NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander began his second stint with the Houston Astros by pitching seven solid innings, but he gave up a go-ahead homer to Jake Bauers that sent the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory Saturday.
Verlander (6-6) allowed seven hits, his second most this season and lost a regular-season start to the Yankees for the first time since June 19, 2015, with Detroit. He struck out four and walked two and fell to 10-8 lifetime against the Yankees in the regular season.
Rookie Anthony Volpe lifted a sacrifice fly in the second against Verlander for the Yankees, who won for the third time in four games. Gleyber Torres added a homer to open the eighth off Kendall Graveman.
Ian Hamilton (2-1) pitched two innings to earn the win, Tommy Kahnle pitched the seventh and Michael King struck out Altuve looking at a full count changeup to end the eighth with a runner on. Clay Holmes earned his 16th save.
Jose Altuve hit his 200th career homer off Nestor Cortes in the third, but that was Houston’s only hit off the Yankees left-hander.
CUBS 8, BRAVES 6
CHICAGO (AP) — Dansby Swanson homered against his former team in a five-run first inning and Chicago's bullpen staved off the major league-leading Atlanta in a rain-soaked win.
Jeimer Candelario hit his first home run since being reacquired by the Cubs, and Ian Happ also went deep.
Chicago went into the game leading the majors in runs since the All-Star break and bounced back after getting shut out 8-0 by Atlanta on Friday. The Cubs began the day 2 1/2 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee and two games out of a wild-card spot.
Chicago opened a 5-0 lead early and never looked back. After an error by first baseman Matt Olson allowed two runs to score, Swanson hit his 17th home run off All-Star Bryce Elder (8-3) to make it 4-0. Elder went 4 1/3 innings and permitted seven runs (five earned) on seven hits.
Michael Fulmer (3-5) replaced Cubs starter Javier Assad in the fourth and worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
TIGERS 4, RAYS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Jake Rogers drove in three runs and Akil Baddoo homered and Detroit won after losing its previous four meetings with Tampa Bay.
Tarik Skubal (2-1) picked up the win, allowing an unearned run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six while walking one. Beau Brieske earned his first career save.
Aaron Civale (5-3) lost for the first time to the Tigers in his 11th start, giving up three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Civale, who was making his Rays debut, had gone 7-0 with a 2.06 ERA in 10 starts against Detroit for Cleveland. The Guardians won all 10 games.
RANGERS 9, MARLINS 8
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Josh Jung hit the third of three multi-run home runs for Texas in the middle innings and the Rangers overcame Miami for their fifth consecutive victory.
Robbie Grossman hit a three-run homer in the fourth, and Corey Seager had a two-run homer in the fifth preceding Jung’s first-pitch, two-run shot.
Jon Gray (7-5) earned his first victory since June 2, allowing five runs — three earned — on six hits and two walks. Gray pitched on 11 days of rest, missing his previous rotation turn with lingering effects of a liner off his left shin July 19.
Will Smith got his 20th save in 22 opportunities despite allowing a two-run homer to Jake Burger.
Ryan Weathers (1-7), who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville before the game, gave up the homers to Seager and Jung, plus RBI doubles to Nathaniel Lowe in the seventh and eighth innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, RED SOX 4
BOSTON (AP) — Brandon Belt hit a solo homer over the Green Monster and had a go-ahead single, and Toronto held off Boston for the second straight day.
Making his first start after a splendid July when he posted a 1.84 ERA in five starts, Toronto’s José Berríos (9-7) gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings on six hits, with six strikeouts and no walks.
Erik Swanson got the final two outs for his fourth save after giving up Luis Urías’ RBI single.
Rafael Devers hit his 26th homer, a long, game-tying three-run homer for Boston, which lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell into last place in the AL East.
Belt’s bases-loaded single gave Toronto a 4-3 edge against Brennan Bernardino (1-1) in the sixth.
NATIONALS 7, REDS 3
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joan Adon retired his first 17 batters and Washington beat Cincinnati, handing them a fifth consecutive defeat.
Lane Thomas knocked in two runs and scored twice to help the last-place Nationals match a season best with their third straight win.
The 24-year-old Adon (1-0), in his second stint with Washington this season, was working on a perfect game with two outs in the sixth inning when No. 9 batter Luke Maile lined a clean single to right field.
Rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott needed 42 pitches to get through two innings. He finished with 105 in 5 2/3 innings.
Abbott (6-3) set a season high with five walks while allowing nine hits and six runs with three strikeouts.
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