Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Washington weather and the Washington Nationals bats combined to derail the progress Tim Lincecum made in his two previous starts.
All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond hit his 14th home run, and the Nationals became the latest team to beat up on Lincecum, pounding the struggling right-hander hard early and often Tuesday night in the San Francisco Giants’ 9-3 defeat.
Pitching with a game time temperature of 94 degrees, Lincecum (3-9) allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings. Seven runs were earned, making it the worst start ERA-wise in his major league career.
“He showed the effects from throwing a lot of pitches early in this heat and couldn’t hold ‘em. He had trouble getting the ball where he wanted it,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner started to look his old self again in his previous two starts, but Tuesday’s effort ballooned his ERA to 6.08.
“I think it’s just coming here and dealing with the heat — it’s not like it’s anything different than what we’ve dealt with — it just got the better of me today a little bit. They made me work and made me pay for it,” said Lincecum, who threw 87 pitches.
Lincecum retired three straight hitters after Steve Lombardozzi led off the first with a single, but Washington scored two in the second, three in the third and three in the fourth. Every player in the Nationals starting lineup had at least one hit off Lincecum except catcher Jesus Flores.
“My stuff was just a little flatter today, not as crisp coming out, with the exception of a couple of batters in that first inning. I thought that was the difference,” Lincecum said.
Lincecum threw seven scoreless innings in his last start a week ago against the Dodgers.
“Obviously it’s easy to look at what happened today and think I took a step back,” he said. “I think that’s where I’ve been wrong, just looking at all the negatives and whether or not it was a step forward or a step back as opposed to where I can go from here. Yes, it’s a bad outing, but the next outing has nothing to do with today. It’s about getting better in the next four days.”
The opener of the three-game series between first-place teams was barely a contest. Jordan Zimmermann (5-6) pitched a rain-shortened six innings and again enjoyed the generous run support that had evaded him for so long, ensuring the Nationals would wake up on the Fourth of July with a 3½-game cushion over the New York Mets atop the NL East.
Desmond, one of a trio of players the surging Nationals are sending to the All-Star game next week, hit a two-run shot to left field in the third. He also has an eight-game hitting streak, including extra base hits in six of those games.
Zimmermann was one of four players to double off Lincecum, who was removed after sandwiching walks around Bryce Harper’s double to load the bases with one out in the fourth. Reliever George Kontos allowed all three inherited runners to score, putting the Giants in an 8-0 hole.
The Giants scored a pair on Zimmermann in the fifth on a single by Gregor Blanco, but it took a summer storm to send the Nationals starter to the showers. He was on the mound when rain started to fall in the seventh inning and was replaced by reliever Ryan Mattheus after an 85-minute delay.
REDS 3, DODGERS 1
LOS ANGELES — Luis Cruz doubled home the go-ahead run in his second game with the Dodgers and stole home on the next pitch, leading Los Angeles to a victory over Johnny Cueto and the Reds.
It was 1-all in the seventh when James Loney singled with one out. Cruz followed with a drive to the gap in left-center and Loney barely getting his foot on the plate after catcher Ryan Hanigan stuck out his left leg to block him.
Cruz continued to third on the relay from shortstop Zack Cozart, then broke for home as Tony Gwynn Jr. tried to put down a suicide-squeeze bunt. Cueto’s pitch sailed off the tip of Hanigan’s glove and to the backstop.
BREWERS 13, MARLINS 12
MILWAUKEE — Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Heath Bell in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 13-12 win over the Miami Marlins.
Livan Hernandez (2-1) pitched the 10th and picked up the win. He struck out John Buck, got Scott Cousins to fly out to center, but Jose Reyes connected on a 3-1 pitch and homered into the second tier above the Marlins bullpen in right. Donovan Solano struck out to end the inning.
Bell (2-4) came on in the bottom of the 10th. Carlos Gomez walked. Norichika Aoki sent a 3-2 pitch to the warning track in center, but Cousins caught it.
Ryan Braun, who hit a three-run homer in the sixth, struck out and on the play Carlos Gomez stole second. Ramirez hit a 0-1 pitch off the wall in center. His offense lifted the Brewers, who had blown a seven-run lead.
PIRATES 8, ASTROS 7
PITTSBURGH — Drew Sutton hit a one-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth and the Pirates improved to eight games over .500 for the first time in 20 years with a win over the Astros.
Acquired via waivers last week, Sutton homered for the first time since Oct. 3, 2010, lifting the Pirates to their sixth walkoff win of the season, the second via a home run.
The Pirates rallied from deficits of 4-0 and 6-2 to take a 7-6 lead on a Garrett Jones two-run homer in the seventh. But with Houston down to its last strike in the ninth, pinch-hitter Jason Castro drove in Jed Lowrie with a double.
Andrew McCutchen continued his recent torrid pace by going 3 for 4 with a home run, taking over the National League batting lead at .360.
METS 11, PHILLIES 1
NEW YORK — Jonathon Niese had a two-run single to back his fine performance on the mound Tuesday night and David Wright hit a three-run homer to break open the Mets’ romp over the reeling Phillies.
Niese (7-3) pitched a season-high eight innings and gave up three hits, one a homer to Carlos Ruiz. His hit in the second inning put New York up for good.
The Mets put on a clinic of clutch hitting and slick fielding in handing the Phillies their sixth straight loss. The only thing they did wrong was run into two outs on the basepaths.
Daniel Murphy finished a homer short of the cycle, doubled twice, drove in four runs and made a leaping catch and diving stop at second base.BRAVES 10, CUBS 3CHICAGO— Newly chosen All-Star Chipper Jones delivered his first five-hit game in a decade, driving in four runs and leading the Braves over the Cubs.
Jones was added to the NL All-Star roster before the game. The 40-year-old third baseman replaced injured Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.
Jones, who plans to retire after this season, went 5 for 5 for his third career five-hit performance and first since Aug. 11, 2002.
After singling in the eighth inning, Jones was lifted for pinch runner Juan Francisco. Jones tipped his batting helmet as he received an ovation on his way to the dugout. He emerged from the dugout for another wave to the fans as the cheers continued.
ROCKIES 3, CARDINALS 2
ST. LOUIS — Jeff Francis worked five solid innings before the Colorado bullpen took over and Tyler Colvin hit a three-run homer as the Rockies beat the Cardinals.
Matt Holliday hit his 14th homer for the Cardinals. Carlos Beltran was 0 for 3 with a walk to end a nine-game RBI streak in which he drove in 15 runs.
Matt Belisle retired four in a row to end the eighth, the biggest out coming on Holliday’s groundout with two runners on.
Rafael Betancourt worked out of trouble in the ninth for his 13th save in 17 chances. He had blown three of his last five save opportunities, but got Jon Jay to look at strike three with two on for the final out.
PADRES 9, D-BACKS 5
PHOENIX — Chase Headley doubled in three runs and the Padres roughed up Arizona rookie Trevor Bauer in his home debut, winning their fourth straight and sending the Diamondbacks to their fourth loss in a row.
Padres starter Andrew Cashner left the game after two innings with a strained muscle in his right side. Leading 2-0 at the time, the Padres scored five in the fourth to break the game open.
Ross Ohlendorf (2-0) went 2 1-3 innings to get the victory. Arizona’s Jason Kubel hit his eighth career grand slam.
Yonder Alonso hit a two-run homer for San Diego.
Bauer (0-1), the third pick overall in last year’s draft, allowed six earned runs and six hits in 3 1-3 innings.
RAYS 7, YANKEES 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sean Rodriguez hit a go-ahead two-run homer, helping the Tampa Bay Rays continue their home dominance over the New York Yankees in a 7-4 victory over the AL East leaders on Tuesday night.
Rodriguez, mired in a 17 for 100 slump dating back to May 21, finished with 3 for 4.
After blowing a three-run lead, New York went ahead 4-3 on Eric Chavez’s RBI single during the fourth. Tampa Bay responded in the bottom half and grabbed a 5-4 lead on Rodriguez’s first homer since May 27 off Ivan Nova (9-3).
James Shields (8-5) gave up four runs and 10 hits over seven innings for the Rays, who have won nine straight at Tropicana Field over the Yankees.
BLUE JAYS 6, ROYALS 3
TORONTO — Adam Lind hit a three-run homer, Brett Cecil won for the first time in three starts and the Blue Jays beat the Royals.
Lind’s sixth homer was the big blow in Toronto’s six-run fourth inning. The win put the Blue Jays over .500 at 41-40 at the midpoint of the season.
The Royals lost for the fourth time in five games since matching their season high with a four-game winning streak.
Cecil (2-1) allowed three runs and five hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since June 17 against Philadelphia, his first start after being promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas. The left-hander walked one and struck out three.
INDIANS 9, ANGELS 5
CLEVELAND — Rookie Zach McAllister lasted six innings, overcoming a throwing error and two home runs in the fifth, and Shelley Duncan homered to lead the Indians to a win over the Angels.
McAllister (3-1) allowed three earned runs and eight hits, and he and the Indians recovered after blowing a four-run lead.
Duncan homered in the fourth off an ineffective Dan Haren (6-8). Jose Lopez had three hits and Michael Brantley two RBIs for Cleveland.
Rookie Mike Trout hit a three-run homer and Albert Pujols had a solo shot but also made a crucial error in the fifth for the Angels, who lost for just the fourth time in 13 games.
The Indians are 5-1 in games started by McAllister, who began the season in the minors.
WHITE SOX 19, RANGERS 2
CHICAGO — Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios homered in the first inning off Roy Oswalt and All-Star Chris Sale won his 10th game and the White Sox routed the Rangers.
Playing in his first home game with the White Sox since his trade from Boston on June 24, Youkilis had three hits and drove in four runs in a meeting of division leaders that saw Chicago score its most runs this season.
A.J. Pierzynski, not chosen for the AL All-Star team managed by Texas’ skipper Ron Washington, hit a three-run homer off reliever Yoshinori Tateyama— his 15th of the season — to cap a nine-run fifth inning and make it 16-0. Seven of the runs in the inning were unearned, thanks to an error on Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Sale (10-2) is 7-0 in his past nine starts and hasn’t lost since May 12.
TWINS 8, TIGERS 6
DETROIT — Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe hit homers in a five-run third and Ryan Doumit had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, lifting the Twins to over the Tigers.
Joe Mauer had three hits, including a solo homer to lead off the ninth that gave the Twins a two-run lead and helped earn a season-high, five-game winning streak.
Jeff Gray (5-0) gave up only one hit in two innings after starter Nick Blackburn gave up six runs and eight hits over four innings. Kyle Waldrop and Tyler Robertson each pitched another innings of scoreless relief and Glen Perkins pitched the ninth inning for his fourth save in six chances.
Brayan Villarreal (3-2) took the loss by giving up Doumit’s sacrifice fly, the only run he gave up in two innings of relief.
ATHLETICS 3, RED SOX 2
OAKLAND, Calif. — Coco Crisp hit a game-ending sacrifice fly to go with his leadoff homer in the first, and the Athletics rallied to beat the Red Sox.
The A’s got singles from Chris Carter and Brandon Hicks before pinch-hitter Brandon Moss’ tying single against Alfredo Aceves (0-6). Then Crisp delivered his third career walkoff RBI and Oakland’s first game-ending sacrifice fly since Dan Johnson had one May 15, 2007, against Kansas City.
Jerry Blevins (2-0) worked 1 2-3 innings for the victory. The Red Sox squandered a scoring chance in the top of the ninth with two base running blunders, including Ryan Kalish’s caught stealing trying for third.
Jon Lester pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning but had nothing to show for it.
ORIOLES 5, MARINERS 4
SEATTLE — Robert Andino homered in the ninth off Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush to give the Orioles a win over the Mariners after starter Wei-Yin Chen flirted with a perfect game for more than six innings.
Andino’s home run was his first since May 7 and fourth this season. It ended Furbush’s (4-2) streak of 22 2-3 scoreless innings, the third longest by a reliever in Mariners history.
Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save. Darren O’Day (5-0) pitched just one-third of an inning, but picked up the win.
Baltimore reliever Pedro Strop struggled in the eighth when the Mariners scored three runs and tied the game. Michael Saunders’ double ended Chen’s night. Strop faced Justin Smoak, who was 2-for-2 with a walk in his career against Strop.
