PHOENIX (AP) — Zack Greinke’s bid for his first career no-hitter was thwarted by Pittsburgh’s Gregory Polanco’s leadoff home run in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat the Pirates 2-1 on Thursday night.
Greinke (4-2), who dominated the Pirates with a vicious slider, allowed that one hit in eight innings. He struck out 11 and walked one.
Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save in 11 tries.
Greinke faced the minimum 21 batters through seven innings. Jordy Mercer led off the third with a walk but was thrown out trying to steal second.
Gerrit Cole (1-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked one. Pittsburgh has scored five runs total in Cole’s last five starts.
ROCKIES 10, DODGERS 7
DENVER (AP) — Jeff Hoffman struck out eight to earn his first major league win, Carlos Gonzalez showed signs of breaking out of a slump with a two-hit, three-RBI night and the Rockies held off the Dodgers.
Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado each added two doubles to help the Rockies extend their lead in the NL West to 2 1/2 games over the Dodgers. At 23-13, the Rockies are off to the best start in team history.
Hoffman (1-0) allowed three runs over 5 1/3 efficient innings after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day. He becomes the latest rookie to shine this season on the mound for Colorado.
Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-5) surrendered 10 runs, five earned, and walked six over four innings. He was reinstated from the disabled list before the game after recovering from a bruised hip.
RED SOX 4, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mookie Betts’ three-run home run in the ninth inning lifted the Red Sox to a victory over the Brewers.
It was Betts’ fifth homer of the season and third in his last four games, and helped Boston salvage one win in the three-game series in the Red Sox’s first trip to Milwaukee since 2003.
Boston’s right fielder enjoyed his time at Miller Park, as he went 7 for 11 with eight runs batted in and five runs scored.
Milwaukee closer Neftali Feliz (0-4) came on in the ninth, but managed to get only one out. Red Sox pitcher Craig Kimbrel (2-0) got the final five outs as Boston snapped the Brewers’ three-game winning streak.
ROYALS 6, RAYS 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Major league ERA leader Jason Vargas went seven more scoreless innings, Salvador Perez had a two-run double during a five-run eighth inning and the Royals beat the Rays.
Vargas (5-1) scattered three hits and dropped his ERA from 1.19 to 1.01.
Jorge Bonifacio hit an RBI single off Diego Moreno in the decisive eighth before Whit Merrifield had a run-scoring single and then circled the bases when center fielder Kevin Kiermaier misplayed the hit for a three-base error.
Merrifield also homered for the Royals, who won three of four against the Rays. Kansas City had lost 13 of 16 entering the series.
Jake Odorizzi (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in six innings for the Rays. He had allowed three hits or fewer in each of his previous four starts.
ASTROS 3, YANKEES 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Defensive replacement Jake Marisnick made a perfect throw from left field to nail Jacoby Ellsbury at the plate for the final out and the Astros held off the Yankees in a matchup between teams with the best records in baseball.
Unbeaten Dallas Keuchel (6-0) became the first six-game winner in the majors, helped by a home run from Carlos Correa. The Astros won their fourth in a row and improved to 24-11 — their top mark after 35 games since the franchise began playing in 1962.
Ken Giles wound up with his 10th save in 11 tries, saved by Marisnick.
Ellsbury’s single with two outs in the ninth inning put runners at the corners, and then the fleet leadoff hitter stole second. Gary Sanchez followed with a sharp RBI single to left and Marisnick, who came into the game in the seventh, fired a strike to catcher Brian McCann to get the sliding Ellsbury.
BLUE JAYS 7, MARINERS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Steve Pearce hit a three-run home run, Justin Smoak had a solo homer and finished with four RBIs, and the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, snapping Seattle’s win streak at four.
Marco Estrada (2-2) allowed two runs over six innings for the Blue Jays, who have won four of five.
Smoak went 3 for 3 with a walk against his former team. He had an RBI single in the first, walked in the fourth, singled home two runs in the fifth, and connected off rookie Sam Gaviglio in the seventh.
Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer but Seattle’s offense came up empty after the first inning.
RANGERS 5, PADRES 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mike Napoli’s second homer was a game-ending three-run shot and the Rangers beat the Padres.
The Rangers had been held scoreless by San Diego starter Clayton Richard until Napoli hit a 433-foot homer to left on the first pitch of the eighth inning.
Napoli topped that with a 448-foot shot into the club-level seats higher in left field to end a four-run ninth off Padres closer Brandon Maurer (0-2).
Elvis Andrus started the ninth-inning rally with a one-out single before Jonathan Lucroy followed with his third hit, looping a single that dropped just in front of diving center fielder Manual Margot. Rougned Odor then singled through the left side of the infield to drive home Andrus with the tying run and bring Napoli to the plate.
Sam Dyson (1-4), the demoted Rangers closer, worked around two hits in a scoreless ninth.
TWINS 7, WHITE SOX 6
CHICAGO (AP) — Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer then added a fourth RBI with a double as the Twins outlasted the struggling White Sox.
Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano crushed solo shots and Joe Mauer singled in a run for Minnesota, which hung on to deal the White Sox a season-high fifth straight loss after jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning.
Melky Cabrera launched a three-run homer off Twins starter Phil Hughes in the fifth. Chicago’s Matt Davidson drove in two runs, on a solo homer and a groundout.
Ryan Pressly (1-2), the third of five Twins relievers, pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the win.
Brandon Kintzler pitched the final five outs for his eighth save in nine chances. He struck out Omar Narvaez and Leury Garcia in the eighth with the tying run on third and go-ahead run on second.
Chicago starter Derek Holland (3-3) permitted seven runs, but just three earned, and six hits in five innings in taking the loss. Four White Sox relievers followed with four hitless innings.
TIGERS 7, ANGELS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justin Upton hit a three-run homer and Michael Fulmer pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in the Tigers’ victory over the Angels.
Mike Trout went 0 for 4 as the Angels’ designated hitter after missing five straight games and six of the previous seven with a tight left hamstring. The two-time AL MVP hadn’t played since last Friday, and his 17-game hitting streak ended.
Andrew Romine hit a two-run homer as the Tigers got a rare win over the Angels in the opener of a four-game series at the Big A, where Detroit hasn’t won a series in seven tries since August 2009. The Tigers improved to 7-23 against Los Angeles since September 2012.
REDS 3, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Zack Cozart had two extra-base hits, including an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning that scored the game-winner, as the Reds defeated the Giants.
The Reds won for the ninth time in 11 games and have won 15 of their last 20 games at AT&T Park going back to the 2012 NLDS.
The Giants lost despite a four-hit game from center fielder Denard Span in his first game since coming off the disabled list. The Giants, who have an MLB-worst 12-24 record, lost for the sixth time in seven games and for the 10th time in their last 12.
Cozart doubled to left center off Giants reliever Hunter Strickland (0-1) scoring Scooter Gennett, who tripled to right leading off the eighth inning.
Wandy Peralta (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He came into the game with two baserunners aboard and two outs in the bottom of the seventh and got Brandon Belt to fly out to left.