Here are the scores. Here are the highlights:
Cubs 7, Brewers 2: Jason Heyward tied it up at two in the eighth with an RBI single to force extras and then the wheels came off for the Brewers in the 11th when Matt Albers surrendered a homer to Anthony Rizzo and was charged with four more runs after that, all coming with two outs, including a two-run double from Heyward. It was the Cubs’ seventh straight win over the Brewers and it put them in first place in the NL Central, a half game ahead. Chicago, quite quietly, has the best record in the National League.
Diamondbacks 9, Pirates 5: You can blame both Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove and Karma for the Dbacks’ rally, which had them come back from a 5-0 deficit late. With that five-run lead, Musgrove hit Chris Ownings on purpose, in retaliation for a HBP of Josh Harrison in the top half of the inning. Musgrove owned up to it too, saying some bullcrap about how “that’s how the game is played” and how he had to “protect his teammates.” Well, he may have protected his teammate and the Play The Game The Right Way Gods may be happy, but he didn’t protect the lead. After Owings reached he moved on to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a Nick Ahmed single. An error later and there were two on, Musgrove was out of the game and Jake Lamb hit a three-run homer. In the eighth the Snakes scored two runs on wild pitches and a couple more on an RBI triple from Daniel Descalso. No, Arizona did not score all nine of those runs because of one hit-by-pitch, but if you’re dumb enough to put runners on base late in a game to protect your honor, you deserve whatever happens after that.
Red Sox 2, Orioles 0: The Orioles toss eleven innings of scoreless, four-hit ball -- with Dylan Bundy shutting the Sox down for eight innings himself -- but Boston loaded the bases against Mychal Givens in the 12th, got two sac flies and that was enough. Steven Wright and five relievers tossed the goose eggs for the Sox. A win, yes, but Boston has scored only ten runs in its last five games.
Marlins 7, Giants 5: J.T. Realmuto had three hits, homered and drove in two and Brian Anderson homered, doubled twice, and drove in two his own self. Madison Bumgarner didn’t have the best night of his life, giving up four runs in five and a third, blowing a 4-2 lead in his final frame, and when he was lifted for a reliever he got ejected for beefing at the home plate ump on his way off the field. “There was just a lot of borderline pitches that I didn’t get,” Bumgarner said after the game. Well, welcome to Major League Baseball, MadBum. It happens.
Rays 8, Blue Jays 4: Rookies Jake Bauers and Willy Adames each drove in two runs, with Bauers hitting his first homer in the bigs, getting on base four times and scoring three times. His homer, a two-run shot, brought the Rays back from a 4-3 hole. Ryan Yarbough, one of the Rays’ relievers who start sometimes, went six innings, which is probably the most you can expect from those guys.
Indians 4, White Sox 0: Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 over seven two-hit, shutout innings, Yan Gomes doubled in a couple and Michael Brantley hit his 11th homer of the year. The Sox were victimized, once again, but wildness from Lucas Giolito, who walked Yonder Alonso and Melky Cabrera with two outs in the fourth before giving up a bloop RBI single to Lonnie Chisenhall and then Gomes’ double. Walks will kill you, man. The Tribe has won five of six.
Cardinals 5, Padres 2: Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna hit two-run homers and Jedd Gyorko hit a solo shot. Martinez has five homers over his last five games and has reached safely in each of his last 11 games. Jack Flaherty pitched into the seventh inning, allowing one run on three hits.
Mariners 5, Angels 3: All eight runs in this game came on home runs, two each by Mike Trout and Nelson Cruz. Albert Pujols and Ryon Healey were the other two who went deep. The difference here, of course, was who was on base when those homers were hit. In the Angels’ case: no one, for any of ‘em. In the Mariners’ case, Jean Segura and Kyle Seager were on when Cruz and Healey went deep, respectively. Jean Segura had three hits, in fact, to raise his average to .343.