Mets can’t lose: New York opens up lead in National League East
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There was no letdown after the New York Mets completed their three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. The club picked up another victory Thursday, beating the Atlanta Braves 7-2.
The game marked the team’s fourth straight win. With the Nationals off Thursday, the Mets increased their lead in the division to 7.5 games.
This time, the club was led by 42-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon. Colon tossed 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. He struck out two and walked one during the contest.
Though Colon eventually gave up runs, he did set a record for scoreless innings by a 42-year-old.
That wasn’t all, though. Colon also picked up another hit at the plate, giving him eight for the season. He also managed to knock in his fourth RBI, helping his own cause.
With the win, New York improved to 79-61 on the season.
PIRATES FAIL TO GAIN GROUND
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to gain ground on the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, but couldn’t get it done. The club dropped a tough one to the Milwaukee Brewers, losing 6-4 in extras.
Things looked rough early, but Pittsburgh managed to claw their way back into the game. A.J. Burnett allowed three runs in the first, but settled in after that.
[On this week’s StewPod: Jose Altuve joins us to talk about the surprising Astros.]
Pittsburgh started the comeback in the fifth inning, finally scoring a run against Wily Peralta. Another run was charged to Peralta in the seventh after the bullpen allowed a run to come home. Andrew McCutchen came through in the clutch, hitting a game-tying homer in the eighth.
Milwaukee managed to take a one-run lead in the top of the 12th, but Pittsburgh still refused to go quietly. Gregory Polanco came through this time, hitting a solo home run to tie the game.
The third lead turned out to be the charm for Milwaukee, though. The team scored two runs in the top of the 13th. This time, they were able to keep the Pirates’ bats quiet in the bottom of the frame.
Kyle Lohse came in for the save, and worked around a single to shut the door. With the win, Milwaukee improved to 62-78 on the season.
The loss was especially harmful to the Pirates considering the team could have gained ground in the National League Central.
CARDINALS CAN’T GET IT DONE EITHER
The St. Louis Cardinals failed to extend their lead in the NL Central on Thursday. The club was trounced by the Cincinnati Reds, losing 11-0.
Jaime Garcia got knocked around by the Reds during the start. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on six hits. Garcia had issues with his control, walking four hitters. He struck out two during the contest.
Reds started John Lamb had similar control issues, walking six, but managed to pitch out of trouble. He tossed five scoreless frames, giving up three hits with six strikeouts. With the performance, Lamb earned the first win of his major-league career.
The Cardinals dropped to 82-55 with the loss. They remain 4.5 games up on the Pirates in the NL Central.
CLEVELAND IS STILL LURKING
The Cleveland Indians refuse to go away. The club picked up a win Thursday, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-7.
With the victory, the team is now just four games out of the second wild card spot in the American League. While Cleveland still has plenty of work to do, the team does have a favorable schedule down the stretch.
Every one of the team’s remaining games are within the division. The club has seven games left against the Minnesota Twins, who they are battling for that second wild card spot. They would still have to leap over the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels, but that’s doable if they handle they can pull out some wins at home.
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With the win, the Indians improved to 69-70 on the season.
Want to see more from Thursday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
