Cubs Win, Cardinals Lose Sunday

BY ESPN

 Jake Arrieta was shutting `em down and the Cubs' offense was piling up the hits. The defending World Series champions felt a little more like their old selves for one game.

Next challenge: Keep it going into the All-Star break.

Arrieta pitched one-hit ball for seven innings without allowing a stolen base on Sunday, and Ian Happ homered twice in the ballpark where he played as a college star, leading Chicago to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cubs (41-41) salvaged the final game of their series with a little vintage form.

"That's kind of what we do when we're at our best," Arrietta said.

Injuries to the starting lineup and inconsistencies in the rotation have left the World Series champions treading water. Arrieta (8-6) was coming off a subpar performance that created friction and a surprise move.

The Nationals stole seven bases off Arrieta during their 6-1 win on Tuesday, and catcher Miguel Montero complained afterward about the pitcher's move to the plate with runners on base. Montero was cut loose the following day.

Back in the ballpark where he threw a no-hitter last season, Arrieta was back in form, allowing only Joey Votto's first-inning single and a pair of walks -- the Reds were never in position to try to steal. Votto singled home a pair of runs in the eighth off Koji Uehara.

Arrieta matched his season high by going seven innings for the third time. He got his changeup working and induced a lot of awkward swings.

"That was as good as I've seen Jake in a bit," manager Joe Maddon said.

The Reds felt that way, too.

"Arrieta was really good," manager Bryan Price said . "He didn't give us much."

Happ grew up in the Pittsburgh area and played at the University of Cincinnati, including one game at Great American Ball Park. His mother was in the stands along with many former teammates and friends. Happ was well aware of the tendency for balls to fly in warm weather at Great American.

"Day games here, if you get one on the barrel you've got a chance," Happ said.

The first-round pick from 2015 hit a two-run homer and a solo shot off Tim Adleman (5-5). The rookie added an RBI single, the third time he's driven in four runs in a game.

Anthony Rizzo also had a solo homer, and Javier Baez doubled home a run as the Cubs prevented a three-game sweep.

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The Washington Nationals' two biggest stars took center stage on national television Sunday night.

Bryce Harper homered twice against Carlos Martinez, Max Scherzer struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings and the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2.

"Martinez is really good," Harper said. "He's an All-Star. He's been really good the past couple of years. Throws hard, does things out there that other guys can't do. I was just trying to go out there and put the bat on the ball and hopefully supply the power a little bit and get lucky and get a pitch you can drive, and we were able to do that pretty early on."

Harper also doubled and had four RBI to pace Washington, which snapped a three-game skid and had lost five of seven.

Scherzer handled the rest.

"It was a night were I came out early and came out sharp and Harp came out with some huge home runs and really put us ahead," Scherzer said.

The Cardinals had won four straight and six of seven overall, including series victories against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals.

Scherzer (10-5), who grew up in the St. Louis area and pitched at the University of Missouri, allowed two hits and two walks while lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.94. Scherzer's double-digit strikeout performance was his 10th this season and 59th of his career.

"That's why he's an All-Star," Harper said. "That's why he's Max Scherzer. He's one of the best in the league, if not the best. If there's a guy you want on the mound every fifth day, it's him. He's got his plan, he's got his mentality and he does things for this club that he needs to do put us up to that next level. That's why he is who he is and he's fun to watch."

Martinez (6-7) entered the game ranked fourth in the NL in ERA but allowed five runs in five innings. The right-hander had allowed five earned runs over his previous four starts combined.

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The Cubs had one pick on the National League All-Star roster; reliever Wade Davis, who wasn't even part of the World Series champion team of last season. The Cardinals had two players selected, catcher Yadier Molina and starting pitcher Carlos Martinez. The Cubs have a shot at one more player if Kris Bryant wins the fans' vote for the final roster spot.