Major League Baseball roundup: September 12, 2007

September 13, 2007

Cubs win, Brewers lose: Tied again in the NL Central

 * Cubs 3, Astros 2: Cliff Floyd hit a solo homer (6), and Ryan Theriot hit a sacrifice fly in the 2nd for the Cubs; the Astros threatened to tie the game, with the tying run at third base with nobody out, but failed to bring the runner home.  Rich Hill (9-8) pitched seven innings, giving up just three hits and one run for the win.  Matt Albers (4-8) gave up seven hits and three runs in six innings for the loss.  Ryan Dempster gave a shaky performance, but earned his 26th save, giving up two hits and one run in the 9th.


 * Pirates 7, Brewers 4: After losing a 4-0 lead, the Pirates scored three in the 8th inning to win, 7-4.  John Grabow (3-1) got the win, while Derrick Turnbow (4-5) gave up three runs in 2/3 inning for the loss.  Matt Capps pitched a perfect 9th for the save.  The Cubs and Brewers both sport records of 74-71, tied at the top of the NL Central standings.

Completed games

 * Reds 5, Cardinals 1: The Cardinals (69-74) lost their sixth straight game, dropping from the midst of the NL Central race to a distant 4 games behind the Brewers and Cubs.  Brandon Phillips hit a solo homer (29), and Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer (13) in the 4th.  Bronson Arroyo (9-14) pitched six innings, giving up six hits and one run for the win.  Anthony Reyes (2-14) pitched 2 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and three runs for the loss.


 * Angels 18, Orioles 6: Garret Anderson went 3-6 with 5 RBI, including a two-run homer (16), a bases-loaded double, and an RBI single.  Kelvim Escobar pitched 5 1/3 innings, and gave up six runs, but got the win.  Daniel Cabrera (9-16) pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up ten runs (eight earned) for the loss.  The Angels (86-59) now lead the AL West by a commanding 10 games.


 * Mets 4, Braves 3: The Braves, down 3-1 tied up the game in the top of the 8th, with a Jeff Francoeur two-run single, but the Mets responded in the bottom of the 8th with a game-winning Shawn Green RBI single.  Guillermo Mota (2-1) pitched 1/3 inning to pick up the win, while Manny Acosta (0-1) got the loss.  Billy Wagner pitched a perfect 9th for his 34th save.  The Mets (83-62) lead the NL East by 7 games, while the Braves (74-72) trail the Padres by 5 games in the NL Wild Card race.


 * Rockies 12, Phillies 0: Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer (30) for the Rockies in the 3rd, and Todd Helton hit a bases-loaded, three-run double in the 4th.  Holliday also grounded into a triple play in the 1st inning, the second triple play turned by the Phillies this year.  Mark Redman (1-4) came in in long-relief, pitching five innings of two-hit ball for the win.  Kyle Kendrick (8-4), who was struck by a batted ball in the 4th, left due to a "right knee contusion", giving up seven hits and four runs in 3+ innings for the loss.  The Rockies (76-69) trail the Diamondbacks in the NL West by 6 games, and trail the Padres in the NL Wild Card by 2,5 games, while the Phillies (76-69) trail the Mets in the NL East by 7 games, and trail the Padres in the Wild Card by 2.5 games.


 * Diamondbacks 9, Giants 4: Justin Upton hit a two-run single in the 6th for the Diamondbacks, who widened their lead in the NL West.  Brandon Webb (16-10) pitched seven innings, giving up seven hits and four runs for the win.  Jonathan Sanchez (1-4) pitched three innings, giving up five hits and three runs for the loss.  The Diamondbacks (83-64) lead the Padres by 3.5 games in the NL West race.


 * Dodgers 6, Padres 1: James Loney went 3-4, with a two-run homer (11) and a double as the Dodgers won easily.  Chad Billingsley (11-4) pitched six innings, giving up five hits and one run for the win.  Justin Germano (7-10) gave up eight hits and six runs (five earned) for the loss.  The Padres (78-66) trail the Diamondbacks by 3.5 games in the NL West, but currently lead the NL Wild Card race by 2.5 games over the Dodgers, Phillies and Rockies.


 * Red Sox 5, Devil Rays 4: B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer (24) in a four-run 1st inning for the Devil Rays, but David Ortiz hit two homers (30, 31), the first a three-run homer in the 3rd, and the second a two-run, walkoff homer in the 9th.  Jonathan Papelbon (1-2) pitched the 9th inning for the win, while Al Reyes (2-3) picked up his third blown save of the year.  The Red Sox (89-58) lead the AL East by 5 games over the Yankees.


 * Yankees 4, Blue Jays 1: The Yankees' Hideki Matsui hit an RBI double in the 1st, and Robinson Cano hit a two-run single in the 4th.  Mike Mussina (9-10) picked up the win, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and giving up five hits.  Dustin McGowan (10-9) pitched five innings, giving up three hits and four runs for the loss.  Mariano Rivera picked up his 26th save, pitching 1 1/3 innings.  The Yankees (83-62) trail the Red Sox by 5 games in the AL East, but lead the AL Wild Card by 4 games.


 * White Sox 7, Indians 4: Jim Thome hit his 499th career home run (27) in the 4th inning, and hit a two-run single in the 5th.  Paul Konerko also had 3 RBI off a homer (29) and a single.  Javier Vazquez (12-8) gave up six hits and two runs (one earned) for the win.  Jake Westbrook (5-9) gave up seven hits and five runs (four earned), and received the loss.  The Indians (85-61) lead the Tigers in the AL Central by 5.5 games.


 * Tigers 5, Rangers 1: Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer (25), and Magglio Ordonez hit a three-run homer (27) for the Tigers.  Justin Verlander (17-5) pitched seven innings, giving up seven hits and one run for the win.  Edinson Volquez (2-1) gave up seven hits and five runs for the loss.  The Tigers (80-67) trail the Indians in the AL Central by 5.5 games, and trail the Yankees in the AL Wild Card by 4 games.


 * Mariners 6, Athletics 5: The Mariners' Yuniesky Betancourt hit a walkoff RBI single in the 9th for the win.  J.J. Putz (3-1) pitched a perfect 9th inning for the win, while Andrew Brown (2-2) gave up two hits and one run for the loss.  The Mariners (76-68) trail the Yankees in the AL Wild Card race by 6.5 games.


 * Royals 6, Twins 3: David DeJesus had a two-run homer (7) and an RBI triple (7), as the Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak.  Gil Meche (8-12) pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs, and striking out seven for the win.  Carlos Silva (11-14) pitched just two innings, giving up three runs for the loss.


 * Nationals 5, Marlins 4, 12 inn: In a game that saw both teams use a combined 16 pitchers, Todd Linden hit a walkoff RBI single for the Nationals in the bottom of the 12th.  Daniel Barone (1-2) pitched a perfect 12th for the win, while Saul Rivera (4-6) pitched 2/3 inning, giving up two hits and one run for the loss.