Orioles 7, @Yankees 3 — The rainstorm had moved off by game time, but Baltimore breathed lightning and thunder in a 7-run 7th, matching the biggest inning for both teams this year (scored and allowed).
@Pirates 7, Cardinals 1 — Raise the Jolly Roger, all alone in first place. A.J. Burnett went 7 innings on 4 hits, and drove in the game’s first run with a rare knock, as the Bucs clinched this season series (10-4, with 5 left).
@Pirates 5, Cardinals 0 — A showdown for 1st place, but the Cards were a no-show, and the hosts grabbed a share. For the third time this year, Francisco Liriano made St. Louis invisible, zipping through 8 innings on two harmless 2-out singles.
@Tigers 7, Athletics 6 — If you must lose 3 out of 4 at home, this was the one to win — and this was the way to win it. In other news … as my dad used to say while theatrically throwing his hands up, “Oh, those bases on balls!”
@Red Sox 4, Orioles 3 — A game to lament if Baltimore’s playoff quest falls short.
Angels 6, @Rays 5 — You live by the bow, you die by the bow.
(No crying in baseball; so then, what is this salty discharge?)
@Cardinals 8, Reds 6 — Allen Craig filled a blank column on the back of his RISP Superheroes trading card, his first grand slam building an 8-5 lead with 2 outs in the 7th to finish a comeback from 4-0 down.
Braves 5, @Cardinals 2 — Given their hefty lead, there was no immediate cause for Atlanta to fret about losing the first three in this series, their first games since the loss of Jason Heyward reopened their leadoff hole. But with no certainty of Heyward’s productive return come playoff time, there’s no doubt that Jordan Schafer’s two extra-base hits in the first 2 innings raised a big sigh of relief, breaking his 0-12 skid and building a 3-0 lead for Mike Minor. The lefty contained the relentless Cardinals for 7 innings, and when they squawk a bit in the 8th, Fredi Gonzalez took no chances, but brought in Craig Kimbrel for just the second 4-out save of his career.
Pirates 3, @Giants 1 — Just two kinds of batters, I think, had any chance of homering on this pitch from Madison Bumgarner: (1) Miguel Cabrera (sui generis); and (2) open-stance, bucket-stepping RHBs like Clint Barmes. Charlie Morton’s 4th straight strong effort (totaling 7 runs in 27.2 IP) kept Pittsburgh a game up on St. Louis, and pulled them up to one behind the Braves for MLB’s best record.
Nationals 5, @Cubs 4 (13 inn.) — Washington’s third straight win pivoted on two pitcher assists, the first a perfectly placed dribbler that got the job done, the latter a screaming liner that Drew Storen deflected into a game-ending DP that sealed his first save since June. But the true drama came in the 9th, when the Cubs trailed 4-1 with 2 outs.