Sep 19, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Mike Montgomery (38) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mike Montgomery took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and Chicago manager Joe Maddon won in his return to Tropicana Field as the Cubs claimed their seventh straight victory, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to one hit in a 2-1 win Tuesday.
Chicago got a solo home run from Kyle Schwarber and an RBI double from Javier Baez while limiting Tampa Bay to Brad Miller’s solo home run in the sixth inning. Maddon managed the Rays for nine seasons (2006-14), guiding them to their only American League pennant in 2008.
Maddon’s return and the Cubs’ first appearance at Tropicana Field since 2008 resulted in a crowd of 25,046, the stadium’s largest attendance since Opening Day. Chicago maintained a 3 1/2-game lead on the Brewers in the National League Central, with the two teams meeting for a four-game series in Milwaukee this weekend.
Montgomery left after six innings and 81 pitches. Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. each pitched a scoreless, hitless inning and Wade Davis fanned all three batters in the ninth for his 32nd save.
Red Sox 1, Orioles 0 (11 innings)
BALTIMORE — Jackie Bradley Jr. scored on a Brad Brach wild pitch with two outs in the top of the 11th inning as Boston improved to 15-3 in extra-inning games this season.
Bradley reached when grounding into a force for the first out of the 11th against Brach (4-5), and Xander Bogaerts’ groundout moved him to second. Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts both followed with walks, loading the bases with two outs.
Mitch Moreland came up and Brach bounced the first pitch. The ball got past Baltimore catcher Welington Castillo, letting Bradley score easily from third. Joe Kelly (4-1) pitched a scoreless 10th inning and Matt Barnes closed it in the 11th for his first save.
Brewers 1, Pirates 0
PITTSBURGH — On a night where offense was hard to find, Domingo Santana’s solo home run held up as Milwaukee edged Pittsburgh.
Santana’s solo shot, his 26th of the season, just cleared the short wall near the left field foul pole in the fourth inning. It traveled only 338 feet and was the only damage the Brewers could muster against Pirates starter Trevor Williams (6-9).
Chase Anderson (11-3), Anthony Swarzak and Corey Knebel combined for Milwaukee’s 12th shutout of the season and second on consecutive nights as the Brewers took the series from Pittsburgh. Knebel earned his 37th save.
Phillies 6, Dodgers 2
PHILADELPHIA — Rhys Hoskins delivered a bases-clearing, two-out double in the seventh inning to lift Philadelphia past Los Angeles.
It was another stellar night at the plate for Hoskins, a 24-year-old first baseman. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and four RBIs, raising his average to .299 with 43 RBIs (and 18 home runs) in his first 39 career games.
Batting with one out in the seventh inning after Odubel Herrera drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 2-2, Hoskins worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez (3-6) before shooting a 97-mph fastball through the gap in left-center.
Astros 3, White Sox 1
HOUSTON — Jose Altuve matched his career high for home runs, and a four-man bullpen turned in an exceptional performance in Houston’s victory over Chicago.
Altuve smacked an opposite-field homer off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (2-3) with one out in the fourth inning, pulling the Astros even at 1-1 with his 24th dinger.
Houston starter Collin McHugh (3-2) pitched effectively after missing time with a right middle finger avulsion, allowing one run in five innings. Will Harris, Luke Gregerson and Chris Devenski combined to record six strikeouts over three hitless innings. Closer Ken Giles worked around a leadoff single by Tim Anderson in the ninth, striking out the side to notch his 32nd save.
Nationals 4, Braves 2
ATLANTA — Ryan Zimmerman’s three hits were the centerpiece of an 11-hit attack and supported seven strong innings from starter Max Scherzer as Washington beat Atlanta.
Zimmerman was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. The double was his 30th of the season, the sixth time he’s reached that milestone. He has driven in 101 runs, the third time he’s surpassed 100 and nine shy of his career best.
Scherzer (15-6) rebounded nicely from his last start, when he allowed seven runs in five innings. He was sharp from the beginning Tuesday, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. He gave up two runs, five hits and one walk while striking out seven in seven innings.
Cardinals 8, Reds 7 (10 innings)
CINCINNATI — Dexter Fowler tied the score with a solo home run in the eighth inning and drove home the go-ahead run with a double in the 10th to lift St. Louis over Cincinnati.
Juan Nicasio (4-5) earned the victory after pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits. Scooter Gennett homered off Nicasio to make it a one-run game leading off bottom of the 10th. Tyler Lyons retired both batters he faced to earn his third save.
Zack Cozart hit a two-homer in the third inning for the Reds, who had their seven-game winning streak at Great American Ball Park snapped. Sacrifice flies by Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler put Cincinnati ahead 6-5 in the sixth inning.
Blue Jays 5, Royals 2
TORONTO — Marcus Stroman pitched seven strong innings, and Darwin Barney homered and drove in three runs as Toronto defeated Kansas City.
Russell Martin also hit a two-run double for the Blue Jays. Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to earn his 37th save of the season.
The Royals’ Mike Moustakas delivered a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Alex Gordon hit his eighth homer of the season in the eighth against Ryan Tepera. Gordon’s homer was the 5,694th in the majors this season, breaking the record set in 2000.
