Cardinals Sweep Reds, Giants Thump Cubs

Cardinals Sweep Reds

(St. Louis, MO) -- Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run double to back seven shutout innings from Lance Lynn, as the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of the Reds with a 7-3 win at Busch Stadium. Lynn improved to 14-and-8 while Trevor Rosenthal closed it out for his 37th save. Jon Jay went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs for the Redbirds, who have won four in-a-row and seven of their last eight. Kris Negron knocked in one of three ninth inning runs for Cincinnati, which has dropped five straight and 10 of 12. Johnny Cueto yielded five runs in five-plus frames as he fell to 15-7 with his first loss since July 2.

The Cardinals are off today as they travel to Philadelphia for the start of a three-game series Friday night against the Phillies. Shelby Miller gets the start for St. Louis. He's 8-9 with a 4.25 ERA. Philly counters with Kyle Kendrick, who is 5-11 with a 4.90 ERA.

Giants Thump Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Travis Ishikawa paced the Giants' offense with three RBI en route to an 8-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley. Hunter Pence tagged a solo shot in the win with Andrew Susac adding a two-run dinger. Jake Peavy improved to 2-and-3 with two-run ball over seven innings. The Giants have won three straight. Edwin Jackson lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs in the loss. Luis Valbuena collected three hits and went deep in the loss. Chris Valaika launched a two-run shot in defeat. The Cubs have lost four of their last six.

The Giants are the first team in 28 years to win a protest. Tuesday's rain-shortened game between the Giants and Cubs at Wrigley Field was called after a four-hour, 34-minute delay due to unplayable field conditions. The grounds crew had trouble covering the field with the tarp once the game was halted, resulting in excess water on the infield. San Francisco claimed that not enough was done to dry the infield in a timely manner. The contest will resume today.

Orioles Sneak By White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- The Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox with a 4-3 win at U.S. Cellular Field behind three home runs. Steve Pearce, Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz all left the yard. Jones finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Cruz drove in two.  Wei-Yin Chen picked up his 13th win, striking out seven and allowing three runs over 7 1/3 innings. Baltimore has won four in-a-row. Avisail Garcia compiled all three RBI for Chicago, including a two-run homer.  Hector Noesi took the loss after allowing four runs in seven innings. The White Sox have lost four of five.
 

Pirates Sneak By Braves

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The Pirates bats woke up late as they scored two in the eighth and walked off with a run in the ninth to pull out a 3-2 win over the Braves avoiding a three-game sweep at PNC Park.  A Gaby Sanchez RBI sac-fly sealed the victory for Pittsburgh, which ended a seven-game losing streak.   Gerrit Cole gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings, with six strikeouts and four walks, in his first start since early July. Mark Melancon earned his second win. Justin Upton had a hit and drove in his 81st run in the defeat. Reliever David Carpenter took the loss for the Braves, who had won their previous five.

Nationals Nip Diamondbacks In Ninth

(Washington, DC) -- Pinch-hitter Anthony Rendon singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Nationals past the Diamondbacks 3-2 in the third installment of a four-game series in DC. Wilson Ramos and Jayson Werth also plated a run each for the Nats, who have won nine in-a-row including four of their last five in walk-off fashion. Rafael Soriano was credited with the victory. Ender Inciarte hit a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth for Arizona, which has dropped five straight. Evan Marshall suffered the loss.

Astros Dump Yankees

(Bronx, NY) -- Jacoby Ellsbury flew out with two-men on in the bottom of the ninth as the Yankees fell to the Astros 5-2 in the Bronx. Houston has taken the first two of the three-game series. Robbie Grossman was 2-for-5 with a two-run single in Houston's four-run seventh. Scott Feldman improved to 7-9, dealing six-and-two-thirds innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. Stephen Drew hit a solo homer in the defeat. Michael Pineda had a solid outing, allowing two runs in six-plus innings, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.  David Huff was tagged with the loss.

Angels Top Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- Josh Hamilton returned to form with two hits and three RBI to help the Angels roll the Red Sox 8-3 from Fenway Park. Howie Kendrick added two RBI while Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols also knocked in a run each for Los Angeles, which has won seven of eight. Starting pitcher Garrett Richards left in the second inning after suffering a patellar injury trying to cover first base. Cory Rasmus picked up the win in relief. David Ortiz hit his 30th homer of the year for Boston, which has dropped four in-a-row. Clay Buchholz took the loss after six innings of six-run ball.

Tigers Blank Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Victor Martinez smacked a grand slam and Rick Porcello tossed a complete-game shutout as the Tigers blanked the Rays 6-0 in the second of three at Tropicana Field. Porcello allowed just three hits and no walks as he improved to 14-8. Martinez also had an RBI-double and Ian Kinsler singled in a run for Detroit, which will go for the three-game sweep on Thursday. Jake Odorizzi allowed three runs in 6 2/3 frames as he fell to 9-10. The Rays have lost four straight after a three-game winning streak.

Indians Blank Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- T.J. House and four relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Indians blanked the Twins 5-0 at Target Field. House gave up four hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings as he moved to 2-3. Mike Aviles went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, while Zach Walters also went deep for the Indians, who have won four of five. Ricky Nolasco fell to 5-9 after permitting four runs in 6 2/3 frames. The Twins have dropped four straight.

Martinez, Rangers Squeak Past Fish

(Miami, FL) -- Nick Martinez allowed two runs and struck out a career-high seven in six innings as the Rangers topped the Marlins 5-4 from Marlins Park.  Martinez improved to 3-9. Neftali Feliz stranded the tying run on base and struck out Donovan Solano for his fifth save. Alex Rios drove in two runs for the Rangers in the victory. Nathan Eovaldi fell to 6-8 after he gave up nine hits and five runs in five innings. Marcell Ozuna and Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered in the ninth for Miami, but the Rangers held on for a split of the quick two-game series.

Phillies Foil Mariners With Three-Run Fourth

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Chase Utley singled in the go-ahead run to cap a three-run fourth inning and the Phillies hung on from there for a 4-3 win over the Mariners at Citizens Bank Park. Ben Revere's RBI groundout tied the game at three for Philadelphia, which took two-of-three in the Interleague series. Jimmy Rollins had two hits and scored twice in the win. Cole Hamels pitched five innings of three-run ball to improve to 7-6. Jonathan Papelbon posted his 30th save. Starter James Paxton took the loss for Seattle. Kendrys Morales hit a solo homer and Logan Morrison went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in defeat.

Mets Outslug Athletics

(Oakland, CA) -- Lucas Duda capped a five-run third inning with a three-run homer as the Mets outslugged the A's 8-5 at O.co Coliseum. Eric Campbell started the uprising with a solo shot for New York, which snapped a three-game skid to earn a split of the two-game series. Zack Wheeler pitched five-and-two-thirds innings of four-run ball to improve to 9-8 with the win. Jeurys Familia got the final five outs for his fourth save. Jeff Samardzija was tagged for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss. Coco Crisp, John Jaso and Sam Fuld each drove in a run for Oakland.

Rockies Roll Royals

(Denver, CO) -- Matt McBride hit a grand slam to power the Rockies to a 5-2 win over the Royals from Coors Field. Wilin Rosario knocked in the other run for Colorado, which has won three of four. Jorge De La Rosa allowed two runs in eight innings for his 13th win. LaTroy Hawkins picked up save No. 19. Alex Gordon hit a homer for Kansas City, which saw a three-game win streak come to an end. Danny Duffy took the loss after giving up one earned run and five total in seven innings.

Wednesday, August 20 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Atlanta Braves 2

Washington Nationals 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

St. Louis Cardinals 7, Cincinnati Reds 3

San Francisco Giants 8, Chicago Cubs 3

San Diego Padres 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

MLB American League

Houston Astros 5, New York Yankees 2

LA Angels of Anaheim 8, Boston Red Sox 3

Detroit Tigers 6, Tampa Bay Rays 0

Baltimore Orioles 4, Chicago White Sox 3

Cleveland Indians 5, Minnesota Twins 0

MLB Interleague

Texas Rangers 5, Miami Marlins 4

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Seattle Mariners 3

Toronto Blue Jays 9, Milwaukee Brewers 5

New York Mets 8, Oakland Athletics 5

Colorado Rockies 5, Kansas City Royals 2

Thursday, August 21 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

3:05 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals

4:05 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs (Gm 1)

6:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds

7:05 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs (Gm 2)

9:10 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB American League

12:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at New York Yankees

12:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins

12:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays

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