Scooter Gennett hits 4 home runs for Reds to tie MLB record

Scooter Gennett of the Cincinnati Reds watches his fourth home run against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Tuesday. (AFP)

CINCINNATI: Scooter Gennett hit four home runs, matching the major league record, and finished with 10 RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds routed the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 13-1 on Tuesday night.
Gennett became the 17th player to homer four times in one game — and perhaps the least likely. A scrappy second baseman who was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee in late March, he began the night with 38 career home runs in five seasons, including three this year.
Josh Hamilton was the previous player to hit four home runs in one game, for Texas against Baltimore in May 2012.
The 27-year-old Gennett singled his first time up and then homered in four straight at-bats, including a grand slam. His 10 RBIs tied Cincinnati’s club record.
Gennett ended a 0-for-19 slump during the Reds’ 4-2 win over the Cardinals on Monday. He went 5 for 5 on Tuesday and raised his batting average 32 points to .302.
Since being picked up by the Reds late in spring training, Gennett has played a utility role for Cincinnati. He started in left field Tuesday night.
Gennett hit an RBI single and his second career slam off St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (6-4)
Tim Adleman (4-2) gave up one run — on Stephen Piscotty’s homer — in seven innings.
ROYALS 9, ASTROS 7: Mike Moustakas hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning after Kansas City rallied from a six-run deficit to end Houston’s 11-game winning streak.
Moustakas drove a 0-1 pitch from Ken Giles (1-2) out to right field with Salvador Perez aboard. Moustakas had four hits and three RBIs.
Alex Gordon also homered for the Royals, his first since Sept. 25 — a span of 192 at-bats.
Kansas City trailed 7-1 in the fourth but fought back with a four-run eighth. Whit Merrifield hit a three-run double with two outs to tie it at 7.
Merrifield has hit safely in 20 of his last 21 games. Giles blew his second save in 18 opportunities.
The Astros’ winning streak was the longest in the majors this season. They dropped to a major league-best 42-17.
Mike Minor (3-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
Carlos Beltran hit his 429th home run for the Astros.
NATIONALS 2, DODGERS 1: Max Scherzer struck out a season-high 14, outpitching Brandon McCarthy and leading Washington over Los Angeles in a game that ended with a testy exchange.
With a runner on second base, Koda Glover fanned Yasiel Puig for his eighth save and shouted in the direction of home plate. Puig walked toward the mound and twice appeared to ask Glover what he said.
Glover took off his cap and tossed aside his glove as players from both teams quickly intervened to keep the two separated. Nothing escalated before the squads headed off the field.
Both starting pitchers went seven innings and allowed only three hits. The first 11 outs for Scherzer (7-3) came on strikeouts.
Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy each had a sacrifice fly for the Nationals, who have won the first two games of this series between NL pennant contenders.
McCarthy (5-3), who lasted only four innings in his previous start because of a blister, walked two and struck out four.
ROCKIES 11, INDIANS 3: Rookie pitcher Antonio Senzatela hit a three-run double and Mark Reynolds homered twice to drive in five runs for Colorado.
Carlos Gonzalez also hit a home run for the Rockies, who can sweep the two-game interleague set on Wednesday.
Bouncing back from a loss in his previous outing, Senzatela (8-2) allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one in continuing to lead major league rookie pitchers in wins this season while also opening the scoring for Colorado.
Mike Clevinger (2-3) allowed five runs in four innings for Cleveland.
ORIOLES 6, PIRATES 5, 10 INNINGS: Jonathan Schoop tied it in the ninth inning with his second home run of the game and Mark Trumbo singled home a run in the 10th to rally Baltimore past Pittsburgh.
Baltimore trailed 4-1 after six innings and 5-3 in the ninth. Schoop’s two-run drive off closer Tony Watson knotted it at 5, setting the stage for Trumbo’s big hit.
Adam Jones singled with one out in the 10th against Wade LeBlanc (3-1) and took second when Manny Machado hit a fly ball to the warning track in left. Trumbo then lined a single to center, and Jones easily beat Andrew McCutchen’s throw to the plate.
Brad Brach (1-1) worked the 10th for the Orioles, who improved to 8-1 in extra innings.
RED SOX 5, YANKEES 4: Mitch Moreland and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs and Andrew Benintendi later connected off struggling Masahiro Tanaka, powering Boston over New York.
The Red Sox made their first visit of the season to Yankee Stadium, and the matchup between the longtime rivals and top teams in the AL East had the feel of October, mostly because of the raw weather — low 50s, windy and damp.
Overpowering closer Craig Kimbrel struck out five in 1 1/3 innings for his 17th save in 18 chances. He fanned one batter on a wild pitch, and struck out big-hitting rookie Aaron Judge on a 99 mph fastball to finish it.
Playing at the new Yankee Stadium for the first time without now-retired slugger David Ortiz on the roster, the Red Sox launched a trio of long balls and moved within a game of first-place New York.
Tanaka (5-6) lost his career-worst fifth straight start. He is been tagged for 27 runs and 11 homers in 22 2/3 innings during that span.
Drew Pomeranz (6-3) labored through a career-high 123 pitches in five innings to win his third start in a row.
CUBS 10, MARLINS 2: Jake Arrieta pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning, Anthony Rizzo drove in four runs and surging Chicago beat Miami for its season-high fifth straight win.
Arrieta (6-4) allowed two runs, struck out five and walked three in just his second win in the past month. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner retired 16 in a row over one stretch, showing signs of rounding into form after a bumpy start to the season.
Jason Heyward had three hits and two RBIs as the Cubs remained perfect since returning home after a winless six-game road trip. Kris Bryant reached four times, scored two runs and robbed Giancarlo Stanton of a hit with a diving stop on a grounder to third in the third.
Jeff Locke (0-1) cruised into fifth inning with a 1-0 lead and retired the first two batters before everything fell apart for the Marlins in a hurry.
WHITE SOX 4, RAYS 2: Avisail Garcia, Volmer Sanchez and Todd Frazier homered to help Chicago stop a five-game losing streak with a victory over Tampa Bay.
Chris Beck (1-0) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning to win in relief of Jose Quintana, who avoided becoming the first pitcher in the major leagues to lose eight games this season.
Garcia led off the seventh with a homer, snapping a 1-all tie against Chris Archer (4-4), who also gave up a leadoff homer to Sanchez on the fourth pitch of the game.
Jose Abreu added an RBI single in the eighth before Frazier led off the ninth with a homer off Ryan Garton.
David Robertson earned his ninth save in 10 opportunities.
ANGELS 5, TIGERS 3: Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron homered as Los Angeles beat Detroit.
Jesse Chavez (5-6) got the win, allowing two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Bud Norris struck out Alex Avila for his 11th save.
Daniel Norris (3-3) gave up four runs — three earned — and five hits in six innings. He struck out seven, but allowed two homers.
The loss ended Detroit’s four-game winning streak. Avila homered for the Tigers.
RANGERS 10, METS 7: Joey Gallo hit a towering two-run homer that put Texas ahead to stay, and the Rangers ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over New York.
Nomar Mazara had four hits and also homered for the Rangers. Gallo’s 17th homer put Texas up 5-4.
Mets starter Jacob deGrom (4-3) pitched only four innings for his second straight start. Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-0) got his first major league victory.
Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker went deep in the third for the Mets. In between those shots, Jay Bruce was robbed of a homer when Jared Hoying made a leaping catch just above the 8-foot wall in straightaway center.
BREWERS 5, GIANTS 2: Chase Anderson pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings, drove in a run and won his third straight game for Milwaukee.
Anderson (5-1) extended his scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings with the win. He walked one, struck out four and helped the Brewers beat the Giants for just the third time in the last 17 games against them.
Anderson collected his first RBI of the season and the fifth of his career in the third with a double off the wall in left.
Hernán Pérez added a homer for Milwaukee.
The Brewers roughed up Matt Cain (3-5) with four runs in the second.
PHILLIES 3, BRAVES 1: Aaron Nola allowed a run over eight innings, Odubel Herrera doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth and Philadelphia survived a ninth-inning scare to beat Atlanta.
Nola (3-3) earned his first win since April 20 and became the Phillies’ first starter to pitch past the seventh inning this season. Pat Neshek struck out Adonis Garcia and ended the game on Kurt Suzuki’s popup to catcher Cameron Rupp for his first save.
Jaime Garcia (2-4) allowed three runs in 7 2/3 innings.
ATHLETICS 4, BLUE JAYS 1: Jesse Hahn allowed an unearned run over six innings in his return from the disabled list, pitching Oakland past Toronto.
Khris Davis drove in two runs and Adam Rosales hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the fifth as the A’s overcame their major league-leading 59th error.
Activated before the game, Hahn (2-4) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. The right-hander also got plenty of help from Oakland’s shaky defense.
Santiago Casilla closed for his 10th save.
Marco Estrada (4-4) took the loss.
DIAMONDBACKS 10, PADRES 2: Robbie Ray struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings and Chris Owings hit a three-run homer to help Arizona cruise past San Diego.
Jake Lamb drove in four runs, Gregor Blanco doubled twice and scored three runs, and the Diamondbacks won their seventh straight home game to equal a season high.
Owings’ career-high seventh of the season gave the Diamondbacks a homer in 10 straight home games for the first time since 2011.
Ray (6-3) had his scoreless streak stopped at 27 2/3 innings. The first of Hunter Renfroe’s two homers was the only run he allowed.
Dinelson Lamet (2-1) lasted just three innings. He gave up seven earned runs and nine hits with five walks.
The Padres lost their third straight and managed only three hits off Ray.
MARINERS 12, TWINS 3: Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager each hit a three-run homer, and James Paxton was effective enough for five innings to help Seattle defeat Minnesota.
Cano staked the Mariners to a 3-0 lead in the first and Seager’s shot capped a seven-run fourth that extended the lead to 12-2 as the Mariners won for the eighth time in nine games.
Paxton (5-0) missed most of May with a left forearm strain. He allowed three runs and five hits with three walks in his second start since coming off the disabled list.
Hector Santiago (4-6) lasted just 2 2/3 innings, yielding five runs and three hits with four walks, all of which came around to score. Twins catcher Chris Gimenez pitched the eighth, retiring all three batters he faced.