Cubs Crush Red Sox, Cardinals Blank Giants

Cubs Crush Red Sox; Capture Series

(Boston, MA) -- Justin Ruggiano belted one of four home runs and drove in five as the Cubs crushed the Red Sox 16-9 to sweep the three-game series at Fenway Park. Mike Olt and Welington Castillo also hit two-run homers while Nate Schierholtz added a solo shot for Chicago, which has won five of its last seven.  Carlos Villanueva picked up the win in relief. Mookie Betts belted his first career home run while Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava drove in two runs apiece for the Red Sox, who had won three of four heading into this series. Brandon Workman yielded six runs in four frames as he dipped to 1-2.

Cardinals Blank Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Adam Wainwright and two other pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout as the Cardinals blanked the Giants 2-0 at AT&T Park.  Wainwright threw 7 2/3 innings to improve to 11-4 and Trevor Rosenthal notched his 25th save. Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday each batted in a run as St. Louis snapped its three-game losing streak. Ryan Vogelsong took the tough loss after he struck out eight in seven innings of two-run ball. Joe Panik went 2-for-3 for the Giants, who have lost five of six.

White Sox Walk Off On Angels

(Chicago, IL) -- Leury Garcia singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the White Sox sank the Angels 3-2 from U.S. Cellular Field. Alexei Ramirez knocked in the other two runs for Chicago, which snapped a two-game slide. John Danks struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball while Zach Putnam picked up the win. David Freese and Josh Hamilton each hit a homer for Los Angeles, which had won three of four. Tyler Skaggs allowed two runs in 7 2/3 frames in his return to the mound while Mike Morin took the loss.

Padres' Ross Shuts Out Reds To Complete Sweep

(San Diego, CA) -- Tyson Ross threw his first career shutout as the Padres blanked the Reds 3-0 to complete the three-game sweep from Petco Park. Ross threw a three-hitter and struck out nine while walking none to improve to 7-8. Ross's battery mate Rene Rivera singled home all three of the Padres runs in the first inning. The Friars have won four straight. Johnny Cueto fell to 8-6 after giving up three runs on seven hits. Todd Frazier had two of the Reds three hits in the loss.

Nationals Down Rockies

(Washington, DC) -- Ian Desmond hit a solo homer in the seventh inning to break a tie as the Nationals held on for a 4-3 win over the Rockies in DC. Desmond also tied the game in the fourth with a single while Jayson Werth smacked a two-run homer for Washington, which has won five in-a-row. Doug Fister allowed three runs in seven innings for the win. Rafael Soriano notched his 20th save. Michael McKenry hit a three-run shot for Colorado, which has lost seven of eight and 14 of its last 16. Matt Belisle took the loss in relief.

Pirates Cruise Past Diamondbacks

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Gregory Polanco belted a two-run homer as the Pirates cruised past the Diamondbacks 5-1 in the second of three games at PNC Park.  Starling Marte drove in a pair of runs while Andrew McCutchen had two hits and an RBI for the Bucs, who have won three in-a-row and nine of their last 11 overall. Charlie Morton tossed six innings of one-run ball as he improved to 5-9. Aaron Hill plated the lone run in Arizona's third straight loss. Chase Anderson allowed three runs in less than four frames as he fell to 5-4 with his fourth consecutive setback.

Braves Clip Mets

(Atlanta, GA) -- The Braves scored all three of their runs off a first-inning double by Chris Johnson to defeat the Mets 3-1 at Turner Field. Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-3 and scored a run as Atlanta won its seventh straight game. Julio Teheran struck out five in seven innings of one-run ball to improve to 8-5. Jordan Walden fanned two and notched his third save. Jacob deGrom struck out eight but gave up three runs in five frames to fall to 1-5 for the Mets, who have lost four in-a-row. Curtis Granderson drove in the lone Mets run in off a sac-fly in the fourth inning.

Marlins Blank Phillies

(Miami, FL) -- Tom Koehler and three relievers combined to shutout the Phillies, 5-0, in the second of three games from Marlins Park. Koehler improved to 6-6, getting through six innings and striking out seven. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI for Miami, which has taken the first two of the series.  Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins each had two of Philadelphia's five hits. The Phillies were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Cole Hamels fell to 2-5 after giving up three runs and walking four across five innings  Philly has lost six straight.

Rays Beat Yankees

(Bronx, NY) -- Sean Rodriguez snapped a 3-all tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Rays went on to beat the Yankees 6-3 in the Bronx.  Rodriguez also had an RBI single for Tampa Bay, which swept the three-game series. Ben Zobrist had three hits and scored a run for the Rays. Jake Odorizzi pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball to improve to 4-7. Brad Boxberger fanned two in the ninth en route to his first save. Vidal Nuno was charged with four runs in five frames to fall to 2-5. Brett Gardner and Brian McCann both hit solo homers for New York in defeat.

Tigers Trounce Athletics To Complete Sweep

(Detroit, MI) -- Torii Hunter went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs as the Tigers tamed the A's 9-3 at Comerica Park. Austin Jackson also had three hits, drove in a run and scored twice as Detroit swept the three-game series. Justin Verlander gave up two solo homers in the first inning, but settled down to get through seven frames and even his record at 7-7. Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with a home run and Brandon Moss went 4-for-4 with a home run to highlight the Oakland attack. Jesse Chavez surrendered five runs in five innings of work to drop to 6-5 with the loss.

Royals Blank Twins To Take Rubber Match

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Jason Vargas and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Royals shut out the Twins 4-0 at Target Field. Vargas fanned five while allowing four hits and two walks in seven innings to improve to 8-3. Mike Moustakas, Jarrod Dyson and Eric Hosmer each had RBI singles and Raul Ibanez hit a solo homer for Kansas City, which took two-of-three in the series. Kevin Correia allowed just two runs in six innings, but fell to 4-10 with the loss. Chris Parmelee had two of the five hits for Minnesota, which has lost seven of its last nine game.

Mariners Rally For Win Over Astros

(Houston, TX) -- Logan Morrison's two-run double highlighted a four-run sixth inning as the Mariners rallied for a 5-2 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.  After Morrison's hit put Seattle ahead 3-2, John Buck and Kyle Seager added run-scoring singles for the M's. Chris Young struck out eight while allowing just two hits and two runs in seven innings to move to 8-and-4 with the win. Fernando Rodney got the final three outs for his 24th save as Seattle swept the three-game set. Starter Brad Peacock fell to 2-5 for Houston. Marwin Gonzalez and Kike Hernandez hit solo homers for the Astros in the loss.

Orioles Edge Rangers

(Baltimore, MD) -- Ryan Flaherty hit a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning as the Orioles edged the Rangers 6-4 at rainy Camden Yards. The game was delayed over an hour-and-a-half due to rain.  Adam Jones also went deep and drove in three for the O's, who will go for the four-game sweep on Thursday.  Brad Brach picked up the win and Zach Britton earned his 11th save. Adrian Beltre hit a two-run double in the third inning as Texas jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Neal Cotts gave up both runs in the seventh to suffer his fifth loss. The Rangers have dropped four in-a-row and 12 of their last 14 overall.

Encarnacion Homer Gives Jays Walk-Off Win Over Brewers

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Blue Jays a 7-4 win over the Brewers at Rogers Centre.  Jose Bautista and Juan Francisco also reached the seats as Toronto swept the two-game Interleague series. Casey Janssen pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to get credit for the win and improve to 3-0. Brandon Kintzler gave up the homer to Encarnacion, but Will Smith put the first two batters on to take the loss. Ryan Braun went 2-for-4 with a two-run triple for Milwaukee, which blew a 4-1 lead. The Brewers have lost three in-a-row.

Tribe Rallies Past Dodgers

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Mike Aviles capped a three-run eighth inning with a two-run single as the Indians rallied past the Dodgers 5-4 from Dodger Stadium.  Ryan Raburn also homered for the Tribe in the victory. Brian Shaw improved to 3-1 as he pitched a scoreless seventh. Brian Wilson was tagged with the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season. Scott Van Slyke connected for his seventh home run for the Dodgers, who lost consecutive games after winning the opener of the series.

Wednesday, July 2 Scoreboard

MLB National League

San Diego Padres 3, Cincinnati Reds 0

Washington Nationals 4, Colorado Rockies 3

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Atlanta Braves 3, New York Mets 1

Miami Marlins 5, Philadelphia Phillies 0

St. Louis Cardinals 2, San Francisco Giants 0

MLB American League

Tampa Bay Rays 6, New York Yankees 3

Detroit Tigers 9, Oakland Athletics 3

Kansas City Royals 4, Minnesota Twins 0

Seattle Mariners 5, Houston Astros 2

Baltimore Orioles 6, Texas Rangers 4

Chicago White Sox 3, LA Angels of Anaheim 2

MLB Interleague

Toronto Blue Jays 7, Milwaukee Brewers 4

Cleveland Indians 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 4

Chicago Cubs 16, Boston Red Sox 9

Thursday, July 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

2:45 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants

5:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins

6:05 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates

7:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies

MLB American League

6:05 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles

6:08 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers

7:10 p.m. - New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

8:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics

9:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled