Cubs, Cardinals Drop Games, White Sox Win, ML Roundup

Nationals Double Up Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Dan Haren tossed six innings of one-run ball and struck out six to lead the Nationals in a 4-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Haren improved to 8-11 for Washington, which had lost four out of five. Ryan Zimmerman had a pair of doubles and drove in a run while scoring twice. Ian Desmond and Tyler Moore also had two hits each and an RBI for the Nats. Rafael Soriano allowed a run in the ninth but locked up his 32nd save anyhow.  Donnie Murphy was 2-for-4 with a solo homer and Brian Bogusevic popped a solo shot of his own for Chicago. Chris Rusin allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings as he fell to 2-3. The Cubs have now lost seven out of nine.

Brewers Hand Cardinals Loss

(Milwaukee, WI) -- A five-run fourth inning lifted the Brewers to a 6-3 win over the Cardinals in the second of three games at Miller Park. Sean Halton was 2-for-3 with three RBI as the teams have split the opening two contests. Kyle Lohse improved to 9-and-8, allowing three runs over six innings. Jim Henderson earned his 19th save. Yadier Molina hit his 10th homer of the season, a two-run shot. Lance Lynn was handed his seventh loss,giving up six runs, but only four earned, in six innings. St. Louis is now two games behind Pittsburgh for first place in the NL Central.

White Sox Blank Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- John Danks fired eight shutout innings as the White Sox blanked the Royals 2-0 in the first of three games at Kauffman Stadium. Danks scattered seven hits and one walk as he upped his mark to 3-10. Addison Reed closed it out for his 32nd save. Gordon Beckham hit a solo homer in the first inning, while Paul Konerko scored the other run on a passed ball in the second for the Pale Hose, who have won four in-a-row for the first time since mid-May. Eric Hosmer had two of the eight hits for KC, which has lost three straight and six-of-eight overall.  Ervin Santana allowed both runs, just one earned, in six frames as he fell to 8-7 with the loss.

Rockies Tip Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer and Wilin Rosario added a solo shot as the Rockies went on to a 5-3 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Jorge De La Rosa pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed three total runs, two of which were earned. He moved to 13-and-6 as Colorado ended a three-game slide.  Rafael Betancourt locked down his 16th save in the victory. Tyler Cloyd was tagged for all five runs in six frames and fell to 2-3 for Philadelphia. Chase Utley and Domonic Brown each knocked in a run for the Phillies, who had won their previous two.

Mets Hold Off Braves

(Queens, NY) -- Zack Wheeler strung together his third-straight quality start as the Mets defeated the Braves, 5-3, in the first of two games at Citi Field. Wheeler improved to 6-2, dealing 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball with five strikeouts. Travis d'Arnaud tallied his first career hit, while Ike Davis and Marlon Byrd each hit solo shots.  It was Byrd's 21st homer of the season. LaTroy Hawkins nailed down his fifth save with a perfect ninth. Atlanta made things interesting with a three-run seventh inning, but couldn't complete the comeback. Andrelton Simmons drove in all the runs on a double. Brandon Beachy took the loss.

Dodgers End Losing Streak Against Marlins

(Miami, FL  -- Yasiel Puig's pinch-hit solo homer in the eighth inning gave the Dodgers the lead and Los Angeles pulled out a 6-4 win over Miami at Marlins Park. Adrian Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with an RBI, while reliever Chris Withrow grabbed his second victory. Los Angeles ended a two-game losing streak to improve to 73-52. Kenley Jansen nailed down his 20th save.  Giancarlo Stanton was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for Miami, which has split the first two of the four-game set. Reliever Dan Jennings took the loss.

Diamondbacks Snip Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- The Diamondbacks' two All-Stars carried them to a huge 5-2 win over the Reds in the second of four games at Great American Ball Park. Patrick Corbin tossed a complete game to improve to 13-3. Corbin struck out 10 and allowed six hits and two runs. Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam in the top of the eighth to give Arizona the insurance it needed.  "Goldy" is hitting .297 with 31 homers and 100 RBI on the season. The D'backs trail Cincinnati by five games for the second NL Wild Card spot. Chris Heisey hit a two-run homer in the loss for the Reds.  Tony Cingrani had to leave the game during the fourth inning with a back injury. He allowed a solo homer to Martin Prado and fell to 6-3.

Pirates Pound Padres

(San Diego, CA) -- Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run triple in the seventh and Josh Harrison added a three-run triple later in the frame, as the Pirates pounded the Padres 8-1 at Petco Park.  Neil Walker hit a solo homer and scored three times and Pedro Alvarez also tripled in a run for the Bucs, who will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday. A.J. Burnett struck out seven over seven innings of one-run ball as he improved his mark to 6-8. Jedd Gyorko hit a solo shot for the Friars, who have lost five-of-seven. Tyson Ross allowed five runs, four earned, in 6 1/3 frames as he slipped to 3-6.

Cano Hits 200th Homer As Yanks Beat Blue Jays

(Bronx, NY) -- Robinson Cano became the 16th Yankee to hit 200 home runs as New York overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat Toronto 8-4 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Cano went 4-for-4 with four RBI and Chris Stewart connected for his fourth home run of the season to put the Yanks on top for good in the sixth inning. Ivan Nova pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-run ball en route to his seventh win. New York has won seven of its last nine games. Blue Jays reliever Neil Wagner suffered the loss.  Rajai Davis had a double and two RBI for Toronto, which has lost three of its last four.

Yankees Walk-Off On Jays To Sweep Twinbill

(Bronx, NY) -- Jayson Nix singled in Ichiro Suzuki in the bottom of the ninth to send the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays and a doubleheader sweep in the Bronx. Nix also hit a solo homer in the seventh to tie the game at two.  Robinson Cano was 2-for-4 with an RBI as New York won its third straight. Mariano Rivera picked up the win in relief for the Yanks after starter Phil Hughes allowed two runs in six-plus innings.  Darren Oliver took the loss for the Jays, falling to 3-4. Rajai Davis was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored as Toronto lost its third straight. The Yanks won the opener of the twinbill, 8-4.

Boston's Dempster Suspended For Throwing At "A-Rod"

(Boston, MA) -- Major League Baseball is suspending Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster five games for intentionally throwing at embattled New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.  Dempster also was hit with an undisclosed fine. Dempster threw three pitches close to A-Rod during Sunday night's game between the Yankees and Red Sox, and finally plunked him with the fourth pitch. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was also fined an undisclosed amount for vehemently arguing that Dempster should have been ejected.
 

Joyce Powers Rays Past O's

(Baltimore, MD) -- Matt Joyce drove in three to lead the Rays in a 7-4 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards. Wil Myers added a two-run single and Ben Zobrist had an RBI double for Tampa Bay, which has won three straight and six out of seven. Alex Cobb improved to 8-2 after allowing an earned run and two total in six innings of work, while Fernando Rodney came in for his 29th save. Baltimore managed just five hits on its way to a second straight loss. Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer and scored three times while Ryan Flaherty also knocked in a run for the O's, who have dropped six out of eight overall. Miguel Gonzalez gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings, two of which were earned. He fell to 8-6.

Twins Double Up Tigers

(Detroit, MI) -- Justin Morneau went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and four RBI as the Twins doubled up the Tigers 6-3 in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Pedro Florimon added a solo shot and Trevor Plouffe doubled in a run for Minnesota, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Mike Pelfrey gave up three runs over six-and-two-thirds innings as he improved to 5-and-10. Glen Perkins allowed the tying run to come to the plate in the ninth but held on for his 29th save. Price Fielder homered and drove in two for the Tigers, who had won their previous two. Rick Porcello yielded five runs in less than five frames as he slipped to 9-7.

Rangers Double Up Astros

(Arlington, TX) -- Adrian Beltre hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Rangers doubled up the Astros 4-2 in Arlington. Beltre finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Alex Rios also drove in a run for the Rangers, who will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday. Neal Cotts picked up the win and Joe Nathan notched his 37th save. Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer for Houston, which has dropped four-of-six. Jarred Cosart allowed three runs in six frames to suffer his first career loss.

Stubbs' Homer Sends Indians Past Halos In 14 Innings

(Anaheim, CA) -- Drew Stubbs cracked a two-run homer in the top of the 14th and the Indians went on to a 4-1 win over the Angels in Anaheim. Carlos Santana homered in the seventh inning to tie the game as Cleveland won its third in four games.  Carlos Carrasco pitched the final two frames to get the victory. J.B. Shuck led off the game for Los Angeles with a solo homer.  Joe Blanton served up the deciding runs for the Halos, who have lost three straight. Blanton fell to 2-14 on the year.

Mariners Handle A's

(Oakland, CA) -- The Mariners rallied for five runs in the eighth inning and pulled out a 7-4 win over the Athletics in Oakland. Nick Franklin finished 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI for Seattle, which has won three out of five. Joe Saunders gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings in the start while Brandon Maurer notched the win in relief. Danny Farquhar recorded his eighth save for the M's. Sonny Gray pitched seven innings of two-run ball for Oakland, but Sean Doolittle came on to give up four runs without recording an out and took the loss. Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer and Nate Freiman added a solo shot for the A's, who had won four out of five.

Giants Edge Red Sox

(San Francisco, CA) -- Marco Scutaro walked in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Giants edged the Red Sox 3-2 in the middle of a three-game series at AT&T Park.  Buster Posey's sac-fly RBI in the eighth tied the game at two. Joaquin Arias tripled in the other run for the Giants, who have won four of their last six. Sergio Romo was credited with the win after tossing a scoreless ninth. Shane Victorino homered and Mike Carp plated the other run for Boston, which has dropped five-of-seven.  Franklin Morales was charged with his first loss of the season.

Tuesday, August 20 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Colorado Rockies 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3

New York Mets 5, Atlanta Braves 3

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Miami Marlins 4

Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Cincinnati Reds 2

Washington Nationals 4, Chicago Cubs 2

Milwaukee Brewers 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3

Pittsburgh Pirates 8, San Diego Padres 1

MLB AL

New York Yankees 8, Toronto Blue Jays 4

New York Yankees 3, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Tampa Bay Rays 7, Baltimore Orioles 4

Minnesota Twins 6, Detroit Tigers 3

Texas Rangers 4, Houston Astros 2

Chicago White Sox 2, Kansas City Royals 0

Cleveland Indians 4, Los Angeles Angels 1 (14 inn)

Seattle Mariners 7, Oakland Athletics 4

MLB Interleague

San Francisco Giants 3, Boston Red Sox 2

Wednesday, August 21 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

12:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at New York Mets

1:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers

5:40 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres

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

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

MLB AL

2:35 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics

6:05 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels

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

MLB Interleague

2:45 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants