Musgrove goes to 8-0 as Padres sweep Cubs
Joe Musgrove pitched seven effective innings in his third straight win, and the San Diego Padres handed the Chicago Cubs their 10th consecutive loss with a 6-4 victory on Thursday at Wrigley Field.
Musgrove (8-0) permitted two runs and five hits, struck out a season-high nine and walked one. The 6-foot-5 righthander 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.
San Diego is 7-2 in its past nine games and got its first four-game sweep of Chicago since Aug. 16-19, 2010, also at Wrigley Field. The Padres’ 41-24 record matches their best 65-game start since 1998, when they won the NL West and reached 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 straight losses.
Cubs rookie Christopher Morel led off the first with his second homer in two 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 homer with the Padres, and Jake Cronenworth added an RBI double.
Mazara has five hits and seven RBIs in his past three games.
Phillies 10, Nationals 1: Kyle Schwarber homered twice, Zack Wheeler won his third consecutive start, and visiting Philadelphia routed Washington in the opener of a fivegame series.
Yankees 2, Rays 1: Anthony Rizzo hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning and New York beat Tampa Bay for its 14th straight home win. The Yankees have their longest home winning string since taking 15 in a row at the original Yankee Stadium on Aug. 16-Sept. 26, 1961, when Roger Maris was chasing Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record.
Mets 5, Brewers 4: Mark Canha hit a game-tying homer for host New York in the fifth inning, scoring rookie Nick Plummer to make it 4-4, before Plummer drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice groundout. Both starting pitchers left with injuries, the Brewers’ Aaron Ashby (forearm tightness) and the Mets’ Tylor Megill (right shoulder discomfort).
Orioles 10, Blue Jays 2: Cedric Mullins had three hits, Tyler Wells pitched six innings to win back-toback starts for the first time, and visiting Baltimore pounded ex-Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman in a rout. Austin Hays hit his ninth home run as the Orioles split the four-game series.
Guardians 4, Rockies 2: Jose Ramirez doubled for his eighth straight game with an extra-base hit and visiting Cleveland matched a season high with its fourth win in a row. Brian Serven, who tripled, and Connor Joe each had a career-high four hits for Colorado, which has lost 10 of 14. Rangers 3, Tigers 1: Ezequiel Duran hit a three-run triple with two out in the ninth inning to give Texas a win in Detroit. Tigers closer Gregory Soto loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter before Duran hit a ball just inside first base and into the rightfield corner, giving Soto his second blown save of the season.
Briefly: Luis Severino was scratched from his start for the Yankees against Tampa Bay on Thursday night and placed on the COVID-19 injured list . ... Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale (fractured rib cage) threw 32 pitches in a simulated game at Fenway Park . ... Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer of the Mets threw 50 pitches in a simulated game at Citi Field as he recovers from a left oblique strain . ... All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker and the Mariners avoided a salary arbitration hearing when they agreed to a $14.5 million, twoyear contract.