Five Rays pitchers team up for seven-inning no-hitter
Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings, and the Rays beat Cleveland 4-0 Wednesday for a doubleheader sweep that extended the Indians’ losing streak to nine games.
Collin McHugh (two perfect innings), Josh Fleming (7-4 after allowing one walk in 2 2/3 innings), Diego Castillo (one out), Matt Wisler (one inning) and Pete Fairbanks (one inning) combined for the hitless performance in a game shortened to seven innings under pandemic rules.
The game will not go into the official list of no-hitters. MLB’s eight-man committee on statistical accuracy decided in 1991 that a nohitter was a game of nine or more innings that ended with no hits.
Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner pitched a seveninning no-hitter against Atlanta in the second game of a doubleheader on April 25, another that did not officially count.
Cleveland had just three baserunners on an error and two walks.
• In the opener, the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier had a two-run double in the first and connected on a threerun homer in the third.
Michael Wacha (2-2) allowed one run, four hits and struck out six in six innings.
Anthony Rizzo, Joc Pederson and Nico Hoerner each had two hits and an RBI to help Chicago beat Philadelphia at Wrigley Field, ending an 11-game losing streak.
The Cubs raced to an early five-run lead off Zack Wheeler and then added on to halt their longest skid since a 12-game slide in May 2012. Chicago had been winless since Zach Davies and three relievers combined to no-hit the Dodgers on June 24.
Patrick Wisdom added a two-run double in Chicago’s three-run sixth inning after replacing third baseman Kris Bryant, who left in the fourth with right hamstring tightness.
Wheeler (6-5) yielded seven runs, four earned, on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander entered on a dominant run, having allowed no runs in his last two starts and just three in his last five — all in a game to Washington on June 22. METS 3, BREWERS 2, GAME 1, 8 INNINGS >> Jacob deGrom’s ERA crept above 1.00 for the first time this season, and New York rallied in the seventh and eighth innings to beat Milwaukee in a doubleheader opener.
Pinch-hitter José Peraza, batting for deGrom, hit a tying home run with one out in the seventh off Josh Hader, who had converted 24 saves chances since Sept. 20.
Edwin Díaz (3-2) forced in a run by hitting Christian Yelich on the right thigh with a fastball on the first pitch of an at-bat in the eighth.
Jeff McNeil hit a two-run single with no outs in the bottom half off Brent Suter (8-4), who was trying for his first big league save.
DeGrom allowed a home run to Luis Urías on his fourth pitch and another to Jace Peterson that put Milwaukee ahead 2-1 in the fifth.
DeGrom got his third straight no-decision, allowing two runs and four hits in seven innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks,
Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer and Kyle Tucker’s tiebreaking solo shot in the seventh inning lifted Houston over Oakland for its sixth straight victory.
Pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte had a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and added a tworun home run during a seven-run eighth as Atlanta avoided a sweep by surging past host Pittsburgh.
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his 24th home run for the Braves while going 3 for 5.
Lance Lynn allowed one run over six innings in his first start since earning a berth on the AL AllStar team, and Chicago defeated Minnesota.
Tim Anderson had four hits and Leury García hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the second inning and added a run-scoring triple and a single.
Derby field finalized
The field is set for the All-Star Home Run Derby after Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo and Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto filled the last two spots for Monday’s slugfest at Coors Field in Denver.
Gallo has 23 homers after going deep two more times Wednesday, with shots of 462 and 440 feet to become the first Rangers player ever with 10 homers in a 10-game span.
The 22-year-old Soto, a first-time All-Star, hit his 11th home run Wednesday night at San Diego.
The two will compete with Angels pitcher-designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Kansas City catcher Salvador Pérez, Oakland first baseman Matt Olson, Baltimore first baseman Trey Mancini and Colorado shortstop Trevor Story in the derby.
Alonso won the most recent derby in 2019.