Pinch hitter Mike Tauchman doubled home the winning run to cap a three-run bottom of the ninth as the host Chicago Cubs rallied for a 5-4 walk-off victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.
Tauchman sliced a 2-2 fastball by Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley (4-4) into the left field corner to drive in Dansby Swanson with the winning run. Chicago trailed 4-2 entering the ninth against Helsley, who had converted 33 of his previous 35 save tries.
Cody Bellinger cut the lead to 4-3 with one out when he lined his 11th homer of the season, a shot to left-center. Swanson later tied the game with a double. Nate Pearson (1-1) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of one-hit relief. Seiya Suzuki also homered for Chicago.
Paul Goldschmidt homered, doubled and singled and scored two runs, and Masyn Winn homered and had two hits and two RBIs for St. Louis, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Royals 7, Tigers 1
Vinnie Pasquantino hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs as Kansas City cruised past host Detroit in the opener of a four-game series.
Bobby Witt Jr. had a solo homer and a double for the Royals, who won their fourth straight. Kansas City’s Seth Lugo (13-5) delivered a gem, pitching eight innings and giving up one run and four hits, all singles. He only walked one while recording three strikeouts.
Colt Keith reached base twice and scored the lone Tigers run. Keider Montero (1-5) lasted seven innings and gave up four runs and six hits. Detroit has lost four straight.
Guardians 10, Orioles 3
David Fry, Bo Naylor and Jose Ramirez each homered and drove in three runs as Cleveland topped Baltimore in the first game of the Orioles’ 10-game road trip.
Ben Lively (10-6) won his second straight start after allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four over six innings for Cleveland, which has won four in a row and seven of its last nine.
Anthony Santander belted his team-leading 32nd homer and Gunnar Henderson had an RBI double for the Orioles, who dropped into a first-place tie in the AL East with the New York Yankees.
Braves 4, Marlins 2
Atlanta hit three home runs to back the solid starting pitching of Charlie Morton during a victory over visiting Miami in the opener of a four-game series.
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia all went deep in the first three innings as the Braves scored all of its runs en route to their fifth win in six games. Morton (6-6) pitched six innings and allowed one unearned run, and Raisel Iglesias pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his 23rd save.
Marlins starter Max Meyer (2-1) gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings. Jake Burger had two hits and an RBI.
–Field Level Media
