Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras, right, celebrates with Javier Baez, center after hitting a two-run home run as Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings reacts during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 19, 2016, i. Contreras connected for a two-run shot against A.J. Schugel in the sixth and Russell added a two-run blast off Jorge Rondon in the seventh.
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Although discounting the ability of the Cubs offense in any game is nearly always a fool’s errand, the Pirates gave some glimpses tonight of the possibility that they might have more fight in them than they’ve shown so far this season.
Saunders connected with two on against Mike Wright (3-4) in the first inning, added another three-run drive off Wright in the fourth and went deep against Ubaldo Jimenez with a man on in the sixth. Jameson Taillon (1-1), making his third career Major League Baseball start, was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning after allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking one over four innings. They left RISP in the second, fourth, fifth and seventh innings, and seemed to have a good chance to break the game open in the seventh after Jason Heyward was hit by a pitch to lead off and advanced to second on a groundout. The left-hander gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings and lost his second straight start.
Diamondbacks 10, Phillies 2: Peter O’Brien and Yasmany Tomas each hit two of Arizona’s team-record six home runs to lead Arizona to a victory over Philadelphia. He struck out five.
Braves 4, Mets 3: Ender Inciarte created the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Atlanta came back from an early three-run deficit. The 39-year-old climbed the dugout steps for a curtain call after the solo shot, which ended Niese’s day. The Cubs had chipped away at the 3-1 lead that the Pirates built, and with one out in the inning, Ross took the count full and took a two-seam fastball from Jon Niese over the wall. The former #2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft gave up four runs on eight hits in four innings pitched Sunday, picking up the first loss of his big league career along the way.
The Royals’ 21 hits and 16 runs were season highs. Andrew McCutchen beat the Cubs’ shift with a dribbler between first and second base to score Mercer, who led off the inning with a double.
Marlins 5, Rockies 1: Adam Conley and four relievers combined on a one-hitter, and Miami snapped Colorado’s four-game winning streak by rallying for a victory. Bryant sent a 3-0 pitch that curved toward the foul line but landed in the left field basket for the 17th homer of the season.
The official measurement on Bryant’s blast was 448 feet. Fowler pulled up lame while running out a ground ball to third base. FAMILY MATTER The Pirates placed right-hander Juan Nicasio on the restricted list to tend to a family matter. It’s unclear when Nicasio could return, though he’s expected to miss his scheduled start Tuesday against the Giants.
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“We weren’t able to convert the opportunities, and when you’re facing an elite pitcher and you don’t get him and you don’t convert it usually doesn’t end up well”, manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’re going to stay confident and keep pushing and keep fighting”. To clear space, RHP Rob Scahill was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis and LHP Cory Luebke was designated for assignment.
