Cubs Power Over Rockies, Cardinals Get Past Red Sox

Rookie Baez Powers Cubs Over Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Recently called up Javier Baez homered twice and drove in four runs as the Cubs cruised past the Rockies 6-2 in the rubber game of a three-game set from Coors Field.  Baez, who went 3-for-4, and shortstop Starlin Castro hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning to extend the Cubs lead. Kyle Hendricks improved to 3-1 after throwing eight innings of two-run ball. Chicago has won five of its last seven  Yohan Flande fell to 0-4 after giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings. Justin Morneau had two hits including an RBI double and a run scored in the loss. The Rockies have lost six of seven.

The unidentified team to claim Phillies starter Cole Hamels has come to light. 97.5 the Fanatic of Philadelphia says the Cubs are the team to have claimed the left-hander off waivers. The Phillies have 48 hours to strike a deal with Chicago, pull his trade waivers or let him walk for nothing.

Wainwright Leads Cardinals Past Red Sox

(St. Louis, MO) -- Adam Wainwright became MLB's second 14-game winner as the Cardinals beat the Red Sox 5-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Wainwright struck out seven over seven innings of two-run ball as he improved to 14-6. Pat Neshek closed it out for his third save. Kolten Wong went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers and Jhonny Peralta had a two-run double for the Redbirds, who have won four of their last five. Mike Napoli and Christian Vazquez plated a run each for Boston, which has lost seven of nine. Brandon Workman permitted four runs in 5 1/3 frames as he fell to 1-5.

The Cardinals clash with the Orioles tonight from Camden Yards. It's the first of a six-game road trip that also heads to Miami. Justin Masterson toes the rubber for the Cards opposite Chris Tillman of the O's.

Mariners Rout White Sox

(Seattle, WA) -- Endy Chavez, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager all smacked two-run homers in the Mariners' 13-3 rout of the White Sox at Safeco Field. Dustin Ackley added a solo shot and knocked in four for the M's, who have won three straight. Roenis Elias tossed five-and-two-thirds innings of two-run ball to even his record at 9-9. Scott Carroll was rocked for seven runs in five-plus frames to fall to 4-7 with the loss. Dayan Viciedo hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which has dropped three in-a-row and five of its last six overall.

Harper Walk-Off Homer Lifts Nationals Over Mets In 13

(Washington, DC) -- Bryce Harper smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Nationals beat the Mets 5-3 at Nationals Park. The blast came one day after manager Matt Williams got angry with reporters over questions about possibly sending the struggling Harper to the minors. Ian Desmond also hit a two-run shot for the Nats, who took two-of-three in the series. Craig Stammen pitched three innings of one-hit relief to get the win. Carlos Torres, the fifth New York pitcher, took the loss. Daniel Murphy doubled in a run and Curtis Granderson had an RBI single for the Mets.

Peralta Wins 14th As Brewers Beat Giants

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Wily Peralta pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning to become the majors' first 14-game winner as the Brewers beat the Giants 3-1 at Miller Park. He allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out nine over six and two thirds frames to improve to 14-6. Francisco Rodriguez closed it out for his 34th save as Milwaukee took two-of-three in the series. Jake Peavy gave up three runs in 5 2/3 frames to fall to 0-3 with the Giants. Ryan Braun and Khris Davis each had RBI doubles in the win. Hunter Pence singled in the lone run for San Francisco in the fifth.

Polanco, Pirates Pound Marlins

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Gregory Polanco had two hits and four RBI as the Pirates pounded the Marlins 7-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series at PNC Park.  Jordy Mercer went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Bucs, who have won four of six. Edinson Volquez improved to 9-7 after striking out seven while giving up just one hit over seven scoreless innings. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer in the ninth for Miami, which has dropped six of its last eight. Brian Flynn allowed five runs in four-plus frames to suffer his first loss.

Yankees Shut Out Tigers

(Bronx, NY) -- Shane Greene and David Robertson combined on a five-hitter as the Yankees shut out the Tigers 1-0 in the Bronx. Greene allowed five hits and three walks while striking out five over eight-plus innings to improve to 3-1. Robertson got pinch-hitter Miguel Cabrera to ground into a double-play in the ninth to escape trouble and notch his 31st save. Stephen Drew doubled home the lone run of the game in the fourth inning for New York, which took three-of-four in the series. Rick Porcello gave up one run in seven frames to fall to 13-6. Ian Kinsler had two hits for Detroit.

Orioles Edge Blue Jays

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Caleb Joseph's two-run homer in the fourth inning was all the Orioles needed as they downed the Blue Jays 2-1 at Rogers Centre. The long ball was Joseph's seventh of the season for Baltimore, which has won four of its last five. Miguel Gonzalez threw six innings of one-run ball to improve to 6-6. Zach Britton closed it out for his 24th save. J.A. Happ struck out 12 in eight innings of work for Toronto, but fell to 8-6 with the loss. Anthony Gose belted a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who have lost five of six since winning six in-a-row.

Lester Deals Athletics Past Twins

(Oakland, CA) -- Jon Lester fanned eight batters in a complete game shutout to lead the A's to a 3-0 win over the Twins at O.co Coliseum. Lester surrendered just three hits as he picked up his second win since being traded to Oakland, and he improved to 12-7 on the season.  Stephen Vogt blasted a two-run shot, and Derek Norris doubled in a run for the A's, who have won three of four. Yohan Pino gave up all three runs in 5 2/3 innings to fall to 1-4 on the season for Minnesota, which has lost two straight since winning three in-a-row. Oswaldo Arcia and Kurt Suzuki went 1-for-3 in the team's three-hit effort.

Phillies Top Astros

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Ryan Howard hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to lift the Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Astros from Citizens Bank Park. Cody Asche singled in a run to pull the Phils within three in the eighth. Mario Hollands picked up the win while Jonathan Papelbon notched his 27th save for Philadelphia, which swept the three-game series. Chris Carter had two homers and four RBI for Houston, which had won four of five prior to the start of this series. Marc Krauss also went deep for the Astros. Tony Sipp suffered the loss.

Reds Rip Indians

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Homer Bailey tossed seven innings of scoreless ball to guide the Reds to a 4-0 win over the Indians from Cincinnati. Bailey struck out eight and improved to 9-5. Billy Hamilton notched his seventh triple of the season for Cincinnati, which has won four of five. Kris Negron also knocked in a run for the Reds. T.J. House gave up four runs in six-plus innings for the loss. Cleveland dropped the final three of this four-game series.

Royals Sweep Diamondbacks

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Jeremy Guthrie threw a two-run complete game to help guide the Royals to a 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Guthrie improved to 8-and-9 with the win as Kansas City completed the three-game sweep of Arizona and has won seven of its last eight overall. Alex Gordon cracked a two-run homer and Salvador Perez batted in a pair of runs in the win. Vidal Nuno got rocked for five runs in just four frames to fall to 0-3 since being traded to the D'backs, who have lost five of their last six. Mark Trumbo and Jake Lamb each drove in a run in defeat. Lamb was making his big league debut.

Dodgers Drop Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed seven innings of two-hit ball as the Dodgers dropped the Angels 7-0 from Anaheim. Ryu improved to 13-5 for Los Angeles, which won the final three of this four-game series. Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez each knocked in two runs in the win. Albert Pujols and David Freese had the hits for the Halos, who had won three of four prior to the start of this series. C.J. Wilson gave up four runs in five-and-two-thirds innings for the setback.

Thursday, August 7 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Washington Nationals 5, New York Mets 3 (13 inn)

Milwaukee Brewers 3, San Francisco Giants 1

Chicago Cubs 6, Colorado Rockies 2

Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Miami Marlins 2

MLB American League

New York Yankees 1, Detroit Tigers 0

Baltimore Orioles 2, Toronto Blue Jays 1

Oakland Athletics 3, Minnesota Twins 0

Seattle Mariners 13, Chicago White Sox 3

MLB Interleague

Cincinnati Reds 4, Cleveland Indians 0

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Houston Astros 5

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Boston Red Sox 2

Kansas City Royals 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

Friday, August 8 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:05 p.m. - New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

6:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates

6:10 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Cincinnati Reds

6:35 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves

7:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers

8:40 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks

MLB American League

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

6:07 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays

7:10 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Houston Astros

9:05 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

9:05 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics

9:10 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

3:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago Cubs

6:05 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore Orioles

7:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals