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Verlander first in MLB to 12 wins, Astros beat Athletics 5-0

Sat, Jul 16, 2022
MLB News (AP)

Verlander first in MLB to 12 wins, Astros beat Athletics 5-0

HOUSTON (AP) - Justin Verlander struck out 10 in six sharp innings to post his MLB-leading 12th win and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 Saturday.

Martin Maldonado hit a second-inning grand slam off rookie Jared Koenig (1-3) for his third career grand slam on a shot to center field to give the AL West-leading Astros a four-run lead.

Verlander (12-3) allowed six hits without a walk and lowered his ERA to 1.89, which ranks third in the majors. Phil Maton, Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the shutout against the team with the AL's worst record.

The 39-year-old Verlander, who leads all active players in strikeouts, now has 3,121 in his career, moving past Curt Schilling (3,116) and Bob Gibson (3,117) into 14th place on the all-time list.

Five of the six hits Verlander allowed were singles and the only time the Athletics got more than one hit in an inning came when Dermis Garcia and Nick Allen hit consecutive singles to start the fifth.

Koenig yielded six hits and five runs in a career-high seven innings for his third loss in five starts this season.

MARINERS 3, RANGERS 2, 10 INNINGS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and Seattle stretched its winning streak to 13 games.

  • Carlos Santana homered as the Mariners (50-42) moved closer to the club-record 15-game winning streak set in their last playoff season in 2001. They have won 21 of their last 24 games overall to take eight series in a row, their most since winning 14 straight sets during that 116-win season 21 years ago.

    Seattle would match the longest winning streak in the majors this year with a victory in the series finale Sunday, its final game before the All-Star break. Reigning World Series champion Atlanta won 14 games in a row last month.

    Crawford chopped a one-out single down the line past first base off Brett Martin (0-5) , scoring automatic runner Sam Haggerty, who came on as a pinch-runner for Santana, who had an inning-ending groundout in the ninth.

    Diego Castillo (7-1) faced only three batters in the ninth for the win. Matthew Festa struck out the side in the 10th for his first save.

    GUARDIANS 10, TIGERS 0

    CLEVELAND (AP) - Jose Ramirez tuned up for the Home Run Derby by homering in his first two at-bats and driving in five runs, powering Cleveland past Detroit.

    Ramirez hit a three-run shot off Michael Pineda (2-5) in the first inning and connected for a two-run homer in the second for his 19th career multi-homer.

    Josh Naylor also homered for Cleveland and Cal Quantrill (6-5) allowed just four hits in six scoreless innings to improve to 10-0 in 25 career starts at Progressive Field.

    Cleveland added five runs in the second when Myles Straw and Rosario hit RBI doubles ahead of Ramirez's second homer.

    ORIOLES 6, RAYS 4, 11 INNINGS

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run single in the 11th inning, rookie catcher Adley Rutschman produced a pair of key swings and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay.

    Rutschman had his first pinch-hit homer and added a 10th-inning sacrifice fly for the Orioles, who had lost their previous 10 games at Tropicana Field.

    Automatic runner Rougned Odor was thrown out after getting caught between second and third with no outs in the 11th when Jorge Mateo squared around to bunt but didn't. But Mateo then tripled off Luke Bard (1-1), Cedric Mullins walked and stole second, and Mountcastle flared a single to right field.

    Jorge Lopez (4-5) gave up one run over two innings. Joey Krehbiel replaced Cionel Perez with two on and two outs in the 11th and retired Luke Raley on a flyball to get his first save.

    PHILLIES 10, MARLINS 0

    MIAMI (AP) - Kyle Schwarber hit his NL-leading 29th homer, J.T. Realmuto had a homer and a double and Philadelphia spoiled the major league debut of touted Miami pitcher Max Meyer.

    Didi Gregorius (four RBIs) and Rhys Hoskins also went deep for the Phillies. Starter Ranger Suarez pitched five scoreless innings of four-hit ball, striking out four.

    The 23-year-old Meyer, the third overall selection in the 2020 draft, was lifted after Realmuto's one-out double in the sixth. Meyer allowed five runs, seven hits, walked one and struck out five.

    METS 2, CUBS 1, 11 INNINGS, GAME 1

    CHICAGO (AP) - Pete Alonso hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning after Adam Ottavino worked out of a tricky jam, helping New York deal Chicago its eighth straight loss in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

    Alonso, who leads the majors with 75 RBIs, drove in New York's first run in the fourth and came up with runners on the corners and no outs in the 11th. He lofted a medium flyball to right against Mychal Givens (5-1), and Luis Guillorme scampered home with the go-ahead run.

    All-Star closer Edwin Diaz earned his 20th save for the NL East leaders.

    Chicago had five hits, one more than the Mets. The Cubs had a chance to close it out in the 10th, but Ottavino (4-2) retired three in a row after pinch-runner Nelson Velazquez stole third.

    TWINS 6, WHITE SOX 3

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jorge Polanco's three-run blast was one of three Minnesota homers against Chicago's Lance Lynn in a five-run third inning in the Twins' win over the White Sox.

    First-time All-Star Luis Arraez led off the bottom of the first with a homer and Carlos Correa added a two-run shot in the third.

    Dylan Bundy (6-4) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings for Minnesota. Jhoan Duran pitched two scoreless innings for his sixth save.

    Lynn (1-3) struggled, giving up six runs on seven hits in five innings for the White Sox, who had won four straight games.

    CARDINALS 11, REDS 3

    ST. LOUIS (AP) - Paul Goldschmidt hit his 300th career homer and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols reached another milestone and St. Louis beat Cincinnati.

    Goldschmidt's two-run homer in the second inning was his 20th this season. He became the 153rd player to reach 300 homers. He has 997 RBIs.

    The 42-year-old Pujols scored twice and tied Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig for 12th place all-time with 1,889 runs scored.

    Lars Nootbar added a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Tommy Edman had his fourth multi-hit game in his last five games with a double and a single.

    Miles Mikolas (7-7) gave up a home run to Jonathan India to start the game, then allowed just two hits in the next six innings in his seven-inning outing.

    Rookie Nick Lodolo (2-3) allowed five earned runs. He gave up five hits, walked three, plunked two batters and threw a wild pitch.

    BLUE JAYS 6, ROYALS 5, 10 INNINGS

    TORONTO (AP) - Teoscar Hernandez singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and Toronto rallied past Kansas City.

    Royals designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tie-breaking home run in the top of the 10th inning to put Kansas City up 5-3, but Toronto countered in the bottom half against former Blue Jays reliever Joel Payamps (2-3).

    Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (three hits) led off with an RBI double, scoring automatic runner George Springer, and pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia tied it with a base hit to center. After Bo Bichette singled, Hernandez grounded a single through the left side to score Tapia.

    Toronto's Jordan Romano (3-2) got the win despite allowing Pasquantino's homer.

    Bobby Witt Jr., Ryan O'Hearn and Nate Eaton also knocked in runs for Kansas City.

    ROCKIES 2,PIRATES 0

    DENVER (AP) - Kris Bryant had three hits and an RBI, Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to seven games with an RBI single, and Jose Urena pitched six scoreless innings in Colorado's win over Pittsburgh.

    Bryant singled in an unearned run with two outs in the fifth inning and Blackmon drove in an insurance run with a two-out single in the seventh as the Rockies extended their winning streak to a season-best five games.

    Urena (1-1) gave up five hits, with four strikeouts and two walks. Daniel Bard earned his 20th save in 22 chances.

    Pirates' right-hander Mitch Keller (3-7) was the hard-luck loser, giving up an unearned run and five hits in six innings while striking out six and walking two.

    ___

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