Baez and Russell help Cubs top White Sox
CHICAGO » Javier Baez hit a tiebreaking two-run homer deep into Wrigley’s Field’s left bleachers in the seventh, Addison Russell added a grand slam in a five-run eighth and the Chicago Cubs beat the White Sox 8-1 on Wednesday night.
Jason Hammel (10-5) allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings. Hector Rondon pitched a perfect eighth, and Aroldis Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth — striking out Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia — in his Cubs debut.
Baez went deep on a fullcount pitch against Anthony Ranaudo (1-1) to chase the right-hander in his White Sox debut.
Ranaudo didn’t allow a hit until Kris Bryant’s solo homer with one out in the sixth tie the score 1-1. Bryant’s 26th homer matched his total last season when he was NL Rookie of the Year.
After Ben Zobrist’s RBI double in the eighth, Russell followed two hitters later with his 12th homer to help the Cubs end a two-game slide and snap the White Sox’s fourgame winning streak. REDS 2, GIANTS 1 » Jay Bruce homered in his career-high fifth straight game, connecting off Madison Bumgarner in Cincinnati’s victory over slumping San Francisco.
Bruce broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning with his sixth homer during his fivegame streak and 25th of the season. NATIONALS 4, INDIANS 1 » Stephen Strasburg shut down Cleveland for seven innings and bounced back from his only loss this season, leading Washington past the Indians. Strasburg (14-1) began the season with 13 straight wins before he was beaten by the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 21. The powerful righthander shook off that blemish, holding the Indians to three hits. Strasburg walked one and struck out seven. CARDINALS 5, METS 4 » Yadier Molina and pinch-hitter Kolten Wong each had an RBI double in the ninth inning, and St. Louis rallied past New York to end Jeurys Familia’s saves streak at 52 games.
Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead homer off Adam Wainwright to cap a threerun comeback in the seventh that gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. But then Familia, who hadn’t blown a regular-season save opportunity since July 30 last year, finally faltered. RAYS 3, DODGERS 1 » Matt Moore pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Evan Longoria hit a tworun homer and Tampa Bay won at Dodger Stadium for the first time.
Luke Maile had an RBI double in a three-run fourth inning to help Tampa Bay wrap up a nine-game West Coast road swing by snapping a four-game skid. TIGERS 4, RED SOX 3 » Miguel Cabrera hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning that bounced off the top of the wall and into Boston’s bullpen, lifting Detroit past the Red Sox for a threegame sweep.
Boston is the last team to be swept in a series of any length this season. ROCKIES 3, ORIOLES 1 » Nick Hundley broke up Dylan Bundy’s no-hit bid with a sixth-inning homer, and Colorado used a strong pitching performance by Jon Gray to beat Baltimore.
David Dahl hit his first major league home run in his third game for the Rockies. Colorado took two of three from the AL East leaders, has won six of seven and is 9-4 since the All-Star break. ATHLETICS 6, RANGERS 4 » Khris Davis homered twice, Coco Crisp also went deep and Oakland beat AL Westleading Texas.
Oakland has won four consecutive series for the first time since May 2014. The A’s are 9-4 since the AllStar break. PADRES 8, BLUE JAYS 4 » Adam Rosales hit a tworun home run, Alex Dickerson and Brett Wallace each hit solo shots and San Diego beat Toronto to avoid a threegame sweep. PIRATES 10, MARINERS 1 » Gerrit Cole threw a three-hitter for his first career complete game and slumping Andrew McCutchen had a three-run home run and two other hits in Pittsburgh’s victory over Seattle. ASTROS 4, YANKEES 1 » Lance McCullers struck out 10 in six innings, Colby Rasmus broke out of a slump with a tworun homer and Houston beat New York.
Also: Rangers acquire pitchers from Braves
ARLINGTON, TEXAS » AL West-leading Texas made its first move to get more pitching, acquiring right-handed starter Lucas Harrell and left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez from Atlanta for an infield prospect.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Wednesday that Texas may not be done shopping for pitching with the non-waiver trading deadline five days away.