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Monday, May 2, 2016

Salem Red Sox acquire INF Jordan Betts

"The Line Drive" Staff Report
Jordan Betts
The Salem Red Sox acquired INF Jordan Betts from the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.

In 13 games with Portland this season, Betts had one home run, two doubles and seven hits in 46 at bats. He had a batting average of .152, and 48 plate appearances.

To make room for Betts on their roster, Salem transferred INF Mitchell Gunsolus transferred to Low-A Greenville.

The Salem Red Sox are a Class-A Advanced affiliate of the MLB's Boston Red Sox.

Giants recall OF Mac Williamson

"The Line Drive" Staff Report

Mac Williamson
The San Francisco Giants on Monday recalled OF Mac Williamson from the Triple-A Sacramento River Cat.

Williamson, 25, was hitting .355 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games with the River Cats this season.

To make room for Williamson on their 25-man roster, the Giants optioned RHP Steven Okert to Sacramento.

MLB Capsules (May 2, 2016)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - 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), who 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.

RED SOX 8, YANKEES 7

BOSTON (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster to break a seventh-inning tie, sending Boston to a three-game sweep of rival New York.

Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts each had three hits and Travis Shaw homered for the Red Sox, who have won seven of eight to move into first place in the AL East.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the third time in four games and added a two-run double for the Yankees, who have lost a season-high five in a row.

David Price (4-0) won despite allowing six runs and eight hits in seven innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

Vazquez connected on the first pitch from Dellin Betances for his first homer this year and the second of his major league career. Ivan Nova (1-1) took the loss.

GIANTS 6, METS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — 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 to stop 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.

One start after allowing five steals against Cincinnati, Syndergaard (2-1) gave up three more, and the stolen bases got him into trouble. Runners have swiped 12 bases in 13 attempts against Syndergaard this year, the most in the majors, according to STATS.

WHITE SOX 7, ORIOLES 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — 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 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). Lawrie went 3 for 3 with two walks and his fourth home run. He went 6 for 14 in the series, along with assembling the first three-game homer streak of his career.

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.

ROCKIES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 3

PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit his major league-leading 11th home run and Gerardo Parra also connected as the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 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.

Chad Bettis (3-1) got the win after allowing three runs on nine hits in six innings. Jake McGee worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Shelby Miller (0-3) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks. Brandon Drury hit his fourth home run in five days and had three hits for Arizona.

BREWERS 14, MARLINS 5

MILWAUKEE (AP) — 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 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.

Wily Peralta (2-3) labored through five-plus innings, allowing 13 hits and five runs, but still won his second straight start.

NATIONALS 6, CARDINALS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — 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.

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. It was Washington's first series win in St. Louis since May 2007, and the Nationals improved to 17-7 overall, the best start in club history through 24 games.

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.

Carlos Martinez (4-1) needed only 63 pitches to get through his first five innings, but was charged with four runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

BLUE JAYS 5, RAYS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — 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.

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.

Pinch-hitter Darwin Barney doubled and Michael Saunders walked to open the ninth against Xavier Cedeno (2-1). Alex Colome entered and walked Josh Donaldson before striking out Jose Bautista. After Edwin Encarnacion hit a tiebreaking RBI grounder, Tulowitzki made it 5-1 on his fifth homer. Tulowitzki had been hitless in his previous 10 at-bats in the series.

REDS 6, PIRATES 5, 11 INNINGS

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Scott Schebler hit an RBI double in the 11th inning and the Cincinnati Reds snapped a six-game skid that also ended the Pittsburgh Pirates' six-game winning streak.

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 for the Reds, who 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, who committed a season-high four errors and misplayed other balls.

PHILLIES 2, INDIANS 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vince Velasquez tossed two-hit ball over six innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cleveland Indians 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) was the hard-luck loser for Cleveland. He gave up two runs, three hits and fanned eight in seven innings.

ASTROS 2, ATHLETICS 1

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — 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 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 (3-3) after going hitless in the first two games of this series between AL West rivals. Tony Sipp, Will Harris and Luke Gregerson completed the eight-hitter for Houston. Gregerson pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

TIGERS 6, TWINS 5

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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 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.

BRAVES 4, CUBS 3, 10 INNINGS

CHICAGO (AP) — 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.

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.

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 (AP) — Kole Calhoun got three hits and drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Angels avoided a series sweep, beating Texas and ending the Rangers' four-game winning streak.

Shane Robinson got two hits, scored three times and drove in a run after being called up from the minors by the Angels earlier in the day. C.J. Cron added three hits for Los Angeles. 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 (AP) — 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 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Kennedy (3-2) gave up four hits and struck out six in five-plus innings. He loaded the bases in the sixth on two singles and a walk. Danny Duffy struck out Dae-Ho Lee and Kyle Seager 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 in eight chances.

Taijuan Walker (2-1) pitched five innings, his shortest outing this season, and allowed a season-high three runs and seven hits for Seattle.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Reds place RHP Raisel Iglesias on 15-Day DL

"The Line Drive" Staff Report

The Cincinnati Reds on Sunday placed RHP Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to 4/24 with a right shoulder impingement.

In five games with the Reds this season, Iglesias has a 1-1 record with a 3.49 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched.

In a corresponding move, the Reds selected the contract of RHP Tim Adleman from Triple-A Louisville.

The Reds also transfered catcher Kyle Skipworth to 60-day disabled list due to his recovery from surgery on his right ankle.

White Sox reinstate RHP David Robertson

"The Line Drive" Staff Report

The Chicago White Sox on Sunday reinstated RHP David Robertson from the team's Bereavement List.

Robertson has a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched in 10 games with the White Sox this season.

In a corresponding move, the White Sox optiond RHP Tommy Kahnle to Triple-A Charlotte.

Braves select contract of INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio

"The Line Drive" Staff Report
Emilio Bonifacio
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves on Sunday selected the contract of INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio.

In 16 games with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Bonifacio has 22 hits, three doubles and six RBIs in 66 at bats with a .333 batting average.

In a corresponding move, the Braves optioned RHP Chris Winthrow to Gwinnett.

In 10 games with the Braves this season, Winthrow has a 3.86 ERA in seven innings pitched. He has thrown 0.1 innings with Gwinnett this season.

MLB Capsules (May 1, 2016)

NEW YORK (AP) Michael Conforto and Wilmer Flores homered and the New York Mets won their eighth in a row, building an early lead for Jacob deGrom and holding off the San Francisco Giants 6-5 Saturday.

The crowd of 44,466 was the largest for a regular-season game at Citi Field since the park opened in 2009, with a lot of fans attracted by the Noah Syndergaard Garden Gnome giveaway.

San Francisco loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning and trimmed it to 6-5 with a pair of long sacrifice flies caught just in front of the outfield fence.

Jeurys Familia closed for his eighth save in as many chances.

Conforto tied a Mets record by hitting a double in his sixth straight game. He also singled and drove in three runs.


DeGrom (3-0) overcame his first four walks of the season, pitching two-hit ball for six innings.

NATIONALS 6, CARDINALS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Jayson Werth's three-run homer capped a four-run first inning and Joe Ross had another stingy outing for Washington in a victory over St. Louis.

Ross (3-0) allowed one run in six innings, raising his ERA to 0.79. He has given up only two runs in 22 2/3 innings and bounced back nicely after skipping a turn because of a blister on his middle finger.

Werth added an RBI single in the eighth. Washington goes for a sweep Sunday after raising its record to 8-24 at 11-year-old Busch Stadium.

Daniel Murphy had an RBI single off Jaime Garcia (1-2) in the first.

TIGERS 4, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jordan Zimmermann won his fifth straight start since signing with Detroit, and Justin Upton hit a three-run homer in the first inning to help the Tigers top Minnesota.

Zimmermann (5-0) gave up one run with no walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings. His ERA actually rose to 0.55 as he became the first Tigers pitcher to win five games in April since Frank Tanana in 1988, according to STATS.

Victor Martinez doubled twice for the Tigers, who have won five of six. Francisco Rodriguez earned his sixth save.

The Twins lost their third straight and fell to 7-17 overall. Tyler Duffey (0-1) gave up just one earned run in 6 1/3 innings.

ATHLETICS 2, ASTROS 0

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Jesse Hahn pitched into the seventh inning in his return to the majors and combined with two relievers on a four-hitter as Oakland held off Houston.

The Astros loaded the bases in the ninth before Ryan Madson got Evan Gattis to ground into a game-ending double play for his eighth save, completing Oakland's first shutout this season.

Billy Burns drove in the only runs with a two-out single in the second.

Hahn (1-0) was called up from Triple-A Nashville before the game and pitched as well as he did for most of 2015 before missing the final three months with a right forearm strain that also delayed his debut in spring training this year.

Chris Devenski (0-1) went five innings in his first major league start.

RAYS 4, BLUE JAYS 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Curt Casali drove in the winning run with a single in the ninth inning and Tampa Bay beat Toronto.

Brad Miller led off the ninth with a pinch-hit single off Brett Cecil (0-5). Miller beat first baseman Justin Smoak to the bag after a grounder. Kevin Kiermaier followed with a double before Casali's hit, the first game-ending hit of his career.

Logan Forsythe tied it for the Rays with a home run in the seventh after Kevin Pillar's first homer of the season gave Toronto a 3-2 lead. Forsythe went 3 for 3 and walked. Evan Longoria also homered for the Rays, and Xavier Cadeno (2-0) got the win.

Jose Bautista's two-run homer off Chris Archer gave Toronto the lead in the third. That was the only hit Archer allowed in six innings.

RED SOX 8, YANKEES 0

BOSTON (AP) - Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts had three RBIs apiece, David Ortiz homered again and Boston blanked New York.

The Red Sox will look to sweep the three-game series Sunday night when David Price pitches for Boston in his first regular-season taste of the longtime rivalry.

Rick Porcello (5-0) gave up five hits in seven innings to tie for the major league lead in wins. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his 13 starts since coming off the disabled list last August, the longest active streak in the majors.

The Yankees managed five hits. Michael Pineda (1-3) allowed two runs in five innings.

New York has lost four straight and 12 of 16. In their last four losses the Yankees have been outscored 25-5.

PIRATES 5, REDS 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Francisco Liriano won for the first time since opening day and John Jaso hit a leadoff homer as Pittsburgh won its sixth straight and handed Cincinnati its sixth consecutive loss.

Liriano (2-1) allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings for his first win since April 3 against St. Louis. The left-hander held the Reds to five hits and struck out six while walking none.

Jaso hit the first pitch from Alfredo Simon (0-3) for his first home run of the season and his fifth career leadoff homer. Sean Rodriguez added a two-run homer in the eighth.

Simon lowered his ERA to 13.50 from 16.39 by allowing three runs in four-plus innings. Francisco Cervelli's RBI single in the fifth snapped a 1-all tie.

Mark Melancon got one out for his seventh save. Cincinnati has scored just 10 runs during its losing streak.

WHITE SOX 8, ORIOLES 7

BALTIMORE (AP) - Jose Abreu hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning off reliever Vance Worley, lifting Chicago over Baltimore.

After Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer off Darren O'Day in the eighth to give the White Sox a 7-5 lead, Chris Davis tied it in the bottom half with a two-run double off Zach Duke. Those runs were charged to Matt Albers, ending his streak of 30 consecutive scoreless appearances.

Adam Eaton and Carlos Sanchez reached base with two outs in the ninth against Zach Britton (1-1).

Nate Jones (2-0) got four outs for the win.

Pedro Alvarez had three hits, including a homer, off Chicago starter Mat Latos, who is 5-0. Latos allowed four runs and a career-high 11 hits over five innings.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura was ejected in the third.

PHILLIES 4, INDIANS 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Freddy Galvis homered and hit the go-ahead single to lead Philadelphia past Cleveland for its fifth straight victory.

The surprising Phillies (14-10) have won eight of nine and are four games over .500 for the first time since they finished the 2011 season 102-60.

Jeanmar Gomez had Phillies fans on edge in the ninth before he earned his eighth save. With runners on second and third, Jason Kipnis lined one to right that forced Peter Bourjos to leap and snag the ball for the final out.

Phillies reliever Colton Murray retired Juan Uribe on a deep fly to end the eighth that left runners stranded on second and third.

Galvis' bloop single off Tommy Hunter (0-1) gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Andrew Bailey (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

MARLINS 7, BREWERS 5

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Adeiny Hechavarria had four hits, including one of four solo home runs that helped streaking Miami beat Milwaukee.

Giancarlo Stanton, Derek Dietrich and Marcell Ozuna also homered as the Marlins won their seventh consecutive game. It is their longest winning streak since a seven-game run in early May 2012. The Marlins are 12-11, the first time they've been over .500 since they were 64-63 on Aug. 22, 2014.

Wei-Yin Chen (2-1) allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings one night after the team took a combined no-hitter into the ninth. David Phelps got three outs for his first save.

Brewers starter Chase Anderson (1-3) had his third consecutive subpar outing. Milwaukee has lost four straight and seven of eight.

RANGERS 7, ANGELS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Rougned Odor matched a Rangers record with three doubles, Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer and Texas benefited from another replay challenge in a victory over Los Angeles.

Odor's second double was part of the Rangers' six-run third inning. The play was initially ruled a foul ball, but manager Jeff Banister challenged the call. After a delay of about 3 1/2 minutes, the replay showed the ball kicked up a small bit of chalk and Odor was awarded a double.

Nomar Mazara followed with a sacrifice fly off Matt Shoemaker (1-4) before the next six Rangers had hits, including Moreland's third homer for a 7-0 lead.

Derek Holland (3-1) pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits. The Angels were scoreless until Albert Pujols homered in the ninth.

Texas has won four straight since a four-game skid.

ROCKIES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 2

PHOENIX (AP) - Trevor Story's two-run triple in the top of the ninth inning broke a tie, and Colorado beat Arizona.

Story, who homered in the four previous meetings between the teams this season, also doubled and drove in three runs for the Rockies, who have won four of five in Arizona this year.

Carlos Gonzalez had three of the Rockies' 13 hits. Nolan Arenado drove in a third run in the ninth, all off closer Brad Ziegler (1-1).

Chad Qualls (2-0) worked a scoreless inning and Jake McGee pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke allowed two runs in seven innings. He struck out eight. Brandon Drury hit a two-run homer in the sixth, ending an 18-inning scoreless drought for Arizona.