OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Justin Verlander pitched just well enough to earn his 200th career win and the Houston Astros hit five home runs, beating the Oakland Athletics 9-4 Sunday to avoid a sweep and retake sole possession of the AL West lead.
The surging A’s had won the first two games at the Coliseum to tie shaky Houston atop the division. But Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer in the third inning and Evan Gattis, Alex Bergman, Marwin Gonzalez and Martin Maldonado later homered for the defending World Series champions. Maldonado also tripled and doubled.
Verlander (12-8) gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings while becoming the 114th pitcher with at least 200 career wins.
Oakland’s Sean Manaea (11-9) was charged with six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.
DODGERS 12, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE (AP) - Clayton Kershaw pitched seven sharp innings for his 150th career win, Justin Turner homered and drove in five runs, and Los Angeles routed Seattle.
Kershaw (6-5) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one. The 30-year-old lefty with three NL Cy Young Awards improved to 150-69 in the majors.
Turner extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a season-high four hits, including a three-run homer in the ninth inning with position player Andrew Romine on the mound.
Kike Hernandez had an RBI single as part of the Dodgers’ five-run first inning against Roenis Elias (2-1). He added his 18th home run and a bases-loaded walk as the Dodgers won for the third time in four games.
METS 8, PHILLIES 2
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Amed Rosario had three hits and drove in three runs, and New York went from cheering on players in the Little League World Series to impressing the youngsters in a victory over Philadelphia.
Jeff McNeil added a two-run single to back Jason Vargas (3-8) as the Mets claimed the second Little League Classic and prevented the Phillies from moving into first place in the NL East.
Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer for the Phillies, but Nick Pivetta (7-10) allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings in Philadelphia’s seventh loss in 11 games.
Players and families from the 16 teams competing in the nearby LLWS packed into 2,500-seat Bowman Field, the 92-year-old home of the Phillies’ Class A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
The spotlight shined on New York’s Todd Frazier and Michael Conforto and Philadelphia’s Scott Kingery, who are among 54 players who reached the majors after playing in the LLWS.
BREWERS 2, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, Jhoulys Chacin beat St. Louis for the first time in his career and Milwaukee edged the Cardinals.
Milwaukee (69-57) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back ahead of St. Louis (68-57) for the second National League wild card. The Cardinals lost for just the second time in their last 12 games.
Chacin (13-4) entered the game 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career games against the Cardinals, but shut them out through six innings as the Brewers avoided their first three-game sweep at St. Louis since July 1-3, 2016.
John Gant (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
PIRATES 2, CUBS 1, 11 INNINGS
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Adam Frazier hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning, and Pittsburgh beat Chicago for a split of their four-game series.
Josh Harrison grounded out and Adeiny Hechavarria struck out before Frazier drove a 3-0 pitch from Brandon Kintzler (1-3) deep to right. It was Frazier’s fifth homer of the season.
The Cubs had a prime scoring chance against Richard Rodriguez (3-2) in the top half of the inning, but came up empty. Addison Russell was picked off third by catcher Elias Diaz, and Albert Almora Jr. struck out looking with the bases loaded with two out.
NL Central-leading Chicago managed just one run in each game of the series, but took the first two behind strong pitching performances by Jon Lester and Cole Hamels.
ROCKIES 4, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) - DJ LeMahieu homered, German Marquez pitched seven solid innings and the Rockies closed out their first four-game sweep in Atlanta.
Colorado improved to 30-16 since June 26, and each of those 46 games came against teams with winning records at the time.
LeMahieu put Colorado in front with his third-inning drive to left field. He has hit nine of his 11 homers on the road, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the 10th inning of Saturday night’s 5-3 win.
Marquez (11-9) won his fourth straight road decision. He allowed two runs and five hits.
Johan Camargo had two hits and two RBIs for Atlanta. Anibal Sanchez (6-4) struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings.
INDIANS 8, ORIOLES 0
CLEVELAND (AP) - Melky Cabrera hit a grand slam to cap a six-run fourth inning and Cleveland beat Baltimore for its AL-leading 13th shutout.
Cabrera, batting right-handed against reliever Sean Gilmartin, hit a 1-1 pitch into the bleachers in left-center for the Indians’ ninth grand slam this season, moving them into a tie with Boston and Cincinnati for the major league lead.
Mike Clevinger (9-7) pitched six innings and is 4-0 in five career starts against Baltimore. The right-hander allowed seven hits and struck out seven.
Orioles starter Yefry Ramirez (1-5) allowed seven runs in three-plus innings. The rookie right-hander was removed after the first five hitters reached base in the fourth.
MARLINS 12, NATIONALS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) - Jose Urena made the most of his borrowed time, pitching a two-hitter for his first complete game in the majors and leading Miami over Washington.
Urena (4-12) was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball after hitting Atlanta rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. on Wednesday. Urena was ejected from that start after throwing only one pitch and appealed the penalty, keeping him eligible to play.
Urena, tied for the NL lead in hit batters, didn’t plunk anyone on the Nationals. He struck out four, walked two and retired the last 16 batters. It was his first complete game in 74 big league starts.
YANKEES 10, BLUE JAYS 2
NEW YORK (AP) - J.A. Happ stayed unbeaten with New York by topping his former Toronto teammates, and Greg Bird hit a grand slam during a six-run first inning.
The Yankees completed a three-game sweep, but lost shortstop Didi Gregorius to an injured left heel. Gregorius was hurt when he collided with Toronto first baseman Kendrys Morales beating an infield hit in the first, and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Rookie Miguel Andujar drove in two runs and backup infielder Ronald Torreyes, who replaced Gregorius, added three hits.
Happ (14-6) was facing the Blue Jays for the first time since they traded him to the Yankees on July 26. The 35-year-old has won all four of his starts for New York.
The Yankees’ first six batters each reached base against Ryan Borucki (2-3).
RAYS 2, RED SOX 0
BOSTON (AP) - Jalen Beeks pitched four strong innings against the team that traded him last month and Tampa Bay limited Boston to two singles.
Joey Wendle and C.J. Cron homered as the Rays topped the AL East leaders for just the fifth time in 16 games this season. Six of those Tampa Bay losses have been by one run.
Boston, which owns the majors’ best record, lost for only the fourth in 21 games and was shut out for the fifth time this season.
Beeks (2-1) gave up one hit in relief, striking out three and walking two.
Boston starter Hector Velazquez (7-1) gave up a run and three hits in four innings.
RANGERS 4, ANGELS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Rougned Odor connected on a go-ahead, three-run homer with rain falling in the seventh inning, and Texas beat Los Angeles to wrap up a soggy weekend.
Odor’s 15th home run of the season came minutes before the second rain delay of a game that started 13 hours after the previous night’s game ended. The rain had just started for the third time in Sunday’s regularly scheduled game when Odor pulled a pitch from reliever Noe Ramirez (4-4) into the seats above the Texas bullpen in right-center field.
Shohei Ohtani doubled and scored the run that put the Angels up 2-1 in the fourth inning.
Three Texas relievers retired all nine hitters, starting with Matt Moore (3-6) in the seventh.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, PADRES 3
SAN DIEGO (AP) - A.J. Pollock homered in the ninth inning, and Arizona beat San Diego to stay on top of the NL West.
Pollock drove a 1-2 pitch from Kirby Yates (4-2) over the wall in left for his 16th homer, sending Arizona to its fourth win in five games. San Diego had tied it at 3 on Daniel Descalso’s solo homer off rookie Trey Wingenter in the eighth.
Archie Bradley (4-4) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, and Brad Boxberger retired the side in the ninth for his 28th save. The Diamondbacks remained a half-game ahead of Colorado, which won 4-2 at Atlanta.
TWINS 5, TIGERS 4
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Eddie Rosario hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and Minnesota connected three times in all, beating Detroit.
Max Kepler and Jake Cave also homered as the Twins won for the fifth time in six games.
Behind in the count 0-2 after two swings-and-misses to lead off the inning, Rosario launched the third fastball he saw from Alex Wilson (1-4) into the right field seats for his 22nd home run.
Trevor Hildenberger (3-3) relieved Taylor Rogers in the eighth and got James McCann on a grounder with two on to end the inning. He worked a scoreless ninth despite pinch-hitter Victor Reyes’ leadoff single and a walk to Jose Iglesias to complete the outing.
WHITE SOX 7, ROYALS 6
CHICAGO (AP) - Omar Narvaez homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a single off Brian Flynn (3-4), Chicago relievers tossed seven scoreless innings and the White Sox rallied from a six-run deficit.
Avisail Garcia and Tim Anderson also homered for Chicago, which has won four of five.
Hector Santiago (5-3) allowed just two hits in four innings of relief to get the win. Jace Fry, the last of six relievers, got the final two outs for his second save.
Ryan O’Hearn, Whit Merrifield and Alex Gordon homered for Kansas City, which dropped to 2-13 in the rubber game of series this season.
REDS 11, GIANTS 4
CINCINNATI (AP) - Eugenio Suarez hit a two-run homer during Cincinnati’s seven-run third inning, and the Reds swept San Francisco.
Jose Peraza also hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which outscored San Francisco 18-5 in the last two games of the weekend set. Billy Hamilton tripled twice and drove in three runs.
Reds right-hander Luis Castillo (7-10) struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs, one earned, and six hits.
San Francisco dropped its fourth consecutive game. Andrew Suarez (4-9) was tagged for seven runs, five earned, and seven hits in a season-low 2 2/3 innings.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.