Verlander, Alvarez lift Astros over Athletics 5-4

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Yordan Ã�lvarez cleared the bases with a go-ahead double in the ninth and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep. Elvis Andrus broke up Verlander’s no-hit bid with an RBI double in the seventh inning that tied the game at 1. Christian Bethancourt followed with a two-run homer, his first drive since 2016, to give Oakland a 3-1 lead. Houston responded with four runs in the ninth off closer Dany Jiménez (2-3), keyed by Ã�lvarez’s three-run double. Aledmys Díaz and Alex Bregman also drove in runs for the Astros, who won their fourth in a row. Verlander finished with six strikeouts in seven innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits for a no-decision. Reliever Bryan Abreu (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Ryan Pressly closed for his 10th save. METS 5, NATIONALS 0 NEW YORK (AP) – Tomás Nido went 4 for 4 with three RBIs at the bottom of the batting order, and Carlos Carrasco combined with three relievers on New York’s second consecutive shutout to finish a perfect homestand. Francisco Lindor extended his RBI streak to 10 games, matching Hall of Famer Mike Piazza for the second-longest in franchise history. New York went 6-0 against NL East rivals Philadelphia and Washington for its first undefeated homestand of six or more games since a 10-0 run in April 2015. Nationals left-hander Evan Lee (0-1) lasted 3 2/3 innings in his big league debut after getting called up from Double-A Harrisburg. He allowed two runs and four hits. Carrasco (6-1) matched his career high with five walks and pitched out of trouble all afternoon against the last-place Nationals. He needed 95 pitches to get through five innings but stranded eight runners. PHILLIES 6, GIANTS 5 PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Kyle Schwarber and Nick Maton homered to help Philadelphia snap a five-game losing streak with a victory over San Francisco. Phillies star Bryce Harper was a late scratch from the lineup due to right forearm soreness, and second baseman Jean Segura was ruled out for up to three months with a fractured right index finger. Maton, Segura’s replacement at second base, also had an RBI bunt single as Philadelphia avoided a three-game sweep and won for just the fifth time in 17 games while likely cooling calls for manager Joe Girardi’s job – at least for now. Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola (3-4) was cruising until allowing five runs in the sixth inning. The Phillies picked him up in the bottom of the frame against reliever Jarlin Garcia (1-2). CARDINALS 5, PADRES 2 ST. LOUIS (AP) – Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Dakota Hudson threw seven strong innings and St. Louis beat San Diego to complete a three-game sweep. Nick Wittgren earned his first save by getting the last out of the game when he retired pinch-hitter Robinson Canó on a fly ball with the bases loaded. The Cardinals have won five of six games. The Padres have lost four of five. Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 23 games and reached safely for a career-best 37th consecutive game. Hudson (4-2) gave up a run in the first inning but shut out the Padres over the next six innings. He allowed one run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Yu Darvish (4-3) pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up five runs and seven hits. BLUE JAYS 7, WHITE SOX 3 TORONTO (AP) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer, Danny Jansen added a three-run blast, and Toronto won its seventh straight, it’s longest streak since an eight-game run last September.