Nola, Phillies spoil Kershaw’s return
Nola pitched seven innings of twohit ball and Philadelphia beat the Dodgers 2-1 on Thursday.
LOS ANGELES — Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs, Aaron Nola pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Thursday, spoiling Clayton Kershaw’s first start in almost a month.
Hitting out of the No. 8 spot in the Phillies’ lineup, Alfaro delivered an RBI single in the second inning against Kershaw and had an RBI double off reliever Josh Fields in the seventh.
Nola (7-2) struck out seven, including five of the last seven batters he faced. He walked one and allowed just two runners to reach as far as second base. Seranthony Dominguez held the Dodgers scoreless over the final two innings for his second save.
Kershaw pitched in his first game since May 1, spending time on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. He gave up one run and four hits over five innings, throwing 62 pitches. He had five strikeouts and a walk.
ASTROS 4, RED SOX 2
In Houston, Carlos Correa snapped an 0-for-10 slump with a two-run homer in the first and Tony Kemp and Jake Marisnick had an RBI each to help the Astros beat Boston.
Lance McCullers (7-3) allowed four hits and two runs in six innings to help the Astros win this rematch of last year’s ALDS, which Houston won in four games.
Ken Giles gave up a single to Sandy Leon with two outs in the ninth before walking Jackie Bradley Jr., but Marisnick grabbed a fly ball hit by Blake Swihart to end it and give Giles his 10th save.
Boston’s Drew Pomeranz (1-4) allowed six hits and four runs in five innings after failing to pitch longer than four innings in his past three starts. The Red Sox, playing without Mookie Betts (soreness in left side) for fifth straight game as well as Dustin Pedroia, snapped a three-game winning streak.
BRAVES 4, NATIONALS 2
In Atlanta, Sean Newcomb pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight win, leading the Braves back into first place in the NL East.
The Braves snapped Washington’s six-game winning streak and reclaimed first place by a half-game over the Nationals.
Newcomb (6-1) was roughed up by the Nationals in his season debut April 2. Since then, he’s 6-0 with a sparkling 2.16 ERA in 10 starts.
Anthony Rendon drove in both Washington runs with a sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI single in the third. Newcomb was dominant the rest of the way, retiring 14 of 15 hitters before he was lifted for a pinch hitter after a 1-2-3 seventh. He threw 93 pitches — 61 for strikes.
TIGERS 6, ANGELS 2
In Detroit, Victor Reyes hit a three-run triple in the five-run first to lead the Tigers.
Tigers starter Ryan Carpenter was on pace to pick up his first career victory, but left the game after four innings with an oblique strain.
Warwick Saupold (3-1) replaced Carpenter and pitched two perfect innings. Carpenter gave up one run and five hits.
Andrew Heaney (2-4) allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings. He had given up a total of six runs over his previous six starts.
CARDINALS 10, PIRATES 8
In St. Louis, Yairo Munoz hit a three-run, game-ending homer to cap the Cardinals’ five-run ninth inning.
Munoz ripped the first pitch from closer Felipe Vazquez (2-2) over the wall in center field to give St. Louis its sixth walk-off win of the season.
Francisco Cervelli hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth to give the Pirates an 8-5 lead. However, Pittsburgh couldn’t hold on and lost in St. Louis for the fifth straight time and 12th in the last 14.
INDIANS 9, TWINS 8
In Minneapolis, Francisco Lindor’s second home run of the game snapped an eighth-inning tie after the Twins erased an eight-run deficit, and Cleveland held on for the win.
Lindor also hit two doubles and drove in four runs for the Indians, who stretched their winning streak to a season-best six straight games despite another wobbly performance by their bullpen until Cody Allen finished by getting the final four outs — his ninth save in 10 opportunities.
The Twins lost for the seventh time in their last eight games.
ATHLETICS 7, RAYS 3
In Oakland, Calif., Daniel Mengden allowed three runs over eight innings and the Athletics avoided a four-game sweep.
Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Matt Joyce all homered, providing some much-needed punch to an offense that had sputtered since their leading home-run hitter Khris Davis went on the disabled list 10 days earlier.
Davis was activated before the game and doubled and scored as part of a three-run second inning to help Oakland end a three-game losing streak.
CUBS 5, METS 1
In New York, Jose Quintana pitched six shutout innings, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and Chicago won the opener of a fourgame series.
Zobrist also doubled and singled in the leadoff spot as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago improved to 2-8 at Citi Field since the 2015 NL Championship Series.
An inconsistent Quintana (6-4) continued his run of strong starts following poor ones. The lefthander allowed three hits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third when he threw a called third strike past Jose Bautista and retired cleanup man Michael Conforto on a grounder.
PADRES 8, MARLINS 3
In San Diego, Christian Villanueva hit his 15th home run, Jordan Lyles pitched seven solid innings and the Padres won their third straight.
Villanueva’s homer total before June 1 is the most by a National League rookie since St. Louis’ Albert Pujols hit 16 in 2001. His power surge has helped the Padres win four of their last six games.
After taking a perfect game into the eighth inning in his last start at Petco Park, Lyles (2-1) wasn’t as dominant against the Marlins. But he limited them to two runs and six hits while walking one and striking out seven in his fifth start after 13 appearances out of the bullpen.
Brad Hand got the last out with the bases loaded for his 17th save after.