WASHINGTON – Alec Asher pitched six shutout innings for his first major league victory and Peter Bourjos and Ryan Howard hit homers in the third inning as Philadelphia beat Washington.
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Then, New York became much more than just a fun team.they became a good team.
Corey Dickerson hit a two-run homer, Matt Andriese won for the first time since June and the Tampa Bay Rays slowed the New York Yankees’ playoff charge by stopping their seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Sunday.
“You take away the win-loss record, which is obviously not ideal, you look at the other numbers and they’re pretty good”, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. Dellin Betances allowed two hits in the ninth and the game was halted a third time with a 2-2 count to Brad Miller and runners at first and thirdWhen the game resumed, Betances fanned Miller, allowed Morrison’s third hit and struck out Souza for his 10th save.Tampa Bay rookie Blake Snell (5-8) labored through 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits.The Yankees took a 1-0 lead two batters in when Refsnyder’s double got past left fielder Corey Dickerson and drove in Jacoby Ellsbury, who had singled.NY added two in the third when Sanchez sent a full count fastball from Snell over the center field fence and Teixeira scored on a wild pitch.Tampa Bay cut the lead to 3-2 when Morrison and Souza homered with one out in the fourth.
Ivan Nova pitched a six-hitter to stay unbeaten with Pittsburgh and Jung Ho Kang hit a two-run double to key a three-run first inning as the Pirates defeated Cincinnati 4-1.
Tanaka (13-4) and Chris Archer (8-18) were locked in a 0-0 tie until Brett Gardner led off the sixth with a single and Ellsbury belted a two-run homer to right. Sanchez followed Ellsbury’s eighth home run by driving a 1-1 pitch into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center field fence.Sanchez drove in New York’s final run with a sacrifice fly.
Gary Sanchez, Yankees – The second star of the game was catcher Gary Sanchez.
“I remember my first one, ” he said, “and this may be the last”. “At the same time, I wanted to be ready”.
“He’s around the strike zone, extremely efficient, kept his pitch count down, gave us every opportunity to win”, manager Kevin Cash said. Catcher Bobby Wilson moved wide as reliever Enny Romero lobbed in his first pitch at 52 miles per hour, but the ball drifted close to the plate and Sanchez socked it to the warning track for a sacrifice fly.
So in typical Gary Sanchez fashion, he swung at the lob over the plate – and hit it deep to center field.
“I think the combination is really (working) well”, Tanaka said.
Romero said his hand was sweaty and the ball started to slip.
“I love it”, Ellsbury said.
For the 1st time all season, the Yankees are 10 games over.500.
While some officials in Major League Baseball have proposed making intentional walks an automatic affair – just wave the batter to first base without a pitch – things like this are bound to keep people talking. “That’s embarrassing, but we’re not going to talk about it any further than that”.
NY was ahead 3-0 before Morrison and Souza hit consecutive home runs in the fourth, the first into the luxury suites below the third deck in right, the second off the left-field foul pole. He left in the eighth after Bobby Wilson homered with one out and Logan Forsythe was hit by a pitch.
Archer fanned six and tops the AL with 217 strikeouts. Despite the loss, Texas still leads the AL West by 8 1/2 games. Austin’s third home run and first career walk-off hit helped the Yankees win their fifth straight game and improved them to 11-4 in their last 15 contests. “You just don’t see it happen too often, I guess”.
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Said Starlin Castro, “It’s a lot of energy we have here”.
