ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Alex Rodriguez had two home runs and drove in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning single, leading the New York Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Rodriguez got his first multi-homer game in nearly three years, then came through with a single to center with a full count and two outs in the eighth. His hit scored pinch-runner Brett Gardner, who had stolen second after coming in for right fielder Carlos Beltran, who reached on a shift-beating single to left field.
The Rays (6-5) drop to 1-3 at home after returning from a 5-2 road trip, while the Yankees (4-6) bounced back after losing their last two in Baltimore. Andrew Miller got the final four outs for his third save of the season, getting all three outs in the ninth on strikeouts.
The game’s first eight runs all came on home runs, with Rodriguez’s two-run home run tying the game in the sixth after the Rays had jumped ahead with four runs in the fourth.
Tigers 2, White Sox 1
DETROIT — Jose Iglesias bounced a single past drawn-in second baseman Emilio Bonifacio to score pinch runner Andrew Romine from third with one out in the ninth inning Friday and give the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Interim closer right-hander Joakim Soria (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for Detroit to gain the win while left-hander Zach Duke (1-1) took the loss.
Third baseman Nick Castellanos led off the ninth with a sinking liner to right that Avisail Garcia almost caught, the ball skipping out of his glove as it hit the turf. Garcia recovered in time to make a throw to second but Castellanos squeezed by the tag attempt and was safe for a double.
Padres 5, Cubs 4
CHICAGO — Wil Myers went 3-for-4 and clubbed go-ahead, three-run homer as the San Diego Padres rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon.
The seventh-inning homer, his first of the season, gave San Diego its third straight win and sixth in seven games in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field.
Padres starter James Shields (2-0) worked six innings for the win and reliever Craig Kimbrel picked up his fourth save.
Friday was also the major league debut of Cubs prospect Kris Bryant, called up from Triple-A Iowa. He struck out three times and grounded out once.
Nationals 7, Phillies 2
WASHINGTON — Starter Max Scherzer allowed just one run in eight innings and right fielder Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer in the first as the Washington Nationals beat the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Friday.
The Nationals (5-6) have won three games in a row and scored 29 runs in their last four contests. The Phillies (3-8) have lost six in a row while scoring just 13 runs.
Scherzer (1-1) — signed in January to a seven-year, $210 million contract — got his first win with the Nationals as he gave up just four hits and struck out nine in his third start.