CHICAGO — Kyle Hendricks needed just 81 pitches for a four-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered for his third straight game Friday and the Chicago Cubs beat the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0.
The second-place Cubs won their season-high fifth straight. The Cardinals have back-to-back losses after five consecutive victories.
Hendricks (2-4) pitched his third career shutout and fourth complete game – his first since shutting out Miami on Aug. 1, 2016. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter after getting pounded in a loss at Arizona last week. Hendricks improved to 4-0 in five career starts against St. Louis.
Rizzo made it 3-0 with a three-run drive against Jack Flaherty (3-2) in the third inning and finished with three hits. Javier Baez added an RBI single in the seventh as the Cubs opened a 10-game homestand with a win.
Flaherty allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
PHILLIES 4, NATIONALS 2: Rhys Hoskins hit a three-run homer, Jerad Eickhoff threw five crisp innings and Philadelphia won at home.
After Kurt Suzuki went deep off Seranthony Dominguez (3-0) to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead in the sixth, the Phillies rallied.
Jean Segura’s infield single with one out chased Jeremy Hellickson. Left-hander Dan Jennings (0-1) entered to face Bryce Harper, who drew a walk. Nationals Manager Dave Martinez had a right-hander warming up in the bullpen but kept Jennings in to pitch to Hoskins. The cleanup hitter blasted a 1-1 pitch out to left to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead.
BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2: Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann homered to help Atlanta settle its score with Jose Urena and win at Miami.
Braves right-hander Kevin Gausman was ejected in the second inning for throwing a 97 mph fastball behind Urena, who was at the center of a melee between the teams last season. Touki Toussaint (2-0), recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, replaced Gausman and allowed one run in four innings with six strikeouts.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
TIGERS 4, ROYALS 3: Matthew Boyd struck out nine in another solid outing, and Detroit scored three runs in the first inning at home.
It was the sixth straight quality start for Boyd, who allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings. He walked one. Joe Jimenez struck out two in a perfect eighth.
RAYS 7, ORIOLES 0: Tyler Glasnow pitched seven innings of three-hit ball to earn his major league-leading sixth win, and Tampa Bay got a homer from Mike Zunino at Baltimore.
Glasnow (6-0) struck out eight, walked none and lowered his AL-best ERA to 1.47. It’s been an impressive turnaround for Glasnow, who entered this season with a 4-16 lifetime record.
INDIANS 2, MARINERS 1: Pinch-hitter Tyler Naquin’s two-out single in the ninth inning drove in the winning run as Cleveland won at home.
Naquin, batting for Jordan Luplow, grounded the first pitch from Anthony Swarzak (2-1) through the right side to score Leonys Martin from second base. Naquin was mobbed by his teammates down the right-field line after Cleveland’s second walkoff win of the season.
YANKEES 6, TWINS 3: Gary Sanchez homered twice and New York overcame its latest injury, winning at home after starter James Paxton exited early with soreness in his left knee.
Already with 13 players on the injured list, the Yankees said Paxton will have an MRI on Saturday.
NOTES
INDIANS: Cleveland placed pitcher Corey Kluber on the injured list with a broken right arm that will sideline him indefinitely.
Kluber sustained a non-displaced fracture of his ulna bone Wednesday night when he was hit by a line drive against Miami. He underwent a further imaging test Thursday and the results confirmed the diagnosis.
MARLINS: The CEO, Derek Jeter, said he’s unhappy with the team, and not just on the field. He confirmed a recent shake-up on the organization’s business side.
The Marlins began a weekend series against Atlanta with the worst record in the majors at 9-21, and are a distant last in attendance with a home average of less than 10,000 per game.
GIANTS: The team designated outfielder Gerardo Parra for assignment and called up Mike Gerber to take his spot in a lineup that’s struggled to hit.
Parra, 31, signed a minor league deal Feb. 12 that included a $1.75 million salary when he made the Giants. Parra struggled in 30 games, batting .198 with one homer and six RBI. The Giants batted only .231 in their last 10 games.
YANKEES: Third baseman Miguel Andujar and possibly infielder DJ LeMahieu will come off the injured list Saturday, and outfielder Clint Frazier is scheduled to follow Monday, when center fielder Aaron Hicks could begin a minor league rehab assignment.
Andujar has been sidelined since April 1 with a small labrum tear in his right shoulder. Initially the fear was he might need surgery that would jeopardize the remainder of his season, but Andujar responded well to a rehab program and rejoined the team.
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