Choo hit for the cycle, Rangers crush Rockies 9-0
DENVER – Shin-Soo Choo was simply concentrating on having one more good at-bat. When his line drive went over center fielder Charlie Blackmon’s head, Choo found himself chugging for third base and into the Texas Rangers’ record book.
Choo’s leadoff triple in the ninth inning completed the cycle, and Matt Harrison earned his first win in 14 months as the Rangers routed the Colorado Rockies 9-0 Tuesday night.
Delino DeShields had a career-high four hits and Prince Fielder homered for the Rangers, who won for only the third time in 13 games.
“A lot better than (Monday) night,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said.
Choo, who had three RBIs, doubled in the second inning, homered in the fourth and singled in the fifth. When he came to the plate in the ninth he knew he had a chance to get the cycle with a triple against left-hander Rex Brothers. He drove Brothers’ 92 mph fastball off the wall in center and headed for third with his teammates cheering him on.
“It’s not an easy pitcher on the mound,” Choo said. “I hit it well and (thought) maybe he can catch that. I’m not thinking about it before contact.”
It was the eighth cycle in franchise history and first since Alex Rios did it Sept. 23, 2013, against Houston.
Boston Red Sox All-Star Brock Holt was the only other major leaguer to hit for the cycle this season, on June 16 against Atlanta.
DeShields needed a home run to match Choo’s accomplishment when he came to bat in the ninth, but he struck out against reliever Rafael Betancourt.
“I was talking to (Banister) and I said, ‘It would be kind of cool if we both get it,’” DeShields said. “He said, ‘Don’t try to. If it happens, it happens.’ My last at-bat I should have taken a chance; I didn’t. I was beating myself up about it. We got the win. That’s all that matters.”
Harrison (1-1) had not won since beating the Rockies on May 8, 2014. Injuries limited him to six starts from 2013-14 and he didn’t make his 2015 debut until July 8.
“The first time I stepped on the mound it was an accomplishment,” Harrison said. “Tonight was a confidence booster but also showed I can still pitch here. That’s huge for me.”
He scattered seven hits over six innings and worked out of several jams. Harrison allowed a leadoff double to Nolan Arenado in the fourth but stranded him at third with a double-play grounder to end the inning.
The Rockies had runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth, but Choo made a sliding catch on Troy Tulowitzki’s sinking liner in right to end the threat.
Choo’s catch helped stop Tulowitzki’s streak of reaching base safely at 41 games. It was the second-longest in team history.
“You have the streak, you get to those third and fourth at-bats the focus is still there, even in a blowout,” Tulowitzki said.
The Rangers built a comfortable lead against struggling Rockies starter Kyle Kendrick (3-11). Choo had an RBI double in a three-run second and led off the fourth with his 12th homer to make it 4-0. Choo drove in another run in the fifth, and an error by reliever Yohan Flande allowed Elvis Andrus to score to make it 6-0.
Fielder’s 15th home run in the sixth gave Texas a 7-0 cushion.
The Rockies were shut out at home for the first time this season.
CUBS 5, REDS 4, 13 INNINGS
CINCINNATI — Kyle Schwarber hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth inning, then completed yet another big night at Great American Ball Park with a solo shot in the 13th, rallying the Cubs to the road win.
Schwarber’s homer off Nate Adcock (1-2) gave the rookie his first two-homer game, right in the ballpark where he grew up rooting for the Reds. He finally got to play at Great American in the All-Star Futures game nine days ago and won the MVP award with a two-run triple.
Jason Motte (7-1) allowed three hits in two innings. Justin Grimm pitched the 13th for his second save in three chances.
Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier had another big game, driving in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh inning.
YANKEES 3, ORIOLES 2
NEW YORK — Little-used Brendan Ryan hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth inning, helping the Yankees get the win.
Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly off Wei-Yin Chen (4-6), and Chase Headley added an RBI double as New York moved 10 games over .500 (51-41) for the first time since Sept. 13, 2013.
Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made an over-the-shoulder catch with a runner on second in the seventh to preserve the win for Justin Wilson (3-0). Andrew Miller got three outs for his 21st save in 21 chances.
New York opened a five-game lead in the division over Baltimore, which fell to .500 at 46-46.
Adam Jones had two hits for the Orioles, and Chen allowed 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings on his 30th birthday.
ROYALS 3, PIRATES 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jarrod Dyson hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to lead Kansas City to the victory.
Dyson scored later in the inning on Alcides Escobar’s single, and the Royals won for the 11th time in 14 games.
Wade Davis (6-1) got the win. Greg Holland survived a shaky ninth, allowing a run on four hits and a walk, but struck out Gregory Polanco with the bases loaded for his 21st save in 24 opportunities.
Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (13-4), who leads the majors in victories, was charged with three runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings.
ASTROS 8, RED SOX 3
HOUSTON — Chris Carter hit a two-run homer, rookie Carlos Correa drove in two runs and Houston handed Boston its sixth straight loss.
Rookie Vince Velasquez (1-1) pitched six innings of three-run ball for his first career win in his seventh major league start. He was recalled from Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday.
The Astros rallied with four runs in the fifth, and Carter’s 16th homer made it 7-3 in the sixth. Carter returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained right ankle.
Boston starter Brian Johnson (0-1) allowed three hits and four runs with four walks in 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut. He was 8-6 with a 2.73 ERA in 16 starts at Triple-A Pawtucket.
MARINERS 11, TIGERS 9
DETROIT — Franklin Gutierrez’s pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning, sending Seattle to the win.
The Tigers had come back from a 5-1 deficit and led 8-6 when Neftali Feliz (1-3) allowed five runs in the eighth. Feliz, who was picked up by Detroit on July 11 after refusing a minor league assignment from Texas, allowed a run on a wild pitch before giving up Gutierrez’s opposite-field drive. There was no activity in the Detroit bullpen as Seattle rallied.
Joe Beimel (1-1) earned the win, and Carson Smith got four outs for his eighth save.
Seattle’s Nelson Cruz and Detroit’s J.D. Martinez each hit long home runs to center field in the third.
Yoenis Cespedes and Nick Castellanos also connected for the Tigers.
CARDINALS 8, WHITE SOX 5
CHICAGO — Matt Holliday hit his sixth career grand slam, powering Michael Wacha and the Cardinals to the road win.
Holliday homered for the first time since May 12. He returned last Friday after missing 31 games because of a strained right quadriceps.
Mark Reynolds added a solo shot in the fifth for St. Louis.
Wacha (11-3) gave up five runs in five innings. Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 30 chances.
White Sox rookie Tyler Saladino homered for the second straight game. Geovany Soto also connected for Chicago, and Carlos Rodon (3-3) was tagged for seven runs in four innings.
BRAVES 4, DODGERS 3
ATLANTA — Chris Johnson drove in two runs for Atlanta, and Alex Wood overcame control problems on a hot night.
The Braves, who had lost seven of nine overall, improved to 18-6 at home in games decided by two runs or fewer.
It was a tough evening for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since June 22-23 at the Chicago Cubs. Los Angeles starter Brett Anderson left the game in the third after irritating his left Achilles tendon.
Wood (7-6) threw just 59 of his 107 pitches for strikes, but was charged with three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 11 chances.
Justin Turner and Yasiel Puig homered for Los Angeles. Chin-hui Tsao (1-1) got the loss.
METS 7, NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON — Pinch-hitter Eric Campbell put New York ahead with his two-run single in the seventh inning, leading the Mets to the victory.
Fresh off his dominant display in the All-Star Game a week ago, Jacob deGrom (10-6) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings. He struck out eight in his first win over the division-rival Nationals in four tries.
Campbell was batting for deGrom when he knocked in Wilmer Flores and Kirk Nieuwenhuis to give New York a 3-2 lead.
Wilson Ramos hit a two-run homer for Washington, which leads the NL East by two games over the Mets. Joe Ross (2-2) gave up three runs — two earned — and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
RAYS 1, PHILLIES 0
PHILADELPHIA — Nathan Karns homered and pitched five innings for Tampa Bay, ruining the major league debut of Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola.
Karns (5-5) allowed three hits and walked two, helping the Rays win for just the third time in their last 13 road games. The right-hander also bounced back from his last outing on July 9 when he allowed career highs of seven runs and nine hits in an 8-3 loss at Kansas City.
Nola (0-1) gave up five hits in six innings, but the Phillies managed just four hits. The 22-year-old Nola was the seventh overall selection by the Phillies in the 2014 draft, making him the first Philadelphia player since Pat Combs in 1989 to appear in the big leagues a year after being drafted.
The Phillies had won four in a row.
Brad Boxberger pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
BREWERS 8, INDIANS 1
MILWAUKEE — Matt Garza pitched six shutout innings for Milwaukee in his return from the disabled list, and Jean Segura hit a two-run homer for his first extra-base hit in more than six weeks.
Garza (5-10) scattered six hits, walked two and struck out four.
Milwaukee has won four consecutive games and 17 of 23 but remains in last place in the NL Central. Cleveland has lost four of six.
Indians right-hander Danny Salazar (8-5) struck out eight in six innings. He allowed three runs, two hits and walked three.
MARLINS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 0
PHOENIX — Mat Latos allowed four hits through seven innings in his third straight strong start and Miami snapped a four-game losing streak.
Michael Morse homered off Jeremy Hellickson (6-6) in the Diamondbacks’ seventh loss in their last eight games. Adeiny Hechavarria and Christian Yelich each had an RBI single.
Latos (4-6) struck out seven, matching his season high for the second straight game, and walked one. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has allowed a combined three runs over his last three starts — a span of 20 innings. In his previous outing, he gave up one run and one hit in seven innings but took the loss against the Cubs in Chicago.
A.J. Pollock singled twice for the Diamondbacks. The other hits off Latos were a single by Paul Goldschmidt and an infield single by Yasmany Tomas.
BLUE JAYS 7, ATHLETICS 1
OAKLAND, Calif. — Russell Martin, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion homered to power Toronto.
Martin hit a three-run shot to chase former Blue Jays right-hander Kendall Graveman (6-6) in the sixth. Bautista and Encarnacion each connected for a solo shot.
Mark Buehrle (11-5) allowed one run and eight hits in seven innings. The left-hander struck out three and walked none as the Blue Jays improved to 3-1 since the All-Star break.
Graveman came to the A’s in the offseason trade that brought All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to Toronto. Donaldson doubled twice and drove in a run in his first game back in Oakland.
GIANTS 9, PADRES 3
SAN DIEGO — Rookie Chris Heston took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Hector Sanchez hit an impressive grand slam for one of three San Francisco home runs.
Heston, who no-hit the New York Mets on June 9, allowed one hit and faced just two over the minimum in 7 1/3 innings. He received a standing ovation from the many Giants fans in the stands above the third-base dugout when he was pulled by manager Bruce Bochy after issuing a one-out walk in the seventh. He struck out six and walked two.
Heston and two relievers combined on a four-hitter. The Padres scored three unearned runs in the ninth.
Heston (10-5) didn’t allow a hit until Melvin Upton Jr.’s broken-bat, bloop single over the outstretched glove of second baseman Joe Panik leading off the sixth.
San Diego’s Odrisamer Despaigne (3-7) allowed six runs and seven hits in five-plus innings, struck out one and walked two.
ANGELS 7, TWINS 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Matt Shoemaker pitched six innings of two-hit ball for his first home win of the season in nine tries, batterymate Chris Iannetta had a homer and four RBIs, and Los Angeles got its season-high sixth straight victory.
The AL West-leading Angels overcame three baserunning blunders while maintaining their two-game lead over Houston, a team they trailed by seven games on May 4. The win was the Angels’ 12th in 14 games.
Star center fielder Mike Trout, the only player to appear in each of the Angels’ first 92 games, was scratched because of a sore left heel that bothered him from the moment he woke up and started walking on it.
Shoemaker (5-7) yielded a leadoff single in the fifth to Eduardo Nunez and a two-out single by Joe Mauer in the sixth before coming out after 88 pitches with a 7-0 lead.
Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson (8-7) was charged with six runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings.
