Yankees Rivalry Roundup: Jays no-hit by Tigers, Rays’ skid continues

The Yankees responded to their pitiful showing in the series opener against the Cubs with a far more disciplined performance in the middle game. Giancarlo Stanton homered twice to opposite ends of the ballpark while Gerrit Cole pitched into the eighth inning of the Yankees’ eventual 6-3 victory.

Their’s was just the start of a baseball-filled day around the AL so let’s dive right into the action.

Detroit Tigers (39-49) 2, Toronto Blue Jays (49-41) 0

The Tigers completed the ninth no-hitter in franchise history thanks to the combined efforts of Matt Manning, Jason Foley, and Alex Lange. Toronto sent out ace Kevin Gausman but it was Manning who one-upped the All-Star. The 25 year old righty cruised for 6.2 innings, his three walks the only thing standing between Detroit and a combined perfect game, before A.J. Hinch came out to retrieve him to a vociferous chorus of boos from the home crowd. While you hate to see a player pulled in the midst of a no-hitter, it was a totally understandable move given Manning’s extensive injury history already in his young career. Besides, at 91 pitches, there was no chance of him lasting the distance, so better to pull him before fatigue really becomes a factor.

Jason Foley converted four outs while Alex Lange worked a perfect ninth throwing ten straight curveballs to seal the combined no-no. Detroit scored both their runs in the first on a Spencer Torkelson RBI double and Kerry Carpenter RBI triple, but it was enough for the 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays, who drop to fourth with the Yankees winning.

Baltimore Orioles (53-35) 6, Minnesota Twins (45-45) 2

The Orioles’ six-run second put this game out of reach not long after the first pitch was thrown. The first seven batters in the frame all reached against Sonny Gray on a rare off night with the away team eventually batting around.

As for the Twins, they scored one in the first and one in the sixth with Donovan Solano going 3-for-4 with three doubles. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the half-dozen from the Orioles as Minnesota fall to .500 and the Orioles pull to within two games of the Rays.

Washington Nationals (35-54) 8, Texas Rangers (52-38) 3

The Nationals ambushed Andrew Heaney for seven runs on eight hits in just the first two innings. Jeimer Candelario strengthened his case as one of the more sought after bats at the deadline with a three-run bomb in the first before Joey Meneses went back-to-back.

Alex Call added a two-run shot in the second and Meneses drove in another with a double as the Rangers found the early 7-0 hole too steep to climb out of. Josh Jung accounted for all of Texas’ runs with a two-run shot in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth, but they would only prove consolation in the Rangers’ 8-3 loss.

Atlanta Braves (60-28) 6, Tampa Bay Rays (57-35) 1

The two top teams in the land faced off and it was the Braves who just kept on rolling, becoming the first team to 60 wins when only two weeks ago it seemed the Rays would be the holders of that distinction. Spencer Strider was absolutely dominant, pitching 6.1 scoreless innings allowing four hits and a walk against 11 strikeouts. He even struck out seven in a row from the end of the first into the third.

NL All-Star starters Ronald Acuña Jr. and Orlando Arcia had another pair of multi-hit games while Sean Murphy provided the decisive blow with his three-run bomb in the Braves four-run fourth. On the other side, the Rays have now dropped seven in a row as they limp toward the All-Star break, losing this particular contest, 6-1.

Houston Astros (50-40) 3, Seattle Mariners (44-44) 2

Presumed All-Star Game starter Framber Valdez logged another quality start allowing two runs on five hits in six innings but was out-dueled by impressive Mariners rookie Bryan Woo and his six innings of two-run (one earned) ball allowing just three hits and a walk. Houston struck first in the first with and RBI double from Kyle Tucker and RBI single from Alex Bregman. Seattle responded with a run each in the third and fourth, and this game would remain tied at two apiece until Martín Maldonado’s go-ahead solo shot in the eighth closed the book on the scoring.

The Mariners had a chance in the eighth, loading the bases with no outs as Ty France was hit by a pitch followed by walks from Teoscar Hernández and Eugenio Suárez, but Hector Neris pulled out a Houdini to leave all three stranded as the Astros held on for a 3-2 win.

Other Matchups:

Boston Red Sox (47-43) 10, Oakland Athletics (25-66) 3

The Red Sox feasted on Oakland pitching with five of their starters logging multi-hit efforts. James Paxton allowed two runs in six innings and figures to attract interest at the deadline. Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo both left the yard with the former driving in three on the day as Boston downed the A’s, 10-3.

Los Angeles Dodgers (51-38) 10, Los Angeles Angels (45-46) 5

The Dodgers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in this slugfest including a five-spot in the second. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, Max Muncy, and David Peralta all went yard chasing Reid Detmers from the contest with seven runs to his name in 3.1 innings. The Angels tried to claw their way back with Shohei Ohtani going 3-for-4 with a home run and three driven in, but it wasn’t enough to escape an eventual 10-5 loss.

AL Central Rock Fight

Cleveland Guardians (45-44) 10, Kansas City Royals (25-65) 6

Cleveland tallied 18 hits with Amed Rosario, Josh Naylor, Josh Bell, and Bo Naylor logging three-hit efforts. Kansas cut the deficit to one in the eighth but three runs in the bottom-half of the frame sealed the Guardians’ 10-6 victory.