Baseball roundup: Weaver wins 19th; White Sox lose again

Jered Weaver kept Los Angeles within striking distance in the AL wild-card chase, posting his league-leading 19th victory in Anaheim, Calif., as the Angels topped the White Sox, 4-1, Sunday.

Chicago lost its fifth in a row but gained a half game atop the AL Central when Detroit lost a doubleheader to Minnesota. The White Sox lead the Tigers by a game.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura bemoaned his team's failure to come through in the clutch. They were 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position during the Angels' three-game sweep. "We had Weaver in trouble early and were in a really good position, but he showed again why he's a good pitcher and we just couldn't cash in," Ventura said.

Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark for the 11th time in 12 major-league seasons with a two-run double as the Angels remained 21/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild-card spot. Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer for the Angels, who have won seven of 10.

Weaver (19-4, 2.74 ERA) threw 113 pitches in 61/3 innings, allowing a run, five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

Tigers swept by Twins. Jamey Carroll hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and Minnesota beat host Detroit, 2-1, in the second game of a doubleheader sweep. Joe Mauer had four RBIs in the first game, a 10-4 win by the Twins. Detroit could have tied Chicago atop the AL Central with a win in the nightcap, but instead fell a game back. Minnesota reliever Jared Burton got Miguel Cabrera to pop out in the ninth inning of the second game, quieting "M-V-P!" chants from fans before he struck out Prince Fielder. In the first game, the Twins rallied for five runs in the sixth and four in the eighth to defeat Max Scherzer (16-7).

Rays 3, Blue Jays 0: B.J. Upton hit his eighth home run in 14 games and Jeremy Hellickson won for the first time in more than a month to help Tampa Bay win in St. Petersburg, Fla. It was the fifth straight win for the Rays, who are 21/2 games behind the Athletics for the AL's second wild-card spot. Hellickson (9-10) pitched 52/3 innings, allowing five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 44th save.

Rangers 3, Mariners 2: Ryan Dempster allowed two runs and six hits over six-plus innings and Mike Napoli and Geovany Soto homered to lead visiting Texas and preserve a four-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. Monday night, the Rangers and Athletics begin a pivotal four-game series in Arlington, Texas.

Brewers 6 Nationals 2: Jonathan Lucroy had a pair of RBI singles for visiting Milwaukee. Rickie Weeks had three hits and Aramis Ramirez had two doubles for the Brewers, who twice benefited from Washington outfielders losing fly balls in the sun. Milwaukee (79-73) is 21/2 games behind St. Louis for the final NL wild-card berth. Washington (92-60) leads the NL East by 41/2 games over Atlanta. The Nationals' magic number to clinch the division remains at six.

Braves 2, Phillies 1: Tim Hudson tossed two-hit ball over 71/3 innings and catcher David Ross homered to help visiting Atlanta inch closer to the postseason. Hudson (16-6) struck out four and allowed one unearned run to send the Braves back to Atlanta with a six-game lead in the NL wild-card race. The win over Cliff Lee (6-8) reduced Atlanta's magic number for securing a wild-card berth to two.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 3: Kyle Lohse and visiting St. Louis won for the sixth time in seven games to remain 21/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the second NL wild-card spot. Lohse (16-3, 2.77 ERA) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. Jason Motte earned his 40th save.

Dodgers 5, Reds 3: Adrian Gonzalez hit two home runs as visiting Los Angeles (79-74) kept alive its playoff hopes. The Dodgers are three games behind the Cardinals for the final wild-card berth.

-- AP