Cubs, Cardinals, White Sox Nab Victories

By ESPN

The Chicago Cubs caught a break this week when NL MVP Kris Bryant avoided serious injury, suffering only a sprained right ankle.

With shortstop Trea Turner, the Washington Nationals were not nearly as lucky.

Oh, and that bullpen is still troublesome, too.

Jon Jay hit a go-ahead two-run double during a three-run ninth-inning rally against Blake Treinen, lifting the Cubs over the Nationals 5-4 on Thursday.

Washington got more bad news after the game: Turner has a broken his right wrist after being hit by a pitch. The team did not have a timetable for his return.

Turner was hit by Pedro Strop's fastball in the seventh, but remained in the game until Stephen Drew entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth.

"I didn't know because I had tape on my wrist, so initially it didn't really feel that bad," Turner said. "After a little while, it started stiffening up on me, so I figured I'd get out of there."

With Turner gone, Treinen (0-2) slogged through the bullpen's 13th blown save this season, tying the NL East leaders with the Phillies and Mets for the National League lead.

Tommy La Stella drove in a run with a two-out single against the right-hander, and Jay followed with a hit to right-center that brought home Javier Baez and La Stella.

"Anytime you get a win like that, especially against a team like that, it's awesome," La Stella said. "You never want to say you need a win, because we didn't, but it was certainly nice to get that one."

Washington has been looking for an answer at the back of its bullpen all season. Six pitchers have at least one save for Washington, and four of them also have at least two blown saves. Treinen joined that club as his ERA rose to 6.11

"It's getting exhausting," Treinen said. "I'm sure they are sick of seeing the same result when I'm out there."

Wade Davis struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 16th save after Felix Pena (1-0) worked the eighth.

Manager Dusty Baker was ejected for the first time in his two seasons with the Nationals after arguing a third-strike call in the sixth.

Rookie Jeimer Candelario, who started for the injured Kris Bryant at third base, broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh by launching his first career homer off starter Joe Ross.

Washington took a 4-2 lead in the seventh on Anthony Rendon's two-run homer and Brian Goodwin's RBI single.

Turner stole two bases, bumping up his total to seven in the series and 35 on the season. He entered the day tied for the NL lead with Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton.

Candelario was hit by Treinen's fastball in the left knee to start the ninth-inning rally. Candelario appeared to be in significant pain and was visited by a team trainer, but stayed in the game. He went for X-rays after the win.

Bryant is expected to miss at least a couple of games after spraining his right ankle in an 8-4 loss Wednesday.

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras threw out two attempted base stealers, including Turner at third base in the first.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning before the starting pitchers dominated.

Ross allowed two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. After allowing Contreras's RBI single in the first, Ross didn't allow a hit until the sixth or a run until Candelario's shot.

Cubs starter Jon Lester gave up Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single in the first, but then blanked Washington over the next five innings. He struck out seven and allowed three hits. Over his last four starts, Lester is 2-0 with 2.42 ERA.

The win split the four-game series and kept the defending World Series champions from falling under .500.

"You're always looking for that moment you don't know until the next day's game is played," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I loved the way we fought to the very end."

Cardinals 10, Diamondbacks 4

Three weeks in the minor leagues improved Randal Grichuk's swing.

Grichuk hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and drove in five runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-4 Thursday.

In his fourth big league season, Grichuk was sent down May 29 and recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday after 15 games in the minors.

"I definitely took it as a wake-up call," he explained. "I said, let's go and make sure it doesn't happen again."

He homered in each of his first two games back, using a shorter swing, but was 0 for 9 entering Thursday.

Arizona led 3-2 with two outs in the seventh when pinch-hitter Luke Voit doubled off Ruby De La Rosa (0-1) and Matt Carpenter was intentionally walked.

You have an established major-league hitter has a tremendous track record," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

Grichuk sent a 1-2 slider into the left-field seats.

"It definitely shows there's not respect," Grichuk said of Arizona's strategy.

De La Rosa said he tried to throw a breaking ball in the dirt.

"I put too much effort," he said.

Tommy Pham hit a two-run single off Randall Delgado in the eighth. Grichuk followed with a two-run double, raising his average to .233 with seven homers and 28 RBI. He scored on Stephen Piscotty's single.

Lance Lynn (6-5) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin gave up two runs and five hits in six innings.

Gregor Blanco hit an RBI double in the third, but Jose Martinez had a two-run single in the fourth. Goldschmidt's 19th homer tied the score in the bottom half, and Jake Lamb hit an RBI grounder in the sixth after Blanco's triple.

Lamb homered in the ninth against Mike Mayers.

White Sox 4, Yankees 3

The Chicago White Sox managed to quiet Aaron Judge on Thursday night, although there was a hush over all the New York Yankees after a gut-wrenching first inning.

Following a frightening moment for Yankees outfielder Dustin Fowler in his major league debut, Melky Cabrera and David Robertson combined to foil Judge, and Chicago beat New York 4-3 on Thursday night.

Fowler left to have season-ending surgery on his right knee after a crash into a wall. The 22-year-old started the game in right field and slammed into the short sidewall near the corner trying to catch Jose Abreu's foul ball with one out in the first inning. Fowler calmly tried to stand and walk after hitting the wall, but his right leg buckled twice before he sat down on the warning track and waited for help.

Fowler had an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee, the Yankees said, and had surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Manager Joe Girardi estimated it would be at least six months before Fowler was recovered.

The rookie was due up for his first major league plate appearance in the second inning.

"It's one of the worst things I've seen on a baseball field," left fielder Brett Gardner said. "I just can't imagine a worse scenario for him.

"It's heartbreaking. He's a good kid and a really, really good player with a bright future."

The injury-riddled Yankees are down yet another man after losing for the 12th time in 16 games and falling a game behind first-place Boston in the AL East.

"We've been through a lot in the past 10 days or so, and today was probably one of the tougher nights," Girardi said.

Cabrera robbed Judge of what would have been his major league-leading 28th homer in the fifth inning. Cabrera leapt at the wall, reeled in the high drive and then momentarily pretended he hadn't caught it before pulling the ball from his glove.

"I had a very good read on that ball," Cabrera said. "I jumped at the precise moment."

Robertson halted Judge in the ninth, striking out the slugger with Gardner at first base to cap his 12th save.

Judge finished 0 for 2 with three walks, one intentional.

"The way he's swinging, I understand why they did it," Girardi said.

White Sox right-hander James Shields (2-1) pitched into the seventh inning for his longest outing this season. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- and five hits in 6 1/3 innings in his third start since spending two months on the disabled list with a strained right lat.

"I felt good for the most part," Shields said. "I was a little inconsistent throughout the game, but I made pitches when I needed to."

Willy Garcia had two hits and two RBI, Abreu had two doubles and Omar Narvaez drove in a run to help the AL-worst White Sox win for the third time in 11 games. The game was delayed by rain for nearly three hours, with the first pitch thrown at 10 p.m.

Austin Romine and Ronald Torreyes drove in runs for New York.

Yankees starter Luis Cessa (0-3) allowed four runs, two earned, in 4 2/3 innings in his third start in place of injured CC Sabathia, who may be close to returning.

Thursday, June 29 Scoreboard

Cleveland 5, Texas 1

Detroit 7, Kansas City 3

Houston 6, Oakland 1

St. Louis 10, Arizona 4

Chicago  Cubs 5, Washington 4

Boston 6, Minnesota 3

Pittsburgh 4, Tampa Bay 0

Baltimore 2, Toronto 0

Milwaukee 11, Cincinnati 3

New York Mets 6, Miami 3

Chicago White Sox 4, New York Yankees 3

San Diego 6, Atlanta 0

Los  Angeles Dodgers 6, Los Angeles Angels 2

Friday, June 30 Schedule (All Times Central)

Tampa  Bay at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Boston at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Cleveland at Detroit, 6:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York Mets, 6:10 p.m.

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

Miami at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at Houston, 7:10 p.m.

Minnesota at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

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

Colorado at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Atlanta at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles Angels, 9:07 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.

Saturday, July 1 Schedule (All Times Central)

Boston at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Cleveland at Detroit, 12:10 p.m.

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

Minnesota at Kansas City, 1:15 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 3:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco at Pittsburgh, 3:05 p.m.

Miami at Milwaukee, 3:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 3:10 p.m.

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

Cleveland at Detroit, 6:15 p.m.

New York Yankees at Houston, 6:15 p.m.

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

Minnesota at Kansas City, 7:35 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles Angels, 9:07 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.

Colorado at Arizona, 9:10 p.m.

Sunday, July 2 Schedule (All Times Central)

Boston at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Cleveland at Detroit, 12:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York Mets, 12:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 12:35 p.m.

San Francisco at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.

Texas at Chicago Whtie Sox, 1:10 p.m.

Miami at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.

New York Yankees at Hosuton, 1:10 p.m.

Minnesota at Kansas City, 1:15 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles Angels, 2:37 p.m.

Atlanta at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Colorado at Arizona, 3:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego, 3:40 p.m.

Washington at St. Louis, 7 p.m.