>>Pirates Blank Cubs
(Chicago, IL) — Chris Archer tossed six innings of shutout ball as the Pirates blanked the Cubs 6-0 at Wrigley Field. Pablo Reyes smacked a three-run homer off Mike Montgomery, who surrendered five runs in four frames to take the loss. Kris Bryant left in the sixth after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch in the fourth. Chicago leads Milwaukee by just a half-game in the NL Central with five games left.
>>Brewers Pound Cardinals
(St. Louis, MO) — The Brewers belted four home runs in a 12-4 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich had six RBI with a three-run triple and a three-run homer. Austin Gomber allowed five runs in less than four innings to take the loss. Yadier Molina smacked a three-run shot for St. Louis in defeat.
>>White Sox Beat Indians On Walk Off Single
(Chicago, IL) — Daniel Palka hit a walk-off, two-run single in the ninth to give the White Sox a 5-4 win over the Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field. The South Siders trailed 4-2 heading into the ninth. Avisaíl García smacked a two-run homer in the first as Chicago ended a three-game skid. Sox starter James Shields reached 200 innings for the 10th time in his last 12 seasons.
>>Nationals’ Scherzer Hits 300 Strikeouts
(Washington, DC) — Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer [[ SURE-zur ]] is celebrating a milestone on the mound. He struck out 10 batters in a 9-4 win over the Marlins in D.C. to reach a career-high 300 on the season. He’s the 17th pitcher in history strike out that many in a season and the first right-hander to do it since the Diamondbacks’ Curt Schilling in 2002.
>>Angels’ Ohtani To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
(Anaheim, CA) — Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani [[ SHOW-hay oh-TAH-nee ]] will undergo Tommy John surgery next week. He has ligament damage in his pitching elbow. Ohtani is still expected to be able to hit next season, but likely won’t throw until 2020. He’s batting .280 with 21 home runs this year. He went 4-and-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts on the mound.
>>Assault Charge Withdrawn Against Astros Closer
(Toronto, Ontario) — Astros closer Roberto Osuna is no longer facing an assault charge in Canada. The Crown announced that Osuna agreed to a peace bond, meaning he has to follow multiple requirements for a year, or face prison. Osuna was arrested in May on claims he assaulted his girlfriend. The girlfriend is refusing to testify in the case.
>>Blues Blanked By Capitals
(St. Louis, MO) — Pheonix Copley made 42 saves to record the shutout as the Blues were blanked by the Capitals 4-0 at the Enterprise Center. St. Louis dropped to 3-and-2 in exhibition play. The Blues are back in action Friday night at home against Dallas. They begin the regular season a week from tomorrow at home against Winnipeg.
>>Red Wings Top Blackhawks
(Chicago, IL) — Thomas Vanek scored twice as the Red Wings topped the Blackhawks 8-6 at the United Center in preseason action. Jonathan Toews [[ Taves ]] lit the lamp twice for the Hawks, who dropped to 1-and-3 in exhibition play. Chicago will host Ottawa tomorrow in its second-to-last tuneup.
>>Colts Host Texans Sunday
(Indianapolis, IN) — The Colts clash with the Houston Texans at home on Sunday. Indy enters the division matchup at 1-and-2, while Houston sits at 0-and-3. In other team news, the Colts cut running back Christine Michael and signed guard Rees Odhiambo to the practice squad.
>>Bears Play Bucs Sunday
(Lake Forest, IL) — The first-place Bears hit the practice field today as they get ready to play the Buccaneers Sunday at Soldier Field. Chicago is 2-and-1 following a comeback victory over the Cardinals this past Sunday in Arizona. Tampa Bay is also 2-and-1 after losing at home to the Steelers on Monday night.
>>Bucs’ Winston Returns From Suspension
(Tampa, FL) — Buccaneers quarterback Jameis [[ JAY-miss ]] Winston is back after completing a three-game suspension. Head coach Dirk Koetter [[ CUT-er ]] says he knows who will start between Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick Sunday at Chicago, but isn’t spilling the beans just yet. “Fitz” has thrown for 12-hundred yards and 11 touchdowns for the 2-and-1 Bucs.
>>Boxer Victor Ortiz Charged With Rape
(Oxnard, CA) — Boxer Victor Ortiz is being charged with rape. The 31-year-old turned himself into authorities in Oxnard, California and was booked on three felony counts, including forcible rape. The charges stem from an incident that reportedly happened at a Southern California home on March 19th. Ortiz is scheduled to fight on Sunday, but that is now in question.