Morales’ HR streak ends
Toronto’s Kendrys Morales had his home run streak snapped at seven games, as the Orioles ended an eight-game skid by defeating the Blue Jays, 7-0, last night in Baltimore.
Striving to tie the major league record of homering in eight straight games, Morales went 0-for-3 with a walk and did not hit the ball out of the infield. In his final chance, the slugger swung through a slider from Paul Fry to strike out in the eighth inning.
Though he failed to match the mark shared by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr., Morales owns the big league record for successive games with a home run by a switch-hitter. He also owns the franchise record for consecutive games with a long ball.
Facing Baltimore rookie David Hess, against whom he homered last week, Morales struck out in the first inning, grounded out in the fourth and drew a fourpitch walk in the sixth.
Hess (3-8) tossed six innings of four-hit ball to earn his first win since May 25. He was 0-7 in his previous 12 starts.
The game was scoreless until the Orioles broke through in the sixth against Sam Gaviglio (3-7). After Chris Davis drove in a run by hitting into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, Trey Mancini hit a three-run homer to send Baltimore on its way to its first win since Aug. 18.
Mancini added a two-run double in the seventh and scored on a single by Tim Beckham. The five RBI for Mancini matched his career high.
The Orioles improved to 2-12 against Toronto.
National League
Nationals 5, Phillies 3 — Stephen Strasburg threw six effective innings, Matt Wieters hit a solo homer and Washington beat host Philadelphia.
Strasburg (7-7) gave up two runs and five hits, striking out five.
The Phillies fell 31⁄2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East after losing the opener for the seventh straight series. They’re 6-12 since Aug. 8 and have dropped five games in the standings during that span.
Zach Eflin (9-5) allowed five runs — three earned — and eight hits in 51⁄3 innings. His throwing error in the fourth cost him.
The Nationals had the bases loaded with one out that inning when Strasburg put a bunt down. Eflin picked it up barehanded and his underhand toss to the plate sailed high for an error, allowing the goahead run to score. Trea Turner then knocked in another run on a bloop single.
In the sixth, Eaton greeted reliever Luis Avilan with an RBI double to make it 5-2.
Rhys Hoskins crushed Ryan Madson’s first pitch in the eighth for his 27th homer for Philadelphia.
Justin Miller tossed a perfect ninth for his first save in his first try in his 39th appearance.
Washington took two of three from the Phillies at home last week after trading Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals.
Elsewhere in baseball — The Seattle Mariners placed left-handed starter Marco Gonzales on the 10-day disabled list with a strained neck muscle. Gonzales was one of Seattle’s top starters for the first four months of the season, but slid in August in which he is 0-4 with a 10.35 ERA in four starts. Gonzales is 12-9 with a 4.32 ERA overall . . . .
The Major League Baseball Players Association hired longtime sports law attorney and litigator Bruce Meyer as senior director of collective bargaining and legal. Meyer will focus on negotiation and enforcement of the collective bargaining agreement. Baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement runs until December 2021.