>>Braves Shut Out Cardinals
(Atlanta, GA) — Mike Soroka tossed seven innings of three-hit ball to lead the Braves to a 4-0 shutout of the Cardinals in Atlanta. Michael Wacha gave up just four hits and one earned run in five innings, but took the loss. Kolten Wong, Jose Martinez and Paul DeJong each had a single for St. Louis, which has lost four of its last five.
Paul Goldschmidt grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the third and the Cardinals went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The series wraps up tonight with Adam Wainwright opposing Atlanta’s Julio Teheran.
>>Rangers Power Past Royals To End Skid
(Kansas City, MO) — Willie Calhoun hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat of the season as the Rangers beat the Royals 6-1 in Kansas City. Ronald Guzman also hit a two-run homer and Shin-Soo Choo added a solo shot as Texas snapped a five-game skid. Mike Minor got the win with five innings of one-run ball. Jorge López fell to 0-and-5 for KC with a 6.29 ERA in nine starts. Nicky Lopez doubled and scored on Adalberto Mondesi’s single in the first for the Royals. KC went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
>>Reds Rally To Clip Cubs In 10
(Cincinnati, OH) — Yasiel Puig singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Reds rallied to beat Cubs 6-5 in Cincinnati. Eugenio Suarez hit a tying, two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Reds, who snapped a two-game skid. Amir Garrett got out of trouble in the top of the 10th to get credit for the win. Addison Russell, Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber all homered for Chicago, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Brad Brach took the loss.
>>D’backs Pound Pirates In Rubber Match
(Phoenix, AZ) — Zack Greinke pitched four-hit, scoreless ball into the eighth inning before exiting with abdominal tightness as the Diamondbacks pounded the Pirates 11-1 in Phoenix. Greinke, who improved to 6-and-1 with the victory, will undergo an MRI. Eduardo Escobar and Adam Jones went deep, and Blake Swihart added a two-run, inside-the-park homer, as the Snakes took two-of-three in the series. Melky Cabrera plated the Bucs’ lone run with a two-out single in the ninth. Chris Archer was tagged for seven runs in less than four frames to fall to 1-and-3.
>>Brewers Take Down Phillies
(Philadelphia, PA) — Ryan Braun singled in a run and scored on an error to help the Brewers take down the Phillies 5-2 in Philadelphia. Jesus Aguilar added a two-run single in the win. Gio Gonzalez allowed just one run in five-and-a-third innings for his second win. Milwaukee has won nine of its last 12 games. Jean Segura homered in the first for the Phillies. Jake Arrieta surrendered five runs over six innings to fall to 4-and-4 with the loss. The Phillies have dropped two-in-a-row.
>>Twins Hold Off Angels
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Twins led by five runs entering the seventh and held on for an 8-7 victory over the Angels in Minneapolis. Jason Castro and Byron Buxton each blasted two-run homers for Minnesota. Mike Morin recorded the final two outs for his first save, with the Angels scoring three in the ninth. Minnesota has won seven of its last 10 games. Jonathan Lucroy homered, doubled and drove in three LA runs. Tommy La Stella belted his Angels’ leading 11th homer. Brian Goodwin had four of LA’s season-high 18 hits. The Halos stranded 14 runners and lost for the third time in four games.