Woodruff pitches well, but takes loss for Brewers
CINCINNATI — Luis Castillo struck out nine while pitching one-hit ball into the eighth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the slumping Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Thursday.
Cincinnati won for the fourth time in five games. Jesse Winker went 3 for 3 and scored the only run on Yasiel Puig’s first-inning single.
Castillo was winless in three previous starts against Milwaukee this year, but the All-star right-hander was terrific this time around. He was working on a no-hitter before rookie Keston Hiura singled with one out in the seventh.
Castillo (8-3) might have gone the distance if not for a 69-minute rain delay with two out in the eighth inning.
Milwaukee dropped the last three games of the fourgame set. It hasn’t scored since the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 11-inning Cincinnati win.
Christian Yelich started the ninth with a double off Raisel Iglesias for the Brewers’ second hit. But Iglesias then retired three in a row for his 16th save, helped by left fielder Phillip Ervin’s tumbling catch on Mike Moustakas’ foul ball.
Milwaukee wasted a solid start by former Mississippi State pitcher Brandon Woodruff (10-3), who permitted seven hits, struck out six and walked none in six innings.
Winker led off the first with a double to right. After Joey Votto singled, Puig singled up the third-base line to give Cincinnati the lead.
Nationals 5, Marlins 2
WASHINGTON — Manager Dave Martinez gave Anthony Rendon the option of sitting out a late-morning start after a night game.
The All-star third baseman told Martinez he wanted to play, and he made the most of it.
Rendon hit his 20th homer and knocked in the go-ahead run to help the Washington Nationals finish a three-game sweep of the last-place Miami Marlins with a victory.
Selected for the NL Allstar team for the first time in his seventh season, Rendon is considering pulling out of next week’s festivities in Cleveland to nurse some bumps and bruises. At the plate and in the field, Rendon looked no worse for wear.
“He’s a professional,” Martinez said. “He’s the constant in our lineup that makes things go, and you saw that today.”
Washington has won eight
of nine and 13 of 16 to climb to a season-best four games over .500.
Kurt Suzuki homered in the second inning to extend the Montreal Expos/nationals franchise record for consecutive games with a home run to 18. Rendon hit a solo shot in the fourth off Elieser Hernández (1-3) and drove in Gerardo Parra with a single in
CHICAGO — Niko Goodrum lined a two-run homer in Detroit’s five-run sixth inning, Matthew Boyd struck out 13 to tie a career high and the Tigers topped the Chicago White Sox.
Miguel Cabrera added a 454-foot solo shot and doubled, and Jeimer Candelario also homered. John Hicks and Nicholas Castellanos each had two RBIS as Detroit rebounded after being swept in doubleheader on Wednesday to win for just the second time in its last 13 games.
White Sox rookie Eloy Jiménez hit a 436-foot two-run homer to center and had three RBIS. José Rondón also had a two-run drive, but the Chicago’s winning streak ended at three games and the White Sox failed to climb back to .500.