Post by ۞Quaalude™۞ on Aug 3, 2011 8:22:47 GMT -5
Bean-balls, extra innings, and a home run from Jaime Garcia all added up to an unlikely win for the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday , With a young fan present, it was water, not champagne, that drenched Albert Pujols in the St. Louis clubhouse to celebrate , St Louis Cardinals closed the gap at the top of the National League Central to two and a half games with an 8-7 win over the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers in extra innings.
In a game that saw star sluggers Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun both hit by pitches, St Louis fell behind but then used a five-run fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead, only to surrender four runs in the fifth and trail once more.
After they tied the game, St Louis lost All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to an ejection when he erupted at the home plate umpire over a strike call, with his violent reaction likely to earn him a suspension.
Nevertheless, they eventually took the win thanks to an RBI in the 11th from Lance Berkman.
The Pittsburgh Pirates slipped further out of contention in the division as they went down 11-6 to the Chicago Cubs, who tied a franchise record for a road game with six home runs.
Alfonso Soriano smacked two of them, while Tyler Colvin hit a towering shot that ended up amongst the ducks in the Allegheny River.
Pittsburgh have now lost five straight, dropping to six games back, one ahead of the Cincinnati Reds who beat Houston 5-1 thanks to a grand slam from Edgar Renteria.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have moved level with the San Francisco Giants atop the NL West after a 6-1 win in California.
Paul Goldschmidt, called up from the minor leagues on Monday, struck a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks.
Philadelphia extended their lead over the Atlanta Braves to eight games in the NL East as they beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 while Atlanta lost 9-3 to Washington.
Kyle Kendrick pitched eight scoreless innings for the Phillies, while Washington won thanks to a grand slam from Rick Ankiel, his third home run in the past two days.
There was a scare for the Florida Marlins when Hanley Ramirez suffered what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury in their 4-3 win over the New York Mets, but the team say the shortstop is day-to-day.
Omar Infante homered twice in the win.
Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven scoreless innings in a duel with San Diego's Matt Latos as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 1-0 at Petco Park.
The Boston Red Sox remain one game clear of the New York Yankees in the AL East after wins for both.
Boston topped the Cleveland Indians 3-2 as Jacoby Ellsbury got the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees enjoyed a more comprehensive 6-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox in a rain-shortened game, highlighted by six scoreless innings from Phil Hughes.
Cleveland's loss allowed Detroit to move three games clear in the AL Central with a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers.
Brennan Boesch's eighth-inning homer put Detroit over the top.
Ervin Santana pitched a complete game to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, while Felix Hernandez allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings as the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland 4-2.
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 while Baltimore enjoyed an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals QC
In a game that saw star sluggers Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun both hit by pitches, St Louis fell behind but then used a five-run fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead, only to surrender four runs in the fifth and trail once more.
After they tied the game, St Louis lost All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to an ejection when he erupted at the home plate umpire over a strike call, with his violent reaction likely to earn him a suspension.
Nevertheless, they eventually took the win thanks to an RBI in the 11th from Lance Berkman.
The Pittsburgh Pirates slipped further out of contention in the division as they went down 11-6 to the Chicago Cubs, who tied a franchise record for a road game with six home runs.
Alfonso Soriano smacked two of them, while Tyler Colvin hit a towering shot that ended up amongst the ducks in the Allegheny River.
Pittsburgh have now lost five straight, dropping to six games back, one ahead of the Cincinnati Reds who beat Houston 5-1 thanks to a grand slam from Edgar Renteria.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have moved level with the San Francisco Giants atop the NL West after a 6-1 win in California.
Paul Goldschmidt, called up from the minor leagues on Monday, struck a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks.
Philadelphia extended their lead over the Atlanta Braves to eight games in the NL East as they beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 while Atlanta lost 9-3 to Washington.
Kyle Kendrick pitched eight scoreless innings for the Phillies, while Washington won thanks to a grand slam from Rick Ankiel, his third home run in the past two days.
There was a scare for the Florida Marlins when Hanley Ramirez suffered what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury in their 4-3 win over the New York Mets, but the team say the shortstop is day-to-day.
Omar Infante homered twice in the win.
Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven scoreless innings in a duel with San Diego's Matt Latos as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 1-0 at Petco Park.
The Boston Red Sox remain one game clear of the New York Yankees in the AL East after wins for both.
Boston topped the Cleveland Indians 3-2 as Jacoby Ellsbury got the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees enjoyed a more comprehensive 6-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox in a rain-shortened game, highlighted by six scoreless innings from Phil Hughes.
Cleveland's loss allowed Detroit to move three games clear in the AL Central with a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers.
Brennan Boesch's eighth-inning homer put Detroit over the top.
Ervin Santana pitched a complete game to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, while Felix Hernandez allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings as the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland 4-2.
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 while Baltimore enjoyed an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals QC