Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke (33) celebrates his two-run homer with Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach as he rounds the the bases in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, May 20, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)Gus Ruelas/The Associated Press
Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke connected for his first major league homer, a go-ahead, three-run shot in the seventh inning against his father's former team, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night.
Kyle Lohse allowed three runs and 11 hits over 5 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and left with a 5-3 lead. But rookie Elian Herrera started the Dodgers' winning rally with a one-out single against Victor Marte, and Bobby Abreu greeted Mark Rzepczynski (0-2) with a single.
Van Slyke, whose father is former All-Star Andy Van Slyke, swung at a 3-0 pitch and drove it into the left field bullpen after Andre Ethier struck out.
Javy Guerra (2-3) got the win, which completed a three-game sweep for the Dodgers and improved the best record in the majors to 28-13. Los Angeles is 15 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2009 season and leads San Francisco by seven games in the NL West, the Dodgers' biggest margin of the season.
Kenley Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth for his fifth save.
Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley gave up five runs — three earned — and eight hits in six innings and struck out seven — including World Series MVP David Freese all three times he faced him. The right-hander is 0-3 over his last seven starts with a 5.20 ERA.
The Cardinals placed first baseman Lance Berkman on the 15-day disabled list before the game because of an injured right knee, and purchased the contract of Triple-A first baseman Matt Adams. The rookie smoked the first pitch he saw in the big leagues to centre for a single in the second inning for the first of his two hits and started an inning-ending double play in the first after fielding Adam Kennedy's grounder in the hole.
The Cardinals turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Daniel Descalso led off with a single and Rafael Furcal reached on an error by Billingsley, who went to cover first base on Furcal's grounder in the hole and took the throw from James Loney with his foot off the bag on a bang-bang play.
Skip Schumaker followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, then scored the go-ahead run when Carlos Beltran beat the relay to first from shortstop Justin Sellers on a potential inning-ending double-play grounder to short after a walk to Matt Holliday.
The Cardinals should have had runners at the corners with no outs in the sixth, but third base umpire Alfonso Marquez called Yadier Molina out on a single by Adams that centre fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. chased down. TV replays confirmed that Kennedy's diving tag was late, but Furcal came through with a two-run bloop single that made it 5-2.
Ethier opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single, his NL-leading 37th RBI. Abreu led off the fourth with a single and scored the Dodgers' second run on Loney's double-play grounder with the bases loaded.
Notes: Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache told Dodgers manager Don Mattingly that 2B Mark Ellis, who underwent emergency surgery Saturday to drain blood and fluid and relieve pressure in his injured left leg, could have lost his leg had he been brought to the hospital six or seven hours later than he was. Mattingly, who visited Ellis along with bench coach Trey Hillman after Saturday night's game, lauded the team's training and medical staff for their efforts. Ellis was injured Friday night when Tyler Greene upended him with a hard takeout slide as he attempted to turn a double play. ... Van Slyke was born in July 1986 during his dad's fourth and final season with the Cardinals. Andy hit 164 home runs in 1,658 big league games. ... Ethier didn't get his 37th RBI last season until his 270th at-bat, 121 more than it took him this year to reach that total. ... Freese struck out all four times up and is 3 for 29 over his last nine games — lowering his average from .309 to .259. ... Loney's RBI single in the sixth was the 2,000th regular-season hit Lohse allowed in his 12-year career.
INTERLEAGUE PLAY
NATIONALS 9, ORIOLES 3
WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg hit his first major league home run and struck out eight in five innings to carry the Washington Nationals past the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 Sunday.
Strasburg sent an 0-2 pitch from Wei-Yin Chen into the Baltimore bullpen in the fourth inning to put the Nationals ahead 5-3. After dusting off his home run trot and returning to the dugout, Strasburg responded to a curtain call by waving to the crowd of 41,918.
The hard-throwing Strasburg singled and scored in the third inning, then followed a shot by Jesus Flores with one of his own in the fourth.
Known more for his pitching than his hitting, Strasburg (4-1) excelled at both. The right-hander allowed three runs, one earned, four hits and a walk in his first career appearance against Baltimore. He retired the last 10 batters he faced.
Since returning from elbow ligament replacement surgery last September, Strasburg is 5-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 14 starts.
Danny Espinosa also homered, and Bryce Harper drove in two runs and scored three to help the Nationals avert a three-game sweep by their regional rivals.
Chen (4-1) yielded six runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings for his first major league loss. The Taiwan native was vying to become the first Baltimore starter to begin his Orioles career with five straight wins since Jimmy Key in 1997.
TIGERS 4, PIRATES 3
DETROIT — Max Scherzer struck out 15 — the most by a Detroit pitcher in 40 years — and the Tigers rallied with three runs in the seventh inning to beat Pittsburgh.
Scherzer (3-3) threw 115 pitches in seven innings and was done for the day when the Tigers came back from a 2-1 deficit while he was still the pitcher of record. Alex Avila hit a two-run single through a drawn-in infield to put Detroit ahead.
Pittsburgh scored a run in the ninth off Joaquin Benoit, but he held on for his first save.
Kevin Correia (1-5) allowed three runs in six-plus innings.
Mickey Lolich had 15 Ks for the Tigers in 1972 and set the club record of 16 in 1969.
MARLINS 5, INDIANS 3
CLEVELAND — Josh Johnson twice worked out of jams to earn his second straight win and help Miami win an interleague series with Cleveland.
Johnson (2-3) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings as Miami took two of three from the Indians and improved to 14-5 in May, the best record in the majors this month.
Heath Bell gave up an RBI double to Jose Lopez and a run-scoring groundout to Casey Kotchman in the ninth before nailing down his fifth save in nine chances.
Cleveland starter Derek Lowe (6-2) allowed two runs over six innings and had his four-game winning streak broken.
RED SOX 5, PHILLIES 1
PHILADELPHIA — Josh Beckett pitched 7 2-3 strong innings and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a three-run homer to lead Boston over Philadelphia.
Mike Aviles also homered and drove in two runs for Boston, which has won eight of 10 games overall after taking the final two of this three-game series.
Beckett (4-4) allowed one run on seven hits Sunday while striking out five and walking two.
Adrian Gonzalez went 2 for 4 and now is 9 for 16 lifetime against Phillies lefty Cliff Lee.
Lee (0-2), making just his sixth start of the season, allowed five runs on nine hits — both season highs — in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.
BRAVES 2, RAYS 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tim Hudson scattered four hits over 7 2-3 innings and David Ross homered to lead Atlanta over Tampa Bay.
Hudson (3-1), who is 8-1 overall against the Rays, retired nine in a row before Ben Zobrist opened the fourth with a line single to right.
Ross put the Braves up 1-0 on an opposite-field, solo-homer to right in the third. Jason Heyward made it 2-0 on a two-out, RBI single during the sixth.
Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 13th save to complete a five-hitter.
David Price (6-3) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings for Tampa Bay.
BREWERS 16, TWINS 4
MILWAUKEE — Jonathan Lucroy homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs, and Zack Greinke pitched six strong innings to lead Milwaukee over Minnesota.
Lucroy connected on an 0-2 pitch from Jeff Gray in the seventh inning for his first career grand slam. He also had a solo homer in the first and an RBI single in the second.
The Brewers avoided being swept in three games by Minnesota for the first time since 1978.
Greinke (5-1) extended his unbeaten streak to 20 starts (14-0) as a Brewer at Miller Park. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out six and walked one.
Jason Marquis (2-4) was chased after a six-hit, six-run second inning.
PADRES 3, ANGELS 2, 13 INNINGS
SAN DIEGO — Pitcher Clayton Richard scored the winning run from first base on an error with two outs in the 13th inning to lift San Diego over Los Angeles.
By taking two of three from the Angels, the Padres had their first winning homestand of the season, going 3-2 against the Dodgers and Angels.
Richard, scheduled to start Monday night at St. Louis, singled to left with two outs in the 13th off David Pauley (0-1). Will Venable followed with a single to left-centre. Fill-in left fielder Howie Kendrick bobbled it for an error, allowing Richard to score standing up.
Rookie Miles Mikolas (1-1) pitched two perfect innings for his first big league win.
RANGERS 6, ASTROS 1
HOUSTON — Colby Lewis allowed four hits in eight-plus innings and drove in two runs, and Texas took a five-run lead in the first inning before coasting to the win over Houston.
Lewis (4-3) capped the Rangers' first-inning scoring with a bases-loaded, two-out single to centre. The Rangers got to Houston starter Jordan Lyles early, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Josh Hamilton and adding two more runs on a single by Nelson Cruz before the hit by Lewis.
David Murphy added a solo home run in the fifth inning, a day after hitting his first career inside-the-park homer for Texas.
Lyles (0-1) yielded nine hits and six runs — both season highs — in five innings.
METS 6, BLUE JAYS 5
TORONTO — Mike Baxter had three hits and came within a home run of the cycle, and Dillon Gee won for the first time in four starts as New York held on to beat Toronto.
New York third baseman David Wright went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a walk, raising his majors-leading average to .412. Wright also struck out twice, once with the bases loaded.
Jose Bautista homered for Toronto, his 11th, but the Blue Jays' win streak ended at four.
Gee (3-3) allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out six.
Alvarez (3-4) matched a career-high by giving up six earned runs. He allowed nine hits in a season-low five innings, walked two and struck out three.
REDS 5, YANKEES 2
NEW YORK — Johnny Cueto pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Ryan Ludwick delivered two big hits and Cincinnati closed its extended trip to New York with a win.
The Reds rallied late against CC Sabathia, sending the Yankees to their fifth loss in six games. Aroldis Chapman closed it out as Cincinnati took two of three at Yankee Stadium, right after splitting a pair at Citi Field against the Mets.
Cueto (5-1) gave up a two-run homer to Raul Ibanez in the sixth. The Yankees had plenty of traffic against him, but couldn't score more.
Sabathia (5-2) gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings with five walks.
ATHLETICS 6, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO — Collin Cowgill drove in the go-ahead runs and scored in a home plate collision with pitcher Tim Lincecum as Oakland snapped an 11-game skid in San Francisco.
Cowgill capped a four-run fourth inning against Lincecum and the collision put a scare into San Francisco and its struggling ace. The diminutive Lincecum tried to block the plate after a wild pitch, taking a helmet to the face and falling backward when Cowgill slid into him.
Lincecum (2-4) gave up five hits and four runs in four innings to push his ERA to 6.04 this season. He hasn't won since April 28 at San Diego.
Bartolo Colon (4-4) allowed two runs on six hit in five innings for the A's.
MARINERS 6, ROCKIES 4
DENVER — Jesus Montero and Justin Smoak hit back-to-back home runs, Blake Beavan tied a season-high with seven strikeouts and Seattle beat Colorado to complete a three-game sweep.
Mike Carp also homered and Dustin Ackley had two hits for the Mariners.
Carlos Gonzalez homered among his three hits and Dexter Fowler also homered for Colorado, which has lost four straight overall and 8 of 10 at home in May.
Beavan (2-4) followed strong outings by Seattle's starters in the first two games with five-plus innings of two-run ball.
Jeremy Guthrie (2-2) allowed three homers in a game for the fifth time in his career.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, ROYALS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Wade Miley pitched seven sharp innings and John McDonald drove in the first run with a bunt single to lead Arizona over Kansas City.
Miley (5-1) limited the Royals to five hits while throwing 99 pitches. The rookie walked two and struck out three, sending Kansas City to its 17th loss in 22 home games this season.
David Hernandez and J.J. Putz each pitched an inning to finish off the shutout. Putz earned his ninth save in 11 opportunities.
Right-hander Nate Adcock (0-2), just recalled from Triple-A Omaha and making his first start of the season, held Arizona to five hits and one run over five innings.
WHITE SOX 6, CUBS 0
CHICAGO — Jake Peavy pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and Adam Dunn hit his 14th homer to help the White Sox complete a three-game sweep of their crosstown rivals.
Gordon Beckham and Tyler Flowers also went deep as the White Sox matched season highs with three homers in a game and four straight wins. Back-to-back homers by Beckham and Dunn leading off the fourth gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
Flowers made it 3-0 with a drive to start the fifth off Paul Maholm (4-3).
Peavy (5-1) struck out seven and walked two over 6 1-3 innings
Maholm allowed five runs and nine hits, also over 6 1-3 innings.