Pittsburgh Pirates' first baseman Sean Rodriguez (Front) misses a pop foul as second baseman Neil Walker follows the play against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning of their game in Denver Monday. — AP NEW YORK — Jeff Samardzija tossed his first career one-hitter while Carlos Sanchez scored both runs as the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 in the first game of their American League double header Monday. Samardzija (10-13) limited the Tigers to a bloop single by Victor Martinez in the fifth and struck out six. He had been 1-8 with a 9.24 ERA in his previous nine starts. Sanchez went 3-for-3, including a solo home run. White Sox 3, Tigers 2 (2nd game): Erik Johnson tied his career high with nine strikeouts as the Chicago White Sox completed a doubleheader sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Johnson (3-0) won for the third time in four starts since his Sept. 1 call-up. He gave up two runs on five hits in six innings before David Robertson pitched the ninth and struck out the last two batters for his 31st save. Blue Jays 4, Yankees 2: David Price pitched seven scoreless innings as the Toronto Blue Jays (86-64) defeated the New York Yankees (82-67) and increased their lead in the American League East to 3-1/2 games. Price (17-5) allowed two hits, walked one and struck out seven to improve his record to 8-1 in his 10th start since joining Toronto in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on July 30. Red Sox 8, Rays 7: Shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays. Astros 6, Angels 3: Left-hander Dallas Keuchel pitched splendidly into the eighth inning and was buoyed by a balanced attack as the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels. National League Mets 4, Braves 0: Left-hander Jonathon Niese combined with three relievers on a five-hitter as the New York Mets edged closer to the National League East title by beating the Atlanta Braves. The Mets (85-65) increased their division lead over the Washington Nationals to 6-1/2 games. The Nationals' game against the Baltimore Orioles was rained out. Left fielder Michael Conforto hit a solo homer in the second while second baseman Daniel Murphy (2-for-4) delivered a two-run double in the seventh. Right fielder Curtis Granderson scored two runs and center fielder Yoenis Cespedes had three hits. Cardinals 2, Reds 1: Rookie Stephen Piscotty ripped a RBI double off the left-center-field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap a two-run rally that lifted St. Louis to a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Jonathan Broxton (3-5) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win while closer Trevor Rosenthal bagged his 47th save. Cubs 9, Brewers 5: First baseman Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-3 and scored three runs while pinch hitter Jorge Soler smacked a three-run homer in the seventh as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Cubs right-handed starter Jason Hammel (9-6) gave up four runs in five innings. Pirates 9, Rockies 3: The Pittsburgh Pirates crept closer to clinching a spot in the National League playoffs with a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 4: Yasmany Tomas, Aaron Hill and Paul Goldschmidt each homered, and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended a nine-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium with an 8-4 victory over Los Angeles. Goldschmidt added his 29th this year in the eighth inning as the Diamondbacks (72-78) held off a late rally by the Dodgers (85-64) to prevail. — Reuters
