MLB roundup: Cubs sweep Pirates
By The Sports Xchange
PITTSBURGH -- Ben Zobrist hit a three-run homer, Anthony Rizzo had a solo shot among his three hits and Jon Lester worked out of a pair of jams while pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
Zobrist's home run in the third inning opened the scoring and came immediately after center fielder Andrew McCutchen dropped Rizzo's two-out liner for an error to extend the inning, sending the Cubs on their way to their seventh win in eight games.
Chicago improved its major-league-best record to 20-6 while winning its seventh consecutive road game. The Cubs completed their first sweep in Pittsburgh since Sept. 7-9, 2012, and moved six games in front of the second-place Pirates (15-13) in the National League Central.
Lester (3-1) scattered eight hits, struck out five and walked two, lowering his ERA to 1.58. The left-hander has allowed one run or less in five of his six starts this season.
Mets 8, Braves 0
NEW YORK -- Steven Matz allowed two hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings and Lucas Duda hit two of New York's four homers as the Mets blanked Atlanta.
The Mets bounced back from being one-hit on Tuesday night to win for the 15th time in 19 games. The Braves have scored one run or fewer eight times this season.
Matz walked none, hit a batter and struck out eight in equaling the longest start of his major league career. The Braves hit just six balls into the outfield against Matz, who has given up just two runs in 27 innings while winning his last four starts.
Reds 7, Giants 4
CINCINNATI -- Zack Cozart returned to the lineup and hit a two-run home run -- one of four homers hit by Cincinnati -- and Dan Straily earned his first victory as a Red in a victory over San Francisco in the finale of a three-game series.
Eugenio Suarez had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Brandon Phillips and Adam Duvall added solo shots for the Reds, who avoided being swept by the Giants in Cincinnati for the first time since 1999.
Brandon Belt and Conor Gillaspie homered for San Francisco off Straily (1-1), who allowed three runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Nationals 13, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washington scored early and often, with six runs in the first inning and four in the third to blow away Kansas City.
The Nationals batted around twice in the first three innings. Kris Medlen gave up nine runs (six earned) and nine hits in two-plus innings after the Royals, who came into the game tied with the Nationals for the fewest errors in Major League Baseball, had errors on the first two batters of the game.
Bryce Harper hit his 10th homer of the season in the fifth to extend the lead to 12-2.
Rockies 2, Padres 0
SAN DIEGO -- Tyler Chatwood pitched eight scoreless innings and added a single that led to Colorado's first run to help the Rockies avoid being swept in a three-game series.
Chatwood, 26, is now 4-0 in four road games this season with a major-league-best 0.33 road ERA. Jake McGee picked up his seventh save with a perfect ninth to complete the eighth shutout against the Padres this season.
Christian Adames' RBI groundout in the fifth and DJ LeMahieu's successful squeeze bunt in the ninth accounted for the Rockies' runs.
Angels 7, Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE -- Mike Trout's seventh homer of the season and a two-run single by Johnny Giavotella sparked a four-run rally in the eighth inning that helped the Angels win.
Trout already had an RBI triple to his credit on the day when he stepped in against Tyler Thornburg, who hung a slider that Trout ripped to right. Pinch hitter C.J. Cron added an RBI double in the inning, and Giavotella contributed a two-run single off Blaine Boyer.
Mariners 9, Athletic s 8
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rookie Dae-Ho Lee had the first multi-homer game of his major league career, and Nelson Cruz hit a two-run shot as Seattle swept the three-game series.
The Mariners won their seventh straight game in Oakland and hit three home runs against the A's for the second straight game.
Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez gave up eight runs (four earned) on nine hits and lasted only four innings, matching his shortest outing against the A's in 42 career starts.
Indians 4, Tigers 0
CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber pitched a five-hitter for his second career shutout, and Cleveland beat Detroit. The Indians managed just five hits, too, but three of them knocked in runs.
Kluber (2-3) struck out six and walked two. He threw 111 pitches and retired the last 10 men he faced in a row.
Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (3-3) held the Indians scoreless in six of the seven innings he pitched, but in the other inning, the fourth, Cleveland scored four runs. Sanchez gave up four hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Blue Jays 4, Rangers 3
TORONTO -- Russell Martin singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Toronto defeated Texas.
It was the second consecutive walk-off win for the Blue Jays over the Rangers after Texas won the opener of the four-game series on Monday.
Edwin Encarnacion, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth to tie the game, led off the bottom of the ninth with a single against right-hander Tony Barnette (1-2). Ezequiel Carrera pinch-ran for Encarnacion, and Carrera eventually came around to score when Martin's deep fly to right dropped in.
Marlins 4, Diamondbacks 3
MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run, and Jose Fernandez won yet another home game as Miami defeated Arizona.
Stanton's homer was his ninth of the season, and he also added a double, a walk and two runs scored. Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, batting leadoff for the second time in his life and for the second straight game, provided a spark, going 3-for-4 and raising his batting average to .329.
Fernandez (3-2) lasted just five innings, allowing six hits, two walks and three runs. However, he struck out seven and did enough to improve his career home record to 19-1 -- the best home winning percentage to start a pitcher's career through 29 starts in more than 100 years.
Yankees 7, Orioles 0
BALTIMORE -- CC Sabathia threw seven innings in his best start of the season, and Brian McCann drove in three runs as New York snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Baltimore.
Sabathia (2-2) came into the game with a 5.06 ERA, but he allowed just six hits and got out of a couple of early jams. The left-hander struck out six and walked two for his first victory over Baltimore since 2013.
The Yankees gave Sabathia all the offense he needed in a three-run sixth inning against Baltimore starter Tyler Wilson (1-1). Carlos Beltran made it 1-0 on a sacrifice fly, McCann added an RBI single two batters later, and another run scored on an error.
Rays 8, Dodgers 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay hit four home runs -- including a three-run, go-ahead blast from Steve Pearce in the sixth inning -- and the Rays split a two-game series with Los Angeles.
Solo home runs by Brandon Guyer and Steven Souza -- who would later leave the game with a pectoral muscle spasm but is day-to-day -- had the Rays tied 2-2 with the Dodgers after 5 1/2 innings. In the sixth, Guyer singled and advanced on an error on a ground ball hit by Evan Longoria. Pearce followed with a three-run home run to knock Dodgers starter Alex Wood (1-3) out of the game.
The Rays added three runs in the seventh on a solo home run by Curt Casali and RBI doubles by Longoria and Kevin Kiermaier.
Red Sox 5, White Sox 2
CHICAGO -- David Ortiz homered and drove in three runs, and Clay Buchholz picked up his first win of the season as Boston beat Chicago.
Ortiz's two-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. He followed up with an RBI single in the seventh, punching a hit to the opposite field with the White Sox in a defensive shift.
Buchholz (1-3) pitched seven strong innings, limiting the White Sox to three hits and two runs while striking out six and walking three. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his ninth save.
Cardinals 5, Phillies 4
ST. LOUIS -- Headed for a sixth loss in seven games, St. Louis rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Philadelphia. Matt Holliday supplied the game-winning hit, bouncing a single into left field that scored Aledmys Diaz with the winning run.
Stephen Piscotty (3-for-5) tied it with an infield single with the bases loaded, plating Kolten Wong. Pinch runner Carlos Martinez was retired in a rundown between third and home, with Diaz advancing to third.
The rally made a winner of reliever Kevin Siegrist, who struck out three while allowing one hit in the ninth. He improved to 4-0. Philadelphia closer Jeanmar Gomez (2-1) blew a save for the first time in 10 chances this year.
Astros 16, Twins 4
HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both finished a triple short of hitting for the cycle, and Houston blew out Minnesota.
The Astros won consecutive games for the first time this season behind an unrelenting offensive attack. Altuve and Correa both finished 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs.
Jason Castro extended his hitting streak to six games, going 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs and four RBIs.
