Bieber hurls 1hitter as Indians beat Jays
Cleveland righthander Shane Bieber wrapped up a shaky pregame bullpen session and shared a worried look with catcher Kevin Plawecki.
“I was like, ‘Let’s just find a way to get it done,’ ” Bieber told his battery mate. “Fortunately, I was able to do that.”
He sure was. Bieber pitched a onehitter, allowing only a double by Eric Sogard in the seventh inning, and the Indians kept up their surge by beating the Blue Jays 40 in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Cleveland topped prime trade target Marcus Stroman and improved to 144 in July. They are 3012 since June 4, the best record in the majors over that span. The shutout was Cleveland’s ALleading 11th. Bieber (103) struck out 10 and walked one in his second career complete game. The MVP of the AllStar Game blanked Baltimore on May 19 when he fanned 15.
“He just pitched like a veteran,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He’s maturing so fast. He’s barely got a year under his belt. It just looks like he’s going to get better and better. It’s fun to watch.”
Cardinals 14, Pirates 8: Paul DeJong hit three home runs, including one during a nine-run second inning, and St. Louis walloped host Pittsburgh. The Cardinals had eight extra-base hits in the second, tying a major-league record for an inning.
Rays 3, Red Sox 2: Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and host Tampa Bay beat Boston in a game that the Red Sox protested due to the placement of subs into the Rays’ lineup after the designated hitter was removed.
Nationals sweep Rockies: Patrick Corbin pitched six shutout innings for his first victory in nearly a month, and host Washington beat Colorado 2-0 for a doubleheader sweep. In the first game, Anthony Rendon homered on the first pitch of the seventh inning to lift Washington 3-2.
Phillies 4, Tigers 0: Vince Velasquez pitched impressively into the sixth inning and visiting Philadelphia beat Detroit. J.T. Realmuto and Nick Williams homered for the Phillies.
Brewers 5, Reds 4: Ryan Braun and Keston Hiura homered, Yasmani Grandal hit a go-ahead single and Josh Hader made a lights-out relief appearance with five strikeouts in two innings to lift host Milwaukee.
Diamondbacks 5, Orioles 2: Carson Kelly hit a three-run homer, Taylor Clarke pitched six effective innings and host Arizona beat Baltimore.
Mariners 5, Rangers 3: Mike Leake outpitched Mike Minor in what could be the final start for each before the upcoming trade deadline, Daniel Vogelbach hit a pair of solo home runs, and Seattle beat visiting Texas.
Padres 7, Mets 2: Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits to help visiting San Diego beat Noah Syndergaard and New York.
Royals 2, Braves 0: Brad Keller thrived in his Georgia homecoming, allowing only four hits in seven innings and adding a secondinning single for his first career RBI, as Kansas City beat Atlanta.
Marlins 2, White Sox 0: Rookie Zac Gallen pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Cesar Puello hit a two-run homer in the eighth as Miami beat host Chicago.
Yankees 10, Twins 7: Didi Gregorius drove in three runs with two of New York’s nine extra-base hits, and the visiting Yankees clobbered Minnesota’s pitching.