San Francisco answered right back after Yunel Escobar hit the game’s first pitch for a home run, as Ryan Vogelsong settled in to win for the first time in more than seven weeks and the Giants beat the Washington Nationals 3-1.
Matt Duffy and Buster Posey hit RBI singles in the bottom of the first against Stephen Strasburg (6-6) for the defending champions to kick off a key four-game series in a rematch of last fall’s NL division series won in four games by the Giants.
Vogelsong (8-8) allowed one run on three hits, struck out eight and walked four over five innings for his first victory in five starts since June 24 as San Francisco won for just the second time in seven games.
Photo: AFP
Both teams sit in second place in their respective divisions looking to make a move over the final eight weeks.
Santiago Casilla finished for his 28th save.
REDS 10, DODGERS 3
Photo: AFP
In Los Angeles, Billy Hamilton had a career-high four hits, including a solo homer, to help the Cincinnati Reds defeat former teammate Mat Latos and NL West-leading Los Angeles for just their third victory in nine games.
Hamilton went four for four with four runs scored and two RBIs for the Reds, who piled up 15 hits while never trailing against a team coming off consecutive shutout victories.
Rookie Keyvius Sampson (2-1) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one in winning his second straight.
Photo: AFP
Latos (4-9) gave up five runs and seven hits in 4-2/3 innings.
Brandon Phillips went two for five, drove in three runs and scored a run on a night when Joey Votto went one for four and drew his major league-leading 32nd walk for the Reds.
RANGERS 6, TWINS 5
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mitch Moreland drove in four runs on a career-high four hits, including a two-run homer to help the Texas Rangers avoid a sweep at Minnesota and rally past the Twins.
Elvis Andrus hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning against Casey Fien (2-5) after Adrian Beltre and Moreland started the frame with singles.
Twins starter Ervin Santana squandered a 4-0 lead, thanks to the towering two-run shot by Moreland in the fourth and a two-run, go-ahead double by the first baseman in the fifth.
Keone Kela (6-5) got four outs for the victory after relieving Chi Chi Gonzalez. Shawn Tolleson pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 22 tries.
PIRATES 10, CARDINALS 5
In St Louis, Missouri, Pedro Alvarez homered in a seven-run first inning and Pittsburgh broke an eight-game losing streak at Busch Stadium, beating St Louis.
The Pirates moved within six games of the first-place Cardinals in the NL Central with their 12th victory in 18 games.
St Louis, who won the first two in the series, have won the last seven sets between the teams at Busch Stadium.
Alvarez had three hits as the Pirates held on. The Cardinals closed their seven-run deficit to 7-5 in the seventh.
Francisco Liriano (8-6) pitched six innings.
Lance Lynn (9-7) got just two outs in the shortest of his 119 career starts.
CUBS 9, BREWERS 2
In Chicago, Kyle Schwarber hit two homers and drove in four runs and Jon Lester won his fourth straight decision as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers for their seventh victory in a row.
Schwarber, Dexter Fowler and Anthony Rizzo each homered in the fifth inning as Chicago won for the 13th time in 14 games. The Chicago Cubs’ winning streak is their longest since 2011.
The Cubs, holding the lead for the second NL wild-card spot, completed their first undefeated homestand of at least seven games since 2008.
Lester (8-8) struck out 10 in six innings. He gave up two runs and seven hits.
Tyler Cravy (0-4) allowed four runs and four hits in 4-1/3 innings.
ANGELS 7, ROYALS 6
In Kansas City, Missouri, C.J. Cron and Kole Calhoun each drove in a pair of runs in the ninth inning, rallying Los Angeles past Kansas City and their stout bullpen for a victory and an end to the Angels’ seven-game skid against the Royals.
Kansas City had built a 5-1 advantage heading to the eighth, but All-Star reliever Wade Davis coughed up two runs in his first appearance since Aug. 6, when a stiff back put him on the shelf.
Greg Holland (3-1) entered in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, a walk and threw a wild pitch. Cron followed with a pinch-hit double to tie the game, and after Johnny Giavotella singled, Calhoun added his go-ahead double into the right-field corner.
Jose Alvarez (3-3) tossed 1-2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
METS 12, ROCKIES 3
In New York, Curtis Granderson and Kelly Johnson each homered and drove in three runs, powering the New York Mets to a rout of the Colorado Rockies that completed a four-game sweep on Thursday.
Noah Syndergaard (7-6) recovered nicely from a rocky start — he allowed first-inning homers by DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado — for his latest win at Citi Field, where the Mets have won 10 straight against Colorado. With their seventh consecutive home win and 11th in 13 games overall, the NL East leaders (63-52) moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since June 27, 2010.
Johnson also doubled twice, including a two-out hit that broke a tie in the third inning. Granderson connected for his 20th homer in the fourth, a two-run shot off rookie Eddie Butler (3-10).
Pinch-hitter Juan Lagares capped the offensive outburst, launching a three-run drive off reliever Tommy Kahnle in the eighth.
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