Royals rally past Padres behind Cain’s two homers

ROYALS 12, PADRES 6

SAN DIEGO — Lorenzo Cain hit two homers, including a grand slam that capped a nine-run rally in the eighth inning that sent the Kansas City Royals over the San Diego Padres 12-6 Saturday.

The Royals trailed 5-3 when Cain led off the eighth with an infield single. Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez followed with home runs off Brad Hand (1-4) to put Kansas City ahead.

Cain's second career slam came off Jose Valdez. Padres pitchers got only one out in the inning before the Royals bolted to a big lead.

Cain also hit a solo shot in the sixth, and has six home runs this season. Perez hit his 100th career homer — he has homered in three straight games at Petco Park, one of them in the All-Star Game last July.

Reliever Travis Wood (1-2) won in relief.

Royals starter Ian Kennedy gave up a leadoff homer to Jose Pirela and allowed four runs in six innings. Kennedy is winless in 15 starts dating to last Sept. 11.

Pirela bounced a two-run double over third baseman Mike Moustakas during a three-run fifth that made it 4-1.

Miguel Diaz made his first major league start after 21 relief appearances. The rookie didn't get an out in the third inning, leaving with the bases loaded and none out.

Reliever Craig Stammen bailed him out, striking out Jorge Bonifacio and getting a double-play grounder from Cain that kept the

Padres ahead 1-0.

Alcides Escobar's first home run

this year, off Stammen, made it 1-all in the fifth.

RANGERS 6, NATIONALS 3 (11) Robinson Chirinos nearly put Texas ahead during a ninth-inning rally that tied it, then hit a three-run homer in the 11th. Texas scored twice in the ninth to make it 3-all. Chirinos’ bid for a tiebreaking sacrifice fly was thwarted by Washington right fielder Bryce Harper, who made a strong throw to nail a runner at the plate.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ASTROS 3, ANGELS 1 Mike Fiers had another solid start and Brian McCann homered to lead the Houston Astros to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. Fiers (4-2) allowed a season-low two hits and one run, which was unearned, in a season-high 71/3 innings, to get his third straight win after managing just one win in his first nine starts. He struck out eight in his longest start since throwing a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 21, 2015.

RED SOX 11, TIGERS 3 Boston’s Chris Sale outlasted Detroit’s Justin Verlander to win his seventh straight decision in a matchup of bigname pitchers. Mitch Moreland’s tiebreaking, two-run double sparked a three-run seventh inning and Boston added five more in the eighth for its second straight late-inning win over the Tigers. The Red Sox have won 13 of 19.

YANKEES 16, ORIOLES 3 Rookie Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 19th home run and New York connected five times in all, battering Chris Tillman and Baltimore for its fourth straight win. Starlin Castro, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and Matt Holliday also homered in New York’s biggest offensive show this season. The first-place Yankees have outscored Boston and Baltimore, their closest competitors in the AL East, by 41-6 during their winning streak.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CARDINALS 7, PHILLIES 0 Carlos Martinez struck out 11 in a complete-game shutout and St. Louis beat Philadelphia. Martinez (55) allowed four hits and walked one in his first complete game and first shutout of his career. Martinez’s 101st pitch of the game was a 100 mph fastball that struck out Howie Kendrick for the second out in the ninth.