Rangers top Angels in finale Skaggs would’ve started for LA
ARLINGTON, Texas — Lance Lynn matched the major league lead with his 11th win and the Texas Rangers avoided a series sweep with a 9-3 victory over the grieving Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, the Fourth of July game that the late Tyler Skaggs had been scheduled to start.
The Angels won the first two games of the series after the 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Texas on Monday, and that night’s scheduled game was postponed until August.
Mike Trout hit another impressive homer for Los Angeles in the first inning, his AL best-tying 25th. But Lynn (11-4) limited Los Angeles to only one more run over his seven innings and Rougned Odor homered twice to drive in five runs for the Rangers, who snapped a fourgame losing streak.
An emotional trip for the Angels that began with them traveling to Texas in cowboy hats and Western attire — a theme initiated by Skaggs — now takes them to Houston for three games this weekend against the Astros before the All-Star break. Skaggs’ No. 45 jersey hung prominently in his clubhouse locker before the game, and then in the dugout during games throughout the series.
Angels rookie right-hander Griffin Canning (3-5) struck out six, but walked three and allowed six runs over 3 1/3 innings.
Braves 12, Phillies 6
ATLANTA — Dansby Swanson hit two homers and drove in five runs, and the Braves rallied from a first-inning, four-run deficit to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ozzie Albies gave Atlanta the lead with a three-run homer in the third. A.J. Minter (3-4) pitched a perfect seventh to earn the victory.
The Braves hit five homers overall, giving them a combined eight in winning the final two games of the three-game series. Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson hit back-to-back homers off Édgar García in the fourth.
The Phillies dropped to third place in the division, behind Atlanta and Washington. The Phillies scored four runs on six hits in the first inning off All-Star Mike Soroka, but the Braves charged back against Zach Eflin
(7-8). Soroka didn’t allow another run while Eflin allowed two runs in the first, two in the second and three in the third.
Philadelphia’s Sean Rodríguez hit a pinch-hit homer off Grant Dayton in the sixth.
Cardinals 5, Mariners 4
SEATTLE — Matt Wieters and Dexter Fowler homered, Tommy Edman came through with another key hit, and St. Louis rallied past Seattle.
Wieters hit a solo shot in the third inning and Fowler added a two-run drive in the fourth. Daniel Ponce de Leon got his first major league win, and Carlos Martinez worked the ninth for his third save.
Edman put the Cardinals in front for the second straight day with a two-run single in the seventh. Edman connected for a pinch-hit three-run homer during St. Louis’ five-run ninth in a 5-2 win Wednesday night.
St. Louis starter Michael Wacha was charged with four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings, but the Cardinals bullpen was solid for the second straight game. Ponce de Leon (1-0) allowed one baserunner in 2 2/3 innings. Andrew Miller worked out of a jam in the eighth before Martinez finished.
J.P. Crawford and Tim Beckham homered for the Mariners, who have dropped six of seven. AllStar Daniel Vogelbach singled home a run.
Cubs 11, Pirates 3
PITTSBURGH — Kris Bryant hit his 17th homer and Chicago erupted following manager Joe Maddon’s fourth-inning ejection, routing Pittsburgh to stop a four-game losing streak.
Bryant tied a season high with four hits, including a first-inning shot to the seats in right-center off Jordan Lyles (5-5). Robel Garcia finished a double short of the cycle in his first major league start. Willson Contreras drove in three runs for the Cubs, who moved back into a tie with Milwaukee for first place in the crowded NL Central, where all five teams are separated by 31/2 games.
Maddon watched the final 51/2 innings from the Chicago clubhouse after getting tossed following an exchange with the Pittsburgh dugout that ended with Maddon being restrained by home plate umpire Joe West.
Maddon appeared to take exception with Lyles pitching up and in to All-Star Javier Báez. He walked onto the field pointing his finger at Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. West and Bryant teamed up to hold Maddon back while Hurdle watched from just outside the Pittsburgh dugout.
José Quintana (6-7) allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time since April.
Dodgers 5, Padres 1
LOS ANGELES — Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed six scoreless innings, All-Star Cody Bellinger hit his
30th home run, and the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres for their ninth straight home victory.
The Dodgers had won their previous five home games via walk-off, one short of the major league record set by the 2000 Kansas City Royals. Bellinger had the winning RBIs on Tuesday and Wednesday. They didn’t need any late-game fireworks this Fourth of July.
Ryu (10-2) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked a season-high three to become the first Dodgers starter to win a game since June 21, when Walker Buehler struck out 16 in a 4-2 victory over Colorado. The South Korean left-hander lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.73.
Bellinger homered leading off the sixth, sending a 2-2 pitch into right field to join Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire and Willie Mays as players
23 or younger with 30 homers before the All-Star break.
The Padres dropped their fifth in a row, with JT Chargois striking out their final five batters to end the game. Dinelson Lamet (0-1) limited the Dodgers to two hits — including Max Muncy’s
21st homer — through four innings of his season debut, but took the loss.
Nationals 5, Marlins 2
WASHINGTON — Anthony Rendon hit his
20th homer and knocked in the go-ahead run to help the Nationals finish a three-game sweep of the last-place Miami Marlins.
Washington has won eight of nine and 13 of 16 to climb to a season-best four games over .500.
Kurt Suzuki homered in the second inning to extend the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record for consecutive games with a home run to
18. Rendon hit a solo shot in the fourth off Elieser Hernández (1-3) and drove in Gerardo Parra with a single in the fifth.
Washington right-hander Aníbal Sánchez (56) allowed one earned run and five hits in six innings. Fernando Rodney got three outs for his second save of the season.
Miguel Rojas homered for Miami, and Starlin Castro had three hits.