Indians earn 17th straight, topping Orioles, 4-2
CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Indians earned their 17th straight win Saturday, topping the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 behind a pair of timely swings for Jay Bruce and Francisco Lindor.
Bruce’s fourth-inning single put the Indians ahead to stay as Cleveland became just the second team in the expansion era—since 1961—to win 17 straight in a season.
The crowd of 30,459 stood throughout the ninth inning as Cody Allen retired the heart of Baltimore’s order for his 25th save.
Cleveland’s franchise-record streak is the longest in the majors since Oakland won 20 straight in 2002. The longest streak in baseball history belongs to the New York Giants, who had a 26-game run in 1916, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Giants’ streak included a tie, which doesn’t count as a game in baseball.
Lindor added his 28th homer in the seventh for the Indians, who haven’t lost since Aug. 23.
Cleveland has outscored its opponents 118-30 in the streak, but its latest win came in a rare close game.
The Orioles jumped in front on Trey Mancini’s infield hit against Josh Tomlin in the first. It was the first time since Cleveland’s last loss that the Indians didn’t score first.
Tomlin (9-9) was pulled after Tim Beckham’s leadoff homer in the sixth. Five relievers combined to work the final four innings.
Baltimore rookie Gabriel Ynoa (1-1), making his first start of the season, allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Orioles were three games out in the wild-card race entering play.
Giovanny Urshela’s third-inning double tied it at 1. Carlos Santana scored on Bruce’s single past a drawnin infield, and then added an RBI double in the fifth.
The Indians nearly pulled off two spectacular defensive plays in the first. Urshela, playing second base for the first time in the majors, made a diving stop behind the bag of Manny Machado’s ground ball. Throwing while on his back, Urshela’s peg nearly got Machado at first.
Machado took third on Adam Jones’ single. Mancini hustled down the line to beat a strong throw from shortstop Lindor, who ranged behind second for his grounder.
The Indians went 11-0 on a road trip that ended Thursday. Cleveland extended the streak with a 5-0 win Friday in the opener of a 10-game homestand.
Brewers 15, Cubs 2
CHICAGO—Hernan Perez homered and drove in five runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers pounded the Chicago Cubs 15-2 on Saturday.
Chase Anderson pitched five scoreless innings as Milwaukee pulled within three games of NL Central-leading Chicago. Anderson also helped himself with two hits and two RBIs hours after the Brewers announced Jimmy Nelson has a shoulder injury that will sideline the right-hander for the rest of the season.
Milwaukee broke it open with eight runs in the third against Mike Montgomery (5-8) and reliever Justin Grimm. Travis Shaw and Orlando Arcia each hit a two-run double, Ryan Braun scored on a balk by Grimm, and Perez had a sacrifice fly.
Kyle Schwarber’s solo shot in the eighth ended Milwaukee’s bid for a second straight shutout. Leonys Martin added an RBI double in the ninth, but Chicago finished with just six hits.
Anderson (9-3) retired his first 10 batters before walking Kris Bryant with one out in the fourth. Ben Zobrist singled with two down for Chicago’s only hit off Anderson, but Albert Almora Jr. grounded out to end the inning.
Perez made it 11-0 with a two-run drive down the left-field line in the fifth. It was his 14th homer of the season.
Montgomery struggled with his control, issuing four of Chicago’s nine walks. The left-hander was charged with four runs and two hits in two-plus innings while subbing for Jake Arrieta, who is out with a right hamstring strain.
Blue Jays 5, Tigers 4
TORONTO—Kevin Pillar had four hits, including a tiebreaking home run, and made another sparkling defensive play in the outfield, Brett Anderson pitched six innings for his first victory with Toronto and the Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 on Saturday.
Pillar broke a 2-all tie with a leadoff drive against Warwick Saupold (3-2) in the sixth, helping Toronto snap a three-game losing streak against Detroit.
The blast came one inning after Pillar jumped into the center field wall to snare a deep drive by Tigers infielder Dixon Machado.
Besides his 15th homer, Pillar also had an RBI single in the first, an infield single in the fourth, and a single in the seventh.
The loss ensures the Tigers will not have a winning record for the second time in seven years.
Pillar’s was one of three fine plays in the outfield. Detroit left fielder Andrew Romine made a headlong diving catch on Luke Maile’s liner in the second, and Toronto’s Jose Bautista stranded a runner at third with a sliding, backhanded catch on Nicholas Castellanos’ sinking liner in the sixth.
Making his third start for the Blue Jays, Anderson (3-3) allowed two runs and five hits. The lefty walked none and struck out five.
Carlos Ramirez and Dominic Leone each worked one inning and Ryan Tepera held on for his second save in four chances despite giving up two runs in the ninth. Tepera caught Romine looking on a 3-2 pitch to end it, stranding runners at first and third.
Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera returned from suspension with a tworun homer off Anderson in the first, his 15th.
Cabrera had sat out the previous six games for his role in a brawl-filled game against the New York Yankees on Aug. 24.
Toronto answered against Chad Bell in the bottom half on Pillar’s two-out RBI single.
The Blue Jays tied it in the fourth when Kendrys Morales came home from third while teammate Teoscar Hernandez was involved in a rundown between first and second.
Making his second career start, Bell allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Following Pillar’s homer, Maile gave the Blue Jays an insurance run with a two-out RBI single.
Bautista made it 5-2 with a bloop single to shallow right off Blaine Hardy in the eighth.
Royals 5, Twins 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Eric Hosmer drove in the go-ahead run with his third hit in a three-run eighth inning, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Saturday night.
Lorenzo Cain led off the eighth with a single against Ryan Pressly (2-3), and Melky Cabrera walked. Hosmer’s single off Buddy Boshers scored pinch-runner Terrance Gore.
Salvador Perez had an RBI double and Alcides Escobar a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.
Mike Minor (6-6) got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Maurer earned his second save in three chances since the Royals acquired him in a July 24 trade with San Diego.
Alex Gordon homered with two out in the Royals’ seventh to tie it at 2. It was Gordon’s sixth home run and his first since July 3, ending a 169 at-bat home run drought.
Cain tripled in the first and scored on Cabrera’s ground out for the first Royals’ run. Cain finished with three hits.
Royals rookie right-hander Jake Junis, who is 5-0 since a June 29 loss, allowed two runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Eddie Rosario took Junis deep in the third, and Byron Buxton homered in the sixth.
Minnesota starter Jose Berrios limited the Royals to two runs and eight hits over seven innings.
Red Sox 9, Rays 0
BOSTON—Chris Sale struck out eight over six innings and Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run homer in the first to get Boston’s offense off to a fast start, carrying the Red Sox to a 9-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.
It was the fourth consecutive win for the AL East-leading Red Sox, who remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Yankees.
Andrew Benintendi had three hits and three RBIs and Mitch Moreland drove in three for Boston.
Tampa Bay lost its third in a row, and has allowed nine runs or more in each game. The Rays entered the day 4 1/2 games behind the AL’s second wildcard spot.
Danny Espinosa had three singles for the Rays.
Sale (16-7) allowed six singles, walked two and increased his majorleague leading strikeout total to 278. He lowered his ERA to 2.76.
Carson Smith, Heath Hembree and Blaine Boyer each worked an inning of relief.
Matt Andriese (5-3) got just five outs, giving up eight runs—six earned—and seven hits for the Rays.
For the second straight night, the Red Sox took control early, putting this one away by scoring three in the first and five in the second.
Boston won the series opener on
Friday, 9-3.
Pedroia homered into the first row of Green Monster seats after Eduardo Nunez singled, making it 2-0. Moreland’s groundout scored the other run.
In the second, Benintendi had a tworun double off the Monster, lefty hitter Moreland a two-run single after Mookie Betts, a right-handed batter, was intentionally walked by righty Andriese, and the fifth run scored on third baseman Evan Longoria’s throwing error.
White Sox 13, Giants 1
CHICAGO —Jose Abreu became the first White Sox player to hit for the cycle in 17 years, among six Chicago players to go deep in a 13-1 rout of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Abreu hit his 29th homer in the first off former White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija (9-13), doubled in the third, struck out in the fifth, singled in the seventh against Josh Osich and hit a two-run triple in the eighth versus Roberto Gomez. The previous White Sox player to hit for the cycle was Jose Valentin against the Baltimore Orioles on April 27, 2000.
Tim Anderson, Avisail Garcia and Yoan Moncada also hit solo home runs, Nicky Delmonico had a two-run drive and Yolmer Sanchez added a three-run homer, the 13th time Chicago hit six or more in a game.
James Shields (2-7) allowed one run and two hits in a season-high seven innings, retiring 17 of 18 batters before Nick Hundley homered in the seventh. He had been 0-5 with a 6.64 ERA since beating the New York Yankees on June 29.
Samardzija (9-13), pitching on the South Side for the first time since the final week of the 2015 season, gave up six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
A night after they were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, the Giants (56-88) lost for the 11th time in 15 games. If they lose more than 94 games, they will have their worst record since going 62-100 in 1985.
Home runs by Abreu in the first and Anderson in the second built a 2-0 lead, and Sanchez’s homer made it 5-0 in the fourth. Garcia homered in the fifth, and Moncada and Delmonico went deep in a four-run seventh.