Reds Roll Cubs, Pirates Defeat Cardinals

Reds Roll Cubs

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Alfredo Simon picked up his National League-leading 12th win as the Reds rolled the Cubs 4-1 in Cincinnati. He struck out eight and allowed a run in six-and-two-thirds frames to improve to 12-3. Billy Hamilton and Brandon Phillips each knocked in a run for Cincinnati, which has won five straight. Both left the game with injuries in the eighth inning. Aroldis Chapman locked up his 19th save. Anthony Rizzo was 2-for-3 with a solo homer for Chicago, which has lost six in-a-row. Dallas Beeler gave up all the runs in five innings for the loss.

There is a new leader in the National League Final Vote. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo surpassed Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau in Wednesday's most recent tally. White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale is still leading in the American League. Fan voting ends today. The All-Star Game is July 15th in Minnesota.

Cardinals Defeat Pirates

(St. Louis, MO) -- Matt Adams went 3-for-5 with a two-run double as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates 5-2 at Busch Stadium. Kolten Wong homered for the second straight game and Matt Holliday drove in a run and scored twice for the Redbirds, who will go for the four-game sweep on Thursday. Lance Lynn tossed 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball to improve to 10-and-6 with the victory. Trevor Rosenthal closed it out for his 27th save. Neil Walker homered and scored both runs for Pittsburgh, which had won three in-a-row and six of seven before this series. Brandon Cumpton allowed four runs in 3 1/3 frames as he dipped to 3-3.

The Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina was forced to leave Wednesday's game against the Pirates because of a sprained right thumb. Manager Mike Matheny said that Molina underwent an MRI and will have the results today. The 31-year-old All-Star is batting .285 with 30 RBI for St. Louis this season.

Right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly rejoined the Cardinals Wednesday and will start the team's series-opener against the Brewers. Kelly has been out since April 16th when he suffered a strained left hamstring. Kelly had a 2.61 ERA in three rehab starts for Triple-A Memphis.

Cardinals lefty Kevin Siegrist said Wednesday that he expects to join Double-A Springfield later this week to begin his rehab assignment. Siegrist has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 24 with a strained left forearm and tightness in his left shoulder. The 24-year-old southpaw has a 3.60 ERA in 23 appearances for the Cards this season.

White Sox Fall To Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- The Red Sox scored three runs in the eighth and twice in the ninth to sink the White Sox 5-4 from Fenway Park. Jose Abreu hit his 28th home run of the season while Conor Gillaspie added his third for Chicago, which had won three straight. Javy Guerra took the loss in relief of Chris Sale, who gave up one run in seven-and-two-thirds frames. The series concludes today.  

Rockies Outslug Padres

(Denver, CO) -- Drew Stubbs hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and Troy Tulowitzki followed with his second solo shot of the game as the Rockies beat the Padres 6-3 at Coors Field. Stubbs' two-run blast snapped a 3-all tie as Colorado took the rubber match of the three-game series. Charlie Blackmon and Wilin Rosario also went deep for the Rockies. Boone Logan got the win in relief and LaTroy Hawkins nailed down his 17th save. Joaquin Benoit took the loss for San Diego. Jake Goebbert and Seth Smith hit home runs for the Padres.

Diamondbacks Outlast Marlins In 10 Innings

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Paul Goldschmidt delivered a two-run double to cap a three-run bottom of the 10th as the Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Marlins 4-3 at Chase Field. David Peralta singled in the first run of the inning for Arizona, which took the rubber match of the three-game series.  Donovan Solano had given Miami a 3-1 lead with a two-run double in the top of the 10th. Nick Ahmed's RBI single in the eighth tied the game at one for the Snakes. Brad Ziegler gave up the two runs in two innings of relief, but got credit for the win. Steve Cishek took the loss for the Marlins.

Mets Beat Braves Behind Gee

(Flushing, NY) -- Dillon Gee tossed seven innings of one-run ball as the Mets beat the Braves 4-1 in the third of four games at Citi Field. Gee improved to 4-1 with the win. Jenrry Mejia closed it out for his ninth save. Kirk Nieuwenhuis plated the go-ahead run in the seventh on a sac-fly and Travis d'Arnaud followed with a two-run homer for the Mets, who have won four straight. B.J. Upton doubled in the lone run in the sixth for Atlanta, which has dropped four in-a-row. Ervin Santana allowed all four runs in seven frames as he fell to 7-6 with the loss.

Phillies Drop Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and help lift the Phillies to a 4-1 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. Chase Utley went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and Cameron Rupp drove in a run as Philadelphia won its third straight game. Roberto Hernandez threw eight innings of one-run ball to pick up the win. Jonathan Papelbon notched his 22nd save. Kyle Lohse struck out eight, but gave up four runs in eight frames to fall to 9-and-4 for the Brew Crew, who have lost four in-a-row and eight of nine overall. Lyle Overbay notched two hits and drove in the lone run in the team's three-hit effort.

Angels Edge Blue Jays In Rubber Match

(Anaheim, CA) -- Albert Pujols clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning as the Angels edged the Blue Jays 8-7 in the rubber match of a three-game series in Anaheim. Kole Calhoun hit a two-run blast in the fourth for the Halos, who have won six of their last seven. Jason Grilli picked up his first win, and Joe Smith earned his 12th save. Steve Tolleson and Nolan Reimold drove in two runs each during a five-run fourth inning for Toronto, which has dropped six of seven. Reimold plated three runs total while Aaron Loup suffered the loss.

Ellsbury Lifts Yankees By Indians In 14

(Cleveland, OH) -- Jacoby Ellsbury hit a go-ahead solo homer in the top of the 14th inning to lift the Yankees past the Indians 5-4 in the third installment of a four-game series at Progressive Field. Mark Teixeira homered twice and drove in three for New York, which has won five of its last seven. Chase Whitley picked up the win and David Robertson posted his 22nd save. Nick Swisher plated a pair of runs and Carlos Santana had an RBI and scored for the Tribe. Vinnie Pestano suffered his first loss.

Perez Blasts Royals Past Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Salvador Perez belted the go-ahead three-run homer off Kirby Yates in the top of the ninth to lift the Royals over the Rays 5-4 at Tropicana Field. Eric Hosmer hit a solo shot and scored twice while Raul Ibanez chipped in an RBI for Kansas City, which has won two of its last three. Aaron Crow improved to 4-1 in relief, and Greg Holland picked up the save. Yates took the loss after starter Alex Cobb struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Kevin Kiermaier went 4-for-4 with a fourth-inning grand slam for the Rays, who had won eight of nine before dropping two of three to the Royals.

Astros Double Up Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- The Astros completed a three-game sweep of the Rangers with an 8-4 win in Arlington. George Springer cracked a two-run homer, his 19th of the season, while Robbie Grossman had four hits, a solo shot and two RBI. Dallas Keuchel improved to 9-5, giving up four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. Texas led 4-2 before giving up the final six runs. Yu Darvish struggled for a second straight start, allowing six runs and 10 hits across six innings. Dan Roberts was 1-for-3 with two RBI in the defeat. Texas has lost four in-a-row and 10 of 11.

Twins Trounce Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Chris Colabello hit a two-run double during a four-run second inning as the Twins trounced the Mariners 8-1 at Safeco Field. Kendrys Morales knocked in three runs for Minnesota, which has won two in-a-row after dropping the opener of the four-game series. Kyle Gibson tossed six scoreless innings to improve to 8-7. Robinson Cano had three hits and doubled in the lone run in the seventh for the Mariners, who have dropped three of four. Roenis Elias was rocked for seven runs, six earned, in 3 1/3 frames as he fell to 7-8 with the loss.

Scherzer Outduels Greinke As Tigers Sweep Dodgers

(Detroit, MI) -- Max Scherzer fired seven innings of one-run ball to outduel Zack Greinke as the Tigers beat the Dodgers 4-1 at Comerica Park. Scherzer allowed just four hits and struck out seven to improve to 11-and-3 as Detroit swept the two-game Interleague set. Joe Nathan fanned two in the ninth en route to his 18th save.  Ian Kinsler, Don Kelly and Nick Castellanos each had run-scoring singles and Torii Hunter added a sac-fly for Detroit. Greinke gave up three runs in seven frames to fall to 11-5. Miguel Rojas homered for the lone Los Angeles run.

Nationals Top Orioles

(Baltimore, MD) -- Wilson Ramos, Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth all homered as the Nationals topped the Orioles 6-2 at Camden Yards. Werth drove in two and scored twice, while Adam LaRoche also plated a pair of runs for the Nats, who have won eight of their last 10. Doug Fister tossed seven innings of two-run ball to improve to 8-and-2 with the victory. Manny Machado went 3-for-4 with a home run, and Chris Davis singled in the other run for the O's, who had won their previous three. Bud Norris yielded five runs in four-plus frames as he dipped to 7-6.

Giants Top Athletics

(San Francisco, CA) -- Hunter Pence belted a solo homer and drove in two runs to help guide the Giants to a 5-2 win over the A's at AT&T Park. Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford each recorded a pair of hits and Buster Posey drove in a run as San Francisco snapped its two-game losing streak. Matt Cain threw six innings of two-run ball to improve to 2-7 and Santiago Casilla picked up the save. Jason Hammel took the loss in his Oakland debut after giving up two earned-runs in five frames of work. Stephen Vogt hit a solo shot and Jed Lowrie went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the A's saw their six-game winning streak come to an end.

Wednesday, July 9 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Colorado Rockies 6, San Diego Padres 3

Arizona Diamondbacks 4, Miami Marlins 3 (10 inn)

New York Mets 4, Atlanta Braves 1

Cincinnati Reds 4, Chicago Cubs 1

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Milwaukee Brewers 1

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

MLB American League

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8, Toronto Blue Jays 7

New York Yankees 5, Cleveland Indians 4 (14 inn)

Boston Red Sox 5, Chicago White Sox 4

Kansas City Royals 5, Tampa Bay Rays 4

Houston Astros 8, Texas Rangers 4

Minnesota Twins 8, Seattle Mariners 1

MLB Interleague

Detroit Tigers 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Washington Nationals 6, Baltimore Orioles 2

San Francisco Giants 5, Oakland Athletics 2

Thursday, July 10 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

11:35 a.m. - Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds

1:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers

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

6:15 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals

9:10 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB American League

3:05 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox

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

7:05 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals

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

MLB Interleague

2:45 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at San Francisco Giants

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