Cubs climb over Pirates, 6-2
PITTSBURGH—Ben Zobrist hit a three-run homer, Anthony Rizzo also connected and Jon Lester worked out of a pair of jams to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Wednesday for a three-game sweep.
Zobrist's third-inning homer put Chicago ahead after center fielder Andrew McCutchen dropped Rizzo's two-out liner for an error. Lester (3-1) scattered eight hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings, struck out five and walked two.
With its seventh win in eight games, Chicago improved to a major leaguebest 20-6. The Cubs have won seven straight road games and completed their first sweep in Pittsburgh since Sept. 7-9, 2012. They lead second-place Pittsburgh by six games in the NL Central.
Juan Nicasio (3-3) allowed four runs— one earned—eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
METS 8, BRAVES 0
NEW YORK—Steven Matz (4-1) allowed two hits over 7 2/3 innings, Lucas Duda hit two of the Mets' four home runs and New York extended its streak of winning series to six for the first time since August and September 2006.
Matz (4-1) struck out eight and walked none. He has a 0.67 ERA over his last four outings.
Jhoulys Chacin (1-2) gave up eight runs, seven hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
REDS 7, GIANTS 4
CINCINNATI—Brandon Phillips, Eugenio Suarez and Zack Cozart homered in a five-run second against Jake Peavy (1-3).
Peavy allowed seven runs and eight hits in six innings, raising his ERA to 9.00 in six starts. He had been 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 12 starts against the Reds.
Adam Duvall added a solo shot for the Reds, and Dan Straily (1-1) overcame solo homers by Brandon Belt and Conor Gillaspie for his first major league win since April 10, 2014, with Oakland.
ANGELS 7, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE—Mike Trout had an RBI triple and sparked a four-run eighth with a solo homer.
Trout tied the game at 3 after leading off the eighth with a drive to right on a hanging curveball from Tyler Thornburg (2-1). Five batters later, pinch-hitter C.J. Cron drove in the go-ahead run after looping a two-out double. Trout, a four-time AllStar, has 18 RBIs in his last 13 games after a slow start.
Fernando Salas (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning, and Joe Smith threw two shutout innings for his second save.
NATIONALS 13, ROYALS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Daniel Murphy finished a triple shy of the cycle, slumping slugger Bryce Harper also went deep. Mrphy and Clint Robinson drove in three runs apiece.
Stephen Strasburg (5-0) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings while striking out seven.
Kris Medlen (1-3) gave up nine runs, six of them earned, and six hits in two-plus innings for Kansas City. His home ERA rose to 20.65 in two starts at Kauffman Stadium this season.
MARINERS 9, ATHLETICS 8
OAKLAND, Calif.—Dae-Ho Lee hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh after an earlier solo shot for his first career multi-homer game, and Seattle completed a three-game sweep.
Mike Montgomery (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win on a day Nelson Cruz also homered, a rare shot into the second deck of seats in dead-center.
Lee hit his third and fourth homers, connecting in the seventh against John Axford (2-1) as the Mariners had a season-high 16 hits and improved to an AL-best 11-4 on the road. The A's lost their fourth straight.
ROCKIES 2, PADRES 0
SAN DIEGO—Tyler Chatwood (4-2) pitched three-hit ball for eight innings in his sixth start since Tommy John surgery, sending San Diego to its eighth shutout loss in 28 games this season.
Jake McGee pitched perfect ninth for his seventh save.
Cesar Vargas (0-1) allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings.
Christhian Adams grounded into an RBI in the fifth, and DJ LeMahieu's squeeze bunt scored Mark Reynolds in the ninth.