White Sox Drop Game, Cards Host Cubs, ML Roundup

Royals Get By White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- David Lough hit a two-run homer to back starter Jeremy Guthrie's winning effort in the Royals' 3-2 victory over the White Sox. Guthrie allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings to improve to 15-12.  Greg Holland earned his 46th save. Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn hit solo home runs for the Sox. Andre Rienzo allowed two earned runs on four hits in six innings but fell to 2-3. The two teams have three games left against each other to wind up the 2013 season.

Cardinals Host Cubs

(St. Louis, MO) -- The St. Louis Cardinals close out the regular season at home starting tonight. The Cards welcome in the Chicago Cubs to Busch Stadium for three games. Lance Lynn toes the rubber in Game One against Travis Wood. The Redbirds are tied for the best record in the National League at 94-65.

The Cubs send Travis Wood to the mound. Edwin Jackson and Jeff Samardzija close out the season for Chicago against Joe Kelly and Adam Wainwright, respectively.

Padres Edge Diamondbacks In 11

(San Diego, CA) -- Alexi Amarista's single in the bottom of the 11th inning drove in the winning run as San Diego topped Arizona 3-2 at Petco Park. Jedd Gyorko and Chase Headley also drove in a run. Nick Vincent threw two shutout innings in relief to improve to 6-3. Martin Prado homered for the Diamondbacks, who managed only three hits.  Josh Collmenter allowed the winning run and took the loss to fall to 5-5. The Diamondbacks are 80-79 and finish the season at home. The Padres are 75-84.

Braves Hammer Phillies

(Atlanta, GA) -- Jason Heyward set a career high with five hits to lead the Braves to a 7-1 win over the Phillies at Turner Field. Heyward's hit total included a home run. Evan Gattis added three RBI. Starter David Hale got his first major-league win after going six innings and allowing a run on seven hits. Catcher Brian McCann left the game in the second inning with an abductor strain. The Braves have alternated wins and losses since last Friday and find themselves in a tie for the best record in the National League with St. Louis at 94-65. Tyler Cloyd didn't make it out of the second inning and allowed seven runs on eight hits and dropped to 2-7. He drove in the Phils' only run.

Brewers Double Up Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- The Brewers scored four runs in the second inning and held on for a 4-2 win over the Mets in the first of four games at Citi Field. Scooter Gennett drove in two, while reliever Alfredo Figaro grabbed his third win. Milwaukee is 72-87. Josh Satin hit a solo homer, his third of the year in the loss. Eric Young Jr. stole two bases to up his total to 44. Dillon Gee went six innings and fell to 12-11. The Mets are 73-86.

Giants Rally To Top Dodgers

(San Francisco, CA) -- Angel Pagan's solo home run in the bottom of the eighth capped a 3-2 comeback win for the Giants over the Dodgers at AT&T Park. Santiago Casilla got the win in relief with a scoreless eighth inning, and Sergio Romo earned his 38th save. Tim Lincecum pitched seven innings of two-run ball but got a no-decision in what could be his last start as a Giant. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner's contract expires at the end of this season. Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Ellis both had an RBI for L.A. Paco Rodriguez took the loss to fall to 3-4. The Dodgers are three games behind Atlanta and St. Louis for the best record in the National League.

Profar, Rangers Nip Angels

(Arlington, TX) -- Jurickson Profar belted a pinch-hit, solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Rangers a 6-5 win over the Angels in Arlington. Craig Gentry was 3-for-4 with a run scored for Texas, which has won four straight. Texas is still a game back of Cleveland for the second AL Wild Card spot. Leonys Martin was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the victory. Joe Nathan picked up his sixth win in relief. Mike Trout knocked in two runs while Mark Trumbo drove in his 100th run of the year for Los Angeles.  Michael Kohn suffered the loss.

Indians Top Twins, Stay Hot

(Minneapolis, MN  -- Yan Gomes hit a two-run homer and Michael Brantley had three hits and two RBI to lead the Indians to a 6-5 win over the Twins at Target Field. Cleveland took a five-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and had to hold off a rally by the Twins to win. The Indians retained their lead on the second wild card playoff spot in the American League at 89-70 and have won seven straight games. They lead Texas by a game in the wild card standings. Bryan Shaw got the win in relief to go to 7-3. Joe Smith took over for struggling closer Chris Perez in the ninth and earned his third save. Josmil Pinto homered and Ryan Doumit had three hits for the Twins in the loss. Starting pitcher Andrew Albers fell to 2-5.

Gonzalez, Orioles Slide Past Jays In Rubber Match

(Baltimore, MD) -- Miguel Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Matt Wieters homered as the O's beat the Blue Jays 3-2 from Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Gonzalez earned his 11th win of the season as he allowed one earned run and struck out five. Jim Johnson shut the door for his 48th save of the season. Nick Markakis added two hits and an RBI as the Birds took the rubber match of the three-game series.   

Rays Blank Yankees In Rivera's Final Home Game

(Bronx, NY) -- Alex Cobb and two relievers combined for a three-hitter as the Rays blanked the Yankees 4-0 in Mariano Rivera's final game in the Bronx. Rivera, Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader, is retiring at the end of the season.  Cobb gave up the three hits and two walks over seven innings as he improved to 11-and-3.  Delmon Young homered and Evan Longoria drove in the other three runs for Tampa, which swept the three-game series and has won seven straight overall.  The Rays remain one game ahead of the Indians for the top AL Wild Card spot.  Ivan Nova allowed two runs in seven frames as he fell to 9-6. New York has dropped four in-a-row and nine of its last 12. The Yankees close out the year with a three-game set in Houston.

Yankees' Cano Reportedly Seeking $305-Million Contract

(New York, NY) --  Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is reportedly looking for a contract in excess of $300-million. ESPN reports the free agent-to-be is looking for a 10-year deal worth $305-million this offseason. That would equal the total value of the record-setting contract of teammate Alex Rodriguez should he reach all of his incentive bonuses. The 30-year-old is hitting .313 with 27 homers and 106 RBI.

Selig To Retire After 2014 Season

(New York, NY) -- Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is announcing his retirement, effective January 2015. He issued a statement saying it has been his great privilege to serve the game he has loved throughout his life. He also thanked baseball owners, players and fans for their support. The 79-year-old took over from Fay Vincent on an interim basis in 1992 and became full-time commissioner in 1998.

Thursday, September 27 Scoreboard

MLB NL

San Diego Padres 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (11 inn)

Atlanta Braves 7, Philadelphia Phillies 1

Milwaukee Brewers 4, New York Mets 2

San Francisco Giants 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

MLB AL

Baltimore Orioles 3, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Tampa Bay Rays 4, New York Yankees 0

Texas Rangers 6, LA Angels of Anaheim 5

Cleveland Indians 6, Minnesota Twins 5

Kansas City Royals 3, Chicago White Sox 2

MLB Interleague

No Games Scheduled

Friday's Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB NL

6:10 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds

6:10 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at New York Mets

6:30 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves

7:15 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

8:40 p.m. - Washington Nationals at Arizona Diamondbacks

9:10 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers

9:15 p.m. - San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants

MLB AL

6:05 p.m. - Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles

6:07 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays

7:05 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers

7:10 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins

7:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox

7:10 p.m. - New York Yankees at Houston Astros

9:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

6:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Miami Marlins