CHICAGO (AP) Chris Sale returned from his jersey-trashing suspension and threw six effective innings, but John Lackey outpitched him and Aroldis Chapman got the final four outs to save the Cubs’ 3-1 victory over the White Sox in Chicago’s rivalry series Thursday night.
Sale (14-4) was greeted with smiles and hugs from his teammates following a five-day ban for tearing up 1976-style uniforms he didn’t want to wear before his previous scheduled start. He had command issues, but worked out of trouble while allowing two runs and six hits.
Lackey (8-7) allowed one run in six innings for his first win since June 8. Chapman, in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees, struck out two and consistently hit 102 mph in his first save for his new team.
Kris Bryant, who homered against Sale in the All-Star Game, hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the first inning. Ben Zobrist added an RBI single in the third and doubled and scored in the eighth as the Cubs earned a split of the four-game series and spoiled Sale’s night.
The lefty was scratched from his start Saturday, sent home and then suspended five days for cutting up a number of collared throwback jerseys the team was supposed to wear for the game. Sale said they were uncomfortable and became enraged when the team wouldn’t switch them out.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Hanley Ramirez’s throwing error to the plate on Daniel Nava’s bases-loaded grounder allowed two runs to score, and Los Angeles walked off with a stunning victory over Boston.
The Angels rallied in the ninth against Boston closer Brad Ziegler (2-5), loading the bases with one out on singles by Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Andrelton Simmons.
Pinch-hitter Nava then poked a potential game-ending grounder to first, but Ramirez put his throw past catcher Sandy Leon, allowing Trout and pinch-runner Ji-Man Choi to end it.
Ziegler, who also lost Wednesday when he gave up a ninth-inning homer by Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, blew his third save of the season.
Cam Bedrosian (2-0) pitched the ninth for Los Angeles.
Ziegler and Ramirez wasted eight innings of seven-hit ball from David Price. The $217 million left-hander outdueled Jered Weaver, who pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning.
NATIONALS 4, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and scored a run, Trea Turner added two hits and an RBI and Washington beat San Francisco in the opener of a key four-game series between division leaders.
Bryce Harper doubled in a run while Anthony Rendon had two hits to help the Nationals beat All-Star Game starter Johnny Cueto (13-3) in manager Dusty Baker’s return to AT&T Park. Baker won 840 games as the Giants manager from 1993-2002.
San Francisco scored a run in the ninth to pull within 4-2 before Shawn Kelley struck out Angel Pagan with the bases loaded to end it and get his fifth save.
The two teams went into the game with identical 59-42 records before Washington won to join the Chicago Cubs (61-40) as the only teams in the majors with at least 60 wins.
Nationals starter Tanner Roark (10-6) allowed one run over seven innings, striking out three and walking three.
MIAMI (AP) – Aledmys Diaz homered, doubled and drove in three runs against childhood pal Jose Fernandez, helping St. Louis beat Miami.
Fernandez gave up five runs in five innings and fell to 26-2 at Marlins Park.
Miami’s Dee Gordon, the 2015 NL batting and stolen bases champion, returned from an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test and went 0 for 4. Ichiro Suzuki doubled as a pinch hitter in the seventh for Miami and needs two hits for 3,000.
Diaz and Matt Holliday homered in the third inning against Fernandez (12-5), who had never previously given up more than one homer in a home game. His only other loss at Marlins Park came on opening day this year against Detroit.
Michael Wacha (6-7) allowed three runs in six innings, and three relievers completed an eight-hitter. Seung Hwan Oh pitched around a one-out single in the ninth for his seventh save.
Diaz and Fernandez were neighbors growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, and the Cardinals enjoyed their reunion. Fernandez walked Jeremy Hazelbaker to start the third inning, and Diaz followed with his 14th homer. Two batters later, Holliday hit his 18th homer just inside the right-field foul pole, prompting a rueful grin from Fernandez. The outing was his shortest since May 4.
NEW YORK (AP) – New York closer Jeurys Familia stumbled for a second straight game, allowing two runs in the ninth inning in a loss that handed Colorado its seventh victory in eight games.
Less than 24 hours after Familia’s streak of 52 consecutive regular-season saves was snapped, the right-hander entered in the top of the ninth with a 1-0 lead, and couldn’t hold it.
Trevor Story had a leadoff single and stole second. After fellow rookie David Dahl walked, Daniel Descalso bunted up the first base line. Mets catcher Rene Rivera watched as the ball spun toward foul territory but it stopped fair, loading the bases with no out.
With one out, Familia (2-3) got pinch-hitter Cristhian Adames to hit a slow grounder to the right side. First baseman James Loney booted the ball and Story scored to make it 1-all. Familia then threw a wild pitch, allowing Dahl to cross the plate with the go-ahead run.
Jordan Lyles (3-3) pitched a scoreless eighth for the Rockies, and closer Carlos Estevez had a perfect ninth for his 11th save.
RANGERS 3, ROYALS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Mitch Moreland’s second homer of the game broke a tie in the eighth inning and Cole Hamels earned his 12th win of the season in Texas’ victory over Kansas City.
Hamels (12-2) allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings, matching his longest start of the season. Sam Dyson earned his 21st save in 23 chances, stranding the tying run at third base.
Both homers by the left-handed hitting Moreland were to the opposite field and came off Yordano Ventura (6-9). It was Moreland’s 10th career multi-homer game and second of the season. He has five homers in his last 11 hits.
TWINS 6, ORIOLES 2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Rookie Max Kepler continued his midseason surge with a tying home run and finished with two RBIs to help Minnesota beat Baltimore,
The teams were squeezing in a make-up game from a May 9 postponement with Minnesota in the middle of a homestand and Baltimore heading for a weekend series at Toronto.
Kepler hit his 11th home run off reliever Odrisamer Despaigne (0-2) leading off the sixth inning to tie it at 2 after Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez lasted five innings in his first start since July 8. Kepler had an RBI double in four-run seventh.
Ryan Pressly (5-5) combined with two other relievers to allow just two hits the final three innings.
PHILLIES 7, BRAVES 5
ATLANTA (AP) – Aaron Altherr and Maikel Franco homered, Aaron Nola won for the first time in eight starts and Philadelphia beat Atlanta.
Altherr returned to the lineup after missing the first 103 games of the season with a broken left wrist. He went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
Nola (6-9) gave up eight hits, three runs, three walks and struck out five in five innings. Jeanmar Gomez earned his 27th save.
Braves starter Matt Wisler (4-11) gave up three homers and has allowed eight homers in his past four starts, a span of 20 1/3 innings.
BREWERS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 4
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Hernan Perez hit a two-run homer, singled and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, Zach Davies pitched 6 1/3 innings and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 on Thursday.
Perez, who started at shortstop for benched Jonathan Villar, crushed the first pitch from Robbie Ray (5-10) 458 feet off the facing of the scoreboard in deep center for the two-run homer in the third.
Davies (8-4) allowed three runs -two earned- on six hits. Jeremy Jeffress pitched the ninth for his 24th save. Milwaukee added a run when Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered off Tyler Clippard leading off the eighth.
