Owen Caissie homered and drove in three runs, and the Chicago Cubs held off the Milwaukee Brewers for a 6-4 win in the opener of a split doubleheader on Tuesday.
Willi Castro also went deep as Chicago won for the third time in four games. Four Cubs relievers combined for 3 2/3 innings of two-hit ball after Matthew Boyd (12-6) departed in the sixth. Christian Yelich homered for Milwaukee, and Sal Frelick had two hits and two RBIs. It was just the third loss for the Brewers in their last 21 games.
Jameson Taillon pitched six effective innings in his return from a calf injury, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 for a sweep of their split doubleheader. Michael Busch drove in two runs as Chicago improved to 4-2 on an eight-game homestand. Ian Happ had two hits, and Owen Caissie contributed a bloop RBI single. Coupled with their 6-4 win in the first game of the day, the Cubs (72-54) moved within seven games of the NL Central-leading Brewers (79-47). Andrew Vaughn’s first-inning RBI single accounted for Milwaukee’s only run in the second game. Sal Frelick nearly had a sacrifice fly in the seventh, but right fielder Willi Castro made a perfect throw to the plate to complete an inning-ending double play. Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff (4-1) permitted three runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings in his eighth start of the season.
Shea Langeliers hit his 27th home run, Tyler Soderstrom extended his hitting streak to 17 games and the Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Rookie slugger Nick Kurtz went 3 for 3 with two walks, including a leadoff double in the first inning and an RBI double that capped a three-run fourth. Brett Harris had a sacrifice fly and Luis Urías delivered an RBI single in the inning as the A’s took a 5-1 lead against All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan (12-6). Jacob Lopez (7-6) struck out eight in six innings of four-hit ball. He allowed three runs — two earned.
Allisha Gray and the Atlanta Dream host Courtney Williams and the Minnesota Lynx in out-of-conference action.The Dream have gone 10-5 at home. Atlanta has a 3-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points. The Lynx are 11-5 on the road. Minnesota ranks fifth in the Western Conference with 8.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Jessica Shepard averaging 2.3 .The two teams play for the third time this season. The Dream defeated the Lynx 90-86 in their last matchup on July 27. Brittney Griner led the Dream with 22 points, and Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 32 points.