Blue Jays Rolls Past Cubs, Reds Blast Cardinals

Bats Power Jays Past Cubs

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Jose Bautista drove in four as the Blue Jays downed the Cubs 9-2 at Rogers Centre. Jose Reyes and Munenori Kawasaki each drove in two for Toronto, which has won three straight. Mark Buehrle scattered ten hits and two runs over seven innings to improve to 12-9. Wellington Castillo went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Javier Baez was 2-for-3 and scored twice for Chicago. Jake Arrieta gave up two runs over 6 1/3 innings while Neil Ramirez suffered the loss.  The Cubs have lost five straight.

 Cubs third base prospect Kris Bryant is being honored by "Baseball America." The publication named him the minor league player of the year. Bryant is the first Cub to win the award since its inception in 1981. The 22-year-old slugged 43 homers between Double and Triple-A.

Reds Blast Cardinals

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Devin Mesoraco blasted a two-run homer, totaled three RBI and scored three times to help guide the Reds to a 9-5 victory over the Cardinals at Great American Ball Park. Brandon Phillips and Chris Heisey each plated a pair of runs for Cincy, which had lost six of seven coming into this one.  Mike Leake fanned six batters in six-plus innings to improve to 11-11 and Aroldis Chapman picked up his 31st save. Michael Wacha got tagged for five earned runs in four-plus frames of work to fall to 5-and-6 as St. Louis had its three-game winning streak snapped. Jon Jay and Jhonny Peralta each went 1-for-3 with an RBI in defeat.

The Cardinals and Reds play the third of their four-game series tonight at Great American Ball Park. John Lackey starts for St. Louis, while Cincinnati sends Alfredo Simon to the mound. The teams play again Thursday afternoon before the Cards come home to host Colorado Friday.

Athletics Roll White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- Josh Donaldson drove in four runs on five hits as Oakland rolled the White Sox 11-2 at U.S. Cellular Field. Sam Fuld added two RBI in the win while Eric Sogard, Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick plated a run each.  Jon Lester fired eight frames of one-run ball to improve to 14-10. The Athletics were 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position and maintain the top spot for the AL Wild Card. John Danks pitched six innings and surrendered two earned runs in the loss. Dayan Viciedo tagged his 20th home run and Carlos Sanchez added the other RBI for Chicago, which has lost five of its last six.

Nationals Rock Braves

(Washington, DC) -- The Nationals jumped out to an early five-run lead and held on for a 6-4 victory over the Braves at Nationals Park. Adam LaRoche knocked in two runs while Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth added an RBI each. Jordan Zimmermann improved to 11-5 with six innings of work, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven. Drew Storen grabbed his fourth save as Washington increased its NL East lead to nine games. Justin Upton hit a two-run home run in the loss and Jason Heyward plated a run. Ervin Santana allowed four walks and five earned runs in five frames to fall to 14-8. The Braves sit a 1 1/2 out of the second NL Wild Card spot.

Phillies Edge Pirates

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Freddy Galvis went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and scored three times to help guide the Phillies to a 4-3 win over the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley, Maikel Franco and David Buchanan each had an RBI for Philly, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Justin De Fratus picked up the win in relief and Jonathan Papelbon notched his 36th save. Russell Martin doubled in a pair of runs and Jordy Mercer added an RBI as Pittsburgh saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Justin Wilson fell to 3-4 with the loss.

deGrom Pitches Mets Past Rockies

(Flushing, NY) -- Jacob deGrom tossed eight shutout innings to lead the Mets in a 2-0 win over the Rockies at Citi Field. He struck out nine and allowed just three hits to improve to 8-6. Jeurys Familia recorded the final out for his fifth save as New York won its sixth in seven games. Juan Lagares drove in a run while Curtis Granderson had an RBI double among his two hits. Wilin Rosario and Nolan Arenado managed doubles in defeat for Colorado, which has dropped two straight since a four-game win streak. Christian Bergman fell to 2-3 after allowing two runs in six frames.

Marlins Down Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Casey McGehee and Marcel Ozuna went back-to-back in the top of the ninth inning lifting the Marlins to a 6-3 win over the Brewers in the second of four games from Miller Park. McGehee hit a two-run homer, while Ozuna capped a three hit, two-RBI game with a solo blast. Bryan Morris grabbed his eighth win and Steve Cishek nailed down his 34th save as Miami won its third straight. Milwaukee wasn't able to take advantage of having bases loaded and no outs in the eighth, losing for the 13th time in its last 14 games. Francisco Rodriguez gave up the two deciding home runs on his way to his fifth loss. Aramis Ramirez drove in two runs in the defeat. The Brewers are a 1 1/2 behind the Pirates for the second Wild Card spot in the NL.

Padres Double Up Dodgers

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Jedd Gyorko went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer to guide the Padres to a 6-3 win over the Dodgers in LA. Andrew Cashner doubled in two runs and Rene Rivera plated a run to help San Diego snap a six-game losing streak. Cashner also threw seven innings of two-run ball to pick up his third win. Adrian Gonzalez blasted a two-run shot and Justin Turner chipped in an RBI for Los Angeles, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Roberto Hernandez fell to 8-and-11 with the loss. The Dodgers hold now a 2 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

Petit Deals Giants Past Diamondbacks

(San Francisco, CA) -- Yusmeiro Petit needed just 84 pitches to earn his fifth win and pitch the Giants to a 5-1 victory over the Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.  Petit fired a complete game, allowing one run and striking out nine.  Joe Panik was a perfect 5-for-5 in the win while Angel Pagan added four hits. Buster Posey drove in two as the Giants decreased their NL West deficit to 2 1/2 games. Ender Inciarte tagged a solo shot in the loss as Arizona was held to four hits. Wade Miley walked four and allowed three runs in two frames for his 11th loss. The D'backs have dropped four straight.

Twins Sink Indians

(Cleveland, OH) -- The Twins used a four-run fourth inning to grab a 4-3 win over the Indians in the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field. The deciding frame was capped by a two-run homer off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. Kennys Vargas and Trevor Plouffe had the other RBI. Trevor May picked up the win and Jared Burton earned his second save.  Minnesota ended a four-game losing streak. Yan Gomes drove in two runs in defeat. Trevor Bauer gave up all four runs across eight innings with eight strikeouts to take his eighth loss. The Indians are five games out of the second Wild Card spot in the AL.

Rays Top Yankees

(Bronx, NY) -- James Loney collected three hits and hit a solo home run to help the Rays beat the Yankees 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. Loney finished with two RBI while Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist plated a run each. Chris Archer allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings for the win with Jake McGee notching his 17th save. The Rays have won three out of their last four. Chris Young drove in two runs in the loss and Jacoby Ellsbury hit a solo shot. Hiroki Kuroda was chased from the hill in 3 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and four runs to fall to 10-9. The Yankees sit 5 1/2 games out of the second Wild Card spot.

Tigers Double Up Royals

(Detroit, MI) -- Max Scherzer kept the Royals bats quiet as the Tigers pulled out a 4-2 win in the middle contest of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Scherzer struck out six and allowing one run on seven hits in six-and-two-thirds innings to improve to 16-5. Rajai Davis hit a two-run homer and J.D. Martinez connected for a solo shot for Detroit, which has taken the first two games of the set and pulled into a tie for first place in the AL Central with Kansas City. Omar Infante had three hits and an RBI, while Jason Vargas took the loss. Vargas gave up all four runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Orioles Down Red Sox, Lower Magic Number To Nine

(Boston, MA) -- Alejandro De Aza went 3-for-4 and slugged two homers while driving in three as the Orioles dropped the Red Sox 4-1 at Fenway Park. Adam Jones added his 25th homer of the season helping Baltimore win its third straight and lowering its magic number to win the AL East down to nine. Chris Tillman improved to 12-5 with five innings of one-run ball while Zach Britton earned his 34th save. Xander Bogaerts ripped a solo homer for the lone Boston run.  Anthony Ranaudo gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings and fell to 3-2 as the Sox dropped a third straight.

Angels Roll Past Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- The Angels used a seven-run eighth inning to beat the Rangers 9-3 in Arlington. Mike Trout hit an RBI triple and Collin Cowgill cleared the bases with a three-bagger in the victory. Erick Aybar finished with two RBI and Hector Santiago earned the win with one-run ball over five innings. The Angels hold an eight-game lead in the AL West. Adrian Beltre finished 3-for-3 and hit a solo shot in the loss while Ryan Rua added two RBI. Colby Lewis allowed two earned runs in seven-plus innings of work to fall to 9-13. Texas is 1-8 in September.

Astros Sneak Past Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Jonathan Villar's RBI single in the top of the ninth gave the Astros a 2-1 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field. Villar had two hits and Jon Singleton was 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double. Collin McHugh cruised through eight innings and allowed two hits with one run for the win as Houston has gone 7-and-2 in its last nine. Josh Fields closed it out for his fourth save. Logan Morrison's home run in the eighth tied the game at one for Seattle, but Yoervis Medina couldn't hold the lead. Medina gave up two hits, a walk and run to take his third loss. The M's trail the Royals and Tigers by a half-game for the second AL Wild Card spot. The AL Central teams are tied for first in their division.

Tuesday, September 9 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Washington Nationals 6, Atlanta Braves 4

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

Cincinnati Reds 9, St. Louis Cardinals 5

New York Mets 2, Colorado Rockies 0

Miami Marlins 6, Milwaukee Brewers 3

San Diego Padres 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

San Francisco Giants 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

MLB American League

Minnesota Twins 4, Cleveland Indians 3

Tampa Bay Rays 4, New York Yankees 3

Detroit Tigers 4, Kansas City Royals 2

Baltimore Orioles 4, Boston Red Sox 1

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9, Texas Rangers 3

Oakland Athletics 11, Chicago White Sox 2

Houston Astros 2, Seattle Mariners 1

MLB Interleague

Toronto Blue Jays 9, Chicago Cubs 2

Wednesday, September 10 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

3:05 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals

6:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds

6:10 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at New York Mets

7:10 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers

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

9:15 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants

MLB American League

12:35 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox

6:05 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians

6:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

6:08 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers

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

7:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox

9:10 p.m. - Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

6:07 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays