>>Bucs Best Cards
(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Pedro Ciriaco drove in two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 6-5. Albert Pujols lifted a two-run home run for St. Louis, which saw a five-game win streak end. Mike Rzepczynski took the loss out of the bullpen. Chris Carpenter opposes Jeff Karstans in the second of the three-game series tonight. The Cardinals are four-and-a-half games behind the Braves for the NL Wild Card with 15 games to play.
>>Cubs Rip Reds
(Cincinnati, OH) -- Starlin Castro went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and four runs scored to lead the Cubs in a 12-8 win over the Reds on Monday evening at the Great American Ball Park. Aramis Ramirez and Jeff Baker each popped solo home runs and Alfonso Soriano knocked in three for Chicago, which has won three games in-a-row. Rodrigo Lopez gave up five runs through five-and-a-third frames to register the victory. Brandon Phillips clubbed a pair of homers, while Juan Francisco and Devin Mesoraco both deposited a ball into the seats for Cincinnati. Dontrelle Willis allowed eight runs through just three-and-a-third innings of duty to suffer the loss. Ryan Dempster gets the nod opposite Mike Leake in tonight's second installment.
>>Tigers Roar To Victory Over Chicago
(Chicago, IL) -- Detroit used the strength of a six-run sixth inning to claw their way past the White Sox 14-4, on Monday evening at The Cell. Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn [[ RAY-burn ]] each plated a trio of runs with a homer while Alex Avila and Ramon Santiago each drove in a pair for the Tigers, who have won 10 straight. Rick Porcello picked up the win, going six-and-two-thirds innings while allowing three runs. On the other side, John Danks gave up seven earned runs in just five innings to absorb the defeat. Brent Morel clubbed a pair of solo homers for the Sox, who have dropped three-of-four. Gavin Floyd will be on the bump against Justin Verlander in tonight's second installment.
MLB NL
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Pittsburgh Pirates 6, St. Louis Cardinals 5
Chicago Cubs 12, Cincinnati Reds 8
Washington Nationals 3, New York Mets 2
Florida Marlins 5, Atlanta Braves 4 (12 inn)
Houston Astros 5, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 2
San Francisco Giants 8, San Diego Padres 3
MLB AL
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Tampa Bay Rays 5, Baltimore Orioles 2
Detroit Tigers 14, Chicago White Sox 4
Oakland Athletics 6, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3
New York Yankees 9, Seattle Mariners 3
>>Carlos Quentin From DL
(Chicago, IL) -- The Chicago White Sox activated outfielder Carlos Quentin from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. Quentin sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder while making a diving catch on August 20th versus Texas and was placed on the DL seven days later. The 29-year-old is batting .255 with 24 homers and 77 RBI in 117 games this season.
>>Carp Gets Two-Year Extension
(St. Louis, MO) -- One key piece of the Cardinals rotation will be back next season. The "Post-Dispatch" reports Chris Carpenter has agreed to a two-year contract extension worth about $21-million. The 36-year-old is 9-and-9 with a 3.75 ERA this season after starting the year 1-and-7. Carpenter won the 2005 NL Cy Young and also helped the Cards win the 2006 World Series.
>>Rams Injuries Numerous After Loss To Eagles
(St. Louis, MO) -- It was a mixed bag of injury news for the Rams after Sunday's loss to the Eagles. Quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a bruised index finger, not a break, but is expect to play Monday. Running back Steven Jackson will likely miss Monday's game against the Giants with a strained thigh. Wide receiver Danny Amendola is expected to miss several months with a dislocated left elbow and cornerback Ron Bartell has two high fractures in his neck and could be out for the year.
>>Brady Leads Pats Over Fins
(Miami, FL) -- Tom Brady picked apart the Miami Dolphins for 517 yards and four touchdowns in the Patriots 38-24 win. Brady's record streak of 358 regular season passes without an interception came to an end in the third quarter when he was picked off by Jared Odrick on a tipped pass. Brady spread the ball around to multiple targets, but Wes Welker led the way with eight receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots play their home opener Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
NFL
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New England Patriots 38, Miami Dolphins 24
Oakland Raiders 23, Denver Broncos 20
