Cardinals Fly Past Phillies, Cubs Lose, ML Roundup

(St. Louis, MO) -- Allen Craig went 2-for-3 with two RBI as the Cardinals earned a 4-1 win over the Phillies at Busch Stadium. Shelby Miller tossed six innings of three-hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts to improve to 10-6. Edward Mujica notched his 29th save for St. Louis, which has won four out of five. Chase Utley was 3-for-4 while John Mayberry Jr. had an RBI for Philadelphia. Jonathan Pettibone fell to 5-4 after allowing three runs in five innings. The Phils have lost three in-a-row.

D'backs Crush Cubs

(Phoenix, AZ) -- A.J. Pollock tripled, doubled and knocked in three runs as the Diamondbacks crushed the Cubs 10-4 in the second of four games at Chase Field. Eric Chavez also drove in three runs, while Martin Prado homered and plated two for the D'backs, who are 2-3 since the All-Star break. Adam Eaton added three hits and scored three times in the victory. Patrick Corbin tossed six innings of one-run ball as he improved to 12-and-1 with his third straight win. Junior Lake finished 3-for-5 and hit his second homer in as many games, the first two of his career. Nate Schierholtz added a two-run blast for the Cubs, who are 2-and-3 since the break. Travis Wood allowed four runs in less than six frames as he fell to 6-7.

Tigers Top White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- Jhonny Peralta homered and drove in two to back seven shutout innings from Rick Porcello, as the Tigers topped the White Sox 6-2 in the second of four games at U.S. Cellular Field. Porcello allowed just four hits and three walks as he improved to 7-6. Hernan Perez went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in Detroit's third straight win. Paul Konerko hit a two-run double in the ninth inning for the Pale Hose, who fell to 2-3 since the break. Hector Santiago allowed six runs, three earned, in six frames as he slipped to 3-6.

Dodgers Fly Past Blue Jays

(Toronto, Ontario) -- The Dodgers fought back from a five-run deficit with seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings, as LA beat the Blue Jays 10-9 at Rogers Centre. L.A. has won five straight to start the second half of the season. Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Jerry Hairston Jr. hit home runs in the slugfest. Gonzalez, Ethier and Mark Ellis each drove in three runs. Brandon League got two outs in the seventh inning to earn the win and Kenley Jansen allowed a run but pitched out of a jam in the ninth for his 12th save.  Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista and Mark DeRosa hit home runs for Toronto. Darren Oliver gave up four runs on three hits in one inning of relief to fall to 3-2. The Jays have lost five straight to start the season's second half.

Mariners Make It Eight With Win Over Indians

(Seattle, WA) -- The Mariners ran their current winning streak to eight games with a 4-3 victory over the Indians at Safeco Field. Tom Wilhelmsen pitched out of a jam in the ninth to earn his 23rd save. He got help from a base running mistake by pinch runner Drew Stubbs, who was tagged out in a rundown after the Mariners got a force out at second base. Kyle Seager had three hits and Erasmo Ramirez got his first win of the season after allowing three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Yan Gomes hit a two-run home run for Cleveland. Zach McAllister took the loss to fall to 4-6.

Twins Explode In Tenth For Win Over Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- The Twins broke a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning with seven runs and blasted the Angels 10-3 at Angel Stadium. Chris Herrmann hit a grand slam and Pedro Florimon added a two-run shot in the top of the 10th. The Angels tied the game in the ninth with a run on a bases-loaded, one-out walk. Closer Glen Perkins gave up that run but got the win and is 2-0. Angels closer Ernesto Frieri took the loss to fall to 0-2. Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo each hit a solo homer in defeat.

Astros Finally Get Win Over A's

(Houston, TX) -- A throwing error allowed Jonathan Villar to score from second base in the bottom of the ninth inning that capped a three-run rally for the Astros in a 5-4 win over the Athletics at Minute Maid Park.  Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer to tie it and after Villar's double and a walk, A's catcher Derek Norris threw wildly to first base to allow the winning run to score. The A's have six errors in their past two games and lost to Houston for the first time in 11 meetings this season. Balfour's franchise-record of 44 saves without a blown chance came to an end. Josh Fields got the win in relief.  Brandon Moss hit a two-run homer in defeat.

Marlins Topple Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Highly-regarded prospect Christian Yelich went 3-for-4 with two RBI in his Major League debut to lead the Marlins to a 4-2 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run and Miami's offense was enough for Jose Fernandez to pick up the win and go to 6-5. Fernandez allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven. Steve Cishek got his 19th save. Jhoulys Chacin took the loss and is 9-5. Todd Helton hit his seventh home run of the season for Colorado. The Marlins have taken the first two games of the series.

Red Sox Sink Rays

(Boston, MA) -- Jose Iglesias knocked in two runs to help the Red Sox slam the Rays 6-2 at Fenway Park. Red Sox manager John Farrell says Jon Lester was terrific on the mound.

Mike Napoli was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs for Boston, which is now a game-and-a-half on top of Tampa Bay in the AL East. Lester struck out eight over six-and-a-third innings of two-run ball for his ninth win. Roberto Hernandez allowed three runs in five innings for the loss.  Wil Myers went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for Tampa Bay, which lost for the first time since the All-Star break. Evan Longoria also went deep for the Rays.

Cole Leads Pirates Past Nats

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Gerrit Cole fired seven strong innings and also drove in a run to lead the Pirates in a 5-1 win over the Nationals in D.C. Cole gave up just one run on two hits and a walk as he snapped a personal three-game losing streak and improved to 5-and-3. Pedro Alvarez belted his 25th homer of the year for the Bucs, who have won three in-a-row including the first two of this four-game series. Russell Martin added three hits and scored twice in the victory. Wilson Ramos hit a solo shot for the Nats' only run.  Taylor Jordan allowed five runs, four earned, in seven-and-two-thirds innings as he fell to 0-3. The Nationals are 0-and-5 since the All-Star break and have dropped 10-of-12 overall.

Giants, Reds Split Rare Twinbill At AT&T Park

(San Francisco, CA) -- Pablo Sandoval went 2-for-4 with two RBI as the Giants picked up a 5-3 win to split a rare home-and-home doubleheader over the Reds at AT&T Park.  Cincinnati was the home team in the nightcap to make up a suspended game from earlier in the year. Santiago Casilla recorded four outs in relief to earn the win for San Francisco while Sergio Romo struck out four to record his 24th save. The Giants stopped a three-game slide with the win. Todd Frazier went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Jay Bruce was also 3-for-5 and scored twice for Cincinnati. Greg Reynolds was tagged for five runs in as many innings to take the loss. In the first contest, Devin Mesoraco went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer to lead the Reds in a 9-3 victory. Zack Cosart was 4-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI while Joey Votto also went deep for the Redlegs. Tony Cingrani picked up the win with 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Eric Surkamp allowed seven runs in less than three innings to take the loss for the Giants.

Yankees Rally Past Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- Eduardo Nunez tripled in a run and later scored on a Brent Lillibridge single in the top of the ninth to lift the Yankees past the Rangers 5-4 in Texas.  Lillibridge knocked in two runs for New York, which snapped a two-game skid. Vernon Wells was 1-for-3 with a pair of runs in the win. Joba Chamberlain picked up the victory while Mariano Rivera locked up his 32nd save. Joe Nathan gave up both runs in the ninth to take the loss. Mitch Moreland belted a two-run homer for Texas, which has lost five-of-six.

Chen Pitches Royals Past Orioles

(Kansas City, MO) -- Former Oriole Bruce Chen pitched six innings of one-run ball in leading the Royals to a 3-2 win over Baltimore at Kauffman Stadium. Chris Getz drove in a run while Mike Moustakas doubled in another for Kansas City, which had dropped two straight. Greg Holland allowed a run in the ninth but picked up his 25th save. Manny Machado hit a solo homer and Adam Jones tripled in a run for the Orioles. Jason Hammel gave up three runs on 10 hits in six innings to fall to 7-7 for the O's, who had won five straight.

Mets Get By Braves

(Flushing, NY) -- Carlos Torres got the win as a fill-in starting pitcher with six innings of one-run ball as the Mets defeated the Braves 4-1 at Citi Field.  Torres was making only his second start of the season. He struck out six and allowed seven hits to move to 1-1 and also drove in a run. Ike Davis drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Bobby Parnell made up for a blown save the previous night to record his 19th save. Andrelton Simmons homered to account for Atlanta's only run. Kris Medlen gave up four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss and fall to 6-10. He lost his third consecutive start.

Brewers Fall On Eventful Night

(Milwaukee, WI) -- The Brewers are two games into their Ryan Braun-less period, but bad news is still following the team. On a day they traded their closer, the Brewers may have lost another starter -- Donovan Hand, who left with a hand injury -- and were outplayed by the last-place Padres for the second straight night in a 6-2 loss at Miller Park on Tuesday. San Diego out-hit the Brewers 15-4, with Padres starter Tyson Ross silencing Milwaukee's bats for the first six innings.   

Brett Reflects On Pine Tar Game 30 Years Later

Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett is reflecting on the infamous Pine Tar game at Yankee Stadium. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Brett getting a home run taken away only to have it restored later by American League Commissioner Lee MacPhail. Brett says he's amazed how the incident has become ingrained in the fabric of baseball.

After hitting a go-ahead homer off Goose Gossage in the top of the ninth inning, Yankee skipper Billy Martin got the umps to call Brett out for having too much pine tar on his bat. An enraged Brett flew out of the dugout in protest and had to be restrained from going after the umpires. MacPhail later determined the umps' ruling was not in the true spirit of the game and reversed the call. The Royals returned to the Bronx and completed a 5-4 win over the Yankees 25 days later.

Red Sox, Pedroia Reportedly Reach Seven-Year Extension

(Boston, MA) -- The Red Sox are locking up second baseman Dustin Pedroia [[ peh-DROY-uh ]] to a long-term contract. WEEI Radio's Rob Bradford reports the two sides have agreed to a seven-year extension worth around $100-million. The deal would begin in 2015 and run through 2021 and include a full no-trade clause. The 29-year-old is batting .308 with six home runs, 57 RBI and 13 stolen bases this season.

Matt Kemp Comments On Ryan Braun

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is breaking his silence on Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.  Kemp says Braun's 2011 National League MVP should be taken away but it's not his decision to make. Braun was recently suspended the rest of the 2013 season for violating the league's drug policy. Kemp finished in second place in 2011, but he says that he did not win the award and is now focused on getting healthy.

Tuesday, July 23 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Cincinnati Reds 9, San Francisco Giants 3

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Washington Nationals 1

New York Mets 4, Atlanta Braves 1

San Diego Padres 6, Milwaukee Brewers 2

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Philadelphia Phillies 1

Miami Marlins 4, Colorado Rockies 2

Arizona Diamondbacks 10, Chicago Cubs 4

San Francisco Giants 5, Cincinnati Reds 3

MLB AL

Boston Red Sox 6, Tampa Bay Rays 2

New York Yankees 5, Texas Rangers 4

Kansas City Royals 3, Baltimore Orioles 2

Detroit Tigers 6, Chicago White Sox 2

Houston Astros 5, Oakland Athletics 4

Minnesota Twins 10, Los Angeles Angels (10 inn)

Seattle Mariners 4, Cleveland Indians 3

MLB Interleague

Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Toronto Blue Jays 9

Wednesday, July 24 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals

6:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at New York Mets

7:10 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers

7:15 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals

7:40 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies

8:40 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks

9:15 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants

MLB AL

1:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros

2:35 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels

2:40 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners

6:10 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox

7:05 p.m. - New York Yankees at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals

7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox

MLB Interleague

6:07 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays