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CINCINNATI -- Johnny Cueto struck out nine in seven innings on Saturday, and Brayan Pena singled through a drawn-in infield for the only run, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals that ended a seven-game losing streak. Cincinnati ended its longest skid in five years by getting several good defensive plays and another dominating performance by its All-Star starter. Cueto (11-6) gave up four hits and walked three. Left-hander Aroldis Chapman pitched out of a two-on, two-out threat in the eighth and finished for his 22nd save in 24 chances. He extended his streak of at least one strikeout in his last 43 appearances, the longest by a reliever in the majors since 1900. Gio Gonzalez (6-6) gave up four hits and fanned eight in seven innings. RAYS 3, RED SOX 0 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Ben Zobrist homered, Matt Joyce and Kevin Kiermaier each had an RBI single, and Tampa Bay beat skidding Boston for its ninth consecutive victory. The stretch is the second-longest in team history, three short of a 12-game winning streak in June 2004. John Lackey (11-7) came up short in his first attempt to earn his 150th win, giving up three runs and eight hits over seven innings. Before the game, the Red Sox traded right-hander Jake Peavy and cash to San Francisco for minor league pitchers Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree. Boston, last in the AL East one season after winning the World Series, has lost five straight. Grant Balfour (1-3) went 1 2-3 innings for the win, and Jake McGee pitched the ninth for his 11th save. CARDINALS 6, CUBS 3 CHICAGO -- Matt Adams drove in four runs, A.J. Pierzynski had three hits in his St. Louis debut and the Cardinals beat Chicago to stop a four-game skid. Shelby Miller returned to the Cardinals' rotation and pitched 5 2-3 effective innings. Adams hit a two-run double in the first and a two-run triple in a four-run seventh that was capped by Pierzynski's RBI single. Randy Choate (2-2) got the last out of the sixth. Trevor Rosenthal worked around two hits in a scoreless ninth, earning his 31st save in 35 tries. The 37-year-old Pierzynski signed with the Cardinals on Saturday, 10 days after he was released by Boston. St. Louis had been looking for a steady presence behind the plate since All-Star catcher Yadier Molina tore a ligament in his right thumb July 9. Ryan Sweeney and pinch-hitter Nate Schierholtz homered for the Cubs. James Russell (0-2) took the loss. BLUE JAYS 6, YANKEES 4 NEW YORK -- Dan Johnson drove in four runs with a go-ahead infield hit and a three-run homer, helping Toronto end its 17-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium. Brian McCann's two-run homer put New York ahead in the fourth inning, but Johnson drove in the tiebreaking run in the seventh with a 70-foot bloop that fell in front of second baseman Brian Roberts. Johnson's ninth-inning drive off Jeff Francis, which extended the lead to 6-2, was his first homer since hitting three for the Chicago White Sox at Cleveland on Oct. 3, 2012. Drew Hutchison (7-9) stopped a three-start skid to win for the first time since July 1. Chris Capuano failed to get a decision in his Yankees debut. Shawn Kelley (1-3) was the loser. Toronto, like New York chasing Baltimore in the AL East, had not won at Yankee Stadium since Aug. 29, 2012. New York lost for just the second time in eight games since the All-Star break. MARINERS 4, ORIOLES 3 SEATTLE -- Chris Young allowed two hits in seven shutout innings, and Seattle snapped a four-game losing streak by holding off Baltimore. Dustin Ackley doubled twice and scored two runs for the Mariners. Robinson Cano had an RBI double. After the Orioles took advantage of an error by All-Star third baseman Kyle Seager to score three times in the eighth, Fernando Rodney closed it out for his 200th career save. Young (9-6), who did not pitch in the majors last season, walked three and matched his season high with eight strikeouts. He has won nine games for the first time since 2007 with San Diego. Bud Norris (8-7), who won five of his previous six starts, went five innings for the Orioles. He allowed four runs and six hits. ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 1 ARLINGTON, Texas -- Sonny Gray won his sixth straight decision, helped when Oakland hit four home runs in a six-batter span to beat Texas. The Athletics trailed 1-0 when John Jaso hit a two-run drive with two outs in the sixth inning. Yoenis Cespedes followed with his 17th home run. Josh Donaldson led off the seventh with another home run and Josh Reddick connected two batters later. Gray (12-3) allowed seven hits over 6 2-3 innings. He didn't give up more than one earned run in any of his five July starts. Jaso and Cespedes homered off Nick Tepesch (3-7), who left with soreness in his left knee. BREWERS 5, METS 2 MILWAUKEE -- Wily Peralta earned his team-leading 12th win, and Mark Reynolds homered in Milwaukee's victory over New York. Jonathan Lucroy, Ryan Braun and Khris Davis added run-scoring hits for the NL Central leaders. Peralta (12-6) labored through 5 2-3 innings, giving up six hits and two runs. Four relievers held the Mets scoreless over the final 3 1-3 innings. Francisco Rodriguez, who blew a save and took the loss Friday night, recorded his 30th save in 34 chances. Curtis Granderson homered and doubled for the Mets. Jonathon Niese (5-6) gave up five hits and three runs in five innings. ROCKIES 8, PIRATES 1 DENVER -- Nolan Arenado bounced back from a benching with three hits, including a home run, and Colorado routed Pittsburgh. Tyler Matzek (2-4) pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings for his first win since his major league debut June 11 against Atlanta. Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson also homered for the Rockies, who have won three straight. Ike Davis denied Colorado its first shutout at Coors Field this season with a one-out homer in the ninth. It was a bounce-back performance for Arenado, removed from Friday's game when he didn't hustle down the line on a grounder to the pitcher in the fourth inning. Arenado met with manager Walt Weiss before Saturday's game and said he agreed with the decision. Pirates starter Jeff Locke (2-2) allowed six runs and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings. MARLINS 7, ASTROS 3 HOUSTON -- Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run double, and Jordany Valdespin added a two-run homer to power Miami past Houston. Stanton's double in the second inning broke a 2-all tie. Christian Yelich had two hits, including an RBI single as part of the four-run outburst. Valdespin hit his first homer of the season in the ninth off Chad Qualls. Tom Koehler (7-7) gave up three runs and nine hits in five innings. Jason Castro hit an early two-run homer and Jose Altuve had three hits for Houston, which lost its fourth straight and fell a season-high 20 games under .500. Jarred Cosart (9-7) allowed five runs and seven hits with four walks in 5 2-3 innings. WHITE SOX 7, TWINS 0 MINNEAPOLIS -- Chris Sale tied a season high with 12 strikeouts in eight dominant innings, Alexei Ramirez hit his 10th homer and Chicago defeated Minnesota for its third straight win over the Twins. Sale (10-1) scattered five hits -- all singles -- and became the first White Sox starter to win 10 of his first 11 decisions in a season since Mark Buehrle in 2005. It was also Sale's 15th career game with 10 or more strikeouts, moving him into a tie for second on the franchise list with Juan Pizarro. Chicago had its way against Logan Darnell (0-1) in his first major league start. A day after being recalled to fill in for injured Kyle Gibson, Darnell allowed seven runs and 11 hits while striking out seven in five innings. The Twins are 2-7 since the All-Star break. BRAVES 5, PADRES 3 ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman had three hits and an RBI, Julio Teheran earned his team-high 10th win and Atlanta took advantage of Odrisamer Despaigne's control problems to beat San Diego. Tommy La Stella also had three hits and Chris Johnson drove in two runs as the Braves moved within 1½ games of NL East-leading Washington. Teheran (10-6) allowed three runs on nine hits and no walks in six innings. He also drove in a run with a squeeze bunt. Despaigne (2-2) walked five and also was wild on a crucial throw to third base for an error in Atlanta's four-run fourth. The right-hander from Cuba lasted only 3 2-3 innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on six hits. It was his first start since throwing 7 2-3 hitless innings Sunday before allowing a run in a no-decision against the Mets. Seth Smith had three hits and Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run double for the Padres. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 31st save. ROYALS 7, INDIANS 5 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Billy Butler homered for the second consecutive game and Kansas City overcame a five-run deficit to beat Cleveland for its fifth straight win. A day after his pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning beat the Indians, Butler connected for a tiebreaking shot in the fifth off Nick Hagadone. Nori Aoki hit a two-run triple in the fourth. Carlos Santana hit his third homer in two games for Cleveland, which has lost six of seven. Jeremy Guthrie (6-9) won despite giving up five runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings. Greg Holland, the fourth Kansas City reliever, got his 27th save in 29 chances. Zach McAllister (3-6) couldn't hold a 5-0 lead. DIAMONDBACKS 10, PHILLIES 6, 10 innings PHILADELPHIA -- Martin Prado homered, doubled and drove in five runs, including a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to lift Arizona over Philadelphia. Pinch-hitter Nick Evans' three-run homer capped the Diamondbacks' four-run 10th. Evan Marshall (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win. Marlon Byrd and Cody Asche homered for the Phillies, who blew a four-run lead and have lost eight of 11. Chase Utley had three hits and an RBI. Antonio Bastardo (4-4) took the loss. DODGERS 5, GIANTS 0 SAN FRANCISCO -- Clayton Kershaw threw a two-hitter to win his ninth straight decision, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco. Adrian Gonzalez had three hits and an RBI, and Juan Uribe had two hits and two RBIs to help the Dodgers move into first place in the NL West, a half-game ahead of the Giants. Kershaw (12-2) walked one and struck out seven in his ninth career shutout and second this season. It also was his fourth complete game of the year and 15th of his career. The left-hander improved to 12-6 with a 1.40 ERA in 23 career games against the Giants, including 7-2 with a 0.69 ERA at AT&T Park. Ryan Vogelsong (5-8) retired the first 11 batters before Hunter Pence lost Gonzalez's double in the sun with two outs in the fourth. Hanley Ramirez followed with an RBI single. The Giants have been shut out in four of Vogelsong's last five starts. ANGELS 4, TIGERS 0 ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Efren Navarro hit his first major league homer off Justin Verlander, and Matt Shoemaker combined with two relievers on a four-hitter as the Los Angeles Angels beat Detroit. Shoemaker (8-3) threw just 78 pitches through seven innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out five against a lineup that came in leading the AL in batting average, hits, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The only hits off the right-hander were Ian Kinsler's first-inning double and singles by Eugenio Suarez and Austin Jackson. Kevin Jepsen pitched a perfect eighth, and Jason Grilli got the last three outs. Jepsen has allowed only one earned run over his last 31 2-3 innings and 35 appearances. The AL Central leaders were shut out for the fifth time this season, and their division lead over Kansas City was reduced to five games. Verlander (9-9) allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings with four strikeouts and a walk.
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