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Cubs defeat Dodgers 11-5

Anthony Rizzo's three-run double and Addison Russell's two-run homer highlighted a seven-run seventh inning as the Chicago Cubs broke loose after Clayton Kershaw exited, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-5 on Thursday.
 
The Cubs pounded out 15 hits, including four by Rizzo. Russell drove in four runs in the final regular season meeting between the teams that played each other in the NL Championship Series the last two years.
 
They met seven times in 10 days, with the Cubs winning four games over the two series.
 
The Dodgers staked Kershaw to a 3-1 lead before he departed after five innings because of a pitch limit.
 
The Cubs jumped on reliever Walker Buehler (4-2), who arrived earlier in the morning from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he had been set for a rehab assignment. Albert Almora Jr. homered on Buehler's second pitch and Russell's sacrifice fly tied it at 3 in the sixth.
 
Chicago didn't let up in the seventh.
 
Jason Heyward's pinch-hit RBI double gave the Cubs the lead for good, 4-3.
 
Almora followed with a popup to first base. Max Muncy used his glove as a shield against the sun in a cloudless sky, but the ball dropped for a single and scored Kyle Schwarber, who reached on a walk.
 
Rizzo stroked a double to right-center field off Erik Goeddel, extending the lead to 8-3. Russell followed with a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch that made it 10-3. The Cubs' seven runs were the most by a Dodgers' opponent in an inning this season.
 
Steve Cishek (2-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief.
 
Muncy hit a solo homer in the third and Justin Turner added a two-run shot in the ninth, giving the Dodgers 53 homers in June and tying the franchise record set last year. Enrique Hernandez drove in a pair of two-out runs with a single in the second and a double in the fourth.
 
Kershaw tossed five innings of one-run ball in his second start since coming off the disabled list. He allowed four hits, struck out six and didn't walk anyone while restricted to 68 pitches.
 
Cubs starter Jose Quintana gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, the fourth time in five starts this month he hasn't completed six innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked three.
 
LHP Mike Montgomery (2-2, 3.39 ERA) starts Friday against Minnesota in the opener of an eight-game homestand. It will be his seventh start to go with 18 relief appearances.

White Sox fall to Twins 2-1 in 13 innings

Max Kepler drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded in the 13th inning and the Minnesota Twins outlasted the Chicago White Sox 2-1 Thursday.
 
The Twins pushed across the go-ahead run after Logan Morrison doubled off left fielder Charlie Tilson's glove with two outs. Hector Santiago (2-3), the sixth White Sox reliever, intentionally walked Ehire Adrianza before walking Jake Cave and Kepler.
 
Alan Busenitz (2-0), the Twins' sixth reliever, pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win.
 
Minnesota bounced back after the White Sox tied it with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when closer Fernando Rodney walked pinch-hitter Daniel Palka on four pitches to force in a run.
 
Rodney quickly got the first two Chicago hitters in the inning, but ended up blowing his fourth save in 21 chances. Yolmer Sanchez singled, Rodney hit Tim Anderson with a pitch and Charlie Tilson walked before Palka also walked.
 
Morrison hit his ninth homer deep to right to lead off the seventh for a 1-0 lead. The drive was just Minnesota's second hit off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who didn't allow any until Eddie Rosario lined a double off first baseman Jose Abreu's glove with one out in the sixth.
 
Twins starter Jake Odorizzi tossed six shutout innings in his best outing in more than a month, allowing three hits and striking out eight. The righty was 0-3 with an 8.77 ERA in his six previous starts.
 
Giolito recovered after walking the bases loaded in the first for his lowest-scoring outing this season. The 6-foot-6 righty, who entered with a 7.01 ERA, allowed one run on four hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. He leads the AL with 51 walks.
 
Giolito escaped the first without allowing a run despite throwing just 11 of his first 26 pitches for strikes.
 
RHP Dylan Covey (3-2, 3.45) faces RHP Yovani Gallardo when Chicago opens a three-game series at Texas tonight.

Darvish has setback in bullpen session

Yu Darvish won't be rejoining the Chicago Cubs' rotation this weekend after sustaining a setback during a bullpen session on Thursday.
 
Manager Joe Maddon says the Japanese right-hander felt pain in his right arm.
 
Darvish will return to Chicago to be evaluated, and won't pitch Saturday as scheduled. He'll be replaced by Tyler Chatwood, who came off the paternity list.
 
Darvish said his strength and endurance was good after he played catch on Wednesday. He threw a five-inning, 57-pitch rehab start with Class A South Bend on Monday.
 
He's been on the disabled list since May 26 because of tendinitis in his right triceps, his second DL stint this season.
 
Darvish has a 4.95 ERA in eight starts with the Cubs since he signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the team in February.

White Sox beat Twins 6-1

Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia homered and James Shields limited Minnesota to four hits over seven innings, leading the White Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Twins on Wednesday night.
 
Shields (3-9) struck out five and walked just two in his only scoreless start of the season. The veteran right-hander lasted just 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Oakland on Friday. Before that, he had worked at least six innings in 11 straight turns and has gone at least seven innings five times. After struggling through the last two years following his arrival in a trade with San Diego, Shields has begun to settle in.
 
Tim Anderson and Charlie Tilson each had two hits and an RBI for Chicago, which has won three straight games and four of five.
 
Ehire Adrianza had four hits and an RBI for Minnesota, which has dropped two straight games and five of six. Twins starter Kyle Gibson (2-6) allowed five runs on 11 hits in seven innings.
 
The White Sox took a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Abreu and Garcia led off with singles. One out later, Leury Garcia doubled to drive in Abreu. Anderson followed with a run-scoring single, and Omar Narvaez drove in a run with a ground out. Abreu's solo homer in the fifth stretched the lead to 4-0.
 
Avisail Garcia's solo homer in the eighth made it 6-0. The Twins tacked on a run in the ninth, but they fell to 34-42 to match their season high of eight games below the .500 mark.
 
RHP Lucas Giolito (5-7, 7.01 ERA) takes the mound for the White Sox, aiming to win a second straight start in the series finale with the Twins.

Tribe top Cards 5-1

Edwin Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall hit back-to-back homers, as Shane Bieber pitched six strong innings and the Indians beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Wednesday night.
 
Bieber (3-0) struck out seven to become the seventh pitcher in baseball's modern era to strike out six or more batters in each of his first four major league starts. After giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first outing, Bieber has given up just two runs in his last three starts and lowered his ERA to 2.22.
 
The Indians avoided a series sweep and have won eight of 10. Cleveland starters improved to 17-2 with a 2.26 ERA across 26 starts in series finales, including wins in their last nine decisions.
 
Bieber jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Jack Flaherty in the fourth for a double, his first major league hit.
 
Jose Martinez snapped Bieber's scoreless innings streak at 14 innings with a one-out RBI single in the third.
 
Encarnacion and Chisenhall gave the Indians a 2-0 lead in the second, marking Cleveland's fifth back-to-back home runs this season.
 
Francisco Lindor walked and Michael Brantley doubled to spark a two-run third that extended the Indians' lead to 4-0. Tyler Naquin doubled home another run in the sixth.
 
Flaherty (3-3) went four innings, his shortest outing this season as the Cardinals had their four-game winning streak snapped. It followed perhaps his most dominant start, in which he carried a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings against Milwaukee on Friday.
 
Matt Carpenter walked, doubled and scored a night after scoring five runs and getting five hits.
 
 RHP Miles Mikolas (8-2, 2.69 ERA) will get the start as St. Louis hosts Atlanta and RHP Julio Teheran (5-5, 4.52 ERA) in the first of a three-game set Friday.

Cubs fall 7-5 to Dodgers

Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger each hit a solo home run, Joc Pederson added a two-run shot and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Wednesday night.
 
The Dodgers improved to 17-6 in June and have slugged a major league-leading 51 homers this month. That's the second-most during any month in franchise history, and with three days remaining they have a chance to overtake last year's team that set the record with 53.
 
After not homering in a 9-4 loss to the Cubs on Tuesday that snapped their four-game winning streak, the Dodgers got going early despite not having Matt Kemp in the lineup. The outfielder who is hitting .311 served a one-game suspension after losing his appeal with Major League Baseball involving a scuffle with Texas catcher Robinson Chirinos on June 13.
 
Muncy homered over the center-field wall in the first for his ninth long ball this month and 16th of the season. Later in the inning, Yasmani Grandal's two-run double with two outs gave the Dodgers the lead for good, 3-2.
 
Pederson followed in the second with his 10th homer of the month to make it 5-2. Enrique Hernandez extended the lead with an RBI single.
 
Alex Wood (4-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings to earn his third straight win. The left-hander struck out six and walked none, retiring the final seven batters he faced.
 
Kenley Jansen earned a four-out save, his 21st of the season.
 
Chicago made it close after Wood exited. He was replaced in the eighth by Scott Alexander, who walked Jason Heyward and gave up a single to Javier Baez before Willson Contreras hit a two-run double to pull the Cubs to 6-5.
 
Ben Zobrist grounded back to Alexander, putting the potential tying run on third, but Jansen came in and struck out Addison Russell to end the inning.
 
Bellinger homered leading off the bottom of the eighth against Randy Rosario, tying Muncy for the team lead with 16 homers and making it 7-5.
 
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (5-8) gave up six runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings, failing to go at least five innings for the first time in 16 starts this season. The team has lost five of his last six starts.
 
Chicago took the lead in the first on a two-run homer by Contreras.
 
In the fifth, Heyward reached on an infield single that Wood raced to pick up along the first base line. He flipped to Bellinger, and first base umpire Alan Porter signaled that Heyward was out. But the ball came loose and second baseman Logan Forsythe, backing up the play, fired to the plate. Ian Happ, who singled leading off, was called safe to leave the Cubs trailing 6-3.
 
Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (6-6, 4.26 ERA) starts the series finale against LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-4, 2.94).

White Sox rally to beat Twins 8-4

Yolmer Sanchez matched a career high with four RBIs, Avisail Garcia hit his first homer since returning from the disabled list last week and the Chicago White Sox came back to beat the Minnesota Twins 8-4 on Tuesday night.
 
Yoan Moncada drove in a run with a triple and scored as the White Sox won for the third time in four games following an eight-game losing streak. Reynaldo Lopez (3-5) lasted 6 1/3 innings for the win in a contest that began after a delay of 1 hour, 48 minutes because of heavy rain.
 
Ehire Adrianza hit a solo shot and drove in two runs, and Brian Dozier also went deep for Minnesota.
 
Minnesota's Lance Lynn (5-6) seemed to be cruising with a 4-2 lead in a seventh straight solid start, but slipped on the wet grass while fielding Matt Davidson's soft grounder leading off the bottom of sixth. Leury Garcia and Kevan Smith followed with singles to load the bases, prompting manager Paul Molitor to bring in reliever Ryan Pressly.
 
Pressly walked Tim Anderson to force in a run. Sanchez put the White Sox ahead for the first time when he lined a single off Taylor Rogers with two outs that drove in two.
 
Lynn allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits through five-plus innings. The 31-year-old right-hander struck out eight and walked only one.
 
Lopez yielded four runs and six hits before four Chicago relievers combined for 2 2/3 hitless innings.
 
Dozier's 11th homer, on a towering fly that barely cleared the left-field fence, put the Twins ahead 1-0 in the second. Adrianza's drive to straightaway center on the first pitch of the third made it 2-0.
 
The White Sox tied it at 2 in the bottom of the inning. Adam Engel reached on Adrianza's throwing error, then scored on Moncada's triple to the right-center wall. Moncada came home on Sanchez's groundout.
 
Minnesota moved back ahead 4-2 in the fifth. Mitch Garver, Jake Cave and Adrianza opened the inning with sharp singles. Joe Mauer settled for a sac fly as Garcia made a nifty running grab of his liner to the warning track in right center.
 
After Chicago took a 5-4 lead in the sixth, Garcia hit his second homer of the season - and first since April 3 - in the seventh.
 
Sanchez singled in another run as the White Sox scored twice in the eighth.
 
RHP Kyle Gibson (2-5, 3.25) faces White Sox RHP James Shields (2-9) tonight.

Bryant on DL for 1st time with sore left shoulder

The Chicago Cubs have placed Kris Bryant on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation, marking the first time the fourth-year player has gone on the DL.
 
Chicago announced the move Tuesday. It's retroactive to June 23, making Bryant eligible to return in a week.
 
Cubs manager Joe Maddon says the injury is not considered serious and he expects Bryant to be activated next Tuesday.
 
The 2016 NL MVP is batting .280 this season with nine home runs, 36 RBIs and an .864 OPS. He had a home run among his six hits in a series last week against the Dodgers, but was just 1 for 8 in the Cubs' previous series at Cincinnati.
 
The Cubs recalled infielder David Bote from Triple-A Iowa to take Bryant's spot on the active roster.

Dodgers beat Cubs 2-1

Kenta Maeda pitched seven scoreless innings, Enrique Hernandez homered again and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Monday night.
 
Maeda (5-4) struck out nine and allowed three singles, helping the Dodgers improved to 16-5 in June. The Dodgers returned to Los Angeles to open a 10-game homestand after sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend in a three-game series.
 
Kenley Jansen gave up deep a sacrifice fly to Javier Baez in the ninth inning before closing out the Cubs for his 20th save.
 
Chicago lost its fifth straight after getting swept over four games at Cincinnati. The Cubs have scored a combined 13 runs over their past five games.
 
Hernandez also went deep twice Sunday. He has a career-high 13 home runs, surpassing his 12 from 2017.
 
Chris Taylor added a pinch homer in the eighth, his ninth of the season. It was the second pinch homer of his career.
 
The Dodgers had Duane Underwood Jr. on the run early in his major league debut, but they were unable to deliver the big hit. In the first inning, Matt Kemp worked a 14-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs, but Yasmani Grandal flew out to the warning track in center field.
 
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on Hernandez's home run to the bullpen in left field. Hernandez has hit six homers since June 7.
 
Underwood (0-1) settled down after that, walking one over the next nine batters. He gave up just two hits and a run over four innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. He threw 77 pitches, 41 in his first inning.
 
Maeda was in control while coming off a start at Chicago last week where he was removed after 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander beat the Cubs in the regular season for the first time in his career.
 
LHP Jon Lester (9-2, 2.10 ERA) will try to win his sixth consecutive start and faces the Dodgers for his second consecutive outing. RHP Ross Stripling (6-2, 1.99), who saw his six-start win streak come to an end last week at Chicago, will get another chance to beat the Cubs for the first time in his career.
 
>>The Whites Sox begin a three game set against the Twins tonight, as RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-5, 3.59 ERA) opposes Twins RHP Lance Lynn (5-5, 4.64 ERA) in the opener.

Ozuna sparks St. Louis to victory over Cleveland

John Gant pitched one-hit ball over a career-high seven innings, Marcell Ozuna hit a two-run double and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cleveland Indians 4-0 on Monday night.
 
It was the third consecutive win for the Cardinals and the 10,000th regular season victory for the franchise. St. Louis joined the Braves, Cubs, Giants, Pirates and Dodgers among NL teams to reach the milestone. It was the Cardinals' fifth win by shutout this season.
 
Cleveland had won seven straight. Mike Clevinger (6-3) allowed two runs over five innings, and the Indians had just four hits.
 
Gant (2-2) started in place of Michael Wacha, who went on the disabled list last week with an oblique strain.
 
Gant allowed only an infield single to Yan Gomes that hit third base in the third inning. He walked a career-high five and struck out four. It was his first win in three starts this season.
 
St. Louis closer Bud Norris relieved Austin Gomber with two on and no outs in the ninth. He got a strikeout and a double play to record his 15th save.
 
Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks put two runners on in the eighth with two outs but got Edwin Encarnacion to ground out.
 
It was the second shortest outing of the season for Clevinger, who allowed six hits and walked two. Clevinger had pitched at least six innings in five straight starts before facing St. Louis.
 
Francona said Clevinger began to cramp up in the fourth inning, and the team pushed him for one more before calling it a day.
 
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the third. Matt Carpenter singled for one of his three hits, and Greg Garcia walked. With one out, Ozuna hit a one-out double to score both runners.
 
Kolten Wong added an RBI double in the sixth, and Harrison Bader singled in a run in the eighth. It was Wong's first extra-base hit with runners in scoring position this season.
 
This was Cleveland's first visit to St. Louis since 2012, and the Indians fell to 15-9 all-time against the Cardinals.
 
Corey Kluber (11-3, 2.10) will be making his second career start against the Cardinals as he'll face Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.24).
 

Cards take down Brewers 8-2

Jose Martinez hit a three-run homer to pace the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
 
Luke Weaver (4-6) allowed two runs, both in the first, on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-high nine and walked two for his first victory since May 11.
 
Martinez's 11th homer capped a five-run fourth when St. Louis erased a 2-1 deficit. Dexter Fowler, who entered hitting .163, doubled twice and scored twice, and Harrison Bader reached four times, scoring twice for the Cardinals, who won the final two games of the series to salvage a split.
 
Fowler snapped an 0-for13 streak with a double to open the fourth and Bader walked. Both runners advanced on Kelton Wong's fly out to right. After Weaver struck out, Matt Carpenter lined a two-run single to center to put the Cards up 3-2.
 
Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) issued his fifth walk to Greg Garcia and Martinez then drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center to make it 6-2.
 
The Cardinals extended it to 8-2 in the fifth. Fowler again led off with a double and Bader followed with an RBI single. Wong singled Bader to third and Weaver laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt.
 
Chacin allowed a season-high eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking five. Chacin dropped to 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career appearances, including eight starts, against the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals pushed across a run in the first when Carpenter walked, Garcia doubled and Marcell Ozuna lofted a one-out sacrifice fly to the wall in right-center.
 
Milwaukee answered with two runs in the bottom half. Christian Yelich tied it with his 10th home run, a one-out solo shot into the second deck in left. Ryan Braun followed with a double to right and scored on Hernan Perez's 
 
two-out single. Jonathan Villar doubled Perez to third, but Weaver escaped by retiring Erik Kratz on a hard-hit liner to right.
 
RHP John Gant (1-2, 4.39) opens the three-game series at home against Cleveland tonight.

Moncada powers White Sox past Athletics 10-3

Yoan Moncada broke out of a slump with a three-run homer and six RBIs, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 10-3 on Sunday for a split of their four-game series.
 
Daniel Palka and Yolmer Sanchez also connected for the White Sox, who had lost nine of 10. Carlos Rodon (1-2) pitched a season-high eight innings in his fourth start after missing the beginning of the year while recovering from shoulder surgery last September.
 
Moncada, who hit .183 over the previous 35 games, gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead with a three-run double in the fifth. Moncada then scored on Avisail Garcia's single, and Jose Abreu added another RBI single.
 
Palka, Sanchez and Moncada all went deep in the sixth. Moncada belted a three-run drive for his 10th homer, making it 10-2 Chicago.
 
Oakland set a modern major league record when Mark Canha hit a drive to left on Rodon's first pitch of the fifth, extending the A's streak to 25 straight road games with a homer. Canha also opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second.
 
A's right-hander Paul Blackburn (1-2) allowed six runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. He permitted only one baserunner through the first four, but got into trouble with two out in the fifth.
 
Rodon allowed two runs and seven hits. The eight innings matched his career high.
 
Following an off day, the White Sox begin a three-game set against visiting Minnesota on Tuesday.

Cubs fall 8-6 to Reds

Pitcher Mike Lorenzen connected for a pinch-hit homer to begin Cincinnati's comeback and Jesse Winker added a pinch-hit three-run homer in a big seventh that sent the Reds over the Chicago Cubs 8-6 on Sunday.
 
Lorenzen's homer was the third of his career and second in two games by a Reds pitcher. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday - the first by a Reds pitcher since 1959.
 
The Reds, who have won seven straight and 11 of their past 13 games, completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs for the first time in 25 years.
 
Trailing 6-1 in the seventh Winker went opposite field with relief pitcher Pedro Strop's first pitch after relieving emergency starter Mike Montgomery, driving it into the left field seats to cut Chicago's lead to 6-5. 
 
Joey Votto delivered the go-ahead double as the next four batters reached against Strop (3-1), who retired just two of the nine batters he faced.
 
Jose Peraza had two runs batted in and Tucker Barnhart had the game-tying RBI as the Reds set a season high for runs. Seven runs are the most allowed in one inning this season by the Cubs, who have lost six of their last eight 
 
games and were swept in a four-game series by the Reds for the first time since April 8-11, 1983, at Riverfront Stadium.
 
The Reds overcame a fifth-inning two-run homer by slumping Anthony Rizzo, who went 1-for-14 in the series, and a solo shot by Albert Almora Jr. off Jackson Stephens (1-0), which gave Chicago a 6-1 lead in the seventh.
 
Montgomery started in place of Tyler Chatwood, who left for Chicago early Sunday morning when his wife went into labor. The left-hander kept the Reds scoreless until Lorenzen's homer with two outs in the fifth inning.
 
Montgomery allowed six hits, three in the seventh, and four runs with two walks and six strikeouts.
 
The Cubs had at least one baserunner in every inning except the fourth against Sal Romano. They reached him for eight hits and five runs with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings.
 
Amir Garrett had three strikeouts in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias picked up his 13th save.
 
The Cubs head to L.A. to start a series with the Dodgers as RHP Duane Underwood will make his major league debut.

Cubs drop series opener 6-2 in Cincinnati

Jesse Winker hit his first career grand slam during a big sixth-inning rally Thursday night, putting Matt Harvey in line for his second win for the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2 over the Chicago Cubs.
 
The Reds sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times in the sixth, matching their biggest inning of the season. Kyle Hendricks (5-7) walked three to set up the two-out rally, including Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded. Hendricks has equaled his career high with four walks in each of his last two starts.
 
Winker connected on the second pitch from left-hander Randy Rosario, who hadn't allowed a homer this season. The Reds' sixth grand slam of the season moved them into a tie with Boston for most in the majors.
 
Billy Hamilton walked, stole a base, scored and singled home the final run during the rally.
 
Harvey (2-5) went six innings for his first victory since May 22, allowing five hits, including Javier Baez's two-run double. He'd lost his last three decisions with the Reds, who got him from the Mets for catcher Devin Mesoraco in a deal on May 8.
 
Harvey plunked Kris Bryant on the left hand and Anthony Rizzo on the left shin in the third inning, but both remained in the game. Baez's two-run double was his fourth extra-base hit in the last two games.
 
Amir Garrett relieved and fanned Rizzo on three pitches to end a bases-loaded threat in the seventh. Jared Hughes pitched out of a two-on jam in the eighth and finished for his fifth save in six chances.
 
The Reds have won four straight, their second-best streak of the season. 
 
Jose Quintana (6-5) will face off against Luis Castillo (4-8) has lost his last four starts in game two of the series.

St. Louis routed 11-3 by division foe Milwaukee

Brent Suter pitched seven strong innings, Manny Pina homered and the Milwaukee Brewers capitalized on a season-high four errors by St. Louis in an 11-3 victory Thursday night.
 
Suter (8-4) retired 12 straight after Matt Carpenter homered on the first pitch of the game.
 
He went a career-high seven innings for the second time this season and third overall. He limited the Cardinals to two runs and two hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
 
Suter is 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA in his last seven starts.
 
The Brewers regained the lead in NL Central, one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs.
 
Carlos Martinez (3-4) struggled in his fourth start since returning from the disabled list (right lat strain). He allowed seven runs - five earned - on eight hits in four innings with two walks, three strikeouts and two wild pitches. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA since being activated on June 4.
 
Milwaukee went ahead 2-1 in the first and never looked back.
 
Left fielder Marcell Ozuna tracked Jesus Aguilar's towering fly and climbed the wall in anticipation of making a home run-saving catch. The ball hit the padding behind and below Ozuna and bounced away as two runs scored for Milwaukee.
 
Fielding and throwing errors in the third helped the Brewers tack on two unearned runs.
 
Lorenzo Cain reached on Carpenter's fielding error at third base and scored on Travis Shaw's double. Shaw advanced on a wild pitch and then raced home when Martinez lost the grip on the ball as he threw toward the plate and it squirted toward the third base line.
 
The Brewers broke it open in the fourth on a home run by Pina, a run-scoring single by Cain and a sacrifice fly by Shaw.
 
Milwaukee added three unearned runs in the seventh aided by a fielding and throwing error by second baseman Jedd Gyorko.
 
Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Yairo Munoz in the fifth. Munoz had a run-scoring base hit in the ninth.
 
Carpenter hit the first pitch from Suter for his 17th leadoff home run and second of the season.
 
 RHP Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.66 ERA) makes his third career start against the Brewers and second at Miller Park, where he made his major league debut on April 3.

White Sox-A's game postponed

Thursday night's game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox has been postponed because of rain.
 
The postponement is the 40th in the major leagues this season, one more than last year and the most in at least the past six years.
 
The game will be made up on Friday as part of a straight doubleheader beginning at 3:10 p.m. CDT. The second game will start at 7:10 p.m., the time for Friday's regularly scheduled game, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
 
The White Sox announced right-hander James Shields (2-8, 4.63 ERA) will start the first game on Friday, with righty Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19) following in the nightcap. Chicago has lost seven straight to match a season high and is a season-low 25 games under .500.

Bulls take Carter Jr. and Hutchison in first round

The Chicago Bulls have drafted Duke's Wendell Carter Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick, giving them another versatile big man to go with Lauri Markkanen.
 
The 6-foot-10, 259-pound Carter Jr. was the second Blue Devils big man taken after Marvin Bagley III went to Sacramento at No. 2. With his ability to hit from the outside and score down low, he averaged 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a freshman last season while helping the Blue Devils advance to the Elite Eight.
 
Chandler Hutchison is a 6-foot-7 Small Forward who finished up his senior season at Boise State.  He was a steady-handed first option for the Broncos, averaging 20.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a senior.

Cubs beat Dodgers 4-0

Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.
 
Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.
 
Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer. Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI in his third straight game batting leadoff. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.
 
Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.
 
Baez made a strong throw from deep in the hole at shortstop in the second inning to rob Logan Forsythe of a hit and had fans chanting his name in the eighth after a neat double play as the second baseman. He caught Justin Turner's line drive and lunged to the bag to double off a diving Enrique Hernandez.
 
Right fielder Jason Heyward threw out Chris Taylor trying to score on Turner's fly in the third. And the Cubs caught several balls on the warning track while winning for the 17th time in 25 games.
 
Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.
 
The Cubs open a four-game series at Cincinnati today, with RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 3.55) going against RHP Matt Harvey (1-5, 5.92).

Cardinals fall by one run to Phils 4-3

Odubel Herrera hit a tiebreaking, solo homer in the seventh inning, Cesar Hernandez hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Wednesday to win their third straight series.
 
Herrera is batting .419 (13 for 31) with two doubles, five homers and eight RBI in the last seven games.Yadier Molina hit a pair of homers for the Cardinals, who lost starter Michael Wacha to injury.
 
Philadelphia's beleaguered bullpen tossed three scoreless innings after Arrieta had another so-so outing, giving up both of Molina's homers. Edubray Ramos (2-0) got five outs and Adam Morgan retired the last two batters with the tying run on second for his first career save.
 
The Phillies took two of three to win a series against the Cardinals for the first time since August 2014.
 
Arrieta gave up three runs and four hits in six innings to remain winless in June after posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts in May.
 
Wacha left in the fourth with a left oblique strain. The right-hander allowed three runs - one earned - and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. He'll have an MRI on Thursday.
 
Herrera ripped a 91 mph slider from Sam Tuivailala (1-3) off the scoreboard on the facing of the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Herrera has a homer in four straight games.
 
Pinch hitter Jedd Gyorko hit a one-out double off Victor Arano in the ninth. Morgan entered to get Matt Carpenter on a foul pop and Tommy Pham on a grounder.
 
Molina drove a 3-2 pitch the opposite-way into the seats in right-center for his fifth career multihomer game in the sixth to tie it at 3.
 
A throwing error by Carpenter led to a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. Jorge Alfaro reached with one out when Carpenter's throw pulled first baseman Jose Martinez off the bag. With two outs, Hernandez lined a 1-2 change-up to the seats in right for a 3-1 lead.
 
The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first after Rhys Hoskins hit a single, advanced to third on Herrera's double and scored on Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly.
 
Molina crushed Arrieta's first pitch in the second inning to left to tie it at 1.
 
Wacha worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third by striking out Scott Kingery and retiring Nick Williams on a bouncer.
 
RHP Carlos Martinez (3-3, 2.73 ERA) takes the mound for the start of a four-game set at Milwaukee.

White Sox routed by Indians 12-0

Corey Kluber shut down the White Sox and became the first pitcher with 11 wins this season. 
 
Kluber allowed one hit over seven dominant innings and retired his final 14 batters Wednesday as the Cleveland Indians routed Chicago 12-0. The right-hander struck out seven and issued a lone walk in his latest masterpiece.
 
Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis hit three-run homers for Cleveland, which swept the three-game series by a 24-5 margin. The Indians have won 17 of their last 21 games against the White Sox at Progressive Field, including all six this season.
 
Kluber (11-3) only permitted a second-inning single past third base by Omar Narvaez and a third-inning walk to Charlie Tilson, throwing 96 pitches before giving way to George Kontos to begin the eighth. Josh Tomlin surrendered a double to Jose Abreu in the ninth before completing the combined two-hitter.
 
Yonder Alonso added three hits and Yan Gomes doubled twice as the Indians chased White Sox righty Reynaldo Lopez (2-5) after 4 1/3 innings. Lopez gave up five runs, four earned, and is 0-3 with an 8.31 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland.
 
The Indians tacked on six runs in the sixth against Bruce Rondon to extend their lead to 11-0, including a two-run double by Edwin Encarnacion and Kipnis' three-run shot.
 
The White Sox matched their longest losing streak of 2018 at seven and fell to a season-low 25 games under .500. 
 
Manager Rick Renteria was ejected by home plate umpire Will Little in the sixth for arguing a strikeout.
 
White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19 ERA) takes on Athletics RHP Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.45 ERA) in the opener of a four-game series at Guarnteed Rate Field.

Morrow goes on DL with back tightness

The Chicago Cubs have placed closer Brandon Morrow on the 10-day disabled list because of lower back tightness.
 
The Cubs announced the move prior to Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Right-hander Justin Hancock will remain with the club after being called up from Triple-A Iowa as the 26th man for Tuesday's day-night doubleheader.
 
Signed by the Cubs after helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat them in the NLCS last season, Morrow has 16 saves in 17 chances.
 
The Cubs are also missing relievers Carl Edwards Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) and Brian Duensing, who is on the bereavement list after his grandfather died on Saturday. Chicago was second in the NL Central, a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
 

Billy Connors, ex-Cub, dies at 76

Billy Connors, a three-time New York Yankees pitching coach and confidant of late owner George Steinbrenner, has died. He was 76.
 
Connors coached the Yankees from 1989-90, 1994-95 and 2000, and was vice president of player personnel from 1996-2012. He was instrumental in the development of Yankees pitchers Orlando Hernandez, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang and Mariano Rivera.
 
Connors also coached with the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals and Seattle.
 
Connors spent three seasons in the major leagues, starting with the Cubs in 1966 and then with the New York Mets the following two years. He was 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA in one start and 25 relief appearances.

Cubs beat Dodgers 2-1 in 10 innings for doubleheader split

In game one of the day night doubleheader pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer doubled sharply down the left-field line with two outs in the ninth to drive in two runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers came back to edge the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
 
Farmer lined a 2-2 pitch from Justin Wilson into the corner after Wilson had walked pinch-hitter Austin Barnes and Justin Turner singled. Entering the game, Farmer was hitting .226, but was 5 for 15 as a pinch-hitter.
 
Joc Pederson led off the game with solo shot and Yasiel Puig drove in a run with a bloop double in a rematch of the last two NL Championship Series.
 
Kris Bryant doubled twice and drove in two runs. Anthony Rizzo added an RBI single for Chicago.
 
Edward Paredes (2-0), the fifth of six Dodgers relievers, got one out in the eighth to earn the win. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
 
Wilson (1-2) came one pitch away from earning his first save.
 
In game number two, Albert Almora Jr. hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Tuesday night to salvage a split of their day-night doubleheader.
 
Kris Bryant sparked the winning rally with a leadoff triple against Brock Stewart (0-1). After Javier Baez was walked intentionally, Almora hit a liner into right field.
 
Rob Zastryzny (1-0), the fifth Cubs reliever, got Yasmani Grandal to fly out with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th to earn the win.
 
Los Angeles opened the doubleheader with a 4-3 victory on pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer's two-run double in the ninth.

Carpenter leads Cardinals past Phillies 7-6

Matt Carpenter hit a tiebreaking solo homer with two out in the ninth, helping the St. Louis Cardinals edge the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Tuesday night.
 
Carpenter also had a tying two-run double in St. Louis' four-run seventh. Tommy Pham homered and singled for the Cardinals, and Kolten Wong also went deep.
 
Odubel Herrera and Carlos Santana connected for the Phillies.
 
Seranthony Dominguez (1-1) struck out the first two batters in the ninth and had Carpenter in a 0-2 hole. But Carpenter lined the next pitch, a 98-mph fastball, over the wall in right to extend his homer streak to three games.
 
Carpenter noticed Dominguez shake off catcher Jorge Alfaro just before the 0-2 pitch and believed the right-hander wanted to throw a fastball.
 
A hard-throwing rookie, Dominguez began his career by tossing 15 2/3 scoreless innings and entered with 27 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA in 21 1/3 innings.
 
The Cardinals trailed 4-2 before rallying against Vince Velasquez and Tommy Hunter.
 
Velasquez got the first out of the seventh before a single and hit batsman brought manager Gabe Kapler to the mound. Hunter got pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to line out to left before Carpenter doubled, Pham singled and Jose Martinez made it 6-4 with another two-run double.
 
The Phillies tied it in the eighth on Rhys Hoskins' two-run double. Austin Gomber started the inning, but was lifted for Jordan Hicks (3-1) with two out and runners on first and second. Three of Hicks' four pitches to Hoskins were fastballs that registered at least 100 mph, but the slugger drove the final 101-mph heater into the gap in right-center.
 
Hicks pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, to secure the victory.
 
The Phillies opened the scoring with Santana's RBI groundout in the first. Pham extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a two-out homer to deep left in the third, tying it at 1.
 
Herrera continued his hot hitting against St. Louis by driving the first pitch he saw in the third, a 79-mph curveball, into the seats in right for a 2-1 Phillies lead.
 
Cesar Hernandez's bases-loaded walk in the fourth made it 3-1, but Philadelphia wasted a chance for more when Luke Weaver got Hoskins to pop out to shortstop before fanning Herrera to leave the bases full.
 
Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (8-2, 3.24 ERA) will oppose Phillies RHP Jake Arrieta (5-5, 3.33 ERA) in the series finale this afternoon.

Indians beat White Sox 6-3

Mike Clevinger struck out 10 and allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Tuesday night.
 
Clevinger (6-2) beat Chicago for the third time this season and was in command after giving up a first-inning run. The right-hander retired 13 straight between the second and sixth while allowing five hits.
 
Clevinger, who struck out a career-high 11 against the White Sox last week, was pulled after two walks in the eighth. He has held Chicago to three earned runs in 21 1/3 innings over three starts.
 
Francisco Lindor's two-run single was the key hit in the second when Cleveland scored four times. Yonder Alonso, Michael Brantley and Edwin Encarnacion also drove in runs for the Indians.
 
Yoan Moncada had a two-run double with two outs in the ninth off Zach McAllister. Second baseman Erik Gonzalez booted Yolmer Sanchez's ground ball putting two runners on. Cody Allen retired Jose Abreu on fly ball for his 15th save in 16 chances.
 
Cleveland improved to 16-4 in its past 20 home games against Chicago.
 
Carlos Rodon (0-2) allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander made his third start of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in August.
 
The White Sox lost their sixth straight and dropped a season-high 24 games under .500. Chicago is 11-23 against the AL Central.
 
Abreu's single put Chicago ahead three batters into the game, but the lead lasted one inning. Alonso tied the game with an RBI single in the second and Cleveland went ahead on Rodon's wild pitch.
 
Lindor singled into right-center with runners on second and third for a 4-1 lead. Brantley and Encarnacion drove in runs in the seventh.
 
Clevinger retired Adam Engel and Moncada with a runner on second to end the second inning. He didn't allow another baserunner until Daniel Palka's two-out single in the sixth.
 
Abreu had a home run overturned in the third. His drive down the left field line was called fair by third base umpire Lance Barksdale, The ruling was reversed after a crew chief review that lasted 44 seconds. Abreu then struck out.
 
Moncada led off the first with a double and scored when Abreu hit a sharp ground ball through the right side.
 
Brandon Guyer and Rajai Davis stole bases for the Indians, who have stolen 23 consecutive bases since May 23.
 
Indians RHP Corey Kluber (10-3, 2.24 ERA) starts the series finale.  RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-4, 3.26 ERA) starts for the White Sox.

Chris Duhon named Illinois State assistant coach

Former Duke and Chicago Bulls point guard Chris Duhon has joined the staff of Illinois State University as an assistant coach.
 
Illinois State coach Dan Muller announced Duhon's hiring on Monday.
 
Duhon resigned from Marshall in January 2017 after his arrest for driving on a revoked license. His driver's license was revoked for driving under the influence in 2015.
 
Duhon helped lift Duke to the 2001 national championship by leading the team in steals and minutes played. He was selected by the Bulls in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft. He played four seasons in Chicago.

Sox drop fifth straight, 6-2 loss to Indians

Trevor Bauer pitched seven scoreless innings before a rain delay ended his night, and Jason Kipnis homered to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. 
 
Bauer (6-5) allowed just three hits, struck out eight and was in line to potentially pitch his first shutout. However, the game was halted by rain in the seventh for 35 minutes, and manager Terry Francona pulled the right-hander following the delay. He had thrown 100 pitches.
 
Roberto Perez drove in two runs off Dylan Covey (3-2) as Cleveland improved to 15-4 in its last 19 home games against Chicago.
 
The White Sox committed three errors - one by Covey - in the first three innings, lost their fifth straight and dropped a season-high 23 games under .500.
 
Matt Davidson homered in the ninth for Chicago.
 
Chicago's hitters couldn't get anything going against Bauer, who struck out 12 in a tough loss against the White Sox and Covey last week. Bauer was bidding to tie a club record held by two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber with his fifth consecutive game of at least 10 strikeouts.
 
Bauer got to eight, but was denied any more because of a line of storms off Lake Erie and Francona's decision not to push him further. Bauer has thrown at least 100 pitches in all 16 starts this season.
 
Perez's two-run, ground-rule double highlighted Cleveland's three-run second inning, which was set up by Chicago second baseman Yoan Moncada's fielding error.
 
Kipnis made it 4-0 with an RBI single in the third, and he hit his fifth homer in the fifth to put Cleveland up by five against Covey, who came in 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in his previous five starts.
 
Indians RHP Mike Clevinger will face the White Sox for the second straight start. He set a career high with 11 strikeouts and held Chicago to one run over seven innings last Thursday. Carlos Rodon will start for the White Sox.

Dodgers-Cubs postponed by rain

The series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs has been postponed by rain and a limited power outage at Wrigley Field.
 
It was sunny and hot in Chicago for most of Monday, but clouds began to roll into the area about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. An initial downpour stopped at one point and the grounds crew pulled the tarp off the field, only to put it back on after a short stretch.
 
There was also trouble with three banks of lights on the first-base side that went on and off a couple times, in addition to some lights in the stands on the third-base side that were out when the game was called after a nearly 3-hour delay.
 
The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader today.

Phils top Cards 6-5

Left fielder Marcell Ozuna dived for and missed Aaron Altherr's two-run double with two outs in the 10th inning, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to rally for a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
 
Altherr had been hitless in his last 12 at-bats and 1 for 20 before the hit.
 
Tommy Pham hit a solo homer in the top of the 10th, one inning after a wild pitch on a strikeout kept the game going. 
 
Rhys Hoskins hit a bloop single to start the bottom of the 10th off Matt Bowman (0-2). Odubel Herrera dived headfirst into first to seemingly beat out an infield single, but the play was overturned by a video review. After Carlos Santana was intentionally walked, Bowman struck out Jesmuel Valentin.
 
Altherr then hit a sinking liner that appeared to skip off Ozuna's glove before bouncing to the wall
 
Yadier Molina hit a one-out single in the ninth off Arano, and Jedd Gyorko followed with a double. Arano struck out Harrison Bader and fanned Yairo Munoz, but Munoz reached when catcher Andrew Knapp failed to block the wild pitch and a run scored
 
Morgan came in and allowed a tying single to Kolten Wong.
 
Pham hit a deep drive off Jake Thompson (1-1) for his 11th homer.
 
Matt Carpenter and Molina also hit solo homers for St. Louis. Molina caught his 1,757th game with the Cardinals, passing the Cubs' Gabby Hartnett for the most games caught with one team.
 
Herrera hit a three-run homer for Philadelphia.
 
The Phillies' bullpen wasted a strong start from Nick Pivetta. He had a career-high 13 strikeouts, allowing two runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings in his best outing since May 21. Pivetta lost his previous four starts, posting a 7.11 ERA in those games.
 
Pivetta left after Carpenter hit a double high off the fence in right to put runners at second and third. Right fielder Nick Williams exited with a bloody face after the ball hit him on the carom.
 
Edubray Ramos entered and struck out Pham and Jose Martinez swinging at sliders.
 
The Phillies have won six of eight games while the Cardinals have lost six of eight.
 
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas gave up four runs and six hits in five innings.
 
RHP Luke Weaver (3-6, 4.52 ERA) starts for the Cardinals and RHP Vince Velasquez (5-7, 4.74) goes for the Phillies tonight.

Weldon Springs Fishing Derby Results

Overall
 
Kennedy Rusk, 5, largest number of fish caught 26
Jacob Nichols, 6, largest fish caught at 22 inches
 
Categories for numbers of fish caught:
 
Six years and younger:
1st: Kennedy Rusk, 5
2nd: Jacob Nichols, 6
3rd: Breyden Dyer, 6
 
Seven to Nine:
1st: Aiden Polen
2nd: Jacob Thorsen
3rd: Zoey Reece
 
Ten to twelve:
1st: Isaiah Martin
2nd: Clint Reece
3rd: Clayton Thorson
 
(Joe Adams of Clinton helps his daughter Corrine during the
fishing derby. Photo Credit: Ed Cicenas)
 

Cardinals shut down Cubs 5-0

Jack Flaherty and four relievers combined on a four-hitter, Matt Carpenter homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 5-0 on Sunday night.
 
Flaherty allowed just two hits while striking out seven in five innings, but he walked three and hit two batters and was pulled after throwing 97 pitches. He escaped a jam in the third inning when he struck out Kris Bryant with the bases loaded to keep the game scoreless.
 
John Brebbia (1-1) worked around two hits in a scoreless sixth inning to earn his first major league win. Austin Gomber, Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris each pitched a hitless inning to finish the shutout. It ended the Cardinals' season-high four-game losing streak and prevented the Cubs from getting their first series sweep in St. Louis since Sept. 13-15, 2010.
 
Harrison Bader, Tommy Pham, and Marcell Ozuna strung together singles to open the sixth inning. Pham's single extended his hitting streak to a National League-best 11 games to chase Jose Quintana (6-5) from the game.
 
Bader scored the game's first run when Yadier Molina grounded into a double play and Jedd Gyorko's RBI single drove in Pham to make it 2-0.
 
Quintana was charged with the two runs and four hits in five-plus innings in his 200th career major league game.
 
Carpenter hit his 10th home run of the season and second of this series in the seventh inning off Brian Duensing to push the lead to 3-0.
 
Yadier Molina had an RBI double in the eighth, moved to third on Yairo Munoz's infield single and scored on shortstop Addison Russell's throwing eror on the play.
 
Cubs shortstop Javier Baez left the game with a left elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch from Flaherty in the top of the third inning. Baez, who leads the team with 14 home runs, was replaced by Russell.
 
RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-5, 4.12) opposes Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (4-4, 3.61) as Chicago opens a a three-game series against Los Angeles.
 
RHP Miles Mikolas (7-2, 2.43) starts the opener of a three-game series in Philadelphia as St. Louis starts a seven-game trip.

White Sox drop fourth straight with 3-1 loss against Tigers

Nicholas Castellanos homered and Blaine Hardy pitched one-run ball into the sixth, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Sunday for their fifth straight win.
 
Jose Iglesias added an RBI single as Detroit improved to 8-1 against the White Sox this season, including 6-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
 
Matt Davidson hit his 12th homer and Kevan Smith had two hits for Chicago, which has dropped four straight.
 
Castellanos homered twice on Saturday and connected again in his first at-bat Sunday. Before Saturday, he was mired in a 1-for-21 slump over the previous five games.
 
Hardy (3-1) allowed one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He has given up two runs or less in six of his seven starts.
 
With closer Shane Greene unavailable after pitching four straight days, Joe Jimenez struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.
 
White Sox starter James Shields (2-8) allowed three runs on six hits in six-plus innings.
 
Shields walked Jeimer Candelario with one out in the first and Castellanos followed with a line-drive two run shot to left.
 
After Davidson's solo blast in the second, Iglesias drove in Niko Goodrum in the fourth to make it 3-1.
 
RHP Dylan Covey (3-1, 2.29 ERA) takes the mound in the opener of a three-game series at Cleveland.

Javier Baez departs game after being hit by pitch

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez left Sunday night's game against the Cardinals after being hit in the left elbow by a pitch from St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty in the top of the third inning.
 
Baez, who leads the Cubs with 14 home runs, was replaced by Addison Russell.

Sox drop finale 5-2 to Indians

Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez homered, Mike Clevinger struck out 11 in seven innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 on Thursday afternoon.
 
Lindor led off the game against Carlos Rodon with his 15th home run. He also singled and scored in the seventh when Ramirez broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run drive to right-center against Chris Volstad (1-4) for his 20th homer.
 
The Indians got another run with two outs in the eighth when reliever Juan Minaya dropped the throw from first baseman Jose Abreu while covering the bag on Greg Allen's grounder. That allowed Yan Gomes to score from second to make it 5-2.
 
Clevinger (5-2) gave up two runs and five hits while walking just one batter.
 
Cody Allen worked the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances as the AL Central leaders salvaged a four-game split.
 
Abreu hit a two-run homer in the first. But Clevinger shut down the White Sox the rest of the way, beating them for the second time this season.
 
Rodon went five innings in his second start back from shoulder surgery in September, allowing two runs and two hits. The 25-year-old left-hander walked three and hit two batters while striking out four.
 
RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-4, 3.26) eyes his second straight win as the White Sox open a three-game series against RHP Mike Fiers (5-3, 4.01) and the Detroit Tigers. 
 
 
>>The Cubs and Cards begin a three-game series today in St. Louis...as it will be Left-hander Jon Lester (7-2, 2.22) starts for the Cubs, opposed by Michael Wacha (8-1, 2.47).  The Cubs hold a 3.5 game lead over the Cards for second place in the NL Central, as they both chase the Milwaukee Brewers a top the division.  

White Sox take down Indians 3-2

Dylan Covey carried a shutout into the eighth inning, continuing his impressive June and helping the Chicago White Sox beat Trevor Bauer and the Cleveland Indians 3-2 on Wednesday night.
 
Covey (3-1) allowed 10 hits - all singles - and walked none. The 26-year-old right-hander, who was acquired from Oakland in the 2016 Rule 5 draft, improved to 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in five starts since he was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte last month.
 
Covey got a warm ovation from the crowd of 19,390 when he departed after the first two batters reached in the eighth. Edwin Encarnacion hit a one-out RBI single and Yonder Alonso doubled home another run before Jace Fry struck out Melky Cabrera and Jason Kipnis, preserving Chicago's 3-2 lead.
 
Joakim Soria allowed two more hits in the ninth before finishing for his 10th save in 12 chances. Michael Brantley bounced into a game-ending double play with runners on first and second.
 
Cleveland wasted another impressive start for Bauer in its second straight loss after a stretch of five wins in six games. Brantley had three hits, but the AL Central leaders went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
 
Bauer (5-5) struck out 12 in 7 2/3 innings while becoming the third pitcher in franchise history to record at least 10 Ks in four consecutive starts, joining teammate Corey Kluber and Hall of Famer Bob Feller.
 
Bauer matched Covey zero for zero until the White Sox scratched across two in the fifth. Tim Anderson walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Roberto Perez before Charlie Tilson tripled into the corner in right. Tilson then scampered home on Trayce Thompson's perfectly placed suicide squeeze.
 
Kevan Smith added an RBI single in the sixth as Chicago won for the third time in four games.
 
Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger and White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon start the series this afternoon.
 

Cards drop series with Padres

 
Eric Lauer carried a shutout into the sixth inning, Manuel Margot had three hits and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Wednesday night to win their fifth straight series.
 
San Diego has won 11 of 15 games, including five of its last seven. It's the first time the Padres have won five consecutive series since 2010.
 
Marcell Ozuna homered for the Cardinals, who have lost three of four.
 
Green warned his players about staying on an even keel heading into a four-game series in Atlanta.
 
The Padres took two of three in a stadium where they had struggled. St. Louis had won 30 of its previous 42 home games against San Diego.
 
Lauer (3-4) gave up two runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He's 3-0 when getting two or more runs of support.
 
Lauer gave up six runs to St. Louis on seven hits during a 9-5 loss on May 11. The Cardinals hit four homers off him in a short 2 1/3 inning stint.
 
Brad Hand recorded his 21st save in 23 opportunities. He got Jedd Gyorko to ground into a double play after hitting Yadier Molina to start the ninth.
 
San Diego reliever Jose Castillo struck out all four batters he faced. The Padres pitching staff did not walk a batter in the three-game series.
 
St. Louis starter Luke Weaver (3-6) gave up four runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. He has just one win over his last 11 starts.
 
Margot, who singled in the second and fourth, stretched the lead to 3-0 with a run-scoring triple in the sixth. Raffy Lopez followed with a broken-bat single off reliever Austin Gomber for a 4-0 lead.
 
Margot has hit safely in his last six games, going 9 for 20. He had two hits in a 4-2 win Tuesday.
 
Ozuna, who leads the team with 21 multihit games, has hit safely in 11 of his last 12.
 
St. Louis came into the series having won three of four.
 
RHP Michael Wacha (8-1, 2.47) face LHP Jon Lester (7-2, 2.22) in the first of a three-game home series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Brewers sneek past Cubs 1-0

Lorenzo Cain homered and Jhoulys Chacin combined with three relievers on a six-hitter to give the Milwaukee Brewers their second straight shutout of the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 on Wednesday.
 
Chacin (6-1) allowed four hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking four to win his sixth consecutive decision. Jeremy Jeffress pitched the seventh, Josh Hader struck out the side in the eighth and Cory Knebel finished with a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
 
Mike Montgomery (2-2) allowed only two hits in six innings, both by Cain. He struck out four and walked one in his fourth start since replacing injured Yu Darvish in the rotation.
 
Cain drove a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left with one out in the third for his eighth homer. He also opened the first inning with a single.
 
The Brewers improved to 3-8 this season against the Cubs and moved 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Chicago in the N.L. Central.
 
The Cubs won Monday's series opener 7-2 with five runs in the 11th, but managed just two hits in Tuesday's 4-0 loss.
 
The Brewers stranded runners at third in each of the first two innings. In the second, rightfielder Jason Heyward prevented a run, charging in for a sensational sliding grab on Erik Kratz's one-out sinking liner and then recovering quickly to hold Hernan Perez at third.
 
>>White Sox place Jones on 10-day DL with forearm injury
 
The Chicago White Sox have placed right-hander Nate Jones on the 10-day disabled list with a muscle strain in his forearm.
 
Manager Rick Renteria says Jones told the team about the issue after he faced three batters during Tuesday night's 5-1 victory over Cleveland, allowing a hit, a walk and recording one out. The veteran reliever got an MRI, and Renteria says the injury is "very mild."
 
Jones is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA and four saves in 27 appearances this year. Renteria says he will stop throwing for six days and then be re-evaluated.
 
Chicago also recalled right-hander Juan Minaya from Triple-A Charlotte before Wednesday night's game against the Indians. Minaya has no record and a 10.80 ERA in five appearances with the White Sox this year.

White Sox beat Indians 5-1

James Shields won for the first time since opening day, Yoan Moncada and Yolmer Sanchez homered to lead off a three-run first, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 5-1 on Tuesday night.
 
Shields (2-7) gave up one run and four hits in seven innings after going 12 starts and 13 appearances without a win. The veteran right-hander struck out two and did not walk a batter in his first victory since the opener at Kansas City.
 
Moncada and Sanchez connected on consecutive pitches from Adam Plutko. Matt Davidson drove RBI doubles off the center-field wall in both the first and a two-run fifth, and the White Sox beat the AL Central leaders after losing their first four meetings this season.
 
Recalled from Triple-A Columbus, Plutko (3-1) got tagged for five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old righty won his first three major league starts this season before getting knocked around by Chicago.
 
The Indians got a sacrifice fly from Jose Ramirez in the sixth and had runners on first and third with one out in the ninth, but came up short after winning five of six.
 
Xavier Cedeno struck out Jason Kipnis before Joakim Soria retired Yan Gomes on a fly to the center-field warning track for his ninth save in 11 chances.
 
 RHP Dylan Covey will toss in game three of the series for the Sox as he'll face RHP Trevor Bauer (5-4, 2.62 ERA).

Cubs slide behind Brewers after 4-0 loss

Chase Anderson pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to take advantage of some rare run support, and the Milwaukee Brewers two-hit the Chicago Cubs 4-0 Tuesday night to take back first place in the NL Central.
 
Travis Shaw hit a pair of two-run doubles, and Anderson (5-5) locked it down from there to end Milwaukee's seven-game skid against the Cubs. The Brewers had been shut out in Anderson's three most recent starts against Chicago.
 
Anderson threw a Brewers' season-high 107 pitches. Chicago's only hit against him was an infield chopper by Willson Contreras in the second. Anderson made effective use of his curveball and changeup and retired his final 17 hitters.
 
Taylor Williams and Jacob Barnes finished up for Milwaukee with an inning each.
 
The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Shaw's shot that evaded diving first baseman Anthony Rizzo and rolled into the right-field corner.
 
Shaw lined a low pitch into right field for his second two-run double in the third. A heads-up play by Lorenzo Cain allowed the Brewers to escape a rundown and set the table for Shaw's hit.
 
Cain's bouncer up the middle trapped teammate Christian Yelich in a rundown between second and third, but Cain confused the Cubs by running nearly to second base. Yelich returned to second safely and Cain went back to first with no out recorded.
 
LHP Mike Montgomery (2-1, 3.56 ERA) will make his fourth start since replacing Darvish in the rotation, as RHP Jhoulys Chacin (Joe-lease Cha-seen) will toss for the Brew Crew.

Cardinals fall 4-2 to Padres

Eric Hosmer homered, San Diego's bullpen took a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Tuesday night for their 10th win in 14 games.
 
This was the third bullpen game for San Diego this season, all since left-hander Joey Lucchesi went down with a right hip strain.
 
Padres reliever Matt Strahm started the bullpen game and retired nine batters on 36 pitches, including four strikeouts. Adam Cimber (3-2) retired the next six with two strikeouts before Harrison Bader broke up the perfect game with an infield single in the sixth. Bader was promptly erased in a double play.
 
The Padres' nine-man bullpen makes the starter-by-committee approach effective. Green said he plans to go with it again Sunday.
 
Brad Hand pitched the ninth for his 20th save.
 
Hosmer drove the first pitch of the fourth inning to center field to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. It was his second home run in three games.
 
A.J. Ellis tacked on two more with a two-out hit in the fourth. The Cardinals challenged the safe call on the second run, but replay showed the Freddy Galvis beat catcher Yadier Molina's tag at home plate.
 
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (7-2) struck out five in six innings and walked none. He has walked one or less in all seven of his home starts this season, but St. Louis still lost for the second time in three games.
 
Marcell Ozuna's RBI single snapped the Padres' shutout bid in the seventh. Ozuna has driven in five runs in his last four games.

Cubs lead NL Central, beat Brewers 7-2

Anthony Rizzo homered down the right-field line on the first pitch of a five-run 11th inning to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 on Monday night and jump into first place in the NL Central.
 
Rizzo turned on a fastball down the middle from Matt Albers (3-2) for a towering shot that snapped a 2-all tie. The Cubs scored four more runs in the inning with two outs, including a two-run double by Jason Heyward.
 
Trailing 2-1 most of the night, the Cubs scored six times over the last four innings against the Brewers' normally lights-out bullpen. Chicago took a half-game lead in the division and won its seventh straight over Milwaukee.
 
Randy Rosario (3-0) retired all six batters he faced for the win.
 
After being held to one run by starter Junior Guerra, the Cubs broke through in the eighth against a bullpen with a league-best 2.53 ERA. The left-handed-hitting Heyward, who had three hits and three RBIs, tied the game at 2 with a run-scoring single to right off lefty reliever Josh Hader.
 
Left-handed hitters were 2 for 36 against Hader before Heyward's single.
 
The Cubs dented the Brewers' bullpen again three innings later for their fifth win in six games. Albers allowed five runs on three hits, leaving with two outs in the 11th. His ERA ballooned from 1.93 to 3.45.
 
Guerra struck out four while allowing five hits and two walks, aided by two double plays and two highlight-reel catches in left by Ryan Braun.
 
He made a diving grab to prevent Rizzo's flare from falling for a hit to lead off the fourth. Two innings later, Braun made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Willson Contreras of a game-tying homer.
 
Two righties will batlle in game two of the series as Tyler Chatwood will square off against Chase Anderson.

White Sox fall 4-0 to Indians

Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 while pitching two-hit ball over seven innings, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Monday night.
 
Michael Brantley hit his 11th homer and the AL Central leaders took advantage of another wild outing by Lucas Giolito to win for the fifth time in six games. They improved to 4-0 against Chicago.
 
Carrasco (8-4) gave up singles to Kevan Smith and Charlie Tilson in the second before striking out Adam Engel to end the threat. The right-hander issued just one walk, giving him a total of two to go with 21 strikeouts while winning his past two starts.
 
Three relievers combined to work the final two innings, with Neil Ramirez retiring all three batters in the ninth to complete the two-hitter.
 
Giolito (4-7) threw more balls (47) than strikes (46) in giving up four runs and four hits in five-plus innings. The 23-year-old righty walked four to bring his season total to 43 as the White Sox opened a seven-game homestand on a losing note after taking two of three at Boston.
 
Owner of the majors' second-worst ERA coming into the game, Giolito ran into trouble in the fourth when he walked Yonder Alonso and Melky Cabrera with two outs.
 
Lonnie Chisenhall blooped an RBI single in front of diving center fielder Adam Engel before Yan Gomes lined a two-run double to left.
 
Brantley added a long drive down the right-field line in the fifth.
 
James Shields will once again try for his first win since opening day as the Indians plan to call up righty Adam Plutko from Triple-A Columbus.

Cardinals win 5-2 over Padres

Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna hit two-run homers, rookie Jack Flaherty pitched into the seventh inning, and the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Monday night.
 
Martinez has five homers over his last five games. He had his NL-leading 10th three-hit game of the season and has reached base safely in each of his last 11 games.
 
Jedd Gyorko added a one-out home run in the eighth.
 
The Cardinals have won 13 of their last 18 games against the Padres, who have dropped 46 of their last 62 games in St. Louis.
 
Flaherty (3-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings, his second-longest outing this season. He allowed one run and three hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
 
Flaherty retired 14 consecutive batters before issuing a one-walk in the seventh. John Brebbia relieved and walked the bases loaded before getting two strikeouts to end the threat.
 
Bud Norris earned his 13th save in 15 chances.
 
Jordan Lyles (2-3) gave up 11 hits and four runs in six innings.
 
St. Louis went ahead 2-1 in the third when Martinez homered into the right-field bleachers after Tommy Pham led off with a single.
 
After Martinez singled for his third hit in the fifth, Ozuna followed with a drive into the left-field bleachers on an 0-2 breaking pitch left over the plate, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 advantage. It was Ozuna's fourth homer in his last nine games.
 
Cory Spangeberg hit a line-drive homer into the right-field seats with one out in the second, giving San Diego a 1-0 lead.
 
The Padres added a run in the eighth when Travis Jankowski hit a ground-rule double, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out.
 
Up next the Cards will send right-hander Miles Mikolas to the mound facing off with left-hander Matt Strahm. 

Fighting Illini to spend $30 million on practice facility upgrade

Illinois says it will spend $30 million on renovations to its 20-year-old basketball practice facility.
 
The school said Monday the project will more than double the building's square footage and benefit both the men's and women's teams. Among the improvements: Added court space, improved sports medicine facilities and upgraded strength and conditioning areas.
 
The school said money for the project will come through a fundraising campaign.
 
The Illini had a 14-18 record in head coach Brad Underwood's first season.

White Sox beat Red Sox 5-2

Reynaldo Lopez pitched into the seventh inning, Daniel Palka had a two-run double and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 Sunday.
 
Lopez (2-4) gave up two runs and six hits while striking out six with three walks in 6 1/3 innings to improve to 1-3 in eight road starts this season.
 
Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson and Trayce Thompson added one RBI apiece for Chicago, which won two of three in the series and six of its last 10 overall. The White Sox finished their seven-game road trip at 4-3, capping their second winning trip of the season.
 
Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.
 
Rafael Devers drove in a run for Boston, which has lost three of four.
 
Red Sox starter Rick Porcello (8-3) gave up three runs and five hits over six innings, walking three and striking out five.
 
Abreu ripped an RBI double to left field scoring Yoan Moncada from first to put Chicago ahead 1-0. Devers tied it with his RBI single to center in the second after J.D. Martinez's leadoff double.
 
Porcello hit Matt Davidson on the hand with a fastball to load the bases with one down in the third. Omar Narvaez popped out to shortstop the next at-bat, but Porcello walked Tim Anderson to force in a run and put Chicago ahead 2-1.
 
Porcello won a foot race to first on Thompson's one-out grounder in the sixth, but stumbled into first base umpire Quinn Wolcott. Anderson took advantage, rounding third and easily beating Porcello's throw home for a 3-1 lead.
 
Moncada booted Eduardo Nunez's two-out grounder to second in the seventh that would have allowed the White Sox to escape a bases-loaded jam, bringing the Red Sox within a run. Palka's double to left with two out in the ninth sealed the win.
 
RHP Lucas Giolito (4-6, 7.08 ERA) faces Cleveland tonight to begin a seven-game homestand.

Cards end winning streak fall 6-3 to Reds

Billy Hamilton made key defensive plays and the Reds ended their 13-game skid against St. Louis, beating the Cardinals 6-3.
 
Hamilton threw out two runners, then made outstanding catches against the wall in the eighth and ninth innings. He also tripled and scored twice.
 
The Cardinals' overall winning streak against Cincinnati was their longest since the 1930-1931 seasons. The Reds had lost 11 straight home games to St. Louis.
 
Scooter Gennett drove in two runs and the Reds capitalized on the Cardinals' season-high 11 walks.
 
The Cardinals piled up 10 hits in five-plus innings against Anthony DeSclafani (1-1), who was making his second start since Sept. 28, 2016.
 
Hamilton threw out Jose Martinez trying to stretch a single into a double to end the first inning. Martinez originally was ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a replay review.
 
Hamilton also threw out pitcher Carlos Martinez trying to score from first on Matt Carpenter's single to end the fourth. Hamilton tried for a diving catch, knocked the ball away, but recovered to throw home.
 
Amir Garrett allowed an unearned run in the sixth and Michael Lorenzen pitched a perfect seventh before Jared Hughes pitched the eighth and ninth for his fourth save.
 
The Reds scored five runs on just four hits in 3 2/3 innings against Martinez (3-3), who was making his second start since coming off the disabled list with a strained back muscle. He issued a season-high seven walks, one short of tying his career high, while hitting a batter and uncorking a wild pitch on ball four that allowed Hamilton to go from first to third. Martinez has 12 walks in 7 2/3 innings over his last two starts.

Cubs fall to Pirates 7-1

Josh Harrison led off the game with a home run and Gregory Polanco hit a bases-loaded triple, leading Ivan Nova and the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Chicago Cubs 7-1 on Sunday.
 
Pittsburgh, which had managed a total of three runs in its previous four road games, ended its losing streak at three.
 
Anthony Rizzo drove in the lone run for Chicago, which had won four in a row. The Cubs trail the NL Central-leading Brewers by a half-game heading into a three-game series at Milwaukee starting on Monday.
 
Nova (3-5) allowed one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings to snap a four-decision skid and pick up his first win since April 15. He was activated before the game after missing two weeks with a sprained finger.
 
Kyle Hendricks (4-6) gave up one run on three hits in five innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. The right-hander has gone beyond the fifth just once in his last five starts.
 
Harrison hit a 3-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers for his seventh career leadoff homer.
 
Pittsburgh broke the game open with a five-run sixth. Austin Meadows led off with a double against reliever Brian Duensing and one out later, Elias Diaz hit an RBI single.
 
After walking Josh Bell to load the bases, Duensing was replaced by Luke Farrell. The lefty-swinging Polanco greeted the right-hander by lining a 1-2 pitch into the right-field corner for a three-run triple to make it 5-0. Jordy Mercer followed with a single.
 
Rizzo's RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth made it 6-1.
 
Pittsburgh added a run in the eighth on an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter David Freese.
 
LHP Jose Quintana (6-4, 4.20 ERA) pitches the opener at Milwaukee tonight.

Cubs defeat Phillies 4-3

Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer and added a second RBI with a sacrifice fly to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Thursday.
 
The Cubs won for the fifth time in six games to close to a half-game behind idle first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.
 
Tommy LaStella and Kris Bryant had RBI singles in Chicago's decisive three-run fifth inning. Rizzo's sac fly to left capped the rally after a video review determined Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp had illegally blocked the plate with his left leg as Albert Almora tried to score from third.
 
Almora beat Dylan Cozen's strong throw from left field, but was unable to touch the plate with Knapp in the way. Almora initially was called out before the play was overruled.
 
Scott Kingery drove in two runs with a double and Carlos Santana had an RBI single as the Phillies lost for the fifth time in six games to conclude a 10-game road trip at 3-7.
 
Brian Duensing (2-0), the first of five Cubs relievers, got the win despite allowing two runs over one inning. Phillies starter Nick Pivetta (4-5) lost his third straight, yielding four runs on six hits in five innings.
 
Brandon Morrow pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.
 
Cubs starter Tyler Chatwood permitted one run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings, but walked seven to tie his season-high and raise his major league-leading total to 56. The right-hander hit a batter and three times threw pitches over the heads of right-handed Phillies hitters.
 
Rizzo lined his home run to right with one out in the fourth to put Chicago ahead 1-0. He pounced on a down-the-middle fastball for his 10th homer and second in two days.
 
The Phillies tied it at 1 in a messy fifth when Santana's RBI's single drove in Odubel Herrera from third. Herrera reached on the first of Chatwood's three walks in the inning, then advanced on a wild pitch and ground out.
 
Chatwood issued two more passes to load the bases before being replaced by Duensing, who got pinch-hitter Maikel Franco to pop up to end the threat.
 
After the Cubs took a 4-1 lead in the fifth, Kingery drove in two runs off Duensing in the sixth to cut it to 4-3.
 
LHP Mike Montgomery (1-1, 3.89) faces Pittsburgh RHP Chad Kuhl (4-3, 3.48) in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field today.

Cardinals victory 4-1 over Marlins

Miles Mikolas (7-1) continued his hot start in the steamy conditions on Thursday, allowing an unearned run in seven innings to lead St. Louis past the Miami Marlins 4-1. He struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.27, as the Cardinals salvaged the series finale after a pair of losses.
 
Mikolas, coming off a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh, has pitched at least six innings in 10 of 12 starts this season.
 
Jordan Hicks pitched around a walk and a hit in the eighth, topping 100 mph on nine of 18 pitches, and Bud Norris finished the four-hitter with a perfect ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances.
 
Jose Martinez hit a two-run homer in the first, giving him a team-high 35 RBIs.
 
Luke Voit added a pinch-hit homer leading off the seventh to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Trevor Richards (0-3), who grew up in Aviston, Illinois, 50 miles from St. Louis, gave up three runs on seven hits in five-plus innings.
 
Mikolas, who improved to 4-0 in day games, retired 14 successive batters before right fielder Dexter Fowler dropped Starlin Castro's fly ball in the sixth.
 
Mikolas signed with the Cardinals as a free agent on Dec. 5, 2017, after three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League.
 
Justin Bour cut the lead with an opposite-field RBI double in the sixth after Fowler's error.
 
Marcell Ozuna hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Richards was making his first appearance at Busch Stadium since pitching in a high school all-star game in 2011.
 
The Cardinals lost the first two games of the series by a combined 18-7.

White Sox fall 7-2 to Twins

Jose Berrios pitched a six-hitter for his second complete game this season, and the Minnesota Twins hit three home runs against James Shields in a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
 
Berrios (7-5) retired his first 14 batters before Omar Narvarez's double. By that time, the 23-year-old right-hander already had a 7-0 lead. He struck out 10 and walked none to win for the fourth time in five starts. Berrios has 44 strikeouts and four walks in 37 2/3 innings over that span, and he has made a career-best five straight starts of six innings or more.
 
Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run homer after a double by Eddie Rosario in the first against Shields (1-7), who has not won in 12 starts since opening day. Ehire Adrianza added a solo shot in the second inning.
 
Then right after Brian Dozier's two-out RBI single in the fourth through a shift-created hole at second base, Rosario turned on an 86 mph cut fastball on the inside corner from Shields for a three-run drive just inside the right-field foul pole.
 
Rosario leads the Twins with 14 homers and 43 RBIs, and Escobar is close behind with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.
 
Shields gave up all seven runs and eight hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two.
 
RHP Dylan Covey (1-1, 2.82 ERA) pitches tonight to start a three-game series in Boston against former teammate LHP Chris Sale (5-3, 3.00 ERA) and the Red Sox.

Washington beats Las Vegas 4-3 for Stanley Cup

After 43 seasons the long-suffering Capitals are sitting on top of hockey for the very first time.
 
Washington took down the Las Vegas Knights 4-3 in game five of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the series 4-1.  It's Alex Ovechkin's first Stanley Cup in 13 seasons as he was awarded the Conn Smythe (SMI-th) Trophy.
 
Ovechkin and his teammates are Washington's first championship hockey team - and their city's first champion in a major pro sport since the Redskins won the Super Bowl in early 1992.

White Sox top Twins 5-2

Tim Anderson had two hits and drove in two runs and Hector Santiago earned the victory against his former team as the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Wednesday night.
 
Santiago (2-2), who pitched for Minnesota the past two seasons, fared much better than he did in his first appearance against his ex-teammates. The Twins knocked him around for eight runs in 3 1/3 innings on May 5 in his second start of the season.
 
But on Wednesday, Santiago allowed just two runs on six hits in five innings pitched. And after giving up five home runs combined in his last two starts, the left-hander was able to keep the ball in the park against Minnesota.
 
Four relievers combined to shut down the Twins the rest of the way. Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.
 
Ehire Adrianza doubled twice, scored a run and drove in another for the Twins.
 
The Twins got on the board with a run in the second but missed a chance for a much bigger inning. Robbie Grossman led off with a single and moved to third on Mitch Garver's double. Adrianza followed with a towering drive off the wall in center field. He ended up with a double, but Garver was tagging on the play and only advanced one base.
 
Santiago then retired the next two batters on sharp grounders that didn't allow Garver to score, and got Eddie Rosario to fly out to end the inning.
 
Twins starter Jake Odorizzi (3-3) labored through five innings before he was knocked out after giving up two hits to start the sixth. He left with a 2-1 lead but took the loss when both runners came around to score.
 
The big blow in the four-run sixth came with Anderson's two-run single off reliever Ryan Pressly. Another run scored on a wild pitch, and the final run came home on a suicide squeeze bunt by Adam Engel.
 
In the series finale this afternoon the Sox go with RHP James Shields as he'll face fellow RHP Jose Berrios who is already 2-0 against the White Sox this season.

Cubs down Phillies 7-5 on Heyward walk-off

Jason Heyward hit a game-ending grand slam off Adam Morgan with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.
 
Heyward's drive sent the Cubs to their eighth win in 10 games, and it came after Philadelphia's Dylan Cozens hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer against Brandon Morrow in the top half.
 
Kyle Schwarber started the winning rally with a leadoff walk against Seranthony Dominguez and advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Jorge Alfaro before Albert Almora singled, putting runners on first and third.
 
Morgan (0-2) came in and walked pinch-hitter Ian Happ to load the bases before Ben Zobrist forced a runner at home with a tapper to the mound. Heyward then connected for a long slam to right-center on a 2-2 pitch and got mobbed by teammates as he crossed the plate, the crowd letting out a deafening roar at Wrigley Field.
 
Cory Mazzoni (1-0) got two outs in the ninth. Anthony Rizzo homered against Aaron Nola, and Chicago won after blowing a 3-0 lead.
 
Philadelphia's Aaron Altherr greeted Steve Cishek with a tying, three-run homer in the sixth after Jose Quintana dominated for Chicago, but the Phillies lost for the fourth time in five games.
 
Quintana gave up two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The veteran left-hander struck out 10 and walked two.
 
He threw 91 pitches and left to a nice ovation with a 3-0 lead after Carlos Santana singled to put runners on first and second.
 
Altherr then drove Cishek's first pitch to the center-field basket to tie it at 3-all.  Nola went six innings, allowing three runs and four hits.
 
RHP Nick Pivetta (4-4, 3.48 ERA) gets the start today for Philly as the Cubs will go with RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.02), the major league leader with 49 walks, as he looks for his first win since May 11.
 

Cardinals fall 11-3 to Marlins

Derek Dietrich homered and had four hits to lead the Marlins past the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 on Wednesday night.
 
Lewis Brinson launched two solo homers for Miami, the second multihomer game of his career.
 
Dietrich drove in three runs during his fourth multihit game on the Marlins' nine-game road trip. Miami won its second straight, after snapping a six-game losing streak Tuesday.
 
The top three batters in Miami's order - Starlin Castro, Dietrich and J.T. Realmuto - combined for 11 hits, seven runs and four RBIs as the Marlins set a season high for runs.
 
St. Louis shortstop Yairo Munoz committed three errors, leading to three Marlins runs. Munoz has made six errors in his last five games.
 
Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen needed 91 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings, failing to last at least five for the sixth time. Drew Ruchinski (1-0) gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings of relief for his first major league win.
 
Dietrich's two-run homer sparked a three-run third for the Marlins. Dietrich, who scored twice, has at least one hit in 13 of his last 15 games.
 
Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty (2-2) lasted five innings for the second consecutive start. Four of the six runs Flaherty allowed were earned.
 
St. Louis infielder Jedd Gyorko finished the game on the mound, the first time the six-year veteran had pitched in the majors. Gyorko gave up a run, two hits and hit a batter with a pitch. The run came in the form of Brinson's homer.
 
Jose Martinez drove in two runs as part of a 3-for-3 night for St. Louis. He also walked.
 
Miles Mikolas (6-1, 2.49 ERA) starts Thursday afternoon for the Cardinals in the finale of the three-game series against Elieser Hernandez (0-3, 4.29).

Phillies beat Cubs 6-1

Zach Eflin pitched into the eighth inning, Nick Williams homered and the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a three-game slide with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
 
Williams had three RBIs and Eflin (2-2) allowed one run and eight hits in a season-high 7 2/3 innings on an unseasonably cool night with a 24 mph wind. The right-hander snapped a two-game skid for his first win since May 7.
 
Edubray Ramos recorded the last out in the eighth and Seranthony Dominguez got the final three outs - after Ramos walked the leadoff batter in the ninth - to extend his scoreless streak to 14 2/3 innings.
 
Anthony Rizzo had two hits and an RBI as Chicago's four-game winning streak came to an end.
 
Kyle Hendricks (4-5) allowed five runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out five and tied a season high with three walks.
 
The Phillies grabbed the lead in the second when Williams crushed a high drive through the wind and into the right-field bleachers for a two-run shot.
 
Philadelphia added three more in the third as Hendricks displayed some uncharacteristic wildness. Carlos Santana drove in the first run with a bases-loaded walk. It was Hendricks' second walk of the inning.
 
Aaron Altherr made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly, and Williams capped the rally with an RBI groundout.
 
Eflin's only jam before the eighth came in the fourth when Rizzo led off with a single and Kyle Schwarber doubled one out later to put runners on second and third. Eflin struck out Javier Baez on a chin-high fastball and retired Albert Almora Jr. on a comebacker to end the threat.
 
Rizzo doubled to drive in a run with two outs in the eighth, spoiling the shutout bid.
 
Philadelphia got the run back in the ninth on Altherr's RBI single.
 
Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (6-4, 4.30 ERA) starts the second game of the series as he takes on RHP Aaron Nola (7-2, 2.18) for the Phillies.

St. Louis falls to Miami 7-4

Jose Urena finally got his first win of the season as Brian Anderson and J.T. Riddle homered to back Urena, and the Marlins stopped a six-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory Tuesday night over the St. Louis Cardinals.
 
Anderson had a two-run homer and two singles for Miami, which had lost nine of 10.
 
Urena (1-7) pitched five innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs for his first win in 13 starts this season. Miami lost his previous 14 overall - a dubious team record - dating back to Sept. 26 last year. Urena started on opening day this season but his last win came on Sept. 20, 2017.
 
Kyle Barraclough pitched the ninth for his second save.
 
In getting swept last weekend, the Marlins allowed 21 runs at Arizona and scored only four times. Miami entered the St. Louis series 1-6 on this road trip with a minus-22 run differential.
 
The Cardinals returned their opening day battery from the 10-day disabled list for the series opener, with right-hander Carlos Martinez and catcher Yadier Molina coming back from injuries.
 
Martinez wasn't sharp while making his first start in four weeks since straining his right lat muscle in a May 8 loss to Minnesota. The right-hander threw 75 pitches in four innings, snapping a string of 65 straight starts in which he pitched into the fifth, dating back to 2016.
 
He allowed four hits and two runs with five walks and five strikeouts but was helped by three double plays.
 
Preston Guilmet (0-1) made his Cardinals debut after they called him up Tuesday from Triple-A Memphis. It was a forgettable one inning of work.
 
It was the first time St. Louis lost this season with 12 or more hits.
 
In his first game against his former team, St. Louis outfielder Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 4 with an RBI. In his last four games, Ozuna has gone 8 for 14, including a milestone 100th home run and grand slam, with six RBIs.
 
The Marlins scored three runs off Guilmet for a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Derek Dietrich scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Bour. Anderson hit a two-run homer that just cleared the fence in right field to score J.T. Realmuto.
 
St. Louis got two runs back in the fifth. Tommy Pham drove in a run with a bases-loaded fielder's choice. Ozuna followed with a run-scoring single, but Urena picked Pham off third and got a groundout to end the inning.
 
Miami added two runs off reliever Austin Gomber in the sixth to make it 7-4. Riddle led off with a homer and J.B. Shuck scored on a sacrifice fly by Dietrich.
 
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second when Ozuna ran through a stop sign at third to score on a single to left by Molina.
 
Miami scored twice in the third. Starlin Castro scored on a double play and Dietrich came home on Anderson's infield single that hit Martinez's glove and glanced off his shoulder.
 
The Cardinals made it 2-all in their half of the third. Matt Carpenter scored when Pham hit into a double play.
 
LHP Wei-Yin Chen (1-3, 6.10 ERA) makes his second career start at St. Louis and first since July 16, 2016. RHP Jack Flaherty (2-1, 2.62) faces Miami for the first time.

White Sox split double-header with Twins

Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader to spoil Zack Littell's major league debut and help Chicago bounce back from a late lapse in the opener, and the White Sox beat the Twins 6-3 for a split on Tuesday.
 
In the first game, Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth for the Twins in a 4-2 victory that ruined a stellar start by White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez.
 
Abreu, who hit an RBI double in the opener, hit a first-pitch fastball from Littell (0-1) left over the middle of the plate onto the grass berm beyond center field. With an RBI single by Kevan Smith and an RBI double by Adam Engel, the White Sox staked starter Lucas Giolito (4-6) to a 4-0 lead. Giolito took advantage of the early cushion and completed six innings, and a two-run double by Yolmer Sanchez in the fourth provided further support.
 
Littell, added as the 26th player for the doubleheader, was acquired last July 30 from the New York Yankees in a trade for starting pitcher Jaime Garcia. The 22-year-old got nine outs, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks.
 
Escobar did his best to bring the Twins back again, with RBI doubles in the third and the eighth innings. The White Sox bullpen held this time, though. Luis Avilan struck out Max Kepler with men on second and third in the eighth, and Joakim Soria fanned Mitch Garver. Soria had runners at the corners in the ninth, but he finished his fifth save in seven opportunities.
 
Escobar went 5 for 8 with five RBIs in the doubleheader. Traded to the Twins in 2012 for starting pitcher Francisco Liriano, Escobar is batting .325 with nine doubles, four homers and 17 RBIs in his past 23 games against the White Sox.
 
LHP Hector Santiago (1-2, 5.10 ERA) pitches on Wednesday night against his former team.  RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 4.14 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins.

MLB Action Today

All three local Major League Baseball teams had the night off last night, as the Chicago White Sox will have a double-header today in Minnesota as it will be two right-handers with Reynaldo Lopez tossing game one and Lucas Giolitto in game two.
 
The Cubs begin a three-game stand with the Phillies as it will be right hander Kyle Hendricks to get the start at Wrigley Field for a Cubbies team that has won eight of their last nine games.
 
Their division foe in the N.L. Central St. Louis will begin a series with Miami at Busch Stadium.  RHP Carlos Martinez takes the hill for the Cardinals.  

Bears TE Zach Miller gets 1-year deal

The Chicago Bears have re-signed veteran tight end Zach Miller to a one-year contract, clearing the way for him to return from a gruesome injury last October that nearly cost him his left leg.
 
Miller tore an artery while dislocating his knee trying to make a touchdown catch during the Week 8 game at New Orleans. He has undergone at least eight surgeries since then, but was walking on his own by late December.
 
Miller has spent the past three seasons with the Bears, starting 28 of 33 games while making 101 receptions for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also spent three seasons with Jacksonville

White Sox reinstate Davidson from DL

The Chicago White Sox have reinstated utility player Matt Davidson from the 10-day disabled list and optioned catcher Alfredo Gonzalez and infielder Matt Skole to Triple-A Charlotte.
 
The 27-year-old Davidson was batting .243 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs in 42 games. He started 27 games at designated hitter, with eight at third base and five at first. He hasn't played since May 22 before he went on the DL with back spasms.
 
The 25-year-old Gonzalez went 1-9 with one RBI in three games with the White Sox after his contract was purchased from Charlotte on May 24. He recorded his first major league hit on Sunday against Milwaukee, a game-tying RBI single off Brent Suter in the fifth inning.
 
The 28-year-old Skole went 3-11 with one home run, one RBI and two runs scored in four games. Skole became the sixth player in team history to homer in his first major league game, against Cleveland on May 28.

No long-term concern after Matthews hit on nose

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick hasn't played baseball since he was a child. With one swing of the bat, he broke the nose of one of the "faces of the franchise."
 
At the Green & Gold Charity Softball Game on Saturday in Grand Chute, Patrick's line drive struck linebacker Clay Matthews in the face, breaking the long-haired star's nose.
 
Patrick called it "one of those fluke things" that happens in baseball. Matthews was pitching at the time.
 
Matthews, who has not taken part in workouts following offseason knee surgery, was not at Monday's practice. He likely will have surgery on his nose later this week, coach Mike McCarthy said.
 
Matthews has posted on Twitter that he was thankful the injury wasn't more serious. Despite a scare involving one of his premier players, McCarthy said is still OK with participation in the charity game.
 

Capitals on verge of Cup after blowing out Golden Knights

The Washington Capitals are on the verge of capturing the first title in their 43rd season after routing the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
 
T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly all scored in the first period to get the Capitals rolling against a determined Vegas team that has not found consistent answers against Braden Holtby, who stopped 28 shots in another strong showing. The Golden Knights outchanced the Capitals by a wide margin but fell apart after James Neal clanked a shot off the post instead of hitting a wide-open net early, and the expansion team's Cinderella run could be over in a matter of days.
 
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will get their first chance to hoist the Cup in Game 5 on Thursday night in Las Vegas.

2018 MLB Amateur Draft

1st Round Picks (Pick #)
 
4 WHITE SOX
 
2B Nick Madrigal, Oregon State
 
As a sophomore, Madrigal was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He entered this season with a broken hand, but he came back with a vengeance, hitting .395/.459/.563 with six doubles, four triples and two homers in 29 games. He was also nine for nine in stolen bases and didn't commit a single error.
 
19 CARDINALS
 
3B Nolan Gorman, O'Connor HS (Arizona) 
 
While the lefty-swinging Gorman strikes out a bit, he has some of the best raw power in this draft class. His elite bat speed should transfer to the pros. He's a slow runner and may not be able to remain at third base long-term, but the power potential is special. He's committed to the University of Arizona.  
 
24 CUBS
 
SS Nico Hoerner, Stanford
 
Hoerner has never not hit, and he has a long track record of success against top competition. He has an excellent approach and developing power, and he's a good enough defender to handle shortstop now. There is some thought he will move to second base down the road.

CHS High Jumper Captures 2A State Title

A state title is coming back to Clinton High School as Austin Rauch won the  2A State High Jump competition in Charleston.  
 
Rauch cleared the pole at 6'10' marking a new CHS record.  The high jumper said it was experiences througout the season that helped him to prevail on the big stage.
 

 

 
Coach Josh McClerg explained the mindset going into state and the career of his four-year high jumper.
 

 

 
Rauch recently as a Maroon and will be attending Knox College this fall in Galesburg to play basketball, with the possibility of also participating on the track and field team. 

White Sox beat Brewers 6-1

 
Daniel Palka and Adam Engel hit back-to-back homers in a three-run sixth inning, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 on Sunday.
 
The NL Central-leading Brewers dropped two of three against the team with the second-worst record in the majors after winning six straight series. They are also 4-14 in their past 18 games against Chicago.
 
Palka, batting for Jose Rondon with one out in the sixth, broke a 1-1 tie with a long two-run drive to right against Matt Albers.
 
Engel made it 4-1 two pitches later with a drive off the top of the center-field wall, just beyond a leaping Lorenzo Cain. Engel and Jose Abreu each had RBI doubles in a two-run eighth, and the White Sox came away with the win after dropping five of six.
 
Chicago's Dylan Covey and Milwaukee's Brent Suter (5-4) each went five-plus innings.
 
Covey gave up one unearned run and four hits. He struck out seven, walked three before Domingo Santana chased him with a leadoff single in the sixth.
 
Luis Avilan got a pinch-hitting Ryan Braun to line into a double play before giving up a single to Jonathan Villar.
 
Chris Volstad (1-3) came in and catcher Alfredo Gonzalez threw out Villar trying to steal second. Joakim Soria, Jace Fry and Chris Beck each worked a scoreless inning.
 
Suter gave up two runs and three hits for Milwaukee after winning his previous three starts.
 
The White Sox open a four-game series at Minnesota with a doubleheader on Tuesday, with RHP Reynaldo López (1-4, 3.80) starting opener and RHP Lucas Giolito (3-6, 7.53) the nightcap

Cubs blank Mets 2-0 for 4-game sweep

Jon Lester dominated for seven innings and Javier Baez stole home to break a scoreless tie as the Chicago Cubs blanked the New York Mets 2-0 Sunday, completing a four-game sweep and winning for the seventh time in eight games.
 
The Mets have lost four straight and nine of 11, dropping three games under .500 for the first time this season. They scored just six runs in this series.
 
Both starting pitchers matched zeroes until the seventh, when the Cubs scored twice thanks to some very aggressive baserunning.
 
Baez and Willson Contreras led off with back-to-back singles, putting runners at the corners. With Ian Happ at the plate, Chicago pulled off a double steal.
 
Mets starter Steven Matz (2-4) was unaware that Baez was breaking for the plate, stepping off and throwing to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in an attempt to pick off Contreras instead.
 
Gonzalez fired home but it was too late to catch the sliding Baez, who scored easily while Contreras advanced to second.
 
With runners on the corners again later in the inning, Ben Zobrist hit a popup to shallow right field. Second baseman Luis Guillorme made an awkward stretching catch and was not in position to make a clean throw home, allowing Contreras to score and giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead on an unlikely sacrifice fly.
 
Lester (6-2) walked the first two batters of the game but proceeded to strike out the side. The four-time All-Star then retired 14 in a row until two outs in the fifth inning, when shortstop Addison Russell misplayed a two-out grounder off the bat of the speedy Amed Rosario into an error.
 
Playing short-handed due to multiple injuries, the Mets were forced to slot five lefties into the starting lineup against a tough southpaw.
 
Lester faced a challenge in the sixth inning. With one out, Jose Bautista was hit on the foot with a pitch. After Jay Bruce flied out, cleanup hitter Kevin Plawecki's sharp grounder to the left side grazed Baez's glove but continued on into left field for New York's first hit of the game.
 
Michael Conforto walked to load the bases, but Lester coaxed a weak grounder from Gonzalez to end the threat.
 
Lester allowed just two hits, walking three and striking out seven.
 
Brian Duensing pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save in two chances.
 
Chicago begins a six-game homestand Tuesday against the Phillies, sending RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.19 ERA) to the hill in the series opener against RHP Zach Eflin (1-2, 4.50 ERA).

Cardinals beat Pirates 5-0

Michael Wach lost a no-hit bid in the ninth inning for the second time in his career, denied when pinch-hitter Colin Moran led off with a single Sunday in the Cardinals' 5-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
 
As a rookie in 2013, Wacha was one out away from a no-hitter when Washington's Ryan Zimmerman got an infield single.
 
Wacha (7-1) came close to pitching the fourth no-hitter in the major leagues this season. He was in control, striking out eight and walking two while mixing his fastball, curve and change.
 
Bud Smith was the last St. Louis pitcher to throw a no-hitter, doing it as a rookie in 2001 at San Diego. The last Cardinals pitcher to toss a no-hitter at home was Bob Forsch in 1983 against Montreal.
 
Wacha retired the first 13 batters, and the closest the Pirates had come to a hit was Josh Bell's flyout to the warning track in the second inning until the ninth.
 
Moran fouled off the first three pitches before the Pirates rookie lined a clean single well over the head of second baseman Kolten Wong into right field.
 
The hit signaled the end for Wacha, and the 26-year-old was pulled after 111 pitches - 119 is his career high. The crowd of 44,432 at Busch Stadium gave Wacha a standing ovation, and he received hugs from his teammates in the dugout.
 
Reliever Jordan Hicks gave up one hit while getting the last three outs.
 
Marcell Ozuna hit a grand slam on the eighth pitch of the game from Nick Kingham (2-2). In April, Kingham took a perfect game into the seventh inning against St. Louis in his big league debut before it was broken up.
 
The Cardinals have won three of four. Pittsburgh has lost three of four.
 
Wacha has allowed two runs or less in his last nine starts. He was the MVP of the 2013 NL Championship Series and an All-Star in 2015 before he was slowed by injuries. He made only had 24 starts in 20016 because of a shoulder inflammation.
 
Matt Carpenter drew a leadoff walk in the first, Tommy Pham singled and Jose Martinez reached on an error by shortstop Sean Rodriguez. Ozuna then hit his fourth career-grand slam.
 
Carlos Martinez (3-2, 1.62) will start the first of a three-game series at home against Miami RHP Jose Urena (0-7. 4.41) on Tuesday.

Quintana, Zobrist lead Cubs to 5-1 win over Mets

Jose Quintana pitched six shutout innings, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the banged-up New York Mets 5-1 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
 
Zobrist also doubled and singled in the leadoff spot as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago improved to 2-8 at Citi Field since the 2015 NL Championship Series.
 
Quintana (6-4) continued his run of strong starts following poor ones. The left-hander allowed three hits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third when he threw a called third strike past Jose Bautista and retired cleanup man Michael Conforto on a grounder.
 
Quintana struck out six and walked two. Brandon Morrow, the fourth Chicago reliever, needed only two pitches to earn his 13th save. With two runners aboard, he retired Amed Rosario on a grounder to finish the four-hitter.
 
Brandon Nimmo hit his career-high sixth home run in the eighth for the Mets, off Brian Duensing.
 
New York got four scoreless innings from Seth Lugo in his first start of the season. Lugo, who made his first 20 appearances out of the bullpen this year, pitched in place of injured Noah Syndergaard.
 
The Mets have lost eight of 11 since a four-game winning streak.
 
Zobrist went deep against Hansel Robles (2-2) with two outs in the fifth. Chicago caught a break earlier in the inning when a foul popup dropped outside third base because the Mets' infield was shifted to the right side.
 
Javier Baez doubled with two outs in the sixth and scored on Kyle Schwarber's single. Zobrist's double in the seventh set up Jason Heyward's RBI groundout. Willson Contreras added a sacrifice fly in the ninth - just before Baez drew his first unintentional walk in 183 plate.
 
Cubs RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.10 ERA) pitches tonight against RHP Zack Wheeler (2-4, 5.40).

Cardinals beat Pirates 10-8

Yairo Munoz capped St. Louis' five-run ninth with a three-run drive, lifting the Cardinals to a 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.
 
With runners on the corners and no one out, Munoz drove the first pitch he got from Felipe Vazquez (2-2) over the wall in center for the second homer of his rookie season.
 
Francisco Cervelli hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth to give Pittsburgh an 8-5 lead. But the Pirates couldn't hold on and lost in St. Louis for the fifth straight time and 12th in the last 14.
 
Josh Bell also homered for the Pirates.
 
Munoz also had a two-run single in the first inning. He had five RBIs in 21 games coming into the day.
 
Pinch hitter Luke Voit sparked the winning rally with a two-run single, trimming Pittsburgh's lead to 8-7.
 
Voit was called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day. It was his first at-bat with the Cardinals this season.
 
Munoz followed with his game-ending homer, the first by a St. Louis rookie since Kolten Wong on July 8, 2014.
 
Mike Mayers (2-0), also recalled earlier in the day, picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out two and needed just 12 pitches to record the four outs.
 
Pittsburgh rallied from an early 4-0 deficit thanks to Cervelli's homer.
 
Gregory Polanco had his first three-hit game for the Pirates since opening day. Vazquez suffered his fourth blown save in the last five chances.
 
Pirates RHP Jameson Taillon (2-4, 4.53 ERA) will face the Cardinals' Miles Mikolas (6-0, 2.58 ERA) in the second game of the four-game series tonight.

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