Vasquez, Red Sox Earn Wild Win Over Indians
The Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox matchup on Tuesday night was one of the more entertaining games you will see all season long. It is only fitting that the eventful night ended on a walk-off, as Christian Vasquez hit a three-run home run in the ninth for a 12-10 Red Sox victory. This comes a half inning after the Indians took the lead with a Francisco Lindor home run, along with a go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Despite the Indians' starter Carlos Carrasco not lasting long, they were able to touch up ace Chris Sale on the night. The left-hander lasted five innings and had seven runs against him on eight hits. That helped Cleveland jump out to a 5-0 lead, as Brandon Guyer's two-run home run was the highlight of the hot start. Although, Mitch Moreland's three-run blast began the Red Sox rally in the second inning, and it turned in to a slugfest from there. Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana also went deep in the loss for the Indians, who got an unbelievable home run-robbing catch from center-fielder Austin Jackson in the fifth. Jackson flipped over the right-center-field wall to rob Hanley Ramirez of a long ball and landed on his feet in the bullpen. That web gem was not enough for the first-place Tribe, as closer Cody Allen fell to 0-6 with a blown save in the ninth. Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel also blew a save, but did earn his third win with his team's comeback. The Red Sox moved a half game into first place in the AL East past the New York Yankees, who fell to the Detroit Tigers, 4-3.
Longoria Hits for Cycle in Rays' Win
The Tampa Bay Rays are slowly playing themselves out of contention in the AL playoff picture, but some history lifted them on Tuesday night. Evan Longoria became the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros. The third baseman completed the feat with a ninth-inning double, becoming the first to do so for Tampa Bay since Melvin (B.J.) Upton. He also drove in three, while Logan Morrison had a homer and two RBI to help the Rays bounce back from a 14-7 series-opening loss. Longoria went deep in the first inning off of Houston starter Mike Fiers, who fell to 7-6 on the season. Rays starer Chris Archer earned his eighth win after going six-plus innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out five. The victory was his first since July 4th, as he improved to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Astros. Alex Colome finished things off with his 31st save for the Rays, who sit a game and half out in the AL Wild Card race, and just four games back in the AL East. Carlos Beltran and Alex Bregman both went deep in the loss for Houston. The series concludes with two more night games on Wednesday and Thursday night.
Dodgers Edge Braves for Ninth Straight Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed Monday's off day by getting even better at the trade deadline, and came back on Tuesday with no signs of slowing down. The NL-West leaders got past the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, on the road for their ninth straight victory. Kenta Maeda led the way on the mound by allowing just two hits over seven scoreless innings to record his 10th win of the season. The Braves tried to rally late behind a two-run long ball from Johan Camargo, but stranded Brandon Phillips on third base to end the game. Cody Bellinger smacked his 29th home run in the fourth to support Maeda, who struck out six and walked one. Chris Taylor's RBI double added to the lead in the third against Braves' starter Lucas Sims, who dropped his first decision of the season. The Dodgers added another run in the fifth when Yasiel Puig scored on a throwing error by catcher Tyler Flowers. Kenley Jansen then came in to strike out the side and earn his 28th save in 29 tries. Atlanta continued to struggle since reaching the .500 mark on July 16th, as they have gone on to drop 12 of 15 games. They continue their series with the majors' best team on Wednesday night.
The Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox matchup on Tuesday night was one of the more entertaining games you will see all season long. It is only fitting that the eventful night ended on a walk-off, as Christian Vasquez hit a three-run home run in the ninth for a 12-10 Red Sox victory. This comes a half inning after the Indians took the lead with a Francisco Lindor home run, along with a go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Despite the Indians' starter Carlos Carrasco not lasting long, they were able to touch up ace Chris Sale on the night. The left-hander lasted five innings and had seven runs against him on eight hits. That helped Cleveland jump out to a 5-0 lead, as Brandon Guyer's two-run home run was the highlight of the hot start. Although, Mitch Moreland's three-run blast began the Red Sox rally in the second inning, and it turned in to a slugfest from there. Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana also went deep in the loss for the Indians, who got an unbelievable home run-robbing catch from center-fielder Austin Jackson in the fifth. Jackson flipped over the right-center-field wall to rob Hanley Ramirez of a long ball and landed on his feet in the bullpen. That web gem was not enough for the first-place Tribe, as closer Cody Allen fell to 0-6 with a blown save in the ninth. Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel also blew a save, but did earn his third win with his team's comeback. The Red Sox moved a half game into first place in the AL East past the New York Yankees, who fell to the Detroit Tigers, 4-3.
Longoria Hits for Cycle in Rays' Win
The Tampa Bay Rays are slowly playing themselves out of contention in the AL playoff picture, but some history lifted them on Tuesday night. Evan Longoria became the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros. The third baseman completed the feat with a ninth-inning double, becoming the first to do so for Tampa Bay since Melvin (B.J.) Upton. He also drove in three, while Logan Morrison had a homer and two RBI to help the Rays bounce back from a 14-7 series-opening loss. Longoria went deep in the first inning off of Houston starter Mike Fiers, who fell to 7-6 on the season. Rays starer Chris Archer earned his eighth win after going six-plus innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out five. The victory was his first since July 4th, as he improved to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Astros. Alex Colome finished things off with his 31st save for the Rays, who sit a game and half out in the AL Wild Card race, and just four games back in the AL East. Carlos Beltran and Alex Bregman both went deep in the loss for Houston. The series concludes with two more night games on Wednesday and Thursday night.
Dodgers Edge Braves for Ninth Straight Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed Monday's off day by getting even better at the trade deadline, and came back on Tuesday with no signs of slowing down. The NL-West leaders got past the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, on the road for their ninth straight victory. Kenta Maeda led the way on the mound by allowing just two hits over seven scoreless innings to record his 10th win of the season. The Braves tried to rally late behind a two-run long ball from Johan Camargo, but stranded Brandon Phillips on third base to end the game. Cody Bellinger smacked his 29th home run in the fourth to support Maeda, who struck out six and walked one. Chris Taylor's RBI double added to the lead in the third against Braves' starter Lucas Sims, who dropped his first decision of the season. The Dodgers added another run in the fifth when Yasiel Puig scored on a throwing error by catcher Tyler Flowers. Kenley Jansen then came in to strike out the side and earn his 28th save in 29 tries. Atlanta continued to struggle since reaching the .500 mark on July 16th, as they have gone on to drop 12 of 15 games. They continue their series with the majors' best team on Wednesday night.