Cards stay on top with win
By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press on Sep 16, 2013, at 2:27 AM Updated on 9/16/13 at 5:30 AM
Pro Baseball (MLB)
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeted players in the Washington Nationals clubhouse before the game, handing out blue and gold Navy caps. Manager Davey Johnson and his players held those caps from Adm. James Winnefeld over their hearts during a pregame moment of silence, disturbed only by the sound of a helicopter hovering nearby.
LATE MONDAY
ST. LOUIS - Yadier Molina never got down during his recent rut. So the All-Star catcher wasn't about to celebrate after breaking out of the skid on Sunday.
Molina had a home run and three singles as Shelby Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals remained tied for first place in the NL Central with a 12-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Molina's second-inning homer off Erasmo Ramirez (5-2) snapped an 0-for-15 skid.
"It's not about one guy, it's about the team," Molina said. "I came out aggressive. But right now, it's just about getting wins."
Molina scored three times and raised his batting average to .317.
"Yadi's had a special offensive year," manager Mike Matheny said. "He's been so good. I just want him to keep going and finish the season the way he started."
Matt Adams also homered as St. Louis finished up a 7-2 homestand and kept pace with Pittsburgh. Both teams are 87-62 with 13 games remaining.
Miller (14-9) gave up one earned run and three hits in five innings. He became the first St. Louis rookie to reach 14 wins in a season since Dick Hughes won 16 in 1967.
St. Louis got 19 hits after totaling just three runs on seven hits over the first two games of the series.
Matt Carpenter keyed the fourth-inning burst with a two-run bases-loaded single. Daniel Descalso and Matt Holliday also had RBI hits in the inning.
The Cardinals' hit total was their second-highest total this season. The Cardinals had 21 hits in a 10-6 win against the Chicago Cubs on July 14.
The Cardinals batted around in the fourth and fifth, scoring four runs in each inning to hand Seattle its sixth loss in seven games.
Holliday and Carpenter finished with three hits and two RBIs two apiece.
Adams pushed the lead to 7-2 with his 14th homer to highlight the fifth.
Pro Baseball (MLB)
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeted players in the Washington Nationals clubhouse before the game, handing out blue and gold Navy caps. Manager Davey Johnson and his players held those caps from Adm. James Winnefeld over their hearts during a pregame moment of silence, disturbed only by the sound of a helicopter hovering nearby.
LATE MONDAY
