Cardinals Beat D'backs, Cubs Knock Off Yankees

Wainwright, Cardinals Lock Up D'backs

(St. Louis, MO) -- Adam Wainwright tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout as the Cardinals defeated the Diamondbacks 5-0 to open a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Wainwright struck out nine on his way to 7-2 on the year. Matt Adams hit a two-run homer, while Johnny Peralta had a solo blast for St. Louis, which has won five of six. Bronson Arroyo allowed five runs on nine hits in seven innings to fall to 4-3. Paul Goldschmidt had Arizona's only hit. The D'backs two-game winning streak came to an end.

Jason Motte is back in the Cardinals' bullpen. The 31-year-old reliever was activated from the disabled list before last night's game against Arizona. Motte missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery. He finished the 2012 season tied for the NL lead with 42 saves.

The Cardinals and Diamondbacks continue their three-game series with the middle game tonight at Busch Stadium. Michael Wacha puts his 3-3 mark up against Arizona's Brandon McCarthy, who is 1-6. The teams will close out the series Thursday night.

Cubs Hit Tanaka With First Loss

(Chicago, IL  -- Jason Hammel gave up one-run through 5 2/3 to help the Cubs knock off the Yankees 6-1 at Wrigley Field. Hammel grabbed his fifth win for the Cubs, who have won three straight. Mike Olt tallied three RBI in the win, while Luis Valbuena recorded three hits. Masahiro Tanaka lost his first game of the year and for the first time in 43 decisions dating back to Japan. Tanaka tossed six frames and gave up three earned runs to fall to 6-1. Mark Teixeira singled in the lone run for New York, which has dropped two straight.

The Cubs and Yankees wrap up their brief two-game set this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Chicago sends Jeff Samardzija to the hill looking for his first win against four defeats. New York counters with Chase Whitley, who's making his second start. First pitch is set for 1:20.  

 

White Sox Edge Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer in the eighth to lift the White Sox over the Royals 7-6 at Kauffman Stadium. Tyler Flowers hit a solo homer while Gordon Beckham and Dayan Viciedo also drove in a run each for Chicago, which won its third straight against Kansas City. Andre Rienzo improved to 4-and-0 after striking out eight in six innings of two-run ball while Ronald Belisario got the save. Yordano Ventura took the loss after allowing four runs in six innings of work. Alex Gordon and Danny Valencia each notched two RBI for the Royals, who have lost four of six.

The White Sox are shifting closer Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list with left ankle injury. The 34-year-old suffered the injury Monday while attempting to field a bunt. To fill the roster spot, the team purchased the contract of pitcher Javy Guerra from Triple-A Charlotte.

White Sox left-hander Chris Sale had a strong bullpen session Tuesday and could be nearing a return to the team. Sale has been on the disabled list since April 22nd with a left flexor strain. He struck out 11 and pitched four one-hit innings on Friday with Triple-A Charlotte.

The White Sox and Royals close out their three-game series in Kansas City tonight. Chicago sends Jose Quintana and his 2-3 record to the mound. KC counters with Jeremy Guthrie, who is also 2-3. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is set for 7:10.

Former White Sox catcher and current Dodgers minor leaguer Miguel Olivo is apparently channeling Mike Tyson. Olivo bit the ear of teammate Alex Guerrero during an altercation on the field during a pitching change Tuesday. Guerrero reportedly needed plastic surgery on the ear.

Nationals Turn Away Reds

(Washington, DC) -- Denard Span went 5-for-5 with two RBI and two runs as the Nationals dropped the Reds 9-4 in DC. Danny Espinosa drove in two more runs for Washington while Doug Fister picked up his first win to improve to 1-1. Fister tossed seven innings of two-run ball as the Nationals won their fourth in six games. Washington blew the game open with seven runs in the sixth. Billy Hamilton finished with two RBI while Johnny Cueto was tagged for eight runs in 5 1/3 innings to fall to 4-3. Cincinnati has lost three out of four.

Gonzalez Powers Dodgers Past Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Dodgers bounced the Mets 9-4 at Citi Field. Yasiel Puig was also 3-for-4 and knocked in a run while scoring twice. Josh Beckett allowed four runs in five-plus innings to improve to 2-and-1 for Los Angeles, which had lost three out of four. Rafael Montero was tagged for five runs over four-and-a-third innings to fall to 0-2 for New York. Curtis Granderson went 3-for-5 with a solo homer while Lucas Duda hit a two-run shot for the Mets, who have lost five out of six.

Phillies Hold Off Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- The Marlins comeback fell short as Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon was able to work around trouble in the ninth to secure a 6-5 win at Marlins Park. A.J. Burnett moved to 3-and-3 with five innings of three-run ball, while Papelbon earned his 12th save. Jimmy Rollins went deep and drove in two and John Mayberry Jr. plated two runs with a pinch-hit single. Anthony DeSclafani fell to 1-1 after giving up five runs in five-and-a-third frames. Garrett Jones collected four hits in the loss with two doubles.

Teheran, Braves Blank Brewers

(Atlanta, GA) -- Julio Teheran tossed a complete game, six-hit shutout as the Braves blanked the Brewers 5-0 in the second of four games at Turner Field.  Teheran struck out eight while walking two as he evened his record at 3-3. He also plated a run in the victory. Justin Upton homered for the third straight game and drove in three, while Andrelton Simmons also went deep for the Braves, who have won three in-a-row. Yovani Gallardo gave up four runs in three-and-a-third frames to suffer the loss and fall to 2-3. Jonathan Lucroy had two of the six hits in Milwaukee's fourth consecutive loss.

Arenado, Rockies Walk Off Giants

(Denver, CO) -- Nolan Arenado launched a two-run, walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Rockies to a 5-4 victory over the Giants in the opener of a three-game series at Coors Field. San Francisco pulled ahead 4-3 in the top of the inning on a Tyler Colvin RBI double. Sergio Romo took his first loss and blew his second save. Wilin Rosario accounted for the other three Colorado runs with a two-run homer and a RBI two-bagger. LaTroy Hawkins improved to 2-and-0 despite giving up the lead in the ninth. At 26-20, the Rockies are two games behind the first-place Giants in the NL West. Gregor Blanco had two runs knocked in for San Francisco, which is 28-18.

Indians Top Tigers

(Cleveland, OH) -- Mike Aviles' two-run double highlighted a four-run second inning as the Indians topped the Tigers 6-2 at Progressive Field. David Murphy homered, while Michael Bourn and Asdrubal Cabrera both had two hits, an RBI and scored a run for the Tribe, which will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday. Trevor Bauer tossed six innings of two-run ball for his first win of the year. Torii Hunter and Alex Avila both homered for the Tigers, who have lost two in-a-row on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Justin Verlander was tagged for five runs and 11 hits in six frames as he dipped to 5-3 with the loss.

A's Blank Rays

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Coco Crisp doubled in two runs in the second inning to help the Athletics to a 3-0 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Crisp also scored in the same inning after a John Jaso single. Drew Pomeranz got the win after striking out three in five innings of work. Sean Doolittle earned the save for Oakland, which has won four straight. Jake Odorizzi struck out eight despite taking the loss in which he allowed three runs in less than five frames. Four separate batters tallied the four hits for the Rays, who fell eight games below .500 for the first time since 2007.

Mariners Silence Ranger Bats

(Arlington, TX) -- Hisashi Iwakuma improved to 3-0 with eight innings of two-run ball as the Mariners took down the Rangers 6-2 at Globe Life Park. Kyle Seager drove in two runs in his three-hit night while Nick Franklin, Dustin Ackley and Robinson Cano had two hits and a RBI each. The M's pounded out 12 hits for their second straight win. Colby Lewis dropped to 3-and-3 after giving up five runs in six frames. Adrian Beltre cranked a solo shot and Alex Rios provided the second RBI in the loss. Texas has dropped five of its last six.

Angels Smack Astros

(Anaheim, CA) -- David Freese had a strong return to the lineup going 2-for-5 with four RBI in the Angels 9-3 trumping of the Astros in the second of three in Anaheim.  Mike Trout also had two hits with three RBI, while Tyler Skaggs picked up the win striking out six and allowing one run over seven innings.  Skaggs is 4-and-1 as the Angels split the first two with Houston to improve to 25-20. Three different Astros players drove in runs and Jose Altuve had three hits in the defeat. Scott Feldman fell to 2-2 giving up eight runs, only three of which were earned in four-plus innings. Houston is 17-29.

Davis' Trio Of Homers Lead O's Past Pirates

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Chris Davis doubled his season's home run count by hitting three out of PNC Park as the Orioles dropped the Pirates, 9-2. Davis finished 4-for-5 and drove in five while Nelson Cruz also went deep for his 13th of the year. Adam Jones finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while J.J. Hardy also had two hits and drove one in. Miguel Gonzalez pitched six-plus innings and allowed two runs to improve to 2-3 for Baltimore, which had lost six out of eight  Ike Davis hit a solo homer for Pittsburgh while Andrew McCutchen knocked in a run. Francisco Liriano was tagged for six runs in five innings and fell to 0-4 as the Pirates lost their fourth in five games.

Twins Top Padres

(San Diego, CA) -- Josmil Pinto plated the go-ahead run on a sac-fly in the seventh inning as the Twins topped the Padres 5-3 in the opener of a brief two-game interleague series at Petco Park.  Kurt Suzuki hit an inside-the-park home run in the eighth, while Chris Parmelee added a solo shot for Minnesota. The Twins have won four-of-five.  Kevin Correia tossed six innings of three-run ball to improve to 2-5. Glen Perkins closed it out for his 13th save. Jedd Gyorko, Yasmani Grandal and Ian Kennedy all drove in a run in the fifth for the Friars, who have lost two in-a-row and four of their last six overall. On the mound, Kennedy allowed four runs in less than seven frames as he fell to 2-6 with the loss.

Tuesday, May 20 Scoreboard

MLB National League

Washington Nationals 9, Cincinnati Reds 4

Los Angeles Dodgers 9, New York Mets 4

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Miami Marlins 5

Atlanta Braves 5, Milwaukee Brewers 0

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 0

Colorado Rockies 5, San Francisco Giants 4

 

MLB American League

Cleveland Indians 6, Detroit Tigers 2

Oakland Athletics 3, Tampa Bay Rays 0

Toronto Blue Jays 7, Boston Red Sox 4

Seattle Mariners 6, Texas Rangers 2

Chicago White Sox 7, Kansas City Royals 6

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9, Houston Astros 3

 

MLB Interleague

Baltimore Orioles 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Chicago Cubs 6, New York Yankees 1

Minnesota Twins 5, San Diego Padres 3

Wednesday, May 21 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

3:05 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals

6:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets

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

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

7:15 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals

7:40 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies

 

MLB American League

11:05 a.m. - Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians

1:05 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers

6:10 p.m. - Oakland Athletics at Tampa Bay Rays

6:10 p.m. - Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox

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

9:05 p.m. - Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

 

MLB Interleague

1:20 p.m. - New York Yankees at Chicago Cubs

6:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Pittsburgh Pirates

8:10 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at San Diego Padres