Brewers Beat Cubs, Cardinals Hold Off Pirates

Brewers' Fiers Whiffs 14 Cubs In Victory

(Chicago, IL) -- Mike Fiers whiffed a career-best 14 through six shutout innings as the Brewers cruised past the Cubs 6-2 at Wrigley Field. Fiers surrendered just three hits to improve to 2-1 on the season. Mark Reynolds and Khris Davis both homered as Milwaukee earned a split of the four-game series. Chicago starter Edwin Jackson gave up five runs in four-and-two-thirds innings to fall to 6-13. Anthony Rizzo collected two hits and Chris Valaika drove in a pair of runs with a pinch-hit single in the seventh to account for the Cubs' scoring.

The Cubs clash with the Mets at Citi Field tonight in the first of a four-game series that runs through Monday.  Chicago sends Travis Wood to the hill against Zack Wheeler of New York.  Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and Tsuyoshi Wada will also take the mound in the set.

Cardinals Hold Off Padres

(St. Louis, MO) -- John Jay's two-run double in the eighth gave the Cardinals the lead and they hold on for a 4-3 win over the Padres in the first of a four-game series at Busch Stadium. Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer, his 16th of the year, for St. Louis, which has won two in-a-row. Reliever Seth Maness grabbed his fourth win, and Trevor Rosenthal worked through a rough ninth inning to get his 36th save. Three different San Diego players had an RBI in the defeat. They were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Reliever Alex Torres was tagged with his first loss.

Catcher Yadier Molina is making his way back to the Cardinals. He caught a bullpen session in St. Louis last night. Molina tore a ligament in his thumb on a slide on July 9. A timetable for his return is not known.   

Butera Homer Helps Dodgers Down Braves

(Atlanta, GA) -- Drew Butera belted a two-run homer to back six solid innings from Roberto Hernandez as the Dodgers downed the Braves 6-4 at Turner Field.  Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with three RBI for Los Angeles, which built a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning and hung on to take three-of-four in the series.  Hernandez allowed just three hits and one run to improve to 7-8 on the season. Kenley Jansen got the final four outs, all by strikeout, to notch his 34th save. Aaron Harang gave up five runs in less than five innings to take the loss. Justin Upton had a two-run double for the Braves in defeat.

Nationals Sweep Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- The Nationals completed a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field with a 4-1 victory behind a strong start from Stephen Strasburg.  Strasburg improved to 9-10 striking out eight over seven innings, and giving up one unearned run. Rafael Soriano locked up his 28th save. The offense came from two, two-run homers off the bats off Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper. Washington has won four of five. New York was held to three hits and Lucas Duda drove in the only run. Dillon Gee took his fifth loss giving up both home runs in six innings of work. The Mets are 1-4 in their last five.

Marlins Walk Off On Diamondbacks

(Miami, FL) -- Marcell Ozuna hit a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning to send the Marlins to a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks in Miami.  Adeiny Hechavarria knocked in two runs for Miami, which has won three of four. Giancarlo Stanton helped out with a 3-for-4 night and an RBI. Mike Dunn picked up the win. Mark Trumbo had two RBI for Arizona, which has lost three of four.  Bradin Hagens took the loss.

Rockies Sink Reds

(Denver, CO) -- Charlie Culberson blasted a three-run home run to lead the Rockies to a 7-3 win over the Reds at Coors Field. Wilin Rosario went 2-for-3 with an RBI-double. Corey Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon plated a run as Colorado snapped a three-game losing streak. Jorge De La Rosa threw seven innings to improve to 12-8. Alfredo Simon took the loss after giving up five earned runs in five frames of work for Cincinnati, which has lost three straight and five of six. Ryan Ludwick hit a solo shot and drove in a pair of runs in defeat.

Royals Use Five-Run Seventh To Propel Past A's

(Kansas City, MO) -- Billy Butler capped a five-run seventh inning with a two-run single as the Royals stayed hot by rallying past the Athletics 7-3 at Kauffman Stadium. Nori Aoki tripled in the go-ahead runs after Jarrod Dyson tied the game with an RBI single. Aaron Crow got the win in relief and Greg Holland his 36th save for KC, which has won 10 of its last 11 games. Jeff Samardzija gave up four runs in six-and-two-thirds innings for Oakland, which lost three-of-four in the series. Alberto Callaspo drove in two Oakland runs with a single and a sac-fly.

Red Sox Roll Astros

(Boston, MA) -- The Red Sox put up a seven spot in the sixth inning to roll the Astros 9-4 from Fenway Park. Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and two RBI for Boston, which has won four in-a-row. Jackie Bradley Junior also scored twice and knocked in a run for the Sox. Allen Webster allowed four runs in six innings for the win. Scott Feldman gave up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings for the setback. Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer for Houston, which has lost four of five.

Rays Double Up Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- Evan Longoria blasted a two-run home run and totaled three RBI to help guide the Rays to a 6-3 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Park.  Logan Forsythe also hit a two-run shot and James Loney plated a run for Tampa, which has won six of eight. Jake Odorizzi struck out seven in seven innings of two-run ball to pick up the win with Jake McGee closing it out for the save. Robbie Ross Junior got rocked for six runs in just 4 1/3 innings to fall to 2-5 for Texas. Geovany Soto and Rougned Odor went deep for the Rangers, who have lost five of their last seven.

Scherzer Fans 14 As Tigers Trump Pirates

(Detroit, MI) -- Max Scherzer struck out 14 over eight shutout innings as the Tigers tamed the Pirates 5-2 at Comerica Park. The reigning AL Cy Young winner allowed three hits and two walks to improve to 14-4. J.D. Martinez homered and drove in two as Detroit swept the two-game set in Motown after dropping two in Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Nick Castellanos also had two RBI for the Tigers. Francisco Liriano didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning but wound up giving up two runs in six frames to fall to 3-9 with the loss. Gaby Sanchez hit a two-run homer in the ninth for Pittsburgh.

Manfred To Be Next MLB Commissioner

(Baltimore, MD) -- Rob Manfred is the new commissioner of Major League Baseball. League owners voted unanimously for baseball's current Chief Operating Officer to be the successor to retiring commissioner Bud Selig. The other finalists were MLB Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan and Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. Selig is stepping down in January after serving as acting commissioner since 1992. Manfred initially received 22 of the necessary 23 votes among the league's 30 owners.

A second vote still did not reach a consensus, but the eight dissenting teams eventually relented to make the third vote unanimous. Manfred becomes the 10th commissioner in league history. He's been an MLB executive since 1998.

Jackie Robinson West Wins At LLWS

(South Williamsport, PA) -- The Jackie Robinson West team put on a show in its first Little League World Series game, winning 12-2 over Lynnwood, Washington in the fifth inning via the mercy rule. They will play again Sunday against the team from Las Vegas.

Thursday, August 14 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Atlanta Braves 4

Milwaukee Brewers 6, Chicago Cubs 2

Washington Nationals 4, New York Mets 1

Miami Marlins 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 4 (10 inn)

St. Louis Cardinals 4, San Diego Padres 3

Colorado Rockies 7, Cincinnati Reds 3

MLB American League

Kansas City Royals 7, Oakland Athletics 3

Boston Red Sox 9, Houston Astros 4

Tampa Bay Rays 6, Texas Rangers 3

MLB Interleague

Detroit Tigers 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Friday, August 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals

6:10 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at New York Mets

6:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Miami Marlins

7:15 p.m. - San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals

7:40 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies

9:10 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers

9:15 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants

MLB American League

6:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians

6:08 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers

6:10 p.m. - Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox

6:10 p.m. - New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

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

7:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

7:10 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox

MLB Interleague

6:35 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Atlanta Braves