Cleveland – Hurston Waldrep pitched six scoreless innings in a combined two-hitter and Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Michael Harris II each drove in a run, giving the Atlanta Braves a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night.
Waldrep (3-0) allowed two hits, both to Steven Kwan, in matching his longest outing of the season. The right-hander struck out a career-high seven and walked two before being followed by Daysbel Hernandez and Tyler Kinley.
Raisel Iglesias the ninth for his 18th save in 23 opportunities, giving the Braves their third straight win. The Guardians were shut out for the 12th time and fell one game behind the Yankees for the final American League wild-card spot. They are 7.5 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central, with the Tigers blanking the Twins, 7-0.
Alvarez drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth off Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo (3-3), scoring Ozzie Albies. Harris singled home pinch-runner Eli White in the ninth against Carlos Hernández.
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. returned after missing 15 games with a right calf strain, going 0 for 3 with a walk. The former NL MVP, who had been sidelined since July 30, also was called out for baserunner interference in the fourth.
Waldrep made his major league debut last season with the Braves and went 0-1 with a 16.71 ERA in two games, both starts. The 2023 first round pick has a 1.02 ERA in three appearances this year, giving up two runs in 17 2/3 innings.
Brewers tie franchise record with 13 straight wins
Cincinnati – The Milwaukee Brewers just keep streaking, and now they’ve matched the franchise record for consecutive wins at 13.
The Brewers rallied from seven runs down through two innings Friday night by scoring nine unanswered runs in thumping the Cincinnati Reds 10-8.
Milwaukee opened the 1987 season winning the first 13.
“It’s just a special win,” said Christian Yelich, who had two homers among four hits driving in five runs.
This latest streak in a season in which the Brewers just don’t lose very often or bash their way back to one big win after another has them atop all of Major League Baseball with a 77-44 record. That’s six better than Toronto, and Milwaukee has opened up a nine-game lead inside the NL Central over Chicago.
That success has fed their confidence. Yelich told manager Pat Murphy they were going to win even when trailing 8-1 after two innings. He played with a bat honoring Bob Uecker, the Brewers’ former announcer who died in January at the age of 90, down to his signature home run call.
Yelich said the Brewers have been in this situation before and always find a way to make it close.
“Just with the way that our team is I knew we weren’t going to get our doors blown off,” Yelich said. “You know we’re going to find a way to get our way back into that thing. We just got a roomful of fighters and guys who just don’t care what the scoreboard says or anything like that.”
Uecker, nicknamed Mr. Baseball, broadcast Milwaukee games for over half a century. Murphy said they just have to convince themselves that Uecker is still with them after what he meant to the organization.
“Somehow it seems like he’s watching over us,” Murphy said. “I said he’s not going to miss a game. Well, he was definitely here tonight. Yelly proved it. Special.”
Yelich nearly put his bat away after an opening home run only to keep swinging it the rest of the game. He was supposed to use the bat honoring Uecker last year, and Uecker loved the bat when he saw it. Yelich called this kind of a full-circle moment.
“If you know Ueck, you know like crazy things like that are going to happen when he’s involved,” Yelich said. “It just adds to like how special tonight was.”
Story gives Red Sox MLB-best 10th walk-off win
Trevor Story bounced one through the drawn-in infield with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth inning – just Boston’s third hit of the game – and the Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Friday night.
It was Boston’s 10th walk-off win of the season, the most in the majors.
Josh Simpson (2-2) walked Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman to start the ninth. Jarren Duran was squared around to bunt, but Simpson hit him with a pitch to load the bases. Calvin Faucher came in to face Story, who hit a chopper past the second baseman to end it.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara retired the first 12 batters before Story singled to lead off the fifth inning. Alcantara retired the next five as well before Anthony walked with two out in the sixth and scored to make it 1-1 on Bregman’s double.
Aroldis Chapman (4-2) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.
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