With the MLB trade deadline still a day away, the big dominoes started falling on Thursday as rumours swirled around numerous star players.
While multiple reports said Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner were on the verge of being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees finalised another addition to their lineup.
A day after acquiring slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, New York got Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Kevin Alcantara and pitcher Alexandro Vizcaino, adding a power-hitting first baseman renowned for his clubhouse presence.
Though he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres, Rizzo had been a beloved Cubs fixture for years, making three All-Star teams and helping Chicago to a long-awaited World Series title in 2016.
Rizzo did not play in the Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier Thursday, prompting fans at Wrigley Field to chant "We want Rizzo!" during the game.
The 31-year-old is hitting .248 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .792 OPS and will become the Yankees' primary first baseman.
Red Sox swoop for Schwarber
Rizzo's former Cubs team-mate Kyle Schwarber also was on the move Thursday as the Nationals traded him to the Boston Red Sox for minor league pitcher Aldo Ramirez.
Schwarber is on the injured list with a hamstring strain but is expected back soon.
The All-Star is hitting .253 with 25 home runs and 53 RBIs, with 16 of those homers coming in an 18-game stretch in June.
He figures to see time as an outfielder and designated hitter for the Red Sox.
Mariners get Castillo as relievers on the move
In other moves Thursday, the Seattle Mariners acquired closer Diego Castillo from the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher JT Chargois and third baseman Austin Shenton.
The Chicago White Sox made a pair of moves, picking up infielder Cesar Hernandez from the Cleveland Indians for left-hander Konnor Pilkington and getting relief pitcher Ryan Tepera from the Cubs for pitching prospect Bailey Horn.
Lefty reliever Brad Hand moved from Washington to the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Riley Adams, while the Dodgers picked up left-hander Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named.
With the MLB trade deadline still a day away, the big dominoes started falling on Thursday as rumours swirled around numerous star players.
While multiple reports said Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner were on the verge of being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees finalised another addition to their lineup.
A day after acquiring slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, New York got Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Kevin Alcantara and pitcher Alexandro Vizcaino, adding a power-hitting first baseman renowned for his clubhouse presence.
Though he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres, Rizzo had been a beloved Cubs fixture for years, making three All-Star teams and helping Chicago to a long-awaited World Series title in 2016.
Rizzo did not play in the Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier Thursday, prompting fans at Wrigley Field to chant "We want Rizzo!" during the game.
The 31-year-old is hitting .248 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .792 OPS and will become the Yankees' primary first baseman.
Mariners get Castillo as relievers on the move
In other moves Thursday, the Seattle Mariners acquired closer Diego Castillo from the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher JT Chargois and third baseman Austin Shenton.
The Chicago White Sox made a pair of moves, picking up infielder Cesar Hernandez from the Cleveland Indians for left-hander Konnor Pilkington and getting relief pitcher Ryan Tepera from the Cubs for pitching prospect Bailey Horn.
Lefty reliever Brad Hand moved from Washington to the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Riley Adams, while the Dodgers picked up left-hander Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named.
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is stepping down for the rest of the season for health reasons, the team said Thursday.
The move is effective immediately, with bench coach DeMarlo Hale set to run the team in his absence.
Francona has battled health problems for years and missed much of the 2020 season, including the playoffs, with a gastrointestinal problem and blood clotting issues.
The 62-year-old has long been a fixture in MLB dugouts, beginning his managerial career with the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000) before leading the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 during his eight seasons there.
Francona has been Cleveland's manager since 2013, compiling a 723-568 record (.560) and reaching the World Series in 2016.
He has a 1,752-1,483 mark (.542) overall, with his win total putting him third among active MLB managers behind Tony La Russa (2,788) and Dusty Baker (1,955).
Hale, 60, is a longtime MLB coach who previously served on Francona's staff with the Red Sox and reunited with him in Cleveland for this season.
Max Scherzer will always hold fond World Series-winning memories with the Washington Nationals after potentially making his final appearance on Thursday, amid reports he could be on the move to the San Diego Padres.
The starting pitcher allowed one run over six innings as the Nationals picked up a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, though he now awaits confirmation on his future.
Scherzer, who helped the Nationals to a 2019 World Series win and is 8-4 this season with a 2.76 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 111 innings, wanted to focus on the positives after Yan Gomes' two-run homer secured victory over the Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader.
"I don't want to look at this as a negative thing," Scherzer told the media after the game. "I'd rather look at this as a positive thing. I signed a seven-year deal here and we won a World Series.
"That's the first thing I said when I signed, that I was here to win. And we won. We won a World Series.
"That's a lifelong dream come true and something I'll always be proud of with these guys here, to be part of a championship team, looking forward to reunions and stuff like that."
The 37-year-old is being tipped for a trade to the Padres, according to the Athletic, as they attempt to pair up the three-time Cy Young winner with Yu Darvish.
Scherzer's potential final game nearly did not happen due to triceps discomfort, but the pitcher pulled through for the Nationals to show the world he was still fit and healthy.
"Just working through it, getting back in the groove of things," he said about his injury. "I never like missing starts. For me to get back here, get six innings in, get back in my routines, that's when everything feels great."
Indeed, Scherzer has continually performed during his six-year spell at the Nationals which appears to be coming to an amicable end.
Since joining in 2015, Scherzer's 1,610 strikeouts lead the pitcher charts, with Gerrit Cole's 1,366 providing not much competition way back in second – such is the quality of the Nationals starter.
Amid growing trade rumours, with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox among the original favourites, Scherzer reflected glowingly on his experiences with the Nationals.
"For me, this is where my family started. I came here without kids and now I have three kids. I've watched my girls grow up here," he said.
"What can you say about the fans? That championship will always mean something to all of us and we'll always have that flag."
Walker Buehler celebrated his 27th birthday with a dominant performance as the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the San Francisco Giants 8-0 in MLB action Wednesday.
Buehler improved to 11-1 as he allowed only three hits and two walks in seven shutout innings while striking out eight.
In the meantime, the Dodgers knocked San Francisco starter Anthony DeSclafani out of the game in the third inning, scoring four times in that frame on RBI singles by Justin Turner and AJ Pollock and a two-run triple by Will Smith.
Cody Bellinger capped off the rout for LA with a solo homer in the eighth one night after his throwing error cost the Dodgers the game. He had been one-for-35 agains the Giants this season before that hit.
Making matters worst for the first-place Giants, catcher Buster Posey left the game following the third inning after taking a foul ball of his mask.
Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game that Posey had some dizziness but was not immediately diagnosed with a concussion.
The rivals wrap up their three-game series Thursday in their seventh meeting in a 10-day span.
Judge, Yankees down Rays in 10th
Aaron Judge's 10th-inning single drove in the go-ahead run as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1. Yankees pitchers held the Rays hitless for the final six innings after Tampa Bay scored their only run on a Brandon Lowe double in the fourth.
The Atlanta Braves could not back up a solid seven-inning start from Max Fried, falling 2-1 to the New York Mets on Brandon Drury's solo home run in the seventh after Austin Riley had tied the game with a solo shot of his own in the sixth.
Shohei Ohtani homered for the third time in four games, with his 37th of the season keying a five-run fourth inning as the Los Angeles Angels took an early lead and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-7.
Not to be outdone, Joey Votto hit a pair of home runs for the second consecutive game as the Cincinnati Reds topped the Chicago Cubs 8-2.
Tigers allow seven homers, still beat Twins
Detroit pitchers allowed seven home runs while Tigers batters hit none of their own, but the visitors still managed to beat the Minnesota Twins in an NFL-worthy final score of 17-14. Every player in the Detroit lineup scored and drove in at least one run as the Tigers became the first team in MLB history to win despite being out-homered by seven or more. According to Stats Perform, teams on the wrong side of that equation had been 0-41 before Wednesday's game.
Perez stuns White Sox
Salvador Perez hit a monster 438-foot home run off All-Star Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks to tie the game in the ninth inning and the Kansas City Royals would go on to defeat the division-leading Sox 3-2 on Michael A. Taylor's run-scoring single in the 10th.
Wednesday's results
Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox 4-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Miami Marlins
New York Mets 2-1 Atlanta Braves
New York Yankees 3-1 Tampa Bay Rays
Cleveland Indians 7-2 St Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 Texas Rangers
Cincinnati Reds 8-2 Chicago Cubs
Kansas City Royals 3-2 Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers 17-14 Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Angels 8-7 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0 San Francisco Giants
Oakland Athletics 10-4 San Diego Padres
Houston Astros 11-4 Seattle Mariners
Washington Nationals-Philadelphia Phillies (postponed)
Braves at Mets
The Atlanta Braves (50-52) send Drew Smyly to the mound as they wrap up a rare five-game series with the New York Mets (54-46), who will start Taijuan Walker in the game at Citi Field.
Los Angeles Dodgers' star Cody Bellinger produced an unbelievable error gifting the San Francisco Giants a decisive run in their 2-1 victory in the MLB on Tuesday.
With scores locked at 1-1 after the sides traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings, Bellinger inexplicably threw several feet over third baseman Justin Turner, allowing Buster Posey in for the go-ahead run.
Bellinger is normally at center field but was moved to first base to ease the stress on his sore hamstring, but that came back to bite the Dodgers.
At the bottom of the eighth, Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen had walked Posey and Mike Yastrzemski, before Darin Ruf grounded to second baseman Max Muncy who threw to Bellinger for an out.
But then the first baseman opted to send the ball to third to try out Posey, only to deliver a costly wayward throw.
"I don’t know how I would have thrown it that high. It was a horrible throw," Bellinger said. "I’ll go back and watch it on video and see what happened on that play.”
Home runs for Ohtani and Tatis
Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels may have lost 12-3 to the Colorado Rockies at home but he provided a highlight with a two-run home run in the fifth inning with his side 10-0 down.
The homer registered 110.4 mph exit velocity and a projected distance of 463 feet. It was also Ohtani's league-high 36th home run this season.
Fernando Tatis Jr also homered, bringing up his 31st of the season, with a two-run shot in the San Diego Padres' 7-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The Padres were trailing 3-0 at the time.
Eloy Jimenez creamed a decisive three-run homer which travelled 459 feet to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 5-3 triumph over the Kansas City Royals.
Bryce Harper hit a rare inside-the-park home run as the Philadelphia Phillies lost 6-4 to the Washington Nationals.
Joey Votto was feeling it as he hit two home runs as the Cincinnati Reds won 7-4 over the Chicago Cubs.
Diamondbacks downed by struggling Rangers
The Texas Rangers ended their 10-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, who continue to struggle. The Diamondbacks allowed all five runs in the fourth inning and slump to a 31-71 record, having only won 12 games on the road from 53, which is the best worst away record in the majors.
Riley's six-RBI game
Austin Riley hit a grand slam and a two-run home run as the Atlanta Braves won 12-5 over the New York Mets. The third baseman moved up to 19 homers for the season, recording his second-ever career grand slam, totalling six RBI for the game.
Tuesday's results
Washington Nationals 6-4 Philadelphia Phillies
Milwaukee Brewers 9-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Miami Marlins 7-3 Baltimore Orioles
Atlanta Braves 12-5 New York Mets
New York Yankees 4-3 Tampa Bay Rays
St Louis Cardinals 4-2 Cleveland Indians
Texas Rangers 5-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox 5-3 Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers 6-5 Minnesota Twins
Colorado Rockies 12-3 Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants 2-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres 7-4 Oakland Athletics
Houston Astros 8-6 Seattle Mariners
Dodgers at Giants
Two of the best meet on Wednesday when the San Francisco Giants (63-37), leaders in the National League, host reigning world champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers (61-41).
Washington Nationals short-stop Trea Turner has been pulled mid-game on Tuesday after testing positive to COVID-19.
Turner had already hit an infield single and scored on a home run in Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 28-year-old went down the tunnel after touching down on home plate and did not re-appear to take to the field at the bottom of the first inning.
The Nationals later confirmed that Turner's premature removal was due to testing positive to COVID-19.
Turner, who has hit .320/.368/.519 in 95 games this season with 124 hits and 18 home runs, has been linked with a move away from Washington ahead of Friday's MLB Trade Deadline.
Shohei Ohtani once again starred for the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, leading Joe Maddon to declare nobody else is even in the running for this season's MVP award in the American League.
The two-way superstar produced another inspired performance during the Angels' 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Ohtani gave up just one run during a dominant seven innings at Angel Stadium, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.04.
The 27-year-old, who became the first player to start as a pitcher and a hitter in an All-Star game earlier this year, also recorded his 100th strikeout of 2021 after pitching at well over 100mph.
Then there is his tally of 35 home runs before the end of July - the best in the MLB. He is the first pitcher to hit more than nine while recording triple-digit strikeouts in the same season.
Not only that, but Ohtani became only the fourth pitcher in the past 30 seasons to have a hit, run, RBI and stolen base in a single inning.
Angels manager Maddon thinks the numbers make a strong case as to why the Japanese player is a clear favourite to be named MVP.
"To me, it's not even close," he said. "When people talk about it being close, it's not.
"What he's doing is so unique. It's just so different compared to anybody else right now.
"Nobody's doing what he's doing, and nobody's done what he's doing, if that makes any sense. He is so motivated."
Shohei Ohtani continues to amaze after doing it all again as the Los Angeles Angels won 6-2 over the Colorado Rockies in the MLS on Monday.
In the first inning, Ohtani drove in an RBI single as David Fletcher scored, before stealing a base to second.
Ohtani stepped up on the mound throughout too, tossing down five strikeouts, including a handful of outstanding sliders across seven innings, allowing five hits.
Jack Mayfield came up with a two-run shot down the line in the seventh inning to put the Angels 4-1 up.
The Angels added another two in the eighth inning to round out the win which lifts them to 50-49.
Walkoffs and a go-ahead grand slam
Andrew McCutchen launched a massive three-run home run to earn the Philadelphia Phillies an exhilarating 6-5 walk-off win over the Washington Nationals.
With two runners on base down 5-3 in the ninth inning, McCutchen hit Brad Hand high over Juan Soto's head in right-field for a homer.
Javier Baez also walked it off with an RBI single to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.
Alex Verdugo hit a two-run go-ahead homer as the Boston Red Sox continued their recent dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-4 win. Boston now have 33 comeback wins this season.
Kyle Tucker hit a three-run home run as the Houston Astros raced to a 6-0 first inning lead which they surrendered, eventually losing 11-8 to the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners trailed 8-7 at the bottom of the eighth inning when Dylan Moore hit a decisive go-ahead grand slam to left field from Brooks Raley.
Rockies rocky road
Ohtani claimed the win against the Rockies, but Colorado's road record is a major concern, suffering their third straight away defeat. The Rockies have the worst road record in the majors, going at 10-37, compared to 33-20 at home.
Cabrera closes in on 500
The Detroit Tigers may have lost 6-5 to the Minnesota Twins but veteran slugger Miguel Cabrera moved a step closer to his 500th home run, with a two-run homer. Cabrera, 38, now has 495 career home runs.
Monday's results
Atlanta Braves 2-0 New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 Washington Nationals
Boston Red Sox 5-4 Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs 6-5 Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals 4-3 Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins 6-5 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 1-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Colorado Rockies
Seattle Mariners 11-8 Houston Astros
Yankees at Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays (60-40) take on American League East contenders, the New York Yankees (51-47), in the opening game of their series.
The Tokyo Olympics are now in full swing and there are another 22 gold medal events to come on an action-packed Tuesday at the Games.
Plenty of focus will be on the Tokyo Aquatics Centre once again, where four medals are on the line, while the women's triathlon will also take centre stage.
Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Katie Ledecky are just some of the superstar names that will be in action on the fourth full day of the 2020 Games.
Stats Perform picks out of some of the standout action to look out for.
CAN BILES PUT BLUNDERS BEHIND HER?
Biles struggled to find top gear in her Games entrance on Sunday, albeit making it through to each of her finals, and there is no room for any slip-ups in the women's team final.
The Russian Olympic Committee finished above the United States at a major event for the first time since 2010 in qualifying, setting up an intriguing battle in the final.
The pressure is on Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and indeed Biles, the latter of whom is aiming to add to the four golds won in Rio five years ago.
USA-JAPAN MEET IN SOFTBALL FINAL
Team USA's women's softball team recovered from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in their final round-robin game and finish top of the standings.
Japan finished second and the two sides are therefore set to face off in a huge gold medal match at Yokohama Baseball Stadium.
Mexico and Canada meet in the bronze medal contest earlier on Tuesday in a tasty warm-up match for the main event.
LEDECKY AND TITMUS RESUME RIVALRY
After winning four golds in Rio five years ago, Ledecky had the chance to add four more to her collection in Tokyo.
She fell short in the first of those events, however, with Australia's Ariarne Titmus taking gold in Monday's gripping 400m freestyle final.
While a medal is not on the line on Tuesday, Ledecky will be eager to lay down a faster time than her rival in the 200m freestyle heats ahead of Wednesday's showpiece.
OSAKA GOES AGAIN
Face of the Games Okaka followed up lighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday with victories over Zheng Saisai and Viktorija Golubic in her first two matches in the tournament.
The four-time grand slam winner has a quick turnaround in matches as world number 41 Marketa Vondrousova awaits in the third round on Tuesday.
Fellow home favourite Kei Nishikori is also in action in the men's event, with Marcos Giron standing between him and the last 16.
WOMEN'S TRIATHLON TOUGH TO CALL
There was drama before the men's triathlon had even officially got underway on Monday, with an inflatable boat carrying photographers causing a false start.
Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt won the competition and now it is over to the women, with 54 athletes in contention to claim gold.
The field is wide open this time around, though the likes of Katie Zaferes and Georgia Taylor-Brown, of Team USA and Great Britain respectively, will have their eyes on the top prize.
The New York Yankees piled on four eighth-inning runs to claim a thrilling 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in MLB on Saturday.
Trailing 3-0 after seven innings from Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, Brett Gardner drove in Estevan Florial with a line drive to right field.
Adam Ottavino stepped up on the mound but Rougned Odor hit a two-run score off the Green Monster to tie it up.
Odor scored when the in-form Gleyber Torres skied one to shallow right-field in a dramatic turnaround.
The result means the Yankees improve their record to 51-46, while the Red Sox are 60-39.
Sandoval's near no-hitter, Haniger double
Los Angeles Angels' pitcher Patrick Sandoval almost had a no-hitter, going eight and a third innings with no hits before Brent Rooker's double in the ninth as the Minnesota Twins won 2-1.
Mitch Haniger continued his exceptional 2021 season with two home runs, taking his season tally to 25, as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-4.
New recruit Rowdy Tellez also hit two homers as the Milwaukee Brewers won 6-1 over the Chicago White Sox. Tellez joined the Brewers from the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this month.
George Springer produced an incredible diving catch in the outfield as the Blue Jays won 10-3 over the New York Mets.
Phillies pitching woes
The Atlanta Braves piled on the runs late against the Philadelphia Phillies to win 15-3. The Braves scored eight runs in the final two innings as in-fielder Ronald Torreyes stepped up to the mound, allowing six hits, after starter Vince Velasquez was pulled. Freddie Freeman, Abraham Almonte, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Joc Peterson all homered for the Braves.
Tatis make slugging history
Fernando Tatis Jr made history with his 30th home run of the season in the San Diego Padres' 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins. Tatis' 409-foot homer means he becomes the youngest Padre, at 22-years-old, to reach 30 home runs. It only took Tatis 82 games, which is the fewest for any player his age or younger.
Saturday's results
Arizona Diamondbacks 7-3 Chicago Cubs
New York Yankees 4-3 Boston Red Sox
Atlanta Braves 15-3 Philadelphia Phillies
Miami Marlins 3-2 San Diego Padres
Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Washington Nationals
Cincinnati Reds 5-3 St Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 Chicago White Sox
Toronto Blue Jays 10-3 New York Mets
Los Angeles Angels 2-1 Minnesota Twins
Tampa Bay Rays 8-2 Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals 9-8 Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros 4-1 Texas Rangers
Pittsburgh Pirates 10-2 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 Colorado Rockies
Seattle Mariners 5-4 Oakland Athletics
Blue Jays at Mets
The New York Mets (51-44), leaders in the National League East, will host the Toronto Blue Jays (49-45) with both sides needing to find some consistent form.
Whatever the Boston Red Sox had in mind heading into Friday's showdown with Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees, it did not include their own starting pitcher leaving the game after recording just three outs.
Even after Eduardo Rodriguez was forced to leave the game in the second inning due to what the team described as migraine symptoms, the Red Sox had enough firepower to defeat their rivals 6-2 at Fenway Park.
After Rodriguez's unexpectedly early exit, Phillips Valdez stepped in to get out of a second-inning jam and strike out seven in three scoreless innings of relief on the day he was called up from the minor leagues.
Rafael Devers gave the home side the lead with a two-run homer off Cole in the fifth and added a three-run shot against Nestor Cortes in the seventh to put the game away. The latter was the 100th home run of Devers' career.
Mets blank Blue Jays
Pete Alonso accounted for all of the New York Mets' runs with a pair of homers and Tylor Megill had the best start of his career with six shutout innings in a 3-0 defeat of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Colorado Rockies picked up their 10th road win in 44 games away from Coors Field this season, rallying to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6 as Charlie Blackmon had three hits incluing the extra-inning homer that sealed the victory.
Nelson Cruz homered in his first game after being traded to Tampa Bay and Ji-Man Choi's three-run homer in the ninth blew open a close game as the Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 10-5.
Rangers pounded again
Kolby Allard surrendered a three-run homer to Kyle Tucker to cap a five-run third inning for the Houston Astros that helped send the Texas Rangers to a 7-3 loss, their 10th consecutive defeat. The Rangers have been outscored 73-18 in that span and have not held a lead for 86 straight innings. According to Stats Perform, that drought is the longest since the Atlanta Braves went 96 innings without a lead in April and May 1977.
Brewers slam White Sox
In a matchup of NL and AL Central division leaders, the Milwaukee Brewers got a boost from Tyrone Taylor's seventh-inning grand slam to down the Chicago White Sox 7-1.
Friday's results
Chicago Cubs 8-3 Arizona Diamondbacks
Tampa Bay Rays 10-5 Cleveland Indians
Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox 6-2 New York Yankees
New York Mets 3-0 Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles 6-1 Washington Nationals
San Diego Padres 5-2 Miami Marlins
Cincinnati Reds 6-5 St Louis Cardinals
Kansas City Royals 5-3 Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins 5-4 Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 Chicago White Sox
Houston Astros 7-3 Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners 4-3 Oakland Athletics
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies 9-6 Los Angeles Dodgers
White Sox at Brewers
A pair of All-Star pitchers go head-to-head as Carlos Rodon and the Chicago White Sox (58-39) continue their series against Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers (57-41).
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have faced each other more than 2,000 times dating back to 1901, but they have never had a game end quite like Thursday's.
Four wild pitches by New York reliever Brooks Kriske in the 10th inning brought home the tying run and set up the winning run as Boston prevailed 5-4 at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox had trailed 3-1 with two outs in the ninth inning when Kike Hernandez ripped a two-run double to left-center off Chad Green to tie the game and send it to the 10th.
Thanks to MLB's second-year rule that puts a runner on second base to start each extra inning, New York was able to take a 4-3 lead on a groundout and a Brett Gardner sacrifice fly in the top of the inning, but Boston did them one better.
Two wild pitches by Kriske brought Rafael Devers home from second to make it 4-4, and after Xander Bogaerts drew a walk, two more wild pitches moved him to third.
After J.D. Martinez struck out, Hunter Renfroe lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to drive home Bogaerts with the winning run – all without benefit of a hit.
According to Stats Perform, Kriske is the first pitcher in MLB history to throw at least four wild pitches in one extra ininng.
"There's a lot of guys battling their butts off and it sucks to be the one to blow it for the team," Kriske told reporters.
The Yankees sent him to the minor leagues after the game.
Giants stun Dodgers late
The San Francisco Giants scored four runs in the ninth inning for a shock 5-3 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers as they opened up a three-game lead over LA in the National League (NL) West division.
Down 3-1 with two out in the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases and earned a reprieve when video replay overturned a call at second base that would have been the final out of the game. Darin Ruf then walked on a controversial checked-swing call to force in the tying run before LaMonte Wade's two-run single off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen broke it open.
The Tampa Bay Rays pulled out another late victory, scoring twice in the ninth inning and again in the 10th to defeat the Cleveland Indians 5-4. Entering the ninth trailing 4-2, the Rays got a leadoff homer from Yandy Diaz and a two-out double by Brandon Lowe to tie the game, then brought home the go-ahead run on Austin Meadows' single in the 10th.
The Detroit Tigers remain undefeated since the All-Star break, getting a three-run first-inning homer from Eric Haase and going on to beat the Texas Rangers 7-5 to complete a four-game sweep and extend their winning streak to seven games. The Tigers were 9-24 on May 7 but are 38-27 since.
Sean Manaea struck out a career-high 13 for the Oakland Athletics in a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Braves get to Moore
After allowing six earned runs over his last four outings combined, Philadelphia Phillies starter Matt Moore gave up six in the first four innings of a 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Dansby Swanson's third-inning grand slam was the big blow for Atlanta.
Another robbery by Bader
St Louis Cardinals center fielder Harrison Bader made a maximum-effort play to end the top of the seventh inning, robbing Nico Hoerner of a bloop single to help the Cardinals hang on to a lead and eventually defeat the Chicago Cubs 3-2.
Thursday's results
Detroit Tigers 7-5 Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 7-2 Philadelphia Phillies
Boston Red Sox 5-4 New York Yankees
San Diego Padres 3-2 Miami Marlins
St Louis Cardinals 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics 4-1 Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants 5-3 Los Angeles Dodgers
White Sox at Brewers
The Chicago White Sox (58-38) and Milwaukee Brewers (56-41) both have healthy leads in their divisions heading into a week-end showdown in Milwaukee.
The Tampa Bay Rays made a high-impact move ahead of MLB's July 31 trade deadline, acquiring veteran slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in a four-player deal.
Locked in their perennial struggle with the big-money Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees atop the American League (AL) East division, the Rays swooped for one of the most reliable power bats on the market.
Winner of the AL's Silver Slugger award at designated hitter the last two years, Cruz was named to the All-Star Game for the seventh time in his career this season.
Despite turning 41 on July 1, Cruz had 19 home runs and 50 RBIs along with a .294 batting average and .537 slugging percentage for the last-place Twins.
Heading into Thursday's game, Rays designated hitters had 13 home runs and a .395 slugging percentage, third-worst in the American League ahead of only the Texas Rangers (.380) and Detroit Tigers (.265).
Austin Meadows has been the primary DH for the Rays, starting 48 games there including Thursday's contest against the Cleveland Indians, but he can play the outfield.
Cruz, however, is purely a hitter. He has not made a defensive appearance since playing four games in right field for the Seattle Mariners in 2018.
Entering Thursday, the Rays were 57-39, one game back of the Red Sox in the division and two and a half games ahead in the AL wild card standings.
In addition to Cruz, Tampa Bay landed minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher in the trade while sending minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman to the Twins.
Heading into the season, MLB.com ranked Ryan as the Rays' 10th-best prospect and Strotman number 17 in the organisation.
Wilmer Flores hit a dramatic go-ahead two-run home run to help the San Francisco Giants overcome the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in MLB on Wednesday.
Trailing 2-1 at the top of the ninth inning, Flores came up with a high and deep homer over left-field to lift the Giants to victory.
The tight comeback win keeps the Giants in sole possession of top spot in the National League West.
Earlier, Mike Yastrzemski and Chris Taylor traded home runs in the first inning.
Cody Bellinger put the Dodgers ahead in the fourth inning from AJ Pollock's drive down the line.
That set the scene for Flores, whose home run was the 100th of his career and crucial in the context of the Giants' season.
Another Yankees walk-off win
The New York Yankees enjoyed their seventh walk-off win of the season, getting past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 with Ryan LaMarre delivering in extras.
Jean Segura had homered for the Phillies with the first pitch of the game, while Gleyber Torres kept up his hot form with his third home run in his past four games for the Yankees.
Giancarlo Stanton rediscovered some of his own form with a key RBI, before Rougned Odor's seventh inning home run, only for the Phillies to send it to extras with three runs in the eighth.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr homered again, his 32nd of the season, but the Toronto Blue Jays lost 7-4 to division leaders the Boston Red Sox in the final game at Buffalo.
Boston's Rafael Devers homered for the 24th time this year, before JD Martinez delivered his 20th to seal the win for the Red Sox.
Randy Arozarena hit two home runs before Austin Meadows drove in the winning runs as the Tampa Bay Rays claimed a 5-4 walk-off win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Milwaukee's home woes
The Milwaukee Brewers suffered their fifth consecutive loss at home, going down 6-3 to the Kansas City Royals. While Milwaukee celebrates the Bucks, the National League Central leaders have seen their record slip to 56-41.
Dom's Mets grand slam
Dom Smith delivered a grand slam as the New York Mets won 7-0 over the Cincinnati Reds. With bases loaded in the third inning, Smith hit a 369-foot home run for his second career slam. On the mound, Marcus Stroman starred too, with eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts, allowing only one hit.
Wednesday's results
Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 Baltimore Orioles
San Diego Padres 3-2 Atlanta Braves
New York Mets 7-0 Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals 6-3 Milwaukee Brewers
Colorado Rockies 6-3 Seattle Mariners
Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Miami Marlins 3-1 Washington Nationals
New York Yankees 6-5 Philadelphia Phillies
Boston Red Sox 7-4 Toronto Blue Jays
Detroit Tigers 4-2 Texas Rangers
Cleveland Indians 5-4 Houston Astros
Minnesota Twins 7-2 Chicago White Sox
St Louis Cardinals 3-2 Chicago Cubs
San Francisco Giants 4-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres v Atlanta Braves (suspended)
Yankees at Red Sox
Thursday sees American League leaders Boston Red Sox (58-38) host the New York Yankees (50-44) who are also in the tight AL East division.
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