Royals’ Vargas gets league-leading 11th win
KANSAS CITY, MO. » Jason Vargas earned his major leagueleading 11th victory, pitching seven efficient innings to lead the surging Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Saturday.
The Royals won for the 11th time in 13 games and moved over .500 for the first time this season at 37-36.
Vargas (11-3) allowed two runs on eight hits, walked none and striking out two. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was set to try for his 11th win later at night against Colorado.
ATHLETICS 10, WHITE SOX 2 CHICAGO » Matt Olson hit his first two major league home runs, Jaycob Brugman and Franklin Barreto also launched their first career shots and the Oakland Athletics routed the Chicago White Sox.
Barreto homered in his big league debut. He joined Olson and Brugman in becoming the second trio of teammates to hit their first homers in the same game, the Elias Sports Bureau said. It also happened in 1914 with the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League — the rival circuit lasted a couple of seasons, and included many big leaguers.
NATIONALS 18, REDS 3 WASHINGTON » Michael Taylor homered twice among his four hits, Trea Turner finished 5 of 5 with a walk and the Washington Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds.
Daniel Murphy had four RBIs for the Nationals. His three-run double highlighted the six-run second inning and Taylor’s tworun homer capped a four-run fourth inning. Taylor added a solo shot in the sixth.
Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Wieters each drove in two runs. All of Turner’s career-high five hits were singles including run-scoring hits in the second and eighth.
TWINS 4, INDIANS 2 CLEVELAND » Brian Dozier hit a leadoff homer off closer Cody Allen to break an eighth-inning tie and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians for the second straight day.
Dozier homered into the left field porch on a 3-2 pitch and narrowed Cleveland’s lead over Minnesota in the AL Central to one-half game.
The Indians swept a fourgame series at Target Field last weekend, but the Twins have responded in the first two games of this series.
ORIOLES 8, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. » Dylan Bundy helped Baltimore avoid a dubious pitching record, throwing seven solid innings as the Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Orioles had given up at least five runs in 20 straight games, matching the major league mark set by the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
Bundy (8-6) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. Relievers Donnie Hart and Mychal Givens combined to keep the Rays scoreless over the final two innings. CUBS 5, MARLINS 3
MIAMI » Jon Lester gave up a three-run homer to J.T. Realmuto in the first inning and then settled down to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins.
Lester (5-4) went seven innings, retiring 13 in a row after Realmuto’s seventh homer of the year. Cubs starters have an ERA of 2.52 over the past 11 games.
Wade Davis completed the four-hitter with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 15th save. BRAVES 3, BREWERS 1 ATLANTA » Brandon Phillips gave Atlanta the lead with a two-run homer in the third to continue his productive homestand, R.A. Dickey threw seven strong innings and the surging Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers.
Phillips has homered in three straight games after delivering game-winning hits in back-toback games against Miami on June 17-18, early in the 10-game homestand. The Braves have won four straight and nine of 12.