Verlander loses 3rd no-no in 9th, 1-hits Angels

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander lost a bid for his third no-hitter when Chris Iannetta lined a leadoff double in the ninth inning that landed barely fair on the left-field line, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 Wednesday night.

Trying to become the sixth major leaguer to throw three no-hitters, Verlander settled instead for a one-hit shutout.

He was an inch away from so much more.

Iannetta's shot kicked up chalk and rolled into the left-field corner. Verlander attempted to will it foul with body English, then arched his back in disappointment after the ball hit right on the line.

Verlander (2-6) retired the next three batters to finish his seventh career shutout and first since May 18, 2012, against Pittsburgh. The right-hander struck out nine and walked two in his first win since July 29.

He faced only 28 hitters -- one more than the minimum --- after inducing double plays following both walks.

"Right now it's tough," Verlander said moments after the final out. "I've got to say thank you to the fans. Starting in the seventh inning you guys got on your feet the entire game, and it's been a while since I felt like that on the mound and that's pretty exciting. I'll always remember you guys for that."

Verlander's most recent no-hitter came at Toronto on May 7, 2011. He also pitched one against Milwaukee on June 12, 2007.

This effort marked the seventh time in the last five seasons Verlander carried a no-hit bid into at least the seventh inning. He took one into the ninth in May 2012 against the Pirates before Josh Harrison broke it up with one out.

Verlander's latest gem came five days after Houston right-hander Mike Fiers tossed the fifth no-hitter in the majors this season.

ASTROS 6, YANKEES 2 Evan Gattis hit two home runs, Collin McHugh excelled once again and visiting Houston exceeded last season's win total, beating New York. The AL West leaders improved to 71-57, a year after going 70-92.

INDIANS 6, BREWERS 2 Jason Kipnis homered and drove in three runs, and host Cleveland used six pitchers in a victory over Milwaukee. Kipnis, who leads the American League with a .325 batting average, gave Cleveland the lead with a two-run double with the bases loaded in the second inning.

ORIOLES 8, ROYALS 5 Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop each hit a two-run home run off Johnny Cueto, and visiting Baltimore totaled five long balls in all to power their way to a victory over Kansas City that snapped a six-game skid. Wei-Yin Chen (8-6) allowed 3 runs for the Orioles while scattering 9 hits over 6 innings.

RED SOX 3, WHITE SOX 0 Rick Porcello (6-11) pitched seven sparkling innings in his return from a triceps injury, leading visiting Boston to a victory over Chicago. Porcello and Chris Sale had nearly identical lines, but Travis Shaw hit a two-run home run off Nate Jones (1-1) with two outs in the eighth.

TWINS 5, RAYS 3 Eduardo Escobar homered twice and Joe Mauer had a tiebreaking RBI single as Minnesota beat host Tampa Bay for the Twins' sixth consecutive victory. Escobar hit home runs in the sixth and eighth innings, with the second one making it 5-3.h.

BLUE JAYS 12, RANGERS 4 Edwin Encarnacion hit a grand slam to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, helping David Price get a victory on his 30th birthday in visiting Toronto's victory over Texas. Price (13-4) threw five scoreless innings after allowing Adrian Beltre's two-run home run in the first.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CARDINALS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1 John Lackey pitched seven strong innings and St. Louis beat host Arizona, its seventh consecutive victory over the Diamondbacks. Lackey (11-8) bounced back from a shaky start, giving up a solo home run to Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning and little else.

DODGERS 7, REDS 4 Scott Van Slyke, A.J. Ellis and Yasiel Puig all homered during a five-run fourth inning, and visiting Los Angeles held on for a victory over Cincinnati. Kike Hernandez added three hits and Adrian Gonzalez chipped in a ninth-inning RBI double for the NL West-leading Dodgers.

METS 9, PHILLIES 4 Bartolo Colon (11-11) tossed five-hit ball and struck out eight in seven sharp innings, Michael Cuddyer hit a long home run and the NL East-leading New York Mets beat host Philadelphia.

PADRES 6, NATIONALS 5 Justin Upton homered twice and had three RBI, Matt Kemp added a two-run double and visiting San Diego held on to beat Washington. Tyson Ross (9-9) allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings for the Padres.

PIRATES 7, MARLINS 2 Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in four runs to help visiting Pittsburgh to a victory over Miami. Jeff Locke (7-8) pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 runs and 5 hits for the Pirates, who have won 4 of 5.

ROCKIES 6, BRAVES 3 Brandon Barnes had three hits, including a two-run home run, and visiting Colorado extended Atlanta right-hander Shelby Miller's winless streak to 18 starts with a victory over the Braves. Miller (5-11) looked like he might break the streak, leading 3-0 in the seventh inning, but he gave up four runs in the eighth before leaving with two outs.

Sports on 08/27/2015

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