MINNEAPOLIS—Chris Sale threw six scoreless innings to notch his 17th victory after being rained out the night before, helping the White Sox keep their one-game AL Central lead by beating the Minnesota Twins 6-0 on Friday.Sale (17-6) scattered three singles and struck out five without a walk, cruising to his third win in three starts against the Twins this year.Sale was supposed to pitch on Thursday at home against Detroit, but the last matchup of the season between the two division front-runners was postponed until Monday by the wet weather. The Tigers, who beat Cleveland 4-0, are one game back in the race.Dayan Viciedo had two RBI, Kevin Youkilis homered and Alex Rios doubled, scored and drove in a run for the White Sox, who played without injured slugger Adam Dunn for the seventh straight game. Dunn, who has a strained right oblique muscle, could return to the lineup on Saturday.The White Sox improved to 12-4 against the Twins this year. But they’re just 5-12 against the Tigers, with losses in nine of the last 10 meetings. Both teams have fallen well behind in the AL wild-card standings, leaving the division title their only real opportunity to play in the postseason.With 19 games remaining, the White Sox play legitimate contenders only eight more times including the pivotal makeup game on Monday. They can’t afford to slip up against faded foes like the Twins, who are jostling with the Indians for fourth place.Sale made sure they didn’t, letting only two runners reach second base. Youkilis helped him out at third base with consecutive catches of hard line drives, going down on the ground to his right to snag Jamey Carroll’s and then gloving Josh Willingham’s on the next play.Sale, whose transition from reliever to starter this year has been a rousing success, lowered his ERA to 2.78. He’s third in the AL in ERA and tied for second in wins.Esmerling Vasquez (0-2) gave the Twins the best of his three starts since he was brought up from Triple-A Rochester at the beginning of the month, but he was done in again by control problems. He walked three straight batters in the fourth inning after a one-out single, with Viciedo’s walk forcing in the second run for Chicago.Then with two outs in the sixth, after a broken-bat single by A.J. Pierzynski and a walk to Viciedo, Kyle Waldrop relieved Vasquez. Alexei Ramirez greeted him with a single to make it 3-0.Vasquez had 80 walks over 137 innings, all in relief, for Arizona over the last three seasons. The Twins claimed him on waivers last September. The 28-year-old Dominican needed 113 pitches to make it 5 2-3 innings. He walked five and struck out four, with three hits and three runs allowed.

NOTES—Francisco Liriano (5-11, 5.37 ERA) will pitch on Saturday against his former team so the White Sox can give starters Jose Quintana and Gavin Floyd extra rest. Liriano has been bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. RHP Samuel Deduno (6-3, 3.55 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Twins, coming off a strong start on Monday when he beat the Indians with seven innings, six strikeouts and three hits, two runs and three walks allowed. … Joe Mauer missed his fourth straight game due to back spasms, but the Twins said he’s feeling better. With Ryan Doumit also day to day with a strained rib cage, Chris Herrmann was called up from Double-A New Britian to be the emergency catcher. … White Sox manager Robin Ventura said when Dunn returns Dewayne Wise will be in the mix with Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza for time in LF and CF.

The Cubs are becoming quite a problem for the Pittsburgh Pirates who lost their seventh straight game Friday and kept fading in the NL wild-card race as Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer that sent the Cubs to a 7-4 win.

The Pirates have dropped 11 of 13 overall. They began the day three games behind St. Louis for the final NL playoff spot.The Cubs have won four straight against the Pirates, including a three-game sweep last weekend in Pittsburgh.Chris Rusin (1-2) notched his first major league victory, allowing two runs in five-plus innings in his fourth career start.

“It feels good,” the 25-year-old Rusin said after a cold beer shower. “I located the ball, kept the ball down and got ahead of a lot of hitters.”

The Cubs led 4-3 in the sixth before Castro connected after Luis Valbuena walked and Alfonso Soriano was hit by a pitch.

“I wanted to jump on the first pitch because I knew he would throw me a fastball,” Castro said. “I know the team isn’t going anywhere, but we have to finish strong.”

Since Castro’s debut in 2010, he leads all National League players with 508 hits.

“We all know what kind of hitter he is right now,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “I was more impressed not by the home run, but by the adjustment he made. He went with no leg kick and no stride and hit a home run.”

“Those are the things you look for, to see guys make adjustments. That’s when you start to grow as a player,” he said.

Andrew McCutchen homered in the Pittsburgh seventh, but Cubs reliever Shawn Camp tossed a perfect eighth and Carlos Marmol earned his 20th save in 22 chances. Marmol has converted 19 consecutive save tries.Pirates starter James McDonald (12-8) struggled once again in the second half. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks. He is 2-5 in his last 10 starts.McDonald, who also hit a batter, hurt himself with wildness. He walked three batters in the fourth before Anthony Rizzo delivered a two-run double down the right-field line and Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI single that made it 4-0.

“I didn’t have any pitches today, but I’ve pitched in that situation where I didn’t have any pitches before,” McDonald said. “Walks are unacceptable. I had two outs, I should have gotten that out and been in the dugout.”

The Pirates got an RBI single from Pedro Alvarez in the fifth and  closed within a run in the sixth.Gaby Sanchez singled home a run and Alvarez had an RBI grounder, but Pittsburgh left the bases loaded when James Russell struck out pinch-hitter Neil Walker.On Aug. 8, the Pirates were 63-47, but have gone 9-24 since. They are now just a game over .500 for the first time since June 15 when they were 32-31. Pittsburgh hasn’t finished with a winning record since 1992.While the Pirates continue to fight for postseason berth, the Cubs have a magic number of their own. The victory was the Cubs’ 57th, meaning six more wins lets them avoid a third 100-loss season.

“We got the magic number down,” Sveum said. “These guys have a lot of pride and are trying to stay from that number.”

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney was 2 for 2 with a run scored to extend his hitting streak to a career-high nine games.

NOTES—Cubs’ first-round draft pick Albert Almora took batting practice with the team at Wrigley Field prior to the game. He will report to the instructional league on Monday….Alvarez (sore wrist) returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game. Walker (lower back tightness) did not start for the 16th consecutive game…..Jason Berken makes his Cubs debut Saturday against Wandy Rodriguez (10-13, 3.72).

GREEN BAY, Wis. — On a night when defenses dominated the NFL’s most storied rivalry, the Packers got creative — and it worked.

Punter Tim Masthay and backup tight end Tom Crabtree combined for a touchdown on a fake field goal in the second quarter, and the Green Bay Packers rattled and robbed Jay Cutler in a 23-10 victory over the Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday.Cutler threw four interceptions, including a pair to Tramon Williams. Facing a fierce Packers pass rush all night, Cutler was sacked seven times, including 3 1/2 for Clay Matthews. New Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall was held to two catches for 24 yards.

“Clay was incredible,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Defense causing turnovers, if they play like that we’re going to be tough to beat.”

The Bears also lost running back Matt Forte to an ankle injury.The Packers rebounded from a season-opening loss to San Francisco.

“We got kicked in the [rear end] four days ago,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “And we were motivated.”

How many screw ups did the Bears have?
1st QTR-The Bears had a 3rd and 4,but were guilty of a false start that killed that drive.
2nd QTR-Green Bay had a 3rd and three,but the Bears had 12 men in the huddle whih gave the Pack a first down and led to a field goal.
2nd QTR-Gabe Carimi was called for a late hit on a Bears first down. Drive killer!
2nd QTR-The Packers pulled off their fake field goal and caught the Bears flat footed.
2nd QTR-An Illegal Contact penalty on Major Wright led to another Crosby Field Goal for GB.
3rd`QTR-Marshall dropped a sure TD and the Bears had to settle for a field goal.

After Williams collected his second interception, Rodgers finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter, hitting Donald Driver for a 26-yard touchdown and a 23-3 lead.Driver, who barely played in the loss to San Francisco, did a celebratory dance in the end zone, recalling his stint on the “Dancing With the Stars” reality television show.But Rodgers threw an interception to Tim Jennings and the Bears finally cashed in. Facing fourth-and-7 at the Green Bay 21, Cutler threw a touchdown to Kellen Davis, cutting the lead to 23-10 with 6:49 remaining. But the Bears couldn’t mount a comeback as Matthews and the Packers kept turning up the heat. Rodgers finished the game 22 of 32 for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception.He got roughed up, too, getting sacked five times. Green Bay got a scare when the NFL MVP appeared to hurt his right arm early in the game, but he stayed in.

Cutler was 11 for 27 for 126 yards, and visibly expressed his frustration throughout the game.

“If they want a quarterback that doesn’t care, they can find somebody else,” Cutler said.

Earlier in the week, a confident Cutler wished the Packers’ defensive backs “good luck” in trying to match up physically with a new-look wide receiver corps led by Marshall. Stalked by Williams for much of the night, Marshall didn’t see much of the ball. And he couldn’t convert his one big opportunity, dropping a potential touchdown in the third quarter.

“Well, we got to get better,” Rodgers said. “But our defense took a lot of trash in the media this week. They played incredible.”

Forte provided much of what little offense the Bears could muster before leaving the game in the third. He appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled by Charles Woodson.Mason Crosby hit three field goals for Green Bay, including a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter.The biggest play of the night, though, came from the unlikely tandem of Masthay and Crabtree.With the Packers facing fourth-and-26 on the Bear 27 late in the second quarter, Masthay, the punter who also functions as the holder on field goals, and Crosby appeared to line up for a field goal attempt.But Masthay took the snap and flipped the ball to Crabtree, who ran through a huge hole and streaked all the way to the end zone.McCarthy said he was trying to send his team a message by calling the fake.

“That’s a gutsy call,” Rodgers said. “Worked out.”

Cutler then threw an interception to Williams near midfield with just over a minute left and the play was upheld on a replay review, giving the Packers one last chance to score. Rodgers marched the Packers into scoring range, and Crosby hit a 35-yard field goal.Cutler threw his second interception of the night late in the third, this time to Woodson, and the Packers appeared poised to score when Charles Tillman punched the ball away from Jermichael Finley and recovered the ball for the Bears.Marshall missed a huge opportunity earlier in the third, when Cutler found him streaking wide open in the end zone — but the wide receiver couldn’t haul it in, and the Bears had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould that cut the lead to 13-3.The Packers were coming off a 30-22 home loss to the 49ers. Green Bay struggled to stop San Francisco’s balanced offense and came into a short week of preparation still looking for answers in the secondary.On offense, the 49ers’ dominant defense held the Packers to seven points in the first three quarters before a late rally attempt came up short.The Bears came into the season with high expectations for a beefed-up passing attack, and the arrival of Marshall was a hit right away. Renewing his partnership with Cutler from their days in Denver, Marshall caught nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and the Bears put up 41 points in their season-opening victory over Indianapolis.

NOTES—Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings was inactive with a groin injury…..Tillman played despite a shin injury, and Brian Urlacher played his second straight game after having knee surgery during training camp…..Thursday’s attendance was 70,543.

Max Scherzer pitched six effective innings to earn his career-high 16th win, Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer and the Detroit Tigers beat the White Sox 8-6 on Wednesday night to move within a game of the AL Central lead.Scherzer (16-6) allowed a run and four hits, including the first of two homers by Kevin Youkilis. The right-hander struck out seven to increase his major league-leading total to 220 and improved to 10-1 over his last 14 starts.It was Detroit’s second strong start in as many nights following Doug Fister’s winning performance on Tuesday night. After dropping the opener of the key four-game set on Monday, the Tigers have won two in a row in their last head-to-head meeting with the AL Central leaders.Thursday night’s series finale featured a pair of aces, with reigning AL MVP Justin Verlander taking on White Sox left-hander Chris Sale. Verlander pitched eight sharp innings in a 4-2 victory over Sale and the White Sox on Sept. 2.Fielder hit his 26th homer in the seventh against reliever Leyson Septimo, snapping an 0-for-18 slump and giving Detroit a 6-1 lead. The drive to right followed two-out singles by Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera.The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth on RBI doubles by Alex Avila and Austin Jackson.Youkilis belted a three-run shot off Joaquin Benoit in the eighth to get the White Sox within three runs. Youkilis has 18 homers, 14 of them since he was acquired in a trade with Boston in late June. He entered the game in a 3-for-34 slump.Jose Valverde allowed two hits and a run the ninth on Alexei Ramirez’s grounder before getting Orlando Hudson on a called third strike for his 30th save in 34 chances. Gavin Floyd (9-10), activated from the disabled list (elbow strain) earlier in the day, pitched well for the first four innings but gave up three runs in the fifth.Brennan Boesch, who had been 0 for 18 in his career against Floyd, opened the fifth with a single and Jhonny Peralta walked. Avila sacrificed, Omar Infante drove in a run with a grounder and Jackson delivered an RBI single to put the Tigers up 2-1 and finish Floyd.Hector Santiago came in and walked Dirks before giving up an RBI single to Cabrera.Floyd threw 70 pitches in his first start since Aug. 26. He gave up four hits and was charged with three runs to go with a walk and seven strikeouts.

NOTES—Detroit has won nine of its last 10 against the Sox. … Floyd fell to 7-3 lifetime against the Tigers. ..Adam Dunn sat out his sixth straight game with a right oblique strain.

HOUSTON—The Houston Astros had a scary moment in an otherwise ordinary loss.Reliever Mickey Storey was hit on the side of the face by Dave Sappelt’s line drive in the top of the eighth inning. The liner appeared to have glanced off Storey’s hand, shoulder and head.Storey fell to a knee and grabbed his jaw as Astros personnel rushed to check on him. He was down for several minutes before walking into the Astros dugout. Houston manager Tony DeFrancesco said Storey had bruises on his hand and jaw.

“The best thing I can take from this is that it didn’t hit somewhere worse,” Storey said. “Initially, it was shock and hurt, but I think I’ll be all right. Hopefully, I’ll be back out there soon.”

DeFrancesco said Storey’s status is day-to-day.

“We were very lucky,” DeFrancesco said. “After what happened with (A’s pitcher Brandon) McCarthy in Oakland, it’s very sensitive right now and it’s a scary thing. I know it’s part of the game, but you don’t want to see anybody get hurt, and you feel bad for the kid.”

McCarthy was hit in the head and needed surgery to fix and epidural hemorrhage, brain bruise and skull fracture after being hit by a line drive Sept. 5. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday.Storey said he was fortunate that the liner didn’t directly strike him in the head.

“I saw it coming, and I don’t know if I was trying to catch it or defend my face, but I felt it hit,” Storey said. “I went to get the ball then kind of blacked out and felt a lot of ringing.”

Sappelt later offered his sympathy.

“I was in one of those, `I don’t know what to do,’ moments,” said Sappelt, who played against Storey in Triple-A. “I felt bad. I hope he’s all right.”

It was a scary moment in a game that the Cubs controlled from start to finish.Alfonso Soriano finished a triple shy of the cycle and drove in two runs and Travis Wood allowed one run in 7 2-3 innings.Wood (6-11) gave up four hits and struck out six for his second straight win. Wood has allowed only one run in his last two starts, spanning 13 2-3 innings.Wood walked one and did not allow a hit through the first four innings.

“He kind of dominated for a while and threw a lot of off-speed that was cutting in on our hitters, and we couldn’t do anything,” DeFrancesco said.

Fernando Abad (0-4) gave up a run on four hits in 3 1-3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks. In his four starts this season, Abad has not lasted longer than 4 1-3 innings.

“That was enough,” DeFrancesco said. “If Abad was throwing strikes early, he might have had a chance of getting out of it, but at that point, I felt it was time to move on.”

Welington Castro gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-out single.Soriano hit his 29th home run of the year off Chuckie Fick in the fifth and extended the lead to 3-0 in the seventh with an RBI single off Fernando Rodriguez down the left field line.Anthony Recker upped the lead to 4-0 in the eighth with a double to the right field gap off Jose Valdez.Houston cut the lead to 4-1 in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Fernando Martinez off Shawn Camp, scoring Brandon Barnes, who had chased Wood with a two-out double. Jose Altuve then reached on a single and Jed Lowrie walked to load the bases, but Camp struck out J.D. Martinez to end the threat.The Cubs made it 5-1 in the ninth as pinch runner Tony Campana stole third and scored on Chris Snyder’s high throw.Justin Maxwell singled to lead off the fifth for Houston’s first hit, but he was doubled off first after Soriano made a leaping grab on Matt Dominguez’s shot at the wall and fired it in to get Maxwell at first.

NOTES—Actor/comedian Cheech Marin threw out the first pitch before Wednesday’s game. Houston starts a four-game series against Philadelphia Thursday with Lucas Harrell taking the mound against Tyler Cloyd for the Phillies. The Cubs are off Thursday before opening a four-game series against Pittsburgh at home with Chris Rusin starting against the Pirates’ James McDonald.

Doug Fister pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, Austin Jackson hit a tying two-run homer and Miguel Cabrera delivered a go-ahead solo shot Tuesday night to lead the Detroit Tigers past the White Sox 5-3, reducing the Sox AL Central lead back to two games.The division’s top two teams have now split the first two of a four-game series, their last head-to-head matchup this season. The Tigers ended a four-game losing streak and have beaten the White Sox eight times in the last nine meetings.Jackson’s 14th homer followed a single by Omar Infante in the top of the fifth off Jake Peavy. One batter later, Cabrera hit his 36th of the season to put the Tigers up 3-2. The only two hits Fister (9-8) gave up were solo homers to Dewayne Wise in the first and Gordon Beckham in the third that gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead. He walked two and struck out six and is 7-2 in 11 starts after the All-Star Game.Peavy (10-11) couldn’t hold the early lead. He threw 117 pitches in 5 2/3 innings, yielding six hits, walking two and striking out nine.The Tigers added two runs in the eighth on RBI singles by Alex Avila and Andy Dirks and had the bases loaded before Cabrera hit into a double play.The Sox got consecutive singles from Alexei Ramirez, Beckham and Alejandro De Aza off Joaquin Benoit to open the bottom of the eighth and cut the lead to 5-3. But Benoit regrouped to strike out Kevin Youkilis and Wise before retiring Paul Konerko on a grounder to end the threat.Alex Rios reached on an infield single to start the bottom of the ninth off Jose Valverde, who then retired the next three batters for his 29th save in 33 chances.Wise, batting third with Adam Dunn missing a fifth straight game with a right oblique strain, hit a long two-out homer to right in the first, his eighth of the season. Beckham hit his career-high 15th homer and second in two nights, leading off the third.

NOTES—The Tigers had managed only six runs total during their four-game losing streak. … Peavy has given up 22 homers this season. … Wise has hit five of his homers with the White Sox. He also played with the Yankees this season. He was called up on Aug. 11. … Gavin Floyd (9-9) will come off the DL (elbow) and start Wednesday’s game for the White Sox against Detroit’s 15-game winner Max Scherzer. … Beckham had 14 homers in 2009 as a rookie.

HOUSTON — Jimmy Paredes singled and scored an unearned run in the third inning and the Houston Astros beat the Cubs 1-0 on Tuesday night.It was an otherwise tough night for the second baseman, who committed three errors. Paredes has started the last three games at second base with All-Star Jose Altuve out with an abdominal strain.Houston starter Jordan Lyles (4-11) scattered two hits and struck out five in five innings and five relievers completed the shutout. Wilton Lopez allowed two hits in a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.The last error by Paredes came in the seventh inning, and interim manager Tony DeFrancesco lifted him for Altuve to start the eighth.Cubs starter Justin Germano (2-7) allowed three hits and tied a career high with eight strikeouts. He lost his fifth straight start.Paredes singled with one out in the third before Fernando Martinez reached on an error by catcher Steve Clevenger when he threw the ball over the head of first baseman Bryan LaHair.Brett Wallace walked to load the bases and Houston took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Justin Maxwell.The Cubs went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position to break a season-high-tying four-game winning streak.Two walks and a single by LaHair loaded the bases for the Cubs with one out in the second. They came away empty when Germano grounded into a forceout that left Clevenger out at home before Lyles struck out David DeJesus.Another missed opportunity came in the sixth when Starlin Castro singled before a one-out double by pinch-hitter Dave Sappelt. But pinch-hitter Darwin Barney was out on a fly ball to Maxwell in center field and his throw to third beat Sappelt for the double play.Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo was injured in the third inning in a collision with Brett Wallace. Rizzo hit a grounder to Paredes in the third inning, and his throw to first was high, causing Wallace to jump to try and catch it. Rizzo collided with Wallace while he was in the air and tumbled violently to the ground.He remained on the dirt for a minute while trainers looked at him. He finally sat up and slowly walked off the field with the help of the trainers. He has a sore right shoulder and upper back and the Cubs are going to monitor him for the next couple of days.

NOTES—Houston activated SS Jed Lowrie before Monday night’s game, but he did not play. He has been on the DL since July 15 with an injured nerve in his right leg. … Castro had an error in the eighth inning, his 24th of the season, which is the most among NL shortstops.

In April 2003, just 18 months after the attacks on the World Trade Center,the Pentagon and PA, I was in New York City and took the time to go to GROUND ZERO to pay my respects. It was an experience that makes one stop everything and think. These photos look to the West and to the North. It’s was something we should never forget!

The White Sox have been getting runners on. The trouble’s been getting them in during a stretch in which they’re trying to hold on to the top spot in the AL Central. Alex Rios provided a solution with one swing Monday night, a three-run homer that propelled the White Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers and increased their division lead to three games. Rios’s drive put the White Sox ahead, A.J. Pierzynski followed with a solo shot and Jose Quintana survived a shaky start to pitch one-run ball into the eighth.

“I think when Rios hits that ball, it just kinds of pops the cork on all the angst of not getting guys in,” Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. “That was a pretty big home run for us.”

The White Sox had lost seven straight to Detroit, managed just two hits against Rick Porcello (9-12) and were 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position when an error on Detroit second baseman Omar Infante gave them an opening. Infante muffed Dewayne Wise’s easy, one-out grounder in the sixth. Paul Konerko singled to left to put runners at the corners and Rios lined a pitch over the wall in left center, his 23rd homer of the season. Pierzynski followed with his 26th to center field for a 4-1 lead, ending Porcello’s night and sending him to his sixth straight loss. Gordon Beckham added a two-run shot in the eighth off Octavio Dotel.

“We struggled the last games against them and this win being the first one of the series is pretty big,” Rios said. “This whole series is pretty important for both of the teams. We are going to have a chance to maybe get a couple of games ahead if we win the series. It could decide what is going to happen at the end of the year.”

Quintana (6-4), who was 1-3 in his previous 10 starts, retired 10 straight before walking Ryan Raburn with two outs in the eight and being replaced by Brian Omogrosso. Miguel Cabrera doubled before Donnie Veal got Prince Fielder to ground out to second. Quintana had failed to make it out of the fourth inning in his two previous outings but settled down after a shaky start Monday night and allowed one run on seven hits — none after Gerald Lair’s fifth inning double — in 7 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven and got Miguel Cabrera to ground into a double play with two on and no outs in the third and the Tigers leading 1-0.

“As soon as he got that double play, he settled down. It was the biggest play of the game,” Pierzynski said.

“He [Cabera] is probably the best hitter in baseball right now. You could see Q’s confidence grow and you kind of see the team’s confidence grow. …This is probably the biggest game he ever pitched in his life.”

Porcello, 3-0 this season against the White Sox entering the game, gave up five hits and four runs — three earned — in 5 1/3 innings. Detroit made three errors in the game, and the Tigers have now lost four straight.

“When you get in a tough situation like that, you’ve got to bear down and find something within to get out of those jams. I wasn’t able to do that,” Porcello said “They caught me that one inning,” he said. “They tagged it in the sixth.”

Delmon Young, who led Detroit’s three-game sweep of the White Sox at Comerica Park a little more than a week ago, continued his tear with a one-out single in the second, moved on up on Quintana’s wild pitch and scored on Jhonny Peralta’s RBI single. Peralta was thrown out trying to stretch or it could have an even bigger inning since Avisail Garcia and Omar Infante followed with infield singles before Quintana got the third out. Detroit has managed just six runs total in its four-game losing streak.

“It’s pretty simple. We just didn’t play a real good game defensively and of course we only got the one run again. That pretty much sums it up,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Omar missed a groundball, but that’s just part of the game. … Unfortunately we put Rick in a tough bind. When you’re scoring one, two runs a game, you can hardly blame your defense for what’s going on. Right now we’re just not scoring runs.”

NOTES—Adam Dunn missed his fourth straight game with a strained right oblique.Kevin Youkilis returned to the team after missing three games to be with his wife as she gave birth to their child. And Ventura said it’s likely Gavin Floyd will return to the rotation for Wednesday’s Game 3. He’s been on the DL since Aug. 28 with a right elbow strain….Young entered the game with a .359 average in 36 games at U.S. Cellular Field with seven homers and 25 RBI…..Detroit still leads the season series 10-5…..It’s Detroit’s Doug Fister (8-8) against Jake Peavy (10-10) in Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the pivotal four-game series.

HOUSTON—Dave Sappelt scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and had three RBI, leading the Cubs to a 4-1 win on Monday night in a matchup of the teams with the worst records in the majors. Sappelt, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sept. 1, drove in his first run for the Cubs with a double to the left field corner to put them up 1-0 in the second inning.The game was tied 1-all in the sixth before Sappelt scored on a wild pitch by Fernando Rodriguez (1-10) that bounced in the dirt and rolled between catcher Jason Castro’s legs.Sappelt came through again in the seventh, knocking a double off the wall in center field just short of the home run line to score a pair of insurance runs.