Chicago Cubs

The St. Louis Cardinals' grip on the second National League wild-card spot weakened Friday with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on David DeJesus' walk-off single in the 11th inning. Before DeJesus' heroics at Wrigley Field, the fifth-place Cubs first needed a two-run, tying home run from second baseman Darwin Barney in the bottom of the ninth inning. "I was worried about the wind, that the wind was going to knock it down, but it went," Barney said. The Cubs' victory spoiled the season debut of Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter, who was coming off surgery related to a nerve ailment.

Could be a pain in the asterisk Baseball's best race this September: Andrew McCutchen vs. the Invisible Man. Melky Cabrera and his excessive testosterone called it a season with a .346 batting average and 501 plate appearances. That would leave the San Francisco Giants' outfielder one appearance short of the National League batting title, if not for this rule: Give a player an out for every appearance short of the required 502. If his average is still the highest, he wins.

Most root for the home team, of course, but which clubs draw the most attention when traveling? The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. For all the baseball fans who claim to hate the Yankees, there are plenty of pinstripe followers who enjoy watching them play in person. And die-hard fans of the Cubs, who haven't played in the World Series since 1945, also turn out in big numbers coast to coast. Here's the full list of teams' average crowds on the road, through Friday: Team; Avg. road att. ; Avg. home att. N.Y. Yankees; 34,719; 43,298 Chicago Cubs; 34,424; 37,140 Philadelphia; 33,670 ;44,491 DODGERS; 33,455; 41,368 Atlanta; 33,199 ;29,434 San Francisco; 33,166 ;41,724 N.Y. Mets; 33,158; 29,555 Pittsburgh; 33,057; 26,529 Chicago White Sox; 33,006; 24,379 Colorado; 32,896 ;33,863 Milwaukee; 32,362; 34,991 St. Louis ;32,166; 41,373 Boston; 32,022; 37,615 Washington; 32,022; 29,600 Arizona; 31,815; 27,738 San Diego; 31,648; 26,166 ANGELS; 31,557; 37,553 Houston; 31,312; 21,378 Detroit; 31,262; 37,719 Oakland; 31,154; 20,648 Miami ;30,917; 28,400 Tampa Bay; 30,538 ;20,572 Cincinnati ;30,534; 29,192 Minnesota; 30,211; 35,120 Baltimore; 29,924 ;25,665 Texas; 28,707; 43,485 Cleveland; 28,495; 20,431 Kansas City; 27,900; 23,126 Seattle ;27,723 ;22,710 Toronto ;27,644 ;27,714 Source: baseball-reference.com

The San Francisco Giants seriously were interested in Alfonso Soriano and might have traded for him rather than Philadelphia's Hunter Pence if Soriano had not told the Chicago Cubs the Dodgers were the only West Coast team he would waive his 10/5 rights to join. Although the Cubs discussed trades for Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney, they would have to get a lot to trade either of their middle infielders. Manager Dale Sveum loves what he is getting from both of them defensively. There has been some souring on Josh Hamilton in Texas, and the next two months could determine whether the Rangers try hard to re-sign him (to a four- or five-year deal)

As the possibility of adding Cliff Lee turned from remote to virtually nonexistent Saturday, Clayton Kershaw offered a reminder that the Dodgers already have an ace. Kershaw was as breathtaking in the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs as he often was late last season, when he won the National League Cy Young Award. Matt Kemp's fortunate two-run home run in the fourth inning would have been enough to lift the Dodgers to their second consecutive win, as Kershaw held the Cubs to a run and three hits over seven innings at Dodger Stadium.

Hey, it was a nice thought, right? Maybe it really was a fixed game, but at least the Dodgers played. Reports are now coming out that Cuban defector Jorge Soler has signed with the Chicago Cubs. It's been reported for months that Soler, a promising 20-year-old outfielder, had reached a private agreement with the Cubs, so maybe this whole free-agent bidding war thing really was a sham. Still, the Cubs dropped some serious moola to close the deal, first reported by the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

CHICAGO - The Dodgers started the day fretting about a hamstring injury to slugger Matt Kemp, then enduring a 2-hour 41-minute rain delay at Wrigley Field. When the game against the Chicago Cubs did start Sunday, the Dodgers quickly had another worry when third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. injured his left hamstring running to first base and had to leave. And one more concern surfaced in the ninth inning when Javy Guerra blew his third save this season, raising anew the question of how long he'll be the Dodgers' closer.

CHICAGO - Matt Kemp was scratched from the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday due to tightness in his left hamstring. The move was seen as precautionary for Kemp and he was available to pinch-hit, the Dodgers said. Tony Gwynn Jr. replaced him in center field. Kemp is batting .392, his 12 home runs are the most in major-league baseball and he was named the National League's player of the month in April. Kemp also has appeared in 392 consecutive games, the most among active players.

CHICAGO — Reliever Ronald Belisario said he did not have butterflies when he took the mound Saturday at Wrigley Field for his first big league appearance since Oct. 1, 2010. "I was thinking about coming in, throwing strikes and letting them hit the ball," said Belisario, who retired the side in the eighth inning in the Dodgers' 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Venezuelan missed last season because he was denied entry into the United States after testing positive for cocaine, and he had to serve a 25-game suspension at the start of this season in accordance with baseball's drug policy.

CHICAGO — Bobby Abreu had the opportunity to make a notable first impression with the Dodgers on Friday, but it wasn't to be. With the Dodgers trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Abreu was the hitter with runners at first and third and two outs. But he took a called third strike. Then in the ninth, again with two outs, he had another chance to get the Dodgers even and hit the ball hard — but directly at the right-fielder. Before the game, the veteran outfielder said he was prepared for a part-time role with his new club and "just happy to be back" in the game.