ST. LOUIS -- Aledmys Diaz made a vow Monday to the family of childhood friend Jose Fernandez, the late Miami Marlins ace who died in a boating accident early Sunday.I told them that every single time I put on the uniform, I would be thinking of him, Diaz said. And that I would give 100 percent because thats how he played the game.Fernandez would have been proud of his longtime buddy on Tuesday night.Back in the lineup after attending a private ceremony for Fernandez in Florida on Monday, Diaz hit his first career grand slam and the St. Louis Cardinals finished with five home runs in a 12-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.St. Louis remained one game behind San Francisco for the final NL playoff spot, and 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets.The Giants routed Colorado 12-3. The Mets, who lead the wild-card standings, won 12-1 at Miami.Jhonny Peralta had a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Cardinals, who had lost four of five. Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk and Matt Adams also homered.Joey Votto and Scott Schebler went deep for the Reds, who beat St. Louis 15-2 on Monday.Diaz slammed a 2-1 pitch from Cincinnati starter Robert Stephenson over the left-field wall. The 408-foot drive erased a 2-1 deficit and served as a wake-up call for the Cardinals, who grabbed their first lead since Saturday.The Cuban-born Diaz pointed to the sky after he crossed home plate and fell into the arms of teammate Yadier Molina. Diaz had tears in his eyes as he came out of the dugout for a curtain call.I felt some serious goose bumps when he hit that, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said. I almost got choked up. I know he was. He wanted to make some good swings for Jose.The emotional home run triggered an 11-run outburst in a span of three innings.Watching him cross the plate, and watching his reaction as he (shook hands) with the guys, really hit me on how much that meant to him, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. You can never understand what each persons going through when they suffer a loss like that. The show goes on and so does life. But its a tough thing for anyone to go through.Stephenson (2-3) ended up allowing five runs in four innings.Wainwright (13-9) gave up five runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings.Adams connected for a pinch-hit homer in the sixth, extending the franchise record to 16 this season.St. Louis has hit an NL-leading 218 homers this year.Carpenter hit his 20th home run, giving the Cardinals five players with 20 or more.The Cardinals broke out of a hitting slump after scoring just three runs in their previous two games.Theres no telling how big this could be, Wainwright said.Votto was 3 for 5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle.Stephenson rolled through the first three innings, giving up just a solo homer to Carpenter.I felt a lot better today, especially at the beginning of the game, Stephenson said. I was a lot more under control. Just a nightmare inning in the fourth inning.Stephenson was aware of Diazs relationship with Fernandez.I thought that was real unfortunate timing for me, Stephenson said. But really, a special moment for him.TRAINERS ROOMReds: SS Zack Cozart, who has not played since Sept. 10 due to a sore right knee, was placed on the disabled list and will not return this season. ... 2B Brandon Phillips left in the seventh after hurting his wrist when he checked his swing. He is day to day. ... Schebler had a cramping issue and was removed in the eighth.Cardinals: Carpenter was back in the starting lineup after missing Mondays game with a right finger injury.UP NEXTReds RHP Anthony DeSclafani (8-5, 3.38 ERA) faces RHP Mike Leake (9-11, 4.72) in the third game of the four-game series Wednesday. DeSclafani has 13 quality starts in 19 starts this season. Leake is 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in three starts against his former team.Los Angeles Lakers Store . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Lakers Jerseys 2019 .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Fake Lakers Jerseys . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference.SAN DIEGO -- Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez made sure the Kansas City Royals will start at home, sweet home if they get a chance to defend their World Series title.The Royals duo homered off former Kansas City teammate Johnny Cueto during a six-pitch span in the second inning of Tuesdays All-Star Game. Hosmer added an RBI single to become the contests MVP. And the American League beat the National League 4-2 for its fourth straight win in the Midsummer Classic.David Ortiz found himself in the middle of the most touching moment at Petco Park, embraced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popular Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with the?Boston Red Sox.Kris Bryant of the?Chicago Cubs?led the parade of sparkling young talent with a first-inning home run. Dellin Betances flashed his 100 mph heat. And?Houston Astros?reliever Will Harris came on to throw a called third strike past?St. Louis Cardinals?rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner with the bases loaded to end the eighth.Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera pitched a hitless sixth for the AL, which will open the World Series at home for the 11th time in 14 years since the All-Star winner was used to determine the hosts for Games 1 and 2.Kansas City became baseball royalty last fall, bursting to a 2-0 lead over the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium, where Cueto pitched a two-hitter in the second game. The Royals won in five games for their first title since 1985.This season, Kansas City is languishing at 45-43, seven games off the AL Central lead and in the middle of the wild-card race as attention turns to which teams will be buyers and sellers as the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaches.The?Cleveland Indians?Corey Kluber pitched a 1-2-3 second inning for the win, and Zach Britton got the save for the AL, which cut its All-Star Game deficit to 43-42, with two ties.Ortiz, Bostons beloved designated hitter, wore spikes with gold-colored bottoms and matching batting gloves to mark his 10th All-Star selection and delivered the AL batting order to umpires at home plate.Ortiz hit a smash down the first-base line that Anthony Rizzo snagged to rob him of a potential RBI double in the first inning and walked against Jose Fernandez in the third.When Edwin Encarnacion came out to pinch run for him, Ortiz waved to the crowd, then his AL teammates came out of the dugout to exchange hugs as the crowd of 42,386 rose in tribute.I was supposed to hit a home run in my second at-bat. My boy [Fernandez] told me he was going to throw me a fastball, and the first pitch was a changeup, Ortiz said.Then 3-2, he threw me a slider, and Im like, Are you trying to break my back? But he said it was the catchers fault.Fernandez admitted of facing Ortiz, I couldnt believe that I was actually pitching to him. We both looked at each other and smiled.The 23-year-old Miami Marlins ace said, He signed the jersey I brought for him.Ortiz delivered a pregame speech to his mates.You dont get here with a good name or a good family, Ortiz said. You have to put up the numbers. I told them that they have to do that for their whole career.The Alll-Star Game returned to San Diego for the first time since 1992 at Jack Murphy Stadium.dddddddddddd Just before this first pitch, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred joined Rod Carew, his family and the family of late Padres great Tony Gwynn and named the batting titles after the two Hall of Famers, giving Gwynn the NL honor and Carew the AL championship.Gwynn died of salivary gland cancer two years ago at age 54.Sailors dressed in white lined the foul lines and outfield warning tracks for the national anthems. The Tenors, a British Columbia-based group, changed an O Canada lyric to Were all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great, and one held up a sign reading All Lives Matter.Randy Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch and former Padres All-Star closer Trevor Hoffman helped open, bringing the game ball to the mound from the bullpen accompanied by AC/DCs Hells Bells.With an NL ballpark hosting for the second year in a row in what will be a streak of at least four (counting upcoming All-Star Games in Miami and Washington, D.C.), the AL wore white uniforms, hit last and used the Padres clubhouse on the first-base side. Ball boys in retro-style mustard-and-mud Padres uniforms lent a San Diego feel to Petco Park, which opened in 2004.There was a home run on the games fourth pitch for the second straight year; Bryant connected on a 96 mph Chris Sale fastball with two outs.Hitters swung early in the count to beat the shadows creeping in from the left-field corner in the late-afternoon start.Bryant, who had struck out in all of his regular-seat at-bats against Sale, was part of an all-Cubs infield -- the first starting infield quartet from a single team since the 1963 Cardinals.I think a lot of us were looking first pitch, said Bryant, who played college ball for the University of San Diego. A lot of pitchers are coming into the game trying to light up the radar gun a bit.That was the highlight for the NL Central-leading Cubs, whose fan base was pumped up by the teams fast start to the season and dreams of the teams first World Series title since 1908.Mike Trout, the All-Star MVP in 2014 and 2015, singled in the first inning for a five-All-Star Game hitting streak. Only Mickey Mantle, Joe Morgan and Dave Winfield (seven each) and Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Nellie Fox (six apiece) strung together more.The National Leagues lead after Bryants shot was short-lived, with Hosmer and Perez going deep for a 3-1 lead in the second, sandwiched around Mookie Betts single. Cueto was hard to miss in the center of the field, wearing lime green and orange spikes.This morning, I got up and didnt feel well. That is not an excuse, Cueto said. I just left two pitches up, and that was the story.Hosmer, the first Kansas City player to homer in an All-Star Game since Bo Jackson in 1989, made it 4-1 in the third against Fernandez, when he hit a one-hopper off Bryants left arm and into left field for an RBI single.Marcell Ozuna cut the gap to 4-2 with an run-scoring single off Aaron Sanchez in the fourth. ' ' '
