Cardinals Have Cubs Number, Win Again

BY ESPN

CHICAGO -- The St. Louis Cardinals are further down than usual in the NL Central standings. Still, they may see the major league-leading Chicago Cubs in October, and they're coming out of a four-game series at Wrigley Field with some extra confidence.

Stephen Piscotty hit a three-run homer, Brandon Moss followed with a solo shot one out later and the Cardinals used a five-run eighth inning to beat the Cubs 6-4 on Sunday night.

Piscotty hit his 17th homer off setup man Hector Rondon (2-3), who entered with a 3-1 lead in his first appearance since Aug. 2 because of a triceps injury. After pinch-hitter Kolten Wong and Greg Garcia singled, Piscotty lofted a shot to deep left-center field that put the Cardinals ahead 4-3 in front of 41,019 silenced fans.

Moss added his 21st homer, then Randal Grichuk doubled in a run off Travis Wood.

"Any time you're playing a good team like that late in the game, it's just more dramatic," Piscotty said. "A great way to bounce back.

"We kind of know what our role is going forward," he added. "We're fighting for that wild-card spot. Hopefully, this gives us some momentum."

The Cardinals split a four-game series with Chicago, which dropped its second straight following an 11-game winning streak. St. Louis trails Chicago by 12 games in the division but also has a half-game lead on Miami for the second wild-card spot, keeping the Cards in line for a sixth straight playoff appearance.

"We've been down quite a few times early, and guys just keep playing the game and that's something I'm extremely proud about this club," manager Mike Matheny said.

Cubs starter John Lackey allowed only one unearned run and four hits before leaving with two outs in the seventh with muscle stiffness. Chicago doesn't consider the injury serious.

"Believe me, I've been through a lot worse," the 37-year-old Lackey said. "I don't know, maybe an (it's an) old thing."

Marlins 5, White Sox 4

With Giancarlo Stanton going on the disabled list and likely out for the rest of the regular season, manager Don Mattingly said the Miami Marlins would need to find new ways to win.

That's what they did Sunday. Pitcher Tom Koehler hit a two-run infield single. Ichiro Suzuki drove in a runner from second base with a sacrifice bunt. And Christian Yelich threw a strike from left field on the final play, giving Miami a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

"We lost a little confidence knowing the big guy is going to be on the DL," third baseman Martin Prado said. "But we had a mission today -- go up there and find a way to perform."

The victory averted a series sweep and provided a morale boost for the Marlins, who put Stanton and left-hander Adam Conley on the disabled list before the game. Stanton is expected to be sidelined at least six weeks with a strained groin.

"We're not the same club without him, but we're still good enough to move forward," Mattingly said. "We'll have a little different look."

Saturday, August 13 Scoreboard

New York Yankees 8, Tampa Bay 4

Toronto 4, Houston 2

St. Louis 8, Chicago Cubs 4

Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Pittsburgh 4

Washington 7, Altanta 6

Philadelphia 6, Colorado 3

Boston 6, Arizona 3

Cincinnati 11, Milwaukee 5

Minnesota 5, Kansas City 3

New York Mets 3, San Diego 2 (F/11)

Chicago Whtie Sox 8, Miami 7

Detroit 2, Texas 0

Seattle 4, Oakland 3

San Francisco 6, Baltimore 2

Cleveland 5, Los sAngeles Angels 1

Sunday, August 14 Scoreboard

Tampa Bay 12, New York Yankees 3

Toronto 9, Houston 2

Cleveland 5, Los Angeles Angels 4

New York Mets 5, San Diego 1

Miami 5, Chicago White Sox 4

Boston 16, Arizona 2

Washington 9, Atlanta 1

Philadelphia 7, Colorado 6

Milwaukee 7, Cincinnati 3

Kansas City 11, Minnesota 4

Detroit 7, Texas 0

Seattle 8, Oakland 4

Baltimore 8, San Frnacisco 7

Pittsburgh 11, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

St. Louis 6, Chicago Cubs 4

Monday, August 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

Boston at Cleveland     12:10 p.m.

Kansas City at Detroit     6 p.m.

Toronto at New York, 6:05 p.m.

Miami at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

San Diego at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m.

Oakland at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Washington at Colorado, 7:40 p.m.

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

Seattle at Los Angeles, 9:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 9:15 p.m.