First-place Cubs fend off Brewers
Matt Murton and Alfonso Soriano hit back-to-back homers off Chris Capuano in the sixth inning last night and the host Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, to push their lead in the National League Central back to 2 1/2 games.
Chicago took two of three in their final series of the season with the second-place Brewers. St. Louis, which lost to Houston, 2-1, is three games behind.
Murton, who entered the game in a double switch in the top of the inning, hit his fifth homer to break a 3-3 tie with two out.
One pitch later, Soriano connected on his team-leading 19th homer and first since coming off the disabled list Tuesday. The Cubs' star had struck out in his first three at-bats.
Capuano (5-12) suffered his franchise-record 12th straight loss while making his second relief appearance of the season. He made 23 starts in the rotation and began the season 5-0, but is 0-12 in his last 16 appearances.
Carlos Marmol (4-1), who entered the game in the sixth after Chicago starter Ted Lilly worked five innings, got the victory with two innings of relief, striking out five.
Indians 6, Mariners 5 - Kenny Lofton drew a bases-loaded walk from Rick White to force home the winning run in the ninth inning, and host Cleveland beat slumping Seattle for its sixth straight win.
The Indians maintained their 4 1/2-game lead over Detroit in the American League Central. The Mariners, who have lost six in a row, fell a game behind the New York Yankees in the wild-card race and 5 1/2 back of the first-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
Joe Borowski (3-5) got the win despite blowing his sixth save in 45 chances when the Mariners scored a run in the ninth on Yuniesky Betancourt's ground out.
Devil Rays 8, Orioles 6 - Tampa Bay completed its first road sweep in more than two years, getting a three-run homer from B.J. Upton to extend Baltimore's losing streak to nine games.
Nick Markakis and Kevin Millar homered for the Orioles, who won the opener of a 10-game homestand before a 30-3 loss to Texas began a skid on the same day the team announced manager Dave Trembley would return in 2008.
It was the worst 10-game homestand in Orioles history, surpassing a 2-8 mark in September 1987.
Tigers 6, Royals 1 - Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez each homered and got three hits, and Jeremy Bonderman halted his six-game losing streak as Detroit avoided a sweep at Kansas City.
Bonderman (11-7) went seven innings and gave up six hits and one run, his best outing since beating Seattle July 13.
Granderson and Ordonez each homered in a four-run fifth inning for the Tigers. Ordonez had three RBIs and was 3 for 4, raising his major league-leading batting average to .359.
Rangers 5, White Sox 1 - Sammy Sosa hit his 606th home run and host Texas completed a three-game sweep of bumbling Chicago.
The White Sox made four errors in one inning and lost for the 16th time in 19 games.
Kevin Millwood (9-11) allowed one run in seven innings for the win.
Reds 5, Pirates 4 - Alex Gonzalez scored from first on Ken Griffey Jr.'s pop-fly single that fell among three Pirates fielders in the ninth inning, and visiting Cincinnati overcame Adam Dunn's base-running mistake that cost it two runs.
The Reds had two runs erased in the fourth when Dunn missed third base on Edwin Encarnacion's apparent two-run single.
Astros 2, Cardinals 1 - Matt Albers (4-6) pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Lance Berkman homered for the second consecutive game, and host Houston beat St. Louis.
Joel Pineiro (3-2) lost for the first time in five starts.
