Arrieta Guides Cubs Past Cardinals, Tigers Beat White Sox

Cubs Down Cardinals Behind Arrieta

(Chicago, IL) -- Jake Arrieta struck out ten over seven innings to lead the Cubs in a 3-1 win over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Arrieta improved to 10-and-5 after allowing two hits and a walk along with an unearned run. Arrieta also had a two-run triple in the fourth while Chris Valaika added an RBI single for Chicago. The Cubs have won three of five and closed their home schedule at 41-40. John Lackey fell to 3-3 after striking out eight and allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings for St. Louis. Yadier Molina was 2-for-4 with a run as the Cardinals hold a 1 1/2 game lead on the Pirates atop the NL Central.

Reconstruction at Wrigley Field is set to begin this weekend. The Cubs will start their 375-million-dollar project with the home schedule complete. Bleacher expansion and renovation of the home clubhouse are first on the list. The project will take the next four offseasons.

The Cardinals are off today before beginning their final series of the regular season tomorrow night at Arizona. Michael Wacha is slated to start for the Redbirds, while Trevor Cahill takes the mound for the Snakes. The Cards' magic number to clinch the NL Central is three.
 

Tigers Break Through Late To Beat White Sox

(Detroit, MI) -- Ian Kinsler double home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Tigers pulled away for a 6-1 win over the White Sox at Comerica Park. Kinsler finished 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBI for Detroit, which scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth after trailing 1-0. Justin Verlander struck out six while allowing seven hits and one run in eight innings to improve to 15-12. Chris Sale fanned 10 over six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision. Javy Guerra gave up the go-ahead runs in the seventh to take the loss. Dayan Viciedo tripled in Chicago's lone run in the top of the sixth.

Things got heated between the White Sox and Tigers Wednesday. Benches cleared after Chris Sale hit Victor Martinez with a pitch in the sixth. Sale seemed to claim Martinez was stealing signs, but denied the claims after the game. Martinez ended up scoring, tying the game.

Mets, Nationals Rained Out In D.C.

(Washington, DC) -- Wednesday's game between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals in Nationals Park has been postponed by rain. It was to have been the second of a three-game series. It will now be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Thursday.

Phillies Edge Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- Marlon Byrd singled in the go-ahead run the top of the eighth inning to lift the Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the Marlins in Miami. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 3-for-3 with an RBI-double for Philadelphia, which had lost four of five entering the game. Kendrick threw seven innings of one-run ball to pick up the win and Jonathan Papelbon closed it out for his 38th save. Enrique Hernandez went 2-for-4 and drove in a run and Garrett Jones also tallied a pair of hits as Miami lost for the fifth time in its last six games. Chris Hatcher fell to 0-3 in relief.

Braves Bounce Pirates

(Atlanta, GA) -- The Braves second two runs apiece in the second, third and fourth innings to grab a 6-2 win over the Pirates in the third of four from Turner Field. Justin Upton hit a two-run home run, his 28th of the year to give him 99 RBI. Julio Teheran helped himself with two hits and driving in two. Teheran earned his 14th win of the year battling through five innings of two-run ball. Atlanta is 77-81. Andrew McCutchen connected for a two-run shot in the defeat. Jeff Locke took the loss allowing all six runs. The Pirates sit 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis for first place in the NL Central.

Brewers Blank Reds, Keep Faint Playoff Hopes Alive

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Kyle Lohse tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout to lead the Brewers in a 5-0 win over the Reds from Great American Ball Park. Lohse improved to 13-9 while striking out six and walking no one. Jean Segura was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs as Milwaukee kept its faint playoff hopes alive. The Brew Crew carries an elimination number of one and must win out and have the Giants lose out to get a Wild Card spot. Daniel Corcino gave up two runs in 4 1/3 innings to fall to 0-2 for Cincinnati. Jack Hannahan had both hits for the Reds, who have lost seven of nine.

Padres Clip Rockies

(San Diego, CA) -- Tommy Medica smacked a three-run home run in the first and the Padres went on to a 4-3 win over the Rockies in the finale of a three-game set at Petco Park. San Diego took two of three from Colorado. Joe Wieland earned his first career win, dealing five-and-one-third innings of three-run ball and Joaquin Benoit nailed down his 10th save. Charlie Blackmon hit his 19th homer of the season in the loss. Yohan Flande gave up all four runs in four innings to fall to 0-6.

Dodgers Clinch NL West Against Giants

(Los Angeles, CA) -- The Dodgers clinched the National League West against their biggest rival by beating the Giants 9-1 at Chavez Ravine. Clayton Kershaw helped himself using his bat to tie the game at one with an RBI triple in the fifth.  On the mound, Kershaw earned his Major League-leading 21st win, allowing one run with 11 strikeouts over eight innings. Yasiel Puig gave LA the lead for good on a solo homer in the sixth followed by Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe putting the game away. Crawford had a two-run double and Uribe drove in three on two hits  Hunter Pence drove in the only run for San Francisco and Tim Hudson took the loss.

Orioles Eliminate Yankees From Playoff Contention

(Bronx, NY) -- Nick Markakis singled in the go-ahead runs in a six-run fourth inning as the Orioles eliminated the Yankees from playoff contention with a 9-5 win in the Bronx.  Ryan Flaherty had a two-run double and Adam Jones and David Lough drove in two runs each for Baltimore, which banged out 15 hits in all. Bud Norris pitched six innings of three-run ball for his 15th win and Darren O'Day notched his fourth save. Shane Greene gave up six runs in less than four innings to take the loss for New York. Stephen Drew, Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira homered for the Yankees.

Angels Hold Off Athletics In Rubber Match

(Oakland, CA) -- Howie Kendrick drove in three runs as the Angels built a 5-0 lead and hung on for a 5-4 win over the A's at O.co Coliseum. Albert Pujols had a sac-fly for Los Angeles, which won the final two games of the three-game series. Hector Santiago pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings to get the win. Mike Morin gave up four runs in the seventh, but the bullpen held on from there with Huston Street notching his 17th save. Jon Lester allowed five runs, but just three earned, in seven frames to fall to 16-11 with the loss. Josh Reddick had a two-run double and Nick Punto an RBI triple for Oakland.

Blue Jays Blank Mariners Behind Buehrle

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Mark Buehrle twirled eight-plus shutout innings to lead the Blue Jays in a 1-0 win over the Mariners at Rogers Centre. Buehrle struck out 10 and walked one while allowing just three hits to improve to 13-10. Ryan Goins singled in a run in the eighth while Aaron Sanchez closed it out for his third save. Toronto has won four out of five. Taijuan Walker struck out six over eight innings of one-run ball and fell to 2-3 for Seattle. Corey Hart managed a double for the Mariners, who have lost five straight and are now three games out of a Wild Card spot with just four to play.

Royals Fall Two Games Behind Tigers With Loss

(Cleveland, OH) -- The Royals are now two games behind the Tigers in the AL Central race after a 6-4 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field. Carlos Santana plated the go-ahead run in the fifth inning while Yan Gomes hit a three-run homer in the first for the Tribe, which improved to 83-76 and assured themselves a winning season. Zach McAllister got the win and Cody Allen his 23rd save. Billy Butler hit a go-ahead two-run double in the fifth for KC, which is now tied with Oakland for the top AL Wild Card spot but currently holds the tiebreaker. Butler drove in three and Eric Hosmer singled in the other run and also scored in the setback. Brandon Finnegan suffered his first career loss.

Red Sox Hammer Rays

(Boston, MA) -- Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with three RBI to help lead the Red Sox to an 11-3 victory over the Rays from Fenway Park. Daniel Nava plated two runs and Garin Cecchini belted a solo homer for Boston, which improves to 4-6 in its last 10. Anthony Ranaudo gave up two runs in seven innings of work for his fourth win. Jake Odorizzi got rocked for five runs in three innings to fall to 11-13. Ben Zobrist went 2-for-5 with an RBI-double as Tampa fell for the fourth time in its last six outings.

Rangers Sweep Astros

(Arlington, TX) -- Ryan Rua smacked a three-run homer and Rougned Odor added a solo shot during a four-run seventh inning as the Rangers beat the Astros 5-1 at Globe Life Park.  Elvis Andrus had an RBI-double in the fifth for the Rangers, who swept the three-game series and have won 11 of their last 12 overall. Rookie Lisalverto Bonilla struck out seven over six scoreless innings and became the first Texas pitcher to win his first three starts. Jonathan Villar homered in the eighth for Houston, which has dropped seven of nine. Scott Feldman yielded one run in six frames as he slipped to 8-12 with the loss.

Hughes Hurls Twins Past Diamondbacks

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Phil Hughes set a major league single-season record for strikeout-to-walk ratio as the Twins defeated the Diamondbacks 2-1 at Target Field. Hughes gave up one run, and struck out four in his final outing of the season to finish 16-10. His 11.63 ratio is the best of all-time, eclipsing Bret Saberhagen's 11.00 ratio in 1994. Due to a rain-delay, Hughes ended just one out shy of reaching a contract bonus that would have paid him an extra half million dollars for throwing 210 innings. Kurt Suzuki walked to force in a run and Trevor Plouffe had a sac-fly RBI in the victory. Vidal Nuno gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in five frames to fall to 0-7. Ender Inciarte went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases for Arizona, which has lost eight of its last nine games.

Wednesday, September 24 Scoreboard

MLB National League

New York Mets at Washington Nationals (PPD, Rain)

Philadelphia Phillies 2, Miami Marlins 1

Atlanta Braves 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Milwaukee Brewers 5, Cincinnati Reds 0

Chicago Cubs 3, St. Louis Cardinals 1

San Diego Padres 4, Colorado Rockies 3

Los Angeles Dodgers 9, San Francisco Giants 1

MLB American League

Baltimore Orioles 9, New York Yankees 5

Detroit Tigers 6, Chicago White Sox 1

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5, Oakland Athletics 4

Toronto Blue Jays 1, Seattle Mariners 0

Cleveland Indians 6, Kansas City Royals 4

Boston Red Sox 11, Tampa Bay Rays 3

Texas Rangers 5, Houston Astros 1

MLB Interleague

Minnesota Twins 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Thursday, September 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

11:35 a.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds

12:05 p.m. - New York Mets at Washington Nationals (G1)

3:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins

6:05 p.m. - New York Mets at Washington Nationals (G2)

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

9:15 p.m. - San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants

MLB American League

3:07 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays

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

6:08 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers

6:10 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox

7:05 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers

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

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled