Cubs Get Past Rockies, Cardinals Clip Red Sox

Baez Lifts Cubs Past Rockies In 12th

(Denver, CO) -- Javier Baez made his first big league hit count, blasting a solo homer in the top of the 12th to lift the Cubs in a 6-5 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. Baez had been 0-for-5 in his first major-league game prior to the blast. Wellington Castillo also went deep and drove in two for Chicago, which has won four of five. Travis Wood pitched six innings of three-run ball while Hector Rondon got the win in relief despite blowing a save. Carlos Villanueva notched his second save. Colorado starter Brett Anderson was forced to leave in the fourth with back spasms. Boone Logan took the loss while Nolan Arenado went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and Brandon Barnes knocked in two. The Rockies have lost five straight.

Cardinals Clip Red Sox

(St. Louis, MO) -- Jon Jay singled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox at Busch Stadium. Matt Adams and Kolten Wong each recorded a hit and batted in a run in the victory. Pat Neshek picked up the win in relief and Trevor Rosenthal notched his league-leading 35th save as St. Louis won its third straight. Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-4 for Boston and Christian Vazquez and Will Middlebrooks both plated a run. Junichi Tazawa fell to 1-3 for the Red Sox, who have lost 11 of their last 13 since winning four in-a-row fresh off the All-Star break.

Injured Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha began a throwing program Tuesday with hopes of returning next month. The decision to put him in a program came after Wacha's fourth MRI in seven weeks showed improvement in his right shoulder. Wacha has been on the disabled list since June 23 and is 5-5 with a 2.79 ERA for St. Louis this season.

The Cardinals play game two of their three-game set against the Red Sox tonight. St. Louis improved to 60-51 with last night's win and sends Shelby Miller out to pitch. Miller is 8-8 with a 4.14 ERA. Boston counters with former Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Rangers Throttle White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- J.P Arencibia went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and four RBI to power the Rangers in a 16-0 thrashing of the White Sox from U.S. Cellular Field. Robinson Chirinos was 3-for-5 with a pair of solo homers while Shin-Soo Choo added a dinger of his own. Adrian Beltre also blasted a two-run shot for Texas, which stopped a four-game slide. Colby Lewis went the distance for the Rangers, allowing six hits and a walk, while striking out seven to improve to 8-8. Conor Gillaspie had two hits for Chicago, while John Danks was rocked for nine runs in four-and-two-thirds innings to fall to 9-7. Adam Dunn was 0-for-4 at the plate and allowed a run in his first-career pitching appearance. The Sox have lost three of four.

Murphy Powers Mets Past Nationals

(Washington, DC) -- Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Mets in a 6-1 win over the Nationals in DC. Travis d'Arnaud scored twice and doubled for New York, which had lost three of four. Zack Wheeler tossed six-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball to improve to 7-8. Gio Gonzalez was tagged for four runs in six-plus frames for Washington and dipped to 6-8. Adam LaRoche was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks for the Nationals, who have lost four of six.

Marlins Double Up Pirates

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The Marlins used a five-run eighth inning to lift themselves to a 6-3 win over the Pirates in the first of a three-game series from PNC Park. Marcell Ozuna had two RBI and Adeiny Hechavarria tallied a pair of hits and drove in a run for Miami, which had lost four of five coming into this series. Brad Hand gave up two runs in six-and-a-third innings and A.J. Ramos picked up his fifth win in relief. Jordy Mercer and Chris Stewart each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for in the loss Pittsburgh.  Jared Hughes fell to 6-3 in relief as the Pirates dropped their second straight.

Brewers Edge Giants

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Gerardo Parra belted a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning as the Brewers edged the Giants 4-3 in the opener of a three-game set at Miller Park. It was Parra's first hit in three games with his new club. Carlos Gomez added a two-run homer and drove in three for the Crew, who snapped a brief two-game skid. Jimmy Nelson tossed seven innings of three-run ball to even his record at 2-2. Francisco Rodriguez closed it out for his 33rd save. Pablo Sandoval clubbed a game-tying three-run homer in the sixth for San Francisco, which had won its previous two. Tim Lincecum allowed three runs in seven frames while Jean Machi suffered his first loss.

Avila's Homer Lifts Tigers Past Yankees

(Bronx, NY) -- Alex Avila belted a solo homer in the top of the 12th as the Tigers edged the Yankees 4-3 in the Bronx. Avila drove in two while Andrew Romine also went deep. Victor Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI as Detroit won its fourth in five games. David Price struck out ten and allowed three runs in eight-and-two-thirds innings in his Tigers debut. Joakim Soria logged the win and Joe Nathan his 23rd save. Hiroki Kuroda gave up three runs over seven innings while Matt Daley took the loss for New York. Brian McCann and Martin Prado each homered for the Yankees, who saw a three-game win streak end.

Orioles Pound Blue Jays, Increase Division Lead

(Toronto, Ontario) -- The Orioles pounded out three solo homers on their way to a 9-3 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Chris Davis smacked his 18th of the season and drove in two while Caleb Joseph and Jonathan Schoop also went deep. J.J. Hardy and Nelson Cruz knocked in two runs each as Baltimore won its third straight and increased its AL East lead to five games. Bud Norris tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts to improve to 9-7. Mark Buehrle fell to 11-8 after allowing four runs in just four innings. Colby Rasmus launched a two-run homer for Toronto, which has lost four straight following a six-game winning streak.

Athletics Blank Rays

(Oakland, CA) -- Jason Hammel and four relievers combined on a seven-hit shutout as the Athletics blanked the Rays 3-0 in Oakland. Hammel scattered seven hits over five-and-two-thirds innings as he improved to 1-and-4 with the A's and 9-9 overall. Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.  Nate Freiman plated a run and scored, while Josh Reddick had two hits and an RBI for the A's, who will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday. Cole Figueroa had two hits for Tampa, which has dropped three straight and five of its last six. Drew Smyly allowed three runs in 5 1/3 frames to suffer the loss in his Rays debut. He is now 6-10 overall this year.

Reds Rock Indians

(Cleveland, OH) -- Johnny Cueto tossed a complete-game leading the Reds in a 9-2 romp over the Indians at Progressive Field. Cueto gave up both runs on five hits and struck out six as he improved to 13-6. Jay Bruce powered the offense going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Ramon Santiago added a three-run homer, while Kris Negron drove in two for Cincinnati, which split the Cleveland portion of the four-game home-and-home series. The next two games will be at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday and Thursday. Josh Tomlin fell to 5-8 allowing six runs, five earned in 4 1/3 innings. Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes each had an RBI in the defeat.

Phillies Walk-Off Astros In 15

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Ryan Howard hit a walk-off RBI single as the Phillies beat the Astros 3-2 in a 15-inning marathon of a game from Citizens Bank Park.  Howard also belted a solo home run in the second frame. Ben Revere and Grady Sizemore tallied a pair of hits and Hector Neris picked up the win as Philadelphia snapped its two-game losing streak. Jake Buchanan took the loss for Houston after Dallas Keuchel threw seven innings of one-run ball. Jon Singleton singled in the lone run as the Astros saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Royals Rout Diamondbacks

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Norichika Aoki smacked a grand slam to cap an eight-run fifth inning as the Royals roughed up the Diamondbacks 12-2 in the opener of a three-game Interleague series at Chase Field. Salvador Perez and Billy Butler both clubbed three-run homers for KC, which has won five of its last six.  Butler had four of the Royals' 15 hits in the victory. Danny Duffy struck out seven over five innings of one-run ball as he improved to 6-10. Mark Trumbo and Didi Gregorius plated a run each for the D'backs, who have dropped three of four. Wade Miley was rocked for 10 runs in 4 2/3 frames as he slipped to 7-8.

Mariners Double Up Sliding Braves

(Seattle, WA) -- Felix Hernandez struck out eight over eight innings of one-run ball to lead the Mariners in a 4-2 win over the Braves at Safeco Field.  Hernandez improved to 12-and-3 while Fernando Rodney notched his 31st save despite allowing a run in the ninth. Austin Jackson and Logan Morris each drove in a run for Seattle, which has won three of five. Justin Upton knocked in the lone run for Atlanta, which has lost seven straight. Alex Wood fell to 7-9 after pitching six innings and allowing four runs, one earned. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons left the game in the fourth inning with an ankle injury.

Dodgers Walk Off Angels

(Los Angeles, CA) -- David Freese made a throwing error in the ninth allowing Juan Uribe to score on an Andre Ethier ground ball as the Dodgers walked off the Angels, 5-4, at Chavez Ravine. Uribe was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored, while closer Kenley Jansen snagged the win after striking out the side in the ninth. Clayton Kershaw dealt seven innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts, but wasn't apart of the decision. After splitting the first two games in Los Angeles, the series continues on Wednesday and Thursday in Anaheim. Albert Pujols tied the game at four in the top of the eighth with a solo homer off Brian Wilson. Pujols and Chris Iannetta each had two RBI. Kevin Jepsen took the loss.

Tony Bosch Taken Into  Custody

A year after Major League Baseball handed down suspensions related to the Biogenesis steroid scandal, Tony Bosch, the defunct Florida clinic's founder, was taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration officials. United States attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer stated in a news conference that Bosch and six others were arrested Tuesday and will be charged with conspiracy to distribute steroids. A total of 13 players, including Alex Rodriguez, were suspended last August 5. Rodriguez received an unprecedented 211-game suspension, while the other 12 were banned for 50 games. Special agent Mark R. Trouville detailed the DEA's work, saying Bosch supplied customers, including high school students, with testosterone and human growth hormone from black
market distributors.

Pirates' McCutchen Dealing With Fractured Rib

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington announced Tuesday that center fielder Andrew McCutchen is dealing with a fractured left rib, though the reigning National League  MVP will avoid a stint on the disabled list for now. The injury, which Huntington termed to be an avulsion fracture involving the costochondral cartilage of his 11th rib, forced McCutchen to exit the Pirates' contest at Arizona on Sunday.

It is unclear as to whether or not McCutchen initially broke his ribs while being hit in the back by a pitch from Arizona's Randall Delgado in the ninth inning of Saturday's matchup between the teams. The act was in apparent retaliation for Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt breaking his hand when struck by a pitch by the Pirates' Ernesto Frieri in Friday's series opener.

Tuesday, August 5 Scoreboard

MLB National League

New York Mets 6, Washington Nationals 1

Miami Marlins 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

Milwaukee Brewers 4, San Francisco Giants 3

Chicago Cubs 6, Colorado Rockies 5 (12 inn)

MLB American League

Detroit Tigers 4, New York Yankees 3 (12 inn)

Baltimore Orioles 9, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Texas Rangers 16, Chicago White Sox 0

Oakland Athletics 3, Tampa Bay Rays 0

MLB Interleague

Cincinnati Reds 9, Cleveland Indians 2

Philadelphia Phillies 2, Houston Astros 1 (15 inn)

Minnesota Twins 3, San Diego Padres 1

St. Louis Cardinals 3, Boston Red Sox 2

Kansas City Royals 12, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

Seattle Mariners 4, Atlanta Braves 2

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4

Tuesday, August 6 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:05 p.m. - New York Mets at Washington Nationals

6:05 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates

7:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers

7:40 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies

MLB American League

1:10 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Chicago White Sox

2:35 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics

6:05 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees

6:07 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Interleague

12:10 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Minnesota Twins

2:40 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Seattle Mariners

6:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Cincinnati Reds

7:15 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals

8:40 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Arizona Diamondbacks

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