FERNANDEZ CRUISES PAST RED-HOT ROYALS
miami» Jose Fernandez pitched seven innings and shook off calf cramps to help the Marlins beat the Royals 3-0 and snap their nine-game winning streak Wednesday.
Fernandez (13-7) grimaced after retiring Christian Colon with his ninth strikeout to end the seventh.
“I was cramping for the last five pitches,” Fernandez said. “I was sweating and changed my uniform twice. Sweating, sweating. The last pitch, when I finished I felt the cramp and I was ‘Oooowwwww.’ I came in and took some Gatorade, and I’m ready to go — fantastic.”
The irrepressible Fernandez was laughing with teammates in the dugout in the ninth inning and joined in the postgame celebration on the field.
Fernandez’s nine strikeouts increased his season total to 213, breaking the Marlins record of 209 set by Ryan Dempster in 2000. Fernandez allowed six hits and won for the first time since July 23 to snap his three-game losing streak, a career worst.
Christian Yelich broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a two-run single.
WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
Baltimore closer Zach Britton saw his remarkable streak of 43 straight games without allowing an earned run end, then shut down a ninth-inning rally to help the Orioles hold off the Nationals 10-8. The Nationals scored five times in the ninth, one of them charged to Britton. Manny Machado and Matt Wieters each homered and drove in four runs Orioles. … Evan Gattis hit his 20th home run and Carlos Correa got two hits and scored twice, leading Collin McHugh (8-10) and the Astros over the Pirates 5-4. … David Ortiz hit his 30th home run in the first inning, but the Rays came back from a three-run deficit to beat the Red Sox 4-3 in 11 innings and prevent Boston from taking sole possession of first place in the AL East. … Luke Maile doubled with two outs in the 11th and scored after Red Sox pitcher Heath Hembree (4-1) dropped a throw to first base on Kevin Kiermaier’s grounder. … Rookie Gary Sanchez kept up his torrid stretch with his seventh home run in the past nine games, and Masahiro Tanaka won his fourth straight start, leading the Yankees to a 5-0 win over the Mariners. … Majorleague ERA leader Kyle Hendricks pitched six effective innings and the Cubs finished off a three-game sweep, beating the Padres 6-3 in San Diego. Hendricks (12-7) gave up two runs and four hits, striking out eight and leaving with a 2.19 ERA. He has allowed no more than three earned runs in 17 straight starts. … Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty homered off Mets starter Jacob deGrom, powering the Cardinals past New York 8-1. Piscotty and Yadier Molina each had three of the Cardinals’ season high-tying 19 hits. … Miguel Cabrera had four hits, including his 28th home run, and Justin Upton added a three-run homer as the Tigers beat the Twins 9-4. Matt Boyd (5-2) tied his career-high with seven strikeouts in six innings to win his fifth straight decision. … Kendall Graveman pitched into the seventh inning to become Oakland’s first 10-game winner this season, and the Athletics beat the Indians 5-1. … Yu Darvish hit only the second homer by a Rangers pitcher and Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning for a 6-5 victory over the Reds. … Tommy Joseph and Cesar Hernandez homered to back Jerod Eickhoff, and the struggling Phillies beat the White Sox 5-3.