WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer struck out a season-high 11 to bounce back from his worst outing this season, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Thursday.
Scherzer (4-2) allowed one run and two hits in seven innings. He also was 2 for 3 at the plate, driving in Washington's first run with a second-inning infield single that pitcher Braden Shipley could not pick up with his bare hand.
The NL Cy Young Award winner struck out the side in the fourth and the seventh, the only two innings he allowed a hit. He gave up Jake Lamb's homer in the seventh.
In his previous outing, Scherzer gave up five runs on Travis d'Arnaud's two homers in a 7-5 loss to the Mets last Friday (see full recap).
Gallo, Odor, Andrus HR, Texas tops Astros 10-4 to end skid
HOUSTON -- Joey Gallo homered and drove in three runs, Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus also homered and the Texas Rangers stopped a season-worst four-game skid, beating the Houston Astros 10-4 on Thursday.
After twice giving up leads earlier in the series, the Rangers went ahead 4-0 in the first inning and used the bullpen to help avoid a four-game sweep.
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Marwin Gonzalez homered in his fifth straight start for Houston.
Odor's homer off Joe Musgrove (1-3) came with one out in the first. Singles by Nomar Mazara, Carlos Gomez and Gallo made it 2-0 with two outs and Mike Napoli hit a two-run double.
Gallo padded the lead with a two-run homer in a three-run eighth inning and Andrus had a solo shot in the ninth.
A.J. Griffin (3-0) picked up the win, yielding one earned run in five innings in his return from the disabled list because of gout in his left ankle (see full recap).
Hanigan's hit lifts Rockies over Padres in 11 innings, 3-2
SAN DIEGO -- Ryan Hanigan's RBI infield single in the 11th inning lifted the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
Hanigan, who had homered earlier in his Rockies' debut, hit a grounder up the middle that Erick Aybar fielded, but he was unable to flip the ball to Cory Spangenberg at second for a force. That allowed Ian Desmond to score.
Chad Qualls (1-0) pitched the 10th for the win. Greg Holland followed for his 12th save, although the tying run did reach base.
Brad Hand (0-1) took the loss (see full recap).
Votto, Adleman lead Reds over Pirates 4-2
CINCINNATI -- Joey Votto doubled twice, drove in two runs and scored twice, leading Tim Adleman and the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Thursday.
Adam Duvall drove in Votto both times as the Reds won for the fourth time in five games. Cincinnati is 6-1 against the Pirates this year.
Gift Ngoepe and Francisco Cervelli each had RBI doubles for Pittsburgh, which has dropped four of five.
Adleman (1-1), who set career highs while allowing eight hits and five earned runs in his last start at St. Louis, regrouped to allow six hits and two runs in six innings.
Michael Lorenzen pitched two perfect innings of relief. Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Ivan Nova, the NL's Pitcher of the Month for April, continued to struggle against the Reds. After allowing a season-high eight hits in six innings of a 9-2 loss to Cincinnati on April 12, Nova (3-3) gave up 10 hits and four runs in six innings this time (see full recap).
