WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer allowed two hits over eight innings, Bryce Harper had a two-run double and the Washington Nationals avoided a four-game home-and-home sweep with a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.Scherzer (14-7) struck out 10 and did not walk a batter. He retired 12 straight after Adam Jones fourth-inning double and 21 of 22 before Mark Trumbos leadoff single in the eighth.Jayson Werths solo home run staked Washington to a 1-0 lead. Daniel Murphys RBI double in the eighth came before Harpers second hit helped the Nationals pull away.The Nationals had lost four straight including three in a row to the Orioles, who won twice in Baltimore before the teams shifted to Washington.Ubaldo Jimenez (5-11) allowed one run and five hits over six innings.Trumbo stole second base with two outs in the eighth, but J.J. Hardy flied out to deep center field on Scherzers 95th and final pitch. Mark Melancon allowed one hit in the ninth.METS 10, CARDINALS 6ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright lost his glove trying to tag out Yoenis Cespedes and lost the game, too, when Alejandro De Aza homered and drove in five runs for New York.Seth Lugo (1-2) pitched five scoreless innings for his first big league win. The Mets took two of three to win their first series at Busch Stadium since 2008.Brandon Moss hit two home runs for the Cardinals and Jedd Gyorko and Stephen Piscotty also connected.The Mets led 3-0 in the fifth when Wainwright (9-8) and Cespedes were involved in a bizarre play.Cespedes tried to go from first to third on a bloop single by James Loney. When several Cardinals chased the ball, Wainwright covered third base. Cespedes slid and his cleat pinned Wainwrights glove to the bag -- he wouldve been out, but when Wainwright pulled away his hand, the mitt stayed stuck under Cespedes foot. Because Wainwright didnt control the ball, Cespedes was called safe in a ruling upheld by replay. Moments later, De Aza hit a three-run homer to make it 7-0.ANGELS 6, BLUE JAYS 3TORONTO -- Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark for the 13th time, the fifth player in history to achieve the feat, Mike Trout had three hits and drove in four runs, and Los Angeles beat Toronto.Jered Weaver pitched 5 2/3 innings to snap a three-start losing streak and help the Angels win consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 2-3.The Angels also prevented J.A. Happ from becoming the first 18-game winner in the majors. After winning 11 straight decisions, Happ (17-4) suffered his first lost since June 10 at Detroit. He allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.One day after his 584th home run moved him past Mark McGwire into sole possession of 10th place on the career list, Pujols joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth as the only players with 100 or more RBI in 13 seasons.RANGERS 9, INDIANS 0ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cole Hamels allowed only two singles over eight innings for his 14th victory, Carlos Gomez hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat with Texas and the AL-best Rangers beat Clevelandin the opener of a four-game series matching division leaders.Hamels (14-4) retired 19 straight batters after Francisco Lindors two-out single to left in the first. The only other baserunner for the Indians was Carlos Santana after a leadoff hit in the eighth, though he was stranded at second after advancing on a passed ball.Adrian Beltre and Rougned Odor also homered for the Rangers (75-53).Josh Tomlin (11-8) lost his fifth consecutive start in August.ROYALS 5, MARLINS 2MIAMI -- Alcides Escobar homered and drove in two runs to lead surging Kansas City past Miami.Salvador Perez and Kendrys Morales also drove in runs. The defending champion Royals have won 15 of 18 to pull within four games of the second AL wild card spot.Edison Volquez (10-10) pitched five innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, and three hits.The Royals bullpen, which has been a successful formula for the reigning two-time AL pennant winners, pitched four scoreless innings to push its franchise-record scoreless streak to 38 2/3 innings -- the best in the majors since 2002-03 when San Francisco tossed 39 1/3 straight.Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.Tom Koehler (9-9) was the loser.PIRATES 3, BREWERS 2, 10 INNINGSMILWAUKEE -- Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and a pair of RBI singles, including the tiebreaker in the 10th inning, and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee to stop a nine-game skid at Miller Park.McCutchen has 44 RBI in 56 career games at Miller Park, his highest total at any opposing park.McCutchen homered into the second tier of seats in left field off Wily Peralta in the first for his 18th home run of the season. He then hit an RBI single that beat the shift in the third.Pinch-hitter John Jaso blooped a single off Carlos Torres (2-3), advanced on a sacrifice, took third on a ground out and scored on McCutchens liner through the right side of the infield.Antonio Bastardo (2-0) picked up the win in relief, and Tony Watson pitched a scoreless 10th for his eighth save.RAYS 2, RED SOX 1ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Enny Romero earned his first major league save, relieving with two outs in the ninth inning and fanning Boston slugger David Ortiz to give Tampa Bay a four-game split.After Tyler Sturdevant struck out Hanley Ramirez and Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the ninth, Romero was summoned. Romero sent Ortiz to the ground with a high-and-tight 1-2 fastball, then got him to look at strike three. A day earlier, the 40-year-old Ortiz reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI. Ortiz was rested for the final day of an 11-game road trip that saw Boston go 7-4. The Red Sox, who began the day tied with Toronto for the AL East lead, lost the final two games of the series.Mikie Mahtook ended a stretch of 34 hitless at-bats with a go-ahead double in the seventh off Drew Pomeranz (10-10). Jake Odorizzi (9-5) improved to 6-0 in eight starts since the All-Star break. He gave up one run and five hits in seven innings.WHITE SOX 7, MARINERS 6CHICAGO -- Todd Frazier tied it with an RBI single in the seventh inning and lifted Chicago past Seattle with a line drive down the left-field line in the ninth.Adam Eaton led off the ninth with a bloop single off Nick Vincent (3-4) and went to second on Tim Andersons sacrifice. Jose Abreu was walked intentionally before Fraziers liner over third scored Eaton, leading to a pileup of players behind the pitchers mound.David Robertson (4-2) worked around a walk and two incidents of fans running on the field in the ninth that delayed play for several minutes.Robinson Cano hit his 29th home run and the Mariners wasted a solid return off the disabled list by James Paxton in their third straight loss.TIGERS 8, TWINS 5MINNEAPOLIS -- James McCann had a three-run homer and finished with four hits, Daniel Norris pitched into the seventh inning and Detroit completed a sweep for Minnesotas seventh straight loss.The Tigers are 10-2 against the Twins this year. They have won eight in a row at Target Field.Norris (2-2) struck out five in 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits without a walk in his longest and strongest start this season. He took a shutout in the sixth, surrendering RBI singles by Robbie Grossman and Eduardo Escobar over his last two innings.Francisco Rodriguez struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 35th save. Jose Berrios (2-4) was the loser. Cheap Nike Kevin Durant Basketball Shoes China . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Basketball Shoes Outlet . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.net/ . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. Cheap Nike Kyrie Irving Basketball Shoes China . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year.He was the child star of a McDonalds advert and dubbed footballs next big thing who was fawned over by Ajaxs 1995 Champions League-winning team. Sonny Pike had in front of him the career that so many wished for - but he ended up at Leyton Orient before falling out of the game by the time he was old enough to pass his driving test.The Englishman fears Celtics precocious Karamoko Dembele could suffer a similar fate if he allows others to influence his future the way he did. The Parkhead schoolboy is at the centre of a tug of war between Scotland and England after it emerged he was invited by the FA to train at St Georges Park last month. We caught up with 90s wonderkid Sonny Pike to find out what happened next for the boy who had the world at his feet 20 years ago. While the SFA is determined to keep Dembele, the prospect of losing him after just a few minutes of game-time for the under-16s is real.From the moment footage of the 13-year-old appeared on YouTube earlier this year, pressure on him has been mounting and the weight of expectation is heavy.It is a situation Pike relates to with uncomfortable ease. After catching the eye at the age of 10, he was soon touted as the new Diego Maradona and had his legs insured for £1million.TV appearances, sponsorship deals and Premier League interest followed along with an on-pitch outing at the 1996 English League Cup final to do some keepy-ups for Coca-Cola.Demand for the youngster was snowballing - yet that would change just as quickly. Dembele made his Scotland U16 debut as a substitute against Wales but has also trained with England in recent weeks Ajax took him on trial and after mixing with Louis van Gaal, Patrick Kluivert and Frank Rijkaard, they desperately tried to sign him, but he rejected them to stay at home in Essex.Pike joined Orient instead and the dream soon unravelled to the point that by 17, he was out of love with football and contemplating suicide because things had gone so sour.The extreme nature of his experiences stands as a valid warning to any emerging talent of how wrong things can go - and none more so in his eyes at present than Dembele.Pike, now 33, said: People have been messaging me a lot about Karamoko over the last few weeks and comparing us, saying its a similar sort of situation. Dembeles clear talent has resulted in lots of speculation about his future. Pictures courtesy keepitonthedeck.com Ive seen a few clips of him and he looks a great little player. He has natural strength and thats important because everyone will have that when hes older.Its interesting to consider which way its going to go for him and hopefully it can be a good thing for him.I like to see young footballers coming through but now its all about how Karamoko is managed and having the right people around him.People have to understand his situation. Things can develop so quickly that the next thing you know, he could be doing so much elsewhere that it takes away from his football. Karamoko Dembeles debut for Celtics U20 side against Hearts in October attracted plenty of Twitter interest Hes very talented but as I experienced myself, it can go from being a good thing to a bad thing pretty quickly.Once you get to the money side of things and people start earning, it can go very wrong and football itself slips down the list a bit.Id imagine Karamokos parents have already had lots of new friends presenting themselves, something I wouldnt be surprised to hear.They have to realise how all the focus, attention and distractions could mix up their sons feelings and affect his game. Its a lot for a kid of that age to take on.Everythings so instant nowadays that Im sure hes feeling a bit of pressure already but hopefully people just leave him to play football.ddddddddddddKaramoko has to stay focused on himself. We are talking about a lad of 13 and its down to his parents, those closest to him and Celtic to work together and not get too far ahead. Pike says the support of Dembeles family, including his father Lossissen (left) and sister Macolua (right) will be crucial in his development Pike speaks a lot about family support and little wonder. His relationship with his father Mickey broke down due to what happened following the decision not to move to Holland.While at Orient, there was interest from Chelsea at a time when Mickey had allowed a film crew to record his son for part of a documentary.Pike was keen on going there and said as much before joining them for training without permission, unknowingly breaking FA rules and earning a 12-month ban.Cast aside by both clubs after the footage aired, he went from everyone wanting a piece of him to being yesterdays man and he has not spoken to his dad in more than 15 years.Pike added: By the time I was 14, I had five agents and the majority of them didnt even get involved in the football side of things. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price! Some were good for me and others werent but the fact there were so many of them shows how quickly things can escalate.I was working for McDonalds and Coca-Cola, I had all my clothes made by Paul Smith and I had boot deals.People were coming up to me in the street to say they had bet on me doing this and that for England.Unless theres someone around you and guiding you in that sort of situation, it can get out of control very quickly.It was good in the beginning but I slowly fell out of love with the game. When I was 17, I didnt even want to play football any more and I was in a bad way with it.A lot of people want to become professional football players but theres a long way to go at that age. You can be as well-known as you like, it doesnt mean youre going to make it.In fact, there are so many reasons at that age why you cant be a professional footballer and you still have so much work to do. The Celtic teenager is eligible to play international football for Scotland, England and the Ivory Coast. Pictures courtesy keepitonthedeck.com You must earn it and concentrate on actually fulfilling your potential rather than listening to people saying youre going to have it all.Pike now drives a Hackney cab around Londons East End for a living but how he could have benefitted from having The Knowledge as a child. He hopes his story helps the likes of Dembele to stay grounded and make his mark in a way he was unable to.Pike said: Ive been looking back at the things I did back then much more recently. At first, I was a bit funny about it but now I dont mind it so much.Of course, I have regrets because I wanted to be a footballer and I loved it, even though I got sick of it.Now things have gone full circle. Talking about it and getting it off my chest has been good for me but it has taken time. Im enjoying the game more than I have in the last 10 years.A lot of the things that happened to me were out of my control. Im an adult now but when I was a kid it was down to other people how things went in many respects. Scotland U16 cap Dembele has trained with his club side Celtics first team but remains a youth player Karamokos got to take things day by day and enjoy it. Even though hes the most well-known kid at the minute, theres still every chance he might not become a football player.The last thing you want is for him to be that boy we all looked at on YouTube but we didnt actually see him do anything in the game because he got distracted.When I was his age, Wayne Rooney was roughly the same age as me but nobody had heard about him yet. All the talk was about me.I was struggling for a while, Im not going to lie, but since I had my kids and I met some good people, Im as happy now as Ive ever been.I got to a stage where I wasnt enjoying football. I just wanted to be normal like everyone else and I wanted to live normally. Im doing that now and Im happy.Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4! Also See: England track Celtic youngster Who is Karamoko Dembele? Celtic will not rush Dembele Dembele makes Celtic U20 debut ' ' '