Pittsburgh Pirates' Neil Walker rounds second base after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
July 31, 2012 - 11:12 PM
CHICAGO - A.J. Burnett took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Neil Walker drove in five runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago 5-0 after the Cubs traded ace Ryan Dempster on Tuesday.
Burnett just about stole the spotlight after the Cubs traded their best pitcher to Texas just before the non-waiver deadline. His bid for a second career no-hitter and the sixth in the majors this season ended with two outs in the eighth.
He had already hit Darwin Barney in the helmet with one out before striking out Luis Valbuena, but his no-hit bid ended at the hands of a rookie when pinch-hitter Adrian Cardenas lined a 3-2 pitch to right for a single after two close pitches were called balls.
Burnett struck out David DeJesus with runners on first and third to end the inning.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012