September 2, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
September 3, 2018
Matt Kemp hit a walk-off, two-run double to give the host Los Angeles Dodgers sole possession of first place in the National League West with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon.
It was Kemp’s second straight game-winning hit. He crushed a three-run home run in the eighth inning Saturday night to give the Dodgers a 3-2 win and pull Los Angeles even with Arizona in the standings. The Diamondbacks fell to third place a half-game behind the Colorado Rockies.
Kemp’s home run Saturday came off Arizona reliever Archie Bradley. With Kemp due up in a key spot again Sunday, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo went back to Bradley, removing closer Brad Boxberger (2-5) to do so. Kemp hit Bradley’s first pitch off the wall in center field.
Daniel Descalso gave the Diamondbacks the lead in the top of the ninth inning with a leadoff home run off reliever Caleb Ferguson. Kenley Jansen (1-5) immediately replaced Ferguson and finished off the ninth inning, putting himself in line for the win.
Braves 5, Pirates 1
An error by Pittsburgh second baseman Kevin Newman on a grounder struck by Freddie Freeman allowed Ronald Acuna Jr. to race home with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading host Atlanta to a win.
Acuna singled against Steven Brault (5-3) to start the inning and was bunted to second. Freeman hit a sharp grounder that took a bad hop off Newman and scooted into right field, allowing Acuna to score. The Braves went on to add three insurance runs in the inning.
Acuna hit his seventh game-opening homer of the season, leaving him tied with Marquis Grissom (1997) for the franchise’s single-season record. He is tied with Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Hanley Ramirez (2006) for the second-most leadoff homers by a rookie. The rookie record of nine was set by Chris Young in 2007.
Cubs 8, Phillies 1
Javier Baez recorded his 30th home run and 100th RBI on the same swing of the bat in the sixth inning, helping Chicago win at Philadelphia.
Jon Lester survived two three-hit innings to throw six shutout innings, sending the Cubs to the 10th win in their last 12 games.
Baez became the first Cubs middle infielder to record a 30-homer/100-RBI season since Ryne Sandberg in 1990 when he hit a solo homer off Phillies starter Aaron Nola (15-4) to put the Cubs up 3-0. Nola allowed three homers and four runs in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 11.
Reds 6, Cardinals 4 (10 innings)
Eugenio Suarez clubbed his 31st home run, a two-run shot in the 10th inning, and Brandon Dixon then added a solo shot as Cincinnati outlasted host St. Louis.
The burst came after the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth against Michael Lorenzen (2-1), the Reds’ fifth pitcher. However, the right-hander preserved the 3-3 tie with a strikeout, a forceout at the plate and a shallow flyout.
The loss dropped St. Louis one-half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the National League wild-card race. The Cardinals were also foiled in their effort to pick up a franchise-record 11th straight series win.
Astros 4, Angels 2
George Springer and Alex Bregman homered, and Houston earned a split of its four-game series with visiting Los Angeles.
Springer followed a leadoff walk from Tony Kemp in the third inning with a two-run homer, his 20th, off Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani (4-2).
Ohtani, starting on the mound for the first time since June 6, departed one batter later after reaching his pitch count. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. Ohtani recently was limited to hitting but not pitching due to a right elbow sprain.
A’s 8, Mariners 2
Stephen Piscotty hit two home runs and had five RBIs as Oakland defeated visiting Seattle.
Edwin Jackson pitched six strong innings as the A’s earned a split of the four-game series. Jackson (5-3) gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (8-13) didn’t give up a run through four innings before the A’s tied it at 1-1 in the fifth on a solo homer by Piscotty. Hernandez wound up yielding four runs in five-plus innings.
Rangers 18, Twins 4
Jurickson Profar, Robinson Chirinos and Nomar Mazara each hit two-run home runs in a nine-run sixth inning, and Yohander Mendez picked up his first major league win by throwing six shutout innings as Texas crushed Minnesota in Arlington, Texas.
Profar, who went 4-for-5, also had a pair of doubles and scored three runs, while Mazara added a second home run in the eighth. Elvis Andrus and Drew Robinson also homered for Texas, which set a club record with 13 extra base hits.
Chris Gimenez, who started at first base for the Twins, pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He then homered in the ninth, becoming the first Minnesota pitcher to homer since Jim Kaat in 1972.
Royals 9, Orioles 1
Whit Merrifield had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base while extending his on-base streak to a career-high 22 games, and Jorge Lopez struck out a career-high eight in Kansas City’s victory over visiting Baltimore.
Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar had three hits and an RBI apiece, and Jorge Bonifacio had two hits and an RBI as the Royals won their fifth in a row and seventh in their past eight, both season bests.
Lopez (1-4) gave up five hits and one run in seven innings and did not walk a batter in his first victory since September 2015, when he was with Milwaukee. He was acquired from the Brewers in the Mike Moustakas deal in July.
Brewers 9, Nationals 4
Keon Broxton hit a three-run homer and Christian Yelich added a grand slam, both coming in a seven-run fifth inning, as Milwaukee took command en route to a victory at Washington.
The Nationals held a 4-2 lead coming into the fifth, but both of the homers came with two outs and gave the Brewers a 9-4 lead. Milwaukee has tied a team record by hitting home runs in 12 straight games.
Brewers reliever Brandon Woodruff (3-0) tossed four scoreless innings for the win. He gave up three hits and no walks while fanning five.
Blue Jays 6, Marlins 1
Rookie Sean Reid-Foley earned his first major league win as Toronto won at Miami.
Reid-Foley (1-2) held the Marlins to four hits, one walk and one run in seven innings. He struck out a career-high 10, including all three batters he faced in the first inning. Teoscar Hernandez led Toronto’s offense with a three-run homer, and Luke Maile went 3-for-3 with three doubles.
Miami’s Jeff Brigham, making his major league debut, took the loss, allowing four hits, four walks and three runs in three innings. He struck out two.
Tigers 11, Yankees 7
Rookie Victor Reyes went 4-for-5, hit his first career homer and matched a career high with three RBIs as Detroit recorded a victory at New York.
Reyes helped the Tigers earn a split the four-game series by getting a hit in four consecutive at-bats.
Nicholas Castellanos homered, and Castellanos, Ronny Rodriguez and Dawel Lugo each had three hits for Detroit.
Rockies 7, Padres 3
Chris Iannetta snapped a tie with a two-run double in the seventh inning, and David Dahl homered in the eighth as Colorado gained a split of a four-game series at San Diego.
Kyle Freeland (13-7) held the Padres to three runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings.
Dahl drove in two runs for the Rockies, who got three hits from Charlie Blackmon and two hits from Trevor Story.
Rays 6, Indians 4
Brandon Lowe homered, doubled twice and had three RBIs, Ryan Yarbrough pitched five-plus relief innings, and visiting Tampa Bay held on to defeat Cleveland.
Yarbrough (13-5) allowed one run, two hits and one walk as the Rays won the rubber match of the three-game series. The left-hander struck out three. Jose Alvarado pitched two-thirds of an inning to pick up his seventh save despite allowing Melky Cabrera’s two-run double in Cleveland’s three-run ninth.
Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco (16-8) allowed five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Mets 4, Giants 1
Noah Syndergaard threw a two-hitter for the first complete game of his career, and Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer in the second inning, guiding New York to a victory at San Francisco.
Syndergaard (10-3) became the Mets’ first 10-game winner this season, going the distance in his 81st career start. He walked one and struck out a season-high-tying 11.
The former All-Star gave up a triple to Alen Hanson in the third inning that was followed by a Chris Stratton sacrifice fly. Syndergaard yielded a one-out single to Evan Longoria in the fourth, then retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced.
White Sox 8, Red Sox 0
James Shields pitched six scoreless innings, Tim Anderson and Daniel Palka each homered, and host Chicago cruised to a win over Boston.
Shields (6-15) scattered four hits, walked two and struck out six. Matt Davidson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as the White Sox earned a four-game series split.
Xander Bogaerts had two of Boston’s five hits. The Red Sox were blanked for the sixth time this season.
–Field Level Media
