Stanton homers in 6th straight, Marlins fall
MIAMI » All eyes are on Giancarlo Stanton and he keeps delivering.
Baseball’s $325-million man homered in his sixth consecutive game to give him a major leagueleading 44, but the Miami Marlins fell 9-4 to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
“Obviously very dangerous right now,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Stanton hit a solo shot to deep left-center field off Madison Bumgarner (3-5) in the third inning, tying the game at 2.
“It was a matchup a lot of baseball fans and us in the game look forward to,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Bumgarner won’t back down but (Stanton) got him.”
Stanton has 11 homers in his last 12 games, and 23 in the last 35. Only Sammy Sosa (25 in 1998) and Barry Bonds (24 in 2001) have hit more in that span, according to Elias.
“I’ve never even heard anything like this before with what he’s doing,” Marlins catcher A.J. Ellis said. “And the fact to be able to see it, it’s a great moment for all of us . ...
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The fact that he’s delivering when the expectations are there speaks to how locked in he is and how dedicated he is to find the right pitches. It’s pretty special to watch and we all hope it keeps going.”
He is two games from tying the major league record of hitting a home run in eight straight set by Dale Long (1956), Mattingly (1987), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993).
“I’d like to see him beat it actually,” Mattingly said. “It would be good . ... We’re trying to win games and the last thing I’m going to do is root against him hitting homers. So I’m all for it.”
Stanton singled off Bumgarner in the first, but Bumgarner was able to bounce back and strike him out in the fifth.
“That’s always fun,” Bumgarner said of the matchup. “I look forward to those. I might not go about it in the smartest way. But it was certainly a lot of fun. He’s locked in for sure.” RED SOX 10, CARDINALS 4» Xander Bogaerts had three hits, Hanley Ramirez, Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr. all added two RBIs and Boston beat St. Louis.
Boston blew the game open courtesy of a wild fifth inning, tallying eight hits and eight runs against Cardinals starter Mike Leake and reliever Matt Bowman. It came an inning after the Red Sox turned their first triple play in six years. NATIONALS 3, ANGELS 1 » Gio Gonzalez allowed two hits in six scoreless innings, Howie Kendrick hit two solo home runs and Washington snapped Los Angeles’ winning streak at six. INDIANS 8, TWINS 1 » Carlos Santana hit two of Cleveland’s five home runs and Danny Salazar continued his strong second-half stretch in the Indians’ victory over Minnesota. ASTROS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 4 » Houston had six extra-base hits in the first four innings, building a big enough lead to top Arizona. YANKEES 5, METS 4 » Sonny Gray outpitched Jacob deGrom, Jacoby Ellsbury and Gary Sanchez homered, and the Yankees held off the Mets to sweep both Subway Series games in the Bronx.
Despite another late stumble by closer Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees kept the Empire State Building lit up in pinstripes. RAYS 6, BLUE JAYS 4 » Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer, Wilson Ramos added a solo shot and Tampa Bay beat Toronto, snapping a four-game skid. BREWERS 3, PIRATES 1 » Keon Broxton hit a pinch-hit home run, Manny Piña drove in two runs, Zach Davies pitched into the seventh and Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh.