WASHINGTON: Adam LaRoche hit a three-run homer and Gio Gonzalez won for the first time since May 5 as the Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 Tuesday.
Jayson Werth added a double, RBI-single and two walks for Washington, which led 6-0 after five innings and snapped a two-game skid.
Gonzalez (4-3) went 6 1-3 innings, giving up two runs and nine hits. He struck out four and walked one. Rafael Soriano allowed an RBI single to Miguel Montero in the ninth, but earned his 20th save.
Martin Prado homered and Paul Goldschmidt had three hits for Arizona. Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill, playing his first game since going on the disabled list April 14 with a broken left hand, went 2 for 4 with a double, single and walk.
Washington matched its season high for runs in an inning with the five-run third off starter Trevor Cahill (3-9).
Brewers 9 Cubs 3: In Milwaukee, Rickie Weeks homered twice and drove in four runs as Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs.
Jonathan Lucroy added a two-run double, and Juan Francisco also homered for Milwaukee, which has defeated Chicago 19 of the last 21 times at home, including nine in a row.
Kyle Lohse (3-6) gave up eight hits and three earned runs in seven innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
Chicago’s Edwin Jackson (3-10) allowed six earned runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings to fall to 0-3 against Milwaukee this season.
Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, mired in a 13-for-98 (.133) slump, had his streak of 269 consecutive games played end. It was the longest active run in the National League.
Marlins 4 Twins 2: In Miami, Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs and Derek Dietrich homered to help Miami top Minnesota.
A.J. Ramos (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and Steve Cishek worked the ninth for his 13th save for the Marlins, who have won four of five.
Miami starter Jose Fernandez allowed one run and four hits in five innings. The 20-year old Fernandez struck out three and walked three. He is 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA in five June starts. Kevin Correia (6-5) held the Marlins scoreless through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth.
White Sox 5 NY Mets 4: In Chicago, Alexei Ramirez delivered the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Chicago White Sox made up for an embarrassing late-inning error to defeat the New York Mets, 5-4, in the opener of a brief, two-game interleague series.
LaTroy Hawkins (2-1) took the loss for the Mets. Jeff Keppinger opened the final frame with a single, then advance to second on the reliever’s fielding error on Gordon Beckham’s sacrifice bunt.
Tyler Flowers’ fielder’s choice ground out moved Keppinger to third and after the next batter fouled out, Ramirez ripped a liner off the chalk down the left-field line for the difference-maker.
The Mets trailed 4-3 in the top of the ninth after Chicago utilized a two-run fifth to take the lead off New York starter Zach Wheeler. Facing Addison Reed (3-0), David Wright opened up the frame with a single and then stole second. Reed settled down and retired the next two batters via a strikeout and fly out, but things got interesting with Daniel Murphy at the plate.
Cardinals 13 Astros 5: In Houston, Allen Craig put together a 4-for-5 performance which included a two-run home run, three RBI and two runs scored, as St. Louis rocked Houston, 13-5, in the opener of a two-game interleague set.
Matt Carpenter slugged a three-run triple, while both Carlos Beltran and David Freese added two-run shots for the Cardinals, who emphatically put the brakes on a three-game losing skid. Jake Westbrook (4-2) gave up four runs on as many hits over six solid innings. Brett Wallace drove in two runs with a triple, Matt Dominguez hit a solo homer and Ronny Cedeno knocked in a late run for the Astros, who have lost five of eight.
Braves 4 Royals 3: IN Kansas City, Jason Heyward drove in three runs, including the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning, and the Atlanta Braves edged the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, in the opener of a two-game interleague set at Kauffman Stadium. Jordan Schafer drove in the other run for the Braves. Starter Kris Medlen (5-7) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk in seven frames. Craig Kimbrel escaped trouble in the ninth to notch his 22nd save of the season. Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer and Billy Butler drove in one run for the Royals. Tim Collins (2-2) took the loss after giving up Heyward’s shot to right while starter Ervin Santana surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks to go along with seven strikeouts in six innings.
Dodgers 6 Giants 5: In Los Angeles, Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in the second of a three-game set at Dodger Stadium.
Mark Ellis also had two hits and a two-run homer. Tim Federowicz drove in a run for the Dodgers, winners in a season-high four straight. Los Angeles outfielder Matt Kemp returned to the lineup after being out since May 29 with a right hamstring strain. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Stephen Fife (2-2) gave up three runs on four hits — two homers — over 6 2/3 innings to earn the win. Brandon Belt went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, Andres Torres drove in a pair and Buster Posey smacked a solo homer for the Giants, who have dropped five of six. Mike Kickham (0-2) was tagged for six runs — five earned — on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.
