Starlin Castro hit a third-inning grand slam off Josh Tomlin that gave the Yankees a six-run lead, while Mark Teixeira had two hits after tearfully announcing his retirement as New York defeated Cleveland 13-7 on Friday night.
Jacoby Ellsbury had a four-hit game, and Michael Pineda (6-10) won for the third time in four outings following a six-start winless streak, allowing four runs and six hits in six-plus innings.
New York’s Gary Sanchez made his first league start behind the plate and threw out Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli trying to steal second base in the first two innings.
Photo: AFP
The rookie, called up from the minors on Wednesday, doubled in the fifth for his first big league RBI and walked with the bases loaded in the sixth.
The Yankees had 16 hits, including at least one by every starter, as the Indians failed to retire New York in order in any inning. Cleveland lost for the fourth time in five games, and their AL Central lead over second-place Detroit was cut to two games
Slowed by injuries, Teixeira said he will retire after this season at age 36. He doubled in the first inning and legged out a single in the third on a ball stopped by Kipnis, the second baseman, in short right field.
At .202, Teixeira’s average reached .200 for the first time since before play on May 20.
Tomlin (11-4) allowed a season-high seven earned runs and nine hits in 4-2/3 innings and is 3-3 in 10 outings since an 8-1 start.
CUBS 7, ATHLETICS 2
In Oakland, California, Jorge Soler hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat following a two-month absence, while Jon Lester pitched seven innings as the Chicago Cubs beat the Oakland Athletics.
Dexter Fowler also homered, and Javier Baez added a two-run double to help Chicago win their fifth straight. The Cubs also improved to a major league-best 67-41.
Lester pitched for the A’s over the final two months of the 2014 season. He returned to the Coliseum for the first time since then and faced a distinctly different Oakland team than the one he left.
Lester (12-4) had eight strikeouts, allowed two runs and nine hits while winning for the third time in his last four starts. Dillon Overton (1-3) gave up seven runs in three innings.
NATIONALS 5, GIANTS 1
In Washington, Gio Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, while Trea Turner and Wilson Ramos homered as Washington beat San Francisco in a matchup of first-place teams.
Washington jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Jeff Samardzija (9-8), and Gonzalez made it stand. Coming off a 3-1 loss in San Francisco on Sunday, Gonzalez (7-9) struck out seven, walked one and had five three-up, three-down innings. The two hits he allowed were a solo homer by Angel Pagan in the fourth and a single by Denard Span in the sixth.
Sammy Solis gave up two hits in the eighth and Mark Melancon got three straight outs to complete the four-hitter. It was the fourth straight win for the NL East-leading Nationals.
The Giants remained atop the NL West, though their lead is dwindling. Since the All-Star break, San Francisco are 5-14 and have allowed 32 home runs. Samardzija gave up five runs in seven innings and is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA in his four starts since the break.
In other MLB action, it was:
‧ Red Sox 9, Dodgers 0
‧ Tigers 4, Mets 3
‧ Cardinals 1, Braves 0
‧ Orioles 7, White Sox 5
‧ Blue Jays 4, Royals 3
‧ Twins 6, Rays 2
‧ Marlins 5, Rockies 3
‧ Mariners 6, Angels 4
‧ Astros 5, Rangers 0
‧ Pirates 3, Reds 2
‧ Diamondbacks 3, Brewers 2
‧ Phillies 5, Padres 4
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