Baseball-Highlights of Wednesday's MLB games

May 20 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Wednesday's Major League Baseball games: - - - Cardinals 9, Mets 0 Right-hander Carlos Martinez threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the St Louis Cardinals scored six runs in the fourth inning of a rout of the New York Mets. The Cardinals (27-13) have outscored the Mets (23-18) 19-2 in winning the middle two games of the four-game series. Matt Adams and Jason Heyward hit home runs against Mets' pitcher Bartolo Colon (6-3) who was charged with nine runs in 4 1/3 innings. - - - Nationals 3, Yankees 2 Denard Span had two hits, including the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh, as the Washington Nationals captured their fifth straight game with a win over the New York Yankees despite the ejection of slugger Bryce Harper and manager Matt Williams. Harper was ejected in the bottom of the third when he took exception to a called strike on the first pitch from starter Adam Warren. Williams came out of the dugout and was also tossed. The Nationals improved to 24-17 while the Yankees fell to 22-19. - - - Tigers 5, Brewers 2 Nick Castellanos rifled a three-run triple past right fielder Gerardo Parra with two outs in the eighth inning to give the Detroit Tigers a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Tigers (24-17) avoided being swept in a series for the first time this season. - - - Astros 6, Athletics 1 Dallas Keuchel pitched seven innings without allowing an earned run and Evan Gattis bashed a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Houston Astros beat Oakland. Keuchel (6-0) allowed six hits and two walks while striking out four Athletics (14-28) batters for Houston (27-14). - - - Royals 7, Reds 1 Mike Moustakas amassed his second consecutive three-hit game and Jeremy Guthrie picked up his first home victory of the season as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cincinnati Reds. Guthrie (4-2) threw six scoreless innings and the Royals improved to 26-14, the club's best record after 40 games. - - - Angels 4, Blue Jays 3 Marc Krauss doubled home two runs in the seventh inning, Jered Weaver pitched seven strong innings, and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. Krauss entered the game for the Angels (21-19) in the fifth inning as a pinch-hitter from first baseman Albert Pujols, who sustained a bruised left hand when hit by a pitch in the fourth. The Blue Jays (18-24) lost for the seventh time in eight games. - - - Twins 4, Pirates 3 (13 innings) Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season in the 13th inning to lift the Minnesota Twins to a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Twins (23-17) took both games of the series with the Pirates (18-22) who lost for the sixth time in seven games. - - - Braves 2, Rays 1 Williams Perez struck out seven batters in five innings of his first Major League start to help the Braves defeat Tampa Bay. Atlanta improved to 19-20, knocking the Rays to 22-19. - - - Mariners 4, Orioles 2 Roenis Elias allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings, and Justin Ruggiano hit a two-run homer as the Seattle Mariners downed the Baltimore Orioles. Ruggiano also doubled and scored Seattle's (18-21) first run. - - - Diamondbacks 6, Marlins 1 The Arizona Diamondbacks stole six bases -- including home plate -- to win their third consecutive game, beating the Miami Marlins. Arizona (18-21) got a strong pitching performance from right-hander Chase Anderson who did not allow a hit to the Marlins (16-25) until the fifth inning. - - - Rangers 2, Red Sox 1 Right-hander Phil Klein, summoned from the minor leagues to make his first major league start, and four relievers combined on a nine-hitter that gave the Texas Rangers a win Klein allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings for the Rangers who got a home run from Robinson Chirinos. Boston fell to 19-21. - - - Phillies 4, Rockies 2 Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 with a home run and rookie starter Severino Gonzalez tossed five innings to get the win for Philadelphia. The Phillies improved to 18-24 and the Rockies fell to 14-23. - - - Indians 4, White Sox 3 Shaun Marcum made a triumphant return as a starting pitcher, helping the Cleveland Indians to a victory over the Chicago White Sox. Marcum was making his first start since 2013 due to extensive shoulder ailments, and he lasted 6 2/3 innings to get the win for Cleveland (16-23). - - - Giants 4, Dodgers 0 Tim Lincecum extended his home streak of scoreless innings to 22 with seven innings of three-hit, shutout ball, pitching the San Francisco Giants to a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Francisco's fifth consecutive win was its second in two nights over Los Angeles, trimming the Dodgers' lead in the National League West to 2 1/2 games. The Giants (22-18) have beaten the Dodgers (24-15) in six of eight games this season. - - - Cubs 3, Padres 2 Dexter Fowler hit an RBI triple in the fifth inning, where the Chicago Cubs scored twice to move ahead for good. Cubs (22-17) left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, making his season debut after opening the season on the disabled list, lasted 4 2/3 innings. The Padres fell to 20-21. (Editing by Jahmal Corner/John O'Brien)