Associated Press
CINCINNATI — A.J. Burnett remained undefeated against the Cincinnati Reds this season and Starling Marte hit a tiebreaking two-run triple in the fourth to help the Pittsburgh Pirates salvage the finale of their three-game series with a 6-2 win on Sunday.
Neil Walker hit a two-run homer and All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen added a solo shot as second-place Pittsburgh stopped Cincinnati’s winning streak at five and closed within 4½ games of the NL Central leader.
Burnett (14-3) allowed two runs and three hits in 8 2-3 innings, improving to 3-0 against the Reds this season. Joel Hanrahan got the final out for his 32nd save.
Homer Bailey (9-7) gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings.
NATIONALS 4
MARLINS 1
WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg (12-5) pitched three-hit ball over six shutout innings and drove in two runs.
Strasburg struck out six and walked one, extending his scoreless streak against the Marlins to 27 innings. He hit a two-run single in the second off Ricky Nolasco (8-11) and raised his batting average to .343 (12 for 35) with seven RBIs.
Drew Storen pitched a one-hit ninth for his first save since Sept. 28. Miami’s Jose Reyes hit a fourth-inning single that extended his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest in the majors this season.
GIANTS 8, ROCKIES 3
DENVER — Tim Lincecum won consecutive starts for the first time since April and Hunter Pence had three RBIs as San Francisco completed a three-game sweep and maintained a half-game lead over Los Angeles in the NL West. The Giants had lost seven of eight entering the series.
Lincecum (6-11) worked around five walks, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. After going 4-9 with a 5.26 ERA in 18 starts from the beginning of May through July 25, he is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his last two outings against the Mets and Rockies.
Tyler Chatwood (1-2), recalled from Double A Tulsa prior to the game to take the rotation spot of injured Christian Friedrich, allowed three runs — one earned — two hits and four walks in 3 1-3 innings.
DODGERS 7, CUBS 6
LOS ANGELES — Hanley Ramirez lined an RBI single over a drawn-in infield in the ninth as the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep.
Shawn Camp (2-5) walked Matt Kemp on four pitches with one out and Andre Ethier’s single put runners at the corners for Ramirez.
Cubs talented rookie Anthony Rizzo had three RBIs including a tying solo home run leading off the top of the ninth against Kenley Jansen (5-3), who blew a save for the sixth time in 27 chances.
Joe Blanton, acquired Friday from Philadelphia, allowed two runs and five hits over six innings in his Dodgers debut.
BRAVES 6, ASTROS 1
ATLANTA — Chipper Jones had two hits and scored the go-ahead run on a sixth-inning wild pitch by Bud Norris (5-9) as Atlanta completed an 8-2 homestand. Jones added a run-scoring double off Xavier Cedeno in the seventh.
Jonny Venters (4-3) pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the sixth to win in relief of Kris Medlen, who allowed one run and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. Atlanta remained three games behind first-place Washington in the NL East.
PHILLIES 5, D-BACKS 4
PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Howard singled home the winning run in the ninth off Josh Collmenter (3-3). He had been in a 5 for 35 slide with 20 strikeouts.
Jonathan Papelbon (3-4) pitched a scoreless ninth, stranding the go-ahead run on second. Chase Utley homered for the Phillies.
Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee remained winless in eight home starts this season (0-4), giving up four runs and eight hits in eight innings.
PADRES 7, METS 3
SAN DIEGO — Chase Headley and Yonder Alonso each hit two-run homers off rookie Matt Harvey (1-2). Headley’s homer, his 15th, came in the first inning. Alonso hit his sixth homer in the third for a 5-0 lead.
Jason Marquis (5-6) gave up Ruben Tejada’s single to open the game and then retired 14 consecutive batters until hea leadoff walk to Mike Baxter in the sixth. Marquis allowed three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings.
CARDS 3, BREWERS 0
ST. LOUIS — Kyle Lohse pitched six spotless innings to earn his 12th win and St. Louis beat Milwaukee for a three-game sweep.
Daniel Descalso had a season-high three hits for the Cardinals, who have won five of six and 12 of 16. It was their first three-game sweep at home against the Brewers since March 31 to April 3, 2003.
Milwaukee has lost its last nine road games.
Lohse (12-2) allowed four hits and threw 100 pitches while winning his sixth consecutive decision. He struck out six, walked three and lowered his ERA to 2.79.
Edward Mujica, Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte shut out the Brewers over the final three innings. Motte earned his 24th save in 28 chances.
TIGERS 10, INDIANS 8
DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer to cap a five-run rally by Detroit with two outs in the 10th inning Sunday, giving the Tigers a 10-8 victory over Cleveland that sent the Indians to their ninth straight loss.
With the Indians up 8-5, Chris Perez (0-3) walked Alex Avila and pinch-hitter Andy Dirks. Austin Jackson doubled in a run, Omar Infante’s two-run single tied it and Cabrera homered to left-center.
Travis Hafner and Ezequiel Carrera had hit back-to-back solo homers for Cleveland in the 10th.
Darin Downs (1-0) earned his first career win as Detroit remained within 1½ games of first-place Chicago in the AL Central.
WHITE SOX 4, ANGELS 2
CHICAGO — Pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski tied a White Sox record by homering in his fifth consecutive game, two-run drive in the seventh inning off Jason Isringhausen (3-2) that put Chicago ahead 3-2.
Nate Jones (5-0) allowed one run in two innings after Francisco Liriano left with bruised right quadriceps, and Addison Reed struck out two in the ninth for his 18th save. Chicago took two of three in the weekend series and has won nine of 12 games.
YANKS 6, MARINERS 2
NEW YORK — Raul Ibanez homered and drove in three runs as Freddy Garcia got his 150th career victory, just the sixth win for the Yankees in 16 games.
Garcia (5-5) hung around for five innings and preserved a one-run lead with his final pitch, retiring Kyle Seager with two on.
Ibanez hit his 15th homer in the fifth, a solo drive off Hisashi Iwakuma (2-3) that put the Yankees ahead 4-2. Ibanez delivered again in the sixth with a two-out, two-run single off Oliver Perez with the bases loaded.
RED SOX 6, TWINS 4
BOSTON — Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs and Carl Crawford added three singles, an RBI and a leaping catch on his 31st birthday as Boston avoided a four-game sweep.
Franklin Morales (3-2), taking Josh Beckett’s turn in the rotation after the right-hander left his previous start with a back spasm, gave up one run and three hits in six innings.
Nick Blackburn (4-7) gave up four runs and nine hits in five innings, falling to 17-35 in career road starts.
ROYALS 7, RANGERS 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Errors by shortstop Alberto Gonzalez and third baseman Mike Olt in a three-pitch span allowed the tiebreaking run to score in the 10th.
With the score 6-6, Michael Kirkman (0-2) walked Billy Butler leading off the 10th. Gonzalez, who entered in the ninth when Elvis Andrus left because of a sore shoulder, booted a routine grounder by Salvador Perez as pinch-runner Eric Hosmer advanced,
Jeff Francoeur took a ball and then grounded to third. Olt, who made his major league debut Thursday, threw the ball into right field as Hosmer came home.
Texas dropped to 13-15 since the start of July.
Greg Holland (4-3) worked around three hits and two walks.
ORIOLES 1, RAYS 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Taylor Teagarden broke out of a long slide with an RBI double in the 10th inning.
Joel Peralta (1-4) walked Mark Reynolds with one out in the 10th and threw a called third strike past Omar Quintanilla. Teagarden, in a 1-for-25 slide, lined a two-out drive to left-center.
Luis Ayala (3-3) got three outs in the ninth, and Jim Johnson finished for his 32nd save. Baltimore has won 10 consecutive one-run games dating to June 22.
BLUE JAYS 6
THLETICS 5
OAKLAND, Calif. — Edwin Encarnacion hit a home run and drove in two runs, Yunel Escobar also drove in two runs and Toronto salvaged a four-game split.
Anthony Gose and Kelly Johnson also drove in runs for the Blue Jays, who have won two straight after a six-game slid.
Aaron Laffey (3-2) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings, and Casey Janssen pitched the ninth to convert his 14th consecutive save chance.
Tommy Milone (9-9) lost his third straight start for the A’s, who are 2-3 in August after going 19-5 in July. Oakland had won its previous 10 one-run games.
