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Scott Kazmir continues to make hay while the sun shines, the left-hander enjoying another dominant daytime performance by striking out nine and allowing the San Francisco Giants just three hits over seven innings to help the Oakland Athletics win the annual Bay Bridge series by beating the San Francisco Giants 6-1 on Thursday. |
Kazmir (11-3) ran his record to 5-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.93 in seven early starts this season. The A’s backed Kazmir with a powerful offensive assault, bombing Giants right-hander Tim Hudson (7-6) for six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
“I felt good from pitch one,’’ Kazmir said. ‘’I felt comfortable. I was able to get some quick outs and use all of my pitches.’’
First baseman Stephen Vogt drove in three runs with two singles and third baseman Josh Donaldson belted a two-run homer for the A’s, who won the Bay Bridge series 3-1.
Elsewhere, Asdrubal Cabrera’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a four-run Cleveland seventh inning, and Roberto Perez and Carlos Santana each hit two-run home runs to highlight a five-run eighth, as the Indians rallied past the New York Yankees 9-3.
Trailing 3-0 into the seventh shortstop Cabrera, who came into the game hitting .179 with runners in scoring position and .167 with the bases loaded, tripled into the right-field corner, scoring all three runners to tie the game.
Third baseman Luis Valbuena’s triple drove in the go-ahead runs in the 12th inning, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Cubs second baseman Arismendy Alcantara went 4-for-5 with a double and triple, his first career hits, and three RBIs. With two outs in the 12th, Valbuena tripled off Skip Schumaker’s glove in right field, driving in two runs.
The Milwaukee Brewers fell apart late and were forced to swallow a stunning 9-1 loss to the lowly Philadelphia Phillies.
With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth Jimmy Rollins put the Phillies ahead with a two-run single to left, starting a blitz.
When third baseman Cody Asche produced a ground-rule double to right, it was 5-1 and the inning ended 7-1 to the Phillies.
Ryan Howard picked up his second hit of the day with a two-run homer in the ninth, his 15th home run of the year, to ice the late surge.
Pinch hitter Mike Carp delivered the game-winning hit in the 10th inning, leading the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Chicago’s Conor Gillaspie tied the game at 3-3 with a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning off All-Star closer Koji Uehara.
But Carp’s single to left in the 10th plated Daniel Nava for the win, one of just three hits for Boston en route to their third win in 10 games.
Steve Pearce homered and Wei-Yin Chen got his team-leading ninth win as the Baltimore Orioles topped the Washington Nationals 4-3.
Pearce, the Orioles’ left fielder, went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and got his 11th home run of the season. Chen (9-3) allowed four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings for Baltimore (50-41).
Nationals (49-41) catcher Wilson Ramos extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games, currently the longest in the majors, while right fielder Jayson Werth homered and designated hitter Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and an RBI.
Aaron Harang allowed one run over seven innings, and Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward each had RBI hits in the first inning as the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 3-1.