Cardinals Clinch Playoff Berth, Dodgers Down Cubs

Cardinals Clinch Playoff Berth Despite Loss To Reds

(St. Louis, MO) -- The St. Louis Cardinals are into the playoffs despite a 7-2 loss to the Reds at Busch Stadium. The Cards clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth with Milwaukee's loss to Pittsburgh and currently lead the Pirates by 2 1/2 games in the NL Central. Jay Bruce homered twice and knocked in three, Devin Mesoraco hit a three-run blast and Todd Frazier also went deep for the Reds, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Alfredo Simon tossed six innings of two-run ball to up his mark to 15-10. Lance Lynn struck out nine over six frames but allowed three runs and fell to 15-10. Xavier Scruggs and Randal Grichuk plated a run each for the Redbirds in defeat.

As the Cardinals head toward the playoffs, they are fighting a flu bug that's going around the clubhouse. First baseman Matt Adams and third baseman Matt Carpenter missed their second straight game on Sunday. Manager Mike Matheny says more than 10 players are affected.

Cardinals At Cubs Tonight

(Chicago, IL) -- The Cardinals open their final road trip of the season tonight in Chicago. Adam Wainwright tries for his 20th win, while the Cubs start Travis Wood. St. Louis will also play three at Arizona this weekend. The Cardinals lead the Pirates by two-and-a-half games in the NL Central.

Dodgers Down Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Matt Kemp went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and totaled four RBI to lead the Dodgers to an 8-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez both tallied a pair of hits and drove in a run for LA, which holds a four-and-a-half game lead over the Giants in the NL West.  Chris Perez picked up the win in relief and Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 43rd save. Jacob Turner got tagged for four earned runs in five frames of work for his 11th loss of the season. Welington Castillo cracked a solo shot and Luis Valbuena went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Chicago, which has dropped three of four.

White Sox Sink Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer as the White Sox sank the Rays 10-5 from Tropicana Field. Avisail Garcia hit two solo homers for Chicago, which has won three of five. He ended 3-for-5 with two runs and a pair of RBI. John Danks allowed two runs in six innings for the win.  Nathan Karns gave up six runs in five-plus innings for the loss. Brandon Guyer knocked in two runs for Tampa Bay, which has lost three of four.

Nationals Down Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- Nate Schierholtz tripled in a run and scored in the fifth as the Nationals knocked off the Marlins 2-1 from Miami.  Anthony Rendon doubled in a run for Washington, which has won eight of nine. Stephen Strasburg picked up the win after seven innings of three-hit, shutout ball. He moved to 13-11 while Rafael Soriano notched his 32nd save. Nathan Eovaldi gave up two runs in six innings for the loss. Donovan Solano knocked in the only run for Miami, which could not avoid the four-game sweep.

Mets Top Braves

(Atlanta, GA) -- Anthony Recker was 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs as the Mets topped the Braves 10-2 from Turner Field. Ruben Tejada hit a solo homer and knocked in two for New York, which picked up the three-game sweep. Curtis Granderson scored three runs in the win. Jacob deGrom pitched six innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts for the win. Ervin Santana allowed five runs in five innings for the loss. Atlanta was officially eliminated from postseason contention with the loss.

Pirates Squeak Past Brewers

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Vance Worley threw eight innings of shutout-baseball to lead the Pirates to a 1-0 win over the Brewers at PNC Park. Worley struck out five batters en route to his eighth victory of the season with Tony Watson closing it out for the save. Russell Martin singled in the game's lone run for Pittsburgh, which has won 13 of its last 16 games. Wily Peralta took a tough loss for Milwaukee giving up a run in seven frames of work. Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun both went 1-for-4 as the Brewers fell to 4 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the second Wild Card spot.

Padres Rip Giants

(San Diego, CA) -- The Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Giants with an 8-2 victory at Petco Park. San Francisco fell 4 1/2 games behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, but still has a comfortable lead for one of the two Wild Card spots. Ian Kennedy grabbed his 12th win allowing two runs and striking out five over 6 2/3 innings. Yasmani Grandal drove in three runs for San Diego, which has won six of seven. The Giants were held to four runs across the three-game set. Chris Dominguez had a two-run shot for San Francisco. Ryan Vogelsong took the loss.

Rockies Roll Diamondbacks

(Denver, CO) -- Michael Cuddyer hit a solo homer to help the Rockies roll the Diamondbacks 8-3 from Coors Field. Rafael Ynoa knocked in three runs while Wilin Rosario scored three times for Colorado, which has won six straight. Christian Bergman picked up the win after 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Wade Miley suffered the loss and dropped to 8-12 giving up six runs in just over four frames. Mark Trumbo hit two homers for Arizona, which has lost six in-a-row.

Yankees Clip Blue Jays

(Bronx, NY) -- Brian McCann blasted two home runs and totaled three RBI to lead the Yankees to a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Brett Gardner cracked a solo shot and Derek Jeter doubled in a run as the Yankees pulled within 4 1/2 games of the second Wild Card spot. Masahiro Tanaka threw five-and-a-third innings of one-run ball for the win in his return to the mound and David Robertson closed it out for his 38th save. Tanaka had been out since July with a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. Drew Hutchinson struck out six but gave up two runs in four frames to fall to 10-13. Edwin Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Jose Reyes scored twice for the Jays.

Red Sox Sink Orioles

(Baltimore, MD) -- Mookie Betts and David Ross each hit a solo homer to power the Red Sox to a 3-2 win over the Orioles in Baltimore. Joe Kelly allowed two runs in seven innings for the win. Edward Mujica picked up his eighth save for Boston, which took two of three in the series. Miguel Gonzalez gave up three runs in five-and-two-thirds innings for the loss. David Lough and Nelson Cruz drove in a run for Baltimore, which had won four straight prior to the start of this set.

Indians Grab Win Over Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Jose Ramirez and Michael Brantley each scored and knocked in two runs for the Indians in a 7-2 win over the Twins at Target Field.  Michael Bourn scored three runs for Cleveland, which is 3 1/2 games back of Kansas City in the Wild Card race. Corey Kluber struck out 14 over eight innings of two-run ball for his 17th win. Anthony Swarzak gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings for the loss. Chris Herrmann was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI for Minnesota.

Royals Top Tigers

(Kansas City, MO) -- Jeremy Guthrie allowed an unearned run over five-and-a-third innings as the Royals ripped the Tigers 5-2 from Kansas City. He gave up two runs total as he improved to 12-11. Greg Holland picked up his 43rd save for the Royals, who are a 1 1/2 games up on Seattle in the Wild Card race. Nori Aoki knocked in two runs in the win. Ian Kinsler homered for Detroit, which still holds a 1 1/2 game lead on KC for the AL Central lead. Rick Porcello gave up four runs in three-and-a-third innings for the loss.

Astros Throttle Mariners

(Houston, TX) -- Jake Marisnick belted a three-run homer to help guide the Astros to an 8-3 victory over the Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Alex Presley went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and Jose Altuve doubled in a run to help Houston to its second straight victory after dropping four in-a-row. Collin McHugh fanned six batters in six innings to pick up his 11th win of the season. Hisashi Iwakuma got tagged for four runs in four-and-a-third innings to fall to 14-9 for Seattle. Michael Saunders blasted a two-run shot for the Mariners, who sit a 1 1/2 games back of the Royals for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Rangers Beat Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- Ryan Rua blasted his first career home run in the ninth inning to give the Rangers the 2-1 lead and eventual win over the Angels at Angel Stadium. Tomas Telis added the other RBI and finished with two hits. Nick Tespesch fired seven innings of one-run ball and Shawn Tolleson grabbed the win in relief. Neftali Feliz earned his 11th save as Texas took two of three in the series. Albert Pujols drove in the lone run for the Angels, who are 96-60 on the season. Seven pitchers threw for Los Angeles with Huston Street taking the loss after allowing the ninth inning run.

Athletics Defeat Phillies

(Oakland, CA) -- Josh Donaldson hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the 10th inning to lift the Athletics to an 8-6 win over the Phillies from Oakland.  Donaldson ended with three hits and three runs for Oakland, which is a half-game up on Kansas City for the first Wild Card spot. Geovany Soto added three RBI for the A's. Sean Doolittle grabbed the win. Marlon Byrd drove in three runs for Philadelphia, which has lost three of four. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez took the loss.

Sunday, September 21 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Washington Nationals 2, Miami Marlins 1

New York Mets 10, Atlanta Braves 2

Pittsburgh Pirates 1, Milwaukee Brewers 0

Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Chicago Cubs 5

San Diego Padres 8, San Francisco Giants 2

Colorado Rockies 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

Cincinnati Reds 7, St. Louis Cardinals 2

MLB American League

New York Yankees 5, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Boston Red Sox 3, Baltimore Orioles 2

Chicago White Sox 10, Tampa Bay Rays 5

Cleveland Indians 7, Minnesota Twins 2

Kansas City Royals 5, Detroit Tigers 2

Houston Astros 8, Seattle Mariners 3

Texas Rangers 2, LA Angels of Anaheim 1

MLB Interleague

Oakland Athletics 8, Philadelphia Phillies 6 (10 inn)

Monday, September 22 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:10 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves

7:05 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

9:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

9:10 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres

MLB American League

5:05 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals  (Completion of suspended game from 8/31)

6:05 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians

6:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

6:07 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays

6:08 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers

7:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

9:05 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Oakland Athletics

MLB Interleague

7:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Minnesota Twins