AROUND THE HORN
Braves: The game between the Diamondbacks and Braves scheduled for Saturday night was postponed due to inclement weather. This is the Diamondbacks’ first game postponed by weather since May 4-5, 2015, at Colorado. It ends a streak of 866 games without a weather postponement, the longest active stretch in the majors.
Yankees: Gerrit Cole was one pitch better than Shane Bieber in a heavyweight matchup of aces as Rougned Odor and Aaron Hicks homered off the Indians’ Cy Young winner in the fifth inning, giving the Yankees a 2-1 win over the Indians on Saturday. Cole (3-1) struck out 11 and allowed just three hits in seven innings to beat Bieber (2-2) in a rematch of their meeting in last year’s playoffs. Cole’s 50 strikeouts in his first five starts are the most for any pitcher in the Yankees’ storied history.
Royals: Brady Singer pitched seven impressive innings, and the Royals took advantage of some defensive sloppiness by the Tigers in a 2-1 victory Saturday. The game was over in 2 hours, 10 minutes, the shortest nine-inning contest in the major leagues this year.
Pirates: Michael Perez had three hits and three RBIs, helping Trevor Cahill and the Pirates beat the Twins 6-2 on Saturday. Cahill (1-2) permitted one run and two hits in six innings. The right-hander retired the Twins in order in five of his innings. It was Cahill’s longest outing since he also worked six innings for the Angels at Baltimore on May 10, 2019.
Brewers: Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is returning to Milwaukee for an MRI on his strained lower back. The 2018 NL MVP had been eligible to be activated from the injured list during this weekend’s series with the Cubs.
Athletics: Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and the Athletics won their 13th straight game, beating the Orioles 7-2 on Saturday. This is the third-longest winning streak in team history. The A’s won 14 straight in 1988 and set a then-American League record with 20 consecutive wins in 2002.
Astros: Kent Emanuel worked 8 ⅔ innings in relief in his major league debut, saving the Astros’ bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Angels 16-2 on Saturday. Emanuel (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs. The 28-year-old, who spent seven years in the minors before getting an opportunity with Houston this season, became the fourth pitcher in the modern era to have a relief outing of 8 ⅔ innings or more in his debut, according to STATS, joining Fred Smith (1907), Maury Kent (1912) and John Montefusco (1974).
Cardinals: John Gant earned his first victory as a starter since 2018 by throwing six strong innings and the Cardinals sent the Reds to their sixth straight loss 2-0 on a rainy Saturday. After waiting out a rain delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes before throwing his first pitch, Gant (1-2) allowed just three hits.
Rays: The Rays broke an eighth-inning tie when Blue Jays third baseman Cavan Biggio let a grounder go between his legs, and the Rays went on to beat the Blue Jays 5-3 on Saturday night. Jordan Romano (1-1), reinstated from the 10-day injured list before the game, walked Brandon Lowe and Mike Brosseau to start the eighth. Manuel Margot hit a grounder that got past Biggio for an error, allowing Lowe to put the Rays ahead 4-3. Margot said the bunt sign was on for the first pitch but then was taken off.