Ruiz leads A’s past Cardinals 6-3
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Esteury Ruiz homered for the second time in three games since being recalled from Triple-A, and the Oakland Athletics beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Ruiz drove in two runs, scored twice and stole a base. He has homered twice in six at-bats since his return Monday from Triple-A Las Vegas.
A crowd of 9,551 attended the game, with the three-game series totaling 18,355 fans.
Tyler Nevin added three hits and an RBI as Oakland improved to 4-9 at home.
Iván Herrera drove in two runs for the Cardinals, who fell to 0-6 in series finales this season.
Willson Contreras had two hits and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. He has reached base safely in 23 straight games dating to last season.
A’s starter Paul Blackburn allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings, ending a scoreless streak of 22 1/3 innings.
Blackburn (2-0) earned his second win despite giving up six hits and five walks. He recorded a season-high seven strikeouts.
Ruiz’s two-run homer gave Oakland a 2-0 lead in the third.
St. Louis answered with three runs in the fourth. Contreras doubled home a run, followed by Herrera’s two-run single to put the Cardinals ahead.
Langeliers tied it in the fifth with an RBI double, and Toro put the A’s back in front with an RBI groundout to second.
Darell Hernaiz tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly, and Nevin added an RBI single in the sixth.
Cardinals starter Steven Matz (1-1) allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.
Mason Miller pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
BRAVES 5, ASTROS 4, 10 INNINGS
HOUSTON (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit his major league-leading eighth homer and Orlando Arcia’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Braves to a win over the Astros.
It completes a three-game sweep of the struggling Astros and is Atlanta’s fourth straight victory.
The Braves scored two runs in the eighth inning to tie it at 4-4. Michael Harris II started the 10th as the automatic runner on second and there was one out in the inning when Seth Martinez (1-1) intentionally walked Matt Olson.
Ozuna lined out to right field to send Harris to third base. Arcia then singled on a ground ball to left field to score Harris and put the Braves on top.
Pinch-runner Jake Meyers was on second when Kyle Tucker walked with no outs in the 10th. Meyers moved to third on a fly out by Yainer Diaz but Jeremy Peña grounded into a double play to end it.
A.J. Minter (3-1) got the last two outs of the ninth for the win and Raisel Iglesias earned his fifth save.
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. added his first homer of the season to help the Braves to the victory. Ozuna also leads the majors with 23 RBIs and he extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubón both homered for the Astros, who fell to 6-14 and are last in the AL West.
Houston starter J.P. France allowed four hits and two runs in five innings.
Max Fried gave up seven hits and three runs in five innings.
RANGERS 5, TIGERS 4
DETROIT (AP) — Josh Smith’s pinch-hit double in the top of the ninth drove home the winning run and the Rangers beat the errorprone Tigers.
With one out, Ezequiel Duran singled, went to second on an error first baseman Spencer Torkelson and scored on Smith’s clutch hit to right-center field.
Kirby Yates (2-0) got the final four outs, striking out the side in the ninth, to get the win.
Detroit’s Shelby Miller (3-1) took the loss as the Tigers committed three errors, leading to two unearned runs.
The first came in the opening inning, when leadoff hitter Marcus Semien reached on a throwing error by starter Tarik Skubal and scored on Adolis Garcia’s sacrifice fly, the first of his two RBIs.
Kerry Carpenter tied it for Detroit in the second with his third homer of the season.
It stayed that way until the top of the sixth, when fielding woes got Detroit in trouble again.
Semien reached on an error by Colt Keith. Corey Seager singled, and with one out, Garcia doubled, scoring Semien. Jonah Heim then singled, scoring Seager and Garcia.
In the bottom of the inning, Torkelson doubled and scored on a throwing error by Semien. Parker Meadows homered in the seventh.
The Tigers tied it in the eighth. Matt Vierling singled with one out, went to second on a ground out and scored on a single by Javier Baez.
Dane Dunning started and working five innings for Texas, who used four relief pitchers. Skubal went 6 1/3 innings for the Tigers.
NATIONALS 2, DODGERS 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — CJ Abrams homered in the first at-bat of the game and the Nationals beat the Dodgers to take the series.
Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-1) threw six scoreless innings to get his first win of the season and gave up just four hits. Irvin was efficient and dominant all afternoon.
Landon Knack (0-1) made his major league debut for the Dodgers.
Abrams smacked his second pitch of the game to right centerfield for his third career leadoff home run. Joey Menses hit a sacrifice fly to center to score a run for a 2-0 lead also in the first. Those were the only runs of the game.
Knack settled down after that first inning and retired the next 12 batters. He allowed those two earned runs on four hits, struck out four and walked one.
Kyle Finnegan earned his seventh save of the season by retiring the side in the ninth.
BREWERS 1, PADRES 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Blake Perkins hit a single in the eighth inning to crack a scoreless game and lead the Brewers to a win over the Padres.
The hit spoiled a stellar start by Padres right-hander Michael King (2-1), who pitched a no-hitter through 6 2/3 innings.
King didn’t allow a runner past first base until the eighth inning, when Brice Turang stole second after hitting a single. King was charged with a run when Turang scored on Perkins’ single off Wandy Peralta.
King went 7 2/3 innings on the day, throwing 109 pitches. He struck out 10 batters and walked two.
The Brewers snapped a threegame losing streak and ended the Padres’ three-game winning streak.