Nolan Arenado hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and the Colorado Rockies rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on a rainy Wednesday night.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Arenado sent a fly to left-center. Chris Heisey caught it and threw home, but DJ LeMahieu slid in easily. Arenado was mobbed by teammates after the Rockies overcame a two-run deficit in the ninth.
John Axford (1-0) earned the win following two rain delays that totaled 2 hours, 26 minutes.
Yimi Garcia (2-2) was one of four relievers in the final inning for the Dodgers, but they couldn’t hold the lead.
Joc Pederson homered in his fifth straight game, becoming the first Dodgers player to do so in a single season since Matt Kemp in 2010, according to STATS.
In other major league play:
— In a game that featured only a combined eight hits, the Houston Astros made the most of their four in beating the Baltimore Orioles 4-1. Chris Carter provided the offense with a pair of homers. Rookie Lance McCullers allowed one run in going the distance in his fourth career start. That’s the fifth straight loss for the Orioles, who fell into last place in the AL East.
— Cody Asche scored from second base on a fielding error by pitcher Ryan Mattheus in the 11th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Maikel Franco hit a tying, three-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. Cincinnati starter Mike Leake took a no-hitter into the seventh before Franco lined a single up the middle with two outs.
— Jordy Mercer broke a fifth-inning tie when he homered for the second day in a row, Francisco Liriano struck out six to win his second straight decision and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Liriano outpitched Tim Hudson to improve to 3-4.
— A.J. Pollock homered for the second consecutive game, and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied from a 6-0 deficit in a wild 9-8 win over the Atlanta Braves.
— Masahiro Tanaka gave up one run over seven innings in his return from the disabled list to lead the Yankees to a 3-1 win over Seattle. That completed a three-game sweep for New York. Tanaka improved to 3-1 in his first start in over a month. Garrett Jones and Mark Teixeira homered for New York.
— Jason Vargas tossed six sharp innings, the Kansas City offense finally woke up against AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and the Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2. Kluber fell to 3-6.
— Chris Sale struck out a season-high 13 in seven shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 9-2. Jose Abreu homered in a six-run second after missing three games with an injured finger.
— Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run and two hits in seven innings to lead Boston to a 6-3 win over Minnesota in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Rodriguez improved to 2-0 seven days after a 5-1 win at Texas. The Twins won the nightcap, 2-0. Trevor May and two relievers combined on a two-hitter.
— John Lackey has adapted to Busch Stadium very well. The Cardinals starter improved to 7-1 in 12 starts there with a 7-4 win over Milwaukee. Lackey gave up three runs and 10 hits in seven innings to up his record to 4-3. The Cardinals provided the 36-year old with plenty of early support, scoring five times in the first against Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson.
— Sonny Gray pitched eight shutout innings and Billy Burns hit a bases-loaded triple as the Oakland Athletics handed the Detroit Tigers their sixth straight loss, 6-1. Gray improved to 7-2.
— The San Diego Padres worked over the New York Mets 7-3. James Shields threw seven strong innings to remain unbeaten at 7-0. Will Middlebrooks drove in three runs.
— Giancarlo Stanton and Jeff Baker hit back-to-back homers for the second time in five days and the Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3.
— Tampa Bay edged the L.A. Angels 6-5 in 10 innings. Kevin Kiermaier led off the 10th inning with a home run. Rays rookies Joey Butler and Steven Souza Jr. went deep
— In interleague play, Toronto blanked Washington 8-0. Mark Buehrle pitched a six-hitter for his second straight complete game. He posted his 32nd career complete game, and 11th career shutout. Jose Bautista homered for the Blue Jays, who took two of three from Washington.