HIROSHIMA http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-wieters-jersey , Japan (AP) — run on a squeeze bunt in a four-run ninth inning as Japan beat the MLB All-Stars 5-3 Tuesday and took a 3-1 lead in their six-game exhibition series.MLB led 3-1 when Kirby Yates walked leadoff batter Kazuki Tanaka, who stole second and scored on Seiji Uebayashi’s single just past the glove of diving shortstop Amed Rosario. Kosuke Tanaka hit a tying single, John Brebbia relieved and Kikuchi bunted up the line toward first baseman Carlos Santana for a sacrifice as Tanaka crossed the plate with a headfirst slide.“I thought we defended it well,” MLB manager Don Mattingly said. “It wasn’t a surprise. Carlos was there. He just didn’t get a lot on the throw. They did a nice job of fouling balls off and putting balls in play.”Yuki Yanagita added an RBI grounder for Japan, which was the visiting team.Rhys Hoskins hit an opposite-field solo homer to right in the second and Ronald Acuna Jr., voted National League Rookie of the Year on Monday, made it 2-0 in the seventh when he scored on a double by Juan Soto, who finished second in the voting.Akiyama hit an inside-the-park home run past a diving Soto and into the left-field corner in the eighth. Santana had a sacrifice fly in the bottom half off winner Yuki Matusi.MLB starter Kenta Maeda, who spent nine seasons with the Hiroshima Carp before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2016 season, allowed one hit in two innings before Matt Andriese relieved. Hiroki Kuroda, a former Hiroshima and major league pitcher, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.Yates dropped to 0-2 in the series, allowing four runs — two earned — two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.Yasuaki Yamasaki got three outs for the save.The final two games are on Wednesday and Thursday in Nagoya. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One of the hottest pitchers in baseball was at his best early on, yet the Cubs‘ high-powered hitters didn’t get discouraged.Javier Baez hit one of three solo home runs off Cy Young contender Aaron Nola to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, and Jon Lester pitched six shutout innings to continue his mastery of the Phillies in NL Central-leading Chicago’s 8-1 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday.Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rizzo also went deep off Nola (15-4) Joe Blanton Jersey , who gave up three home runs in a game for the second time over 88 starts in his four-year career.Murphy’s homer was a game changer. Nola fanned seven of the first nine hitters before Murphy’s two-out shot to right field in the third inning gave Chicago a 1-0 lead.“It can really lead to a frustrating dugout,” Lester said of the early struggles, “but you didn’t hear it or see it.”Murphy looked bad while weakly fouling off the previous two pitches before launching a 1-2, 94-mph fastball into the seats“We just grind out at-bats,” Murphy said. “We really made Aaron work today.”Chicago, which has won 10 of 12, leads the Cardinals by 5 ½ games.“We’ve been playing as well as we’ve played all year the last two weeks,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “The guys have been doing wonderfully and it’s impressive.”Lester (15-5) surrendered eight hits, struck out seven and walked none while improving to 8-0 with a 1.49 ERA in 10 career regular-season starts against the Phillies.The Phillies began the day three games back of Atlanta, which hosted Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Jorge Alfaro had two hits, including an RBI double in the ninth, for Philadelphia.“That’s just an incredible offense, and today they just won,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think that’s the long and short of it.”Kapler moved Nola up a day to give him another start at home, where the star right-hander has been dominant. It backfired. Nola gave up four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks.“Every loss right now hurts as a team Howie Kendrick Jersey , but I’m going to put this one behind me,” Nola said.Rizzo led off the fourth by hitting an 0-1, 85 mph changeup over the wall in left, and Baez, the league leader in RBIs entering Sunday, hit a 1-2 fastball out to left in the sixth.Nola also gave up an RBI triple to Kyle Schwarber in the sixth to snap a string of 17 straight home starts allowing three runs or less. He dropped to 9-1 at home, where his ERA rose from 1.94 to 2.21. Nola’s overall ERA increased from 2.10 to 2.23.The other top contenders for the NL Cy Young, Washington’s Max Scherzer and the Mets’ Jacob deGrom, will pitch on Monday.NOT HIS DAYNola continued to struggle on Sept. 2. The right-hander has allowed multiple homers in a game 10 times, including all three starts he has made on Sept. 2 (2018, 2017 and 2015). Overall, Nola has a 9.82 ERA on Sept. 2 while allowing 24 hits, including seven homers, over 14 2/3 innings.NOLA’S NEMESISMurphy is batting .345 (10 for 29) with two homers and six RBIs against Nola.CARDS ALLOWEDMajor League Baseball has told teams that it’s OK for pitchers to use the kind of scouting cards that umpire Joe West confiscated from Philadelphia reliever Austin Davis on the mound Saturday.Kapler said Sunday that he’d been informed the cards were legal. They are, provided they don’t delay games Sean Doolittle Jersey , MLB told clubs in clarifying the policy.GREAT COMPANYThe 25-year-old Baez became the fifth Cubs player to reach 30 homers and 100 RBIs in a season before age 25 or during the year reaching that age, joining Ernie Banks, Kris Bryant, Rizzo and Ron Santo.TRAINER’S ROOMPhillies: 1B Justin Bour, out since Aug. 23 with a left oblique strain, was activated from the DL.UP NEXTCubs: LHP Cole Hamels (9-9, 3.70) looks to remain perfect with the Cubs on Monday afternoon in Milwaukee, where he faces RHP Zach Davies (2-5, 5.23). Hamels is 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA in six starts since being traded to Chicago from Texas.Phillies: Begin six-game road trip with a three-game set at Miami on Monday afternoon, with RHP Vince Velasquez (9-9, 4.05) opposing Marlins RHP Jose Urena (4-12, 4.56).