Alex Rodriguez stranded on 2,999 hits - San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels post big wins

Rodriguez did have a chance in the eighth inning to reach the milestone at Yankee Stadium but Miami pitcher Sam Dyson threw four straight balls inside to A-Rod, walking the designated hitter.

The 39-year-old finished two-for-four with one RBI and one run, while Brian McCann led the way for the Yankees in their five-run triumph, hitting three-for-four with an RBI and two runs.

The Yankees scored eight runs over three innings, starting in the sixth.

Ryan Vogelsong conceded just three hits in 6.2 innings on the mound as the San Francisco Giants shutout the Seattle Mariners in a 7-0 victory.

Matt Duffy and Joaquin Arias both produced a pair of RBIs for the Giants, while Preston Tucker notched an impressive three RBIs in a two-for-five performance for the Houston Astros as the Texan club won 8-4 over the Colorado Rockies.

The Los Angeles Angels cruised to a 7-1 victory at the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-2, the Toronto Blue Jays crushed the New York Mets 7-1 and the Tampa Bay Rays prevailed 5-3 over the Washington Nationals.

There were also wins for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0 over the Texas Rangers), the Philadelphia Phillies (2-1 against the Baltimore Orioles), the San Diego Padres (3-1 versus the Oakland Athletics), the Minnesota Twins (2-1 over the St Louis Cardinals) and the Kansas City Royals (3-2 against the Milwaukee Brewers).

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-2, the Cleveland Indians edged out the Chicago Cubs 4-3 and the Detroit Tigers clash with the Cincinnati Reds was postponed.

Impact Players:Brock Holt, Boston Red Sox: Holt enjoyed a two-for-four night that included a triple and three runs scored.

Yunel Escobar, Washington Nationals: While Washington lost on Thursday, Escobar went five-for-five with a double, RBI and run scored.

C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels: Wilson struck out a season-high nine batters without a walk, while allowing just one run over eight innings.

Key Injury:

Surprise Performers: Good: Boston's Holt, who hit for the cycle on Tuesday, extended his hitting streak to six games on Thursday. During his current streak, the second baseman has two triples and five RBIs and has raised his batting average from .293 to .319.

Bad: Since hitting safely in three straight games, including consecutive multi-hit games on June 10 and 12, Toronto first baseman Justin Smoak has not gotten a hit in his last five games and struck out three times on Thursday.

Facts of the Day:

With 42-year-old Bartolo Colon starting for the Mets against the Blue Jays, who sent 40-year-old pitcher R.A. Dickey to the mound, it was the first time two 40-year-old starters faced each other since Jamie Moyer and Greg Maddux in 2008.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis set a new record for consecutive games without an error at 393.

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