The Cubs have won Arrieta’s last 18 starts – a franchise record – dating to July, and they’ve won his five turns this season by an average of 7.6 runs.
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Corey Kluber pitched a five-hitter for his second career shutout, and Cleveland beat Detroit.
The Pirates got a run in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout off Trevor Cahill but that was all the Pirates would get.
Dexter Fowler had two hits for the Cubs, including a double, and two stolen bases and Javier Baez had two of Chicago’s 11 hits.
A turning point Wednesday came in the third inning.
-Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen was upset that Anthony Rizzo’s shot to center field in the third inning was ruled an error.
He finished the game going 7 innings, allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out five, as he becomes the first Cubs pitcher since Mordecai Brown in 1908 to win his first 6 starts of the season.
Brewers 8, Angels 5: Ryan Braun had three hits and Jimmy Nelson struck out six as the Milwaukee Brewers posted consecutive victories for the first time in two weeks, defeating the Los Angeles Angels, 8-5, at Miller Park. It was his 451st with Boston, one off Carl Yastrzemski’s club record.
“Whoever scored that an error should be fired”, McCutchen said after the Pirates’ 6-2 loss to the Cubs.
Tampa Bay hit four home runs – including a three-run, go-ahead blast from Steve Pearce in the sixth inning – and the Rays split a two-game series with Los Angeles. Holliday then smacked a single through the left side of the infield to drive in plate the winning run.
Edwin Encarnacion singled off Tony Barnette (1-2) to begin the ninth and was replaced by pinch-runner Ezequiel Carrera. After a walk, then an out, then another walk, the bases were loaded for Martin, who drove his hit into the right field corner.
The Miami Marlins edged the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3, while the Seattle v Oakland contest was equally tight, with the Mariners winning a see-saw game 9-8. 364 with 16 hits in 44 at-bats.
Jonathan Papelbon (MSU) breezed through a flawless ninth as the Nationals followed up a sweep of the Cardinals with their fourth straight win. He coasted to his 220th career victory, breaking a tie with Pedro Martinez for the second-most among Dominican-born pitchers and trailing only the 243 by Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.
Pittsburgh’s only runs came on a pinch-hit home run by Matt Joyce, his third pinch-hit homer of the year, in the seventh.
The Chicago Cubs look to keep rolling after winning seven of their last eight games.
Mike Trout had an RBI triple and sparked a four-run eighth with a solo homer.
Tyler Chatwood pitched eight scoreless innings and added a single that led to Colorado’s first run to help the Rockies avoid being swept in a three-game series.
Houston won back-to-back games for the first time in 2016, as Jason Castro homered and drove in four runs, while Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both homered and knocked in three in a 16-4 rout of Minnesota.
Zobrist scored on a wild pitch by Lobstein in the seventh after getting hit to increase the Cubs’ lead to 7-2.
The Cubs have cemented themselves as the favorites in the NL Central after sweeping a three-game set in Pittsburgh this week.
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Jake Arrieta dominated Pittsburgh Pirates yet again, scattering two hits in seven shutout innings as the Chicago Cubs defeated the host Pirates, 7-1, on Tuesday night.
