AROUND THE HORN
Mets: Jacob deGrom left his start Wednesday against the Cubs with right shoulder soreness after pitching three perfect innings. DeGrom, 33, struck out eight of the nine batters he faced while driving in a run with an RBI single in the second. He threw 51 pitches and was replaced by Sean Reid-Foley. It was the second straight start the two-time NL Cy Young winner left early.
Dodgers: OF Cody Bellinger was placed the IL for the second time this season. The Dodgers expect this stint to be a lot shorter. Bellinger, who missed 46 games earlier this season with a hairline fracture in his leg, was placed on the IL because of lingering tightness in his left hamstring. He first suffered the injury Saturday and hadn’t played since. Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP, was hitting just .233 since returning from his prior stint on the IL.
Reds: Tyler Mahle tied his career high with 12 strikeouts, Tucker Barnhart drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the seventh, and the Reds beat the host Brewers 2-1 on Wednesday to finish a three-game sweep. The Reds have won six straight and 11 of 13. Mahle (7-2) allowed three hits and a pair of walks over six innings as he surpassed the 10-strikeout mark for the first time this season and fifth of his career.
Cardinals: Yadier Molina grounded an RBI single down the third-base line in the ninth and the Cardinals edged the visiting Marlins 1-0 to sweep the season series. Molina’s eighth career regular season walk-off hit came with one out and sent the Marlins to their fourth straight loss. Paul Goldschmidt reached on an error by shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr. to start the ninth. After Matt Carpenter walked with one out, Molina singled off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (4-6). The Cardinals went 6-0 against the Marlins this year for their first season sweep over the club. The Cardinals won all three games at Busch Stadium in their final at-bat. Cardinals starter Johan Oviedo is still seeking his first major league win despite pitching a career-high seven scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed six hits, struck out four, walked none and 63 of his 87 pitches were strikes.
Nationals: Paolo Espino got his first major league win at age 34, Josh Bell hit a two-run HR against his former team and the host Nationals beat the Pirates 3-1 for a three-game sweep. Espino (1-2) allowed three hits in five scoreless innings. He struck out two and walked none. The Nats have won four straight. The Pirates extended their skid to 10 games.
Tigers: Willi Castro homered during a three-run rally in the seventh and the Tigers beat the Royals 6-5 for a three-game sweep. It was the Tigers’ first sweep in Kansas City since 2014. The Royals have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. Royals starter Brady Singer was removed after three innings with tightness in his shoulder. Tarik Skubal (4-7) picked up the win for the Tigers. He allowed three runs on six hits in six innings, striking out seven against an all-righthanded lineup.
White Sox: Yasmani Grandal hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th and the White Sox beat the visiting Rays 8-7, taking two of three from the Rays in a matchup of division leaders. Jóse Abreu hit his 12th HR for the White Sox, who’ve won 10 of 13. Ryan Burr (1-0) worked a scoreless 10th for the White Sox. Yandy Díaz and Mike Zunino homered for the Rays.