Tempers flare as Tigers edge Yankees
DETROIT — Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera and Yankees catcher Austin Romine wrestled on the ground near home plate during the first of three bench-clearing altercations during the Tigers’ testy 10-6 victory over New York on Thursday.
Five players were ejected, along with both managers and the Yankees’ bench coach.
Justin Upton and James McCann homered for Detroit, and Gary Sanchez went deep for the Yankees, but that all became secondary on a day when the umpires had their hands full trying to maintain order. Major League Baseball figures to be busy now, sorting out likely suspensions that could especially hurt the playoff-contending Yankees.
The winning and losing pitchers — Detroit’s Alex Wilson (2-4) and New York’s Dellin Betances (3-5) — were among those ejected. Betances was tossed after hitting a batter in the helmet with a pitch, and argued with the umps.
The ill will carried over to the Detroit dugout, too, where star pitcher Justin Verlander and teammates Victor Martinez and Nicholas Castellanos got into some sort of dispute.
Shane Greene got five outs for his fourth save.
D’backs 3, Mets 2
NEW YORK — Robbie Ray returned to a big-league mound for the first time since being hit in the head with a line drive last month, striking out nine in five innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets.
Arizona won three of four in New York, staying ahead of Colorado for the NL’s top wild-card spot with the victory.
Reinstated from the DL prior to the game, Ray (10-5) allowed one run and two hits. The AllStar left-hander struck out the side in the first and held the Mets hitless for three innings. He is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four starts against the Mets.
Yoenis Cespedes led off the fourth with his 17th home run, a drive that traveled 440 feet into the second deck in left.
Rockies 3, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pat Valaika hit a two-run homer with two out in the eighth inning and Greg Holland finished for his 36th save in the Colorado Rockies’ victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Valaika snapped an 0-for-12 slide, driving a full-count pitch from Mike Minor (5-6) to left after Gerardo Parra singled.
Holland worked a perfect ninth. He allowed Eric Hosmer’s game-ending, three run homer in the ninth inning Wednesday night and was 0-4 with three blown saves in his previous six appearances.
Adam Ottavino (2-3) struck out two in a perfect seventh.
Rays 2, Blue Jays 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Alex Cobb and four relievers combined on a six-hitter and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made two spectacular catches to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays.
A day after the same two teams combined for nine home runs in a 7-6 Toronto win, pitching took over.
Cobb, making his first start in 19 days, was taken out of the game in the fifth inning after throwing 94 pitches despite giving up no runs. Steve Cishek (2-0) got the win and Alex Colome pitched the ninth for his 38th save.
The Rays’ 1-0 lead was preserved in the fifth by the catches from Kiermaier, a two-time Gold Glover. Tampa Bay also benefited when a replay turned Josh Donaldson’s two-run double into a foul ball.
Marlins 9, Phillies 8
PHILADELPHIA — Giancarlo Stanton launched his major league-leading 47th home run, J.T. Realmuto hit an inside-the-park homer and the Miami Marlins overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
Stanton led off the third inning with his 14th homer in August, extending his club record for most in one month. He now has seven home runs against the Phillies this season, his most against any one team.
Realmuto tied it at 8 in the sixth inning with a tworun shot, which ricocheted off the wall in left-center and past center fielder Nick Williams.
Realmuto put the Marlins ahead in the eighth with a sacrifice fly off Luis Garcia (1-4).