MLB Wraps: Yankees blank the Cubs 3-0
CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Gil pitched six sparkling innings in his return from a back injury, and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Friday.
Aaron Judge hit an RBI double and scored on Austin Wells’ two-run single as New York scored three times in the third inning in its first game at Wrigley Field since 2017. Judge went 1 for 3 with a walk in his 10th straight game without a home run — his longest streak of the season.
The Yankees (81-60) improved to 2-2 on a six-game trip that began with a difficult series at Texas. They trailed AL East-leading Baltimore by a half-game going into Friday’s action.
The Cubs (72-69) lost for the third time in four games since a successful road trip put them back in the conversation for the third NL wild card.
ORIOLES 2, RAYS 0
BALTIMORE (AP) — Dean Kremer took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Gunnar Henderson hit his 36th home run and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay to remain atop the AL East.
Baltimore holds a half-game lead over the New York Yankees, who blanked the Chicago Cubs earlier Friday. The Orioles have 20 games left in the regular season and New York has 21 to go.
Kremer lost his no-hit bid when rookie Junior Caminero led off the seventh with a sharp single to left field. Dylan Carlson then grounded a single to right. After Josh Lowe reached on an error to load the bases with no outs, Kremer was pulled by manager Brandon Hyde with Baltimore nursing a 2-0 lead.
Yennier Cano quelled the threat by striking out Jonny DeLuca and José Caballero before retiring Ben Rortvedt on a popup.
METS 6, REDS 4, 10 INNINGS
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos hit a pair of two-run homers, including a leadoff shot in the 10th inning that sent the New York Mets past Cincinnati for their eighth consecutive victory.
New York is riding its longest winning streak since an eight-game run in August 2019. Vientos also connected in the first inning for the Mets, who remained tied with Atlanta for the last National League wild card.
The rival Braves won 3-1 over visiting Toronto.
Mets closer Edwin Díaz and younger brother Alexis, the Reds’ ace reliever, pitched in the same game for the first time in their major league careers.
Edwin Díaz struck out all three batters in the top of the ninth, fanning Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer with 100 mph fastballs.
RED SOX 3, WHITE SOX 1
BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit a tiebreaking two-run homer over the Green Monster in the seventh inning and Boston Red Sox handed the Chicago White Sox their 110th loss of the season.
Triston Casas drove in the other run with a fourth-inning single for the Red Sox, who ended a season-high five-game losing streak and have stumbled in the race for the AL’s third and final wild-card spot by going 6-10 in their last 16 games.
Jacob Amaya had an RBI single for the White Sox who are 32-110, and are on pace to surpass the New York Mets who lost 120 games in 1962, the most post-1900. After beating Baltimore on Wednesday, they lost for the 13th time in 14 games.
Chicago also lost for the 43rd time this season after scoring first and fell to 5-39 since the All-Star break.
PHILLIES 16, MARLINS 2
MIAMI (AP) — Trea Turner was a triple shy of the cycle, Kyle Schwarber hit his 33rd homer and Bryce Harper had three hits to help Philadelphia overpower Miami.
Johan Rojas added three doubles, and Kody Clemens also had three hits for the NL East-leading Phillies — at 85-56, eight games ahead of second-place Atlanta in the division.
Philadelphia had season highs for runs and hits, with 22.
Zack Wheeler (14-6) threw six innings of one-run ball. The right-hander allowed two hits and struck out seven. He retired the first 10 before Connor Norby singled in the fourth.
BRAVES 3, BLUE JAYS 1
ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried pitched seven strong innings and Atlanta beat Toronto.
Atlanta began the night tied with the Mets for the final NL wild-card spot. New York was playing the Cincinnati Reds.
Fried (9-8) had command of the plate all night, striking out eight and allowing just five hits. Toronto’s lone run was unearned, coming in the third inning on an Atlanta error.
It marked the 25th straight game Atlanta pitchers have allowed three runs or fewer, the longest such streak in baseball this season and the longest in Braves franchise history.