Gant Pitches, Hits Cardinals To Win, Brewers Blank Cubs

ST. LOUIS -- Even John Gant had a big hit as the St. Louis Cardinals downed the Washington Nationals, 6-4 Tuesday at Busch Stadium.

Gant picked up the pitching win going 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, one run, no walks and striking out six. He even got the Cardinals off in the right direction in a three-run second by knocking out a two-run homer.

Kolten Wong stepped up once again with a single, double and solo home run. He finished with three RBI. Paul DeJong added a double and three other players had a single each.

The Cardinals picked up their seventh straight win, their best winning streak this season. They are now only one game back of the Philadelphia Phillies who are holding on to that second National League Wild Card position. The Cardinals now trail the Cubs by only four games.

Brewers 7, Cubs 0

CHICAGO -- It just wasn't Jose Quintana's day Tuesday as the Chicago Cubs fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 7-0.

The Brewers didn't wait to jump all over Quintana, opening with a three-run first then adding another two runs in the third.

Lorenzo Cain nailed a shot into the bleachers with a leadoff home run. Ryan Braun nailed a two-run shot in the first and a two-run blow in the third. Erik Kratz got into the hitting with a double and a solo shot.

Quintana finished with a six-hitter over five innings but most of those hits were deadly.

Things just didn't go well for the Cubs all-around as their offense sputtered with three hits, all doubles by Ben Zobrist, Ian Happ and Javier Baez.

Joe Maddon was tossed from the game in the sixth on a called third strike on Zobrist. Zobrist was ejected between innings before the Milwaukee ninth when he continued his unhappy discussion about the strike.

Indians' Bauer on DL

The Cleveland Indians have placed right-hander Trevor Bauer on the 10-day disabled list with a small stress fracture in his right leg. Cleveland is a virtual lock for the AL Central, but they could face an early playoff exit if they’re without Bauer.

Braves' Acuna Jr. Hits Leadoff HR Third Straight Game

Atlanta Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a leadoff home run for the third straight game last night, making him only the second player in modern major league history to accomplish the feat.  Brady Anderson hit leadoff homers in four straight games for the Baltimore Orioles in April 1996.

Marlins Giving Players Spanish Lessons

The Miami Marlins are going to require their players to learn Spanish. While the team gives English lessons to their Latin American players, they’ll now require English-speaking players and coaches to learn Spanish.

Tuesday, August 14 Scoreboard

Milwaukee 7, Chicago Cubs 0

St. Louis 6, Washington 4

Chicago White Sox 6, Detroit 3

Baltimore 6, New York Mets 3

New York Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 1

Boston 2, Philadelphia 1

Cleveland 9, Cincinnati 1

Atlanta 10, Miami 6

Arizona 6, Texas 4

Minnesota 5, Pittsburgh 2

Colorado 5, Houston 1

Toronto 6, Kansas City 5

Oakland 3, Seattle 2

San Francisco 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Los Angeles Angels 7, San Diego 3

Wednesday, August 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 12:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 12:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Seattle at Oakland, 2:35 p.m.

Boston at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

New York Mets at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at New York Yankees, 6:05 p.m.

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 6;10 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Colrado at Houston, 7;109 p.m.

Toronto at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

Washington at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at San Diego, 8 p.m.

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