Roundup: Jurrjens makes first start in two months as Braves beat Nationals
CBSSports.com wire reports
ATLANTA -- Jair Jurrjens gave up one run and had a run-scoring single in his first start in two months, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday.
Jurrjens (1-3) gave up six hits and one run in five innings in his first major league start since injuring his left hamstring on April 29. He struck out six with two walks.
Four Atlanta relievers combined to give up two hits in four scoreless innings. Billy Wagner gave up a leadoff single to Ivan Rodriguez in the ninth before striking out Cristian Guzman, Alberto Gonzalez and Ian Desmond to earn his 16th save.
Jurrjens, who was a combined 27-20 with a 3.10 ERA in his first two seasons, has had health problems most of the year. He was slowed in spring training by inflammation in his right shoulder and suffered a setback with his hamstring on May 10.
Jurrjens led 3-0 after five innings and was pulled after giving up singles to Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn and walking Josh Willingham with no outs in the sixth.
Zimmerman scored when Rodriguez hit into a double play against right-hander Peter Moylan.
Martin Prado led off the first with a double off J.D. Martin (0-4) and scored on Brian McCann's two-out double. Full story
BOSTON -- Matt Garza allowed six hits in seven innings and the struggling Tampa Bay Rays pulled away with six runs in the eighth inning to beat Boston and end the Red Sox's seven-game home winning streak.
Garza (9-5) was sharp in his first road game since June 18 when he gave up seven runs in 1 1/3 innings in a 7-4 loss at Florida, the worst start of his career. He threw 49 pitches in the first inning of that game but just 34 in the first three innings against Boston.
He left with a 9-1 lead before Boston scored three runs in the eighth
The Rays won for only the sixth time in 18 games and moved two games behind the AL East leading New York Yankees, who lost 7-0 to Seattle. Boston remained in second place, one game back.
MILWAUKEE -- Wandy Rodriguez pitched seven solid innings and executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to snap a tie in the sixth inning to lead the Houston Astros to a win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Chris Johnson had his second four-hit game in six days for the Astros, including a two-run double in the seventh that made it 4-1.
Rodriguez (5-10) won his second consecutive start after a stretch in which he lost six of seven. The left-hander held the Brewers to 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, giving up one run and seven hits. He struck out six and issued one intentional walk.
Dave Bush (3-6) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. One run scored on a wild pitch and the other came in on Rodriguez's squeeze. The right-hander walked five and struck out three.
CLEVELAND -- Aaron Laffey allowed one run over six-plus innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays for their fourth straight win.
Laffey (1-2), who gave up five hits and struck out five, was 0-8 in nine starts and 29 appearances at the major league level since beating Minnesota last Aug. 16. It was the left-hander's second start since being recalled from the minors on Saturday. He was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on May 30.
Matt LaPorta and Shin-Soo Choo hit solo home runs for Cleveland, which matched its longest win streak of the season following a season-worst seven-game losing streak. The Indians will seek their first four-game home sweep since May 25-28, 2009, against Tampa Bay, when they host the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Toronto has lost four straight, eight of 10 overall and is 3-11 in its last 14 road games.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Billy Butler and Jose Guillen homered and Zack Greinke survived a five-run eighth inning, leading the Kansas City Royals past the Chicago White Sox.
Guillen also made a great catch of Mark Kotsay's leadoff drive in the ninth against Joakim Soria, banging into the right-field wall and falling to the ground but keeping the ball in his glove.
Greinke (4-8) won for the third time in four starts. He sailed into the eighth with a 7-1 lead, but a pinch-hit, bases-loaded triple by Brent Lillibridge keyed Chicago's comeback.
Soria relieved Greinke to begin the ninth and closed for his 20th save in 22 opportunities.
BALTIMORE -- Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott hit successive homers in the seventh inning, and the Baltimore Orioles tied a season-high with five longballs in a comeback victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Adam Jones, Corey Patterson and Miguel Tejada also connected for Baltimore, which trailed 6-3 before rallying for its fifth win in six games.
Patterson hit a solo shot in the fourth, Wigginton tied it with a two-run drive in the seventh against Brad Ziegler and Scott homered off Cedrick Bowers (0-1).
Wigginton's homer was the first this season by a Baltimore first baseman. It was his 14th, the first since May 22.
