Cubs beat Padres to climb back over .500
Dickey, Braves hand Giants 7th straight loss
CHICAGO — Willson Contreras hit a tying home run, Javier Baez scored the winning run on an error and Wade Davis worked out of a ninth-inning jam to lead the Chicago Cubs past the San Diego Padres 3-2 Monday night.
Anthony Rizzo thrived in the leadoff spot again, extending his career-high hitting streak to 13 games by going 2 for 3 with an RBI as Chicago won its second straight to improve to 35-34.
Jose Pirela and Yangervis Solarte each had a solo homer for the Padres, although Pirela’s error allowed the winning run to score.
Hector Rondon (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Davis had runners on second and third with one out, but struck out Wil Myers and got Hunter Renfroe to ground out for his 14th save in 14 chances.
BRAVES 9, GIANTS 0: In Atlanta, R.A. Dickey threw seven scoreless innings, Matt Adams hit another homer and Atlanta sent San Francisco to its seventh straight loss.
The 42-year-old Dickey (5-5) escaped a jam in the first to turn in his strongest outing of the season. He surrendered just three hits and retired 16 of the last 17 hitters he faced.
Of course, it helped to be going against the Giants, whose skid is the longest of a hugely disappointing season. San Francisco dropped to 26-46 and fell a staggering 20 games behind first-place Colorado in the NL West.
Adams homered in the fourth off
Johnny Cueto (5-7), driving it deep into the right-field seats. The first baseman added an RBI single in the eighth, sparking a seven-run outburst that made it a rout.
He now has 10 homers and 27 RBIs since being acquired from St. Louis on May 20.
MARLINS 8, NATIONALS 7: In Miami, Marcell Ozuna singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning, and Miami overcame an early six-run deficit to beat Washington.
Miami slugger Justin Bour tied the game at 6 in the third inning with a grand slam, his 18th homer. Giancarlo Stanton also hit his 18th of the season to make it 7-all in the seventh.
Bryce Harper hit his 18th homer for Washington, and Anthony Rendon also went deep.
PIRATES 8, BREWERS 1: In Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Gerrit Cole pitched seven strong innings and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee.
Travis Shaw’s leadoff homer in the second put the Brewers ahead 1-0 and set a franchise mark with the Brewers scoring their 16th consecutive run via the long ball.
The Pirates took the lead in the third on Adam Frazier’s two-run single off starter Matt Garza (3-3).
McCutchen extended the lead with a two-run homer in the sixth that chased Garza. BLUE JAYS 7, RANGERS 6: In Arlington, Texas, Kendrys Morales hit a go-ahead single after a tying single by Josh Donaldson in the ninth inning, and Toronto beat Texas Rangers in a matchup of AL Division Series opponents the past two seasons.
The Blue Jays won despite blowing a 5-1 lead in their first visit to
Texas since last postseason, when they won the first two games in a best-of-five sweep that was their second straight ALDS victory over the two-time defending AL West champs. ROYALS 4, RED SOX 2: In Kansas City, Mo., Whit Merrifield drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer and Kansas City beat Boston for its eighth win in nine games.
Jason Hammel (4-6) pitched seven sharp innings before turning it over to Mike Minor, who loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth. No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez proceeded to send a slow bounder toward third base that Cheslor Cuthbert fielded cleanly and fired to first to end the threat.
INDIANS 12, ORIOLES 0: In Baltimore, Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his fifth career shutout, Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana homered and Cleveland overpowered Baltimore for its season-high sixth straight victory.
Santana and Austin Jackson had three RBIs apiece for the AL Central leaders, whose recent surge has lifted them to a season-best six games over .500 (37-31).
REDS 7, RAYS 3: In St. Petersburg, Fla., Scott Schebler and Scooter Gennett homered and Joey Votto snapped an eighth-inning tie with an RBI single, helping Cincinnati end a season-high nine-game losing streak with a victory over Tampa Bay.
Schebler led off the fifth inning with his 19th homer, tying Votto for the team lead. Gennett went deep for the second consecutive day, his first homers since hitting four in a game against St. Louis on June 6, to make it 3-0 in the sixth.