Cardinals Get Past Pirates, Reds Clip Cubs

Wong's Blast Sends Cardinals Past Pirates

(St. Louis, MO) -- Kolten Wong hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the Cardinals to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Pirates at Busch Stadium.  Wong finished with three RBI while Matt Holliday had a two-run double in the fifth for St. Louis. Trevor Rosenthal notched his first relief win for the Cards, who have won two straight and five out of seven. Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez each hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh in defeat. Ernesto Frieri took the loss as the Pirates dropped a second straight since a three-game win streak.

Southpaw Jaime Garcia will undergo season ending surgery Friday. The surgery is to address symptoms associated with thoracic outlet syndrome. The procedure will be done by Dr. Robert Thompson who confirmed the diagnosis. This will be the second surgery for Garcia in the last 14-months and is the same surgery that Chris Carpenter had in 2012.

The Cardinals are showing interest in Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy. The Cardinals sent a scout to the Red Sox game on Sunday in which Peavy started and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports the deal could happen quick. St. Louis has two pitchers set to return to the rotation in Michael Wacha and Joe Kelly. Peavy is 1-7 with a 4.64 earned run average this season.  

Reds Clip Cubs; Sweep Doubleheader

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Billy Hamilton singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Reds clipped the Cubs 6-5 to sweep the doubleheader at Great American Ball Park. Hamilton also tripled in a run, while Jay Bruce added two RBI for the Reds, who have won four straight. Logan Ondrusek pitched the final two innings to pick up the win. Chris Coghlan and Mike Olt both hit two-run homers and Anthony Rizzo had a solo shot for Chicago, which has dropped five in-a-row since a four-game winning streak. Hector Rondon took the loss. In the opener, Bruce belted a two-run homer as the Reds doubled up the Cubs 4-2. Johnny Cueto tossed 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball to improve to 9-6.

The Cubs are recalling Triple-A Iowa outfielder Arismendy Alcantara. The move is being made to replace Darwin Barney, who is going on paternity leave. The recall will last just two days. Alcantara has hit .308 with ten homers in 88 games with the I-Cubs this season.

The Cubs and Reds meet tonight in the fourth of their five-game series. Chicago sends right-hander Dallas Beeler to the hill for his second start of the year. Cincinnati counters with Alfredo Simon, who is 11-3 with a 2.78 ERA. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is at 6:10.

White Sox Drop Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- Conor Gillaspie's two-run homer in the sixth gave the White Sox the lead and they went on to an 8-3 win over the Red Sox in the second of four at Fenway Park. Gillaspie had three hits while Alejandro De Aza was 2-for-4 with two RBI for Chicago, which has won three in-a-row and five of six.  John Danks improved to 8-6, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Mike Napoli was 3-for-3 with an RBI in the defeat. Dustin Pedroia had two hits and drove in one, while Brandon Workman was tagged with the loss despite only allowing three earned runs in seven innings. Boston has lost four straight.

The White Sox and Red Sox battle again tonight from Fenway Park in the third of a four-game series. Chicago sends left-hander Chris Sale to the mound.  Boston counters with Rubby De La Rosa, who is 2-2 with a 2.51 ERA  First pitch is scheduled for 6:10.

Sale Leads AL Final Vote, Rizzo Second In NL

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is currently leading the Final Vote for the last All-Star roster spot in the American League. MLB.com released early voting results TUesday. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is second to the Rockies' Justin Morneau in the NL  Fans can vote through Thursday afternoon.

Mets Chop Down Braves

(Flushing, NY) -- Daniel Murphy had two doubles and two RBI as the Mets unleashed an 18-hit attack on the Braves to grab an 8-3 win at Citi Field. Lucas Duda was 3-for-3 and walked twice while knocking in a run and Curtis Granderson had two hits including a solo homer. Jacob deGrom struck out 11 while scattering seven hits over seven scoreless innings to improve to 2-and-5 for New York. The Mets have won three straight and four of their last five. Julio Teheran gave up five runs in just 3 1/3 innings, falling to 8-6 for Atlanta. B.J. Upton went 3-for-5 while Freddie Freeman knocked in two for the Braves, who have lost three straight since a nine-game win streak.

Phils Hold Off Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Domonic Brown homered and knocked in three as the Phillies held on to beat the Brewers 9-7 at Miller Park. Chase Utley also drove in three runs and Ben Revere had two RBI and two runs scored for the Phils, who have won the first two of this four-game set. Kyle Kendrick picked up the win despite giving up seven runs in five-and-two-thirds innings. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save. Lyle Overbay smacked a grand slam and Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer for the Brewers, who have lost three straight and seven of their last eight overall. Wily Peralta was rocked for nine runs in 4 1/3 frames as he dipped to 9-6 with the loss.

Rockies Edge Padres

(Denver, CO) -- Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run homer and the Rockies held on for a 2-1 win over the Padres at Coors Field. Franklin Morales tossed five-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball to move to 5-4 while LaTroy Hawkins nailed down his 16th save. Colorado had lost seven out of eight. Chris Denorfia went 3-for-5 while Rene Rivera hit a solo blast for San Diego in defeat. Tyson Ross allowed two runs over six innings falling to 7-9 as the Padres lost their third in four games.

Ozuna's Homer In Ninth Lifts Marlins Past Diamondbacks

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Marcell Ozuna smacked a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Marlins past the Diamondbacks 2-1 in the middle of a three-game series at Chase Field.  Mike Dunn was credited with the win and Steve Cishek closed it out for his 20th save. The Fish have won three of four. Vidal Nuno struck out seven over seven scoreless innings in his D'backs debut but did not factor in the decision. He also scored Arizona's lone run on an Aaron Hill RBI single in the fifth. Addison Reed fell to 1-5 with his fifth blown save. The Snakes had won their previous two.

Indians Rally Past Yankees

(Cleveland, OH) -- Nick Swisher clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Indians rallied past the Yankees 5-3 in the second of four games at Progressive Field. Michael Brantley added a solo homer in the seventh to go with a pair of RBI-doubles for the Indians, who have won three of four.  Trevor Bauer allowed three runs, two earned, in seven innings to improve to 3-4. Cody Allen closed it out for his 10th save. Brett Gardner plated a run and scored, while Mark Teixeira also knocked in a run for New York, which had won four of its previous five games. Masahiro Tanaka  yielded five runs in six-and-two-thirds frames as he dipped to 12-4.

Rays Hold Off Royals

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Evan Longoria drove in two runs to help the Rays top the Royals 4-3 at Tropicana Field. Jeremy Hellickson gave up one run through four-and-a-third innings in his first start of the season. Brad Boxberger got the win in relief while Jake McGee locked up his sixth save. James Loney and Logan Forsythe also drove in a run each for Tampa, which has won four out of five. Salvador Perez picked up three RBI in the loss and Lorenzo Cain finished a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Jason Vargas fell to 8-4 after allowing two runs in five-and-two-thirds innings for the Royals, who have dropped three of four.

Astros Take Down Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- Chris Carter launched a pair of solo homers to help the Astros top the Rangers 8-3 at Globe Life Park. George Springer went deep in the win and drove in two while Jose Altuve plated a run. Brad Peacock improved to 3-and-5 after surrendering two-runs in 5 2/3 innings for Houston, which has won two straight since a seven-game skid. Phil Irwin gave up three runs in four-plus frames to suffer the loss in his season debut and second career start. Leonys Martin went deep and drove in two runs while Jake Smolinski grabbed his first hit and RBI of his career. Texas has dropped three in-a-row and nine of 10.

Blue Jays Blank Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- R.A. Dickey and two relievers combined to blanked the Angels, 4-0, in the second of three in Anaheim. Dickey improved to 7-8 striking out five over seven innings. Jose Reyes sparked the offense going 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Toronto ended a five-game losing streak. Los Angeles only had five hits, two of which came from Erick Aybar. Tyler Skaggs fell to 4-5 allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Angels, who had won their 11 previous games at home.

Twins Blank Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Phil Hughes tossed seven-and-a-third innings of shutout ball to lead the Twins in a 2-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field. Hughes struck out eight and allowed eight hits to improve to 9-and-5 while Glen Perkins notched his 21st save. Sam Fuld went 3-for-3 with a solo homer while Brian Dozier also knocked in a run for Minnesota, which had lost five out of six. Chris Young gave up two runs over seven frames to fall to 8-5 for Seattle. Michael Saunders and James Jones each had two hits for the M's, who have lost three of five.

Nationals, Orioles Rained Out Tuesday

(Washington, DC) -- Tuesday's game between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles in DC has been postponed due to rain. The teams will make up the contest August 4th at Nationals Park. The Nats and O's now shift their home-and-home series to Baltimore for two games at Camden Yards starting Wednesday night.

Tigers Trounce Dodgers

(Detroit, MI) -- Rajai Davis went 3-for-4 with three RBI as the Tigers trounced the Dodgers 14-5 in the opener of a brief two-game series at Comerica Park.  Miguel Cabrera and Torii Hunter both had three hits, two RBI and scored twice for the Tigers, who snapped a three-game skid. Nick Castellanos also had three hits, drove in a run and scored three times in the victory. Justin Verlander settled down after allowing five first-inning runs. He tossed five scoreless frames after that as he upped his record to 8-7. Juan Uribe hit a two-run homer to cap the five-run first for LA, which is now 3-2 on its six-game road trip. Hyun-Jin Ryu was rocked for seven runs in two-and-a-third frames as he dipped to 9-5.

Athletics Cruise Past Giants

(Oakland, CA) -- Nick Punto's RBI-double ignited a four-run third inning as the Athletics cruised to a 6-1 win over the Giants at O.co Coliseum. Coco Crisp and Derek Norris both had two hits, an RBI and scored for the A's, who have won six straight including the first two of this four-game home-and-home series.  Sonny Gray struck out eight over seven innings of one-run ball to improve to 9-3 with the victory. Tyler Colvin homered in the seventh for the Giants, who have dropped five of seven. Madison Bumgarner allowed all six runs in seven frames as he slipped to 9-7 with his third consecutive loss.

Tuesday, July 8 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Cincinnati Reds 4, Chicago Cubs 2

New York Mets 8, Atlanta Braves 3

Cincinnati Reds 6, Chicago Cubs 5

Philadelphia Phillies 9, Milwaukee Brewers 7

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 4

Colorado Rockies 2, San Diego Padres 1

Miami Marlins 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

MLB American League

Cleveland Indians 5, New York Yankees 3

Chicago White Sox 8, Boston Red Sox 3

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Kansas City Royals 3

Houston Astros 8, Texas Rangers 3

Toronto Blue Jays 4, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

Minnesota Twins 2, Seattle Mariners 0

MLB Interleague

Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals  (PPD, Rain)

Detroit Tigers 14, Los Angeles Dodgers 5

Oakland Athletics 6, San Francisco Giants 1

Wednesday, July 9 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

2:10 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies

2:40 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks

6:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at New York Mets

6:10 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds

7:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers

7:15 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals

MLB American League

2:35 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

6:05 p.m. - New York Yankees at Cleveland Indians

6:10 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox

6:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays

7:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

9:10 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

12:08 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Detroit Tigers

6:05 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles

9:15 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at San Francisco Giants