A’s top Astros for eighth straight win
OAKLAND, Calif. — Marcus Semien homered in the first after hitting a walkoff single to end a 13-inning win a night earlier and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday for their eighth straight victory.
Frankie Montas (2-1) pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits without walking a batter and striking out five for the AL Westleading A's.
The three-time reigning division champion Astros lost their fourth in a row. The last three defeats had been by a total of four runs.
Semien became the first player in A's franchise history with a game-ending hit and a leadoff homer on back-toback days.
ORIOLES 5, NATIONALS 3
WASHINGTON — Pat Valaika, Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander homered during a five-run rally in the eighth inning as Baltimore roughed up Washington's relievers.
Sean Doolittle relieved and Baltimore, which routed the World Series champions 11-0 on Friday night, began the eighth with back-to-back, pinch-hit homers by Valaika and Severino.
BLUE JAYS 2, RED SOX 1
BOSTON — Five Toronto pitchers combined on a fourhitter and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning on a groundout.
Anthony Kay (1-0) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Anthony Bass picked up his third save.
PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 0
PHILADELPHIA — Jake Arrieta tossed six strong innings for his first win in more than a year and Jay Bruce and J.T. Realmuto each homered to lead Philadelphia.
Realmuto continued his hot streak, homering for the third straight game, with a 427-foot solo shot in the fourth off Braves starter Kyle Wright (0-2). Wright put the next runners on base and Bruce hit a three-run homer to make it 4-0.
TIGERS 11, PIRATES 5
PITTSBURGH — Niko Goodrum, Miguel Cabrera, C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario all hit home runs in the first inning against Pittsburgh's Derek Holland to lead Detroit.
Detroit sent four of Holland's first 11 pitches over the fence at PNC Park to propel the Tigers to another big offensive outburst against reeling Pittsburgh one night after a 17-13 win in 11 innings.
INDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO — Zach Plesac tossed six strong innings and Cleveland snapped a scoring drought with a six-run fourth.
The Indians had been blanked for 13 innings before Franmil Reyes and Jordan Luplow each hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Luplow was 0 for 21 with a walk this season before homering. Domingo Santana added a solo homer in the eighth.