Cardinals Drop Cubs, Twins Down White Sox

Holliday's Homer Enough As Cardinals Drop Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Matt Holliday's first-inning homer was all Adam Wainwright needed as the Cardinals blanked the Cubs 1-0 at Wrigley Field. Wainwright improved to 13-5 after seven shutout innings and Trevor Rosenthal notched his 32nd save. St. Louis has won two straight since a four-game slide. Kyle Hendricks lasted 6 2/3 innings and fell to 1-1 for Chicago. Anthony Rizzo had a pair of hits for the Cubs, who have lost four of five.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed catcher A.J. Pierzynski on Saturday. The 37-year-old backstop was released by the Boston Red Sox earlier this month after hitting .254 with four homers and 31 RBI. The Cards will be without Yadier Molina for another six-to-10 weeks after thumb surgery. Catcher George Kottaras was designated for assignment.

La Russa Inducted Into Hall

(Cooperstown, NY) --  Three managers were inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame on Sunday in Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. La Russa won three World Series titles with the Cardinals, A's and White Sox and ranks third in all-time managerial wins with 2,728. La Russa won the title in 2006 and 2011 with St. Louis and carried a .544 winning percentage with the Cardinals over 16 seasons.

White Sox Downed By Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Scott Carroll pitched six innings of one-run ball but the White Sox were edged 4-3 by the Twins yesterday in Minnesota. Ronald Belisario took the loss while Adrian Nieto hit a solo homer. Chicago failed to cap the four-game sweep. The Sox have tonight off.

Former Sox Slugger Thomas, Cubs Pitcher Maddux Go Into HoF

(Cooperstown, NY) -- Former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas and Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux are among six new members of baseball's Hall of Fame. Thomas was a two-time AL MVP with 495 career home runs. Maddux was a four-time NL Cy Young winner with 355 wins.

Nationals Hold Off Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Despite a two-run double from Devin Mesoraco in the ninth, the Nationals pulled out a 4-2 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.  Doug Fister tossed seven shutout innings to improve to 10-and-2 while Rafael Soriano shut the door to get his 25th save. Adam LaRoche had a two-run single, while Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth each drove in a run, as Washington won its fourth in six games. Mat Latos allowed three runs in six innings falling to 2-3. The Reds have lost eight of nine since the All-Star break.

Phillies Double Up Diamondbacks

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer and scored twice as the Phillies doubled up the Diamondbacks 4-2 at Citizens Bank Park. Roberto Hernandez pitched seven innings of two-run ball to move to 5-and-8 while Jonathan Papelbon notched his 25th save. Philadelphia has won three of four since a four-game slide. Vidal Nuno pitched six-and-two-thirds innings and allowed four runs, two earned. He fell to 0-2 since joining Arizona while Paul Goldschmidt and Nick Ahmed each drove in a run. The D'backs have lost four of six.

Mets Blank Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Lucas Duda hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning for the only runs of the game as the Mets squeaked out a 2-0 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. Daniel Murphy went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Chris Young tallied a pair of hits for New York, which has won four of its last six. Jacob deGrom threw six-and-a-third-innings and gave up just four hits en route to his fifth win with Jenrry Mejia picking up the save.  Jimmy Nelson took a tough loss for Milwaukee after striking out six and giving up two runs in seven innings of work. Jean Segura and Khris Davis each totaled a pair of hits for the Brewers, who have lost two of their last three since winning four straight.

Pirates Dump Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Josh Harrison and Gregory Polanco hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to lift the Pirates to a 7-5 against the Rockies at Coors Field.  The homer finished off a four hit, two RBI, two run day for Harrison. Polanco also drove in two for Pittsburgh, which avoided getting swept by Colorado in the three-game series. Reliever Tony Watson improved to 7-1 despite giving up a run and Mark Melancon earned his 19th save with a perfect ninth. Brandon Barnes and Nolan Arenado each left the yard in the defeat. Rex Brothers took the loss after giving up both long balls in the deciding inning.

Dodgers Sweep Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- The Dodgers turned the tables on the Giants by pulling out a three-game sweep with a 4-3 win at AT&T Park. Los Angeles used a three-run fifth keyed by RBI from Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford to take a 1 1/2-game lead in the National League West over San Francisco. Hyun-Jin Ryu improved to 12-5, striking out seven over six innings and giving up three runs. Buster Posey hit a solo homer in the defeat.  Jake Peavy gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings of work for the Giants in his first start since being acquired from the Red Sox. Peavy took the loss.

Navarro Lifts Blue Jays Past Yankees

(Bronx, NY) -- Dioner Navarro singled in a run in the top of the ninth to lift the Blue Jays to a 5-4 win over the Yankees in the Bronx. Juan Francisco homered while Munenori Kawasaki went 2-for-3 with an RBI as Toronto won its fifth in six games. J.A. Happ gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings while Aaron Sanchez got the win and Casey Janssen his 16th save. Chase Headley and Francisco Cervelli hit back-to-back homers for the Yankees in the fifth. Shane Greene gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings while David Robertson took the loss in relief. New York has dropped two straight since a four-game winning streak.

Red Sox Edge Red-Hot Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- David Ortiz hit a three-run homer in the third and the Red Sox held on for a 3-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Allen Webster allowed two runs over five-and-a-third innings for the win while four relievers bridged the gap to Koji Uehara, who earned his 21st save. Boston stopped a five-game slide. Desmond Jennings doubled in two for Tampa Bay, which had won nine straight. Chris Archer fell to 6-6 after allowing three runs in six innings.

Indians Pound Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- Carlos Santana hit a pair of two-run homers to lead the Indians in a 10-4 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Yan Gomes went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI while Ryan Raburn also hit a solo shot. Cleveland stopped a four-game skid. Danny Salazar allowed three runs in seven innings to improve to 3-4. Bruce Chen was tagged for six runs over five-plus innings and fell to 2-3 for Kansas City.  Billy Butler was 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Royals, who saw a five-game winning streak end.

Angels Double Up Tigers

(Anaheim, CA) -- David Freese hit a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Angels picked up a 2-1 win over the Tigers in Anaheim. Kole Calhoun went 2-for-4 on the afternoon and Erick Aybar scored on a wild pitch in the fifth frame as the Angels picked up their third straight victory against the Tigers, and have won four of five overall. Joe Smith improved to 4-0 in relief and Huston Street picked up the save. Joba Chamberlin gave up the late solo shot to Freese to fall to 1-4 for Detroit, which has lost four of its last six. Victor Martinez doubled in the Tigers' only run in the team's three-hit effort.

Orioles Edge Mariners In Extras

(Seattle, WA) -- Manny Machado lifted a sac-fly in the top of the tenth as the Orioles edged the Mariners 3-2 at Safeco Field to take three of four in the weekend series. Machado finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run while Jonathan Schoop added an RBI single. Miguel Gonzalez pitched six innings of one-run ball while T.J. McFarland got the win and Zach Britton his 20th save. Baltimore capped its ten-game road trip with a 6-4 record. Roenis Elias allowed a run over five innings while Yoervis Medina took the loss for Seattle. Mike Zunino went 3-for-4 and tied the game with a solo homer in the eighth, but the M's still lost their fifth in six games.

Athletics Crush Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- John Jaso was 2-for-5 with three RBI as the Athletics dumped the Rangers 9-3 in Arlington to take two of three. Yoenis Cespedes also had two hits and drove in two, while Scott Kazmir improved to 12-3. Kazmir allowed two runs and seven hits over five innings for Oakland, which has won four of five. Adrian Beltre and Adam Rosales each hit home runs in the loss. Miles Mikolas gave up seven earned runs in four-and-two-thirds to fall to 1-3. Texas is 3-7 since the All-Star break.

Marlins Sweep Astros

(Houston, TX) -- Jacob Turner gave up one run through five-and-two-thirds innings to help the Marlins finish the three-game sweep of the Astros 4-2 at Minute Maid Park. Turner improved to 4-6 and Steve Cishek grabbed his 26th save. Garrett Jones and Marcell Ozuna tagged solo shots in the win. Collin McHugh struck out nine but gave up four runs in 6 1/3 innings to fall to 4-9 for Houston. Jose Altuve collected three hits and went deep while Jon Singleton added a solo shot in the loss. The Astros have lost five in-a-row and seven of nine since the All-Star break.

Sunday, July 27 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Washington Nationals 4, Cincinnati Reds 2

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

New York Mets 2, Milwaukee Brewers 0

St. Louis Cardinals 1, Chicago Cubs 0

Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Colorado Rockies 5

Atlanta Braves 8, San Diego Padres 3

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Francisco Giants 3

MLB AL

Toronto Blue Jays 5, New York Yankees 4

Boston Red Sox 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2

Minnesota Twins 4, Chicago White Sox 3

Cleveland Indians 10, Kansas City Royals 3

LA Angels of Anaheim 2, Detroit Tigers 1

Baltimore Orioles 3, Seattle Mariners 2 (10th inning)

Oakland Athletics 9, Texas Rangers 3

MLB Interleague

Miami Marlins 4, Houston Astros 2

Monday, July 28 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

11:10 a.m. - San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves

6:10 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins

6:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

6:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds

7:05 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs

9:15 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants

MLB American League

6:10 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox

7:05 p.m. - New York Yankees at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros

MLB Interleague

6:10 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays