DETROIT — Justin Verlander pitched seven solid innings, Victor Martinez homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat Cleveland 7-5 on Friday night to take a 3 1/2-game lead over the Indians atop the AL Central. DETROIT — Justin Verlander pitched seven
DETROIT — Justin Verlander pitched seven solid innings, Victor Martinez homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat Cleveland 7-5 on Friday night to take a 3 1/2-game lead over the Indians atop the AL Central.
Martinez and Torii Hunter had three hits each for the Tigers in the opener of this three-game series. Detroit led 5-0 before Cleveland scored three runs in the fifth off Verlander.
That was all the Indians could manage against the Tigers’ ace. Verlander (8-4) allowed three runs and seven hits on the night. He walked two and struck out six.
BLUE JAYS 6, RANGERS 1
TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run double, Neil Wagner earned his first major league win, and Toronto won for the ninth time in 13 home games.
Melky Cabrera homered, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays.
Texas batters struck out 13 times against five Blue Jays pitchers as the slumping Rangers lost for the seventh time in 11 games.
Making his second start of the season, Blue Jays right-hander Esmil Rogers allowed one run and three hits in four innings.
RAYS 2, ORIOLES 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Archer pitched seven strong innings, and Desmond Jennings hit a two-run homer to lead Tampa Bay over Baltimore.
Archer (1-1) limited the Orioles to Manny Machado’s third-inning RBI single and Ryan Flaherty’s fifth-inning double in his second start of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander spent the first two months of the season at Triple-A Durham and allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings of a 5-0 loss to Cleveland after being promoted to the majors last weekend.
Jennings homered to the deepest part of the ballpark in the seventh inning off Jason Hammel (7-4), who lost on the road for the first time this year after winning his first six decisions away from Camden Yards.
Joel Peralta worked the eighth for the Rays, and Fernando Rodney finished the combined two-hitter with a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 18 opportunities.
ATHLETICS 4, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO — Josh Donaldson hit his first career grand slam, Josh Reddick made a homer-saving catch in the ninth inning, and Oakland rallied from a three-run deficit to beat Chris Sale and Chicago.
Donaldson’s ninth home run of the season came in the sixth inning and helped Oakland right-hander Jarrod Parker (5-6) earn his fourth win in five decisions.
Reddick made a leaping catch to take away a home run from Chicago’s Conor Gillaspie with one out in the ninth to preserve the win.
Sale (5-4) hadn’t given up more than two earned runs since April 13, and he cruised out to a 3-0 lead through five innings in this one.
ROYALS 4, ASTROS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Billy Butler drove in Eric Hosmer with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Kansas City beat Houston for its third straight win.
Kelvin Herrera (3-4) worked a perfect eighth inning in relief of James Shields, and Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his 11th save and second during the Royals’ modest winning streak.
Shields engaged in a pitchers’ duel with the Astros’ Jordan Lyles, but the game came down to the bullpens. Houston brought in Wesley Wright (0-2) in the eighth and Hosmer greeted him with a single, and then Butler doubled off Josh Fields for the go-ahead run.
MARINERS 4, YANKEES 1
SEATTLE — Brendan Ryan and Jason Bay both hit two-out, two-run singles in Seattle’s four-run fourth inning, and Jeremy Bonderman pitched six sharp innings to win for the first time since 2010.
All of Seattle’s offense came in one stretch of the fourth inning when six straight batters reached base, capped by the clutch hits from Ryan and Bay off Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda. Seattle entered the night hitting .221 with runners in scoring position, but he capitalized on the few chances they got against Kuroda.
National League
Cardinals 9, Reds 2
CINCINNATI — Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings for his ninth win, and every Cardinals starter had a hit in a victory over the Cincinnati Reds that gave St. Louis a season-high four-game lead in the NL Central.
Wainwright (9-3) gave up two runs and seven hits as the Cardinals improved the major leagues’ best record to 40-21.
Slumping Pete Kozma drove in three runs, David Freese and Jon Jay knocked in two apiece, and four Cardinals extended long hitting streaks against a pitching staff in a downturn.
PIRATES 2, CUBS 0
CHICAGO — Francisco Liriano pitched two-hit ball over seven innings, and Pittsburgh got its major league-leading 10th shutout, matching the team’s total for all of last season.
Liriano (4-2) walked five, his most since last Sept. 1, but struck out eight to help the Pirates stop a three-game losing streak. He had lost his previous two starts.
Mark Melancon pitched the eighth, and Jason Grilli finished the five-hitter for his major league-leading 23rd save 23 chances. After two-out singles by Ryan Sweeney and pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro, Grilli struck out Darwin Barney.
BREWERS 5, PHILLIES 4
MILWAUKEE — Aramis Ramirez hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning, rallying Milwaukee from four runs down and ending Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak.
Jean Segura started the winning rally by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single off Jeremy Horst (0-2). Ryan Braun singled and Segura advanced to third base. Ramirez then lined the second pitch he saw to left field to drive in the winning run.
Reliever Francisco Rodriguez (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for Milwaukee, which trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning.
Alfredo Figaro started for the Brewers in place of Marco Estrado, who is on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He went 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits.
Cliff Lee allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings for the Phillies, who fell back to .500.
DODGERS 2, BRAVES 1 (10)
LOS ANGELES — Pinch-runner Skip Schumaker scored on the second wild pitch by Anthony Varvaro in the 10th inning, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a victory over the Braves.
Ramon Hernandez started the rally with a one-out single, took second on the first wild pitch and advanced to third on a single by Luis Cruz.
Varvaro (3-1) then bounced another wild pitch to Juan Uribe, allowing Schumaker to score. Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig was on deck, but he wasn’t needed after homering for the fourth time in five career games.
Brandon League (2-2) got the win in relief.
D’BACKS 3, GIANTS 1
PHOENIX — Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run, opposite-field home run with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Diamondbacks beat the Giants.
The Giants were poised to give Matt Cain a victory and send Patrick Corbin to his first loss in 10 decisions before Goldschmidt lined a 2-0 pitch from Jeremy Affeldt over the right field fence for his 15th home run of the season.
Cain and Corbin were both scoreless until Gregor Blanco’s two-out single brought Pablo Sandoval home from third in the seventh.
ROCKIES 10, PADRES 9
DENVER — Nolan Arenado hit a game-ending homer leading off the ninth inning, and the Rockies beat the Padres after squandering a six-run lead.
Arenado sent a 1-1 pitch from reliever Joe Thatcher (2-1) over the wall in left field. Arenado sauntered around the bases and then tossed his batting helmet as he rounded third base.
The rookie was mobbed by teammates once he stomped on home plate.
