MLB: Phillies’ Hamels throws first no-hitter vs. Cubs in nearly 50 years
CHICAGO — Phillies ace Cole Hamels enhanced his trade value even more, becoming the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in 50 years while leading Philadelphia to a 5-0 win Saturday.
There was drama down to the final out, when rookie center fielder Odubel Herrera stumbled on the warning track, but managed to lean forward and catch Kris Bryant’s flyball to end the game.
Hamels struck out 13 in the first no-hitter versus the Cubs since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game in 1965.
Hamels (6-7) threw his first career no-hitter in what could be his final start for the Phillies. He was the MVP of the 2008 World Series has been mentioned prominently in trade talks as the July 31 deadline approaches.
The 31-year-old lefty was part of the Phillies’ last no-hitter, too. He teamed with three relievers on a combined no-no last Sept. 1 at Atlanta.
RANGERS 7, ANGELS 6
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Delino DeShields capped a three-run rally in the eighth inning with an infield hit that drove in the go-ahead run, Rougned Odor homered, and Texas beat Los Angeles.
Joe Smith (4-3) came on to protect a 6-4 lead for Angels starter Hector Santiago, but didn’t make it out of the eighth. Elvis Andrus raced home from third as Shin-Soo Choo grounded to first baseman Albert Pujols for a force at second, Robinson Chirinos singled home another run, and Josh Hamilton scored on DeShields’ high chopper to third.
Spencer Patton (1-0) earned his second big league victory with a hitless seventh. Struggling Tanner Scheppers pitched a hitless eighth and Shawn Tolleson got his 17th save.
The Angels’ loss was their third in a row after seven straight wins, and kept them in a virtual tie with Houston for the AL West lead.
CARDINALS 1, BRAVES 0
ST. LOUIS — Pinch-hitter Stephen Piscotty got his first career RBI with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and Carlos Martinez outdueled former teammate Shelby Miller as St. Louis beat Atlanta.
The Cardinals won their fifth in a row despite getting just two hits. They lead the majors with a 63-34 record.
Martinez (11-4) made his first post-All-Star break start and allowed six hits in eight innings with six strikeouts and one walk, which was intentional. He worked the last four innings and took the loss in an 18-inning setback to the Mets on Sunday.
Randy Choate got the last two outs for his first save. Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal has gotten two games off after working three in a row.
Miller (5-7) allowed a run on two hits in 7-plus innings. The right-hander is 0-6 in his last 12 games, the longest winless slump by a Braves starter since Kenshin Kawakami went 14 games between victories in 2010.
YANKEES 8, TWINS 5
MINNEAPOLIS — Alex Rodriguez hit three home runs in a game for the fifth time in his career and keyed a ninth-inning rally against All-Star closer Glen Perkins, sending New York over Minnesota.
The Yankees trailed 5-0 early. Rodriguez hit Perkins’ first pitch for a tying homer, and John Ryan Murphy later connected for a three-run shot.
Rodriguez hit 452-foot solo homer in the fourth and a 422-foot drive that made it 5-3 in the seventh. His 424-foot homer in the ninth cleared the center field wall.
A-Rod clapped as he trotted around first base after each homer while fans at sold-out Target Field booed. The last time Rodriguez hit three home runs in a game was Aug. 14, 2010, at Kansas City.
Rodriguez has 23 homers this season and 677 in his career. He is now 6 for 10 lifetime against Perkins with two home runs.
METS 15, DODGERS 2
NEW YORK — Michael Conforto went 4 for 4 for his first big league hits and Kelly Johnson homered into the upper deck in his Mets’ debut, powering New York past Los Angeles.
Lucas Duda homered twice for the Mets in their highest-scoring game since April 2013, and their biggest run total ever against the Dodgers.
Slumping at the plate most of the season, the Mets erupted for 21 hits, their most since 2010.
Conforto, playing his second game in the majors, doubled twice and scored four runs. Kirk Nieuwenhuis got four hits and drove in four runs and Daniel Murphy homered.
Johnson and Juan Uribe both got hits a day after the Mets acquired them in a trade with Atlanta.
Matt Harvey (9-7) doubled, singled and pitched seven innings as the Mets ended a three-game losing streak.
Los Angeles starter Zach Lee (0-1) was tagged in his major league debut.
On Sunday, Zack Greinke starts for the Dodgers with a shutout streak of 43 2/3 innings.
ROYALS 2, ASTROS 1, 10 INNINGS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alcides Escobar singled home Paulo Orlando with two outs in the 10th inning to lift Kansas City to a victory over Houston.
Orlando singled off Will Harris (4-3) with one out and stole second before Escobar’s game-winning looper to shallow right gave the Royals the win and snapped the Astros’ five-game winning streak.
Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched a scoreless 10th to pick up the victory.
Carlos Correa’s sacrifice fly gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the sixth, and the Royals tied it on Salvador’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.
GIANTS 2, ATHLETICS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner hit a home run and pitched seven innings for his third consecutive win, and San Francisco beat Oakland.
Matt Duffy added a tiebreaking single in the sixth while helping the defending World Series champs to their 10th victory in 11 games.
Bumgarner — a Silver Slugger award winner in 2014 — homered on a 3-2 pitch from A’s starter Chris Bassitt (0-3) in the third. It was Bumgarner’s third home run this season and ninth of his career.
Bumgarner (11-5) also struck out seven while working past the sixth inning — something he failed to do in each of his previous three starts.
Sergio Romo pitched the eighth and Santiago Casilla worked the ninth for his 25th save.
Ben Zobrist had three hits and scored the A’s only run in the fourth inning.
BLUE JAYS 8, MARINERS 6
SEATTLE — Chris Colabello’s two-run, bases-loaded single in the ninth inning gave the Blue Jays a victory over Seattle.
Josh Donaldson opened the ninth with a walk off Carson Smith (1-3). Jose Bautista then doubled into the right-field corner. It extended Bautista’s streak of reaching base against the Mariners to 36 games, including 33 with a hit.
Edwin Encarnacion was intentionally walked, drawing the infield in with no outs. Colabello then bounced his go-ahead single up the middle.
Aaron Sanchez (6-4), just off the disabled list, worked the eighth to earn the victory.
Roberto Osuna finished the ninth for his fifth save in six opportunities.
NATIONALS 9, PIRATES 3
PITTSBURGH — Rookie center fielder Michael Taylor had a home run and three RBIs and Gio Gonzalez won his fourth straight decision to lead Washington to a victory over Pittsburgh.
Taylor capped the scoring with a two-run home run, his seventh, in the eighth inning off rookie Arquimedes Caminero.
Gonzalez (8-4) lasted just five-plus inning and gave up three runs, one earned, and five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Yet the left-hander stayed unbeaten in his last five starts and improved to 4-0 lifetime against the Pirates.
The Nationals’ Yunel Escobar had three hits after sitting out the previous two games with a sore left wrist, while Ian Desmond homered for a third straight game for the NL East leaders.
A.J. Burnett (8-4) had another rocky outing.
PADRES 3, MARLINS 1
SAN DIEGO — Ian Kennedy, being mentioned in various trade scenarios, pitched six strong innings and San Diego defeated Miami.
Kennedy (6-9) allowed a run and five hits. He matched a season high with seven strikeouts and walked one.
Kennedy has attracted interest from contending teams heading toward Friday’s trading deadline.
David Phelps (4-7) gave up two runs over six innings.
Derek Dietrich opened the seventh with a home run, slicing the Marlins’ deficit to 2-1. J.T. Realmuto followed with a triple and that chased Kennedy.
Reliever Brandon Maurer came in and stranded the tying run when Adeiny Hechavarria and Cole Gillespie grounded out to third and pinch-hitter Casey McGehee flied out.
Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 29 chances.
REDS 5, ROCKIES 2
DENVER — Johnny Cueto shrugging off trade rumors and pitched eight scoreless innings, Todd Frazier connected for his 100th career home run, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 Saturday night.
Billy Hamilton had three hits and scored twice for the Reds.
Cueto (7-6,) whose name has come up repeatedly in potential trade-deadline deals, put on a dominating display in hitter-friendly Coors Field, limiting the power-hitting Rockies’ lineup to four singles before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth. He struck out five and walked one in a performance sure to heighten attention ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Chris Rusin (3-4) allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, BREWERS 0
PHOENIX — Rubby De La Rosa pitched eight effective innings and Brad Ziegler held on for his 14th straight save, lifting Arizona to a victory over Milwaukee.
De La Rosa (8-5) allowed four hits and struck out six, winning for the sixth time in 11 starts at Chase Field. Ziegler gave up two two-out singles and walked a batter in the ninth before striking out Gerardo Parra for his 16th save in 17 chances.
It was Arizona’s first shutout since beating the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on June 14, and sixth of the season.
Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb both had run-scoring hits in the first inning against Taylor Jungmann (5-2) for the Diamondbacks, who had four hits — two after the opening frame.
ORIOLES 5, RAYS 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Davis hit his fifth career grand slam and Miguel Gonzalez took a shutout into the eighth inning as Baltimore snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over Tampa Bay.
Gonzalez (9-6) allowed one run and five hits over 7 2-3 innings to win for the third time in his last four starts. The right-hander didn’t issue a walk and struck out five.
Davis hit his 22nd homer of the season after J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and David Lough singled to load the bases against Erasmo Ramirez (8-4) in the third inning.
The Orioles added a run in the eighth when Lough tripled down the right field line and bounced up from his slide to jog home and score on second baseman Logan Forsythe’s throwing error.
TIGERS 5, RED SOX 1
BOSTON — Nick Castellanos drove in three runs with a solo homer and double, Alfredo Simon pitched six solid innings and Detroit bounced back after consecutive extra-inning losses with a victory over Boston.
Former Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo homer and threw out a runner at the plate.
It was just the third win in eight games for the Tigers, who lost the opener of the three-game series 2-1 in 11 innings on Friday. They closed a seven-game homestand with a 3-2 setback against Seattle in 12 on Thursday.
Mookie Betts drove in the run for Boston, which lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
Simon (9-6) gave up one run and five hits before limping off after throwing the second pitch in the seventh. He came in with an ERA of 6.08 in nine road starts.
WHITE SOX 10, INDIANS 3
CLEVELAND — Chris Sale allowed two runs in seven innings and Chicago used a five-run first to power past Cleveland.
Sale (9-5) cruised after being handed the big lead before taking the mound. The left-hander struck out seven to regain the American League lead with 170. Sale allowed seven hits and didn’t walk a batter.
Jose Abreu drove in three runs, Melky Cabrera was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and Carlos Sanchez hit his first major league homer.
The White Sox, who came to Cleveland with six losses in seven games, have outscored the Indians 24-4 in winning the first three games of a series that ends Sunday.
Carlos Carrasco (8-6) allowed six runs in four innings. The right-hander hasn’t won since coming within one out of pitching a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on July 1.
