Montero Hits Game-ending RBI Single; Cardinals Edge Brewers

BY ESPN

Miguel Montero waited for five hours before he got a chance to play. And then he had to face a crafty left-hander with the bases loaded.

One soft liner made it all worth it.

Montero hit a game-ending RBI single in the 13th inning, and the Chicago Cubs rallied for a wild 8-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

"It's a winning team, winning attitude," Montero said. "That's (what) it's all about. We never quit. We know we can come back anytime. We've done it all season long, and we did it again today."

Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo set the stage for Montero's clutch swing with consecutive singles against Jeff Locke (9-8), plating the tying run. After Ben Zobrist was walked intentionally, Montero dumped a 1-2 pitch into left for a big pinch-hit single.

The major league-leading Cubs (83-47) dropped two of three in Los Angeles over the weekend, and then their flight to Chicago was delayed. They arrived early Monday morning, and still had enough in reserve to outlast the scrappy Pirates.

"They had to be tired today, but nevertheless played `til post-midnight with energy," manager Joe Maddon said, "and I love it."

Rob Zastryzny (1-0) got his first major league win despite allowing Josh Harrison's sacrifice fly in the top half of the inning. Jorge Soler and Willson Contreras homered for the Cubs, and Javier Baez collected four hits.

Pittsburgh had won eight straight road games. It fell 1 1/2 games back of St. Louis for the second NL wild card.

Cardinals 6, Brewers 5

Stephen Piscotty watched Jonathan Villar's throw skid past first base, then sprinted 180 feet to give the St. Louis Cardinals a victory.

Piscotty scored on a throwing error in the ninth inning after Carlos Martinez struck out a career-high 13, leading the Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Monday night.

With two on and nobody out in the ninth, Yadier Molina dropped down a bunt. Reliever Tyler Thornburg (5-5) threw to third base for a force out, but Villar's throw to first was wild, allowing Piscotty to score from second.

"Put pressure on them," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "That's it. Make them make plays."

The Cardinals maintained a slim lead over Pittsburgh for the second NL wild card.

It was Villar's 25th error and his eighth since moving from shortstop to third base to accommodate rookie shortstop Orlando Arcia.

"He just made a bad throw," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We talked about that situation out there and the possibility for a double play. He just rushed it a little bit probably. The big out was to get the out at third. We just didn't make the play."

Tigers 4, White Sox 3

Jarrod Saltalamacchia's drive was so high in the air, it was fair to doubt whether it had the right trajectory to clear the wall in right-center field.

"I saw the outfielders kind of meeting right at that little Bermuda Triangle out there, so I got a little scared," Saltalamacchia said. "When I didn't see them catch it, I was definitely happy."

Saltalamacchia's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

Justin Upton also went deep for the Tigers, who pulled within a game of Baltimore for the American League's second wild card.

Detroit trailed 3-2 after a solo homer in the seventh by Chicago's Tyler Saladino, but Saltalamacchia's towering drive off Nate Jones (5-3) put the Tigers ahead.

It was Saltalamacchia's 12th homer of the season.

"For a backup catcher, he's had some production," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's contributed to the offense quite a bit."

Monday, August 29 Scoreboard

Toronto 5, Baltimore 1

Washington 4, Philadelphia 0

Boston 9, Tampa Bay 4

Cleveland 1, Minnesota 0 (F/10)

Detroit 4, Chicago White Sox 3

New York Mets 2, Miami 1 (F/10)

St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 5

Texas 6, Seattle 3

Chicago Cubs 8, Pittsburgh 7 (F/13)

Houston 6, Oakland 0

Kansas City 8, New York Yankees 5

Colorado 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Los Angeles Angels 9, Cincinnati 2

Tuesday, August 30 Schedule (All Times Central)

Toronto at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota at Cleveland, 6:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 6:10 p.m.

San Diego at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

Miami at New York Mets, 6:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

Oakland at Houston, 7:10 p.m

New York Yankees at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado, 7:40 p.m.

Cincinnati at Los Angeles Angels, 9:05 p.m.

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