D-Backs 1st to sweep Dodgers
PHOENIX — Zack Greinke earned his major league-best 16th victory with six strong innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Los Angeles 8-1 on Thursday to complete the first series sweep of the Dodgers this season.
Chris Iannetta and A.J. Pollock homered for the Diamondbacks, who matched their season-best seventh straight victory.
Greinke (16-6) allowed a run and four hits, striking out six and walking two, to improve to 13-1 in 16 home starts this season.
YANKEES 6, RED SOX 2: C.C. Sabathia shut down visiting Boston for the fourth time this season, and New York got homers from Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird on the way to a victory in the opener of a pivotal four-game series in the battle to control the AL East.
BREWERS 6, NATIONALS 3: Zach Davies won his 16th game to tie Arizona’s Zack Greinke for the most victories in the majors, Jonathan Villar homered, and Milwaukee beat visiting Washington.
REDS 7, METS 2: Scooter Gennett drove in three runs with a homer and a double off Jacob deGrom, and Cincinnati ended visiting New York’s dominance over it, taking two of three to win the series. Heading in, New York had won 14 straight games against Cincinnati, including eight in a row at Great American Ball Park.
TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 4: Max Kepler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as Minnesota rallied to beat visiting Chicago for its fourth straight win.
BLUE JAYS 11, ORIOLES 8: Baltimore’s seven-game winning streak ended under a barrage of home runs by Kendrys Morales, who went deep three times and had a career-high seven RBIs for visiting Toronto.
PHILLIES 3, MARLINS 2: Ben Lively hastened Giancarlo Stanton’s slide into a slump, and Philadelphia sent host Miami below .500. Stanton failed to get the ball out of the infield in three plate appearances and finished 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. The home run leader (51) is 1-for-15 this week.
CUBS 6, BRAVES 2: Kyle Hendricks turned in his fourth straight quality start as Chicago ran its winning streak to four with a victory over visiting Atlanta.