CINCINNATI – New York’s Alex Rodriguez keyed a four-run first inning that set up the Yankees’ 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Monday’s interleague play in Major League Baseball.
New York rookie pitcher Ivan Nova (7-4) won his third straight start, allowing just one run and no walks over eight innings, taming the National League’s most prolific offense.
The Reds got a couple of runs in the ninth before Mariano Rivera closed it out for his 18th save in 21 chances, and the Yankees moved a season-best 13 games above .500.
New York started fast against Reds left-hander Travis Wood (5-5), who made an unexpected start. Originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday, he was moved up a day when Johnny Cueto showed up with a stiff neck.
| Rays 8, Brewers 4 |
In Milwaukee, Jeff Niemann tossed six scoreless innings in his return from an injury, steering Tampa Bay to victory over Milwaukee in their first visit to Miller Park.
Niemann (2-4) had spent the last 45 days on the disabled list with a lower back strain, but looked comfortable while using his big curveball to neutralize the Brewers.
Tampa Bay gave Niemann an early run against Chris Narveson (4-5) and tacked on seven more late, including four in the seventh and Evan Longoria’s three-run shot in the eighth.
The Brewers fell a half-game out of first place in the NL Central, trailing the idle Cardinals, while the Rays have won four straight.
| Braves 2, Blue Jays 0 |
In Atlanta, Tim Hudson pitched scoreless ball into the ninth inning and hit his second career home run, leading Atlanta over Toronto.
Hudson (6-6) allowed one walk and struck out a season-high eight, including the 1,600th of his career. He connected off Ricky Romero (6-7) for a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh.
Hudson retired 20 straight batters before a walk and single in the ninth. Craig Kimbrel relieved and struck out three to earn his 20th save in 25 chances.
| Rockies 8, Indians 7 |
In Cleveland, Jason Giambi’s gigantic three-run homer in Colorado’s six-run fifth inning inflicted Cleveland’s first defeat in seven interleague games this season.
Giambi’s 440-foot shot – his 422nd career homer – off Fausto Carmona (4-9) helped the Rockies win for the fifth time in six games and get back to .500 for the first time in two months. The 40-year-old Giambi will get more at-bats with the Rockies on the road in AL ballparks for the next five games.
Matt Lindstrom (2-1), the second of five Rockies relievers, got the win. Huston Street worked the ninth for his NL-leading 21st save in 23 chances.
The Indians collected 12 hits in their first game with new batting coach Bruce Fields, who replaced Jon Nunnally, who was fired on Saturday.
| Red Sox 14, Padres 5 |
In Boston, Adrian Gonzalez drove in three runs in a 10-run seventh inning against his former team as hot-hitting Boston rolled past struggling San Diego.
Gonzalez boosted his major league-leading RBI total to 67 since the Padres, unable to give him a lucrative contract, traded him to the Red Sox in the offseason for three top prospects. He went 3 for 5 to increase his batting average to .353, also the best in the majors.
Tied 3-3 going into the seventh, Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run with a double. After the second out, the Red Sox scored nine more runs.
San Diego, which began the day with a major league-low .232 average, has dropped a season-high six straight games. Cory Luebke (1-2) got the loss.
Matt Albers (2-3) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the AL East-leading Red Sox, who won for the 14th time in 16 games to remain 1½ ahead of the New York Yankees.
| Orioles 8, Pirates 3 |
In Pittsburgh, Nick Markakis had three hits to help Baltimore down Pittsburgh.
Orioles starter Jake Arrieta (9-4) moved into a tie for the American League lead in wins, giving up three runs over five innings and even adding his first major league hit. He is the first Orioles pitcher in 18 years to reach nine wins by June 20.
The Orioles average 6.5 runs per game when Arrieta starts. They needed just two innings to top that mark against struggling Pirates starter Charlie Morton (7-4) while handing Pittsburgh its fourth straight loss.
Morton gave up seven runs in two innings. His ERA in June is 8.50.
| Angels 2, Marlins 1 |
In Miami, Florida went down to its 11th straight loss, beaten by Los Angeles despite the appointment of 80-year-old former championship manager Jack McKeon as interim boss.
The change in leadership failed to inspire a reversal by the Marlins, who are 1-19 in June. The losing streak is their longest since 1998, when they lost 108 games. Florida also matched another franchise record by losing an 11th straight one-run game.
Angels starter Jered Weaver (9-4) equaled the lead for wins in the majors and pitched seven innings, allowing one run to lower his ERA to 2.01.
Marlins reliever Steve Cishek (0-1) took the loss in a game whose start was delayed almost two hours by rain.
| Rangers 8, Astros 3 |
In Arlington, Texas, Adrian Beltre had a pair of RBI singles among his three hits which helped Texas defeat state rival Houston.
Josh Hamilton hit a two-run triple off the wall as the AL West leaders scored in each of the first three innings, quickly settling back in at home after a stretch of playing 17 of 20 games on the road.
Texas starter Derek Holland (6-2) pitched into the eighth to win at Rangers Ballpark for the first time in nearly two months. He allowed six hits over 7 1-3 innings.
Houston starter J.A. Happ (3-9) lost his fifth straight decision. He gave up seven runs over 2 2-3 innings — his shortest outing of the season.
| Cubs 6, White Sox 3 |
In Chicago, Carlos Zambrano kept his cool this time after a tough first inning and steered the Cubs to victory in the all-Chicago clash.
Zambrano (6-4), who had a meltdown nearly a year ago at the home of the White Sox, recovered from a shaky three-run first and went eight innings.
Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and Starlin Castro drove in three runs for the Cubs.
The first matchup of six this season between the crosstown rivals with losing records drew a crowd of 36,005 to U.S. Cellular Field. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was ejected in the sixth inning after apparently arguing that a ball hit near the plate should have been ruled foul.
White Sox starter Gavin Floyd (6-7) gave up six runs in five-plus innings.