Frazier punches out Pirates
Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 28, 2014
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ NL Central chances were hurt when Todd Frazier had a tying two-run homer in the seventh inning and Ramon Santiago hit a grand slam in the 10th, powering the Cincinnati Reds to a 10-6 victory on Saturday.
Pittsburgh started the day a game behind first-place St. Louis, which played at Arizona later. The Pirates have already clinched at least a wild card and would host that game on Wednesday.
John Axford (0-1) walked Frazier to open the 10th and gave up Chris Heisey’s single and another walk with one out. Left-hander Bobby LaFromboise relieved, retired Bryan Pena on a shallow fly out, then gave up Santiago’s first career grand slam.
Dylan Axelrod (2-1) retired the side in the top of the 10th.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, CARDINALS 2
PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Trumbo homered twice and Arizona prevented St. Louis from clinching the NL Central title.
The Cardinals secured at least a tie for the division crown when Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati earlier Saturday, but they need to win or have the Pirates lose on Sunday to finish alone in first place.
Trumbo’s three-run shot off Seth Maness (6-4) broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning. Trumbo hit a solo drive in the first in his second multi-homer game in six days. David Peralta also had a solo shot in the first.
Randal Delgado (4-4) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to get the win. Addison Reed worked a perfect ninth for his 32nd save in 38 tries.
The Cardinals, losers of four of six, scored on a sacrifice fly and wild pitch.
TWINS 12, TIGERS 3
DETROIT (AP) — Eduardo Escobar had a homer, four hits and a career-high six RBIs, and Minnesota ensured that the AL Central race will come down to the very end with a rout of Detroit.
The Tigers entered with a one-game lead over second-place Kansas City, but the Tigers fell short of clinching. Minnesota scored six runs in the fifth. Escobar and Eric Fryer both hit two-run singles during that big rally, and Escobar added a three-run homer in the eighth.
Rookie Kyle Lobstein (1-2) allowed six runs in 4 2-3 innings for the Tigers.
Ricky Nolasco (6-12) allowed two runs and five hits, including a solo homer by Detroit’s Nick Castellanos in the second.
The Tigers have secured a postseason spot, but the division will still be in doubt when they send David Price to the mound Sunday against Minnesota in Game 162.
WHITE SOX 5, ROYALS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago White Sox kept Kansas City out of first place in the AL Central.
Kansas City clinched at least a wild card spot on Friday.
Danny Duffy (9-12) lasted only two innings for the Royals. He allowed four runs, five hits and one walk. The White Sox jumped on him, scoring three runs in the first inning. Abreu capped the rally with his 36th home run.
Abreu broke a 31-year-old franchise record for the most homers in a season by a rookie, previously held by Ron Kittle. They are the most by a rookie since St. Louis’ Albert Pujols hit 37 in 2001.
White Sox catcher Josh Phegley homered in the second and seventh innings for the first career multihomer game.
John Danks (11-11) pitched seven solid innings to earn his first home win since June 17.
RANGERS 5, ATHLETICS 4
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oakland stalled in its bid to clinch an AL wild-card spot, losing to last-place Texas on home runs by Jake Smolinski and Robinson Chirinos.
Oakland couldn’t take advantage of the first chance to clinch a playoff spot by itself, even though trade deadline pickup Jeff Samardzija (5-6) faced spot starter Scott Baker after Derek Holland was a late scratch with a migraine headache.
The Rangers used eight pitchers to beat the A’s for the fifth time in six games since last week. Spencer Patton (1-0), the fourth reliever, earned his first major league win, and Neftali Feliz notched his 13th save.
The A’s have the second-worst record in the majors since they were 11 games up in the wild-card race and four games ahead of the AL West-winning Angels on Aug. 10. They’ve lost eight of their last 12.
Josh Donaldson and Josh Reddick had three hits apiece for Oakland, including singles in a two-run eighth that ended with Alberto Callaspo’s fly ball that was caught by Smolinski at the wall in right field with two runners on base.
RED SOX 10, YANKEES 4
BOSTON (AP) — Derek Jeter went 1 for 2 with an infield single and left for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. Even he wasn’t going to pull the Yankees out of this hole in the next-to-last game of his 20-year big league career.
Boston chased Masahiro Tanaka during an eight-run second inning that backed Joe Kelly, and the Red Sox beat New York.
After sitting out Friday night’s series opener following his emotional Yankee Stadium finale the previous night, Jeter returned to his usual second spot in the lineup but as the designated hitter, not the shortstop. He received standing ovations before each at bat as fans chanted “De-rek Je-ter! De-rek Je-ter!”
Tanaka (13-5) allowed seven runs — five earned — in 1 2-3 innings, the shortest of his 20 starts with the Yankees.
Kelly (4-2) allowed four runs in seven innings.
BLUE JAYS 4, ORIOLES 2
TORONTO (AP) — Jose Reyes had two hits and two RBIs, J.A. Happ won consecutive starts for the first time since late May and the Blue Jays beat the AL East champion Orioles.
Happ (11-11) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings for his first winning streak since posting three straight victories from May 15 to May 25.
Casey Janssen got three outs for his 25th save in 30 chances.
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (16-6), expected to start the second game of the division series against Detroit or Kansas City next week, allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in six innings.
NATIONALS 5, MARLINS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg took over the league lead in strikeouts and gave up only two hits through six scoreless innings in his final tuneup ahead of his first postseason, helping the NL East champion Nationals beat Miami.
Strasburg (14-11) spotted his fastball at 97 mph and mixed in breaking balls that confounded a Marlins lineup missing the injured Giancarlo Stanton. Strasburg finished with seven strikeouts — giving him 242, three more than Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers — and one walk.
Strasburg also was credited with an RBI in the second, when Harper charged home from third and slid headfirst ahead of the tag after Strasburg bunted off Nathan Eovaldi (6-14).
GIANTS 3, PADRES 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandon Crawford hit a two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning, leading the Giants over the Padres.
Crawford, one of just two Giants regulars in the starting lineup, was hitless in three at-bats until his broken-bat single to left off Dale Thayer (4-5) broke a 1-all tie.
Hunter Strickland (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his first decision in nine big league appearances. Santiago Casilla worked a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances.
METS 2, ASTROS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, rallying the New York Mets over Houston.
Held to two hits by four Houston pitchers through eight innings, the Mets came back against Tony Sipp (4-3). Eric Young Jr. tripled with one out and stayed there on Daniel Murphy’s flyout to shallow left field.
Duda followed with a line drive off the right-field foul screen for his 29th home run, and the first game-ending homer of his career.
Jenrry Mejia (6-6) pitched one inning for the win.
Jose Altuve, hitless in four at-bats for Houston, heads into Sunday with a chance to win the AL batting title. He leads the majors at .340.
Astros starter Samuel Deduno gave up one hit in four innings, striking out four and walking one. It was his first start since June 14 with Minnesota at Detroit.
New York’s Rafael Montero, starting in place of fellow rookie Jacob deGrom, escaped trouble several times in the early innings.
RAYS 2, INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Alex Colome and three relievers combined on a five-hitter as Tampa Bay blanked Cleveland.
Colome (2-0) allowed four hits in 6 1-3 innings. Jake McGee struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save.
The Indians, eliminated from playoff contention on Friday, got only two runners to second base. They committed two errors, raising their major league-leading total to 116.
Carlos Carrasco (8-7) allowed one earned run and four hits, and struck out 10 in 7 2-3 innings.
Indians All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley had his 200th hit of the season with a fourth-inning single.
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton each homered and Atlanta held on for a victory over Philadelphia.
Justin Upton also doubled for the Braves, who won for just the third time in 15 games and are 6-18 in a forgettable September.
Ryan Howard had three hits with a homer and two RBIs for Philadelphia.
Atlanta’s Aaron Harang (12-12) gave up two runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 6 2-3 innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched out of a jam in the ninth to earn his 46th save in 50 chances.
Justin Upton doubled and scored in the second and B.J. Upton put Atlanta in front 2-0 by leading off the third with his 12th homer.
It was third time this season the Upton brothers homered in the same game and the sixth time in two years.
A.J. Burnett (8-18) became the first Phillies pitcher to record 18 losses since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton went 13-20 in 1973.
BREWERS 2, CUBS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jonathan Lucroy set a major-league record for doubles in a season by a catcher, and Francisco Rodriguez moved into 10th place on baseball’s career saves list in Milwaukee’s win over the Chicago Cubs.
Wily Peralta (17-11) struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings, allowing five hits and one walk. Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 348th career save, and 44th this year, to move ahead of Randy Myers.
Rodriguez has converted all but five save opportunities in 69 games.
Lucroy’s double off Tsuyoshi Wada (4-4) in the fifth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and gave the All-Star his 46th double as a catcher, topping the 45 hit by Texas’ Ivan Rodriguez in 1996. Lucroy has 53 doubles this year, tying the Brewers’ franchise record. Seven were hit when he played first base.
Milwaukee (82-79) is assured of finishing the season with a winning record.