Tulowitzki Lifts Rockies Over Padres – MLB Roundup For Aug. 21st

UNDATED (AP) — Yasiel Puig (YAH'-see-ul pweeg) had just one opportunity to help the Los Angeles Dodgers' offense Tuesday night, and he made the most of it.

Puig came through as a pinch-hitter, hitting a tiebreaking, solo homer in the eighth inning of the Dodgers' 6-4 win at Miami. L.A. manager Don Mattingly kept his prized rookie out of the starting lineup due to his .171 batting average over the previous nine games. Puig ended an 0-for-11 skid and his blast helped the Dodgers end their first two-game losing streak in nearly two months.

Los Angeles has won 43 of its last 53 games and leads the National League West by 7 ½ games over Arizona.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt smacked his team-record third grand slam of the season and became the first NL player to drive in 100 runs when he went deep in the eighth inning of Arizona's 5-3 comeback win at Cincinnati. Goldschmidt's homer came off J.J. Hooever, ending the reliever's streak of 23 scoreless appearances. It also allowed the Diamondbacks to creep within five games of the Reds for the final NL wild-card berth.

Also in the majors, Justin Morneau hit a two-run homer and had four RBIs in Minnesota's 6-3 triumph at Detroit. Pedro Florimon also homered to back Mike Pelfrey, who allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Cleveland is within 5 1/2 games of the AL Central-leading Tigers after Drew Stubbs launched a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the 14th inning to lead the Indians past the Angels 4-1 in Anaheim. Carlos Santana belted a game-tying homer in the seventh after rookie starter Danny Salazar held the Angels to a run and three hits while striking out seven in 5 1/3

John Danks scattered seven hits in eight innings of the Chicago White Sox's 2-0 shutout of Kansas City, which keeps the Royals 8 ½ games behind the AL Central-leading Tigers. Gordon Beckham's first-inning homer put the White Sox ahead to stay.

Adrian Beltre (BEHL'-tray) smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning as Texas doubled up Houston 4-2. Beltre also doubled and scored to help the Rangers move a season-high 20 games over .500.

The Rangers now lead the AL West by 1 ½ games over Oakland after the A's blew an early 4-0 lead in a 7-4 loss to Seattle. The Mariners scored twice on wild pitches by Ryan Cook during a five-run eighth. Nick Franklin had three RBIs to help the M's overcome first-inning homers by Josh Donaldson and Nate Freiman.

Pittsburgh hammered San Diego 8-1 to increase its lead in the NL Central to two games over St. Louis. Josh Harrison hit a bases-loaded triple in a five-run seventh that put the Pirates in control. A.J. Burnett was reached for just one run on four hits while striking out seven in seven innings.

Kyle Lohse (lohsh) beat his former team for the first time this season, allowing three runs in six innings of Milwaukee's 6-3 win against the Cardinals. Sean Halton hit a two-run single while the Brewers scored five times in the fourth.

Boston has fallen into a two-way tie for first with Tampa Bay in the American League East. Marco Scutaro (SKOO'-tah-roh) worked out a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to push San Francisco past the Red Sox 3-2. Shane Victorino's solo homer put the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the third inning.

Matt Joyce and rookie Wil Myers each had two-run hits in the ninth inning to give the Rays a 7-2 lead in a 7-4 win at Baltimore. Joyce had three RBIs and Alex Cobb held the Orioles to one earned run and three hits in six innings.

Marlon Byrd hit a two-run homer and rookie Zack Wheeler pitched into the seventh as the New York Mets dumped Atlanta 5-3. Ike Davis hit a solo homer and had two RBIs to help Wheeler improve to 6-2.

Ryan Zimmerman doubled twice and drove in a run as Washington downed the Cubs 4-2 in Chicago. Dan Haren allowed one run in six innings for the Nationals, who shaved a game off the Braves' lead in the NL East but still trail by 15.

The Yankees took a pair against Toronto. Chris Stewart hit a go-ahead three-run homer to help New York rally for an 8-4 win over Toronto in the first game of a doubleheader. Robinson Cano (kah-NOH') hit his 200th homer among four hits and drove in four runs as the Yankees handed the Blue Jays their record 10th straight loss in New York.

The Yanks took the nightcap 3-2 on Jayson Nix's walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch-runner Ichiro Suzuki scored on Nix's hit after producing his 3,999th hit as a professional player in Japan and the U.S in the opener.

Troy Tulowitzki belted a two-run homer and Wilin Rosario added a solo shot in Colorado's 5-3 win at Philadelphia. Jorge De La Rosa combined with three relievers on a three-hitter.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has handed down its punishment for Sunday's brushback incident between Boston pitcher Ryan Dempster and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Dempster has received a five-game suspension for throwing at Rodriguez in the second inning of the Yankees' 9-6 win over the Red Sox. Dempster threw one pitch behind A-Rod's knees in Sunday's game at Fenway Park and two more inside before hitting the Yankees third baseman.

Dempster says he won't appeal the penalty.

People familiar with the discipline says Yankees manager Joe Girardi was fined $5,000 for racing out of the dugout and demanding Dempster be ejected for plunking Rodriguez. Girardi had called for the suspension before the Yankees' game against Toronto this afternoon, saying that it would be open season on Rodriguez if one wasn't handed out.

Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games on Aug. 5 for violating baseball's drug and labor agreements but is playing while he appeals. Red Sox pitcher John Lackey criticized the rules last week for allowing A-Rod to play.

UNDATED (AP) — The Texas Rangers are putting right-hander Alexi Ogando (oh-GAHN'-doh) on the disabled list for the third time this season.

Texas made the move before Tuesday night's game, three days after Ogando (5-4) had an injection because of an inflamed nerve in his right shoulder. The DL stint is retroactive to Aug. 14, the day after Ogando's last start.

Houston Astros catcher Carlos Corporan has been placed on the seven-day disabled list for a concussion. Corporan was struck in the head by a foul tip in the Astros' 16-5 loss to Texas on Monday night. Astros manager Bo Porter said after the game that Corporan was "nauseated, dizzy and slow to respond" in the dugout.

A New York Mets doctor is recommending that right-hander Jeremy Hefner have Tommy John surgery. Hefner was put on the disabled list last week. He said he's been dealing with a sore elbow all season. The 27-year-old Hefner is 4-8 with a 4.34 ERA. He was 0-2 with a 7.58 ERA in his past six starts.