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Nick Markakis had an RBI double and saved a run with a home run-robbing catch for the Orioles in a 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. |
“That was a great play. He had a big part in the game tonight,” said Nate McLouth, who had an RBI double for the Orioles. “As far as right fielders, he’s about as good as they come. He can swing the bat a little, too.”
Matt Wieters homered and Wei-Yin Chen (5-3) pitched into the seventh inning as the Orioles gave Buck Showalter his 250th victory since being hired by the team in July 2010.
Showalter joined Joe Torre, Gene Mauch and Dick Williams as the only major league managers to win 250 games with at least four different teams. Showalter won more than 250 games with the New York Yankees (1992-95), Arizona (1998-2000) and Texas (2003-06), where he was replaced by current Rangers manager Ron Washington.
“You had to mention four different teams. Count the losses, I probably have as many of them,” Showalter said. “Been fortunate to have good players. Tonight was a good example of that.”
Elsewhere, pitcher Felix Doubront, who hasn’t lost since June 8, won his third straight start combining with three relievers on a five-hitter that carried the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the depleted New York Yankees.
Doubront, 7-3 with a 1.56 ERA over his last six starts, had a no-hitter through four innings and left with one out in the seventh after throwing 95 pitches on a steamy night.
Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara finished up as the Red Sox snapped a two-game losing streak and handed the Yankees, making their first 2013 visit to Fenway, their third straight loss.
Andre Ethier led off the top of the ninth inning with a homer against Washington closer Rafael Soriano to break a 2-2 tie and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Nationals 3-2.
Ethier, hitless in his previous eight at-bats, smashed a breaking ball low and inside on a 1-2 count just over the wall in right field for his sixth homer of the year.
The Dodgers (48-47) have now won seven of their last nine games and the Nationals (48-48) have dropped six of their last eight.
Ryan Roberts singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and left-hander David Price pitched seven innings as the Tampa Bay Rays came from behind to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5.
Desmond Jennings followed Roberts’ single with a double against right-handed reliever Steve Delabar to add an extra run in the eighth as Price (4-5) picked up his third win in four starts since returning from the disabled list.
Brandon Phillips’ bases-loaded double drove home three runs during a four-run fifth inning and Chris Heisey added a home run in the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh before a sold-out crowd of 40,831.
Reds starter Mike Leake (9-4) picked up the victory despite allowing solo homers to Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Russell Martin, all in the sixth inning.
The Philadelphia Phillies batted around twice in the first three innings to take an 11-run lead and then hung on for a 13-8 win over the New York Mets in front of a crowd of 35,021.
The top eight batters in the Phillies lineup all had at least one hit and five players had at least two hits while Domonic Brown and Delmon Young had three hits each.
Brown, Michael Young and Chase Utley each homered for the Phillies (49-48), who moved over .500 for only the second time this season.
Ervin Santana and two Kansas City relievers combined on a two-hitter as the Royals shut out the Detroit Tigers 1-0.
Santana gave up two singles and walked one in 7 1/3 innings to pick up the victory. The Royals snapped a five-game losing streak.
Jake Westbrook did it all Friday night. The veteran pitcher worked 6 1/3 effective innings while going 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI as St Louis dumped slumping San Diego 9-6 at Busch Stadium.
Westbrook (6-4) scattered eight hits, walked three and struck out one before departing after Everth Cabrera’s two-run single broke up his shutout bid in the top of the seventh inning.
The Cardinals extended their National League Central lead over Pittsburgh to two games.
Juan Francisco and Carlos Gomez homered and Kyle Lohse threw six scoreless innings as the Milwaukee Brewers claimed a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Lohse (6-7) won for the third time in his last four decisions, scattering five hits with five strikeouts. Over his last 10 starts, Lohse is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
An injury-plagued Atlanta Braves received a big lift from catcher Brian McCann who launched a three-run home run off Chicago White Sox starter John Danks in the sixth inning, to make the difference in a 6-4 win.
Chicago rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it interesting, but the Braves bullpen preserved the lead and closer Craig Kimbrel picking up his 27th save by working a scoreless ninth.