B]Baseball Capsules[/B]
August 31, 2015
LOS ANGELES (AP) Jake Arrieta pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and second against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 days, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 2-0 victory Sunday night.
Arrieta (17-6) struck out a season-high 12 and became the first 17-game winner in the big leagues by throwing baseball's third no-hitter in less than three weeks.
Astros right-hander Mike Fiers blanked the NL West leaders 3-0 on Aug. 21 in Houston. Never before had Los Angeles been no-hit twice in one season.
Arrieta got the benefit of a close call for the official scorer in the third inning, when Kike Hernandez reached on a fielding error by second baseman Starlin Castro.
With the crowd roaring, Arrieta struck out all three batters in the ninth: Justin Turner, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Those were the same three hitters - in a different order - that Fiers retired to finish his gem.
Arrieta tossed the 14th no-hitter in team history and became the first Cubs pitcher to throw one since Carlos Zambrano on Sept. 14, 2008, against Houston in a game that was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.
Arrieta finished 6-0 with a 0.43 ERA in August.
Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Alex Wood (9-9). The Cubs had 13 hits and snapped the Dodgers' five-game winning streak.
BLUE JAYS 9, TIGERS 2
TORONTO (AP) - Edwin Encarnacion homered for the fourth time in two days, Josh Donaldson also connected and Toronto beat struggling Detroit to complete a three-game sweep.
Russell Martin and Kevin Pillar each hit a two-run shot for Toronto, which leads the majors with 184 home runs. The AL East leaders had their second straight four-homer game and sixth of the season.
Encarnacion hit three home runs and matched a Blue Jays record with nine RBIs in Saturday's 15-1 rout. His latest drive extended his hitting streak to 25 games, the longest in the majors since a 28-game run by Colorado's Nolan Arenado in 2014.
The home run was Encarnacion's 30th of the season, 11 in August. He has a major league-leading 35 RBIs this month, breaking the club record he shared with Carlos Delgado, who had 34 in June 2003.
Encarnacion has at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight consecutive games.
Mark Buehrle (14-6) allowed two runs in six-plus innings as the Blue Jays improved to 21-5 in August, matching the team record for wins in a month. Toronto went 21-9 in May 2014.
Alfredo Simon (11-9) allowed all four Blue Jays homers in five innings as the last-place Tigers lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
YANKEES 20, BRAVES 6
ATLANTA (AP) - Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer, Chase Headley and Stephen Drew each added a two-run shot and New York routed Atlanta to finish a three-game sweep.
All three homers, which helped build an 8-2 lead, came with two outs. Headley and Drew, who had four hits, both drove in four runs.
After the Braves cut the lead to 8-5, pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the Yankees' nine-run seventh inning.
The U.S. flag at Turner Field flew at half-staff and a moment of silence was observed before the game in memory of Gregory K. Murrey.
Murrey, a Braves season-ticket holder, died after falling from the upper deck to the lower-level seats on Saturday night. He was 60. The Braves displayed a photo of Murrey on the video board during the moment of silence.
Despite the sweep, the Yankees gained no ground on first-place Toronto, which leads New York by 1 1/2 games.
The Braves have lost five straight and 12 of 13. They've dropped nine consecutive interleague games since a win over Boston on June 17.
Nathan Eovaldi (14-2) allowed five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.
Julio Teheran (9-7) gave up nine hits and eight runs in 4 1-3 innings.
CARDINALS 7, GIANTS 5
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Carpenter, Brandon Moss and Mark Reynolds homered, Yadier Molina drove in two runs and St. Louis beat San Francisco.
Jason Heyward added three hits and drove in a run for the Cardinals, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Greg Garcia also drove in a run.
Jaime Garcia (7-4) allowed season highs in hits (10) and runs (four) but was effective enough to improve to 4-0 over his past six starts. He did not walk a batter and struck out one, a season low.
Marlon Byrd celebrated his 38th birthday with a pair of doubles, a triple and four RBIs. Kelby Tomlinson also drove in a run for the Giants, who ended a 3-3 homestand.
Chris Heston (11-8) gave up five runs in 3 2-3 innings.
METS 5, RED SOX 4
NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Cuddyer hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and the NL East-leading Mets stopped their five-game home skid, averting a sweep by Boston.
Cuddyer kept up his three-week surge since coming off the disabled list, going 3 for 3 with a walk. His go-ahead hit came after Daniel Murphy stole second base with two outs.
Boston slugger David Ortiz lined his 494th home run, moving past Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 27th place on the career list.
Tyler Clippard (2-0) got four outs for the win. Jeurys Familia struck out Mookie Betts with runners at the corners to close out his 35th save in 40 chances.
Before the game, the Mets completed their trade to get reliever Addison Reed from Arizona.
Robbie Ross Jr. (0-2) took the loss.
NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 4
WASHINGTON (AP) - Jayson Werth homered and drove in three runs, and Clint Robinson added a pinch-hit homer as Washington had 13 hits and rallied past Miami.
Michael Taylor added two singles and scored twice for Washington, which got hits from all eight position players.
Doug Fister (5-7) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Stephen Strasburg for the win.
Strasburg was lifted after throwing 60 pitches in four innings with upper back tightness. He gave up four runs on seven hits.
Miami starter Brad Hand (4-4) allowed five runs on eight hits over 4 2-3 innings.
RANGERS 6, ORIOLES 0
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Derek Holland struck out every Baltimore batter while throwing a three-hitter for his eighth career shutout, leading Texas to a three-game sweep.
Holland (2-1), in his third start since coming off the disabled list, matched a career high with 11 strikeouts. He walked none and hit a batter with a pitch. The left-hander struck out each of the Orioles' nine starters at least once, getting Adam Jones and Chris Davis twice.
At 68-61, the Rangers are seven games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. Their 68 wins are already one more than all of last year.
The Orioles have lost 10 of 11, falling 5 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the AL wild-card chase.
Miguel Gonzalez (9-11) allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings. He is 0-5 in his last seven starts.
ROCKIES 5, PIRATES 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jorge De La Rosa pitched into the seventh inning before being ejected, and Ben Paulsen hit a two-run triple as the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
De La Rosa (8-6) allowed four hits in six-plus innings while striking out seven and walking one. The left-hander's only other win since July 11 - a span of 10 starts - came Aug. 7 at Washington.
Scott Oberg, Christian Friedrich, Jairo Diaz and John Axford completed the four-hit shutout.
De La Rosa and manager Walt Weiss were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Jeff Nelson as Weiss went to the mound to remove De La Rosa from the game.
Charlie Morton (8-6) allowed five runs (three earned) over six innings.
RAYS 3, ROYALS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Brandon Guyer and Kevin Kiermaier homered, and the Tampa Bay bullpen held Kansas City to one hit over five innings.
Kiermaier's sixth-inning homer off Luke Hochevar (1-1) broke a 2-all tie. It was Kiermaier's second homer in two games and sixth of the season.
Xavier Cedeno (3-1) got the win in relief while Brad Boxberger pitched the ninth for his 32nd save.
Four of Kansas City's seven hits came during a two-run third that included RBIs by Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain.
TWINS 7, ASTROS 5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Ervin Santana struck out 10 to earn his first home win, Eduardo Nunez and Miguel Sano homered, and the Twins withstood a ninth-inning rally to beat the Astros.
Down 7-0 in the ninth, Chris Carter hit a three-run homer and Jose Altuve cracked a two-run shot that made it 7-5 before Trevor May struck out Marwin Gonzalez to end the game.
It was Santana's 15th career game with double-digit strikeouts. He entered Sunday 0-1 with a 9.77 ERA in three starts at Target Field since returning from an 80-game suspension to start the season.
Lance McCullers (5-5) settled down after walking three of the first four batters he faced to begin the game before Nunez hit a 3-2 pitch off the upper deck in left-center field to make it 3-0 in the sixth.
INDIANS 9, ANGELS 2
CLEVELAND (AP) - Abraham Almonte hit his first career grand slam and Josh Tomlin worked into the eighth inning, leading Cleveland over the slumping Los Angeles Angels.
Almonte's fifth-inning homer off Jered Weaver broke open a close game and sent the Indians to their fifth straight win.
Weaver (6-10) didn't get much help from his defense. Center fielder Mike Trout and right fielder Kole Calhoun lost catchable fly balls in the sun, leading to five Cleveland runs.
WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 5, 11 INNINGS
CHICAGO (AP) - White Sox rookie Tyler Saladino drove in the winning run with a single in the 11th inning and Chicago rallied to beat Seattle.
Alexei Ramirez singled and Tyler Flower walked to start the rally before Ramirez advanced to third on Carlos Sanchez's flyout and scored on Saladino's hit off David Rollins (0-1).
David Robertson (6-3) struck out three in two innings for the victory as the teams split the four-game series.
The White Sox tied the game in the ninth on shortstop Brad Miller's throwing error to first on pinch hitter Sanchez's grounder. Trayce Thompson scored after he singled off Carson Smith and stole second.
Kyle Seager homered for the third straight game and drove in the go-ahead run on a single in the eighth for the Mariners. Austin Jackson also had three hits, including a two-run home run and a triple.
BREWERS 4, REDS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Ryan Braun homered and Wily Peralta pitched seven strong innings to help Milwaukee beat Cincinnati.
Peralta (5-8) held the Reds to one run and seven hits in a battle of teams fighting to stay out of the National League Central cellar. Peralta struck out six and didn't issue a walk.
Braun's two-out solo home run in the first off Reds' starter John Lamb (0-3) gave the Brewers the early lead.
The Reds tied the score in the second when a soft chopper by Brayan Pena got past Milwaukee's drawn in infield.
Milwaukee grabbed the lead again in the third on Jonathan Lucroy's run-scoring single. The Brewers extended their lead in the eighth. Jean Segura drove in a run with a triple then scored on Lucroy's sacrifice fly.
ATHLETICS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 4, 11 INNINGS
PHOENIX (AP) - Marcus Semien's two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning lifted Oakland over Arizona.
Semien's big hit came after singles by Danny Valencia and Stephen Vogt, who homered earlier. Josh Phegley was hit by a pitch from Brad Ziegler (1-1) to load the bases.
Eric Sogard singled in a run off A.J. Schugel to complete the scoring. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte (1-2) earned his first major league win with two innings of scoreless relief.
David Peralta hit his 14th homer for the Diamondbacks and a sacrifice fly that forced extra innings.
PADRES 9, PHILLIES 4
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - James Shields pitched seven innings for his first road win since May, and San Diego hit three homers in a victory over Philadelphia.
Shields (10-6) allowed one run and six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander was 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in his previous eight road starts since his last win away from Petco Park on May 24.
Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Yangervis Solarte went deep for San Diego, which avoided losing all six games versus the Phillies this season.
Cameron Rupp homered and Odubel Herrera had four singles for Philadelphia. Alec Asher (0-1) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 2-3 innings in his major league debut.
August 31, 2015
LOS ANGELES (AP) Jake Arrieta pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and second against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 days, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 2-0 victory Sunday night.
Arrieta (17-6) struck out a season-high 12 and became the first 17-game winner in the big leagues by throwing baseball's third no-hitter in less than three weeks.
Astros right-hander Mike Fiers blanked the NL West leaders 3-0 on Aug. 21 in Houston. Never before had Los Angeles been no-hit twice in one season.
Arrieta got the benefit of a close call for the official scorer in the third inning, when Kike Hernandez reached on a fielding error by second baseman Starlin Castro.
With the crowd roaring, Arrieta struck out all three batters in the ninth: Justin Turner, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Those were the same three hitters - in a different order - that Fiers retired to finish his gem.
Arrieta tossed the 14th no-hitter in team history and became the first Cubs pitcher to throw one since Carlos Zambrano on Sept. 14, 2008, against Houston in a game that was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.
Arrieta finished 6-0 with a 0.43 ERA in August.
Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Alex Wood (9-9). The Cubs had 13 hits and snapped the Dodgers' five-game winning streak.
BLUE JAYS 9, TIGERS 2
TORONTO (AP) - Edwin Encarnacion homered for the fourth time in two days, Josh Donaldson also connected and Toronto beat struggling Detroit to complete a three-game sweep.
Russell Martin and Kevin Pillar each hit a two-run shot for Toronto, which leads the majors with 184 home runs. The AL East leaders had their second straight four-homer game and sixth of the season.
Encarnacion hit three home runs and matched a Blue Jays record with nine RBIs in Saturday's 15-1 rout. His latest drive extended his hitting streak to 25 games, the longest in the majors since a 28-game run by Colorado's Nolan Arenado in 2014.
The home run was Encarnacion's 30th of the season, 11 in August. He has a major league-leading 35 RBIs this month, breaking the club record he shared with Carlos Delgado, who had 34 in June 2003.
Encarnacion has at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight consecutive games.
Mark Buehrle (14-6) allowed two runs in six-plus innings as the Blue Jays improved to 21-5 in August, matching the team record for wins in a month. Toronto went 21-9 in May 2014.
Alfredo Simon (11-9) allowed all four Blue Jays homers in five innings as the last-place Tigers lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
YANKEES 20, BRAVES 6
ATLANTA (AP) - Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer, Chase Headley and Stephen Drew each added a two-run shot and New York routed Atlanta to finish a three-game sweep.
All three homers, which helped build an 8-2 lead, came with two outs. Headley and Drew, who had four hits, both drove in four runs.
After the Braves cut the lead to 8-5, pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the Yankees' nine-run seventh inning.
The U.S. flag at Turner Field flew at half-staff and a moment of silence was observed before the game in memory of Gregory K. Murrey.
Murrey, a Braves season-ticket holder, died after falling from the upper deck to the lower-level seats on Saturday night. He was 60. The Braves displayed a photo of Murrey on the video board during the moment of silence.
Despite the sweep, the Yankees gained no ground on first-place Toronto, which leads New York by 1 1/2 games.
The Braves have lost five straight and 12 of 13. They've dropped nine consecutive interleague games since a win over Boston on June 17.
Nathan Eovaldi (14-2) allowed five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.
Julio Teheran (9-7) gave up nine hits and eight runs in 4 1-3 innings.
CARDINALS 7, GIANTS 5
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Carpenter, Brandon Moss and Mark Reynolds homered, Yadier Molina drove in two runs and St. Louis beat San Francisco.
Jason Heyward added three hits and drove in a run for the Cardinals, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Greg Garcia also drove in a run.
Jaime Garcia (7-4) allowed season highs in hits (10) and runs (four) but was effective enough to improve to 4-0 over his past six starts. He did not walk a batter and struck out one, a season low.
Marlon Byrd celebrated his 38th birthday with a pair of doubles, a triple and four RBIs. Kelby Tomlinson also drove in a run for the Giants, who ended a 3-3 homestand.
Chris Heston (11-8) gave up five runs in 3 2-3 innings.
METS 5, RED SOX 4
NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Cuddyer hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and the NL East-leading Mets stopped their five-game home skid, averting a sweep by Boston.
Cuddyer kept up his three-week surge since coming off the disabled list, going 3 for 3 with a walk. His go-ahead hit came after Daniel Murphy stole second base with two outs.
Boston slugger David Ortiz lined his 494th home run, moving past Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 27th place on the career list.
Tyler Clippard (2-0) got four outs for the win. Jeurys Familia struck out Mookie Betts with runners at the corners to close out his 35th save in 40 chances.
Before the game, the Mets completed their trade to get reliever Addison Reed from Arizona.
Robbie Ross Jr. (0-2) took the loss.
NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 4
WASHINGTON (AP) - Jayson Werth homered and drove in three runs, and Clint Robinson added a pinch-hit homer as Washington had 13 hits and rallied past Miami.
Michael Taylor added two singles and scored twice for Washington, which got hits from all eight position players.
Doug Fister (5-7) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Stephen Strasburg for the win.
Strasburg was lifted after throwing 60 pitches in four innings with upper back tightness. He gave up four runs on seven hits.
Miami starter Brad Hand (4-4) allowed five runs on eight hits over 4 2-3 innings.
RANGERS 6, ORIOLES 0
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Derek Holland struck out every Baltimore batter while throwing a three-hitter for his eighth career shutout, leading Texas to a three-game sweep.
Holland (2-1), in his third start since coming off the disabled list, matched a career high with 11 strikeouts. He walked none and hit a batter with a pitch. The left-hander struck out each of the Orioles' nine starters at least once, getting Adam Jones and Chris Davis twice.
At 68-61, the Rangers are seven games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. Their 68 wins are already one more than all of last year.
The Orioles have lost 10 of 11, falling 5 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the AL wild-card chase.
Miguel Gonzalez (9-11) allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings. He is 0-5 in his last seven starts.
ROCKIES 5, PIRATES 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jorge De La Rosa pitched into the seventh inning before being ejected, and Ben Paulsen hit a two-run triple as the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
De La Rosa (8-6) allowed four hits in six-plus innings while striking out seven and walking one. The left-hander's only other win since July 11 - a span of 10 starts - came Aug. 7 at Washington.
Scott Oberg, Christian Friedrich, Jairo Diaz and John Axford completed the four-hit shutout.
De La Rosa and manager Walt Weiss were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Jeff Nelson as Weiss went to the mound to remove De La Rosa from the game.
Charlie Morton (8-6) allowed five runs (three earned) over six innings.
RAYS 3, ROYALS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Brandon Guyer and Kevin Kiermaier homered, and the Tampa Bay bullpen held Kansas City to one hit over five innings.
Kiermaier's sixth-inning homer off Luke Hochevar (1-1) broke a 2-all tie. It was Kiermaier's second homer in two games and sixth of the season.
Xavier Cedeno (3-1) got the win in relief while Brad Boxberger pitched the ninth for his 32nd save.
Four of Kansas City's seven hits came during a two-run third that included RBIs by Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain.
TWINS 7, ASTROS 5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Ervin Santana struck out 10 to earn his first home win, Eduardo Nunez and Miguel Sano homered, and the Twins withstood a ninth-inning rally to beat the Astros.
Down 7-0 in the ninth, Chris Carter hit a three-run homer and Jose Altuve cracked a two-run shot that made it 7-5 before Trevor May struck out Marwin Gonzalez to end the game.
It was Santana's 15th career game with double-digit strikeouts. He entered Sunday 0-1 with a 9.77 ERA in three starts at Target Field since returning from an 80-game suspension to start the season.
Lance McCullers (5-5) settled down after walking three of the first four batters he faced to begin the game before Nunez hit a 3-2 pitch off the upper deck in left-center field to make it 3-0 in the sixth.
INDIANS 9, ANGELS 2
CLEVELAND (AP) - Abraham Almonte hit his first career grand slam and Josh Tomlin worked into the eighth inning, leading Cleveland over the slumping Los Angeles Angels.
Almonte's fifth-inning homer off Jered Weaver broke open a close game and sent the Indians to their fifth straight win.
Weaver (6-10) didn't get much help from his defense. Center fielder Mike Trout and right fielder Kole Calhoun lost catchable fly balls in the sun, leading to five Cleveland runs.
WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 5, 11 INNINGS
CHICAGO (AP) - White Sox rookie Tyler Saladino drove in the winning run with a single in the 11th inning and Chicago rallied to beat Seattle.
Alexei Ramirez singled and Tyler Flower walked to start the rally before Ramirez advanced to third on Carlos Sanchez's flyout and scored on Saladino's hit off David Rollins (0-1).
David Robertson (6-3) struck out three in two innings for the victory as the teams split the four-game series.
The White Sox tied the game in the ninth on shortstop Brad Miller's throwing error to first on pinch hitter Sanchez's grounder. Trayce Thompson scored after he singled off Carson Smith and stole second.
Kyle Seager homered for the third straight game and drove in the go-ahead run on a single in the eighth for the Mariners. Austin Jackson also had three hits, including a two-run home run and a triple.
BREWERS 4, REDS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Ryan Braun homered and Wily Peralta pitched seven strong innings to help Milwaukee beat Cincinnati.
Peralta (5-8) held the Reds to one run and seven hits in a battle of teams fighting to stay out of the National League Central cellar. Peralta struck out six and didn't issue a walk.
Braun's two-out solo home run in the first off Reds' starter John Lamb (0-3) gave the Brewers the early lead.
The Reds tied the score in the second when a soft chopper by Brayan Pena got past Milwaukee's drawn in infield.
Milwaukee grabbed the lead again in the third on Jonathan Lucroy's run-scoring single. The Brewers extended their lead in the eighth. Jean Segura drove in a run with a triple then scored on Lucroy's sacrifice fly.
ATHLETICS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 4, 11 INNINGS
PHOENIX (AP) - Marcus Semien's two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning lifted Oakland over Arizona.
Semien's big hit came after singles by Danny Valencia and Stephen Vogt, who homered earlier. Josh Phegley was hit by a pitch from Brad Ziegler (1-1) to load the bases.
Eric Sogard singled in a run off A.J. Schugel to complete the scoring. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte (1-2) earned his first major league win with two innings of scoreless relief.
David Peralta hit his 14th homer for the Diamondbacks and a sacrifice fly that forced extra innings.
PADRES 9, PHILLIES 4
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - James Shields pitched seven innings for his first road win since May, and San Diego hit three homers in a victory over Philadelphia.
Shields (10-6) allowed one run and six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander was 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in his previous eight road starts since his last win away from Petco Park on May 24.
Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Yangervis Solarte went deep for San Diego, which avoided losing all six games versus the Phillies this season.
Cameron Rupp homered and Odubel Herrera had four singles for Philadelphia. Alec Asher (0-1) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 2-3 innings in his major league debut.
