St. Louis Beats Cincinnati, Cubs Fall To Nationals

By ESPN

The Cardinals want to look back on their big comeback as they day they finally put it all together.

Jose Martinez hit his first grand slam during a nine-run fourth inning, and St. Louis overcame Adam Wainwright's rough return from the disabled list, beating the Cincinnati Reds 13-4 on Sunday.

The Cardinals took two of three in the series, moving them to 55-56. They've been stuck near the break-even point since the start of July, unable to get on a streak in large part because of poor clutch hitting.

Problem solved for one day. St. Louis matched its season highs with 16 hits and eight extra-base hits. Every starter except Wainwright had a hit, and seven players drove in a run.

"We're hoping this is the day we can look back on and say hey, that's when it started," said Matt Carpenter, who had a two-run triple.

St. Louis sent 13 batters to the plate for nine runs in the fourth, matching its biggest inning of the season. Martinez connected off Homer Bailey (3-6), who gave up a career-high 10 runs in only 3 1/3 innings. Bailey has been hit hard in his return from surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow last February.

"It was a little bit of everything," said Bailey, who allowed 10 hits and walked four. "It was one of those days where I just didn't have it."

The Cardinals went 9 for 19 with runners in scoring position, their best clutch hitting of the season. Martinez's grand slam put them in control.

"We've needed that big hit, right?" manager Mike Matheny said. "You've heard me talk about that. That's a good time to have one."

The big offensive showing overcame a rugged first inning by Wainwright, who had spent the last 12 days on the DL with a stiff back. Joey Votto hit a three-run homer, and Wainwright threw 39 pitches before retiring a batter. Wainwright left after three innings and 88 pitches.

The right-hander was rusty after the layoff and developed a cut near the tip of the nail on his index finger, interfering with his grip on the fastball.

"I had no command of the fastball at all," he said.

Brett Cecil (2-4) allowed three hits in three innings for the win, dropping the Reds to 6-17 since the All-Star break.

Nationals 9, Cubs 4

In a span of two pitches, the Washington Nationals turned what could've been a tight loss into an uplifting win.

Bryce Harper and company are one dangerous bunch on the road.

Matt Wieters hit a tiebreaking grand slam off Carl Edwards Jr. in Washington's five-run eighth inning, helping the Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 9-4 on Sunday.

"We're kind of a MASH unit out there but everybody is contributing," Washington manager Dusty Baker said. "That helps a lot when you can take two out of three without your top starters. ... That was a big game for us to win."

Harper started the go-ahead rally with a one-out infield single against Mike Montgomery. Ryan Zimmerman doubled against Edwards (3-3) and Daniel Murphy was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Edwards' next pitch hit Anthony Rendon, tying it at 4, and Wieters followed with a drive over the wall in center for his third career grand slam.

"It was a first-pitch breaking ball, but out of his hands I recognized it up and it was something that I felt like I could get in the air and it just happened to carry it out," Wieters said.

Edwards (3-3) has allowed at least one run in each of his last three appearances.

"We just got to get him back to being normal because he's a really big part of our success," manager Joe Maddon said.

Wieters tied a career high with five RBI and Rendon also had a run-scoring double for NL East-leading Washington, which improved to 36-22 on the road. Brian Goodwin homered, drove in two runs and robbed Jon Jay of a hit with a terrific diving catch on a sinking liner to center in the seventh.

The Nationals (65-44) faced the Cubs without their three best starting pitchers. Max Scherzer was pushed back after he left his previous start with neck spasms. Gio Gonzalez is on the paternity list, and Stephen Strasburg is on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

"I know we didn't face their big guys, but we've beat good pitching before," said Cubs ace Jon Lester, who allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. "I don't think we're really too worried. It's just a matter of executing a little bit better."

Willson Contreras hit two more home runs for Chicago (58-52), which stayed a half-game ahead of second-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Cubs closed out a 2-4 homestand against NL contenders Arizona and Washington before pulling on leather vests and bandannas for their "Easy Rider"-themed six-game road trip out west.

"It doesn't count for the team. We still lose the game," Contreras said. "I mean I don't care if I hit two homers."

Contreras led off the fourth with a drive to the back of the bleachers in left for his 20th homer. He connected again in the sixth, and Kyle Schwarber followed with another homer off rookie Erick Fedde for a 4-1 lead.

The 25-year-old Contreras is batting .346 (27 for 78) with 10 homers and 29 RBI in 20 games since the All-Star break. He went deep five times in the last four games of the homestand.

But that was it for Chicago, which couldn't get anything going against Washington's bullpen after Fedde lasted 5 1/3 innings in his second major league start. Brandon Kintzler (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning for his first win since he was acquired in a trade with Minnesota.

Red Sox 6, White Sox 3

Red Sox manager John Farrell's decisions worked out very well.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria, though, made one move and the game was lost.

Chris Young hit two homers, including a tiebreaking three-run shot after the batter in front was walked intentionally, to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

"Yeah, you definitely feel better if you get the job done in that situation," Young said. "If you don't get the job done, you feel a little worse than if the game's kind of going as it normally does."

Inserted into right field by Farrell with All-Star Mookie Betts getting the day off, Young added an RBI double and had a solo homer off starter Mike Pelfrey to help the AL East-leading Red Sox complete a four-game sweep of the White Sox.

"You go by what Mookie's needs were and when you start to put the lineup together you see where Chris has had decent success coming into today's game against Pelfrey -- and it held true to form," Farrell said.

Young improved to 10 for 24 in his career against Pelfrey, but it was his first homer and RBI against the righty.

With the score tied in the fifth, Sandy Leon was on second with two outs after a leadoff double when Renteria intentionally walked left-handed batting Andrew Benintendi to have Pelfrey face the right-handed hitting Young, who already had a homer over and double off the Green Monster.

Young belted the second pitch just inside the left-field foul pole.

"I've got to make a better pitch to the next guy after that," Pelfrey said. "I failed to do that obviously and he made me pay for it, just like he did in the first inning."

Renteria felt it was the best matchup.

"That's basically what it was," he said. "I knew that Young had obviously done a little damage against him in his previous two at-bats, but I still thought that that matchup gave us the best chance."

Chicago lost its sixth consecutive game, and 23rd in its last 27. The White Sox were swept in a four-game series in Fenway Park for the first time since July of 1988.

Doug Fister (2-5) allowed three runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out a season-high seven for his second straight win. Craig Kimbrel, the third reliever, pitched the ninth for his 27th save.

Pelfrey (3-10) gave up six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He's 0-5 with a 7.78 ERA in his last eight starts.

The White Sox opened the second with four straight hits to take a 3-2 edge. Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson had consecutive RBI singles before Alen Hanson's sacrifice fly.

Young's double tied it at 3.

Sunday, August 6 Scoreboard

New York Yankees 8, Cleveland 1

St. Louis 13, Cincinnati 4

Tampa Bay 3, Milwaukee 1

Baltimore 12, Detroit 3

Boston 6, Chicago White Sox 3

Miami 4, Atlanta 1

Pittsburgh 5, San Diego 4 (F/12)

Minnesota 6, Texas 5

Houston 7, Toronto 6

Seattle 8,  Kansas City 7

Washington 9, Chicago Cubs 4

Philadelphia 3, Colorado 2

Oakland 11,  Los Angeles Angels 10

San Francisco 6, Arizona 3

Kansas City 9, Seattle 1

Los Angeles Dodgers 8, New York Mets 0

Monday, August 7 Schedule (All Times Central)

Detroit at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Miami at  Washington, 6:05 p.m.

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

Milwaukee at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m.

St. Louis at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, 9 p.m.

Baltimore at Los Angeles Angels, 9:07 p.m.