NATIONAL LEAGUE
Homer Bailey threw his second no-hitter in 10 months and the first in the majors this season, pitching the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
Bailey (5-6) became the third Reds pitcher with more than one no-hitter, joining Jim Maloney and Johnny Vander Meer — still the only big leaguer to toss two in a row. Bailey beat the Pirates 1-0 in Pittsburgh in Sept. 28 last year and got another 17 starts later.
Photo: Reuters
The last pitcher to throw one no-hitter and then another before anyone else in the majors accomplished the feat was Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, according to STATS. Baseball’s career strikeout king did it for the California Angels on Sept. 28, 1974, against Minnesota, and June 1, 1975, against Baltimore.
Bailey walked Gregor Blanco leading off the seventh, the only Giants batter to reach base. First baseman Joey Votto alertly threw out Blanco as he tried to advance from second to third on a soft one-hopper that otherwise could have become an infield single for Buster Posey.
With 27,509 fans on their feet chanting “Homer, homer,” Bailey finished it off in the ninth.
He jumped to glove Brandon Crawford’s high comebacker, struck out Tony Abreu and retired Blanco on a grounder to third baseman Todd Frazier.
DODGERS 8, ROCKIES 0
In Denver, Colorado, Clayton Kershaw tossed a four-hitter for his second shutout of the season and rookie sensation Yasiel Puig had three more hits, including a solo homer, to lead the Dodgers to a win over the Rockies.
The 22-year-old Puig also added a double and a single to raise his average to .443 this season.
Kershaw (7-5) kept the Rockies off balance all night, even top hitter Michael Cuddyer, who had his franchise-record 27-game hitting streak halted after going hitless in four plate appearances. Cuddyer flied out to Puig in right to end the game.
The hard-throwing Kershaw had eight strikeouts and walked none. He only allowed one runner to get to second all evening.
Roy Oswalt (0-3) was roughed up in his first start at Coors Field this season. He allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings.
PHILLIES 3, PIRATES 1
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jonathan Pettibone pitched neatly into the sixth inning, and the Phillies snapped the Pirates’ nine-game winning streak.
Phillies slugger Ryan Howard ended an 0-for-22 slump — 12 strikeouts — with an RBI single in a three-run sixth to open the scoring. Howard and Michael Young each had two hits for Philadelphia, which scored all of its runs against Pirates rookie spot starter Brandon Cumpton (0-1).
Pettibone (4-3) won for the first time since May 14 — a span of nine starts — by limiting Pittsburgh’s offense to Garrett Jones’ homer in the sixth. In 5-2/3 innings, Pettibone gave up three hits.
BREWERS 4, NATIONALS 0
In Washington, Stephen Strasburg had hitters flailing at curveballs for seven scoreless innings, getting all eight of his strikeouts with the same pitch in a magnificent outing that was wasted when the Brewers scored off the Nationals bullpen.
Strasburg put on a gem of performance that dropped his ERA to 2.24 and nearly overshadowed the game’s actual outcome. Once again, the Nationals’ bats abandoned him, and Juan Francisco’s two-run double in the eighth started a scoring spree off Drew Storen (2-2) as the Brewers snapped a six-game losing streak.
Martin Maldonado knocked in Francisco with a warning track fly ball that left fielder Bryce Harper dropped — it was nevertheless ruled a double — and scored on Jeff Bianchi’s groundball single that got through the infield only because Maldonado was trying to steal third with an absurd jump off Storen.
The earned runs were the first allowed by Storen in 10 appearances, and they made Jim Henderson (3-2) the winning pitcher. Brewers starter Wily Peralta had his own shutout in the making until he left during the sixth inning with a strained left hamstring.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Braves 11, Marlins 3
‧ Mets 9, Diamondbacks 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, Chicago
In Chicago, Adam Dunn and Conor Gillaspie homered, John Danks pitched into the eighth inning and Chicago snapped Baltimore’s four-game winning streak.
The White Sox ended a five-game skid and avoided falling a season-high 16 games below .500.
Danks (2-5) earned his first win since June 8 against Oakland, pitching seven-plus innings and allowing two runs and six hits while striking out four. Following that win against the Athletics, Danks had been winless in three starts while allowing 13 earned runs.
Addison Reed pitched a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save in 26 attempts. Jason Hammel (7-5) pitched seven innings and gave up five runs and nine hits for the Orioles.
YANKEES 7, TWINS 3
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Robinson Cano homered for the third straight game and Phil Hughes gave up one run on six hits in seven innings, lifting New York over Minnesota.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Mariners 9, Rangers 2
‧ Rays 8, Astros 0
‧ Indians 6, Royals 5
In interleague play, it was:
‧ Athletics 8, Cubs 7
‧ Angels 5, Cardinals 1
‧ Red Sox 4, Padres 1
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