Rays Defeat Cardinals, Cubs Drop Loss to Pirates

Rays End Scoreless Streak Against Cardinals

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- The Rays ended a three-game scoreless streak in their 6-3 win over the Cardinals at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay used a four-run fourth inning on singles by Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings to push ahead. Jennings finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Evan Longoria also drove in a run. The Rays put a stop to a four-game losing streak.  Reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo grabbed his second win and Grant Balfour earned his 10th save. Yadier Molina was 2-for-5 with two RBI in the defeat. Michael Wacha fell to 4-5 allowing four runs on four walks and four hits in five innings. St. Louis had won its previous three games.

Cardinals ace pitcher Adam Wainwright has returned to St. Louis to have his right elbow examined. According to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said an MRI revealed no structural damage to the ligament that Wainwright had replaced with Tommy John surgery in 2011. The 32-year-old is 9-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 14 starts this season.

The Cardinals open up a 10-game homestand Friday night with the first of three games against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium. The Mets and Phillies will also come to town. Lance Lynn gets the ball Friday. He is 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts. The Nats will counter with Jordan Zimmermann, who is 5-2.

The Cardinals have signed several of their draft picks from this year. The team inked pitchers Ronnie Williams, Cody Schumacher, Daniel Poncedeleon, Josh Wirsu and Davis Ward; infielders Andrew Sohn, Casey Grayson, Julian Barzilli; outfielder Blake Drake and catcher Cole Lankford.  

Pirates Double Up Cubs

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer to power the Pirates past the Cubs 4-2 at PNC Park. Jordy Mercer was 3-for-4 with a run scored for Pittsburgh, which has won two of three against Chicago. Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte each added an RBI for the Bucs. Brandon Cumpton allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Jason Grilli locked up his 10th save. Jason Hammel allowed four runs in five frames for the loss. Luis Valbuena went 3-for-4 with a run scored for Chicago, which has lost three of four. The start of the game was delayed nearly two hours.

The Cubs have signed first round draft pick Kyle Schwarber. The catcher/outfielder was selected fourth overall. The 21-year-old .341 with 40 home runs and 149 RBI in 180 games over his three seasons at Indiana. He hit .358 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI in 2014.

Coaching Staffs Named For MLB All-Star Game

(New York, NY) -- The coaching staffs for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minnesota have been announced. Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny named Atlanta's Fredi Gonzalez and Pittsburgh's Clint Hurdle as coaches in the National League. The 85th All-Star Game is July 15th at Target Field.

White Sox Dump Tigers

(Chicago, IL) -- The White Sox beat up on the Tigers and Justin Verlander in their 8-2 win in the second of three games at U.S. Cellular Field. Jose Abreu led the way going 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. It was Abreu's 19th long ball of the season. Gordon Beckham and Conor Gillaspie each drove in two. John Danks gave up two runs in seven frames for the win. Chicago has followed a three-game losing streak with two consecutive wins. Verlander fell to 6-6, allowing seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. Rajai Davis and Torii Hunter both had an RBI in defeat. Detroit has lost eight of 10.

The White Sox are adding some speed to the diamond with the signing of Eddy Alvarez. The 24-year-old won a silver medal in the 5,000 meter relay at the Sochi Winter Olympics this past February. The speed skater is in Arizona working out. He played shortstop at Salt Lake Community College.  

Phillies Top Padres

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Reid Brignac hit a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies won 3-0 over the Padres in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels struck out 11 and walked one over eight scoreless innings for a no decision. Jonathan Papelbon picked up the win for Philadelphia, which has won three of five. Tyson Ross threw seven shutout frames with seven punch outs for a no decision. Nick Vincent took the loss for San Diego, which has lost three in-a-row.

Reds Blank Dodgers

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Johnny Cueto struck out 12 over six innings in the Reds 5-0 shutout of the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park. Cueto walked none and gave up three hits as he improved to 6-5 and lowered his ERA to 1.85. Jay Bruce was 2-for-4 with a solo homer, while Joey Votto had two RBI for Cincinnati, which had lost the first two of the four-game set. Five different players had a hit for Los Angeles. Hyun-Jin Ryu took the loss allowing four runs in six innings. The Dodgers have still won four of six.

Brewers Clip Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Jonathan Lucroy went 3-for-5 with an RBI to help guide the Brewers to a 3-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field. Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura also drove in a run for Milwaukee, which has won three of four. Wily Peralta gave up just one run in six-and-a-third for the win. Francisco Rodriguez nabbed his 20th save. Jacob deGrom gave up three runs and nine hits in just under six innings to fall to 0-3 for the Mets, who have lost seven of eight. Lucas Duda drove in the lone run off a second-inning sac-fly.

Rockies Throttle Braves

(Denver, CO) -- Tyler Matzek fanned seven batters in seven innings of two-run ball to help lead the Rockies to an 8-2 win over the Braves at Coors Field.  Matzek picked up his first win in his first start for Colorado, which ended a three-game losing streak. Corey Dickerson notched three RBI and Drew Stubbs drove in a pair of runs. Julio Teheran surrendered seven runs in 6 1/3 to fall to 6-4 for the Braves, who snapped a two-game winning streak. Andrelton Simmons and B.J. Upton each drove in a run in the loss.

Nationals Drop Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Jayson Werth tallied a home run and three RBI as the Nationals defeated the Giants 6-2 at AT&T Park. Adam LaRoche drove in two runs and Ryan Zimmerman also drove in an run for Washington, which has won four in-a-row. Tanner Roark surrendered two runs in six frames to improve to 5-4. Matt Cain took the loss giving up four runs in five innings of work. Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval each notched an RBI for the Giants, who have lost three straight.

Twins Take Rubber Match From Blue Jays

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer and drove in three and Phil Hughes fired seven shutout innings, as the Twins topped the Blue Jays 7-2 at Rogers Centre. Hughes struck out nine while scattering seven hits as he improved to 7-2. Casey Fien recorded the final four outs for his first career save. Kendrys Morales added three hits and three RBI, while Joe Mauer also had three hits and scored a run for Minnesota, which took two-of-three in the series. Jose Bautista and Dioner Navarro plated a run each in the eighth inning for the Jays, who have dropped four-of-five after a six-game winning streak. Rookie Marcus Stroman allowed three runs in six frames as he fell to 3-1 with his first loss.

Royals Sweep Brief Series With Indians

(Kansas City, MO) -- Yordano Ventura fired seven strong innings as the Royals completed a two-game sweep of the Indians with a 4-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.  Ventura gave up just one run as he improved to 4-5. Greg Holland closed it out for his 19th save. Alcides Escobar went 3-for-3 with a sac-fly RBI and a run scored for KC, which has won four straight. Jarrod Dyson, Omar Infante and Billy Butler also plated a run each on sacrifices in the victory. Carlos Santana drove in the lone run for the Tribe, which had won three in-a-row before this series. Trevor Bauer permitted three runs in 5/13 frames as he dipped to 1-3.

Orioles Blank Red Sox

(Baltimore, MD) -- The Orioles took two of three from the Red Sox at Camden Yards with a 6-0 victory. Wei-Yin Chen improved to 7-2, dealing seven shutout innings and striking out seven.  Chris Davis connected for a two-run homer, his 10th of the season. Davis finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Nick Hundley had two hits and drove in a run for Baltimore, which is 3-3 in its last six. Dustin Pedroia had two of Boston's four hits. They grounded into three double plays. Rubby De La Rosa took the loss, allowing all four runs and not making it through the sixth inning. The Red Sox have lost seven of nine.

Athletics Handle Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- Stephen Vogt hit a two-run homer to help guide the A's to a 7-1 win over the Angels in Anaheim. Yoenis Cespedes also drove in two runs for Oakland, which had lost three of their previous four. Tommy Milone pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball to improve to 4-3 on the season. Jered Weaver surrendered four runs in 5 1/3 to fall to 7-5 for the Angels, who saw a five-game winning streak come to an end. Josh Hamilton doubled in the lone run for Anaheim.

Tanaka Deals Yankees Past Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Masahiro Tanaka fanned 11 batters in a complete game effort as the Yankees took down the Mariners 4-2 at Safeco Field. Tanaka improved to 10-1 this season for New York, which has won two straight. Mark Teixeira hit a three-run home run, and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in a run. Chris Young surrendered four runs in five frames to fall to 5-4 for the M's, who have lost two in-a-row after a three-game winning streak. Robinson Cano belted a two-run homer in the ninth for Seattle's lone runs.

Darvish Deals Rangers Past Marlins

(Arlington, TX) -- Yu Darvish struck out 10 in his first MLB complete-game shutout as the Rangers blanked the Marlins 6-0 at Globe Life Park. Darvish improved to 7-2. Shin-Soo Choo carried the offense with four RBI. Texas snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory. Jacob Turner surrendered five runs in four frames to fall to 2-4. Christian Yelich and Garrett Jones each went 1-for-3 for the Marlins, who managed just six hits off Darvish.

Wednesday, June 11 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Chicago Cubs 2

Philadelphia Phillies 3, San Diego Padres 0

Cincinnati Reds 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

Milwaukee Brewers 3, New York Mets 1

Colorado Rockies 8, Atlanta Braves 2

Washington Nationals 6, San Francisco Giants 2

MLB American League

Minnesota Twins 7, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Kansas City Royals 4, Cleveland Indians 1

Baltimore Orioles 6, Boston Red Sox 0

Chicago White Sox 8, Detroit Tigers 2

Oakland Athletics 7, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1

New York Yankees 4, Seattle Mariners 2

MLB Interleague

Texas Rangers 6, Miami Marlins 0

Tampa Bay Rays 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3

Houston Astros 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Thursday, June 12 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

11:35 a.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds

12:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies

2:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies

2:45 p.m. - Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants

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

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

MLB American League

6:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles

6:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox

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

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

MLB Interleague

7:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Houston Astros