CARDINALS 8, REDS 5
CINCINNATI -- The St. Louis Cardinals rinsed the bad taste of being swept by the Chicago Cubs the best way they could -- sweeping the Cincinnati Reds.
Dexter Fowler delivered again, hitting two doubles and a single as St. Louis overcame Scott Schebler's two home runs to beat the Reds 8-5 Thursday night.
The Cardinals began the day 2 ½ games behind Colorado for the second NL wild-card spot and five games behind the Central-leading Cubs.
Fowler drove in two runs. He went 7 for 13 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in the 3-game series.
Yadier Molina drove in two runs as the Cardinals completed their first sweep in Cincinnati since 2010.
"We didn't play good games in Chicago," said Molina, who reached a new career high with a team-leading 82 RBI. "We got good hitting, good pitching and good defense here. Everybody took good at-bats. That's what we need to do."
Five different Cardinals finished with two or more hits as St. Louis scored at least eight runs for the third consecutive game.
"There were a lot of good things," Manager Mike Matheny said. "We had a big day. Yadi coming up with big hits. I saw some good things all day long across the board."
"It's a huge game every night. It doesn't matter who you're playing," Matheny said. "We were coming off a tough weekend, and the guys did a real nice job clearing their minds and getting back to doing what they need to do to be successful."
Carlos Martinez (12-11), celebrating his 26th birthday, lasted 6 1/3 innings on a muggy night with a gametime temperature of 85 degrees, allowing 4 runs and 9 hits.
"Carlos was OK," Molina said. "His location was up sometimes, and they took advantage, but all in all, he was OK."
Martinez improved to 3-1 in his last four starts. He gave up Phillip Ervin's two-run home run in the fourth and a drive by Schebler in the seventh.
Schebler led off the ninth with a home run, his 29th of the season.
"I got that first one pretty good," Schebler said. "Martinez got a couple pitches in on me. The last at-bat, he just threw me a pitch where I was expecting it."
Homer Bailey (5-9) became the third consecutive Reds starter to be lifted without getting through five innings. He gave up 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings. Manager Bryan Price pinch-hit for him with two runners on and two outs in the fourth.
"Homer got the first two outs on three pitches," Price said. "It was labor-intensive after that. I don't think he threw the ball bad. It was tough to take Homer out. He had pitches left on the table. In that situation, I had to take a shot."
DODGERS 5, PHILLIES 4 Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier and Curtis Granderson homered as Los Angeles clinched a tie for the NL West title, ending a four-game losing streak by beating host Philadelphia.
BRAVES 3, NATIONALS 2 R.A. Dickey frustrated the Nationals with his knuckleball for eight innings, Ozzie Albies had three hits and Atlanta beat visiting Washington.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
INDIANS 4, ANGELS 1 Shortstop Francisco Lindor homered to lead Cleveland to a victory and a three-game sweep of host Los Angeles, the Indians' 27th victory in their last 28 games.
ORIOLES 3, RAYS 1 Gabriel Ynoa pitched eight innings of five-hit ball, Manny Machado homered and Baltimore beat visiting Tampa Bay in a matchup between fading AL East teams.
ROYALS 1, BLUE JAYS 0 Jason Vargas and four relievers combined on a two-hitter, Melky Cabrera had three hits and the game's only RBI, and Kansas City beat host Toronto.
TWINS 12, TIGERS 1 Joe Mauer and Jorge Polanco had three hits each, and visiting Minnesota extended its lead for the American League's second wild card by beating Detroit.
WHITE SOX 3, ASTROS 1 Chris Volstad and the White Sox bullpen covered 8 2/3 innings after starter Carson Fulmer left with a blister, and Chicago beat host Houston.
Sports on 09/22/2017