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Category: Professional

Kansas City gets shutout in series opener at Tampa Bay

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays and their parade of relievers are closing in on some franchise history.

Ryan Yarbrough helped extend Tampa Bay’s shutout streak to 23 innings, and the Rays got their only run via video replay in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

The franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings is 27, set in 2013. Tampa Bay began this streak with 14 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox, including a 2-0 win Sunday.

“They shut out the best team in the league yesterday so that tells you how good they’re doing now,” said Willy Adames, who drove in the game’s only run.

Yarbrough (12-5) pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of opener Hunter Wood. The rookie left-hander gave up two hits and a walk while striking out six, earning his major league-leading 10th relief win.

Yarbrough has primarily been a long man out of the bullpen while Tampa Bay has experimented with using relievers for one or two innings at the start of most games. He leads the majors with 96 relief innings and has a 3.84 ERA.

“It’s something that you see another guy doing really well, and … we’re all competitive by nature or we wouldn’t be here,” Yarbrough said. “We just want to go out there and do the same, if not better. A little friendly competition in the clubhouse never hurts.”

Ryne Stanek pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Jose Alvarado pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

After singles by Ji-Man Choi and Kevin Kiermaier in the second inning, Adames hit a two-out chopper over third base. Adames beat Rosell Herrera’s throw across the diamond, but it took a 43-second review to reverse the original out call.

“Usually the run you score in the second inning doesn’t define the game. It was pretty unusual,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It just shows we had to play seven innings of perfect baseball.”

The run came off right-hander Jorge Lopez, who pitched five innings in his second major league start. Lopez (0-3) gave up five hits and three walks.

The Royals, who were shut out for the ninth time this season, are 0-4 against Tampa Bay with all four losses coming by one run. They never got a runner as far as third base Monday night.

“The pitching was fantastic. We just couldn’t muster any offense,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Kiermaier had three of Tampa Bay’s eight hits after coming into the game batting .127 in August.

Royals reliever Jake Newberry struck out three in 1 2/3 innings in his major league debut.

Wood pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits with two strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder) “felt really good” after a bullpen session, according to manager Ned Yost, who will determine Tuesday whether Duffy will pitch Thursday night’s series finale.

Rays: INF Daniel Robertson said recent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb went well and he has no pain. Robertson hasn’t given up on getting at-bats during the final days of the season. “There won’t be any rushing it,” he said. … LHP Vidal Nuno (strained right hamstring) will make his second rehab start Tuesday night with Class A Charlotte and should be back in September.

MINORS MATTERS

LHP Matthew Liberatore, taken by the Rays in the first round of the 2018 draft, allowed three hits and struck out eight over five innings to get his first pro win in the GCL Rays’ 6-0 victory over the Twins. He has a 0.98 ERA over 27 2/3 innings in eight starts.

UP NEXT

LHP Blake Snell (14-5) will pitch Tuesday night’s game against Royals RHP Glenn Sparkman (0-1). Snell, whose 2.10 ERA ranks second in the AL, has not given up a run in two straight starts of five innings each.

— Associated Press —

Royals blow 6-0 lead at Chicago, lose 7-6

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CHICAGO (AP) — For many struggling teams, a large early deficit results in a lackluster effort the rest of the way.

The Chicago White Sox, though, keep battling.

Omar Narvaez homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a single, Chicago relievers tossed seven scoreless innings and the White Sox rallied from a six-run deficit for a 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Avisail Garcia and Tim Anderson also homered for Chicago, which has won four of five.

Hector Santiago (5-3) allowed just two hits in four innings of relief to get the win. Jace Fry, the last of six relievers, got the final two outs for his second save.

Of Chicago’s 46 wins, 26 have been come-from-behind affairs.

“It says a lot about them because they’re fighting,” manager Rick Renteria said. “Certainly a great team win.”

Ryan O’Hearn, Whit Merrifield and Alex Gordon homered for Kansas City, which dropped to 2-13 in the rubber game of series this season.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in order in the first, but was rocked for six runs and three homers (on 46 pitches) in the second. O’Hearn started things with a two-run shot, Merrifield made it 5-0 with a three-run blast and Gordon added a solo shot.

“I wasn’t commanding my pitches,” Lopez said through a translator.

Kansas City starter Heath Fillmyer allowed just one hit in the first three innings, but then suddenly lost it. The right-hander faced six batters in the fourth and didn’t record an out.

Jose Abreu and Daniel Palka had back-to-back singles to start things and Garcia hit a three-run homer to trim the deficit in half. After Nicky Delmonico singled, Anderson homered to make it 6-5. Narvaez followed with a solo blast to tie the score and chase Fillmyer.

“He just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Second time around, they kind of got on him. Wasn’t a bad pitch to Garcia, but from that point it snowballed on him and other pitches weren’t that great of pitches.

“By the time I could get somebody up, the game was tied.”

In the fifth, Narvaez gave the White Sox a 7-6 lead with a two-out RBI single off Brian Flynn (3-4), scoring Garcia from second base.

PROMOTED

Highly touted prospect Michael Kopech will make his major league debut Tuesday night when the White Sox host the Minnesota Twins. The 22-year-old is 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 24 starts with Triple-A Charlotte this season, including a 4-0 mark with a 1.84 ERA in his last seven starts. The hard-throwing right-hander has 170 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings.

“I’m excited to see his progression,” said catcher Kevan Smith, who caught Kopech in Charlotte earlier this season. “His fastball is electric.”

ROYALTY

Gordon’s homer was the 169th of his career (all with the Royals), tying Hal McRae for fourth in franchise history.

DAY TRIPPIN’

The White Sox play the Twins in Minneapolis on Monday night in a makeup of one of three games snowed out in April. The teams then play two games in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It’s an odd thing, for sure,” Renteria said of the one-game road trip. “I’ve never experienced it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (shoulder impingement) threw long toss on Saturday and is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Monday. Yost said Duffy will start at Tampa Bay on Thursday — the day he’s eligible to come off the 10-day DL — if there are no issues.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jorge Lopez (0-2, 4.44 ERA) makes his second start of the season on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series at Tampa Bay. RHP Ryan Stanek (1-3, 2.74) pitches for the Rays.

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (8-9, 6.15) takes the mound Monday night at Minnesota in the makeup of a game snowed out in April. LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-0, 0.00) makes his major league debut for the Twins.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis drops series finale to Milwaukee

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jhoulys Chacin had some extra motivation.

Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, giving Chacin all the runs he needed to beat St. Louis for the first time in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.

“I can die now,” Chacin joked to reporters.

Milwaukee (69-57) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back ahead of St. Louis (68-57) for the second National League wild card. The Cardinals lost for just the second time in their last 12 games.

“We talk about racking up wins and banking wins and we banked a win today and got a great pitching performance,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought we swung the bats pretty good. It’s a good win. That’s a team that’s right in the thick of things and going to be there for the rest of the year.”

Chacin (13-4) entered the game 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career games, including eight starts, against the Cardinals, but shut them out through six innings as the Brewers avoided their first three-game sweep at St. Louis since July 1-3, 2016.

“This might be the biggest game of the season for me,” Chacin said. “The Cardinals have always been tough on me and this year it was an obsession.”

Chacin has won his last three starts and has given up three runs in his last 19 innings. The Brewers improved to 19-8 in his starts this season.

“I thought he kept them off balance, his slider was again good and his fastball,” Counsell said. “He threw fastballs and it was good sequencing.”

Jeremy Jeffress gave up a run in two innings of relief and Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save in 13 opportunities for the Brewers.

Moustaskas hammered an 0-2 pitch down the first-base line to score Orlando Arcia and Lorenzo Cain, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the third. Arcia and Cain each stole a base to help get them into scoring position ahead of Moustaskas.

“We always talk about little things and being able to vary our times and our holds and being quick to the plate is important, something that we’ve done really really well all year,” Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt said of Cain’s steal. “The reality is the guy’s an accomplished base stealer as well. It was a big play.”

John Gant (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. Gant has failed to make it past 4 1/3 innings in three of his last four starts.

“It was just one of those days,” Gant said. “I never really found a good, solid groove.”

Brett Cecil pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, Tyson Ross followed with three scoreless innings and Mike Mayers added another as Cardinals relievers combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings.

Patrick Wisdom hit his first career home run 414 feet into the bleachers in left-center to lead off the eighth for St. Louis.

The Brewers had lost six of their last eight heading into the game.

“It was a really good day for me and for the team,” Chacin said. “I think anything is possible for me and for the team. We win on Sunday, a day game and finally beat the Cardinals. It couldn’t get better. From this day I hope we keep rolling.”

IRONMAN

Yadier Molina started his 27th straight game, a major league record for catchers 35 years or older.

TRAINING ROOM

Milwaukee: C Manny Pina (left shoulder) missed his third straight game and is day-to-day.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (bruised elbow) pinch hit and flew out after being taken out of Saturday night’s game. RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) and IF Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) were scheduled to play Sunday at Double-A Springfield and could join the team in Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee: RHP Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.97 ERA) will start a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and RHP Homer Bailey (1-10, 6.33 ERA) on Monday night. Anderson is 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in nine career starts against the Reds.

Cardinals: LHP Austin Gomber (3-0, 2.89 ERA) will kick off a six-game road trip Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and LHP Alex Wood (7-7, 3.51 ERA). Gomber has won his last two starts and has an 11-inning scoreless streak.

— Associated Press —

Gordon homers, Royals rally past White Sox 3-1

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CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Gordon homered and Jorge Bonifacio had a go-ahead RBI single in the decisive sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals rallied past the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Saturday night.

Rookie Brad Keller pitched five solid innings for the Royals, who won for the third time in their past nine games. The White Sox had their win streak stopped at three.

Nicky Delmonico homered in the second inning off Keller (6-5), driving a changeup over the right-center field fence. That was the only blemish against Keller, who allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked none.

The White Sox had five hits combined in the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to score.

Dylan Covey (4-10) returned to the form he had displayed the first 2 1/2 months of the season but remained winless in five starts since July 21. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Covey entered the game with a 1-8 record and 8.94 ERA in his last 10 starts. He was 0-5 with a 6.34 ERA versus Kansas City in his career.

After Whit Merrifield opened the game with a single, Covey didn’t allow another hit until Gordon homered with one out in the sixth. One out later, Lucas Duda doubled and scored on Bonifacio’s single to left field.

Alcides Escobar provided an insurance run with a two-out RBI single off Juan Minaya in the ninth.

Five Royals relievers combined for four scoreless innings. The last, Wily Peralta, worked a perfect ninth for his eighth save in as many tries.

NEWBIE IN THE HOUSE

Kansas City promoted RHP Jake Newberry from Omaha and optioned RHP Jason Adam to the Triple-A club. The 37th-round draft pick from 2012 is in line to become the lowest-round selection to debut for the team since OF Jarrod Dyson (50th, 2010).

RHP Blaine Boyer cleared waivers and became a free agent. The veteran has a 12.05 ERA in 21 relief appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Brett Phillips (lower-body fatigue) returned to the lineup after a two-game absence.

White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia will try to work through a balky right knee that’s likely to require surgery after the season. “He’s just going to have to deal with it and continue to move forward. And I think he’ll be able to,” Manager Rick Renteria said. … RHP Nate Jones (strained right arm) “is throwing the ball well and feeling good,” Renteria said, but there still is no timetable for his return. His last appearance came on June 12.

UP NEXT

Royals: Rookie RHP Heath Fillmyer (1-1, 3.61 ERA) will close out the series Sunday.

White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (4-9, 4.40) will take a 1.93 ERA in his last two home starts into the finale. He didn’t figure in either decision.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals down Brewers 7-2, move into 2nd wild-card spot

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna homered and Miles Mikolas tossed six effective innings to push the St. Louis Cardinals into the second wild-card spot in the NL with a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

St. Louis moved a half-game ahead of Milwaukee and within four of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

The Cardinals, who are a half-game behind wild card-leading Philadelphia, have won 10 of their last 11 and captured their seventh straight series after winning the opener of the three-game set on Friday.

The seven-series winning streak is the longest since St. Louis won eight in a row from April 10-May 7, 2015.

Travis Shaw and Christian Yelich homered for the Brewers, who have lost six of eight.

Ozuna hit his 15th homer of the season in the second off Wade Miley (2-2).

Paul DeJong and Harrison Bader added two-run hits as St. Louis improved to 21-10 under interim manager Mike Shildt, who took over after Mike Matheny was fired on July 14.

Mikolas (13-3) gave up one run on five hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter in winning his fifth consecutive decision.

Miley surrendered four runs on four hits over five innings. Three of the runs were unearned thanks to a missed third strike by catcher Erik Kratz that prolonged a three-run third inning.

Tyler O’Neill broke a 1-all tie with a bloop single to right following the passed ball by Kratz, which would have ended the inning. Following a walk to Ozuna, DeJong hit a two-run single to push the lead to 4-1.

St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter had a 35-game streak of reaching base snapped with a 0-for-4 performance.

DeJong drove in three runs.

Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the first inning by home plate umpire Cory Blaser. Blaser had warned Miley for throwing inside to O’Neill. Mikolas hit Lorenzo Cain in the top of the first.

Counsell came out to argue the warning and was ejected for the fourth time this season.

St. Louis infielder Kolten Wong was removed in the fourth inning with a bruised right elbow. He was hit by a pickoff attempt from Miley.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: OF Ryan Braun missed his second straight game with a sore rib cage. He is listed as day-to-day.

Cardinals: OF Jose Martinez was originally in the starting lineup, but was scratched 90 minutes before the game with right hip tightness. He was replaced by O’Neill. … RHP Carlos Martinez will make his second rehab appearance on Sunday for Double-A Springfield. Martinez, who was bothered by a right shoulder strain, threw two innings on Friday.

UP NEXT

RHP Jhoulys Chacin (12-4, 3.72) will face RHP John Gant (5-4, 3.74) in the final game of the three-game series on Sunday. The Brewers are 18-8 when Chacin starts. He is 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in three career starts in St. Louis. Gant hit a two-run homer in his last outing, a 6-4 win over Washington on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs use big second half for preseason win at Atlanta

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ATLANTA (AP) — Even in the preseason, Matt Ryan gets miffed about a poor showing.

He had nothing to complain about Friday.

Ryan guided the Atlanta Falcons right down the field for a touchdown on their first possession, hooking up with Austin Hooper on a 4-yard scoring pass , and led another impressive drive before calling it a night in a 28-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ryan finished 5 of 7 for 90 yards, looking very much like the quarterback who won the MVP during the 2016 season even though receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman didn’t play for the second week in a row.

It was certainly an encouraging contrast to the preseason opener, when the Falcons (0-2) were blanked 17-0 by the New York Jets and Ryan played only one brief, dismal series .

“He wants to attack,” coach Dan Quinn said. “That’s what I saw tonight.”

With a resting Jones watching from the sideline, Calvin Ridley got a chance to shine for the Falcons. The first-round pick from Alabama hauled in the first touchdown of his professional career on a 7-yard pass from backup quarterback Matt Schaub .

Ridley finished with three receptions for 49 yards.

“It felt good making some catches and getting that first touchdown out of the way,” he said. “I’m ready to get some more.”

Kansas City’s new starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had an up-and-down game but delivered one tantalizing pass.

Alex Smith’s replacement was intercepted on a deep throw by Falcons safety Damontae Kazee , who drifted over from the middle of the field to pick a ball intended for Sammy Watkins. Mahomes caught a break when another ill-advised throw into the end zone was dropped by Falcons cornerback Blidi Wren-Wilson, allowing the Chiefs to salvage a field goal.

But, with just 17 seconds left in the first half, Mahomes made the most of his final pass. Three Atlanta defensive backs inexplicably allowed Tyreek Hill to get behind them, and Mahomes delivered the pass in stride for a 69-yard touchdown .

The throw actually traveled 70 yards in the air — ample evidence of Mahomes’ enormous potential .

“I don’t think I’ve ever thrown one that far in a game,” said Mahomes, who finished 8 of 12 for 138 yards. “I don’t know many people that would be able to catch that ball going that far in a game. I told (Hill) if I had thrown a spiral, he wouldn’t have been able to get to it. He disagreed with that.”

Chad Henne took over for at quarterback to begin the second half. He connected with Gehrig Dieter on a 27-yard touchdown that put the Chiefs (1-1) ahead for the first time, capping a 10-play, 76-yard drive.

Ben Niemann finished off the scoring with a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown after picking off a horrible throw by Atlanta’s third-string quarterback, undrafted rookie Kurt Benkert.

“He overthrew it and gave me a gift,” said Niemann, also an undrafted rookie.

While many Atlanta fans were still backed up in security lines outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Ryan began his impressive showing by converting on third-and-11 with a 29-yard pass to Hooper.

“Classic Matt,” Quinn said. “He buys some times, moves around in the pocket and rips one.”

Tevin Coleman, the other half of the Falcons’ dynamic 1-2 punch at running back, broke off a pair of 15-yard runs before Ryan rolled to his left and hit Hooper on the short scoring pass. The tight end showed impressive athleticism, hurtling into the end zone over cornerback Steven Nelson .

After the Chiefs went three-and-out, Ryan guided the Falcons deep into Kansas City territory once again. The big play was a 36-yard completion to Ridley , who beat David Amerson to haul in the pass.

On fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs 20, the Falcons passed on a field goal attempt, which was essentially irrelevant since 43-year-old kicker Matt Bryant skipped his second straight preseason game. Ryan’s pass for Ridley was broken up by Kendall Fuller, halting a seven-play, 69-yard drive.

INJURY REPORT

Nelson was kneed in the head by Hooper on Atlanta’s first touchdown and staggered off the field. He was evaluated for a possible concussion.

Another Kansas City player, linebacker Terrance Smith, sustained an ankle injury.

The Chiefs also were missing star safety Eric Berry, who didn’t dress while he continues to nurse a sore heel.

SARK ON THE FIELD

For the second week in a row, Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian called plays from the field.

That’s where Sarkisian prefers to be, but Quinn ordered him upstairs last season. Now, with Greg Knapp — a longtime offensive coordinator who was hired as Atlanta’s quarterback coach — working from the press box and passing along what he sees to Sarkisian, it seems everyone has found an arrangement to their liking.

“Right now, I’m comfortable with the way he’s seeing it and calling plays,” Quinn said.

ANTHEM UPDATE

There were no apparent protests during the national anthem.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Hit the road again to face the Chicago Bears on Aug. 25.

Falcons: Travel to Jacksonville that same day to face the Jaguars in a matchup between 2017 playoff teams.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City drops opener at White Sox 9-3

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CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Abreu and Nicky Delmonico hit three-run homers in a seven-run, seventh-inning outburst, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 9-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Delmonico went 2 for 4 and had a career-high five RBI. Tim Anderson went 3 for 3 with a walk and two stolen bases for Chicago, which has won eight of 14.

Abreu’s homer was his 22nd. The White Sox have homered in a season-high nine straight games, totaling 13 during that stretch.

James Shields (5-14) allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings to snap a five-start winless streak.

Whit Merrifield went 2 for 2 with two walks and an RBI for the Royals.

Yoan Moncada, who was inserted back into the leadoff spot on Friday, started the rally in the seventh with a walk. Yolmer Sanchez then followed with a slow grounder to shortstop that Alcides Escobar booted for an error — snapping the Royals’ 16-game errorless streak.

Right-hander Jason Adam came on to replace Tim Hill (1-4) and Abreu hit the first pitch into the left-center bleachers to give the White Sox a 5-3 lead.

Chicago wasn’t through. After Matt Davidson struck out for the first out, Leury Garcia singled and stole second. After Omar Narvaez walked, Anderson singled to drive in Garcia and make it 6-3. Delmonico then followed with his three-run blast into the right-field bleachers.

Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the third on run-scoring singles by Merrifield and Salvador Perez, and a sacrifice fly by Alex Gordon.

Chicago got a run back in the fourth. Anderson walked with two outs and none on, stole second and scored on Delmonico’s single.

Anderson then chased Royals starter Jakob Junis with a one-out double in the sixth. After Hill came on, Anderson stole second and scored on Delmonico’s grounder to third to make it 3-2.

CASTILLO RETURNS

White Sox C Welington Castillo began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, going 1 for 4 as the DH in a 4-3, 10-inning loss to Louisville. Castillo, 31, was suspended for 80 games on May 24 for violating MLB’s drug policy. He is eligible to return to the majors on Thursday when Chicago begins a four-game series at Detroit.

Manager Rick Renteria said Castillo will resume his role as the No. 1 catcher if he’s physically up to the task. “We’ll see how he’s doing when he gets here and then we’ll move forward,” Renteria said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) continued his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha as the DH on Friday. After a day off on Saturday, the plan is for Goodwin to play five innings in the outfield on Sunday.

White Sox: Garcia (strained left hamstring) was activated from the 10-day DL before the game. He entered in the third inning, replacing RF Avisail Garcia, who apparently wasn’t injured. OF Ryan LaMarre was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte following Wednesday’s game at Detroit, opening the roster spot.

UP NEXT

Chicago RHP Dylan Covey (4-9, 6.06 ERA) looks to snap out of an extended rough stretch on Saturday night in the second game of the series. Covey is 1-8 with an 8.94 ERA in his last 10 starts. RHP Brad Keller (5-5, 3.40) pitches for the Royals after allowing just one run in seven innings against Toronto in last start on Monday.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals beat Brewers 5-2, pull closer in wild-card race

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kolten Wong and Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs apiece, Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Friday night.

The Cardinals won for the ninth time in 10 games and pulled within a half-game of the Brewers for the National League’s second wild-card spot.

Milwaukee has dropped three of four.

Flaherty (7-6) gave up three hits, walked three and struck out seven. The Brewers had only two runners reach second base against the rookie, who has allowed two earned runs in his past 19 innings pitched.

Bud Norris earned his 24th save in 28 opportunities.

Freddy Peralta (5-4) went six innings, giving up three earned runs. He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out five. It was his third loss in his last four decisions.

Wong’s two-run double in the eighth padded the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2.

Jedd Gyorko hit his 10th home run of the season to open the fourth. The shot to left field gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis took an early lead after Ozuna followed Yadier Molina’s single and a double from Jose Martinez with a hard grounder up the middle.

The Brewers threatened a comeback in the eighth. They loaded the bases against Jordan Hicks, and Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run single to pull the score to 3-2 with one out. But Travis Shaw fouled out to left field and Jonathan Schoop’s flair to shallow center field was snagged by shortstop Paul DeJong.

ON BOARD

Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter was issued an intentional walk in the seventh and has reached base in 35 consecutive games. It’s the longest such streak in the majors.

TRAINING ROOM

Brewers: OF Eric Thames was removed from the game before the bottom of the third inning with a sore right knee. The right fielder collided with center fielder Lorenzo Cain while making a catch in the bottom of the first. … C Manny Pina was held out of Friday’s game as a precaution following a collision with the Cubs’ Javier Baez on Wednesday. Manager Craig Counsell said Pina should be available for the remainder of the weekend series, but wanted to provide another day of rest for his left shoulder that was hurt when he dove back into second against the Cubs.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) continues his rehab assignment and was available to work out of the Double-A Springfield bullpen on Friday. The Cardinals announced earlier in the week that Martinez, typically a starter, would serve as a reliever when he returns to St. Louis. The Cardinals hope to have him back next week . IF Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) begins his rehabilitation assignment in Springfield on Saturday. . RHP Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) is headed to Palm Beach, Florida to begin a rehab assignment. He went on the DL on June 21.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Wade Miley (2-1, 2.23) looks for his first win since he went seven innings July 21 in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was his longest outing of the season.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (12-3, 2.85) has won five consecutive games. He went seven innings in each of his last three starts and the Cardinals have lost just one of the past eight games in which he started.

— Associated Press —

Royals’ rally comes up short in 6-5 loss to Toronto

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam, Marco Estrada pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Wednesday night.

Jorge Lopez (0-2), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired July 27 from Milwaukee as part of the Mike Moustakas trade, threw a 2-0 fastball that Granderson drove over the Royals’ right-field bullpen gate with two outs in the fourth inning.

It was Granderson’s 10th career grand slam and his second this year, both against the Royals. The first was April 18 in Toronto. He has 19 home runs and 50 RBI in 106 games against Kansas City.

Royals pitchers have yielded a major league-leading 10 grand slams.

Kevin Pillar singled home Teoscar Hernandez with the first run of the fourth and contributed an RBI single in the second for the Blue Jays, who have won three of four.

Lopez was removed after 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter.

Estrada (6-9) gave up four runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings to pick up his first career victory at Kauffman Stadium.

Salvador Perez homered twice in the loss, his fifth career multi-homer game.

Perez connected in the first with Whit Merrifield aboard and led off the fourth with his 21st home run. Perez has hit at least 20 homers in four consecutive seasons, joining .John Mayberry, Steve Balboni, Bo Jackson and Mike Sweeney among the Royals to accomplish that feat.

Brett Phillips tripled in the seventh and scored on Alcides Escobar’s two-out single for the other run off Estrada.

Ken Giles allowed a pinch-hit homer to Ryan O’Hearn but still earned his 15th save in as many chances and his third with the Blue Jays.

Rain delayed the start of the game by 15 minutes.

HE’S THAT FAST

Adalberto Mondesi stole three bases, including one when he was picked off first base, on Tuesday. Royals manager Ned Yost compared Mondesi’s acceleration to former Kansas City speedsters Jarrod Dyson and Terrance Gore. “It’s up there,” Yost said. “It’s very easy, quick, hard speed. It’s just, boom, he’s gone. It’s like the Road Runner. You expect a little pillow of dust following him. He’s that fast.”

ROSTER MOVES

Blue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. LHP Thomas Pannone was optioned to the Bisons.

Royals: RHP Blaine Boyer, who yielded a two-run eighth inning homer on Tuesday in a 6-5 loss to Toronto, was released. Boyer had a 12.05 ERA in 21 relief appearances. … The Royals sent Gore to the Cubs for cash considerations. In parts of four seasons with Kansas City, Gore was primarily used as a pinch runner, stealing 21 of 25 bases and scoring 24 runs, but went 0-for-11 in 49 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (bruised right index finger) made a rehab start for Class-A Dunedin in the Class A Florida State League, going 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run on two hits, while walking four and striking out three. He threw 35 strikes in 74 pitches.

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Omaha.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-5, 4.86 ERA), who was with the Royals last September and traded to Toronto in spring training, will start the series finale.

Royals: RHP Glenn Sparkman (0-1, 5.06) will make his first career start after eight relief appearances.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis defeats Washington for eighth consecutive win

Posted on

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Gomber tossed six shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

St. Louis has won a season-high eight straight. The Cardinals, who are 18-9 since the All-Star break, captured their sixth successive series after taking the first three of the four-game set.

Daniel Murphy homered in the ninth for Washington, which has lost four in a row and seven of nine to fall below .500 and nine games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The current skid began with a loss to the Cubs on a two-out, walk-off grand slam.

Ozuna homered in the second inning, his 14th of the season and his first since July 30.

Gomber (3-0), in his fourth start of the year, gave up three hits, struck out six and walked four.

Bud Norris pitched the ninth to pick up his 23rd save in 27 opportunities.

Harrison Bader and Yadier Molina added run-scoring hits for St. Louis, which improved to 19-9 since Mike Matheny was fired and replaced by interim manager Mike Shildt.

St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter extended his on-base streak to 33 games with a walk in the fifth. It’s the longest current streak in the majors. Carpenter left the game in the seventh after he was hit on the hand by a pitch from Matt Grace, but X-rays were negative.

Jeremy Hellickson (5-3) left in the fifth inning after colliding with Bader on a play at the plate following a wild pitch. Hellickson gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.

Bader, who had three hits, also made a diving catch of a liner off the bat of Bryce Harper in the fourth.

The Cardinals, who have an NL-best 12-2 mark in August, remain one game behind Philadelphia for the second wild card spot. They are four games behind Chicago in the NL Central.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg threw a simulated game on Wednesday. He threw around 70 pitches and could be ready to return early next week, manager Dave Martinez said.

Cardinals: LHP Brett Cecil was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Cecil, who had been sidelined with inflammation in his right foot, pitched four scoreless innings in four appearances with Triple-A Memphis. LHP Tyler Webb was optioned to Memphis.

UP NEXT

RHP Tanner Roark (7-12, 4.12) will face RHP Luke Weaver (6-10, 4.66) in the finale of the four game series on Thursday. Roark has won his last four decision, Weaver is 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in nine career games against NL East foes.

— Associated Press —

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