Milwaukee: Marlins lefty Adam Conley threw no-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings before being pulled by manager Don Mattingly after 116 pitches, and Miami’s bullpen wound up holding off the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on Friday night.
Jonathan Lucroy blooped a single with one out in the ninth off reliever Jose Urena to break up the combo no-hit bid. The ball landed in right field just beyond the reach of diving second baseman Derek Dietrich.
Dietrich was playing in place of speedy Gold Glove winner Dee Gordon, who was suspended by Major League Baseball on Thursday night after a positive drug test. The 25-year-old Conley (1-1) struck out seven and walked four. Urena replaced him.
The Brewers scored three times on four hits in the ninth. They loaded the bases before A.J. Ramos struck out Jonathan Villar for his seventh save.
Earlier this month, Ross Stripling of the Dodgers threw no-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings against San Francisco in his major league debut and was taken out after 100 pitches.
Milwaukee starter Zach Davies (0-3) struggled for the third consecutive start despite the Brewers defense turning a triple play behind him in the fifth inning. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five, and has an 8.78 ERA since being recalled from Colorado Springs on April 17.
Yoenis Cespedes and New York broke loose for a team-record 12 runs in the third inning, rolling past San Francisco 13-1 for their seventh straight victory.
Cespedes set a club mark with six RBIs in the inning, connecting for a two-run single off starter Jake Peavy (1-2) and a grand slam off reliever Mike Broadway that capped the outburst.
The spree made it an easy night for Steven Matz (3-1) in the opener of a three-game series between the last two NL champions. The left-hander tossed six shutout innings to win his third consecutive start.
In Chicago, Matt Szczur hit his first career grand slam during a five-run eighth inning and Chicago broke away to beat Atlanta 6-1.
Jon Lester struck out 10 over seven innings to help the Cubs improve to 17-5, their top 22-game start since the 1907 team was 18-4. In a matchup of the clubs with the best and worst records in the majors, the Braves fell to 5-18.