Nationals ace Max Scherzer allowed just one run and three hits with a season-high 15 strikeouts over eight masterful innings as Washington defeated the host Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game series. Anthony Rendon had three hits and an RBI, Brian Dozier had two hits and drove in two, and Kurt Suzuki had two hits and an RBI as the Nationals, who had nine hits overall, won for the seventh time in their last nine games. The Nationals also won four out of five on their road trip, which began with two victories in Atlanta. Scherzer (3-5) amassed his strikeouts in bunches, getting five in a row early in the game and three in a row on two other occasions. He walked only one batter. Astros 6, Athletics 4 (12 innings) Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel stroked RBI singles in the 12th inning, allowing Houston to complete a three-game sweep of host Oakland. The win was the Astros' seventh in eight meetings with the A's this season. Houston had a three-game home sweep earlier this season. Myles Straw led off the 12th with a single off Lou Trivino (2-3), Oakland's fifth pitcher, and stole second. With one out, Alex Bregman walked and Brantley gave the Astros the lead with his run-scoring single. Dodgers 8, Phillies 0 David Freese hit a home run in the seventh inning and added an RBI single in a seven-run eighth as Los Angeles broke loose late after an early pitchers' duel to earn a shutout victory and a three-game sweep over visiting Philadelphia. Dodgers starter Rich Hill (2-1) gave up three hits over seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and three walks. Phillies starter Nick Pivetta also gave up three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks, doing it over six scoreless innings. Rockies 5, Blue Jays 1 Nolan Arenado and Chris Iannetta homered, Antonio Senzatela tossed six strong innings, and Colorado beat Toronto in Denver. Arenado added a single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and help Colorado win its eighth in a row. The Rockies finished their homestand 9-1, tying a team record for the best 10-game homestand. Eric Sogard had two hits and scored the only run for Toronto. The Blue Jays have lost six straight. White Sox 2, Indians 0 Lucas Giolito struck out nine over 7 1/3 innings to win his sixth straight start and Tim Anderson drove in both runs as host Chicago posted a shutout victory over Cleveland. Anderson homered to lead off the fourth inning and ripped a two-out RBI double in the eighth for the White Sox, who won three of four in the series to complete a 6-1 homestand. Zach Plesac (0-1) tossed seven strong innings and Francisco Lindor collected three of the six hits for the Indians, who have lost 10 of 14 to fall to one game under .500. Giolito (8-1) scattered five hits and did not walk a batter during his 103-pitch performance. Giants 8, Orioles 1 Brandon Crawford homered twice, and Evan Longoria homered and drove in three runs as visiting San Francisco defeated Baltimore. Crawford hit a pair of solo home runs to help the Giants win for the second time in the three-game series. He went 2-for-4 on the day. Longoria hit a game-tying solo homer and later added a two-run double that gave the Giants a three-run lead and broke the game open. He finished 3-for-5. Braves 7, Tigers 4 After Atlanta blew a three-run lead in the top of the inning, Freddie Freeman doubled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Braves to a win over visiting Detroit. Dansby Swanson, who made the error that opened the door for the Tigers to score three unearned runs and tie the game, started the rally with a one-out walk off reliever Joe Jimenez (2-3). Freeman then laced his 14th double into right field and Swanson raced all the way from first to score. Cardinals 2, Cubs 1 Adam Wainwright threw eight shutout innings and St. Louis completed a three-game sweep of visiting Chicago. Wainwright (5-5) allowed two hits — none through the first 5 1/3 innings — struck out eight and walked a career-high seven. The 37-year-old right-hander threw 126 pitches, his most since throwing 128 against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 23, 2013. St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong had two hits and an RBI, scored a run and made a spectacular catch to end the eighth inning with a runner in scoring position. Diamondbacks 7, Mets 1 Ketel Marte tied for the longest home run in the majors this season, Merrill Kelly pitched well into the eighth inning and Arizona beat New York in Phoenix. Marte launched a 482-foot home run on the third pitch of the game from left-hander Steven Matz. That matched the length of a blast earlier this season by the Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara. Marte's homer ranked as the longest by a Diamondbacks player since Statcast started tracking distances in 2015. It was his 14th of the season, tying the career high he set last season in 153 games. Angels 13, Mariners 3 Albert Pujols had a double, home run and five RBIs as Los Angeles defeated host Seattle. Pujols' three-run homer capped a seven-run second inning. His ground-rule double with the bases loaded brought in the final two runs in a five-run fifth. Luis Rengifo added his first major league homer for the Angels, who took three of four games in the series and have won seven of their past nine games overall. Kyle Seager hit his first home run of the season for the Mariners, who have lost 11 of their past 13 games. It was Seattle's fifth loss by 10 or more runs this season. Rangers 5, Royals 1 Adrian Sampson posted career highs of seven innings pitched and 11 strikeouts as Texas defeated Kansas City at Arlington, Texas. The Rangers took three out of four in the series, and the Royals finished their road trip with a 1-6 record. Sampson (4-3) scattered eight hits and did not walk a batter. He lost his first three decisions this season but has won his last four. Brad Keller (3-7) took the loss for Kansas City. He allowed just three runs on nine hits in seven innings. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Brewers 4, Pirates 2 Eric Thames doubled, homered and drove in three runs to lead visiting Milwaukee to a victory over Pittsburgh. The Brewers took three of four games in the series between the National League Central rivals. The Pirates' Josh Bell belted his 21st double, most in the major leagues, and picked up his 53rd RBI, also tops in the big leagues, on a groundout. Red Sox 8, Yankees 5 David Price pitched 6 1/3 effective innings while J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts hit early home runs as Boston averted a three-game sweep with a victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided falling under .500 by beating the Yankees for the first time in five meetings. Price (3-2) allowed two runs on six hits and improved to 1-6 in New York since joining Boston in 2016. He struck out six, walked one, threw 99 pitches and produced his longest outing in New York since Aug. 8, 2015 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Marlins 9, Padres 3 Right-hander Trevor Richards allowed one hit over five shutout innings and catcher Jorge Alfaro drove in four runs with a homer and a double as visiting Miami handed San Diego a second straight 9-3 defeat to take the rubber match of a three-game series. In addition to outscoring the Padres 18-6 in the final two games of the series, the Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League, outhit the Padres 24-8. The game was delayed 28 minutes during the third inning by a swarm of bees and saw third baseman Ty France pitch a scoreless ninth for the Padres. Twins 9, Rays 7 Jake Odorizzi allowed three hits over six shutout innings, Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run homer and C.J. Cron had a three-run double to lead Minnesota to its third straight victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla. It was the sixth time in his last seven starts that Odorizzi (8-2) didn't allow a run. Odorizzi, who extended his scoreless innings streak to 16 1/3, struck out nine and walked one while lowering his American League-leading ERA to 1.96. During his last seven starts, Odorizzi has allowed three earned runs and 23 hits over 41 2/3 innings (0.65 ERA), walking 11 and striking out 47. — Reuters
