Bellinger, Dodgers Record 10th Straight Win
There is no telling how far Cody Bellinger could go in the majors, but there is also no doubt that he is off to a torrid start. The rookie went deep twice on Sunday afternoon, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies 12-6 for their 10th straight victory. Bellinger's power, combined with the Rockies' wild pitches, led the Dodgers in what was the longest nine inning game in Dodgers Stadium history. The four-hour, 19-minute game is the longest since the stadium opened in 1962. The Dodgers took advantage of Colorado's pitching struggles, as they scored five runs on four wild pitches in the final two innings. That makes the Dodgers the first team since at least 1920 to score at least five runs on wild pitches. Bellinger's two long balls gives him 24 on the season, as himself and Aaron Judge continue to impress in their first big league seasons. The Dodgers' 10-game win streak is their longest since they won 10 in a row in August of 2013. The Rockies have now lost a season-high five in a row, and sit in third place in the NL West.
Twins Sweep Indians, Take Back First in AL Central
The Minnesota Twins have played themselves right back atop the AL Central Division, as they took advantage of their weekend series in Cleveland. Ervin Santana struck out seven over six innings to lead the Twins to a 4-0 shutout of the Indians, completing the three-game sweep. The win gives Minnesota a half game lead on Cleveland for first in the Central Division. Jason Castro drove in three of the four Twins' runs to support Santana, who recorded his 10th win of the season. He did allow nine hits in the six innings, but the Indians went just 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position, and stranded 30 runners over the weekend series. The Twins recorded their first series sweep in Cleveland since 1991, with their other run coming from Eddie Rosario's 10th long ball of the season. Josh Tomlin suffered his ninth loss after giving up all four runs in 5.2 innings. The Twins will head to Boston to face a hot Red Sox team in Fenway. While the Indians will stay home to host the Texas Rangers.
Rangers Edge Yankees to Take Series
Speaking of the Texas Rangers, they held off the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx for a 7-6 victory, and a weekend series win. Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo, and Drew Robinson all homered to give the Rangers a 7-0 advantage early on, but that was before the Yankee comeback. New York scored four in the fifth to make things interesting, but was shut down by closer Matt Bush in the ninth, after he allowed the game-tying homer to Brett Gardner the night before. Gary Sanchez and Ronald Torreyes each homered to lead the Yankees' charge. Did Gregorious knocked in a run with a seventh-inning single, but New York could do no more damage from there. Starter Michael Pineda gave up seven runs in four innings against Texas, as the Yankees lost for a 10th time in 12 games. Nick Martinez benefited from the run support en route to his third win for the Rangers. The Yankees will head to Chicago on Monday, looking to get things back on track against the White Sox.
There is no telling how far Cody Bellinger could go in the majors, but there is also no doubt that he is off to a torrid start. The rookie went deep twice on Sunday afternoon, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies 12-6 for their 10th straight victory. Bellinger's power, combined with the Rockies' wild pitches, led the Dodgers in what was the longest nine inning game in Dodgers Stadium history. The four-hour, 19-minute game is the longest since the stadium opened in 1962. The Dodgers took advantage of Colorado's pitching struggles, as they scored five runs on four wild pitches in the final two innings. That makes the Dodgers the first team since at least 1920 to score at least five runs on wild pitches. Bellinger's two long balls gives him 24 on the season, as himself and Aaron Judge continue to impress in their first big league seasons. The Dodgers' 10-game win streak is their longest since they won 10 in a row in August of 2013. The Rockies have now lost a season-high five in a row, and sit in third place in the NL West.
Twins Sweep Indians, Take Back First in AL Central
The Minnesota Twins have played themselves right back atop the AL Central Division, as they took advantage of their weekend series in Cleveland. Ervin Santana struck out seven over six innings to lead the Twins to a 4-0 shutout of the Indians, completing the three-game sweep. The win gives Minnesota a half game lead on Cleveland for first in the Central Division. Jason Castro drove in three of the four Twins' runs to support Santana, who recorded his 10th win of the season. He did allow nine hits in the six innings, but the Indians went just 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position, and stranded 30 runners over the weekend series. The Twins recorded their first series sweep in Cleveland since 1991, with their other run coming from Eddie Rosario's 10th long ball of the season. Josh Tomlin suffered his ninth loss after giving up all four runs in 5.2 innings. The Twins will head to Boston to face a hot Red Sox team in Fenway. While the Indians will stay home to host the Texas Rangers.
Rangers Edge Yankees to Take Series
Speaking of the Texas Rangers, they held off the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx for a 7-6 victory, and a weekend series win. Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo, and Drew Robinson all homered to give the Rangers a 7-0 advantage early on, but that was before the Yankee comeback. New York scored four in the fifth to make things interesting, but was shut down by closer Matt Bush in the ninth, after he allowed the game-tying homer to Brett Gardner the night before. Gary Sanchez and Ronald Torreyes each homered to lead the Yankees' charge. Did Gregorious knocked in a run with a seventh-inning single, but New York could do no more damage from there. Starter Michael Pineda gave up seven runs in four innings against Texas, as the Yankees lost for a 10th time in 12 games. Nick Martinez benefited from the run support en route to his third win for the Rangers. The Yankees will head to Chicago on Monday, looking to get things back on track against the White Sox.
