Cubs turn record-tying 7 double plays
NEW YORK — The Chicago Cubs tied a major league record by turning seven double plays Friday night, including a game-ending effort by rookie third baseman David Bote on a grounder by David Freese to finish off a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cubs got six double plays on grounders — five with Cole Hamels pitching — and one on a line drive. The Elias Sports Bureau said the Cubs became the third team in big league history to turn seven DPs in a nineinning game.
Pittsburgh put runners on first and second in the ninth before Jesse Chavez got Freese to ground to Bote. Having hit a game-ending grand slam last Sunday night to beat Washington 4-3, Bote again was in the right place to cap off a win. Bote stepped on third and threw to first base to end it.
CARDINALS 5, BREWERS 2
In St. Louis, Kolten Wong and Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs apiece, Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings and the Cardinals beat Milwaukee.
The Cardinals won for the ninth time in 10 games and pulled within a half-game of the Brewers for the NL’s second wild-card spot. Milwaukee has dropped three of four. Flaherty (7-6) gave up three hits, walked three and struck out seven. The Brewers had only two runners reach second base against the rookie, who has allowed two earned runs in his past 19 innings pitched.
ROCKIES 11, BRAVES 5
In Atlanta, Ian Desmond tripled and drove in five runs, Kyle Freeland pitched six strong innings and Colorado beat the Braves.
The Rockies have won six of seven, and they’re 28-14 since June 28, tops in the NL over that span. And they’ve done it without the benefit of many blowouts: Friday’s game snapped a franchise-long, 25-game streak in which the Rockies scored six runs or fewer.
PHILLIES 4, METS 2
In Philadelphia, Aaron Nola struck out 11 in seven impressive innings to stay unbeaten at Citizens Bank Park, pitching the Phillies past New York.
Asdrubal Cabrera hit an RBI double off former teammate Noah Syndergaard during a three-run first inning, and Nola made the early lead stand up.
Nola (14-3) allowed one run on three hits with one walk while lowering his ERA in 2.24. The All-Star is even better at home, improving to 9-0 with a 2.00 mark in 12 starts in Philadelphia this season.
YANKEES 7, BLUE JAYS 5, 7 INNINGS
In New York, Neil Walker hit a three-run homer, Giancarlo Stanton added an impressive opposite-field blast and the Yankees rallied for a rain-shortened victory over Toronto.
Stanton hit his 31st homer of the season into a party deck behind the home bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, and a batter later, umpires pulled the teams off the field amid rain at Yankee Stadium. The game was called with one out in the seventh after a delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes.
NATIONALS 8, MARLINS 2
In Washington, Max Scherzer pitched six scoreless innings for his major league-leading 16th win, and Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Wieters homered as the Nationals beat Miami.
After throwing seven shutout innings against the Cubs Sunday only to watch Chicago win on a walk-off grand slam, Scherzer (16-5) left with a 5-0 lead and watched as the Nationals thwarted a Marlins rally.
RED SOX 7, RAYS 3
In Boston, Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run triple and added a pair of doubles, and the Red Sox scored seven straight runs after allowing three in the first to beat Tampa Bay.
Jackie Bradley Jr. had two hits, including an RBI double in the sixth, and the Red Sox improved on the best record in the majors with their 87th victory.
REDS 2, GIANTS 1, 11 INNINGS
In Cincinnati, Phillip Ervin led off the 11th inning with a home run over the center field fence, lifting the Reds over San Francisco.
Ervin’s third homer of the season and first career walk-off drive came on a 1-1 pitch from Ray Black (2-2).
INDIANS 2, ORIOLES 1
In Cleveland, Carlos Carrasco pitched seven scoreless innings and moved into a tie for the AL lead with his 15th win, Jose Ramirez hit his 37th home run and the Indians beat Baltimore.
Carrasco (15-6) allowed three hits, struck out six and retired his final 10 hitters.
Ramirez’s first-inning homer tied him with Boston’s J.D. Martinez, who entered Friday with the major league lead.
TWINS 5, TIGERS 4
In Minneapolis, pinch-hitter Joe Mauer hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Minnesota beat Detroit.
Eddie Rosario and Tyler Austin added solo home runs for Minnesota, which finally broke through against Detroit starter Matt Boyd to win its fourth straight game.
RANGERS 6, ANGELS 4
In Arlington, Texas, Rougned Odor drove in three runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, Joey Gallo ripped a two-run double and the Rangers beat pitching-depleted Los Angeles.
Odor’s two-run single capped a five-run outburst in the second inning off recently acquired Odrisamer Despaigne (2-1), the 14th starting pitcher used by the Angels this season.
WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 3
In Chicago, Jose Abreu and Nicky Delmonico hit three-run homers in a seven-run, seventhinning outburst, lifting the White Sox past Kansas City.
Delmonico went 2 for 4 and had a careerhigh five RBIs. Tim Anderson went 3 for 3 with a walk and two stolen bases for Chicago, which has won eight of 14.
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE ISOTOPES 8, RIVER CATS 7
In Albuquerque, Josh Fuentes hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, leading the Isotopes to an 8-7 win over the Sacramento River Cats.
D.J. Johnson struck Myles Schroder out with runners on first and third to end the game for his 16th save of the season. The grand slam by Fuentes capped a five-run inning and gave the Isotopes an 8-5 lead after Shawn O’Malley hit an RBI single earlier in the inning.