en together and, looking forward to the 2019 World Cup, its a ve

ST. LOUIS - It didnt take Tony Cruz long to consider all of his home runs and rank his latest. Hes only had three in his 100-game career and the first two came on the road. Cruz hit a three-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals connected three times, beating the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Saturday night and moving closer to their fourth straight playoff berth. "It was a really good feeling," said Cruz, who also had the first curtain call of his career. "The first one of the year is always a really good feeling and my first one at home. You know you hear the crowd. Its amazing." Milwaukee beat second-place Pittsburgh 1-0 on Saturday to give the St. Louis a 3 1/2-game lead in the NL Central. The Cardinals cut their magic number to one for clinching a post-season berth, and five for their second NL Central title in a row. Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk also homered as St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games. The Cardinals have hit five homers in the past two games, but have just 104 for the season — among the lowest total in the majors. Their lack of power has provided an ongoing issue manager Mike Matheny has had to address. "I like the home runs," Matheny said in his postgame interview. "You guys always accuse me of not liking them, but especially those three-runners that Tony did. We know we have the kind of team that can do that and its nice to see them." Cincinnatis four runs were as many as it scored in the previous five games. The Reds have lost six in row and has been outscored 30-8 in that stretch. They are 20-40 since the All-Star break. "Youre seeing us having to go out there and really struggle so mightily to try to find a way to win a ball game," manager Bryan Price said. "Certainly nobodys enjoying this current portion of our schedule. The way weve played for the last 60 games has been miserable." Jason Motte (1-0) needed just three pitches and one out to earn the win. He came in relief of starter Michael Wacha and got Todd Frazier to foul out to right. Wacha didnt qualify for the win because he lasted just 4 2-3 innings. He was seeking his first win since June 17 before going on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Wacha gave up two runs and six hits on 78 pitches, the most since returning at the start of the month. "I felt a lot better, today," he said. "More secondary stuff was working for me. My command was a little bit better. I felt it was a step in the right direction." Mike Leake (11-13) allowed six runs in five innings. He also walked two and hit a batter, all of whom scored. He gave up two homers and has surrendered 22 this season. Cruz hit his first homer in more than a year, connecting in the second. His last home run was Aug. 4, 2013, at Cincinnati. Wong hit his 12th, a two-run shot in the third. Grichuck added a pinch-hit homer in the sixth — it was his third of the season and his second in two nights. Grichuck later added an RBI bloop double. Zack Cozart homered for the Reds and Kris Negron doubled twice. TRAINERS ROOM Cardinals: 1B Matt Adams and 3B Matt Carpenter both were out of the starting lineup with a stomach virus. Matheny said they were "quarantined," though it wasnt clear if they were at Busch Stadium and available or sent home. ... Star C Yadier Molina got his first start of the season. Reds: C Devin Mesoraco was pulled in the sixth inning because of a stomach bug. Price said Mesoraco could have continued but the manager didnt think it was worth it. UP NEXT Reds: RHP Alfredo Simon (14-10, 3.35) has given up five hits in seven innings during each of his past two starts, including in a 4-2 win against St. Louis on Sept. 10. The Cardinals have batted .228 in 101 at-bats against Simon over 22 2-3 innings. Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (15-9, 2.68) has given up two runs over his past 15 innings and went 0-1 in those games, including a 1-0 loss at Cincinnati on Sept. 11. He has a 2.00 ERA this month over four starts and goes after his fourth win against the Reds. He is 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA in four games against them division rivals this season. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys .J. -- Patrick Sharp is on one of those streaks. Brian Urlacher Jersey . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop.com/.J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Walter Payton Jersey . - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Jim McMahon Jersey . "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics.Hosts England will face Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh in their group for next years ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament schedule was unveiled at The Kia Oval on Wednesday, precisely one year before the opening fixture at the home of Surrey, which pits England against Bangladesh.The eight-team event will take place over nearly three weeks, finishing on June 18 with the final, which also takes place at The Kia Oval. Eoin Morgans England and Australia will meet in the Champions Trophy next year Group B features India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka - current Twenty20 world champions West Indies failed to qualify for the event.Englands clash with Australia will be their last game in the group stages, taking place on June 10 at Edgbaston, and they face New Zealand in Cardiff four days earlier.The mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan will also be hosted at Edgbaston on June 4 - it will be both sides first game in the tournament. India and Pakistan will come up against one another at Edgbaston next June One-day captain Eoin Morgan is keen to first claim revenge on Bangladesh, who beat England at the World Cup in Australia last year, when the 50-over team was at just about its lowest ebb.Since then, England have been narrowly beaten in one-day series by Australia and South Africa, beaten Pakistan and made it to the World Twenty20 final.He told Sky Sports News HQ: That game sits pretty close in my memory. It was a day when they played better than us. Morgan feels England have built momentum since their World Cup disappointment This tournament will mark two years since the squad has been together and, looking forward to the 2019 World Cup, its a veery important step for us.ddddddddddddWe take a huge amount of confidence into the summer. The experience within itself creates a lot of belief within the side and I think that is very important for a young side.We have an incredible amount of talent as we have seen over the last 12 months or so. Weve seen some young guns come out and perform at their best, and thats been a huge testament to the culture we have created. ICC chief David Richardson feels the United Kingdom is an ideal host for big cricket events The United Kingdom will host three major events before the end of the decade, with the Champions Trophy followed straight after by the Womens World Cup, and then the next World Cup in 2019.And ICC chief executive David Richardson feels England and Wales are ideal hosts for such events.Richardson added: The beauty of playing events in the United Kingdom is the cultural diversity that does exist, and for some [visiting] teams its almost like they are playing at home. Surreys Kia Oval will host the Champions Trophy final That goes for all the teams, there are lots of South Africans here, New Zealanders and Australians, and of course people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.The ICC tournaments provide some much needed context. Its great to win a series against a particular team, but in the bigger scheme of things, series by series they get lost in the wash. For an ICC event, its a bit like winning The Masters or Wimbledon.The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is not just an ODI competition, it carries a great deal of value since it is being played just three months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 qualification cut-off date. As such, every point earned here could be crucial. 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