The Toronto Blue Jays made it seven wins in a row as J.A. Happ threw another strong game, shutting out the Detroit Tigers in a 6-0 win on Friday.

While Happ was keeping the Tigers quiet, it took the Blue Jays a little while to get going, but once they did they were flying as Edwin Encarnacion's 80th RBI of the season - provided by a huge three-run homer - powered the Blue Jays to another big win.

Meanwhile, Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs were left shocked by the Pittsburgh Pirates as they knocked last season's Cy Young winner for three runs in the second inning alone on the way to an 8-4 win.

It was just the second time the Pirates have beaten Arrieta in 13 attempts as they continued to improve their record, moving to 45-42 for the season.

The Baltimore Orioles slumped to a sixth loss in eight games as they fell to the Los Angeles Angles 9-5 in their series opener, and the Miami Marlins got up 3-1 over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cleveland Indians were back among the winners with a 10-2 victory over the New York Yankees, powered by Jason Kipnis' two-homer showing, the Boston Red Sox edged the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5, the Washington Nationals prevailed 3-1 over the New York Mets, and the Texas Rangers were 6-5 winners over the Minnesota Twins.

The Atlanta Braves got the better of Chris Sale as they beat the Chicago White Sox 11-8, the Houston Astros overcame the Oakland Athletics 10-9 in a close one, while the Philadelphia Phillies enjoyed a 5-3 triumph over the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals went down 4-3 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners beat the Kanas City Royals 3-2, the Los Angeles Dodgers ran out 10-6 winners over the San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2.

STRASBURG STAYS PERFECT

Stephen Strasburg ran his record to a perfect 12-0 as the Nationals beat the Mets 3-1. Strasburg went seven innings and struck out nine, giving up only one run on two hits. He's the first NL pitcher to start a season 12-0 since 1913. He joins team-mate Max Scherzer as the only pitchers in the last 30 years to begin a season 12-0. Scherzer started the 2013 season with 13 straight victories while a member of the Detroit Tigers. 

NAPOLI ON SONG

Mike Napoli crushed a Chad Green pitch in the third inning for a 460-foot bomb in Cleveland's 10-2 win over the Yankees.

HAPP FLYING

Happ has won six straight starts and is now the first Blue Jays pitcher with 12 wins before the All-Star break since Roy Halladay in 2006.

CUBS SEEKING REVENGE

The Cubs and Pirates have become bitter rivals in recent years and face off in the second of a three-game series. Right-hander Chad Kuhl, who has a 4.09 ERA in two starts since making his MLB debut on June 26, gets the ball for the Pirates. Lefty Jon Lester (9-4, 2.67 ERA) goes for the Cubs.