NEW YORK: Yu Darvish struck out 10 hitters over eight shutout innings as the Texas Rangers thrashed the Minnesota Twins 5-0.
The right-hander struck out 10 or more in a game for the 25th time in his major league career and fifth time this season.
Darvish (8-4) allowed only four hits and walked one in making quick work of the Twins, who lost for the fifth straight game.
First baseman Mike Napoli hit a go-ahead home run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning off Masahiro Tanaka as the Boston Red Sox pulled out victory over the New York Yankees.
Tanaka (11-3) allowed two runs and seven hits but lost consecutive starts for the first time in his rookie season in MLB and was denied his league-leading 12th victory.
Before the ninth, the Japanese right-hander had retired 11 successive hitters.
A sixth-run surge in the second inning sparked the Los Angeles Dodgers to a rout of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dodgers’ pitcher Zack Greinke (10-4) struck out 10 with no walks and limited the Cardinals to a run and four hits in seven innings.
Josh Donaldson’s two-out, 14th-inning single drove in the winning run as the Oakland A’s beat the Miami Marlins.
Reliever Jim Johnson (4-2) earned the win. Jeff Francis got the save, working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the 14th.
Oakland (50-30) won for the 10th time in its past 12 games and has the best record in the majors.
The Atlanta Braves turned an early deficit into a blowout win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader.
Left fielder Justin Upton broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with a two-run double before the Braves put the game out of reach with five runs in the eighth against relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo.
The Atlanta Braves, led by third baseman Chris Johnson’s 3-for-4 effort, banged out 13 hits to win the second game of their doubleheader over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gio Gonzalez was stellar through seven innings and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader.
Gonzalez (5-4) allowed no runs on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts to spoil a solid major league debut by Cubs starter Dallas Beeler.
Wilson Ramos and Adam LaRoche each hit solo home runs and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs to sweep a doubleheader. The Angels scored four runs in the sixth inning against Bruce Chen.REUTERS
