Cody Bellinger’s grand slam capped a six-run third inning, and the Chicago Cubs rolled to a 10-4 home win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, evening the teams’ first series out of the All-Star break.

Chicago’s eruption began when Christopher Morel drew a leadoff walk in the third. Miguel Amaya was hit by Boston starting pitcher James Paxton (5-2) and Patrick Wisdom drew another walk to load the bases. Nico Hoerner scored Morel on an infield single, then Amaya came home on a throwing error by Rafael Devers.

A double steal moved Hoerner to third and Seiya Suzuki to second, then Ian Happ drew the third walk of the inning, setting the stage for Bellinger’s grand slam. It was the eighth of Bellinger’s career, and his first as a Cub.

Bellinger went 2-for-4 on the afternoon and now has 12 home runs on the season.

The Red Sox got on the board when Justin Turner’s double in the top half of the fourth inning eventually led to Alex Verdugo scoring him on an RBI groundout.

However, Chicago added two more runs in its half of the fourth when Wisdom homered with Amaya aboard after a leadoff double.

Amaya finished 2-for-3, including a run-scoring single in the seventh inning. Wisdom went 1-for-3, and the home run was his 15th in 2023.

Every Chicago batter delivered at least one hit in the win. Happ joined Bellinger and Amaya with two hits, going 2-for-4.

Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (10-6) allowed just the one fourth-inning run in his six innings en route to the win. He struck out three and limited Boston to three hits.

Reliever Julian Merryweather was tagged for two runs in the seventh, both earned, when Triston Casas hit his 11th home run to drive in Devers. Merryweather also struck out two in his one inning of work, and any threat the Red Sox could have built from the two runs off the Cubs reliever evaporated in the next half-inning.

Amaya’s RBI single was the second of the seventh inning after Morel scored Bellinger with a base hit.

Boston advanced runners to second and third with one out in the eighth but managed only one run on a Turner groundout.

–Field Level Media

CJ Abrams scored three runs and stole two bases as the visiting Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 in 10 innings Saturday in the resumption of the suspended game from Friday.

Joey Meneses drove in two runs for the Nationals, who won their third straight game.

Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings Friday before rain halted the game.

Kyle Finnegan (4-3), the fourth Washington reliever on Saturday, got the victory and Hunter Harvey earned his ninth save.

Brendan Donovan hit a three-run homer, and Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras hit solo shots for the Cardinals.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas pitched three hitless innings Friday. Jordan Hicks (1-6), the sixth St. Louis pitcher, suffered the loss.

The game resumed in the bottom of the third inning, with the Cardinals leading 1-0 on Nootbaar’s first-inning homer on Friday.

Washington tied the game in the fourth inning. Abrams led off with a single, stole second base and scored on Meneses’ single.

The Nationals moved ahead 4-1 in the fifth inning thanks to sloppy Cardinals fielding that accounted for three errors.

Dominic Smith walked and advanced on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Contreras. Smith took third base on a wild pitch. After Luis Garcia walked, Alex Call hit a dribbler in front of the plate and Smith scored as pitcher Chris Stratton threw home late.

Abrams grounded into a fielder’s choice, then led a double steal that triggered another throwing error by Contreras that allowed Garcia to score. Abrams scored as Lane Thomas reached on an error by Nolan Arenado.

The Cardinals tied the game 4-4 in their half of the inning on Donovan’s three-run homer.

Washington moved ahead 5-4 in the eighth when Ildemaro Vargas singled, advanced on a balk and scored on Meneses’ double.

Contreras hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning.

The Nationals surged ahead 7-5 in the 10th when Abrams and Thomas singled to produce one run, and Vargas grounded into a run-producing double play.

Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario suffered a bone bruise in pre-game drills Friday and exited the game after one at-bat. He was replaced in the lineup by Vargas.

–Field Level Media