ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt hit his 34th homer, and the surging St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-4 for their third straight victory. Tommy Edman and Tyler O’Neill also went deep for NL Central-leading St. Louis, which improved to 27-8 in its last 35 games. Yadier Molina had two hits and three RBIs, and Adam Wainwright (10-9) pitched five innings of four-run ball for the win. Goldschmidt’s two-run homer off Drew Smyly in the first lifted the All-Star slugger to an NL-best 107 RBIs. He also tops the NL with a .331 batting average and trails Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead in homers by two.
Elsewhere in the MLB:
CHICAGO (AP) — Dylan Cease came within one out of his first career no-hitter, and the streaking Chicago White Sox pounded the Minnesota Twins 13-0. Cease got a huge ovation when came out to start the ninth. With fans on their feet, he struck out Caleb Hamilton swinging on a 1-2 slider and retired Gilberto Celestino on a fly to center. Luis Arraez then dumped a line-drive single into right-center on a 1-1 pitch, ending Cease’s bid for Chicago’s third no-hitter in as many years. Lucas Giolito tossed one against Pittsburgh in 2020, and Carlos Rodón did it against Cleveland on April 14, 2021.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets ace Max Scherzer exited with left side fatigue after five sharp innings and 67 pitches and NL East-leading New York lost to the Washington Nationals 7-1. Scherzer, who missed almost seven weeks earlier this season with a left oblique strain, had his fastball clocked as high as 96 mph. He retired his final seven batters before heading straight to the tunnel leading to the Mets’ clubhouse following the fifth. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, making his third attempt at earning the 200th win of his career, allowed three hits, including Luis Garcia’s homer. Lane Thomas hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth for the last-place Nationals. Garcia also doubled twice and singled. Patrick Corbin improved to 6-17 with his second straight win. He leads the majors in losses.
