Verlander, Alvarez lift Astros over A’s

Pitcher carries no-hitter into the seventh inning

Oakland, Calif.

Justin Verlander took a nohitter into the seventh inning, Yordan Alvarez cleared the bases with a go-ahead double in the ninth and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.

Elvis Andrus broke up Verlander’s no-hit bid with an RBI double in the seventh inning that tied the game at 1. Christian Bethancourt followed with a two-run homer, his first drive since 2016, to give Oakland a 3-1 lead.

Houston responded with four runs in the ninth off closer Dany Jimenez (2-3), keyed by Alvarez’s three-run double. Aledmys Diaz and Alex Bregman also drove in runs for the Astros, who won their fourth in a row.

Phillies 6, Giants 5: Kyle Schwarber and Nick Maton homered to help Philadelphia snap a five-game losing streak with a victory over San Francisco. Phillies star Bryce Harper was a late scratch from the lineup due to right forearm soreness, and second baseman Jean Segura was ruled out for up to three months with a fractured right index finger.

Cardinals 5, Padres 2: Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Dakota Hudson threw seven strong innings and St. Louis beat San Diego to complete a three-game sweep.

Guardians 4, Royals 0: Rookie lefthander Konnor Pilkington struck out eight in five innings for his first major league win and Cleveland completed a three-game sweep.

Marlins 14, Rockies 1: Rookie righthander Edward Cabrera took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out nine in earning his first big league win, Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered and drove in four, and Miami had 21 hits in routing Colorado in the first game of a doubleheader.

Braves 6, Diamondbacks 0: Austin Riley hit a three-run homer, William Contreras had three hits — including two of Atlanta’s five doubles — and Kyle Wright threw six scoreless innings for Atlanta.

Tigers 5, Twins 0: Tarik Skubal allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings in Detroit’s win over Minnesota.

Orioles 9, Mariners 2: Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias hit two of the Orioles’ four homers with back-to-back shots in the sixth inning, and Baltimore cruised past Seattle. Rougned Odor and Trey Mancini also connected for the Orioles.