Indians Tie Franchise Record With 14th Straight Win
For the second consecutive season, the Cleveland Indians have gotten red hot in the final month heading in to the postseason, making a division title undeniable for them. The Tribe tied a franchise record with their 14th straight win by defeating the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Wednesday night. Carlos Carrasco went the distance and struck out nine in his eighth career complete game. Adam Engel was the only White Sox batter to connect off of the right-hander, as he went deep with two outs in the ninth inning. That ended the shutout bid and also forced the Indians' starter to face one batter over the minimum, and he did so with just 97 pitches, 76 of which were strikes. He did not allow a hit through four innings, as singles by Avisail Garcia and Kevan Smith were erased by double plays. The hurler improved to 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in his previous six starts, as the strike-to-ball-ratio led to him not walking a batter on Wednesday. Carlos Santana provided most of the support at the plate with a two-run long ball, while Tyler Naquin and Greg Allen added RBI on the night. Cleveland can complete the sweep of their Windy City division rivals in the series finale on Thursday night.
Fister Remains Sharp in Red Sox Win
Doug Fister struggled when he was first brought in by the Boston Red Sox, which caused him to pitch out of the bullpen for a while. That is no longer the case, as the veteran is now the hottest Red Sox pitcher in their rotation, and he kept his hot streak going on Wednesday night. Fister allowed just one run over seven impressive innings in a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. The 33-year-old did this a day after these two teams played 19 innings on Tuesday, as he keeps improving big time since being released by the Los Angeles Angels in June. The former Mariner, Tiger, and National is now 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his past four starts, as he allowed four hits and struck out nine in what was his fifth victory. Jackie Bradley Jr. had the big blow with a two-run home run, while Xander Bogaerts added an RBI triple against Toronto starter Joe Biagini, who allowed five runs over 3.1 innings in his 10th loss. Rafael Devers also connected with an RBI single to score Bogaerts after his triple snapped him out of a 3-for-33 slump. The win increased the Red Sox' AL East Division lead to four games over the idle New York Yankees, who had their game in Baltimore postponed due to rain. Boston will stay home to host the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Friday.
D-Backs Sweep Dodgers, Extend Win Streak
The Arizona Diamondbacks' two week-long statement took another big turn on Wednesday night when they completed their second sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in two weeks. Adam Rosales drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning double to give the D-backs their 13th consecutive win, 3-1 over the struggling NL West leaders. The win streak is a franchise record, but just the second-longest in the majors this year, behind, of course, the Indians' current 14-game streak. Luis Avilan gave up the go-ahead inning in the loss for Los Angeles, and later hit Daniel Descalso with a pitch to force in the insurance run. The Dodgers have now dropped a season-high six straight games, and 11 of 12 overall, six of which have come against their division rivals from the desert. Despite their recent struggles, the Dodgers still hold baseball's best record at 92-47. Cody Bellinger drove in the only Dodger run of the game with an RBI groundout in the first inning, which caused Arizona to trail for the first time in 97 innings. After a day off Thursday, the D-backs take their win streak back home to host the San Diego Padres, while the Dodgers look to figure things out against the Colorado Rockies beginning Thursday night.
For the second consecutive season, the Cleveland Indians have gotten red hot in the final month heading in to the postseason, making a division title undeniable for them. The Tribe tied a franchise record with their 14th straight win by defeating the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Wednesday night. Carlos Carrasco went the distance and struck out nine in his eighth career complete game. Adam Engel was the only White Sox batter to connect off of the right-hander, as he went deep with two outs in the ninth inning. That ended the shutout bid and also forced the Indians' starter to face one batter over the minimum, and he did so with just 97 pitches, 76 of which were strikes. He did not allow a hit through four innings, as singles by Avisail Garcia and Kevan Smith were erased by double plays. The hurler improved to 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in his previous six starts, as the strike-to-ball-ratio led to him not walking a batter on Wednesday. Carlos Santana provided most of the support at the plate with a two-run long ball, while Tyler Naquin and Greg Allen added RBI on the night. Cleveland can complete the sweep of their Windy City division rivals in the series finale on Thursday night.
Fister Remains Sharp in Red Sox Win
Doug Fister struggled when he was first brought in by the Boston Red Sox, which caused him to pitch out of the bullpen for a while. That is no longer the case, as the veteran is now the hottest Red Sox pitcher in their rotation, and he kept his hot streak going on Wednesday night. Fister allowed just one run over seven impressive innings in a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. The 33-year-old did this a day after these two teams played 19 innings on Tuesday, as he keeps improving big time since being released by the Los Angeles Angels in June. The former Mariner, Tiger, and National is now 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his past four starts, as he allowed four hits and struck out nine in what was his fifth victory. Jackie Bradley Jr. had the big blow with a two-run home run, while Xander Bogaerts added an RBI triple against Toronto starter Joe Biagini, who allowed five runs over 3.1 innings in his 10th loss. Rafael Devers also connected with an RBI single to score Bogaerts after his triple snapped him out of a 3-for-33 slump. The win increased the Red Sox' AL East Division lead to four games over the idle New York Yankees, who had their game in Baltimore postponed due to rain. Boston will stay home to host the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Friday.
D-Backs Sweep Dodgers, Extend Win Streak
The Arizona Diamondbacks' two week-long statement took another big turn on Wednesday night when they completed their second sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in two weeks. Adam Rosales drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning double to give the D-backs their 13th consecutive win, 3-1 over the struggling NL West leaders. The win streak is a franchise record, but just the second-longest in the majors this year, behind, of course, the Indians' current 14-game streak. Luis Avilan gave up the go-ahead inning in the loss for Los Angeles, and later hit Daniel Descalso with a pitch to force in the insurance run. The Dodgers have now dropped a season-high six straight games, and 11 of 12 overall, six of which have come against their division rivals from the desert. Despite their recent struggles, the Dodgers still hold baseball's best record at 92-47. Cody Bellinger drove in the only Dodger run of the game with an RBI groundout in the first inning, which caused Arizona to trail for the first time in 97 innings. After a day off Thursday, the D-backs take their win streak back home to host the San Diego Padres, while the Dodgers look to figure things out against the Colorado Rockies beginning Thursday night.
