CHICAGO — Addison Russell hit a tying single and scored during a three-run rally in the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 Tuesday to complete a day-night doubleheader sweep. ADVERTISING CHICAGO — Addison Russell
CHICAGO — Addison Russell hit a tying single and scored during a three-run rally in the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 Tuesday to complete a day-night doubleheader sweep.
The Cubs won the opener 7-4 behind a strong start by Jake Arrieta, then came back late in the nightcap to beat the NL Central leaders for just the fourth time in 12 games.
Chicago scored three in the seventh to grab a 4-2 lead, with Cardinals reliever Seth Maness (3-1) getting ejected after giving up the tying single and his replacement Kevin Siegrist allowing two more runs.
Travis Wood (5-3) pitched a scoreless seventh. Hector Rondon retired the side in the eighth.
Jason Motte gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Tony Cruz in the ninth. But he escaped with his fifth save in as many chances after Matt Carpenter fouled out and Jhonny Peralta grounded into a force to end the game.
GIANTS 3, METS 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Cain pitched six innings of two-hit ball in a triumphant return to AT&T Park for his first win in nearly a year as San Francisco beat New York to end its seven-game losing streak.
Hunter Pence drove in two runs after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day and made a sparkling defensive play in the sixth inning, while All-Star reserve Joe Panik had two hits and scored twice.
Cain (1-1) had not pitched at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark since July 9, 2014, when he earned his last win before missing the final half of the season following elbow surgery.
REDS 5, NATIONALS 0
WASHINGTON — Johnny Cueto pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts, Joey Votto homered and drove in three runs and Cincinnati beat Max Scherzer and Washington.
The potential pitching duel between Cueto and Scherzer never materialized. Cueto kept up his end — retiring the final 15 batters in his first complete game of the year — but Scherzer struggled from the outset.
One day after being named to the NL All-Star team, Scherzer (9-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing in more than a year. The five runs were more than the right-hander allowed in his previous four games combined, a stretch that included a no-hitter and a one-hitter.
PHILLIES 7, DODGERS 2
LOS ANGELES — Chad Billingsley won for the first time in over two years, against his old team, Jeff Francoeur homered and drove in three runs, and last-place Philadelphia beat NL West-leading Los Angeles.
Billingsley (1-2) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings in just his third start in 25 months to earn his first victory since April 10, 2013. The right-hander struck out three and walked one on the same mound where he pitched eight seasons and won 81 games for the Dodgers before undergoing a pair of right elbow surgeries.
They declined to pick up his option last October, and he signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in January. Billingsley lost his first start 9-0 on May 5 and went back on the disabled list two weeks later because of a strained right shoulder.
ROYALS 9, RAYS 5, 1ST GAME
ROYALS 7, RAYS 1, 2ND GAME
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alcides Escobar hit a bases-loaded double, Alex Gordon matched a career high with four RBIs and Kansas City cruised to a victory over Tampa Bay and a sweep of their day-night doubleheader.
Escobar had fallen behind 0-2 against Rays reliever Brandon Gomes (1-4) in the sixth inning before battling back to a full count. On the 11th pitch of the at-bat, Escobar yanked a fair ball just down the third-base line, emptying the bases and breaking a 1-all deadlock.
Brandon Finnegan (2-0), Luke Hochevar and Ryan Madson made the lead stand in relief of Royals starter Edinson Volquez, who allowed only John Jaso’s solo homer in five innings.
The victory in Game 2 came after Paulo Orlando hit a ninth-inning grand slam to give Kansas City a win in the opener. It also stuck Tampa Bay with its ninth loss in 10 games.
ATHLETICS 4, YANKEES 3, 10 INNINGS
NEW YORK — Brett Lawrie hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning against All-Star reliever Dellin Betances, sending Oakland to a victory over New York.
Billy Butler launched a tying shot off Chasen Shreve in the sixth, and Tyler Clippard whiffed slugger Mark Teixeira with two on for the final out as the A’s improved to 1-6 in extra innings this year. They had been the only major league team without a win after the ninth.
Sonny Gray threw seven gritty innings for Oakland in his return from an illness that sent him to the hospital and forced him to skip a start.
ANGELS 10, ROCKIES 2
DENVER — All-Stars Albert Pujols and Mike Trout hit two of Los Angeles’ four home runs and the Angels routed Colorado.
Matt Joyce and Chris Iannetta also went deep as the Angels jumped on Colorado starter Chad Bettis for 10 runs in just 2 1-3 innings to win their fourth straight.
Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney (2-0) had another impressive outing in just his third career start. He allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out five in 7 1-3 innings. He surrendered a solo home run to Drew Stubbs in the third and an RBI single to Troy Tulowitzki in the sixth that extended his hitting streak to 19 games.
PIRATES 3, PADRES 2
PITTSBURGH — Gregory Polanco helped free a grounds crew member trapped underneath a billowing tarp, then hit a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning that sent Pittsburgh past San Diego.
Polanco and fellow Pirates outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez made the play of the game at the start of a 1 hour, 42 minute rain delay in the top of the third.
Strong winds and rain caused the tarp to start swelling as the grounds crew at PNC Park struggled to cover the infield, and a worker was swallowed up and caught below.
McCutchen, Polanco and Rodriguez came from the Pirates’ dugout and helped pull the tarp off him.
INDIANS 2, ASTROS 0
CLEVELAND — Corey Kluber pitched five-hit ball into the seventh inning and finally won for the first time since May 28, leading Cleveland to a win over Houston.
Despite pitching well enough to win, Kluber (4-9) went 0-4 with two no-decisions in his previous six starts. But the defending AL Cy Young winner was on his game against the Astros, who managed just five singles and allowed only got one runner to reach third base.
Zach McAllister finished the seventh, worked the eighth and Bryan Shaw finished up for his second save.
BLUE JAYS 2, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO — Felix Doubront pitched into the seventh inning in his first start of the season and Josh Donaldson homered to lead Toronto to a victory over Chicago.
Doubront (1-0) allowed just one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. It was his first start in the majors since last Sept. 20 when he pitched for the Chicago Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Roberto Osuna got the last three outs for his fourth save.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arizona rookie Robbie Ray took a shutout into the eighth inning to outpitch Texas’ Yovani Gallardo and the Diamondbacks beat the Rangers.
Ray (3-4) pitched four-hit ball over a career-high 7 2/3 innings. He didn’t give up a hit until Elvis Andrus’ single with two outs in the fifth.
Jake Lamb’s two-run single with two outs in the top of the fifth put Arizona ahead 2-0 and ended Gallardo’s consecutive scoreless streak at 33 1/3 innings. A.J. Pollock’s RBI single with two outs in the sixth made it 3-0 and chased Gallardo (7-7).
BRAVES 4, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE — A.J. Pierzynski homered among his three hits, Manny Banuelos earned his first major league win and Atlanta beat Milwaukee.
Pierzynski hit his sixth homer and drove in two runs. He is 10 for 13 in his last three games.
Banuelos (1-0) gave up one run and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander, who made his big league debut last week, started in place of the injured Williams Perez.
TWINS 8, ORIOLES 3
MINNEAPOLIS — Top prospect Miguel Sano demonstrated his power in hitting his first major league homer then showed some patience at the plate by drawing a bases-loaded walk as Minnesota cruised to a win over Baltimore.
Sano hit a towering two-run homer in the first inning in front of the fans who have long been waiting for his heralded arrival. Known for a potent bat, Sano had two hits and has hit safely in each of his first six games since being promoted from Double-A.
RED SOX 4, MARLINS 3
BOSTON — Xander Bogaerts drove in three runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning, bolstering his chances for a spot in the All-Star Game and leading Boston to a victory over Miami.
Bogaerts, one of five candidates for the final opening on the AL team, went 2 for 4 to raise his batting average to .304.
Wade Miley struck out nine and Travis Shaw picked up his first three major league hits, including a one-out single to start Boston’s comeback in the seventh.
