Cubs' Lester Strikes Out 14 In Win, Cardinals Drop 1-0 Decision

Jon Lester said he wasn't counting his K's, but he sure dominated like a big-time, big-money starter. Lester (6-8) struck out 14, one shy of his career high and the most for a Cubs pitcher in more than a decade, leading Chicago over the Colorado Rockies 3-2 Wednesday.

The 6-foot-4 left-hander struck out seven of his first eight hitters and nine of the first 14. He allowed two runs, five hits and one walk in eight innings.

Lester's strikeout high was set for Boston on May 3 last year against Oakland. He became the first Cubs pitcher to strike out 14 since Mark Prior had 16 on Sept. 30, 2004.

Reds 1, Cardinals 0

The Reds may have finally figured out the secret to beating the Cardinals at Busch Stadium: Don't let them score.

Jay Bruce homered in the second to back Anthony DeSclafani's seven innings of three-hit ball, and Cincinnati shut out St. Louis for the second straight night, 1-0 on Wednesday.

The Reds ended a nine-series losing streak in St. Louis and have won consecutive games at Busch Stadium for the first time since July 6 and Sept. 2, 2011. It was the first time Cincinnati won consecutive games in the same series since June 2006.

White Sox 9, Red Sox 2

What a difference a week has made for the Chicago White Sox. Adam Eaton opened the game with a home run, Jose Quintana pitched 6 1/3 solid innings and the White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2 on Wednesday night for their season-high seventh straight win.

Rumored to be potential sellers at Friday's upcoming non-waiver trade deadline, the White Sox find themselves in their best stretch this season. It's their longest winning streak since 2012.

Eaton and Melky Cabrera both had three hits, including RBI singles. Alexei Ramirez hit a solo homer for the White Sox, who built a 6-0 lead and chased Boston starter Rick Porcello in the third inning.

Wednesday, July 29 Scoreboard

Wednesday, July 29

Cleveland 12, Kansas City 1

Detroit 2, Tampa Bay 1

Pittsburgh 10, Minnesota 4

Chicago Cubs 3, Colorado 2

Arizona 8, Seattle 2

San Francisco 5, Milwaukee 0

Toronto 8, Philadelphia 2

Chicago White Sox 9, Boston 2

San Diego 7, New York Mets 3

Washington 7, Miami 2

Baltimore 2, Atlanta 0

Houston 6, Los Angeles Angels 3

Texas 5, New York Yankees 2

Cincinnati 1, St. Louis 0

Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Oakland 7

Thursday, July 30 Schedule (All Times Central)

San Diego at New York, 11:10 a.m.

Washington at Miami, 11:10 a.m.

Detroit at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Chicago at Boston, 6:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

Colorado at St. Louis, 6:15 p.m.

New York at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Chicago at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

Seattle at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles at Houston, 7:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.