Molina ‘ all over the place’ in Cards’ win
Yadier Molina has been guiding the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff all season. The All- Star catcher played a big role Wednesday night, helping Michael Wacha get his 14th win.
“Everyone knows about what he does behind the plate,” Wacha said after a 4- 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. “He was all over the place, big knocks, stealing bags — it was a lot of fun to watch.”
Molina tripled in the go- ahead run in the sixth inning when right fielder Gregory Polanco missed an attempted shoe- top catch. He also threw out Polanco attempting to steal from his knees in the first and stole his second base of the season after doubling in the eighth when the Cardinals won an appeal to have the call overturned.
“We love his aggressiveness,” manager Mike Matheny said. “Yadi’s coming out of the box and he sees what happens and he’s thinking three. … He’s opportunistic on the bases. He’s got guts.”
The anticipated marquee pitching matchup between Wacha ( 14- 4) and Gerrit Cole ( 14- 6) didn’t live up to expectations. Both were gone by the seventh inning.
Wacha scattered nine hits and three walks in six innings, allowing two runs. Pittsburgh left the bases loaded in the fourth and stranded two in the fifth and sixth.
Cole gave up three earned runs in 5 1/ 3 innings and is 0- 2 in three starts this month while totaling 16 1/ 3 innings.
Dodgers 3, Nationals 0
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw tied Sandy Koufax’s franchise record of six straight 200- strikeout seasons while tossing eight scoreless innings for NL West- leading Los Angeles.
Kershaw ( 10- 6) took a perfect game bid into the sixth inning, when Michael Taylor doubled to deep center field. Kershaw retired the next two batters on grounders to end the inning.
The 27- year- old left- hander struck out the side in the second to equal the mark set by Koufax from 1961- 66. Koufax and Tom Seaver ( 1968- 76) are the only pitchers in modern NL history to accomplish the feat in six or more consecutive seasons.
Jordan Zimmermann ( 8- 8) nearly matched Kershaw, giving up two hits and one run in seven innings.
Blue Jays 10, Athletics 3
TORONTO — Toronto surged to the top of the AL East with its 10thstraight win, beating Oakland behind a pair of three- run homers from Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak.
Josh Donaldson had two hits and two RBs, boosting his major league- leading total to 85.
R. A. Dickey ( 7- 10) won his fourthstraight decision, allowing three runs and six hits in six innings.
Indians 2, Yankees 1
CLEVELAND — Danny Salazar pitched neatly into the eighth inning, and Cleveland dropped New York out of first place in the AL East.
The Yankees trail surging Toronto by a half- game in the division and fell out of the top spot for the first time since July 2. Abraham Almonte’s RBI single broke a 1- all tie in the sixth and Cleveland won its fourth straight.
Salazar ( 10- 6) was pulled after issuing one- out walks to Brett Gardner and Chase Headley in the eighth, but Cody Allen got Alex Rodriguez to hit into a double play to end the inning. Salazar gave up one run in 7 1/ 3 innings.
Cubs 3, Brewers 2
CHICAGO — Miguel Montero homered in the bottom of the 10th inning for Chicago.
Montero, who allowed a couple wild pitches to get past him in the ninth as the Brewers rallied to tie the score, led off the 10th with a solo blast to left field off Michael Blazek ( 5- 3). Tommy Hunter ( 3- 2) pitched a scoreless 10th to get the win.
Kris Bryant homered and Anthony Rizzo made a circus catch falling into the stands to lead the keep the Cubs surging.
Astros 2, Giants 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Colby Rasmus homered to lead off the seventh inning to help Scott Feldman earn his first win in more than two months.
Jed Lowrie also homered for the Astros, who stumble back to Minute Maid Park with a slimmer AL West division lead after going 2- 7 on their nine- game road trip.
Feldman ( 5- 5) missed 45 games earlier this season with a torn meniscus and had been winless in four starts since coming off the disabled list in July. He combined with four relievers on the five- hit shutout.
White Sox 3, Angels 2
CHICAGO — Avisail Garcia’s linedrive double to the wall with one out in the 13th inning drove in Jose Abreu from first base and lifted Chicago to a three- game sweep.
Matt Albers ( 2- 0), Chicago’s sixth reliever, pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
Cesar Ramos ( 2- 1), the Angels’ sixth pitcher out the bullpen, gave up a single to Abreu and then Garcia’s double to left- center.
Tigers 7, Royals 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ian Kinsler doubled home two runs and Detroit batted around in a four- run eighth inning to defeat Kansas City.
Royals right- hander Edinson Volquez ( 11- 7) had retired 13 straight batters entering the eighth, which James McCann led off with a single. Volquez walked Anthony Gose, and Jose Iglesias had an infield single to load the bases with none out.
Neftali Feliz ( 2- 3) picked up the victory, retiring all three batters he faced.