HOUSTON (AP) -- Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker wasn't ready to rave about his team after the Reds captured a season-high seventh straight victory on Wednesday night.
Still, he's happy with the way the NL Central leaders have been pulling out wins lately.
Drew Stubbs delivered another huge hit in the ninth inning, launching a two-out, two-run double that rallied the Reds past Houston 5-3.
"Well, we haven't been really playing that well," Baker said. "We've been playing well enough to win, which is what we're here for. We've been getting some clutch hits, some very good pitching and that's what it starts with is the pitching ... we've put together some good streaks and that's why we are where we are."
Stubbs came through with the Reds trailing 3-2. A night earlier, he hit a two-run homer in the ninth that wiped out the Astros' one-run lead.
Both of Stubbs' hits came against former teammate Francisco Cordero (3-7).
"That was a huge, clutch hit," Baker said of Wednesday's double. "That was probably even bigger than last night's."
The Reds sent Houston to its ninth loss in a row, tying a season worst.
Houston scored three times in the eighth to take the lead. But pinch hitter Xavier Paul opened the Cincinnati ninth with a double off Cordero and pinch hitter Brandon Phillips drew a one-out walk.
Stubbs' double pinged low on the wall in center field to allow Paul and Phillips to score.
"I actually hit that one a lot better than I hit the one last night," Stubbs said. "Luckily we were able to hang on there at the end."
Jay Bruce added an insurance run with an RBI single later in the ninth.
Sean Marshall (3-3) got the last out in the eighth for the win and closer Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth for his 19th save.
Cordero has blown both of his save opportunities since joining the Astros in a trade from Toronto on Friday.
The Astros trailed 2-0 entering the eighth before Jose Altuve doubled off Logan Ondrusek. Scott Moore and J.D. Martinez hit RBI doubles and two errors put Houston ahead.
Reds starter Homer Bailey scattered four hits with seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.
Stubbs, who had seven hits and five RBIs in this series, likes the way the Reds are playing right now.
"It just feels like everything is clicking for us," he said. "If we get down we come back ... and I think that's just the combination of us playing good baseball, getting some lucky bounces and that's the formula to winning a championship. I'm not saying at this point it's going to happen, but that's the type of stuff it takes to do it."
The Astros had plenty of opportunities to put more runs on the board, but went 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
"That was our Achilles' heel today," Houston manager Brad Mills said.
Astros starter Bud Norris yielded five hits and a run with seven strikeouts in seven innings. He hasn't won since May 21.
Scott Rolen's RBI single pushed Cincinnati's lead to 2-0 in the eighth.
Devin Mesoraco singled to start the third, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Bailey and scored on Stubbs' two-out double.
The Reds turned a double play to end the third inning before Bailey retired six of the next seven batters.
Brian Bogusevic singled with one out in the Houston seventh and Carlos Corporan drew a walk. Then with a group of his friends and relatives chanting, "Homer, Homer," Bailey retired the next two Astros to preserve the lead and end his night.
PIRATES 3, CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH -- Kevin Correia won his career-best fifth straight start and Garrett Jones hit a tiebreaking double to lead Pittsburgh over Chicago, 3-2.
Correia (8-6) gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, helping Pittsburgh avoid getting swept at home.
Jones drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the sixth. Neil Walker and Michael McKenry homered for Pittsburgh.
Ryan Dempster (5-5) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings with six strikeouts and no walks. His ERA, which had been a major league-leading 2.11, rose to 2.25.
Relievers Jared Hughes, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan followed Correia with one scoreless inning each. Hanrahan recorded his 29th save in 32 chances.
NATIONALS 5, METS 2
NEW YORK -- Stephen Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings, Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa hit consecutive homers and Washington completed a sweep of free-falling New York.
Adam LaRoche hit a two-run homer for a second straight day, and Espinosa doubled and scored on one of the Mets' two errors in the Nationals' fifth straight win. The team with the NL's best record (58-39) has won seven of 10.
Strasburg (11-4) gave up four hits in matching his career best for innings, done seven times.
Ike Davis homered for New York in the finale of an 0-6 homestand. The Mets' 1-11 slide after the All-Star break is approaching their record for futility to start the second half. The only team worse in club history was its first. The 1962 Mets won just one of their first 15 games and set a record for losses with a 40-120 record.
Tyler Clippard, the Nationals' fifth reliever, pitched a perfect ninth for his 18 save in 20 chances.
Jeremy Hefner (1-4) labored through six innings, giving up six hits and three runs -- two earned -- in his fourth big league start. Hefner struck out seven and walked two.
BRAVES 7, MARLINS 1
MIAMI -- Juan Francisco homered and drove in three runs for Atlanta while the downsizing Marlins jettisoned yet another star player by trading Hanley Ramirez to Los Angeles.
Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward homered to back Tommy Hanson (11-5), who pitched around a career-high seven walks and allowed one run and three hits in five innings.
Ricky Nolasco (8-9) gave up six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, dropping to 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA against the Braves this season.
A Marlins Park-record crowd of 36,711 watched the home team steal seven bases, the most in the major leagues this season. Jose Reyes and Donovan Solano each had two stolen bases as the Marlins were caught just once.
PHILLIES 7, BREWERS 6, 10 innings
PHILADELPHIA -- Jimmy Rollins hit an RBI single off Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the 10th and Philadelphia rallied in its last at-bat for the fourth straight day, completing its first three-game sweep of the season.
The Phillies have won four straight, including three walkoff wins.
Rollins had the winning hit in the 12th against San Francisco on Sunday. The Phillies scored four runs off Rodriguez in the ninth in a 7-6 win Monday, and six in the eighth in a 7-6 win Tuesday.
Michael Schwimer (2-1) allowed an unearned run in the 10th, but earned the win.
John Mayberry Jr. walked with one out in the 10th against Rodriguez (2-6). Eric Kratz followed with a double. Pinch-hitter Carlos Ruiz hit a sacrifice fly to tie it. Rollins hit an RBI single.
Ryan Braun hit a tying, two-run homer in the eighth and Rickie Weeks also connected but the Brewers, who lost their sixth straight -- all on the road.
PADRES 6, GIANTS 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jesus Guzman hit two home runs and Chase Headley had one to hand Tim Lincecum another setback and San Diego avoided a three-game sweep.
Will Venable hit a two-run double to help the Padres chase Lincecum (4-11) after he allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings.
Jason Marquis (4-5) gave up three hits and one earned run in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one to send the NL West-leading Giants to only their third loss in 12 games.
Huston Street extended his scoreless streak to 15 straight innings with a four-out save, including striking out All-Star MVP Melky Cabrera with two on to end the eighth. Street has converted all 16 save opportunities this season.
Headley homered over the wall in center in the first to match his career-high of 12 home runs and give the Padres a 1-0 lead. It was the sixth home run allowed in the first inning this year by Lincecum, tying the mark he gave up all of last season.
CARDINALS 3, DODGERS 2, 12 innings
ST. LOUIS -- Rafael Furcal singled home the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning and St. Louis dampened the Dodgers debut of Hanley Ramirez.
Ramirez tripled on the first pitch he saw with his new team. The three-time All-Star infielder, acquired late Tuesday night from Miami, went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and hit an RBI single in sixth that made it 2-all.
Lance Berkman, who left a day earlier with a bruised right knee after being hit by a pitch, drew a one-out walk as a pinch-hitter in the 12th from Jamey Wright (4-3). Matt Carpenter singled with two outs and Furcal drove home pinch-runner Joe Kelly.
Fernando Salas (1-3) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up his first victory since July 9, 2011, against Arizona.
Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse went seven innings and allowed two runs and seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. He drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Dodgers starter Aaron Harang gave up just two hits and two runs in 7 1-3 innings.
ROCKIES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 2
PHOENIX -- Jeff Francis pitched six strong innings, Wilin Rosario hit a two-run homer and Colorado avoided a three-game sweep.
Dexter Fowler went 3-for-4 with a triple, stolen base and two runs scored, and Marco Scutaro added a two-run double and drove in three runs for the Rockies, who won for the second time in eight games.
Francis (3-2) allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and walked one.
Rafael Betancourt pitched the ninth for his 17th save.
Jason Kubel and Miguel Montero homered for the Diamondbacks, whose overall winning streak ended at five games while its home streak ended at eight games.
Arizona starter Trevor Cahill (8-9) went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, eight hits and two walks. He struck out six.
YANKEES 5, MARINERS 2
SEATTLE -- Pinch-hitter Jayson Nix lined a three-run double off reliever Shawn Kelley in the eighth inning, and New York rallied for a 5-2 victory over Seattle to complete a 2-5 West Coast trip.
Nix's liner scored Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. It was Nix's first hit in eight at-bats during the Yankees' trip.
Jeter homered in the first inning, his eighth of the season, off Hisashi Iwakuma.
Lucas Luetge (1-1) loaded the bases and was relieved by Kelley.
Nix is 2 for 3 this season as a pinch hitter.
David Phelps (2-3) threw 1 1/3 innings of relief and struck out two to get the victory. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances.
Seattle got just one hit after Jesus Montero's broken-bat single with one out in the first inning.
WHITE SOX 8, TWINS 2
CHICAGO -- Dayan Viciedo homered and drove in four runs, and Chicago completed the three-game sweep.
Viciedo hit a two-run single in the second inning and added a two-run homer in the fourth, finishing with three hits. Alex Rios homered for the White Sox, who have won 10 of their last 11 home games.
Jake Peavy (8-7) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and six hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks.
Kevin Youkilis left the game in the fourth inning due to a sprained left ankle. He had an RBI single in the third before being lifted for a pinch-hitter.
Nick Blackburn (4-6) gave up a season-high eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings as the Twins fell a season-worst 18 games below .500. Minnesota went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and lost to the White Sox for the 15th time in their last 19 meetings.
ANGELS 11, ROYALS 6
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jered Weaver won his seventh straight start to tie a career-best, and Mike Trout and Torii Hunter homered for Los Angeles.
The Angels won the rubber game of the three-game series without slugger Albert Pujols, who missed his second game of the season because of a bruised right elbow.
Weaver (13-1) threw 101 pitches over five innings, allowing two runs and three hits while his AL-leading ERA rose from 2.20 to 2.27 because of Billy Butler's two-run homer in the fifth, his 20th.
Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar (6-9) was ejected in the fourth inning by plate umpire Bob Davidson after hitting Trout -- immediately following a homer by Bobby Wilson that gave the Angels an 8-0 lead.
Trout's homer was his 16th. Hunter's was his 11th.
RAYS 10, ORIOLES 1
BALTIMORE -- David Price allowed one run over seven innings to earn his major league-leading 14th victory and Ryan Roberts homered and scored three runs in his Tampa Bay debut.
Desmond Jennings homered on the game's first pitch to spark a five-run first inning, Roberts connected with a man on in the third and rookie Jose Lobaton added a three-run drive in the fifth for a 10-1 lead.
Price (14-4) gave up seven hits, struck out 10 and walked none. The left-hander has won a career-high six straight decisions (over his last seven starts) and is 9-1 in 11 starts since May 20.
Lobaton finished with three hits and four RBIs, both career highs. The 10 runs were more than the light-hitting Rays totaled in their previous four games.
Jennings set the tone with his leadoff drive against rookie Miguel Gonzalez (2-2).
RANGERS 5, RED SOX 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Derek Holland struck out seven and pitched into the eighth inning and Texas took advantage of a couple of wild throws by Josh Beckett to score the go-ahead run.
Elvis Andrus was hit on the left forearm by a pitch to reach with one out in the seventh. He got to third on a single by Adrian Beltre and scored to break a 3-all tie when Beckett (5-9) threw a wild pitch that bounced several feet wide of the plate.
Holland (7-5) allowed three runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings, and came out of the game soon after a stretch when he retired 20 of 22 batters.
Nelson Cruz led off the eighth with his 13th homer, to greet Red Sox reliever Matt Albers.
While retiring 20 of 22 batters, Holland gave up solo homers to Will Middlebrooks and Dustin Pedroia.
Beckett allowed nine hits and walked two in his seven innings.
ATHLETICS 16, BLUE JAYS 0
TORONTO -- Coco Crisp hit two home runs and Yoenis Cespedes had two RBI doubles to lead Oakland to its season-high seventh straight win.
It was the most-lopsided shutout loss ever for Toronto. Things got so out of hand that the Blue Jays used catcher Jeff Mathis to pitch the ninth inning, and he gave up two runs on an RBI double by Brandon Hicks and an RBI single by Brandon Moss.
Chris Carter homered and drove in three runs. He drew a bases-loaded walk from Ricky Romero during an eight-run second inning as Oakland improved to 16-2 in July.
A.J. Griffin (3-0) gave up three hits in six innings. The rookie struck out nine in winning his third straight start and leaving with a 2.25 ERA.
Romero (8-7) lasted only 1 1/3 innings in the shortest start of his career. He lost his sixth decision in a row.
sign out Welcome,
(edit)