BALTIMORE (AP) — Matthew Boyd pitched six shutout innings, Alex Bregman drove in two runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 Tuesday night.
Miguel Amaya scored three times for the Cubs, who have won 11 of 14 to tighten their grip on the top spot in the NL wild card.
Making his third start since being sidelined for seven weeks with a knee injury, Boyd (4-1) allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked two. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA since returning from the injured list on June 25.
Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison entered in the seventh with a 4-0 lead and promptly gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases. Adley Rutschman delivered a two-out, two-run single off former Oriole Jacob Webb before Gunnar Henderson struck out.
Tyler Ferguson worked a perfect eighth and Trent Thornton got three straight outs for his second save.
Baltimore starter Shane Baz (4-8) retired the first eight batters he faced, but ended up yielding three runs and six hits in six innings.
Bregman hit an RBI single in the third and brought home Amaya with a fielder's choice grounder in the fifth for a 3-0 lead.
Amaya singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Busch in the seventh, and Dansby Swanson made it 5-2 with an RBI single in the eighth.
The start of the game was delayed for 56 minutes because of the threat of rain. The grounds crew stood poised behind the rolled-up tarp for about an hour, but the rain never came.
Right-hander Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74 ERA) starts for the Cubs on Wednesday night against Baltimore righty Dean Kremer (1-1, 3.18).
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The scoreboard displays that the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs MLB baseball game will start in a delay due to inclement weather Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Shane Baz (34) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning of a MLB baseball game on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a MLB baseball game on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joey Ortiz homered, Robert Gasser pitched a career-high 7 2/3 innings and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 Tuesday night to complete a doubleheader sweep.
Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 in the first game of the split doubleheader, which was a makeup from May 5, and the Brewers won 4-3.
Milwaukee has won four straight games and seven in a row against St. Louis. The Cardinals lost their fourth straight.
Gasser (2-3) allowed just a two-run homer to Nelson Velázquez. He struck out four, walked one and scattered four hits.
Cooper Pratt gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead with a leadoff triple in the third inning and scored on a Christian Yelich groundout.
Luis Lara, in his major league debut, got his first hit and RBI with a two-run single that gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead in the fifth.
Milwaukee broke it open with seven runs against Cardinals reliever Jared Shuster in the seventh. Ortiz started the outburst with a solo homer and Brice Turang, Gary Sánchez, Jackson Chourio and Pratt followed with RBI hits.
Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins (1-1), who was appointed the team’s 27th man for the doubleheader, allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.
With St. Louis trailing by eight, infielder Bryan Torres pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (3-7, 3.12 ERA) will make his final start before the All-Star break after having turn in the rotation pushed back a day. The Brewers counter with LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.82 ERA) in the fourth game of their five-game series on Wednesday night.
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St. Louis Cardinals' Nelson Velázquez is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning in the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Milwaukee Brewers' Luis Lara, right, scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera during the seventh inning in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Milwaukee Brewers' Gary Sánchez follows through on a two-run single during the seventh inning in the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser throws during the first inning in the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
