Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox Lose, July 29 ML Roundup

Pirates Shuffle Cards

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer and the Pirates cruised to a 9-2 win over the Cardinals at PNC Park. Francisco Liriano struck out eight in seven innings of one-run ball to improve to 11-4 for Pittsburgh. Clint Barmes was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs in the win.  The Bucs had dropped three out of four coming in. Jake Westbrook allowed four runs in five innings to fall to 7-5 for St. Louis. Matt Carpenter and Shane Robinson each singled in a run for the Cards, who have lost four straight since a four-game winning streak.

Brewers Use Five-Run Ninth To Beat Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Carlos Gomez' RBI-single in the ninth broke a scoreless tie and kicked off a five-run inning, as the Brewers beat the Cubs 5-0 in the opener of a four-game series at Wrigley Field. Jeff Bianchi and Rickie Weeks both had two-run doubles in the ninth for Milwaukee, which improved to 6-and-5 since the break.  Brandon Kintzler was credited with the win and improved to 3-0. Pedro Strop allowed all five runs in the ninth as he fell to 1-1. Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo had two hits apiece for the Cubs, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the Giants in San Francisco.

Giambi Sends Indians Past ChiSox

(Cleveland, OH) -- Jason Giambi socked a pinch-hit, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the Indians to a 3-2 win over the White Sox in Cleveland.  Asdrubal Cabrera tied the game with an RBI groundout in the sixth. Carlos Santana also drove in a run with a sac-fly for Cleveland, which has won five straight. Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth to improve to 3-1. Adam Dunn doubled in a run and Paul Konerko added an RBI single for Chicago. Ramon Troncoso took the loss for the Sox, who have lost four straight and seven out of eight.   

Mets Use Three-Run Seventh To Down Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- Ike Davis doubled in the go-ahead run during a three-run seventh inning as the Mets rallied past the Marlins 6-5 in the opener of a four-game series in Miami.  Daniel Murphy went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while David Wright and Marlon Byrd also plated a run each for the Mets, who snapped a three-game losing streak. David Aardsma picked up the win in relief and improved to 2-0. Bobby Parnell closed it out for his 21st save. Jeff Mathis drove in two runs and Ed Lucas tripled in a run and scored twice for the Fish, who are 5-6 since the All-Star break. A.J. Ramos fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Denorfia's Blast Sends Padres Past Reds

(San Diego, CA) -- Pinch hitter Chris Denorfia took Aroldis Chapman deep on a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to send the Padres to a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Reds at Petco Park. Chapman walked Yonder Alonso to lead off the ninth. Sean O'Sullivan pitched six innings of one-run ball in the start for San Diego while Luke Gregerson notched the win in relief. The Friars have won three straight. Cesar Izturis drove in Cincinnati's lone run on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning. Mike Leake pitched seven innings of four-hit ball for the Reds but Chapman tok his fourth blown save and fell to 3-4. It's the fourth straight loss for the Redlegs, who who started the second half by winning six out of eight.

Two Homers In Ninth Lift Rangers By Angels

(Arlington, TX) -- Geovany Soto smacked a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Rangers rallied past the Angels 4-3 in the opener of a three-game set in Arlington. A.J. Pierzynski tied the game with a solo shot to lead off the ninth for the Rangers, who snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to just 3-8 since the All-Star break.  Ian Kinsler knocked in the other two runs for Texas. Jason Frasor was credited with his first win of the year. J.B. Shuck hit his first career home run and Josh Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a two-run single for the Halos, who have dropped four in-a-row and seven of their last nine. Ernesto Frieri fell to 0-3 with his third blown save.

Price Pitches Rays Past Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- David Price tossed seven-and-a-third innings of one-run ball to lead the Rays in a 2-1 win over the Red Sox. Price was through seven and returned to strike out his eighth batter after a nearly 40 minute rain delay, improving to 6-5 in the process.  Fernando Rodney allowed two baserunners but got out of it for his 26th save. Wil Myers knocked in a run and Sean Rodriguez had an RBI double for Tampa Bay, which overtook Boston for the AL East lead by a half-game. The Rays are now 8-2 since the All-Star break. Felix Doubront gave up two runs in five frames to take the loss and fall to 7-5. The Sox thought they had tied the game in the eighth on a sac-fly from Brandon Snyder, but Daniel Nava was called out at home on an obvious blown call from umpire Jerry Meals.  Snyder did hit a solo homer for Boston, which had won two in-a-row.

Braves Tap Rockies In Ten Innings

(Atlanta, GA) -- Andrelton Simmons ripped an RBI triple in the bottom of the tenth to send the Braves to a 9-8 win over the Rockies at Turner Field. Simmons was 3-for-5 with two RBI for the game while Chris Johnson went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.  Dan Uggla knocked in two and scored twice as well for Atlanta, which has won four straight. Newly-acquired reliever Scott Downs picked up his first win with a scoreless 1 1/3 of work. Wilin Rosario was 3-for-5 with a solo homer while Nolan Arenado also went deep for Colorado. Carlos Gonzalez went 5-for-5 with two RBI and Michael Cuddyer knocked in two for the Rox, who have lost three out of five. Edgmer Escalona suffered the loss.

Athletics Pound Blue Jays

(Oakland, CA) -- Esmil Rogers prepared for this season with the expectation of being a reliever and now that he's spent the past two months as a starter, one has to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Toronto's right-hander began his stint in the starting rotation with relative ease, but the positive results have been a lot harder to come by of late. That downward trend continued on Monday night as the Blue Jays opened a 10-game road trip through the West Coast in rather lackluster fashion. Rogers allowed eight runs over 4 1/3 innings while a pair of defensive miscues did little to help his cause in a lopsided 9-4 loss to the Athletics in front of 13,309 fans at Oakland Coliseum.

Former Major League Pitcher Frank Castillo Drowns

(Carefree, AZ) -- Former major league pitcher Frank Castillo is dead at the age of 44. Authorities say he died Sunday in a drowning accident on Bartlett Lake near his Arizona home.

His body was recovered Monday. Castillo was on a pontoon boat with a friend and decided to go swimming. The friend called 911 when Castillo did not resurface. He was 82-104 with a 4.56 ERA in 13 seasons with the Cubs, Rockies, Tigers, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Marlins.

Rodriguez To Appeal Any Biogenesis Suspension

(New York, NY) -- New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is planning to fight any Biogenesis-related suspension he receives. His lawyer told ESPN New York's 98.7 FM that their focus is on an appeal and that "A-Rod" wants to play in the majors again.  The 38-year-old former MVP is rehabbing a quad injury in Tampa. The "Daily News" reports that Major League Baseball will suspend Rodriguez through the 2014 season if he doesn't fight the decision, otherwise it would pursue a lifetime ban.

Tigers Acquire Closer Veras From Astros

(Detroit, MI) -- The Detroit Tigers are getting some bullpen help before the trade deadline. The Tigers have acquired closer Jose Veras from the Houston Astros for minor league outfielder Danry Vasquez and a player to be named later. The 32-year-old right-hander is 0-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 19 saves in 22 chances this season. Veras has struck out 44 batters in 43 innings. For his career, Veras is 19-21 with a 3.88 ERA and 24 saves for the Yankees, Indians, Marlins, Pirates, Brewers and Astros.

Rays Acquire Crain From White Sox

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- The Tampa Bay Rays have made a deal to strengthen their bullpen. The Rays have acquired right-handed reliever Jesse Crain from the White Sox for future considerations. Crain is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury, but was having a great season for the Sox. The 32-year-old has a minuscule 0.74 ERA in 36-and-two-thirds innings this season, and has yet to surrender a home run. What the White Sox receive in return is dependent on the pitcher's health.

Monday, July 29 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Pittsburgh Pirates 9, St. Louis Cardinals 2

New York Mets 6, Miami Marlins 5

Atlanta Braves 9, Colorado Rockies 8 (10 inn)

Milwaukee Brewers 5, Chicago Cubs 0

San Diego Padres 2, Cincinnati Reds 1

MLB AL

Tampa Bay Rays 2, Boston Red Sox 1

Texas Rangers 4, Los Angeles Angels 3

Cleveland Indians 3, Chicago White Sox 2

Oakland Athletics 9, Toronto Blue Jays 4

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled

Tuesday, July 30 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

1:20 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs  (G1)

3:05 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates  (G1)

6:05 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - New York Mets at Miami Marlins

6:10 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Atlanta Braves

6:35 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates  (G2)

7:05 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs  (G2)

9:10 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at San Diego Padres

MLB AL

6:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles

6:05 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians

6:10 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox

7:05 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

9:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics

MLB Interleague

6:08 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Detroit Tigers

6:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Tampa Bay Rays

9:10 p.m. - New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers