Cardinals Win, Cubs Lose, ML Roundup -- July 10

Halos Hammer Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Josh Hamilton homered twice and drove in five runs as the Angels hammered the Cubs 13-2 to split the two-game series in Chicago. Mark Trumbo, Albert Pujols and Brendan Harris also left the yard for Los Angeles, which has won three-of-four. Mike Trout was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI in the win. C.J. Wilson struck out six over seven innings of one-run ball as he upped his record to 9-6. Jeff Samardzija gave up nine runs in under five frames for the loss.  Cody Ransom belted a solo homer for Chicago, which had won its last four.

Cards Clip Astros

(St. Louis, MO) -- Matt Carpenter clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning as the Cardinals clipped the Astros 5-4 to sweep the brief two-game series at Busch Stadium.  Matt Holliday had a two-run single, while Matt Adams also plated a run for the Redbirds, who have won five in-a-row. Seth Maness picked up the win in relief and improved to 5-and-1.  Edward Mujica closed it out for his 25th save. Chris Carter homered and Brett Wallace went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for Houston, which has dropped three straight and 10 of its last 12 overall. Wesley Wright gave up the homer to Carpenter to suffer the loss.

Tigers Top White Sox

(Detroit, MI) -- Prince Fielder finished 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the Tigers topped the White Sox 8-5 in the middle of a three-game series at Comerica Park.  Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez both had three hits, an RBI and scored a run for the Tigers, who have won seven of their last nine. Rick Porcello pitched six innings of three-run ball to even his record at 6-6. Joaquin Benoit closed it out for his eighth save. Conor Gillaspie and Gordon Beckham both hit solo homers for the ChiSox, who have dropped five-of-six. Dylan Axelrod was rocked for seven runs and 11 hits in 5 2/3 frames as he fell to 3-6 with the loss.

Mets Sweep Scuffling Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Marlon Byrd belted a two-run homer to back seven solid innings from Zack Wheeler as the Mets beat the Giants 7-2 at AT&T Park. Wheeler walked three, but allowed just three hits and one run to improve to 3-1. Daniel Murphy and John Buck each had two hits and two RBI for New York, which swept the three-game series. Matt Cain failed to get out of the first inning and fell to 5-and-6 with the loss. He gave up two hits, three walks and three runs in just two-thirds of an inning, the shortest outing of his career. Brandon Crawford had two hits and an RBI for the Giants, who have lost 16 of their last 19 games.

Marlins Beat Braves To End Skid

(Miami, FL) -- The Marlins broke a five-game losing streak while cruising to a 6-2 victory over the Braves at Marlins Park. Placido Polanco went 3-for-5 with three RBI and Giancarlo Stanton drove in two to snap a 10-game RBI drought at the plate for Miami. Jacob Turner pitched seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball for his third win. Paul Maholm surrendered seven hits, five walks and four runs in less than five innings to fall to 9-and-8 with the loss. Chris Johnson went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Atlanta, which still took two-of-three in the series.

Reds, Leake Down the Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Mike Leake pitched into the ninth as the Reds snapped a three-game slide and beat the Brewers 6-2 from Miller Park. Leake threw eight-and-a-third innings while only surrendering two runs on four hits as he won his eighth game of the season. Brandon Phillips drove in three and Shin-Soo Choo went 3-for-4 for the Reds. Johnny Hellweg took the loss, as he surrendered four runs on four hits and walked five in less than five innings of work.  Sean Halton hit his first career home run and Carlos Gomez plated the other run for the Crew, who were denied the three-game sweep.

Nationals Blast Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- The Nationals used four solo homers to push past the Phillies, 5-1, at Citizens Bank Park. Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos went back-to-back in the fifth inning, while Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth did the same in the sixth. Gio Gonzalez improved to 7-3, dealing seven innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Washington had dropped the first two of the four-game set.  Darin Ruf blasted a homer for Philadelphia. Cliff Lee fell to 10-3 on the year, allowing all four homers.

Dodgers Sweep D'Backs

(Phoenix, AZ) -- The Dodgers pulled off a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 7-5 win in 14 innings at Chase Field. Hanley Ramirez and A.J. Ellis hit back-to-back solo homers in the deciding inning. The last runs Arizona scored were in the fifth inning. Ellis tied the game in the top of the ninth on a RBI single. Heath Bell blew his fifth save and Josh Collmenter took the loss. Kenley Jansen earned his third win. Los Angeles only trails the D'backs by a game-and-a-half for first place in the National League West.

Rockies Nip Padres

(San Diego, CA) -- Charlie Blackmon was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI to pace the Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Padres in Southern California. Todd Helton was 2-for-4 with a run scored and driven in for Colorado, which took two-of-three in the series. Jorge De La Rosa allowed two runs in five-plus innings for his ninth win. Rafael Betancourt picked up his 13th save.  Carlos Quentin hit a two-run shot for San Diego. Chase Headley added a run and an RBI in defeat. Andrew Cashner gave up three runs in five innings for the setback.

Yankees Crush Royals

(Bronx, NY) -- Lyle Overbay clubbed a grand slam as the Yankees crushed the Royals 8-1 in the third installment of a four-game series in the Bronx. Robinson Cano went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer for the Yankees, who snapped a three-game skid. Ivan Nova tossed eight innings of one-run ball as he upped his mark to 4-2. Brett Gardner and Travis Hafner both left with injuries. Eric Hosmer doubled in the lone run in the eighth inning for KC, which won the first two games of the series. Wade Davis was rocked for eight runs in five-plus frames as he fell to 4-8 with the loss.

Orioles Sink Rangers

(Baltimore, MD) -- Manny Machado finished 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI as the Orioles sank the Rangers 6-1 in Baltimore. Nolan Reimold added two hits and a three-run home run for Baltimore, which snapped a two-game slide. Wei-Yen Chen improved to 4-3 after giving up one run and three hits over seven innings in his first start since mid-May. Adrian Beltre knocked in the lone run for Texas, which had won its last three games. Josh Lindblom allowed six runs in 5 1/3 frames for the loss.

Rays Clip Twins In 13 Innings

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Ben Zobrist singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift the Rays past the Twins 4-3 in the third installment of a four-game series at The Trop. Kelly Johnson belted a two-run homer and Yunel Escobar plated a run and scored once for the Rays, who have won seven straight and 11 of their last 12. Cesar Ramos recorded the final two outs in the 13th to pick up the win. Pedro Florimon hit a two-run homer for the Twins, who have dropped four in-a-row and 10-of-11 overall. Ryan Pressly gave up the winning hit to Zobrist to suffer his first career loss.

Red Sox Roll Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- David Ortiz hit a two-run homer and knocked in three runs to power the Red Sox to an 11-4 win over the Mariners in Seattle. Ortiz also became the all-time leader in hits at the designated hitter position, passing Harold Baines. Jacob Ellsbury was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Boston, which has taken two of the first three games in the four-game series. Shane Victorino added a run and a pair of RBI in the win. Felix Doubront tossed seven innings of one-run ball for his sixth win. Aaron Harang gave up seven runs in five-plus frames for the loss. Brendan Ryan belted a solo homer for Seattle.

Pirates Pummel Athletics

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Pedro Alvarez was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI as the Pirates pounded the Athletics 5-0 in Pittsburgh following a nearly three hour delay to start the game. Andrew McCutchen was 2-for-3 with a run scored and driven in for Pittsburgh, which snapped a four-game slide to salvage the three-game series. Jose Tabata added two runs and an RBI in the win. Francisco Liriano tossed seven innings of shutout ball to up his mark to 9-and-3.  Tommy Milone allowed three runs in 2 2/3 frames as he fell to 8-8. Coco Crisp had three of the five Oakland hits. The A's had won three in-a-row.

Blue Jays Blast Twins

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Rajai Davis belted a three-run homer and Colby Rasmus added a two-run shot, as the Blue Jays blasted the Twins 11-5 at Rogers Centre. Rasmus finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Jose Reyes added a solo homer for the Jays, who took the rubber match of the three-game set. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run triple in the victory. Todd Redmond gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in five innings of work for his first career win.  Aaron Hicks and Trevor Plouffe both hit two-run homers for the Twins, who have dropped seven of their last eight. Scott Diamond was tagged for six runs in less than five frames as he slipped to 5-8 with the loss.

Daulton Diagnosed With Aggressive Brain Cancer

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and malignant form of brain tumors. The 51-year-old had a pair of brain tumors surgically removed last month. Darren Daulton Foundation president Tony Perri says Daulton has returned to his Clearwater area home to continue recuperating. He played for the Phillies from 1983 to 1997. He was a three-time All-Star and won a World Series with the Marlins in his final season in 1997.

Jeter To Be Activated Today

(Bronx, NY) -- Looks like the Yankees are getting their captain back today. FoxSports.com reports Derek Jeter will return to the lineup for this afternoon's series finale against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. The 39-year-old has been out all season, but played in his fourth minor league rehab game on Wednesday. Jeter is working his way back from an ankle that's been broken twice.

Jay-Z Wants To Rep Dodgers' Puig, Oakland's Cespedes

Hip-hop mogul and newly-minted sports agent Jay-Z wants to represent Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig. Yahoo Sports is reporting that Puig and Jay-Z got together in New York last month and the Cuban-born outfielder left the meeting intrigued. Jay-Z also is reportedly interested in representing another Cuban Major Leaguer, Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A's. New York Yankees star Robinson Cano is a Jay-Z client.

Wednesday, July 10 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Arizona Diamondbacks 5 (14 inn)

Miami Marlins 6, Atlanta Braves 2

Cincinnati Reds 6, Milwaukee Brewers 2

New York Mets 7, San Francisco Giants 2

Washington Nationals 5, Philadelphia Phillies 1

Colorado Rockies 5, San Diego Padres 4

MLB AL

New York Yankees 8, Kansas City Royals 1

Baltimore Orioles 6, Texas Rangers 1

Toronto Blue Jays 5, Cleveland Indians 4

Detroit Tigers 8, Chicago White Sox 5

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Minnesota Twins 3 (13 inn)

Boston Red Sox 11, Seattle Mariners 4

MLB Interleague

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Oakland Athletics 0

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 13, Chicago Cubs 2

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Houston Astros 4

Thursday, July 11 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:05 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves

7:05 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

8:40 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks

9:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

9:10 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB AL

11:05 a.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Indians

11:10 a.m. - Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays

12:05 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees

12:08 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers

2:40 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners

6:05 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled