Bellinger drives in 4 in twin bill, but Cubs split with Reds
CINCINNATI – Noelvi Marte’s two-out single in the ninth drove in the winning run as the Cincinnati Reds rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs and a split of the Friday doubleheader between the playoff contenders.
Nick Martini homered off Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay (2-5) with one out in the ninth to tie the game. Christian Encarnacion-Strand followed with a single. Pinch-runner Stuart Fairchild stole second, went to third on an errant throw by catcher Yan Gomes and then scored easily on Marte’s sharp hit up the middle.
Chicago won the first game 6-2 with Cody Bellinger driving in three runs and rookie right-hander Jordan Wicks turning in another quality start.
Bellinger, as he did in the first game, opened the scoring for the Cubs with a homer in the night cap, a two-out shot in the third inning.
The Reds tied it in the bottom half with an RBI double by TJ Friedl, but Ian Happ’s two-out base hit in the fifth gave the Cubs the lead until Cincinnati’s ninth-inning heroics.
Both teams had to get creative with their pitching to manage the doubleheader, which was made necessary by a rainout at Cincinnati in April.
The Cubs started right-hander José Cuas, who was reinstated from the bereavement list before the second game, but manager David Ross went to lefty Drew Smyly after Cuas had retired two of the first three Reds hitters in the first inning.
The Reds, whose starting pitchers have been struggling for weeks, promoted Lyon Richardson from Triple-A Louisville to start the late game.
The 23-year-old right-hander, making his third major league start, walked the bases full in the first inning but wriggled out of it by striking out Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki. He gave up the first two Cubs runs before exiting with one out in the fifth.
Reds closer Alexis Diaz (7-4) picked up the win by pitching a scoreless ninth.
Friday’s other game
Guardians 3, Rays 2: Rookie Bo Naylor doubled home Gabriel Arias with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, sending host Cleveland to its third win in a row. The Guardians trailed 2-1 entering the seventh, but Andrés Giménez led off with a single, stole second and came home on Arias’ single. Naylor followed with a drive to the wall in right-center off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow (7-5). Tampa Bay had its four-game winning streak snapped. Eli Morgan (5-2) pitched the seventh and Emmanuel Clase got his MLB-leading 37th save with a perfect ninth.
Yankees’ Judge becomes fastest to 250 HRs
HOUSTON – New York Yankees star Aaron Judge became the fastest player in major league history to reach 250 home runs with a solo shot off Justin Verlander in the fifth inning Friday night against the Houston Astros.
Judge reached the milestone in his 810th career game, besting Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard, who did it in 2010 in his 855th game.
Leading off the fifth, Judge sent the first pitch to the train tracks above the left-field stands to extend New York’s lead to 6-2. Judge smiled broadly as he rounded the bases and was greeted at the dugout with high-fives from many of his teammates.
MLB won’t extend the pitch clock for the postseason
NEW YORK – Major League Baseball is keeping the pitch clock the same for the postseason as it was for the regular season, brushing aside complaints from some players.
Following an MLB executive council meeting this week, the commissioner’s office informed the competition committee there will be no change, a decision first reported by Sports Illustrated. The competition committee adopted the clock ahead of the 2023 season along with restrictions on defensive shifts and larger bases.
The clock is set at 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds when there are runners.
The average time of a nine-inning game has dropped from 3 hours, 10 minutes in 2021 to 3:04 last year, when the PitchCom electronic signaling device was introduced, and to 2:39 so far this season. That is on track to be the fastest since 1984.
The average has crept up from 2:37 in April to 2:38 in May, 2:39 in June and 2:41 in both July and August.
Clock violations have averaged 0.48 per game, dropping from 0.71 in April to 0.57 in May, 0.41 in June, 0.38 in July and 0.29 in August.
Hunter Greene among 3 Reds pitchers on COVID-19 list
CINCINNATI – Reds right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene will miss at least a week after he was among three pitchers placed on the COVID-19 injured list, the team said Friday.
“Hunter will be on the COVID list for seven days,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He could pitch any time after that as long as he gets better each day. He could start on Friday. That would be the earliest.”
Greene (3-6), a 24-year-old fireballer, had three starts after returning Aug. 20 from nearly two months on the injured list with a sore hip.