Cubs Edge Mets, Cardinals Drop Padres

Cubs Edge Mets On Castro's Homer

(Flushing, NY) -- Starlin Castro blasted a solo homer in the top of the ninth to lift the Cubs in a 2-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field. Luis Valbuena added an RBI single earlier in the game as Chicago stopped a three-game slide. Jake Arrieta struck out nine over seven shutout innings while Pedro Strop got the win and Hector Rondon notched his 17th save. Rafael Montero allowed a run over seven-and-a-third innings while Jenrry Mejia took the loss for New York. Curtis Granderson tied the game in the eighth with an RBI single but the Mets lost their fourth in six games.

The Cubs and Mets wrap up their four-game series this afternoon from Citi Field. Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for Chicago. He's 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA. New York counters with Bartolo Colon, who is 11-10 with a 3.85 ERA. First pitch is at 11:10 a.m.

Cardinals Drop Padres

(St. Louis, MO) -- Matt Carpenter went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI to lead the Cardinals to a 7-6 win over the Padres at Busch Stadium. Jon Jay drove in a pair of runs and Peter Bourjos had a one-run single to help St. Louis to its fourth win in five games. Adam Wainwright struck out five in seven innings to improve to 15-7 and Seth Maness closed it out for the save. Odrisamer Despaigne got rocked for five runs in four frames of work to fall to 3-4 for San Diego. Abraham Almonte batted in two runs and Alexi Amarista plated a run for the Padres, who have lost three of four since winning five in-a-row.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny confirmed the status of his bullpen following Sunday's win over the Padres. Matheny said Trevor Rosenthal is still the closer. Rosenthal was removed in the ninth inning after walking the bases loaded and finding the strike zone six times out of his 18 pitches. On the season, the 24-year-old boasts 36 saves with an earned run average at 3.21.

White Sox Handle Blue Jays

(Chicago, IL) -- Conor Gillaspie's grand slam sparked the White Sox to a 7-5 win over the Blue Jays at U.S. Cellular Field. Jordan Danks added a two-run homer and drove in three as Chicago won its third in five games. Scott Carroll improved to 5-and-7 despite allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings while Jake Petricka earned his ninth save. Drew Hutchison fell to 8-11 for Toronto after allowing seven runs in seven innings. Jose Reyes was 3-for-5 with two runs while Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer as the Blue Jays lost their fifth in six games.

The White Sox welcome the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles to U.S. Cellular Field tonight for the first of three. Lefty Chris Sale takes his 10-and-2 record to the mound for the Pale Hose. The O's counter with Bud Norris, who is 10-7 with a 3.75 ERA. First pitch is at 7:10.

Jackie Robinson LLWS Squad Loses

(Williamsport, PA) -- The Jackie Robinson West Little League team from Chicago lost 13-2 in four innings Sunday to Nevada at the Little League World Series. The team will now face elimination tonight in a game against Rhode Island. The teams meet in Williamsport at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Marlins Roll Diamondbacks

(Miami, FL) -- Giancarlo Stanton was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBI as the Marlins mauled the Diamondbacks 10-3 from Miami. Christian Yelich went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and an RBI for Miami, which has won five of seven. Marcell Ozuna and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had two RBI each for the Fish. Tom Koehler struck out seven in six innings of two-run ball for the win. Josh Collmenter gave up five runs in four innings for the loss. Mark Trumbo and Ender Inciarte both had two hits and an RBI for Arizona, which has lost three of four.

Giants Down Phillies

(San Francisco, CA) -- Brandon Crawford batted in two runs to lead the Giants to a 5-2 win over the Phillies in the rubber game of their three-game series from AT&T Park. Michael Morse went 3-for-3 and Andrew Susac and Joaquin Arias chipped in with an RBI for San Fran, which has won three of four since losing five straight. Tim Lincecum picked up the win to improve to 10-8 and Santiago Casilla closed it out for his 10th save. Chase Utley tripled in a run and Marlon Byrd scored after Lincecum walked in a run. David Buchanan took the loss for Philly, which has dropped five of six.

Brewers Beat Dodgers

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run homer and knocked in five runs to power the Brewers to a 7-2 win over the Dodgers from Dodger Stadium.  Carlos Gomez also went deep for Milwaukee, which completed the three-game sweep of LA. Wily Peralta allowed five hits in six innings for his 15th win. Dan Haren gave up three earned runs and six total in three innings for the loss. Darwin Barney had two hits and an RBI for Los Angeles, which has lost four of five.

Nationals Outlast Pirates In 11th

(Washington, DC) -- Scott Hairston's sac-fly in the 11th lifted the Nationals to a 6-5 win over the Pirates in DC. The game featured a total of three blown saves. Asdrubal Cabrera tied it in the ninth with an RBI single. Doug Fister allowed two unearned runs over seven innings while Ross Detwiler logged the win. Washington has won six straight. Brandon Cumpton took the loss for Pittsburgh after Edinson Volquez pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, one earned. Gregory Polanco doubled in two to give the Pirates a lead in the ninth. The Bucs have lost five straight.

Stubbs Gives Rockies Game One Win Over Reds

(Denver, CO) -- Drew Stubbs hit a three-run walk-off home run to cap a five-run ninth inning and give the Rockies a 10-9 win over the Reds in game one of doubleheader at Coors Field. Corey Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon added a solo shot each and Nolan Arenado collected four hits. Rex Brothers grabbed the win in relief after allowing two runs in the ninth. J.J. Hoover took the loss in relief for the Reds. Aroldis Chapman walked four straight batters in the ninth without recording an out and Mat Latos took a no-decision. Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer and Kris Negron chipped in a solo shot in defeat.

Rockies Sweep Doubleheader With Reds

(Denver, CO) -- The Rockies swept a doubleheader with the Reds taking game two, 10-5, at Coors Field.  Michael Cuddyer led the way hitting for the cycle going 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Brandon Barnes hit a solo homer, while Corey Dickerson was 2-for-5 with three runs driven in for Colorado, which took three of four from Cincinnati. Reliever Adam Ottavino grabbed his first win. Ryan Ludwick connected for a two-run homer in the defeat.  Reliever Carlos Contreras was tagged with the loss. Colorado won the opener 10-9 on a walk-off, three-run homer by Drew Stubbs.

Orioles Take Down Indians

(Cleveland, OH) -- Steve Pearce and Jonathan Schoop each hit solo homers as the Orioles downed the Indians 4-1 at Progressive Field. J.J. Hardy tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single while Chris Davis gave Baltimore its first lead with a run-scoring double. Kevin Gausman allowed a run over six innings to improve to 7-4 while Zach Britton notched his 26th save. The O's have won three of five. Danny Salazar gave up two runs in five-plus innings and fell to 4-6 for Cleveland. Jason Kipnis' RBI single in the fourth provided the lone run for the Indians, who had won five of six.

Mariners Top Tigers

(Detroit, MI) -- Kyle Seager was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored as the Mariners topped the Tigers 8-1 from Comerica Park. Robinson Cano chipped in with two hits and three runs for Seattle, which jumped back over the Tigers for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. Chris Denorfia added three hits and an RBI for the M's. Chris Young picked up win No. 12 with six scoreless innings. Robbie Ray allowed four runs in five frames for the loss. Victor Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI for Detroit, which has lost six of nine.

Astros Roll Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- Jose Altuve was 4-for-5 with a grand slam to help the Astros roll the Red Sox 8-1 from Fenway Park. Dexter Fowler and Jon Singleton also went deep for Houston, which is 3-and-3 in its last six games. Collin McHugh picked up the win with six innings of one-run ball. Joe Kelly suffered the loss after giving up seven runs in four innings. Daniel Nava knocked in the only run for Boston, which has lost two of three.

Yankees Double Up Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Hiroki Kuroda tossed 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball to lead the Yankees in a 4-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Kuroda improved to 8-and-8 while David Robertson notched his 33rd save. Mark Teixeira  hit his 20th homer while Brett Gardner singled in two as New York won its second straight following a five-game slide. Jeremy Hellickson allowed three runs in five innings to fall to 1-2. Evan Longoria drove in both runs for Tampa Bay, which has lost two straight since a three-game win streak.

Rangers Avoid Sweep

(Arlington, TX) -- Texas rolled off four straight hits in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Angels 3-2 in Arlington. Mike Carp and Adam Rosales drove in runs for the win and Rougned Odor added a RBI. Nick Tepesch gave up two runs in seven-plus innings for the no-decision while Scott Tolleson and Neal Cotts combined to strike out the side and escape a bases loaded jam. Neftali Feliz earned the win for Texas, which snaps a four-game slide. Kole Calhoun and Efren Navarro plated runs for the Angels. Hector Santiago earned a six inning no-decision while Huston Street blew the save and took the loss. The Angels see a four-game winning streak end.

Braves Hold Off Athletics

(Atlanta, GA) -- A big night from Justin Upton lifted the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Athletics at Turner Field completing a three-game sweep. Upton was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Chris Johnson and Evan Gattis each drove in a run for Atlanta, which has won four of five. Mike Minor improved to 5-8, allowing two runs with seven strikeouts over seven innings. Nate Freiman cracked two solo shots in the defeat. Jon Lester took the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, in six innings. Lester is 13-8 and 3-1 since joining Oakland. The A's have lost five in-a-row and seven of eight.

Sunday, August 17 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Chicago Cubs 2, New York Mets 1

Miami Marlins 10, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

St. Louis Cardinals 7, San Diego Padres 6

San Francisco Giants 5, Philadelphia Phillies 2

Colorado Rockies 10, Cincinnati Reds 9 (Gm 1)

Colorado Rockies 10, Cincinnati Reds 5 (Gm 2)

Milwaukee Brewers 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Washington Nationals 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (11 inn)

MLB American League

Baltimore Orioles 4, Cleveland Indians 1

Seattle Mariners 8, Detroit Tigers 1

Houston Astros 8, Boston Red Sox 1

New York Yankees 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2

Kansas City Royals 12, Minnesota Twins 6

Chicago White Sox 7, Toronto Blue Jays 5

Texas Rangers 3, LA Angels of Anaheim 2

MLB Interleague

Atlanta Braves 4, Oakland Athletics 3

Monday, August 18 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

11:10 a.m. - Chicago Cubs at New York Mets

6:05 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates

6:05 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals

7:15 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals

MLB American League

6:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox

7:10 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Chicago White Sox

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

MLB Interleague

6:05 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Philadelphia Phillies