Cubs Walk Over Reds, Brewers Down Cards, MLB Scores

From the top spot in the order all the way to the bottom, the Chicago Cubs walked all over the Cincinnati Reds. Even John Lackey got into the act.

Lackey pitched into the seventh inning and had one of Chicago's 10 walks, helping the Cubs equal the best eight-game start in franchise history with a 9-2 victory on Wednesday night.

"This lineup's deep," Lackey said. "Looking from the other side as a pitcher, it's tough to get through without suffering a little bit of damage."

Miguel Montero walked twice and scored three times for the Cubs, who improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1985 and just the 11th time overall. Kris Bryant hit his first homer of the season, and Jason Heyward contributed a two-run single and a diving grab to take a hit away from Scott Schebler in the fourth.

Chicago leads the majors with 48 walks and has outscored its opponents 56-20 during its impressive start.

"Big at-bats all night long," manager Joe Maddon said. "We were not chasing out of the zone up and down the lineup."

Lackey (2-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 6⅔ innings in his first start at Wrigley Field since he signed a $32 million, two-year deal with Chicago in free agency over the winter. He struck out seven and walked three, rebounding nicely from a shaky start at Arizona last Thursday.

The last time Lackey took the mound at the Cubs' longtime home, he lasted just three innings in the Cardinals' 6-4 loss in the clinching Game 4 of the NL Division Series in October.

Lackey also contributed at the plate, chasing Alfredo Simon with a two-out RBI single in Chicago's five-run first. Jorge Soler had a sacrifice fly, and Addison Russell singled home a run before Lackey drove in Montero with a grounder into right field.

Brewers 6, Cardinals 4

Domingo Santana guessed correctly. The Milwaukee outfielder was thinking fastball when he ripped a go-ahead, two-run homer in the ninth inning that lifted the Milwaukee Brewers past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Wednesday night.

Santana pounded a 98-mph pitch from closer Trevor Rosenthal (0-1) with two out.

"Just looking for a heater, that was pretty much my approach," Santana said. "It felt good. It even felt better because we won the ball game."

Santana drilled an 0-1 offering 440 feet to center, the longest of his nine major league home runs.

"That's a strong man to be able to do something like that," Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "It was huge."

The home run was the first surrendered by Rosenthal this season and just the 12th of his three-plus year career.

"I made a mistake over the middle that he was ready to hit," Rosenthal said. "And he put a good swing on it."

Kirk Nieuwenhuis started the two-out rally with a walk. All of the Brewers' runs came with two away.

White Sox 3, Twins 0

The revamped Chicago White Sox have had no shortage of contributors to their strong start to the season.

Third starter Carlos Rodon and journeyman backup outfielder Jerry Sands were the latest to join the list.

Rodon worked his way out of trouble several times to complete six scoreless innings, Sands hit a two-run homer and the White Sox kept the Minnesota Twins winless with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday night.

"You want a lot of guys chipping in and doing something to help you win games," manager Robin Ventura said. "It's not like we're clubbing people 11-0 and everybody's getting four hits a night. You're seeing guys come through."

The 0-8 Twins sure aren't. They've been outscored 33-13 this season.

"Three runs seems like a big mountain right now," manager Paul Molitor said.

Wednesday, April 13 Scoreboard
    
New York Mets 2, Miami 1

Los Angeles Angels 5, Oakland 1

Seattle 4, Texas 2 (F/10)

Boston 4,  Baltimore 2

Washington 3, Atlanta 0

Philadelphia 2,  San Diego 1

Detroit 7, Pittsburgh 3

Toronto 7, New York Yankees 2

Cleveland 4, Tampa Bay 1

Chicago Cubs 9, Cincinnati 2

Chicago Whtie sox 3, Minnesota 0

Kansas City 4, Houston 2

Milwaukee 6, St. Louis 4

Colorado 10, San Francisco 6

Los Angeles Dodgers 3, Arizona 1

Thursday, April 14 Schedule (All Times Central)

Detroit at Pittsburgh, 10:35 a.m.

San Diego at Philadelphia, 11:05 a.m.

Chicago at Minnesota, 11:10 a.m.

Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 11:10 a.m.

Milwaukee at St. Louis, 11:45 a.m.

San Francisco at Colorado, 1:10 p.m.

Atlanta at Washington, 2:05 p.m.

New York at Toronto, 5:07 p.m.

Cincinnati at Chicago, 6 p.m.

Baltimore at Texas, 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Houston, 6:10 p.m.

Arizona at Los Angeles, 8:10 p.m.

Friday, April 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 12:20 p.m.

New York Mets at Cleveland, 5 p.m.

Seattle at New York Yankees, 5:05 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 5:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 5:05 p.m.

Toronto at Boston, 5:10 p.m.

Atlanta at Miami, 5:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay, 5:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Texas, 6:05 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota, 6:10 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 6:10 p.m.

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

Kansas City at Oakland, 8:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

Arizona at San Diego, 8:40 p.m.

Saturday, April 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Seattle at New York Yankees, 11:05 a.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota, 12:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at St. Louis, 12:15 p.m.

Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 12:20 p.m.

Toronto at Boston, 2:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Oakland, 2:05 p.m.

New York Mets at Cleveland, 2:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 5:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 5:05 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 5:10 p.m.

Atlanta at Miami, 5:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Texas, 6:05 p.m.

Arizona at San Diego, 6:40 p.m.

San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.    

Sunday, April 17 Schedule (All Times Central)

Seattle at New York Yankees, 11:05 a.m.

New York Mets at Cleveland, 11:10 a.m.

Atlanta at Miami, 11:10 a.m.

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay, 11:10 a.m.

Toronto at Boston, 11:35 a.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 11:35 a.m.

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 11:35 a.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota, 12:10 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 12:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at St. Louis, 12:15 p.m.

Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 12:20 p.m.

Baltimore at Texas, 1:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Oakland, 2:05 p.m.

Arizona at San Diego, 2:40 p.m.

San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6 p.m.