>>Hammel Strikes Out 11 As Cubs Top Marlins
Jason Hammel struck out a career-high 11 batters as he pitched the Chicago Cubs to a 5-1 victory over the Miami Marlins in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night.
Hammel (4-2) allowed a run on five hits and issued no walks in 6 2/3 innings.
He was bidding to throw at least seven innings in five consecutive starts for the first time in his career, but when a bloop single by Donovan Solano put men on the corners, Cubs manager Joe Maddon went to the bullpen.
James Russell got a groundout from pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki to end the threat.
Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant each had an RBI and Dexter Fowler scored two runs for the Cubs, who began a nine-game trip with just their third win in seven tries.
Miami's Jose Urena (0-2) lasted six innings in his second major league start. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out four.
>>Fiers, Brewers Blank Cardinals
Mike Fiers pitched six scoreless innings and the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 on Monday.
Fiers (2-5) struck out six, yielding just four hits and two walks to help the Brewers win the first of this three-game series. Milwaukee has dropped six straight series against St. Louis.
Jaime Garcia (1-2) suffered the tough-luck loss despite allowing just one hit after the first inning. He was charged with the lone run, striking out four in seven innings.
National League Scoreboard
--------------------------------------
Los Angeles 11, Colorado 4
Atlanta 8, Arizona 1
New York 7, San Diego 0
Pittsburgh 4, San Francisco 3
Toronto at Washington, postponed
American League Scoreboard
----------------------------------------
Houston 5, Baltimore 2
LA Angels of Anaheim 7, Tampa Bay 3
New York 7, Seattle 2
Minnesota at Boston, postponed
>>Brewers Lucroy Comes Off DL
The Milwaukee Brewers will have catcher Jonathan Lucroy back in the lineup when the struggling club begins a three- game series Monday in St. Louis.
Lucroy, sidelined for the past six weeks by a broken toe, was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's game against the Cardinals.
The 2014 All-Star suffered the injury when a foul tip off the bat of Cincinnati's Zack Cozart struck him in the foot during an April 20 game against the Reds.
Lucroy just completed a four-game rehab assignment with Class A Brevard County in which he went 4-for-16 with three runs scored.
