Dodgers Defeat Rockies…Again – MLB Roundup For Sept. 4th

UNDATED (AP) — Travis Snider's blast has allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to double their lead in the National League Central and clinch their first non-losing season since 1992.

Snider came off the bench to deliver a tiebreaking solo homer in the ninth inning to lift the Bucs past the Brewers 4-3 in Milwaukee. Andrew McCutchen opened the scoring with his 100th career homer and Marlon Byrd drove in a pair of runs before Snider's round-tripper gave the Pirates a two-game lead over St. Louis.

The Cardinals were 1-0 losers at Cincinnati as Homer Bailey held the Redbirds to two outs while striking out eight in seven innings. Bailey allowed just two runners after Matt Carpenter led off the game with a single and Carlos Beltran walked one batter later.

The game was scoreless until Todd Frazier's RBI double in the seventh allowed the Reds to beat the Cardinals for the second straight day.

The Reds cut their magic number to 17 for clinching a playoff spot and stayed within 3 ½ games of Pittsburgh. They also own a 7 ½-game lead over Washington for the final NL wild-card berth.

The Texas Rangers are alone atop the AL West following a 5-1 victory over the second-place Athletics in Oakland. Martin Perez is 9-3 after holding the A's to one run over seven innings. Mitch Moreland and Alex Rios hit solo homers for the Rangers, who scored three times in the fifth to go up 4-1.

Also in the majors, Atlanta reduced its magic number for clinching the NL East to 10 by beating the New York Mets 3-1. The Mets led 1-0 in the seventh before Evan Gattis (GAT'-his) hit a solo homer and Andrelton Simmons added a two-run shot two batters later.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also trimmed their magic number to 12 for an NL West title as Carl Crawford furnished three hits and two RBIs in a 7-4 triumph at Colorado. Nick Punto went 4-for-5 to help the Dodgers win their sixth in a row and improve to 36-8 since the All-Star break.

Rajai Davis, Brett Lawrie and Moises Sierra belted two-run shots and Edwin Encarnacion smacked his 36th homer of the season as Toronto ripped Arizona 10-4. Adam Lind added a solo blast and Sierra finished with three RBIs.

Ubaldo Jimenez (oo-BAHL'-doh hih-MEH'-nehz) worked six shutout innings and Yan Gomes (gohmz) hit a two-run double as Cleveland held off Baltimore 4-3. Asdrubal (as-DROO'-bul) Cabrera lifted a pair of sacrifice flies for the Indians, who blanked the Orioles until Nate McLouth (mih-KLOWTH') hit a three-run homer off Chris Perez in the ninth.

Detroit's lead in the AL Central is down to 7 ½ games over Cleveland after Jon Lester held the Tigers to one run while striking out nine in seven innings of Boston's 2-1 victory. Will Middlebrooks hit a two-run single in the fifth off Max Scherzer, who was denied his 20th victory despite yielding just five hits in seven innings.

Tampa Bay stayed within 5 ½ games of the AL East-leading Red Sox while maintaining a 2 ½-game lead over the New York Yankees for the league's final wild-card berth. Fifteen-game winner Matt Moore pitched into the sixth inning and the Rays ended a five-game skid by whipping the Angels 7-1. Desmond Jennings and Yunel Escobar (yoo-NEHL' EHS'-koh-bahr) hit solo homers for the Rays, who also got two RBIs from Ben Zobrist.

The Yankees put together a five-run eighth to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. Alfonso Soriano sparked the comeback with a two-run single and Curtis Granderson singled home the tying run before Eduardo Nunez lined a two-run double.

Kansas City blew a 3-0 lead before Salvador Perez singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning to push Kansas City past Seattle 4-3. Perez also homered and finished with three hits as the Royals won their third in a row.

Wilson Ramos (RAH'-mohs) hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs as Washington downed Philadelphia 9-6. Corey Brown added a solo homer for the Nationals, who also scored on a wild pitch and a pair of bases-loaded walks.

Miami's bullpen combined for 4 2/3 hitless innings of relief in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Donovan Solano and Christian Yelich each had three hits and two RBIs.

Houston's Brandon Barnes capped his five-RBI night by hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, but Minnesota regrouped and beat the Astros 9-6 in 12 innings. The tiebreaking run scored on a wild pitch by Kevin Chapman before Darin Mastroianni added a two-run double.

Chris Denorfia supplied the tiebreaking single in the seventh inning of San Diego's 3-2 verdict over San Francisco. Nick Hundley was 2-for-2 with an RBI double and two runs scored as the Padres dropped the defending World Series champs into the NL West cellar.

UNDATED (AP) — Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson will miss at least one start because of a strained left oblique discovered during an MRI. The right-hander was pulled from Monday's game against Baltimore in the second inning because of soreness in his left side. Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Masterson won't resume baseball activities until he's pain-free.

Meanwhile, Indians closer Chris Perez has pleaded no contest and been convicted of misdemeanor drug abuse for marijuana shipped to his home in the family dog's name. Perez withdrew his not guilty plea in Rocky River Municipal Court and was found guilty and fined $250. He also was placed on probation and ordered to speak to youngsters about drugs.

Also in the majors, the San Diego Padres have signed outfielder Will Venable to an $8.5 million, two-year contract extension through 2015.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have activated All-Star closer Jason Grilli, who had been on the disabled list since straining his right flexor tendon during a win over Washington on July 22.

The Texas Rangers have activated right-hander Alexi Ogando (oh-GAHN'-doh) from the 15-day disabled list. Ogando began his third DL stint of the season on Aug. 20 because of an inflamed nerve in his right shoulder.