ChiSox fall, head to Hub
Jose Berrios pitched a six-hitter for his second complete game this season, and the Minnesota Twins hit three home runs against James Shields in a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox yesterday in Minneapolis.
The struggling White Sox open a three-game series against the Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park.
Berrios (7-5) retired his first 14 batters before Omar Narvarez’ double. By that time, the 23-year-old righthander already had a 7-0 lead. He struck out 10 and walked none to win for the fourth time in five starts. Berrios has 44 strikeouts and four walks in 372⁄3 innings over that span, and he has made a careerbest five straight starts of six innings or more.
Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run homer after a double by Eddie Rosario in the first against Shields (1-7), who has not won in 12 starts since Opening Day. Ehire Adrianza added a solo shot in the second inning. Then right after Brian Dozier’s two-out RBI single in the fourth through a shift-created hole at second base, Rosario turned on an 86-mph cut fastball on the inside corner from Shields for a three-run drive just inside the right-field foul pole.
Shields gave up all seven runs and eight hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two.
Astros 5, Rangers 2 — In Arlington, Texas, Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer and an RBI single, and Gerrit Cole (7-1) allowed one run over six solid innings as Houston topped Texas.
Alex Bregman also homered for the Astros, and Jose Altuve had three singles after coming in with a big league-leading 85.
Blue Jays 5, Orioles 4 — Aledmys Diaz hit a gamewinning single in the 10th inning and host Toronto rallied from a three-run deficit in the ninth to beat Baltimore.
Teoscar Hernandez doubled off Miguel Castro (1-2) to begin the 10th and Justin Smoak was intentionally walked before Kendrys Morales and Luke Maile struck out. Diaz won it with a single to the wall in left, giving Toronto just its second win in its past 12 home games.
Mariners 5, Rays 4 — Mike Leake pitched into the ninth inning, Mitch Haniger homered and drove in three, and AL West-leading Seattle beat Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Leake (6-3) was lifted with a 5-1 lead after allowing his eighth hit, a leadoff double in the ninth to Wilson Ramos. Johnny Field hit a three-run double off Alex Colome before the former Rays closer got a game-ending grounder from Daniel Robertson.
Haniger has 46 RBI, one off his career high set last season. The Mariners won for the 10th time in 13 games.
National League
Cubs 4, Phillies 3 — Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer and added a second RBI with a sacrifice fly to lead host Chicago past Philadelphia.
The Cubs won for the fifth time in six games to close to a half-game behind idle first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.
Tommy LaStella and Kris Bryant had RBI singles in Chicago’s decisive threerun fifth inning. Rizzo’s sac fly to left capped the rally after a video review determined Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp had illegally blocked the plate with his left leg as Albert Almora tried to score from third.
Almora beat Dylan Cozen’s strong throw from left field, but was unable to touch the plate with Knapp in the way. Almora initially was called out before the play was overruled.
Scott Kingery drove in two runs with a double and Carlos Santana had an RBI single as the Phillies lost for the fifth time in six games to conclude a 10-game road trip at 3-7.
Dodgers 8, Pirates 7 — Joc Pederson went deep twice, Cody Bellinger hit his third home run in as many games and visiting Los Angeles used nine pitchers to hold off Pittsburgh.
Pederson led off the game with a solo blast off Jameson Taillon (3-5) and added a two-run shot in the eighth off Michael Feliz for his second multi-home run game in a week.
Bellinger finished 3-for4, including a shot just over the wall in left field in the sixth to give the Dodgers a three-run advantage, and a stream of relievers made it stand as Los Angeles won for the 15th time in its last 20 games to move back to .500 (31-31).
Cardinals 4, Marlins 1 — Miles Mikolas rebounded from his first loss of the season to pitch three-hit ball over seven innings and lead host St. Louis over Miami.
Mikolas (7-1) allowed an unearned run, struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.27 as the Cardinals salvaged the series finale after a pair of losses. Mikolas, coming off a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh, has pitched at least six innings in 10-of-12 starts this season.
Jordan Hicks pitched around a walk and a hit in the eighth, topping 100 mph on 9-of-18 pitches, and Bud Norris finished the fourhitter with a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
Reds 7, Rockies 5 — Jesse Winker hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning, completing Cincinnati’s late rally to a victory that averted a sweep by visiting Colorado.
One out away from getting their second series sweep at Great American Ball Park, the Rockies blew the lead in the ninth and wound up losing for the fifth time in seven games. They’ve blown leads in all of the five losses.
Left-hander Chris Rusin (0-2) hit Joey Votto with a pitch to open the 13th. Winker connected on his first game-ending homer, finishing the longest game for both teams this season.
Elsewhere in baseball — Pitcher Fernando Abad, an eight-year major league veteran who ended last season with the Red Sox, has been suspended 80 games under baseball’s minor league drug program following a positive test for the steroid Stanozolol.
In addition, Chicago Cubs pitcher David Garner was banned for 100 games following a third violation for a drug of abuse.