Cubs win on stellar outing by Arrieta
Jake Arrieta held the Red Sox hitless until Stephen Drew singled with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat Boston 2-0 Monday night in the opener of only the second series between the teams at Fenway Park since 1918.
Six days after taking a perfect game into the seventh inning of his previous start at Wrigley Field against Cincinnati, Arrieta took his no-hit bid a little deeper at fabled Fenway. He allowed only Mike Napoli’s fifth-inning walk before Drew line a clean single to right.
Arrieta (5-1) was lifted by Cubs manager Rick Renteria immediately following the hit that came on the right-hander’s career-high 120th pitch.
The 28-year-old Arrieta was given a loud ovation before he even got to the foul line, tipping his cap to the Boston crowd. He tipped it again once he got across the line just before getting to the Cubs dugout.
Washington 7, Colorado 3: Adam LaRoche homered, Ryan Zimmerman had three hits and Ian Desmond added two doubles and three RBIs as the Washington Nationals welcomed back Bryce Harper with a 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Harper, who missed 57 games because of a torn ligament in his left thumb, went 1 for 3 with an RBI single – on Bryce Harper bobblehead night.
Jordan Zimmermann (6-4) allowed two runs in six innings as Washington won its third straight.
Justin Morneau had three hits for the Rockies, who have lost 12 of 14. Yohan Flande (0-1), making his second start, was charged with three runs on six hits.
The Nationals trailed 2-1 before a five-run sixth, jumpstarted by Desmond’s three-run, bases-clearing double into the left-field corner.
Baltimore 7, Texas 1: Steve Pearce hit two of Baltimore’s four home runs off Joe Saunders and Ubaldo Jimenez ended a run of nine winless starts as the Orioles defeated the Texas Rangers 7-1 Monday night.
Pearce put Baltimore ahead to stay with a two-run drive in the first inning and connected with a man on in the fourth. It was his first two-homer game during a career that began in 2007.
Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy also homered for the Orioles, who hit a major league-leading 46 long balls in June. The four home runs provided Baltimore with a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning against Saunders (0-5), who came in 7-0 lifetime against the Orioles.
Jimenez (3-8) allowed one run, none earned, and four hits with seven strikeouts in eight innings. The right-hander walked only one after issuing 30 free passes in his previous seven starts.
White Sox/Angels postponed: In the middle of a tough stretch of games, Anaheim Angels manager Mike Scioscia did not want to be forced to play a doubleheader.
“At some point you’re going to have to play the stretch like we’re in now, 20 straight, and you want to play,” Scioscia said before the Angels game against the White Sox Monday night was postponed because of heavy rains and rescheduled as part of a traditional doubleheader today. “A doubleheader does not benefit anyone at any time.”
The storm hit U.S. Cellular Field just after scheduled first pitch. The postponement was announced at 7:30 p.m.
The first game this afternoon will start at 5:10 p.m. with Chicago’s Hector Noesi (2-5, 5.07) going against Los Angeles’ Garrett Richards (8-2, 2.76), who were slated to start Monday night.
Scott Carroll (2-4, 4.76) will go for the White Sox against the Angels’ Jered Weaver (8-6, 3.33) in the second game.