LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paul DeJong hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory and a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
The Cardinals’ eighth straight road win helped them improve to 17-4 this month, the most wins in the majors. They’ve homered in 15 straight games, one off the current season mark of 16 in a row by Philadelphia.
St. Louis remained 2½ games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs.
For Jansen, it was a familiar ending.
The All-Star closer, who became a father for the third time earlier in the day, gave up consecutive homers to Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter in the series opener Monday. That was Jansen’s first game back after missing time because of an irregular heartbeat.
This time, Gyorko singled off Jansen (0-5) and DeJong followed with a drive to left-center to give the Cardinals their first lead.
Jordan Hicks struck out Cody Bellinger, Brian Dozier and Chris Taylor to earn his fifth save.
Dakota Hudson (4-0) got the win with one inning of relief.
Los Angeles loaded the bases in the eighth, but Manny Machado grounded out to end the inning.
Pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill homered in the top of the eighth off reliever Scott Alexander, tying it 1-all.
Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler dueled in a stellar matchup of rookie pitchers, although neither figured in the decision.
Flaherty held the Dodgers hitless through 5 1/3 innings before Joc Pederson homered. Flaherty gave up just that one hit in six innings. The 22-year-old right-hander from nearby Burbank struck out 10.
NATIONALS 8, PHILLIES 7
WASHINGTON (AP) - Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Washington over Philadelphia.
Juan Soto’s two-double against Seranthony Dominguez (1-4) set up Zimmerman. His drive landed just above the right-field wall and required review before the umpire crew acknowledged the homer. Zimmerman has 11 walk-off home runs for his career.
Maikel Franco, Justin Bour and Cesar Hernandez homered for the Phillies, who led 7-5 in the seventh. Philadelphia, which has lost nine of 13, fell three games behind NL East-leading Atlanta.
Stephen Strasburg allowed five runs and seven hits over four innings for Washington in his first start since being placed on the 10-day disabled list on July 26 with a cervical nerve impingement.
Matt Grace (1-1) worked 1/3 of an inning for Washington, which has won two in a row since trading second baseman Daniel Murphy and key reserve Matt Adams on Tuesday.
RED SOX 10, INDIANS 4
BOSTON (AP) - Xander Bogaerts hit two solo homers, Andrew Benintendi had a three-run double to cap a big fourth inning and Boston beat Cleveland to halt a three-game losing streak.
Mitch Moreland added a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who lost the previous two nights in a matchup of AL division leaders.
East-leading Boston, which owns the majors’ best record, is the only MLB team without a four-game losing streak this season.
Edwin Encarnacion hit a pair of two-run homers in his first game off the disabled list for Central-leading Cleveland.
Matt Barnes (5-3) pitched a hitless inning of relief and was credited with the victory after starter Brian Johnson was pulled with the Red Sox leading and one out in the fifth. Johnson gave up three runs.
Carlos Carrasco (15-7) was tagged for six runs, five earned, in 3 2/3 innings.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, ANGELS 1
PHOENIX (AP) - Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer to set the all-time mark at Chase Field, Clay Buchholz pitched seven scoreless innings and Arizona beat Los Angeles.
Goldschmidt connected off Odrisamer Despaigne (2-2) in the first inning, passing Luis Gonzalez with his 96th homer at Chase Field. Goldschmidt had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and has reached safely in 27 straight.
Buchholz (7-2) yielded four hits and struck out seven with no walks. David Peralta also hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have won five of six to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL West over Colorado.
The Angels have lost five of six.
ROCKIES 6, PADRES 2
DENVER (AP) - Ian Desmond laced a two-run triple in the sixth inning and Jon Gray pitched effectively into the seventh in leading Colorado over San Diego.
Tony Wolters added an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly for the rolling Rockies, who remained 1 1/2 games behind NL West-leading Arizona. Colorado is 17-6 at home since July 2.
Gray (10-7) went 6 1/3 innings and allowed two runs against a Padres team that was missing infielder Wil Myers after he was a late scratch. Myers sustained a cut on his nose when a grounder hit him in the face while he was fielding at third base during batting practice.
Colorado has won each of Gray’s last nine starts, matching a franchise record.
Jacob Nix (1-2) allowed three runs over five innings.
BREWERS 4, REDS 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Brewers rookie Freddy Peralta tossed seven scoreless innings and drove in a run with his first career hit, combining with two relievers on a five-hitter to lead Milwaukee past Cincinnati.
Christian Yelich homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle, reaching base five times and driving in two runs for Milwaukee. He opened the first with his 21st homer, doubled in the third, walked in the fourth and singled in the sixth and eighth.
Peralta (6-4) allowed just three singles, striking out seven and walking two to win for the second time in seven starts. The 22-year-old right-hander did not allow a hit until Jose Peraza’s single to open the fourth.
Peralta was 0-for-22 with 11 strikeouts this season before he drove in the Brewers’ second run with a fourth-inning single.
Robert Stephenson (0-2) allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.
The Reds loaded the bases in the eighth against Taylor Williams, but Jeremy Jeffress came on and retired Scooter Gennett on a flyball to left, and then finished with a perfect ninth for his sixth save in 10 opportunities.
CUBS 8, TIGERS 2
DETROIT (AP) - Jon Lester pitched into the sixth inning and Chicago homered three times in a win over Detroit.
The Cubs had scored exactly one run in each of their previous five games. David Bote ended that streak with a two-run homer in the fifth, and Lester (14-5) allowed a run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Five Chicago relievers finished. Pedro Strop came in with the bases loaded in the eighth and walked in a run, but he retired James McCann on a grounder to end that threat with the Cubs still up 4-2.
Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo hit consecutive homers in the ninth for Chicago to break the game open.
Francisco Liriano (3-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Daniel Murphy singled home a run in the fifth in his first game with the Cubs after being acquired in a trade from Washington on Tuesday.
BRAVES 2, PIRATES 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ronald Acuna Jr. hit another leadoff home run and Freddie Freeman had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to lift Julio Teheran and Atlanta past Pittsburgh for a three-game sweep.
Acuna hit the fifth pitch out to right-center off Trevor Williams. It was the rookie’s 21st homer and sixth leading off the first inning, including four in the last two weeks.
The NL East leaders went ahead 2-1 in the eighth when Freeman sent a flyball to deep left field off Edgar Santana. That came after Atlanta loaded the bases against Kyle Crick (2-2), who did not retire any of the three batters he faced.
Freeman’s sac fly made a winner of Teheran (9-7), who allowed one run and two hits in seven innings while striking out five and walking one.
Brad Brach struck out pinch-hitter David Freese with a runner on third to end the eighth. Jonny Venters pitched a scoreless ninth, surviving Gregory Polanco’s double off the top of the 21-foot wall in right field with two outs, to complete the three-hitter and earn his second save.
Atlanta mustered only three hits but won for the 17th time in 25 games.
YANKEES 9, MARLINS 3
MIAMI (AP) - Hours after All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman went on the disabled list with left knee tendinitis, Lance Lynn gave up five runs in the sixth inning and New York lost to last-place Miami.
The Yankees managed only one extra-base hit against five Miami pitchers. They committed three errors and struck out 11 times in a defeat that ended their four-game winning streak.
Giancarlo Stanton, playing in Miami for the first time since the Marlins traded him last November, went 1 for 3 with an RBI and finished 3 for 9 in the series.
Lynn (8-9) had a 2-0 lead in the sixth, but Miguel Rojas’ three-run homer put the Marlins ahead.
Miami’s Trevor Richards allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings and struck out nine. Jarlin Garcia (2-2) retired both batters he faced.
ASTROS 10, MARINERS 7
SEATTLE (AP) - Martin Maldonado and Tyler White each homered and had three hits, helping Houston beat Seattle.
Maldonado had three RBIs and White had two. The Astros led 9-1 before the Mariners got one back in the fifth and added five more in the sixth.
Charlie Morton (13-3) got the win despite allowing six runs before leaving the game with no one out in the sixth.
Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth to earn his 10th save and first as an Astro. The closer was acquired from Toronto last month and joined the team a week later after finishing a 75-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.
Marco Gonzales (12-9) was pitching on eight days of rest but allowed eight runs and 11 hits before leaving with no one out in the fourth.
With Oakland’s loss to Texas, Houston took a one-game lead in the AL West.
RANGERS 4, ATHLETICS 2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Mike Minor pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball to win his fourth straight, Joey Gallo hit his 33rd home run and Texas beat Oakland.
Adrian Beltre had a pair of RBI singles to help the Rangers end a six-game losing streak to the A’s. Jurickson Profar added two hits. Elvis Andrus singled and scored after going hitless in his previous 12 at-bats.
Minor (10-6) was crisp while striking out four and walking one. He allowed only two runners and faced the minimum through six innings. Both runners were erased on double plays.
Cory Gearrin, Alex Claudio, Chris Martin and Jose Leclerc combined to retire nine batters and complete the four-hitter.
The A’s loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Leclerc struck out Nick Martini on a check swing for his sixth save in 10 opportunities.
Texas was shut out in the first two games of the series and had a 19-inning scoreless streak before Choo’s leadoff homer on the first pitch from Oakland starter Edwin Jackson (4-3) in the first inning.
METS 5, GIANTS 3
NEW YORK (AP) - Todd Frazier homered and hit an RBI double, Noah Syndergaard pitched six effective innings and New York beat San Francisco.
Dominic Smith and Jose Bautista also went deep for New York. Jeff McNeil tripled and singled his first two times up to set a Mets rookie record with a hit in eight consecutive at-bats. The 26-year-old second baseman grounded out in his next chance at the plate.
Smith’s leadoff homer in the second off Giants starter Casey Kelly (0-2) gave New York a 1-0 lead, and consecutive run-scoring hits by McNeil (single) and Frazier (double) made it 3-0.
Syndergaard (9-3) allowed two runs and five hits while walking one and striking out six. Paul Sewald got two outs for his first major league save.
RAYS 6, ROYALS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Brandon Lowe and Mallex Smith drove in two runs each, and Tampa Bay beat Kansas City to move five games over .500 for the first time this season.
Lowe, who drove in the first two runs with a second-inning single off Jakob Junis (6-12), and Smith were among six Rays who had two hits each.
Hunter Dozier added a two-run homer in the eighth, the second of the game off Yonny Chirinos (2-5). Dozier’s sixth homer of the season came on his 27th birthday.
Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 25 opportunities.
BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 0
TORONTO (AP) - Kendrys Morales homered for the fourth consecutive game, Thomas Pannone and two relievers combined on a two-hitter and Toronto finished its home slate against Baltimore with a 10-0 record.
Devon Travis had a three-run shot in the eighth as the Blue Jays blew open the game with a five-run outburst against Miguel Castro, who uncorked three wild pitches and didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced.
Morales hit a two-out drive off Orioles right-hander David Hess (2-8) in the seventh, his fifth home run in the past four games and 19th of the season.
Making his first major league start after four relief appearances, the left-handed Pannone (1-0) pitched six no-hit innings before Baltimore’s Trey Mancini reached on a groundball single to begin the seventh.
WHITE SOX 7, TWINS 3
CHICAGO (AP) - Adam Engel broke a tie with a two-run homer in a five-run fifth, Carlos Rodon continued his torrid stretch with six strong innings and Chicago beat Minnesota.
Nicky Delmonico and Tim Anderson also homered off Twins starter Kyle Gibson (7-10), helping send him to only his second loss in seven career decisions at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Chicago won for the sixth time in eight games.
The White Sox sent 11 batters to the plate against Gibson and Gabriel Moya in the fifth to snap a 2-2 tie.
Rodon (5-3) allowed four of the first five batters to reach base before he settled down. He allowed three hits and three walks and improved to 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA over his last 10 starts.
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