Sep 7, 2015 6 min read

As a trade deadline addition, Dan Haren was unaware the Cubs had struggled in St. Louis. In the end, it was probably better he didn’t know about Chicago’s sorry 1-6 record at Busch Stadium.

“I didn’t know we had struggled here,” Haren said after working seven innings in a 9-0 victory over the Cardinals Monday. “Everyone has struggled against the Cardinals this year; they’re the best team record-wise.”

The NL Central-leading Cardinals maintained a 5 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh, which lost 3-1 to Cincinnati. The Cubs are 7 1/2 games back.

Dexter Fowler had a leadoff home run and two-run double in the first two innings.

Before the game, manager Joe Maddon said he told Fowler: “You go, we go. He gets up there and makes us go.”

Fowler matched his season best for RBIs and became the Cubs’ first switch-hitter to score 90 runs since Brian McRae scored 111 in 1996.

“I’m seeing the ball well, barreling balls well,” Fowler said. “The team camaraderie is awesome right now, even with the new guys coming in.”

Addison Russell’s three-run homer capped a five-run third that made it 8-0. The Cubs have won four in a row and got an 11-game trip off to a rocking start.

“We’ve got to beat them here, that’s really important regarding our development,” Maddon said. “So, it’s a nice first step, but let’s have another one-game winning streak tomorrow.”

Haren (9-9) had five strikeouts and two walks. He also contributed a single and sacrifice fly.

Lance Lynn (11-9) surrendered six runs in 2 1/3 innings on nine days’ rest after getting extra time to recover from a sprained ankle in his last start. The ankle wasn’t the issue.

“Just didn’t have any command,” Lynn said. “The ball was all over the place, and when I started making pitches they were already locked in.”

N.Y. Mets 8, Washington 5: Yoenis Cespedes homered and doubled twice, David Wright hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the New York Mets ended Washington’s five-game winning streak, beating the Nationals 8-5 Monday to open a key NL East series.

Michael Conforto and Kelly Johnson also homered for New York, which increased its division lead to five games over the Nats with 25 remaining. The teams play twice more in this set.

Arizona 6, San Francisco 1: Patrick Corbin threw six scoreless innings, Phil Gosselin and A.J. Pollock homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the fading San Francisco Giants 6-1.

Gosselin’s three-run shot was his second home run since being activated from the 60-day disabled list (fractured left thumb) eight days earlier. San Francisco has lost eight of 10 to fall nine games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

Milwaukee 9, Miami 1: Hernan Perez had three hits and three RBIs and Zach Davies earned his first major league win as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 9-1 on Monday afternoon.

Khris Davis homered and drove in two and Jonathan Lucroy had two doubles and knocked in a run for the Brewers, who have won seven of eight.

Davies (1-0) pitched seven innings, allowing one run and four hits in his second start. He struck out four.

Colorado 6, San Diego 4: Kyle Kendrick pitched five innings and hit his first major league home run and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 6-4 on Monday.

Kendrick (5-12) allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks as the Rockies won for the first time in seven games at Petco Park.

N.Y. Yankees 8, Baltimore 6: Rookie Greg Bird hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Brian Matusz in the seventh inning, and the New York Yankees rallied past the reeling Baltimore Orioles 8-6 Monday.

Alex Rodriguez and John Ryan Murphy also homered for the Yankees (77-59), who overcame a 4-1 deficit and improved to 18 games over .500 for the first time since 2012. With his 29th home run this season, A-Rod got his 3,054th career hit and passed Rod Carew for sole possession of 22nd place.

Detroit 5, Tampa Bay 4: Rajai Davis homered twice in a game for the second time in his career and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Monday.

With the temperature rising through the low 90s as the game progressed on a humid day, there were five homers, all to left field.

James McCann homered for the Tigers, connecting off former college batterymate Drew Smyly. Detroit won for just the fourth time in 17 games.

Evan Longoria and J.P. Arencibia homered for the Rays, who have lost four of five while trying to stay in the AL wild-card race.

Boston 11, Toronto 4: Jackie Bradley Jr. had four hits with a two-run home run and four RBIs, Rick Porcello pitched into the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox outslugged the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 Monday.

The Blue Jays lost for just the fourth time in 16 games. They had their lead atop the East sliced to a half game over the New York Yankees, who beat Baltimore 8-6.

Bradley added two singles and a double, and Travis Shaw hit a two-run homer for Boston, which posted its fourth straight win and eighth in 11 games.

Cleveland 3, Chicago White Sox 2: Ryan Raburn hit a pair of solo home runs and Trevor Bauer pitched two-hit ball for seven innings as the Cleveland Indians beat the White Sox 3-2 Monday, ending Chicago’s four-game winning streak.

Raburn has eight multihomer games in his career, four of them against the White Sox.

Oakland 10, Houston 9: Pinch-hitter Coco Crisp hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning after Oakland chased Mike Fiers, and the Athletics beat the division-leading Houston Astros 10-9 on Monday to snap a five-game skid.