Cardinals' Wacha Just Misses No-Hitter, MLB Roundup

Cards Blank Nats; Wacha Denied No-Hitter

(St. Louis, MO) -- Michael Wacha saw his no-hitter end with two outs in the ninth inning but the Cardinals hung on for a 2-0 win over the Nationals at Busch Stadium. Wacha says winning is all that matters.

A chopper up the middle by Ryan Zimmerman denied the Cards their 11th no-hitter in franchise history.  Wacha ended up allowing the one hit and two walks while striking out nine in 8 2/3 innings as he improved to 4-1. Trevor Rosenthal recorded the final out for his second save.  Shane Robinson and Yadier Molina plated a run each for the Redbirds, who remain two games ahead of Pittsburgh for the NL Central lead. Gio Gonzalez gave up both runs in seven frames as he fell to 11-8. The Nats will try to avoid the three-game sweep on Wednesday.

Pirates Pound Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- Pedro Alvarez doubled twice and drove in three runs as the Pirates pounded the Cubs 8-2 in the second of three games at Wrigley Field. Jordy Mercer homered and Gerrit Cole knocked in a pair of runs for the Bucs, who remain two games behind the NL Central-leading Cardinals. Pittsburgh is now one game ahead of Cincinnati for the top NL Wild Card spot. On the mound, Cole gave up two runs over six innings as he improved his mark to 10-7. Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo plated a run each for the Cubs, who have lost three straight. Chris Rusin allowed four runs in less than three frames as he fell to 2-6.

Indians Come Back To Beat White Sox

(Cleveland, OH) -- Jason Giambi cracked a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the Indians to a 5-4 walk-off win over the White Sox in Cleveland. The Tribe had to storm back after Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza each hit solo shots to give Chicago the lead in the top of the ninth. Michael Brantley went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI for the Indians, who maintain one-game lead over Texas for the AL's second Wild Card spot.  Bryan Shaw picked up the win in relief after Chris Perez blew the save. De Aza ended up with two hits

Rays Blank Yanks

(Bronx, NY) -- The Yankees faltering playoff hopes took another hit as they were shutout 7-0 by the Rays in the first of three in the Bronx.  New York's elimination number sits at one. Rays manager Joe Maddon says they are feeling comfortable with the pressure of this pennant race.

Tampa Bay is atop the AL Wild Card standings, one game ahead of the Indians. Matt Moore combined with two relievers on the shutout. Moore improved to 16-and-4, while Jake Odorizzi earned a three-inning save.  Matt Joyce launched a solo homer for Tampa, which improved to 88-69. David DeJesus and James Loney each drove in two. Hiroki Kuroda fell to 11-13 allowing five runs and not making it out of the sixth inning.

Mets Double Up Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Daniel Murphy smacked a three-run homer to cap off a four-run second inning as the Mets doubled up the Reds 4-2 in the middle of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.  Wilfredo Tovar singled in the other run for New York, which has won four of its last five. Jonathon Niese tossed seven innings of two-run ball as he evened his record at 8-8. Vic Black hurled a perfect ninth for his first career save. Devin Mesoraco plated a run for the Reds, who are now three games behind the NL Central Division-leading Cardinals and one back of the Pirates for the top wild card spot. Mike Leake allowed four runs in less than two frames as he slipped to 14-7.

Phillies Score Early, Edge Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- The Phillies scored twice in the first inning and it was all they needed in a 2-1 win over the Marlins in Miami. Darin Ruf walked in a run and Kevin Frandsen followed with a RBI-groundout for the Phils, who snapped a five-game skid. Philadelphia used five pitchers with reliever Michael Stutes getting the win after a scoreless fifth inning. Jonathan Papelbon earned his 29th save. Justin Ruggiano had two hits and knocked in the Marlins' only run. Henderson Alvarez allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings but fell to 4-6. Miami suffered its second 100-loss season in franchise history. The Fish lost 108 games in 1998.

Braves Snip Brewers

(Atlanta, GA) -- Andrelton Simmons' RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Braves a 3-2 win over Brewers at Turner Field. Atlanta had dropped the opener of the three-game set. Craig Kimbrel grabbed the win after striking out the side in the top of the ninth. Freddie Freeman and Evan Gattis each drove in a run for the Braves, which improved to 93-64. Donovan Hand fell to 0-5. Jeff Bianchi hit his first homer of the season as Milwaukee fell to 70-87.

D'backs Edge Padres In 12 Innings

(San Diego, CA) -- Didi Gregorius tripled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning as the Diamondbacks edged the Padres 2-1 in the second of four games at Petco Park. The D'backs set the MLB record for most extra innings played in a season with 78, surpassing the 1969 Minnesota Twins previous mark of 76. Paul Goldschmidt clubbed his NL-leading 36th homer for Arizona, which improved to 17-7 in extra inning games this season. He extended his hitting streak to 14 while increasing his league-leading RBI total to 124. Josh Collmenter grabbed the win and Brad Ziegler posted his 12th save.  Reymond Fuentes scored the tying run on a passed ball in the eighth inning for the Friars, who have dropped three-of-four. Luke Gregerson suffered the loss.

Dodgers Hold Off Giants

(San Francisco, CA) -- Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp hit home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. Hyun-Jin Ryu went seven innings, allowing a run on four hits, to improve to 14-7. Former Giants closer Brian Wilson struck out two in one inning of work and Kenley Jansen earned his 28th save.  The Dodgers are 91-66 and two games behind Atlanta for the best record in the NL.  Tony Abreu homered for the Giants. Matt Cain allowed only two runs on seven hits in seven innings, but fell to 8-10.

Rangers Edge Astros

(Arlington, TX) -- The Rangers held off the Astros for a 3-2 win at Rangers Ballpark with Adrian Beltre hitting his 29th home run of the season. Geovany Soto and Ian Kinsler also drove in runs for Texas. Neal Cotts pitched a scoreless inning for the win and is 6-3. Joe Nathan earned his 41st save. The Rangers are 86-and-71 and remain one game behind the Cleveland Indians for the second AL Wild Card spot. Matt Dominguez homered for the Astros, who are 51-107. Brad Peacock took the loss to fall to 5-6.

Angels Shut Out A's

(Anaheim, CA) -- Jason Vargas tossed a four-hit, complete game shutout in the Angels' 3-0 win over the Athletics at Angels Stadium. Vargas struck out five and walked one to improve to 9-7. Josh Hamilton drove in two and Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer for the Angels, who have won seven of their last 10. Jed Lowrie had two hits for the A's, who remain a game behind Boston for the best record in the AL. A.J. Griffin gave up all three runs in five frames as he fell to 14-10.

Mariners Blank Royals

(Seattle, WA) -- James Paxton tossed a gem in his just fourth career start to lead the Mariners to a 4-0 win over the Royals at Safeco Field. Paxton struck out ten and scattered four hits over seven innings to improve to 3-0. Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer for Seattle, which had lost four out of five. Bruce Chen was tagged for four runs in five innings and fell to 8-4 for Kansas City. The Royals managed just five hits, two of which came off the bat of Eric Hosmer. KC slipped four games out of the Wild Card race and saw its elimination number shrink to two.

Rockies Rock Sox

(Denver, CO) -- The Rockies used three homers to power past the Red Sox, 8-3, in the first of two at Coors Field. Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson each left the yard. Tyler Chatwood picked up the win, dealing seven innings and allowing one unearned run. Jarrod Saltalamacchia cracked a two-run homer in the loss. John Lackey gave up four runs in six innings to drop to 10-13. Boston is 95-and-63 and a game ahead of Oakland for the best record in the American League.

Orioles' Machado Has Torn MPL

(Baltimore, MD  -- A sigh of relief is being exhaled from Orioles fans and the organization. A MRI revealed third baseman Manny Machado's knee injury isn't as bad as initially feared. Orioles Executive VP of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette says they should be able to get Manny Machado back by spring training.

He has a torn medial patellofemoral ligament that is expected to sideline him six-to-eight weeks. The 21-year-old has no ACL or MCL damage in his knee, and won't require surgery. The All-Star collapsed in pain after stepping on first base awkwardly in the O's 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday.

Tigers Homers Doom Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Scott Diamond's start against the Tigers on Tuesday night was essentially a microcosm of his disappointing season. Just when it looked like Diamond had it figured it out, like he did last year when he had a 3.54 ERA in 27 starts, he ran into one big inning that derailed his outing. Diamond pitched into the seventh inning but was doomed by three homers in the fourth as the Tigers handed the Twins a 4-2 loss at Target Field.

Tigers Clinch Playoff Spot

The Detroit Tigers have punched a postseason ticket. The Tigers have a four-and-a-half game lead on the Indians atop the AL Central. The Tribe owns the second Wild Card spot by one game over the Rangers.  The Orioles have been eliminated from postseason contention while one more loss for the Yankees will do the same.

Machado Survives Scare With Injury

(Baltimore, MD) -- Baltimore Orioles fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Third baseman Manny Machado has a torn medial patellofemoral ligament, but no damage to the ACL or MCL in his left knee. The injury is expected to keep him out six-to-eight weeks and no surgery will be needed. The team will seek a second opinion to confirm the news.

Tuesday, September 24 Scoreboard

MLB NL

New York Mets 4, Cincinnati Reds 2

Philadelphia Phillies 2, Miami Marlins 1

Atlanta Braves 3, Milwaukee Brewers 2

Pittsburgh Pirates 8, Chicago Cubs 2

St. Louis Cardinals 2, Washington Nationals 0

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, San Diego Padres 1 (12 inn)

Los Angeles Dodgers 2, San Francisco Giants 1

MLB AL

Cleveland Indians 5, Chicago White Sox 4

Toronto Blue Jays 3, Baltimore Orioles 2 (10 inn)

Tampa Bay Rays 7, New York Yankees 0

Texas Rangers 3, Houston Astros 2

Detroit Tigers 4, Minnesota Twins 2

Los Angeles Angels 3, Oakland Athletics 0

Seattle Mariners 4, Kansas City Royals 0

MLB Interleague

Colorado Rockies 8, Boston Red Sox 3

Wednesday, September 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

11:35 a.m. - New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds

11:45 a.m. - Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals

1:20 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs

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

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

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

9:15 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants

MLB AL

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

6:05 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians

6:05 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles

6:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

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

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

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

MLB Interleague

7:40 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at Colorado Rockies