Cardinals Get Past Rockies, Pirates Drop Cubs

Gonzalez Deals Cardinals Past Rockies

(St. Louis, MO) -- Marco Gonzalez fanned nine batters in five-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball to lead the Cardinals to a 4-1 sweep-clinching victory over the Rockies at Busch Stadium. Gonzalez improved to 3-and-2 with the win and Trevor Rosenthal closed it out for his 44th save of the season. Jhonny Peralta blasted a two-run homer and Matt Holliday went 2-for-4 with an RBI-double for St. Louis, which has won 12 of its last 16. The Cards hold a three-game lead over the Pirates for the top spot in the NL Central. Jordan Lyles fell to 6-3 giving up three runs off nine hits in six innings of work for Colorado. Brandon Barnes plated the lone run as the Rockies dropped their sixth straight game.

The Cardinals open a three-game home series with the Brewers starting Tuesday night. John Lackey goes after his 14th win opposite Milwaukee's Wily Peralta, who is 16-10. The Cardinals lead the Pirates by 3 1/2 games and the Brewers by five in the NL Central.

Pirates Drop Cubs

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The Pirates used a six-run fifth inning to power them to a 7-3 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. Neil Walker went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI. Josh Harrison also plated two runs for Pittsburgh, which has won eight of its last 10. Edinson Volquez struck out five in seven innings to improve to 12-7. The Pirates are three-and-a-half games behind the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central but still hold the second Wild Card spot.  Jacob Turner gave up all seven runs in 4 1/3 innings of work to fall to 5-10 for Chicago. John Baker and Chris Coghlan each batted in a run for the Cubs, who have lost eight of nine.

Twins Clip White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- Jordan Schafer belted a two-run home run to lead the Twins to a 6-4 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Trevor Plouffe added a solo shot in the victory and Kurt Suzuki drove in two. Trevor May stuck out 10 and allowed three runs in six frames to improve to 3-4 with Glen Perkins locking down his 34th save.  Jose Abreu and Adrian Nieto powered the White Sox offense with solo shots and Conor Gillaspie added an RBI single. Hector Noesi fell to 8-10 after 6 2/3 innings of five run ball.

Nationals Blank Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Jordan Zimmermann struck out five in six-and-two-thirds shutout innings to lead the Nationals to a 3-0 win over the Mets at Citi Field.  Zimmermann improved to 12-5 with the win and Drew Storen closed it out for the save. Wilson Ramos jacked a two-run home run and Ian Desmond went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs for Washington, which holds a 10 1/2 game lead over the Braves in the NL East. Jonathon Niese took a tough loss after fanning seven batters in seven innings of two-run ball for New York, which has dropped three of four since winning four straight. Wilmer Flores tallied a pair of hits in defeat.

Marlins Rally Past Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Miami scored four runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead and eventual 5-4 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Enrique Hernandez hit a homer in the fourth while Jordany Valdespin added an RBI in the ninth. Tom Koehler fired six frames for an no-decision with Anthony DeSclafani grabbing the win and Steve Cishek his 35th save. The Marlins remain 6 1/3 games out of the second Wild Card spot. Jonathan Papelbon took the loss after allowing four runs in the ninth and was then ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Maikel Franco, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley drove in a run each in the defeat.

Brewers Roll Reds

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Matt Clark clubbed a three-run home run in a five-run seventh inning to give the Brewers a 9-2 win over the Reds at Miller Park  Mark Reynolds added a solo shot in the victory while Jonathan Lucroy drove in two runs. Carlos Gomez and Scooter Gennett each added an RBI for Milwaukee, which remains a game-and-a-half out of the second Wild Card spot. Matt Garza earned the win with six-plus innings of one-run ball. Mike Leake fell to 11-12 after giving up three runs through six frames. Todd Frazier hit a solo shot in the loss while Ryan Ludwick added the other RBI. The Reds are 8 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot.

Dodgers Double Up Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Clayton Kershaw fanned nine batters and gave up two runs in eight innings of work to lead the Dodgers to a 4-2 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. Kershaw improved to 19-3 with the win and Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 42nd save. Matt Kemp launched a two-run homer and A.J. Ellis chipped in an RBI for Los Angeles, which has won seven of its last nine. The Dodgers hold a three-game lead over San Fran in the NL West. Yusmeiro Petit fanned eight batters and got tagged for three earned runs in seven innings to fall to 5-4 for the Giants, who have lost their last two since winning four in-a-row. Buster Posey and Matt Duffy each drove in a run in the loss. San Francisco still holds the top Wild Card spot.

Rays Hold On To Top Blue Jays In 10

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Sean Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Rays to a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.  Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist each belted a solo homer and Logan Forsythe plated a run for Tampa, which has won two of three. Chris Archer struck out nine in seven innings of one-run ball for the no-decision. Jake McGee picked up the win and Jeff Believeau notched the save. Adam Lind blasted a three-run shot and Edwin Encarnacion and John Mayberry Junior also went deep for Toronto. Brandon Morrow took the loss in relief for the Blue Jays, who sit four games behind the Royals for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Tigers Rally To Sweep Indians

(Detroit, MI)  --  The Tigers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning to pick up a 6-4 win over the Indians at Comerica Park.  Ian Kinsler cracked a two-run home run and J.D. Martinez blasted a solo shot.  Torii Hunter tallied a pair of hits and plated a run for Detroit, which has won six of its last seven.  Phil Coke picked up the win in relief and Joe Nathan closed it out for his 32nd save.  The Tigers hold a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Royals for first place in the AL Central.  Carlos Santana drove in two runs and Michael Brantley went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Indians, who have lost five of their last seven and sit five games out of the Wild Card.  Bryan Shaw fell to 5-5 with the loss.

Red Sox Power Past Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- The Red Sox got two big home runs to rock the Royals 8-4 at Kauffman Stadium. Daniel Nava blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning and Xander Bogaerts added a three-run dinger in the third. Bogaerts finished with three hits while Mookie Betts added two knocks as Boston took three out of four in the series. Joe Kelly earned the win after allowing four runs in six innings. Jason Vargas was tagged for five runs in 5 1/3 innings to fall to 11-9 for the Royals. Eric Hosmer belted a three-run shot in defeat with Jarrod Dyson adding an RBI. The Royals hold the second Wild Card spot by a single game.

Astros Top Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- Dallas Keuchel tossed seven-plus innings of one-run ball as the Astros topped the Angels 6-1 from Angel Stadium. Keuchel improved to 11-9. Gregorio Petit launched a three-run homer for Houston, which snapped a two-game slide. Jake Marisnick went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the 'Stros. David Freese knocked in the only run for the Halos, who had won ten straight. Los Angeles is still up 10 games in the AL West and has a magic number of four to clinch the division.  Hector Santiago threw two-plus innings of three-run ball for the loss.

Athletics Top Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- Sam Fuld and Brandon Moss each went deep to power the Athletics to a 4-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field. Fuld ended 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI for Oakland, which moved a game-and-a-half up on the Royals for the top AL Wild Card spot. Jon Lester gave up four hits and four walks while striking out seven in six scoreless innings for the win and is now 15-and-10 on the year. Chris Young allowed two runs in six-plus innings for the loss. Austin Jackson was 2-for-5 with two steals as Seattle stayed one back of Kansas City for the second Wild Card spot.

Orioles Top Yankees

(Baltimore, MD) -- Kelly Johnson doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the Orioles walked off the Yankees 3-2 from Camden Yards. Steve Pearce doubled in the tying run two batters earlier in the ninth as Baltimore lowered its magic number to three games to clinch the AL East. Chris Tillman tossed six-and-two-thirds innings for a no-decision while Darren O'Day picked up the win. Brian McCann hit a solo homer in the ninth to give the lead to New York, which is five games back of a Wild Card spot. Martin Prado also went deep in defeat.  Hiroki Kuroda gave up a run in seven innings while David Robertson took the loss.

Rangers Finish Sweep Of Braves

(Arlington, TX) -- The Rangers poured on 18 hits and 10 runs for a 10-3 bashing of the Atlanta Braves to complete the three-game sweep at Globe Life Park.  Luis Sardinas drove in four runs while Michael Choice added three RBI. Texas was up 10-0 after the sixth inning, which allowed Colby Lewis to cruise for seven frames and earn his 10th win. Ryan Doumit connected for a home run and Joey Terdoslavich added two RBI. Mike Minor fell to 6-11 after allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Braves sit four games out of the second Wild Card spot.

Sunday, September 14 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Washington Nationals 3, New York Mets 0

Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Chicago Cubs 3

Miami Marlins 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4

Milwaukee Brewers 9, Cincinnati Reds 2

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Colorado Rockies 1

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Francisco Giants 2

Arizona Diamondbacks 8, San Diego Padres 6

MLB American League

Tampa Bay Rays 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (10 inn)

Detroit Tigers 6, Cleveland Indians 4

Boston Red Sox 8, Kansas City Royals 4

Minnesota Twins 6, Chicago White Sox 4

Houston Astros 6, LA Angels of Anaheim 1

Oakland Athletics 4, Seattle Mariners 0

Baltimore Orioles 3, New York Yankees 2

MLB Interleague

Texas Rangers 10, Atlanta Braves 3

Monday, September 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:10 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves

6:10 p.m. - Miami Marlins at New York Mets

7:05 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs

7:40 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies

8:40 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks

9:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres

MLB American League

6:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles

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

7:10 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals

7:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros

7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins

9:05 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled