SAN FRANCISCO: Clayton Kershaw took a share of the major league lead with his seventh win and earned career victory No. 20 against the rival Giants, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers avoid a sweep by beating San Francisco 6-1 on Wednesday.
Kershaw (7-2) struck out five in seven shutout innings and retired the first 10 batters he faced before Justin Ruggiano’s fourth-inning single. The left-hander moved into a tie for most wins with Houston’s Dallas Keuchel.
Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run double in the first and Yasiel Puig singled in a pair of runs in the sixth as the Dodgers jumped on Johnny Cueto (4-3), who lost for the first time at home this season.
The benches cleared briefly after the top of the third when Cueto and Grandal exchanged words. It happened just after Cueto’s high, inside pitch flew wildly past catcher Buster Posey, allowing another Dodgers run.
Astros 3 Marlins 0: In Miami, Lance McCullers paid tribute to the late Jose Fernandez and pitched like him, allowing no earned runs for the third start in a row, and Houston completed a three-game sweep.
McCullers (4-1) wore cleats with Fernandez’s initials and uniform number. Their friendship began when they were high school pitchers in the Tampa area, before Fernandez became the Marlins’ ace and then died in a boating accident last September.
McCullers limited Miami to three hits in six innings and lowered his ERA to 2.65.
The Astros (29-12) have the best record in the majors and their fourth consecutive win lifted them 17 games above .500 for the first time since 2004.
Jose Urena (1-2) limited Houston to three runs, one earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 5 Mets 4, 11 innings: In Phoenix, Chris Herrmann homered off Rafael Montero leading off the 11th inning, sending New York to its season-high seventh straight loss.
Montero (0-3) relieved to start the 11th, and Herrmann worked the count full, fouled off a pitch and connected on a belt-high fastball for his first game-ending home run in the major leagues.
New York went 0-6 in Milwaukee and Arizona, the Mets’ longest winless trip since 1999, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. At 16-23, New York dropped seven games under .500 for the first time September 2014.
Tom Wilhelmsen (1-1) walked Matt Reynolds and Lucas Duda with two outs in the 11th before throwing a called third strike past Jose Reyes.
Rays 7 Indians 4: In Cleveland, Corey Dickerson hit a three-run shot — his third homer in two days — and Alex Cobb controlled Cleveland over seven innings as Tampa Bay completed its most successful road trip in a year.
Dickerson connected in the second inning off Josh Tomlin (2-5) and Logan Morrison hit a solo shot in the third for Tampa Bay, which went 4-2 on a swing through Boston and Cleveland. It’s the Rays’ first winning trip since last May.
Cobb (4-3) allowed three runs and six hits.
Pirates 6 Nationals 1: In Pittsburgh, Gerrit Cole shut down the best offense in the majors, holding Washington to three hits in seven innings to win for the first time in a month.
Cole (2-4) struck out three, walked two and received an overdue dose of support when Josh Bell smacked a three-run homer in the sixth off Jacob Turner (2-2). Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and stole two bases for Pittsburgh.
Tigers 5 Orioles 4: In Detroit, Tyler Collins snapped an 0-for-30 skid in style, hitting two home runs for Detroit in a victory over Baltimore.
Hitless since May 1, Collins connected for a solo homer in the second inning and a three-run shot in the fifth, giving Detroit’s offense a boost while Miguel Cabrera sat out with a sore left side. Michael Fulmer (5-1) wasn’t at his best, allowing three earned runs and 10 hits in seven innings, but the Tigers gave him enough support.
Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2) allowed five runs in five innings.
Yankees 11 Royals 7: In Kansas City, Missouri, Aaron Hicks hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run fourth inning, and New York piled up 16 hits against Kansas City.
Michael Pineda (4-2) allowed three runs and six hits over six-plus innings. The big right-hander was shaky throughout but good enough to win for only the second time in 16 road starts.
The Yankees teed off on Jason Vargas (5-2), who came into the game with a major league-leading 1.01 ERA. The left-hander allowed as many earned runs in the fourth as he had in his first seven starts combined, and was lifted after giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings.
Vargas had been unbeaten in his last 10 home starts. But he is 0-6 with a 7.15 ERA against the Yankees.
Starlin Castro had three hits for New York. Dellin Betances got one out for his first save since replacing injured Aroldis Chapman as closer.
Cubs 7 Reds 5: In Chicago, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber drove in two runs apiece, and Chicago handed sloppy Cincinnati its season-high fifth straight loss.
Kyle Hendricks (3-2) pitched six effective innings and drove in a run as the Cubs improved to 22-5 in their last 27 games against the Reds. Ben Zobrist reached three times after missing two games with lower back tightness.
Zack Cozart had three hits and two RBIs for Cincinnati, but Adam Duvall committed a big error in left field. Cozart extended his Wrigley Field homer streak to five games, matching a record for any player at the iconic ballpark.
Braves 8 Blue Jays 4: In Atlanta, Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run first inning, and Atlanta held off Toronto in a testy game after Freddie Freeman left with an injury.
Freeman was struck on the left wrist by a pitch in the fifth inning. The umpires initially ruled that Aaron Loup’s pitch did not hit Freeman. But with the Atlanta star in obvious pain, the Braves challenged and the call was reversed after a video review.
Freeman headed to the clubhouse instead of first base, and X-rays were inconclusive. He will have more tests Thursday, including an MRI.
Things got heated in the late innings after Kevin Pillar apparently thought Atlanta reliever Jason Motte quick-pitched him, yelling toward the mound before Suzuki stepped in to calm things.
In the eighth, the benches cleared after Toronto’s Jose Bautista homered, standing briefly at home plate to admire the drive before flipping the bat away. Jace Peterson appeared to say something to Bautista as he rounded first, and Suzuki was waiting for Bautista when he touched home. No punches were thrown.
Atlanta has won three consecutive games against the Blue Jays. After the Braves took two straight in Toronto, the teams shifted to SunTrust Park to complete the four-game, home-and-home series.
Rangers 9 Phillies 3: In Arlington, Texas, Andrew Cashner finally won in his home state of Texas, pitching seven solid innings to help the Rangers match the longest winning streak in the majors this year at eight games with a victory over Philadelphia.
The right-hander from the Houston area also got his first win with the Rangers, who scored all nine of their runs in the first five innings after getting just six in the first six starts by Cashner (1-3) when the stocky 30-year-old was in the game.
Texas turned four double plays in the first five innings behind Cashner. The Phillies also turned four double plays.
Jared Hoying hit his first big league homer and had his first four-hit game in his second start since coming up from the minors to replace injured center fielder Carlos Gomez.
Red Sox 5 Cardinals 4, 13 innings, In St. Louis, pinch-hitter Chris Young singled home the tiebreaking run in the 13th inning and Boston rallied past St. Louis to sweep their two-game interleague series.
Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run homer in the seventh off starter Mike Leake to begin Boston’s comeback from a four-run deficit. The Red Sox tied it in the eighth against reliever Trevor Rosenthal when Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI triple and scored on Andrew Benintendi’s sacrifice fly.
Mitch Moreland doubled with two outs in the 13th and Bradley was intentionally walked before Young singled off Sam Tuivailala (2-1).
Fernando Abad (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings for the win, and Ben Taylor got three outs for his first major league save.
Kershaw (7-2) struck out five in seven shutout innings and retired the first 10 batters he faced before Justin Ruggiano’s fourth-inning single. The left-hander moved into a tie for most wins with Houston’s Dallas Keuchel.
Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run double in the first and Yasiel Puig singled in a pair of runs in the sixth as the Dodgers jumped on Johnny Cueto (4-3), who lost for the first time at home this season.
The benches cleared briefly after the top of the third when Cueto and Grandal exchanged words. It happened just after Cueto’s high, inside pitch flew wildly past catcher Buster Posey, allowing another Dodgers run.
Astros 3 Marlins 0: In Miami, Lance McCullers paid tribute to the late Jose Fernandez and pitched like him, allowing no earned runs for the third start in a row, and Houston completed a three-game sweep.
McCullers (4-1) wore cleats with Fernandez’s initials and uniform number. Their friendship began when they were high school pitchers in the Tampa area, before Fernandez became the Marlins’ ace and then died in a boating accident last September.
McCullers limited Miami to three hits in six innings and lowered his ERA to 2.65.
The Astros (29-12) have the best record in the majors and their fourth consecutive win lifted them 17 games above .500 for the first time since 2004.
Jose Urena (1-2) limited Houston to three runs, one earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 5 Mets 4, 11 innings: In Phoenix, Chris Herrmann homered off Rafael Montero leading off the 11th inning, sending New York to its season-high seventh straight loss.
Montero (0-3) relieved to start the 11th, and Herrmann worked the count full, fouled off a pitch and connected on a belt-high fastball for his first game-ending home run in the major leagues.
New York went 0-6 in Milwaukee and Arizona, the Mets’ longest winless trip since 1999, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. At 16-23, New York dropped seven games under .500 for the first time September 2014.
Tom Wilhelmsen (1-1) walked Matt Reynolds and Lucas Duda with two outs in the 11th before throwing a called third strike past Jose Reyes.
Rays 7 Indians 4: In Cleveland, Corey Dickerson hit a three-run shot — his third homer in two days — and Alex Cobb controlled Cleveland over seven innings as Tampa Bay completed its most successful road trip in a year.
Dickerson connected in the second inning off Josh Tomlin (2-5) and Logan Morrison hit a solo shot in the third for Tampa Bay, which went 4-2 on a swing through Boston and Cleveland. It’s the Rays’ first winning trip since last May.
Cobb (4-3) allowed three runs and six hits.
Pirates 6 Nationals 1: In Pittsburgh, Gerrit Cole shut down the best offense in the majors, holding Washington to three hits in seven innings to win for the first time in a month.
Cole (2-4) struck out three, walked two and received an overdue dose of support when Josh Bell smacked a three-run homer in the sixth off Jacob Turner (2-2). Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and stole two bases for Pittsburgh.
Tigers 5 Orioles 4: In Detroit, Tyler Collins snapped an 0-for-30 skid in style, hitting two home runs for Detroit in a victory over Baltimore.
Hitless since May 1, Collins connected for a solo homer in the second inning and a three-run shot in the fifth, giving Detroit’s offense a boost while Miguel Cabrera sat out with a sore left side. Michael Fulmer (5-1) wasn’t at his best, allowing three earned runs and 10 hits in seven innings, but the Tigers gave him enough support.
Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2) allowed five runs in five innings.
Yankees 11 Royals 7: In Kansas City, Missouri, Aaron Hicks hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run fourth inning, and New York piled up 16 hits against Kansas City.
Michael Pineda (4-2) allowed three runs and six hits over six-plus innings. The big right-hander was shaky throughout but good enough to win for only the second time in 16 road starts.
The Yankees teed off on Jason Vargas (5-2), who came into the game with a major league-leading 1.01 ERA. The left-hander allowed as many earned runs in the fourth as he had in his first seven starts combined, and was lifted after giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings.
Vargas had been unbeaten in his last 10 home starts. But he is 0-6 with a 7.15 ERA against the Yankees.
Starlin Castro had three hits for New York. Dellin Betances got one out for his first save since replacing injured Aroldis Chapman as closer.
Cubs 7 Reds 5: In Chicago, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber drove in two runs apiece, and Chicago handed sloppy Cincinnati its season-high fifth straight loss.
Kyle Hendricks (3-2) pitched six effective innings and drove in a run as the Cubs improved to 22-5 in their last 27 games against the Reds. Ben Zobrist reached three times after missing two games with lower back tightness.
Zack Cozart had three hits and two RBIs for Cincinnati, but Adam Duvall committed a big error in left field. Cozart extended his Wrigley Field homer streak to five games, matching a record for any player at the iconic ballpark.
Braves 8 Blue Jays 4: In Atlanta, Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run first inning, and Atlanta held off Toronto in a testy game after Freddie Freeman left with an injury.
Freeman was struck on the left wrist by a pitch in the fifth inning. The umpires initially ruled that Aaron Loup’s pitch did not hit Freeman. But with the Atlanta star in obvious pain, the Braves challenged and the call was reversed after a video review.
Freeman headed to the clubhouse instead of first base, and X-rays were inconclusive. He will have more tests Thursday, including an MRI.
Things got heated in the late innings after Kevin Pillar apparently thought Atlanta reliever Jason Motte quick-pitched him, yelling toward the mound before Suzuki stepped in to calm things.
In the eighth, the benches cleared after Toronto’s Jose Bautista homered, standing briefly at home plate to admire the drive before flipping the bat away. Jace Peterson appeared to say something to Bautista as he rounded first, and Suzuki was waiting for Bautista when he touched home. No punches were thrown.
Atlanta has won three consecutive games against the Blue Jays. After the Braves took two straight in Toronto, the teams shifted to SunTrust Park to complete the four-game, home-and-home series.
Rangers 9 Phillies 3: In Arlington, Texas, Andrew Cashner finally won in his home state of Texas, pitching seven solid innings to help the Rangers match the longest winning streak in the majors this year at eight games with a victory over Philadelphia.
The right-hander from the Houston area also got his first win with the Rangers, who scored all nine of their runs in the first five innings after getting just six in the first six starts by Cashner (1-3) when the stocky 30-year-old was in the game.
Texas turned four double plays in the first five innings behind Cashner. The Phillies also turned four double plays.
Jared Hoying hit his first big league homer and had his first four-hit game in his second start since coming up from the minors to replace injured center fielder Carlos Gomez.
Red Sox 5 Cardinals 4, 13 innings, In St. Louis, pinch-hitter Chris Young singled home the tiebreaking run in the 13th inning and Boston rallied past St. Louis to sweep their two-game interleague series.
Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run homer in the seventh off starter Mike Leake to begin Boston’s comeback from a four-run deficit. The Red Sox tied it in the eighth against reliever Trevor Rosenthal when Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI triple and scored on Andrew Benintendi’s sacrifice fly.
Mitch Moreland doubled with two outs in the 13th and Bradley was intentionally walked before Young singled off Sam Tuivailala (2-1).
Fernando Abad (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings for the win, and Ben Taylor got three outs for his first major league save.
