NATIONAL LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, LOS ANGELES
Blake DeWitt hit his first home run of the season and recorded a career-high five RBIs to lead a slugfest for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 12-4 rout of the St Louis Cardinals on Monday.
The diminutive second baseman began with an RBI single in the fourth inning, where the Dodgers scored four times, before he smacked a line drive over the right-field fence in the fifth as the home team added four more runs.
“It felt good to get the monkey off my back,” DeWitt told reporters of his first homer. Up and down the lineup we strung together good at-bats and made their pitchers work. It was a good night.”
The big margin was a rare blowout for Los Angeles (34-24), who had triumphed by just one run in each of its last seven victories.
“That’s what happens during the season ... sometimes you catch a game where things go right for you,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “We had a couple key innings. The back-to-back four-run innings were big for us.”
Los Angeles rookie pitcher Carlos Monasterios improved to 3-0 after tossing six innings and allowing three runs.
Ryan Ludwick hit two solo home runs for the Cardinals (33-25), who gave Blake Hawksworth his first career Major League start, though he allowed six runs over four innings and was replaced.
St Louis trailed just 2-1 before the Dodgers began the onslaught in the fourth, stringing together consecutive hits to move runners along.
Reliever P.J. Walters came on in the fifth for the Cardinals and allowed the last six runs.
Los Angeles finished the game with 14 hits and won for the seventh time in nine contests.
PADRES 3, PHILLIES 1
In Philadelphia, Adrian Gonzalez’s first of two solo homers broke up Cole Hamels’ bid for a no-hitter with one out in the seventh and Wade LeBlanc pitched seven impressive innings as the San Diego Padres beat the struggling Philadelphia Phillies.
Hamels (5-5) gave up three hits and two runs in eight innings.
LeBlanc (3-4) allowed four hits and walked one.
Gonzalez lined an opposite-field shot into the flowerbed just over the left-field wall to snap a scoreless tie. Scott Hairston connected three pitches later for a 2-0 lead.
GIANTS 6, REDS 5
In Cincinnati, Juan Uribe drove in four runs with two singles to provide San Francisco’s lead in a back-and-forth game against Cincinnati.
Uribe had a two-run single in the third and another in the seventh, when the Giants rallied against reliever Daniel Ray Herrera (0-3) for their ninth win in their last 13 games.
Jay Bruce had three hits off Barry Zito. Sergio Romo (2-3) got the victory in relief. Brian Wilson recovered from a blown save in his last outing, pitching a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.
CUBS 6, PIRATES 1
In Pittsburgh, Carlos Silva allowed one run over seven innings, and Ryan Theriot scored four times as Chicago downed Pittsburgh.
Silva gave up four hits, struck out five and walked one in his first start against Pittsburgh since 2003.
ROCKIES 5, ASTROS 1
In Denver, Jason Hammel pitched seven-plus crisp innings and Clint Barmes had a two-run double as Colorado downed Houston.
Hammel (3-3) scattered six hits and struck out three. He was lifted in the eighth after issuing a one-out walk to Michael Bourn and giving up a single to Jeff Keppinger.
Joe Beimel came in to face Lance Berkman, who hit into an inning-ending double play.
Miguel Olivo had an RBI triple for the Rockies and Todd Helton added a sacrifice fly.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, ARLINGTON, TEXAS
Cliff Lee allowed just seven hits in a complete game to help the Seattle Mariners end a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Lee (4-2), who struck out seven and walked none, didn’t allow a run until Josh Hamilton’s one-out RBI single in the ninth, when Michael Young and Ian Kinsler had consecutive singles to start the inning. Another run came home on a fielder’s choice.
Michael Saunders hit a three-run homer for Seattle and Rob Johnson had an RBI single off Scott Feldman (3-6).
RED SOX 4, INDIANS 1
In Cleveland, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched eight shutout innings to lead Boston past Cleveland.
Matsuzaka (5-2) gave up four hits and was never threatened by Cleveland’s punchless lineup.
Marco Scutaro hit three doubles and scored twice as the Red Sox improved to 9-2 on the road since May 18.
Boston made the most of its five hits off Fausto Carmona (4-5) in six innings.
ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 2
In Oakland, Bobby Abreu hit a two-run homer and Scott Kazmir won for the third time in four starts as Los Angeles beat Oakland for its season-best sixth straight victory.
Erick Aybar added an RBI triple as the Angels improved to 8-1 since Kendry Morales broke his leg jumping on home plate in a celebration following his game-ending grand slam against Seattle on May 29.
Abreu’s first-inning drive gave Los Angeles a quick lead and the Angels built on it from there.
Howie Kendrick singled in a run as the Angels won their sixth straight in Oakland.
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