Thanks to a doubleheader in Baltimore, Saturday brings us an extra full 16-game slate of big league action. Here is everything you need to know about the day in MLB.
Saturday's scores
- Yankees 10, Orioles 3, Game 1 (box score)
- Cubs 10, Reds 6 (box score)
- Mets 3, Nationals 0 (box score)
- Giants 5, Rangers 3 (box score)
- Blue Jays 8, Phillies 6 (box score)
- Rays 5, Red Sox 1 (box score)
- White Sox 6, Tigers 1 (box score)
- Yankees 5, Orioles 1, Game 2 (box score)
- Athletics 6, Twins 2 (box score)
- Pirates 9, Brewers 1 (box score)
- Marlins 3, Braves 1 (box score)
- Royals 7, Indians 1 (box score)
- Mariners 4, Diamondbacks 3 in 10 innings (box score)
- Rockies 9, Cardinals 1 (box score)
- Astros 8, Angels 3 (box score)
- Dodgers 4, Padres 3 in 12 innings (box score)
Rays win again
The Rays topped the Red Sox, and that means they've now won seven straight. They're also eight games over .500, which is their best such mark since late June of the 2015 season. They've taken the first two games of their three-game set against Boston, and going back to their last encounter, they've won three in a row over the 90-win Red Sox.
Also, the Rays in taking those first two games of the series in St. Pete, ensured that Boston will lose its first series since they dropped two of three to the Yankees from June 29 to July 1. Since that point, the Red Sox had been 10-0-4 in series until they ran into the surging Rays. In this one, four Tampa Bay relievers combined for four perfect innings, and Tommy Pham homered for the first time since being acquired by the Rays on July 31 ...
Big phly.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/9pKbVUeyM5
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 26, 2018
That's 423 feet to center. Anyhow, the SportsLine Projection Model (@SportsLine on Twitter) coming into Saturday's slate have the Rays less than a 1.0 percent chance of making the postseason. That's a reflection of the top-heavy nature of the AL this season and the high bar for contention in the junior circuit. Still given how much veteran talent the Rays have dealt away going back to last offseason, a .531 winning percentage this late in the year feels like a genuine accomplishment.
As for the Red Sox, they've dropped five of their last seven.
Dodgers win, but Jansen's struggles continue
The Dodgers summoned closer Kenley Jansen to preserve a 4-3 lead over the Padres in the ninth, but an Austin Hedges homer tied it up. Thus, Jansen blew another save, and Clayton Kershaw missed out on a win. Since returning from a cardiac issue, Jansen has now allowed five runs (and four home runs) in four innings and has blown three straight save chances. At the same time, he's seen his ERA rise from 2.15 to 2.83.
Jansen's struggles remain a concern for the Dodgers, but they did manage to win the game in the 12th. First, though, the lights went out in Dodger Stadium, which led to a delay ...
Moment the power went out at Dodger Stadium #dodgers #whoforgottopaythebill pic.twitter.com/z6YrVbhf6R
— Dave (@davelanzarin_) August 26, 2018
Moments after play resumed, Justin Turner "doubled" on a shallow pop-up, and Matt Kemp hurried home with the winning run.
Holliday homers for Rockies
The Rockies wound up thumping the Cardinals 9-1 on Saturday night in Denver. However, when the game was still very much in doubt, veteran slugger Matt Holliday homered for the first time since the Rockies added him to the active roster. Doubly sweet was that it came against the team for which he spent seven-plus seasons ...
Matt Holliday’s first @Rockies homer in almost 10 years was a BIG one. pic.twitter.com/tsJeT4A05p
— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2018
That's career home run No. 315 for Holliday. Holliday of course came up with the Rockies, and that's the first time he's homered in a Colorado uniform in almost a full decade.
M's come back on D-Backs
The Mariners trailed 3-1 in Arizona going into the ninth. They pushed across a pair of runs with two outs, and then in the 10th Denard Span came through ...
D-Span into D-pool. #PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/aNFBqSd625
— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2018
In the home half, Edwin Diaz made it hold up by recording his 50th save of the season. The Diamondbacks and Rockies are now tied atop the NL West standings.
Astros win again, but Ohtani homers off Verlander
The reigning champs and current AL West leaders won their fourth game in a row and are back up to a 99-win pace. Along the way, stealth MVP candidate Alex Bregman reached base in his 44th consecutive road game, which is the longest current streak in MLB. Speaking of streaks, Houston starter Justin Verlander came into this one having twirled 23 consecutive scoreless innings at Angels Stadium. That streak was at 26 when two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the fourth ...
Best in SHOw!#ShoTime #PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/taBLXC9b1e
— Angels (@Angels) August 26, 2018
That's Ohtani's 14th home run of the season. The Astros, though, prevailed and maintained their 1 1/2-game lead over Oakland.
Indians drop fourth straight
With the Tribe's loss to the Royals on Saturday, they've now lost four in a row. That ties their longest losing streak of the season. Despite facing one of the worst offenses in baseball, ace Corey Kluber allowed five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. Across the way, Heath Fillmyer allowed only one run in six innings of work. Thanks to the Twins' loss, though, the Indians remain 12 games up in the AL Central.
Fiers continues thriving for Oakland
Righty Mike Fiers made his fourth start since being traded from Detroit to the Athletics, and the results were once again good ...
In those four starts, Fiers has pitched to a 1.50 ERA with 28 strikeouts against just three walks in 24 innings. That's dominance, to say the least, and it remains puzzling that the A's were able to land such a reasonably priced veteran starter during the waiver period.
As for the A's, they remain in possession of the second AL wild-card spot and within spitting distance of the first-place Astros in the AL West.
Andujar strengthens Rookie of the Year case
Shohei Ohtani and Gleyber Torres are the big names, but if the season ended today, Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar just might steal the AL Rookie of the Year award. Andujar strengthened his case with a big afternoon in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Camden Yards, going 2-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBI.
Going into Saturday, Andujar was hitting .297/.328/.521 (124 OPS+) with 58 extra-base hits (36 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs). No other rookie had more than 42 extra-base hits. Andujar leads all rookies with 70 RBI -- Torres is a distant second with 56 RBI -- and he's hitting .319/.343/.638 as New York's primary cleanup hitter in August, while Aaron Judge (wrist) and Gary Sanchez (groin) are sidelined. He's stepped up when the Yankees needed him most.
Speaking of which, the Yankees swept their Saturday doubleheader against the Orioles. Starters J.A. Happ and Sonny Gray pitched well, and Andujar picked up two more hits in the nightcap.
Morales homers in sixth straight game
Another day, another home run for Blue Jays slugger Kendrys Morales. Saturday's two-run home run gives Morales a homer in six consecutive games, tying Jose Cruz Jr.'s franchise record. Cruz did it in 2001.
Here's the video of Morales' latest dinger:
Morales is the first player to homer in six straight games since ... Matt Carpenter last month. Carpenter has been molten hot for weeks, never moreso than in July. Morales is the first American League player to go deep in six straight games since Chris Davis in 2012.
As for this game, it wound up being a painful loss for the Phillies. They led 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Jays scored two in the seventh and three in the eighth to win. Seranthony Dominguez was charged with three runs while recording just two outs. The Phillies are now just 10-12 in August.
Baez stays hot as Cubs win fourth straight
The Cubs out-mashed the Reds on Saturday, and central to those efforts was infielder and NL MVP candidate Javier Baez. Baez came in leading the NL in RBI and total bases, and then he went out and went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 28th homer of the season ...
Now you see it, now you don’t. #PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/MMQg2ZUtGn
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2018
Baez has now homered in three of the last four games, and he's batting .297/.329/.579. Combine that power with his plus fielding at second base (he's manning shortstop for the time being) and value on the bases, and he's been one of the most complete players in baseball this season.
The Cubs have now won four straight, which means they've been able to keep some distance between themselves and the hard-charging Cardinals in the NL Central.
Nats get blanked again
The Nationals, not far removed from their waiver-period sell-off, got blanked by Zack Wheeler and the Mets on Saturday. That means the Nats have now been shut out in three straight games for the first time in franchise history since the move to D.C. That's also the 14th time this season that Washington has been shut out, and they're now two games under .500 for the first time in more than a month. As for Wheeler, he's allowed a total of four runs over his last six starts.
Quick hits
- Giants C Buster Posey will have season-ending hip surgery Monday. The surgery comes with a 6-8 month recovery. Between his age (32 in March) and the hip surgery, there are questions about how much Posey will be able to catch going forward.
- Cubs 3B Kris Bryant took batting practice at Wrigley Field on Saturday. He is currently on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Bryant expects to play 2-3 rehab games in Triple-A before rejoining the Cubs, reports USA Today.
- Yankees C Gary Sanchez started a minor league rehab assignment Saturday. He has been out most of the last two months with two separate 10-day DL stints for a groin injury. Sanchez is expected to play about a week's worth of rehab games.
- Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki is not expected to play this season, manager John Gibbons told Sportsnet. Tulowitzki is recovering from surgery on both heels. Gibbons said the team hopes Tulowitzki will be ready for Opening Day 2019.
- Orioles RHP Alex Cobb and RHP Andrew Cashner have both cleared trade waivers, reports Fancred.com. The two can now be traded to any team. The O's were active at the July 31st trade deadline and could look to move both Cobb and Cashner.
- The Blue Jays have activated RHP Aaron Sanchez off the 60-day DL, the team announced. He'd been since late June after hurting his finger in a suitcase accident. Veteran LHP Jaime Garcia was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
- The Marlins pulled RHP Dan Straily back after he was claimed on trade waivers, reports the Miami Herald. That means Straily will remain with the Marlins the rest of the year. Once he was claimed, he could only be traded to the claiming team.
- The Reds activated OF Scott Schebler off the 10-day DL, the team announced. He'd been on the disabled list more than a month with a shoulder injury. OF Aristides Aquino was sent down in a corresponding move.
- Yankees C Gary Sanchez, who's been sidelined for more than a month with a strained groin, began a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday.
