NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez came within one hit of the vaunted 3,000 club while Carlos Beltran belted a two-run homer as the New York Yankees defeated the Miami Marlins 9-4 Thursday. Rodriguez singled in the first and fifth innings against Miami starter Mat Latos to reach 2,999 hits before flying out and walking on his attempts at the 3,000-hit milestone. New York's left-hander CC Sabathia allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. Miami's Giancarlo Stanton belted his Major League leading 25th of the season off Sabathia. Rays 5, Nationals 3 The first seven batters in the order had at least one hit and Chris Archer picked up another road win as the Tampa Bay Rays won over the struggling Washington Nationals. Right fielder Bryce Harper also left the game with a leg injury in the sixth after making a throw after an RBI single by Asdrubal Cabrera. The Rays scored four runs in the sixth. Royals 3, Brewers 2 Wade Davis pitched out of a one out bases loaded mess in the eighth and Greg Holland logged another save as the Kansas City Royals held on to beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Pirates 3, White Sox 2 Right-hander Gerrit Cole became the first pitcher in the Majors to win 11 games this season as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a win against the Chicago White Sox. Cole (11-2) tossed seven innings as Pittsburgh extended their season-high winning streak to eight games. Blue Jays 7, Mets 1 Right-hander R.A. Dickey allowed one run in 7-1/3 innings and left fielder Chris Colabello homered as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Mets. Twins 2, Cardinals 1 Kennys Vargas' solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The blast came on a 1-1 count against Cardinals right-hander Carlos Villanueva and was Vargas' fourth homer of the season and first since May 6. Astros 8, Rockies 4 The Houston Astros hit two home runs, including a three-run shot by pinch-hitter Domingo Santana, which was his first career home run. Phillies 2, Orioles 1 First baseman Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles to end a nine-game losing streak. The Phillies' losing streak had been their longest since they dropped 11 in a row in 1999. Manny Machado led off the game with his 14th homer of the season, accounting for Baltimore's only run. Angels 7, Diamondbacks 1 Mike Trout had two hits and an RBI triple while left-hander C.J. Wilson struck out a season-high nine in eight innings in the Los Angeles Angels' victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotello and shortstop Taylor Featherston hit bases-empty homers in the second inning for Arizona. Padres 3, A's 1 Matt Kemp and Derek Norris hit solo home runs while right-hander Ian Kennedy threw six strong innings to give interim manager Pat Murphy got his first victory as the San Diego Padres defeated the Oakland A's. In other games it was: Red Sox 5, Braves 2; Dodgers 1, Rangers 0; Giants 7, Mariners 0; Indians 4, Cubs 3. — Reuters
