Interleague

Cubs 3, White Sox 1

John Lackey and Aroldis Chapman outperformed Chris Sale in his return from a jersey-trashing suspension.

The Cubs did just enough against the White Sox ace in his six innings and rode their own pitching to a victory Thursday night in Chicago's rivalry series.

Chapman earned his first save for the Cubs since being acquired from the Yankees, leaving the crowd buzzing by consistently throwing 102 mph.

"It was fun to be in the dugout and check that out," Lackey said of Chapman's sizzling fastballs. "It's definitely something you want to tune in to see for sure."

Sale faced dozens of reporters after the game, heaping praise on his teammates, sidestepping questions about the jersey-tearing and expressing gratitude to be back.

"It felt like I was out on an island, really," Sale said of his suspension.

Sale (14-4) served a five-day ban for tearing up 1976-style uniforms he didn't want to wear before his previous scheduled start. He had command issues, but worked out of trouble while allowing two runs and six hits.

Lackey (8-7) allowed one run in six innings for his first win since June 8. Chapman, in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees, struck out two and consistently hit 102 mph in his first save for his new team.

"It makes me feel proud when I go out there and the fans are cheering," Chapman said through catcher Miguel Montero, who served as his translator.

Kris Bryant, who homered against Sale in the All-Star Game, hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the first inning off Sale.

Ben Zobrist added an RBI single in the third and doubled and scored in the eighth as the Cubs earned a split of the four-game series and spoiled Sale's night.

The lefty was scratched from his start Saturday, sent home and then suspended for cutting up a number of collared throwback jerseys the team was supposed to wear for the game. Sale said they were uncomfortable and became enraged when the team wouldn't switch them out, feeling the team was putting marketing over winning.

"We're here to win games and from this point forward I think that's our main focus," Sale said." I hope it is, too."

The incident provided plenty of fodder for heckling Cubs fans at Wrigley Field. The Cubs tweeted out their lineup before the game with the line "Throwback Thursday, anyone?"

Several teammates hugged a smiling Sale when he arrived in the clubhouse before the game.

"I knew who they were before this, but I found out who they really are and what they're about," he said.

Sale, pitching for the first time since July 18, didn't seem fazed by the controversy in his 111-pitch outing. He also improved to 2 for 16 at the plate when his slow grounder up the middle hit second base and bounded away for a single.

The White Sox scored in the first when Melky Cabrera doubled and Tim Anderson ran through third base coach Joe McEwing's stop sign, stopped, then continued home and beat an offline throw.

Tyler Saladino doubled off former closer Hector Rondon in the eighth. But Chapman came in with two outs and struck out Cabrera on a 102 mph fastball.

"Big moment there," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

Chapman struck out Todd Frazier and got two groundouts in the ninth as the crowd buzzed as the radar gun reading flashed on the scoreboard.

After a rough introductory news conference when he struggled to answer questions about a previous domestic violence case, Chapman said he was "ecstatic about the environment."

American League

Twins 6, Orioles 2

Rookie Max Kepler continued his midseason surge with a tying home run and finished with two RBIs to help Minnesota beat Baltimore,

The teams were squeezing in a make-up game from a May 9 postponement with Minnesota in the middle of a homestand and Baltimore heading for a weekend series at Toronto.

Kepler hit his 11th home run off reliever Odrisamer Despaigne (0-2) leading off the sixth inning to tie it at 2 after Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez lasted five innings in his first start since July 8. Kepler had an RBI double in four-run seventh.

Ryan Pressly (5-5) combined with two other relievers to allow just two hits the final three innings.

Rangers 3, Royals 2

Mitch Moreland's second homer of the game broke a tie in the eighth inning and Cole Hamels earned his 12th win of the season in Texas' victory over Kansas City.

Hamels (12-2) allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings, matching his longest start of the season. Sam Dyson earned his 21st save in 23 chances, stranding the tying run at third base.

Both homers by the left-handed hitting Moreland were to the opposite field and came off Yordano Ventura (6-9). It was Moreland's 10th career multi-homer game and second of the season. He has five homers in his last 11 hits.

National League

Nationals 4, Giants 2

Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and scored a run, Trea Turner added two hits and an RBI and Washington beat San Francisco in the opener of a key four-game series between division leaders.

Bryce Harper doubled in a run while Anthony Rendon had two hits to help the Nationals beat All-Star Game starter Johnny Cueto (13-3) in manager Dusty Baker's return to AT&T Park. Baker won 840 games as the Giants manager from 1993-2002.

San Francisco scored a run in the ninth to pull within 4-2 before Shawn Kelley struck out Angel Pagan with the bases loaded to end it and get his fifth save.

The two teams went into the game with identical 59-42 records before Washington won to join the Chicago Cubs (61-40) as the only teams in the majors with at least 60 wins.

Nationals starter Tanner Roark (10-6) allowed one run over seven innings, striking out three and walking three.

Cardinals 5, Marlins 4

Aledmys Diaz homered, doubled and drove in three runs against childhood pal Jose Fernandez, helping St. Louis beat Miami.

Fernandez gave up five runs in five innings and fell to 26-2 at Marlins Park.

Miami's Dee Gordon, the 2015 NL batting and stolen bases champion, returned from an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test and went 0 for 4. Ichiro Suzuki doubled as a pinch hitter in the seventh for Miami and needs two hits for 3,000.

Diaz and Matt Holliday homered in the third inning against Fernandez (12-5), who had never previously given up more than one homer in a home game. His only other loss at Marlins Park came on opening day this year against Detroit.

Michael Wacha (6-7) allowed three runs in six innings, and three relievers completed an eight-hitter. Seung Hwan Oh pitched around a one-out single in the ninth for his seventh save.

Diaz and Fernandez were neighbors growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, and the Cardinals enjoyed their reunion. Fernandez walked Jeremy Hazelbaker to start the third inning, and Diaz followed with his 14th homer. Two batters later, Holliday hit his 18th homer just inside the right-field foul pole, prompting a rueful grin from Fernandez. The outing was his shortest since May 4.

Phillies 7, Braves 5

Aaron Altherr and Maikel Franco homered, Aaron Nola won for the first time in eight starts and Philadelphia beat Atlanta.

Altherr returned to the lineup after missing the first 103 games of the season with a broken left wrist. He went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

Nola (6-9) gave up eight hits, three runs, three walks and struck out five in five innings. Jeanmar Gomez earned his 27th save.

Braves starter Matt Wisler (4-11) gave up three homers and has allowed eight homers in his past four starts, a span of 20 1/3 innings.

Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 4

Hernan Perez hit a two-run homer, singled and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, Zach Davies pitched 6 1/3 innings and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 on Thursday.

Perez, who started at shortstop for benched Jonathan Villar, crushed the first pitch from Robbie Ray (5-10) 458 feet off the facing of the scoreboard in deep center for the two-run homer in the third.

Davies (8-4) allowed three runs —two earned— on six hits. Jeremy Jeffress pitched the ninth for his 24th save. Milwaukee added a run when Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered off Tyler Clippard leading off the eighth.