Chicago – Yu Darvish pitched seven innings of one-run ball while making a strong start in a third consecutive game as the Chicago Cubs defeated the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday night.
Darvish (3-1) worked six no-hit innings, striking out nine and allowing three baserunners on two walks and a hit-by-pitch at Wrigley Field, as he appeared well on course to join Hideo Nomo as the only Japanese pitchers to throw a perfect MLB game.
But Justin Smoak spoiled Darvish’s no-hitter bid when he homered with one out in the seventh inning to put the Brewers on the scoreboard. Darvish yielded to the bullpen to start the eighth after 104 pitches.
“I wasn’t particularly in great shape,” said Darvish, who was pitching on seven days’ rest after the Cubs’ three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals set for last weekend was postponed over coronavirus cases.
“I have a routine between starts, and I haven’t done anything different this time. I knew about my shot at a no-hitter, but I didn’t think I’d go the distance considering the pitch count, so I just focused on getting the next out (after Smoak).”
Nomo threw two no-hitters, one with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996, and the other with the Boston Red Sox in 2001.
A two-run sixth ignited by an Ian Happ double made it 4-0 for the Cubs. Darvish fanned two more in the seventh, bringing his strikeout total to 11 and ERA to 1.88 after four starts this season.
The right-hander, who turns 34 on Sunday, has twice come within one out of a no-hitter, both while playing for the Texas Rangers.
During the spring of 2004, his senior year at Tohoku High School, Darvish famously threw a no-hitter at the national high school baseball invitational tournament at Koshien.
Rays 17, Red Sox 8
In Boston, Hunter Renfroe belted two homers and drove in three runs, Mike Zunino hit a three-run shot over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park, and Tampa Bay completed a four-game series sweep over Boston.
The Rays have won six straight and have beaten the Red Sox 12 of the last 14 times the teams met.
Brandon Lowe added a solo homer during a five-run third inning that chased starter Kyle Hart (0-1), who was making his major league debut.
Manuel Margot had his second four-hit game of the series, Willy Adames had three hits and two RBIs, and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo had two hits and two RBIs for the Rays, who posted season highs in runs and hits (19).
Dodgers 11, Padres 2
In Los Angeles, Mookie Betts hit three home runs in a game for the sixth time in his career, matching a major league record, and the Los Angeles Dodgers launched six long balls in all Thursday night during an 11-2 rout of the San Diego Padres.
Betts tied a mark shared by Sammy Sosa and Hall of Famer Johnny Mize. The 2018 AL MVP went 4 for 4 with five RBIs and was hit by a pitch in the leadoff spot, where manager Dave Roberts has been reluctant to lock him in.
Corey Seager, AJ Pollock and Austin Barnes also homered for the Dodgers. Seager returned after missing five games because of lower back discomfort. Barnes and Betts went back-to-back.
With a chance to tie the big league mark of four home runs in one game, Betts reached on an infield single in the seventh.
Mets 8, Nationals 2
In New York, Tomas Nido had his first two-homer game as a professional, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the fifth to lead New York over Washington for a split of the four-game series.
Nido is just the fifth catcher in Mets history to hit at least two homers and collect at least six RBIs in a game.
Dominic Smith homered in the second and Pete Alonso had an RBI single in the eighth for the Mets, whose second straight win may have been a costly one. Left fielder Jeff McNeil was carted off after crashing into the wall while robbing Asdrubal Cabrera of a two-run extra-base hit to end the first inning.
Smith, Alonso and Luis Guillorme had two hits each.
Pirates 9, Reds 6
In Cincinnati, Adam Frazier hit the first of three homers off Anthony DeSclafani, who hasn’t beaten Pittsburgh in his last seven tries, and Pittsburgh returned from a three-day layoff with a flourish against Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh’s three-game series in St. Louis was called off because of the Cardinals’ COVID-19 outbreak.
The Pirates showed no rust against a pitcher they’ve dominated. Frazier connected on DeSclafani’s second pitch, and the rout was on. DeSclafani (1-1) hasn’t beaten the Pirates since June 17, 2018, at PNC Park. Since then, he’s 0-5 in seven starts – all Pirates wins.
The Pirates sent 12 batters to the plate for seven runs in the second inning, their biggest of the season, in winning for only the second time in 12 games.
Trevor Williams (1-3) allowed three runs in five innings.
Cincinnati’s Shogo Akiyama went 0-for-3.
Orioles 11, Phillies 4
In Philadelphia, Pedro Severino and Rio Ruiz homered to back Thomas Eshelman, and Baltimore swept three games from Philadelphia.
The Orioles, who lost 108 games last season, are off to a 10-7 start.
Eshelman (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings to earn his second career win.
Phillies starter Jake Arrieta (1-2) gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
J.T. Realmuto hit a pair of two-run homers for the Phillies, who fell to 5-9 under first-year manager Joe Girardi.
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times