Friday brought us what we'll call a 15 1/2-game slate of big league action. The Mets and Cardinals had to complete Thursday's suspended game before playing Friday's regularly scheduled game. Here is everything you need to know about Friday's MLB action.
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 scores for Friday, June 14
- FINAL - Cardinals 5, Mets 4 in 10 innings (box score) (completion of Thursday's suspended game)
- FINAL - Nationals 7, Diamondbacks 3 (box score)
- FINAL - Red Sox 13, Orioles 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Cardinals 9, Mets 5 (box score)
- FINAL - Rangers 7, Reds 1 (box score)
- FINAL - Pirates 11, Marlins 0 (box score)
- FINAL - Indians 13, Tigers 4 (box score)
- FINAL - Rays 9, Angels 4 (box score)
- FINAL - Braves 9, Phillies 8 (box score)
- FINAL - Twins 2, Royals 0 (box score)
- FINAL - Astros 15, Blue Jays 2 (box score)
- FINAL - White Sox 10, Yankees 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Padres 16, Rockies 12 in 12 innings (box score)
- FINAL - Mariners 9, Athletics 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Dodgers 5, Cubs 3 (box score)
- FINAL - Giants 5, Brewers 3 (box score)
Braves, McCann walk-off with eighth straight win
Big series in Atlanta this weekend, folks. Big, big series. The first-place Braves and second-place Phillies are meeting at SunTrust Park for a three-game set. The Braves took a 1 1/2-game lead into the series and, for eight and a half innings, it looked like the Phillies would cut that lead to a half game.
Bryce Harper swatted his 12th homer, Rhys Hoskins hit his 15th homer, and Scott Kingery hit his eighth homer to help the Phillies build an 8-4 lead. Atlanta drew closer with two runs in the eighth. Then, in the ninth, the Braves put three runs on the board against closer Hector Neris. Austin Riley doubled in a run and Brian McCann poked a two-out, two-strike, two-run walk-off single to left. To the action footage:
McCann's single extends Atlanta's winning streak to eight games -- it is their longest winning streak since a nine-gamer in 2014 -- and its NL East lead to 2 1/2 games. It's the largest division lead this season. The Braves are 11-2 in their past 13 games, and, at some point in the next week, they'll add Dallas Keuchel to their rotation. Not bad. Not bad at all.
As for the Phillies, they've lost four of their past five games and have quickly fallen behind the Braves in the NL East after sitting in first place since April 26. Friday's loss means the Phillies are assured of leaving this series in second place.
Renfroe, Tatis spark Padres comeback
Folks, we had a good ol' fashioned Coors Field barn burner Friday night. Thanks in part to an Ian Desmond three-run home run, the Rockies took an 11-5 lead into the ninth inning Friday. Safe lead, right? No. Not at all. The Padres scored six runs in the ninth to tie the game. Fernando Tatis Jr. had the game-tying two-run single against Wade Davis.
Friday was the first time in Padres franchise history that they erased a six-run deficit in the ninth inning. Their previous ninth inning comeback record was five runs against the D-Backs in September 2017.
The Padres officially completed the comeback win with a big top of the 12th inning. Tatis inside-outed a leadoff triple off the center field wall to start the rally and Hunter Renfroe put an exclamation point on it with his third home run of the ballgame. It is his second career three-homer game. He had one as a rookie in September 2017.
San Diego scored 12 runs against the Colorado bullpen from the 8th through 12th innings. Tatis went 3 for 6 with a walk. Renfroe went 4 for 7 with three homers and 5 RBI. Manny Machado went 4 for 7 with a homer. The two teams combined for 28 runs, 39 hits and 460 pitches in 12 innings. Coors Field can make for some mighty fun baseball.
Bauers hits for the cycle
Another day, another cycle. One day after Angels star Shohei Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle, Indians slugger Jake Bauers hit for the cycle on Friday. He's the first Cleveland player to hit for the cycle since Rajai Davis in 2016.
Against the Tigers, Bauers' big day went double in the second, infield single in the fourth, triple also in the fourth, and homer in the eighth. (He also struck out in the sixth.) Here's the video:
Friday's cycle makes for the best day in Bauers' first season with the Indians. He came over in the three-team trade that sent Edwin Encarnacion to the Mariners and Yandy Diaz to the Rays, and went into Friday's game hitting .209/.294/.346 overall. The cycle raised his line to a more respectable .222/.305/.384. It's a start.
Bauers is the third player to hit for the cycle this season, joining Ohtani and Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco. Ohtani and Bauers are the third set of players in history to hit for the cycle on back-to-back days.
Vlad Jr. exits after hit by pitch
Scary moment in Houston on Friday night. Blue Jays wunderkind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took a 96.3 mph Gerrit Cole fastball to the left hand in the first inning. He initially stayed in the game and ran the bases, but was removed and sent for tests a short while later.
Here's the video of the (unintentional) hit-by-pitch:
The good news: X-rays came back negative and Guerrero was diagnosed with a left hand contusion. He has a bruise, basically. It is unclear whether he will be able to play Saturday. After taking a Cole heater to the hand, I wouldn't be surprised if Vlad Jr. needs a day or two to get healthy.
Diaz blows Thursday's game on Friday
Mets closer Edwin Diaz had a really bad game spanning 19 hours. Thursday night, Diaz blew a two-run ninth inning lead against the Cardinals. Harrison Bader's game-tying double was the big blow. Soon after the Cardinals tied the game, rain arrived at Citi Field, and the game was suspended.
The Mets and Cardinals resumed the game Friday evening and, because he was technically still in the game, the Mets sent Diaz back out for the tenth inning. Officially, it goes into the record books as a two-inning appearance. In reality, it was two separate one-inning stints on back-to-back days. St. Louis took the lead when Diaz coughed up a run.
Three runs in two innings spanning two days gives Diaz a 3.58 ERA in 27 2/3 innings this season. That's not horrible, but it's not "best reliever in baseball" stuff, which is what Diaz arguably was coming into the season. Blowing the save, dwelling on it for 19 hours, and then taking the loss in the same game couldn't have been fun.
Giolito pitches White Sox back to .500
For the first time since they were 3-3 six games into last season, the White Sox have a .500 record. Two Eloy Jimenez home runs (more on that below) and another Lucas Giolito gem helped the ChiSox beat the Yankees on Friday night, leveling the team's record at 34-34. Giolito is down to a 2.22 ERA on the year.
The White Sox have not been .500 this late in the season since they were 50-50 on July 26, 2016. They've won 11 of their past 16 games and are 25-20 dating back to April 24. It may not sound like much, but the White Sox had not won 25 times in a 45-game span since early 2016. The transition from rebuilder to contender to officially underway.
As for the Yankees, they have now lost eight of their last 11 games, and have been outscored 74-56 in the 11 games. Friday's loss combined with the Rays beating the Angels moves New York into second place and gives Tampa sole possession of first place in the AL East for the first time in a month.
Alvarez crushes third home run
Four MLB games, three home runs for Astros rookie Yordan Alvarez. Like the first two, Alvarez's third home run was an absolute bomb. He hit the ball on to the train tracks at Minute Maid Park. That's an opposite field shot as a left-handed hitter. Look at this home run. Just look at it:
Statcast measured that home run at 109 mph off the bat and says it traveled 425 feet. Again, that's an opposite field homer. Only nine other players have hit an opposite field home run at least 425 feet this year. (Ronald Acuna and Javier Baez have each done it twice.) Prior to his call up, Alvarez swatted 23 home runs in 56 Triple-A games.
With a name like that and home runs like that, we have to start calling him Air Yordan, right? Right. The Astros are already an offensive force. Add Alvarez to a healthy Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Jose Altuve, and forget it. They might be unstoppable.
Highlight of the Day: Andrus steals home again
For the third time this season, the Rangers stole home Friday night. Elvis Andrus did the deed, specifically. It was a delayed steal of home against the Reds and instant replay overturned the original out call. Here's the video:
Three steals of home is a new single-season franchise record. Furthermore, Andrus now has six career steals of home. That is not only the most in Rangers history, it is the second most by any player in the last 45 years.
The only player with more steals of home than Elvis Andrus (6) since 1974 (when stat was first differentiated): Paul Molitor (11)
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) June 14, 2019
Andrus also stole home against the Athletics on April 14 this season. Rougned Odor stole home against the A's last week.
Stat of the Day: Yankees hit and allow homers again
For the first time in league history, one team has both hit a home run and allowed a home run in 13 consecutive games. The Yankees are that team. Luke Voit slugged a first inning home run against Lucas Giolito on Friday night -- it was the first homer Giolito has allowed to a right-handed batter this season -- to extend the team's homer streak to 17 games.
That is tied for the second longest such streak in Yankees history:
- 25 games: June 1-29, 1984
- 17 games: May 26, 2019 to present
- 17 games: May 22 to June 8, 1961
- 16 games: July 16 to August 1, 1993
- 16 games: My 15 to June 4, 1994
A half-inning after Voit gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead, White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez turned it into a 3-1 deficit. Jimenez hit a three-run home run against CC Sabathia to get the ChiSox on the board. With that blast, New York's pitchers have allowed a home run in 13 straight games, the fifth longest streak in franchise history. The Yankees are the first team to hit and allow a homer in 13 straight games.
As for Jimenez, he added another home run later in Friday's game, and has five home runs in his last six games after hitting four homers in his previous 26 games. He went into Friday's game with a .236/.294/.446 batting line. It sure looks like the young man is starting figure things out though.
Quick hits
- The 2019 College World Series is set and play will begin on Saturday, June 15, with all action taking place at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Nebraska. Here's everything you need to know for the tournament, including the schedule, start times, bracket and matchups.
- The latest version of Dayn Perry's MLB Star Power Index is available for your reading pleasure. Check it out here.
- The Padres are open to dealing most hitters at the trade deadline, including sluggers Franmil Reyes and Hunter Renfroe. Read more on this report here.
- Zack Greinke had a no-hitter through six innings on Thursday. But, Greinke says he doesn't care for throwing a no-hitter, and that it would be 'more of a hassle than anything.'
- Nicholas Castellanos says he will move to first base only after the Tigers give him a contract extension.
Top Tigers pitching prospect right-hander Casey Mize has been placed on the minor league injured list with a shoulder issue. Mize was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB draft.
