Cole pitches gem as Yanks win 50th
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gerrit Cole took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks hit a tie-breaking triple in the ninth and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Monday night for their 50th win.
New York has won 17 of its last 19 games, and its 50-17 start is the best in the major leagues since the 2001 Seattle Mariners.
Cole struck out 12 and walked three, allowing one run and one hit in 7 1⁄3 innings. Cole struck out six in a row at one point and led 2-0 when Isaac Paredes grounded a slider on his 105th pitch off the mound and into center field.
Clay Holmes (5-0) blew a 2-0 lead and allowed his first run since opening day, ending a 31 1⁄3 -inning scoreless streak.
Brewers 2, Cardinals 0: Corbin Burnes pitched seven dominant innings, Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer and host Milwaukee regained sole possession of first place in the NL Central with a victory over St. Louis. Burnes (5-4) struck out 10 and allowed just two hits and two walks.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has struck out 21 in 14 scoreless innings against the Cardinals while allowing only four hits.
Braves 2, Giants 1: Orlando Arcia drove in Matt Olson from second base with a tie-breaking single in the ninth inning, lifting Atlanta to a victory at home. The defending World Series champion Braves moved 10 games over .500 for the second time this season.
Red Sox 5, Tigers 2: Franchy Cordero had three hits, including a two-run single, and Josh Winckowski made the longest start of his short career to help the Boston win at home. Jarren Duran had two hits, two stolen bases and two runs for Boston, which won for the sixth time in eight games.
Mets 6, Marlins 0: David Peterson pitched into the sixth inning and New York beat Miami despite losing Jeff McNeil to injury. Peterson (4-1) was on top of his delivery and covered 5 1⁄3 innings with a season-high seven strikeouts on 100 pitches.
White Sox 8, Blue Jays 7: Andrew Vaughn matched a career high with four hits, including a solo homer, and Chicago edged visiting Toronto.
Pirates 12, Cubs 1: Newly promoted Oneil Cruz drove in four runs and Bligh Madris got three hits in his major league debut, sparking host Pittsburgh to a rout of Chicago.
Padres 4, Diamondbacks 1: Yu Darvish allowed one run in seven innings and Jake Cronenworth homered as San Diego won at home.
Royals 6, Angels 2: Andrew Benintendi and Salvador Perez hit two-run homers and Kansas City won at Los Angeles.