Baseball-Highlights of MLB games on Wednesday

(Adds late games) Aug 26 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Major League Baseball games on Wednesday: - - - - Astros 6, Yankees 2 Right-hander Collin McHugh pitched 6-1/3 innings while designated hitter Evan Gattis homered twice as the Houston Astros scored four times in the fifth inning during a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees. McHugh held the Yankees to five hits, struck out eight and walked two. - - Mariners 8, Athletics 2 Seattle slugger Nelson Cruz had three hits, a home run and three RBIs while starter Felix Hernandez rebounded from a first-pitch homer to throw eight solid innings as the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-2. Hernandez (15-8) allowed three hits and two runs in eight innings, while Cruz went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. - - Pirates 7, Marlins 2 Center fielder Andrew McCutchen homered, doubled and drove in four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-2 win over the Miami Marlins. McCutchen slugged a three-run home run for his 20th homer of the season. The Pirates (76-49), who won for the 11th time in their past 14 games, have the second-best record in the majors. - - Tigers 5, Angels 0 Justin Verlander lost his bid for a third career no-hitter on a leadoff double in the ninth as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels. Angels catcher Chris Iannetta lined a 2-2 pitch onto the chalk of the left field line as Verlander came up just shy of becoming the sixth pitcher in major league history to record at least three no-hitters. The 32-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out nine while facing one batter over the minimum. He threw his first no-hitter on June 12, 2007, against the Milwaukee Brewers and recorded his second on May 11, 2011, against the Blue Jays at Toronto. - - Padres 6, Nationals 5 Justin Upton hit two home runs and had three RBIs while Tyson Ross pitched into the seventh inning as the San Diego Padres held off the Washington Nationals. The Nationals (63-62), who had won three in a row, began the game 5-1/2 behind the first-place New York Mets in the National League East. - - Mets 9, Phillies 4 Right-hander Bartolo Colon threw seven shutout innings as the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies for their sixth consecutive victory. New York scored three first-inning runs, then added a combined five runs in the final two innings. - - Rockies 6, Braves 3 Jose Reyes drove in two runs with a triple to complete a four-run seventh inning and spark the Colorado Rockies to a 6-3 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Braves. - - Dodgers 7, Reds 4 The Los Angeles Dodgers hit three fourth-inning homers, including two-run shots by Yasiel Puig and A.J Ellis, while Brett Anderson allowed three unearned runs in 6-2/3 innings in a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Anderson (8-8) retired 11 straight into the seventh when a dropped pop fly by second baseman Chase Utley sparked a two-out Reds rally. - - Twins 5, Rays 3 Shortstop Eduardo Escobar hit two solo home runs in helping the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays. - - Red Sox 3, White Sox 0 Rick Porcello came back from an injury with an impressive start to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Porcello struck out five without a walk and scattered five hits, while Travis Shaw hit a two-run homer off White Sox right-hander Nate Jones in the eighth. - - Indians 6, Brewers 2 Jason Kipnis drove in three runs on a home run and a two-run double while five Cleveland relievers combined to pitch 4-2/3 scoreless innings as the Indians beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Right-hander Jeff Manship (1-0) pitched 1-1/3 innings of scoreless and hitless relief to get the win while Jimmy Nelson (10-10) walked eight in 3-1/3 innings and took the loss. - - Orioles 8, Royals 5 The Baltimore Orioles hit five home runs and snapped a six-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The six-game skid was Baltimore's longest of the season. Orioles right-hander Chen Wei-Yin (8-6) allowed three runs, 10 hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 6-2/3 innings for his fourth successive win. - - Blue Jays 12, Rangers 4 The Toronto Blue Jays continued their bludgeoning ways by running their winning streak to five games with a 12-4 thumping of the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays (71-55) have scored 54 runs in the five wins. - - Cardinals 3, Diamondbacks 1 St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong doubled in the go-ahead run in a two-run seventh inning to help the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Left fielder Stephen Piscotty singled to open the seventh inning off right-hander David Hernandez before Wong doubled into the corner to drive in Piscotty. Wong scored on a two-out single by third baseman Matt Carpenter as the Cardinals (81-45) ran their winning streak to four games. St. Louis remains 4-1/2 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central. - - Giants 4, Cubs 2 Buster Posey and Kelby Tomlinson contributed RBI doubles, while five San Francisco Giants pitchers combined on a five-hitter to lead the defending World Series champions to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The Giants (67-59) kept pace with the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (69-56), who won at Cincinnati. The Dodgers' lead over the Giants remains 2-1/2 games. - - - - (Compiled by Greg Stutchbury)