Bryant sprains ankle as Cubs fall again to Nationals
WASHINGTON » Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals put a perfect finish on another rough day for the sputtering Chicago Cubs.
Strasburg struck out 13 in seven innings, Bryce Harper had two doubles and two RBIs, and the Nationals beat the Cubs 8-4 on Wednesday night.
Anthony Rendon and Matt Wieters hit back-to-back homers against John Lackey (5-9) during Washington’s four-run second inning. After the Cubs pulled within three at 6-3, Daniel Murphy went deep in the fifth.
The Cubs lost for the fourth time in six games to drop back to .500 at 39-39. They cut veteran catcher Miguel Montero after he criticized pitcher Jake Arrieta for his role in the Nationals’ seven steals Tuesday night, and then reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant departed with a right ankle sprain.
“Things happen. You have to fix them when things happen,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “You don’t cry. Of course suboptimal, no question.”
Bryant awkwardly clipped third base while catching a foul pop by Wieters in the sixth. He walked around gingerly before being helped off the field. An X-ray was negative and Bryant is expected to miss at least the next two games, according to Maddon.
“We have a game to win tomorrow,” Maddon said. “(Bryant) will not be starting, obviously, so we’ll try to figure it out in another way.” INDIANS 5, RANGERS 3 » Trevor Bauer pitched into the seventh inning, Michael Brantley drove in two runs and Cleveland got the win in manager Terry Francona’s return to the team.
Francona was cleared to come back after another health scare forced him to leave Monday’s game and miss Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Texas. Francona, 58, has been fitted with a heart monitor, but he said doctors have ruled out any serious health issues. METS 8, MARLINS 0» Steven Matz pitched seven innings and two relievers completed a seven-hitter, helping the Mets to the victory. Asdrubal Cabrera and Curtis Granderson each hit a two-run homer in support of Matz (2-1). REDS 4, BREWERS 3 » Scooter Gennett hit a two-run homer against the club that decided he no longer fit its rebuilding plans, and Billy Hamilton scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning for Cincinnati.
The Brewers lost starter Chase Anderson to a strained oblique. Anderson hurt his left side while striking out in the top of the second inning, a notable setback to the NL Central leaders. He is second on the club with six wins. BLUE JAYS 4, ORIOLES 0» Marcus Stroman pitched five-hit ball into the eighth inning for Toronto, and Jose Bautista and Justin Smoak homered. TWINS 4, RED SOX 1» Adalberto Mejia pitched 5.2 innings in his second straight scoreless start, Max Kepler hit a two-run homer and Minnesota rebounded from two consecutive against Boston. ROYALS 8, TIGERS 2 » Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit consecutive homers during Kansas City’s fourrun fourth inning. PIRATES 6, RAYS 2 » Jose Osuna doubled twice and drove in two runs, rookie Josh Bell hit his 15th homer and Pittsburgh jumped all over Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell. GIANTS 5, ROCKIES 3 » JaeGyun Hwang homered in his major league debut, a tiebreaking drive in the sixth inning that helped the Giants extend the Rockies’ losing streak to a season-high eight games. losses