STRIKING FIRST IMPRESSION
BALTIMORE — Jose Quintana is well aware of the lofty expectations that came with his trade to the Chicago Cubs.
He certainly dazzled his new teammates in his debut.
Quintana struck out a season-high 12 in seven sharp innings and the Cubs beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 Sunday for a threegame sweep.
“It was my first outing with the Cubs, but after the first inning, I felt really good,” Quintana said. “I threw everything in the first inning and just focused on making quick outs.”
Acquired by the defending World Series champions during the All-Star break from the Chicago White Sox for a playoff push, Quintana gave the Cubs exactly the kind of boost they hoped to get.
“It could really be a big boon to us, there’s no question,” Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. “Everybody else saw it.”
The lefty ace allowed three hits, walked none and joined Matt Garza as the only pitchers in Cubs history to fan 12 in their debut.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo homered to help the Cubs move over .500 for the first time since June 29.
DODGERS 3, MARLINS 2: In Miami, Justin Turner homered and singled to increase his batting average to .374, and the Dodgers extended their winning streak to nine games. Five Los Angeles pitchers combined
for 16 strikeouts with no walks.
BRAVES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1: In Atlanta, Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer and Brandon Phillips doubled three times, leading the Braves to a three-game sweep.
ROCKIES 13, METS 4: In New York, Ian Desmond provided an instant spark for the Rockies in his return from the disabled list, and Nolan Arenado hit one of Colorado’s three homers. Charlie Blackmon was credited with an inside-the-park home run.
PADRES 7, GIANTS 1: In San Diego, Hector Sanchez and Corey Spangenberg hit threerun home runs off Jeff Samardzija and the Padres took two of three from the Giants.
NATIONALS 14, REDS 4: In Cincinnati, Daniel Murphy hit two of Washington’s five home runs and had five RBIs to lead the Nationals.
PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 3: In Pittsburgh, Adam Frazier’s game-ending single capped a two-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted the Pirates.
PHILLIES 5, BREWERS 2: In Milwaukee, rookie Nick Williams hit a grand slam before Philadelphia’s bullpen escaped two late-game jams for a win over the Brewers.
YANKEES 3-0, RED SOX 0-3 : In Boston, Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer and Jackie Bradley Jr. went over the bullpen wall to steal one from Aaron Judge, helping David Price shut down the Yankees 3-0 in the second game of their day-night doubleheader.
A day after the teams played 16 innings over 5 hours, 50 minutes, they spent another
long day at Fenway Park and ended the fourgame series the way they started: with the Red Sox 3½ games up in the AL East.
CC Sabathia allowed two hits over six innings in the opener to give New York a 3-0 victory.
ASTROS 5, TWINS 3: In Houston, Mike Fiers struck out a season-high 11 over seven strong innings and Nori Aoki had two hits and two RBIs to help the Astros beat Minnesota. Ken Giles earned his 20th save.
ANGELS 4, RAYS 3: In Anaheim, Calif., pinch hitter C.J. Cron connected for a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Angels escaped a jam in the ninth to hold off Tampa Bay. TIGERS 6, BLUE JAYS 5 (11): In Detroit, Miguel Cabrera walked with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, giving the Tigers a victory over the Toronto. ROYALS 4, RANGERS 3: Kansas City, Mo., Texas right fielder Shin-Soo Choo lost Lorenzo Cain’s routine fly in the sun, and the ball glanced off his glove for an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted Kansas City over Texas. MARINERS 7, WHITE SOX 6 (10): In Chicago, Nelson Cruz homered on a 3-0 pitch to lead off the 10th inning and Seattle beat the White Sox for a three-game sweep.
ATHLETICS 7, INDIANS 3: In Oakland, Calif., Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer got just two outs in a four-run first inning and matched the shortest start of his big league career as the Athletics completed a sweep.