Nova pitches Pirates to 3-1 victory

PITTSBURGH — Elias Diaz is filling in quite nicely for injured catchers Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart.

Diaz drove in two runs, Ivan Nova pitched six shutout innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Jeff Locke and the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Sunday.

Diaz drove in Jose Osuna and David Freese with a double in the first inning. Diaz also singled and scored on Jordy Mercer's single in the sixth inning.

Since Cervelli went on the disabled list Wednesday with a concussion, the 26-yearold Diaz is 7 for 14 with four RBIs.

"He's got a hit in every game he's started, eight of them," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He's having a blast. Big hits. Swinging the bat aggressively. Two more hits. The big hit kind of loosens things up. And he's done a nice job behind the plate."

Nova (6-4) allowed one hit, struck out four and walked none. He showed no ill effects from the left knee inflammation that bothered him in his previous start, but he threw only 77 pitches.

Hurdle said the decision to pull him early was offense-related and Nova said he was good to go longer if needed.

Locke (0-2) was charged with three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings in his first start in Pittsburgh since he signed with Miami in free agency. The left-hander spent the first six years of his career with the Pirates.

Ichiro Suzuki hit his second homer for Miami in the eighth. The 43-yearold Suzuki last hit more than one homer in a season in 2013.

It was Suzuki's 10th start of the year. Felipe Rivero got his second fourout save in as many days. He threw just 12 pitches.

Mets 2, Braves 1

ATLANTA — Seth Lugo pitched seven crisp innings in his season debut, leading the Mets to the road win.

Lugo (1-0) came back from right elbow inflammation that had sidelined him all season, helping Mets starters post a 0.83 ERA over the last five games. He gave up one run and six hits.

Lugo also doubled off Jaime Garcia (2-5) and scored in the third for a 2-1 lead.

The Mets have won four of five heading into a 16-game stretch against four teams that made the postseason last year.

Addison Reed got his 11th save in 13 chances.

Dansby Swanson had a sacrifice fly for Atlanta. The Braves have lost 16 of their last 21 home games against the Mets.

Dodgers 9, Reds 7

LOS ANGELES — Corey Seager capped Los Angeles' six-run eighth inning with his first career grand slam, helping the Dodgers sweep the Cincinnati Reds with a victory.

Rookie Cody Bellinger sparked Los Angeles' rally with one-out drive against Austin Brice. Rasiel Iglesias (2-1) replaced Brice with a runner on first and walked three straight batters to force in a run, trimming Cincinnati's lead to 7-5. Seager then hit a drive to center for his ninth homer.

Bellinger also homered in the second and Chase Utley connected in the fifth for the Dodgers, who have won four straight. Luis Avilan (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 200th career save.

Adam Duvall, Scott Schebler, Joey Votto and Devin Mesoraco homered for Cincinnati, which lost 5-4 on Saturday night on Seager's game-ending RBI double.

Duvall led off the second with a drive to left and Schebler added a two-run homer, helping the Reds to a 3-0 lead. It was Duvall's 15th homer and No. 18 for Schebler.

After Votto connected for a solo shot in the third, Utley belted a solo drive in the fifth that went off the glove of center fielder Billy Hamilton.

The Reds opened a 7-3 lead on Mesoraco's three-run homer off Ross Stripling in the sixth.

Cubs 7, Rockies 5

CHICAGO — Addison Russell had a go-ahead home run for his first big contribution since an absence in the wake of a Major League Baseball investigation into domestic abuse allegations, and the Cubs stopped the Rockies' seven-game winning streak.

Russell and Kyle Schwarber connected for back-to-back homers off Jordan Lyles (0-2) in the sixth inning. Miguel Montero and Ben Zobrist also went deep, helping the World Series champion Cubs even their record at 31-31.

Russell played for the second time since missing the first two games of the series. The MLB investigation began after claims of abuse against his wife were levied in a since-deleted social media post.

Carl Edwards Jr. (2-0) won in relief of starter Jake Arrieta. Wade Davis gave up a run in the ninth before getting his 13th save in 13 chances.

Diamondbacks 11, Brewers 1

PHOENIX — Robbie Ray struck out 12 in 6 2-3 shutout innings, Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam and the Arizona Diamondbacks broke away late to rout the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ray (7-3) gave up three hits and won what started as a pitchers' duel with former Diamondback Chase Anderson (5-2). Anderson allowed one run and four hits in six innings, and his scoreless streak stopped at 22 when Jake Lamb drove in David Peralta with a ground out in the bottom of the first.

Arizona led 1-0 when Ray came out of the game after back-to-back walks in the seventh. J.J. Hoover relieved and walked the bases loaded, but Jorge De La Rosa came on and struck out Eric Thames on three pitches to end the inning.

Ray struck out at least 10 for the ninth time in his career and fifth this season. He is the first Diamondbacks pitcher with double-digit strikeouts in three

straight games since Randy Johnson's four-game stretch in 2004.

Interleague Giants 13, Twins 8

SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey had three hits and four RBIs, Hunter Pence added three doubles and scored three times, and the San Francisco Giants broke out of their offensive slump with a victory over the Minnesota Twins that avoided a three-game sweep.

Eduardo Nunez also had three hits and scored three times while rookie Austin Slater had three hits and a career-high four RBIs to help the Giants win for the fourth time in 12 games.

San Francisco had been held to two runs over the first two games of the series before setting season highs for hits (17) and scoring. The Giants also had a San Francisco record-tying eight doubles.

Posey, who entered the day with the fourth-best batting average in the majors, had an RBI groundout in the first, a run-scoring single in the fifth and a tworun, go-ahead double in the seventh.

Pence bounced back after striking out

three times Saturday and again in his first at-bat Sunday. He had an RBI double in the seventh and in the ninth. The veteran right fielder had been 7 for 51 before breaking out against the Twins.

Josh Osich (1-1) retired three batters for the win.

Eduardo Escobar and Byron Buxton homered for Minnesota. Matt Belisle (01) got two outs and was charged with four runs and four hits.

San Francisco's offensive outburst spoiled the major league debut of Twins left-hander Nik Turley. The 27-year-old Turley, who spent 10 years in the minors, gave up four runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.