Molina’s slam, ‘rally cat’ lead Cards past Royals

ST. LOUIS — Yadier Molina hit a grand slam one pitch after a cat ran onto the field in the sixth inning, helping the St. Louis Cardinals rally to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals loaded the bases off Royals relievers Brandon Maurer and Peter Moylan. Molina was at the plate, with two outs, when the cat came onto the field and ran toward the center field wall.

On the next pitch, Molina drilled his 14th homer of the season into the left field seats for his fifth career slam.

Melky Cabrera hit his 15th home run, a two-run shot, that had given the Royals a 5-4 lead in the fifth.

Whit Merrifield had four hits for the Royals, who opened the game with four straight hits off Mike Leake and took a 2-0 lead on an RBI double from Lorenzo Cain and RBI single by Cabrera.

Merrifield made it 3-0 when he scored on Molina's throwing error in the second.

The Cardinals scored twice in the second, on an RBI sacrifice bunt from Leake and an RBI single from Matt Carpenter, and then tied the game on Jedd Gyorko's RBI single in the third.

Jose Martinez gave St. Louis a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning with his

ninth homer.

Leake, the Cardinals' starter, allowed five runs on 11 hits in five innings. Royals starter Trevor Cahill lasted just 21/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and walking five.

RANGERS 5, METS 1 Martin Perez (6-10) allowed three hits over eight innings, Joey Gallo hit his 32nd home run and Texas gained a two-game split. Texas took a 3-0 lead in the first against Rafael Montero (1-8) when the pitcher balked with Shin-Soo Choo taking a sizable and distracting lead off of third, and Gallo hit a tworun drive into the upper deck in right, his 11th home run since the All-Star break

AMERICAN LEAGUE

YANKEES 11, BLUE JAYS 5 Todd Frazier homered and had three RBIs, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius also went deep and the Yankees overcame a shaky start by Masahiro Tanaka to beat the Blue Jays. Rookie Garrett Cooper had four hits for the Yankees, who had not scored in double figures since a 13-4 win at Houston on June 30. New York’s 17 hits were one shy of its season high, set June 10 against Baltimore.

RED SOX 8, RAYS 2 Eduardo Nunez chased Jake Odorizzi when he lined a single off the pitcher’s foot, starting a five-run fifth inning for the Red Sox in a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays that extended Boston’s winning streak to a season-high eight. Struck on the right foot, Odorizzi was face down on the mound, his face extending onto the infield grass, for several seconds. He hobbled off with one arm wrapped around Rays manager Kevin Cash, the other around assistant athletic trainer Paul Harker. WHITE SOX 7, ASTROS 1 Tim Anderson homered and drove in three runs, Miguel Gonzalez tossed eight strong innings and the White Sox beat the Astros, their second straight win over the team with the best record in the AL.