Cubs Lose On Squeeze, Cards, White Sox Win, ML Roundup

Brew Crew Edges Cubs On Squeeze In Ninth

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Logan Schafer laid down a suicide squeeze to score Jeff Bianchi in the bottom of the ninth as the Brewers picked up a 4-3 walk-off win over the Cubs at Miller Park.  Carlos Gomez tied the game in the seventh with a two-run homer and finished with three RBI.  Jim Henderson picked up the win in relief for Milwaukee, which has won three straight and five out of six. Welington Castillo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer while Justin Grimm suffered the loss for Chicago. The Cubs have lost four in-a-row.

Cardinals Smash Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- The Cardinals enjoyed an offensive outburst with 18 hits in an 11-4 pounding of the Rockies at Coors Field. The Cards' top three hitters in the order combined for 10 hits, five RBI and six runs scored. Former Rockie Matt Holliday led the group, going 4-for-4 with three RBI. Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso also drove in runs for St. Louis. Joe Kelly got the win after shutting out Colorado on three hits over five innings. St. Louis moved a game ahead of Pittsburgh for the NL Central lead. Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Rox. Juan Nicasio took the loss to fall to 8-8. He gave up eight runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings.

White Sox Top Twins

(Chicago, IL) -- Dayan Viciedo had three hits and two RBI as the White Sox defeated the Twins 4-3 at U.S. Cellular Field. Alejandro De Aza added two hits and a pair of runs scored while Jose Quintana allowed one run on eight hits in six innings to improve to 8-and-6.  Addison Reed picked up his 38th save. Brian Dozier led the Twins with three hits and two runs scored, while Trevor Plouffe drove in two runs for the Twins. Mike Pelfrey took the loss to fall to 5-13. Chicago has won two straight while Minnesota has lost two in-a-row.

Nationals Sweep Braves In Doubleheader

(Washington, DC) -- Tanner Roark shut down the Braves offense for seven innings as Washington beat Atlanta 4-0, sweeping a day-night doubleheader in D.C. Roark improved to 7-and-0 on the season as he only gave up two hits and struck out six. Ryan Zimmerman connected for his 25th homer for the Nats, who have won 10 out of 11 games. Freddy Garcia suffered the loss despite giving up just one run in seven frames.  Atlanta's offense only managed five hits on the evening. The Braves have lost four-of-five. In the opener, an error by shortstop Andrelton Simmons allowed the tying and winning runs to score as the Nationals rallied for a 6-5 victory.

Padres Clip Pirates

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Jed Gyorko cracked a three-run homer to lead the Padres past the Pirates, 5-2, in the second of four games at PNC Park. Gyorko had three hits and scored two runs. Eric Stults picked up the win as San Diego has taken the first two of the series. Marlon Byrd drove in both Pittsburgh runs. Jeff Locke fell to 10-6, allowing four runs in five innings. At 87-64, the Pirates are now a game behind the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.  St. Louis beat Colorado Tuesday.

Phillies Hold Off Marlins

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Chase Utley went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBI to lead the Phillies past the Marlins 6-4 at Citizens Bank Park. Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single for the Phils, who will go for the three-game sweep Wednesday. Roy Halladay tossed six innings of one-run, four-hit ball to even his record at 4-4. Jonathan Papelbon gave up a run in the ninth but held on for his 28th save. Ed Lucas and Justin Ruggiano both plated a run and scored a run for the Fish, who have lost four straight and 10 of their last 12 overall. Brian Flynn, making his third career start, allowed all six runs in six frames as he fell to 0-2.

Giants Hang On To Top Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- The Mets made it interesting at the end, but the Giants survived a one-out, bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the ninth for an 8-5 win at Citi Field. Sergio Romo got out of the inning. Angel Pagan went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI to pace the Giants. Yusmeiro Petit got the win for the Giants, who have won four straight. Daniel Murphy had two hits and an RBI for the Mets. Sean Henn took the loss in relief for the Mets.

Dodgers Crush D'backs

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Matt Kemp went 4-for-4 with three RBI as the Dodgers crushed the Diamondbacks 9-3 in the second of four games at Chase Field. Kemp was making just his second appearance and first start since returning from the disabled list. Adrian Gonzalez and Juan Uribe both hit two-run homers for the Dodgers, whose magic number to clinch the NL West is down to two. Zack Greinke tossed six innings of two-run ball as he upped his mark to 15-3. Aaron Hill homered for the D'backs, who had won their previous three.  Patrick Corbin was tagged for six runs in just two frames as he slipped to 14-7. The left-hander has lost four of his last five decisions while his ERA jumped over three for the first time this year.

Blue Jays Blank Yanks

(Toronto, Ontario) -- Colby Rasmus and Rajai Davis each hit solo homers to lift the Blue Jays to a 2-0 win over the Yankees at Rogers Centre. R.A. Dickey tossed seven innings of four-hit ball while walking two and striking out eight. He improved to 13-12 with the victory while Casey Janssen locked down his 31st save. Toronto has won two out of three since a four-game slide. Andy Pettitte allowed a run over 6 2/3 innings but fell to 10-10. Alfonso Soriano doubled and Lyle Overbay reached twice but New York lost its fourth in-a-row. The Yanks are three-and-a-half out of the second AL Wild Card spot.

Tigers Down Mariners Late

(Detroit, MI) -- The Tigers bats woke up late clinching a 6-2 win over the Mariners in the second of four games at Comerica Park. Detroit scored one on the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth. Miguel Cabrera hit his 44th homer of the season and Don Kelly also left the yard. Reliever Al Alburquerque grabbed the win. Anibal Sanchez struck out 10 and allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings as the Tigers jumped to 88-63. Raul Ibanez hit a solo homer for the Mariners, who fell to 66-85. Yoervis Medina took his sixth loss.

Orioles Edge Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- Matt Wieters' sac-fly in the top of the ninth lifted the Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Chris Davis tied the game in the sixth with his major league-best 51st home run of the year. That sets a new team record, surpassing Brady Anderson's mark from 1996. Tommy Hunter picked up the win in relief while Jim Johnson notched his 46th save. Baltimore has won three out of four and is two games out of the AL's second Wild Card spot. Dustin Pedroia hit a solo homer for Boston while Koji Uehara suffered the loss. The Sox saw a three-game winning streak end, but also had its magic number to clinch the AL East reduced to three after the Rays lost.

Rangers Sink Rays, Pull Even In Wild Card

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer and drove in three to help the Rangers in a 7-1 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Ian Kinsler hit a solo shot and knocked in three as Texas pulled even with the Rays for the AL's top Wild Card spot at 82-68. Leonys Martin went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs while Alexi Ogando pitched five innings of one-run ball to move to 7-4. The win snapped a seven-game slide for the Rangers. Jose Lobaton provided Tampa Bay with its lone run by smashing his seventh homer. Jeremy Hellickson allowed five runs in less than three innings and fell to 11-9.

Indians Rally Past Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- Asdrubal Cabrera doubled in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning as the Indians rallied past the Royals 5-3 in the middle of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.  Michael Bourn added some insurance with a solo homer in the ninth.  He also had an RBI-triple and scored twice for the Tribe, which has won five-of-six and now trails Texas and Tampa Bay by just a half-game for the top AL Wild Card Spot. Cody Allen picked up the win and Chris Perez notched his 25th save. Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas all drove in a run for the Royals, who are now three-and-a-half games out of a wild card spot. Wade Davis fell to 7-11 with the loss.

Donaldson Lifts A's To Win Over Halos

(Oakland, CA) -- Josh Donaldson singled in the deciding run in the bottom of the ninth as the Athletics picked up a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Angels at The Coliseum. Brandon Moss doubled in Oakland's other run in the bottom of the first. Sonny Gray pitched six innings of one-run ball in the start while Grant Balfour picked up the win in relief. The A's have won six out of seven. Mike Trout cracked his 25th homer of the year in the first frame for Los Angeles. Garrett Richards tossed seven innings of one-run ball, but the Halos saw a three-game winning streak end.

Reds Pound Astros

(Houston, TX) -- The Reds posted four runs in the first inning as they pounded the Astros, 10-0, in the second of three at Minute Maid Park. Jay Bruce hit a grand slam in the fourth inning and Zack Cozart had two hits and three RBI.  Mike Leake earned the win, pitching eight shutout innings with six strikeouts. Sean Marshall struck out two in a perfect ninth inning.  It was Marshall's first appearance since May 20th. Cincinnati is two-and-half games behind St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. Jordan Lyles allowed nine runs, eight of which were earned, to take the loss. Houston had five hits as a team.

Mets' Harvey Holds Off On Surgery

(Flushing, NY) -- After meeting with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, New York Mets ace pitcher Matt Harvey will delay surgery to his right elbow and continue the rehabilitation process in hopes of pitching in 2014. Harvey says he wants to avoid surgery at all costs.

Harvey has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, which was revealed by an MRI on August 26th.  Typically, the injury requires Tommy John surgery in order to correct. Mets physicians determined the surgical procedure would likely be necessary, unless Harvey could complete a throwing program free of elbow related symptoms. Apparently, Harvey is willing to give it a shot after speaking with Dr. Andrews on Monday, who recommended he try the throwing program before making a decision. It will be a six-to-eight week process.  If Harvey ends up needing to get Tommy John surgery, he will miss the entire 2014 season.

Astros Lose 100th Game For Third Straight Season

(Houston, TX) -- The Houston Astros managed just five hits in Tuesday's 10-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The defeat was Houston's 100th of the season, making it the third straight year the Astros have reached the century-mark in losses. The 'Stros are the first team to have three straight 100-loss seasons since the Kansas City Royals did so from 2004-06.
 

Tuesday, September 17 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Washington Nationals 6, Atlanta Braves 5

Washington Nationals 4, Atlanta Braves 0

San Diego Padres 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Miami Marlins 4

San Francisco Giants 8, New York Mets 5

Milwaukee Brewers 4, Chicago Cubs 3

St. Louis Cardinals 11, Colorado Rockies 4

Los Angeles Dodgers 9, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

MLB AL

Toronto Blue Jays 2, New York Yankees 0

Detroit Tigers 6, Seattle Mariners 2

Baltimore Orioles 3, Boston Red Sox 2

Texas Rangers 7, Tampa Bay Rays 1

Cleveland Indians 5, Kansas City Royals 3

Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota Twins 3

Oakland Athletics 2, Los Angeles Angels 1

MLB Interleague

Cincinnati Reds 10, Houston Astros 0

Wednesday, September 18 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:05 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals

6:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates

6:05 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies

6:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at New York Mets

7:10 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers

7:40 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies

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

MLB AL

1:10 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox

2:35 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics

6:07 p.m. - New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays

6:08 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers

6:10 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox

6:10 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays

7:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals

MLB Interleague

7:10 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros