Lackey PItches Cardinals To Victory, Marlins Beat Cubs

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny likes what he sees from veteran pitcher John Lackey this season. Lackey pitched seven strong innings and Matt Carpenter had two hits and drove in two runs, leading St. Louis to a 7-4 victory Wednesday over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 36-year-old Lackey (4-3) has a 2.93 ERA. He scattered 10 hits Wednesday, allowing three runs while striking out five and walking one. He is 4-1 in four career starts against Milwaukee.

"John Lackey has been a front-line starter for a long time," Matheny said.

Still, he added that "Lackey has absolutely been a surprise for us as far as how crisp his stuff has been and being able to eat up the kind of innings he has."

He has thrown seven or more innings in six of 11 starts this season.

Marlins 7, Cubs 3

A bench-clearing confrontation led by injured Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and Chicago Cubs outfielder Junior Lake ended in a standoff. The game went to Miami.

Giancarlo Stanton and Jeff Baker hit back-to-back homers for the second time in five days, and the Marlins showed lots of life after two months of often desultory play, beating Chicago 7-3 Wednesday night. The Marlins won their second series in a row after a stretch in which they lost 11 of 13 games and fired manager Mike Redmond.

"I've sensed this team coming together," new manager Dan Jennings said. "This is a good ballclub. There was a transition that was tough on everyone. But this team has a lot of heart."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Lake was in the wrong, and the outfielder apologized for his behavior.

Whie Sox 9, Rangers 2

Jose Abreu talked his way back into the lineup and helped settle left-hander Chris Sale into his second straight scoreless outing. Abreu, back after missing three games with a swollen right index finger, homered in a six-run second, Sale struck out a season-high 13 in seven shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Wednesday night.

"He felt strongly about the fact that he felt fine today," manager Robin Ventura said of Abreu. "Sometimes it's not easy to say 'OK, let's send him back out there.' You maybe want to give him an extra day to make sure he's all right, but you have to trust the player sometimes.''

They compromised, with Abreu starting as the designated hitter to give the finger on the first baseman's throwing hand a little more time to heal for defensive work. He followed the two-run homer, his ninth, with an RBI single in the fourth.

Wednesday, June 3 Scoreboard

Boston 6, Minnesota 3

St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 4

New York Yankees 3, Seattle 1

Arizona 9, Atlanta 8

Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 2

Toronto 8, Washington 0

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 4 (F/11)

Oakland 6, Detroit 1

Miami 7, Chicago Cubs 3

Minnesota 2, Boston 0

Colorado 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 6

Chicago White Sox 9, Texas 2

Kansas City 4, Cleveland 2

Houston 3, Baltimore 1

San Diego 7, New York Mets 3

Tampa Bay 6, Los Angeles Angels 5 (F/10)

Thursday, June 4 Schedule (All Times Central)

Oakland at Detroit, 12:08 p.m.

Baltimore at Houston 1:10 p.m.

Minnesota at Boston, 3:05 p.m.

Chicago at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Chicago at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Kansas City, 7:10 p.m.

New York at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

St. Louis at Los Angeles, 9:10 p.m.