VARGAS HITS TYING HR IN NINTH, TWINS BEAT ROYALS 4-3 IN THE 10TH

minneapolis» Pinch hitter Kennys Vargas launched a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning and Jorge Polanco hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th, lifting the Twins over the Royals 4-3 on Friday.

Polanco lofted a soft liner to left field and Joe Mauer beat Alex Gordon’s throw to the plate. Al Albuquerque (0-1) walked the first two batters of the inning and reliever Travis Wood walked Max Kepler, loading the bases with no outs for Polanco.

Brandon Kintzler (2-0) allowed two hits in the top of the 10th, but snagged a comebacker to start an inning-ending double play.

Vargas batted for Byron Buxton Vargas following Jason Castro’s one-out single in the ninth. Vargas sent Kelvin Herrera’s 1-0 offering into the second deck in rightcenter field.

FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Mike Napoli and Joey Gallo hit homers, giving the Rangers enough offense to help them hold on for a 5-3 win over the Tigers, their 10th straight victory. Nick Martinez (1-2) gave up one unearned run and four hits over five innings, ending an 11-start winless streak that dated to Aug. 5, 2015. Matt Bush earned his fifth save in six chances. … Jacob deGrom dominated until dealing with discomfort in his throwing hand in the seventh, then escaped a no-out, bases-loaded jam that inning to help the Mets beat the Angels 3-0 … Jett Bandy and Domingo Santana hit two-run singles, helping the surging Brewers to a 6-3 rain-interrupted victory over the Cubs. … Jeremy Hellickson allowed just two hits over six innings before leaving with an injury and the Phillies pulled away from the Pirates 7-2. Hellickson (5-1) struck out two and walked one, retiring 16 of the final 17 batters he faced to win for the first time in more than three weeks. He left after grabbing his right side while running out an RBI double in the seventh. … Evan Longoria got four hits, including a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning that sent the Rays over the Yankees 5-4. Longoria began the game in an 0-for-12 rut. His go-ahead hit came with two outs after Tyler Clippard (0-2) walked two and struck out a pair. … Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer and Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall had solo shots to help the Indians to a 5-3 victory over the Astros. Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer (4-4) continued his dominance against Houston, yielding five hits and three runs while fanning a season-high nine in 5M innings to improve to 7-0 in seven career starts against the Astros. … Nick Markakis hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Kurt Suzuki added a two-run homer to give the Braves a 7-4 win over the Nationals. … Welington Castillo hit a pair of homers, including a go-ahead two-run shot in the 10th inning, and the Orioles beat the Blue Jays 5-3.

FOOTNOTES

Dodgers lose hitting leader Turner to DL. The Dodgers placed third baseman Justin Turner on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with a Grade 1 strained right hamstring. Turner on Thursday left the Dodgers’ 7-2 win over the Marlins after suffering the injury while trying to score in the seventh inning. Turner is hitting an MLB-best .379, with a home run and 17 RBIs. … Outfielder Jason Heyward is ready to return the Chicago Cubs’ lineup. Heyward expects to play Saturday after being sidelined for two weeks because of a sore knuckle on his right hand