Hosmer launches 20th homer of season in win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eric Hosmer finally topped his rookie total from five years ago.

Hosmer hit his career-high 20th homer, Yordano Ventura pitched into and out of trouble, and the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.

Hosmer homered in the fourth off Michael Fulmer after Cheslor Cuthbert led off the inning with a double. Hosmer's previous high was 19 as a rookie in 2011.

"It's what we all strive for to get better and better each year," Hosmer said. "It came at a good time especially the way Fulmer was pitching, ended up getting us a victory with hopefully a lot more victories to come."

Ventura (10-9) threw 53 strikes and 52 balls in six innings, allowing one run and six hits with six walks and a wild pitch. He improved to 7-0 against the Tigers, including three wins this season, and is 4-0 overall in his past six starts.

"He was really smart," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Some of those balls weren't because he wasn't commanding his pitches. He was not going to let the middle of that order beat him. He was pitching around them."

The Tigers went 1 for 9 with runners on base, stranding nine, while he was on the mound and had a base runner every inning.

"It just came down to us not getting a big hit when we needed it," Detroit's Ian Kinsler said. "We had opportunities. We got on base plenty against him. We just couldn't get a hit to drive in some runs tonight."

Fulmer (10-6) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for the Tigers, falling to 1-4 in his past five starts. He walked one and struck out four.

"The 2-2 pitch to Hosmer, I threw it up and in," Fulmer said. "I could have gotten it a little higher, but it was in. He put a good swing on it and got the barrel to it."

Successive bunt singles by Raul Mondesi and Jarrod Dyson led to a run in the fifth as Cuthbert's two-out single scored Mondesi.

James McCann's f ielder's choice ground out in the fourth scored J.D. Martinez, who led off the inning with a double, for the only run Ventura allowed.

Alcides Escobar's bases-loaded single in the ninth scored pinch-runner Terrance Gore and Salvador Perez for the final Kansas City runs. Escobar extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games.

Kinsler homered on an 0-2 pitch from Brooks Pounders to lead off the Tigers' ninth.

Wade Davis, who blew a save Friday, was summoned to get the final outs, striking out Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, picking up his 22nd save in 25 opportunities.

RANGERS 12, ASTROS 4 Adrian Beltre and Nomar Mazara each homered, Derek Holland pitched his third straight quality start since coming off the disabled list and Texas got its seventh straight victory. After trailing 1-0, the Rangers got their major league-high 42nd come-from-behind win. They’ve won eight of nine and scored at least 10 runs in each of their past three games. AL West-leading Texas is 13-2 against the Astros this season and 37-19 against the division. Holland (7-6) pitched six innings, allowing two runs, six hits and three walks.

ORIOLES 2, YANKEES 0 Kevin Gausman outpitched CC Sabathia for the second time in seven days, Adam Jones homered and Baltimore got its third straight shutout against New York. Gausman (7-10) allowed two hits and two walks over six innings to win his fourth straight start. He struck out eight and permitted only one runner past second base. RAYS 7, BLUE JAYS 5 Matt Duffy’s threerun double highlighted a five-run sixth inning and last-place Tampa Bay beat AL East-leading Toronto for the second straight game. The big outburst came against right-hander Marco Estrada (8-7), who had given up just two singles in the first five innings. Duffy’s double was the fifth hit of the inning.

TWINS 11, WHITE SOX 3 Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe each homered during an eight-run third inning, and Minnesota went deep four times. Brian Dozier led off with his 34th homer, and Byron Buxton tacked on a two-run shot in the second against beleaguered starter James Shields (5-17). Hector Santiago (11-8) won for the first time in six starts since the Twins acquired him in late July from the Los Angeles Angels.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

GIANTS 3, CUBS 2 Madison Bumgarner outpitched Jake Arrieta with 10 strikeouts over six innings, and the San Francisco Giants pounced on rare miscues by the Chicago Cubs in a 3-2 victory on Saturday. Bumgarner (14-8) allowed two runs and five hits in his fourth victory in his last five starts. San Francisco, trying to catch Los Angeles in the NL West, rebounded from a pair of one-run losses in the first two games of the four-game set against the major league leaders.

METS 3, NATIONALS 1 Curtis Granderson and James Loney came through with big hits to back Robert Gsellman, and New York got another gritty start from an unheralded rookie in its banged-up rotation. Gsellman (2-1) pitched out of trouble for six innings, and inexperienced center fielder Michael Conforto made a diving catch that thwarted a potential Nationals rally in the seventh. New York rebounded from consecutive losses and won for the 10th time in 14 games, moving within one game of St. Louis for the final NL playoff berth.

REDS 9, CARDINALS 1 Zack Cozart hit a pair of doubles during run-scoring innings that included St. Louis misplays, and Cincinnati sent the Cardinals to their third straight loss. The Cardinals have lost seven of 11. They’re still in position to get the NL’s second wild-card spot, staying ahead of the Mets, Pirates and Marlins. Pinch hitter Ramon Cabrera’s two-run single in the seventh inning put the Reds ahead 4-1. Cincinnati used four walks by Jerome Williams to score five times in the eighth.

BREWERS 7, PIRATES 4 Struggling rookie Orlando Arcia had three hits, including a tiebreaking single in Milwaukee’s four-run eighth inning, to extend Pittsburgh’s losing streak to five games. Pittsburgh’s Neftali Feliz (4-2) was charged with two runs, retiring only one of the three batters before leaving with right arm discomfort. Carlos Torres (3-3) got the win despite allowing Andrew McCutchen’s 19th homer in the seventh inning, tying it at 2. BRAVES 6, PHILLIES 4 (10) Adonis Garcia scored the winning run in the 10th inning after homering twice earlier in the game, and Atlanta beat Philadelphia. Jed Bradley (1-0) got the win in his major league debut. He threw one scoreless inning and had a strikeout. Mauricio Cabrera got his fourth save in four opportunities.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, ROCKIES 4 Chris Owings had a career high-tying four hits, Jake Lamb homered and Arizona beat Colorado. Braden Shipley (3-3) allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first time facing Colorado. The Diamondbacks broke it open in the third off Tyler Chatwood (10-9). Welington Castillo had a three-run double and Lamb followed with his 27th homer to make it 6-0.

INTERLEAGUE

INDIANS 8, MARLINS 3 Trevor Bauer overcame a shaky first inning and pitched into the ninth, Francisco Lindor was 4 for 4 and Cleveland beat Miami. Bauer (10-6) shut down the Marlins after giving up three runs and three hits in the first. The right-hander didn’t allow another hit until Ichiro Suzuki led off the ninth with a single. Lindor doubled in the first and third, singled in the fourth and added an RBI single in the sixth. Kipnis hit his 22nd homer in the first off Marlins ace Jose Fernandez (13-8), who gave up a career-high 12 hits and seven runs in 5 2/3 innings.

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