Ace showdown: Bumgarner, Giants knock off Arrieta, Cubs 3-2

Lester pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and settled for his second complete game of the season, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday to move a season-high 40 games over.500.

Lester’s ERA for the season is down to 2.61 and if he can continue to pitch at this level the rest of the way, he’s going to hear his name mentioned for the Cy Young.

In the NL East, Washington pushed its lead into double figures by beating their nearest rivals, the New York Mets.

Before Pence’s home run, the Cubs had retired 40 of the last 41 Giants batters they faced.

Lester walked Buster Posey with two outs in the first inning and followed by setting down 18 consecutive while getting some help.

Carlos Beltran’s two-run homer and three RBIs highlighted the Rangers’ 10-8 triumph over Houston. The Giants are a major league-worst 15-29 since the All-Star break.

The Giants bullpen pitched three scoreless innings following Bumgarner’s exit in the sixth. He threw 102 pitches, struck out four and walked two as the Cubs (87-47) won their fifth straight.

“Baez was a little flat footed on the pitch before that, I noticed”, Crawford said. Panik struck out and Crawford stole second base despite hitting the dirt with all the grace of a pencil eraser rubbing against a sheet of loose leaf. Harper’s double set up Anthony Rendon’s two-run single in the ninth.

The under is 6-2-1 in San Francisco’s last 9 overall and is 6-2-1 in their last 9 on grass while going 6-2 in their last 8 Sunday games. He walked one in 7 1/3 innings as the Indians won for the fourth straight game, maintaining a 4-1/2 games lead in the AL Central.

Bumgarner (14-8) escaped the fifth without further damage, but he snapped at first base umpire Phil Cuzzi, who always seems to be at the center of something when the Giants are involved.

NATIONALS 4, METS 1 Bryce Harper hit two doubles and became the latest player to steal a base against Noah Syndergaard, helping A.J. Cole post his first major league win as Washington beat NY. The Rangers nearly squandered that seven-run advantage but held on for a sixth straight win.

The Giants would prefer to reclaim the lead in the N.L. West and enter as division winners, and not just because the Cubs are a near lock to face the wild-card entrant in an Division Series.

Royals 5, Tigers 2 • Eric Hosmer hit his 20th homer and Yordano Venutura pitched six strong innings for host Kansas City. “Crawford hit a double”.

In the seventh, Cabrera hit a 439-foot shot off Peter Moylan. “I had a decent changeup today, and really the only that I cut kind of came back to the middle”. The Rays led just 4-2 in the seventh until Luke Maile and Brad Miller sandwiched home runs around Kevin Kiermaier’s RBI triple. “He just hit it right at him or right there the game is tied”.

Arrieta won his first four starts of August before being knocked around for six runs in 6 1/3 innings of a no-decision Monday against Pittsburgh.

Nick Hundley’s grand slam was part of a seven-run eighth that sent Colorado to a 14-7 win against Arizona.

Chicago’s Todd Frazier homered for the second straight game and Adam Eaton had four hits as the White Sox beat Minnesota 11-4.

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After closer Santiago Casilla replaced Smith, Dexter Fowler’s sacrifice bunt moved Rizzo to second, but Rizzo overran second and was tagged out.Bumgarner, the left-hander and four-time All-Star, had a 6.35 ERA in his last three starts, yet he entered the game at 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 11 previous career starts against the Cubs.Reigning Cy Young victor Arrieta (16-6) gave up three runs – two earned – and four hits in six innings.