Marlins send Dodgers to sixth straight loss
The Marlins pulled even with the Dodgers in the standings Wednesday night, showing how sour the season has gone for the defending National League champions.
The Dodgers ( 16- 26) erased a fourrun deficit and still suffered their sixth loss in a row when J. T. Realmuto’s tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning helped the Marlins win 6- 5.
Justin Bour hit a two- run homer for the Marlins, his ninth. Starlin Castro tied a career high with four hits to hike his batting average to .300.
Yasmani Grandal hit his seventh home run and singled in a run for the Dodgers, who fell to 4- 14 in games decided by one or two runs.
Blue Jays, Happ make history
Lefty J. A. Happ reached base three times and allowed two baserunners in seven scoreless innings, and the Blue Jays got their first road victory against the Mets, 12- 1 in a steady rain.
Happ struck out 10 and walked none. He also singled twice and walked, becoming the first American League pitcher to throw seven innings and match or outhit his opponent since the Angels’ Clyde Wright against the Rangers on Sept. 14, 1972, per STATS. The AL adopted the designated hitter rule the next year.
The Jays were 0- 12 against the Mets in New York, the longest skid against one team in interleague history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Belt calls out umpire
Giants first baseman Brandon Belt accused plate umpire Doug Eddings of trying to end games quickly after he called out Belt on a borderline pitch to end the Giants’ 6- 3 loss to Reds.
“It’s tough because you hope an umpire doesn’t affect the game like that, but he did, and you’re not sure if it was on purpose, either,’’ Belt said. “I’ve heard the guy multiple times say that, or insinuate, that he’s trying to get [ through] the game fast, and then he makes calls like that. You gotta wonder.’’
Verlander goes the distance
Justin Verlander pitched a five- hitter for his first shutout in three years as the Astros beat the Angels 2- 0.
Verlander was superb in ending his two- game skid, finishing with seven strikeouts to reach 2,500 for his career. He walked one and lowered his ERA from 1.21 to 1.05 with his fourth start of at least six innings without giving up a run this season.
The right- hander threw 118 pitches in his 24th career complete game and first since 2016 with the Tigers.
Brewers club Diamondbacks
Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana, Christian Yelich and Tyler Saladino homered in the first four innings, and the Brewers routed the Diamondbacks 8- 2 to finish a trip through Colorado and Arizona 5- 2.
Brandon Woodruff held the Diamondbacks’ sputtering offense to one hit in five innings, Daniel Descalso’s two- run homer. Shaw, who has a teamhigh 10 homers, is 10- for- 27 with three homers and seven RBI on the trip.
Fowler gets back in groove
Dexter Fowler reached base four times and drove in two runs in his return to the lineup, and the Cardinals beat former teammate Lance Lynn and the Twins 7- 5. Fowler, who entered hitting .146, had a two- run single in the first. He made just his second start in five games and had two hits and two walks.