Pirates 3 back in wild-card race with loss to Cubs

CHICAGO (AP) -- Anthony Rizzo had another series of firsts. The toughest for him to conquer was the curtain call.

Rizzo hit two home runs and drove in six to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 13-9 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third game of a four-game set.

Rizzo hit a two-run shot in a four-run fifth inning, then capped a five-run sixth with his first career grand slam to seize the lead for Chicago. The six RBIs are a career high. It was also the 23-year-old's first multihomer game.

He reappeared from the dugout briefly after his grand slam to acknowledge the crowd of 33,559.

"I didn't know what (my teammates) were saying and then I realized that's what you do," Rizzo said. "It was pretty cool."

Rizzo became the first Cubs player since Aramis Ramirez in July of 2010 to drive in six runs.

"Everything he's done up here is obviously what we've expected," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "We don't expect any more or any less. ... He's been spectacular since he's been here."

Pedro Alvarez hit two homers and drove in five for the Pirates, who lost for the 12th time in 15 games. Pittsburgh came into play Sunday two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild card.

Rod Barajas went deep for Pittsburgh, and Joe Mather hit a solo shot for the Cubs.

Staked to a 6-1 lead, the Pirates were unable to hold off the feisty Cubs, who have taken five of the last six against Pittsburgh.

Rizzo's two-run, opposite field blast highlighted a four-run fifth, then he launched a 3-1 pitch into the left-center field bleachers off Jared Hughes (2-2) an inning later to put the Cubs up 10-9 and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

Rizzo recalled a game-winning homer he hit in July against St. Louis - the grand slam didn't quite compare.

"I don't think it tops the walk-off, but it was a great game," Rizzo said. "We kept fighting the last couple of days and showing some resilience."

David DeJesus had a pinch-hit, two-run single in a three-run ninth for Chicago.

Alvarez carried the Pirates early, but they could not tack on late. The big lefty followed Gaby Sanchez 's leadoff single in the fifth with an opposite-field shot onto Waveland Avenue to extend the lead to four.

After the Cubs rallied to get within one, Alvarez hit another opposite field shot in the sixth with two men on to pad the lead again. It was Alvarez's sixth multihomer game of the season. He passed Andrew McCutchen for the team lead with 29.

The Pirates had a chance to tie it with a Starling Marte leadoff triple in the seventh, but Marte was caught in a rundown on a fake to third, throw to first by Cubs reliever Jaye Chapman after Neil Walker and McCutchen failed to get the run in.

"Actually that's a forced balk, break late try to get the run to second and try to steal a run at home is what it was," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle explained. "I do believe if Starling could've shown a little more patience that play would have worked for us, but in the heat of the moment he left a little bit early."

Jeff Beliveau (1-0) allowed Alvarez's second home run, but recorded the final two outs of the sixth to earn his first career win.

Barajas homered on an 0-2 pitch with a man on and the pitcher on deck in the second inning to reach double-digits for the year.

McCutchen had an RBI single in the second and reached base four times. He has reached safely in nine of his last 11 plate appearances this series.

Pirates starter Jeff Locke was backed by a consistent flow of Pittsburgh offense, but couldn't get through the fifth inning to earn his first big league victory.

The 24-year-old Locke was staked to a 6-1 lead until things fell apart in a four-run fifth.

Mather's one-out solo homer started a string of four straight hits for the Cubs, which included Rizzo's two-run shot.

Cubs starter Chris Volstad had trouble finding the strike zone, and was hit hard when he did. The big righty gave up six runs on 10 hits through 4 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out three.

Volstad had won three of his last four starts after enduring a brutal 24-start winless skid that spanned 13 months.

Alfonso Soriano drove in his 100th run of the season with a first-inning single to bring home Rizzo. It's Soriano's third career 100-RBI season, and first since 2005 when he had a career-high 104 with Texas.

NOTES: Pirates manager Clint Hurdle removed RHP James McDonald from the starting rotation due to a poor second half. RHP Kyle McPherson will take McDonald's turn in the rotation Wednesday against Milwaukee. McDonald is 3-5 with a 7.08 ERA since the All-Star break. ... Chicago sends LHP Travis Wood (6-11, 4.23 ERA) to the mound in the series finale Monday against Pittsburgh's RHP Kevin Correia (10-9, 4.29).

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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See-Saw September

The latest injury to the Los Angeles Dodgers ' rotation is the biggest blow yet, and may severely damage their playoff hopes.

The surprising hitting of Luis Cruz has only improved them.

Cruz and the Dodgers try to withstand the absence of ace Clayton Kershaw on Sunday in order to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NL's final wild-card spot.

Los Angeles (76-70) has already lost two key cogs in its rotation. Chad Billingsley has an elbow injury that may require Tommy John surgery, and Ted Lilly is expected to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured left shoulder.

Now, the Dodgers may be without Kershaw for a prolonged period after he was scratched from Sunday's scheduled start due to a sore right hip, which also may require surgery.

The same injury ruled the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner out of last Sunday's 4-0 loss at San Francisco, but he returned two days later to allow one unearned run and three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 defeat at Arizona.

That was part of a four-game slide, but Cruz has been a big reason for Los Angeles' winning the last two contests of this four-game set to tie the Cardinals (76-70) for the NL's second wild card.

Cruz connected for a three-run, sixth-inning homer to help the Dodgers prevail 8-5 on Friday, and he followed that up with a game-tying double in Saturday's 4-3, walkoff victory.

"It's unbelievable. It's like a dream for me," Cruz said. "I'm just trying to go out there and give a hundred percent and play hard every time. I'm having the chance to come through in big situations. I'm not going to say I'm lucky, but I've been really concentrating and having good at-bats."

With Kershaw on the shelf, the Dodgers will give the ball to rookie Stephen Fife (0-1, 2.16 ERA).

Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier this week, the right-hander made three starts in the majors earlier this season, the most recent coming in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Aug. 1 in which he allowed two runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Since then, he's gone 3-2 with a 5.81 ERA in six games - five starts - for the Isotopes.

Losers of eight of 10, the Cardinals are trying to remain focused following Saturday's heartbreaking defeat.

"We invest ourselves a lot in every game, but obviously this one stings more than others," said first baseman Allen Craig , who had a homer, a single and three RBIs. "It's a tough loss, but putting your head down and being overly concerned about it isn't going to get us anywhere. So we've just got to play better and stay positive. We're still in a good spot."

St. Louis will give the ball to Adam Wainwright (13-13, 4.01) who has posted an 8.56 ERA while losing his last three starts.

The right-hander allowed five runs - two earned - in six innings of Tuesday's 6-4 defeat at San Diego.

Wainwright is making his first appearance at Chavez Ravine since a loss June 9, 2010. He beat the Dodgers on July 24, when he allowed two runs and fanned seven in 7 1-3 innings of an 8-2 home victory.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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Wieters, Orioles down A's; stay one back in AL East

While the Oakland Athletics hold the wild-card lead in the AL, their recent success also has them in good position to challenge for the top spot in the West.

The A's look to complete a series sweep with a fifth consecutive home win over the Baltimore Orioles , owner of the second wild-card spot, on Sunday.

Stephen Drew homered and Jarrod Parker tossed seven solid innings as Oakland (84-61) used a five-run third to beat Baltimore 5-2 on Saturday.

Winners in 23 of 29, the A's have a three-game wild-card lead over the Orioles (81-64) and are two back of first-place Texas in the West. Oakland, which has not reached the postseason since 2006, still has seven games left with the Rangers.

"It's kind of crazy how this team works sometimes," said Drew, whose homer is the only hit in his last 17 at-bats. "It's a good feeling to have, anybody, anytime. It works out well."

Baltimore, meanwhile, has a 2 1/2-game advantage over the Los Angeles Angels for the second and final wild-card spot and is one game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the East.

Looking to avoid its first three-game skid since July 23-25, Baltimore has been held to two runs in each of the first two games of this set. The Orioles have averaged 3.1 runs while losing 16 of 18 in Oakland. They jumped ahead 2-0 Saturday before the A's broke out in the fifth.

"No one in this clubhouse is down," Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones said. "The last few days we've been beat. I don't think we've beaten ourselves. We just can't score enough runs."

Hoping to prevent the A's from a sweep is Randy Wolf (2-0, 5.68 ERA), who makes his first start for the Orioles after coming out of the bullpen three times since they acquired him Aug. 31.

The 36-year-old Wolf went 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA in 25 games - 24 starts - for Milwaukee this season before the Brewers released him Aug. 22. After allowing four runs, four hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings out of the bullpen for the Orioles, Wolf makes his first start since he yielded five runs and 10 hits in seven innings of an 8-0 loss to Philadelphia on Aug. 19.

"Coming here you kind of feel a little rejuvenated and excited," Wolf told the Orioles' official website. "I think those exciting feelings and rejuvenating feelings are enhanced when you get the call to make the start (Sunday)."

Wolf is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts versus Oakland, the most recent for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.

Oakland counters with rookie Dan Straily (2-0, 3.42), who looks for a third straight winning start when he makes the fifth of his career and first appearance versus Baltimore. The right-hander allowed three runs, two homers and struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win at Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick , who had two of his team's five hits Saturday, is 10 for 30 with four RBIs against the Orioles this season.

Baltimore designated hitter Chris Davis had two hits, and is batting .444 (16 for 36) during a 10-game hitting streak against Oakland.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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September Scramble

The latest injury to the Los Angeles Dodgers ' rotation is the biggest blow yet, and may severely damage their playoff hopes.

The surprising hitting of Luis Cruz has only improved them.

Cruz and the Dodgers try to withstand the absence of ace Clayton Kershaw on Sunday in order to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NL's final wild-card spot.

Los Angeles (76-70) has already lost two key cogs in its rotation. Chad Billingsley has an elbow injury that may require Tommy John surgery, and Ted Lilly is expected to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured left shoulder.

Now, the Dodgers may be without Kershaw for a prolonged period after he was scratched from Sunday's scheduled start due to a sore right hip, which also may require surgery.

The same injury ruled the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner out of last Sunday's 4-0 loss at San Francisco, but he returned two days later to allow one unearned run and three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 defeat at Arizona.

That was part of a four-game slide, but Cruz has been a big reason for Los Angeles' winning the last two contests of this four-game set to tie the Cardinals (76-70) for the NL's second wild card.

Cruz connected for a three-run, sixth-inning homer to help the Dodgers prevail 8-5 on Friday, and he followed that up with a game-tying double in Saturday's 4-3, walkoff victory.

"It's unbelievable. It's like a dream for me," Cruz said. "I'm just trying to go out there and give a hundred percent and play hard every time. I'm having the chance to come through in big situations. I'm not going to say I'm lucky, but I've been really concentrating and having good at-bats."

With Kershaw on the shelf, the Dodgers will give the ball to rookie Stephen Fife (0-1, 2.16 ERA).

Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier this week, the right-hander made three starts in the majors earlier this season, the most recent coming in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Aug. 1 in which he allowed two runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Since then, he's gone 3-2 with a 5.81 ERA in six games - five starts - for the Isotopes.

Losers of eight of 10, the Cardinals are trying to remain focused following Saturday's heartbreaking defeat.

"We invest ourselves a lot in every game, but obviously this one stings more than others," said first baseman Allen Craig , who had a homer, a single and three RBIs. "It's a tough loss, but putting your head down and being overly concerned about it isn't going to get us anywhere. So we've just got to play better and stay positive. We're still in a good spot."

St. Louis will give the ball to Adam Wainwright (13-13, 4.01) who has posted an 8.56 ERA while losing his last three starts.

The right-hander allowed five runs - two earned - in six innings of Tuesday's 6-4 defeat at San Diego.

Wainwright is making his first appearance at Chavez Ravine since a loss June 9, 2010. He beat the Dodgers on July 24, when he allowed two runs and fanned seven in 7 1-3 innings of an 8-2 home victory.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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Cards, Dodgers resume battle for NL wild card

The latest injury to the Los Angeles Dodgers ' rotation is the biggest blow yet, and may severely damage their playoff hopes.

The surprising hitting of Luis Cruz has only improved them.

Cruz and the Dodgers try to withstand the absence of ace Clayton Kershaw on Sunday in order to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NL's final wild-card spot.

Los Angeles (76-70) has already lost two key cogs in its rotation. Chad Billingsley has an elbow injury that may require Tommy John surgery, and Ted Lilly is expected to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured left shoulder.

Now, the Dodgers may be without Kershaw for a prolonged period after he was scratched from Sunday's scheduled start due to a sore right hip, which also may require surgery.

The same injury ruled the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner out of last Sunday's 4-0 loss at San Francisco, but he returned two days later to allow one unearned run and three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 defeat at Arizona.

That was part of a four-game slide, but Cruz has been a big reason for Los Angeles' winning the last two contests of this four-game set to tie the Cardinals (76-70) for the NL's second wild card.

Cruz connected for a three-run, sixth-inning homer to help the Dodgers prevail 8-5 on Friday, and he followed that up with a game-tying double in Saturday's 4-3, walkoff victory.

"It's unbelievable. It's like a dream for me," Cruz said. "I'm just trying to go out there and give a hundred percent and play hard every time. I'm having the chance to come through in big situations. I'm not going to say I'm lucky, but I've been really concentrating and having good at-bats."

With Kershaw on the shelf, the Dodgers will give the ball to rookie Stephen Fife (0-1, 2.16 ERA).

Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier this week, the right-hander made three starts in the majors earlier this season, the most recent coming in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Aug. 1 in which he allowed two runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Since then, he's gone 3-2 with a 5.81 ERA in six games - five starts - for the Isotopes.

Losers of eight of 10, the Cardinals are trying to remain focused following Saturday's heartbreaking defeat.

"We invest ourselves a lot in every game, but obviously this one stings more than others," said first baseman Allen Craig , who had a homer, a single and three RBIs. "It's a tough loss, but putting your head down and being overly concerned about it isn't going to get us anywhere. So we've just got to play better and stay positive. We're still in a good spot."

St. Louis will give the ball to Adam Wainwright (13-13, 4.01) who has posted an 8.56 ERA while losing his last three starts.

The right-hander allowed five runs - two earned - in six innings of Tuesday's 6-4 defeat at San Diego.

Wainwright is making his first appearance at Chavez Ravine since a loss June 9, 2010. He beat the Dodgers on July 24, when he allowed two runs and fanned seven in 7 1-3 innings of an 8-2 home victory.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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White Sox keep Tigers at bay with rout of Twins

The AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox have struggled against their next two opponents.

That definitely hasn't been the case against the lowly Minnesota Twins .

Jake Peavy will try to win his fourth consecutive start versus Minnesota on Sunday when Chicago goes for the sweep and a 14th victory over the Twins in 2012.

Monday was supposed to be the White Sox's final off day of the regular season, but instead of heading to Kansas City, Chicago (78-66) will fly back home to face Detroit in a make-up of Thursday's rainout that will be the last scheduled meeting between the Central's top two teams.

The White Sox are just one game above .500 in divisional play - they've dropped 12 of 17 to the Tigers and 10 of 15 to the Royals - but they've owned the Twins (60-86).

Chicago improved to 13-4 against Minnesota on Saturday when former Twin Francisco Liriano took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a 5-2 victory.

While the decision to move Liriano into the rotation following a one-game bullpen stint worked out, Chicago hopes pushing Peavy (10-11, 3.27 ERA) up a day will too. The right-hander was slated to pitch Monday, but Jose Quintana will start versus the Tigers. That will give the young left-hander and Gavin Floyd , who just came off the disabled list, an extra day of rest.

Peavy has struggled in the second half - opponents are hitting .276 off him during this stretch after batting .213 before the All-Star break - but the right-hander has been at his best versus Minnesota, posting a 1.35 ERA while winning all three starts against the Twins since the Midsummer Classic.

Peavy is 0-6 in his other eight second-half starts.

The Twins, losers of four of five, will counter with Scott Diamond (11-7, 3.46) as these teams conclude their season series.

Minnesota totaled two runs as the left-hander lost his first two starts against the White Sox in 2012, but the Twins gave Diamond plenty of support in an 18-9 victory at Chicago on Sept. 4 when he threw five innings of four-run ball.

Diamond, who has one win in his last six starts after giving up four runs and a career high-tying 10 hits in Tuesday's 9-1 loss to Royals, has the majors' highest-run support average at 7.22.

He's also among the majors' best with 1.58 walks per nine innings.

Diamond can't afford to give the White Sox any free base runners. They are batting .282 and scoring 6.1 runs per game against Minnesota this season.

Alex Rios , the only current White Sox with a homer off Diamond, needs one home run to match the fourth-most in a season against the Twins with nine.

Paul Konerko is batting .364 with five homers and 15 RBIs against Twins pitching in 2012 after hitting a two-run shot and driving in three Saturday.

Konerko is second among active players with 48 homers and 126 RBIs versus Minnesota.

It's uncertain if Joe Mauer or Ryan Doumit will return to the Twins' lineup. Mauer has missed five games with back spasms, while Doumit has been sidelined since Wednesday with a strained oblique.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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Angels top Royals 4-3, keep heat on A's, Orioles

Any loss is magnified in a tight playoff race. The Los Angeles Angels ' latest defeat could loom particularly large.

Hoping to shake the effects of a disheartening loss, the Angels look to avoid dropping their second straight series Sunday against the Kansas City Royals .

After winning Friday's series opener, the Angels were two outs away from another victory Saturday night following a brilliant outing from Zack Greinke , who left with a 2-0 lead. Ernesto Frieri replaced Greinke with a runner at first and one out in the ninth and promptly served up Billy Butler 's tying home run. Three pitches later, Salvador Perez homered off the left-field pole to give Kansas City (66-79) a stunning 3-2 win.

"We knew to look for a fastball," Perez said. "That's what he throws. I just looked at the umpire. When he threw his hand up, I knew we got it."

Frieri's blown save sent the Angels (79-67) to their fourth loss in six games following an 11-1 stretch. They did get some help when Baltimore lost to Oakland later Saturday, keeping them within 2 1/2 games of the second wild card.

"Anytime you lose a game late it's a heavier page to turn, but we have to come out tomorrow," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're at the point in the season where everything changes, inning to inning, pitch to pitch."

Kendrys Morales homered in his second straight game and Torii Hunter added the other RBI for Los Angeles, which had won four in a row on the road.

"We're professionals," catcher Chris Iannetta said. "We've been there before. We've all come through losses like this, gone through highs and lows. We know how to bounce back. It's just what we do. We know how to turn the page."

Hunter leads the AL with a .349 average since the All-Star break and has 16 RBIs in his last 17 games.

Butler's homer continued a torrid stretch for the Kansas City designated hitter, who is batting .352 with 16 RBIs in his last 21 games. He has four homers and nine RBIs in eight games against the Angels this season.

The Angels send Dan Haren (10-11, 4.45 ERA) to the mound hoping he can continue his run of solid outings.

Haren is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his past four starts, striking out 21 and walking three during that span. He failed to win his third straight start Monday, allowing three runs - including a pair of solo homers - and four hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 3-1 loss to Oakland.

Haren is 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA in nine starts against the Royals but struggled in a 6-3 loss to them in his season debut April 7. He allowed five runs and a season-high 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Kansas City looks to continue in the role of spoiler behind rookie Will Smith (5-7, 4.94), who aims to build off his best outing of the season.

After posting a 6.75 ERA while losing his previous three starts, the left-hander scattered seven hits - all singles - and struck out a career-high seven over seven innings of a 9-1 win at Minnesota on Tuesday.

Smith has notched quality starts in each of his last two outings at home, but is 1-4 with a 6.07 ERA there on the season.

He was outstanding in a 4-1 victory in Anaheim on July 24, yielding one run and two hits over seven innings.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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McDonald removed from Bucs' starting rotation

James McDonald went 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA in the first half before his recent struggles.

Keith Srakocic/AP

CHICAGO (AP) -- James McDonald has been removed from the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation.

McDonald has fallen off considerably since a hot first half. The 27-year-old right-hander has allowed 14 runs in his last three starts - a total of 12 innings pitched. He walked four batters and allowed four runs in just 3 2-3 innings in a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Sunday that McDonald would become available out of the bullpen around Tuesday. McDonald is 3-5 with a 7.08 ERA in the second half. He went 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA in the first half.

Right-hander Kyle McPherson will start in McDonald's place Wednesday against Milwaukee. The 24-year-old has 11 strikeouts in 11 2-3 relief innings this season.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

17 Sep, 2012

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Brewers continue wild-card chase on Braun HRs

Rickie Weeks is having a major impact on the Milwaukee Brewers ' revival, which includes staggering success at home.

They'll try to keep that going before embarking on their longest road trip of the season.

Weeks and the Brewers look to conclude a six-game homestand with a fifth victory Sunday against the sputtering New York Mets .

Milwaukee (73-72) is 2 1/2 games back of the tie between St. Louis and Los Angeles for the NL's second wild-card spot, but the club is also one-half game behind Pittsburgh.

"It's just one of those things where we need some help, obviously," Weeks said. "But at the same time we want to get this thing done."

It's remarkable that the Brewers are even in the race after they were 12 games under .500 on Aug. 19, but they've gone 19-6 to transform into playoff contenders.

Their success at Miller Park may be even more impressive. They've won 18 of 21 there while hitting .284 with 36 homers.

Weeks has provided an unexpected spark, batting .343 with seven homers, 14 RBIs and 19 runs in 16 games. That includes going 6 for 17 with five extra-base hits - three homers - while driving in seven runs in the past four contests.

The second baseman came up big again Saturday, connecting for a two-run homer and a run-scoring double in a 9-6 win over the Mets (66-79).

Despite his recent efforts, Weeks has a career-low .230 season average, but his 20 homers match his total from last year.

"I've been swinging the bat pretty well for more than a couple of weeks," Weeks said. "I just keep coming back to the ballpark and working hard. That's all you can do."

Ryan Braun is 5 for 13 in his last three games, but has managed just one RBI in seven contests since hitting his 38th homer.

After facing the Mets, the Brewers will be looking to carry their home success onto a season-high 10-game road trip, which starts Tuesday against the Pirates before they face NL East-leading Washington and Cincinnati, the top team in the Central.

Wily Peralta (1-0, 3.46 ERA) will try to keep Milwaukee rolling ahead of that trek as he makes his third start since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander has allowed four run over 12 innings in his first two outings.

He was impressive Monday, yielding one run and scattering seven hits in six innings before the offense scored four times in the seventh en route to a 4-1 home victory over Atlanta.

The Mets have dropped nine of 11, averaging 3.0 runs and hitting .157 with runners in scoring position during that span.

Chris Young (4-7, 4.39) is expected to get the ball in an effort to continue his recent success on the road.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA in his last four starts compared to 0-4 with a 4.26 ERA in seven home outings.

Young continued his success away from Citi Field with a 5-1 win at Miami on Sept. 2, giving up one run in five innings. He followed that up a week later by allowing two runs with seven strikeouts and four walks in six innings of a 3-2 loss in 10 at home to the Braves.

He's 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two career starts against the Brewers, both in Milwaukee. However, the most recent outing - a two-hit victory - came with San Diego on Sept. 7, 2008.

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A's seek sweep of Orioles in AL wild-card duel

While the Oakland Athletics hold the wild-card lead in the AL, their recent success also has them in good position to challenge for the top spot in the West.

The A's look to complete a series sweep with a fifth consecutive home win over the Baltimore Orioles , owner of the second wild-card spot, on Sunday.

Stephen Drew homered and Jarrod Parker tossed seven solid innings as Oakland (84-61) used a five-run third to beat Baltimore 5-2 on Saturday.

Winners in 23 of 29, the A's have a three-game wild-card lead over the Orioles (81-64) and are two back of first-place Texas in the West. Oakland, which has not reached the postseason since 2006, still has seven games left with the Rangers.

"It's kind of crazy how this team works sometimes," said Drew, whose homer is the only hit in his last 17 at-bats. "It's a good feeling to have, anybody, anytime. It works out well."

Baltimore, meanwhile, has a 2 1/2-game advantage over the Los Angeles Angels for the second and final wild-card spot and is one game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the East.

Looking to avoid its first three-game skid since July 23-25, Baltimore has been held to two runs in each of the first two games of this set. The Orioles have averaged 3.1 runs while losing 16 of 18 in Oakland. They jumped ahead 2-0 Saturday before the A's broke out in the fifth.

"No one in this clubhouse is down," Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones said. "The last few days we've been beat. I don't think we've beaten ourselves. We just can't score enough runs."

Hoping to prevent the A's from a sweep is Randy Wolf (2-0, 5.68 ERA), who makes his first start for the Orioles after coming out of the bullpen three times since they acquired him Aug. 31.

The 36-year-old Wolf went 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA in 25 games - 24 starts - for Milwaukee this season before the Brewers released him Aug. 22. After allowing four runs, four hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings out of the bullpen for the Orioles, Wolf makes his first start since he yielded five runs and 10 hits in seven innings of an 8-0 loss to Philadelphia on Aug. 19.

"Coming here you kind of feel a little rejuvenated and excited," Wolf told the Orioles' official website. "I think those exciting feelings and rejuvenating feelings are enhanced when you get the call to make the start (Sunday)."

Wolf is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts versus Oakland, the most recent for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.

Oakland counters with rookie Dan Straily (2-0, 3.42), who looks for a third straight winning start when he makes the fifth of his career and first appearance versus Baltimore. The right-hander allowed three runs, two homers and struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win at Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick , who had two of his team's five hits Saturday, is 10 for 30 with four RBIs against the Orioles this season.

Baltimore designated hitter Chris Davis had two hits, and is batting .444 (16 for 36) during a 10-game hitting streak against Oakland.

© 2012 STATS LLC

17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2012/09/16/42674/index.html?xid=si_mlb
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