Pirates Clip Cubs, White Sox Down Tigers

Pirates Clip Cubs

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte lifted the Pirates to a 6-2 win over the Cubs in the first of four at PNC Park. McCutchen had two hits including a homer and three RBI, while Marte compiled three hits and drove in three. Charlie Morton picked up his third win, while dealing seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts.  Pittsburgh snapped a two-game losing streak. Starlin Castro was 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the defeat. Edwin Jackson fell to 4-6 giving up four runs in six innings. Chicago has dropped two in-a-row.

The Cubs continue their four-game series with the Pirates in Pittsburgh tonight. Chicago sends Travis Wood and his 5-5 record to the mound. The Pirates counter with left-hander Francisco Liriano, who is just 1-6 this year. First pitch from PNC Park is set for 6:05.

Cardinals Face Rays Tonight

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- The Cardinals start a brief two-game interleague set with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field. The teams meet at Busch Stadium for two in late July. Adam Wainwright takes the ball tonight for the Cards, while the Rays counter with Jake Odorizzi. First pitch is set for 6:10.
 

White Sox Defeat Tigers

(Chicago, IL) -- Jose Abreu's two-run homer in the fifth inning helped guide the White Sox to a 6-5 win over the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field. Conor Gillaspie also drove in two runs for Chicago, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Hector Noesi got the win striking out five and allowing four runs in just under six frames and Ronald Belisario picked up the save. Rick Porcello gave up five earned runs in five innings to fall to 8-4 for the Tigers, who have lost seven of nine. Miguel Cabrera, Eugenio Suarez and Victor Martinez all went deep in the loss.

The White Sox and Tigers resume their four-game series from U.S. Cellular Field tonight. John Danks takes a 4-and-5 record to the mound for Chicago. Detroit counters with Justin Verlander, who has struggled to a 6-5 record with a 4.19 ERA this year. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.

Van Slyke Homers Twice, Dodgers Roll Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Scott Van Slyke homered twice as the Los Angeles Dodgers handled the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 from the Great American Ball Park. Van Slyke reached base five times by going 3-for-3 with two walks and four RBI. Dan Haren improved to 6-4 giving up two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Tony Cingrani lost his seventh game of the season surrendering six runs on seven hits. Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4 with his fifth homer of the season as the Reds two-game winning came to an end.

Braves Slip Past Rockies In Low Scoring Affair

(Denver, CO) -- Chris Johnson provided the bulk of the offense with two run scoring singles as the Atlanta Braves clipped the Colorado Rockies 3-1 from Coors Field. Johnson went 3-for-4, and Evan Gattis added an RBI. Gavin Floyd earned his first win as a Brave, by throwing 6 2/3 innings and giving up just one run. Craig Kimbrel shut the door for his 17th save. Christian Bergman lost his major league debut, giving up two runs in six innings. Bergman collected his first big league hit, and Corey Dickerson connected for his eighth home run in the loss.

Nationals Throttle Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Ian Desmond tallied five RBI and finished a home run short of the cycle to lead the Nationals to a 9-2 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. Jayson Werth drove in two runs for Washington, which has won six of seven. Stephen Strasburg improved to 6-and-4 striking out seven batters in six innings of one-run ball. Ryan Vogelsong got roughed up for six runs in six-plus innings to fall to 4-3 for the Giants, who saw a five-game winning streak come to an end. Joaquin Arias and Brandon Crawford each drove in a run in the loss.

Mariners Blank Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Robinson Cano hit a two-run double to lead the Mariners to a 3-0 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Stefen Romero plated the other run for Seattle, which took three-of-four in the series and has won eight of its last nine. Joe Beimel picked up his first win of the year and Fernando Rodney closed it out for his 18th save. James Loney walked twice and had one of the five hits for the Rays, who have lost three straight and 13-of-14 overall. David Price struck out 10 in eight frames, but allowed all three runs to fall to 4-6 with the loss.

Norris Deals Orioles Past Red Sox

(Baltimore, MD) -- Bud Norris threw a season-high eight innings of shutout ball as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 4-0 from Camden Yards.  Norris allowed just three Boston hits, and struck out six for his fifth win. Adam Jones went 3-for-4 and hit his 150th career homer. Nick Markakis and Ryan Flaherty also connected for home runs in the victory. Jake Peavy fell to 1-4 on the season after giving up four runs in seven innings. It is the fifth time the Red Sox have been shut out this season.  

Blue Jays Walk Off Twins

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Kevin Pillar's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 walk-off win against the Twins in the opener of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre.  Toronto was able to overcome Minnesota tying the game in the top of the inning when Casey Janssen blew the save allowing one-run doubles to Kurt Suzuki and Eduardo Escobar. Janssen ended up getting the win. Edwin Encarnacion hit his 20th home run of the season, a three-run shot in the victory. Jose Reyes also connected on a round tripper for Toronto, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Minnesota reliever Matt Guerrier took his first loss of the season. Danny Santana went 2-for-5 with a home run for the Twins, who have lost four of five.

Chisenhall's Three Homers Blast Tribe Past Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- Lonnie Chisenhall went 5-for-5, slugged three home runs and tied a team record with nine RBI as the Cleveland Indians crushed the Texas Rangers 17-7 from Globe Life Park in Arlington. Asdrubal Cabrera, Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis all collected three hits for the Tribe. Scott Atchison improved to 3-0 in relief of starter T.J. House. Nick Martinez suffered the loss for the Rangers, after being knocked around for eight runs in just two innings. Michael Choice and Robinson Chirinos each homered and the Rangers collected 11 hits in their third straight loss.

Angels Bounce Athletics

(Anaheim, CA) -- The Angels hope this was the start of their fortunes changing against the Athletics as they grabbed a 4-1 win in Anaheim to open up a three-game series. Los Angeles had gone 1-and-5 against its AL West rival in the previous two series this season. Mike Trout drove in two, while Garrett Richards tallied his sixth win with seven innings of one-run ball. Ernesto Frieri struck out the side in the ninth to nail down his 11th save. The Angels trail the A's by 3 1/2 games for first place. Stephen Vogt had the only RBI in the defeat. Jesse Chavez fell to 5-4 allowing two earned runs across six innings.

Astros Edge Diamondbacks

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Jarred Cosart struck out eight batters in six innings to help lead the Astros to a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Cosart improved to 5-and-5 and Chad Qualls notched his eighth save. Jason Castro and Jose Altuve each doubled in a run for Houston, which has won four of five.  Josh Collmenter struck out five and surrendered three earned runs in seven innings to fall to 4-and-3 for the Diamondbacks. Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero each batted in a run in defeat.

Monday, June 9 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Pittsburgh Pirates 6, Chicago Cubs 2

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Cincinnati Reds 2

Atlanta Braves 3, Colorado Rockies 1

Houston Astros 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

Washington Nationals 9, San Francisco Giants 2

MLB American League

Seattle Mariners 3, Tampa Bay Rays 0

Baltimore Orioles 4, Boston Red Sox 0

Toronto Blue Jays 5, Minnesota Twins 4

Cleveland Indians 17, Texas Rangers 7

Chicago White Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 5

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, (postponed)

Houston Astros 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

LA Angels of Anaheim 4, Oakland Athletics 1

MLB Interleague

Houston Astros 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

Tuesday, June 10 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:05 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates

6:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds

6:10 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at New York Mets

7:40 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies

9:15 p.m. - Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants

MLB American League

6:05 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles

6:07 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Toronto Blue Jays

7:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals

7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox

9:05 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

9:10 p.m. - New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

2:40 p.m. - Houston Astros at Arizona Diamondbacks

6:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Tampa Bay Rays

7:05 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Texas Rangers