BRAVES MISS CHANCE TO PULL EVEN IN EAST
WASHINGTON (AP) >> Gio Gonzalez pitched seven strong innings and earned his first victory since May 28 to help the Washington Nationals defeat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 Thursday to secure a four-game split. The Nationals moved within 5 1⁄2 games of idle Philadelphia in the National League East. The Braves fell a game behind the Phillies. Gonzalez (7-8) snapped a personal seven-game losing streak and had gone 11 consecutive starts without a victory. He allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three. Nick Markakis’ solo homer to lead off the second was the lone run he allowed.
Atlanta starter Anibal Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings but left after getting hit in the left calf by a grounder from Michael Taylor.
He was replaced by Wes Parsons (0-1), who yielded a bases-loaded walk to Juan Soto and a sacrifice fly by Anthony Rendon as Washington went ahead.
Thursday’s games
Cleveland 5, Minnesota 4 Texas at N.Y. Yankees Boston at Toronto Baltimore at Tampa Bay Seattle at Houston
Friday’s games
Boston (Eovaldi 5-4) at Baltimore (Bundy 7-10), 7:05 p.m.
Texas (Minor 8-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Tanaka 9-2), 7:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay (Snell 12-5) at Toronto (Estrada 5-8), 7:07 p.m. Minnesota (Santana 0-0) at Detroit (Zimmermann 4-4), 7:10 p.m. Cleveland (Bieber 6-2) at Chicago White Sox (Rodon 3-3), 8:10 p.m.
Seattle (Leake 8-7) at Houston (Cole 10-4), 8:10 p.m.
St. Louis (Gomber 1-0) at Kansas City (Smith 1-3), 8:15 p.m.
Oakland (Anderson 2-3) at L.A. Angels (Pena 1-3), 10:07 p.m. Philadelphia Atlanta Washington New York Miami Chicago Milwaukee St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Arizona Los Angeles Colorado San Francisco San Diego
Wednesday’s games
N.Y. Mets 8, Cincinnati 0 Pittsburgh 4, Colorado 3 Arizona 6, Philadelphia 0 Atlanta 8, Washington 3
St. Louis 7, Miami 1 Milwaukee 8, San Diego 4 Kansas City 9, Chicago Cubs 0 Oakland 3, L.A. Dodgers 2
Thursday’s games
Washington 6, Atlanta 3 San Diego 8, Milwaukee 4 L.A. Dodgers at Colorado Pittsburgh at San Francisco
Friday’s games
Washington (Hellickson 5-2) at Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 8-9), 2:20 p.m. Arizona (Buchholz 5-1) at Cincinnati (DeSclafani 5-3), 7:10 p.m.
N.Y. Mets (Wheeler 6-6) at Miami (Urena 3-11), 7:10 p.m.
Milwaukee (Peralta 5-2) at Atlanta (Gausman 5-9), 7:35 p.m.
St. Louis (Gomber 1-0) at Kansas City (Smith 1-3), 8:15 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers (Maeda 7-7) at Colorado (Gray 9-7), 8:40 p.m. Philadelphia (Eflin 8-3) at San Diego (Nix 0-0), 10:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Williams 9-8) at San Francisco (Holland 5-8), 10:15 p.m.