Led by a George Lombard Jr. grand slam, a good Will Warren outing, and Aaron Judge’s first two hits since returning, the Yankees cruised past the Rockies on Wednesday night. It wasn’t a victory to remark on for too long considering the opposition, but it was exactly the type of game they needed as they try to make their way in the playoff race.
With the Yankees taking care of business, did any teams do them some favors to add onto the win? Let’s take a look back in today’s Rivalry Roundup.
Tampa Bay Rays (87-58) 7, Atlanta Braves (85-61) 2
The Rays
timed yet another victory well, downing the Braves and preventing the Yankees from gaining a game in the AL East race.
Led by a Victor Mesa Jr. home run, the Rays struck early, putting up three runs in the second inning. Two frames later, they put up yet another three spot thanks to a combination of three hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. Those six runs proved to be plenty for the Rays.
That’s because Griffin Jax was very solid on the mound for Tampa Bay. He allowed just two hits in five innings, with the one run he allowed coming on a Drake Baldwin home run. Atlanta eventually got another run back as well, but the Braves managed just one baserunner over the final three innings as the Rays won fairly easily.
Other Games
- Los Angeles Angels (56-90) 6, Boston Red Sox (80-67) 4: Homers from Zach Neto and Jose Siri allowed the Angels to put up a five spot in the third inning, carrying them past the Red Sox. The Angels jumped all over Red Sox starter Jake Bennett, picking up six runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings off him. For the rest of the game, Boston began to slowly chip away at their deficit. They brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but it proved to be too late.
- Pittsburgh Pirates (73-73) 4, Chicago White Sox (75-70) 2: After a tight contest, a three-run seventh inning from the Pirates, including two RBI from Konnor Griffin, helped Pittsburgh pull away and secure the win. That being said, all that was overshadowed by the benches clearing after a bit of some jawing following a double play turned by Pittsburgh. The White Sox were kept off the board for most of the game by a Pirates bullpen game, but did score a couple runs late to make things interesting, although not interesting enough.
AL Rock Fight
- Athletics (59-88) 2, Toronto Blue Jays (73-74) 0: The Blue Jays fell back under .500 as they were shutout at the hands of the lowly A’s. Starter Brady Basso threw four scoreless frames before the A’s bullpen finished things off, holding Toronto to no runs on six hits, as they left seven runners on base for the game.
- Seattle Mariners (68-78) 3, Texas Rangers (72-74) 2: The Rangers dropped a winnable game in the AL west race as they managed just two runs against the Mariners. Seattle starter and highly rated recent callup Kade Anderson had his best game so far, holding Texas to one run in six innings, as the M’s offense did enough to squeak out the win.
- Baltimore Orioles (71-76) 9, Cleveland Guardians (74-73) 5: The Orioles did most of their damage in an eight-run third inning that led to the Guardians failing to gain ground in the standings. Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the O’s recorded eight hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch to take the lead and never look back.
- Philadelphia Phillies (82-64) 11, Houston Astros (74-72) 7: Kyle Schwarber’s sixth inning grand slam proved to be the difference maker in a high-scoring game against the Astros. The teams traded runs early, with the Astros getting the better of that and holding a lead. However, the Phillies scored six runs in the sixth and held on from there.
