Here are the rest of Saturday’s scores and highlights:
Yankees 5, Brewers 3: Clint Frazier couldn’t have picked a better time to show the Yankees he’s capable of handling major league responsibilities. The rookie outfielder went 3-for-4 at the plate on Saturday, recording a single, RBI triple and his first career walk-off home run against Milwaukee’s Corey Knebel:
[mlbvideo id="1588737283" width="600" height="336" /]
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Frazier is the youngest Yankee to belt a walk-off homer since Melky Cabrera did it for the club in 2006 and the fourth-youngest to do so in franchise history (via ESPN Stats and Info).
Blue Jays 7, Astros 2: We could talk about Evan Gattis’ 10-game hitting streak. We could dissect Josh Donaldson’s highlight reel-worthy pirouette to turn a double play. Or we could just watch the season’s prettiest slider looping on a GIF forever:
Orioles 5, Twins 1: Miguel Sano mashed his 21st home run of the season on Saturday, putting the team on the board with their first and only run in a loss to the Orioles. With the knock, Sano became the fourth Twins’ player to hit at least 21 home runs before the All-Star break, joining former Twins Harmon Killebrew (1961, 1964, 1967, 1969 and 1970), Kent Hrbek (1987) and Justin Morneau (2007 and 2009).
Braves 13, Nationals 0: The Nationals were shut out for the first time this season, suffering a 13-run deficit at the hands of right-hander Julio Teheran and an electric run by the Braves’ offense. Teheran went seven strong, limiting the Nats to four hits and two walks and striking out five of 28 batters. Nick Markakis, Kurt Suzuki, Ender Inciarte and Julio Teheran each drove in at least two runs, which marked the first two-hit game of Teheran’s season and the eighth of his career to date. Per ESPN Stats and Info, the Yankees are the only remaining team that has not yet been shut out this year.
Rays 1, Red Sox 0: Rick Porcello took his first complete game loss against the Rays, stymieing their offense through eight innings on one run, six hits and seven strikeouts. Tampa Bay catcher Jesus Sucre capitalized on a precarious situation in the second inning and drove in the team’s first run with a sac fly to score Steven Souza Jr. It was the fifth time in club history that the Rays won 1-0 on a sacrifice fly, and the first time since 2007 that they managed to do so against the Red Sox.
Indians 4, Tigers 0: The Indians boosted their lead to two full games in the AL Central with a shutout over the Tigers this weekend, spearheaded by Mike Clevinger in his third consecutive win. Michael Brantley was tasked with spoiling Justin Verlander’s own shutout attempt and lashed an RBI double in the fifth to put the Indians up 1-0. The only dampener on the game? The untimely loss of second baseman Jason Kipnis, who was forced to exit in the third inning after sustaining a right hamstring strain.
Padres 2, Phillies 1: Rick Porcello and Justin Verlander weren’t the only pitchers to suffer from low run support on Saturday. The Phillies’ Aaron Nola turned in a masterful performance against the Padres, setting down eight innings of two-run ball and matching a season-high nine strikeouts. A pitcher’s duel is only effective with adequate run support, however, and Nola’s best efforts were ultimately unraveled by Austin Hedges’ go-ahead RBI single in the seventh.
Dodgers 5, Royals 4 (10 innings): It took a 10th-inning bases-loaded walk from Cody Bellinger to seal the deal, but the Dodgers finally grabbed hold of their 60th win on Saturday night. Brandon McCarthy shined in his first start off the disabled list, holding the Royals to two runs and striking out one of 24 batters through the first six innings of the game. Ian Kennedy held his own with three runs and seven strikeouts in six innings, but it was Kelvin Herrera’s unfortunately-placed slider that sunk the Royals in the end.
[mlbvideo id="1591197783" width="600" height="336" /]
Pirates 4, Cubs 2: Sometimes, it’s all about taking the time to recognize the small victories. Kyle Schwarber went back-to-back with Ian Happ in the fourth inning of Saturday’s loss to the Pirates, his first home run since he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday. The feat may not have been rewarded with a win, but it didn’t go unnoticed:
The Pirates, on the other hand, pulled within seven games of the division lead, though they still have a ways to go if they plan to overtake the Cardinals, Cubs or Brewers.
Cardinals 4, Mets 1: It took Paul DeJong five pitches to solve Zack Wheeler and just four at-bats to prove that his hot streak is here to stay. The rookie shortstop made franchise history as the first shortstop to go 4-for-4 with four extras bases in a game, mashing his eighth home run and tacking on three doubles and two RBI to power the Cardinals through their 42nd win. Adam Wainwright complemented the rookie’s efforts with one of his strongest outings of the season, quashing the Mets’ efforts with five hits, one run and seven strikeouts through 6 2/3 frames.
Rangers 5, Angels 2: Adrian Beltre sure looked spiffy on Saturday night, sporting a 1977 throwback uniform as he muscled his way higher on the all-time home run and RBI lists. He helped the Rangers to a two-run lead in the third inning with a first-pitch home run, depositing it just over the left field wall for his 452nd career homer and 1,598th career RBI.
[mlbvideo id="1590716283" width="600" height="336" /]
With the blast, he now sits at 38th overall on the all-time home run list, tied only with Carl Yastrzemski, and 36th on the all-time RBI list. He’ll need six more home runs to supersede Miguel Cabrera for second-most career knocks by an active major leaguer.
White Sox 5, Rockies 4: Jose Quintana may not be thinking about the trade deadline right now, but a three-run, 10-strikeout performance undeniably upped his trade value on Saturday. The White Sox’ hurler pitched to his sixth no-decision of the year, reaching double-digit strikeouts in just 5 1/3 innings against a Rockies’ offense that currently ranks sixth-last among major league teams.
Quintana helped his own cause, too, driving in a run on a sac fly in the fourth inning to help the Sox tie the Tigers for last place in the AL Central.
Marlins 5, Giants 4: While Barry Bonds was honored on the Wall of Fame with a commemorative plaque and a touching speech from Hall of Famer Willie Mays, the Giants couldn’t quite do justice to their former slugger on the field. They tagged rookie starter Chris O’Grady for three runs in the first six innings, but fell short in the ninth when Joe Panik’s two-out rally fizzled out with Hunter Pence’s game-ending, three-pitch strikeout.
Reds 7, Diamondbacks 0: Taijuan Walker didn’t stand a chance against the Reds’ offense, which jumped out to a sizable lead with five runs through the first five innings of Saturday’s win. Backed by 6 2/3 flawless innings from rookie right-hander Luis Castillo, three stolen bases by professional speedster Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto’s 27th home run (good for most homers in a non-Aaron Judge league), the Reds clinched their first win of the series and improved to 38 wins on the year.
Athletics 4, Mariners 3: On a night when 36-year-old right-hander Chris Smith became the oldest starting pitcher to debut with the Athletics, the club looked as sprightly as ever. Smith logged six innings of three-run ball, Yonder Alonso mashed his 20th home run and Marcus Semien picked up his first homer of the year. The Mariners kept pace with their division rivals until the ninth, when Ryon Healy pounced on an 0-2 slider from Edwin Diaz and laced a game-winning ground-rule double into right field.
[mlbvideo id="1592275483" width="600" height="336" /]
