Red Sox win 11-4, drop Nationals to .500

Dodgers bang 6 HRs, beat Pirates

WASHINGTON, July 4, (AP): Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth inning, J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez also went deep, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 11-4 on Tuesday.

Martinez drove in four and leads the majors with 26 homers and 71 RBIs. Boston has won 17 of its last 19 interleague games.

Washington has lost four straight and 16 of 21 to fall to 42-42, its first time at .500 since it was 17-17.

Red Sox starter Brian Johnson allowed two runs in 4-2/3 innings. Brandon Workman (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh.

Nationals starter Tanner Roark (310) allowed a career-high nine runs in seven innings and is 1-8 with a 5.19 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) since May 5.

Yankees 8, Braves 5 In New York, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Higashioka each homered and New York went ahead early and hung on to beat Atlanta.

Aaron Judge had two hits and a walk, and he stole two bases for the first time in his career. Hicks also walked twice as New York drew eight free passes.

The Yankees improved to a major league-best 21-6 against left-handed starters and remain a game behind Boston for the majors’ best record.

Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte each hit two-run homers for Atlanta, which ended a four-game winning streak. Braves starter Sean Newcomb allowed five runs in 2-2/3 innings in the shortest start of his career.

A.J. Cole (2-0) pitched 1-2/3 innings of shutout relief to earn the win.

Dodgers 8, Pirates 3 In Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy (second from left), hits a solo home run as Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova (left), and catcher Elias Diaz (right), watch along with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez during the

first inning of a baseball game on July 3, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Brad Boxberger worked around a walk in the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances.

Indians 6, Royals 4 In Kansas City, Yan Gomes hit a sixth-inning grand slam as Cleveland rallied to beat Kansas City.

The Indians lead the AL with eight grand slams. Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam Monday.

Edwin Encarnacion led off the sixth with a walk and Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch from Danny Duffy (4-8). Yonder Alonso’s infield single loaded the bases. Gomes drove a 1-0 Duffy pitch into the left-field bullpen.

Chad Allen got the final four outs for his 17th save in 18 chances. He stranded two runners in the ninth after a single and a walk.

Shane Bieber (4-0) picked up the victory and remains undefeated in his first five big league starts.

Phillies 3, Orioles 2 In Philadelphia, Zach Eflin pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight victory and Andrew Knapp had the winning hit for the second straight game.

Rhys Hoskins had a two-run double for the Phillies, who have won 11 of 16.

Mark Trumbo homered for Baltimore, which has dropped eight of nine.

The game was delayed at the start 1 hour, 25 minutes due to rain and mostly played under a persistent drizzle.

Eflin (7-2) allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks to become the first Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2011 to record six consecutive wins.

Orioles starter Alex Cobb (2-10) gave up three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 6-2/3 innings.

Cubs 5, Tigers 3 In Chicago, Anthony Rizzo drove in his second run of the game in the seventh inning to snap a tie, Kyle Schwarber followed with a solo homer in the eighth and Chicago rebounded from an early three-run deficit to edge Detroit for its fifth straight win.

With one out in the seventh, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist singled off reliever Daniel Stumpf (1-4). Rizzo’s slow bouncer up the middle resulted in a force of Zobrist at second, but Jose Iglesias’ throw to first was too late to double up Rizzo and Heyward scored from third to put Chicago ahead for the first time, 4-3.

Trailing 3-0, Albert Almora, Jr. and Heyward each drove in a run with a double, then Rizzo followed with an RBI single in Chicago’s three-run fifth.

Brewers 2, Twins 0 In Milwaukee, Eric Thames hit a two-run homer and three pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as Milwaukee beat Minnesota.

The Twins fell to 1-7 on their current nine-game road trip.

Milwaukee broke through in the fifth against starter Jake Odorizzi (36) when pinch-hitter Nate Orf walked and stole second before Thames hit his 12th home run of the season, a liner that barely cleared the right-field fence.

Milwaukee starter Junior Guerra (5-5) pitched five shutout innings. He gave up two hits while walking three and striking out eight.

Blue Jays 8, Mets 6 In Toronto, Lourdes Gurriel Jr hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the eighth inning and Toronto rallied from a five-run deficit to beat New York.

Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox is forced out at second base in the second inning by Trea Turner #7 of the Washington Nationals at

Nationals Park on July 3, in Washington, DC. (AFP)

Yangervis Solarte hit a tying threerun home run off Robert Gsellman in the seventh before Gurriel went deep off Tim Peterson (1-1) in the eighth as the Blue Jays won for the 11th time in 14 home games.

John Axford (2-1) pitched 1-2/3 innings to earn the win. Tyler Clippard got the final out for his sixth save in 10 opportunities, stranding runners at first and second.

Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler allowed two runs and three hits in 6-1/3 innings but was denied his first victory since April 29 at San Diego. The struggling Mets have lost 11 of 13.

Rockies 8, Giants 1 In Denver, Antonio Senzatela pitched seven scoreless innings in his first start of the season, Nolan Arenado hit his NL-leading 22nd home run and Colorado beat San Francisco.

Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon had three hits, including his first homer since June 20. Trevor Story had an RBI triple for the Rockies, who have won five of six.

Senzatela (3-1), recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Albuquerque, struck out four and walked none while limiting the Giants to three hits.

Astros 5, Rangers 3 In Arlington, Texas, Josh Reddick and Tony Kemp homered, Dallas Keuchel worked seven solid innings to win for only the second time in his last nine starts and Houston beat Texas.

Houston is 11-4 this season against its instate division rival, with seven consecutive road wins in the series.

Texas leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo walked twice and had two singles to extend his career-best on-base streak to 43 games, the longest in the majors since Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman’s 46-gamer two years ago. Choo is three games shy of Julio Franco’s team record of 46 in a row set 25 years ago.

Keuchel (5-8) struck out seven while allowing only two runs.

Athletics 6, Padres 2 In Oakland, Calif, Jed Lowrie hit a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in the decisive sixth, Mark Canha added a solo homer that inning, and Oakland rallied to beat San Diego. Chad Pinder added a solo homer in the seventh.

The A’s finally got to San Diego starter Clayton Richard (7-8) in the sixth. Pinder walked to start the sixth as the first five hitters reached base. Khris Davis followed Lowrie’s double with a run-scoring single before Canha’s 11th home run, after a double play.

Emilio Pagan (2-0) pitched 1-1/3 innings for the win in relief of A’s starter Chris Bassitt. White Sox 12, Reds 8, 12 Innings In Cincinnati, Daniel Palka and Avisail Garcia each homered twice, and Yoan Moncada tripled with the bases loaded in the 12th inning as Chicago pulled off its biggest comeback of the season.

Trailing 7-2 after five innings, the White Sox pulled even in the ninth on Garcia’s solo homer off Raisel Iglesias, then pulled it out with the help of a couple of Reds errors.

They loaded the bases in the 12th with a walk and two errors. Moncada’s triple off Jackson Stephens (2-1) broke the tie, and Yolmer Sanchez followed with another triple.

Rays 9, Marlins 6, 16 Innings In Miami, Jake Bauers hit a tiebreaking two-out, two-run double in the 16th, ending Tampa Bay’s 13-inning scoreless streak and lifting the Rays over Miami.

The Rays won for the ninth time in 11 games and improved to 17-21 in one-run games. No major league team has played more.

Miami’s J.T. Realmuto led off the 15th with a double, but Vidal Nuno (21) pitched out of the jam. Nuno worked two scoreless innings.

Nuno also had two hits, doubling his career total, but left the game in the 16th when he appeared to hurt his right leg running out a single.