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Cubs, like the heat index, are on the rise

4 min read

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Saturday’s sweltering conditions at Wrigley Field were the worst he’s experienced during a major league game.

The Minnesota Twins were in no position to disagree.

Minnesota’s Eddie Rosario, Bobby Wilson and Max Kepler all left early because of heat illness on a scorching afternoon, and the Cubs beat the Twins 14-9.

Rosario homered in the top of the fifth inning, then was pulled from left field shortly after fielding a hit by Anthony Rizzo in the bottom half. The Cubs said it was 96 degrees at the time with a heat index of 107 – that’s a calculation of how hot it actually feels, with the humidity factored in.

“That was a pretty brutal day,” Maddon said. “If you put that on AstroTurf, that would have been like the worst ever.”

There was a short break in the sixth after Wilson drew a walk. A couple of cups of water were brought out for him to sip and douse himself to cool off. Wilson eventually scored and was replaced at catcher after the inning ended with the score tied at 9.

“I just couldn’t catch my breath,” he said. “My heart was fluttering. I felt dizzy. Started getting a headache. Just couldn’t even hold a conversation in the dugout.”

All three Twins players were treated with IVs.

Jason Heyward had four of the Cubs’ 20 hits, Ben Zobrist had three RBI and Chicago had a pair of five-run innings. The Cubs rallied from 3-0 and 7-4 deficits and have scored at least 10 runs in three straight games for the first time since April 2003.

Albert Almora Jr. had three hits and drove in two runs as the Cubs won their third in a row. He exited in the fifth after experiencing leg cramps related to dehydration.

Cincinnati 12, Milwaukee 3: Reliever Michael Lorenzen hit the second grand slam by a Reds pitcher in a week, and Cincinnati pulled away to a 12-3 victory that ended its seven-game losing streak against the Milwaukee Brewers. Lorenzen pinch hit and connected on his first grand slam off Jacob Barnes in the seventh inning, completing an eight-run rally – Cincinnati’s biggest of the season.

Miami 5, N.Y. Mets 2: Brian Anderson hit a two-run homer off Jacob deGrom and the Miami Marlins climbed out of last place in the NL East by rallying past the New York Mets 5-2. For the second game in a row, a Marlins pitcher beat the Mets while making his first major league start. Pablo Lopez allowed two runs in six innings in his big league debut.

Tampa Bay 5, Houston 2: Wilson Ramos drove in four runs in the first two innings against Justin Verlander, and the Tampa Bay Rays went on to a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros. Matt Duffy finished with three hits, including two in the first two innings, to help the Rays win for the seventh time in eight tames to move to .500 for the first time since June 1.

Oakland 7, Cleveland 2: Wilson Ramos drove in four runs in the first two innings against Justin Verlander, and the Tampa Bay Rays went on to a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros. Matt Duffy finished with three hits, including two in the first two innings, to help the Rays win for the seventh time in eight tames to move to .500 for the first time since June 1.

L.A. Angels 6, Baltimore 2: Albert Pujols’ RBI double highlighted a five-run eighth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Orioles 6-2, extending Baltimore’s latest losing streak to seven games. Playing their 3,000th game under manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels trailed 2-1 before using three hits, three walks and a hit batter to take control against the free-falling Orioles.

Toronto 4, Detroit 3: Justin Smoak led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Detroit 4-3, handing the Tigers their 11th straight loss. Smoak connected against reliever Joe Jimenez for his 11th homer of the season.

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