Aug 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert (88) reacts after hitting a solo home run during the third inning in game two of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
August 16, 2020
Playing for the first time since July 29 because of a COVID-19 outbreak that ravaged the roster, the St. Louis Cardinals swept the host Chicago White Sox in a doubleheader on Saturday.
Taking the field with 10 players on the COVID-19 list, including catcher Yadier Molina and shortstop Paul DeJong, the Cardinals got a five-inning start from Adam Wainwright (2-0), who earned his 164th victory to move past Bob Forsch for third in franchise history, in beating the White Sox 5-1 in the opener.
In the second game, Tyler O’Neill broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning, and St. Louis won 6-3 to complete the sweep. Genesis Cabrera (1-0), the second of five Cardinals pitchers in the seven-inning game, got the victory as both teams treated it as a bullpen game.
Dexter Fowler drove home two runs and scored another to pace the Cardinals’ offense in the first game, while Wainwright gave up one run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts to get the win. Paul Goldschmidt had two hits, two runs, two RBIs and a home run in the second game.
Rookie Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez each went deep for the White Sox in the second game.
Athletics 7, Giants 6
Behind by two runs and down to its last strike, Oakland got a three-run, go-ahead home run from Mark Canha to cap a four-run ninth inning that lifted the American League West leader to a second straight improbable win at San Francisco.
After blowing a five-run lead on a solo homer by Matt Olson and a grand slam by Stephen Piscotty in what turned into a 10-inning defeat in the series opener, Giants closer Trevor Gott (1-1) once again was tagged for a pair of homers in the ninth, The first was a leadoff shot by Sean Murphy that got Oakland within 6-4.
A’s closer Liam Hendriks worked around a two-out walk in the last of the ninth for his seventh save. T.J. McFarlane (2-0), who got the final out of the eighth inning, was credited with the win.
Yankees 11, Red Sox 5
Clint Frazier hit a three-run homer and tied a career high with five RBIs as New York continued its dominance over slumping Boston and remained unbeaten in games played at Yankee Stadium.
Frazier hit a three-run drive with one out in the sixth off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-2) to give the Yankees a 7-3 lead. He then added a two-run single in the seventh off Matt Barnes as the Yankees scored three more runs in the frame.
Gio Urshela hit a two-run home run in the first open the scoring, and Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer in the fourth to give New York a 4-3 lead. It was Sanchez’s third straight game with a homer.
Brewers 6, Cubs 5 (10 innings)
Avisail Garcia and Luis Urias drove in one run apiece in the top of the 10th inning, and Milwaukee held on to beat Chicago, handing the hosts consecutive losses for the first time this season.
Garcia’s opposite-field hit down the right field line drove in Christian Yelich, who started the inning as the Brewers’ designated runner on second base. Urias followed with an infield single to drive in Garcia four batters later. The Cubs’ Ian Happ delivered an RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to one run.
Brewers reliever David Phelps (2-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Phelps gave way to fellow reliever Alex Claudio, who collected his first save after allowing one unearned run in the 10th. Cubs reliever Jeremy Jeffress (1-1) drew the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) in two innings of relief.
Twins 4, Royals 2 (Game 1)
Nelson Cruz homered and doubled, and Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez each had two hits to lead Minnesota past Kansas City in the seven-inning first game of a doubleheader in Minneapolis. Cruz had two RBIs and two runs scored.
Jake Odorizzi, making his second start after beginning the season on the 10-day injured list with an intercostal strain, retired the first 11 batters he faced, including six by strikeout, and pitched four shutout innings before allowing a double to Ryan McBroom and a two-run homer to Maikel Franco to open the fifth.
Odorizzi then gave way to Tyler Duffey (1-0), who retired all three batters he faced to pick up the victory. Taylor Rogers pitched around a pair of singles in the seventh to earn his fifth save.
Royals 4, Twins 2 (Game 2)
Whit Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs, and Danny Duffy picked up his first victory of the season as Kansas City defeated Minnesota to earn a split of their doubleheader.
Duffy (1-2) allowed two hits and two runs — though only one was earned, a fourth-inning homer by Nelson Cruz — over five innings. He walked one and struck out eight. Trevor Rosenthal garnered his fifth save in five chances. The Royals defeated the Twins for the fourth time in five games this season.
Jose Berrios (1-3) lost to the Royals for the second time in seven days, allowing four runs on five hits in four innings. He walked a season-high four batters and struck out seven.
Indians 3, Tigers 1
Shane Bieber struck out 11 in seven innings, Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run double and visiting Cleveland extended its franchise-record winning streak against Detroit to 19 games.
The streak is the longest by the Indians against any opponent. It’s also the longest losing streak in Tigers franchise history to a single opponent.
Bieber (4-0) scattered three hits and walked one. Brad Hand gave up a run and had the potential tying runs in scoring position in the ninth, but collected his fifth save. Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull (2-1) gave up three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 7, Padres 6
Catcher Carson Kelly tagged out pinch runner Jorge Mateo at the plate on a close play for the final out in the top of the ninth inning, saving Arizona’s win over San Diego in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks scored four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to lead 7-1, but they needed a big defensive play after closer Archie Bradley gave up three runs in the ninth.
Nick Ahmed drove in three, Kelly had three hits and drove in two runs, and David Peralta tacked on three hits in Arizona’s third straight victory, their longest winning streak of the season. Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his ninth of the season for the Padres, who have lost a season-high four straight.
Astros 2, Mariners 1
Cristian Javier worked six scoreless innings, and Yuli Gurriel blasted his fifth home run as Houston continued its dominance of Seattle.
Javier (2-1) allowed one hit, a one-out single to Austin Nola in the fifth inning, and recorded five strikeouts over a career-high 88 pitches. The right-hander posted only 48 strikes yet managed to keep the Mariners at bay, as the Astros improved to 23-2 against Seattle since the start of last season.
Gurriel drilled a two-out solo homer to straightaway center field in the fourth inning that extended the Houston lead to 2-0. His 420-foot blast came against Mariners left-hander Nick Margevicius (0-1), who pitched effectively in his second start of the season for Seattle. Margevicius allowed two runs on four hits and did not issue a walk over six innings.
Braves 2, Marlins 1
Adam Duvall hit a tie-breaking solo homer in the top of the ninth inning, leading Atlanta past host Miami to snap a four-game losing streak.
Duvall appeared to be fooled on an 0-1 slider from reliever Brandon Kintzler (1-1), but he managed to reach for and pull the 83 mph pitch 387 feet down the left field line. The ball struck off the foul pole for Duvall’s third homer of the season.
Atlanta’s only other run came from Marcell Ozuna’s seventh inning solo homer. Miami’s offense came from rookie Monte Harrison, who was hitting .105 on the season when he slugged his first major league homer in the eighth. Reliever Will Smith (1-0), who allowed the homer by Harrison, got the victory in just his third appearance as a member of the Braves.
Rangers 6, Rockies 4
Derek Dietrich homered, Shin-Soo Choo had three hits, and Texas won its fourth in a row by beating Colorado in Denver.
Elvis Andrus and Jose Trevino had two hits apiece, and Kyle Gibson pitched into the seventh inning to get his first win with Texas. Gibson (1-2) allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out two in 6 1/3 innings. Rafael Montero pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Trevor Story had two doubles and a triple, and Tony Wolters and Ryan McMahon had two hits each for Colorado. The Rockies have lost three straight and five of six. Colorado starter German Marquez (2-3) allowed three runs — two earned — on nine hits in six innings.
Phillies 6, Mets 2
Rhys Hoskins delivered a three-run double, Jean Segura homered and host Philadelphia got seven strong innings from Aaron Nola to beat New York.
Didi Gregorius added three hits for the Phillies, who have won two in a row against the Mets following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.
Nola tossed seven shutout innings and allowed three hits. Nola (2-1), who retired 13 in a row before departing, struck out eight and walked two while throwing 102 pitches, 66 for strikes. Mets left-hander Steven Matz lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs and five hits. Matz (0-4) struck out five and walked three.
Orioles 7, Nationals 3
Rio Ruiz homered, while Hanser Alberto and Pedro Severino both knocked in two runs, as Baltimore responded from an ugly loss the day before to beat visiting Washington.
Starter Asher Playing for the first time since July 29 because of a COVID-19 outbreak that ravaged the roster, the St. Louis Cardinals swept the host Chicago White Sox in a doubleheader on Saturday.
Taking the field with 10 players on the COVID-19 list, including catcher Yadier Molina and shortstop Paul DeJong, the Cardinals got a five-inning start from Adam Wainwright (2-0), who earned his 164th victory to move past Bob Forsch for third in franchise history, in beating the White Sox 5-1 in the opener.
In the second game, Tyler O’Neill broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning, and St. Louis won 6-3 to complete the sweep. Genesis Cabrera (1-0), the second of five Cardinals pitchers in the seven-inning game, got the victory as both teams treated it as a bullpen game.
Dexter Fowler drove home two runs and scored another to pace the Cardinals’ offense in the first game, while Wainwright gave up one run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts to get the win. Paul Goldschmidt had two hits, two runs, two RBIs and a home run in the second game.
Rookie Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez each went deep for the White Sox in the second game.
Athletics 7, Giants 6
Behind by two runs and down to its last strike, Oakland got a three-run, go-ahead home run from Mark Canha to cap a four-run ninth inning that lifted the American League West leader to a second straight improbable win at San Francisco.
After blowing a five-run lead on a solo homer by Matt Olson and a grand slam by Stephen Piscotty in what turned into a 10-inning defeat in the series opener, Giants closer Trevor Gott (1-1) once again was tagged for a pair of homers in the ninth, The first was a leadoff shot by Sean Murphy that got Oakland within 6-4.
A’s closer Liam Hendriks worked around a two-out walk in the last of the ninth for his seventh save. T.J. McFarlane (2-0), who got the final out of the eighth inning, was credited with the win.
Yankees 11, Red Sox 5
Clint Frazier hit a three-run homer and tied a career high with five RBIs as New York continued its dominance over slumping Boston and remained unbeaten in games played at Yankee Stadium.
Frazier hit a three-run drive with one out in the sixth off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-2) to give the Yankees a 7-3 lead. He then added a two-run single in the seventh off Matt Barnes as the Yankees scored three more runs in the frame.
Gio Urshela hit a two-run home run in the first open the scoring, and Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer in the fourth to give New York a 4-3 lead. It was Sanchez’s third straight game with a homer.
Brewers 6, Cubs 5 (10 innings)
Avisail Garcia and Luis Urias drove in one run apiece in the top of the 10th inning, and Milwaukee held on to beat Chicago, handing the hosts consecutive losses for the first time this season.
Garcia’s opposite-field hit down the right field line drove in Christian Yelich, who started the inning as the Brewers’ designated runner on second base. Urias followed with an infield single to drive in Garcia four batters later. The Cubs’ Ian Happ delivered an RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to one run.
Brewers reliever David Phelps (2-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Phelps gave way to fellow reliever Alex Claudio, who collected his first save after allowing one unearned run in the 10th. Cubs reliever Jeremy Jeffress (1-1) drew the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) in two innings of relief.
Twins 4, Royals 2 (Game 1)
Nelson Cruz homered and doubled, and Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez each had two hits to lead Minnesota past Kansas City in the seven-inning first game of a doubleheader in Minneapolis. Cruz had two RBIs and two runs scored.
Jake Odorizzi, making his second start after beginning the season on the 10-day injured list with an intercostal strain, retired the first 11 batters he faced, including six by strikeout, and pitched four shutout innings before allowing a double to Ryan McBroom and a two-run homer to Maikel Franco to open the fifth.
Odorizzi then gave way to Tyler Duffey (1-0), who retired all three batters he faced to pick up the victory. Taylor Rogers pitched around a pair of singles in the seventh to earn his fifth save.
Royals 4, Twins 2 (Game 2)
Whit Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs, and Danny Duffy picked up his first victory of the season as Kansas City defeated Minnesota to earn a split of their doubleheader.
Duffy (1-2) allowed two hits and two runs — though only one was earned, a fourth-inning homer by Nelson Cruz — over five innings. He walked one and struck out eight. Trevor Rosenthal garnered his fifth save in five chances. The Royals defeated the Twins for the fourth time in five games this season.
Jose Berrios (1-3) lost to the Royals for the second time in seven days, allowing four runs on five hits in four innings. He walked a season-high four batters and struck out seven.
Indians 3, Tigers 1
Shane Bieber struck out 11 in seven innings, Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run double and visiting Cleveland extended its franchise-record winning streak against Detroit to 19 games.
The streak is the longest by the Indians against any opponent. It’s also the longest losing streak in Tigers franchise history to a single opponent.
Bieber (4-0) scattered three hits and walked one. Brad Hand gave up a run and had the potential tying runs in scoring position in the ninth, but collected his fifth save. Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull (2-1) gave up three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 7, Padres 6
Catcher Carson Kelly tagged out pinch runner Jorge Mateo at the plate on a close play for the final out in the top of the ninth inning, saving Arizona’s win over San Diego in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks scored four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to lead 7-1, but they needed a big defensive play after closer Archie Bradley gave up three runs in the ninth.
Nick Ahmed drove in three, Kelly had three hits and drove in two runs, and David Peralta tacked on three hits in Arizona’s third straight victory, their longest winning streak of the season. Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his ninth of the season for the Padres, who have lost a season-high four straight.
Astros 2, Mariners 1
Cristian Javier worked six scoreless innings, and Yuli Gurriel blasted his fifth home run as Houston continued its dominance of Seattle.
Javier (2-1) allowed one hit, a one-out single to Austin Nola in the fifth inning, and recorded five strikeouts over a career-high 88 pitches. The right-hander posted only 48 strikes yet managed to keep the Mariners at bay, as the Astros improved to 23-2 against Seattle since the start of last season.
Gurriel drilled a two-out solo homer to straightaway center field in the fourth inning that extended the Houston lead to 2-0. His 420-foot blast came against Mariners left-hander Nick Margevicius (0-1), who pitched effectively in his second start of the season for Seattle. Margevicius allowed two runs on four hits and did not issue a walk over six innings.
Braves 2, Marlins 1
Adam Duvall hit a tie-breaking solo homer in the top of the ninth inning, leading Atlanta past host Miami to snap a four-game losing streak.
Duvall appeared to be fooled on an 0-1 slider from reliever Brandon Kintzler (1-1), but he managed to reach for and pull the 83 mph pitch 387 feet down the left field line. The ball struck off the foul pole for Duvall’s third homer of the season.
Atlanta’s only other run came from Marcell Ozuna’s seventh inning solo homer. Miami’s offense came from rookie Monte Harrison, who was hitting .105 on the season when he slugged his first major league homer in the eighth. Reliever Will Smith (1-0), who allowed the homer by Harrison, got the victory in just his third appearance as a member of the Braves.
Rangers 6, Rockies 4
Derek Dietrich homered, Shin-Soo Choo had three hits, and Texas won its fourth in a row by beating Colorado in Denver.
Elvis Andrus and Jose Trevino had two hits apiece, and Kyle Gibson pitched into the seventh inning to get his first win with Texas. Gibson (1-2) allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out two in 6 1/3 innings. Rafael Montero pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Trevor Story had two doubles and a triple, and Tony Wolters and Ryan McMahon had two hits each for Colorado. The Rockies have lost three straight and five of six. Colorado starter German Marquez (2-3) allowed three runs — two earned — on nine hits in six innings.
Phillies 6, Mets 2
Rhys Hoskins delivered a three-run double, Jean Segura homered and host Philadelphia got seven strong innings from Aaron Nola to beat New York.
Didi Gregorius added three hits for the Phillies, who have won two in a row against the Mets following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.
Nola tossed seven shutout innings and allowed three hits. Nola (2-1), who retired 13 in a row before departing, struck out eight and walked two while throwing 102 pitches, 66 for strikes. Mets left-hander Steven Matz lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs and five hits. Matz (0-4) struck out five and walked three.
Orioles 7, Nationals 3
Rio Ruiz homered, while Hanser Alberto and Pedro Severino both knocked in two runs, as Baltimore responded from an ugly loss the day before to beat visiting Washington.
Starter Asher Wojciechowski (1-2) threw five-plus innings and gave up three runs on five hits to get the win for the Orioles. The bullpen took care of the rest, going the last four frames and giving up no runs on one hit and rebounding from Friday’s 15-3 thrashing in the first game of the series.
Cole Sulser took care of the final four outs and received his fifth save this season. Patrick Corbin (2-1) struggled throughout his five-inning start, falling behind early. That stopped Washington from being able to catch up. He allowed five runs on eight hits and needed 94 pitches to get through those five frames.
Rays 1, Blue Jays 0 (suspended in fourth inning)
Tampa Bay’s game against Toronto in Buffalo, N.Y., was suspended due to rain after 3 1/2 innings.
The game — in which the only run was scored by Austin Meadows’ solo homer in the third inning — will be resumed on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. ET in Buffalo, with the regularly scheduled game to follow.
The first game will be played until completion through nine innings, while the second will be a seven-inning affair.
–Field Level MediaWojciechowski (1-2) threw five-plus innings and gave up three runs on five hits to get the win for the Orioles. The bullpen took care of the rest, going the last four frames and giving up no runs on one hit and rebounding from Friday’s 15-3 thrashing in the first game of the series.
Cole Sulser took care of the final four outs and received his fifth save this season. Patrick Corbin (2-1) struggled throughout his five-inning start, falling behind early. That stopped Washington from being able to catch up. He allowed five runs on eight hits and needed 94 pitches to get through those five frames.
Rays 1, Blue Jays 0 (suspended in fourth inning)
Tampa Bay’s game against Toronto in Buffalo, N.Y., was suspended due to rain after 3 1/2 innings.
The game — in which the only run was scored by Austin Meadows’ solo homer in the third inning — will be resumed on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. ET in Buffalo, with the regularly scheduled game to follow.
The first game will be played until completion through nine innings, while the second will be a seven-inning affair.
–Field Level Media
