The bats came to life in the seventh and aided by a pair of Joakim Soria wild pitches were able to tie the game at 4 apiece. “It’s not a surprise”.
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Montero had two hits for the Cubs, who took advantage of two wild pitches from Joakim Soria to rally from a 4-1 deficit.
“He could do it”, Maddon said. To his credit, Lester didn’t panic. That’s all that matters….
“It was the best I’ve ever seen him throw, ” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Martinez.
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a long look at Jake Arrieta on Wednesday night. Stephen Strasburg gave up one hit and tied a career-best with 14 strikeouts in eight dominant innings, and Bryce Harper hit two homers. Burnett has won eight of his last 12 decisions and has a record of 2-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 11 starts at PNC Park this year. With the Cardinals in a bit of a funk, the Pirates chances at claiming the division are as good as they could get. Neil Walker led off the eighth with a single and pinch-runner Pedro Florimon raced to third when Francisco Cervelli’s sharp liner glanced off shortstop Javier Baez’s glove and into shallow right.
Fans expressed disappointment last night in the second game upon seeing the lineup questioning why Sean Rodriguez, Michael Morse and Pedro Florimon were all in it. These disruptions did not affect the clubhouse after the game who stated that staying fresh is extremely important. With the crowd chanting “Les-ter!” “Obviously, Lester is a proven ace who can handle the pressure and handle the big situations in October”.
Lester retired the final seven batters he faced, needing only six pitches to navigate the heart of Pittsburgh’s order in the ninth.
“Lester and I and the other guys know what we have to do to extend our season”. “Yeah, thank you”.
Burnett took a shutout into the sixth inning before the Cubs scored twice on an RBI double by Bryant and a squeeze bunt by Castro.
St. Louis has won consecutive games following a 2-8 skid and increased its lead in the NL Central to three games over second-place Pittsburgh. The Cubs had a chance to break it open, loading the bases before Happ struck out Starlin Castro to avoid further damage.
RAYS 6, YANKEES 3: Nick Franklin hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Rays beat the AL wild-card leading Yankees. Arquimedes Caminero came on to get out of the jam, but Lester already had all the support he needed. We’re in a good spot.
“What I’m doing right now isn’t acceptable”, Hammel said. “The team that I’m facing on any given day isn’t really something I put a lot of time and effort into. I’m beating myself”.
“It’s been just fun to watch from afar”, said Hurdle, who was the Rangers hitting coach in 2010. Now, they have to the face the Milwaukee Brewers on the road, and time will tell if they can get back on track.
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Tony Watson (4-1) pitched a scoreless eighth. He is 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cubs. He gave up two runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk.
