Spencer Patton Pitches, Plays OF In Cubs Win, Cardinals Beat Royals

Manager Joe Maddon's move was so wacky that even his own players laughed. And when it worked better than anyone could have imagined, the Cubs were celebrating again.

Kris Bryant singled home the tiebreaking run in the 15th inning, and Maddon used three pitchers in left field while Chicago beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-2 on Tuesday night in the longest game of the season for both teams.

With the Cubs out of position players, relievers Travis Wood and Spencer Patton (1-0) alternated between left field and the mound in the 14th inning, which ended with Patton getting the final out. Patton is a graduate of South Central High School in Farina. Wood then finished it off with reliever Pedro Strop in left.

"When I went out there to do it originally, the infielders were kind of giggling," said Maddon, who had never done anything like it as a manager.

It worked perfectly as things started falling in place for the Cubs again.

Bryant's only hit on Tuesday -- a single off J.J. Hoover (1-2) -- snapped the tie. Javier Baez added a grand slam in the 15th, the sixth career allowed by Hoover, which is a Reds record. Then it was just a matter of figuring out how to finish it off.

The National League's top team went 1-6 last week but has pulled out of the downturn by winning the first two games of a series against the Reds. The Cubs hit five homers -- three by Bryant -- while taking the opener 11-8.

Cardinals 8, Royals 4

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny could have come up with more promising road trips than one against the red-hot Cubs and World Series champion Royals, with a long flight to Seattle smashed right in between.

The fact that St. Louis won five of eight left him grinning like a schoolboy.

"That's a good trip. This was a tough ask," Matheny said after an 8-4 victory over Kansas City on Tuesday night evened their four-game, two-city series. "This has been a tough month, a lot of games on the road."

Just about everybody in the Cardinals lineup contributed to the offense, while Michael Wacha (4-7) allowed four runs over six bumpy innings -- he served up nine hits and three walks.

His bullpen nearly gave away the win, too: Seung Hwan Oh loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before getting pinch-hitter Alex Gordon to pop out and inducing Eric Hosmer into a routine fielder's choice.

"I don't want to put the team in that situation," Oh said through a translator.

Meanwhile, Yordano Ventura (6-5) allowed seven runs on seven hits, three walks and a hit batter in 5 1/3 innings for Kansas City. Ventura had only allowed one run over his last two starts, both of which came before an eight-game suspension for his role in a benches-clearing brawl during a game June 7 in Baltimore.

Twins 4, White Sox 0

Brian Dozier was struggling to keep his average above .200 for the first two months of the season.

Then June arrived and Dozier turned into one of the hottest hitters in the majors.

Dozier homered twice and drove in four runs, Kyle Gibson pitched seven innings of five-hit ball for his first victory of the season, and the Minnesota Twins blanked the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Tuesday night.

Dozier homered in his third straight game and extended his hitting streak to 10 games as the last-place Twins beat the White Sox for first time in seven tries.

"It's contagious. I know that's a boring answer, but it really is," Dozier said. "Guys heat up around you and you kind of feed off one another. I got a couple good pitches to hit."

Gibson (1-5) struck out seven and walked one in his best performance since coming off the disabled list this month.

Ryan Pressly and Brandon Kintzler each got three outs to finish the six-hitter for Minnesota's first shutout of the season.

Tuesday, June 28 Scoreboard

Texas 7, New York Yankees 1

Washington 5, New York Mets 0

Detroit 7, Miami 5

Cleveland 5, Atlanta 3

Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati 2 (F/15)

Boston 8, Tampa Bay 2

Minnesota 4, Chicago  White Sox 0

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Milwaukee 5

St. Louis 8, Kansas City 4

Toronto 14, Colorado 9

Philadelphia 4, Arizona 3

Houston 7, Los Angeles Angels 1

Seattle 5, Pittsburgh 2

Baltimore 11, San Diego 7

Oakland 13, San Francisco 11

Wednesday, June 29 Schedule (All Times Central)

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

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 11:35 a.m.

Miami at Detroit, 12:10 p.m.

Toronto at Colorado, 2:10 p.m.

Houston at Los Angeles Angels, 2:35 p.m.

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

Philadelphia at Arizona, 2:40 p.m.

New York Mets at Washington, 6 p.m.

Texas at New York Yankees, 6:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

Kansas City at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

San Francisco at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

Thursday, June 30 Schedule (All Times Central)

Texas at New York Yankees, 12:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 1:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets 6:10 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m.

Kansas City at St. Louis, 6:15 p.m.

San Francisco at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.    

Friday, July 1 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Cincinnati at Washington, 5:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets, 6:10 p.m.

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

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Texas at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Houston, 7:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

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

Pittsburgh at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.

Saturday, July 2 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Texas at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 3:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Houston, 3:10 p.m.

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 3:10 p.m.

Kansas City at Philadelphia, 4:50 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Boston, 6:15 p.m.

Cincinnati at Washington, 6:15 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets, 6:15 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.

San Francisco at Arizona, 9:10 p.m.

Sunday, July 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets, 12:10 p.m.

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 12:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Boston, 12:35 p.m.

Cincinnati at Washington, 12:35 p.m.

Kansas City at Philadelphia, 12:35 p.m.

Texas at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Houston, 1:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 3:10 p.m.

Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.

San Francisco at Arizona, 3:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at San Diego, 3:40 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Monday, July 4 Schedule (All Times Central)

Milwaukee at Washington, 10:05 a.m.

Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, 12:10 p.m.

Texas at Boston, 12:35 p.m.

New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox, 1:10 p.m.

Oakland at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m.

Seattle at Houston, 1:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Colorado at San Francisco, 3 p.m.

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 3:05 p.m.

Miami at New York Mets, 3:10 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 6 p.m.

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

Baltimore at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

San Diego at Arizona, 8:10 p.m.