The Chicago Cubs will try to finish off their second consecutive series sweep and run their winning streak to seven games when they face the host Oakland Athletics in the finale of a three-game series Sunday.
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But over his past five starts, Arrieta has gone 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA, and the Cubs have lost all five games. It was the Cubs’ second straight three-game series sweep, and their eighth sweep of a three-game set this year (they also have a pair of two-game series sweeps, over the Angels and Brewers).
Pedro Strop retired the only two batters he faced and Aroldis Chapman (23rd save, third as a Cub) threw a scoreless ninth, although he did allow a two-out single before striking Khris Davis out with a 104 mile per hour fastball.
Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. He allowed two runs on five hits.
J.D. Martinez threw Jay Bruce out at the plate on the final play of the game, enabling Detroit to hold off NY.
NY took advantage of two Detroit errors to cut a thee-run deficit to 6-5 in the seventh. “He was throwing the ball pretty good today”.
Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs for the Tigers. He started at designated hitter against the A’s and went 1-for-4 and scored two runs. Szczur hit a double to start the third but was left stranded at third as Ben Zobrist lined into a double play. The Chicago Cubs just managed to hit it where he threw it. Kris Bryant jumped on the first pitch in the sixth and homered to left to break a scoreless tie.
Overton allowed three more runs in the third inning as his ERA ballooned from an already terrible 9.33 to 10.66. Shortstop Marcus Semien added an RBI single before the inning was over, cutting Chicago’s lead to 7-2.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Navarez hit a pop to shallow left off Mychal Givens.
Ichiro batted in the ninth against Scott Oberg, and he hit a high bouncer that Oberg jumped and grabbed.
After losing 7-2 on Friday things only got worse. The O’s will throw Yovani Gallardo (4-3, 5.47) and Chris Tillman (14-4, 3.50) respectively.
Jose Abreu hit his third homer in four days for the White Sox, who have dropped eight of 11.
Brett Eibner, called up from the minors earlier in the day, homered against Lester leading off the sixth for Oakland. He entered 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA against the Braves, who drafted him in the first round in 2000 and traded him to St. Louis in 2003 in a deal for J.D. Drew.
Nova (8-6) was acquired from the New York Yankees on Monday and gave up three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and no walks. He allowed Brandon Phillips’s two solo homers. Marte and Josh Harrison each had two hits. He allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings.
Toronto’s Devon Travis opened the game with a home run for the second straight day. The Blue Jays made it 2-0 in the top of the fifth on Travis’ RBI single.
The first-place Rangers improved to 10-2 against the Astros this season and pulled 6 games ahead of Houston in the AL West. “He didn’t come to me, he was trying to get some heat on it and go back out there”.
Homer Bailey had a rough outing in only his second start of the season for the Reds. The 24-year-old is now 3-7 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 98 1/3 innings this season.
Unable to push across any runs through extended rallies, Chicago fell back on the home run ball, of which Oakland’s rookie left-hander has been prone to allow – serving up 16 now, in just 98-1/3 innings.
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Carlos Martinez (10-7) surrendered a season-worst seven runs, and his six earned runs matched his season worst. The Cubs are 17-6 since July 10 and 6-0 so far in August.
