CHICAGO – Yu Darvish finally had a reason to celebrate at Wrigley Field.
Darvish tossed six innings of two-hit, shutout ball to earn his first win at the iconic ballpark as a Cub and lead Chicago past the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 on Wednesday.
Kris Bryant and Addison Russell homered for the only hits off Sonny Gray (5-6) as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games.
Entering Wednesday, Darvish was 0-5 with a 5.50 ERA in 13 starts at home after signing a six-year, $126 million contract with Chicago in February 2018.
So when the normally stoic right-hander fanned Yasiel Puig for his final out in the sixth and a runner on base, Darvish turned to the outfield, hollered and pumped his fist.
“It’s amazing,” said Darvish, who kept the game ball and joked he might give it to his wife. “I was always looking for that first win. Puig is good hitter, if I give up a homer it’s going to be a tie game, so I threw 100 percent.”
On Wednesday, the right-hander was sharp for the second straight start and didn’t allow a hit until catcher Juan Graterol lined a soft single to center with two outs in the fifth.
“He kind of had no-hit stuff,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I was thinking that, but so did their guy. Again, Yu just keeps trending in the right direction.”
Darvish (3-4) also won for the first time anywhere since April 27 at Arizona as he struck out seven, walked none and hit two batters. The right-hander had 12 no-decisions and a loss in his previous 13 starts.
Darvish hasn’t allowed a run in 13⅔ innings. He credits mixing his pitches differently and a confidence level of “almost 120 percent” as keys to his turnaround.
“I don’t need anything right now,” he said.
Jason Heyward drove in two insurance runs with a double as the NL Central leaders took two of three from the Reds to win just their second series since sweeping St. Louis on June 7-9.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in five chances.
Dodgers 7, Phillies 2
In Philadelphia, six Los Angeles pitchers combined on a two-hitter spanning a 2-hour, 37-minute rain delay, and the Dodgers picked up a win over the Phillies.
David Freese and Justin Turner homered, and A.J. Pollock and Kike Hernandez also drove in runs for NL-West leading Los Angeles, which improved its MLB-best record to 64-34 while remaining 14 games in front of Arizona.
The rain occurred in the top of the third, and the last out was recorded at 1:42 a.m. The teams are set to conclude the four-game series at 12:35 p.m. Thursday.
Kenta Maeda pitched two scoreless innings for Los Angeles but was pulled after the delay. Casey Sadler relieved Maeda and got two outs, and Julio Urias followed with 2⅔ innings and was charged with two unearned runs. Pedro Baez (4-2) pitched 1⅔ innings, Joe Kelly tossed a perfect eighth and Dylan Floro pitched a scoreless ninth.
Astros 11, Angels 2
In Anaheim, Gerrit Cole struck out 11 over seven innings, Jake Marisnick had three hits amid a chorus of boos and Houston beat Los Angeles.
Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had a pair of singles in three at-bats and also walked once.
Padres 5, Marlins 2
In Miami, rookie right-hander Chris Paddack took a no-hitter into the eighth and two relievers got the final four outs to complete a three-hitter and help San Diego beat the Marlins.
The Padres, who played their first game in 1969, are the only major league team never to have thrown a no-hitter.
After Starlin Castro homered leading off the eighth, Paddack (6-4) retired the next two batters and then departed. He struck out eight, walked one, threw 94 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.70.
Austin Hedges hit a two-run homer, his seventh, against Trevor Richards (3-11) to help San Diego break a four-game losing streak.
Paddack retired the first 15 batters before Cesar Puello reached on a throwing error by shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Pinch hitter Yadiel Rivera walked with two out in the sixth and was the only other baserunner against Paddack.
Kirby Yates pitched around back-to-back throwing errors to start the ninth for his 31st save. Castro’s two-out RBI single made it 3-2 before Yates struck out Curtis Granderson with two on for the win.
Athletics 10, Mariners 2
In Oakland, Homer Bailey shook off a rocky start to go six innings in his Athletics debut and Mark Canha and Jurickson Profar each homered twice in a win over Seattle.
Chad Pinder and Ramon Laureano also went deep as the A’s matched their season high with six home runs. They lost Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman to an ankle injury after two innings.
Oakland has won six straight and 12 of 14. The A’s have homered in a season-high 17 consecutive games.
Tim Beckham had two hits for Seattle. The Mariners have lost six straight.
Giants 11, Rockies 8
In Denver, Donovan Solano had four hits, including a tie-breaking home run leading off the sixth, and San Francisco completed a four-game series sweep in Colorado for the first time in nearly eight years.
Pablo Sandoval sparked a three-run first inning with a two-run double and Stephen Vogt also homered for the surging Giants, who have won five straight and 12 of 14. Brandon Belt had an RBI single among his three hits.
Mets 14, Twins 4
In Minneapolis, Dominic Smith put New York ahead with a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh, and Pete Alonso added a 144-meter shot halfway up the third deck as Minnesota lost a third straight game for the first time this season.
Cardinals 6, Pirates 5
In St. Louis, Paul Goldschmidt hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh and the hosts rallied to deal Pittsburgh its fifth loss in six games.
Brewers 5, Braves 4
In Milwakee, Josh Hader struck out Ozzie Albies with two outs and the tying run on third in the ninth to preserve the Brewers’ triumph over Atlanta.
Christian Yelich hit his 34th homer of the season. It was Yelich’s third home run in four games.
Indians 7, Tigers 2
In Cleveland, Mike Clevinger matched his career high with 12 strikeouts in six innings, Oscar Mercado drove in two runs and the Indians beat Detroit.
Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4
In Boston, Rafael Devers hit a solo homer and drove in four runs, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Red Sox sent Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez to his 13th straight loss.
Rodriguez (11-4) held the Blue Jays to two runs on three hits, striking out four and walking three.
Once dominant, right-hander Sanchez (3-14) had his miserable season continue. He gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings and his ERA rose to 6.26; while he remained winless in his last 15 starts.
Diamondbacks 19, Rangers 4
In Arlington, Texas, Eduardo Escobar homered twice and the Arizona tied a franchise record for a nine-inning game with 21 hits while thumping Texas.
The 19 runs were Arizona’s most since setting a franchise record with 20 against the San Diego Padres last July. Escobar’s first homer sparked a seven-run first inning against right-handed starter Jesse Chavez (3-5), who got just two outs.
Orioles 9, Nationals 2
In Baltimore, Trey Mancini hit two home runs and the Orioles pummeled Washington’s ineffective bullpen to earn a split in the two-game interleague series.
Royals 7, White Sox 5
In Kansas City, Danny Duffy pitched a strong six innings and ended a nine-start winless skid, and Jorge Soler and Nicky Lopez hit back-to-back RBI singles twice to lead the Royals past Chicago.
Rays at Yankees — ppd.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times