The Cubs have the best pitching staff in baseball (well, they have the best team in baseball), but the first three games of this series have been a total mismatch.
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Jon Lester earned the victory for the Cubs, retiring 10 straight hitters from the second until the sixth innings.
The Cubs are the most games over.500 since they were 97-63 on September 27, 2008.
Bryant, who hit 26 home runs while winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2015, had his third multihome run game of the season. He opened with five shutout innings before giving up Marcell Ozuna’s two-run homer in the sixth.
Bryant homered twice, doubled and drove in five runs while going 5 for 5, and the Chicago Cubs overcame Arrieta’s wildness to beat the Brewers 9-6 Thursday for a four-game sweep. He became the second player since 1913 with multiple five-hit, two-homer games in the same season. The Cubs improved the best record in the majors to 77-43.
Rizzo leapt atop the side wall with both feet just past the tarp, leaned into the crowd and made a circus catch of Keon Broxton’s foul pop. Rizzo has driven in 86 runs and Bryant 78. “He always tells me: ‘I’m your Prince'”.
“I can’t say enough about having him behind me”, Bryant said, “as a mentor and someone I learn a lot from (with) how he goes about his at-bats”.
Chicago’s ace welcomed Bryant’s big day with the wind blowing out.
J.J. Hardy, Orioles – The shortstop went 3 for 4 with two homers and three RBIs in a 13-5 rout of the Astros.
In the opener, Trevor Cahill came off the disabled list to throw five innings of two-hit ball in his first start in almost 16 months in Chicago’s 4-0 win. “Me and Rizz (Anthony Rizzo) said that today in our little group huddle”.
– Making his first start since coming off the disabled list with right elbow inflammation, Indians starter Danny Salazar lasted just one inning against the White Sox.
“I’m more pissed off than anything I couldn’t finish off that inning”, said Lester, who nonetheless received a big ovation from the crowd as he walked to the dugout.
The Cubs, trying to complete a four-game sweep of the Brewers, hold a 4-0 lead entering the bottom of the third inning at warm Wrigley Field.
The Royals have won five straight and eight of nine to move above.500 for the first time since July 22.
“Tyler Naquin was sitting over there by the bat rack for a couple of days, ready to hit”, Francona said. “You’ve got to be extremely focused on every pitch when he does to bat”.
“It was a good day to be a hitter”, manager Craig Counsell said.
Willson Contreras caught Arrieta for the first time. The 24-year-old rookie has moved ahead of struggling veteran Miguel Montero.
Nelson (6-13) walked leadoff batter Dexter Fowler then hit Kris Bryant with a pitch to begin the first.
In fact, when he walked Jake Elmore with two out in the seventh on his 118 pitch, he snatched angrily at the ball when Ross threw it back to the mound – his night of work done.
Michael Carter-Williams posted 20 points and added 11 assists, and Greg Monroe contributed his own triple-double, but the Bucks fell 109-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
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The Brewers are 5-2 in their last 7 during game 4 of a series and 6-2 in Davies’ last 8 starts with 4 days of rest.
