Information » Meeks netted a game-high 20 points while Andre D

CHICAGO -- Yadier Molina had a simple goal for his ninth-inning at-bat with the bases loaded and the score tied on Sunday. "I was looking not to strike out," he said. After fouling off some tough two-strike pitches, Molina hit a ground-ball single up the middle to drive in two runs and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped out of an offensive funk with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. "I got a little lucky that they were playing me to pull," Molina said. "It was a good at-bat. I was able to put the ball in play and good things happened." The defending National League champions had lost four of five to fall a game below .500. The Cardinals scored all their runs with two outs. Molina, moved into the No. 2 spot to jump start the lineup, was 0 for 4 before coming through in the ninth. But it was a wild pitch in the seventh inning that allowed the Cubs to tie the score at 3 that had Molina more frustrated. The pitch from reliever Carlos Martinez was in the dirt and trickled through Molinas legs, allowing Luis Valbuena to score. "I was there," Molina said. "I dont know. Its one of those things. I was ready for it and the ball still goes through my legs." Kevin Siegrist (1-1) got the win in relief, while Trevor Rosenthal picked up his eighth save in as many opportunities despite a scare in the ninth inning. Hector Randon (0-1) took the loss for the Cubs, who were attempting to win four straight games for the first time since July. While Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had looked for Molina, one of his hottest hitters, to get the offence going, it was a couple of struggling batters at the bottom of the lineup that got things started early. With two outs in the second inning and Jhonny Peralta on first base, Randal Grichuk drilled a triple into the right-centre field gap for a 1-0 lead. Mark Ellis, who went 3 for 4, followed with a double to left-centre to make it 2-0. Both Grichuk (.167) and Ellis (.143) entered hitting well below .200. St. Louis stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third as Matt Adams doubled home Matt Holiday. The Cubs pulled within 3-2 in the fourth with some clutch two-out hitting. With one out, Ryan Kalish singled and John Baker walked. After a groundout moved the runners to second and third, Cubs starter Jason Hammel singled to right to drive in both. Molinas go-ahead single to centre came on the sixth pitch of the at-bat from Randon. "I thought I made a good pitch today, but something happened," Randon said. Molina seemed more relieved that the wild pitch wasnt a factor than he drove in the game-deciding runs. "(Molina) does a good job of not wearing his emotions and how frustrating that is for him," Matheny said. "Its hard to count the number of balls he keeps in front of him, the number of runs he saves. Its something we dont take for granted." Valbuena doubled in a run with two outs in the ninth to make it 5-4, but Rosenthal got Anthony Rizzo to ground out to end the game. "Guys kept grinding it out," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "We just fell a little short." NOTES: The ESPN broadcast team of Dan Shulman and John Kruk worked from the bleachers. ... While making a rehab start Sunday with Double A Springfield, LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) was hit by a pitch on the left elbow and left after two innings and 28 pitches. "I think they went in and took precautionary X-rays," Matheny said. "I havent heard anything back yet." ... In the same game, RHP Jason Motte threw a scoreless inning, striking out three, in his first rehab outing. ... Rizzo entered with a .429 on-base percentage, which was fifth-best in the National League. ... The Cards open a series in Atlanta on Monday, with RHP Shelby Miller (3-2) facing RHP Aaron Harang, while the Cubs host the crosstown White Sox with RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-3) going up against LHP Jose Quintana (1-2). Quinndary Weatherspoon Jersey . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year. Sean Elliott Jersey . The young man, never lacking confidence, thought he could be really good. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Lamarcus-Aldridge-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Canadian tennis players first full season on the WTA Tour was a strong one. She has risen to No. 32 in the world rankings and will likely be seeded at the first Grand Slam event of the 2014 season. George Gervin Spurs Jersey . The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. DeMar DeRozan Jersey .Y. -- Nothing seems to phase No.Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Griffin scored 18 points, DeAndre Jordan recorded a double-double and the Los Angeles Clippers breezed past the Detroit Pistons, 113-91, at Staples Center on Monday. Jordan finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds while Jordan Farmar added 15 points for LA, which bounced back from consecutive losses to the Wizards and Bucks over the weekend. Coming home and closing a team out is a really good feeling, Jordan said. After losing two games in a row it feels like you lost 10. Chris Paul committed six turnovers in each of those setbacks but returned to his sure-handed ways, recording 11 points and eight assists while only turning it over once. The Pistons, on the other hand, coughed it up 18 times and trailed by as many as 27 as their two-game winning streak came to a crashing halt. Jodie Meeks netted a game-high 20 points while Andre Drummond donated 18 points and 13 rebounds in a losing cause. We didnt play well and they dominated throughoutt, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said.ddddddddddddWe couldnt keep up. They totally tore our defense apart. The Clippers scored the final seven points of the opening quarter for a 29-27 lead, and they went ahead by double digits, 47-36, when Jordans alley-oop dunk capped an 11-2 run in the middle stages of the second. LA was ahead, 55-44, at halftime and stretched the lead to as many as 26 in the third quarter. Matt Barnes hit back-to-back 3-pointers at one point and was fouled on the second one. His free throw made it a 73-53 game, and the Clippers led by a comfortable 86-63 margin going into the fourth. Game Notes Griffin, who also pulled down seven rebounds and handed out seven assists, moved past Danny Manning and sits fifth on the Clippers all-time scoring list with 7,122 points ... The Clippers have won the last eight meetings ... The Clippers shot 53.8 percent from the floor and made half of their 24 3-point attempts. ' ' '