Cardinals, Cubs Nab Wins, White Sox Drop Game, ML Roundup

Cards Double Up Brewers

(St. Louis, MO) -- Matt Holliday clubbed a two-run homer as the Cardinals doubled up the Brewers 4-2 in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Cardinals winning pitcher Shelby Miller says being in the pennant race is exciting.

Matt Carpenter and Matt Adams both plated a run and scored a run for the Redbirds, who have won four in-a-row and remain one game ahead of the Pirates for first place in the NL Central.  Miller tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings as he improved to 13-9. Logan Shafer smacked a pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth for Milwaukee, which had won its previous two. Wily Peralta allowed three runs in less than seven frames as he fell to 9-15 with the loss.

Cubs Club Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Welington Castillo hit a pair of home runs and knocked in three as the Cubs clobbered the Reds 9-1 in Cincinnati.  Donnie Murphy also drove in three runs and hit a two-run shot for Chicago, which has won four-of-six. Edwin Jackson added a solo jack in the win.  Jackson improved to 8-15 after allowing a run in seven innings.  Tony Cingrani gave up two runs in one-and-two-thirds innings to dip to 7-4. He left early due to back spasms.  Corky Miller knocked in the only run for Cincinnati, which has lost two straight.

Tigers Pound White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- Prince Fielder homered and Rick Porcello tossed a complete game, allowing one run on seven hits to lead the Tigers to a 9-1 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. It was Porcello's first career complete game as he moved to 12-8. Fielder had four hits on the night and drove in two runs. Alex Avila added four hits and two RBI. The Tigers moved 5 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central. The White Sox have lost 10 of their last 12 games. Erik Johnson lasted only 3 2/3 innings and fell to 0-2 for Chicago.

Padres Pound Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Chase Headley went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored as the Padres pounded the Phillies 8-2 in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Ronny Cedeno and Rene Rivera also drove in two runs each, while Jedd Gyorko had three hits, an RBI and scored three runs for San Diego, which has won four in-a-row and six of its last seven.  Andrew Cashner struck out seven over seven-and-two-thirds innings of two-run ball as he improved to 9-8. Cody Asche homered for the Phils, who had won their previous three. Tyler Cloyd was rocked for seven runs in four frames as he fell to 2-4.

Braves Clip Marlins, Reduce Magic Number To Seven

(Miami, FL) -- Evan Gattis and Chris Johnson each singled in runs in the third inning to lift the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Marlins in Miami. Gattis doubled in a run in the first and then scored on Brian McCann's double as Atlanta reduced its magic number to clinch the NL East to seven. Julio Teheran allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings to move to 12-7 while Craig Kimbrel notched his 46th save. Giancarlo Stanton doubled in a run as a part of a three-run first inning for Miami. Tom Koehler allowed four runs in five innings to fall to 3-10. The Fish have lost four straight.

Nationals Double Up Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Jayson Werth went 3-for-4 with two runs and a solo homer as the Nationals knocked off the Mets 6-3 at Citi Field. Scott Hairston hit a pinch-hit two-run homer for Washington, which has won four straight. Adam LaRoche also went yard for the Nats. Jordan Zimmermann allowed three runs in five-plus innings to improve to 17-8. Rafael Soriano notched his 40th save.  Dillon Gee gave up four runs in just over six innings for the loss.  Matt den Dekker knocked in two runs for New York, which has lost four-of-five.

Dodgers Walk Off On D'backs

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke smacked a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Dodgers edged the Diamondbacks 5-3 at Chavez Ravine.  Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier also drove in a run each for the Dodgers, who had lost four in-a-row before taking the first two games of this three-game set. Chris Withrow was credited with the win. Didi Gregorius hit a two-run homer and Miguel Montero also plated a run for Arizona, which has dropped three in-a-row and seven of its last 10 overall. Josh Collmenter suffered the loss.

Rockies Edge Giants Behind Cuddyer

(San Francisco, CA) -- Michael Cuddyer hit his second homer of the game in the top of the ninth to lift the Rockies to a 9-8 win over the Giants at AT&T Park.  Cuddyer hit a three-run jack in the fifth inning and finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Charlie Blackmon went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs for Colorado, which ended a four-game slide. Wilton Lopez picked up the win in relief while Rex Brothers recorded his 16th save. Hunter Pence went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and six RBI for San Francisco, which had won three out of four. Marco Scutaro was 3-for-6 with an RBI while Sergio Romo suffered the loss in relief.

Royals Double Up Indians

(Cleveland, OH) -- Alcides Escobar hit a solo home run to help the Royals rip the Indians 6-3 in Cleveland. Billy Butler went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for Kansas City, which has won three-of-four. The Royals are now three games out of the second Wild Card spot in the American League. Jeremy Guthrie allowed nine hits and a run in six innings for his 14th win.  Greg Holland locked up his 41st save. Zach McAllister allowed four runs in five-plus innings for the loss. Michael Bourn drove in two runs for Cleveland, which has lost two-of-three.  The Tribe is 1 1/2 games back in the Wild Card spot.

Yankees Get Past Orioles

(Baltimore, MD) -- Alfonso Soriano hit a pair of homers, including a tie-breaking two-run shot in the eighth to lead the Yankees to a 7-5 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards. Mark Reynolds also went deep and drove in two while Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Adam Warren picked up the win in relief while Mariano Rivera recorded four outs for his 42nd save. New York has won two out of three since a three-game slide and is now two games out of a Wild Card spot. Chris Davis hit a two-run homer, his major league-leading 49th of the year for Baltimore. Kevin Gausman allowed three runs in one-plus innings of work to take the loss. The O's had won four out of five and remain a 1 1/2 games out of the playoffs.

Angels Double Up Blue Jays

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Mark Trumbo was 5-for-5 with a solo homer and five runs as the Angels rolled the Blue Jays 12-6 at Rogers Centre. Josh Hamilton added four RBI and a solo shot for Los Angeles, which snapped a two-game slide. Erick Aybar also went deep while Chris Iannetta had a two-run jack for the Halos. Jerome Williams allowed six runs in five-plus innings for the win.  Mark Buehrle gave up eight runs in four-plus frames for the setback. Anthony Gose hit a grand slam and Rajai Davis smacked a solo homer for Toronto, which had won three in-a-row.

Red Sox Hold Off Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- The Red Sox scored twice in the fifth inning and it was all they needed in a 2-0 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Clay Buchholz improved to 10-0 with five innings of three-hit ball in his return from the disabled list. He was out since June 9th with a strained neck. Koji Uehara earned his 19th save and has retired 31 batters in-a-row out of the bullpen. Boston is now eight-and-a-half games ahead of Tampa in the AL East. The Rays remain a 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland and Baltimore in the AL Wild Card race, as both teams also lost.

Astros Blast Mariners

(Seattle, WA) -- The Astros collected 17 hits as a team in a 13-2 thrashing of the Mariners at Safeco Field. Jose Altuve, Brandon Laird and L.J. Hoes drove in three runs each. Laird and Jonathan Villar each hit home runs to back winning pitcher Jordan Lyles. It was Villar's first career homer. Lyles allowed one earned run on four hits over six innings to improve to 7-7. Franklin Gutierrez drove in both Seattle runs. Joe Saunders took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits over three innings. He's 11-14.

Pirates Hang On For Win Over Rangers

(Arlington, TX) -- The Pirates survived a late rally by the Rangers and came up with a 5-4 win at Rangers Ballpark. Andrew McCutchen had three hits and drove in three runs.  Francisco Liriano allowed one run on six hits over six innings to improve to 16-7. Mark Melancon allowed two runs on four hits in the ninth inning but held on for his 13th save. The Pirates remain one game behind St. Louis for the NL Central lead while Ian Kinsler drove in two runs and Alex Rios had three hits for the Rangers. Martin Perez lasted five innings but took the loss to fall to 9-4. Texas could not gain ground on first-place Oakland in the AL West and remains two games back of the A's.

Willingham's home runs lift Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire tried everything he could to get Josh Willingham going. The skipper benched him for two straight days leading up to Tuesday night's game against the A's, then put him back in left field for the first time since Aug. 31 and batted him sixth -- the lowest he's batted in the order since 2009. And it all worked to perfection, as Willingham made his former team pay by crushing a pair of homers, including a go-ahead two-run blast in the eighth inning to lead the Twins to a 4-3 win at Target Field.

Tuesday, September 10 Scoreboard

MLB NL

San Diego Padres 8, Philadelphia Phillies 2

Atlanta Braves 4, Miami Marlins 3

Chicago Cubs 9, Cincinnati Reds 1

Washington Nationals 6, New York Mets 3

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Milwaukee Brewers 2

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 3 (11 inn)

Colorado Rockies 9, San Francisco Giants 8

MLB AL

Kansas City Royals 6, Cleveland Indians 3

New York Yankees 7, Baltimore Orioles 5

Los Angeles Angels 12, Toronto Blue Jays 6

Boston Red Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0

Detroit Tigers 9, Chicago White Sox 1

Minnesota Twins 4, Oakland Athletics 3

Houston Astros 13, Seattle Mariners 2

MLB Interleague

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Texas Rangers 4

Wednesday, September 11 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

11:35 a.m. - Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds

2:45 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants

6:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins

6:10 p.m. - Washington Nationals at New York Mets

7:15 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals

9:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB AL

11:05 a.m. - Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians

6:05 p.m. - New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

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

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

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

7:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Minnesota Twins

9:10 p.m. - Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

1:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Texas Rangers