Red Sox beat Braves 8-2 in matchup of leaders

ATLANTA (AP) — Ian Kinsler drove in three runs and the Boston Red Sox continued their interleague success, beating the Atlanta Braves 8-2 Monday in a matchup of division leaders.

The Red Sox have won 23 of their last 27 games against National League teams. Boston has the best record in the majors and is atop the AL East.

Kinsler hit a two-out, two-run single in the eighth after a throwing error by first baseman Freddie Freeman prolonged the inning, making it 5-2. Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single as Boston scored three times in the ninth off Bryse Wilson.

Boston scored three runs in the fifth off Braves rookie Touki Toussaint, making only his second start in the majors.

The NL East-leading Braves scored only one run after loading the bases in the first, fourth and seventh innings. Kurt Suzuki's bases-loaded sacrifice fly added a run in the seventh.

Toussaint (1-1) held Boston without a hit and struck out six strikeouts through four innings. Consecutive doubles by Eduardo Nunez, Kinsler and Christian Vazquez off the rookie in the fifth gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. Mookie Betts added an RBI single with two outs to finish Toussaint.

Boston right-hander Nate Eovaldi issued three walks in the first. His previous season high for a game was two. The Braves left the bases loaded when Suzuki grounded out.

Brandon Workman (3-0) recorded two outs after replacing Eovaldi in the fourth. Eovaldi issued four walks but did not allow a run in 3 1/3 innings.

Ozzie Albies led off the sixth with his 22nd homer against Joe Kelly.

A sellout crowd of 40,394 included a strong turnout by Red Sox fans.

BREWERS 4, CUBS 3

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich drove in the winning run with the bases loaded in the ninth after beating a throw from third to avoid a double play, and the Brewers opened an important three-game series with the Cubs.

The .316 hitter hit a 1-2 fastball from Jesse Chavez right at third baseman Kris Bryant, who touched third for the second out of the ninth before firing to first. The speedy Yelich reached safely just before the throw landed in the glove of the outstretched Anthony Rizzo, allowing Keon Broxton to score the game-winner from third.

The Brewers took advantage of wildness by Cubs reliever Steve Cishek (4-3), who loaded the bases with a walk, passed ball and two hit batters.

It set up the game-winning fielder's choice by Yelich, the reigning National League Player of the Week.

The second-place Brewers, looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, pulled within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs.

Milwaukee tied the score 3-3 after pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas drew a four-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth from Carl Edwards Jr. during an at-bat in which home-plate umpire Gabe Morales ejected two Cubs. Manager Joe Maddon got tossed after the count went to 2-0; Edwards got the boot during a pitching change in which he was being lifted anyway from the game.

The final few innings especially had the tense feel of a playoff game, especially with lots of Cubs fans filling the stands at sold-out Miller Park.

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-out, two-run homer off tough left-hander Josh Hader in the eighth.

Jeremy Jeffress (8-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.

NATIONALS 4, CARDINALS 3, 10 INNINGS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning, then delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th that sent the Nationals over the Cardinals.

The Cardinals led 3-1 with one out in the ninth when Harper hit his 31st home run, sending a 96 mph fastball from closer Bud Norris over the center field fence.

Mark Reynolds led off the Washington 10th against Chasen Shreve (1-1) with a double that went in and out of right fielder Tyler O'Neill's glove. Pinch-runner Michael Taylor moved to third on Adam Eaton's bunt single and an out later, Harper flied to deep left. Taylor slid in safely, well ahead of Marcell Ozuna's throw.

Greg Holland (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory against the Cardinals, who designated him for assignment July 27. It was his longest outing since a two-inning appearance Kansas City on May 12, 2015.

St. Louis took the lead against Max Scherzer on Paul DeJong's two-out, two-run single in the first. Washington pulled within 2-1 moments later when Trea Turner hit his 17th homer of the season.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty went five innings. He loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but coaxed Ryan Zimmerman to fly out. Flaherty struck out five and walked five.

Scherzer settled in after needing 33 pitches to get through the first. He eventually retired 12 in a row, a stretch halted when Yairo Munoz led off the sixth with his seventh home run.

Scherzer pitched seven innings, allowing four hits while striking out 11. It was his 15th outing with at least 10 strikeouts this season. He has a major league-leading 260 strikeouts for the year, his fifth consecutive season with at least 250.

MARLINS 3, PHILLIES 1

MIAMI (AP) — The fading Philadelphia Phillies mustered only four hits and no walks against Jose Urena and two relievers and lost Monday to the last-place Marlins.

The Phillies, who began the afternoon four games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East, lost their third game in a row. They're 9-17 since Aug. 6, when the led the division.

Philadelphia has scored five runs in the past four games.

The Phillies aren't out of the division race because they face Atlanta in seven of their final 11 games. But the loss to the Marlins doesn't help their chances.

Urena (5-12) gave up one run in seven innings. He struck out seven to increase his season total to 117, a career high.

Drew Steckenrider pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save.

Vince Velasquez (9-10) allowed three runs in five innings.

Asdrubal Cabrera hit his 22nd homer for the Phillies. Derek Dietrich's triple started a three-run second inning for Miami.

Marlins left fielder Rafael Ortega had a tworun single and made a backhanded catch on the warning track to rob Carlos Santana of a run-scoring extra-base hit.

The retractable roof at Marlins Park was closed as Tropical Storm Gordon passed through South Florida. Attendance was 7,771.

REDS 5, PIRATES 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Reds star Joey Votto got a new shirt from a big fan at PNC Park, but Cincinnati wound up with little else Monday, blanked by Trevor Williams and the Pirates.

In the middle of the fourth inning, Votto walked over to a fan sitting along the first base side who was wearing a T-shirt that read "Votto for President." Votto asked for the shirt, and the man obliged — the suddenly bare-chested fan and Votto exchanged fist bumps.

Votto then gave the fan a Labor Day gift, an autographed jersey. That was the highlight of the day for Votto, who went 1 for 4 and grounded into a double play as the Reds lost for the ninth time in 12 games.

Trevor Williams (12-9) continued his stretch of strong starts by pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed five hits while striking out four and walking one.

Williams improved to 6-2 with a 0.66 ERA in his last nine starts, giving up four runs in 54 2/3 innings. It was his ninth outing of at least five innings without allowing a run this season.

Pittsburgh's Adam Frazier had career high-tying four hits, including a solo home run off Matt Harvey (6-8) with one out in the first inning and a two-run single in the seventh that stretched the Pirates' lead to 5-0. Frazier also had a double and three RBIs.

Pittsburgh's Gregory Polanco and Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett homered and had two hits each.

Polanco hit a run shot in the sixth inning that made it 3-0.

Gennett, the NL batting leader with a .320 average, broke up the Pirates' shutout bid with a solo drive off Kyle Crick in the eighth. Gennett also doubled in the first inning, but Williams worked out of a second-and-third jam with one out by striking Eugenio Suarez and getting Scott Schebler to fly out.

Harvey surrendered three runs and seven hits in six innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

ASTROS 4, TWINS 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman homered for the third straight game and Yuli Gurriel also went deep to help the Astros to their third straight win.

Dallas Keuchel (11-10) scattered five hits over six innings and allowed one run, which was unearned, for his second straight win. Brad Peacock allowed a single with two outs in the ninth to load the bases but struck out Jorge Polanco to escape the jam and get his third save.

Minnesota's Kyle Gibson (7-12) yielded four hits and four runs — two earned — with five strikeouts in seven innings for his third straight loss.

There were two outs in the first inning when Bregman knocked his 28th home into the seats in left field to give Houston a 1-0 lead. Bregman has reached base safely in 31 straight games, which is the longest active streak in the majors. He has 13 hits, including four homers and three doubles, with 10 RBIs in his last eight games combined.

Tyler White singled to start Houston's second before Gurriel reached on an error by Polanco. Brian McCann followed with a single that scored White to push the lead to 2-0.

Evan Gattis then grounded into a double play that allowed Gurriel to score and make it 3-0.

Gurriel made it 4-0 in the fourth inning when he connected off Gibson on a solo shot with one out.

Keuchel had retired seven straight when Mitch Garver singled with one out in the sixth. An error by Carlos Correa, when he overthrew first base, allowed Robbie Grossman to reach before the Twins cut the lead to 4-1 on an RBI single by Miguel Sano. But Keuchel struck out Jake Cave and Tyler Austin to end the inning and leave the runners stranded.

Gibson settled down after the homer to Gurriel and retired the last 11 batters he faced before Matt Magill took over for the eighth inning.

WHITE SOX 4, TIGERS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Davidson hit a two-run, game-ending homer as the White Sox scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Tigers for their eighth win in 11 games.

Davidson hit his 20th homer into the left-field bullpen on the first pitch his saw from Detroit closer Shane Greene (2-6) after Welington Castillo singled. Daniel Palka's 21st homer to lead off the ninth tied it at 2.

Victor Martinez homered deep to left with one out in the top of the ninth off Jace Fry (2-2) to put Detroit ahead 2-1. Greene then failed to retire a batter in the ninth as he blew his fifth save.

Martinez, Detroit's designated hitter, sat out Sunday's game in New York with flu-like symptoms and was questionable for this one.

Niko Goodrum's solo shot in the seventh tied it 1-all after Chicago's Nicky Delmonico homered to lead off the game for Chicago.

Both starters, Chicago's Reynaldo Lopez and Detroit's Michael Fulmer, were strong in no decisions.

Lopez yielded just one run on four hits and struck out seven in seven innings. He was sailing along with a shutout in his third straight solid start until Goodrum homered.

Fulmer allowed only one hit — Delmonico's lead-off homer — before leaving with two outs in the sixth after being struck by Palka's sharp comebacker. The Tigers said the right-hander has a right shin contusion and is day-to-day.

Fulmer crumpled to the ground after being hit by Palka's smash, and the ball deflected to Goodrum who stepped on first to record the out. After being tended to by a trainer, Fulmer walked off the field slowly and was replaced by Drew VerHagen.

Fulmer, who hasn't won since June 14, walked four and struck out five in one of his best performances this season.

ROCKIES 9, GIANTS 8

DENVER (AP) — Pinchhitter Noel Cuevas delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning and the Rockies rallied to beat the Giants after squandering a five-run lead.

On an afternoon when Trevor Story hit two homers off Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and the Rockies seemed in command at 7-2 after five innings, they needed the rookie Cuevas to come through with a clutch hit.

Colorado had a 7-5 lead in eighth when Giants pinch-hitters Alen Hanson and Chris Shaw hit back-to-back homers off reliever Seunghwan Oh (6-3). Hanson tied the game at 7 on a two-run homer and three pitches later Shaw lined an 0-2 cutter from Oh over the fence in right for his first career homer.

The Rockies answered right back, with Ian Desmond starting the inning with a single and pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta later lining a double. Cuevas brought them in with a grounder up the middle through a drawnin infield off reliever Tony Watson (4-6).

Wade Davis struck out the side in the ninth for his 38th save as the Rockies remain in the thick of the NL West chase. They entered the day a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's a pivotal stretch for Colorado, which kicked off 10 straight at home

and all against NL West foes. Colorado scored four times in the first off Bumgarner, who threw 35 pitches in facing nine hitters. DJ LeMahieu and Story each hit two-run homers in the inning.

Story added a three-run homer off Bumgarner in the fifth. The shortstop has a career-high 28 homers this season.

San Francisco cut the lead to 7-5 in the seventh on Evan Longoria's twoout, two-run triple.

Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado had a chance to get the Rockies out of the inning with no damage, but he bobbled Chase d'Arnaud's grounder and couldn't turn a double play.

Gorkys Hernandez homered for the Giants, who've dropped 15 of 17 in Denver since 2017.