Birthday boy LeMahieu scores in 10th, Yanks beat Reds 7-6
DJ LeMahieu capped his 34th birthday by sliding across the plate on Alexis Dรญazโs second straight wild pitch in the 10th inning, and the New York Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 and stop a three-game losing streak.
Cooper homers, Sanchez dominates, Marlins knock out Cubs 2-0
Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler, left, and catcher Chad Wallach (17) celebrate a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball series Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Chicago. The Marlins won the series 2-0 to advance to the division series. Miami will face Atlanta in the NL Division Series in Houston starting Tuesday. Led by manager Don Mattingly and CEO Derek Jeter, the Marlins remained unbeaten in all seven postseason series they have played following triumphs in the 1997 and 2003 NL Championship and World Series. In Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, fan Steve Bartman deflected Luis Castilloโs foul ball as Cubs left fielder Moises Alou tried to make a leaping catch, which led to an eight-run, eighth-inning rally.
LEADING OFF: Marlins' Marte hopes to play with broken hand
The Marlins are hoping center fielder Starling Marte can play through a broken bone in his left hand as they try to eliminate the Cubs at Wrigley Field. To do it, the Braves might need to make a whole lot more contact at the plate than they did Wednesday while beating the Reds 1-0 in 13 innings โ the first postseason game to be scoreless after 11. Theyโll be up against Luis Castillo (4-6, 3.21), who makes his first career playoff start for the Reds. He was out for a second straight playoff game because of a sprained right foot that kept him out of the final three games of the regular season. Wainwright closed out the Padres at Petco Park in their previous postseason appearance in 2006.
Finally! Freeman, Braves top Reds 1-0 in 13th to open series
Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates driving in the game-winning run against the Cincinnati Reds in the 13th inning during Game 1 of a National League wild-card baseball series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Braves won 1-0. The East champion Braves won a postseason opener for the first time since Game 1 of the 2001 NL Division Series. In Game 5 of the 2019 NL Division Series, Atlanta gave up a record 10 runs to the St. Louis Cardinals in their first at-bat. Braves: There were injury concerns after Atlanta's last series of the regular season, but everyone was good to go in the playoffs.
LEADING OFF: NL race down to final day โ and maybe Monday
If St. Louis loses and San Francisco wins, the Cardinals would make up two games against Detroit on Monday that were postponed this season due to St. Louis' coronavirus outbreak. Brewers (29-30) โ Qualify with a victory over St. Louis, or with losses by the Giants and Phillies. If the Giants and Cardinals win, San Francisco needs St. Louis to lose both games against the Tigers on Monday. A career .279 hitter, he had 244 home runs and 942 RBIs for Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Texas. โHe had a tremendous career, did a ton for the community in San Francisco and obviously for the San Francisco Giants,โ Kapler said.
Reds top Twins 7-2, clinch 1st playoff spot since 2013
Mike Moustakas homered twice, Freddy Galvis hit a solo shot and the Reds clinched their first playoff spot since 2013, beating the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Friday night. โI like this team much more than I liked those teams, and I really liked those teams," Votto said. Twins: RHP Homer Bailey, who spent 12 of his 14 major league seasons with the Reds, was designated for assignment prior to the game. UP NEXTReds: RHP Luis Castillo (4-5, 2.86 ERA) will pitch on Saturday night, seeking his fifth straight win. Twins: RHP Michael Pineda (2-0, 3.18 ERA) pitches the middle game of the series.
LEADING OFF: 9 of 16 playoff spots open going into last week
But going into this last week, a lot of postseason spots are still wide open. Tampa Bay, Oakland, the White Sox and Minnesota also have earned AL spots, and Cleveland, Toronto and Houston have the inside track on the three remaining positions. With six spots in play, it should be an entertaining week with Cincinnati, Milwaukee and San Francisco all at .500. NICE STARTDane Dunning is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA in five starts for the White Sox since making his major league debut this season. The White Sox lead second-place Minnesota by 2 1/2 games.
Schwarber homers twice as Cubs pound Reds 10-1
Chicago Cubs' Kyle Schwarber reacts after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)CINCINNATI With one massive drive in the ninth inning, Kyle Schwarber made history for the Chicago Cubs. Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ian Happ became the first starting outfield to hit multiple homers in the same game, and the Cubs pounded the Cincinnati Reds 10-1 on Sunday for a split of their four-game series. Schwarber hit the first and the last of the Cubs' season-high six homers, belting a solo drive in the fourth against Luis Castillo (0-5) and a grand slam off Jos De Len in the ninth. When you have a little piece of history, you always keep that with you.The NL Central-leading Cubs hit 14 homers in the series.
LEADING OFF: Reds eye return after positive test; Rays-Yanks
Players, coaches and other organization members were retested for the coronavirus Saturday and Sunday after one player was sidelined because of a positive result. The Reds made travel plans for Kansas City and expected to start Luis Castillo (0-2) in the series opener, assuming its played. TIGER TRYOUTSDetroit is unleashing a few of its top prospects this week, including left-hander Tarik Skubal. The Braves hope that formula works again with Tomlin, used mostly as a reliever during his two seasons in Atlanta. But, for now, the team has decided not to turn to a pair of top prospects, Ian Anderson and Tucker Davidson.
Tigers celebrate Cabrera milestones, rally 6-4 over Reds
Detroit Tigers' JaCoby Jones reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Saturday, July 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)CINCINNATI Miguel Cabrera passed two superstars with a homer Saturday night, and JaCoby Jones hit a two-run shot in the ninth off Raisel Iglesias, rallying the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The two RBIs boosted Cabrera past Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and into 25th place on the career RBI list with 1,696. Reds: The Reds placed infielder Matt Davidson on the 10-day injured list after he tested positive for COVID-19 and put catcher Tucker Barnhart on the three-day paternity list. Reds: RHP Trevor Bauer (combined 11-13 in 2019 with Cleveland and Cincinnati) makes his 20th career start against Detroit.