Kershaw wins pitchers’ duel
Clayton Kershaw outdueled Stephen Strasburg with seven sharp innings and Yasmani Grandal hit a tiebreaking RBI double, helping the Dodgers edge the Washington Nationals, 2-1, yesterday in Los Angeles.
Kershaw (8-2) allowed three hits and struck out nine in his first win since May 17. Pedro Baez got two outs before Kenley Jansen finished for his 10th save.
Strasburg (7-2) struck out eight in six innings in his first loss since April 29. The ace right-hander was 5-0 with a 2.75 ERA in his previous six starts.
In a rematch of last year’s NL Division Series, won by Los Angeles in five games, the NL-leading Nationals took 2-of-3 from the Dodgers.
Ryan Zimmerman hit his 17th homer for Washington in the second, and Strasburg sailed into the sixth inning before running into trouble. Corey Seager tied it at 1 with a two-out drive to center, his eighth of the season, before Grandal’s clutch hit.
Reds 6, Cardinals 4 — Scooter Gennett was held in check a day after his four-homer game, but Patrick Kivlehan had a pinch three-run shot that helped host Cincinnati hand St. Louis its sixth straight loss.
Braves 14, Phillies 1— Mike Foltynewicz (4-5) allowed only four hits in seven scoreless innings, Nick Markakis drove in five runs and host Atlanta snapped Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak.
Marlins 6, Cubs 5 — Marcell Ozuna hit his 15th homer, J.T. Realmuto also went deep and visiting Miami hung on to beat Chicago and avoid a three-game sweep.
Brewers 6, Giants. 3 — Jimmy Nelson (4-3) pitched six solid innings and Jesus Aguilar drove in the goahead run with a two-out double in the fifth to help host Milwaukee pull away from San Francisco.
American League
Royals 7, Astros 5 — Jason Vargas (8-3) tossed five solid innings for his eighth victory, Cheslor Cuthbert drove in three runs and host Kansas City defeated Houston.
Astros ace Dallas Keuchel (9-0, 1.67 ERA) was scratched from his start because of an illness. Keuchel went out to warm up then returned to the clubhouse.
Blue Jays 7, Athletics 5 — Josh Donaldson hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the 10th inning against his former club, Justin Smoak also homered in the inning for his second long ball of the day, and Toronto avoided a sweep in Oakland, Calif.
Rays 3, White Sox 1 — In St. Petersburg, Fla., Jacob Faria took a three-hitter into the seventh inning of his major league debut as Tampa Bay edged Chicago.
Tigers 4, Angels 0 — Buck Farmer (2-0) outlasted Alex Meyer (2-3) in an unexpected pitchers’ duel, and Justin Upton hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to help host Detroit beat Los Angeles.
Mariners 6, Twins 5 — Mike Zunino hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to rally host Seattle past Minnesota.
The Mariners also agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract with shortstop Jean Segura through 2022.
Interleague
Orioles 9, Pirates 6 — Trey Mancini tied the game with a two-run homer in the ninth inning, then hit a three-run drive in the 11th to give host Baltimore a comeback victory against Pittsburgh.
Rockies 8, Indians 1— Kyle Freeland (7-3) pitched 6B effective innings, Nolan Arenado drove in three runs and Colorado beat Cleveland in Denver for its fourth straight win.
Mets 4, Rangers 3 — In Arlington, Texas, Jay Bruce homered twice and New York scored the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning on a throwing error by second baseman Rougned Odor to beat Texas.