Nationals beat Marlins 8-3

MIAMI (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched 6 2-3 innings to tie for the National League victory lead with 18, helping Washington beat Miami.

Scherzer (18-7) allowed three runs and struck out eight to push his major league-leading total to 267. He's tied for with Chicago's Jon Lester for the most wins in the NL.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run homer and Trea Turner also homered for the Nationals. They ended a four-game losing streak and lowered their magic number to three to win the NL East over the New York Mets.

Tom Koehler (9-12) allowed four runs — three earned — in four innings for the Marlins.

Christian Yelich hit a solo home run and Derek Dietrich hit a two-run homer to chase Scherzer in the seventh and cut it to 6-3.

Rays lose to Yankees 11-5

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Gary Sanchez hit two more homers and drove in five runs, Masahiro Tanaka won despite allowing four home runs in the third inning and New York beat Tampa Bay.

The Yankees moved within 2 1/2 games of Baltimore for the second AL wild-card spot. New York also would have to jump over Seattle, Houston and Detroit to earn a postseason berth.

Sanchez hit a three-run shot in a four-run second off Alex Cobb (1-1) and added his 19th homer in 43 games this season on a solo drive in the sixth against Justin Marks.

Tanaka (14-4) won his seventh straight decision.

Bobby Wilson, Evan Longoria, Brad Miller and Corey Dickerson all homered in the third. Miller later hit another solo shot to give him 30 homers this season.

Police: University employee dies in apparent home invasion

via Associated Press

A University of North Florida employee is dead following an apparent home invasion.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. Michael Paul tells the Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/2cTIN81) that police believe Jonathan Wesley Brenton answered the door at his home around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Following a struggle of some kind, Brenton was shot.

Police officers answering a 911 call found Brenton dead at the scene. His wife and child were at the home but weren't injured.

Paul says investigators are trying to determine whether Brenton knew the suspect. He says they want to know if the family was having problems with anyone or "if it was just a normal morning and there was a knock at the door and things went wrong."

Brenton was a senior IT network engineer at the university's Southside campus.

___

Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Phillies beat Marlins 4-3 in 13 innings

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Pinch-hitter Jimmy Paredes singled home the winning run with one out in the 13th inning to lift Philadelphia over Miami.

Ryan Howard hit his 22nd homer to spark a three-run rally for the Phillies in the sixth. Derek Dietrich tied it for the Marlins with his first career pinch-hit homer in the eighth, connecting off Edubray Ramos.

Frank Herrmann (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

A.J. Ramos (1-3) took the loss.

Orioles beat Rays 5-4

BALTIMORE (AP) - J.J. Hardy and Michael Bourn came through with RBIs in the eighth inning, and Baltimore rallied from a four-run deficit to beat Tampa Bay.

The final out came when Mike Mahtook was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on a single into the left-field corner by Alexi Ramirez.

Pedro Alvarez and Chris Davis homered for the Orioles, who remained two games behind first-place Boston in the AL East. Baltimore also moved one-half game ahead of Toronto for the first AL wild card, with the Blue Jays playing later Friday night.

Baltimore closed to 4-3 before completing the comeback in the eighth against wild reliever Brad Boxberger (4-2). Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Hardy, who tied it with an infield single. Bourn followed with a fly ball to left field.

Brad Brach (9-3) worked the eighth and Zach Britton got three outs for his 44th save.

Evan Longoria hit his career-high 34th homer for the last-place Rays.

Three students injured in school bus accident in Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida Highway Patrol is in Polk County investigating a school bus accident with injuries that happened just before 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. 

The accident happened on Swindell Road at Galloway Road in Lakeland. There is a roadblock in the northbound lanes. 

Officials say a 1994 Chevy pickup was traveling southbound on Galloway Road at 6:25 a.m. on Monday. A Polk County school bus was stopped in the eastbound lane of Swindell Road at the stop sign of the intersection. The bus driver drove through the intersection at the same time the Chevy pickup was passing through. The front of the pickup truck collided with the left side of the bus which was transporting 20 students to Kathleen High School. The driver, along with 3 students were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.

via Action News.

Braves beat Marlins 12-7

ATLANTA (AP) - Nick Markakis doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, Tyler Flowers had four RBIs and Atlanta outslugged Miami.

The teams combined for 34 hits. Atlanta, which ranks 28th in runs, finished in double digits for just the third time this year and the first time at Turner Field.

The Marlins erased a seven-run deficit in the sixth.

Chaz Roe (2-0) got the win. Brian Ellington (2-2) took the loss.

Blue Jays beat Rays 3-2

TORONTO (AP) - Tampa Bay and Toronto cleared the benches and bullpens after the final out. No punches were thrown.

Steven Souza Jr. hit a liner for the last out and traded words with Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin after a verbal misunderstanding.

Toronto is the top wild-card team in the AL, one game ahead of Baltimore.

Jason Grilli (5-3) pitched one inning and Roberto Osuna got his 32nd save. Ezequiel Carrera had a tiebreaking, pinch-hit homer in the eighth off Brad Boxberger (3-1).

Kiermaier, Souza's homers not enough for Rays, get beaten by Yanks 5-4

NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Tyler Austin hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the New York Yankees their season-high fifth straight victory, 5-4 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.

Brian McCann hit two homers for the Yankees, who moved a season-high nine games over .500 (74-65).

Austin homered off Erasmo Ramirez (7-11) on a 3-2 pitch for his third homer since being called up Aug. 13.

New York moved within two games of Baltimore for the second AL wild card and four games of AL East-leading Boston.

Tommy Layne (2-1) entered and struck out pinch-hitter Logan Morrison to end the ninth.

The Rays got two homers each from Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr.

Marlins beat Phillies 6-0

MIAMI (AP) — Andrew Cashner matched his season high for strikeouts with nine over 5 1/3 innings and earned his first win for Miami in the victory over Philadelphia.

Martin Prado drove in three runs for the Marlins. They faded from playoff contention by losing their previous five games and 10 of 11.

Acquired from San Diego on July 29, Cashner (5-11) allowed four hits and walked two. He was 0-4 in his first six starts following the trade. Jeremy Hellickson (10-9) was the loser.

Rays beat Orioles 7-6

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Corey Dickerson had a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore to avoid a three-game sweep.

Dickerson, in a 2-for-28 slide, tied the score 6-all with an RBI single in the fifth and got the decisive hit during the seventh off Mychal Givens (8-2).

J.J. Hardy drove in two on a second-inning double and Michael Bourn hit a solo homer during a three-run third that put Baltimore ahead 5-3.

Baltimore's Dylan Bundy and Tampa Bay's Drew Smyly each allowed five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Kevin Kiermaier and Nick Franklin homered for the Rays. Brad Boxberger (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win and Alex Colome got three outs for his 31st save in 33 chances.

Fire leaves abandoned Miami house damaged

MIAMI - An abandoned two-story house caught fire Tuesday night in Miami.

Miami Fire Rescue responded to the fire on Southwest 5th Street and 5th Avenue.

Crews searched the first floor looking for possible squatters, said Capt. Ignatius Carroll. They used a ladder to access the second floor to make sure it was all clear. No one was inside the home.

According to residents, several squatters have been known to frequent the home. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

via Local10.com.

Phillies beat Marlins 4-3

MIAMI (AP) — Adam Morgan snapped his major league-worst streak of nine consecutive losses, Odubel Herrera scored three runs and Philadelphia spoiled Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton's return.

Morgan (2-9) allowed five hits and one run in six innings.

Ichiro Suzuki hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career, a two-run shot in the eighth for Miami. Stanton was activated from the disabled list about an hour before the game and delivered a pinch-hit single in the fifth for Miami.

Jose Urena (3-6) gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings for Miami, which is 11-23 since Aug. 1.

Orioles beat Rays 11-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Manny Machado capped a six-run fourth inning with a grand slam off Jake Odorizzi, leading Baltimore over Tampa Bay.

Odorizzi (9-6) lost for the first time in 10 starts since the All-Star break, giving up seven runs, six hits and three walks over four innings. Machado's slam was set up by two walks, a hit batter and J.J. Hardy's two-run double.

Yovani Gallardo (5-7) pitched five innings for Baltimore, giving up two runs (one earned) and five hits while striking out five.

JSO: 17-year-old female shot on Northside, no outstanding suspects sought

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 17-year-old black female is recovering from non-life threatening injuries Tuesday morning after being shot in a vehicle on the Northside Monday night.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the victim was riding as a passenger in a car that was at the intersection of West 34th Street and Pearce Street when she was struck with a bullet fired from an undetermined location.

The victim was transported to UF Health following the shooting. Investigators are currently unsure as to if she was the intended target of the shooting. JSO has said that they are not currently looking for any outstanding suspects in this case.

If you have any information pertaining to this shooting you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS or the non-emergency number for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

via First Coast News.

Mother shot about 13 times outside home, police say

MIAMI - A mother was shot several times outside her Miami home early Tuesday morning, according to Miami police.

The victim was identified as 35-year-old Shaquenia Hana. Police say she was shot about 13 times outside her home on 450 Northwest 73rd Terrace. 

Hana is a mother of six. She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she is said to be in critical condition. 

Police say they're still searching for the gunman.

via Local10.com.

3 found dead at family home in Lauderhill, police say

LAUDERHILL, Fla. - Detectives were investigating three deaths in Lauderhill on Monday.

Lt. Greg Solowsky said officers responded to the home, 3650 NW 3 St., about 3 p.m. Officers found three bodies inside. 

Solowsky described the crime as a "heinous act" and said the relatives of the victims were "in a very, very emotional grieving state."

In two separate incidents, a man and a woman who were distraught fell to their knees. About an hour later, dozens surrounded the home.

Phillies beat Marlins 6-2

MIAMI (AP) — Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer and the Phillies snapped a six-game losing streak.

The Phillies' run total was their highest since Aug. 14. They rank last in the majors in runs, and managed only 11 while going 0-6 during a homestand last week.

The Marlins lost their fourth game in a row and are 11-22 since Aug. 1. They fell two games below .500 for the first time since April 27 and could be headed for a seventh consecutive losing season.

Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff (10-13) allowed the first two batters to score and then settled down to pitch six innings. The Phillies have won five of his past six starts.

Miami's Jake Esch (0-1) allowed three runs in five innings in his second major league start.

Orioles beat Rays 7-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ubaldo Jimenez threw a two-hitter for his first complete game since 2011, leading Baltimore to the win.

Jimenez (6-11) struck out six and walked one. He retired 25 of 26 — the lone baserunner coming on a fourth-inning walk — after giving up Logan Morrison's three-run homer in the first.

Chris Davis homered and drove in three runs for the Orioles.

Rays slugger Evan Longoria left with soreness in his right hand. He was hit by a pitch in the first but remained in the game until being pulled after the fifth inning. The Rays said X-rays on Longoria's hand were negative.

Matt Andriese (6-7) lost his seventh straight decision, allowing seven runs and nine hits in five innings.

Shooting near Edward Waters College leaves one dead

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An investigation into a deadly shooting west of Downtown, near Edward Waters College, is ongoing as officers wait to speak with one victim who is recovering at a hospital this morning.

At approximately 11:10 p.m. on Sunday night, an emergency phone call was received in regards to shots being fired near Dot Street and West 4th Street. According to authorities, an Edward Waters College security guard located a vehicle at Grunthal Street and West 4th a short time after the initial call came in.

It is believed that the vehicle in question contained two passengers, one who was deceased when officers arrived on the scene. The passenger of the vehicle was transported by a friend to UF Health with at least one gunshot wound.

A canvassing of the immediate vicinity revealed that the shooting had taken place several blocks from where the car came to a rest. This is an ongoing investigation, as JSO is waiting to speak with the victim who is currently being treated.

Authorities believe the shooter opened fire on the parked car and then escaped on foot. There are no known suspects at this time.

via First Coast News.

22-year-old man arrested for trying to have sex with 9-year-old girl

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Fort Lauderdale man was facing federal charges for trying to engage in sexual activities with a 9-year-old girl named Jenny.

Authorities claim Joshua Asseraf interacted with an undercover employee with the Federal Bureau of Investigations for about five days. 

In one of his posts, he reportedly said, "I've had a 12y virgin before was amazing" and he shared photos he said belonged to the girl and another 11-year-old girl to prove his experience.

The FBI employee told Asseraf he had been abusing her since she was two, according to FBI Special Agent Matthew Fowler, who investigates crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

Asseraf also told the FBI employee he had a girlfriend and was engaged to marry. 

Indians beat Marlins 6-5

CLEVELAND (AP) — Lonnie Chisenhall capped a three-run rally with a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning against Fernando Rodney, leading Cleveland over Miami.

Chisenhall's hit dropped in front of a sliding Ichiro Suzuki in right field and scored pinch-runner Michael Martinez, giving the AL Central leaders their sixth straight win.

Jose Ramirez's two-run single tied it, also with two outs.

Rodney (2-4) allowed three runs, two hits, three walks and threw two wild pitches.

Indians manager Terry Francona was ejected earlier in the inning for arguing when Jason Kipnis struck out on a checked call.

Cody Allen (3-5) got two outs to help the Indians complete a three-game sweep and maintain a 5 1/2-game lead over Detroit.

Suzuki's ninth-inning double off Andrew Miller broke a 3-all tie. Martin Prado added a sacrifice fly, giving the Marlins a two-run lead.

Miami has dropped eight of nine.

Blue Jays beat Rays 5-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Russell Martin hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning to help Toronto overcome a poor start by 17-game winner J.A. Happ and avoid a three-game sweep against Tampa Bay.

The Blue Jays moved a game ahead of Boston atop the AL East.

Martin hit his 17th home run on a 3-0 pitch from Kevin Jepsen (2-6). The catcher has nine homers and 24 RBIs over his last 18 games.

Joaquin Benoit (3-1) struck out three in a scoreless seventh. Roberto Osuna got his 30th save.

Toronto manager John Gibbons was ejected from the dugout by plate umpire Pat Hoberg after Martin struck out in the fourth.

The Blue Jays tied it at 3 in the seventh on Devon Travis' two-run single off Brad Boxberger, costing 17-game loser Chris Archer a shot at his ninth win. Archer struck out nine, running his AL-best total to 211.

Brown shines, Redskins beat Buccaneers in preseason finale

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The stands were mostly empty, but the soggy show went on.

Mack Brown ran for 149 yards and a touchdown in heavy rain Wednesday night, leading the Washington Redskins to a 20-13 preseason-closing victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With Tropical Storm Hermine approaching Florida's Gulf Coast, the game at Raymond James Stadium was moved up 24 hours from Thursday, when the NFL's other 30 teams will conclude the exhibition schedule.

Attendance was announced as 42,996, however there only appeared to be about 5,000 or so in the stands at kickoff. Only die-hard fans stayed around for the end.

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"You've got to love preseason football to be out there on a night like tonight," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said.

Brown, a first-year pro out of Florida, spearheaded a 245-yard rushing attack and scored on a 60-yard burst in the second quarter. He also broke runs of 21 and 22 yards in helping Washington built a 13-0 halftime lead.

"I played at the University of Florida. We had no indoor stadium, practice facility, so I played in the rain all the time," said Brown, who carried 12 times for 130 yards in the first two quarters.

Rookie Nate Sudfeld played the entire game at quarterback for the Redskins, who left Kirk Cousins and the rest of Washington's projected starters behind in Virginia to attend the team's Welcome Home Luncheon, an annual event that raises money for a charitable foundation.

Meanwhile, 21 of 22 players listed as regulars on Tampa Bay's depth chart, including quarterback Jameis Winston, did not dress.

That left plenty of opportunities for young hopefuls such as Brown, who spent parts of last season on Washington's practice squad, and Bucs receiver Bernard Reedy to state their case for surviving final cuts Saturday, the deadline to trim rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players.

"I really want to be here," Brown said. "I think I put some good film out there from camp, preseason. So I'm going to keep praying and hopefully I'm here."

Winston's backup, Mike Glennon, started for Tampa Bay and played into the second quarter. Third-stringer Ryan Griffin, who's also expected to make the team, got the rest of the work at quarterback and threw a touchdown pass to Reedy in the final minute.

ROOKIE WATCH

Redskins: Sudfeld, a sixth-round draft pick, completed 8 of 18 passes for 72 yards, one TD and no interceptions. With rookie RB Keith Marshall (elbow) landing on injured reserve this week, Brown and Robert Kelley remain in the running to be backups behind Matt Jones and Chris Thompson. Kelley carried 16 times for 99 yards.

"I was happy to see Mack. He showed up, made the decision tougher," Washington coach Jay Gruden said. "Hopefully we can figure out a way to keep all of them. We'll get together and figure it out."

Buccaneers: After a rough start to the preseason, missing an extra point and two field goals in the first two weeks, second-round draft pick Roberto Aguayo converted all five of his field goal attempts over the last two games, including a 50-yarder Wednesday night.

POSITION BATTLES

Redskins: Sudfeld is third on the depth chart behind Cousins and Colt McCoy, who dressed but did not play.

Buccaneers: Koetter has already said he expects to carry three quarterbacks. In addition to the competition for the fourth running back job, DE William Gholston played much of the first half in a bid to nail down a starting job.

INJURY UPDATE:

Redskins: Did not announce any injuries during the game.

Buccaneers: Rookie CB Ryan Smith left in the second quarter with a hand injury. TE Kivon Cartwright and WR Kenny Bell (concussion) departed in the second half and did not return.

QUOTABLE:

Redskins: "I thought it was a blue collar performance by our offense. We walked up with our lunch pails and just rode down the field as much as we could," Sudfeld said. "I understood the game plan, we were really going to try and establish the run. It's just a different type of game when you play in this weather but I had a really fun time."

Buccaneers: "Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting the roster set, getting this behind," Koetter said. "It's not a f un way to finish preseason. It's a sour taste after what I think was a productive preseason. Not at all what we had in mind. But I've got to realize, we weren't playing our best guys out there."

Rays lose to Red Sox 8-6

BOSTON (AP) — Hanley Ramirez hit a grand slam, and Aaron Hill later sliced an RBI single to break an eighth-inning tie to help Boston beat Tampa Bay.

Jackie Bradley Jr., who had three hits, and Xander Bogaerts each homered for the Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia had three more hits for Boston. The Red Sox had lost five of its previous seven games after moving into a tie for first place in the AL East.

Junichi Tazawa (3-2) earned the victory despite allowing a two-run single after Boston took a 6-4 lead on the homers by Ramirez and Bradley. Craig Kimbrel closed for his 24th save.

Erasmo Ramirez (7-10) gave up Hill's single and an RBI double by Bradley in the eighth.

Logan Forsythe and Logan Morrison each homered for Tampa Bay.

Marlins lose to Mets 5-2

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelly Johnson's three-run double in the eighth inning broke a tie and lifted surging New York over Miami.

Yoenis Cespedes began the rally by singling off reliever A.J. Ramos (1-2). Curtis Granderson walked, and Wilmer Flores flew out to center, advancing a hustling Cespedes to third. After Jay Bruce flew out to right, Travis d'Arnaud walked to load the bases, bringing up Johnson.

Johnson drove the ball into the right-field corner. He emphatically clapped his hands and swung his arms into the air after reaching second base.

Addison Reed (4-2) pitched a perfect eighth inning for the victory, the Mets' third in a row. Jeurys Familia closed for his 44th save, establishing a franchise record.