Albert Almora Jr. got even. So did the Chicago Cubs.Almora hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning
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Tuesday night to salvage a split of their day-night doubleheader.
Kris Bryant sparked the winning rally with a leadoff triple against Brock Stewart (0-1). After Javier Baez was walked intentionally, Almora hit a liner
into right field.
In the Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1, Almora popped out to first with the bases loaded with one out in the eighth. The Dodgers intentionally
walked Jason Heyward before Yimi Garcia retired Almora.
”It was personal for me,” Almora said. ”I didn’t come through. I was a little aggressive.
”I learned from the first mistake and I didn’t do too much (in the second game), but I really wanted that one pretty bad. It was just a little bit of
revenge from the first game.”
Rob Zastryzny (1-0), the fifth Cubs reliever, got Yasmani Grandal to fly out with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th to earn the win.
The rematch of the last two NL Championship Series was set to begin on Monday night, but the opener was postponed by a mixture of poor weather and a limited
power outage at Wrigley Field. It’s the only scheduled visit for Los Angeles,
leading to the day-night doubleheader.
”It was two really interesting games,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”Could have lost both, could have won both. It’s nice to walk off.”
Los Angeles began the long day with its 4-3 victory on pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer’s two-run double in the ninth. Joc Pederson led off the game with his
ninth homer and Yasiel Puig drove in a run with a bloop double.
The Dodgers jumped in front in the nightcap on Austin Barnes‘ RBI single in the sixth. But the Cubs tied it on Kyle Schwarber’s 13th homer, a drive to right
against Erik Goeddel in the seventh.
Los Angeles wasted an impressive return for Rich Hill
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first major league start in a month. Hill was placed on the disabled list on May
20 with a blister on his left middle finger, a recurring problem for the veteran
left-hander.
”The fastball command, the curveball command, it was on point tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. ”You hope to get something like that, but you never
know what you’re going to get making his first start back from injury, but
again, he was outstanding.”
Mike Montgomery kept Chicago in the game with six effective innings, yielding one run and five hits. The lefty has a 1.21 ERA in five starts since he was
inserted into the rotation after Yu Darvish went on the disabled list on May 26
with right triceps tendinitis.
”I just want him to continue to take start after start like this,” Maddon said.
Bryant led off in each half of the doubleheader. The third baseman doubled twice and drove in two runs in Game 1, and went 1 for 5 in the night cap.
It was the third and fourth times this season – and in his career – that the slugger batted at the top of the order.
Bryant’s two-run double in the opener helped Chicago to a 3-1 lead. But Puig doubled in Chris Taylor in the sixth, setting the stage for the ninth-inning
rally.
Farmer lined a 2-2 pitch from Justin Wilson (1-2) into the corner in left after pinch-hitter Austin Barnes walked and Justin Turner singled. Farmer is
batting just .238 for the
season
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Edward Paredes (2-0), the fifth of six Dodgers relievers, got one out in the eighth to earn the win. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
Wilson (1-2) came one pitch away from earning his first save. Maddon used the lefty because closer Brandon Morrow has a sore back that flared up on
Monday.
The Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits in his second start since coming off the disabled list. Cubs starter Tyler
Chatwood allowed two hits and struck out six in five innings, walking five to
increase his major league-leading total to 63.
MAKING MOVES
To make room for Hill on the roster, the Dodgers optioned infielder/outfielder Breyvic Valera to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Stewart was added to the roster as the 26th man prior to the second game of the doubleheader. The Cubs recalled right-hander Justin Hancock from Triple-A
Iowa as their 26th man.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
The Cubs celebrated Hall of Famer Billy Williams’ 80th birthday during the nightcap. Led by the Wrigley organist, many in the crowd of 40,409 joined in
singing ”Happy Birthday” to the six-time All-Star after the second inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (strained lower back) is scheduled make a minor league rehab start on Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. According to
Roberts, Kershaw will be limited to four innings and 60 pitches. His next
appearance could be with Los Angeles. … INF Chase Utley (left thumb sprain)
could be activated off the DL on Wednesday.
Cubs: Maddon gave no timetable for Morrow’s return. … Darvish will throw a simulated game on Wednesday. Maddon said the Cubs will determine the next step
in the right-hander’s rehab program based on his response. … INF Javier Baez,
hit on the elbow by a pitch on Sunday, returned to the starting lineup at second
base in the nightcap. Baez entered the first game in the seventh inning.
UP NEXT
Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling (6-1, 1.76 ERA) squares off against Cubs LHP Jon Lester
(8-2
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finale.
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays continue to wait for the return of third baseman Josh Donaldson from tightness in his left calf.
He did not play in the opener of the three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Friday night, a 6-5 Toronto win, and he is not expected to play in
the second game on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
The Nationals (37-29) will start right-hander Max Scherzer (10-2, 2.00 ERA), and the Blue Jays (31-38) will start right-hander Marco Estrada (3-5, 4.33).
Scherzer is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA in eight career starts against the Blue Jays.
A sixth-round draft pick by the Nationals in 2005, Estrada is 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA in six career starts against Washington.
Meanwhile, Yangervis Solarte, the player who often fills in at third for Donaldson when he is not playing shortstop or second base, did well Friday
night.
Solarte hit two home runs against the Nationals — a two-run shot and a solo blast — and added a double. He became the ninth Blue Jays batter to hit home
runs from each side of the plate in a game. It is the second time in his career
that the switch-hitter has homered from each side of the plate in a game. He has
14 homers and 40 RBIs for the season.
By defeating Washington starter Gio Gonzalez, who allowed a season-high five runs in six-plus innings, the Blue Jays ended a streak of 11 straight losses
when opposing a left-handed starter. It was the longest such streak in franchise
history. Their previous long drought against left-handed starter was eight
losses in a row in 1993.
Donaldson was eligible to return from the disabled list a week ago but has not played because he has been unable to run well enough during drills at the
Rogers Centre on
Thursday
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“I was here watching him (Thursday) when he was running the bases, and he still couldn’t cut it loose,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “That’s all
I’ve got. He’s feeling better, but he’s still a little bit hesitant.”
He has been on the DL since May 29. The Blue Jays are 6-9 in the games he has missed. He probably will need a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Buffalo
before returning.
“I think he needs to go down and at least play a game and test it,” Gibbons said. “Game-like conditions. I think that would be smart.”
The Nationals lost first baseman Matt Adams when he took a pitch off his left index finger on a foul bunt attempt in the second inning. He finished the at-bat
and struck out. He played in the field in the bottom of the second before being
replaced by Mark Reynolds. The finger was swollen and will be re-evaluated
Saturday.
“It’s just part of the game, stuff like this happens,” Adams said. “Come in tomorrow and get some treatment and see how it feels.”
The Nationals did have some good news from the game Friday. Daniel Murphy picked up his first hit of the season, an RBI single in the eighth. It was his
third game after being sidelined following right knee surgery.
The Nationals came back Friday with two runs in the eighth after falling behind 6-3 in the seventh and had the potential tying run at third in the
ninth.
“I like the way that we didn’t give up, came back, and we had a chance to tie the game at the end,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.
