29-03-2019, 07:25 AM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Asdrubal Cabrera provided the pop the Philadelphia Phillies expected when they acquired him last month.Cabrera’s solo home run with one out in the 10th lifted the Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night in a game played through steady rain.Cabrera connected off Steve Cishek (4-2) Tony Oliva Jersey , driving an opposite-field shot to left-center to help the Phillies pull within two games of Atlanta in the NL East. The Braves lost 3-2 to Pittsburgh.“That’s why we traded for him,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Cabrera, who came from the New York Mets on July 31. “Big moment. Absolutely demolished the ball.”Cabrera got mobbed by teammates and showered with bubble gum and a sports drink after circling the bases following his fifth career walk-off homer and first since hitting one off teammate Edubray Ramos on Sept. 22, 2016.“It feels awesome to help the team win,” Cabrera said. “This game is not easy.”Javier Baez hit his 29th homer for the NL Central-leading Cubs.Pat Neshek (2-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning.Baez hit a liner out to left off Nick Pivetta for his NL-leading 98th RBI to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the fifth.Philadelphia tied it at 1 on Cesar Hernandez’s RBI single off Jose Quintana in the sixth. The speedy Roman Quinn hit a double and scored on the hit to left.Phillies reliever Adam Morgan escaped a jam in the seventh when Baez hit a hard liner to right with two runners on, but Phillies newcomer Jose Bautista reached out to make the catch and doubled Tommy La Stella off second to end the inning.Seranthony Dominguez struck out Cubs pinch-hitter Victor Caratini to leave the bases loaded in the eighth.Pivetta pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the third by striking out Anthony Rizzo and retiring Ben Zobrist on a grounder to shortstop.STARTING TIMECubs: Quintana gave up one run and three hits, striking out seven in six innings. He has allowed just 13 hits over his last three starts after posting a 7.52 ERA over his previous four.Phillies: Pivetta allowed one run and five hits, striking out six in five innings.A FIRSTQuintana had his first two-hit game after entering with four hits in 91 career at-bats.MR. PINCHLa Stella led off the seventh with a single, setting the franchise record for pinch-hits in a season with 21.TURNAROUNDHector Neris http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , who began the season as Philadelphia’s closer and was demoted to Triple-A after pitching poorly, has 20 strikeouts and hasn’t allowed a run in nine innings since being recalled a few weeks ago.WELCOME HOMECubs lefty Cole Hamels received a standing ovation following a video tribute in the middle of the fourth inning. Hamels was the MVP of the 2008 World Series and NLCS with the Phillies. He was traded to Texas in 2015. Hamels would’ve pitched on Sunday but was pushed back because Joe Maddon is going with a six-man rotation.“I thought it was good to let him come back and enjoy his three days,” Maddon said. “Knowing him, he’s competitive and he probably wanted to pitch but I didn’t ask him.”TRAINER’S ROOMCUBS: Closer Brandon Morrow (right biceps inflammation) threw from 120 feet. … OF Jason Heyward wasn’t in the lineup after injuring his right hamstring Thursday night. … 3B Kris Bryant (shoulder) and LHP Brian Duensing (shoulder) are expected to rejoin the team after the rosters expand on Saturday.UP NEXTRHP Kyle Hendricks (10-10, 3.86 ERA) starts for the Cubs on Saturday night and RHP Zach Eflin (9-5, 3.99) goes for Philadelphia. Eflin and the Phillies beat Hendricks 6-1 on June 5 at Wrigley Field. The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners both have their eyes on the Oakland Athletics.For the Yankees, it’s one of those “objects are closer than they appear” in the rear-view mirror. For the Mariners, a blip ahead on the horizon seemingly getting smaller by the day.That’s the state of the American League’s wild-card race as the Yankees enter a three-game series starting Friday night in Seattle.Article continues below ...The Yankees are 87-53 with a 3 1/2-game lead over the surging A’s (84-57) for the first of two wild-card berths. The Mariners at 78-62 are 5 1/2 games behind Oakland with 22 games remaining in the regular season.The Yankees and Mariners both got a close view of the A’s in the past week. The Mariners split a four-game series in Oakland last weekend and the Yankees just lost two of three there to open a 10-game trip.If the Yankees face Oakland in a wild-card game, they certainly hope it’s in New York. The Yankees have lost 18 of their past 25 games in Oakland, including six of the past seven.“I want to get rolling Kennys Vargas Jersey , no question about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday’s 8-2 loss, in which ace Luis Severino allowed six runs (five earned) in 2 2/3 innings. “I think we’re doing some things well, but we’re not certainly rolling like we’re capable of. We’re starting to get some guys back, which is really important, but we’ve got to play better if we want to get to where we want to go.”Shortstop Didi Gregorius is expected to return to the Yankees’ lineup Friday after missing 2 1/2 weeks with a contusion on his left heel.Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (10-5, 3.83 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener against Mariners left-hander James Paxton (11-5, 3.74). Tanaka is 6-0 with a 2.34 ERA in seven career starts against Seattle; Paxton will be making his second career start against the Yankees after suffering a 4-3 loss June 21 in New York in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.The Mariners, who in mid-June led the Athletics by 11 1/2 games, had a skirmish in the clubhouse — reportedly involving shortstop Jean Segura and second baseman/center fielder Dee Gordon — before Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to Baltimore.“Things happen in a clubhouse http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey ,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You’re talking about 25 — or now in this case, now 35 — of the most competitive guys you’re ever gonna be around, and you spend basically every waking moment together all the time.“Certainly with how our season has played out, we just haven’t been consistent. And the frustration mounts from a number of different places.”The Mariners rebounded Wednesday to defeat the Orioles 5-2, taking two of three games in the series.“Sometimes it’ll bring teams together,” Servais said after the scuffle. “Sometimes certain things hit a boiling point and you gotta get something off your chest and you go from there.”