Semien, Dunning lift Rangers over Mariners, win series

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This article was published 10/05/2023 (912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEATTLE (AP) — Marcus Semien homered and drove in a pair of runs, Dane Dunning allowed only two runs in six strong innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Wednesday.

Dunning (3-0) scattered six hits, struck out five and avoided any major trouble.

Semien’s solo home run led off the third inning, when the Rangers got to Seattle ace Luis Castillo. Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim both had RBI doubles later in the inning, Heim’s coming with two outs. Castillo (2-1) needed 37 pitches to get out of the inning and was done after five innings. He struck out nine and allowed eight hits.

Seattle’s J.P. Crawford scored on an error in the first inning and had an RBI single in the fifth. Jarred Kelenic hit a two-out RBI triple in the eighth off reliever Brock Burke to pull the Mariners within a run.

Will Smith pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

ORIOLES 2, RAYS 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dean Kremer pitched six scoreless innings and Baltimore edged out Tampa Bay to take two of three in a series between the top two teams in the American League.

Kremer (4-1) allowed four hits and the Orioles broke through for two runs in the sixth. After allowing a single and a double, Yonny Chirinos (1-1) committed a pitch clock violation with the count 3-1 on Ryan Mountcastle. That walk loaded the bases with nobody out.

Yennier Cano pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

RED SOX 5, BRAVES 2

ATLANTA (AP) — Kenley Jansen became the seventh player in major league history to earn 400 saves, pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning, and Boston snapped a two-game skid.

Jansen, who had 41 saves last year in his only season with the Braves, faced four batters for his ninth save in 10 chances.

Facing reliever Nick Anderson, Tapia drove in Jarren Duran from second to make it 3-2. The run was charged to A.J. Minter (2-4).

The Braves didn’t score a run against Boston starter Brayan Bello (2-1) until Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his seventh homer, a 470-foot shot to left with an exit velocity of 113.9 mph to trim the lead to 2-1 in the sixth. It was Acuña’s longest homer of the season and the fourth-longest of his career.

DODGERS 8, BREWERS 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs and Clayton Kershaw won his National League-best sixth game as Los Angeles beat Milwaukee to take the three-game series.

Will Smith and Miguel Vargas also went deep for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who top the NL in home runs (64).

Kershaw (6-2) struck out eight batters and walked none over seven innings while allowing five hits. Besides giving up a home run to William Contreras, he allowed only one other runner to reach second base.

The Dodgers scored seven runs in five innings off Milwaukee starter Wade Miley (3-2).

Milwaukee closer Devin Williams appeared in a rare non-save opportunity, throwing a perfect ninth inning. He hadn’t pitched since Sunday.

PHILLIES 2, BLUE JAYS 1, 10 INNINGS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Edmundo Sosa scored on Bryce Harper’s hard-hit grounder in the 10th inning after Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette’s throwing error and Philadelphia came back for its third consecutive win.

With Sosa on second base to start the 10th, Tim Mayza (1-1) struck out Bryson Stott before walking Trea Turner to put runners on first and second with one out. Harper lined a bouncer toward the mound and Mayza made a good play to snare it and fired to second base to set up an apparent double play. But Bichette’s throw went wide of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Sosa just beat Guerrero’s throw home while sliding headfirst into the plate.

The Blue Jays challenged plate umpire Chad Fairchild’s safe call, but replays confirmed the call on the field.

Craig Kimbrel (2-1) struck out two in a scoreless top of the 10th.

ROCKIES 4, PIRATES 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the seventh inning and Colorado rallied past a struggling Pittsburgh.

Less than 24 hours after homering twice in a 10-1 rout, Profar gave the Rockies their eighth win in 10 games by lacing a Robert Stephenson (0-1) pitch into left field to score Austin Wynns. Alan Trejo had two hits and an RBI for Colorado. Randal Grichuk added a run-scoring double as the Rockies earned their third-straight series win.

Brad Hand (2-1) earned the win in relief by inheriting a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth and wiggling out of it. Pierce Johnson struck out Josh Palacios with the tying run on third in the ninth to record his sixth save in as many chances.

Pittsburgh starter Rich Hill lasted just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest appearance of the season.

YANKEES 11, ATHLETICS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Anthony Volpe hit his first career grand slam to cap a seven-run fifth inning and New York pulled away to rout Oakland and complete their first series sweep this season.

Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer in the first inning that was upheld after a review and DJ LeMahieu added a two-run shot in the fifth. The Yankees hit nine homers in the series.

New York starter Jhony Brito allowed two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He left after Brent Rooker doubled and Jimmy Cordero (2-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.

Kyle Muller (1-3), who got Oakland’s first win by a starting pitcher in its 33rd game Friday in Kansas City, allowed six runs and five hits in four innings.

MARLINS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4

PHOENIX (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a three-run homer and started the winning rally in the ninth with a double and Miami improved to 12-0 in one-run games, the best start to a season in baseball history in that category.

Sánchez led off the ninth against Andrew Chafin (2-1) with an opposite-field double to left. Miguel Castro relieved and Bryan De La Cruz ran for Sánchez and advanced to third on Jon Berti’s groundout. Joey Wendle doubled down the line in left to drive in the go-ahead run.

Dylan Floro (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the Marlins and A.J. Puk, the seventh Miami pitcher, finished for his sixth save.

ASTROS 5, ANGELS 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Javier struck out 11 over six strong innings of three-hit ball, and Houston overcame Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer in the ninth inning to beat Los Angeles.

Ohtani made things interesting with a two-run shot off Houston closer Ryan Pressly in the ninth, golfing a curveball below the zone into the right-field stands for his eighth homer following Mike Trout’s leadoff single.

Anthony Rendon and Hunter Renfroe then delivered singles, but Pressly retired three straight Angels to complete his sixth save.

Houston got back-to-back outstanding starts from Framber Valdez and Javier (3-1), who allowed three runs and struck out 23 over 14 combined innings.

Griffin Canning (2-1) was chased in the fourth for Los Angeles, yielding five hits and five runs. Canning threw several of the fastest pitches of his career in this start, topping 97 mph early, but he also made a two-base error on a pickoff throw during Houston’s fourth-inning rally.

TWINS 4, PADRES 3, 11 INNINGS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Kirilloff’s single in the 11th inning scored automatic runner Max Kepler and Minnesota pulled out a win against San Diego.

With Kepler on second, Carlos Correa was intentionally walked. Kirilloff then pulled a pitch from Domingo Tapia (0-1) down the right-field line to help Minnesota snap a three-game losing streak.

Griffin Jax (2-4) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 11th to secure the win for the Twins after both teams scored their automatic runners in the 10th.

Kepler homered, doubled and scored three runs for Minnesota, which got another quality start from Pablo López.

Juan Soto homered for San Diego, which has lost three of four. Josh Hader blew his second save in 13 chances this season when pinch-hitter Donovan Solano singled in the 10th to score the automatic runner. The Padres are winless in four extra-inning games this season.

METS 2, REDS 1

CINCINNATI (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven innings of two-hit ball for his first victory with the Mets, and Pete Alonso hit his major league-leading 13th home run as New York squeezed out a win over Cincinnati.

Brandon Nimmo had three hits for the Mets, including a go-ahead single in the fourth to help New York win for only the fourth time in 16 games.

Verlander (1-1) retired 18 of the last 19 batters he faced in his second start for the Mets after returning from a muscle strain in his upper back. He struck out seven and walked two as the Mets (18-19) snapped a three-game skid.

Adam Ottavino pitched a perfect eighth before David Robertson struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save in seven opportunities.

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (0-3), in his fourth start since signing a $53 million, six-year contract on April 17, stranded six baserunners in six innings, but he allowed just two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a season-high four walks. He also hit a batter with a pitch.

CUBS 10, CARDINALS 4

CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Wisdom and Yan Gomes homered to lead unbeaten Justin Steele and Chicago snapped a three-game skid.

Steele (6-0) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out three and walking three. He joined Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw as the only six-game winners in the National League.

Nolan Arenado hit his first triple of the season for St. Louis, which had won three straight after dropping eight in a row.

Jordan Montgomery (2-5) lost for the fifth time in six starts after giving up six runs in five innings. He issued a pair of walks to load the bases in the second but caught Christopher Morel looking at a third strike to escape the jam.

TIGERS 5, GUARDIANS 0

CLEVELAND (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez struck out eight over seven innings, Javier Báez had two hits and two runs and Detroit cruised over Cleveland to win the three-game series.

Rodriguez (4-2) gave up four hits and two walks, allowing only two runners past first base in his sixth straight dominant performance. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 0.43 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings since April 12.

Báez singled, doubled and scored twice in the first three innings as the Tigers built a 5-0 lead. Andy Ibañez and Akil Baddoo each had RBI doubles, Spencer Torkelson singled in a run and Riley Greene plated another off Cleveland starter Peyton Battenfield (0-4).

Jason Foley and Chasen Shreve wrapped up the combined four-hitter and Detroit’s fourth shutout of the season. The Tigers handed the Guardians their fifth series loss in six home series this season.

NATIONAL 11, GIANTS 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Riley Adams and Lane Thomas homered, Josiah Gray pitched seven strong innings and Washington beat San Francisco in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Ildemaro Vargas went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, finishing a home run shy of the cycle.

Michael Conforto and LaMonte Wade Jr. homered for San Francisco.

The Nationals roughed up Giants left-hander Sean Manaea for eight runs (four earned) in 2 2/3 innings. Manaea (1-2) walked three and struck out four.

Gray (3-5) allowed two runs and five hits, walking four and striking out three. The right-hander has permitted three runs or fewer in seven consecutive starts.

ROYALS 9, WHITE SOX 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nick Pratto homered and Brad Keller won for the first time in nearly a month as Kansas City beat Chicago.

Keller (3-3), who leads the majors with 32 walks allowed, got into immediate trouble walking the first two batters he faced, but escaped first-inning damage with a double play and strikeout.

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Keller finished five innings, allowing one run on three hits and four walks, striking out four to earn his first win since April 12.

The Royals batted around in the first, collecting six hits, including Pratto’s two-out RBI single, grabbing a 4-0 lead while forcing Lance Lynn (1-5) to toss 37 pitches in the inning.

Lynn surrendered seven runs on nine hits two walks, fanning four over five innings.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports