Quintana Impresses in Cubs Debut
The Chicago Cubs made a move with the intentions of bolstering their rotation, and that move paid off for at least one start on Sunday afternoon. The Cubs completed the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles out of the All-Star break with an 8-0 shutout victory behind the arm of Jose Quintana. The former White Sox hurler lasted seven innings and struck out 12 in his first start for the defending champs. The ace-caliber pitcher allowed three hits and did not walk a batter, joining Matt Garza as the only Cub pitchers to strike out 12 in their team debut. He also got plenty of run support, as Chicago's bats stayed hot with 15 hits, including long balls from Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. The win puts the Cubs over .500 for the first time since June 29th, as their torrid offense combined for 10 home runs this weekend in Baltimore. Wilson Contreras had a career-high four hits on Sunday against Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who fell to 4-5 on the season. The Cubs pulled within 4.5 games of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and will head to Atlanta to battle the Braves on Monday.
Dodgers Sweep Marlins, Win Ninth Straight
The All-Star break has not changed a thing for the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, as they have not slowed down in any way this weekend. Justin Turner went deep on Sunday to key a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins, completing the series sweep. They also recorded their ninth straight win, as Turner added a single on the day to raise his average to .374 on the season. His bat led the Dodgers to their fourth one-run win during the streak, Rich Hill lasted five innings in his sixth win, as five Dodger pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts in the win. Kenley Jansen got the final four outs of the afternoon, earning his 23rd save of the season. The NL West leaders have won 29 of their past 33 games, improving to 35 games over .500 for the first time since 1977, and now hold the franchise's best record through 93 games since 1955. Chris O'Grady suffered his first loss in his second career start for the Marlins, who have dropped six of seven to the Dodgers this season, Los Angeles will enjoy Monday off before heading to Chicago for an interleague matchup with the White Sox.
Yankees, Red Sox Trade Shutouts in Doubleheader
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox capped off their weekend series with a doubleheader at Fenway Park on Sunday, with both teams recording shutouts on the day. First, C.C. Sabathia allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings in a 3-0 Yankees' win in the early game. Didi Gregorius added run support with a long ball, as the Yankees won consecutive games for the first time since a six-game win streak from June 7-12. They had gone 8-19 since then. Boston went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in Game 1 and stranded 10 runners against Sabathia, who recorded his eighth win. In Game 2 of the doubleheader, it was David Price who had the upper-hand, as the lefty threw eight shutout innings and struck out eight in a 3-0 Boston victory. Price allowed seven hits, but stranded all baserunners, as Mookie Betts backed him up with a two-run home run. Jackie Bradley Jr. played a big role in the field, robbing Aaron Judge of a two-run home run with a leaping catch in center field in the eighth inning. Judge has now gone just 1-for-18 since his Home Run Derby performance. Masahiro Tanaka gave up just three runs on eight hits in 7.2 innings in what was his ninth loss of the year. It was the first time this season that the Yankees have been shut out, making them the final team to do so. They will head to Minnesota for a series with the Twins beginning Monday. Boston remains home to host the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
The Chicago Cubs made a move with the intentions of bolstering their rotation, and that move paid off for at least one start on Sunday afternoon. The Cubs completed the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles out of the All-Star break with an 8-0 shutout victory behind the arm of Jose Quintana. The former White Sox hurler lasted seven innings and struck out 12 in his first start for the defending champs. The ace-caliber pitcher allowed three hits and did not walk a batter, joining Matt Garza as the only Cub pitchers to strike out 12 in their team debut. He also got plenty of run support, as Chicago's bats stayed hot with 15 hits, including long balls from Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. The win puts the Cubs over .500 for the first time since June 29th, as their torrid offense combined for 10 home runs this weekend in Baltimore. Wilson Contreras had a career-high four hits on Sunday against Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who fell to 4-5 on the season. The Cubs pulled within 4.5 games of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and will head to Atlanta to battle the Braves on Monday.
Dodgers Sweep Marlins, Win Ninth Straight
The All-Star break has not changed a thing for the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, as they have not slowed down in any way this weekend. Justin Turner went deep on Sunday to key a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins, completing the series sweep. They also recorded their ninth straight win, as Turner added a single on the day to raise his average to .374 on the season. His bat led the Dodgers to their fourth one-run win during the streak, Rich Hill lasted five innings in his sixth win, as five Dodger pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts in the win. Kenley Jansen got the final four outs of the afternoon, earning his 23rd save of the season. The NL West leaders have won 29 of their past 33 games, improving to 35 games over .500 for the first time since 1977, and now hold the franchise's best record through 93 games since 1955. Chris O'Grady suffered his first loss in his second career start for the Marlins, who have dropped six of seven to the Dodgers this season, Los Angeles will enjoy Monday off before heading to Chicago for an interleague matchup with the White Sox.
Yankees, Red Sox Trade Shutouts in Doubleheader
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox capped off their weekend series with a doubleheader at Fenway Park on Sunday, with both teams recording shutouts on the day. First, C.C. Sabathia allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings in a 3-0 Yankees' win in the early game. Didi Gregorius added run support with a long ball, as the Yankees won consecutive games for the first time since a six-game win streak from June 7-12. They had gone 8-19 since then. Boston went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in Game 1 and stranded 10 runners against Sabathia, who recorded his eighth win. In Game 2 of the doubleheader, it was David Price who had the upper-hand, as the lefty threw eight shutout innings and struck out eight in a 3-0 Boston victory. Price allowed seven hits, but stranded all baserunners, as Mookie Betts backed him up with a two-run home run. Jackie Bradley Jr. played a big role in the field, robbing Aaron Judge of a two-run home run with a leaping catch in center field in the eighth inning. Judge has now gone just 1-for-18 since his Home Run Derby performance. Masahiro Tanaka gave up just three runs on eight hits in 7.2 innings in what was his ninth loss of the year. It was the first time this season that the Yankees have been shut out, making them the final team to do so. They will head to Minnesota for a series with the Twins beginning Monday. Boston remains home to host the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
