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Kipnis, Indians Surge by Rangers

Cleveland has won 10 of its last 14 games

Cleveland Indians right fielder Jordan Luplow reaches out and catches a fly ball by Texas Rangers' Willie Calhoun during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Luplow threw to first, catching Nomar Mazara off base for a double play. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jason Kipnis hit two home runs, going back-to-back with Roberto Perez during a five-run first inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Texas Rangers 10-4 on Wednesday night.

The Indians have won 10 of their last 14 games. They have hit nine home runs in winning two of the first three games of a four-game series.

Kipnis pulled a three-run homer that cleared the Texas bullpen in right-center and gave Cleveland a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Perez followed by slicing an opposite-field homer that landed just inside the right-field foul pole.

Kipnis also homered down the right-field line in the fifth with two outs for his second two-homer game of the season and sixth of his career. He has three homers in his last four games after a 24-game drought.

Indians starter Adam Plutko, staked to a 7-1 lead in the third inning, lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits. Oliver Perez (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the win.

Joe Palumbo (0-1), who was recalled from Double-A Frisco earlier in the day to make his second major league start, was pulled after allowing the first four batters to reach base in the third inning.

Palumbo gave up seven runs and six hits, with three walks and one hit batter. He lasted four innings against the Oakland Athletics on June 8.

Palumbo pitched in the rotation spot that belonged until last week to left-hander Drew Smyly, who gave up three consecutive home runs to Cleveland in relief on Tuesday.

Asdrflbal Cabrera and ninth-inning pinch-hitter Danny Santana hit solo home runs for Texas.

SHORT HOPS

Indians RF Jordan Luplow had two hits and three RBIs. … All 11 of Cabrera’s home runs this season have come at home. … Rangers RF Shin-Soo Choo extended his home on-base streak to 32 games, second longest in the major leagues this season, with a first-inning single. … Texas LF Willie Calhoun, who singled in the fourth, has reached in all nine of his games this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: Manager Terry Francona said he was pleased with the Wednesday workout of RHP Mike Clevenger, who turned his left ankle during his start Monday. Clevenger’s side throwing day was pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday.

Rangers: LHP Jeffrey Springs (bicep tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday. … OF Scott Heineman (shoulder) was sent to the team’s spring training complex in Arizona to begin a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Shane Bieber (6-2, 3.92) will close out the series on Thursday afternoon. Bieber is 4-1 on the road in seven appearances, six starts.

Rangers LHP Mike Minor (6-4, 2.63) ranks fifth in the American League in ERA but is only 1-1 in his last five starts with only nine runs of support.

YANKEES 12, RAYS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary S’nchez hit a three-run homer to help chase Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in the first inning, CC Sabathia got his 250th career win and the New York Yankees thumped the Tampa Bay Rays 12-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.

Gleyber Torres added a grand slam during a six-run seventh inning, and New York three-hit Tampa Bay to win its fifth in a row and extend its lead the AL East over the second-place Rays to 3Ç games. Tampa Bay was swept for the second time this season — the other came against Boston in April.

Snell (4-6) walked four, gave up two hits and was charged with six runs while getting one out on 39 pitches in the shortest start of his career.

Sabathia (4-4) pitched one-run ball over six innings. He struck out seven and allowed three hits and three walks.

ATHLETICS 8, ORIOLES 3

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Chris Bassitt took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and won for the first time in more than three weeks as Oakland handed Baltimore its eighth straight loss.

Josh Phegley had a three-run homer, Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to 16 games and Stephen Piscotty doubled twice to help the A’s complete a three-game sweep.

Bassitt (4-3) allowed two hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking three. The right-hander didn’t give up a hit until Jonathan Villar lined a 3-2 pitch for a single with one out in the sixth.

Phegley homered against Josh Rogers (0-1) in the fifth after Piscotty doubled and Chad Pinder was hit in the helmet.

MARINERS 8, ROYALS 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Domingo Santana hit two home runs in a game for the third time this season, Marco Gonzales won his third straight start and Seattle avoided an embarrassing series sweep against Kansas City.

Santana, who had five RBIs, and Daniel Vogelbach hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to give the Mariners a 4-0 lead. The Mariners had been outscored 15-4 by the Royals in the first two games of a series between last-place teams.

Seattle jumped on starter Brad Keller (3-9) immediately. Mallex Smith doubled to open the bottom of the first and J.P. Crawford walked before Santana hit his first home run of the day to left-center field. Vogelbach followed with his 18th of the season, off the Hit It Here CafÈ in the second deck.

Gonzales (8-6) scattered six hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five.

CUBS 7, WHITE SOX 3

CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras homered twice and drove in five runs, and the Chicago Cubs handed Lucas Giolito his first loss since April by downing the Chicago White Sox.

David Bote also connected to help the Cubs bounce back from a tough loss to their crosstown rivals in their first meeting of the season. Jon Lester (6-5) allowed two more homers, but worked into the sixth inning to improve to 3-1 in June.

Trying for his ninth win in a row, Giolito (10-2) showed flashes of the dominant stuff that put him in the mix to start next month’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. He struck out Kris Bryant three times and fanned Kyle Schwarber twice on a rainy, unseasonably cold night at Wrigley Field.

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