Cardinals’ bullpen boosts Lynn to fourth straight win
WASHINGTON — Lance Lynn was sharper than he had been all season, which made it all the more frustrating for him when he failed to make it out of the sixth inning.
Bryce Harper didn’t get past the sixth inning either, but for a different reason.
Lynn won his fourth straight start and hit an RBI double, and the St. Louis Cardinals scored three unearned runs to beat Jordan Zimmermann and the Nationals 4-3 on Saturday.
Lynn (4-0) gave up one run and five hits over 5 innings in becoming the NL’s first four-game winner. After the right-hander lost his control in the sixth, Kevin Siegrist retired Danny Espinosa on a twoout fly ball with the bases loaded.
“I’m not going to lie to you, my stuff was better today than it’s been all year,” Lynn said. “That’s the disappointing thing about the way the game finished for me today.”
Harper, meanwhile, was pulled after Nationals f irst-year manager Matt Williams questioned the manner in which the 21-year-old outfielder ran out a comebacker leading off the sixth.
“Lack of hustle. That’s why he came out of the game,” Williams said. “He and I made an agreement, this team made an agreement, that when we play the game, that we hustle at all times.”
“I respect what he did,” Harper said of Williams’ decision. “That’s part of the game.”
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Brewers 8, Pirates 7 at Pittsburgh: Ryan Braun hit two homers, including a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth to win it for Milwaukee.
The go-ahead drive came off Pirates closer Jason Grilli (0-1), his second blown save in six chances.
Ike Davis doubled, singled and walked a day after the Pirates got him in a trade with the Mets.
Braves 7, Mets 5 at New York: Jordan Walden got the final out with the bases Cards catcher Tony Cruz went 2-for- 4 and had two RBIs for St. Louis in a 4-3 win Saturday over the Nationals in Washington. loaded after Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez pulled star closer Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel has been hampered recently by shoulder discomfort. After he left, Walden retired Travis d’Arnaud on a grounder to secure his first save.
Cubs 8, Reds 4 at Chicago: Darwin Barney and Welington Castillo hit two-run homers and Mike Olt added a solo shot for the Cubs. Emilio Bonifacio had three hits and scored twice for the Cubs. Junior Lake, Starlin Castro and Justin Ruggiano each drove in a run.
Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 6 at Los Angeles: Andre Ethier hit a threerun homer and the Dodgers rallied from an early four-run deficit.
Padres 3, Giants 1 at San Diego: Eric Stults (1-2) and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and Everth Cabrera hit a go-ahead triple to lead the Padres. The Giants lost their third straight game.
Rockies 3, Phillies 1 at Denver: Jordan Lyles (30) pitched effectively into the eighth, and Justin Morneau hit his third home run of the season in the fourth.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 4, Orioles 2 at Boston: Brock Holt hit a tiebreaking triple in the seventh inning and scored on Jonathan Herrera’s suicide squeeze to lift the Red Sox. David Ortiz had a solo homer and two hits for Boston.
Tigers 5, Angels 2 at Detroit: Max Scherzer struck out nine in seven innings to spark the Tigers. Detroit had lost 10 straight to the Angels and hadn’t beaten them since Aug. 26, 2012.
Rangers 6, White Sox 3 at Arlington, Texas: Colby Lewis pitched into the sixth for his first win in nearly two years, and Prince Fielder homered for the Rangers. Lewis (1-1) allowed one run over 5¥ innings in his first win since June 17, 2012.
Rays 16, Yankees 1 at St. Petersburg, Fla.: Ryan Hanigan homered twice and had six RBIs, and Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer improved to 4-0 in his career against the Yankees. Archer (2-1) allowed one run and three hits in 6 innings.
Blue Jays 5, Indians 0 at Cleveland: Mark Buehrle pitched into the eighth and remained unbeaten for Toronto. Buehrle (4-0) lowered his ERA to 0.64 in four starts.
Royals 5, Twins 4 at Kansas City: Bruce Chen (1-1) labored through five innings before the Royals’ bullpen shut down Minnesota the rest of the way.
Athletics 4, Astros 3 at Oakland, Calif.: Josh Reddick hit an RBI single that capped a three-run rally in the ninth, lifting the Athletics. Houston lost its sixth in a row.
INTERLEAGUE
Marlins 7, Mariners 0 at Miami: Henderson Alvarez won for the first time since his no-hitter to end the 2013 season, pitching a two-hitter for the Marlins. Alvarez (1-2) retired the first 15 batters en route to the third complete game of his career.