Bryant Lifts Cubs to Win, Cardinals Beat Brewers

By ESPN

Kris Bryant wouldn't let another win slip away. After Chicago squandered two leads, Bryant's RBI single in the eighth inning lifted the Cubs to a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur doubled to left field with one out against Pirates reliever Tony Watson (1-3). Bryant, who had three hits and reached base four times, followed with his tiebreaking hit to put the Cubs back ahead.

"I just go out and try to make something happen," Szczur said. "I was able to get a good pitch to drive and (Bryant) did the rest. . We've been grinding, we're a bunch of grinders, so that was a good way to end the first half. We feel good about ourselves."

Chicago avoided a series sweep ended its five game losing streak. Pittsburgh lost for just the second time in 11 games heading to the All-Star break.

With the win, the Cubs carry a seven-game lead over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals into the break.

"We need a break," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. "We need to get guys rested. The combination of the schedule and, more specifically, the last week with the way games were scheduled, it put us in a fatigue situation."

Cubs reliever Pedro Strop (2-2) gave up Andrew McCutchen's tying sacrifice fly in the seventh, Carl Edwards pitched a hitless eight and Hector Rondon got the last three outs for his 14th save.

The Pirates tied the score at 5-5 after the Cubs failed to turn a double play off a dribbler from Starling Marte in the seventh. With rookie Josh Bell at second base and John Jaso at first, Marte grounded to shortstop Addison Russell with Bell running back to second.

Russell didn't tag Bell and instead handed off to second baseman Ben Zobrist, whose relay throw to first failed to beat Marte. First baseman Anthony Rizzo threw back across the diamond to third, where Bell avoided a tag from Javier Baez.

With runners on the corners and one out, McCutchen drove in Bell with a fly to deep right field. Strop ended the inning by getting David Freese on a fly ball.

Cardinals 5, Brewers 1

For a team that thinks it can and will play a whole lot better, the St. Louis Cardinals are in decent position.

Mike Leake struck out a season-high 10 over seven innings, Matt Adams and Randal Grichuk homered, and the Cardinals cooled off Milwaukee rookie Junior Guerra in a 5-1 victory over the Brewers on Sunday.

Aledmys Diaz scored from first on a single in the fifth to snap a tie and the Cardinals entered the All-Star break having cut a 12-game deficit to the Cubs to seven in the NL Central.

"That's pretty impressive," manager Mike Matheny said, "because we haven't played well."

Adams snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a solo homer estimated at 455 feet to lead off the second. That ended a 16 1/3-inning scoreless streak for Guerra (6-2). The right-hander allowed another solo shot to Grichuk in the sixth and snapped a three-start winning streak.

Grichuk and Adams added RBI hits in the ninth.

"Even though the (hitless skid) I felt that I was squaring up some balls and just hitting them hard right at them," Adams said. "But I was swinging at balls I don't normally swing at. The last couple days I felt I was able to manage the strike zone a little bit better."

Jonathan Lucroy had two hits, including an RBI single in the first for the Brewers, who are 0-13-1 in their last 14 series with St. Louis.

Braves 2, White Sox 0

Jeff Francoeur has been around long enough to know a starting pitcher throwing in front of his family and friends may not always go smoothly.

For Mike Foltynewicz, it couldn't have gone much better.

Foltynewicz allowed five hits in seven innings, Francoeur and Jace Peterson homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Sunday.

Foltynewicz (3-3), who grew up in the far southwest suburbs of Chicago, had a career-high 10 strikeouts and no walks. He struck out the side in the seventh on 12 pitches.

"Especially with family and friends being here, growing up close to here, sometimes that can backfire and you try too hard," Francoeur said. "He was composed, pitched great and we said coming into spring I felt like he was the one wild card on this team we hadn't seen what he could do yet."

The 24-year-old right-hander won for the first time since beating the Giants on May 30. He was placed on the disabled list on June 4 with a bone spur and made his third start since returning.

Sunday, July 10 Scoreboard

Toronto 6, Detroit 1

Washington 3, New York Mets 2

New York Yankees 11, Cleveland 7

Miami 7, Cincinnati 3

Baltimore 4, Los Angeles Angels 2

Boston 4, Tampa Bay 0

Chicago Cubs 6, Pittsburgh 5

Atlanta 2, Chicago White Sox 0

St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Houston 5, Oakland 1 (F/10)

Seattle 8, Kansas City 5

Minnesota 15, Texas 5

Los Angeles Dodgers 3, San Diego 1

Philadelphia 10, Colorado 3

San Francisco 4, Arizona 0

Monday, July 11

No games scheduled

Tuesday, July 12 Schedule (Time Central)

All-Star Game

American vs. National, 7 p.m.