Major League Roundup -- September 2

Reds Take Series Opener From Cardinals

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Joey Votto and Shin-Soo Choo both homered as the Reds made up ground on the Cardinals in the NL Central with a 7-2 win from Great American Ball Park. Choo drove in two and was one of five Reds with two hits. Mat Latos went the distance for his 14th win and only gave up two runs on four hits. The Reds pulled within two-and-a-half games of St Louis for second place in the NL Central. Adam Wainwright was knocked around for six runs on 10 hits in six innings and suffered his ninth loss. Matt Holliday had two hits and a sac-fly RBI in the loss.

Marlins Hold On, Beat Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Henderson Alvarez pitched six innings and hit a three-run homer as the Marlins beat the Cubs 4-3 from Wrigley Field. Alvarez improved to 3-and-3 while giving up three runs on seven hits and went 2-for-2 with three RBI at the plate. Steve Cishek closed out the game for his 29th save as the Marlins won their second straight after losing six in-a-row. Travis Wood lost his 11th game after giving up four runs on nine hits in seven innings. Dioner Navarro and Ryan Sweeney both collected two hits apiece for the Cubs.

Two Men Attempt To Steal Ivy From Wrigley Field

(Chicago, IL) -- Two men are behind bars after allegedly breaking into Chicago's Wrigley Field in an attempt to steal ivy from the historic ballpark's center field wall. Kevin Burge and Steven Gudknecht have both been charged with misdemeanor trespassing after their arrest. A Cubs spokesman says there was no property damage from the incident.

Yankees Crush White Sox

(Bronx, NY) -- Derek Jeter and Austin Romine each drove in two runs to power the Yankees to a 9-1 win over the White Sox in New York. Brett Gardner was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored for New York, which has won three-of-four overall. Starter Phil Hughes lasted just over an inning prior to a nearly two-hour rain delay. David Huff allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings of relief for the win. Paul Konerko belted his 10th home run of the season for Chicago, which has lost four straight. Starter Jose Quintana was in the game for one inning but gave up a run for the loss.

Braves Blast Mets

(Atlanta, GA) -- Freddie Freeman smacked a three-run homer and a two-run double in the first two innings as the Braves blasted the Mets 13-5 in the opener of a three-game series at Turner Field. Andrelton Simmons drove in three runs, while Jordan Shafer went 4-for-5 with an RBI, two runs and three stolen bases for the Braves, who have won seven of their last eight. Paul Maholm allowed three runs in five innings as he evened his record at 10-10. Daniel Murphy and Juan Lagares both had an RBI and scored a run for the Mets, who have lost two in-a-row after a three-game winning streak. Daisuke Matsuzaka was tagged for six runs in three frames as he fell to 0-3. "Dice-K" also plated a run in the setback.

Pirates Beat Brewers To Reclaim NL Central Lead

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Neil Walker clubbed a three-run homer as the Pirates beat the Brewers 5-2 in the opener of a three-game series at Miller Park. Jose Tabata went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI-singles for the Bucs, who reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NL Central.  The Pirates now lead the Cardinals by one game after St. Louis lost in Cincinnati. Charlie Morton struck out six while giving up two runs, one earned, in seven innings as he improved to 7-3.  Mark Melancon closed it out for his 10th save. Logan Schafer plated a run for the Brewers, who have lost four in-a-row. Tyler Thornburg gave up two runs in six frames to suffer his first career loss.

Padres Beat Giants

(San Diego, CA) -- Nick Hundley homered to back six solid innings from Ian Kennedy, as the Padres beat the Giants 4-1 in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park. Kennedy struck out seven, while giving up one run on five hits as he improved to 3-1 with the Padres and 6-and-9 overall. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save. Chris Denorfia hit a two-run single and Ronny Cedeno plated a run and scored once for the Friars, who snapped a three-game skid. Brandon Belt doubled in the lone run for San Francisco, which has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games. Barry Zito allowed all four runs in four frames as he fell to 4-11 with his eighth straight loss. He hasn't won a game since May 30.

Dodgers Outslug Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Andre Ethier went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Dodgers outslugged the Rockies 10-8 from Coors Field. Clayton Kershaw overcame a poor outing for his 14th win.  He was knocked around for five runs on a career-high 11 hits. Kershaw was also 2-of-2 at the plate with a pair of RBI. Kenley Jansen shut the door for his 25th save as Los Angeles won its fifth straight. Outfielder Yasiel Puig left the game in the sixth inning with a mild right knee sprain. Jeff Manship fell to 0-5 as he suffered the loss in relief, giving up three runs on three hits.  Seven Rockies had two or more hits in the game.

Phillies Knock Off Nationals

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Carlos Ruiz singled in the winning run during the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Phillies a 3-2 win over the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Ruiz also knocked in a run in the fourth to tie the game at one. Jimmy Rollins doubled in the tying run in the eighth for Philadelphia, which snapped a two-game skid. Cole Hamels struck out eight in seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball, but B.J. Rosenberg picked up the win. Jonathan Papelbon notched his 24th save. Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 while allowing two hits and an unearned run in six frames. Tyler Clippard took the loss. Ryan Zimmerman lifted a solo home run for Washington, which has lost three of its last four games.

Tigers Blank Red Sox In Boston

(Boston, MA) -- Andy Dirks tripled in a run to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning as the Tigers blanked the Red Sox 3-0 in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. Prince Fielder also plated a run for Detroit, which is now just a half-game behind Boston for the best record in the American League. Doug Fister fired seven shutout innings as he improved to 12-7. Jose Veras closed it out for his 21st save. Daniel Nava went 3-for-3 with a walk for the Red Sox, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the White Sox and had won seven-of-eight coming in. John Lackey allowed all three runs in 7 1/3 frames as he slipped to 8-12.

Twins Outslug Astros

(Houston, TX) -- Chris Colabello broke a six-all tie with a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning as the Twins beat the Astros 10-6 from Minute Maid Park.  Colabello was 2-for-5 with two homers and five RBI. Josh Roenicke picked up the win with two shutout innings. The Twins have won three-of-four on their current road trip. Chia-Jen Lo suffered his third loss after he surrendered the grand slam in the ninth. Jose Altuve went 4-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base in the loss. The 'Stros have now lost six-of-seven.

Royals Nip Mariners

(Kansas City, MO) -- Jarrod Dyson scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning and the Royals held on to top the Mariners 3-1 in the first of four games from Kauffman Stadium. Mike Moustakas singled in a run to tie the game at one for Kansas City, which has won seven-of-nine. Will Smith struck out eight in 4 1/3 innings of relief for the win. Greg Holland picked up his 37th save. Felix Hernandez allowed three runs in 6 2/3 frames for the loss. He left in the seventh with an injured back. Brad Miller tripled in the lone run for Seattle, which has lost two straight.

Norris Deals As O's Beat Indians

(Cleveland, OH) -- Bud Norris delivered his best performance as an Oriole as Baltimore beat Cleveland 7-2 from Progressive Field.  Norris picked up his fourth win for the Birds, throwing seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball. Matt Wieters collected four hits including his 20th home run and drove in two runs. Indians starter Justin Masterson left the game in the second inning with a rib injury but was still saddled with the loss after giving up one run on one hit. Jason Kipnis hit his 17th homer and Michael Brantley extended his hit streak to seven games after going 3-for-4. The Tribe has now lost six-of-seven.

A's Double Up Rangers

(Oakland, CA) -- Coco Crisp lifted a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Athletics the lead, and they held on to beat the Rangers 4-2 in Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes also went deep for Oakland, which is now tied atop the AL West with Texas at 79-58. Dan Straily allowed two runs in five innings for his eighth win. Grant Balfour locked up his 36th save for the A's, who have won four straight. Derek Holland allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings for his seventh loss. David Murphy hit a two-run jack for Texas, which has lost three-of-four.

Rogers Answers Call as Blue Jays  Down D-backs

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Before Blue Jays manager John Gibbons sent Esmil Rogers to the mound Monday afternoon, he told reporters that the start represented an opportunity for the 28-year-old journeyman to turn some heads as the club tries to evaluate its assets in preparation for the offseason just a month away. If that was a challenge issued by the skipper, Rogers certainly answered the call, and loudly. Tossing 6 1/3 one-hit, scoreless innings, Rogers turned in arguably the best performance of his five-year Major League career as the Blue Jays jumped out to an early lead and tacked on late on Edwin Encarnacion's 35th home run to take down the D-backs, 4-1, at Chase Field.

Angels Maul Rays

(Anaheim, CA) -- Erick Aybar's big night led the Angels to a 11-2 victory against the Rays in the first of four games in Anaheim. Aybar was 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Grant Green connected for his first major league home run as Los Angeles has won nine of 10. Garrett Richards improved to 5-6. Tampa Bay's lead in the wild card standing was cut two ahead of the Orioles and 2 1/2 in front of the Yankees. Chris Archer gave up five runs and couldn't make it out of the fourth inning as he fell to 8-6. Ben Zobrist supplied all of the offense for the Rays hitting a solo shot and driving in two.

Monday, September 2 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Atlanta Braves 13, New York Mets 5

Cincinnati Reds 7, St. Louis Cardinals 2

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Milwaukee Brewers 2

Miami Marlins 4, Chicago Cubs 3

San Diego Padres 4, San Francisco Giants 1

Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Colorado Rockies 8

Philadelphia Phillies 3, Washington Nationals 2

MLB AL

New York Yankees 9, Chicago White Sox 1

Detroit Tigers 3, Boston Red Sox 0

Minnesota Twins 10, Houston Astros 6

Kansas City Royals 3, Seattle Mariners 1

Baltimore Orioles 7, Cleveland Indians 2

Oakland Athletics 4, Texas Rangers 2

Los Angeles Angels 11, Tampa Bay Rays 2

MLB Interleague

Toronto Blue Jays 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Tuesday, September 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

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

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

6:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds

7:05 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs

7:10 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers

7:40 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies

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

MLB AL

6:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians

6:05 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees

6:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox

7:10 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros

7:10 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals

9:05 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics

9:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Angels

MLB Interleague

8:40 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Arizona Diamondbacks