Each night in the 2016 baseball season, we'll run down the top news, facts and highlights from action around Major League Baseball.
The Cubs might want to take on the moniker of the Windy City's MLS team, because they're on fire.
MORE: 10 greatest Cubs of all time
They won their sixth straight game Saturday with an 8-5 victory over the Nationals at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (23-6) scored six of their eight runs in their final three offensive innings. Chicago got three in the sixth, a pair of runs in the seventh and a final tally in the eighth. Leading the way was shortstop Addison Russell, who went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. Second-year third baseman Kris Bryant also homered in the victory.
The Cubs have scored at least five runs in 21 games this season and their run differential of plus-101 by far leads baseball.
Chicago is the first National League team since the 1977 Dodgers to win 23 of their first 29 games. The good news for the Cubs — the Dodgers went to the World Series that year. The bad news — they lost to the Yankees in six games.
Player of the day:
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers — Kershaw struck out 10 without a walk over seven innings in Saturday's 6-2 win against the Blue Jays. It was Kershaw's fourth straight outing with 10 or more strikeouts and one or zero walks. He is just the second pitcher in baseball’s modern era (since 1900) with such a line over four starts. The only other player to do so is Washington's Stephen Strasburg, who put up those numbers in four straight games last September. Not since Hideo Nomo in 1995 has a Dodgers pitcher struck out at least 10 in four straight starts.
Highlight:
Bartolo Colón's first career home run was a no-doubter down the left field line at San Diego's Petco Park. The 42-year-old Mets pitcher also struck out five over 6 2/3 innings in the 6-3 win.
BARTOLO COLON HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/gphv8anyFo
— Ben Diamond (@_BenDiamond) May 8, 2016
Three things to know:
— Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter has hit 57 home runs during his six-year MLB career. Until Saturday, none of them had been a walk-off shot. Carpenter's first career walk-off homer was a two-run blast to right-center field that gave the Cardinals a 6-4 win over the Pirates at Busch Stadium.
— Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales had not driven in a run in 12 games. He busted out of that drought with four RBIs in Kansas City's 7-0 win over the Indians. Morales went 2-for-4 in the win, including a three-run homer in the first inning.
— A pair of excellent pitching efforts were spoiled in San Francisco with neither Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto nor Colorado's Jon Gray allowing a run. Cueto scattered eight hits over 8 1/3 innings while Gray had a one-hitter going through seven. Each team scored in the 10th inning, but the Giants got a 2-1 victory with Matt Duffy's walk-off double in the bottom of the 13th inning. It was the Giants' first walk-off winner in the 13th inning or later since 2011.
What's next:
Athletics (14-17) at Orioles (17-12), 1:35 p.m. ET — Chris Tillman will go for his fourth straight win after beating the Yankees on Tuesday. The Orioles' right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA. The A's will counter with righty Kendall Graveman (1-3, 4.40). Tillman was Baltimore's opening day starter and has struck out at least nine in each of his past two starts.
Red Sox (17-13) at Yankees (11-17), 8:05 p.m. ET — A Red Sox-Yankees matchup, especially at Yankee Stadium, is almost always must-see TV. After the Red Sox swept the Yankees at Fenway Park earlier this season, the Yankees will look to return the favor by bringing out the brooms Sunday night. Steven Wright (2-3, 1.67) will be on the bump for the Sox while the Yankees will send Luis Severino (0-4, 6.31) to the hill.