Agencies/New York

Anthony Rendon hit the first of Washington’s four homers off Felix Hernandez, and the Nationals showed off their power in an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday that snapped a three-game losing streak.
Rendon hit a solo shot in the first, and Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos also connected against Hernandez (13-5). It was the first time Hernandez had allowed four homers in a game.
“I don’t think it was necessarily what he did, it’s more what we did,’’ Desmond said. “We brought a good approach to the plate today and we were able to fight off some tough pitches. He was making good pitches down in the zone and we forced him to get the ball up and we were able to make him pay.’’
Werth’s two-run shot in the third gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead, and Desmond added his 22nd an inning later.
Hernandez lasted seven innings and was charged with five runs and 10 hits. He is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in his last three starts.
“I couldn’t get out of the middle of the plate the first four innings,’’ Hernandez said.
Bryce Harper and Ramos went deep in the eighth against Joe Beimel.
Jordan Zimmermann (10-5) struck out eight in six innings for Washington. He allowed two runs and seven hits while improving to 4-0 in six August starts.
Zimmermann gave up two runs in the first and threw 33 pitches. The long inning became a benefit as the fatigue helped him keep the ball down in the zone.
“I was a little strong the first, second inning. Fastball was up and I couldn’t get it down,’’ Zimmermann said. “Throwing that many pitches helped me a little bit.’’
Rendon jumped on a first-pitch fastball in the middle of the strike zone for his 18th homer. The homers for Desmond and Ramos against Hernandez also came on pitches up in the zone. Werth golfed a breaking ball out to deep left-center field.
“I think they were patient enough to get good pitches to hit,’’ Nationals manager Matt Williams said. ‘’When he’s successful he’s throwing the ball and it looks like it’s in the zone and it’s not. We got balls up in the strike zone today.’’
Seattle lost consecutive games for the first time in more than a month and fell a game behind Detroit in the race for the second wild card in the American League.
Elsewhere, Jered Weaver threw seven scoreless innings and Albert Pujols and Chris Iannetta hit home runs as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0  in a match between the top two teams in the American League West.
Oakland center fielder Coco Crisp nearly made the defensive play of the game, reaching above the wall and appearing to rob Chris Iannetta of a two-run homer in the fifth inning. He initially had the ball in his glove but lost it when he slammed into the wall and landed hard on his back.
Crisp left the game under his own power and was initially diagnosed with a strained neck.
Rookie right fielder Jorge Soler homered to tie the game in the seventh and then capped a four-run eighth inning with a tape-measure two-run blast as the Chicago Cubs beat the St Louis Cardinals 7-2.
Perennial All-Star catcher Yadier Molina, returning for the Cardinals after a 40-game absence due to torn right thumb ligaments, went 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning.
St. Louis (71-62), locked in a tight battle with Milwaukee in the National League Central, dropped its third straight game.
Pirates starter Edinson Volquez took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1.
Josh Harrison tripled in the tying run and scored the winning run in the eighth inning as the Pirates rallied for their sixth win in their last eight games.
Harrison, the third baseman, had three hits and finished a home run shy of the cycle.
Chris Davis hit his second grand slam of the season and Delmon Young added a two-run homer as the Baltimore Orioles crushed the Minnesota Twins 9-1.
Davis is batting just .189 but still hits home runs. This one proved to be the big hit in a five-run fourth inning that put Baltimore (77-56) up 5-0 over the Twins (59-75).
The American League East-leading Orioles have won four of their last five games and the Twins have dropped five of six.