
One day after hitting a career-high three home runs at Wrigley Field, Goldschmidt reached on an infield single in the second, tripled in the fourth to drive in A.J. Pollock and tacked on an RBI single off the wall in left in the sixth.
Brandon Crawford drove in San Francisco’s lone run with a bases-loaded walk in the fourth. Bumgarner (1-5) was charged with two runs in seven innings.
Banda (1-1) allowed one run and three hits in six innings. Fernando Rodney retired three batters for his 25th save.
Rockies 4 Philllies 3: In Denver, Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland left with a strained left groin after facing three