A look at what’s happening all around the majors today: — PAIR OF ACES A pitching showdown at Wrigley Field as Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.84 ERA), the NL leader in wins, faces Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner (13-8, 2.49).
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Only four games are on the schedule, with the Padres and Braves playing in the afternoon, and then Marlins-Mets, Giants-Cubs and White Sox-Twins set for the evening.
Arrieta gave the insurance run right back to San Francisco in the sixth, when Crawford scored from third base on his wild pitch. The Cubs missed a chance to take the lead with Matt Szczur struck out with runners at second and third to end the sixth inning, after a Baez had plated one run on a sacrifice fly.
The Chicago Cubs five-game winning steak came to an end on Saturday as they lost 3-2 to the San Francisco Giants.
Lester (15-4) didn’t give up a hit until Hunter Pence’s solo home run with two out in the seventh inning.
The Rangers almost squandered a seven-run lead but won their sixth straight to push their AL West advantage to 9 1/2 games over the second-place Astros.
“It’s just the consistency of being able to fill (the lineup) out and the type of hitters we have”, manager Jeff Banister said. “And we’re planning on being there”. But they are just 16-29 since that point, leaving them looking up at the Dodgers and clinging to the top spot in the wild-card race.
“We were getting some things going but the boys needed a break and have one of those hard-hit balls fall in”, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “It was good to score some runs off Arrieta and then for our bullpen to hold the lead”.
Both Bumgarner and Arrieta lasted six innings and 103 pitches, and Bumgarner barely got the upper hand by surrendering two runs to Arrieta’s three, though one of Arrieta’s was unearned, courtesy of Baez’s high throw in the first inning. The Cubs have won five straight to improve to 87-47.
Rizzo, who had been on deck several times earlier in the game, was double-switched into the game at first base in the ninth inning, and thus was scheduled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Dexter Fowler would bunt over Rizzo, but he was stealing at the same time. Manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Law to be at full strength when his 15 days on the disabled list end on September 12. “Heart of the order up, man on second, it’s a different game”.
The Cubs won their fifth in a row, moved a season-high 40 games over.500 and reduced their magic number to 13 for clinching the NL Central. After Ben Zobrist reached base on a fielder’s choice and Addison Russell was hit by a pitch, Willson Contreras singled to load the bases.
The sputtering Giants had dropped three of four and eight of 12 overall. Cy Young Award victor Dallas Keuchel was bumped out of the series for extra rest.
“It doesn’t take much to get us started on the right track”.
D-backs 9, Rockies 4 • Chris Owings had four hits and Jake Lamb homered to lead a 14-hit attack for visiting Arizona. Through 135 games in 2014, when they last rode in a World Series parade, they were 73-62. TLS is a decent second baseman, but doesn’t really have the arm for third base, and it showed in that first-inning error.
Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. pitched a one-two-three ninth for his first career save.
That marks seven straight quality starts for Lester, who has surrendered just seven earned runs in that span, good for a 1.35 ERA.
Brandon Crawford created another run all by himself after hitting a one-out single in the sixth.
Awards are nice. Winning’s better, and the Cubs are headed for October business to take care of, perhaps against the Giants. “You don’t expect to see those things often”. “We had opportunities regardless”. Giants RHP Derek Law (elbow) has yet to start throwing since going on the disabled list August 28. “We grinded at-bats, put ourselves in a couple positions against one of the best pitchers in the game”. He could be activated from the disabled list Monday.
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“I just kind of froze”, Rizzo said. Giants third baseman Eduardo Nunez could have let it roll foul, but instead picked it up and threw Fowler out, advancing Rizzo to second.
