MLB Scoreboard: Elvis Andrus Caps Exciting Texas Rangers Win Against Los Angeles Angels

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Texas Rangers 11, Los Angeles Angels 10 (F/10)

The Angels were fully prepared to sweep the AL West-leading Rangers. After leading much of the game, Texas forced extra innings. The Angels promptly took a 10-7 lead in the top of the 10th inning thanks to a home run from Chris Iannetta and the second home run of the game from Albert Pujols. The Rangers rallied back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning in part thanks to RBI contributions from Nelson Cruz (who went deep), Mitch Moreland, and Elvis Andrus. Andrus had four hits in the game, while his teammate Ian Kinsler had three hits and a home run of his own. Wednesday marked two straight games in which Albert Pujols homered twice.

New York Yankees 12, Baltimore Orioles 3

Tired of losing to the Orioles, the Yankees plated 11 runs in the first three innings of this game to run away and hide. Robinson Cano homered and drove in four runs, Curtis Granderson also homered while scoring two runs, and Derek Jeter went 3-4 and drove in three. J.J. Hardy was 3-4 with a solo home run in defeat.

Chicago White Sox 3, Minnesota Twins 2

Alejandro De Aza delivered with a run-scoring infield single in the eighth inning that wound up being the difference in this contest. Jake Peavy held the Twins at bay with another excellent start. The veteran right-hander went eight innings, allowed one earned run, permitted just seven baserunners, and struck out eight. Danny Valencia was kind enough to homer for Minnesota.

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Oakland Athletics 1

Alex Cobb delivered a strong performance, going seven innings while allowing one run and striking out six to get the win. He got offensive support from Carlos Pena, who doubled, homered, and drove in a pair of runs. A Brandon Inge solo homer was all the A’s managed to get in this one.

Seattle Mariners 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Eric Thames punished his former team by hitting a two-run homer against them to tie the game in the fifth inning. The Mariners added a pair of runs on RBI singles from John Jaso and Dustin Ackley. Colby Rasmus had two hits and hit his 19th home run of the season for Toronto in the loss.

Kansas City Royals 5, Cleveland Indians 2

Luis Mendoza pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed just two earned runs to lead the Royals past the Indians. Lorenzo Cain had two hits, a run scored, and one RBI in the victory. Carlos Santana, who many expected to have a huge 2012, hit a solo home run in the loss. Santana has battled injuries and ineffectiveness, so his line sits at a disappointing .235/.364/.397. Hey, that’s a lot of walks though.

Detroit Tigers 7, Boston Red Sox 5

Detroit did most of its damage in their five-run fifth inning. Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and Delmon Young all homered to lead the Tigers past the Red Sox in the third game of the series. Carl Crawford homered for the Red Sox, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a terrible start from Aaron Cook.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pittsburgh Pirates 8, Chicago Cubs 4

The Cubs had to score four runs in the ninth inning to get past one run Wednesday just one day after being one-hit by A.J. Burnett. A five-run explosion in the eighth inning ultimately won the game for the Pirates and kept them close to the top of the NL Central. Sterling Marte hit his second home run since being called up, while Mike McKenry went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI. Welington Castillo hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to inch the Cubs a little bit closer.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

The Diamondbacks mean business. This win marks a sweep of the Dodgers and puts Arizona in firm contention. Patrick Corbin pitched six shutout innings, allowed just four men to reach base, and struck out five. Miguel Montero homered for the second straight game and Chris Johnson went deep again in his fancy new snake-themed uniform.

Milwaukee Brewers 13, Houston Astros 4

The rest of this season is going to feel like an agonizing hell for the rebuilding Astros. After getting demolished by the Brewers for the second straight night, the Astros have now dropped 15 out of 16 games and easily have the worst record in the game at 35-71. Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks both reached base three times and homered in the Milwaukee rout, while Brett Wallace hit a pair of home runs in the loss.

Philadelphia Phillies 3, Washington Nationals 2

The Phillies are awesome now that they’re not a real baseball team. Vance Worley didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings despite failing to strike out a single National. Jimmy Rollins hit a pair of solo home runs for the Phillies, while Bryce Harper had two hits for the Nationals.

Miami Marlins 4, Atlanta Braves 2

Carlos Zambrano outpitched Ben Sheets in a matchup that would have been much more tantalizing years ago. Big Z technically came in for the win in relief, while Sheets managed to strike out eight in 6 2/3 innings despite getting hit around. Carlos Lee went 2-3 and drove in a run, while Freddie Freeman had three hits for Atlanta.

Cincinnati Reds 6, San Diego Padres 4

The Reds, who have simply decided they would not like to lose anymore, got a 3-4 performance and a two-run homer from outfielder Ryan Ludwick in the win. Chase Headley rewarded the Padres for not trading him by going 2-4 with three RBI and his 13th home run of the season. Headley now has a career-high for home runs in a season.

St. Louis Cardinals 9, Colorado Rockies 6

The Cardinals waited out a rain delay to take down the Rockies, but they failed to gain any ground in the NL central. Matt Holliday wreaked havoc on his former team, going 3-4 with three runs scored, five RBI, and two more home runs. Holliday is now hitting a robust .325/.408/.561 after his second straight monster game against Colorado. Tyler Colvin, Ramon Hernandez, and Yadier Molina also had three-hit games.

New York Mets 2, San Francisco Giants 1

Jonathon Niese beat out Matt Cain thanks to a seven inning, one run effort that featured five strikeouts. Ruben Tejada and David Wright each had three hits, while Tejada went deep. Buster Posey got the only Giants run with his 14th home run of the season.

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