Yankees’ Judge slams down the gavel
SEATTLE — Linden High product Aaron Judge hit a colossal three-run homer that nearly soared out of Safeco Field, and CC Sabathia allowed one run while pitching into the sixth inning of the New York Yankees’ 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Judge’s 31st home run was memorable and nearly historic . The big slugger clobbered a hanging curveball from Seattle starter Andrew Moore (1-2) into the second deck in left field, with the ball landing three rows from the top of the stadium. No one has hit one out of Safeco during a game since the ballpark opened midway through the 1999 season.
Judge came close and continued to emerge from a post-All-Star break slump thanks to his first home run since July 7. He finished with four RBIs, including a sacrifice fly that gave New York a 2-1 lead.
• Red Sox 6, Angels 2 — At Anaheim: Chris Sale pitched six scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox rode a five-run first inning to a victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Sale (12-4) allowed four hits and struck out nine to push his major league-leading total to 200. He walked one and lowered his American Leaguebest ERA to 2.48. He has won 11 of his last 13 decisions. • Astros 8, Orioles 7 — At Baltimore: Houston rookie Yuli Gurriel had a career-high four hits, including a home run, and the Astros received a gritty pitching performance from Mike Fiers in a victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Colin Moran hit his first major league homer and first triple for Houston, and Brian McCann also went deep.
The Astros took an 8-2 lead into the ninth before Adam Jones hit a two-run double off James Hoyt, and Jonathan Schoop homered with two on against Chris Devenski.
• Cardinals 11, Cubs 4 — At Chicago: Paul DeJong hit a tiebreaking, tworun double in St. Louis’ nine-run eighth inning, and the Cardinals cooled off Chicago.
The Cubs carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth, looking for their seventh consecutive win. But St. Louis sent 14 batters to the plate in its highest-scoring inning of the season, taking advantage of a combined six walks by three relievers while improving to 4-4 since the All-Star break.
Carl Edwards Jr. (3-2) was pulled after the first three batters reached. Hector Rondon then walked Jedd Gyorko, tying it at 3, and DeJong followed with a drive into the ivy in right-center for a groundrule double.
• Phillies 6, Brewers 1 — At Philadelphia: Aaron Nola tied a career high with nine strikeouts in seven sharp innings, Freddy Galvis hit a tworun homer and Philadelphia beat reeling Milwaukee.
Nola (7-6) allowed one run and five hits. He has six straight quality starts, going 4-1 and lowering his ERA from 4.76 to 3.38 in that span.
The NL Central-leading Brewers have lost six in a row and their lead over the World Series champion Cubs is only one game.
• Indians 13, Blue Jays 3 — At Cleveland: Edwin Encarnacion homered and drove in four runs against his former team, and Cleveland broke open a close game with an eight-run seventh inning to pull away from Toronto.
Encarnacion, who played the last six seasons with the Blue Jays before signing a three-year, $60 million contract with Cleveland in January, hit a leadoff homer in the second, broke a 3-all tie in the fifth with a two-run double and added an RBI single in the seventh.
• Rangers 4, Rays 3 in 10 innings — At St. Petersburg, Fla.: Elvis Andrus homered early and snapped a 10th-inning tie with a two-out infield single that gave struggling Texas a comeback victory over Tampa Bay.
Andrus hit a sharp grounder off Brad Boxberger (2-1) that forced Evan Longoria to make a diving stop. Pinch-runner Delino DeShields scored when the third baseman was unable to complete the throw to first base.
• Tigers 6, Twins 3 — At Minneapolis: Victor Martinez hit two homers and Detroit topped Minnesota.
Anibal Sanchez (2-0) gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Tigers, who lost star slugger Miguel Cabrera to a bruised right clavicle in the fourth. Cabrera had X-rays that were negative and he is day to day.
• Marlins 3, Reds 1 — At Cincinnati: Jose Urena pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, Christian Yelich drove in two runs and Miami opened a six-game road trip with a rain-delayed victory over Cincinnati.
The Reds managed just four hits while falling to 1-7 on their 10-game homestand. The Marlins were coming off a 1-5 homestand. • Royals 7. White Sox 6 in 10 innings — At Kansas City, Mo.: Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning lifted the Kansas City Royals to a victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Merrifield flied out to Melky Cabrera to score Alcides Escobar, who led off the inning with a single.
The Royals, who trailed 5-1 after two innings, got their third walk-off victory in five days. The White Sox have lost seven straight and 10 of 11.