And That Happened: Friday's Scores and Highlights
By Ashley VarelaSep 16, 2017, 12:53 PM EDT
Here are the rest of Friday's scores and highlights:
Royals 4, Indians 3: The Indians came just four games shy of tying the 1916 Giants' all-time 26-game winning streak, an incredible run that was stopped in its tracks by Lorenzo Cain and Mike Minor on Friday night. Cain put up the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the sixth inning, capping a four-run spread while the Indians struggled to get back on top. Minor sealed the deal for the Royals in the end, allowing a bloop single to Yandy Diaz before closing out the ninth with three straight strikeouts for his first save of the year.
Hey, think about it this way: The Indians may be done chasing history, but at least everyone will show up wearing clean underwear today.
Love this guy:
Terry Francona tells media to 'go home and get clean underwear' during postgame interviewhttps://t.co/r4OpBg0ypK pic.twitter.com/i4RzSlGD3U
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) September 16, 2017
Dodgers 7, Nationals 0: Sometimes, you have to pretend you know what you're doing and hope no one catches on. Sometimes, you just need to read the ball better.
You can't pin all the blame on Jayson Werth: Corey Seager exploited an Edwin Jackson fastball for a three-run homer, while the whole of the Nats' offense couldn't scare up more than four hits against Alex Wood and the bullpen. With the win, the Dodgers extended their winning streak to three games, their longest such run since August 25. They still need six more wins to clinch the NL West title.
Cubs 8, Cardinals 2: As long as there has been an enforceable strike zone, there have been quibbles between pitchers and umpires. Friday's game was no exception, inciting an especially salty dispute between Cubs' right-hander John Lackey and home plate ump Jordan Baker following a botched call in the fifth inning.
At least Joe Maddon didn't expect anyone to keep their cool. "That's the definition of insanity," he told reporters following the game. "Why would I think he's going to change in that particular moment? God bless him. I never want him to change. He's not going to change, so why expect that? It happened, we reacted, and the rest of the group came together."
Granted, he might have felt differently had the Cubs not won so handily, skirting their division rivals with four shutout innings and an impressive seven-run explosion in the sixth.
Athletics 4, Phillies 0: Maybe it was Daniel Mengden's expertly-trimmed handlebar mustache or the way he slung his changeup, but whatever the case, the Phillies couldn't figure him out. Mengden fired nine scoreless innings for his first career complete game shutout, issuing two hits and seven strikeouts and tacking on a base hit of his own.
Yankees 8, Orioles 2: The Yankees kept pace with the Red Sox again on Friday, maintaining their three-game deficit in the AL East as they try to prevent Boston from gaining a steep advantage in the last two weeks of the regular season. Luis Severino went eight strong and Didi Gregorius smashed his 22nd home run of the season, tying Derek Jeter's single-season record for most dingers by a Yankees' shortstop.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Red Sox 13, Rays 6 (15 innings): Let's not pretend that this isn't exactly what any of us (non-baseball player types) would look like against Chris Sale, Supreme Strikeout Leader:
Unlike the rest of us, Kevin Kiermaier wasn't down for long. He stung the right field bleachers with a game-tying jack in the 14th inning and harnessed a pair of extra bases with five-star catches on the warning track. The Red Sox ran the Rays' bullpen right into the ground in the 15th, however, piling on seven runs to take the win.
Tigers 3, White Sox 2: Friday was a day for snapping streaks, and thankfully for the Tigers, that meant the end of their six-game skid. Anibal Sanchez went toe-to-toe against Carson Fulmer, each distributing one run over six innings, and Sanchez's 11 strikeouts decorated his best start of the season. Mikie Mahtook supplied the winning run, pouncing on a 3-2 slider from Juan Minaya to send the Tigers home with a win.
Reds 4, Pirates 2: The Reds trotted out a tried-and-true strategy during Friday's opener: solid pitching and a lot of home runs. Homer Bailey suppressed Pittsburgh's offense with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and Joey Votto, Zack Cozart and Scott Schebler swatted a handful of solo home runs for a two-run advantage. The Reds are angling to surpass the Pirates for fourth place in the NL Central, which… sounds like the epitome of September baseball.
Braves 3, Mets 2: When you're down 26 games in the division standings and three games from elimination in the wild card race, there are things you want to see:
And things you don't:
Kemp exited with a tight left hamstring
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 16, 2017
This one went to the Braves, who needed just one run to top the Mets after rookie Sean Newcomb settled into a groove.
Brewers 10, Marlins 2: In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the Marlins/Brewers series was relocated to Miller Park on Friday. The Brewers did everything they could to accommodate their guests, relinquishing home field advantage and decking out the ballpark with palm trees and multicolored seashells and flamingoes.
Thank you, @Brewers, for adding some Miami flair to Miller Park. 🌴🐠🐚#LetsPlay pic.twitter.com/IyzqbjaMUF
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 15, 2017
The only accommodation they couldn't make was on the scoreboard, where they trounced the Marlins with an eight-run lead after homering for the cycle with Eric Thames' solo shot, Stephen Vogt's two-run knock, a three-run homer from Domingo Santana and Neil Walker's grand slam.
Astros 5, Mariners 2: James Paxton returned to the mound for Seattle, but didn't find the conditions nearly as favorable as Felix Hernandez had on Thursday night. He nearly hit his pitch count in just 1 1/3 innings, scattering three runs over four hits and two walks before getting pulled for Ryan Garton. The Mariners are still just 3.5 games back in the wild card race, but neither the Twins nor the Angels appear ready to relinquish their hold on second and third place just yet. The Astros, meanwhile, are gunning for the title with two wins to go.
Blue Jays 4, Twins 3: The Twins played up Bartolo Colon's first-ever "Big Sexy" Night at the ballpark, but the Blue Jays didn't succumb to his charms for long. After four scoreless innings, Kevin Pillar broke through with a solo homer in the fifth, while Josh Donaldson's long ball in the sixth snapped a homer-less streak of six consecutive games:
A two-run rally in the seventh propelled the Blue Jays to their first win of the series, dropping the Twins to a slim two-game lead in the wild card standings.
Rockies 6, Padres 1: Speaking of wild card leaders, the Rockies preserved their 2.5-game advantage over the Brewers with a solid outing from Tyler Chatwood, who turned in 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball before Wil Myers' 457-footer forced his exit in the sixth. Chatwood provided his own run support, too, putting the Rockies on the board with a two-RBI single in the second inning.
Angels 6, Rangers 6: Both the Angels and Rangers made compelling arguments for their place in the postseason, but it was the Angels' five-run inning that put them over the top on Friday. The run support couldn't have been more timely or more welcome, especially on a bullpen day. Mike Scioscia trotted out seven relievers to keep the Rangers' bats at bay, starting with two scoreless frames from Bud Norris and ending with Blake Parker's sixth save of the season.
Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2: The Diamondbacks may not be in line for a division title, but they only need seven more wins to lock down a spot in the playoffs. Robbie Ray turned in seven innings of two-run, 10-strikeout ball for his 14th win of the year, while Jeff Samardzija did everything he could to play spoiler to the D-backs' efforts, crafting his own eight-inning gem and scoring the Giants' second and final run of the night.
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Tags: Alex Wood, Anibal Sanchez, Bartolo Colon, Blake Parker, Bud Norris, Chris Sale, Corey Seager, Didi Gregorius, Domingo Santana, Edwin Jackson, Eric Thames, Felix Hernandez, Homer Bailey, James Paxton, Jayson Werth, Jeff Samardzija, Joey Votto, John Lackey, Josh Donaldson, Juan Minaya, Kevin Kiermaier, Kevin Pillar, Lorenzo Cain, Luis Severino, Mike Minor, Mikie Mahtook, Neil Walker, Robbie Ray, Scott Schebler, Sean Newcomb, Stephen Vogt, Tyler Chatwood, Wil Myers, Yandy Diaz, Zack Cozart