MALAGA, Spain -- Malaga eased to a dominant 2-0 win at home over Villarreal on Monday to take a big step toward ensuring both its place in Spains topflight next season and coach Bernd Schusters job. Terry Ruskowski Jersey . Malagas stout defence limited Villarreal to just one shot on goal, even after the host went down to 10 men for the final 15 minutes when Nordin Amrabat was shown a direct red for vehemently protesting to the referee. Roque Santa Cruz chipped the ball over goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo from a tight angle to open the scoring in the sixth at La Rosaleda Stadium after the striker was played through by Samuel Sanchez. Amrabat then used his pace to race down the left side and waited for Sergi Darder to arrive unmarked in a second wave before he crossed for the midfielder to fire in their second goal in the 53rd. "Perhaps this was our most well-rounded game of the season," Schuster said. "We played well from the first to the last minute. We werent much better than Villarreal, but we controlled them throughout." After struggling early in Schusters first season in charge, Malaga has come on late and has won five of its last eight games to escape the fight at the bottom and climb into 10th place with four rounds to go. The team is not only playing to avoid a last-minute relegation battle. Schusters job at the Costa del Sol side may depend on the side holding onto a top-10 finish. The German managers contract includes a clause that he can be fired if they finish in 11th place or lower. "It has been a difficult year for everyone, and with these three points we can breathe easier," Schuster said. "This was a key day. We have lifted a weight off us. Now, with less pressure, we can improve." Villarreal forward Giovani Dos Santos returned from a four-week injury layoff when he went on as a second-half substitute. Villarreals loss left it in seventh place and holding onto the last Europa League berth, seven points ahead of Valencia. Atletico Madrid leads the league by four points over Barcelona. Real Madrid is another two points behind but with an extra game to play. Tony Amonte Jersey . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. Bill Gadsby Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapblackhawks.com/1597b-martin-havlat-jersey-blackhawks.html . -- Kenneth Faried made a turnaround hook shot over Draymond Green with a half-second remaining, and the Denver Nuggets made Golden State wait at least one more game to secure a playoff berth with a stunning 100-99 win over the Warriors on Thursday night.ST. LOUIS -- Yadier Molina never got down during his recent rut. So the All-Star catcher wasnt about to celebrate after breaking out of the skid on Sunday. Molina had a home run and three singles as Shelby Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals remained tied for first place in the NL Central with a 12-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. Molinas second-inning homer off Erasmo Ramirez (5-2) snapped an 0-for-15 skid. "Its not about one guy, its about the team," Molina said. "I came out aggressive. But right now, its just about getting wins." Molina scored three times and raised his batting average to .317. "Yadis had a special offensive year," manager Mike Matheny said. "Hes been so good. I just want him to keep going and finish the season the way he started." Matt Adams also homered as St. Louis finished up a 7-2 homestand and kept pace with Pittsburgh. Both teams are 87-62 with 13 games remaining. Miller (14-9) gave up one earned run and three hits in five innings. He became the first St. Louis rookie to reach 14 wins in a season since Dick Hughes won 16 in 1967. St. Louis got 19 hits after totalling just three runs on seven hits over the first two games of the series. Matt Carpenter keyed the fourth-inning burst with a two-run bases-loaded single. Daniel Descalso and Matt Holliday also had RBI hits in the inning. "The offence really showed up today," Carpenter said. "We were able to score some runs. Thats just the way it goes some times. Theres no rhyme or reason for why that happens, its just baseball." The Cardinals hit total was their second-highest total this season. The Cardinals had 21 hits in a 10-6 win against the Chicago Cubs on July 14. "We took a lot of those grinding at-bats that we keep talking abouut," Matheny said. L. S. Dukowski Jersey. "They went deep in counts, they stayed within the zone and fouled off some tough ones. Weve got everybody feeling right and contributing." The Cardinals batted around in the fourth and fifth, scoring four runs in each inning to hand Seattle its sixth loss in seven games. Holliday and Carpenter finished with three hits and two RBIs two apiece. Adams pushed the lead to 7-2 with his 14th homer to highlight the fifth. Miller did not allow a hit in the first three innings and managed to battle through the fourth and fifth despite not having what he called his best stuff. "Today I didnt do the best job of attacking hitters," Miller said. "I was losing the strike zone, but I just kept battling through it." Seattle manager Eric Wedge was not surprised to see the Cardinals hitters break loose after struggling in back-to-back games. "They really put it together today," Wedge said. "You look at their top five guys, they all have quite a bit to offer." Ramirez had pitched into the sixth inning in each of his last six starts, but was unable to hold off the Cardinals. "I just kind of fell apart in that one inning," he said. "I got a little behind the count and I threw my fastball too much." NOTES: The Cardinals open a seven-game road trip on Monday at Colorado. Lance Lynn (13-10, 4.23) will face Jorge De La Rosa (16-6, 3.49) in the first of a four-game set. ... Seattle continues its 10-game road trip with four games in Detroit. Joe Saunders (11-14, 5.18) takes on Rick Porcello (12-8, 4.56) in the opener. ... St. Louis INF Brock Peterson grounded out in the fifth inning to extend his skid to 0 for 14. ... St. Louis C Audry Perez made his debut in the eighth inning. ' ' '