Trout Records 1,000th Hit in Angels' Loss
Mike Trout had himself one heck of a birthday, even though it resulted in an Angels' loss. The star centerfielder recorded his 1,000th career hit on his 26th birthday, but his team fell to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-2. Trout doubled down the left-field line in the fourth inning to reach the milestone, and then homered in the sixth inning to go along with the accomplishment. He becomes the 11th player to reach 1,000 hits in an Angels uniform. His long ball was the 23rd of the season for him. Although, the Orioles got the last laugh, as Manny Machado's grand slam was the difference on the night. Machado's slam came in the seventh inning and broke a 2-2 tie, helping his team reach the .500 mark for the first time since June 29th. Dylan Bundy took over on the mound, lasting seven innings and striking out a career-high 10 batters to record his 11th victory. These two teams are going in opposite directions as of last, as Baltimore has won eight of 10, while the Angels have dropped three in a row. This series continues on Tuesday night.
Baez, Cubs Take Game 1 From Giants
The Chicago Cubs are returning to familiar territory this week, giving them a chance to reminisce on their NLDS comeback last postseason. They came back to San Francisco for the first time since the 2016 NLDS matchup on Monday, taking the first game of the series, 5-3, from the Giants. Javier Baez sparked the win with an inside-the-park home run for his 16th homer of the year in the victory. The wild play came after a tricky hop in right-center field and scored Jason Heyward from first base. That backed up Jake Arrieta, who earned his 11th win after lasting 6.1 innings and striking out five with no walks on the night. Wade Davis came in for the final three outs and his 24th save of the season. Matt Moore had a tough outing to fall to 3-12 on the year for the last-place Giants, as he was the victim of Baez's unique homer. It was the Cubs' player first career inside-the-park home run, and first for Chicago since Anthony Rizzo did it on June 29th of 2016. The last one at AT&T Park took place in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game, when Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners did it on a similar-hit ball. The Cubs now lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 1.5 games in the NL Central.
Harper, Stanton Homer, Nats Beat Marlins
Two of baseball's best sluggers were on display on Monday night in the Washington Nationals' 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins. Both Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton went deep, while Adam Lind came through as a pinch-hitter in the win. Max Scherzer impressed in his first outing since dealing with neck spasms, as he lasted seven innings and allowed five hits and two runs in a no-decision. He did surrender Stanton's 37th home run, as well as an RBI single to starting pitcher, Odrisamer Despaigne. Harper's home run came in the fourth inning, while Lind had the tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth to lead the Nats to victory. Jarlin Garcia gave up the go-ahead inning for Miami, falling to 0-2 on the season on Lind's 13th pinch hit and 10th RBI in the role. Newcomes in the bullpen shined for the first-place Nationals, as Brandon Kintzler threw a perfect eighth
Mike Trout had himself one heck of a birthday, even though it resulted in an Angels' loss. The star centerfielder recorded his 1,000th career hit on his 26th birthday, but his team fell to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-2. Trout doubled down the left-field line in the fourth inning to reach the milestone, and then homered in the sixth inning to go along with the accomplishment. He becomes the 11th player to reach 1,000 hits in an Angels uniform. His long ball was the 23rd of the season for him. Although, the Orioles got the last laugh, as Manny Machado's grand slam was the difference on the night. Machado's slam came in the seventh inning and broke a 2-2 tie, helping his team reach the .500 mark for the first time since June 29th. Dylan Bundy took over on the mound, lasting seven innings and striking out a career-high 10 batters to record his 11th victory. These two teams are going in opposite directions as of last, as Baltimore has won eight of 10, while the Angels have dropped three in a row. This series continues on Tuesday night.
Baez, Cubs Take Game 1 From Giants
The Chicago Cubs are returning to familiar territory this week, giving them a chance to reminisce on their NLDS comeback last postseason. They came back to San Francisco for the first time since the 2016 NLDS matchup on Monday, taking the first game of the series, 5-3, from the Giants. Javier Baez sparked the win with an inside-the-park home run for his 16th homer of the year in the victory. The wild play came after a tricky hop in right-center field and scored Jason Heyward from first base. That backed up Jake Arrieta, who earned his 11th win after lasting 6.1 innings and striking out five with no walks on the night. Wade Davis came in for the final three outs and his 24th save of the season. Matt Moore had a tough outing to fall to 3-12 on the year for the last-place Giants, as he was the victim of Baez's unique homer. It was the Cubs' player first career inside-the-park home run, and first for Chicago since Anthony Rizzo did it on June 29th of 2016. The last one at AT&T Park took place in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game, when Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners did it on a similar-hit ball. The Cubs now lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 1.5 games in the NL Central.
Harper, Stanton Homer, Nats Beat Marlins
Two of baseball's best sluggers were on display on Monday night in the Washington Nationals' 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins. Both Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton went deep, while Adam Lind came through as a pinch-hitter in the win. Max Scherzer impressed in his first outing since dealing with neck spasms, as he lasted seven innings and allowed five hits and two runs in a no-decision. He did surrender Stanton's 37th home run, as well as an RBI single to starting pitcher, Odrisamer Despaigne. Harper's home run came in the fourth inning, while Lind had the tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth to lead the Nats to victory. Jarlin Garcia gave up the go-ahead inning for Miami, falling to 0-2 on the season on Lind's 13th pinch hit and 10th RBI in the role. Newcomes in the bullpen shined for the first-place Nationals, as Brandon Kintzler threw a perfect eighth
