Tuesday brings us a full 15-game slate of big league action, including important games with postseason implications in Houston, Milwaukee, and Queens.
The top storylines entering play were the Mets and Cubs beginning an important three-game series; the Cardinals and Brewers continuing their match-up; and Charlie Morton and Josh Donaldson returning to their old haunts.
Keep it here throughout the night for all the latest news, notes, and scores from around the league.
Select games can be streamed regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). For more on what channel each game is on, click here.
Who wins every MLB game? And what underdogs can give you a huge victory tonight? Visit SportsLine now to see the exact score of every MLB game, plus get full player stat projections, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times.
Baseball schedule/scores for Tuesday, August 27
- Orioles 2, Nationals 0 (box score)
- Pirates 5, Phillies 4 (box score)
- Blue Jays 3, Braves 1 (box score)
- Reds 8, Marlins 5 (box score)
- Indians 10, Tigers 1 (box score)
- Cubs 5, Mets 2 (box score)
- Cardinals 6, Brewers 3 (box score)
- Astros 15, Rays 1 (box score)
- Twins 3, White Sox 1 (box score)
- Athletics 2, Royals 1 (box score)
- Red Sox 10, Rockies 6 (box score)
- Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2 (box score)
- Angels 5, Rangers 2 (box score)
- Dodgers 9, Padres 0 (box score)
- Yankees 7, Mariners 0 (box score)
Darvish spins gem as Cubs top Mets
The Cubs entered Tuesday having lost three in a row and sitting just two up on the Mets for the second wild card spot in the National League. Chicago can rest a little easier after defeating the Mets on Tuesday, thus extending the lead to three games.
The Cubs can thank Yu Darvish for his contribution to the victory. Darvish, who had a rough outing against the Giants last time out, rebounded in a big way. He permitted just five hits and a run across eight innings of work, fanning seven and allowing just a walk. It's the sixth time in 10 starts since the beginning of July that Darvish has yielded two runs or fewer in a start.
Worth noting that Darvish was apparently throwing a new pitch -- a knuckle-curve he learned from Craig Kimbrel:
As for the offensive side of things, the Cubs saw Javier Baez go 3 for 3 with a home run, two doubles, and three runs driven in. Baez also walked.
Cardinals take another from Brewers
On Monday, the Cardinals routed the Brewers to extend their division lead over Milwaukee to 5 ½ games. On Tuesday, St. Louis won again -- this time in relatively nail-biting fashion -- to widen the gap to 6 ½ games.
Yadier Molina, who homered in Monday's contest, again played a pivotal role in the win. He homered twice more on Tuesday, giving him seven on the year. He also doubled and presumably played some part in the pitching performance on the mound.
And what of that, you might ask? Well, Miles Mikolas threw six innings of one-run ball, yielding four hits and no walks while fanning 10 and dropping his seasonal ERA to 4.32.
The Cardinals have now won six games in a row. The Brewers, conversely, have dropped their last three.
Astros give Morton unkind welcome in return to Houston
Everyone knows Charlie Morton spent the last two seasons with the Astros before leaving over the winter to sign a two-year deal with the Rays. Morton has been quite good this season, too, posting a 2.85 ERA (159 ERA+) over his first 27 starts. Yet you wouldn't know it based on Tuesday, when he pitched in Houston for the first time this year.
Morton failed to record more than 12 outs in a start for the first time since mid-May, as he permitted seven hits and six earned runs in four innings. He walked two and struck out just four. Of those seven hits, five were of the extra-base variety -- and of those five, four came in the fourth inning.
Morton's ERA ballooned all the way to 3.11 as a result of his outing.
Franimal has big game for Cleveland
Although Franmil Reyes lacks of the name-brand power that Yasiel Puig has, he was nonetheless supposed to be a big boost for Cleveland when they acquired him at the trade deadline. Entering Tuesday, however, he hadn't been anything of the nature. Rather, Reyes had hit .182/.217/.416 with five homers and 26 more strikeouts than walks in 23 games.
Cleveland sure hopes Tuesday is a sign of things to come, as Reyes had himself a big ballgame in a win against the Tigers.
Reyes went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double as well as two walks. That's four times on base, for the mathematically challenged. Previously, Reyes had reached base no more than two times in any single game with Cleveland. A sign of progress, perhaps?
At minimum, Reyes is in the midst of a solid little stretch. Including Tuesday, he's now 6 for his last 15 with four home runs, two doubles, and two walks. That's more like it.
Alonso sets Mets franchise record
Pete Alonso seems to hit a home run every other game. On Tuesday, he homered for the 42nd time, breaking the Mets' single-season record. What's next for Alonso? Click here to read about the other record that he could top before the year is out.
Judge hits 100th homer
Aaron Judge hit home run No. 100 on Tuesday, making him the third-quickest ever to that mark. You can read about which teammate beat him there by clicking here.
Donaldson returns to Toronto
Josh Donaldson, now with the Braves, made his first appearance in Toronto since the trade that sent him packing last August. The Blue Jays franchise and fan base welcomed him with a video tribute and standing ovation that you can read about by clicking here.
Royals to be sold?
Here's a shocker: the Royals might soon be sold to John Sherman, the vice president of the Cleveland franchise. The price tag? How about an even $1 billion? You can read more about that news here.
Highlight of the day: Chapman is golden
Good people, we can tell you about Matt Chapman's wicked defense or we can show you. Which would you prefer? Yes, yes, us, too. Here's the latest example of Chapman being a brilliant glovesperson:
Beautiful, ain't it?
Stat of the day: Giolito records 200th strikeout
Lucas Giolito is having himself a heck of a season. On Tuesday, he recorded his 200th strikeout of the year, joining a small group of White Sox right-handed pitchers to accomplish the feat:
Considering that this time last year Giolito was one of the worst starters in baseball, you have to admire his turnaround and tip your cap to his hard work and progress.
Quick hits
- Katherine Acquavella tells you everything you need to know about robot umpires. An automated strike zone is currently being used in the independent Atlantic League and it is having a significant impact.
- Here are 10 injured players who can impact postseason races when they return in September. Yankees ace RHP Luis Severino is the most obvious player, but he's certainly not the only one.
- Phillies UTIL Sean Rodriguez called fans "entitled" for booing Monday. Rodriguez had been in a 1 for 21 slump before hitting a walk-off home run. He and several other Phillies heard boos throughout the game.
- As expected, Indians 3B Jose Ramirez underwent hamate bone surgery in his right hand Tuesday, the team announced. He will miss 5-7 weeks, which means he could return should Cleveland make a deep postseason run.
- The Nationals have placed RHP Hunter Strickland on the paternity list, the team announced. Strickland can be away from the team up to three days. C Spencer Kieboom was called up in a corresponding move.