The Cubs routed the Mets 17-5 as Albert Almora Jr. drove in six runs on a three-run homer in the seventh inning and a three-run triple in the next frame. The series concludes tonight at Wrigley Field with Seth Lugo on the bump for the Mets against the Cubs’ Jen Ho Tseng.

The Cardinals were quieted 6-0 by the Reds, one day after the Cards hit the 13-run pool. St. Louis is now three games behind the Cubs and has fallen back to third place in the National League Central. The rubber game of the series is this afternoon at Busch Stadium with lefty Amir Garrett on the mound for the Reds against Cards right-hander Luke Weaver.

The White Sox beat the Royals 5-3 on ninth-inning RBIs from Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia. The Sox are at Comerica Park in Detroit this afternoon as right-hander James Shields takes the ball for the South Siders against Tigers lefty Chad Bell.

The Cleveland Indians have set an American League record with their 21st straight win, a 5-3 victory over the Tigers. The Indians broke the old AL mark held by the 2002 Oakland Athletics and tied the big league record set by the 1935 Cubs.

Schaumburg has taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the Frontier League championship series with a 3-2 win over the Florence Freedom. The Boomers recorded the league’s best record and can wrap up their third title when the series shifts to suburban Cincinnati tomorrow and Saturday if necessary.

The Houston Texas visit the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL’s Thursday night game.