Cubs Drop Nationals, Cardinals Rally For Win, ML Roundup

Cubs Drop Nationals

(Chicago, IL) -- Jeff Samardzija tossed a complete game to lead the Cubs over the Nationals 11-1 at Wrigley Field. Samardzija allowed a run on six hits and struck out five for his first complete game of the season and second of his career. Samardzija improved to 7-11. Nate Schierholtz hit two home runs and drove in six runs with three hits.  Donnie Murphy also hit a pair of homers and Dioner Navarro added another for the Cubs, who had lost six of their previous seven. Wilson Ramos homered for the Nats in defeat. Jordan Zimmermann lasted five innings and allowed eight runs on seven hits to drop to 14-7. Washington has lost four of its last five games.

Cardinals Rally For Win Over Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Matt Carpenter singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning as the Cardinals rallied for an 8-5 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. Carlos Beltran and Jon Jay hit home runs and Yadier Molina added four hits for the Cards, who have won three in-a-row. Michael Wacha got the win although he allowed three runs on four hits in an inning of relief work. Edward Mujica got out of trouble in the ninth and earned his 32nd save.  Norichika Aoki and Aramis Ramirez hit home runs for the Brewers, who are winless in five games against the Cards at home this season. Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and drove in two in the loss. Brandon Kintzler suffered his first setback of the year.

Phillies Clip Rockies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- The Phillies jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on for a 5-4 win over the Rockies in the opener of a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park. John Mayberry Jr's three-run homer powered the Philadelphia offense, while Ethan Martin earned his second win. Martin allowed two runs, four hits and struck out six across 6 1/3 innings. Carlos Ruiz added a solo shot as Philly improved to 55-69. Jonathan Papelbon locked up his 21st save. Colorado scored two in the seventh and two in the eighth to make things interesting, but couldn't complete the comeback. Troy Tulowitzki connected for his 21st homer of the season in the loss. Jeff Manship allowed all five runs on his way to 0-3. Colorado is 58-68.

Marlins Send Dodgers To First Losing Streak Since June

(Miami, FL) -- Giancarlo Stanton homered to back a solid outing from rookie Jose Fernandez, as the Marlins defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the opener of a four-game series in Miami. Fernandez struck out eight while giving up two runs, just one earned, in six innings of work as he improved to 9-5. Donovan Solano and Logan Morrison both had two hits, an RBI and scored a run for the Fish, who have won four of their last five. Juan Uribe went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for LA, which has lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 20-21.  Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed three runs in 7 1/3 frames to suffer the loss and fall to 12-4.

Pirates Plunder Padres

(San Diego, CA) -- Pedro Alvarez hit his 31st home run of the season and the Pirates got by the Padres 3-1 at Petco Park. Alvarez also scored twice as he came home on an error in the fourth inning by Padres right fielder Chris Denorfia. Pittsburgh remained a game up on St. Louis in the NL Central race for first place. Francisco Liriano tossed seven shutout innings to improve to 14-5. Mark Melancon allowed a run in the ninth but held on for his eighth save.  Nick Hundley drove in San Diego's lone run. Andrew Cashner allowed three runs, one earned, in seven innings as he fell to 8-8.

Joyce, Longoria Homer As Rays Edge Orioles

(Baltimore, MD) -- Matt Joyce hit a two-run homer to help the Rays to a 4-3 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards. Evan Longoria added a solo shot for Tampa Bay, which has won five out of six. David Price gave up ten hits and two walks, but struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings to improve to 7-5. Fernando Rodney closed it out for his 28th save. Matt Wieters was 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI for Baltimore, which saw a two-game winning streak end. Danny Valencia was 3-for-4 with an RBI and J.J. Hardy had three hits, but the O's went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 15 runners on base. Chris Tillman gave up four runs in six innings and fell to 14-4.

Rangers Hammer Houston

(Arlington, TX) -- A.J. Pierzynski had two singles and three RBI during an 11-run third inning as the Rangers hammered the Astros 16-5 in the opener of a three-game set in Arlington.  Pierzynski finished 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI, while Ian Kinsler drove in three for the Rangers, who have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games. Leonys Martin went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored in the lopsided victory. Matt Garza struck out eight while giving up five runs over 6 2/3 innings as he improved to 3-1 with Texas and 9-and-2 overall. Robbie Grossman drove in a pair of runs for Houston, which has lost three-of-five. Lucas Harrell was rocked for nine runs, seven earned, in 2 1/3 frames as he fell to 6-14.

Indians Dump Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- A four-run fourth inning powered the Indians past the Angels, 5-2, in the first of three games in Anaheim. Lonnie Chisenhall hit a two-run homer, while Nick Swisher hit a solo shot in the win. Zach McAllister pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run and striking out five to improve to 6-7. Cleveland is 67-58. Mark Trumbo was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the loss. Jered Weaver fell to 7-7, giving up four runs in six innings. LA has dropped three-of-four.

Moss Sends A's To Walk-Off Win Over Mariners

(Oakland, CA) -- Brandon Moss went deep to straight away center field in the bottom of the ninth to send the Athletics to a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Mariners at The Coliseum. Josh Donaldson also knocked in a run for Oakland, which has won four of its last five. Jarrod Parker struck out eight and gave up a run on eight hits, while going the distance to improve to 9-6 for the A's. Carter Capps surrendered Moss' homer in the ninth and fell to 2-3.  Kendrys Morales was 2-for-4 and singled in Seattle's lone run. The M's have lost four out of six.

Mets, Gee Shut Down Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Dillon Gee kept the Twins' offense at bay as the Mets beat up Minnesota 6-1 in a makeup game from April 14th at Target Field. Gee improved to 9-8 on season, throwing 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball and striking out nine. Marlon Byrd hit his 20th home run of the season and six different Mets registered an RBI. Seven different Mets had two hits in the game. Twins starter Kyle Gibson was knocked around for 10 hits and four runs in less than four innings to take the loss. Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 for Minnesota, which has lost four-in-a-row.

Red Sox, Lester Blank Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Jon Lester shut out the Giants for eight-and-a-third innings to lead the Red Sox to a 7-0 win at AT&T Park. Lester allowed two of the Giants' six hits in the ninth inning before giving way to Brandon Workman, who got the last two outs. Lester improved his record to 11-7. Shane Victorino had three hits and drove in a run. Daniel Nava went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Red Sox, who maintained a one-game lead on Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East. Andres Torres had three of the six hits for the Giants, who have lost two in-a-row after a three-game winning streak. Tim Lincecum allowed five runs on nine hits in five frames as he fell to 6-13.

Reds Offense Cooking Gas In Win

(Cincinnati, OH) -- The Reds' offense hasn't just heated up, it's cooking with gas. A 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks Monday night made it wins in seven of the last nine games for the Reds, and the fifth time over the past seven games they have scored five or more runs. It's the type of offensive output the club has been waiting, wanting and searching for -- but hadn't gotten until lately.

Angels' Pujols Out For Season

(Anaheim, CA) -- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim slugger Albert Pujols is going to miss the rest of the season with a tear in the plantar fascia in his left foot. Pujols has been bothered by plantar fasciitis for most of the year and hasn't played since July 26. The 33-year-old hit a career-low .258 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI in 99 games this season, his second with the Halos. He is still owed $212-million over the next eight seasons after signing the third-biggest contract in major league history prior to last year.

Wedge To Return To Mariners Dugout Friday

(Seattle, WA) -- The Seattle Mariners will welcome manager Eric Wedge back to the dugout on Friday night for the start of a homestand against the Los Angeles Angels. Interim manager Robby Thompson confirmed the news prior to Monday's game in Oakland. Thompson added that Wedge would be eased back into his role as the team's skipper as he continues to recover from a mild stroke. Wedge suffered the stroke July 22 and the M's have gone 11-15 under Thompson's watch since then.

Monday, August 19 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Philadelphia Phillies 5, Colorado Rockies 4

Miami Marlins 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Cincinnati Reds 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

Chicago Cubs 11, Washington Nationals 1

St. Louis Cardinals 8, Milwaukee Brewers 5

Pittsburgh Pirates 3, San Diego Padres 1

MLB AL

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Baltimore Orioles 3

Texas Rangers 16, Houston Astros 5

Cleveland Indians 5, Los Angeles Angels 2

Oakland Athletics 2, Seattle Mariners 1

MLB Interleague

New York Mets 6, Minnesota Twins 1

Boston Red Sox 7, San Francisco Giants 0

Tuesday, August 20 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:05 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies

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

6:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins

6:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds

7:05 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs

7:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers

9:10 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres

MLB AL

12:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees

6:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees

6:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles

6:08 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers

7:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals

9:05 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels

9:05 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics

MLB Interleague

9:15 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants