Chris Sale is more efficient this season, and it showed in the Chicago White Sox's 2-1 win to conclude a series against the Houston Astros Thursday. Sale (9-0) led the way by throwing his second consecutive complete game and earned his ninth straight win to start the season, becoming the first pitcher in the majors since Brandon Webb in 2008 to win his first nine starts. After throwing a complete game in 99 pitches for a win at the New York Yankees on May 13, Sale needed just 107 pitches to beat the Astros in nine innings. It was a needed win for the White Sox, who had lost a season-high four straight games and avoided being swept for the first time. Sale gave up one run on four hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. He moved past Doc White and tied Ted Lyons for eighth in career strikeouts among White Sox pitchers (1,073). Indians, 7, Reds 2 Carlos Santana hit a pair of two-run homers and Josh Tomlin remained undefeated on the season as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a four-game home-and-home interleague series at Great American Ball Park. Cleveland (21-17) swept their interstate rivals in a season series for the first time. Joey Votto hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati (15-26) who have lost four of the past five games played against the Indians at Great American Ball Park. Brewers 5, Cubs 3 Junior Guerra struck out a career high 11 batters and Chris Carter and Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit home runs as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs. Guerra (3-0) became the first Brewers pitcher with double-digit strikeouts since Mike Fiers had 10 last July 23 against Arizona. Guerra gave up a leadoff home run to Dexter Fowler in the first inning and an RBI single to Miguel Montero in the second but just three hits and two walks in his final five innings to claim his third victory in four starts this season. Mariners 7, Orioles 2 Adam Lind continued a solid May with a three-run homer and Nathan Karns made his seventh straight start without a loss as Seattle beat Baltimore. Lind now has two homers during a modest six-game hitting streak and three overall after he began the season at .059 in 17 at-bats. His home run on a 3-2 pitch from Tyler Wilson (2-2) in the sixth inning gave the Mariners a 5-1 lead. Karns (4-1) allowed one run and four hits with five strikeouts in five innings. Pirates 8, Braves 2 Jeff Locke gave up two runs and struck out six in seven innings, and Gregory Polanco hit a homer and a triple as the Pittsburgh Pirates won for the fourth time in their past five gamess. Cardinals 13, Rockies 7 Matt Carpenter drove in a career-high six runs with two doubles and a three-run homer, leading St. Louis past Colorado. Nationals 9, Mets 1 Anthony Rendon, Wilson Ramos and Ben Revere each had two-run hits during a seven-run third inning as Washington routed New York. In other games it was: Blue Jays 3, Twins, 2 (11 innings); Giants 3, Padres 1; Yankees 4, A's 1; Angels 7, Dodgers 4. — Agencies
