Hendricks steers Cubs to a 6-0 win against Rangers
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago's Kyle Hendricks steered the Cubs to a 6-0 win against Texas on Friday in a clash of divisional leaders that highlighted the resumption of Major League Baseball after the mid-season All-Star break.
Both the Cubs and the Rangers had been on the slide leading toward the break but it was Chicago which resumed more strongly and boosted its lead in the National League Central division to eight games.
The Cubs also edged within two games of San Francisco for the overall NL lead after the Giants lost at San Diego.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. (5) makes a diving catch on a line drive from Texas Rangers' Ryan Rua during the fourth inning of an interleague baseball game, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Washington retained its six-game break atop the NL East as Stephen Strasburg guided the Nationals to victory over Pittsburgh, while Boston won at the New York Yankees in the latest clash of the eternal AL East rivals.
Chicago's Hendricks, a former Rangers draft pick, lowered his team-best earned run average to 2.41 per nine innings as he got through six scoreless frames.
Addison Russell hit a single with bases loaded in the sixth inning to drive in two runs. Chicago had five runs in the sixth, thanks partly to a throwing error by Texas' Prince Fielder, who was making a rare appearance in the field in this interleague game.
San Diego's Wil Myers hit his 20th home run of the season as the Padres defeated majors-leading San Francisco 4-1.
Adam Rosales also connected off Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
Padres starter Andrew Cashner won for the first time in four starts by holding the Giants to one run in six innings, striking out nine and walking none.
Washington's Stephen Strasburg threw eight masterful innings and drove in a run with a bunt to lead the Nationals to a 5-1 win against Pittsburgh.
Strasburg (13-0) allowed one run with six strikeouts while matching his longest start of the season. He's won a franchise-record 16 straight decisions dating back to last season, and has allowed a sum of just five hits over his past three starts.
Washington improved to 16-1 with Strasburg on the mound this year. He is the only qualified starter in the majors without a loss.
Michael Taylor hit a two-run homer for the Nationals.
Boston knuckleballer Steven Wright retired the first 14 New York batters to set up a 5-3 win for the Red Sox against the Yankees.
Wright, who has an AL-leading 2.68 ERA, won for the eighth time in nine decisions.
Ryan Hanigan hit his first homer of the season while Travis Shaw and Xander Bogaerts both had two-run shorts to account for all of Boston's scoring.
New York slipped to 44-45, the first time the Yankees have had a negative win-loss ratio after the All-Star break since 1995.
Miami's Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single for his 2,991st career hit and scored the tying run in the eighth inning to help the Marlins edge St. Louis 7-6.
The hit was the first since July 4 for the 42-year-old Suzuki. He's had just seven pinch-hit appearances and one start this month.
Miguel Rojas drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth as Miami capitalized on three defensive miscues by St. Louis and won despite conceding four home runs.
Houston's Carlos Correa hit a two-run double and scored from second base on a wild pitch during a five-run fifth inning that lifted the Astros to a 7-3 win against Seattle.
Correa's two-out double gave the Astros a 5-0 lead. The 2015 AL Rookie of the Year scampered home from second moments later on the third wild pitch of the inning.
Houston has won five straight against the Mariners.
Oakland's Josh Reddick scored the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning on a play that was overturned by replay, and the Athletics held on to beat Toronto 8-7.
Reddick drew a two-out walk and went to second on a single. Stephen Vogt singled, and center fielder Kevin Pillar appeared to throw out a sliding Reddick at the plate.
The plate umpire initially called Reddick out, but A's bench coach Mark Kotsay — filling in for ejected manager Bob Melvin — successfully challenged the ruling.
Detroit's Victor Martinez drove in two runs with a tiebreaking infield single in the seventh inning as the Tigers beat Kansas City 4-2.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Martinez's hit deflected off the pitcher and rolled to the area between first and second. With the second baseman playing deep, there was no chance to retire Martinez, and two runs came home on the play.
New York's Neil Walker hit a three-run homer and Juan Lagares also went deep to lead the Mets over Philadelphia 5-3.
Los Angeles' Chris Taylor drove in six runs with a double, triple and homer and the Dodgers downed Arizona 13-7.
Baltimore's Jonathan Schoop hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning to help the AL East-leading Orioles come back from an early deficit to beat Tampa Bay 4-3.
Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco pitched into the seventh inning to steer the Indians to a 5-2 victory over Minnesota.
Los Angeles' Hector Santiago threw seven scoreless innings against his former team, guiding the Angels over the Chicago White Sox 7-0.
Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez had three hits in an 11-2 victory for the Rockies against Atlanta.
Cincinnati's Adam Duvall and Tucker Barnhart doubled home runs in the sixth inning, rallying the Reds past Milwaukee 5-4.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks delivers during the first inning of an interleague baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Chicago. (Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald via AP)
Chicago Cubs Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs scores against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning of an interleague baseball game, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Chicago. (Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald via AP)
