Baseball Capsules – Washington Times

CHICAGO (AP) – Chris Sale went the distance on a masterful four-hitter on Thursday night, becoming the first major league pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts, and the Chicago White Sox edged the Houston Astros 2-1 to snap their season-high four game losing streak.

Sale walked none and struck out a season-high nine en route to his second straight complete game. No other pitcher has more than seven victories in the big leagues this season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb had been the last to post a 9-0 record in his first nine starts. The last White Sox to accomplish the feat was Eddie Cicotte in 1919, when he won 12 in a row.

Houston broke the shutout bid in the eighth, when Evan Gattis clubbed Sale’s first pitch for a home run.

BREWERS 5, CUBS 3

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Junior Guerra struck out a career-high 11, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Chris Carter homered and Milwaukee slowed Chicago.

Jason Hammel (5-1) allowed four runs and five hits in six innings. He had been 8-0 with a 2.37 ERA in 11 career starts against the Brewers. Chicago, a big-league best 28-11, has lost three times in a four-game span for the first time this season. The Cubs scored seven runs in the three-game series.

Making his first start against Chicago, Guerra (3-0) gave up Dexter Fowler’s 15th career leadoff homer but settled down to allow three runs and five hits in seven innings.

Tyler Thornburg got his first big league save.

BLUE JAYS 3, TWINS 2, 11 INNINGS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Troy Tulowitzki drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out, two-strike single in the 11th inning the Toronto stopped a five-game losing streak.

Edwin Encarnacion’s two-run home run tied the game in the sixth for the only big hit during a duel between Marco Estrada and Ervin Santana, who pitched eight innings apiece. Estrada and Roberto Osuna (2-0) held the Twins hitless from the fourth through the 10th, and Joe Biagini worked the 11th inning for his first save.

Ryan Pressly (1-3) gave up the one-out single to Encarnacion in the top of the 11th that set up the winning run, and Tulowitzki delivered against Fernando Abad to send the Twins to their 16th loss in the last 19 games.

NATIONALS 9, METS 1

NEW YORK (AP) – Unbeaten Stephen Strasburg struck out 10, Daniel Murphy homered against his old team and Bryce Harper finally got a hit off shaky Matt Harvey as Washington routed New York.

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