Darvish, Dodgers Take Series From Diamondbacks
Yu Darvish was not as sharp as he was in his Dodger debut, but he was good enough to shut down the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night. The right-hander lasted just five innings, but struck out 10 in an 8-6 win for Los Angeles, giving them another series victory. Justin Turner and Kike Hernandez combined to drive in five runs to support their new teammate, Chris Taylor added a home run early on to help the Dodgers hold off the D-backs, who continued to fight to the very end. Darvish threw 106 pitches through his five innings, as he became the second Dodger to strike out 10 batters in each of his first two starts with the team. Anthony Banda struggled on the mound for Arizona, lasting just four innings in his second loss of the season. J.D. Martinez kept rolling for the second Wild Card team, as he connected for his 23rd home run of the season, and seventh with his new team. The Snakes did add four runs late, capped off by a two-run single by Ketel Marte in the eighth. Then Tony Cingrani ended that threat with a strikeout of Gregor Blanco, before Kenley Jansen came in for his 30th save in the ninth. The first-place Dodgers return home to host the San Diego Padres this weekend, while the Diamondbacks will battle the Chicago Cubs on their home turf beginning on Friday.
Fowler's Slam Gives Cardinals Sweep of Royals
The St. Louis Cardinals inched even closer to the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central on Thursday, as they completed the sweep of the Kansas City Royals with an 8-6 victory. Dexter Fowler led the way with a career-high five RBI, including a grand slam, leading St. Louis to their season-high sixth straight win. Fowler's slam was his 15th home run of the season and broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning. It was also his third career grand slam and came off of reliever Neftali Feliz. Lorenzo Cain led the Royals with four hits, as they have dropped back to .500 with four straight losses and six in their past seven games. Trevor Rosenthal held off a Royals' rally by getting four outs for his 10th save in 12 tries with the Cards. The Redbirds' offense has put up big numbers, scoring 54 runs during their current win streak. Tyler Lyons came out of the bullpen to earn his first victory, while Mike Minor suffered his fourth loss in relief for Kansas City. St. Louis now sits just one game behind the Cubs for first in the Central, as they stay home to host the Atlanta Braves this weekend. The Royals look to figure out their woes and stay in the race as they head to Chicago for a series with the White Sox.
Trubisky Impresses in Bears' Debut
The Chicago Bears opened up their preseason on Thursday with Mike Glennon tabbed as their starting quarterback for the regular season. Although, rookie Mitch Trubisky may force his name into that conversation, as he threw for 166 yards in the Bears' 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. The QB out of North Carolina finished 18 of 25 on the night, but echoed his team's sentiments by saying that this is still Glennon's spot. He completed the first 10 passes after replacing Mark Sanchez, leading the Bears to touchdowns in his first two possessions, and then a field goal on his third. This came after Glennon struggled in his first start, as he was just 2-for-8 for 20 yards. He signed a three-year deal with Chicago after Jay Cutler moved on in the off-season. Denver used two long touchdowns to pull away for their first preseason win. Kyle Sloter connected with Isaiah McKenzie on a 47-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 41-yard touchdown run by De'Angelo Henderson for the win. The Bears will visit the Arizona Cardinals on the 19th for Trubinsky's next opportunity to prove himself, while Denver goes to San Francisco for their next preseason matchup that same day.
Yu Darvish was not as sharp as he was in his Dodger debut, but he was good enough to shut down the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night. The right-hander lasted just five innings, but struck out 10 in an 8-6 win for Los Angeles, giving them another series victory. Justin Turner and Kike Hernandez combined to drive in five runs to support their new teammate, Chris Taylor added a home run early on to help the Dodgers hold off the D-backs, who continued to fight to the very end. Darvish threw 106 pitches through his five innings, as he became the second Dodger to strike out 10 batters in each of his first two starts with the team. Anthony Banda struggled on the mound for Arizona, lasting just four innings in his second loss of the season. J.D. Martinez kept rolling for the second Wild Card team, as he connected for his 23rd home run of the season, and seventh with his new team. The Snakes did add four runs late, capped off by a two-run single by Ketel Marte in the eighth. Then Tony Cingrani ended that threat with a strikeout of Gregor Blanco, before Kenley Jansen came in for his 30th save in the ninth. The first-place Dodgers return home to host the San Diego Padres this weekend, while the Diamondbacks will battle the Chicago Cubs on their home turf beginning on Friday.
Fowler's Slam Gives Cardinals Sweep of Royals
The St. Louis Cardinals inched even closer to the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central on Thursday, as they completed the sweep of the Kansas City Royals with an 8-6 victory. Dexter Fowler led the way with a career-high five RBI, including a grand slam, leading St. Louis to their season-high sixth straight win. Fowler's slam was his 15th home run of the season and broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning. It was also his third career grand slam and came off of reliever Neftali Feliz. Lorenzo Cain led the Royals with four hits, as they have dropped back to .500 with four straight losses and six in their past seven games. Trevor Rosenthal held off a Royals' rally by getting four outs for his 10th save in 12 tries with the Cards. The Redbirds' offense has put up big numbers, scoring 54 runs during their current win streak. Tyler Lyons came out of the bullpen to earn his first victory, while Mike Minor suffered his fourth loss in relief for Kansas City. St. Louis now sits just one game behind the Cubs for first in the Central, as they stay home to host the Atlanta Braves this weekend. The Royals look to figure out their woes and stay in the race as they head to Chicago for a series with the White Sox.
Trubisky Impresses in Bears' Debut
The Chicago Bears opened up their preseason on Thursday with Mike Glennon tabbed as their starting quarterback for the regular season. Although, rookie Mitch Trubisky may force his name into that conversation, as he threw for 166 yards in the Bears' 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. The QB out of North Carolina finished 18 of 25 on the night, but echoed his team's sentiments by saying that this is still Glennon's spot. He completed the first 10 passes after replacing Mark Sanchez, leading the Bears to touchdowns in his first two possessions, and then a field goal on his third. This came after Glennon struggled in his first start, as he was just 2-for-8 for 20 yards. He signed a three-year deal with Chicago after Jay Cutler moved on in the off-season. Denver used two long touchdowns to pull away for their first preseason win. Kyle Sloter connected with Isaiah McKenzie on a 47-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 41-yard touchdown run by De'Angelo Henderson for the win. The Bears will visit the Arizona Cardinals on the 19th for Trubinsky's next opportunity to prove himself, while Denver goes to San Francisco for their next preseason matchup that same day.
