AMERICAN LEAGUE
TWINS 4, ROYALS 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Hughes threw seven sharp innings, Kurt Suzuki hit his third home run of the season and the Minnesota Twins beat first-place Kansas City 4-1 on Saturday night to snap the Royals' three-game winning streak.
Hughes (13-8) allowed one run, seven hits and struck out six to outlast hard-throwing rookie Yordano Ventura (9-9), who threw six innings of one-hit ball before the Twins broke through in the seventh.
With runners on second and third, Ventura threw a 99-mph fastball that shattered Danny Santana's bat -- but Santana reached base when Billy Butler tried to throw out Suzuki at home. Catcher Salvador Perez's tag was late, allowing the Twins to tie it.
Brian Dozier followed with his 25th double of the season to score pinch-runner Eduardo Escobar and put the Twins ahead for good. Kennys Vargas chased Ventura two batters later with a sacrifice fly to score Santana and give Minnesota a two-run lead.
Suzuki's solo home run in the eighth off Aaron Crow was his first since May 20, a span of 217 at-bats.
Ventura had otherwise dominated Minnesota's lineup with his power, consistently pitching into the upper-90s throughout the evening. He struggled with his command, though, walking a season-high six batters and getting called for a balk in the third inning.
ANGELS 5, RANGERS 4 Albert Pujols and Howie Kendrick homered to give visiting Los Angeles an early lead as the Angels held on again to beat Texas. The Angels (72-49) are alone in first place in the AL West for the first time since 2011.
INDIANS 6, ORIOLES 0 Carlos Carrasco shut out AL East-leading Baltimore on three hits over seven innings, lifting host Cleveland to a victory over the Orioles. Carlos Santana hit a three-run home run in the first and Michael Brantley added a two-run shot in the fifth.
BLUE JAYS 6, WHITE SOX 3 Melky Cabrera's two-run double in the seventh inning lifted visiting Toronto to a victory over Chicago. The Blue Jays scored three runs in the seventh to retake the lead after the White Sox tied it with three runs in the sixth.
TIGERS 4, MARINERS 2 David Price pitched eight innings of one-run ball, and host Detroit snapped Seattle's five-game winning streak with a victory over Felix Hernandez and the Mariners. Price (12-8) allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three in his first game at Comerica Park since he was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay last month.
YANKEES 3, RAYS 2 Derek Jeter hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and visiting New York ended a five-game skid with a victory over Tampa Bay.
RED SOX 10, ASTROS 7 David Ortiz hit a pair of two-run home runs, including his 400th in a Red Sox uniform, and drove in a career high-tying six runs to power host Boston past Houston. Big Papi joined Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as the only players to hit 400 home runs while playing with the Red Sox.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PADRES 9, CARDINALS 5 Jedd Gyorko hit his third career grand slam and drove in five runs, sparking visiting San Diego to a rain-delayed victory over St. Louis. Gyorko's eighth home run came on an 0-1 pitch from Kevin Siegrist (1-3) with one out in the seventh.
MARLINS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1 Henderson Alvarez made a successful return to the mound after missing two starts, pitching seven strong innings and leading host Miami to a victory over sloppy Arizona.
METS 7, CUBS 3 Wilmer Flores provided a spark with his bat and glove, leading Jonathon Niese and New York to a victory over visiting Chicago.
NATIONALS 4, PIRATES 3 Wilson Ramos' ground-rule double drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, after Adam LaRoche's two-run home run tied it in the eighth, and host Washington came back to beat Pittsburgh.
GIANTS 6, PHILLIES 5 Gregor Blanco hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, helping San Francisco rally for a victory over visiting Philadelphia. Blanco went 2 for 2 with two RBI.
BREWERS 3, DODGERS 2 Yovani Gallardo pitched eight innings, Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez homered, and Milwaukee ended Clayton Kershaw's streak of 11 consecutive victories with a victory over host Los Angeles.
INTERLEAGUE
BRAVES 4, ATHLETICS 3 Chris Johnson drove in two runs with three hits, Julio Teheran threw six strong innings and host Atlanta edged suddenly struggling Oakland. The A's, who began the day with the best record in the majors, matched their worst skid of the season by losing four in a row.
Sports on 08/17/2014