MLB roundup: Pineda, Yankees top Mariners
SEATTLE -- On a night when his one-time mentor was struggling through one of the worst outings of his career, Michael Pineda was making a triumphant return.
The New York Yankees' 26-year-old starting pitcher went back to Safeco Field, the ballpark where he started his major league career, and he outdueled former teammate Felix Hernandez on the way to a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Pineda (7-2) allowed two earned runs over six innings, while Hernandez (8-2) turned in his worst start of the season and one of the most forgettable of his 10-year career. Hernandez, 29, allowed season highs of seven earned runs and five walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Pineda, meanwhile, was nearly flawless for six innings before the Mariners finally got to him in the seventh. A Mark Teixeira grand slam in the fifth inning helped give the Yankees a 7-0 lead, and Pineda wound up allowing two runs on seven hits in six-plus innings. Pineda struck out nine and walked two.
Cubs 5, Marlins 1
MIAMI -- Jason Hammel set a career high with 11 strikeouts, leading Chicago past Miami.
Hammel (4-2) allowed five hits, no walks and one run in 6 2/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.82. All 11 strikeouts were swinging.
The Cubs used a balanced attack on offense with eight different players getting a hit. The most impressive of those hits was a solo home run in the eighth inning by Starlin Castro, who pulled it to left for his fourth long ball of the season.
Astros 5, Orioles 2
HOUSTON -- Evan Gattis capped a four-run rally with a two-run, two-out single in the seventh inning as Houston bounced back to beat Baltimore.
Having scuffled for most of the night against Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, the Astros recovered in the seventh, starting with a leadoff double by Chris Carter. Houston added three more hits against two Baltimore relievers, with Gattis' opposite-field hit to right field coming off right-hander Tommy Hunter.
The Astros loaded the bases against Brad Brach (3-1) before George Springer added a run-scoring single to center on a 3-0 pitch and Jose Altuve chipped in a sacrifice fly.
Brewers 1, Cardinals 0
ST. LOUIS -- Mike Fiers worked six scoreless innings as Milwaukee made a first-inning run stand up for a win over St. Louis.
Fiers (2-5) gave up four hits, walked two and struck out six. A bullpen that worked a staggering 13 1/3 innings in Sunday's 7-6, 17-inning win over Arizona got the last nine outs, with Francisco Rodriguez pitching the ninth to earn his ninth save.
Jaime Garcia (1-2) was a tough-luck loser, allowing only three hits and a run in seven innings with no walks and four strikeouts. It was only the seventh loss in 27 home games for St. Louis.
Dodgers 11, Rockies 4
DENVER -- Clayton Kershaw baffled the Rockies and aided his own cause with the first three-hit game of his career, leading Los Angeles past Colorado.
Andre Ethier and Jimmy Rollins hit solo homers for the Dodgers in the second inning. Joc Pederson hit a three-run shot in the sixth, when the Dodgers sent 12 batters to the plate and broke open a 2-2 game with a six-run uprising that matched their highest-scoring inning of the season.
Los Angeles' Howie Kendrick hit a three-run homer in the eighth to give him four RBIs. Adrian Gonzalez went 4-for-4, and everybody in the Dodgers' starting lineup had at least one hit in the team's 18-hit attack.
Braves 8, Diamondbacks 1
PHOENIX -- Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs to support Alex Wood's stellar eight innings, and Atlanta cruised past Arizona.
Freeman's seventh home run and second as many games gave the Braves a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning. The first baseman added an RBI single in the sixth inning to make it 7-1.
That was more than enough for Wood, who allowed one run on seven hits over eight innings. Wood (4-2) struck out four, and he did not walk a batter for the first time since Aug. 31. The left-hander also hit a two-run single that opened the scoring. Wood has allowed a total of three earned runs and four runs overall in his past three starts.
Mets 7, Padres 0
SAN DIEGO -- Jacob deGrom pitched eight scoreless innings as New York breezed past San Diego.
DeGrom (6-4) gave up just two hits and struck out eight. He didn't walk a batter in snapping the Mets' seven-game road losing streak. Sean Gilmartin pitched the ninth to give deGrom his first road win in four decisions this season.
The Padres' Andrew Cashner (2-8) lasted just 4 2/3 innings, charged with six runs (five earned) on a career-high 11 hits. He also struck out a career-high 12 batters.
Pirates 4, Giants 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Gerrit Cole became the third eight-game winner in the major leagues as Pittsburgh beat San Francisco.
Neil Walker broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run double in a three-run fifth inning as the Pirates prevailed in a rematch of last year's National League wild-card game.
Cole (8-2) gave up two unearned runs in the first inning and then shut out the Giants over the next six, allowing five hits in his seven innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save.
Angels 7, Rays 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Albert Pujols hit two home runs, and Mike Trout and David Freese also went deep, lifting Los Angeles to its fifth win in a row.
The winning streak is the longest of the season for the Angels, who are a season-best four games over .500 at 28-24. The four homers continued the team's recent power surge: Los Angeles has 13 home runs in its past five games.
Pujols is leading the way, with five homers in those five games, increasing his season total to 13. The first baseman is tied with center fielder Trout for the team lead
