Trevor Lacey is headed to NC State.

Alabama's second-leading scorer from a year ago confirmed to ESPN.com on Monday night that he will transfer to the ACC school and play his final two seasons after sitting out the 2013-14 campaign.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds per game this past season.

He visited NC State and Pittsburgh and also considered Miami.

ST. LOUIS -- Rookie Shelby Miller pitched five shutout innings and Yadier Molina had a two-run double to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

Miller (8-4), who had to wait out a rain delay of 1 hour, 59 minutes to start the game, left due to cramping in his right leg. He allowed just two hits and struck out five in the shortest start of his career. His previous shortest stint was 5 1/3 innings at Los Angeles on May 26.

Kevin Siegrist and Seth Maness followed Miller and combined for two shutout innings before Trevor Rosenthal allowed a run in the eighth on a broken bat single by Nate Schierholtz. Edward Mujica gave up a homer to Darwin Barney with two outs in the ninth, but still earned his 20th save in 20 opportunities.

Molina also had a single in four at-bats to raise his average to a National League leading .355. Shane Robinson and Allen Craig added sacrifice flies for the Cardinals, who moved back to a major league best 20 games over .500 (45-25).

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nelson Cruz thrust his right arm into the air and shouted out in relief while running the bases after hitting his second homer of the night for the Texas Rangers.

After a tough stretch, the Rangers had a loud and clear response Monday night to the message manager Ron Washington delivered the previous day.Cruz homered twice and the Rangers ended a six-game losing streak with an 8-7 victory over the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics, matching their run total during what had been the majors' longest active skid."We were looking for what happened, get some base hits in RBI situations and just keep grinding," Washington said. "They just showed what they have the capability of doing -- what they did tonight. That was the only thing that I stressed to them."Washington had a rare postgame meeting with his team after the Rangers were swept in a four-game series by Toronto, extending their longest home losing streak since 2005. That was part of a 4-11 stretch that dropped them out of first place.Cruz's second homer was a two-run shot onto the hill in straightaway center field on an 0-2 pitch from Jesse Chavez (1-1) in the fifth. Cruz emphatically responded while rounding the bases on his 18th homer of the season, and second in two innings. It came right after A.J. Pierzynski's RBI double and put the Rangers up 7-6."It was the run we need in that situation. It was very emotional," Cruz said. "In our minds, we believe we can do it. We showed what we're capable of doing."Oakland, which entered the four-game series opener with a three-game division lead over Texas, wiped out an early 3-0 deficit with a six-run fourth ignited by a bizarre play before Neal Cotts (3-1) worked 2 1/3 perfect innings in relief of rookie Nick Tepesch.Robbie Ross and Tanner Scheppers each worked 1-2-3 innings, then Joe Nathan gave up a run before securing his 21st save in 22 chances.After being held to two runs or less in a team record-matching six games in a row, the Rangers took care of that in the first three innings. Pierzynski pulled a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole in the second, an inning before an RBI double by Ian Kinsler. That was Kinsler's first hit in 10 at-bats since coming off the disabled list Saturday after missing 25 games with a rib cage injury.The Rangers' eight runs and 12 hits were both their most in 16 games this month.In the Oakland fourth, Yoenis Cespedes hit a grounder that ricocheted off third baseman Adrian Beltre toward shortstop. Elvis Andrus was about to throw to first when he saw John Jaso running in front of him toward third.Andrus threw to Beltre, who made a swiping attempt at a tag. Jaso, sliding headfirst in front of him, lifted his arm into the air trying to avoid the tag and then dived into the base with his left hand. He was called safe by third base umpire Jordan Baker even though it appeared his hand came off the bag while being tagged. Beltre was irate and Washington also came out to argue the call."It's a little odd that the umpire can miss the call twice. ... He's right on top of the play and he still missed it," Beltre said. "I got him twice. I know that, because I did it myself, and I went to see the replay to confirm. The replay showed I tagged him twice. I don't know what he saw."Tepesch then allowed three hits and a walk to the next four hitters, including a two-run single by Seth Smith, who scored on Jed Lowrie's double. Eric Sogard had a sacrifice fly and Coco Crisp's RBI single made it 6-3 and chased Tepesch."He made some good pitches in the bottom of the strike zone, and they went down there and they got them and they found holes," Washington said.Oakland rookie Dan Straily had a 2.21 ERA in his previous five starts, a stretch that began at Texas on May 21 when the right-hander worked seven scoreless innings and faced 22 batters -- one more than the minimum for that span -- in a 1-0 win over Yu Darvish.Straily hadn't allowed a homer in his last six starts and 38 innings until Pierzynski went deep. The first of Cruz's two homers came off him as well.Cruz was the first batter faced by Chavez when he took over for Straily, who allowed six runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings."I was up in the strike zone. They were aggressive and I just got beat, plain and simple," Straily said. "Swing early and often. I feel like everyone up there was trying to swing out of their shoes on every single pitch. They got me, that's all there is to it."

Game notes

Cespedes started his fourth consecutive game as Oakland's DH after missing two games because of left hamstring tightness. Manager Bob Melvin wants to see him in the field during batting practice before putting him back in the outfield. ... Rangers starting pitchers have gone 16 games in a row without a victory this month, matching a team record set in 1975. ... It was Cruz's 10th career multihomer game.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

BOSTON -- Tuukka Rask shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night and got enough help from the Bruins' offense to do it without another exhausting overtime.

After playing four extra periods in the first two games, the Bruins made an early night of it with second-period goals by Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron to win 2-0 and take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

"A win is a win. We'll take a win any day," said Rask, who stopped 28 shots for his third shutout of the 2013 playoffs. "We'll take a regulation win, for sure."

Corey Crawford made 33 saves for the Blackhawks.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Boston before the matchup of Original Six franchises returns to Chicago for a fifth game. The teams split the first two games there, with the Blackhawks winning Game 1 in triple-overtime and the Bruins stealing home-ice advantage on Paille's goal in the first OT of the second game.

PHILADELPHIA -- After Philadelphia closer Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save of the season, Domonic Brown provided him with some encouraging words. Then, Brown gave him a win.

Brown hit an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Monday night.The Nationals tied it at 4 when Chad Tracy hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth off Papelbon (1-0). It was the first blown save for Papelbon, who had converted his previous 13 chances."He's been great for us," Brown said. "I told him we're going to fight for him and we ended up coming up with the win."Ben Revere led off the Phillies' ninth with a single against Fernando Abad (0-2). Revere was running on Jimmy Rollins' one-out single and easily reached third base.Abad struck out pinch-hitter Steven Lerud for the second out before Brown fisted the winning hit to center. Papelbon was the first player to greet Brown in celebration as he was rounding first base."I was trying to stay as short and quick as I can, especially with a tough lefty like Abad," Brown said after his first career walkoff hit. "It feels great. It's an unbelievable feeling. It's priceless."Papelbon easily retired the first two batters in the ninth and had Tracy in an 0-2 hole. But Tracy, who pinch-hit in the seventh and stayed in the game, hit his third home run, barely clearing the wall just inside the foul pole in right."He was trying to be short. I fought off two pitches and finally hit one," Tracy said. "Everybody was feeling good and emotions were high. Personally it was good for me, but nobody's happy right now. A loss is a loss."Ryan Howard went 3 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs, and Delmon Young had a two-run double for the Phillies, who returned home after losing seven games on a 10-game road trip."We're trying to get some games on the Nats," Brown said. "It feels good to get a win, especially after a long road trip."John Lannan, a former mainstay in the Nationals' rotation, made his first start since April 17 after a nearly two-month stint on the disabled list with a strained tendon in his left knee. He allowed six hits and two runs in five innings, striking out four and walking one in his first start against his former club."I felt like he did a pretty good job for his first time back," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "The 92 pitches were a little deeper than I thought that he would go in the game. He did alright. His five innings were big."Said Lannan, "Just getting back in the swing of things. It felt awesome. It's been a lot of time and a lot of hard work. I'm happy to be back."Stephen Lombardozzi had two hits, including an RBI double, for the Nationals, who have lost three of four."It was a tough loss after a good comeback," Washington manager Davey Johnson said.Howard led off the second with a solo shot to tie it at 1. It was the eighth homer of the season for Howard, who had been mired in a power slump. The slugger entered with just one homer since May 7, but launched Dan Haren's offering into the second deck deep in right field."I've been trying to put together some good at-bats and let the power come when it comes," Howard said.Haren continued his recent struggles and remained winless in his last seven starts (0-5, 6.22 ERA) since May 9. Haren is 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA in six career starts against Philadelphia."He pitched good in spots," Johnson said. "He left some balls over the plate but finished strong. We have faith in him. He'll be fine."Philadelphia went ahead 3-1 in the third on Young's two-run double to right that just eluded the glove of a diving Jayson Werth. Washington pulled within 3-2 in the fourth on Lombardozzi's RBI double and Howard's fifth-inning RBI single put the Phillies back up by two runs.Ian Desmond's RBI single off Mike Adams in the eighth inning brought Washington within 4-3.

Game notes

Nationals OF Bryce Harper was cleared to begin strength work on his injured left knee. He hurt himself crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium on May 13. ... The Nationals hope to have CF Denard Span back on Tuesday. He wasn't in the lineup after fouling a ball off his right foot in the sixth inning of Sunday's 2-0 loss to Cleveland. ... Revere is batting .432 during an eight-game hitting streak. ... Washington's Anthony Rendon went 0 for 3 with a walk, ending his 10-game hitting streak. ... Golfer Tom Watson threw out the first pitch. He attended the U.S. Open at nearby Merion. . Washington LHP Ross Detwiler (2-4, 3.02) is scheduled to face Phillies LHP Cliff Lee (8-2, 2.55) on Tuesday night.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Todd Frazier wasn't going to let left-hander Francisco Liriano get another fastball by him. He guessed right and hit one a long way.

Frazier and Zack Cozart hit upper-deck homers off Liriano, and the Cincinnati Reds moved a season-high 15 games over .500 by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 on Monday night.The Reds (43-28) hit four solo homers in all, extending their best start since 1995, the last time they won a playoff series. The win also kept Cincinnati in second place in the NL Central, a game and a half ahead of the Pirates.Cozart connected on a hanging slider in the fourth and Frazier hit a down-the-middle fastball in the sixth off Liriano (5-3), who hadn't allowed a homer in his seven previous starts. He opened the season on the disabled list, recovering from a broken right arm last December.During a game in Pittsburgh this season, Liriano tied up Frazier with a fastball. He had that in mind when he came to bat and got one on the first pitch."That one felt pretty good," Frazier said. "He tried to get one past in Pittsburgh and I got enough of it to get a single. I was looking for it, and got my (front) foot down sooner and got some good wood on it."Joey Votto and Jay Bruce connected in the eighth inning off Bryan Morris. Bruce has three homers during a five-game hitting streak.Mike Leake (7-3) extended the best stretch of his four-year career, giving up six hits -- including Russell Martin's RBI double -- in seven innings. Leake got 13 outs off ground balls and fanned three."He's pitching with confidence and pitching a little harder," manager Dusty Baker said. "He just goes about his business with no fanfare. There's no difference in his personality."The right-hander is 5-1 in his last seven starts with a 1.15 earned run average, showing why the Reds made him their first-round pick in the June 2009 draft."He's been doing this for three months now and building up to this," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "That's a guy that can pitch. That's what he's evolved into. He pitched as well as I've ever seen him."With seven wins, Leake is only five shy of his career high from the 2011 season. He went right to the majors after the Reds drafted him out of Arizona State, going 8-4 as a rookie."I'm a little bit more motivated," Leake said. "I think my head's back in college, pitching-wise, and I'm thinking a little better."Tony Cingrani made his first relief appearance this season and pitched out of a two-on threat in the eighth, fanning Pedro Alvarez to keep the score 2-1. Cingrani joined the rotation when Johnny Cueto went on the disabled list, and the Reds kept him around with Cueto back so they'd have another left-hander in their depleted bullpen.Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances, walking one and fanning two.The Ohio River rivals have occupied the second and third spots in the NL Central most of the season, staying right behind the torrid Cardinals. The Pirates have gone 4-2 against the Reds at PNC Park, where they've won 25 games overall, tied with Cincinnati for most home wins in the majors.It's their first visit of the season to Cincinnati. The Pirates went only 3-6 at Great American Ball Park last season, unable to take advantage of its hitter-friendly dimensions.Liriano gave up Cozart's seventh homer in the fourth inning, extending the shortstop's hitting streak to seven games. Frazier hit his ninth homer in the sixth inning for a 2-1 lead, a drive that also landed in the upper deck in left field and was estimated at 443 feet.Several nice defensive plays also helped to keep it close.Starling Marte made a diving, backhand catch of Brandon Phillips' slicing line drive to left field in the third inning, forcing the Reds to strand a runner at second base. Cozart turned a couple of tough-hop grounders into outs, preventing the Pirates from threatening in the early innings.

Game notes

Marte was back in the lineup batting leadoff. He was out of the lineup the last four games with a strained left oblique. ... RH A.J. Burnett, who went on the 15-day DL last Thursday with a strained right calf, won't do much for the next three days. ... LH Wandy Rodriguez, on the DL with a sore left forearm, threw in the bullpen on Monday. He's eligible to be activated on Friday. ... Reds OF Chris Heisey started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville. He's been on the DL since April 29 with an injured right hamstring. ... NASCAR drivers Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick threw ceremonial pitches. Hits king Pete Rose watched the game from behind home plate. He attends several games a season in his hometown.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

DETROIT -- Max Scherzer has shrugged off the significance of his undefeated start, saying records are fluky statistics for pitchers and that he's simply playing for a good team.

When the Detroit Tigers right-hander found out he is the first to accomplish a couple feats since Rogers Clemens and Pedro Martinez, though, it knocked Scherzer off his humble script.

"That tickles me when you say those type of names," he said.

Scherzer improved to 10-0 and struck out 10, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Detroit beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Monday night.

He became the first pitcher to begin a season 10-0 -- with all decisions coming in starts -- since Clemens went 11-0 for Toronto in 1997, according to STATS. And Scherzer is the first to have at least six strikeouts in his first 14 starts in a season since Martinez did it in 2001 with Boston, STATS said.

DETROIT -- Max Scherzer has shrugged off the significance of his undefeated start, saying records are fluky statistics for pitchers and that he's simply playing for a good team.

When the Detroit Tigers right-hander found out he is the first to accomplish a couple feats since Rogers Clemens and Pedro Martinez, though, it knocked Scherzer off his humble script.

"That tickles me when you say those type of names," he said.

Scherzer improved to 10-0 and struck out 10, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Detroit beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Monday night.

He became the first pitcher to begin a season 10-0 -- with all decisions coming in starts -- since Clemens went 11-0 for Toronto in 1997, according to STATS. And Scherzer is the first to have at least six strikeouts in his first 14 starts in a season since Martinez did it in 2001 with Boston, STATS said.