MLB Recap: Cubs Combine to Beat Hitless Pirates

Shota Imanaga threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter as the host Chicago Cubs posted a 12-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge both pitched perfect innings to complete the 18th no-hitter in franchise history.

Imanaga (12-3) struck out seven and hit two, throwing 95 total pitches for the Cubs.

The Pirates remained hitless for the first time since their loss to Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox on August 25, 2020.

White Sox 8, Orioles 1

Chicago hit three home runs, starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon delivered a solid performance, and the team finally won again, beating host Baltimore to end a 12-game losing streak.

Cannon (3-9) went 5 2/3 innings, snapping a personal losing streak in four straight starts and winning for the first time since Aug. 6. He held Baltimore (81-60), which had collected a combined 22 runs in the first two games of the series, to one run on five hits. Cannon struck out four and walked one.

The White Sox (32-109) won for the first time in seven meetings with the Orioles (81-60) this year. Baltimore lost for only the second time in the last six games.

Phillies 4, Blue Jays 2

Kyle Schwarber hit his fourth home run in two games, Cristopher Sanchez threw seven effective innings and visiting Philadelphia defeated Toronto.

Schwarber’s solo shot followed a three-homer game on Tuesday. Kody Clemens added a two-run blast and JT Realmuto had a solo homer for the Phillies, who swept the two-game set. They won the season series 3-1 over Toronto.

Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (8-4) allowed three runs and six hits with six strikeouts in six innings. He was coming off a 4-1, 1.05 ERA, record in August.

Royal 4, Guardians 1

Tommy Pham’s game-tying home run and Seth Lugo’s solid start gave Kansas City the win over visiting Cleveland, saving the final game of the series and ending the Royals’ seven-game losing streak.

Lugo (15-8), who leads the majors with 186 innings pitched, allowed one run on six hits and a walk in seven innings, striking out four. Guardians starter Ben Lively (11-9) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in four innings.

The Royals cut the Guardians’ lead in the American League Central to 4 1/2 games over Kansas City and the Minnesota Twins, who lost to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Reds 12, Astros 5

Jonathan India powered to a nine-run first inning with a leadoff homer and Elly De La Cruz doubled, singled and drove in two runs in the leadoff to give Cincinnati a win over visiting Houston.

De La Cruz finished with three hits, two doubles, three runs scored and two RBIs, leading the Reds to their eighth straight win over the Astros since Houston’s last victory over Cincinnati in 2016. Cincinnati won its third straight game, while Houston, which began the series on a five-game winning streak, lost its second straight game.

The victim of the Cincinnati uprising was Spencer Arrighetti (7-12), who struck out just two batters and threw 38 pitches before being relieved by Tayler Scott. Arrighetti allowed nine runs on six hits, three walks and no strikeouts.

Braves 5, Rockies 2

Jarred Kelenic’s three-run home run highlighted the four-run first inning and gave Atlanta a win over visiting Colorado.

Atlanta’s Charlie Morton (8-7) picked up the win. He threw five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and tying his season record with eight strikeouts. Atlanta’s bullpen completed the job with four scoreless frames.

Colorado starter Bradley Blalock (1-2) survived a rough first inning with four runs before settling down and going five solid innings without allowing another run. Blalock allowed four hits, six walks and two strikeouts.

Mariners 16, Athletics 3

Luis Urias hit a home run and had four RBIs and Mitch Garver also drove in four, helping Seattle crush host Oakland.

Victor Robles had three hits, three RBIs and three runs, and Urias also had three hits for the Mariners, who were coming back after losing the first two games of this four-game series on walk-off hits. Dylan Moore and Randy Arozarena each had two hits and two RBIs, and Garver also had two hits for Seattle.

Brent Rooker had two hits and an RBI for Oakland, which had won six of its previous nine games. JP Sears (11-10) allowed five runs and five hits in six innings for the Athletics.

Mets 8, Red Sox 3

Jesse Winker hit a grand slam in the first inning for host New York, which later defeated Boston.

Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez loaded the bases in the eighth inning and Harrison Bader hit a sacrifice fly in that inning for the Mets, who won the three-game interleague series and extended their winning streak to seven games.

Jarren Duran had two hits, including a run-scoring double, for the Red Sox, who have lost five games in a row.

Cardinals 3, Brewers 2 (10 innings)

Luken Baker pinch-hit for the decisive run in the tenth inning, leading visiting St. Louis past Milwaukee.

Milwaukee reliever Joel Payamps (3-7), who started in the 10th inning, retired the first two batters he faced before intentionally walking Nolan Arenado. Hoby Milner took over on the mound and Baker hit an RBI single up the middle to score automatic runner Masyn Winn from second.

Milwaukee leads the National League Central by nine games over the Chicago Cubs, who no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12-0 win on Wednesday. The Cardinals trail by 10 games.

Marlins 4, Nationals 3 (10 innings)

Xavier Edwards hit a walk-off single to center to give host Miami a win over Washington.

Marlins rookie Valente Bellozo threw six-plus scoreless innings. Although he struck out just one batter, Bellozo allowed just three hits and two walks. He was outed 12 times.

The Nationals’ left-hander MacKenzie Gore went a perfect 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run, one hit and one walk in six innings while striking out nine.

Rays 9, Gemini 4

Yandy Diaz hit a season-high two-run home run in the fourth inning for Tampa Bay, giving the Rays a comfortable win over Minnesota in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Diaz hit his 13th homer straight to center field to end the big inning for Tampa Bay, which takes a 2-1 lead into the series going into Thursday’s finale.

For the Twins, Carlos Santana hit his 20th home run and walked twice, and Kyle Farmer went deep for the third time. Matt Wallner (RBI) and Jose Miranda (double) each had two hits.

Rangers 10, Yankees 6

Nathan Eovaldi played solidly through seven innings, while Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran each went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to help Texas defeat New York in Arlington, Texas.

Eovaldi (11-7) struck out six and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks for the Rangers, who won the final two games of the three-game series.

Juan Soto went 3 for 3 and hit his 38th home run of the year for the Yankees, who have lost six of eight games.

Angels 10, Dodgers 1

Griffin Canning allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings and was supported by three home runs in the Angels’ victory over the Dodgers in Anaheim, California.

Mickey Moniak’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run first inning for the Angels, who also got long balls from Taylor Ward and Niko Kavadas. Ward went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs as he extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani failed to reach base in the game, going 0-for-4 with one strikeout. The Dodgers had six hits, including two by Gavin Lux.

Diamondbacks 6, Giants 4

Zac Gallen pitched six innings of no-hit ball, Eugenio Suarez and Pavin Smith hit home runs and visiting Arizona defeated San Francisco.

After allowing five runs in five innings in his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gallen (11-6) dominated the Giants, allowing just four baserunners in his six innings, all on hits.

Tyler Fitzgerald, who scored twice, and LaMonte Wade Jr., who totaled four RBIs, both had two hits, giving the Giants their fourth straight loss.

Padres 6, Tigers 5 (10 innings)

Fernando Tatis Jr. singled with two outs in the 10th inning to score Jackson Merrill and give San Diego the chance to turn a five-run deficit into a win over visiting Detroit.

Jeremiah Estrada (5-2) pitched a scoreless 10th inning for the win, as the Padres (80-61) held on to a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s first wild-card spot. They also moved within 4 1/2 games of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West after their 10-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

Trey Sweeney hit a two-run home run for the Tigers, who have lost four of their last six games.

–Field Level Media