Cardinals Beat Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox Lose

Once again, Yadier Molina managed to be a problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Matt Carpenter homered for the fifth time in eight games, Molina had a tiebreaking two-run double in the top of the seventh inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Dodgers 5-2 on Sunday night to avoid being swept in the three-game series.

Molina pinch hit for starting pitcher Mike Leake and put the Cardinals up 3-1 when he lined reliever Joe Blanton's pitch into the left field corner with two outs. Stephen Piscotty followed with an RBI single off Blanton two batters later to bring Molina home.

Molina, who was scheduled for a day off, entered a career .301 hitter against the Dodgers and has a .300 average against them in three postseason series.

"You always have to be ready," Molina said. "Anything can happen in the National League, so you always try to be ready."

His clutch hit made a winner of Leake (2-3), who gave up four hits and one run in six innings to win his second straight start. It also helped the Cardinals finish their six-game trip 4-2.

Pirates 2, Cubs 1

While the attention was on Jon Lester's quest for a second no-hitter, Gerrit Cole kept quietly matching zeros with him.

After the Pirates' bats finally solved Lester and the Pittsburgh ace delivered a much-needed win, Cole had a message for the major league-leading Cubs, too.

Starling Marte singled with one out in the seventh inning to end Lester's no-hit bid, then scored on Jung Ho Kang's double to put Cole and Pittsburgh ahead to stay in a 2-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday.

Kang added an eighth-inning home run to help the Pirates beat the Cubs for the first time in six tries this season.

"It was just an opportunity to try to salvage the series," Cole said. "I don't really think they're the best team in baseball."

Cole (4-3) allowed three hits in eight shutout innings, striking out seven in a 95-pitch performance.

Mark Melancon gave up a run in a shaky ninth but held on for his 11th save in 12 chances to give the Pirates a lift after a frustrating two weeks against their NL Central rivals.

The Cubs took all three games in Pittsburgh early this month, then the first two in this series. Pittsburgh had been outscored 37-11 by Chicago while falling nine gamess back in the division.

But Cole stopped that. The right-hander's six wins against the Cubs since the start of 2014 are the most of any pitcher, and he hasn't allowed a homer at Wrigley Field in 45 innings.

Lester (4-2), who threw a no-hitter with Boston in 2008, had permitted only two walks and retired 16 straight batters before Marte's opposite-field liner to right on a changeup.

Yankees 7, White Sox 5

More than a week after they wobbled back to the Bronx in last place, Chase Headley, Carlos Beltran and their New York teammates whooshed out of Yankee Stadium looking way more potent.

Headley lined a pinch-hit double to break a seventh-inning tie, Beltran launched his 400th career home run and the Yankees wrapped up a successful homestand by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-5 Sunday.

The Yankees overcame a hiccup by reliever Dellin Betances to finish a much-needed 7-3 against the AL Central-leading White Sox, World Series champion Kansas City and eternal rival Boston.

"It really shows we're capable of winning against good teams," Beltran said.

The Yankees also have their vaunted bullpen set up exactly the way they envisioned.

After Betances recovered to escape his own jam, Andrew Miller pitched a perfect eighth and Aroldis Chapman closed for his third save.

Sunday, May 16 Scoreboard

New York Yankees 7, Chicago White Sox 5

Minnesota 5, Cleveland 1

Oakland 7, Tampa Bay 6

Detroit 6, Baltimore 5

Boston 10, Houston 9

Miami 5, Washington 1

Cincinnati 9, Philadelphia 4

Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2

Kansas City 4, Atlanta 2 (F/13)

Pittsburgh 2, Chicago Cubs 1

Texas 7, Toronto 6

Los Angeles Angels 3, Seattle 0

Colorado 4, New York Mets 3

San Francisco 2, Arizona 1

St. Louis 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Monday, May 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cincinnati at Cleveland, 5:10 p.m.

Boston at Kansas City, 6 p.m.

Miami at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Minnesota at Detroit, 6:10 p.m.

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

Texas at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.