CHICAGO -- Chris Sale went the distance on a masterful four-hitter on Thursday night, becoming the first major league pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts, and the Chicago White Sox edged the Houston Astros 2-1 to snap their season-high four game losing streak.
Sale walked none and struck out a season-high nine en route to his second straight complete game. No other pitcher has more than seven victories in the big leagues this season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb had been the last to post a 9-0 record in his first nine starts. The last White Sox to accomplish the feat was Eddie Cicotte in 1919, when he won 12 in a row.
Houston broke the shutout bid in the eighth, when Evan Gattis clubbed Sale's first pitch for a home run (see full recap).
Nationals pound Harvey, slumping Mets
NEW YORK -- Unbeaten Stephen Strasburg struck out 10, Daniel Murphy homered against his old team and Bryce Harper finally got a hit off shaky Matt Harvey as the Washington Nationals routed the New York Mets 9-1 on Thursday night.
Slumping Ben Revere singled to start a seven-run burst in the third inning and capped it with a two-run triple for a 9-1 lead, chasing Harvey and sending boos bouncing all around Citi Field.
The NL East-leading Nationals handed the Mets their sixth loss in seven games.
Philadelphia Phillies
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Strasburg (7-0) gave up one run and six hits in six innings, and tied Cubs ace Jake Arrieta for the league lead in wins. Harvey (3-6) was tagged for a career-worst nine runs (see full recap).
Carpenter, Adams lead Cards to win over Rockies
ST. LOUIS -- Matt Carpenter homered and drove in a career-high six runs and Matt Adams added four RBIs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 13-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.
St. Louis, which has won three of four, scored a season-high six runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good.
Colorado has lost two straight after a five-game winning streak that ended in a 2-0 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday.
Stephen Piscotty, hitting cleanup for only the third time this season, had three hits and drove in two runs for the Cardinals.
Trevor Story hit his 12th home run of the season for the Rockies, a solo shot in the seventh. He had three hits (see full recap).
