Associated Press
DENVER — Mat Latos felt the weight of the Cincinnati Reds’ winning streak when he took the mound.
After getting roughed up by the first two batters he faced on Sunday, the big right-hander settled down and kept Cincinnati rolling.
Latos pitched eight strong innings, and Drew Stubbs homered to lift Cincinnati over the Colorado Rockies 7-2 and give the Reds their 10th straight win — their longest streak in 14 years.
The Reds also won 10 straight in 1998, and now they are two wins away from tying the franchise mark that has been done twice — most recently in 1957.
Cincinnati opened a three-game lead over Pittsburgh in NL Central, its biggest edge since mid-June.
“They’re not going to go away, that’s fairly obviously at this point,” outfielder Jay Bruce said of the Pirates. “We have some series left with them, but anytime you can gain a game it’s great.”
Bruce also homered and Stubbs drove in three runs. Ryan Hanigan and Zack Cozart had two hits each for the Reds, who have won 17 of 19.
The Reds have swept four of five series since the All-Star break and they are a season-best 21 games above .500 (61-40). They have won nine straight road games, including all six on this just-completed trip.
“I’m always talking a perfect road trip and we finally had one,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said.
Latos (9-3) didn’t want to be the one to stop the Reds’ momentum, and he rose to the challenge. He allowed four hits and struck out eight.
“A lot of pressure coming into the game knowing we won nine in a row, but I just attacked them,” Latos said. “Today it was in the back of my mind, but it’s baseball. Just play.”
Things didn’t start well. Latos walked Dexter Fowler on five pitches, and Josh Rutledge homered on the first pitch he saw from Latos to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
“It was a fastball away. It looked like I beat him but he got it up in the air and into a bad part of the ballpark where it flies out,” Latos said.
It was the only bright spot for Colorado, which has lost three straight and nine of 11.
“Josh jumped on that first pitch fastball in the bottom of the first inning after Dexter drew a walk, and then that was it,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
The Reds took a 3-2 lead into the fifth, then broke it open against Jonathan Sanchez (0-2). Cozart led off with a single, and Stubbs hit his 12th home run.
One out later, Bruce hit his 20th homer into the second deck in right to make it 6-2 and chase Sanchez.
Sanchez, acquired from Kansas City for Jeremy Guthrie on July 20, didn’t fare much better than the pitcher he replaced. In his home debut, Sanchez allowed six runs and eight hits, struck out three and walked two. He has failed to pitch at least five innings in either of his starts for Colorado.
“I got hit a lot,” he said. “I was throwing strikes and they were swinging the bats.”
Miguel Cairo added an RBI single in the eighth off Mike Ekstrom to make it 7-2.
ASTROS 9, PIRATES 5
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros ended their team-record losing streak at 12 games, beating Pittsburgh behind three hits and three RBIs from Marwin Gonzalez.
Hours after Houston traded third baseman Chris Johnson to Arizona — the Astros’ fifth deal of the month — Jordan Schafer homered and drove in three runs.
Houston, a big league-worst 35-68, won for only the third time in 28 games but has traded players with salaries totaling $49 million. Lucas Harrell (8-7) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings.
The skid matched Kansas City and the Chicago Cubs for the longest in the major leagues this year. It broke the previous Astros record of 11, set in 1995 and matched over the end of the 2009 season and start of 2010, STATS said.
James McDonald (10-5) walked a career-high seven in five innings. He has lost consecutive decisions for the first time this season and has an 8.71 ERA in his last four starts.
DODGERS 4, GIANTS 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Clayton Kershaw pitched a five-hitter for his second shutout of the season, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat San Francisco to complete a three-game sweep of the NL West leader.
Luis Cruz drove in two runs, and Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney and Mark Ellis had two hits apiece for Los Angeles (56-47), which closed within one percentage point of San Francisco (55-46).
Blanked in a three-game series at San Francisco from June 25-27, Los Angeles outscored the Giants 19-3 in this series and didn’t give up a run during the final 20 innings. San Francisco has lost four straight.
Kershaw (8-6) struck out seven and walked one in his fifth career shutout.
Ryan Vogelsong (8-5), who had won both of his prior matchups against Kershaw this year, allowed one earned run in six innings.
NATIONALS 11, BREWERS 10 (11)
MILWAUKEE — Michael Morse hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning, then delivered a two-run double in the 11th that sent the Washington Nationals over Milwaukee.
Bryce Harper drew a leadoff walk from Jose Veras (3-4) in the 11th and Ryan Zimmerman singled. One out later, Morse doubled down the left-field line for an 11-9 lead.
Morse’s homer with one out in the ninth off John Axford made it 9-all.
The NL East-leading Nationals rallied for four runs in the eighth to tie it at 7.
BRAVES 6, PHILLIES 2
ATLANTA — Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones homered off Roy Halladay, and the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the last-place Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta has won five straight.
Tim Hudson (10-4) gave up two runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. Jonny Venters, Chad Durbin, Eric O’Flaherty and Cristhian Martinez followed with two-hit relief.
METS 5, D-BACKS 1
PHOENIX — R.A. Dickey rebounded from his first loss in three months to gain his National League-leading 14th win, and the New York Mets beat Arizona for just their third victory in 17 games.
Dickey (14-2) allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, striking out eight, walking three and hitting a batter. The knuckleballer won for the 11th time in 12 decisions and matched Tampa Bay’s David Price for the major league lead in wins.
MARLINS 5, PADRES 4
MIAMI — With scouts from about a dozen teams watching, Josh Johnson tied a career high with six walks as the Miami Marlins rallied from a two-run deficit and beat San Diego in 10 innings.
Johnson, the 2010 NL ERA champion, allowed two runs — one earned — and two hits in five innings with four strikeouts. Miami, a disappointing 47-54 following a $191 million free-agent spending spree, already has dealt Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante, and Anibal Sanchez in recent weeks and has discussed possible trades involving Johnson.
Johnson is 54-30 with a 3.13 ERA for Marlins over the past eight years and is signed through next season at $13.75 annually.
CUBS 4, CARDINALS 2
CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning that lifted the Chicago Cubs over St. Louis.
Starlin Castro led off the 10th with a single against Trevor Rosenthal (0-1) and Rizzo followed with his seventh homer.
RED SOX 3, YANKEES 2 (10)
NEW YORK — Pedro Ciriaco blooped an RBI single in the 10th inning for his latest big hit against New York and Boston squeaked out the victory moments after manager Bobby Valentine was ejected.
Felix Doubront held the Yankees scoreless until Russell Martin homered leading off the seventh inning. Martin also hit a tying single with two outs in the eighth off closer Alfredo Aceves (2-6), who went the rest of the way for the win.
Ryan Sweeney hit an early two-run double for the Red Sox, who took two of three in their first visit to New York this season despite grounding into four double plays against Hiroki Kuroda.
Valentine was ejected in the 10th inning for arguing whether a pitch by David Robertson (1-4) hit Will Middlebrooks on a bunt attempt.
RAYS 2, ANGELS 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Zack Greinke was outpitched by Jeremy Hellickson in his Los Angeles Angels’ debut, losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
Obtained Friday from Milwaukee, the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings and struck out eight.
Greinke (0-1), eligible for free agency after the season, was 9-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts with the Brewers.
ORIOLES 6, ATHLETICS 1
BALTIMORE — Rookie Wei-Yin Chen struck out a career-high 12, Matt Wieters hit a three-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles beat Oakland to avoid a three-game sweep.
It was a rare setback for the A’s, who fell to 18-4 this month.
Chen (9-6) allowed one unearned run, three hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings against a torrid Oakland team that had scored 40 runs in its previous four games.
RANGERS 2, WHITE SOX 0
ARLINGTON, Texas — Scott Feldman tied a career high by pitching eight shutout innings, and Texas snapped a two-game skid with a victory over the Chicago White Sox.
David Murphy had three hits, including a double, and Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz each scored a run.
Feldman (5-6) gave up seven hits and retired eight of the last 10 batters he faced. He threw only 88 pitches in matching the eight shutout innings he tossed two other times, the last being June 2, 2010, also against the White Sox in Chicago.
TIGERS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
TORONTO — Jhonny Peralta hit two home runs, Doug Fister pitched eight innings and the Detroit Tigers beat Toronto to avert a three-game sweep.
TWINS 5, INDIANS 1
MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Morneau hit a two-run homer, Brian Duensing threw six smooth innings as a late fill-in for Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins finished a three-game sweep of Cleveland.
MARINERS 7, ROYALS 6
SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez shook off a line drive to his left wrist and threw seven strong innings, and the Seattle Mariners beat Kansas City for a four-game sweep.
Seattle swept Kansas City in a four-game set for the first time since May 2001.
