Around the Bases: Friday’s scores and highlights

Here are your MLB scores from Friday as some of the best teams in baseball battled for divisional supremacy.

Giants at Cardinals, ppd.: Powerful storms in the St. Louis area led to the postponement of this game. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader at 1:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.

Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 2: Matt Garza was solid in his second start of the season, allowing two runs on six hits without a walk over seven innings while striking out four. He did not need to be nearly that good, however, as the Cubs offense smacked around Wade Miley. Alfonso Soriano took him deep in the first, Scott Hairston clubbed a grand slam in the third and Cody Ransom added a solo shot one batter after Hairston’s blast, powering the Cubs to a fifth-straight win.

Marlins 5, Mets 1: After a surprising sweep of the Yankees, Shaun Marcum and the Mets found themselves in a pitcher’s duel with Miami’s Jacob Turner. The two matched zeros through six innings until 31-year-old career minor-leaguer Ed Lucas broke things open with an RBI single, sparking a four-run seventh for the Marlins.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 1: CC Sabathia played stopper for the Yankees, halting their losing streak at five with 7⅓ innings pitched, ten strikeouts and just one run allowed against the first-place Red Sox. Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis returned from the DL to pitch in. Teixiera drew a walk and scored a run and Youkilis drove in a run.

Reds 6, Pirates 0: Johnny Cueto held the Pirates to just one hit and one walk in eight innings of work, striking out six to tie the Pirates for second place in the NL Central (and second-best record in baseball) at 34-21. Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce both went deep to lead the offense.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 5: Todd Helton tied things up with a two-run home run in the ninth, but the Dodgers didn't take long to get over the disappointment. Three singles in the tenth off Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt gave LA its winning margin.

Mariners 3, Twins 0: Hisashi Iwakuma shut the Twins out for 7⅔ innings, allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out five, pushing his ERA down to 2.13. Kendrys Morales’ two-run home run in the fifth gave the Mariners all the offense they needed behind Iwakuma.

Rangers 7, Royals 2: Adrian Beltre continues to rake, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Nelson Cruz delivered a three-run shot in the third and Derek Holland cruised, allowing two runs on eight hits while fanning eight.

Nationals 3, Braves 2: Stephen Strasburg left this one after just two innings with an injury in his lower back, but the Nationals prevailed, thanks to Denard Span. Twice, Span tripled and came home on a sacrifice fly. The second time came in the seventh and proved to be the difference for Washington.

Brewers 8, Phillies 5: This one was all Jonathan Lucroy. The Brewers’ catcher went 5-for-5 with two home runs, drove in four runs and scored three to give Cole Hamels his ninth loss of the season.

Orioles 7, Tigers 5: So close for Jose Valverde. The Tigers’ closer entered the game with a 5-3 lead, but gave up a lead-off home run to Nick Markakis and back-to-back singles. He bounced back and coaxed two pop outs, only to lose on a three-run shot from Chris Dickerson.

Athletics 3, White Sox 0: The 40-year-old Bartolo Colon did a masterful impression of a 20-something Bartolo Colon, throwing a five-hit complete game shutout with three strike outs and no walks. Dylan Axelrod matched him through seven until Josh Reddick finally broke through with an RBI double leading to a three-run inning.

Astros 6, Angels 3: Dallas Keuchel bounced back from a two-run second to go five more innings and hold the Angels at bay. Jason Castro hit a solo home run to start a three-run fourth inning and the Astros added three more in the seventh for the win.

Padres 4, Blue Jays 3: Jesus Guzman hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 17th to send the Padres home with the 4-3 win. Each team used eight pitchers, and Clayton Richard picked up his first win of the season after pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Colby Rasmus and Edwin Encarnacion both homered for the Blue Jays in a losing effort.