>>Cubs Clip Bucs
(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Five different players plated a run to back six strong innings from Carlos Zambrano as the Cubs clipped the Pirates, 5-3, on Monday at PNC Park. Zambrano fanned five, while allowing just one run on seven hits to improve to 8-and-6 on the season. Carlos Marmol worked a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down his 21st save. Jeff Baker, Geovany Soto, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Pena and Reed Johnson each knocked in a run for the Northsiders, who snapped a five-game slide. Former Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, who was just acquired by Pittsburgh over the weekend, clubbed a solo home run in the fourth and added a two-run shot in the eighth in his first game with his new team. Randy Wells will toe the rubber opposite Kevin Correia in tonight's second installment.
>>Yanks Hold Off ChiSox
(Chicago, IL) -- CC Sabathia tossed eight innings of two-run ball to earn his major league-leading 16th win as the Yankees defeated the White Sox, 3-2, on Monday evening at The Cell. Curtis Granderson went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for New York, which won its fourth straight contest. Mariano Rivera secured his 28th save of the year with a perfect ninth inning. Alexei Ramirez' two-run homer in the fourth inning accounted for Chicago's lone runs in defeat. Jake Peavy suffered the loss, giving up three runs in seven innings for the Southsiders, who lost their third game in-a-row. John Danks will be on the bump against Phil Hughes in tonight's second installment of a four-game set.
>>Brewers Ride Big Fifth To Win Over Cards
(Milwaukee, WI) -- The Brewers scored five times in the fifth on their way to a 6-2 beating of St. Louis. Nyjer Morgan cleared the bases with a three-run double and Corey Hart and Jonathan Lucroy both plated a run in that inning. Ryan Braun also notched an RBI for Milwaukee, which pushed its winning streak to seven games. Zack Greinke went six and gave up two runs to improve to 9-and-4. Chris Carpenter fell to 6-and-8 on the season after giving up five runs in five frames of work. Matt Holliday registered the only Cardinal runs with a two-run homer. St. Louis has now lost two-straight and four-of-six overall. Jaime Garcia opposes Shaun Marcum in the second of the three-game set tonight.
MLB National League
------
Washington Nationals 5, Atlanta Braves 3
Florida Marlins 7, New York Mets 3 (10 inn)
Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 3 (10 inn)
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Colorado Rockies 3 (10 inn)
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, San Diego Padres 2
Arizona Diamondbacks 5, San Francisco Giants 2
MLB American League
------
Cleveland Indians 9, Boston Red Sox 6
Seattle Mariners 8, Oakland Athletics 4
>>Metal Falls From Busch Stadium
(St. Louis, MO) -- A piece of metal came crashing to the ground, after it fell from Busch Stadium. Officials say the large steel plate slammed into the building before landing on the sidewalk below. Fortunately, the Cardinals are out of town, and the area around the stadium wasn't packed with fans. The west side of the stadium remains closed, as workers examine the other panels for possible damage or weakness. Officials say the metal could have expanded during the recent heatwave.
>>Bears Cut Kreutz Loose
(Bo, IL) -- Center Olin Kreutz is leaning towards retirement after negotiations with the Chicago Bears fell through over the weekend. The Bears gave Kreutz and his agent an ultimatum on Saturday for a one-year, $4-million contract, which was a 50-percent cut from what he made last season. After that was rejected, Chicago moved quickly to sign former Seattle center Chris Spencer, which signals the possible end to the 13-year career of Kreutz.
