St Louis Cardinals move clear in MLB division title race 9 September 2013 08:24
The St Louis Cardinals have stretched their lead in MLB's National League (NL) Central with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cardinals lead-off pitcher Michael Wacha notched seven scoreless innings and drove in two runs as St Louis thumped the Pirates 9-2 and moved 1.5 games ahead of second-placed Pittsburgh in the Central standings.
St Louis scored two runs in the opening inning at Busch Stadium on Sunday, while they added another three in the second.
But it was in the fifth inning that the Cardinals blew the visiting Pirates away with four runs, including two following Wacha's hit straight down the middle, which allowed David Freese and Matt Adams to score.
St Louis led 9-0 and although Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth inning, the Cardinals held on for a third victory in three days over the Pirates.
The Cardinals claimed their 83rd victory of the season to secure a 1.5-game gap over Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Reds, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2.
The Oakland Athletics also notched a comfortable win with a 7-2 triumph over the Houston Astros, while the Kansas City Royals came from behind to trump the Detroit Tigers 5-2.
In California, the Oakland Athletics smashed seven runs in the third inning, including a three-run homer from Seth Smith, to overcome the Houston Astros.
In Missouri, the Kansas City Chiefs came from 2-0 down against the Detroit Tigers to win by three runs thanks to a three-run homer from Eric Hosmer.
The New York Yankees defeated arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox 4-3, the New York Mets edged out the Cleveland Indians 2-1 and the Washington Nationals triumphed 6-4 over the Miami Marlins.
The Chicago White Sox won 4-2 over the Baltimore Orioles, while the Philadelphia Phillies trumped the Atlanta Braves 3-2 and the Toronto Blue Jays shut out the Minnesota Twins 2-0.
In other results, the Milwaukee Brewers accounted for the Chicago Cubs 3-1, the Texas Rangers overcame the Los Angeles Angels 3-2, the San Francisco Giants needed two extra innings to win 3-2 over the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2.
Cardinals lead-off pitcher Michael Wacha notched seven scoreless innings and drove in two runs as St Louis thumped the Pirates 9-2 and moved 1.5 games ahead of second-placed Pittsburgh in the Central standings.
St Louis scored two runs in the opening inning at Busch Stadium on Sunday, while they added another three in the second.
But it was in the fifth inning that the Cardinals blew the visiting Pirates away with four runs, including two following Wacha's hit straight down the middle, which allowed David Freese and Matt Adams to score.
St Louis led 9-0 and although Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth inning, the Cardinals held on for a third victory in three days over the Pirates.
The Cardinals claimed their 83rd victory of the season to secure a 1.5-game gap over Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Reds, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2.
The Oakland Athletics also notched a comfortable win with a 7-2 triumph over the Houston Astros, while the Kansas City Royals came from behind to trump the Detroit Tigers 5-2.
In California, the Oakland Athletics smashed seven runs in the third inning, including a three-run homer from Seth Smith, to overcome the Houston Astros.
In Missouri, the Kansas City Chiefs came from 2-0 down against the Detroit Tigers to win by three runs thanks to a three-run homer from Eric Hosmer.
The New York Yankees defeated arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox 4-3, the New York Mets edged out the Cleveland Indians 2-1 and the Washington Nationals triumphed 6-4 over the Miami Marlins.
The Chicago White Sox won 4-2 over the Baltimore Orioles, while the Philadelphia Phillies trumped the Atlanta Braves 3-2 and the Toronto Blue Jays shut out the Minnesota Twins 2-0.
In other results, the Milwaukee Brewers accounted for the Chicago Cubs 3-1, the Texas Rangers overcame the Los Angeles Angels 3-2, the San Francisco Giants needed two extra innings to win 3-2 over the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2.
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