NATIONAL LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, MIAMI AND ATLANTA
PHOTO: AP
The Florida Marlins scored three runs in the eighth inning to propel them to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
John Baker hit a RBI single with two outs in the eighth to put the Marlins ahead before pinch hitter Wes Helms followed with a two-run double as Florida stayed in contention for a National League wild card spot.
“I think that’s what separates the good teams from the average teams — the ability to come through under pressure, the ability to come through in the clutch,” Baker told reporters. “That’s why teams go to the playoffs and teams win the World Series. You come to the end of the year, and every game has at-bats like that. You have to be able to relax.”
The loss knocked the Cubs out of first place in the NL Central Division just one day after they had seized it from the St Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals regained the divisional lead with a 4-3 win over Houston.
Brendan Donnelly (1-0), who has pitched 10 scoreless innings since joining the Marlins, retired two batters in the eighth for his first NL victory.
Leo Nunez tossed a hitless ninth inning for his ninth save as Florida’s bullpen continued to keep the Marlins in games.
“I have all the confidence in the world in those guys,” Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said of his relievers. “You keep putting them in situations, and they keep coming through.”
The Marlins have now won eight of their last 10 games.
Chicago’s Carlos Marmol (2-2) entered the game in the eighth inning and walked the first two batters he faced.
Two outs later Baker’s single scored Dan Uggla from second base and Helms then followed with his two-run double.
“He has walked a lot of people this year,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of Marmol, who has walked 46 batters in 50 innings. “Because he’s so talented, he has gotten out of it, but sooner or later it’s going to bite you.”
DODGERS 5, BRAVES 0
Pitcher Jason Schmidt did not allow a run in his longest start in more than two years as the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
PIRATES 5, NATIONALS 4
In Pittsburgh, the hosts snapped a five-game losing streak by edging Washington. Steve Pearce hit his first homer of the season and Lastings Milledge had two RBI singles for the Pirates. The Nationals have lost three straight.
In other NL action, it was:
• Phillies 5, Giants 1
• Cardinals 4, Astros 3
• Rockies 5, Reds 3
• Diamondbacks 3, Mets 2
• Padres 11, Brewers 7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CHICAGO
Carlos Quentin homered and had a go-ahead RBI double as the Chicago White Sox made it back-to-back wins over the American League-leading New York Yankees with a 10-5 victory on Friday.
Chicago broke a 5-5 tie in the fifth on Quentin’s RBI double. The White Sox added four with two outs in the seventh as Chris Getz hit a two-run bases-loaded single, Jayson Nix stole home on a double steal after Getz broke from first, and Scott Podsednik added an RBI single.
Pitcher Tony Pena got his first victory for the White Sox with two innings of scoreless relief.
ANGELS 11, TWINS 5, 11 INNS
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Howie Kendrick’s pinch-hit RBI single triggered a six-run 11th inning as Los Angeles recorded its major league-leading 34th comeback victory, with the home team playing the fallguys.
The Angels had six hits and two walks in the 11th before any of three Minnesota relievers could make an out.
In other AL action, it was:
• Rangers 5, Mariners 4
• Red Sox 6, Orioles 5
• Rays 8, Royals 2
• Indians 6, Tigers 5, 13 inns
• Athletics 8, Blue Jays 5
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
RSS