Indians’ hot pitching streak ends in win
NEW YORK — Corey Kluber outpitched Luis Severino in a marquee matchup of All-Stars, and slumping Jose Ramirez homered twice to power Cleveland past the Yankees 6-2 Monday night for its fifth straight victory.
Carlos Santana hit a tiebreaking homer off Severino in the seventh inning and Austin Jackson also went deep for the AL Central leaders, who increased their cushion to seven games over idle Minnesota.
Coming off three consecutive shutouts in a sweep of Kansas City, the defending AL champions ran their scoreless streak to 30 innings before Chase Headley homered against Kluber (13-4) leading off the third. The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner went eight innings and allowed only three hits, rebounding from a loss to Boston last week that ended a five-game winning streak and marked his first defeat since July 4.
Severino (11-6) gave up four hits — three homers — in 6⅔ innings and lost for only the second time in 10 starts.
RAYS 12, ROYALS 0
In Kansas City, Mo., the Royals extended their scoreless streak to a franchise-record 43 innings, getting shut out for a fourth straight game in a loss to Tampa Bay.
The Royals haven’t scored since the second inning of a 3-2 loss to Colorado last Thursday and were blanked three times over the weekend by Cleveland. The 1968 Chicago Cubs and 1906 Philadelphia Athletics hold the major league record at 48 scoreless innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The 1992 Cubs were the last team to be blanked in four straight games, and it hasn’t happened in the AL since the 1964 Washington Senators — nine years before the adoption of the designated hitter. No team has been shut out in five straight games since at least 1913, according to information gathered from baseball-reference.com.
Austin Pruitt (7-4) pitched six one-run innings for Tampa Bay.
NATIONALS 11, MARLINS 2
In Washington, Max Scherzer overpowered Giancarlo Stanton, Howie Kendrick hit a threerun triple and the Nationals beat Miami.
Scherzer (13-5) allowed one run and five hits, including Christian Yelich’s home run, and had 10 strikeouts in his return from the 10-day disabled list.
Stanton, named NL Player of the Week for the second time this month on Monday, went 0 for 3 against Scherzer with two strikeouts and a groundball double play.
Jayson Werth had a two-run homer off Jose Urena (12-6) in his first game with the Nationals since suffering a left foot contusion on June 5.
ORIOLES 7, MARINERS 6
In Baltimore, Adam Jones hit a milestone home run and Welington Castillo had three hits and two RBIs in the Orioles’ fifth straight victory.
Chris Davis doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning for the resurgent Orioles, who climbed over .500 (66-65) for the first time since June 11. Baltimore jumped past Seattle (66-66) to within 1½ games of idle Minnesota for the final AL wild-card spot.
Jones’ solo home run in the fifth inning gave him 25 for an Orioles-record seventh consecutive season. He shared the mark of six with Cal Ripken Jr.
PHILLIES 6, BRAVES 1
In Philadelphia, Rhys Hoskins ended his homer streak but did drive in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning double, Aaron Nola pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies beat Atlanta.
Cameron Rupp homered for the Phillies, who have connected in 10 straight games and totaled 21 homers over that stretch.
RED SOX 6, BLUE JAYS 5
In Toronto, Christian Vazquez had four hits, including a two-run home run, Eduardo Nunez added a solo shot and Boston beat the Blue Jays, snapping a four-game skid.
CUBS 6, PIRATES 1
In Chicago, Mike Montgomery pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning and helped himself at the plate, leading the Cubs to the win.