ST. LOUIS -- Max Scherzer pitched seven strong innings to beat his hometown team for the first time, and the Washington Nationals completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-1 victory Sunday.
Clint Robinson and Danny Espinosa hit back-to-back home runs, providing the power for Washington on a day when NL MVP Bryce Harper struck out all four times up.
Scherzer (3-1), who grew up in suburban St. Louis, struck out nine and scattered four singles. He didn't allow a runner past first base, earning his first win in five career starts against the Cardinals.
By finishing the weekend sweep, the Nationals emphatically ended years of frustration at Busch Stadium. It was their first series win in St. Louis since May 2007. Washington improved to 17-7 overall, the best start in club history through 24 games.
Braves 4, Cubs 3 (10)
CHICAGO -- Daniel Castro singled and scored on Nick Markakis' sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the short-handed Atlanta Braves picked up a rare victory by beating the major league-leading Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday.
Jason Grilli pitched a scoreless 10th for his second save and the Braves won for just the sixth time in 24 games despite blowing a 3-0 after Julio Teheran threw seven scoreless innings.
Atlanta's morning transaction snafu -- Major League Baseball voided Emilio Bonifacio's promotion from the minors because he wasn't eligible for the 25-man roster -- left the Braves down a player.
Addison Russell's one-out single in the ninth off Arodys Vizcaino (1-0) tied it for the Cubs, who scored two in the eighth.
Hector Rondon (0-1) allowed two hits in the 10th as the Cubs' four-game winning streak was snapped.
Angels 9, Rangers 6
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Kole Calhoun got three hits and drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Angels avoided a series sweep, beating Texas 9-6 Sunday and ending the Rangers' four-game winning streak.
C.J. Cron added three hits for the Angels. Geovany Soto hit his third home run of the season and second of the series.
Greg Mahle (1-0) pitched one scoreless inning. The 23-year-old rookie picked up his first major league win.
Tom Wilhemsen (1-2) took the loss.
Royals 4, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Eric Hosmer homered, Ian Kennedy took a shutout into the sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals ended a long scoreless streak and a five-game skid with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
Lorenzo Cain had an RBI single and scored a run, Alex Escobar had three hits and also scored for the Royals, who had been shut out in the first two games of this series.
Kennedy gave up four hits and struck out six in five-plus innings. He loading the bases in the sixth on two singles and a walk. Danny Duffy got two quick outs before Chris Iannetta hit a run-scoring single. However, Jarrod Dyson easily threw out Robinson Cano at home trying to score a second run.
Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Taijuan Walker (2-1) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings for Seattle.
White Sox 7, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE -- Chris Sale took a shutout into the sixth inning, Brett Lawrie homered for the third straight day and the Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 Sunday for a split of the four-game series.
Jerry Sands had two RBIs for the White Sox, who took a control with a five-run fifth inning against Ubaldo Jimenez (1-3).
Off to the best start of his career, Sale (6-0) allowed one run, five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander is the first White Sox pitcher to win his first six starts in a season since Jon Garland went 8-0 in 2005.
Sale did not have a perfect inning, and the four walks were only one less than he totaled in his first five starts. But the Orioles didn't get a runner to third base until after he left.
Reds 6, Pirates 5 (11)
PITTSBURGH -- Scott Schebler hit an RBI double in the 11th inning and the Cincinnati Reds snapped a six-game losing streak, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Sunday.
The Pirates had won six in a row.
Eugenio Suarez led off the Reds 11th with a triple past diving left fielder Starling Marte and scored on Schebler's hit off Ryan Vogelsong (1-1).
Schebler had entered earlier in a double switch. In the ninth, he doubled home Adam Duvall for a 5-4 lead.
Blake Wood (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings, including a perfect 11th.
The Reds won for only the second time since being no-hit by the Cubs' Jake Arrieta on April 21.
Gregory Polanco and John Jaso homered for the Pirates. Pittsburgh committed a season-high four errors and misplayed other balls.
Phillies 2, Indians 1
PHILADELPHIA -- Vince Velasquez tossed two-hit ball over six innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cleveland Indians 2-1 Sunday for their sixth straight win.
Freddy Galvis had an RBI single a day after driving in three runs in a 4-3 win, helping the surprising Phillies win for the 15th time in 21 games since starting 0-4.
Velasquez (4-1) struck out six and pitched around trouble because of four walks. He lowered his ERA to 1.44. David Hernandez pitched two hitless innings and Hector Neris earned his first career save after giving up a solo homer to Carlos Santana with one out in the ninth. Closer Jeanmar Gomez wasn't available after pitching four of the previous five games.
Danny Salazar (2-2) gave up two runs, three hits and fanned eight in seven innings for Cleveland. Salazar hasn't allowed more than three hits in any of his five starts.
Astros 2, Athletics 1
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jose Altuve homered leading off a game for the fourth time this season -- one of just two hits by Houston -- and the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 2-1 Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Doug Fister (2-3) gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings to end his three-game losing streak. Fister walked one, struck out five and pitched out of a pair of early jams to win in his first start at the Coliseum in nearly two years.
Altuve hit his seventh home run of the season on a 1-1 pitch from starter Rich Hill after going hitless in the first two games of this series between AL West rivals.
Jason Castro singled and scored on Colby Rasmus' sacrifice fly in the third for Houston, which finished 2-4 on its road trip.
Marcus Semien drove in Oakland's run with a single in the seventh.
Giants 6, Mets 1
NEW YORK -- Madison Bumgarner pitched through rain to extend his Citi Field scoreless streak to 18 innings, Hunter Pence homered and drove in three runs, and the San Francisco Giants ran at will against Noah Syndergaard in a 6-1 victory Sunday that stopped the New York Mets' eight-game winning streak.
Bumgarner (3-2) gave up six hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked three. He is 4-0 with a 0.62 ERA at Citi Field and has the longest shutout streak by an opposing pitcher in the ballpark's eight-season history.
With a fastball mostly at 91 mph, down 2 mph from early last season, he let runners reach in each of the first three innings but pitched out of trouble. After Yoenis Cespedes' third-inning double put runners at second and third, Bumgarner retired Neil Walker on an inning-ending popup.
Dodgers 1, Padres 0
LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw pitched a three-hitter, struck out 14 and also singled home the game's only run, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres 1-0 on Sunday.
Kershaw (3-1) ended the Dodgers' six-game losing streak by pitching his 13th shutout and 22nd complete game in 248 career starts.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner walked none and retired the first 14 batters.
Kershaw also hit an RBI single in the third off Drew Pomeranz (2-2). Pomeranz gave up three hits in seven innings.
Kershaw is 6-0 with an 0.98 ERA in his last nine starts against the Padres. The lefty threw seven innings of one-hit ball at San Diego on opening day in a 15-0 victory.
Tigers 6, Twins 5
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homer and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.
Saltalamacchia's drive to left field off reliever Ryan Pressly (1-2) allowed Justin Upton to score from first. Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar could've had a play at the plate, but he bobbled the ball on the relay throw.
Mark Lowe (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh for the win. Justin Wilson worked a scoreless eighth and Francisco Rodriguez converted his seventh save in eight opportunities.
Detroit swept the three-game series and extended its longest winning streak of the season after losing five of its previous six.
Blue Jays 5, Rays 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, -- Marcus Stroman allowed one run in eight innings on his 25th birthday, Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run homer during a four-run ninth and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Sunday.
The Blue Jays took two of three to win just their fourth series in the last 27 trips to Tropicana Field.
Stroman (4-0) scattered three hits, walked two and struck out nine. The Blue Jays' opening day starter is 8-0 in 10 starts since returning from knee surgery last year.
Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 3
PHOENIX -- Nolan Arenado hit his major league-leading 11th home run and Gerardo Parra also connected as the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-3 Sunday for a three-game sweep.
The Rockies swept a series in Phoenix for the first time since 2004. Colorado has won five of six from Arizona this season.
Arenado hit a two-run shot into the bullpen in left field in the sixth off reliever Randall Delgado. Parra hit a solo drive with two outs in the fifth.
Brewers 14 Marlins 5
MILWAUKEE -- Chris Carter went 3 for 5 with two homers and three RBIs to lead Milwaukee's season-high 18-hit barrage, and the Brewers beat Miami 14-5 on Sunday to snap the Marlins' seven-game winning streak.
Jonathan Villar also went 3 for 5, with two doubles and two runs scores for the Brewers, who ended a four-game losing streak in a game that saw the teams combine for 34 hits.
The Brewers chased starter Tom Koehler (2-3) during a seven-run third inning highlighted by Carter's two-run, opposite-field shot to right-center.
The cleanup hitter hit a solo homer down the left-field line an inning later.
Sports on 05/02/2016