mlb roundUp | Wednesday’s games

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Royals 4, Indians 2

KANSAS CITY, MO.

Jason Vargas tossed six sharp innings, the Kansas City offense finally woke up against AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and the Royals beat the Indians. Mike Moustakas drove in a run in the first inning, and Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales hit consecutive RBI doubles off Kluber (3-6) in the third to give the Royals the lead. Vargas (4-2) made it stand up in his second start back from the disabled list. The left-hander used a pair of double plays to wiggle out of jams, and limited the streaking Indians to two runs on eight hits while striking out three without a walk. Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

Astros 3, Orioles 1

HOUSTON

Rookie Lance McCullers allowed one run in a complete game, Chris Carter provided the offense with a pair of homers and the Astros picked up another win. They are off to the best start in franchise history with an American League-best 34-20 record. Carter homered in the second and fifth innings and George Springer added a solo shot in the sixth inning as the Astros improved to 21-0 when hitting multiple homers this season. In his fourth career start,

Yankees 3, Mariners 1

SEATTLE

Garrett Jones and Mark Teixeira homered, Masahiro Tanaka gave up one run over seven innings in his return from the disabled list and the Yankees completed a three-game sweep. Jones homered for the second straight day, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth inning off Seattle starter Taijuan Walker (2-6). Jones hit a three-run home run in the 11th inning of the Yankees’ 5-3 victory Tuesday night.

Red Sox 6, Twins 3, 1st game Twins 2, Red Sox 0, 2nd game

BOSTON

Trevor May allowed two hits over seven innings to lift the Twins to a split of their day-night doubleheader. Another rookie pitcher was dominant in the opener when Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run and two hits in seven innings of Boston’s 6-3 win. May (4-3) only allowed runners in the third inning. With two outs, Carlos Peguero singled and took third on a double by Dustin Pedroia, his fifth hit of the doubleheader. But Brock Holt grounded out. May struck out nine and allowed no walks. He has issued one walk in 26 2/3 innings over his last four starts.

Athletics 6, Tigers 1

DETROIT

Sonny Gray pitched eight shutout innings and Billy Burns hit a bases-loaded triple as the Athletics handed the Tigers their sixth straight loss. Gray (7-2) had the Tigers beating the ball into the ground all game, with Oakland’s outfielders only making one putout while he was on the mound. He struck out seven and allowed two singles and a walk.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pirates 5, Giants 2

SAN FRANCISCO

Jordy Mercer broke a fifth-inning when he homered for the second day in a row, Francisco Liriano struck out six to win his second straight decision and the Pirates beat the Giants for a three-game sweep. Liriano (3-4) allowed four hits while outdueling Tim Hudson (3-5), who also struck out six over seven innings but lost his fourth straight outing against the Pirates. The two pitchers had the first hits of the game after each retired the initial eight batters in order, Liriano with a single in the top of the third and Hudson on a double in the bottom half. Pirates left fielder Jose Tabata fell backward after crashing hard into the wall trying to catch Hudson’s ball but stayed in the game. Four of Mercer’s 23 big league home runs have come in 10 games at AT&T Park.

Phillies 5, Reds 4, 11 innings

PHILADELPHIA

Cody Asche scored from second base on a fielding error by pitcher Ryan Mattheus in the 11th inning, lifting the Phillies to a 5-4 win over the Reds after Maikel Franco hit a tying, three-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. Mike Leake took a no-hitter into the seventh before Franco lined a single up the middle with two outs. In the 11th, Asche hit a double down the left-field line off Mattheus (0-1) with one out. Freddy Galvis then hit a grounder to first baseman Joey Votto. Mattheus covered the bag, but couldn’t catch the toss and Asche came around to score.

Cardinals 7, Brewers 4

ST. LOUIS

John Lackey pitched seven innings and Matt Carpenter had two hits and drove in two runs, helping St. Louis improve the best home record in the majors to 22-7. The 36-year-old Lackey (4-3) scattered 10 hits while striking out five and walking one. He is 4-1 in four career starts against Milwaukee.

Diamondbacks 9, Braves 8

PHOENIX

A.J. Pollock homered for the second consecutive game, and Arizona rallied to beat Atlanta. The Braves jumped to a 6-0 lead in the second inning, but the Diamondbacks chased Mike Foltynewicz in the sixth and grabbed the lead for good with three runs in the seventh.

Marlins 7, Cubs 3

MIAMI

A bench-clearing confrontation led by injured Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and Chicago Cubs outfielder Junior Lake ended in a standoff. The game went to Miami. Giancarlo Stanton and Jeff Baker hit back-to-back homers for the second time in five days, and the Marlins showed lots of life after two months of often desultory play.

INTERLEAGUE

Blue Jays 8, Nationals 0

WASHINGTON

Mark Buehrle threw a six-hitter — his 11th career shutout — for Toronto. Buehrle (7-4) worked fast and effectively against the NL East leaders, needing only 93 pitches for his first shutout since 2013.

Associated Press