Monthly Archives: August 2010

Sky rally past Dream in Atlanta, big deal, too late!

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Chicago Sky

ATLANTA—If the Atlanta Dream fail to get home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, they can just look towards their play against the already eliminated Sky.Sylvia Fowles had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Epiphanny Prince scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter and the Sky rallied to defeat the Dream 84-79 on Tuesday night at Phillips Arena.Atlanta (18-14) has lost five of its last six games to fall to the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The top two teams get home court for the first round of the postseason and only a slim chance remains of Atlanta finishing second.The Dream are 10-6 at home with a game to go against Washington on Sunday, but the last-place Sky (14-18) won all three games in Atlanta this season.The Dream led 73-65 with 6:15 left before the Sky rallied behind Fowles. Her free throw gave the Sky a 78-77 lead with a minute left.Prince then had a basket and two free throws to expand the lead. Iziane Castro Marques scored with six seconds remaining to cut the lead to three points, but Dominique Canty sealed the win for the Sky with two free throws.Castro Marques had 19 points to lead the Dream. Angel McCoughtry scored 16 points and Yelena Leuchanka grabbed 11 rebounds. Canty had 17 points and Jia Perkins scored 15 for the visitors. The Dream snapped a four-game losing streak and clinched a playoff spot with 98-74 rout of the Sky in Chicago on Saturday, breaking the game open with a 31-11 edge in the second quarter and leading by as many as 35 points.The Dream took a 65-63 lead into the final quarter by scoring the final six points of the third – the last two baskets coming from Coco Miller. Perkins had seven points, Canty scored six and the Sky built a 58-53 lead midway in the period with a 15-6 run.Atlanta went up 39-31 lead midway in the second quarter with a 16-3 run and was up 45-43 at halftime after the Sky briefly regained the lead at 41-39 thanks a 10-0 streak. The Dream shot 56.7 percent in the first half and the Sky made 54.3 percent.Fowles had 13 points and nine rebounds at the intermission and Canty scored nine. McCoughtry led the Dream with eight first-half points.

Cubs modest 2 games winning streak GONE as Padres win 9-5

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Kevin Correia pitched six scoreless innings and hit a rare RBI double, leading the San Diego Padres to a 9-5 victory over the Cubs on Monday night.Miguel Tejada was 4 for 5 with a double and two RBI and Chris Denorfia added three hits for the NL West-leading Padres, who have won seven of eight and moved four games ahead of second-place San Francisco.After taking two of three from the Giants last weekend, the Padres won behind another strong showing from of one of their starters.Correia (10-7) allowed five hits and struck out five with one walk. After giving up four hits in the first two innings, he settled down to retire his last eight batters and became the fourth Padres starting pitcher to win at least 10 games this season.Correia also gave the Padres a lead that they would never give up.Cubs starter Tom Gorzelanny retired the first two batters in the fifth but allowed a single to Denorfia before Correia helped himself with a double down the left-field line. Denorfia scored from first, just beating the relay throw to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.Correia came into the game with a .108 batting average and only two doubles in 176 major league at-bats.The right-hander also escaped a major jam in the first and improved to 5-1 since the All-Star break with a 3.00 ERA in six starts.The usually dependable San Diego bullpen struggled, however, yielding two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth. It took five relievers to secure the win. Mike Adams got one out in the eighth and closer Heath Bell finished up with a perfect ninth.Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI double in the eighth and Blake Dewitt followed with a two-run homer for the Cubs, who have lost seven of eight at home.Gorzelanny (6-7) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. He didn’t allow a hit until a leadoff single by Tejada in the fourth.The Padres helped Correia in the next two innings. Tejada led off the sixth with a single and advanced to third on Adrian Gonzalez’s single. Ryan Ludwick followed with a sacrifice fly.In the seventh, Tony Gwynn Jr. pinch-hit for Correia and reached safely on a bunt. Gwynn stole second and scored on Tejada’s double. Gonzalez chased Gorzelanny with an RBI single. After a walk to Yorvit Torrealba, Cubs reliever Justin Berg gave up an RBI single to Chase Headley that gave the Padres a 5-0 lead.Kosuke Fukudome had a two-run double for Chicago in the seventh, his third hit of the game.The Padres got those two runs back in the eighth against reliever Andrew Cashner. Denorfia singled and advanced to third on Gwynn’s double. During Tejada’s at-bat, Denorfia scored on Cashner’s wild pitch. Tejada drove in Gwynn with a single.Cubs manager Lou Piniella has been irked by his young bullpen. On Sunday, he watched the bullpen nearly blow a 9-2 lead in the ninth against the Cardinals before holding on for a 9-7 win.Denorfia’s two-run triple in the ninth made it 9-5.Piniella doesn’t know if the Cubs have anyone in the minor league system that they can bring up for help.

   

NOTES—Chris Young threw 64 pitches in a bullpen session, according to Black. Young went on the DL on April 12 with a strained shoulder. He had arthroscopic surgery last August and has made only one start this season….Starlin Castro had the night off. He leads all rookies with a .314 batting average…..Derrek Lee missed the game with a bulging disk in his lower back. He is day-to-day…..The Cubs bullpen has allowed earned runs in eight of the last nine games. 

  

 

Sox lose late again to Tigers, now three games behind Twins

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The Detroit Tigers finally won a road series.Johnny Damon hit a go-ahead, two-run triple in the eighth inning, Jhonny Peralta homered twice and the Tigers rallied to beat the slumping White Sox 13-8 on Sunday.Miguel Cabrera and Ryan Raburn also connected for the Tigers, who won for only the third time in 16 road games. Detroit also snapped a string of 10 straight road series losses dating to a two-game sweep at Oakland in May.The White Sox wrapped up a disappointing 2-4 homestand that opened with them tied with the Twins for the AL Central lead and finished with them three back of Minnesota. They open a key three-game series against the Twins on Tuesday night at Target Field.Detroit blew a 5-1 lead and starting pitcher Armando Galarraga and catcher Alex Avila had to be separated following a heated exchange in the dugout after the first inning. Galarraga called it a “misunderstanding.Paul Konerko hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to give the White Sox a 7-5 lead, but the Tigers battled back against a fatigued White Sox bullpen missing closer Bobby Jenks.Cabrera went deep against Sergio Santos in the seventh and Detroit added three more in the eighth. Damon had the key two-out hit against J.J. Putz (5-5), but center fielder Andruw Jones dropped pinch-hitter Brandon Inge’s fly ball for a run-scoring error that made it 9-7.After Jones homered in the White Sox eighth, Detroit put the game away with four runs in the ninth. Peralta went deep against Tony Pena, Don Kelly had a two-run single and Inge drove in Austin Jackson with a fielder’s choice.Putz yielded three runs, two earned, and two hits in the eighth. The struggling right-hander gave up Avila’s two-run homer in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 3-2 loss.Putz pitched in three consecutive games for the first time since July 27-29, 2007. He left without talking to reporters. The White Sox have lost five of eight at home after a 19-1 stretch at U.S. Cellular Field. They have dropped six of eight overall.Brad Thomas (5-1) pitched a scoreless seventh for the victory.Galarraga allowed four runs, three earned, and seven hits in five innings.After not getting out of the third inning in Tuesday’s loss to the Twins, Freddy Garcia was tagged for five runs and eight hits in five innings.The Tigers led 5-1 before the White Sox scored three times in the fifth and sixth. Alexei Ramirez hit a tying a single before Konerko’s 29th homer.

NOTES—Don Cooper was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Jeff Nelson…..Jenks (back spasms) was unavailable. The White Sox will decide on Tuesday if Jenks will be placed on the DL…..Tigers closer Jose Valverde was unavailable with a strained oblique. He is day to day.

Cubs knock Cards out first place, hang on for series clinching win

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 ST. LOUIS—Kyle Lohse’s first start in 85 days was a disaster. Same goes for the St. Louis Cardinals’ weekend.That’s fine with the Cubs who have won two straight series from their hated rivals.Derrek Lee homered his first two at-bats, helping the Cubs pummel a pitcher coming off forearm surgery and knock the Cardinals out of first place in the NL Central with a 9-7 victory on Sunday.Ryan Dempster (11-8) won his third straight start for the Cubs, who have won only four of 18 but took two out of three against a team that had grabbed the division lead with a three-game sweep at Cincinnati. The Cubs won consecutive games for the first time since July 23-24 against the Cardinals at home.Albert Pujols became the first player to hit 30 homers in his first 10 seasons when he belted a drive to straightaway center in the first. The St. Louis slugger has homered in seven of his last 13 games to give him 396 for his career, tied with Joe Carter for 50th place.The Cardinals are 10-5 against the Reds, back in the lead after beating Florida 2-0 on Sunday, but have struggled against the also-ran Cubs (4-5) and Astros (5-7). St. Louis is 48-25 when Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright or Jaime Garcia pitches, and 17-26 in other games.Lee homered to straightaway center in the first and third against Lohse (1-5), making his first start after being activated from the 60-day disabled list. Some fans in the sellout crowd of 44,074 that featured a healthy Cubs contingent booed Lohse, who allowed seven runs to hike his ERA to 6.89, as the right-hander trudged to the dugout.Lee, batting .429 (9 for 21) with two homers and five RBI against Lohse, left after four innings. The team announced he’d experienced lower back stiffness, but Lou Piniella said Lee got a rest because the Cubs were ahead 8-1.Lee has 16 homers after hitting four solo shots in the series, connecting in each game.The first five Cubs reached safely to start a six-run fourth that chased Lohse, including a two-run double by Koyie Hill and an RBI single from Dempster. Marlon Byrd had two singles and an RBI in an inning that matched the Cubs’ season bests for runs and hits (six).The Cubs were patient at the plate in the fourth, swinging at only two of the last 23 pitches from Mike MacDougal.Dempster allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He has won three straight starts for the first time since Aug. 10-23, 2008.Pujols is heating up in August once again. It’s traditionally his best month, with career totals of 76 homers, 342 hits and 220 runs. He also is batting .319 (15 for 47) against Dempster with six homers and 12 RBI.The Cardinals scored five times in the ninth to make it interesting, starting with rookie Steven Hill’s first career homer and ending with Hill’s game-ending groundout against Carlos Marmol with two men aboard. Pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez, who had been in a 2-for-32 slump, delivered a two-run single.Marmol earned his 21st save in 25 chances.

NOTES—Rookie Casey Coleman will replace Thomas Diamond, who lasted four innings in his last start, in the Cubs’ rotation Wednesday at home against the Padres. … Members of the Black Eyed Peas took batting practice before the game and threw out first pitches. One band member swung at more than a dozen pitches without making contact. … Lee has two multihomer games this season and 22 for his career. … The Cardinals were 1 for 14 with runners on base the first eight innings. … Lohse hasn’t beaten the Cubs since April 15, 2007, when he was with the Reds.

Bears lose exhibition debut to Chargers 25-10

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SAN DIEGO — Ryan Mathews was so nervous before his debut that he had to duck into the bathroom to throw up.He recovered quickly though. On his second NFL carry, Mathews was pushed back almost to the Chargers’ goal line, then powered through linebacker Lance Briggs and ran for 18 yards.Mathews had an impressive debut and the San Diego Chargers got along fine without holdouts Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill in a 25-10 exhibition victory over the Bears on Saturday night.Mathews, the first-round draft pick who will replace the departed LaDainian Tomlinson, gained 50 yards on nine carries and caught two passes for 11 yards. Philip Rivers threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Legedu Naanee, one of the receivers the Bolts will depend on in Jackson’s absence.The Chargers enjoyed watching Mathews drive through Briggs for the big gain.It was the Chargers’ first game since they took a face-plant in a 17-14 playoff loss to the New York Jets, which was Tomlinson’s last game with San Diego. He was released in February and signed with the Jets. The Chargers were 13-3 last year, winning their fourth straight AFC West title.The Bears are coming off a 7-9 finish, their third straight season out of the playoffs.The Bears lost safeties Craig Steltz (ankle) and rookie Major Wright (finger).Restricted free agents McNeill, the left tackle, and Jackson, a Pro Bowl wide receiver, are holding out, upset that they haven’t been given long-term contracts. The Chargers have threatened to put them on the roster exempt list if they haven’t signed their tenders by Friday, meaning they’ll be suspended for three games once they sign. They are believed to be willing to sit out the first 10 games, returning for the final six to gain an accrued season.Rivers played two series and wasn’t sacked. Backup Billy Volek was sacked once, midway through the second quarter. Brandyn Dombrowski, the first-string left tackle in McNeill’s absence, played two series.Dombrowski and Tyronne Green, who also played left tackle for the Chargers, squared off against Bears end Julius Peppers.The Chargers had six sacks.Rivers’ TD pass to Naanee was set up by a 51-yard kickoff return by Richard Goodman, an undrafted rookie, after Robbie Gould’s 38-yard field goal.Linebacker Brandon Lang, another undrafted rookie, had a big game. He blocked a punt late in the third quarter that rolled out of the end zone for a safety, and sandwiched Bears second-string quarterback Caleb Hanie along with Antwan Applewhite during a play that resulted in a sack and forced fumble for Applewhite, with Paul Oliver recovering. Hanie hurt his right shoulder on the play.Bears starter Jay Cutler was in for only one series, going 2 of 2 for 47 yards. He was sacked once.Hanie threw a 7-yard TD pass to Devin Aromashodu in the second quarter. It came seven plays after San Diego’s Ryon Bingham was whistled for a neutral zone infraction as Gould kicked a 52-yard field goal, giving the Bears a first down on the Chargers’ 30.The Chargers committed nine penalties for 66 yards in the first half. Right tackle Jeromey Clary was whistled three times for false starts, including on consecutive plays on the Chargers’ second drive.NOTES—Chargers WR/PR Craig Davis sustained a hip pointer on a punt return in the first quarter and didn’t return. …Hunter Hillenmeyer sustained a foot injury.

　

　

　

Sox lose to Tigers in 9th inning on Avila blast off Putz

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A lot happened to the Detroit Tigers in the time between Alex Avila’s last two homers — almost all of it bad.Avila hit a two-run shot off substitute closer J.J. Putz in the ninth inning to send the Tigers to a 3-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday.Avila’s previous homer came on July 10, when Detroit beat Minnesota to take over first place in the AL Central. In between, the Tigers went 7-24 to fall 10 1/2 games behind the Twins.Devastated by injuries to several top players and struggling in all phases, the Tigers now find themselves desperate for victories.Unlikely, too. The White Sox had been on a roll — winning 41 of their previous 59 games — and Avila was batting .210 before connecting on the first pitch he saw from Putz.Avila, who platoons at catcher with Gerald Laird.Putz (5-4) was working the ninth inning because Bobby Jenks is out with back spasms. Putz also gave up a game-ending homer to Baltimore’s Brian Roberts on Monday.Putz had seasons of 36 and 40 saves with Seattle, so he knows what it’s like to pitch with the game on the line.The White Sox have lost six of nine games to go from leading the division by 1½ games to trailing Minnesota by two.Edwin Jackson struck out 11 in seven innings in his home debut, allowing one run and five hits. He has given up only three earned runs in 20 innings since he was acquired from Arizona on July 30.Rick Porcello pitched seven innings for Detroit, yielding two runs and nine hits. A rookie standout last season, Porcello struggled so badly earlier this year he was sent to the minors for a spell. Porcello escaped serious damage by inducing three double-play grounders. With two on in the third inning, he was saved by second baseman Carlos Guillen, who ranged well behind the bag to grab Alex Rios’ grounder and made a behind-the-back flip to shortstop Ramon Santiago to start a sensational DP.Detroit tied it at 1 in the sixth on Guillen’s 425-foot homer to right-center field. It was the first homer since June 20 for Guillen, who had been 1 for 16 since coming off the disabled list Monday.The Sox went ahead again in the seventh. Juan Pierre drew a two-out walk, swiped second for his 504th steal — tying Paul Molitor for 36th on the career list — and scored on Omar Vizquel’s single.Even with the victory, the Tigers are 18-36 on the road and 3-7 against the White Sox.

NOTES—Tigers RF Brennan Boesch struck out four times. After a hot start to his rookie season, he is batting .125 over his last 29 games…Jenks isn’t expected to pitch in Sunday’s series finale, either. After the SWox are off Monday, the team will decide if Jenks needs to go on the DL. “I don’t think he’ll be ready by Tuesday,” Ozzie Guillen said. “I hope he is. But you can’t even move today and all of a sudden Tuesday you’re fine?”

Cubs beat Carpenter,Cards as Z wins first in two months

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ST. LOUIS—Carlos Zambrano may no longer be the Cubs’ stopper, but he played the role Saturday in a ballpark where he’s had a lot of success.Zambrano won for the first time since his banishment for a dugout tantrum in June, helping the Cubs win for just the third time in 17 games, 3-2 over St. Louis, snapping the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.Aramis Ramirez homered on the first pitch he saw after missing three games with sore ribs, and was 2 for 4. Derrek Lee also hit a solo home run for the Cubs.Chris Carpenter (13-4) gave up three runs in six innings. He was 4-0 with a 1.79 ERA over his previous six starts. Zambrano (4-6) allowed seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked two. He is 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA for his career at the new Busch Stadium.Carlos Marmol got the final five outs for the save, his 20th in 24 chances but his first since July 26.St. Louis manager Tony La Russa watched from a private box as he finished up a two-game suspension for his role in a brawl Tuesday at Cincinnati.Zambrano has had a tough year — a 5.46 ERA entering the game and a dugout blowup with Lee on June 25 that led to the Cubs placing him on the restricted list. He was solid in his return start at San Francisco on Monday, allowing two runs in five innings in a no-decision, and better Saturday.Zambrano said he felt more comfortable this time.Zambrano struck out Colby Rasmus three times and cooled off one of baseball’s hottest teams — St. Louis had scored at least four runs every game this month and was hitting .306 for August coming into the game.Carpenter is certainly used to the stifling heat and humidity of a St. Louis summer, but admittedly struggled on a 93-degree day with a heat index of 107 degrees. TV showed him in the dugout after the third inning with a wet towel draped over his head, and he said that the heat initially took a toll.The two Cardinals aces — Carpenter and Adam Wainwright — were a combined 20-2 at Busch Stadium this season. Carpenter was 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA at home before Saturday. He allowed six hits, struck out three and walked none.The Cardinals scored in the first on a single by John Jay, a double by Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday’s sacrifice fly.Ramirez hit the first pitch of the second inning 408 feet for a homer, his 17th, into the Cubs bullpen in left field. The Cubs added another run in the second on Koyie Hill’s RBI single.Lee hit his 14th homer with two outs in the third.St. Louis missed a two-out chance in the fifth when Holliday grounded out with the bases loaded. The Cardinals cut the margin to 3-2 in the sixth on a two-out single by Skip Schumaker, a wild pitch and a single by pinch-hitter Randy Winn.The Cardinals had one last chance in the ninth when Aaron Miles led off with an infield single and went to second on Ramirez’s throwing error. But Brendan Ryan popped out trying to bunt, Felipe Lopez fouled out and Allen Craig struck out.

NOTES—Lopez was 0 for 4 and is 2 for 32 since Aug. 6…..The Cubs have used 15 rookies this season, tied with Detroit for the most in baseball….The sellout crowd of 46,313 was the second-largest of the season at Busch, behind only opening day…..Kosuke Fukudome made a strong over-the-shoulder catch as he slammed into the right-field wall to rob Holliday of a fourth-inning hit….Pujols was 2 for 4 but failed to score a run for the first time in 12 games.

Twins no longer in town.Sox bounce back against hapless Tigers.

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Gordon Beckham hit a three-run homer Friday night to lead the White Sox to an 8-4 victory over the slumping Detroit Tigers. Mark Teahen, fresh off the disabled list, added a two-run shot for the Sox (65-51), which are 41-18 since June 9 — a surge that began with a 15-3 victory over the Tigers. Mark Buehrle (11-9) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings and has won his last five decisions against Detroit.Beckham also tripled and scored in the seventh. One of baseball’s top rookies in 2009, he is batting .379 with five homers and 19 RBI in his last 28 games after getting off to a slow start.After losing five of seven to fall out of the AL Central lead, the White Sox received a timely visit from their favorite opponent. They are 7-2 against the Tigers this season and 65-36 against them since the start of 2005.Ryan Raburn and Brandon Inge homered for the Tigers (55-60), who are 7-23 since a July 11 loss to Minnesota dropped them out of first place. They are now 10 1/2 games behind the Twins, who lead the White Sox by one.Jeremy Bonderman (6-8) was in control until the fifth inning. Teahen and Alexei Ramirez singled with no outs and moved up on A.J. Pierzynski’s sacrifice. Teahen scored ahead of Bonderman’s throw after the pitcher fell while fielding Mark Kotsay’s infield tap. Beckham then homered to right-center field.Teahen, who had been out since May 31 with a broken right middle finger, connected in the sixth after Paul Konerko walked, giving the Sox a 6-2 lead.In his first season with the White Sox after spending his first five years in Kansas City, Teahen is thrilled to be in a pennant race.Bonderman allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one.Raburn’s homer in the seventh chased Buehrle, and a heavy rain fell as Sergio Santos warmed up. Santos allowed Gerald Laird’s bunt single and, after an 82-minute rain delay, walked Austin Jackson. He escaped the jam by striking out Johnny Damon and getting Jhonny Peralta to ground out.Inge, who came off the DL last week, hit a solo shot off Matt Thornton in the eighth for his first homer since May 30. It also snapped Thornton’s string of 22 straight scoreless appearances.Ramirez homered in the bottom half for the White Sox.

NOTES—Bobby Jenks remained out with back spasms and Guillen said the team must decide soon whether to put him on the DL. … Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera hit a run-scoring single in the sixth and has 50 RBIs in 51 road games. He leads the majors with 94 RBIs overall. … Raburn, who also doubled and singled, entered with only three hits in 17 career at-bats against Buehrle.

Streaking(losing)Cubs keep it up(down)against Cards

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ST. LOUIS—With zero input from Tony La Russa, the St. Louis Cardinals kept driving.The manager watched alone from a booth behind the plate, serving the first of a two-game suspension for his role in an altercation with the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the week, as the Cardinals beat the Cubs 6-3 on Friday. Albert Pujols homered for the sixth time in 11 games on a three-hit night and Jake Westbrook got his first win in three tries since joining the team at the trade deadline.Yadier Molina, whose objection to getting his shin guards tapped by Brandon Phillips’ bat sparked that fracas with the Reds, got a prolonged standing ovation before singling in the second inning. Molina added a pair of sacrifice flies.Colby Rasmus walked four times, two more than his previous high, and Matt Holliday doubled twice with an RBI to help the Cardinals win their fourth in a row and build on a sweep of the Reds that propelled them into first place in the NL Central.The Cubs fizzled after putting Westbrook (1-0) on the ropes early with four straight one-out hits in the first, including Marlon Byrd’s two-run single.Rookie starter Thomas Diamond (0-3) was knocked out after four innings for the Cubs, who have lost 14 of 16 and did not benefit from manager Lou Piniella’s return from a four-game bereavement leave to tend to his ailing mother.Pujols’ homer was the first allowed by Diamond in three career starts.Derrek Lee, also back from a bereavement leave to tend to his ailing grandfather, homered off Fernando Salas in the eighth and also doubled in the first.Pujols hit his 395th career homer, most ever by a player in his first 10 seasons and one behind Joe Carter for 50th on the career list, to straightaway center with two outs in the first. He added two singles, each time scoring, and is batting .442 the last 12 games.Pujols had 17 putouts at first base, a reflection of Westbrook’s ability to pound the sinker.Westbrook, acquired from the Padres for Ryan Ludwick at the trade deadline to provide rotation depth behind twin aces Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, retired 17 of his final 20 batters. The right-hander has worked six innings in all three of his starts with the Cardinals and is 20-9 in August, his best month for wins.Westbrook doubled leading off the fourth for his third career hit in 19 at-bats, and scored his first career run on Jon Jay’s RBI single for a 4-2 lead. One of his other two hits came against Carpenter in 2006 when he was with the Indians.Ryan Franklin worked the ninth for his 21st save in 23 chances.

NOTES—Paid attendance of 45,546 was the Cardinals’ 19th sellout and their third largest of the season. … The Cubs played their first game in St. Louis. The last time the NL Central rivals met at Busch this late in the season was Aug. 13, 1999. … The Cardinals have scored four or more runs every game in August, going 7-3. … Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan made the play of the game, going deep in the hole to glove Blake DeWitt’s grounder and then throwing from the grass in time to end the third. … The Cubs are 12-26 in series openers. … Westbrook had three strikeouts after totaling 16 his first two starts, which matched Sam Jones (1957) as the most for the franchise since 1920. … Pujols has scored in 11 straight games, totaling 17 runs.

Liriano outduels Floyd as Twins leave town in first place

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Gavin Floyd picked a bad night to have his worst outing in almost two months,and the White Sox picked the wrong night to play a poor fundamental game as the Minnesota Twins left town in first place after beating the Sox 6-1. Jason Kubel’s three run homer on Floyd’s 125th and final pitch in the top of the 7th, put the game away. Minnesota took the lead in the top of the first on Orlando Hudson’s one out homer off Floyd. The Sox tied it against Francisco Liriano when they loaded the bases, and A.J.Pierzynski hit a sqibber down the third base line which Danny Valencia had no play on, scoring Alex Rios,but the Sox left the bases loaded for one of three times when Dayan Viciedo flew out to Dena rd`Span in deep CF. The Twins took the lead for good in the second with Sox help.Michael Cuddyer singled,and when he broke for second with Jim Thome at bat, nobody covered second,and Pierzynski’s throw,which would have been on the dime,instead went into CF as Cuddyer took third base. Thome then lifted a sac fly to RF. The Twins got another gift in the third when Floyd balked a run home,allowing Hudson to cross the plate with two outs. Pierzynski doubled with one out in the Sox 4th,but remained on second base.In the 5Th,the Sox loaded the bases with nobody out,but failed to score when Alex Rios bounced back to Liriano who threw home for a force, then Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin both fanned. In the bottom of the 6th,Pierzynski got his third hit of the game,a single and one out later took third on a ground rule double by Omar Vizquel that a fan touched down the left field line. Gordon Beckham was hit by a 3-2 pit to load the bases,but Juan Pierre lined to Span in shallow CF, causing the runners to hold. Matt Gurrier relieved Liriano and Alexi Ramirez popped up to short. Floyd(8-9)gave up a lead off double to Alexi Casilla in the top of the seventh,and two outs later the Sox chose to intentionally walk Joe Mauer. Kubel then launched his three run bomb to left center.
 
NOTES—Attendance was 33,237,meaning none of the three games in this show down series were sold out….The Sox host Detroit this weekend.Friday night’s game has Mark Buehrle(10-9)opposing Jeremy Bonderman(6-7)…..The Sox optioned Viciedo to Class AAA Charlotte and will activate Mark Teahen off the DL.
LES