India, Castellanos homer to lead Reds past Brewers 5-1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jonathan India hit a three-run homer, Nick Castellanos also went deep and the Cincinnati Reds beat the NL Centralleading Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Sonny Gray allowed three hits in six scoreless innings for the Reds, who still trail the Brewers by 8 1/2 games. Cincinnati does hold the second NL wild card spot.
“It's huge for us,” India said of Cincinnati's 70th victory this season. “That's a really good team over there so it was good to get this one and hope for the best. Hopefully they go cold and we can stay hot.”
Gray (6-6) struck out six while walking only two batters and didn't give up his first hit until Avisail Garcia's two-out single in the fourth. In the sixth, he loaded the bases with two outs but got Rowdy Tellez to ground out to first.
It was the second consecutive scoreless outing for Gray, who hasn't allowed a run in his last 13 innings.
“An excellent start and came at a great time,” Reds manager David Bell said.
Brewers starter Brett Anderson (4-8) worked 4
2/3 innings before leaving the game with tightness in his right hip. He was charged with three runs on four hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.
“The last handful of starts I feel like I've pitched well enough to keep us in the game but
also bad enough not to win the game,” Anderson said.
A leadoff single and an error by Anderson set the stage for India's threerun homer off Hunter Strickland in the fifth. The rookie's 17th homer this season made it 4-0. Castellanos led off the
sixth with his 24th.
Luis Urias led off the seventh with his 17th homer for Milwaukee.
“It would have been a nice one to get today but they pitched well and got a big homer,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “They're a good team and they did enough
ORIOLES 13, ANGELS 1
BALTIMORE (AP) — A day after ending a 19-game losing streak, the major league-worst Orioles handled Shohei Ohtani and the Angels again, getting a grand slam and six RBIs from
Pedro Severino victory.
Ohtani led off the game with a homer, his MLBleading 41st, but that was the only highlight for the Angels, who have lost five of six.
Baltimore won two games in a row for the first time since July 30-31 and took its first series since a three-game sweep of Washington from July 23-25. The Orioles hit three homers off Ohtani a night earlier, although the two-way star left the mound with the lead.
Keegan Akin (1-8) picked up his second career win, allowing one run and three hits with six strikeouts and two walks over a season-high seven innings.
Baltimore had lost its last 12 games when Akin appeared as a starter or out of the bullpen.
The Orioles led 3-1 in the fifth when Severino hammered reliever Jake Petricka's first pitch into the center-field bullpen. It was the second career grand slam for Severino and third for the team this season.
Elvis Peguero (0-1) was charged with five of the six runs the Angels allowed in the inning.
Severino added a two
run single in the eighth to score Baltimore's final two runs. His six RBIs were a career high.
Orioles rookie Ryan Mountcastle went 2 for 4 with a walk and added a two-run single in eighth, extending his on-base streak to a season-high 17 games. Ramón Urias had three hits and two RBIs.
Ohtani hit a towering blast over the right-field wall on the game's second pitch, his third leadoff homer this season.
The Orioles tied the game in the third on a run-scoring single by Kelvin Gutierrez that scored Jahmai Jones, who doubled off starter Jaime Barria.
The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Trey Mancini that bounced out of the infield. DJ Stewart followed with a run-scoring double.
WHITE SOX 10, BLUE JAYS 7
TORONTO (AP) — Luis Robert hit a two-run home run, Carlos Rodón won in his return from the injured list and the White Sox beat the Blue Jays.
José Abreu, César Hernández and Eloy Jiménez each hit solo shots as the White Sox earned a split in the four-game series.
Rodón (10-5) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. Activated off the injured list before the game, Rodón hadn't pitched since Aug. 7 because of a sore shoulder.
Craig Kimbrel finished for his first save with the White Sox, his 24th in 27 chances this season.
Marcus Semien hit two home runs for the Blue Jays.