Cubs' Joe Maddon Picks Up 1,000th Career Win; Red Sox Down Cardinals

By ESPN

Cubs manager Joe Maddon paired his 1,000th win with a glass of red wine made by Big Smooth Wines out of Lodi, California.

It was a nod to his past on a very sweet night.

Slumping sluggers Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber homered to help the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-5 on Tuesday, handing a landmark victory to their beloved manager.

Maddon became the eighth active manager with at least 1,000 wins. He started his coaching career in the minors with the Angels and served as the interim manager of the major league club on two occasions before taking over in Tampa Bay. He is in his third season with the Cubs and guided them to a World Series title last year.

"I've seen a lot of different methods," Maddon said with the glass of wine waiting on the table in front of him. "I've been taught well, and I really want to say, it's 1,000 wins. Other guys have done it, but to the players that have been a part of this, I want to say thank you -- because you don't do this without really good players. You don't."

The 63-year-old Maddon, known for his eccentric tricks over the years, such as mariachi bands and impromptu petting zoos, also thanked his coaches before he was toasted by the team in a room off the main clubhouse at Wrigley Field.

"He's a great manager, a great one to play for, and we know that we have his back and he'll have ours," Schwarber said.

Ian Happ hit his second home run in his third major league game, and Addison Russell also went deep as Chicago returned to .500 after a lackluster road trip. National League MVP Kris Bryant added two hits in his first appearance after missing three games because of an illness.

Joey Votto, Zack Cozart and Tucker Barnhart connected for Cincinnati on a warm and windy night. Bronson Arroyo (3-3) was hit hard in five innings, allowing five runs and eight hits.

"It was one of those days, man," Arroyo said. "It's a hard place to pitch when the wind's blowing the way it is, and their guys just did a better job of keeping the ball in the park than we did."

The Cubs (19-19) had dropped seven of nine, including four of their past six at division leaders Colorado and St. Louis.

Schwarber's continued trouble in the leadoff spot and the shaky performance so far by the rotation had created some angst for a fan base expecting more of the same after Chicago's drought-busting crown last year, but no one seemed a bit worried around the team.

Willson Contreras had two hits and two RBIs, and John Lackey (4-3) pitched into the sixth inning in the opener of a 10-game homestand.

"Felt like we all put in pretty good at-bats today," Schwarber said.

Schwarber was hitless in 17 at-bats before he belted a drive in the second inning that landed near the back of the bleachers in right. He singled down the third-base line in the sixth and scored on Happ's bases-loaded walk for a 7-3 lead.

After Votto's two-run shot got Cincinnati (19-19) within two in the seventh, Russell went deep in the bottom half, and Rizzo added his seventh home run of the season in the eighth. Rizzo went 2-for-16 on Chicago's road trip.

"We just couldn't contain them at any point in that ballgame," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Red Sox 6, Cardinals 3

Mookie Betts hasn't felt great about his performances lately, even if the results for the Boston Red Sox right fielder look just fine.

Betts homered and drove in two runs to back six quality innings by Eduardo Rodriguez and the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game interleague series.

"I feel OK," Betts said. "I had a good first at-bat and then not really another good one after that. So I'm just trying to put it all together."

Betts went 1 for 5 and is batting .371 (13 for 35) with five homers and five doubles over his last eight games. He won AL player of the week Monday, but still says he is searching for better rhythm.

"I just feel like I'm not really consistent yet," Betts said. "I have a good game and then a couple bad ones. That's part of the game. It's going to take a while."

Jackie Bradley Jr. had two of Boston's six hits, including a home run, and Rodriguez (2-1) allowed three runs and five hits. Rodriguez walked two, struck out five and threw a season-high 110 pitches.

"Overall he was solid," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We played a strong game, I think, in every phase here tonight. Particularly some very good defensive plays."

St. Louis made three errors and lost for just the second time in 10 games. Lance Lynn (4-2) gave up four runs, two earned, and three hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one.

"I gave up two early with the homers and the team fought back and gave me a lead and I gave it away," Lynn said. "They gave me a chance to win and I didn't get it done."

Betts began the game with his seventh homer and 10th career leadoff shot, tying Jacoby Ellsbury for the franchise record. Bradley added a solo homer in the second for a 2-0 lead.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances.

In the third inning, St. Louis' Dexter Fowler smacked an RBI double off the left field wall, and Tommy Pham and Matt Carpenter followed with sacrifice flies.

The Red Sox scored twice in the fifth after a leadoff walk and an error. Bradley scored on an RBI groundout by Betts. Deven Marrero, who reached on an error by Jedd Gyorko, scored on Dustin Pedroia's single to center to make it 4-3.

Boston scored twice in the eighth, on Christian Vazquez's sac fly and then a dropped fly ball by Pham that was the third Cardinals error.

Angels 7, White Sox 6

Cameron Maybin had five hits, including a tying double in the 11th inning, and Albert Pujols singled home the winning run moments later to give the Los Angeles Angels a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Chicago erased a three-run deficit in the ninth and went ahead 6-5 on Tim Anderson's solo homer in the top of the 11th off Yusmeiro Petit (1-0). But it was the Angels who pulled off the final comeback.

Andrelton Simmons singled leading off the bottom half against closer David Robertson (2-1), and Ben Revere singled with one out. Maybin, batting leadoff for the first time with the Angels, drove a double to left-center that tied it 6-all.

After an intentional walk to Mike Trout loaded the bases, Pujols singled to deep center field for his third RBI of the night.

Tuesday, May 16 Scoreboard

Atlanta 9, Toronto 5

Tampa Bay 6, Cleveland 4

Washington 8, Pittsburgh 4

Baltimore 13,  Detroit 11 (F/13)

Houston 12, Miami 2

Texas 5, Philadelphia 1

Chicago Cubs 9, Cincinnati 5

Colorado 7, Minnesota 3

Boston 6, St. Louis 3

New York Yankees 7, Kansas City 1

Arizona 5, New York Mets 4

Los Angeles Angels 7, Chicago White Sox 6 (F/11)

Oakland 9, Seattle 6

Milwaukee 6, San Diego 2

San Francisco 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Wednesday, May 17 Schedule (All Times Central)

Tampa  Bay at Cleveland, 11:10 a.m.

Houston at Miami, 11:10 a.m.

New York Mets at Arizona, 2:40 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco, 2:45 p.m.

Washington at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Detroit, 6:10 p.m.

Toronto at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Boston at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

Colorado at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels, 9:07 p.m.

Oakland at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.