DETROIT — Justin Verlander lost a bid for his third no-hitter when Chris Iannetta lined a leadoff double in the ninth inning that landed on the left-field line, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 on Wednesday night.
Trying to become the sixth major leaguer to throw three no-hitters, Verlander settled instead for a one-hit shutout.
WHO'S HOT
n Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals is 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA in his last seven starts.
who’s Not
n The Yankees hit .165 and scored four runs in losing 2 of 3 to Houston.
He was an inch away from so much more.
Iannetta’s shot, just barely fair, kicked up chalk and rolled into the left-field corner. Verlander attempted to will it foul with body English, then arched his back in disappointment after the ball hit right on the line.
Verlander (2-6) retired the next three batters to finish his seventh career shutout and first since May 18, 2012, against Pittsburgh. The right-hander struck out nine and walked two in his first win since July 29.
He faced only 28 hitters – one more than the minimum – after inducing double plays following both walks.
“Right now it’s tough,” Verlander said moments after the final out. “I’ve got to say thank you to the fans. Starting in the seventh inning you guys got on your feet the entire game, and it’s been a while since I felt like that on the mound and that’s pretty exciting. I’ll always remember you guys for that.”
BLUE JAYS 12, RANGERS 4: Edwin Encarnacion hit a grand slam to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, helping David Price get a win on his 30th birthday in Toronto’s win at Arlington, Texas.
MARINERS 8, ATHLETICS 2: Felix Hernandez made just two mistakes in eight strong innings, Nelson Cruz hit his AL-leading 39th homer and drove in three runs, and Seattle won at home.
ASTROS 6, YANKEES 2: Evan Gattis hit two home runs, Collin McHugh excelled once again, and visiting Houston exceeded last season’s win total.
The AL West leaders improved to 71-57, a year after going 70-92.
The Yankees have lost 5 of 7.
ORIOLES 8, ROYALS 5: Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop each hit a two-run homer off Johnny Cueto, and Baltimore totaled five homers in winning at Kansas City, Missouri.
TWINS 5, RAYS 3: Eduardo Escobar homered twice and Joe Mauer had a tie-breaking RBI single as visiting Minnesota won its sixth straight.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PIRATES 7, MARLINS 2: Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in four runs to help Pittsburgh win at Miami.
METS 9, PHILLIES 4: Bartolo Colon tossed five-hit ball and struck out eight in seven sharp innings, Michael Cuddyer hit a long homer and NL East-leading New York won at Philadelphia.
DODGERS 7, REDS 4: Scott Van Slyke, A.J. Ellis and Yasiel Puig all homered during a five-run fourth inning, and Los Angeles held on to win at Cincinnati.
PADRES 6, NATIONALS 5: Justin Upton homered twice and had three RBI, Matt Kemp added a two-run double and San Diego won at Washington.
ROCKIES 6, BRAVES 3: Brandon Barnes had three hits, including a two-run homer, and visiting Colorado extended Atlanta right-hander Shelby Miller’s winless streak to 18 starts.
INTERLEAGUE
INDIANS 6, BREWERS 2: Jason Kipnis homered and drove in three runs, and Cleveland used six pitchers to beat visiting Milwaukee.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.