Crow-Armstrong homers twice as Cubs top Twins to deny series sweep

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs for his fifth multi-homer game this season, powering the Chicago Cubs past the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Thursday.

Crow-Armstrong, whose first-half breakout earned him a starting spot for the National League All-Star team, went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs to help the Cubs avoid a three-game sweep. Colin Rea (7-3) won his third straight start with a three-hitter over a season-high seven innings, and Minnesota native Michael Busch added two RBIs.

Rea allowed only a fifth-inning home run by Kody Clemens, as the 35-year-old right-hander turned in his longest start since seven shutout innings for Milwaukee last Aug. 18.

Paddack, who considers Rea a mentor dating to their time together with San Diego for his advice on recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery, gave up 11 hits and six runs. He is 1-5 in his last 10 starts, with the Twins winning three.

REDS 6, MARLINS 0

CINCINNATI (AP) – Spencer Steer homered and Nick Lodolo pitched six strong innings as Cincinnati beat Miami to earn a split in the four-game series.

Elly De La Cruz singled for his 100th hit of the season, stole second, and scored on Austin Hays’ single to put Cincinnati ahead 1-0 in the first.

Steer’s solo home run, his 11th of the season, made the score 2-0 in the second.

Cal Quantrill retired 11 straight following Steer’s homer, but the Reds loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth.

Lodolo (6-6) allowed only three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. It’s the seventh time this season that the Reds’ lefty allowed one run or fewer.

De La Cruz singled in a run and TJ Friedl raced home on a throwing error by right fielder Dane Myers to make it 4-0 in the sixth. Hays followed with a two-run single.

Quantrill (3-8) pitched five-plus innings and allowed five earned runs, the most since April 19 when he allowed seven at Philadelphia.

RED SOX 4, RAYS 3

BOSTON (AP) – Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead, two-run double during a three-run seventh inning and Boston earned their season-high seventh straight win by beating Tampa Bay.

Boston starter Walker Buehler gave up three runs off five hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Chris Murphy (1-0) and Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, and Aroldis Chapman struck out two in the ninth to pick up his 16th save and 1,300th strikeout.

Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run and Ha-Seong Kim added a solo homer for the Rays.

Tampa’s Taj Bradley allowed one run off two hits over six innings, striking out five. But reliever Bryan Baker (3-3), who was making his Rays debut after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles, surrendered all three Boston runs in the seventh.

ORIOLES 3, METS 1, 1ST GAME

ORIOLES 7, METS 3, 2ND GAME

BALTIMORE (AP) – Jordan Westburg homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore defeated New York to sweep a doubleheader.

Alex Jackson doubled twice and scored two runs in his Baltimore debut to help the Orioles win for the fifth time in six games. They took both ends of a twinbill for the first time since June 2016 against Tampa Bay at home.

In the opener, Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run drive in the eighth inning for his first career pinch-hit homer, sending Baltimore to a 3-1 victory.

The split-admission doubleheader was scheduled to make up Wednesday night’s game, which was postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather.

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