Strasburg, Nats bats power past Cubs 8-4
WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 in seven innings, Bryce Harper had two doubles and two RBIs, and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago 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.
It was a rough day for the Cubs, who cut veteran catcher Miguel Montero after he criticized pitcher Jake Arrieta for his role in the Nationals’ seven steals in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the World Series champions. Then reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant departed in the sixth with an apparent right ankle injury. METS 8, MARLINS 0
In Miami, 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), who allowed six hits, all singles, and one walk while lowering his ERA to 2.67 in four starts this year. BLUE JAYS 4, ORIOLES 0
In Toronto, Marcus Stroman pitched five-hit ball into the eighth inning for the Blue Jays, and Jose Bautista and Justin Smoak homered.
Stroman (8-4) bounced back nicely from his worst start of the season, a seven-run outing at Texas last Thursday. The right-hander allowed five singles and struck out seven to win for the first time since June 10 at Seattle. INDIANS 5, RANGERS 3 In Cleveland, Trevor Bauer pitched into the seventh inning, Michael Brantley drove in two runs and the Indians 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. The 58-year-old Francona has been fitted with a heart monitor, but he said doctors have ruled out any serious health issues. TWINS 4, RED SOX 1
In Boston, Adalberto Mejia pitched 5⅔ innings in his second straight scoreless start, Max Kepler hit a two-run homer and Minnesota rebounded from two consecutive losses against the Red Sox.
Kepler also had an RBI single, and Miguel Sano added an RBI double to help the Twins improve to 24-11 on the road. ROYALS 8, TIGERS 2
In Detroit, Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit consecutive homers during Kansas City’s four-run fourth inning.
Ian Kennedy (2-6) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for the Royals, earning his second victory in three starts. He gave up solo homers to Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila, but only after Kansas City had jumped to a 5-0 lead. PIRATES 6, RAYS 2
In Pittsburgh, Jose Osuna doubled twice and drove in two runs, rookie Josh Bell hit his 15th homer and the Pirates jumped all over Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell.
Osuna’s ground-rule RBI double sparked a four-run rally with two out in the first. Bell led off the fourth with a home run and Osuna added another RBI double in the fifth. PHILLIES 5, MARINERS 4
In Seattle, Tommy Joseph led off the ninth inning with his 13th homer and Andrew Knapp added a two-out RBI single, helping the Phillies rally for the road win.
Joseph’s drive to left on a 3-2 pitch from Edwin Diaz (2-3) was Philadelphia’s first hit since the third inning. Diaz struck out the next two batters, but Cameron Perkins walked and advanced on a balk before Knapp lined a 1-2 pitch into right field to give the Phillies the lead. ASTROS 11, ATHLETICS 8
In Houston, Josh Reddick and George Springer had three hits apiece and combined for five RBIs, powering the Astros to the victory.
Michael Feliz (4-1) struck out two in a scoreless fifth for the win. Ken Giles struck out two in the ninth for his 18th save. REDS 4, BREWERS 3
In Cincinnati, 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 the Reds.
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. GIANTS 5, ROCKIES 3
In San Francisco, Jae-Gyun 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.
The 29-year-old Hwang grounded out in the second inning, hit a run-scoring grounder in the fourth that cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1, and then broke a 3-3 tie when he homered against Kyle Freeland (8-6). Hwang was given a standing ovation from fans as he rounded the bases and was mobbed by teammates when he got back to the dugout. YANKEES 12, WHITE SOX 3
In Chicago, Miguel Andujar had three hits and four RBIs in his major league debut, Aaron Judge added his major league-leading 27th homer and struggling New York pounded the White Sox.
Andujar made a good impression after being called up from Triple-A with Matt Holliday going on the disabled list because of an illness.