Kemp’s back as Dodgers sweep Nationals

WASHINGTON: Matt Kemp returned to the lineup with a home run and a double in the same inning Sunday, and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 9-2 win that kept them a half-game behind first-place Arizona in the NL West.
Activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, Kemp led off the second with a homer and then doubled home Andre Ethier in a seven-run inning against Jordan Zimmermann (12-5), quickly turning a much-anticipated matchup of All-Star aces into a rout.
Clayton Kershaw (9-6) allowed only two hits — solo homers by Jayson Werth — over seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks, putting his major league-best ERA at 2.01.
The Dodgers have won 20 of 25. This game marked the first time all season that Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford were all in the lineup together. But it might be a few days before it happens again because Kemp hurt his left ankle sliding into home plate on a force play in the ninth.
Washington has dropped eight of 10.
Pirates 3 Reds 2: In Cincinnati, Jeff Locke allowed only an infield single through six innings and Pittsburgh beat Homer Bailey to salvage the final game of its series with Cincinnati.
The second-place Pirates left town with a three-game cushion over the NL Central-rival Reds, who won the first two games of the series.
Locke (9-2) and the majors' second-stingiest bullpen limited the Reds to three singles, but issued seven walks and let a run score on a wild pitch. Jason Grilli worked the ninth for his 30th save in 31 chances.
Locke had to miss his last scheduled start and couldn't pitch in the All-Star game because of a sore back. There were no problems when he got back on the mound.
Mets 5 Phillies 0: In New York, Matt Harvey struck out 10 in seven overpowering innings, and David Wright and Juan Lagares each hit a home run upheld by video review to lead New York over Philadelphia.
Marlon Byrd followed Wright's first-inning homer off the dark metal railing atop the new left-field wall with a no-doubter into the second deck against Cliff Lee (10-4) for the Mets' first back-to-back homers of the season.
Lagares' drive that also struck the railing in left was a three-run shot, giving New York a 5-0 lead against the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner. Lagares made a running catch in centre field with Delmon Young on third base in the seventh to help preserve the shutout.
Cardinals 3 Padres 2: In St. Louis, Adam Wainwright worked eight sharp innings for his National League-leading 13th win and Allen Craig ended the game with a leaping catch at the left-field wall as St. Louis beat San Diego.
Craig has 12 hits and six RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak for the Cardinals, who took two of three in both series against the Padres this season.
Diamondbacks 3 Giants 1: In San Francisco, Paul Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly and a double against All-Star Madison Bumgarner, Cody Ross added a late two-run single, and first-place Arizona held off a late rally by San Francisco to avoid a three-game sweep.
The Diamondbacks snapped a three-game skid with their first victory of the second half.
Randall Delgado (2-3) won in his first career start at AT&T Park, and Goldschmidt's first-inning sac fly got things going against the World Series champions. Arizona threw out Buster Posey at the plate in the sixth.
Brewers 1 Marlins 0, 13 innings: In Milwaukee, Caleb Gindl hit his first career home run in the bottom of the 13th inning and Milwaukee shut out punchless Miami for the third consecutive game.
Miami has gone a club-record 37 innings without a run, the longest drought by a major league team in 28 years. The Houston Astros were held scoreless for 42 consecutive innings in July 1985, according to STATS.
The Marlins haven't scored since Derek Dietrich drove in two runs in the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss in 10 innings to Washington on July 14.
This one was the longest scoreless game in the majors since Boston won 1-0 in 16 innings at Tampa Bay on July 17, 2011.
Rockies 4 Cubs 3: In Denver, Tyler Chatwood pitched six solid innings, Nolan Arenado hit a go-ahead single and Colorado beat Chicago to win the three-game series.
Chatwood (6-3) went the distance last time out but was a tough-luck loser to Zack Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. This time, he allowed seven hits and two runs — one earned.
Rex Brothers allowed a run in the ninth before earning his fifth save.