Corey Kluber struck out 18 and allowed his only hit in the seventh inning, getting his first win this season in style, as the Cleveland Indians beat the St Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Wednesday.
The reigning AL Cy Young winner did not yield a hit until Jhonny Peralta grounded a clean single to center with two outs in the seventh. A small crowd of 12,313 on a crisp night at Progressive Field gave Kluber (1-5) a warm ovation and he finished the inning by striking out Jason Heyward.
Kluber’s 18 strikeouts tied the club record for a nine-inning game held by Hall of Famer Bob Feller (1938). It is also the most strikeouts by an AL pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1998.
Photo: USA Today
Kluber did not walk a batter and had a chance to break the major league mark of 20 strikeouts shared by Clemens and Kerry Wood, but he was pulled before the ninth after 113 pitches for closer Cody Allen, who got his fifth save.
ORIOLES 6, BLUE JAYS 1
In Baltimore, Maryland, Miguel Gonzalez scattered three singles and allowed just one unearned run while pitching into the eighth inning as Baltimore defeated Toronto.
Alejandro de Aza reached base four times for the Orioles on a single, double, hit by pitch and a walk. Rookie Rey Navarro got his first career home run with a solo shot to lead off the eighth.
Gonzalez (4-2) struck out five and walked two in 7-2/3 innings to improve to 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 12 career starts against Toronto. The Blue Jays’ only run came on a passed ball in the eighth.
The Orioles, who won for just the third time in nine games, held Toronto without an extra-base hit for the first time this season.
MARLINS 5, DODGERS 4
In Los Angeles, Dee Gordon had four hits against his former team and Giancarlo Stanton had a decisive two-run single in the seventh as the maligned Miami bullpen finished the win over Los Angeles.
Gordon, who was traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins in December last year, had two doubles, and scored twice for his first hits and runs against the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 2008.
The Marlins (16-19) rallied from a two-run deficit by stringing together five consecutive singles in the seventh, capped by Stanton’s hit that made it 5-4.
Relievers Sam Dyson, Bryan Morris, Mike Dunn and A.J. Ramos combined for 3-2/3 shutout innings after starter Jarred Cosart departed with a tight right hamstring. Ramos pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save since Steve Cishek lost his closer job.
RANGERS 5, ROYALS 2
In Arlington, Texas, Prince Fielder homered and had three hits, while Choo Shin-soo hit a leadoff home run for the second straight game as Texas beat Kansas City.
Choo pulled a 158kph fastball from Yordano Ventura into the right-field seats, while Fielder gave the Rangers a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer in the second inning.
Texas rookie Delino DeShields had three hits, including his first triple, and scored twice.
Yovani Gallardo (3-5) took a shutout into the seventh inning before allowing run-scoring doubles by Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez. Gallardo snapped a four-start losing streak that matched a career worst.
The first five Texas hitters reached against Ventura (2-3), who gave up at least four runs for the fourth time in five starts.
In other MLB action, it was:
‧ Rays 3, Yankees 2
‧ Angels 2, Rockies 1, 11 inns
‧ Cubs 2, Mets 1
‧ Astros 4, Giants 3
‧ Nationals 9, Diamondbacks 6
‧ Red Sox 2, Athletics 0
‧ Phillies 3, Pirates 2
‧ Reds 5, Braves 1
‧ Twins 6, Tigers 2
‧ Padres 4, Mariners 2
‧ White Sox 4, Brewers 2
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