Bloodied catcher and two ejections highlight Cubs' win over Cardinals
By The Associated Press
Yan Gomes drove in three runs and the Chicago Cubs got back to .500 with their sixth straight victory, beating the host St. Louis Cardinals 10-3 after a testy start Thursday night.
In the first inning, Cubs outfielder Ian Happ bloodied St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras when he hit him in the head with a long followthrough on a swing, then was soon hit himself by a pitch from Miles Mikolas.
After a hug from former Chicago teammate Happ, Contreras left because of a cut on the scalp and was day to day to return to the lineup.
Andrew Knizner took over behind the plate, and Mikolas brushed back Happ to run the count to 3-1. With the next pitch, Mikolas hit Happ in the rear, with Mikolas (66) and Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol being ejected.
The game marked the beginning of a second fourgame series between the two clubs in the span of four days.
At 51-51, Chicago is at the .500 mark for the first time since sitting at 19-19 following a victory May 12 in Minnesota.
Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel and Mike Tauchman each had three hits for the Cubs to back left-hander Justin Steele (11-3). Steele improved to 4-1 in six career starts against St. Louis, allowing five hits and one run. He had four strikeouts and walked three.
Long reliever Dakota Hudson replaced Mikolas, who threw just 14 pitches. Hudson gave up a single before walking two to score Happ. A ground-rule double Morel added two runs for a 3-0 lead.
Hudson allowed nine hits and five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two.
The Cubs added two runs with two outs in the third. Gomes and Miles Mastrobuoni each had an RBI single.
Nico Hoerner scored on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, giving Chicago a 6-0 advantage.
Knizner had his first multihomer game. He led off the fourth with a home run and added a two-run homer in the eighth.
GUARDIANS 6, WHITE SOX 3 >>
Josh Naylor drove in three runs, rookie Tanner Bibee pitched into the seventh inning and Cleveland handed host Chicago its sixth straight loss.
Guardians manager Terry Francona tied Casey Stengel for 13th place on baseball’s career wins list with his 1,926th victory.
Bibee (7-2) gave up three runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings. Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his 28th save in 35 chances.
Naylor drove in two with a double and scored in a threerun third against Dylan Cease (4-4) that gave the Guardians a 4-0 lead.
Jake Burger homered twice for the White Sox. >>Mark Canha had a sacrifice fly immediately
METS 2, NATIONALS 1 after a 97-minute rain delay in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting host New York.
The Mets, who had four warning track outs against Nationals starter Josiah Gray, tied the score by stringing together three straight one-out singles — the last an RBI hit into right field by Daniel Vogelbach — against Mason Thompson (3-4). DJ Stewart was then plunked by a pitch to load the bases and Thompson was removed for Kyle Finnegan moments before umpires motioned the teams off the field.
After play resumed, Canha hit Finnegan’s fifth pitch to deep right field and Pete Alonso beat the throw home.