Nationals avert disaster with walk-off
WASHINGTON — Ryan Raburn drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Washington Nationals survived another bullpen collapse for a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night.
Curtis Granderson tied the game with a two-out, two-run homer off Nationals reliever Matt Albers (4-1). Granderson’s heroics came after Michael Taylor’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth broke a scoreless tie.
Matt Wieters opened the ninth with a walk against Paul Sewald (0-3), moved to second following a sacrifice bunt and took third on Adam Lind’s deep fly ball. Following Stephen Drew’s walk, Raburn’s slow, looping liner to left field off Fernando Salas fell in front of a diving Yoenis Cespedes, scoring Wieters.
Nationals left fielder Brian Goodwin kept the game scoreless in the top of the eighth by throwing out Brandon Nimmo trying to score from second on Jose Reyes’ base hit.
In Milwaukee, Travis Shaw started the rout with a go-ahead single in a four-run first inning, then left after he was hit on a hand by a pitch during the Brewers’ win over the Orioles.
Backed by 7-0 lead in the second, Brent Suter (1-1) struck out eight over six innings, allowing an unearned run and four hits — all singles. The 27-year-old left hander made his second big league start, pitching in place of Chase Anderson, on the disabled list because of a left oblique strain.
Wade Miley (3-7) gave up seven runs, seven hits and two walks in 1⅔ innings, raising his ERA to 5.20 from 4.54. He is 1-4 with an 11.69 ERA in his last six starts.
In Philadelphia, Aaron Nola struck out eight in seven splendid innings, Freddy Galvis and Maikel Franco hit two-run homers and the Phillies beat the Pirates.
Nola (6-5) allowed four hits and none until Jordy Mercer lined a double down the left-field line with two outs in the fifth. Joaquin Benoit and Hector Neris completed the four-hitter.
Galvis hit a shot estimated at 417 feet into the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the first off Ivan Nova (8-6).
After Galvis reached on a bunt single his next time up, Franco ripped a liner out to left to make it 4-0 in the third.
Nova gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings.
In New York, Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven sharp innings for his second straight win following a long slump, and the Yankees beat the skidding Blue Jays.
Hours after announcing they’ll both compete in the Home Run Derby next week, All-Star sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez sparked New York’s offense. Consecutive singles by those Baby Bombers in the first helped the Yankees scratch out two runs against Marcus Stroman. Judge’s leadoff single and Sanchez’s double set up a four-run eighth that included Chase Headley’s two-run double off Ryan Tepera.
Headley was hit by a pitch to force home a run in the first and finished with three RBIs. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a bases-loaded walk from Stroman (8-5), who grew up on Long Island about 55 miles from Yankee Stadium.
Last-place Toronto has dropped five straight and nine of 11.
Tanaka (7-7) turned in his third consecutive strong outing, a big positive for the banged-up Yankees as they chase AL East-leading Boston. Second-place New York won for only the sixth time in 20 games.
In St. Louis, rookie Luke Voit hit his first major league homer and drove in four runs, Tommy Pham reached base five times and the Cardinals beat the Marlins.
St. Louis scored four runs in the first inning and seven in the third on the way to an 11-0 lead. Voit added a two-run homer in the eighth in the Cardinals’ fifth win in six games.
Adam Wainwright (9-5) picked up his second successive win and also drove in two runs with a basesloaded single.
In Denver, rookie Raimel Tapia finished a single shy of the cycle, Charlie Blackmon lined a solo shot after it was announced he would participate in the All-Star Home Run Derby and the Rockies beat the Reds.
Tapia’s homer in the sixth broke a tie game as the Rockies returned home following a forgetful 1-8 trip.
Right-hander Jeff Hoffman (5-1) nearly collected as many hits at the plate (two) as he surrendered on the mound (four). He went seven effective innings, with his only hiccup back-to-back homers to Scooter Gennett and Joey Votto in the sixth. Hoffman’s run-scoring double in the second was his first major league RBI.
Hoffman turned the ball over to the bullpen, where Jake McGee pitched the eighth and recently named All-Star Greg Holland threw a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 28 chances.
In Arlington, Texas, Andrew Benintendi blooped a two-run single over a drawn-in infield in the 11th inning and the Red Sox beat the Rangers for their AL-best fifth straight victory.
Boston needed extra innings after Mike Napoli led off the Rangers ninth with a homer off All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, who had blown only one of his previous 24 save opportunities.
With runners at second and third with one out in the 11th against Ernesto Frieri (0-1), the Rangers intentionally walked Dustin Pedroia, who already had three hits and four RBIs. Benintendi, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, then hit a ball that landed just beyond the infield dirt in short left.
In Minneapolis, Max Kepler tied a career high with four hits, including a home run, Adalberto Mejia earned his third straight win and the Twins beat the Angels.
Joe Mauer also homered and Miguel Sano had three hits for Minnesota, which won for just the third time in nine games.
In Seattle, Ian Kennedy allowed one run pitching into the seventh inning, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon both hit solo home runs, and the Royals beat the Mariners.
Kennedy (3-6) won his third straight decision with one of his best performances of the season. The lone run scored on a wild pitch as Kansas City handed Seattle its fifth straight loss at home.
In Oakland, Calif., Todd Frazier doubled twice and drove in two runs to back Carlos Rodon’s first win of the season, and the White Sox beat the slumping Athletics.
Melky Cabrera added three hits and an RBI, Willy Garcia doubled twice while Matt Davidson had an RBI double to break out of a personal slump and help Chicago to its fifth win in seven games.