Cubs, Cardinals Drop Games, Sox Win, ML Roundup

Braves Top Cubs, Clinch NL East

(Chicago, IL) -- The Braves clinched the NL East title for the first time in eight years even before their game against the Cubs ended.  The Nationals' loss in the first game of a doubleheader sealed it for Atlanta, then the Braves celebrated with a 5-2 win over the Cubs. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer, and Andrelton Simmons had two homers. Julio Teheran struck out seven and allowed one run to improve to 13-8. Craig Kimbrel earned his 49th save. Dioner Navarro had two hits and an RBI for the Cubs. Edwin Jackson took the loss to fall to 8-17.

White Sox Double Up Tigers

(Detroit, MI) -- Conor Gillaspie scored three times and knocked in two runs as the White Sox doubled up the Tigers 6-3 at Comerica Park. Avisail Garcia and Jeff Keppinger each had three hits and two RBI for Chicago, which snapped a three-game slide. Erik Johnson allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings for the win. Anibal Sanchez gave up four runs in five innings for the loss. Alex Avila was 3-for-3 with a run scored for Detroit, which is five games up on Cleveland in the AL Central.  Prince Fielder hit a solo home run in defeat.

Rockies Outlast Cardinals In 15

(Denver, CO) -- Corey Dickerson's second triple of the game drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 15th inning as the Colorado Rockies dealt the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-6 loss at Coors Field.  Dickerson also had a run-scoring triple in the eighth inning and finished 3-for-7, while Charlie Blackmon collected four hits to help the Rockies earn a split of the four-game series. With the loss the Cardinals' lead atop the NL Central is down to one game over Pittsburgh. Todd Helton hit a game-tying solo homer off Cards closer Edward Mujica in the bottom of the ninth. Troy Tulowitzki added a two-run shot. Rob Scahill earned his first major league victory after working out of a jam in the top of the 15th. Matt Holliday went 3-for-4  with two RBI for St. Louis. Jon Jay had two hits and scored twice in the loss.  Fernando Salas took the loss after giving up a run on two hits in 1 2/3 and fell to 0-3.
 

Reds Clobber Pirates, Move Into Wild-Card Tie

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The Reds put seven runs on the board in the first two innings and coasted to an 11-3 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.  Billy Hamilton and Chris Heisey tallied three hits each and scored five runs between them.  Hamilton also stole two bases. Jay Bruce drove in four runs and Todd Frazier added a two-run home run.  Bronson Arroyo allowed three runs on five hits over five innings to improve to 14-11. Neil Walker and Travis Snider each hit a solo shot for the Pirates. Jeff Locke was rocked for five runs in the first inning and did not pitch beyond that. He dropped to 10-7. The Red and Pirates are tied for the NL wild card lead at 89-and-67 and are close to clinching the two spots.

Tovar Debut Helps Mets Sweep Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA  -- Wilfredo Tovar was 2-for-4 with an RBI in his major league debut to help the Mets sweep the Phillies with a 4-3 victory in the finale of the three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.  Carlos Torres pitched six innings of two-run ball to get the win for the Mets. Juan Lagares had three hits and an RBI for New York. Cliff Lee allowed three runs and struck out eight in seven innings to take the loss for the Phillies, who have dropped four in-a-row. Chase Utley and Kevin Frandsen each had two hits for Philadelphia, which named Ryne Sandberg their permanent manager prior to the start of the game.

Marlins Nip Nationals

(Washington, D.C.) -- Giancarlo Stanton smacked a two-run home run in the first inning to help the Marlins knocked off the Nationals 4-2 in the first game of a doubleheader from D.C. Christian Yelich also went deep for Miami. Tom Koehler allowed two runs in six innings for the win. Steve Cishek picked up his 32nd save. Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run home run for Washington, which was eliminated from the NL East with the loss. Dan Haren gave up three runs in six innings for the loss. The Nats are five-and-a-half games back of Pittsburgh for the second NL Wild Card spot. They honored retiring manager Davey Johnson in a ceremony before the game.

Dodgers Shut Out Padres

(San Diego, CA) -- The Dodgers only needed one run as they shutout the Padres at Petco Park.  Zack Greinke went five innings and gave up two hits and struck out three while J.P. Howell twirled a scoreless sixth inning and picked up the win. Adrian Gonzalez scored the lone run on a double by Michael Young as the Dodgers won their third in four games. Andrew Cashner fell to 10-9 for San Diego after tossing seven innings and giving up an unearned run. Jedd Gyorko and Rene Rivera each had a hit for the Padres, who have dropped three-of-four.

D'backs Power Past Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- Matt Davidson hit a three-run home run and the Diamondbacks pounded the Rockies 13-9 at Coors Field. Davidson totaled four RBI and led a 19-hit attack for Arizona, which has won two straight since losing three out of four. Adam Eaton and Gerardo Parra each had three hits and knocked in two while Will Harris picked up the win in relief of Patrick Corbin. Todd Helton went 3-for-5 with four RBI as his career winds down. Juan Nicasio allowed seven runs in less than three innings and fell to 8-9. Colorado has lost four out of six.

Nats Earn Doubleheader Split With Marlins

(Washington, DC) -- Eury Perez scored when Wilson Ramos reached on an error in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Nationals to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Marlins in DC. The victory secured a doubleheader split for Washington, which is five games out of a Wild Card spot. Denard Span went 2-for-5 with three RBI while Rafael Soriano notched the win in relief. Justin Ruggiano hit a solo homer for Miami, which has lost three out of four. Sam Dyson suffered the loss in relief. The Marlins won the first game of the twinbill, 4-2.

Indians Trounce Astros

(Cleveland, OH) -- Carlos Santana hit a solo homer and knocked in two runs as the Indians pounded the Astros 9-2 in Cleveland. Michael Bourn, Michael Brantley and Mike Aviles also knocked in two runs for Cleveland, which swept the four-game series. Cleveland is a game and a half up on Texas for the second AL Wild Card spot. Corey Kluber allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for his 10th win. Erik Bedard gave up six runs in five-plus frames for the loss. Chris Carter hit a solo homer for Houston, which has lost nine straight.

Rays Rip Orioles

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- David DeJesus lifted a solo home run as the Rays ripped the Orioles 3-1 at the Trop. Desmond Jennings was 2-for-3 for Tampa Bay, which has won three of the first four in this series. James Loney and Matt Joyce also knocked in a run for the Rays. Brandon Gomes picked up the win while Fernando Rodney locked up his 36th save. Scott Feldman allowed three runs in 6 1/3 for the loss. Matt Wieters knocked in the only run for Baltimore, which is now 4 1/2 games back of Cleveland for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Maxwell, KC Slam Texas

(Kansas City, MO) -- Justin Maxwell blasted a 10th-inning walk-off grand slam to lift the Royals to a 4-0 win over the Rangers in Kansas City. James Shields tossed eight innings of scoreless ball for a no-decision. Tim Collins improved to 3-6 out of the bullpen. Kansas City is 3 1/2 games back of Cleveland for the second AL Wild Card spot. Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre each had two hits for Texas, which is a game and a half back of the Indians. Alexi Ogando allowed two his over seven shutout frames for a no decision. Neal Cotts took the loss.

Smoak Homer Helps M's Top Halos

(Anaheim, CA) -- Justin Smoak smacked a two-run homer in the sixth inning to break up a 1-1 game and the Mariners went on to beat the Angels 3-2 at Angel Stadium. Mike Zunino doubled in a run in the second for Seattle, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Felix Hernandez struck out 10 but threw 92 pitches to get through just four innings. Oliver Perez got the win in relief and Danny Farquhar notched his 15th save. C.J. Wilson fanned nine over eight a third innings of three-run ball to fall to 17-7 with the loss. Kole Calhoun homered for Los Angeles. The game was delayed 23 minutes in the bottom of the third inning due to a bee swarm.

A's Beat Twins, Win AL West

(Oakland, CA) -- The Athletics scored six runs in the second inning and cruised past the Twins 11-7 at the Coliseum, clinching the AL West in the process. Sonny Gray allowed four runs in five innings to pick up the win for Oakland, which swept the four-game series. Daric Barton went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and three runs scored, and Coco Crisp blasted a three-run shot and knocked in four. It's the second straight division title for the A's, who hadn't won back-to-back AL West crowns since 2002 and 2003. Cole DeVries took the loss for Minnesota after giving up six runs in two innings. Oswaldo Arcia went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and six RBI for the Twins, who have lost six of seven.

Giants Edge Yankees Amid Farewell To Rivera

(Bronx, NY) -- The Yankees celebrated the careers of retiring pitchers Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitt, then lost to the Giants 2-1 at Yankee Stadium. Ehire Adrianza hit a solo home run off Pettitte in the sixth inning and Tony Abreu doubled in Nick Noonan with the go-ahead run in the eighth off reliever David Robertson. Pettitte took the hard-luck loss in the second-to-last start of his career to fall to 10-and-11. He allowed only two runs on two hits in seven-plus innings. Javier Lopez got the win in relief for the Giants and Sergio Romo earned his 36th save. The Yankees dropped four games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League. Two MLB Teams Clinch Divisions

The MLB postseason picture is starting to come into focus. The Atlanta Braves clinched the NL East and the Oakland Athletics captured the AL West crown on Sunday. They join the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers as division winners. The St. Louis Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot and have a two-game lead on Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Sunday, September 22 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Cincinnati Reds 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

New York Mets 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3

Miami Marlins 4, Washington Nationals 2

Atlanta Braves 5, Chicago Cubs 2

Los Angeles Dodgers 1, San Diego Padres 0

Arizona Diamondbacks 13, Colorado Rockies 9

Washington Nationals 5, Miami Marlins 4

Milwaukee Brewers 6, St. Louis Cardinals 4

MLB AL

Cleveland Indians 9, Houston Astros 2

Chicago White Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 3

Boston Red Sox 5, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Tampa Bay Rays 3, Baltimore Orioles 1

Kansas City Royals 4, Texas Rangers 0 (10 inn)

Seattle Mariners 3, Los Angeles Angels 2

Oakland Athletics 11, Minnesota Twins 7

MLB Interleague

San Francisco Giants 2, New York Yankees 1

Monday, September 23 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:10 p.m. - New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds

6:10 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins

6:10 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves

7:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs

7:15 p.m. - Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals

9:10 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres

MLB AL

2:10 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays

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

7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins

7:10 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox

9:05 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels

9:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled