Volquez throws no- hitter
Edinson Volquez threw the sixth no- hitter in Miami Marlins history Saturday, striking out 10 and facing the minimum 27 batters in a 3- 0 victory against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
Volquez ( 2- 7) walked two, but both baserunners were erased on double plays. He needed only 98 pitches and struck out the side in the ninth to complete the first no- hitter in the majors since Cubs right- hander Jake Arrieta did it in April 2016 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Volquez, who lost his first seven decisions, nearly was knocked out of the game after only three pitches. He collided with Diamondbacks leadoff man Rey Fuentes as he covered first base on a grounder and rolled his ankle. ‘‘ I thought I broke my ankle,’’ he said. Instead, he stayed in and wound up pitching the game of his life.
‘‘ When I passed the seventh, I said, ‘ I’m going to go for it,’ ’’ said Volquez, who dedicated the no- hitter to his late friend and Kansas City Royals teammate Yordano Ventura. ‘‘ And I got it.’’
Ventura, who would have turned 26 on Saturday, was killed in a car crash in January in the Dominican Republic.
Pujols joins 600- HR club
Albert Pujols became the ninth player in major- league history to reach 600 career home runs when he hit a grand slam in the fourth inning of the host Los Angeles Angels’ 7- 2 victory against the Minnesota Twins.
Pujols reached the milestone when he hit a 2- 1 pitch from right- hander Ervin Santana 363 feet down the leftfield line. He joined Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron as the only players in history with 600 homers and 600 doubles.
Royals send Soler to Class AAA
The Royals optioned former Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler to Class AAA Omaha before their game against the Cleveland Indians.
The Royals acquired Soler in an offseason trade with the Cubs for closer Wade Davis in the hope he could solidify the right- field spot. But he has been slowed by injuries and was hitting .164 with one homer and six RBI in 18 games.
Dodgers 10, Brewers 8
Chris Taylor hit a go- ahead grand slam in a five- run ninth inning that boosted the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers past the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers took an 8- 4 lead on a grand slam by Travis Shaw and a solo homer by Hernan Perez in a five- run seventh, but the Dodgers got a run in the eighth and already had scored one in the ninth before Taylor’s slam.
Astros 6, Rangers 5
Carlos Beltran drove in three runs with a homer and a single, and the Houston Astros got 10 strikeouts in 4‰ innings from their relievers en route to defeating the host Texas Rangers and extending their winning streak to nine games. The Astros have the best record in the majors at 40- 16.
Yankees 7, Blue Jays 0
Jordan Montgomery ( 3- 4) and three relievers combined on a three- hitter, and the visiting New York Yankees tied a franchise record with four homers in an inning — by Brett Gardner, Matt Holliday, Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius in the eighth — on their way to blanking the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sun- Times wires