Machado's Grand Slam Gives Orioles Clutch Win
While the American League Wild Card race continues, involving nearly the entire A.L., clutch hits will definitely be needed to make one of the two available spots. Manny Machado provided that for the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, smacking a walk-off grand slam for a 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Both teams are near the top of the wild card standings, with the Angels above the O's, who were able to gain ground with the win. Machado's game-winner was his third long ball of the day and seventh career grand slam, three of which have come this season. Keynan Middleton surrendered the slam for the Angels, as the two teams combined for 10 home runs on the night Albert Pujols got things started in the first with his 609th career home run, which ties him with Sammy Sosa for eighth on the all-time list. Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron, and Kaleb Cowart all added home runs in the loss for the Angels. Machado hit two other home runs, while Caleb Joseph and Mark Trumbo went deep, as both teams had five home runs apiece. All five of the Angels' homers came off of Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson. Darren O'Day ended up getting the win in relief for Baltimore, who hosts the Angels two more times this weekend.
Dodgers Move 52 Game Above .500 With Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers just continue to get better and better, and at this point of the season, it's starting to get scary. The best team in baseball got Adrian Gonzalez back from the disabled list and moved 52 games over .500 with an 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers. Gonzalez doubled in his first at-bat back, Chris Taylor added two doubles of his own, as the Dodgers had six of them on the night. The win for them is their 20th in the past 23 games, as they are now 51-9 in the past 60 games. Corey Seager drove in three runs, while Logan Forsythe scored three times to back up starter Rich Hill. The Dodgers' hurler lasted five innings, allowing three runs on six hits in his ninth win of the year. The Dodgers' tough play spoiled a two-home run night from Justin Upton, while Victor Martinez also went deep in the loss for Detroit. Jordan Zimmerman suffered his 10th defeat for the Tigers, as he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings. It was his second straight start with seven earned runs, as the Tigers have now dropped five straight games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have now won 37 straight games that they've scored four or more runs.
Kluber Exits in Indians' Win
The first-place Cleveland Indians got a 10-1 blowout victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday, but that was overshadowed by a key injury on the mound. Their ace Corey Kluber left the game in the sixth inning with an apparent ankle injury, an injury that is being called an ankle sprain. Manager Terry Francona said that he is hopeful that Kluber will not miss a start with the setback. Despite the injury, Kluber did get his 13th win of the year, as he allowed just one run on a Brandon Moss home run, but struck out four and walked one in the win. He was backed up by plenty of offense, as Jay Bruce went deep twice and drove in five, while Jason Kipnis and Edwin Encarnacion added long balls during a 13-hit night for The Tribe. The win pushes their AL Central lead to 6.5 games over the Royals, Ian Kennedy struggled for Kansas City, as the veteran allowed five runs on six hits in just 2.2 innings in what was his 15th straight winless home start. That's a skid that dates back to August of 2016.
While the American League Wild Card race continues, involving nearly the entire A.L., clutch hits will definitely be needed to make one of the two available spots. Manny Machado provided that for the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, smacking a walk-off grand slam for a 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Both teams are near the top of the wild card standings, with the Angels above the O's, who were able to gain ground with the win. Machado's game-winner was his third long ball of the day and seventh career grand slam, three of which have come this season. Keynan Middleton surrendered the slam for the Angels, as the two teams combined for 10 home runs on the night Albert Pujols got things started in the first with his 609th career home run, which ties him with Sammy Sosa for eighth on the all-time list. Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron, and Kaleb Cowart all added home runs in the loss for the Angels. Machado hit two other home runs, while Caleb Joseph and Mark Trumbo went deep, as both teams had five home runs apiece. All five of the Angels' homers came off of Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson. Darren O'Day ended up getting the win in relief for Baltimore, who hosts the Angels two more times this weekend.
Dodgers Move 52 Game Above .500 With Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers just continue to get better and better, and at this point of the season, it's starting to get scary. The best team in baseball got Adrian Gonzalez back from the disabled list and moved 52 games over .500 with an 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers. Gonzalez doubled in his first at-bat back, Chris Taylor added two doubles of his own, as the Dodgers had six of them on the night. The win for them is their 20th in the past 23 games, as they are now 51-9 in the past 60 games. Corey Seager drove in three runs, while Logan Forsythe scored three times to back up starter Rich Hill. The Dodgers' hurler lasted five innings, allowing three runs on six hits in his ninth win of the year. The Dodgers' tough play spoiled a two-home run night from Justin Upton, while Victor Martinez also went deep in the loss for Detroit. Jordan Zimmerman suffered his 10th defeat for the Tigers, as he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings. It was his second straight start with seven earned runs, as the Tigers have now dropped five straight games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have now won 37 straight games that they've scored four or more runs.
Kluber Exits in Indians' Win
The first-place Cleveland Indians got a 10-1 blowout victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday, but that was overshadowed by a key injury on the mound. Their ace Corey Kluber left the game in the sixth inning with an apparent ankle injury, an injury that is being called an ankle sprain. Manager Terry Francona said that he is hopeful that Kluber will not miss a start with the setback. Despite the injury, Kluber did get his 13th win of the year, as he allowed just one run on a Brandon Moss home run, but struck out four and walked one in the win. He was backed up by plenty of offense, as Jay Bruce went deep twice and drove in five, while Jason Kipnis and Edwin Encarnacion added long balls during a 13-hit night for The Tribe. The win pushes their AL Central lead to 6.5 games over the Royals, Ian Kennedy struggled for Kansas City, as the veteran allowed five runs on six hits in just 2.2 innings in what was his 15th straight winless home start. That's a skid that dates back to August of 2016.
