Brewers Bash Cardinals, Braves Hold Off Cubs

Brewers Bash Cardinals To Avoid Sweep

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Khris Davis homered and drove in two as the Brewers bashed the Cardinals 11-2 to avoid a three-game sweep at Miller Park. Carlos Gomez had three hits, two RBI and three runs scored while Scooter Gennett added three hits, two RBI and scored twice for the Crew, who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Milwaukee enters the All-Star break atop the NL Central at 53-43. Elian Herrera went 5-for-5 with three runs scored in the victory. Wily Peralta gave up just an unearned run across seven innings as he improved to 10-6. Matt Adams plated a run in the fourth and George Kottaras knocked in a run in the ninth for the Redbirds, who are one game behind the Brewers at 52-44. Carlos Martinez yielded four runs in four frames to fall to 2-4 with the loss.

The Cardinals are enjoying some down time while baseball heads into the All-Star break. St. Louis is represented by pitchers Pat Neshek and Adam Wainwright, third baseman Matt Carpenter and catcher Yadier Molina. Molina will not play after injuring his thumb this past week. The game is Tuesday at Minnesota's Target Field.

Braves Hold Off Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Chris Johnson clubbed a three-run homer as the Braves held on to beat the Cubs 10-7 in the rubber match of a weekend series at Wrigley Field. Tommy La Stella drove in three runs and Gerald Laird plated two for Atlanta, which led 7-0 after three innings. Julio Teheran tossed seven innings of four-run ball to up his mark to 9-6. Craig Kimbrel closed it out for his 29th save. The Braves enter the All-Star break 52-43 and a percentage point behind Washington in the NL East. Arismendy Alcantara and Chris Coghlan both hit two-run homers for the Cubs, who have lost eight of 10 and enter the break last in the NL Central at 40-54. Travis Wood was rocked for seven runs in six frames as he dipped to 7-8.

The Cubs are also well represented for Tuesday's All-Star Game in Minneapolis. Shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo are on the NL's roster. Pitcher Jeff Samardzija was also selected but will not play due to his trade to the American League earlier this month. Rizzo won the NL's Final Vote to become the 34th member of the team.

Indians Edge White Sox

(Cleveland, OH) -- Yan Gomes blasted a two-run homer in the eighth to lift the Indians in a 3-2 win over the White Sox at Progressive Field. Gomes also knocked in a run in the second while Nick Swisher went 2-for-4 with a run. Trevor Bauer struck out ten over six-and-two-thirds innings of shutout ball but Bryan Shaw got the win and Cody Allen his 12th save. Cleveland has won three of four and closes the first half at 47-47. John Danks tossed seven frames of one-run ball for Chicago and Javy Guerra suffered the loss. Jose Abreu was 3-for-5 while Gordon Beckham and Leury Garcia knocked in runs. The White Sox have lost four of five and enter the break at 45-51.

Reds Double Up Pirates In Rubber Game

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Kris Negron belted a three-run homer in the second inning to help guide the Reds to a 6-3 win over the Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Todd Frazier hit a two-run shot and Devin Mesoraco doubled in a run for Cincinnati, which won seven of its last nine to finish the first half of the season 51-44. The Reds are a game-and-a-half behind the NL Central-leading Brewers. Johnny Cueto picked up the win after striking out seven in six innings of three-run ball and Aroldis Chapman notched his 21st save. Francisco Liriano gave up three runs and walked six in just four frames to fall to 1-7. Nick Walker notched a homer and two RBI and Josh Harrison batted in a run in defeat. The Pirates have lost five of seven and head into the All-Star break 49-46, 3 1/2 games behind Milwaukee.

Mets Blow Away Marlins

(Flushing, NY) -- Jacob deGrom tossed seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts as the Mets pummeled the Marlins 9-1 at Citi Field. deGrom improved to 3-5 while Curtis Granderson went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. David Wright and Chris Young each knocked in two for New York, which has won seven of eight and enters the break at 45-50. Brad Hand lasted just four frames and allowed three runs while falling to 0-2 for Miami. He left in the top of the fifth with a bruised shin. Marcell Ozuna plated the lone run for the Marlins, who have lost four straight and sit at 44-50.

Nationals Blast Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Jayson Werth went deep and drove in four runs as the Nationals rolled the Phillies 10-3 at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo shot and drove in two in the win while Ian Desmond added two RBI. Tanner Roark gave up one run through seven innings and struck out six to improve to 8-and-6. The Nationals end the first half with a 51-42 record and wins in three of their last five. Ryan Howard plated a run in the loss while Cody Asche recorded an RBI double. Kyle Kendrick took the loss after allowing five runs through 5 2/3 innings, dropping his record to 4-9. The Phillies close out the first half at 42-53 with a 5-2 record in their last seven.

Giants Hit Two Slams To Double Up Diamondbacks

(San Francisco, CA) -- Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner both hit grand slams to lead the Giants to an 8-4 win over the Diamondbacks in the rubber match of a weekend series at AT&T Park. Posey and Bumgarner are the first batterymates in Major League history to hit grand slams in the same game. Bumgarner is also just the second pitcher ever to hit two slams in one season, joining Tony Cloninger who accomplished the feat in 1966. On the mound, the southpaw allowed four runs over six-and-a-third innings as he improved to 10-7. The Giants enter the All-Star break 52-43 and are one game behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. Cody Ross hit a two-run homer for Arizona, which has the worst record in the NL at 40-56. Vidal Nuno was tagged for four runs in five frames as he fell to 0-1 with the D'backs and 2-6 overall.

Red Sox Roll Astros

(Houston, TX) -- Clay Buchholz tossed a complete game shutout as the Red Sox smacked the Astros 11-0 at Minute Maid Park. Buchholz allowed just three hits and struck out 12 to improve to 4-5 with the victory. Brock Holt hit a leadoff homer and tallied five hits, while Mike Carp drove in two with a pinch-hit triple. David Ortiz and Christian Vazquez also plated two runs each as Boston closes out the first half at 43-52 with wins in four of its last five.  Brad Peacock lasted just 27 pitches, giving up one run on two hits and a walk before getting pulled. Peacock fell to 3-6 for Houston, which sits at 40-and-56 heading into the break.

Royals Bounce Tigers

(Kansas City, MO) -- The Royals dropped five runs in the seventh inning to knock off the Tigers 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Omar Infante grabbed two RBI in the win while Jarrod Dyson and Alcides Escobar plated a run each. Yordano Ventura earned the win in relief to improve to 7-7 with Greg Holland locking up his 25th save. Bruce Chen took the no-decision for the Royals, who snapped a three-game skid and wrap up the first half of the season with a 48-and-46 record. Justin Verlander was tagged for four runs in 6 1/3 to fall to 8-8. J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera tallied an RBI each in the loss as the Tigers close out first-half action 53-38 and hold a 6 1/2 game lead in the American League Central over KC.

Angels Top Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- Mike Trout doubled twice and drove in four runs as the Angels finished off a four-game sweep of the Rangers with a 10-7 win at Globe Life Park. Albert Pujols collected three hits and drove in a run while Josh Hamilton and David Freese plated a run each in the win. Tyler Skaggs improved to 5-5 after allowing six runs in five-plus innings. Joe Smith grabbed his 15th save as the Angels finish the first half of the season with a 57-37 record. Alex Rios drove in three in the loss and Adrian Beltre grabbed a RBI. Scott Baker took the loss after allowing five runs in four innings of work. Texas finishes the first half at 38-57 and only one win in the month of July.

Athletics Drop Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Brandon Moss and Nick Punto each belted a solo homer as the A's secured a 4-1 victory over the Mariners at Safeco Field. John Jaso and Craig Gentry each batted in a run as Oakland snapped a two-game losing streak and finish the first half of the season a Major League-best 59-36. Sonny Gray struck out five in seven-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball to improve to 10-3 with Sean Doolittle notching his 14th save. Chris Young took the loss for Seattle after surrendering three runs in six innings of work. Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 and Robinson Cano drove in the lone run for the Mariners, who head into the break at 51-44.

Orioles Top Yankees In Five

(Baltimore, MD) -- Chris Davis hit a two-run homer to power the Orioles to a 3-1 win over the Yankees at Camden Yards. The game was called in the bottom of the fifth due to rain. Kevin Gausman fired five innings of one-run ball for the win. Baltimore heads into the All-Star break at 52-42 and in first place in the American League East. Brett Gardner left the park for New York. Chase Whitley gave up all the runs in three-and-two-thirds frames for the loss. New York is five games back of Baltimore in the division at 47-47.

Twins Throttle Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Brian Dozier launched two homers and drove in four runs as the Twins cruised to a 13-5 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. Eduardo Escobar went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Sam Fuld and Chris Parmelee each also batted in two runs for Minnesota, which has won five of six improve to 44-50 heading into the break. Phil Hughes picked up his 10th win after striking out six in five frames of work. Brett Anderson gave up five earned runs in five innings to fall to 0-3 for Colorado. Justin Morneau and Nolan Arenado each went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Rockies, who have lost two straight and finish the first half of the season 40-55.

USA Tops World In Futures Game

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Rangers prospect Joey Gallo launched a two-run home run to give the USA the lead and eventual 3-2 win over the World at the Futures Game from Target Field. Gallo was named the game's MVP. Mets prospect Kevin Plawecki added an RBI in the win with Phillies prospect J.P Crawford grabbing a hit and stolen base. Tigers prospect Jake Thompson grabbed the win in relief with Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard grabbing the save. The World were led by Cubs prospect Javier Baez who smacked a two-run dinger in the loss. Dalton Pompey of the Blue Jays organization grabbed two hits and Astros pitcher Michael Feliz took the loss. The U.S. squad has won five consecutive Futures Games.

All-Star Game Set For Tuesday

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Chicago's All-Stars are off to Minneapolis. Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro of the Cubs will be joined by Jose Abreu, Chris Sale and Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox at the game. Tonight is the Home Run Derby at Target Field, while the actual All-Star Game is Tuesday.

Sunday, July 13 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Cincinnati Reds 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

New York Mets 9, Miami Marlins 1

Washington Nationals 10, Philadelphia Phillies 3

Milwaukee Brewers 11, St. Louis Cardinals 2

Atlanta Braves 10, Chicago Cubs 7

San Francisco Giants 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 4

Los Angeles Dodgers 1, San Diego Padres 0

MLB American League

Cleveland Indians 3, Chicago White Sox 2

Tampa Bay Rays 3, Toronto Blue Jays 0

Boston Red Sox 11, Houston Astros 0

Kansas City Royals 5, Detroit Tigers 2

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10, Texas Rangers 7

Oakland Athletics 4, Seattle Mariners 1

Baltimore Orioles 3, New York Yankees 1 (5 inn)

MLB Interleague

Minnesota Twins 13, Colorado Rockies 5

Monday, July 14 Schedule (Time Central)

MLB

7:00 p.m. - All-Star Home Run Derby  (at Minneapolis, MN)