No: 17264 Friday, June 23, 2017

42

S p o r t s

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

CHICAGO: Chicago’s Japanese reliever Koji Uehara gave up an

eighth-inning walk with bases loaded to help San Diego to a

come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Cubs in Major League

Baseball on Wednesday. After the Padres’ Erick Aybar hit a

tying home run in the sixth inning, Luis Torrens walked with

the bases loaded against Uehara, and San Diego stopped a

three-game losing streak. Chicago rookie Ian Happ hit a two-

run homer in the fourth against reliever Craig Stammen, going

deep for the second straight game and third time in four.

Uehara (2-4), the fifth of six Cubs relievers, replaced Pedro

Strop starting the eighth and allowed singles to Wil Myers

leading off and Cory Spangenberg with one out. Aybar was

intentionally walked, loading the bases, Matt Szczur fouled

out and Torrens took a 3-1 fastball that sailed inside. Phil

Maton (1-0), the third of five Padres relievers, pitched a score-

less seventh for his first major league win, and Brandon

Maurer got two outs for his 13th save.

MARLINS 2, NATIONALS 1

Max Scherzer’s bid for the third no-hitter of his big league

career ended with one out in the eighth inning, and he then

gave up two unearned runs as the Miami Marlins rallied to

beat the Washington Nationals 2-1. After backup catcher AJ

Ellis reached on an infield single for Miami’s first hit, an error

by first baseman Adam Lind and a hit batter loaded the bases

with two outs. Scherzer threw a wild pitch that scored the

tying run, and Giancarlo Stanton lined an RBI single - the

Marlins’ only other hit - to put them ahead. Scherzer (8-5)

threw no-hitters against the Pirates and Mets in 2015, and he

seemed on his way to another when he began the eighth

inning with a 1-0 lead. He retired 18 in a row before Ellis hit a

chopper that bounced in front of the plate and glanced off the

tip of Scherzer’s glove as he reached overhead for it. The ball

rolled to shortstop Trea Turner, who failed in his attempt to

make a barehanded pickup and rush a throw. Official scorer

Ron Jernick immediately ruled the play a hit, and Scherzer

knew it. He picked up the ball and angrily flung it to the

dugout - not as a souvenir. Washington totaled five hits

against Dan Straily and three relievers. Kyle Barraclough (3-1)

pitched the eighth, and AJ Ramos worked around a two-out

single in the ninth for his 10th save.

ROYALS 6, RED SOX 4

Salvador Perez hit his first career grand slam, connecting in

the eighth inning to rally Kansas City over Boston. The Royals

have won nine of 11 and moved within a game of .500. Perez

homered over the Kansas City bullpen in left field on the ninth

pitch from Robby Scott (0-1). With Boston leading 4-2, reliever

Matt Barnes started the inning by walking Jorge Bonifacio and

Lorenzo Cain on 12 pitches. Scott was summoned to face Eric

Hosmer, but walked him on four pitches to load the bases for

Perez. The All-Star catcher fouled off three full-count deliveries

before hitting his 15th home run of the season. Jorge Soria (3-

2) worked a spotless eighth. Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth

for his 17th save. Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts

homered in the fourth for Boston off Ian Kennedy.

RAYS 8, REDS 3

Tampa Bay left fielder Mallex Smith rushed in to tag out

speedy Billy Hamilton after a lengthy rundown, highlighting

the Rays’ win over Cincinnati. Hamilton stole his major league-

leading 31st base in the fourth inning. But he later got trapped

when he thought about scoring from second base on a two-

out grounder by Eugenio Suarez that shortstop Daniel

Robertson bobbled. It took five throws to nab Hamilton

between home and third, with six Rays lined up ready to take

part in the rundown. Smith dashed from the outfield and was

stationed at third to take a throw and tag Hamilton. Trevor

Plouffe homered for his new team and Taylor Featherston also

connected for Tampa Bay. Erasmo Ramirez (4-2), who was 0-2

with a 10.06 ERA over his previous four starts, held the Reds

hitless until Scott Schebler hit his 20th home run leading off

the fifth. Chase Whitley earned his second save. Plouffe hit a

solo homer in a two-run fourth off Tim Adleman (4-4) that put

Tampa Bay up 3-0.

DODGERS 8, METS 2

Yasiel Puig riled the struggling Mets with a long look at his

three-run homer, Yasmani Grandal added two solo shots and

the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers took over first place in the

NL West by battering New York pitching again. Rich Hill (4-3)

turned in his best five innings of the season for the Dodgers,

who have won six straight and 12 of 13. They jumped a half-

game ahead of Colorado, which had its six-game winning

streak snapped by Arizona. Outscored 30-8 in the first three

games of this four-game series, the banged-up and frustrated

Mets (31-40) have dropped six of seven overall and are nine

games under .500 for the first time since Sept 2, 2014. Puig

posed at home plate and watched his fourth-inning drive off

rookie Tyler Pill (0-3), irritating New York first baseman Wilmer

Flores. He said something to Puig as the Cuban slugger round-

ed the bag. Puig looked back at Flores as he was trotting

toward second and cursed at him, Flores said. Between

innings, Mets veteran Jose Reyes and outfielder Yoenis

Cespedes, also from Cuba, spoke with Puig on the field.

MARINERS 7, TIGERS 5

Jarrod Dyson’s bunt single broke up Justin Verlander’s bid

for a perfect game in the sixth inning and sparked Seattle to a

comeback win over Detroit. Nelson Cruz had three RBIs and

Mitch Haniger homered as the Mariners overcame a 4-0 deficit

with three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. Verlander

retired his first 16 batters but didn’t make it through the sixth.

With one out, the speedy Dyson gave Seattle its first baserun-

ner, beating out a drag bunt between the mound and first that

Verlander was unable to reach. Mike Zunino walked and Jean

Segura, just activated from the disabled list, followed with a

broken-bat single to load the bases. Ben Gamel singled to make

it 4-1. Robinson Cano struck out, but Cruz followed with a two-

run double that chased Verlander after 110 pitches. He struck

out 11 and walked one. Haniger tied it with a home run off

Shane Greene (1-1) to open the seventh. Cano added a two-run

double and scored on Cruz’s single. Tony Zych (3-2) pitched 1

2/3 scoreless innings for the win. Edwin Diaz finished for his

12th save, despite allowing a two-out homer to Ian Kinsler.

DIAMONDBACKS 16, ROCKIES 5

Taijuan Walker pitched six solid innings and slapped an RBI

single during Arizona’s biggest inning ever on the road - a 10-

run fourth - and the Diamondbacks went on to beat the

Rockies. Shaking off Tuesday’s tough loss in which Colorado

rallied late for a one-run win, the Diamondbacks sent 14 men

to the plate and pounded out nine hits, including a two-run

double and RBI single by Brandon Drury in his two at-bats in

the inning. Drury finished with four hits and career-high six

RBIs and the Diamondbacks established season highs in run

and hits (20). David Peralta and Paul Goldschmidt also con-

nected for two hits in the inning and combined for three RBIs,

helping the Diamondbacks snap the Rockies’ winning streak at

six games and setting up Thursday’s match between the NL

West rivals as the decisive game in the series. Walker (6-3),

who had eight strikeouts, allowed three runs and six hits. Jeff

Hoffman (4-1) could not get out of the fourth inning in taking

his first loss of the season.

ASTROS 5, ATHLETICS 1

Carlos Correa homered and Mike Fiers won his fourth

straight decision as the major league-best Houston Astros

won their ninth consecutive game in Oakland. Evan Gattis hit a

two-run single in the sixth to break a scoreless tie and back

Fiers (5-2). The right-hander went six innings to win his sev-

enth consecutive decision on the road for Houston (49-24).

Jake Marisnick added an RBI single in the decisive sixth inning

of the Astros’ 14th victory in the last 15 overall against

Oakland. Marisnick had a sacrifice fly in the eighth after the A’s

got on the board with pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt’s RBI ground-

out. Correa connected for his 14th homer in the ninth. Sean

Manaea (6-4) lost for the first time in seven starts since a May

15 defeat at Seattle. He had won five consecutive decisions

overall, but is yet to beat Houston in six starts.

CARDINALS 7, PHILLIES 6 

Tommy Pham’s second solo homer off Hector Neris in the

ninth inning tied it as St. Louis rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat

Philadelphia in 10 innings.

Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and pinch-hitter Jose

Martinez also connected for St Louis. The game went to extra

innings after Freddy Galvis lined a double down the left-field

line with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Odubel

Herrera ran through a stop sign, around third-base coach Juan

Samuel and was thrown out by around three meters. He didn’t

even attempt to slide and was pulled from the game in a dou-

ble switch. Martinez led off the 10th with a double to right off

Edubray Ramos (0-6). He advanced to third on a baulk and

scored when Ramos made a throwing error on a pickoff

attempt at first base after Dexter Fowler was intentionally

walked. Yadier Molina added an RBI single. Phillies starter Nick

Pivetta had a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed three runs

and four hits in six innings.

YANKEES 8, ANGELS 4

Didi Gregorius and Matt Holliday each hit a go-ahead

homer and New York piled on from there, lifting the Yankees

over Los Angeles to snap a season-high seven-game losing

streak. New York’s skid was its longest since 2007. The Yankees

haven’t lost eight straight since August 1995. They moved

back ahead of Boston for first place in the AL East a night after

losing the division lead for the first time since mid-May. Jordan

Montgomery (5-4) pitched two-run ball over 5 2/3 innings.

Relievers Chad Green and Dellin Betances got the ball to Tyler

Clippard in the ninth, but Clippard allowed a two-run homer

to Martin Maldonado, his second of the game. Aroldis

Chapman came on to close out. Ricky Nolasco (2-9) lost his

seventh consecutive start to match George Brunet’s franchise

record from 1967. — AP 

Uehara gives up walk and win to Padres

CHICAGO: San Diego Padres’ Craig Stammen, left, scores past Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras off a hit by Jose

Pirela during the fifth inning of a baseball game. — AP 

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