Nola, Phillies spoil Kershaw’s return
LOS ANGELES (AP) Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs, Aaron Nola pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Thursday, spoiling Clayton Kershaw's first start in almost a month.
Hitting out of the No. 8 spot in the Phillies' lineup, Alfaro delivered an RBI single in the second inning against Kershaw and had an RBI double off reliever Josh Fields in the seventh.
Nola (7-2) struck out seven, including five of the last seven batters he faced. He walked one and allowed just two runners to reach as far as second base. Seranthony Dominguez held the Dodgers scoreless over the final two innings for his second save.
Kershaw pitched in his first game since May 1, spending time on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. He gave up one run and four hits over five innings, throwing 62 pitches. He had five strikeouts and a walk, but acknowledged after the game that another DL trip might be necessary - this time for a third back injury in three seasons. He is expected to undergo an MRI and will not travel with the team for this weekend's series at Colorado.
Alfaro, who had an RBI single in the second, broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning when he doubled to the wall in right-center field off Fields (2-2). He was thrown out at third base trying to extend the hit to a triple.
HOUSTON (AP) - Carlos Correa snapped an 0-for-10 slump with a two-run homer in the first and Tony Kemp and Jake Marisnick had an RBI each to help Houston beat Boston.
Lance McCullers (7-3) allowed four hits and two runs in six innings to help the Astros win this rematch of last year's ALDS, which Houston won in four games.
Ken Giles gave up a single to Sandy Leon with two outs in the ninth before walking Jackie Bradley Jr., but Marisnick grabbed a fly ball hit by Blake Swihart to end it and give Giles his 10th save.
Boston's Drew Pomeranz (1-4) allowed six hits and four runs in five innings after failing to pitch longer than four innings in his past three starts. The Red Sox, playing without Mookie Betts (soreness in left side) for fifth straight game as well as Dustin Pedroia, snapped a three-game winning streak.
ATLANTA (AP) - Sean Newcomb pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight win, leading Atlanta back into first place in the NL East.
The Braves snapped Washington's six-game winning streak and reclaimed first place by a half-game over the Nationals.
Newcomb (6-1) was roughed up by the Nationals in his season debut April 2. Since then, he's 6-0 with a sparkling 2.16 ERA in 10 starts.
Anthony Rendon drove in in both Washington runs with a sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI single in the third. Newcomb was dominant the rest of the way , retiring 14 of 15 hitters before he was lifted for a pinch hitter after a 1-2-3 seventh. He threw 93 pitches - 61 for strikes.
The Braves went ahead for good in the bottom of the third off Tanner Roark (2-5).
Arodys Vizcaino got the last three outs for his 10th save in 12 chances.
DETROIT (AP) - Victor Reyes hit a three-run triple in the five-run first to lead Detroit.
Tigers starter Ryan Carpenter was on pace to pick up his first career victory, but left the game after four innings with an oblique strain.
Warwick Saupold (3-1) replaced Carpenter and pitched two perfect innings. Carpenter gave up one run and five hits.
Andrew Heaney (2-4) allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings. He had given up a total of six runs over his previous six starts.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Yairo Munoz hit a three-run, game-ending homer to cap St. Louis' five-run ninth inning .
Munoz ripped the first pitch from closer Felipe Vazquez (2-2) over the wall in center field to give St. Louis its sixth walk-off win of the season.
Francisco Cervelli hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth to give the Pirates an 8-5 lead. However, Pittsburgh couldn't hold on and lost in St. Louis for the fifth straight time and 12th in the last 14.
Josh Bell also homered for the Pirates
Mike Mayers (2-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Francisco Lindor's second home run of the game snapped an eighth-inning tie after Minnesota erased an eight-run deficit, and Cleveland held on for the win.
Lindor also hit two doubles and drove in four runs for the Indians, who stretched their winning streak to a season-best six straight games despite another wobbly performance by their bullpen until Cody Allen finished by getting the final four outs - his ninth save in 10 opportunities.
Tyler Olson (1-1) got the last two outs of the eighth.
In the next inning, Lindor straightened the Indians out with his one-out drive off Addison Reed (1-4). The star shortstop became the first player in the major leagues since Adrian Beltre for Seattle in 2007 to hit two doubles and two homers in two different games in one season.
The Twins lost for the seventh time in their last eight games.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Daniel Mengden allowed three runs over eight innings and Oakland avoided a four-game sweep.
Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Matt Joyce all homered, providing some much-needed punch to an offense that had sputtered since their leading home-run hitter Khris Davis went on the disabled list 10 days earlier.
Davis was activated before the game and doubled and scored as part of a three-run second inning to help Oakland end a three-game losing streak.
Joey Wendle had three hits for Tampa Bay.
Mengden (6-4) gave up six hits, struck out five and extended his scoreless streak to a career-high 25 innings before giving a two-run double to Wilson Ramos in the ninth. Blake Treinen got the last out for his 13th save.
Ryne Stanek (1-1) started for Tampa Bay and retired four batters in his second major league start.
NEW YORK (AP) - Jose Quintana pitched six shutout innings, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and Chicago won the opener of a four-game series.
Zobrist also doubled and singled in the leadoff spot as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago improved to 2-8 at Citi Field since the 2015 NL Championship Series.
An inconsistent Quintana (6-4) continued his run of strong starts following poor ones. The left-hander allowed three hits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third when he threw a called third strike past Jose Bautista and retired cleanup man Michael Conforto on a grounder.
Quintana struck out six and walked two on a foggy, misty night in Queens. Brandon Morrow, the fourth Chicago reliever, needed only two pitches to earn his 13th save.
Brandon Nimmo hit his career-high sixth home run in the eighth for the Mets, off Brian Duensing.
The Mets have lost eight of 11 since a four-game winning streak.
Zobrist went deep against Hansel Robles (2-2) with two outs in the fifth.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Christian Villanueva hit his 15th home run, Jordan Lyles pitched seven solid innings and San Diego won its third straight.
Villanueva's homer total before June 1 is the most by a National League rookie since St. Louis' Albert Pujols hit 16 in 2001. His power surge has helped the Padres win four of their last six games.
After taking a perfect game into the eighth inning in his last start at Petco Park, Lyles (2-1) wasn't as dominant against the Marlins. But he limited them to two runs and six hits while walking one and striking out seven in his fifth start after 13 appearances out of the bullpen.
Brad Hand got the last out with the bases loaded for his 17th save after.
Derek Dietrich homered off Kirby Yates in the eighth for Miami.
Wei-Yin Chen (1-3) got just five outs in his shortest stint of the season. He allowed four runs and four hits, and walked two and struck out four.
MARINERS 6, RANGERS 1
SEATTLE (AP) - Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer to back another effective start by Wade LeBlanc, and the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers.
Dee Gordon, back from a stay on the 10-day DL caused by a fractured right big toe, led off the game against Rangers starter Mike Minor (4-4) with a triple and scored on Jean Segura's sacrifice fly. Cruz then padded the Mariners' lead in the third. After Segura hit a one-out double and moved to third on Mitch Haniger's grounder, Cruz hit his 10th homer of the season to left-center field, a 399-foot shot that gave Seattle a 3-0 cushion.
LeBlanc (1-0) gave up one run and four hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre returned from the disabled list and singled twice to move past Cap Anson for 22nd place on baseball's all-time hits list with 3,082.