Max Scherzer allowed one hit over seven shutout innings as the Texas Rangers blanked the visiting Los Angeles Angels 12-0 on Monday night to open a three-game series.
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Scherzer (12-4) struck out 11 and walked one. The 39-year-old right-hander improved to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 20 innings in three starts since he was traded from the New York Mets on July 30.
Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs for the Rangers, who have won 11 of 13. Adolis Garcia added a two-run homer and J.P. Martinez had two hits and three runs for Texas.
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (6-9) came in with a 2-1 mark and 1.86 ERA over his previous five starts, but he gave up five runs (four earned) and four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked six and struck out six.
Royals 7, Mariners 6
Dairon Blanco’s suicide-squeeze bunt in the ninth inning pushed Kansas City past visiting Seattle. The bunt escaped first baseman Dylan Moore’s grasp as pinch runner Samad Taylor raced home.
After the Mariners scored six unanswered runs over the eighth and ninth innings to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth, Salvador Perez tied the score in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly. It was his fourth RBI of the game, and it moved Taylor to third.
Julio Rodriguez drove in four runs for Seattle, which was held without a hit until the seventh inning. Royals starter Brady Singer was perfect until issuing a four-pitch walk with two out in the fifth, and Dominic Canzone singled with two outs in the seventh. Singer pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out eight.
Marlins 5, Astros 1
Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and Josh Bell hit home runs in consecutive eighth-inning at-bats as host Miami defeated Houston.
The Marlins hit three straight homers for just the second time in franchise history. They previously accomplished the feat in 1998. Miami won its third straight game, its longest streak since July 3-5. Houston lost its second game in a row.
Braxton Garrett (7-3) pitched five scoreless innings for the win. Astros starter Framber Valdez (9-8) allowed four runs (three earned) in 7 2/3 innings.
Orioles 4, Padres 1
Grayson Rodriguez worked seven strong innings to lift visiting Baltimore over San Diego for its third straight win and fourth in five games.
Rodriguez (3-3) allowed just one run on three hits in the longest outing of his career. He walked one and struck out six. Gunnar Henderson hit a three-run double and Ryan O’Hearn added a solo home run for the Orioles.
Rodriguez retired 11 Padres in a row after permitting a second-inning single to Xander Bogaerts. Garrett Cooper broke the streak with a solo shot to lead off the sixth, providing the only run for the Padres, who have lost seven of their past eight games.
Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 4
Ezequiel Tovar homered among his three hits, Elehuris Montero also went deep and Colorado used a four-run eighth inning to beat Arizona in Denver.
Matt Koch (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win as the Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak. Justin Lawrence struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save.
Christian Walker homered, doubled and drove in three runs and Merrill Kelly struck out a season-high 11 batters for Arizona. Kelly gave up two runs in six innings.
Rays 10, Giants 2
Harold Ramirez, Curtis Mead and Christian Bethancourt had three hits apiece, Tyler Glasnow logged six sharp innings and Tampa Bay cruised to a victory at San Francisco.
Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri each added two hits for the Rays, who racked up 18 as a team. Glasnow (6-3) allowed just one run and three hits. Jacob Lopez threw the final three innings, allowing one run, to record a save in his major league debut.
Giants reliever Tristan Beck (3-2) was hammered for five runs on 10 hits in three innings.
Mets 7, Pirates 2
Daniel Vogelbach, Jonathan Arauz and Brandon Nimmo homered to lead a balanced offensive attack for New York, which beat visiting Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game series.
Tyson Miller (1-0) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win in his debut for the Mets, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since July 27-28. New York improved to 4-10 this month.
Henry Davis and Ke’Bryan Hayes each had an RBI for the Pirates, who have lost five of their past seven games. Quinn Priester (2-2) gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings.
Braves 11, Yankees 3
Nicky Lopez got a chance to join the Atlanta starting lineup thanks to an injury and responded with three hits and three RBIs to help the Braves rout visiting New York in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Lopez got the start for All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who missed his first game of the season because of a sore left hamstring. Albies is headed to the injured list.
Lopez, picked up from Kansas City at the trade deadline, went 3-for-4 and has eight RBIs in four games with Atlanta. It’s the most RBIs by a player in his first four games with the Braves since the run batted in became an official statistic in 1920. He had plate appearances in only two of the four games.
Cardinals 7, Athletics 5
Jordan Walker’s three-run triple in the seventh inning vaulted St. Louis past visiting Oakland.
Paul Goldschmidt reached base five times, scored twice and hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in five games. Esteury Ruiz hit a two-run homer and Seth Brown hit a two-run single for the A’s, who lost their fourth straight game.
Angel Felipe (1-1) took the defeat after allowing three runs on three walks in one-third of an inning. JoJo Romero (3-1) got the last four outs of the game and was credited with the victory.
—Field Level Media
