Scott Elarton got his first victory since last July as the Royals beat the A’s. He gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander made his second start of the season after missing the final 71 games last year and 36 this year because of shoulder surgery.
Gabe Gross hit a pair of solo homers for the first multihomer game of his big-league career, helping the Brewers beat the Phillies. Usually a pinch-hitter, Gross was making only his 10th start of the season and was hitting a paltry .167 with one homer.
Eric Hinske slammed his chin into the ground making a spectacular, run-saving catch in the fifth, and hit a go-ahead homer two innings later to give the Red Sox a 4-2 win and a sweep of the Tigers. He was making a rare start, in place of injured J.D. Drew.
THREE DOWN
Nationals right-hander Jason Bergmann complained of elbow tightness and had an MRI that came back negative Thursday, three days after he took a no-hit bid into the eighth. Bergmann (1-3, 2.76 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday against the Orioles.
The Braves were up 3-1 in the 5th, bases loaded, 2 out, when the Nationals’ Austin Kearns hit a dribbler. Chuck James ran off the mound and leaned over to try to scoop the ball and tag Felipe Lopez, but he dropped it and Lopez scored to make it 3-2.
The Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki had two hits in a loss to the Angels. But in the seventh inning he was caught stealing. That ended Suzuki’s AL record streak of 45 consecutive successful steals, five short of Vince Coleman’s major-league record.
