Kershaw, Betts lead Dodgers to sweep
Stars shine as L.A . outscores Cubs 13-2 in Chicago doubleheader
Clayton Kershaw dominated over seven innings in the opener, Mookie Betts drove in five runs in the nightcap, and the Los Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 and 6-2 to sweep a split doubleheader on Saturday.
The Dodgers continued to roll along with Kershaw and Betts coming through. Betts smacked a three-run double in the second inning of Game 2 against Keegan Thompson to cap a four-run rally, and he added a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 6-2.
Los Angeles’ only other hit was a single in the ninth by Freddie Freeman. But the NL Central leaders drew nine walks on the way to their 17th win in 22 games.
Kershaw (4-0) scattered five hits while striking out two and walking one. The three-time Cy Young Award winner bounced back from a tough-luck loss to Detroit in which he surpassed Hall of Famer Don Sutton as the Dodgers’ career strikeout leader.
Braves 3, Brewers 2: Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a fifth-inning homer for the game’s first run, Max Fried outpitched Corbin Burnes and Atlanta held off Milwaukee. Reds 9-5, Pirates 2-8: Josh VanMeter had just one thought when he suddenly realized Pittsburgh needed him as a catcher. “Pure panic,” he said. Forced into an emergency role, VanMeter had a rough time when he moved from second base for his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager. Cincinnati took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the
Pirates 9-2 in the opener of a doubleheader. In the nightcap, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run homer and Yoshi Tsutsugo and Diego Castillo had back-to-back home runs as Pittsburgh won 8-5 for a split. VanMeter did not play in the second game after his position switch in the first game. Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter’s mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst. Pirates starting catcher Roberto Perez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth of the opener. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout.
Twins 1, Athletics 0: Jorge Polanco homered in the sixth inning and four Minnesota pitchers made it stand up, blanking Oakland and sending the Athletics to their eighth straight loss.
Blue Jays 8-2, Guardians 3-8: Franmil Reyes homered and had two RBIs and Owen Miller delivered a two-run double, helping Cleveland beat Toronto 8-2 and earn a doubleheader split. The Blue Jays won the opener 8-3 as George Springer and Raimel Tapia each drove in three runs in the first four innings against ace Shane Bieber.
Astros 3, Tigers 2: Jose Altuve homered early, and Michael Brantley tripled in a two-run eighth to help Houston run their winning streak to a seasonbest six games.
Giants 13, Cardinals 7: Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam in the first inning and matched his career high with six RBIs as San Francisco snapped out of their offensive funk and beat St. Louis to end a five-game losing streak. On a day the Giants honored former catcher Buster Posey in a pregame ceremony, Mauricio Dubon and Darin Ruf also homered. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina reached 1,000 career RBIs. Dylan Carlson added a three-run homer, but St. Louis committed three errors and ended its threegame winning streak.
Notes: Brewers outfielder Andrew McCutchen tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. McCutchen returned to the team hotel in Atlanta and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. ... The Seattle Mariners are calling up top pitching prospect George Kirby to take the fifth spot in the rotation and he’ll make his major league debut on Sunday against Tampa Bay.