>>Cubs Double Up Cards To Avoid Sweep
(St. Louis, MO) -- Marlon Byrd laced a two-run single to cap a four-run
sixth inning as the Cubs doubled up the Cardinals 6-3. Alfonso Soriano
clubbed a two-run homer in the ninth to help Chicago avoid a three-game
sweep. Ryan Dempster struck out six over six innings to improve to
8-and-8. Carlos Marmol nailed down his 20th save. Lance Berkman belted
a three-run homer in the sixth for St. Louis. Jake Westbrook was perfect
through five innings but imploded in the sixth. Westbrook allowed four runs
on three hits and three walks to fall to 9-and-5. The Northsiders head to
PNC Park this evening to kick off a four-game series against the Pittsburgh
Pirates. Carlos Zambrano will be on the bump opposite Paul Maholm in
tonight's opener.
>>Red Sox Slip Past White Sox
(Chicago, IL) -- Dustin Pedroia laced a go-ahead, two-run single in the
seventh as the Red Sox knocked off the White Sox, 5-3, on Sunday in the
Windy City. Jason Varitek clubbed a two-run homer to help Boston take
the rubber match of the three-game set. Alfredo Aceves tossed a scoreless
inning in relief of Andrew Miller to earn his seventh win. Jonathan Papelbon
struck out the side in the ninth to notch his 24th save. Brent Morel, Alex
Rios and Alexei Ramirez plated the runs for Chicago. Jesse Crain was
tagged with the loss. The Southsiders welcome in the New York Yankees
to The Cell for a four-game set starting this evening. Jake Peavy gets the
nod against CC Sabathia in the opener.
MLB NL
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Cincinnati Reds 9, San Francisco Giants 0
Washington Nationals 3, New York Mets 2
Philadelphia Phillies 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (10 inn)
Florida Marlins 3, Atlanta Braves 1
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Houston Astros 4
San Diego Padres 8, Colorado Rockies 3
Arizona Diamondbacks 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
MLB AL
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New York Yankees 4, Baltimore Orioles 2
Detroit Tigers 3, LA Angels of Anaheim 2
Kansas City Royals 5, Cleveland Indians 3
Toronto Blue Jays 7, Texas Rangers 3
Oakland Athletics 7, Minnesota Twins 3
Tampa Bay Rays 8, Seattle Mariners 1
>>Furcal Joins Cards
(St. Louis, MO) -- The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired former All-Star
shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor
league outfielder Alex Castellanos. Furcal, who had to approve the deal, has
been slowed by injuries this season, hitting just .197 with a .272
on-base-percentage in 37 games. However, over his past nine games Furcal
is hitting .303 and has driven in five runs. Castellanos, a 10th round pick of
the Cardinals in the 2008 draft. He had belted 19 home runs and was hitting
.319 in 93 games for Double-A Springfield this season.
>>Bears Make Moves
(Lake Forest, IL) -- The Chicago Bears have signed running back Marion
Barber, wide receiver Roy Williams and defensive tackle Amobi Okoye.
Barber, who inked a two-year deal, is the third former Cowboy to join the
Bears for this upcoming season. Williams inked a one-year contract Friday
and fellow wideout Sam Hurd is also on his way to Chicago. Barber played
in 13 games for Dallas last year, rushing for a career-low 374 yards and four
touchdowns. Okoye, the 10th overall selection by the Houston Texans in the
2007 draft, started 58 of 62 games over four years with Houston. Last
season, he recorded four sacks and led all Houston defensive lineman with
44 tackles.
The Bears also locked down veteran defensive tackle Anthony Adams for
two more years and added another defensive lineman in former first-round
draft pick Vernon Gholston. They also inked their first round pick from
Wisconsin, offensive lineman Gabe Carimi and second round defensive
lineman, Stephen Paea, who came from Oregon State.
>>Rams Open Camp, Continue To Bolster Roster
(Earth City, MO) -- The Rams opened up training camp on Saturday,
getting back to on-the-field work after the NFL lockout which lasted over
four months. St. Louis also continued to add free-agents to their roster,
signing playmaking wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker and defensive tackle
Justin Bannan. The 26-year-old Sims-Walker, who signed on Saturday, is
entering his fifth season in the NFL, all with the Jaguars. He recorded 122
catches for 1,648 yards and 14 touchdowns in his time with Jacksonville.
Bannan signed a three-year deal with the Rams yesterday and spent last
season in Denver. Prior to that, he was a part of Baltimore's vaunted
defense and a member of the Bills, the team who drafted him in 2002.
Bannan will be reunited with former head coach Josh McDaniels, now the
offensive coordinator in St. Louis. McDaniels called the shots for the
Broncos during Bannan's time there.
>>Menard Wins Brickyard 400
(Indianapolis, IN) -- Paul Menard conserved enough fuel and held off Jeff
Gordon in the closing laps to win Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway. Menard took the lead from defending race winner Jamie
McMurray with four laps remaining and then held it for his first Sprint Cup
Series win. His maiden victory came in his 167th start. Gordon, a four-time
Brickyard 400 winner, finished second, followed by Regan Smith,
McMurray and Matt Kenseth. Menard became the fourth first-time winner
in the Sprint Cup this season.
