NEW YORK — Right-hander Marco Estrada pitched seven innings, designated hitter Josh Donaldson had a homer and three runs batted in and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Miami Marlins 11-3 in their Inter-League outing Monday for their sixth straight win. The Blue Jays (29-30) scored six runs in the first inning against left-hander Brad Hand (1-2), who lasted just two-thirds of an inning. Estrada (3-3) allowed seven hits, no walks and three runs while striking out six to win his second straight start. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Marlins (24-34). National League Reds 6, Phillies 4: Ivan De Jesus Jr. hit his first major league home run, a two-run shot in the sixth, lifting Cincinnati to a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park. With the score tied 3-3, De Jesus, who was promoted from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, launched a 1-1 pitch from Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels into the left-field seats to put Cincinnati ahead to stay. Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 3: Shortstop Jimmy Rollins and right fielder Andre Ethier both hit three-run homers as the Los Angeles Dodgers crushed the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-3. Dodgers starter Mike Bolsinger, who the club acquired for cash from the Diamondbacks during the offseason, struck out eight, walked two and allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings. Padres 5, Braves 3 (11 innings): Atlanta could have used Craig Kimbrel. Instead, its former All-Star closer picked up his 14th save for San Diego in his first trip back to Atlanta in a 5-3 win. The Padres tied the game in the ninth inning thanks to a throwing error by new Braves closer Jason Grilli and scored twice in the 11th for a comeback victory. Brewers 2, Pirates 0: Jimmy Nelson pitched six strong innings and combined with three relievers on a five-hit shutout as the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0. Nelson (3-6) gave up four hits in six innings as he won for just the second time in his last 11 starts. The right-hander had six strikeouts and four walks after giving up 11 runs in 11 innings over his previous two starts. American League Royals 3, Twins 1: Kansas City got just enough early offense and six shutout innings from starter Jason Vargas in a 3-1 win over Minnesota at Target Field. The victory pulled the Royals into a tie for first place with the Twins in the American League Central race, 3-1/2 games clear of the third-place Detroit Tigers. White Sox 3, Astros 1: Left-hander Chris Sale set a team record with another double-digit strikeout performance as Chicago beat Houston. The game was held up by two rain delays totaling 1 hour, 3 minutes yet still officially finished in 2 hours, 13 minutes. Sale (6-2) had a season-high 14 strikeouts. It was his team-record fourth straight game with 10 or more strikeouts and third in a row with at least 12. Avisail Garcia's two-run homer in the fourth provided the margin as the White Sox stopped a two-game skid in the opener of a three-game series. Rockies 11, Cardinals 3: Colorado piled on St. Louis starter John Lackey with two early uprisings and routed the Cardinals 11-3. A five-run first was the Rockies' biggest first inning of the season, and a five-run fourth blew the game open, putting Colorado ahead 10-1. — Reuters
