Gonzalez hits three HRs for Dodgers
Bregman, Giles help Astros win
CINCINNATI — Adrian Gonzalez got the most pleasure out of watching his teammates circle the bases. Nobody made as many trips as he did.
Gonzalez hit three of the Dodgers’ seven homers — driving in a career-high eight runs — and rookie Corey Seager had a noteworthy homer as well on Monday, leading Los Angeles to an 18-9 victory and a split of its four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds.
The NL West leaders enjoyed their biggest home run splurge in 10 years. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games against Cincinnati.
Four of Gonzalez’s teammates also homered in the Dodgers’ biggest power performance since they hit seven during an 11-10 win over San Diego on Sept. 18, 2006. “That was fun,” he said. Gonzalez started it with a three-run shot in the first inning off Homer Bailey (2-2), who had his worst showing since returning from Tommy John surgery. Gonzalez also had a solo shot in the fifth, when the Dodgers connected four times overall.
His three-run shot in the seventh tied his career high for homers. He drove in another run with a groundout as the Dodgers scored 18 runs for the first time in 10 years.
The first baseman attributed it to Great American Ball Park’s dimensions.
“It’s tiny and the ball flies,” Gonzalez said. “Right field is short. I hit two fly balls that went out. I could have been 1 for 6 with a homer.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played left field for the Padres in that game 10 years ago when Los Angeles also hit seven.
“It feels much better from this side,” Roberts said. “Yeah, I saw ’em. I remember.” ASTROS 3, PIRATES 1: In Pittsburgh, Doug Fister pitched seven scoreless innings, Albuquerque’s Alex Bregman homered and Teoscar Hernandez added a tworun home run as Houston beat the Pirates.
Hernandez connected off fellow rookie Jameson Taillon (3-3) in the fifth inning after A.J. Reed’s leadoff walk. It was the third home run for Hernandez, who was called up from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 12 to make his major league debut.
Bregman, another Astros rookie, hit his fourth homer in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz.
“Bregman’s at-bats, even when he doesn’t get hits, are high quality,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I really like the way he swings the bat. That was real power to center field on the home run.”
Albuquerque’s Ken Giles got his fourth save despite allowing David Freese’s RBI single in the ninth.
ORIOLES 4, NATIONALS 3:
In Baltimore, Mark Trumbo hit his major league-leading 38th home run, Jonathan Schoop also went deep and the Orioles beat Washington.
Rookie Dylan Bundy (7-4) pitched six innings of threehit ball for the Orioles, who had lost five of their previous six games — all at home. The victory lifted Baltimore within two games of firstplace Toronto in the AL East.
Bundy gave up two runs, walked four and struck out four. He’s 5-3 with a 3.56 ERA in eight games since joining the rotation July 17.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker liked what he saw from Bundy.
“He has an electric fastball. He reminds me of the old Mets, like Tom Seaver and Gary Gentry and those guys,” Baker said. “He has one of the best curveballs we’ve seen.”
Zach Britton worked a perfect ninth for his 38th save. The left-hander has not allowed an earned run in 43 games since May 5.
RED SOX 6, RAYS 2: In St. Petersburg, Fla., David Price limited his old team to two hits in eight scoreless innings, helping Boston move into a tie for first place in the AL East.
Price (12-8) walked two, struck out eight and didn’t allow a runner past first base while extending Tampa Bay’s scoring drought against Boston to 25 innings dating to a series at Fenway Park before the All-Star break. Evan Longoria stopped the streak with a two-run homer off Matt Barnes in the ninth.
Andrew Benintendi drove in a run with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, then kept Price’s bid for a shutout alive by denying Steven Souza Jr. what would have been a two-run homer with an eighth-inning catch that nearly sent him tumbling over a short wall in the left-field corner.
“That’s a highlight-reel play at a pivotal time in the game,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “David was outstanding. But in a three-run game, that late, take away a two-run homer, it’s a huge difference in the ball game.”
INDIANS 1, ATHLETICS 0:
In Oakland, Calif., Carlos Carrasco and Andrew Miller combined on a four-hitter, Carlos Santana homered in the eighth inning and Cleveland beat the Athletics.
Carrasco (9-6) was masterful while limiting the A’s to four hits over eight innings. The right-hander had nine strikeouts, retired the side in order five times and allowed only one runner to reach second base.
Carrasco has had at least eight strikeouts in his last four starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
BREWERS 4, ROCKIES 2:
In Milwaukee, Chris Carter homered and Jimmy Nelson won for the first time in seven starts as the Brewers beat Colorado.
Nelson (7-13) gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. He hadn’t pitched past the fifth in any of his previous six starts. Nelson struck out four and didn’t walk a batter for the first time this season.