Here’s a rundown of all of the MLB action on the final Friday before the All-Star break:
Around the Bases: Astros rookie flirts with no-hitter in MLB debut, more
Baltimore’s Chris Davis hit his 35th home run of the year and Stephen Strasburg had a bad day for the Nats in Miami.
J. Meric
Astros 2, Rays 1: Rookie pitcher Jarred Cosart took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his big-league debut before Ben Zobrist ruined all of the fun with a one-out single
Cosart tossed eight scoreless innings and allowed just two hits. As a reward for his terrific work, Cosart was demoted to Triple-A directly after the game.
Pirates 3, Mets 2: Jordy Mercer hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning to allow the Pirates to keep pace with St. Louis in the NL Central. Before Mercer's big hit, the Pirates hadn't scored since the first inning, when Pedro Alvarez launched his 24th home run of the season, a two-run shot off of Jeremy Hefner.
Yankees 2, Twins 0: Hiroki Kuroda worked around a 73-minute rain delay to produce five shutout innings while racking up five strikeouts. Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano drove in the only runs of the game on RBI singles in the fifth inning.
Tigers 7, Rangers 2: Detroit scored five runs in the first inning and added two more in the second to give Doug Fister plenty of support. Fister returned the favor by providing six innings of two-run ball. Jhonny Peralta had two hits and drove in two runs to pace the Tigers' offense, which pounded out 11 hits.
Cardinals 3, Cubs 2: St. Louis ensured it would retain sole possession of the top spot in the NL Central with a solid combined pitching performance against the Cubs. Cardinals pitchers allowed just five total hits and racked up nine strikeouts. All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Starlin Castro homered for the Cubs in the loss.
Indians 3, Royals 0: Corey Kluber and a pair of relievers teamed up to shut out the Royals. The Indians scored their trio of runs in the seventh inning after the first five batters reached base successfully. Michael Bourn's double plated two of the Indians' runs.
Orioles 8, Blue Jays 5: Chris Davis hit his 35th home run -- and the All-Star break is still two games away. Only three batters -- Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Reggie Jackson, according to the AP -- have had more homers before the break. Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy both hit three-home runs to bolster the O's.
Marlins 8, Nationals 3: Washington scored three runs in the top of the first to get off on the the right foot. Then Stephen Strasburg gave them all back, getting chased after two innings and eight runs allowed. Strasburg allowed career highs in runs (seven) and walks (four). Giancarlo Stanton homered for Miami.
Reds 4, Braves 2: Bronson Arroyo pitched seven innings of one-run ball for Cincinnati. Meanwhile, his offense put up three runs in the first. The Braves lost not one, but two Upton brothers to injuries. Brian McCann homered for Atlanta.
Diamondbacks 2, Brewers 1: Neither of Arizona's runs off Tom Gorzelanny were earned, but they still count on the scoreboard and in the standings. Patrick Corbin improved to 11-1 on the year for the D-backs and struck out 10.
Mariners 8, Angels 3: Seven innings of shutout ball by Joe Saunders against his former team were enough to lift Seattle. Raul Ibanez hit two home runs, his 23rd and 24th on the year, and drove in three runs to provide the offense. Ibanez now has the fourth-most homers in a season for a 41-year-old player, five behind Ted Williams' record of 29 set in 1960, according to the AP.
Red Sox 4, Athletics 2: Boston's Dustin Pedroia broke up a 2-2 tie with a two-run single in the eighth inning for the go-ahead runs. Andrew Bailey and Koji Uehara pitched scoreless innings in relief to help the Red Sox hold on. Jed Lowrie homered for the A's.
Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: Juan Nicasio allowed just three hits and no runs in seven innings to snap the Dodgers' five-game winning streak. DJ LeMahieu scored a run and drove in another for Colorado.The Dodgers, meanwhile, pulled Yasiel Puig in the fourth inning for precautionary reasons and were without the services of Carl Crawford.
Giants 10, Padres 1: San Diego scored first. San Francisco scored the next 10 runs to run away with it, and only need four extra-base hits, all doubles, to do it. Chad Gaudin and three relievers pitched in the win. Brandon Crawford and Marco Scutaro each had three hits for the Giants.
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