Reyes Pitches Cardinals To Win, Brewers Beat Cubs

By ESPN

Alex Reyes arrived in the majors this year already packing some of the best stuff in baseball.

On Sunday, the 22-year-old Cardinals right-hander showed he can handle the spotlight just fine, too.

Reyes pitched seven dominant innings in his third major league start, fellow rookie Aledmys Diaz hit a two-run homer and St. Louis moved up in the tight NL wild-card race by beating the San Francisco Giants 3-0 on Sunday.

"He kind of answers a lot of questions about whether he can handle pressure when you put him in a spot like that," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "He knows where we are in the season and he's been able to stay focused and continue to really maximize the moment."

The Giants dropped one game behind the New York Mets for the top NL wild-card spot. The Cardinals closed within one game of San Francisco.

St. Louis split this four-game series, winning the final two. The struggling Giants finished their homestand 2-5 and have won just one series at AT&T Park since the All-Star break.

Reyes (3-1) has thrived since being called up on Aug. 9 when Michael Wacha went on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort.

"Coming into the series you know it's going to be a playoff atmosphere," Reyes said. "Being on the field for the first time here in San Francisco it was fun and it was exciting to be on the mound."

Reyes gave up four hits, struck out six and walked two. The righty's fastball was consistently in the mid-to-upper 90s mph, and he also mixed in a slider.

Brewers 3, Cubs 1

A year ago, Kyle Hendricks might have been satisfied giving up a couple runs in a start.

Now, as a Cy Young candidate, Hendricks expects more from himself.

Hendricks, the major league ERA leader, allowed two runs in six innings and remained stuck on 15 victories as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs 3-1 Sunday.

"It definitely means my mentality is just in a different place," Hendricks said. "This game last year, I probably would have been a lot happier with it. Resulting in a loss, I feel like I could have done a little more just with the tools I have available to me, where I'm at this year."

Hendricks (15-8), making his first start since losing a no-hit bid in the ninth inning at St. Louis, struck out nine and gave up six hits. His ERA rose from 2.03 to 2.06 as he lost for the first time since July 26 at the White Sox.

Last year, he went 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA in his second season.

"We have not supported him run-wise a lot this year, and there's another great example today," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He definitely pitched well enough to win, and we only came up with the one run, so it's just unfortunate. He didn't have his best stuff, but nine punchouts and two runs in six, pretty good day."

Tyler Thornburg struck out Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo with two on in the ninth to earn his 11th save in 16 chances.

The Cubs have lost four of six and are trying to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. They resumed playing their regulars after clinching the division Thursday. The Cubs went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Royals 10, White Sox 3

Kendrys Morales started the season scuffling to get his average above .200. He's finishing up a lot better.

Morales homered for his 1,000th career hit and drove in four runs, Danny Duffy pitched effectively into the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 10-3 Sunday.

"First and foremost, I didn't even know I had 999 hits," Morales said with catching coach Pedro Grifol as his translator.

Morales was hitting .191 on June 5, but in his past 20 games he is hitting .359 with a .705 slugging percentage, bringing his season total to .261 with 38 home runs and 85 RBI.

"Obviously, I didn't have a good start, but the season is a very long season," Morales said. "I was able to get back on track and finish strong."

Duffy (12-2) picked up his first victory since Aug. 21. He struck out eight and gave up three runs.

"Again, it sounds boring, but it's a simple mindset," Duffy said. "I trust my fastball and everything else plays off of it. That's probably why I don't try to nibble with it."

Morales homered in the sixth with Paulo Orlando aboard. Orlando reached base four times -- two doubles, a walk and hit by pitch -- and scored three runs.

Sunday, September 18 Scoreboard

Detroit 9, Cleveland 5

Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 4

New York Mets 3, Minnesota 2

Baltimore 2, Tampa Bay 1

Atlanta 6, Washington2  (F/7)

Miami 5, Philadelphia 4

Kansas City 10, Chicago White Sox 0

Milwaukee 3, Chicago Cubs 1

Oakland 5, Texas 2

Los Angeles Angels 4, Toronto 0

St. Louis 3, San Francisco 0

Seattle 7, Houston 3

Colorado 6, San Diego 3

Arizona 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 9 (F/12)

Boston 5, New York Yankees 4    

Monday, September 19 Schedule (All Times Central)

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 1:15 p.m.

Boston at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

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

Washington at Miami, 6:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

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

St. Louis at Colorado, 7:40 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Toronto at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

Arizona at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.