Musgrove moves to 8-0; Cubs drop 10th in a row
NATIONAL LEAGUE PADRES 6, CUBS 4
CHICAGO — Joe Musgrove pitched seven effective innings in his third consecutive win, and the San Diego Padres handed the Chicago Cubs their 10th consecutive loss with a 6-4 victory on Thursday.
Musgrove (8-0) permitted two runs and five hits, struck out a season-high nine and walked one. The 6-5 right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his 12 starts this year.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in major league baseball right now, the way he’s moving pitches, the way he’s locating very good,” Cubs catcher Willson Contreras said. “We had a couple chances but weren’t able to come through.”
San Diego improved to 7-2 in its last nine games with its first fourgame series sweep of Chicago since Aug. 16-19, 2010, at Wrigley Field. The Padres’ 41-24 record matches their best 65-game start since 1998, when the club won the NL West and advanced to the World Series.
The Cubs have been outscored 90-28 during their longest slide since they lost 12 consecutive games from Aug. 5-16. They have held leads in seven of the 10 consecutive losses.
“I don’t try to find similarities, but this one just feels a little like we don’t have that guy coming back around to stop things,” Cubs Manager David Ross said.
Cubs rookie Christopher Morel led off the first with his second home run in as many games, but Matt Swarmer (1-2) was knocked out in the fourth.
San Diego went ahead to stay with three runs in the second. Nomar Mazara hit a two-run drive for his first home run with the Padres, and Jake Cronenworth added an RBI double.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate, but I was looking for that, too, for that first (home run),” Mazara said. “Finally happened, and I’m grateful for it.”
Mazara has five hits and seven RBI in his last three games.
Musgrove allowed one hit after Morel’s single with two out in the second. His 1.59 ERA trails Tony Gonsolin of the Dodgers for the NL lead. Musgrove improved to 3-0 with a sparkling 0.82 ERA in three starts on five days’ rest this season.
Taylor Rogers allowed a run in the ninth before finishing his 20th save in 23 chances.
The Padres improved their major league-best road record to 24-11. METS 5, BREWERS 4 Mark Canha hit a two-run home run and New York threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth inning to preserve a victory over Milwaukee. PHILLIES 10, NATIONALS 1 Kyle Schwarber homered twice, Zack Wheeler (6-3) won his third consecutive start, and Philadelphia routed Washington in the opener of a five-game series.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ATHLETICS 4, RED SOX 3 Paul Blackburn (6-2) pitched sharply into the sixth inning, Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run single and Oakland held off Boston for just its second win in 15 games. Chad Pinder added an RBI single for Oakland, which closed its nine-game road trip at 2-7.
ORIOLES 10, BLUE JAYS 2 Cedric Mullins had three hits, and Baltimore pounded former Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman. Austin Hays hit his ninth home run, a shot off Matt Gage in the eighth, and Rougned Odor had two hits and two RBI as Baltimore won for the fourth time in six games. Orioles right-hander Tyler Wells (4-4) allowed one run and five hits in six innings. RANGERS 3, TIGERS 1 Ezequiel Duran hit a three-run triple with two out in the ninth inning and Texas beat Detroit.
YANKEES 2, RAYS 1 Anthony Rizzo hit a home run with one out in the ninth inning and streaking New York beat Tampa Bay for its 14th consecutive home win.
INTERLEAGUE
GUARDIANS 4, ROCKIES 2 Jose Ramirez doubled for his eighth consecutive game with an extra-base hit, and Cleveland matched a season high with its fourth win in a row. Ramirez hit an opposite-field grounder that hugged the third-base line against an exaggerated shift in the first inning. He is the first major leaguer with extra-base hits in eight consecutive games since Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in 2020.