San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford went 9 for 16 in a three-game series, raising his average to .277. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Associated Press
MIAMI – Two days after Brandon Crawford battered Miami with seven hits, he homered in the fourth inning to help San Francisco win a series for the first time since the All-Star break, as the Giants beat the Marlins 1-0 on Wednesday.
Crawford tied an NL record with seven hits in the opener of the three-game set. In the finale, he put San Francisco ahead with his 11th homer leading off the fourth.
Miami hitting coach Barry Bonds was ejected for the first time this season in the sixth inning for arguing about balls and strikes.
The Giants finished 4-5 on their trip and improved to 8-16 since the All-Star break. They have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Jeff Samardzija (10-8) pitched 5 2/3 innings to best former Notre Dame teammate David Phelps (5-6). Four relievers completed a five-hitter. Santiago Casilla pitched around Ichiro Suzuki’s two-out double in the ninth, striking out J.T. Realmuto for his 26th save.
Suzuki singled and doubled to increase his career hits total to 3,002.
YANKEES 9, RED SOX 4: Benched from the starting lineup once again as his finale approaches, Alex Rodriguez pinch hit and flied out in the seventh inning of the New York Yankees’ comeback win against the Boston Red Sox.
New York said Sunday that Rodriguez, a 41-year-old designated hitter with 696 home runs, will be released following Friday’s homestand opener against Tampa Bay.
Red Sox star David Ortiz limped off in the ninth inning after fouling a pitch off his right shin.
Chants of ‘We Want A-Rod”! echoed around the park at the start of the seventh. He was greeted by loud boos when he stepped out of the dugout to face Matt Barnes. They were louder when he was announced and again when he trotted back to the dugout after his flyout to right field.
Rodriguez has just one start and eight at-bats in 17 games since July 22 as New York traded veterans and turned toward a youth movement. He hadn’t appeared in a game since Aug. 2.
Rookie Gary Sanchez had four hits, including his first major league home run. Didi Gregorius also homered for New York.
Tyler Clippard (1-0) pitched one inning for his first victory with the Yankees since being acquired from Arizona last week. Fernando Abad (1-6) was the loser.
CUBS 3, ANGELS 1: Jason Hammel won his career-best fifth straight start, pitching four-hit ball over six scoreless innings, and Chicago beat Los Angeles for its season-high ninth straight win.
The major league-leading Cubs matched their longest streak since Aug. 6-15 of last year and moved a season-best 30 games over .500 (71-41).
Hammel (12-5) struck out six, walked two and helped himself at the plate when he singled and scored in the fifth against Ricky Nolasco (4-9) to make it 2-0. Addison Russell made it 3-1 with a solo homer off JC Ramirez in the eighth. Dexter Fowler chipped in with two hits, including an RBI double.
Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save in five chances since the Cubs got him in a trade with the New York Yankees last month.
The Angels, last in the AL West, matched a season high with their sixth straight loss.
PHILLIES 6, DODGERS 2: Freddy Galvis hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, Ryan Howard added a three-run, pinch double in the ninth and Philadelphia beat Los Angeles.
Ryan Howard added a three-run, pinch double in the ninth.
Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth, even with the Dodgers down 3-2, and loaded the bases. Howard hit the bases-clearing double to right for insurance runs in the victory that dropped the Dodgers a game behind first-place San Francisco in the NL West.
Elvis Araujo (2-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Scott Kazmir (9-6) was the loser.
ATHLETICS 1, ORIOLES 0: Ross Detwiler and John Axford combined on a seven-hitter and Oakland beat Baltimore to knock the Orioles out of first place in the AL East.
Called up from the minors earlier in the day, Detwiler (1-0) allowed six hits over a career-high eight innings and struck out two while leading the A’s to their third consecutive one-run win over the Orioles.
Marcus Semien and Yonder Alonso hit consecutive doubles in the third inning for the game’s only run.
The Orioles entered the day percentage points ahead of Toronto, but fell a game behind the Blue Jays.
NATIONALS 7, INDIANS 4: Jayson Werth hit a three-run home run, Anthony Rendon had a two-run double and Washington’s offense broke out in a victory over Cleveland.
Werth was 2 for 3 and had three runs. Rendon and Ben Revere each went 2 for 4.
It was a welcome output on a day that left-hander Gio Gonzalez (8-9) allowed four runs and seven hits, including a home run by Francisco Lindor, and struck out five in five-plus innings.
Recently acquired closer Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for the save.
Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin (11-5) allowed seven runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.
PADRES 4, PIRATES 0: Travis Jankowski capped San Diego’s scoring with a straight steal of home in the eighth inning, and Edwin Jackson limited Pittsburgh to two hits in seven innings.
Jankowski took off during catcher Eric Fryer’s return throw to pitcher Antonio Bastardo and scored standing up when Fryer could not handle Bastardo’s low throw to the plate.
Jackson (3-2) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Jordy Mercer’s leadoff single. The 14-year veteran struck out seven and walked three while raising his career record against the Pirates to 10-3. Miami released Jackson on June 2, and San Diego promoted him from Triple-A El Paso on July 17.
Ryan Vogelsong (1-2) was the loser.
BLUE JAYS 7, RAYS 0: J.A. Happ became the first 16-game winner in the major this season, combining with three relievers on a four-hitter in Toronto’s victory over Tampa.
Happ (16-3) allowed four hits, all singles, to win his 10th consecutive decision. Joe Biagini, Jason Grilli and Ryan Tepera worked an inning each to complete Toronto’s seventh shutout.
Troy Tulowitzki homered and had a season-high five RBIs, and Justin Smoak also connected for the Blue Jays. Tulowitzki hit a two-out, three-run homer off Blake Snell (3-4) in the first inning.
CARDINALS 3, REDS 2: Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta homered to back up a second straight dominant start by Jaime Garcia in St. Louis’ victory over Cincinnati.
Carpenter’s shot in the first inning was his second leadoff home run of the season and 11th of his career. Peralta’s solo homer in fourth was the 200th of his career.
Garcia (9-8) needed only 85 pitches to get through eight-plus innings. Seung-Hwan Oh finished for his 10th save.
RANGERS 5, ROCKIES 4: Adrian Beltre singled in two runs in the eighth inning, and Texas rallied late for the third straight game against Colorado.
The first two comebacks were in Denver, where the Rangers had a three-run ninth for a 4-3 victory and erased a three-run deficit in the eighth inning of a 7-5 win. Texas extended its winning streak to five.
In the first of two games in Texas, Colorado rookie David Dahl had a tying two-run triple in the eighth to extend his career-opening hitting streak to 16 games. He scored the go-ahead run on Ryan Raburn’s sacrifice fly. The Rockies have lost six of their last seven games.
Jake Diekman (3-1) allowed Dahl’s tying hit before 30-year-old rookie Matt Bush pitched a perfect ninth for his first big league save.
DIAMONDBACKS 3, METS 2, 12 INN.: Oscar Hernandez hit his first major league homer in the 12th inning to lift Arizona Diamondbacks past New York.
Hernandez was recalled from Double-A Mobile after Arizona placed catcher Welington Castillo on the paternity list Tuesday. Playing his first game this season, Hernandez drove a sinker from Jerry Blevins (4-2) down the left-field line.
Randall Delgado (3-1) pitched two perfect innings for the victory.
The Mets’ Kelly Johnson forced extra innings with a two-run homer in the ninth off Jake Barrett. The blown save was Barrett’s fourth in eight chances.
BREWERS 4, BRAVES 3: Chris Carter hit a three-run homer, Chase Anderson won his third straight decision in Milwaukee’s victory over Atlanta.
Anderson (7-10) allowed two runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. Tyler Thornburg picked up his fourth save in eight chances with a perfect ninth.
Carter homered off Joel De la Cruz (0-5) in a four-run third. Ryan Braun singled in the first run and then Carter cleared the bases with his 26th homer.
De La Cruz left after getting hit in the right knee by Orlando Arcia’s two-out grounder in the fourth.
ROYALS 3, WHITE SOX 2, 14 INN.: Lorenzo Cain’s two-out single in the 14th inning scored Christian Colon from second base.
Colon opened the inning with a single and Paulo Orlando sacrificed him to second. Cain laced a single to center to score Colon, ending the 4-hour, 34-minute game, the longest by the Royals this season.
Dillon Gee (4-5), the eighth Kansas City pitcher, struck out three in two perfect innings to pick up the victory. Matt Albers (2-5) was charged with the loss.
Jarrod Dyson led off the 13th inning with a triple, but the Royals failed to get him home. Dan Jennings struck out the next three batters: Drew Butera, Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar.
MARINERS 3, TIGERS 1: Nelson Cruz hit his 28th homer in the eighth inning after Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander dueled through the first seven, and the Mariners completed a three-game sweep.
Cruz hit a 1-1 pitch from Justin Wilson (2-4) over the batter’s eye 421 feet away to help the Mariners get their season-high sixth straight victory.
Hernandez and Verlander each pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a battle of former Cy Young Award winners. Hernandez struck out eight and allowed three hits and four walks, while Verlander allowed seven hits and struck out six.
Leonys Martin added an insurance run on an RBI single later in the eighth.
Arquimedes Caminero (1-0) pitched the eighth and earned the victory. Nick Vincent finished for his second save.