MLB Scoreboard: David Ortiz Reaches Milestone As Oakland Athletics Top Boston Red Sox

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Oakland Athletics 3, Boston Red Sox 2

The Boston Red Sox lost this game to the Oakland Athletics, but their designated hitter reached a key career milestone. David Ortiz hit a solo home run in the fourth on the fourth. which was good for his 22nd of the season and the 400th of his career. At age 36, Ortiz is having a huge season. He’s posted a .302/.391/.607 batting line on the year and is on pace to clear 40 homers. A.J. Griffin allowed only Ortiz’s home run in six innings to grab the win, while Brandon Moss went 3-4 for the A’s and hit his 10th home run of the season. Coco Crisp and Brandon Inge also had multi-hit games for the A’s as the team won its fourth straight to climb within a game of .500.

New York Yankees 4, Tampa Bay Rays 3

The Yankees won their first game of their series against the Rays thanks to a three-run eighth inning against Kyle Farnsworth. Mark Teixeira added a solo home run for the victorious Yankees. The Rays wasted a great start from David Price, who went seven innings and only allowed one run while striking out eight. Carlos Pena homered, drove in two, and walked twice in the loss.

Cleveland Indians 12, Los Angeles Angels 3

Ervin Santana lasted just 1 1/3 innings as the Indians pounded him for eight of their 12 runs. Michael Brantley had a three-run homer, while Casey Kotchman also went deep and drove in three. Home run derby participant Mark Trumbo had three hits for the Angels, but they certainly weren’t enough to bring his team close.

Baltimore Orioles 4, Seattle Mariners 2

Chris Tillman, much like most pitchers who have faced the Mariners this season, dominated the Seattle offense. Tillman went 8 1/3 innings, didn’t allow an earned run, and struck out seven in his first start of the season. Adam Jones fueled the offense with his 20th home run of the season, and he is now just five long balls away from his career best total.

Chicago White Sox 5, Texas Rangers 4 (F/10)

Ace reliever Mike Adams gave up a walk-off single to new White Sock Kevin Youkilis to end this one in 10 innings. Eight of the nine runs in this game were scored in the first three innings as both starters struggled mightily. Josh Hamilton hit his 26th home run of the season, while Gordon Beckham drove in a pair of runs for the White Sox. Alex Rios contributed a pair of doubles as well.

Toronto Blue Jays 4, Kansas City Royals 1

The Jays usually win when their offense goes nuts, but they took this game because of a Carlos Villanueva gem. The right-hander went six innings, only allowed four baserunners, and struck out seven to win his third game. Yunel Escobar drove in two runs for Toronto, while Jeff Francouer had two hits and drove in the only Kansas City run.

Detroit Tigers 5, Minnesota Twins 1

Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera took matters into their own hands to take the third game of their series against the Twins. Verlander pitched a complete game while allowing just five men to reach base and striking out seven. As for Cabrera, he homered twice, drove in three, and reached base all four trips to the plate. Chris Parmalee delivered a solo home run to score the Minnesota run.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pittsburgh Pirates 6, Houston Astros 4

The Pirates took their third in a row to gain sole possession of first in the NL Central for now. Kevin Correia tossed a quality start by the standard definition of the term (6 IP, 3 ER), while Pedro Alvarez and Michael McKenry each drove in two runs. Alvarez’s two-run single in the seventh was ultimately the game-winner. J.D. Martinez had two hits and his 11th home run of the season in the loss for the Astros.

Philadelphia Phillies 9, New York Mets 2

It only took 14 starts, but Cliff Lee has finally received his first win of the 2012 season. Lee pitched eight innings, gave up two earned runs, and struck out nine to lower his ERA down to 3.98. Chris Young only allowed three runs over seven innings for the Mets, but his bullpen let the game get out of hand. Chase Utley hit his second homer since returning from injury, and Carlos Ruiz homered for the second straight night.

Washington Nationals 9, San Francisco Giants 4

The Nationals took advantage of another Giants starting pitcher on the fourth of July, pounding Madison Bumgarner for seven runs in five innings. Jhonatan Solano, Michael Morse, and Ryan Zimmerman all took Bumgarner deep. Rick Ankiel added another long ball off Clay Hensley for additional icing on the cake. Perhaps inspired by his All-Star selection that had to be unexpected, Pablo Sandoval went 3-4 with his seventh home run of the season.

Chicago Cubs 5, Atlanta Braves 1

Paul Maholm shut down the hot Braves offense with six innings of solid work, striking out five and allowing just one run. Bryan LaHair hit his 14th home run, while Anthony Rizzo had two hits and drove in a run as well. Michael Bourn, trying to get voted into the All-Star game, decided it was a good time to have a three hit game and a pair of extra-base hits.

Miami Marlins 7, Milwaukee Brewers 6 (F/10)

Hanley Ramirez singled in the winning run to end another up-and-down game in a crazy series. Gaby Sanchez and Justin Ruggiano also drove in runs and had multi-hit efforts. Logan Morrison stayed hot with his 10th home run, while Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez drove in runs for the Brewers. Both starters (Josh Johnson and Randy Wolf) gave up five earned runs.

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Colorado Rockies 1

The Cardinals scored in the first inning and never trailed thanks to a superb effort from Adam Wainwright. The tall right-hander pitched six innings, allowed one run, and struck out seven to get his seventh win of the season. Matt Holliday went 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI to help his team win the game. Rockies pitcher Jeremy Guthrie drove in the only Colorado run.

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Cincinnati Reds 1

Aaron Harang pitched seven innings of one run ball and struck out five to give the Dodgers another win against the Reds. Dee Gordon reached base twice and stole two bases to get to the 30 steal plateau, while Luis Cruz doubled and drove in a run. Devin Mesaroco homered to score the only Cincinnati run. Despite the lofty steal total, Gordon’s season line remains dismal at .229/.280/.282.

San Diego Padres 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 6

The recent streak of San Diego run-scoring continued with another win against the Diamondbacks. The Padres overcame an early Jason Kubel three-run homer to plate five runs in the game’s final three innings. Chris Denorfia had four hits and scored three runs, while Yasmani Grandal used his pinch hitting experience to belt his fourth home run in only 20 Major League at-bats.

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