Best of MLB: Marlins spoil Kershaw's return in win over Dodgers

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MIAMI -- Jose Fernandez tied a career high with 14 strikeouts, overshadowing Clayton Kershaw's return from injury and leading the Miami Marlins to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Fernandez (14-8) gave up three hits and three walks in seven shutout innings. It was the fifth time he's struck out 14 in a game, and third this season.

Kershaw (11-3) had not started for the Dodgers since June 26 because of a mild disk herniation in his back. He threw 66 pitches, 46 for strikes, while allowing two runs and five hits over three innings.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP struck out five, did not walk a batter and now has 150 strikeouts against nine free passes in 2016 (see full recap).

Johnson, Mets rally for win over Braves
ATLANTA -- Kelly Johnson's pinch-hit double drove in the go-ahead run in New York's four-run eighth inning, and the Mets rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Friday night for their sixth straight win.

Curtis Granderson, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth, had a run-scoring single to tie the game. Johnson's double down the right-field line off rookie right-hander Maurico Cabrera drove in Asdrubal Cabrera.

Johnson was traded from Atlanta to the Mets on June 8 and has twice made the Braves pay for the move. His 11th-inning, pinch-hit homer gave the Mets a 1-0 win over Atlanta on June 25.

Julio Teheran and the Braves led 4-0 after five innings.

The surging Mets lead St. Louis by percentage points in the race for the second NL wild card and were right behind San Francisco, which played later at Arizona (see full recap).

Porcello helps Red Sox increase AL East lead
TORONTO -- Rick Porcello pitched seven innings to become the first 20-game winner in the majors, Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run homer and the Boston Red Sox increased their AL East lead to two games by routing the Toronto Blue Jays 13-3 on Friday night.

Xander Bogaerts homered and Dustin Pedroia had three hits and four RBIs as the Red Sox used 18 hits to rough up the sloppy, slumping Blue Jays in the opener of a pivotal three-game series between the division's top two teams.

Porcello (20-3) allowed two runs and six hits to become Boston's first 20-game winner since Josh Beckett in 2007. Porcello came in 6-7 with a 5.27 ERA in 15 career games against Toronto but kept the Blue Jays in check.

The Red Sox broke it open by scoring six runs in a 10-batter seventh. Bogaerts hit a leadoff drive off Scott Feldman, his 18th. Three batters later, Ramirez connected off Feldman, his 22nd. Pedroia capped the rally with a two-run single off Ryan Tepera (see full recap).

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