MLB: Price throws 3-hitter, leads Blue Jays over Yankees

NEW YORK — David Price pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Justin Smoak lined Toronto’s first grand slam in the Bronx and the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-0 Saturday for their seventh straight win.

Newcomer Troy Tulowitzki also homered as Toronto closed within 2 1/2 games of the AL East leaders.

With two wins in a row, the Blue Jays became the first team to take a set against the Yankees since early July. On Sunday, Toronto will try to sweep them in a series of at least three games for the first time since May 2003.

A day after R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays beat New York 2-1 in a 10-inning matchup between the highest-scoring teams in the majors, Price (11-4) dominated.

PHILLIES 4, PADRES 2

SAN DIEGO — Adam Morgan held down San Diego over six innings and Odubel Herrera had two hits and two RBIs to lead Philadelphia to a win.

The Phillies won for the 15th time in 20 games since the All-Star break, the best record in the majors. With the Marlins’ loss to the Braves, Philadelphia escaped the NL East cellar for the first time since May 27.

Morgan (3-3) allowed two runs, one earned, and six hits, with a walk and four strikeouts.

Ken Giles pitched the ninth, earning his fifth save.

Tyson Ross (8-9) was charged with three runs and five hits in seven innings as the Padres lost their fifth straight. Ross retired the final 14 batters he faced.

ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ubaldo Jimenez yielded two hits over eight innings, and Manny Machado had four hits and scored two runs in Baltimore’s victory over Los Angeles.

Machado and Caleb Joseph homered, and Jonathan Schoop drove in two runs in the Orioles’ third win in five games.

Kole Calhoun broke up Jimenez’s no-hit bid with a two-out double to center in the sixth, but the veteran right-hander turned in a dominant effort against Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the struggling Angels, who have lost 11 of 15 after winning 17 of 20.

Garrett Richards (11-9) gave up seven hits and three runs over six innings for the Angels. He has taken three losses in four starts for the first time in his major league career.

Jimenez (9-7) had four losses in his past six starts before overwhelming the Angels, striking out six. Los Angeles was shut out for the fourth time in 15 games.

PIRATES 6, DODGERS 5

PITTSBURGH — Left-hander Francisco Liriano hit the first home run of his 10-year career and Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 3 as Pittsburgh held on to beat Los Angeles.

Liriano hit a three-run shot in the second inning in his 160th career at-bat to put the Pirates ahead 4-2. However, he could not hold the lead as he wound up allowing four runs in three innings.

McCutchen is 13 for 29 (.448) with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in his last nine games. He has been on base in 14 of his last 18 plate appearances.

Neil Walker had two hits for the Pirates, including a home run.

The Dodgers got within a run on Scott Van Slyke’s RBI double with one out in the ninth but Mark Melancon held on for his major league-leading 35th save.

CARDINALS 3, BREWERS 0

MILWAUKEE — Matt Carpenter hit a leadoff home run, Jaime Garcia pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and St. Louis made it three straight shutout victories with a win over Milwaukee.

The Cardinals have thrown 36 consecutive scoreless innings since the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 13-inning 4-3 win. Michael Wacha won his team-leading 13th game, stopping Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday. Lance Lynn beat Milwaukee 6-0 Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

On Saturday, Garcia (4-4) walked four, struck out five and allowed Jean Segura’s hit in the first and Elian Herrera’s in the third. The left-hander won for the first time in three starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left groin.

RAYS 5, METS 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Grady Sizemore and Kevin Kiermaier each drove in two runs to erase an early deficit as Tampa Bay stopped NL East-leading New York’s seven-game winning streak.

Tampa Bay relievers Xavier Cedeno, Steve Geltz, Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger, who pitched the ninth for his 28th save, combined for four hitless innings. Rays starter Nathan Karns (7-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.

Curtis Granderson homered twice for the Mets, who blew a 3-0 first-inning lead.

The Rays went ahead 5-4 in the fourth when John Jaso drew a walk from Noah Syndergaard (6-6), stole his first base of the season, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Evan Longoria’s infield single.

NATIONALS 6, ROCKIES 1

WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg returned to Washington’s rotation with a bang, striking out 12 in seven innings and contributing three hits as the Nationals beat Colorado.

The right-hander had been on the disabled list since a left oblique strain forced him out after 3 2-3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 4. He went to the disabled list for the second time this season before being reinstated Saturday. He allowed one run and three hits.

The victory let the Nationals (57-52) move within 1 1/2 games of the Mets in the NL East as New York’s seven-game winning streak ended Saturday night at Tampa Bay.

Strasburg (6-5) didn’t walk a batter and looked sharp from the start against a Colorado team that came into the game leading the National League with a .273 average.

ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez each drove in two runs and Kansas City overcame Jose Abreu’s two home runs to beat Chicago.

Perez, who had been in a 6-for-32 skid, had a two-out single in the three-run fourth. Morales and Perez picked up back-to-back run-producing doubles with two out in a four-run fifth.

White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija (8-6) failed to make it out of the fifth, giving up seven runs on six hits.

Abreu homered to lead off the fourth and sixth innings.

Jeremy Guthrie (8-7) picked up the victory, although he gave up six runs on 10 hits, including both of Abreu’s homers, in 5 2/3 innings.

INDIANS 17, TWINS 4

CLEVELAND — Jerry Sands had a pinch-hit grand slam and Abraham Almonte, called up from the minors before the game, was 4 for 5 with a two-run homer, leading Cleveland to a victory over Minnesota.

Trevor Bauer (9-8) won for the first time since July 8, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings. He gave up solo homers to Joe Mauer and Eddie Rosario and a two-run homer to Kurt Suzuki.

The Indians recorded season-highs in runs and hits (19), forcing Twins manager Paul Molitor to use outfielder Shane Robinson to pitch in the eighth. Robinson walked Mike Aviles with the bases loaded, but retired the next three hitters.

Sands, batting for Lonnie Chisenhall in the fifth, homered to right off Blaine Boyer. Three consecutive walks by Ryan O’Rourke loaded the bases before Sands broke an 0-for-11 slump with his second career grand slam.

CUBS 8, GIANTS 6

CHICAGO — Kris Bryant homered and drove in three runs to help surging Chicago beat San Francisco.

Bryant’s big day powered Chicago to its third straight win and ninth in 10 games. He also walked and scored on Miguel Montero’s tiebreaking single in the fifth inning as the Cubs opened a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the race for the second NL wild card.

Bryant’s two-run shot off Matt Cain (2-3) in the third was the rookie’s first homer since July 27 against Colorado. He entered with a .162 batting average in 21 games since the All-Star break.

Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who have dropped three in a row and five of seven. Hunter Pence had two hits and scored twice.

REDS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1

PHOENIX — Keyvius Sampson earned his first major league victory, Cincinnati hit three home runs and the Reds beat Arizona on the night the Diamondbacks retired new Hall of Famer Randy Johnson’s No. 51.

All the Cincinnati runs came on homers by Eugenio Suarez, Brandon Phillips and Marlon Byrd, whose solo shot in the ninth was his 150th career home run.

Sampson (1-1) gave up a first-inning run and the Diamondbacks never scored again. He went six innings and allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three.

Robbie Ray (3-7) pitched six innings for Arizona, allowing three runs and five hits. He matched his career high with eight strikeouts and walked one but fell to 0-3 in his last five starts.

ATHLETICS 2, ASTROS 1

OAKLAND, Calif. — Danny Valencia delivered an early two-run double and right-hander Jesse Chavez went seven impressive innings to lead Oakland to a victory over Houston.

Valencia produced in his second straight game as Oakland’s new cleanup hitter, ripping a two-run double to the gap in right field in the bottom of the first. He finished 2 for 4 and is 5 for 12 with three RBIs in three games since the A’s acquired him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Chavez (6-11) allowed an earned run, six hits and four walks while striking out four to record his first victory since July 19. Chavez completed at least seven innings for the first time since June 17, a span of nine outings. He rebounded nicely from a bad start on Monday when he gave up six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 9-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

TIGERS 7, RED SOX 6

DETROIT — Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Detroit Tigers held off David Ortiz and Boston for the win.

Ortiz had three hits, including a home run in the sixth. His two-run single in the seventh gave Boston a 6-5 lead, but Martinez answered with a long drive down the right-field line off reliever Junichi Tazawa (2-5).

Rajai Davis also homered for the Tigers, and Ian Kinsler and James McCann had three hits apiece. Blaine Hardy (4-2) won in relief.

Bruce Rondon pitched a hitless ninth for his first save of the season. He walked Ortiz with two outs before striking out Pablo Sandoval.

Blake Swihart had three hits for the Red Sox.

RANGERS 11, MARINERS 3, 11 INNINGS

SEATTLE — The Texas Rangers scored eight runs in the 11th inning, including a two-run homer by Prince Fielder, to pull away from Seattle.

Texas opened the inning with seven straight hits, the first six off Rob Rasmussen (1-1). Fielder’s homer was the eighth hit of the frame for the Rangers and marked the third time this year the Mariners have given up eight runs in an inning.

The offensive outburst came after the Mariners were unable to drive home a run in the bottom of the 10th. Shawn Tolleson (4-2) intentionally walked Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano to load the bases with two outs. The move worked, as Tolleson struck out Jesus Montero to end the inning.

Texas has won five of six and snapped a six-game losing streak against the Mariners.

The Rangers scored three times in the fourth on a run-scoring double by Fielder, an RBI single by Josh Hamilton and a bases-loaded walk to Chris Gimenez.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2

ATLANTA — Rookie Mike Foltynewicz won for the first time in three starts since returning to the Braves rotation as Atlanta downed slumping Miami.

Nick Markakis had three hits and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the National League’s longest active streak. His run-scoring single in the fifth inning gave the Braves the lead for good.

Foltynewicz (4-3) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking four and hitting a batter while striking out three. The Braves have won five of seven.

Tom Koehler (8-9) started for the Marlins, who have lost six straight overall and six straight against the Braves. The Marlins’ bullpen has surrendered 12 runs in 11 innings in the first three games of the series.