>>Cardinals Solve Lester, Cubs
John Lackey outdueled Jon Lester and the Cardinals edged the Cubs 6-0 in the opener of a four-game series.
Lackey (7-5) pitched seven innings and allowed six hits and a walk while striking out four to pick up the win, the Cardinals' third straight overall.
Lester (4-7) had a no-hitter going until allowing a pair of unearned runs in the fateful seventh. He put the blame on himself despite a critical error spoiling his outing.
Jhonny Peralta broke up the bid with a sharp, one-out single off the glove of Kris Bryant. Jason Heyward then reached on a bad throw from Bryant, and Yadier Molina's sacrifice fly scored the first run of the game. Kolten Wong followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
Kevin Siegrist took over for Lackey when play resumed following a 76-minute rain delay and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, and the Cardinals tacked on plenty of insurance against Edwin Jackson in the ninth.
Mark Reynolds hit a bases-loaded sac fly, Randal Grichuk knocked in two more with a double to left, and Peter Bourjos singled up the middle to make it 6-0.
Mitch Harris closed out the shutout with a perfect ninth.
Lackey worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second by getting Addison Russell to look at strike three to end the frame. The inning saw Lester record his first big-league hit in his 67th at-bat -- a comebacker off Lackey's leg. Earlier this season, Lester set the record for the most career plate appearances without a hit.
Consecutive singles to start the sixth saw the Cubs with men on the corners, but Miguel Montero struck out and Starlin Castro bounced into a 4-6-3 double play.
Jorge Soler had a pair of hits for the Cubs, who had won five of six coming in and Grichuk's double in the ninth was the Cardinals' only hit that went for extras bases.
National League Scoreboard
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Pittsburgh 2, San Diego 1
Cincinnati 3, Washington 2
Atlanta 5, Milwaukee 3
New York 3, San Francisco 0
Los Angeles 10, Philadelphia 7
>>Sale Pitches Sox Past Jays
Chris Sale's historic strikeout run came to an end, but the dynamic lefty outdueled his former mentor Mark Buehrle and led the Chicago White Sox to an 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
Sale had 12 strikeouts against St. Louis in his last start to match Pedro Martinez's all-time record for consecutive outings with 10-plus strikeouts. He only fanned six in this one, but picked up the win after going the distance for the first time this season.
Sale (7-4) was charged with two runs on six hits and did not walk a batter.
Buehrle (9-5) took a lead into the bottom of the eighth inning but couldn't hold it. He gave up four unearned runs on nine hits over eight innings to fall to 1-2 in four career starts against his former team.
Chris Colabello and Josh Donaldson hit solo home runs to account for both of Toronto's runs.
American League Scoreboard
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Houston 9, Cleveland 4
Minnesota 4, Baltimore 2 (10 innings)
Detroit 12, Seattle 5
Tampa Bay at Kansas City, postponed
