AROUND THE HORN | Wednesday’s other MLB games

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cubs 17, Pirates 3

CHICAGO

Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, Ian Happ and Anthony Rizzo also went deep to back Jose Quintana, and Chicago pounded Pittsburgh. The Cubs (72-60) outscored the Pirates 27-5 in a three-game sweep and moved 12 games above .500 for the first time this year. Happ helped stake Chicago to a 5-2 lead with an RBI single in the first inning and two-run drive off Ivan Nova in the third. Happ also had an RBI double.

Braves 9, Phillies 1 Braves 5, Phillies 2

PHILADELPHIA

Ender Inciarte went 5 for 5 with five RBIs to lead Atlanta to a win over Philadelphia in the first game. R.A Dickey (9-8) struck out nine over eight innings and the Braves won for the first time this season in nine games at Citizens Bank Park. Inciarte singled his first four times up and hit a two-out triple in the seventh. He walked in the ninth. Mark Leiter Jr. gets the start against Atlanta’s Julio Teheran in the second game. Atlanta third baseman Brandon Phillips singled for his 2,000th career hit and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

In the second game, David Freitas lined a go-ahead RBI double for his first career hit, Inciarte had three hits and Atlanta beat Philadelphia to complete the sweep. Teheran (9-11) allowed one run and five hits, striking out eight in 61/3 innings. Inciarte was 3 for 5 with one RBI after going 5 for 5 with four RBIs to lead the Braves to victory in the opener. Freitas put the Braves ahead 2-1 with his fourth-inning double in his second big-league at-bat.

Brewers 6, Cardinals 5

MILWAUKEE

Domingo Santana and Jonathan Villar homered in the sixth inning, and center fielder Keon Broxton made a leaping catch over the wall for the final out in Milwaukee’s win over St. Louis. Corey Knebel pitched the ninth for his 30th save. He allowed a leadoff single to Yadier Molina, struck out the next two batters, and then watched Broxton snag Randal Grichuk’s deep blast to end the game. Chase Anderson (8-3) gave up two hits — both homers — in six innings, three earned runs, struck out six and walked two to improve to 4-0 in nine starts at Miller Park this season.

Nationals 4, Marlins 0

WASHINGTON

Stephen Strasburg tossed a complete game six-hitter and also homered, Wilmer Difo added a home run and Washington defeated Miami to complete a three-game sweep. The Marlins had no answer for Strasburg (11-4) who struck out eight. Strasburg threw 110 pitches. It was his second complete game in 179 starts and his first since Aug. 11, 2013, against Philadelphia.

Mets 2, Reds 0

CINCINNATI

Rafael Montero took a one-hitter into the ninth inning, and the New York Mets held on for a victory that extended their dominance over Cincinnati. Montero (3-9) allowed only Joey Votto’s single through the first eight innings. The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth on two hits and an intentional walk to Votto. Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores and Kevin Plawecki doubled in the first inning for a 2-0 lead against Homer Bailey (4-7).

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Orioles 8, Mariners 7

BALTIMORE

Welington Castillo went 4 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs, Jonathan Schoop singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Baltimore beat Seattle for its season-high seventh straight victory. Schoop, Mancini and Craig Gentry also homered for the Orioles. In this one, Baltimore fell behind 6-2 in the third inning. Mitch Haniger homered and hit two doubles for Seattle.

Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 1

TORONTO

Mitch Moreland had a pinch-hit homer and drove in four runs, Hanley Ramirez added a solo blast and Boston beat Toronto to complete a three-game sweep. Rick Porcello allowed one run in 62/3 innings. Ramirez connected for the second straight game as the Red Sox improved to 8-1 in Toronto. Boston is 10-3 overall against the Blue Jays.

Rangers 8, Astros 1

ST. PETERSBURG. FLA.

Andrew Cashner pitched eight strong innings, Mike Napoli hit a three-run homer and Texas beat Houston in a game relocated to Florida because of Hurricane Harvey. A crowd of 6,123 watched Cashner (8-9) limit the AL West leaders to three hits, one after the second inning. Napoli’s homer off Dallas Keuchel (11-3) capped a six-run fourth inning for the Rangers, who’ve won two straight.

Rays 5, Royals 3

KANSAS CITY

Logan Morrison, Steven Souza Jr. and Adeiny Hechavarria each went deep and Tampa Bay beat Kansas City for its latest series victory. The Rays took two out of three and have won three consecutive series. Morrison has four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs in the first six games of Tampa Bay’s current road trip. Morrison hit his 33rd homer with two outs in the fifth against Jason Vargas (14-9). Souza hit his 29th earlier in the fifth, snapping a 3-3 tie. Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi (7-7) allowed three runs and four hits over five-plus innings.

Twins 11, White Sox 1

MINNEAPOLIS

Jose Berrios pitched seven scoreless innings, Brian Dozier had four hits and Eddie Rosario homered twice as Minnesota defeated Chicago. Berrios (12-6) tied a career high with 11 strikeouts, including seven of the last nine batters he faced. He walked one and gave up just four hits to win his seventh straight start at Target Field. Mitch Garver and Ehire Adrianza each had three hits for the Twins. Adrianza tripled twice and drove in four runs, while Garver scored three runs and was a home run short of the cycle.

INTERLEAGUE

Tigers 6, Rockies 2

DENVER

Justin Verlander struck out nine over six commanding innings and aided his own cause by driving in his first career run and Detroit beat Colorado. Verlander (10-8) allowed one run and three hits. His only mistake was a curveball that Charlie Blackmon hit for a solo homer in the sixth. Verlander ignited the offense with an RBI single in the second. Nicholas Castellanos added a solo homer and James McCann sealed the game with a three-run shot in the fifth.

Associated Press