San Francisco Giants’ Eduardo Nunez watches his RBI-single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Chicago.
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The last Cubs no-hitter at Wrigley Field was 44 years ago Friday – Milt Pappas against the Padres (Pappas had a flawless game until walking a batter on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth inning). Chicago totaled seven hits and three walks with Arrieta and Javier Baez driving in runs while Baez and Ben Zobrist scored. He collected his 13th win of the year in a seven-inning outing against Atlanta last Sunday and gave up three runs on five hits over seven innings in a 13-4 Giants win.
The Giants remain two games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers, who were 4-2 losers to San Diego. “And we’re planning on being there”.
The Giants fell to a major league-worst 15-29 since the All-Star break, and this is how far they have fallen: they made a victory out of not getting embarrassed.
The Marlins (68-66) moved within three games of the idle St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the second wild-card spot in the National League.
Madison Bumgarner (14-8 2.51 ERA) won the battle over fellow Cy Young hopeful Jake Arrieta, striking out 10 while allowing two earned runs in six innings. The surging Cubs had won five in a row before the offense cooled off in Saturday’s defeat to visiting San Francisco. It’s good for us.
The Cubs had one last chance when pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo led off the ninth with a walk against Will Smith. However, Rizzo was thrown out at second base on bunt attempt by Dexter Fowler.
“It’s pretty incredible”, Joe Maddon said. “Heart of the order up, man on second, it’s a different game”.
In the fifth, prospective NL MVP Kris Bryant made a diving grab on a diving Brandon Crawford liner, to the third baseman’s right. The Reds had loaded the bases in the seventh and eighth and failed to score.
The sputtering Giants had dropped three of four and eight of 12 overall.
Lester had been strong in the first half of the season and wrapped up June in dominant fashion, winning National League Pitcher of the Month with a 1.41 ERA in six starts. “We’ve still got the division in our sights for sure”.
NATIONALS 4, METS 1 Bryce Harper hit two doubles and became the latest player to steal a base against Noah Syndergaard, helping A.J. Cole post his first major league win as Washington beat NY.
It was the final mistake in a game rife with them. TLS is a decent second baseman, but doesn’t really have the arm for third base, and it showed in that first-inning error. The Giants scored in the fourth with the help of a passed ball and added a run in the sixth on Arrieta’s second wild pitch.
I thought it was quite odd that Jorge Soler was scratched from the original lineup with what was reported as an “ingrown toenail,” yet a few hours later was healthy enough to bat for TLS in the fifth and stay in the game for an inning in left field. Milwaukee’s bullpen, however, limited Pittsburgh to just two hits the rest of the way as the Brewers dealt the Pirates their fourth consecutive loss.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Matt Duffy’s three-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning and the last-place Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays for the second straight game, 7-5 on Saturday night.
His personal catcher David Ross said this is the guy he expects to see each time out. “We had opportunities regardless”. “We grinded at-bats, put ourselves in a couple positions against one of the best pitchers in the game”. Rondon could be activated Monday.
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“Just pitch. You can’t prepare for the playoffs”, Lester said. His only previous start against San Francisco at Wrigley Field came on August 9, 2015, when he allowed four hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-0 Cubs win.
