Small Victories

You usually hear this phrase applied to life's little tribulations like opening that jar of pickles, or finding a quarter on the sidewalk, or having the car ahead of you get pulled over for speeding, or finally getting that darned fly that's been buzzing around the desk while you write this intro.

This week saw baseball take a fairly radical turn from the 24-4 and 15-8 scores that lit up the scoreboard last week. At least until one particular blowup on Sunday afternoon, which we'll throw in at the end. But it doesn't matter if you win by 20 or by 1, as the Orioles and Royals can tell you, they still count.


A Pirate's Life For Me

The Braves piled up 10 hits at PNC Park in their series opener on Monday, which doesn't sound like it fits the title until you realize that they came in eight different innings. The 4th was their only 1-2-3 frame, and the only time they lumped multiple hits into an inning was in the 1st when Freddie Freeman hit a two-out double and then came around on a Nick Markakis knock. They went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.

They won. The Pirates only had seven hits, and the only time they got two in an inning, the first one was erased on a double play. So the two teams limped their way to a 1-0 final despite combining for 25 baserunners. For Atlanta it was their first game with double-digit hits, at least four extra-base hits, and only one run scored since their 2009 season finale with the Nationals when neither team seemed to want to go home for the winter and they played 14 innings. The only other time in the live-ball era they posted that line and won was on September 9, 1993, when Ron Gant's solo homer at San Diego decided things in the 10th.

The Braves now have three 1-0 wins this season after not having any in 2017. (There were other teams without one last year, so they're not terribly special in that department.) The last time they scored a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh was on June 4, 2005, on a 9th-inning RBI double by then-46-year-old Julio Franco.

And remember last week we covered the Cubs' trip to Pittsburgh where they won two 1-0 games and both runs came on solo homers? That gave the Pirates three 1-0 losses between Thursday and Monday, albeit to different teams. Only once before in team history (1882) have they suffered three 1-0 defeats in a five-day span, and the other took them only two days. On Labor Day weekend of 1917 they were scheduled to play four games with the Cardinals to make up for a rainout from May. Well, Thursday's game got rained out as well, forcing back-to-back doubleheaders on Friday (August 31) and Saturday (September 1). Pittsburgh won the opener 2-0, but then had the second game called after five innings by (surprise!) more rain as a 1-0 loss, then dropped both games on Saturday by the same score.

The Pirates' woes continued for the rest of that Braves series, dropping scores of 6-1 on Tuesday and 2-1 on Wednesday. Newly-acquired Kevin Gausman pitched eight scoreless innings in the Tuesday game before Gregory Polanco's shutout-disrupting homer in the 9th. Gausman is the first Braves pitcher with eight scoreless innings and at least five strikeouts in Pittsburgh since John Smoltz did it at Three Rivers on July 24, 1998. And combined with the last game of their prior homestand, a 2-1 loss to the Cardinals, the Pirates have gone eight straight home games without scoring more than 3 runs. That's the longest streak in PNC Park history, and the team's longest at home since May 1985.


They'd Rather Be At The Beach

The Braves then headed to Miami for the weekend and held the Marlins to four runs in four games-- and ended up with only a split. Both Atlanta wins were shutouts, including Sunday's finale where Kevin Gausman and friends allowed just one hit before the 9th inning. Since Marlins Park opened, Miami's been held to two hits there a whopping 13 times, and four of those are against the Braves. As for Gausman, he's the fifth Atlanta starter this season to allow zero runs and no more than one hit while also getting a win (this adds the five-inning minimum and gets rid of those pesky Rays "openers"). Four teams, and yes the Rays are still one of them along with the Pirates and Yankees, have had five starters do that this season; in the previous 98 seasons of the live-ball era, a total of four teams had done it. And there's still a whole month left.

On the other hand, Friday's game was one of those 1-0 wins, with the run coming in the 4th when Brian Anderson doubled and Derek Dietrich immediately singled him home. The Marlins' last 1-0 win over anyone was when Giancarlo Stanton homered against the Nationals on September 20, 2016; and the last time they had three or fewer hits, with no homers, and won a 1-0 contest, was May 7, 2014 against the Mets (that one featured six walks and a sac fly). Those two hits in the 4th were the only ones surrendered by Mike Foltynewicz, who became just the fourth starter in Atlanta history to allow no more than two base knocks, strike out at least eight, and lose. Aaron Harang (2014), Jo-Jo Reyes (2008), and Russ Ortiz (2004) make up the rest of that illustrious list.


Tiger Cubs

Back to the Cubs again, just when we thought that one-run theme ended with last week's post, they said, um, no, let's ride this thing as far as it'll take us. Well, it took them to the Motor City on Tuesday, but the only motoring done by the Chicago offense was Anthony Rizzo's solo homer in the 6th. Their other seven hits were all singles and-- you guessed it-- they scored only one run. Again. On a solo homer. Again. We already knew on Sunday that the Cubs were the first team in major-league history to score 1 run on a solo homer four games in a row, so obviously they're the first to do it in five. (And the second to do it in four straight, if you're into that whole streak-embedded-within-streak thing.) It was also just the second time in Cubs history that they'd posted exactly 1 run in five straight games (not 0), regardless of how said run scored. The other such streak was from August 27 to September 1, 1934.

On the Tigers' side of things, they didn't really have it easy either. Jeimer Candelario hit a leadoff double to start a two-run "rally" in the 1st, but that was all they got against Kyle Hendricks despite nine more base hits after that. Hendricks became the first Cubs pitcher to give up 10+ hits, strike out only three batters, but still keep the damage to two runs, since Travis Wood did it against the Yankees on April 16, 2014. Candelario would add another double later in the game, the first Tigers leadoff batter with a multi-double game at home since Andy Dirks (who really did bat leadoff, 38 times even!) against the Royals on August 15, 2013.

For the Tigers it had been nearly six years since they scored 1 or 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st, didn't score at all the rest of the game, and they had those run(s) hold up for a win. Prince Fielder and Delmon Young completed a run of four 1st-inning singles, and then Anibal Sanchez threw a complete-game three-hitter, against the Royals on September 25, 2012.

And maybe the Cubs were just a day or two late on reading our previous post; on Wednesday they erupted for eight runs and three homers so we would finally stop talking about them.


Null And Voit

As soon as the Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton over the winter, the chatter immediately started about them breaking the team record for home runs (264 by the 1997 Mariners). After all, they came within two dozen of it last year without him, and through Sunday they're sitting on 211 with 32 games to play. Every so often, however, they have a strange game where they don't homer, and this week it was Tuesday in Miami. In the 4th Neil Walker hits the Yankees' third single of the inning to open the scoring, and a bit later Austin Dean hits his first dinger before the home "crowd", since league rules require Masahiro Tanaka to give up at least one per game. And then we sit. Of the next 27 batters, 24 are retired until the Marlins load the bases with one out in the bottom of the 9th. And don't score. They load them up again to start the 11th. And get a forceout at home (just when you think that "intentional walk" thing never works out), a strikeout, and a pop-up to third. Finally the Yankees think, hey we should try this, loading the bases with one out in the 12th thanks to a walk and a hit batter. Miguel Andujar sends a fly ball deep enough to left to score the run from third, and that's all we need. The Yankees played an extra-inning game, scored only two runs, and won; combined with their July 8 game in Toronto, it's their first season with two such road games since 1991. And the only time in team history they'd done it in a National League park was Game 2 of the 1950 World Series in Philadelphia.

Andujar's sac fly was the Yankees' first in extra innings this season, and also the first one they've ever hit in extras against the Marlins. The last one they hit in any inning while visiting the Marlins was by Scott Brosius on July 12, 2001 (in the 6th). And the Marlins went down in the bottom of the 12th, well, unceremoniously, with Isaac Galloway caught stealing with two outs as he tried to get in scoring position for the tie. That was the first time in team history that the Marlins had ever ended a game with an extra-inning CS, and it got Yankees journeyman Tommy Kahnle his fourth career save. The last time the Yankees ended a game by catching an opponent stealing was September 13, 2011, in Seattle, and that was a slightly more important save-- Mariano Rivera's 600th.

The Yankees actually didn't homer on Wednesday either, their first time doing it back-to-back in a National League park since a three-game set in St Louis in May 2014. But no worries, it's back to normal on Friday in Baltimore, with newcomer Luke Voit, playing in just his eighth game for the Yankees after being traded for Chasen Shreve at the deadline, hitting two homers including the ultimate decider in the 10th. Voit ended up driving in four runs, joining a fairly impressive list of big-name Yankees to have ever had a 2-HR, 4-RBI game with one of them coming in extra innings. Jason Giambi was the last to do it, at Fenway on August 20, 2006. Before that: Rick Cerone (1980), Mickey Mantle (1961), Aaron Robinson (1946), Joe DiMaggio (1938), Lou Gehrig (1935), and Babe Ruth (1926).

But even though Voit hit his two-run shot in the 10th, that wasn't the homer that gave the Yankees the lead. That had been a solo shot two batters earlier by Neil Walker. Combined, it was the first time that the Yankees had ever hit two extra-inning homers in the same game in Baltimore (either at Camden or Memorial). And the reason Voit's homer became the game-winning RBI, is because Chris Davis hit a solo dinger of his own in the bottom half to make the final score 7-5. Only one other player in Orioles/Browns history had homered in the bottom of an extra inning against the Yankees and had it not be a walkoff. Ken Williams hit one off Carl Mays on May 19, 1923, to cut a 6-4 lead to 6-5.

Voit helped lead the Yankees to a sweep on Sunday night with another three-hit outburst and another homer. Although several players have done it twice in a season, Voit is the first Yankee ever to have a pair of 3-hit, 2-run, 2-RBI games in the same series in Baltimore (either stadium).


Dueling Banjos

Without further information (such as, say, a boxscore) it's hard to tell whether a low-scoring game is really a pitcher's duel or just two inept offenses trying to play a day game on five hours' sleep and connecting for eight meaningless singles before someone accidentally hits a walkoff double and let's just go home. There are plenty of these latter kind of games; we affectionately call them "turnips", after the old line that you can't get blood (in our case Kernels) out of one.

Thursday's matchup of NL East aces Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola was the gem that is becoming rarer-- an actual pitcher's duel in which they combined for 15 innings, seven hits, 19 strikeouts, and the game was decided by one stray "accidental" homer, off the bat of Odubel Herrera. The Phillies only had three hits the entire game, but that was the one that mattered and they won 2-0. It's actually the third game so far this season that the Phillies won with only three hits, the most in the majors at the moment, and the team's most since 2009. Nola, with eight scoreless innings and nine of those strikeouts, was the first Phillies hurler to post that line in a road game since Cole Hamels no-hit the Cubs on July 25, 2015. And Herrera was the first Phillie to hit a two-run homer for a 2-0 victory since Bobby Abreu did it against the Dodgers on July 29, 2003.

And good old Max Scherzer, sometimes it just takes one mistake pitch. (This is profferred as a reason why no-hitters are so special, because every pitcher throws a mistake or three somewhere in a game.) He became the first Nationals pitcher to strike out 10, allow two hits, and lose since... yep, Max Scherzer did it in Miami on June 21 of last season. Only one other pitcher in team history has done it twice; that was Floyd Youmans, whose games both came in 1986 for the Expos.

The Nationals, however, didn't really have the "Aaron Nola" excuse when they headed to Citi Field for the weekend. They instead met up with Jason Vargas, whose 3-8 record and 7.67 ERA don't exactly lend themselves to "ace" status no matter how little you believe in pitcher wins. And naturally Vargas threw six scoreless innings, held the Nationals to just three baserunners (all singles, no walks), and struck out eight batters. Only one other pitcher in Mets history had posted that line against the current Washington franchise, regardless of the number of innings; Sid Fernandez threw eight scoreless innings with one hit (a Mitch Webster double in the 5th), two walks, and 10 strikeouts at Stade Olympíque on June 12, 1988. (And the Mets eventually lost on a walkoff, because Mets.) Gio Gonzalez took the loss on Friday despite allowing just 1 run in seven innings; he now has the Washington "record" with four games doing that; Tanner Roark and Jordan Zimmermann each have three.

Speaking of Roark, it was his turn on the bump on Saturday, and he also allowed just one run, although he only pitched six frames instead of seven. Which in this case is good, because if he had thrown seven, he would have re-tied Gio Gonzalez by losing again. The sputtering Nationals offense managed only seven hits, all singles, against Zack Wheeler, to the point where the first two batters of the game came out bunting. That still didn't work; Washington lost 3-0 and thus recorded the first streak in Nationals history of getting shut out in three consecutive games. Their last time doing it in Montréal was April 13 to 15, 2004, in their final season; and the last time a Washington team did it was April 12 and 13, 1969, when the Senators (now Texas) did it in Baltimore (the 13th was a doubleheader).


(We know about Sunday, Nationals fans. You waited for three days to see them score a run, you can hang on a couple more paragraphs. Here's some obviously-fits-the-title music while you wait. Intermission!


Giant Sucking Sound

After getting blown out by Cincinnati on Sunday, the Giants continued their eastward trek by returning to their New York roots for a four-game series with the Mets. Amed Rosario, as he is prone to doing when he doesn't homer, led off the game with a single, and Wilmer Flores doubled him home for a 1-0 Mets lead in the 1st. Then nothing. Derek Holland somehow needed 102 pitches to finish five innings while Zack Wheeler struck out 10 batters before Alen Hanson's fly ball in the 7th was strangely misplayed by Rosario into a double. Now we have a 1-1 tie, and usually you just have a feel for these. If it's 9-9 and both teams are scoring at will, extra innings aren't as bothersome because it'll probably only take one, maybe two. If we are in "inept offense" mode, well, we might sit here all night. Both teams put a runner in scoring position in the 11th. Nope. The Mets work two walks in the 12th. Nope. In classic Mets fashion, it takes two errors and a wild pitch to finally give the Giants the lead in the 13th, which Derek Law then holds in the bottom half for the win. (Also, Jason Vargas-- a pitcher pinch-hitting for another pitcher-- made the final out of the game, because Mets.) San Francisco has now won four games this season of 13 innings or longer, the team's most since the 1966 campaign.

Errors are a little bit tricky because they can get attached to pretty much any other play, but the one that scored the winning run was a straight-up "reached on error" for the batter, in this case a fly ball to left that Dominic Smith just booted. Not a throwing error where another runner was safe, or a bobble on a base hit to advance the batter another base. Catch the ball and the inning's over. By inning, it was the latest one of those committed by the Mets since 3B Howard Johnson airmailed a ground ball by Cubs great Ryne Sandberg on April 17, 1990. Joe Girardi scored on that play, which should have been the third out and forced the game to another inning. On the Giants' side, it was the first time they'd received such benevolence since Bob Burda reached on an error by Padres first baseman Nate Colbert on May 11, 1970.

Fast-forward to Friday. The Giants have left New York, trudged across the plains, fjorded the Mississippi, conquered the arduous Rocky Mountains, made it through the Donner Pass (none of this is true, they took a cushy airplane), and are back in San Francisco for an interleague series with Texas. And what goes around comes around, at least in the area of game-changing errors in the late innings. With the Giants holding a 6-4 lead, Shin-Soo Choo comes to bat with two outs in the top of the 9th. He rolls a 3-2 pitch to 2B Joe Panik which looks like it's going to end the game and... doink. Hey, it happens. Not the best time for it to happen, but you still only need one out for the win. So of course what does Rougned Odor do with the very next pitch. Giants go 1-2-3 in the bottom half and off to extras we go again.

This one didn't take quite as long; the Rangers got two quick singles, including one on a pop-up that dropped in the famous 2B/1B/RF "triangle" just behind Panik, but the Giants also got two quick outs. And then Sam Dyson can't find the strike zone. Four straight balls to Ronald Guzman to load the bases. Four more straight balls to Robinson Chirinos and the Rangers end up winning the game 7-6. That was only the third go-ahead walk ever drawn by the Rangers in extra innings of a road game; the others were by Oddibe McDowell in Toronto on May 17, 1988, and Mickey Rivers in Baltimore on July 19, 1980. And as already discussed, errors can be kind of tricky to parse, but for the Giants, it was the first time they had a lead with two outs and bases empty in the 9th, allowed an opposing batter to reach on an error to keep the game going, and eventually lost it, since May 22, 1969, against the Cardinals. Curt Flood reached on an error by 2B Ron Hunt, Tim McCarver tied the game two batters later, and the Cardinals later erupted for a six-run 11th.


Take A Jans-en Me

Like many modern closers, who frequently have incentive bonuses based on how many saves they collect, Kenley Jansen usually only gets summoned when the Dodgers are already leading. But on Monday he found his way into a 3-3 tie with the Cardinals and proceeded to, well, not get a save. Jedd Gyorko took his third pitch into the center-field seats for a go-ahead homer, making it 4-3 and putting Jansen on the hook for the loss. Two pitches later, Matt Carpenter added another nail with a homer of his own. The Dodgers couldn't get either of those runs back in the bottom of the 9th and lost 5-3. But it was only the second game in Jansen's career where he gave up multiple homers; the other was May 18, 2013, in Atlanta, when Evan Gattis and Andrelton Simmons went back-to-back to flip the lead. Gyorko and Carpenter are the first Cardinals teammates ever to hit homers in the 9th or later of the same game at Dodger Stadium-- forget the whole back-to-back part.

So that just makes Wednesday's game even more interesting. Because Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler are locked in one of those "pitcher's duels"-- four hits, one run, and 19 strikeouts between them, but eventually they both succumb to being over 100 pitches. Flaherty's lone hit, slash, mistake, was Joc Pederson's homer with 1 out in the 6th. That leaves us 1-1 going to the 9th, and here's Kenley Jansen again. All righty then. Gyorko managed only a single this time, but now it's Paul DeJong's turn. Wham, two-run homer to give St Louis a 3-1 lead which Jordan Hicks was able to protect in the bottom of the 9th.

DeJong's shot was only the third multi-run, go-ahead homer allowed by Jansen in his career; the others were a walkoff by Melvin Upton of the Padres on May 20, 2016; and a two-run shot by Atlanta's Evan Gattis on May 18, 2013. Combined with Monday's first dinger (the one by Gyorko), it's only the second time the Cardinals have ever hit multiple go-ahead homers in the 9th inning or later in the same series at Dodger Stadium, and you've probably heard of the other two players to do it. Joe Torre took Don Sutton deep, and then Lou Brock homered off Jim Brewer, in back-to-back games on August 28 and 29, 1970.

Jack Flaherty, meanwhile, gave up just that one hit (Joc Pederson's homer) while fanning 10 Dodgers. He's the first Cardinals pitcher to do that since... oh. Jack Flaherty, June 22 in Milwaukee. Well, then okay, he's the first Cardinals pitcher to do it twice in a season. The only others to do it twice at all are Chris Carpenter and Bob Gibson, and their two games were in different seasons. The rub, of course, is that Flaherty didn't get the win in either game. And no Cardinals pitcher in the live-ball era has had that misfortune twice. The only one to even do it once is Alan Benes in Atlanta on May 16, 1997.

Jansen would be called into a game again on Saturday with the Dodgers holding a 4-3 lead over the Padres through eight innings. Now in the more-traditional save situation, Jansen struck out Franmil Reyes, but then gave up another game-tying homer, this time to Austin Hedges. It was Jansen's fourth blown save of the year, and the Dodgers did eventually walk off on the 12th when Justin Turner hit the team's first-ever extra-inning walkoff double against San Diego. But that makes three tying or go-ahead homers allowed by Jansen this week; since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, only one other Dodgers pitcher has surrendered three such longballs in a week. That was Jim Brewer who got tagged with two losses and two blown saves between August 29 and September 3, 1973.


Hey Wait For Us

We always like to joke around that whatever direction this post goes on Sunday nights, one or two teams read it on Monday or Tuesday and decide to jump on the bandwagon by repeating whatever last week's theme was. So of course just as this one is nearing completion on Sunday afternoon, the Nationals have to have another one of those games that we have to talk about, but which totally doesn't fit the theme.

Well, sort of. It actually did fit the theme for seven whole innings, with Jefry Rodriguez shutting out the Mets on two hits, and Steven Matz allowing just one run after a Trea Turner leadoff double in the 6th. That sets up Matz beautifully for the "Jacob deGrom Special"-- seven-ish innings, one run allowed, no run support from his offense, and (at best) a no-decision. (A few years ago this was the Cliff Lee Special, but the torch has passed.) And then, um, Nationals?

Paul Sewald is summoned for the 8th and he apparently doesn't have anywhere else to be. Except maybe the shower. Single, walk, single, strikeout (he did get one), bases-loaded walk, Bryce Harper bases-clearing double, pitching change, Wilmer Difo two-run homer. That took our 1-0 to 7-0 with five of those charged to Sewald. Turns out Sewald had a game last June against the Pirates where he also gave up five runs while getting one out. That was in a save situation, which at least Sunday's game wasn't, but still he's just the third reliever in Mets history to pull that off twice. The others were Roger McDowell in the late 1980s, and Larry Bearnarth in 1964 and 1965.

Done, however, the Nationals are not. That pitching change turned things over to rookie Tyler Bashlor, and well, yeah. Mark Reynolds gets hit by a pitch and Adam Eaton launches another two-run homer before Bashlor gets out of the inning. It's 9-0 when Corey Oswalt appears for the 9th, and Jose Reyes could have pitched this one. Four singles, another bases-loaded walk, and this inning, instead of Mark Reynolds getting hit by a pitch, a pitch gets hit by Mark Reynolds. Into the batter's eye for a grand slam. Not surprisingly, it's the first grand slam in franchise history to be hit in the 9th or later with the team already ahead by double digits. And the only other slam they'd hit in Flushing as late as even the 5th inning was Tim Raines off Jesse Orosco on May 2, 1987 (top 10). But Oswalt finally leaves having allowed six more runs, and when the Mets waste an Austin Jackson single in the bottom half, you are left with the biggest shutout victory in Washington baseball history-- 15-0. More on that in a second.

The Mets have juggled Oswalt between the rotation and the bullpen, and his first start back in June also involved giving up six earned runs (to the Marlins). Only three other Mets pitchers have done that in both a start and a relief appearance in the same season; they are Jeremy Griffiths in 2003, Mark Bomback in 1980, and Tug McGraw in 1973. Matz, as promised, became the 11th Mets pitcher this season to throw 7+ innings of one-run ball and not get a win; that's the most in the majors (Tigers 10). However, the last Mets pitcher with that line to actually take the loss (not a no-decision) in a home game was Bartolo Colón on July 23, 2015-- a contest (we were there!) where Clayton Kershaw perfect-gamed them for six innings and John Mayberry (.170/.235/.330!) batted cleanup. (To their credit, the next day they traded for Yoenis Cespedes.)

But back to that score. It is tied for second in the annals of both Mets shutout losses and Nats/Expos shutout wins. The Expos beat Atlanta 19-0 on July 30, 1978, and posted two other 15's while based in Canada (so it's really more like 11.9 U.S. runs), but haven't done it since the move in 2005. Meanwhile, the Mets also have the Braves to thank for their largest shutout loss, a 16-0 on July 2, 1999.

The Rangers' (as Second Senators) largest shutout was a 13-0 against the Angels in 1965. The original AL Senators (now the Twins) beat the White Sox 14-0 on September 3, 1942, and the Boston Americans (after their league, they're now the Red Sox) by the same count on September 11, 1905. The old National League Senators never did it in the 1890s when scores like 22-16 abounded and any shutout was uncommon. The only other 14-0 in D.C. baseball history was by the original Senators of the Union Association, against the Wilmington (Del.) Quicksteps (this is a real thing), on August 22, 1884. Until Sunday no Washington-based team had ever posted a 15-0 shutout or higher. And also remember this month of score madness began with a 25-4 win by the Nationals on July 31... over the Mets. The last team to beat the same opponent by 15 runs twice in the same season was the 2005 Red Sox, who had a pair of 17-1 decisions over the Yankees. The last team to win one of the two games by at least 20 was the 1953 edition of those Boston Americans, who had back-to-back wins over the Tigers by scores of 17-1 and 23-3.

So after a week of 3-1's and 1-0's and 2-1's, does ending the week with a 15-0 means that we're in for a return to those hot bats of early August? At least we've got an early start on next week's post if it does.


Bottom Of The Bag

⚾ Matt Carpenter, Sunday: Second Cardinals batter in live-ball era with four doubles in a game. Other is Joe "Ducky" Medwick during his triple-crown year, August 4, 1937, against the Braves.

⚾ Orioles, Wednesday: First time shut out on two or fewer hits in Toronto since September 30, 1988-- that's the second of Dave Stieb's famous back-to-back "lost no-hitter with two outs in the 9th" games.

⚾ Framber Valdez, Tuesday: First pitcher to hit three batters in his major-league debut and still get the win since the Phillies' John Jackson on June 20, 1933.

⚾ Ramon Laureano, Monday: Third-youngest batter in A's history with 2 HR and 5 RBI in a home game. Ahead of him are Jimmie Foxx (1930) and Roger Maris (1958).

⚾ Robinson Cano, Monday: Second-oldest Mariners batter with a homer, two doubles, and 3 RBIs in a game. Edgar Martinez (age 39-228) did it against the Yankees on August 18, 2002.

⚾ Cody Allen, Friday: Second pitcher in Indians history to face multiple batters and give up homers to all of them (Royals back-to-back to walk off). Sid Monge did it against Oakland on June 3, 1980.

⚾ Kendrys Morales, Sunday: Recorded first seven-game homer streak in Blue Jays history. First in majors since Kevin Mench of the Rangers in April 2006.

⚾ Cole Hamels, Thursday: First complete game for Cubs this season; they have never had a season without one. Also theri first CG-8 or higher (8+ hits allowed) since Greg Maddux against Pittsburgh, September 27, 2005.

⚾ Justin Turner, Sat-Sun: Third player in Los Angeles Dodgers history (1958) with an extra-inning walkoff in one game and 5+ RBI in the next. Others are Andre Ethier in April 2010 and Steve Garvey in July 1975.

⚾ Ryan Zimmerman, Wednesday: Third walkoff homer of his career against the Phillies. Only other players all-time to hit three against them are Ralph Kiner and Stan Musial.

⚾ Adam Frazier, Saturday: First Pirates batter with two runs scored and three driven in, in a game he didn't start, since Dave Clark against the Cubs on July 2, 1996.

⚾ Javier Baez & Anthony Rizzo, Wednesday: Second time Cubs have ever hit back-to-back homers against Detroit (whom they don't play very often). Other set was by Mickey Morandini and Sammy Sosa in their first-ever regular-season meeting, June 24, 1998.

⚾ Michael Perez, Friday: Second number-9 batter in Rays history to have 4 RBI without scoring a run himself. Miguel Cairo did it at the Metrodome on April 6, 2000.

⚾ Mike Fiers & Brett Anderson, Mon-Tue: First time in live-ball era that A's have had pitchers throw 7+ innings and allow no more than one hit in back-to-back games.

⚾ Yankees, Saturday: First sweep of a road doubleheader since May 3, 2007, at Texas. First in Baltimore since July 13, 1996.

⚾ Miles Mikolas, Friday: Became first Cardinals pitcher to hit two home runs on the road in the same season (also Apr 2 at MIL) since Bob Forsch in 1978.


Did You Know?

The Wilmington Quicksteps were actually a minor-league team, in a very early incarnation of today's triple-A International League. They had already won that league's pennant when the Union Association team up in Philadelphia folded due to lack of attendance. Wilmington was recruited as a late-season replacement for the 31 games remaining on the Keystones' schedule.

Wilmington played only 18 of those 31 games-- though they included that 14-0 loss to Washington-- before discovering that they too couldn't draw any fans for these exhibitions against fledgling major-league teams. They also folded and another minor-league team, the Milwaukee Brewers, played those last 13 games before the entire Union Association disbanded the following winter.