Justin Verlander on Monday tamed the Yankees again, slowing down the highest-scoring team in the majors and pitching the Houston Astros past New York 5-1.
Verlander exited in the seventh inning with a major league-best 1.11 ERA.
J.D. Davis hit an early three-run homer and Jose Altuve had a solo drive, helping Houston win for the sixth time in eight games.
Photo: AP
Davis hit his first homer of the season, connecting in the second off Domingo German.
Closer Ken Giles, tagged on Sunday as the Astros blew a five-run lead in the ninth at Cleveland, pitched the final inning and worked around a leadoff single.
Facing the only club in baseball that has not been shut out this season, Verlander (7-2) blanked the Yankees until Greg Bird hit a leadoff home run in the seventh.
NATIONALS 6, ORIOLES 0
In Baltimore, Maryland, Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer to back a sharp pitching performance by Gio Gonzalez as surging Washington beat Baltimore.
Gonzalez (6-2) allowed six hits over 7-2/3 innings to end a six-game losing streak against Baltimore. The left-hander won his first start against the Orioles in 2009 before coming up empty in his next nine outings.
Shawn Kelley got four outs to complete the fifth shutout against the Orioles this season.
Matt Adams and Michael Taylor both had two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who have won four straight and 13 of 18.
Although National League home run leader Bryce Harper went hitless, his leaping catch against the right-field wall in the fifth inning robbed Andrew Susac of a potential extra-base hit.
Making his ninth start with Baltimore since signing as a free agent in March, Alex Cobb (1-7) was undone by a horrific, 42-pitch third inning that featured Rendon’s sixth home run.
INDIANS 9, WHITE SOX 6
In Cleveland, Ohio, Edwin Encarnacion homered and had four RBIs as Cleveland took advantage of Chicago’s leaky defense to score five times in the fifth inning.
Encarnacion tied the game in the fifth with a three-run bloop double. Yonder Alonso’s double drove in the go-ahead run later in the inning and Encarnacion hit a leadoff homer in the seventh.
Cleveland trailed 5-2 going into the fifth, but errors by catcher Alfredo Gonzalez, shortstop Tim Anderson and second baseman Yoan Moncada made three of the runs unearned.
Adam Plutko (3-0) allowed five runs in five innings and has won all three of his starts this season. Tyler Olson, Evan Marshall and Neil Ramirez combined to pitch three shutout innings.
Ben Taylor allowed a run in the ninth.
In other results, it was:
‧ Mariners 2, Rangers 1
‧ Braves 4, Mets 3
‧ Brewers 8, Cardinals 3
‧ Cubs 7, Pirates 0
‧ Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 3
‧ Diamondbacks 12, Reds 5
‧ Tigers 9, Angels 3
‧ Rays 1, Athletics 0, 13 Innings
‧ Marlins 7, Padres 2
‧ Rockies 6, Giants 5, 10 Innings
‧ Dodgers 5, Phillies 4
‧ Twins 8, Royals 5
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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