Here are your MLB scores and highlights from an exciting first Tuesday in July:
Reds 3, Giants 0:Homer Bailey threw a no-hitter and has now recorded baseball's last two no-no's. The last guy to have that distinction was Nolan Ryan in 1975. Bailey struck out nine Giants and was perfect until he walked Gregor Blanco to start the seventh inning. That was the only baserunner Bailey would allow during his magical performance, which garnered a game score of 95.
Dodgers 8, Rockies 0:Yasiel Puig went 3-for-5 and hit his eighth home run of the year, but Clayton Kershaw's complete-game shutout was the most impressive performance in this game. Kershaw allowed just four hits and ended Michael Cuddyer's 27-game hitting streak en route to conquering Coors Field. The Dodgers are now just two-and-a-half games out of first place in the NL West. You know times are good in L.A. when you don't get penalized for doing this:
Mets 9, Diamondbacks 1: New York handed Patrick Corbin his first loss of the season by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks are now 2-8 in their last ten games, but they're still clinging to first place thanks to all of the other teams in the division not named the Dodgers combining for a 5-21 record over the past ten days (hat-tip to Eric Stephen).
Rays 8, Astros 0:David Price struck out ten batters and allowed just three hits in seven innings of work in his return from the disabled list. Desmond Jennings had three hits, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and drove in four runs.
Tigers 7, Blue Jays 6:Torii Hunter capped off a four-hit day with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three before leaving the game in the ninth inning with back stiffness. The injury isn't considered serious and the reigning AL MVP should be ready to play on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
Phillies 3, Pirates 1: Pittsburgh's nine-game winning streak was snapped thanks to the 4-5-6 hitters in Philadelphia's order, which combined for five hits and three RBIs. The Phillies used seven pitchers to preserve Jonathan Pettibone's win. Pettibone allowed a run on three hits while striking out six batters in 5 ⅔ innings.
Athletics 8, Cubs 7: Derek Norris hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the A's sole possession of first place in the AL West. Oakland also got deep flies from Josh Donaldson and Chris Young. Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer as part of the Cubs' five-run fourth inning.
Red Sox 4, Padres 1:John Lackey continued his resurgence, lasting eight innings and allowing a run on six hits. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 2.81. The Red Sox scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to provide Lackey with all the run support he would need.
Braves 11, Marlins 3:Justin Upton, Brian McCann and Chris Johnson had three hits apiece for the Braves, who racked up a total of 16 hits against Miami pitching. First-place Atlanta has won four straight games, and six of its last seven, to climb to 15 games over .500.
Yankees 7, Twins 3:Robinson Cano hit his 20th homer of the season, a three-run shot in the seventh inning, to break the game open. Phil Hughes lasted seven innings and allowed a run on six hits to pick up the win. Mariano Rivera earned the save, his 27th of the year.
Indians 6, Royals 5:Alex Gordon hit a game-tying grand slam off of Corey Kluber in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Tribe answered with two runs in the seventh to win their fifth consecutive game. Nick Swisher finished with three hits and Carlos Santana drew three walks and collected a pair of RBIs.
White Sox 5, Orioles 3:Adam Dunn hit his 22nd homer of the year, a two-run shot off of Jason Hammel in the seventh inning, and Conor Gillaspie added a long ball to power Chicago to a win over the O's. John Danks allowed a pair of runs on six hits in seven innings, picking up just his second win of the year.
Mariners 9, Rangers 2: Kendrys Morales homered twice and drove in six runs and 41-year-old Raul Ibanez hit his 20th home run of the year. Joe Saunders limited the Rangers to two runs -- one earned -- in 6 ⅔ innings despite scattering ten hits.
Brewers 4, Nationals 0: Milwaukee scored all four of its runs in the eighth inning, the first two of which came on a double by Juan Francisco to break a scoreless tie. Stephen Strasburg exited after seven shutout innings. He allowed three hits and four walks and struck out eight.
Angels 5, Cardinals 1: The Angels scored five times in the second inning and Jered Weaver kept St. Louis off-balance for seven frames, allowing a run on six hits while racking up five strikeouts. Howie Kendrick led the Angels with three hits. Albert Pujols went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts against his former team.