Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo (L), argues with home plate umpire Dan Bellino (C) after being hit by a pitch, while St. Louis Cardinals' catcher Tony Cruz holds Rizzo back from charging the mound during the seventh inning of their game in Chicago Friday. — AP
CHICAGO — Second baseman Starlin Castro hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning and added a three-run homer in the sixth as the Chicago Cubs routed the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 in an intense National League game that almost boiled over Friday. Cubs right-hander Dan Haren gave up three runs in 4-1/3 innings, while St Louis starter Lance Lynn allowed three runs and six walks in 3-1/3 innings of the game that included players from both sides being hit by pitches. Both teams were warned after Cubs starter Dan Haren hit pinch hitter Matt Holliday in the helmet with a pitch in the fifth inning that Haren said was an accident. Reliever Matt Belisle then hit Cubs Anthony Rizzo with a pitch in the seventh inning, prompting the first baseman to walk toward the mound. Rizzo had also been hit earlier in the fourth inning by Tyler Lyons. Belisle and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny were ejected and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he was “really disappointed” with the Cardinals. “We did not hit their guy on purpose at all,” Maddon said. “That was an absolute mistake. There's no malicious intent whatsoever on Dan Haren's part. None. Belisle said he was trying to pitch inside when he hit Rizzo. “It's part of my game,” he said. “It's part of me being successful up here.” Haren also said he was trying to pitch Holliday inside when he hit him, but the pitch got away. Haren said the Cardinals bench responded by yelling at him. A former Cardinal, Haren said he apologized to Rizzo if he later got hit for retaliation. “I feel bad. I hope he's OK,” Haren said about Holliday. Cardinals pitchers walked a season-high 11 batters including the six by Lynn, who expressed displeasure with home-plate umpire Dan Bellino as he exited. Nationals 5, Marlins 4, (10 innings): Catcher Jose Lobaton had a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off reliever Brian Ellington to score outfielder Jayson Werth in the the 10th inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins and kept their tenuous playoff hopes alive. Other results: Braves 2, Phillies 1; Reds 5, Brewers 3; Rockies 7, Padres 4; Dodgers 6, Pirates 2; Diamondbacks 2, Giants 0. American League Indians 12, White Sox 1: Carlos Santana's grand slam off Chris Sale capped a six-run third inning as the Cleveland Indians rolled to a 12-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor also homered for Cleveland, an opposite field solo shot leading off the bottom of the seventh inning. Cody Anderson (5-3) pitched 6-2/3 innings, allowing one run to get the win. Rays 8, Orioles 6: The Tampa Bay Rays struck for six runs in the fifth inning, rallying from an early deficit and then held on to beat the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore (72-75) began the game 4-1/2 behind Houston for the second wild card, and jumped to an early lead on a three-run home run by shortstop J.J. Hardy. But the Rays (71-76), still alive at 6-1/2 games behind the Astros before the game, got four doubles in the fifth and then held on despite two home runs from Baltimore's Steve Pearce. Athletics 4, Astros 3: Danny Valencia hit two home runs, including a two-run blast in the eighth inning that delivered the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the reeling Houston Astros. Valencia turned a 3-2 deficit into a one-run lead with his one-out shot to left field off Houston right-hander Pat Neshek and finished 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and three RBIs. The Astros dropped their fifth consecutive game and remain 2-1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West. Other results: Mariners 3, Rangers 1; Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1; Tigers 5, Royals 4 (12 innings); LA Angels vs Minnesota Twins postponed. Inter-League Mets 5, Yankees 1: Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy and Juan Uribe all homered as the New York Mets beat the New York Yankees. The Yankees (80-66) fell 4-1/2 games behind Toronto in the American League East. Duda and Murphy hit solo homers in the second and sixth innings respectively while Uribe hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh. — Agencies
