Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning moments after pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson connected for a game-leveling shot as the New York Mets rallied past the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Wednesday for a pivotal three-game sweep.
Jacob deGrom (13-7) pitched seven strong innings in a tight duel with Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, who struck out a season-high 13.
Johnson’s leadoff drive against Strasburg (8-7) tied it 2-all before Cespedes teed off for a two-run shot against struggling Drew Storen, sending the Mets to their third consecutive comeback victory in the series.
Photo: AP
The sweep extended New York’s lead in the NL East to seven games over Washington with 23 to play. The Mets have won six straight against the Nationals, including a three-game sweep at Citi Field from July 31 to Aug. 2.
Bryce Harper homered twice, doubled and scored three times for Washington, but it was not enough.
New York with an RBI single off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.
Travis d’Arnaud also homered for the Mets. Jeurys Familia closed for his 39th save.
CARDINALS 4, CUBS 3
In St Louis, Missouri, Matt Carpenter tripled and scored twice, and Stephen Piscotty doubled in the decisive run as St Louis beat Chicago to end a three-game skid.
The NL Central leaders scored three times in the eighth inning to avoid their first sweep at home this season and their first against the Cubs since September 2010.
Cubs starter Jon Lester left after seven dominant innings. He did not allow a hit after the third batter and retired 20 of his final 21 hitters.
In other MLB action, it was:
‧ Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 4
‧ Orioles 5, Yankees 3
‧ Pirates 5, Reds 4
‧ Braves 8, Phillies 1
‧ Rays 8, Tigers 0
‧ Marlins 5, Brewers 2
‧ Indians 6, White Sox 4
‧ Angels 3, Dodgers 2
‧ Twins 3, Royals 2, 12 inns
‧ Diamondbacks 2, Giants 1
‧ Padres 11, Rockies 4
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later