Chicago’s Jon Lester went into the seventh inning before giving up a hit and finished off for his second complete game of the season, steering the Cubs to a 2-1 win against San Francisco on Friday and moving to a season-best 40 games above a .500 winning percentage.
With 28 games to play in the regular season, Chicago is 16.5 games clear atop the National League Central and has all but wrapped up a playoff appearance, whereas the Giants remained two games off the pace in the NL West and with their playoff hopes in the balance.
In the NL East, Washington pushed their lead into double figures by beating their nearest rivals, the New York Mets. The Mets stayed a game ahead of Miami, who lost at AL Central leader Cleveland.
Photo: David Banks - USA TODAY
Texas pushed their lead in the AL West out to 9.5 games ahead of Houston by winning a tight game against their state and division rival.
Chicago’s Lester gave up a walk in the first inning and then settled down to retire 18 straight batters. Benefiting from some impressive catches in the field, and up until he gave up a homer in the seventh, he looked capable of the second no-hitter of his career.
Lester gave up three hits and two walks over the nine innings, and lead the Cubs to a fifth straight win. By contrast, San Francisco has been the worst team in the majors since the All-Star break, with a 15-29 record.
Washington pitcher A.J. Cole posted his first MLB win, giving up one run in six innings to lead the Nationals to a 4-1 win at the Mets.
Bryce Harper hit two doubles and became the latest player to steal a base against Noah Syndergaard. Tall and slow to the plate, he has had 45 runners steal with him on the mound; the most against any pitcher since Hideo Nomo in 2001, ESPN Stats and Info said.
Harper drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, doubled in the fourth, stole third and came home for the run. Harper’s double set up a two-run single in the ninth.
Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 and held Miami scoreless into the eighth inning, steering the Indians to a 6-2 win.
Carrasco had the 10th double-digit strikeout game of his career and the third this season.
He walked one in 7-1/3 innings as the Indians won for their fourth straight game, maintaining a 4.5 games lead in the AL Central.
Texas’ Rougned Odor homered for the third straight game in a seven-run fourth inning that lifted the Rangers over Houston 10-8.
Odor’s team-leading 28th home run of the season was one of three in the fourth inning against Astros starter Doug Fister, who was pulled after Odor’s shot over the 4.27m wall in left field for a 9-2 lead.
Carlos Gomez had two hits in his first game against his former team to build the big early lead. The Rangers almost squandered that seven-run advantage, but held on for a sixth straight win.
Houston lost the first of 13 straight games against the division leaders to start the month, six of those against Texas.
Baltimore’s Mark Trumbo hit his major league-leading 41st homer of the season to cap a six-run second inning which powered the Orioles to an 8-0 win against the New York Yankees.
Pedro Alvarez and Chris Davis hit two-run homers in the second inning and Manny Machado added a two-run shot in the fourth for Baltimore, who lead the majors with 213 home runs. The Orioles have six players who have hit 20 homers this season, becoming the 19th team in majors history to achieve that.
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera homered and finished with three hits and four RBIs as the Tigers edged Kansas City 7-6.
Cabrera drove in two runs with his eighth inning hit which put the Tigers ahead.
In the seventh, Cabrera hit a 134m shot homer, and he also drove in a run in the three-run third.
Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb went five solid innings during his first start in two years, guiding the Rays past AL East leader Toronto 8-3.
Cobb, coming back from Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm, struck out seven, walked one and retired his final 10 batters.
Logan Morrison put the Rays up 4-2 in sixth with a two-run homer.
Boston’s David Ortiz singled twice and drove in three runs as the Red Sox pounded Oakland 16-2.
San Diego’s Yangervis Solarte hit a tie-breaking home run leading off the eighth inning to lift the Padres to a 4-2 win at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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