(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- Bryce Harper wasn't interested in a pitchers' duel between future All-Star teammates.
Clouting two-run homers in his first two at-bats against St. Louis Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez, the Nationals right fielder gave his team four quick runs and essentially decided Washington's 7-2 win Sunday night at Busch Stadium.
Both homers were off changeups. Harper ripped a 1-2 offering 393 feet into the bleachers in right with Brian Goodwin aboard in the first, then lined an 0-2 pitch at approximately shin level 392 feet to right-center for his 20th homer of the year with Michael A. Taylor aboard in the third.
It was the 13th multi-homer game in Harper's career. He could have had a third had he achieved a bit more elevation on a 110 mph liner off his bat that started the ninth. The ball instead hit off center fielder Tommy Pham's glove on the warning track, and Harper settled for a double.
"Martinez is really good," Harper said. "He's an All-Star. You put the bat on the ball and hope he'll supply a bit of the power, and we were able to do it."
While Washington roughed up Martinez (6-7) for seven hits and five runs over five innings, St. Louis didn't come close to cracking the code on potential National League All-Star starting pitcher Max Scherzer.
In seven scoreless innings, Scherzer (10-5) allowed only two hits, singles by Greg Garcia in the first and pinch hitter Luke Voit in the fifth. Scherzer walked two and fanned 12, giving him 163 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings.
Voit's hit was just the 25th by a right-handed batter off Scherzer this year. Scherzer has essentially turned righties into pitchers at the plate, as their average against him is .118.
"Guys like he and (Clayton) Kershaw," said Nationals manager Dusty Baker, referring to the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace left-hander, "this is what they're supposed to do. They're paid handsomely to do it, and they take pride in doing it. They know the team depends on them."
The Nationals (48-34) had lost three in a row entering this one, but it was clear Scherzer wasn't going to let that become four straight. He fanned five of the first six batters he faced and got to 10 before the fifth inning ended.
It was Scherzer's 10th double-figure strikeout game of the year and the 59th of his career.
"This is the majors; you've got to be up every single night," he said when asked if being a stopper gave him extra motivation. "Your job is to go out and pitch deep into the game."
After scoring just one run in each of the series' first two games, the Nationals backed up Baker's words that their offense would erupt before leaving town. Anthony Rendon added an RBI double in the third inning, and Wilmer Difo and Goodwin supplied sacrifice flies in the eighth.
Pham lined a two-run homer to right-center in the eighth for the Cardinals, who saw a four-game winning streak end and lost for only the second time in eight games.
Martinez, who walked four and whiffed three, failed to log a quality start for just the fifth time in 17 outings.
"Every type of pitch I would throw, they (made) excellent contact," he said through an interpreter. "So I have to give credit to them for that."
Washington maintained a 7 1/2-game lead in the NL East on the Atlanta Braves. St. Louis (39-42) remains in third place in the NL Central, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.
NOTES: Washington 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Daniel Murphy and RF Bryce Harper were chosen starters for the NL All-Star team, which also will include RHPs Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. C Yadier Molina and RHP Carlos Martinez will represent the Cardinals. ... St. Louis made a pair of minor league trades Sunday based around international cap space. The Cardinals acquired INFs Stanley Espinal and Imeldo Diaz from Boston for cap considerations, then got OF Lane Thomas from Toronto for cap space. ... A ninth-inning run Saturday night allowed the Nationals to remain the only National League team not to be shut out this year. ... The Cardinals signed fourth-round draft pick Kramer Robertson, a shortstop from LSU. Robertson scored a Division I-high 83 runs for the Tigers, who reached the championship round of the College World Series before being bounced by Florida.
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Monday, July 3, 2017
Paxton, Cano lead Mariners past Angels
(TSX / STATS) -- ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Seattle Mariners' 5-3 win on Sunday over the Los Angeles Angels was a perfect game in several respects.
For starters, left-hander James Paxton had a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings and had Angels hitters killing worms with a succession of ground-ball outs. And to end it, Edwin Diaz retired all four batters he faced for his 13th save of the season.
In between, the Mariners got a terrific defensive play by center fielder Guillermo Heredia, the sixth home run by Robinson Cano in his last nine games, four hits and two RBIs from Jean Segura, and big outs from relievers Steve Cishek and Mark Rzepczynski between Paxton and Diaz.
"We really had a lot of big plays today," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It's a great day when you can look at the game and see how well we played as a team."
Paxton (6-3) allowed two hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings, pitching the way he did in April when he had a 23-inning scoreless streak and didn't allow a run in four of five starts.
"I don't think I had my best, but it was good enough," Paxton said. "I was able to get some ground balls and use my changeup at good times."
Paxton was aware of the perfect game but not thinking about it. "There was a lot of game left at that point," he said.
That was no understatement. Leading 2-0, Paxton tired in the seventh, walking two and giving up a run-scoring single to Yunel Escobar. He exited for Cishek, who got Andrelton Simmons to hit his first pitch for a double-play comebacker to end the threat.
In the eighth, Segura singled and Ben Gamel walked to put two on for Cano, who slugged a slider from reliever Keynan Middleton off the foul pole in right field for his 17th homer of the season.
The Angels rallied against Nick Vincent in bottom of the eighth, greeting him with four straight singles by Martin Maldonado, Luis Valbuena, pinch-hitter Nick Franklin and Ben Revere, making it 5-2 with the bases loaded and no outs.
That's when Heredia stepped up. Cameron Maybin slugged a line drive to dead center that was over Heredia's head, but the second-year import from Cuba reached over his head to make the catch with his back to the infield, turning a potential game-tying extra-base hit into an out.
"He really has a feel for the wall," Servais said. "It was a great play that turned the game around."
Segura said, "The guy is unbelievable. You don't see many center fielders making plays like that, having to jump in front of the wall. He made it look easy."
The Angels' Jesse Chavez (5-9) took the loss after giving up two runs and four hits in five innings.
"He kept us in the game but made a lot of pitches," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
"Keynan tried to hit the corner against Cano but left it out over the plate. We competed and they made a lot of big plays."
A run scored on Maybin's fly, but reliever Marc Rzepczynski got Kole Calhoun to pop out, and Diaz retired Albert Pujols on a groundout to end the rally.
Diaz worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
Paxton has been aces against the Angels with a 4-2 record and 2.04 ERA in his nine career starts, allowing three runs or less in each game.
The Mariners scored runs in the third and fifth innings with the same combination of hitters.
A walk, single by Boog Powell and an RBI single by Segura gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the third. Powell, just recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, singled with one out in the fifth and scored from first on Segura's line-drive double to the wall in left center.
NOTES: CF Mike Trout won't travel with the Angels to Minnesota for their three-game series, but he will work out with the club's Class A Inland Empire farm team on Monday and Tuesday. He will be re-evaluated after Tuesday's workout and could make a rehab start with Inland Empire and possibly be activated for the Angels' last series before the All-Star break on July 7-9 at Texas. ... Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker is expected to make a start before the All-Star break. He threw a bullpen workout Saturday and reported no pain in his strained forearm. ... Mariners DH Nelson Cruz was not in the lineup after injuring his right knee sliding into second base early in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Angels. Cruz ranks second in the American League in RBIs (59) but has gone 22 games without hitting a home run, the last coming June 4. ... The Mariners recalled OF Boog Powell from Triple-A Tacoma and sent RHP Max Povse back to Tacoma. Powell had two hits.
For starters, left-hander James Paxton had a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings and had Angels hitters killing worms with a succession of ground-ball outs. And to end it, Edwin Diaz retired all four batters he faced for his 13th save of the season.
In between, the Mariners got a terrific defensive play by center fielder Guillermo Heredia, the sixth home run by Robinson Cano in his last nine games, four hits and two RBIs from Jean Segura, and big outs from relievers Steve Cishek and Mark Rzepczynski between Paxton and Diaz.
"We really had a lot of big plays today," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It's a great day when you can look at the game and see how well we played as a team."
Paxton (6-3) allowed two hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings, pitching the way he did in April when he had a 23-inning scoreless streak and didn't allow a run in four of five starts.
"I don't think I had my best, but it was good enough," Paxton said. "I was able to get some ground balls and use my changeup at good times."
Paxton was aware of the perfect game but not thinking about it. "There was a lot of game left at that point," he said.
That was no understatement. Leading 2-0, Paxton tired in the seventh, walking two and giving up a run-scoring single to Yunel Escobar. He exited for Cishek, who got Andrelton Simmons to hit his first pitch for a double-play comebacker to end the threat.
In the eighth, Segura singled and Ben Gamel walked to put two on for Cano, who slugged a slider from reliever Keynan Middleton off the foul pole in right field for his 17th homer of the season.
The Angels rallied against Nick Vincent in bottom of the eighth, greeting him with four straight singles by Martin Maldonado, Luis Valbuena, pinch-hitter Nick Franklin and Ben Revere, making it 5-2 with the bases loaded and no outs.
That's when Heredia stepped up. Cameron Maybin slugged a line drive to dead center that was over Heredia's head, but the second-year import from Cuba reached over his head to make the catch with his back to the infield, turning a potential game-tying extra-base hit into an out.
"He really has a feel for the wall," Servais said. "It was a great play that turned the game around."
Segura said, "The guy is unbelievable. You don't see many center fielders making plays like that, having to jump in front of the wall. He made it look easy."
The Angels' Jesse Chavez (5-9) took the loss after giving up two runs and four hits in five innings.
"He kept us in the game but made a lot of pitches," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
"Keynan tried to hit the corner against Cano but left it out over the plate. We competed and they made a lot of big plays."
A run scored on Maybin's fly, but reliever Marc Rzepczynski got Kole Calhoun to pop out, and Diaz retired Albert Pujols on a groundout to end the rally.
Diaz worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
Paxton has been aces against the Angels with a 4-2 record and 2.04 ERA in his nine career starts, allowing three runs or less in each game.
The Mariners scored runs in the third and fifth innings with the same combination of hitters.
A walk, single by Boog Powell and an RBI single by Segura gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the third. Powell, just recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, singled with one out in the fifth and scored from first on Segura's line-drive double to the wall in left center.
NOTES: CF Mike Trout won't travel with the Angels to Minnesota for their three-game series, but he will work out with the club's Class A Inland Empire farm team on Monday and Tuesday. He will be re-evaluated after Tuesday's workout and could make a rehab start with Inland Empire and possibly be activated for the Angels' last series before the All-Star break on July 7-9 at Texas. ... Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker is expected to make a start before the All-Star break. He threw a bullpen workout Saturday and reported no pain in his strained forearm. ... Mariners DH Nelson Cruz was not in the lineup after injuring his right knee sliding into second base early in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Angels. Cruz ranks second in the American League in RBIs (59) but has gone 22 games without hitting a home run, the last coming June 4. ... The Mariners recalled OF Boog Powell from Triple-A Tacoma and sent RHP Max Povse back to Tacoma. Powell had two hits.
Padres avoid sweep against Dodgers
(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- Jhoulys Chacin knew the Sunday game was going to be a battle against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"What was it, they'd won 20 of the last 23 ... after the first two games against us,," the San Diego Padres right-hander said. "I was pumped up to win this one. I wanted this one. I wanted to shut the door."
And shut the door Chacin did at Petco Park, holding the Dodgers scoreless through five tough innings before turning a five-run lead over to the bullpen. The Dodgers rallied late, but the Padres held on to win 5-3.
Manuel Margot and Jose Pirela each drove in a pair of runs with two hits, and Hunter Renfroe went 4-for-4 as the Padres snapped the Dodgers' six-game winning streak against San Diego. The win was only the Padres' second in nine tries against the current National League West leaders.
"Chacin worked hard for this one," Padres manager Andy Green said after the Padres concluded a 5-4 homestand. "He pitched five hard-fought innings. He was always pitching in danger."
It wasn't necessarily pretty.
Nine Dodgers reached base against Chacin via four hits, three walks and two hit batters. The Dodgers stranded nine over his five innings, with six of those abandoned in scoring position. Chacin (7-7) used 107 pitches to dodge trouble.
"I grinded," said Chacin. "They are a very good hitting team. I just wanted to keep the door shut."
The Dodgers didn't score after getting their first two batters on in the second.
They didn't score after loading the bases in the third.
They didn't score after putting runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth.
It probably didn't hurt that Chacin was pitching at home. He has a 4.52 ERA in 17 starts, but he is 5-2 at in nine starts at Petco Park, and he lowered his home ERA to 1.68 -- the second-best mark in the National League.
Meanwhile, the Padres were scoring five runs on eight hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings off right-handed starter Kenta Maeda (6-4), who faces an uncertain future according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The Padres hadn't led the Dodgers in 32 innings before Margot homered with one out in the bottom of the first. The rookie center fielder drove a full-count pitch 402 feet to center.
San Diego then added three runs in the second and one in the fourth off Maeda.
"Today, Kenta just wasn't sharp," Roberts said. "The fastball, there were moments where it was good. But the breaking ball, the slider, the curveball, he just left some pitches up. I think today was just one of those things that he wasn't sharp.
"We wanted to see that attack mode we talked about, pitching with a purpose and going hard from the first pitch. I don't know if he didn't feel comfortable out there mechanically, physically. But it just wasn't what we've seen in his last outings.
"Right now, we don't know exactly when we're going to next slot him in. I think it's kind of contingent on a couple other guys."
Maeda said, "It's disappointing, and even though I didn't have my stuff, I couldn't battle back. The result didn't really look too good today. I'm hoping I'll get back on the right track.
"As you know, I started off on a pretty bad note, and I think I was able to get back on the groove a little bit, so I think it's really important that I have a pretty strong finish at the end. My last few outings I've been able to attack the zone pretty well. I'm going to try to get back to that."
The Padres' second-inning rally started with Erick Aybar getting hit by a Maeda pitch. Carlos Asuaje followed with a single, and rookie catcher Luis Torrens drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up Chacin with none out.
The pitcher grounded the ball toward second. The Dodgers turned it into a double play, but Aybar scored to make it 2-0. Pirela and Margot then lined back-to-back, RBI doubles to the gap in left-center to make it 4-0.
Torrens opened the fifth with an opposite-field single to right, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Pirela's second straight, two-out, run-scoring hit to make it 5-0.
The Dodgers struck for two against the Padres bullpen in the sixth. Yasiel Puig singled with one out against rookie right-hander Phil Maton and moved to second on a walk drawn by pinch hitter Logan Forsythe. Left-hander Ryan Buchter replaced Maton and struck out pinch hitter Enrique Hernandez before Corey Seager delivered a two-run double.
Los Angeles then pulled to within two in the seventh on Yasmani Grandal's 11th homer of the season, a 374-foot shot to left off Buchter.
Left-handed reliever Brad Hand, the Padres' lone representative on the National League All-Star team, struck out two in a perfect eighth to lower his ERA to 2.47. And Brandon Maurer closed the door in the ninth to pick up his 16th save -- and 11th straight successful conversion.
NOTES: The Padres recalled RHP Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso and returned Saturday night's starter, LHP Dillon Overton, to the Chihuahuas. ... Dodgers manager Dave Roberts returned Sunday after serving a one-game suspension Saturday night for his role in Friday night's dust-up between the Dodgers and Padres. "I have to find my manners," he said. ... Dodgers RHP Brandon McCarthy, who has been on the disabled list since June 26 with right knee tendinitis, will throw four innings in a simulated game Monday at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. ... LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu will have his next Dodgers start pushed back after taking a line drive off his foot in his most recent outing. ... Padres manager Andy Green said he hopes to have 2B Yangervis Solarte (left oblique strain) back shortly after the All-Star break.
"What was it, they'd won 20 of the last 23 ... after the first two games against us,," the San Diego Padres right-hander said. "I was pumped up to win this one. I wanted this one. I wanted to shut the door."
And shut the door Chacin did at Petco Park, holding the Dodgers scoreless through five tough innings before turning a five-run lead over to the bullpen. The Dodgers rallied late, but the Padres held on to win 5-3.
Manuel Margot and Jose Pirela each drove in a pair of runs with two hits, and Hunter Renfroe went 4-for-4 as the Padres snapped the Dodgers' six-game winning streak against San Diego. The win was only the Padres' second in nine tries against the current National League West leaders.
"Chacin worked hard for this one," Padres manager Andy Green said after the Padres concluded a 5-4 homestand. "He pitched five hard-fought innings. He was always pitching in danger."
It wasn't necessarily pretty.
Nine Dodgers reached base against Chacin via four hits, three walks and two hit batters. The Dodgers stranded nine over his five innings, with six of those abandoned in scoring position. Chacin (7-7) used 107 pitches to dodge trouble.
"I grinded," said Chacin. "They are a very good hitting team. I just wanted to keep the door shut."
The Dodgers didn't score after getting their first two batters on in the second.
They didn't score after loading the bases in the third.
They didn't score after putting runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth.
It probably didn't hurt that Chacin was pitching at home. He has a 4.52 ERA in 17 starts, but he is 5-2 at in nine starts at Petco Park, and he lowered his home ERA to 1.68 -- the second-best mark in the National League.
Meanwhile, the Padres were scoring five runs on eight hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings off right-handed starter Kenta Maeda (6-4), who faces an uncertain future according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The Padres hadn't led the Dodgers in 32 innings before Margot homered with one out in the bottom of the first. The rookie center fielder drove a full-count pitch 402 feet to center.
San Diego then added three runs in the second and one in the fourth off Maeda.
"Today, Kenta just wasn't sharp," Roberts said. "The fastball, there were moments where it was good. But the breaking ball, the slider, the curveball, he just left some pitches up. I think today was just one of those things that he wasn't sharp.
"We wanted to see that attack mode we talked about, pitching with a purpose and going hard from the first pitch. I don't know if he didn't feel comfortable out there mechanically, physically. But it just wasn't what we've seen in his last outings.
"Right now, we don't know exactly when we're going to next slot him in. I think it's kind of contingent on a couple other guys."
Maeda said, "It's disappointing, and even though I didn't have my stuff, I couldn't battle back. The result didn't really look too good today. I'm hoping I'll get back on the right track.
"As you know, I started off on a pretty bad note, and I think I was able to get back on the groove a little bit, so I think it's really important that I have a pretty strong finish at the end. My last few outings I've been able to attack the zone pretty well. I'm going to try to get back to that."
The Padres' second-inning rally started with Erick Aybar getting hit by a Maeda pitch. Carlos Asuaje followed with a single, and rookie catcher Luis Torrens drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up Chacin with none out.
The pitcher grounded the ball toward second. The Dodgers turned it into a double play, but Aybar scored to make it 2-0. Pirela and Margot then lined back-to-back, RBI doubles to the gap in left-center to make it 4-0.
Torrens opened the fifth with an opposite-field single to right, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Pirela's second straight, two-out, run-scoring hit to make it 5-0.
The Dodgers struck for two against the Padres bullpen in the sixth. Yasiel Puig singled with one out against rookie right-hander Phil Maton and moved to second on a walk drawn by pinch hitter Logan Forsythe. Left-hander Ryan Buchter replaced Maton and struck out pinch hitter Enrique Hernandez before Corey Seager delivered a two-run double.
Los Angeles then pulled to within two in the seventh on Yasmani Grandal's 11th homer of the season, a 374-foot shot to left off Buchter.
Left-handed reliever Brad Hand, the Padres' lone representative on the National League All-Star team, struck out two in a perfect eighth to lower his ERA to 2.47. And Brandon Maurer closed the door in the ninth to pick up his 16th save -- and 11th straight successful conversion.
NOTES: The Padres recalled RHP Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso and returned Saturday night's starter, LHP Dillon Overton, to the Chihuahuas. ... Dodgers manager Dave Roberts returned Sunday after serving a one-game suspension Saturday night for his role in Friday night's dust-up between the Dodgers and Padres. "I have to find my manners," he said. ... Dodgers RHP Brandon McCarthy, who has been on the disabled list since June 26 with right knee tendinitis, will throw four innings in a simulated game Monday at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. ... LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu will have his next Dodgers start pushed back after taking a line drive off his foot in his most recent outing. ... Padres manager Andy Green said he hopes to have 2B Yangervis Solarte (left oblique strain) back shortly after the All-Star break.
Merrifield fuels Royals' 6-2 win over Twins
(TSX / STATS) -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Whit Merrifield had a big day, and the Kansas City Royals won a big series.
Merrifield had three hits, including two doubles, and stole three bases as the Royals bested the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Sunday.
The Royals took three of four from the Twins in the series. The teams are tied for second in the American League Central with 41-40 records, three games behind Cleveland.
"We're playing good baseball right now," Merrifield said. "We're right in the middle of the hunt. All in all, we're in a pretty good spot."
The Royals had lost seven of their first eight games to the Twins this season.
"Huge," Kansas City starter Travis Wood said of winning the series. "To take three out of four from these guys, who were ahead of us, shows that we're here to play some good ball and keep moving forward."
Twins left-hander Hector Santiago (4-8) was removed after 3 1/3 innings after allowing four runs, four hits, a walk and a hit batter. He has not won since May 3 and his ERA is 5.63.
The Royals scored three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth.
Alex Gordon was hit by a pitch with one out in the third inning and scored on Merrifield's double into the left-center gap. Merrifield stole third and scored on Eric Hosmer's two-out double to right. Salvador Perez singled to center, scoring Hosmer.
"I didn't know they (outfielders) were that far over, for sure," Santiago said. "You try to pitch, get the guy out, some him soft contact, so I went a little bit slower on the curveball and when it went up, I thought fly ball to right field, but nobody's there so they get a double of it.
"It definitely (stinks) and then you make good pitches to Salvy and he hits it off the end of the bat and bloops it over the shortstop, so good piece of hitting on his part and good job by Hosmer to make that adjustment and pull it over there."
Ramon Torres led off the fourth with a walk and scored on Alcides Escobar's double. Gordon singled to right to drive in Escobar. Santiago didn't make it out of the inning.
"He couldn't get off the field in the third, and then he walked the leadoff hitter in the fourth," Molitor said. "I thought we still had a chance, given the state of their bullpen and usage in the doubleheader and I tried to minimize there and keep us in the game as close as we could."
Left-hander Wood, who has making his first start since Sept. 19, 2015, while with the Chicago Cubs, held the Twins scoreless for the first four innings but was removed in the fifth when he faced three batters and retired none as his pitch count ascended.
"The fifth inning didn't go the way I wanted it," Wood said. "You can't walk the leadoff guy there. That's unacceptable."
Byron Buxton led off the inning with a five-pitch walk. Jason Castro and Brian Dozier singled for the first run. Scott Alexander (1-2) replaced Wood, who had thrown a season-high 81 pitches.
Alexander gave up a run-producing single to Robbie Groasman. After retiring Joe Mauer on a fielder's choice grounder, Alexander walked the dangerous Miguel Sano, who already had two singles, to load the bases with one out.
Alexander got out of the jam when Eduardo Escobar grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Royals tacked on a run in the fifth when Alcides Escobar's single scored Jorge Soler, who led off the inning with a double and stopped at third on Torres' single.
Kansas City manager Ned Yost had to squeeze five innings out of four relievers after Wood left. They responded by holding the Twins to two hits and no runs.
"The analogy is you get on a horse and ride it until it drops dead," Yost said. "And that's what I feel like we're doing to the bullpen right now as the result of four games in a short period. That takes a toll."
NOTES: Royals LHP Matt Strahm suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. He will pursue a second opinion. It is undetermined whether surgery will be required. ... Twins INF Ehrie Adrianza, who is rehabbing with Triple-A Rochester from an abdominal injury, might come off the disabled list Monday. ... The Twins signed international blue-chip SS prospects Jelfry Marte of the Dominican Republic for a reported $3 million. ... Royals Gold Glove LF Alex Gordon made his second career start in center. ... Twins rookie LHP Adelberto Mejia and Angels RHP Alex Meyer are the Monday probables at Target Field. ... Royals RHP Ian Kennedy and Mariners RHP Andrew Moore will start the opener Monday in Seattle.
Merrifield had three hits, including two doubles, and stole three bases as the Royals bested the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Sunday.
The Royals took three of four from the Twins in the series. The teams are tied for second in the American League Central with 41-40 records, three games behind Cleveland.
"We're playing good baseball right now," Merrifield said. "We're right in the middle of the hunt. All in all, we're in a pretty good spot."
The Royals had lost seven of their first eight games to the Twins this season.
"Huge," Kansas City starter Travis Wood said of winning the series. "To take three out of four from these guys, who were ahead of us, shows that we're here to play some good ball and keep moving forward."
Twins left-hander Hector Santiago (4-8) was removed after 3 1/3 innings after allowing four runs, four hits, a walk and a hit batter. He has not won since May 3 and his ERA is 5.63.
The Royals scored three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth.
Alex Gordon was hit by a pitch with one out in the third inning and scored on Merrifield's double into the left-center gap. Merrifield stole third and scored on Eric Hosmer's two-out double to right. Salvador Perez singled to center, scoring Hosmer.
"I didn't know they (outfielders) were that far over, for sure," Santiago said. "You try to pitch, get the guy out, some him soft contact, so I went a little bit slower on the curveball and when it went up, I thought fly ball to right field, but nobody's there so they get a double of it.
"It definitely (stinks) and then you make good pitches to Salvy and he hits it off the end of the bat and bloops it over the shortstop, so good piece of hitting on his part and good job by Hosmer to make that adjustment and pull it over there."
Ramon Torres led off the fourth with a walk and scored on Alcides Escobar's double. Gordon singled to right to drive in Escobar. Santiago didn't make it out of the inning.
"He couldn't get off the field in the third, and then he walked the leadoff hitter in the fourth," Molitor said. "I thought we still had a chance, given the state of their bullpen and usage in the doubleheader and I tried to minimize there and keep us in the game as close as we could."
Left-hander Wood, who has making his first start since Sept. 19, 2015, while with the Chicago Cubs, held the Twins scoreless for the first four innings but was removed in the fifth when he faced three batters and retired none as his pitch count ascended.
"The fifth inning didn't go the way I wanted it," Wood said. "You can't walk the leadoff guy there. That's unacceptable."
Byron Buxton led off the inning with a five-pitch walk. Jason Castro and Brian Dozier singled for the first run. Scott Alexander (1-2) replaced Wood, who had thrown a season-high 81 pitches.
Alexander gave up a run-producing single to Robbie Groasman. After retiring Joe Mauer on a fielder's choice grounder, Alexander walked the dangerous Miguel Sano, who already had two singles, to load the bases with one out.
Alexander got out of the jam when Eduardo Escobar grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Royals tacked on a run in the fifth when Alcides Escobar's single scored Jorge Soler, who led off the inning with a double and stopped at third on Torres' single.
Kansas City manager Ned Yost had to squeeze five innings out of four relievers after Wood left. They responded by holding the Twins to two hits and no runs.
"The analogy is you get on a horse and ride it until it drops dead," Yost said. "And that's what I feel like we're doing to the bullpen right now as the result of four games in a short period. That takes a toll."
NOTES: Royals LHP Matt Strahm suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. He will pursue a second opinion. It is undetermined whether surgery will be required. ... Twins INF Ehrie Adrianza, who is rehabbing with Triple-A Rochester from an abdominal injury, might come off the disabled list Monday. ... The Twins signed international blue-chip SS prospects Jelfry Marte of the Dominican Republic for a reported $3 million. ... Royals Gold Glove LF Alex Gordon made his second career start in center. ... Twins rookie LHP Adelberto Mejia and Angels RHP Alex Meyer are the Monday probables at Target Field. ... Royals RHP Ian Kennedy and Mariners RHP Andrew Moore will start the opener Monday in Seattle.
Diamondbacks beat Rockies on Marte's RBI in ninth
(TSX / STATS) -- PHOENIX -- Arizona shortstop Ketel Marte had never hit against a five-man infield before, but it proved no barrier. He just went over it.
Marte's lined a single to deep left-center field in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Brandon Drury with the winning run in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 walk-off victory over the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on Sunday, extending Arizona's franchise record start.
"In that situation, you don't try to do too much," said Marte, who was promoted from Triple-A Reno for the first time this season on Thursday after shortstop Nick Ahmed suffered a fractured wrist when he was hit by a pitch the day before.
"Just put the ball in play and see what happens. I'm not scared. I do the best I can. I'm just coming here to help my team win."
Drury singled with one out the ninth inning off Adam Ottavino (1-3). Chris Iannetta doubled to put runners on second and third before Chris Rusin entered and the Rockies went to a five-man infield.
Marte's liner one-hopped the fence in left-center field for his first career walk-off hit, the Diamondbacks' sixth walkoff of the season.
"A great moment for him, just getting called up," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "You always look for little push moments to help you move on to the next day. A bunch of people created that moment."
Chris Owings hit a two-run homer and Taijuan Walker gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings as the Diamondbacks (52-31) remained one game ahead of the franchise record pace set in 2001.
Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado had two hits and an RBI and DJ LeMahieu had two hits for Colorado (48-36), which has lost 10 of 11 and was 1-8 on a road trip to San Francisco, the Dodgers and Arizona.
Colorado tied the score in the ninth inning on singles Ryan Hanigan, pinch-hitter Troy Wolters and Blackmon against Arizona closer Fernando Rodney (3-2).
Rodney had not given up a hit since May 26 and had not given up an earned run since April 29. He has converted 21 of 25 save chances. Although he blew the save opportunity, he was credited with the win.
Drury and Marte had two hits apiece for Arizona, which is 32-13 at home, the second-best home record in the majors behind NL West leader the Dodgers.
"Right now, the offense is not clicking," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "So am I concerned at the moment? I guess you can say, yes. But long term I know we are going to come out of it like good teams do. Like good offensive teams do.
"We have good offensive players and collectively we are not doing it. Also on this trip we have not pitched well either."
Colorado's Ian Desmond walked with one out in the fourth inning and took second on an infield error before scoring on Trevor Story's single to center field to break a scoreless tie. Walker got out of the inning on a double play.
Paul Goldschmidt walked to open the fourth inning against German Marquez and scored on Owings' one-out homer, his 12th home run of the season, for a 2-1 lead. Owings' previous career high for homers was six in 2014.
The Rockies tied it at 2 in the fifth inning on consecutive singles by Blackmon, LeMahieu and Arenado. Walker got another double play grounder to end that threat.
Marquez gave up three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
NOTES: Arizona has four All-Stars -- 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 3B Jake Lamb, RHP Zack Greinke and LHP Robbie Ray. All were selected in the votes of players and managers. Colorado had four All-Stars -- 3B Nolan Arenado, CF Charlie Blackmon, 2B DJ LeMahieu and LHP Greg Holland. Arenado and Blackmon were voted in by the fans. ... Colorado LF Ian Desmond was removed from game with right leg cramp suffered while catching a Brandon Drury line drive for the second out in the fourth inning. The play before, Desmond had extended far over the left field fence in an attempt to catch RF Chris Owings' homer. ... Arizona OF Yasmany Tomas (groin/hip) suffered a setback when he was forced to leave a rehab game Saturday when feeling discomfort while sliding into second base on a double. ... Colorado has seven games remaining against Arizona and the Dodgers, the top two teams in the NL West. Arizona has 12 left against the Dodgers and will begin a three-game series on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
Marte's lined a single to deep left-center field in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Brandon Drury with the winning run in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 walk-off victory over the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on Sunday, extending Arizona's franchise record start.
"In that situation, you don't try to do too much," said Marte, who was promoted from Triple-A Reno for the first time this season on Thursday after shortstop Nick Ahmed suffered a fractured wrist when he was hit by a pitch the day before.
"Just put the ball in play and see what happens. I'm not scared. I do the best I can. I'm just coming here to help my team win."
Drury singled with one out the ninth inning off Adam Ottavino (1-3). Chris Iannetta doubled to put runners on second and third before Chris Rusin entered and the Rockies went to a five-man infield.
Marte's liner one-hopped the fence in left-center field for his first career walk-off hit, the Diamondbacks' sixth walkoff of the season.
"A great moment for him, just getting called up," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "You always look for little push moments to help you move on to the next day. A bunch of people created that moment."
Chris Owings hit a two-run homer and Taijuan Walker gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings as the Diamondbacks (52-31) remained one game ahead of the franchise record pace set in 2001.
Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado had two hits and an RBI and DJ LeMahieu had two hits for Colorado (48-36), which has lost 10 of 11 and was 1-8 on a road trip to San Francisco, the Dodgers and Arizona.
Colorado tied the score in the ninth inning on singles Ryan Hanigan, pinch-hitter Troy Wolters and Blackmon against Arizona closer Fernando Rodney (3-2).
Rodney had not given up a hit since May 26 and had not given up an earned run since April 29. He has converted 21 of 25 save chances. Although he blew the save opportunity, he was credited with the win.
Drury and Marte had two hits apiece for Arizona, which is 32-13 at home, the second-best home record in the majors behind NL West leader the Dodgers.
"Right now, the offense is not clicking," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "So am I concerned at the moment? I guess you can say, yes. But long term I know we are going to come out of it like good teams do. Like good offensive teams do.
"We have good offensive players and collectively we are not doing it. Also on this trip we have not pitched well either."
Colorado's Ian Desmond walked with one out in the fourth inning and took second on an infield error before scoring on Trevor Story's single to center field to break a scoreless tie. Walker got out of the inning on a double play.
Paul Goldschmidt walked to open the fourth inning against German Marquez and scored on Owings' one-out homer, his 12th home run of the season, for a 2-1 lead. Owings' previous career high for homers was six in 2014.
The Rockies tied it at 2 in the fifth inning on consecutive singles by Blackmon, LeMahieu and Arenado. Walker got another double play grounder to end that threat.
Marquez gave up three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
NOTES: Arizona has four All-Stars -- 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 3B Jake Lamb, RHP Zack Greinke and LHP Robbie Ray. All were selected in the votes of players and managers. Colorado had four All-Stars -- 3B Nolan Arenado, CF Charlie Blackmon, 2B DJ LeMahieu and LHP Greg Holland. Arenado and Blackmon were voted in by the fans. ... Colorado LF Ian Desmond was removed from game with right leg cramp suffered while catching a Brandon Drury line drive for the second out in the fourth inning. The play before, Desmond had extended far over the left field fence in an attempt to catch RF Chris Owings' homer. ... Arizona OF Yasmany Tomas (groin/hip) suffered a setback when he was forced to leave a rehab game Saturday when feeling discomfort while sliding into second base on a double. ... Colorado has seven games remaining against Arizona and the Dodgers, the top two teams in the NL West. Arizona has 12 left against the Dodgers and will begin a three-game series on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
Ozuna, Marlins mash Brewers 10-3
(TSX / STATS) -- MILWAUKEE -- Normally, stranding 15 runners while going 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position is an automatic death blow for a team, but the Miami Marlins' offense Sunday was good enough that those numbers did not matter.
Marcell Ozuna hit two home runs and Derek Deitrich added a third as the Marlins pounded out 17 hits in a 10-3 rout of the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Dan Straily (6-4) held the Brewers to three runs, five hits and a walk in six innings. He remained perfect against Milwaukee, improving to 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in six career appearances (four starts), and 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four career starts at Miller Park.
"I thought he kind of got better as the day went on," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "He's given up some homers, over the course of his career, because every time I do the matchups I see guys with a homer ... but it's a lot of solos, and not where he's getting himself in a lot of trouble and homers, it's not getting the ball where he wants and it costs him one. He did a nice job today."
Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra struck out seven but battled his command and couldn't get past the fourth inning for a second consecutive start. He gave up four runs, eight hits and three walks to drop his third consecutive decision.
"I feel like right now my velocity is off," Guerra said. "I've always had good velocity and I can just go after hitters. I haven't been able to do that, so I've been relying more on my off-speed a lot more. I feel like if I get that back a bit more, I'll be back to the Junior Guerra I was last year. I feel like that would help me a lot."
Guerra (1-3) worked around trouble in the first two innings, but with a 1-0 lead thanks to Domingo Santana's sacrifice fly in the first, he served up a three-run homer to Ozuna in the third.
Milwaukee got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Eric Thames crushed a 1-2 offering from Straily for his 21st home run of the season but his first since June 17.
The Marlins opened the fifth with back-to-back singles against Guerra and made it 4-2 when Justin Bour chased Guerra with an RBI double.
Straily had retired four of five batters before Orlando Arcia led off the fifth with his second home run in as many games and eighth of the year. But the Marlins restored their two-run cushion in the sixth on Christian Yelich's RBI single before Dietrich opened the seventh with a leadoff home run against Rob Scahill.
"We did a nice job getting out of jams for the first five innings and staying within striking distance," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "Even through the sixth, Rob got out of a jam in the sixth. But there were just too many runners and eventually they broke through."
Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt made Brewers second baseman Jonathan Villar switch bats for having too much pine tar in the seventh inning, then did the same in the eighth with Ozuna up to the plate.
Ozuna ditched his lumber, borrowed one from Giancarlo Stanton and slugged his second homer of the afternoon.
"The bat boy brought me Stanton's bat, Giancarlo's bat, and I said, 'Hey, can I use it?' he says, 'Yeah,'" Ozuna said. "Maybe I swung harder."
J.T. Realmuto broke the game open with a two-run single later in the inning and Martin Prado drove in Miami's 10th run with a ninth-inning double.
NOTES: SS Orlando Arcia finished with two hits and homered for the second time in as many games. In his last 41 games, Arcia has batted .359 (52-for-145) with four home runs and 12 RBIs, raising his season average from .208 to .289 in the process. ... Miami LF Marcell Ozuna's two home runs marked his fourth career multi-homer game. ... The Marlins head to St. Louis on Monday to open a four-game series against the Cardinals behind LHP Jeff Locke (0-4, 5.52 ERA). Milwaukee will open a three-game interleague set against the Baltimore Orioles at Miller Park. The Brewers have yet to name a starter for that game. It was supposed to be RHP Chase Anderson, but he will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a strained oblique in his last outing.
Marcell Ozuna hit two home runs and Derek Deitrich added a third as the Marlins pounded out 17 hits in a 10-3 rout of the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Dan Straily (6-4) held the Brewers to three runs, five hits and a walk in six innings. He remained perfect against Milwaukee, improving to 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in six career appearances (four starts), and 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four career starts at Miller Park.
"I thought he kind of got better as the day went on," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "He's given up some homers, over the course of his career, because every time I do the matchups I see guys with a homer ... but it's a lot of solos, and not where he's getting himself in a lot of trouble and homers, it's not getting the ball where he wants and it costs him one. He did a nice job today."
Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra struck out seven but battled his command and couldn't get past the fourth inning for a second consecutive start. He gave up four runs, eight hits and three walks to drop his third consecutive decision.
"I feel like right now my velocity is off," Guerra said. "I've always had good velocity and I can just go after hitters. I haven't been able to do that, so I've been relying more on my off-speed a lot more. I feel like if I get that back a bit more, I'll be back to the Junior Guerra I was last year. I feel like that would help me a lot."
Guerra (1-3) worked around trouble in the first two innings, but with a 1-0 lead thanks to Domingo Santana's sacrifice fly in the first, he served up a three-run homer to Ozuna in the third.
Milwaukee got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Eric Thames crushed a 1-2 offering from Straily for his 21st home run of the season but his first since June 17.
The Marlins opened the fifth with back-to-back singles against Guerra and made it 4-2 when Justin Bour chased Guerra with an RBI double.
Straily had retired four of five batters before Orlando Arcia led off the fifth with his second home run in as many games and eighth of the year. But the Marlins restored their two-run cushion in the sixth on Christian Yelich's RBI single before Dietrich opened the seventh with a leadoff home run against Rob Scahill.
"We did a nice job getting out of jams for the first five innings and staying within striking distance," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "Even through the sixth, Rob got out of a jam in the sixth. But there were just too many runners and eventually they broke through."
Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt made Brewers second baseman Jonathan Villar switch bats for having too much pine tar in the seventh inning, then did the same in the eighth with Ozuna up to the plate.
Ozuna ditched his lumber, borrowed one from Giancarlo Stanton and slugged his second homer of the afternoon.
"The bat boy brought me Stanton's bat, Giancarlo's bat, and I said, 'Hey, can I use it?' he says, 'Yeah,'" Ozuna said. "Maybe I swung harder."
J.T. Realmuto broke the game open with a two-run single later in the inning and Martin Prado drove in Miami's 10th run with a ninth-inning double.
NOTES: SS Orlando Arcia finished with two hits and homered for the second time in as many games. In his last 41 games, Arcia has batted .359 (52-for-145) with four home runs and 12 RBIs, raising his season average from .208 to .289 in the process. ... Miami LF Marcell Ozuna's two home runs marked his fourth career multi-homer game. ... The Marlins head to St. Louis on Monday to open a four-game series against the Cardinals behind LHP Jeff Locke (0-4, 5.52 ERA). Milwaukee will open a three-game interleague set against the Baltimore Orioles at Miller Park. The Brewers have yet to name a starter for that game. It was supposed to be RHP Chase Anderson, but he will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a strained oblique in his last outing.
White Sox pull out 6-5 win over Rangers
(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Forget for a moment the time-honored cliche that holds that hitting is contagious.
Chicago White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle thinks the adage can apply to pitchers, too.
Kahnle comprised the middle leg of a resilient bullpen relay on Sunday afternoon, helping keep the White Sox afloat between early defensive struggles and late heroics from second baseman Yolmer Sanchez.
While Sanchez's two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning provided the go-ahead runs in Chicago's 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers, the relief corps put the White Sox in striking distance.
Right-handers Anthony Swarzak, Kahnle and David Robertson combined on 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief of staff ace Jose Quintana, scattering three hits, seven strikeouts and one intentional walk.
"Once everybody is on a roll, there's no telling how good we're going to be to pitch the rest of the way," Kahnle said. "But I feel like it's definitely contagious if we feed off of each other."
Chicago (36-45) overcame four errors that contributed to Texas wiping out a 4-1 deficit after three innings. Designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy's soft two-run single in the fifth inning gave the Rangers (40-42) a 5-4 lead.
Tyson Ross buoyed Texas with five innings of four-run ball, spacing four hits, five walks and three strikeouts. The Rangers walked seven batters in the game.
Relievers Ernesto Frieri and Matt Bush worked scoreless innings before Chicago capitalized against right-hander Jose Leclerc (1-2).
Sanchez said he knew he made contact with the barrel of the bat when he connected with Leclerc's 1-2 slider. The ball landed in the right-field stands, delighting most in a crowd of 26,206 that saw the White Sox win the rubber match of a three-game weekend series.
"We never quit," Sanchez said through a team interpreter. "We never quit, and we try to fight every single inning. It doesn't matter the run differential in that particular moment in the game."
Texas snapped Quintana's scoreless-innings streak at 19 2/3 innings with an unearned run in the third inning.
Successive White Sox errors -- from first baseman Todd Frazier and Sanchez -- and an infield single from Shin-Soo Choo loaded the bases for Elvis Andrus.
Andrus hit a grounder to third baseman Matt Davidson, who threw to Sanchez to force Choo at second base. But Sanchez was unable to throw to first base, the result of runner's interference on Choo, umpires initially ruled.
Texas won a replay challenge to overturn the call, however, transforming an inning-ending double play to an RBI groundout for Andrus.
Quintana threw 27 of his 96 pitches in the inning. He spaced five runs (three earned), six hits, five strikeouts and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed a solo home run to Mike Napoli leading off the fourth.
"Quintana has been a premium pitcher in this league for a couple years now," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Even though we were able to scratch some runs across the board, we did have some opportunities."
The White Sox built confidence after stifling the Rangers' scoring chances.
"Whatever we screwed up for the first four or five innings, the reality is we play nine innings, and you start to try to make adjustments," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.
Although the Rangers have had a winning record just three times in the past 38 days and have not been less than 10 games behind first-place Houston since May 26, optimism still is prevalent at the season's midpoint. Referencing the bullpen, Banister said, "We're going to continue to find guys."
Texas trailed Houston by seven games in early July 2015 before ultimately rallying to win the American League West.
"There's still a lot of games left," Choo said. "In 2015, we were in the same situation with Houston. They were a lot of games ahead of us and we caught them. Now they're ahead of us, so we have to catch up. But if we just play the right baseball, if we take care of just us, we know we'll be in a good position."
Andrus and Choo had two hits apiece for the Rangers. Melky Cabrera opened the scoring in the first inning for the White Sox, hitting a solo home run.
Robertson (4-2) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, scattering two hits and two strikeouts. Robertson fanned Carlos Gomez swinging with the bases loaded to end the game after the White Sox intentionally walked Adrian Beltre.
White Sox catcher Kevan Smith corralled a dropped third strike to end the game, diving back to home plate. The ensuing celebration in the White Sox dugout also was infectious.
"I was right at the top step watching," Kahnle said. "It was pretty funny because you hardly ever see a game end that way."
NOTES: Rangers C Robinson Chirinos stole his first career base in the fourth inning. ... 2B Pete Kozma started for the Rangers while Rougned Odor enjoyed his first day off this season. "It's time," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "There was a day that made sense. Today's the day. Gives us six potential off days through the All-Star break in a fairly short period of time." ... Chicago finished 4-6 during a 10-game homestand. The White Sox are scheduled to host Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco in another 10-game homestand Sept. 1-10.
Chicago White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle thinks the adage can apply to pitchers, too.
Kahnle comprised the middle leg of a resilient bullpen relay on Sunday afternoon, helping keep the White Sox afloat between early defensive struggles and late heroics from second baseman Yolmer Sanchez.
While Sanchez's two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning provided the go-ahead runs in Chicago's 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers, the relief corps put the White Sox in striking distance.
Right-handers Anthony Swarzak, Kahnle and David Robertson combined on 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief of staff ace Jose Quintana, scattering three hits, seven strikeouts and one intentional walk.
"Once everybody is on a roll, there's no telling how good we're going to be to pitch the rest of the way," Kahnle said. "But I feel like it's definitely contagious if we feed off of each other."
Chicago (36-45) overcame four errors that contributed to Texas wiping out a 4-1 deficit after three innings. Designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy's soft two-run single in the fifth inning gave the Rangers (40-42) a 5-4 lead.
Tyson Ross buoyed Texas with five innings of four-run ball, spacing four hits, five walks and three strikeouts. The Rangers walked seven batters in the game.
Relievers Ernesto Frieri and Matt Bush worked scoreless innings before Chicago capitalized against right-hander Jose Leclerc (1-2).
Sanchez said he knew he made contact with the barrel of the bat when he connected with Leclerc's 1-2 slider. The ball landed in the right-field stands, delighting most in a crowd of 26,206 that saw the White Sox win the rubber match of a three-game weekend series.
"We never quit," Sanchez said through a team interpreter. "We never quit, and we try to fight every single inning. It doesn't matter the run differential in that particular moment in the game."
Texas snapped Quintana's scoreless-innings streak at 19 2/3 innings with an unearned run in the third inning.
Successive White Sox errors -- from first baseman Todd Frazier and Sanchez -- and an infield single from Shin-Soo Choo loaded the bases for Elvis Andrus.
Andrus hit a grounder to third baseman Matt Davidson, who threw to Sanchez to force Choo at second base. But Sanchez was unable to throw to first base, the result of runner's interference on Choo, umpires initially ruled.
Texas won a replay challenge to overturn the call, however, transforming an inning-ending double play to an RBI groundout for Andrus.
Quintana threw 27 of his 96 pitches in the inning. He spaced five runs (three earned), six hits, five strikeouts and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed a solo home run to Mike Napoli leading off the fourth.
"Quintana has been a premium pitcher in this league for a couple years now," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Even though we were able to scratch some runs across the board, we did have some opportunities."
The White Sox built confidence after stifling the Rangers' scoring chances.
"Whatever we screwed up for the first four or five innings, the reality is we play nine innings, and you start to try to make adjustments," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.
Although the Rangers have had a winning record just three times in the past 38 days and have not been less than 10 games behind first-place Houston since May 26, optimism still is prevalent at the season's midpoint. Referencing the bullpen, Banister said, "We're going to continue to find guys."
Texas trailed Houston by seven games in early July 2015 before ultimately rallying to win the American League West.
"There's still a lot of games left," Choo said. "In 2015, we were in the same situation with Houston. They were a lot of games ahead of us and we caught them. Now they're ahead of us, so we have to catch up. But if we just play the right baseball, if we take care of just us, we know we'll be in a good position."
Andrus and Choo had two hits apiece for the Rangers. Melky Cabrera opened the scoring in the first inning for the White Sox, hitting a solo home run.
Robertson (4-2) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, scattering two hits and two strikeouts. Robertson fanned Carlos Gomez swinging with the bases loaded to end the game after the White Sox intentionally walked Adrian Beltre.
White Sox catcher Kevan Smith corralled a dropped third strike to end the game, diving back to home plate. The ensuing celebration in the White Sox dugout also was infectious.
"I was right at the top step watching," Kahnle said. "It was pretty funny because you hardly ever see a game end that way."
NOTES: Rangers C Robinson Chirinos stole his first career base in the fourth inning. ... 2B Pete Kozma started for the Rangers while Rougned Odor enjoyed his first day off this season. "It's time," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "There was a day that made sense. Today's the day. Gives us six potential off days through the All-Star break in a fairly short period of time." ... Chicago finished 4-6 during a 10-game homestand. The White Sox are scheduled to host Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco in another 10-game homestand Sept. 1-10.
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