LOS ANGELES -- Kenley Jansen escaped a bases-loaded jam in a bizarre ninth inning that saw both managers on the field trying to figure out what happened, and the Los Angeles Dodgers held off the New York Yankees 2-1 Saturday.
Jansen struck out Mike Tauchman and pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez to end a matchup between the teams with the best records in baseball.
But it was the play right before that to load the bases that left most everyone in the ballpark wondering what was going on.
There were runners at first and second with one out when Gio Urshela hit a grounder to third baseman Justin Turner, who looked to start a game-ending double play. Second baseman Max Muncy caught Turner's flip but then got wiped out by Brett Gardner's hard slide for an apparent forceout.
Gleyber Torres, who started the play on second, rounded third and then headed home with Muncy down on the ground, trying to score the tying run. Instead, Torres was stopped by the umpires because time had been called. The strange sequence set off a 2-minute replay review. Gardner was called safe at second, beating the throw with a hard but legal slide.
Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the third for the Dodgers. Jansen earned his 27th save.
Aaron Judge homered for the second straight day, connecting in the fourth.
Tony Gonsolin (2-1) allowed one run, struck out two and walked two. Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez kept the Yankees scoreless over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, stranding three baserunners. Baez struck out the side in the eighth.
CC Sabathia (5-8) gave up two runs and five hits in four innings, tying his second shortest outing of the season. He struck out seven and walked one.
Nationals 7, Cubs 2
CHICAGO -- Trea Turner reached base four times and scored twice, Yan Gomes and Howie Kendrick each drove in two runs and surging Washington beat Chicago.
Washington has won four straight and six of seven to extend its lead over Chicago for the top NL wild-card spot to three games.
Chicago first baseman Anthony Rizzo exited in the fifth inning with tightness in his middle back -- he missed time in May with back trouble.
Turner got Washington off to a quick start, going 2 for 3 with two walks and a stolen base to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 31 games, the longest current streak in the majors. Anthony Rendon stretched his hitting streak to 11 games and drove in a run.
Washington starter Joe Ross allowed two runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Five Nationals relievers combined to hold Chicago to one hit over the final 4 2/3 innings. Wander Suero (4-7) got the final two outs of the fifth to get the win.
Jose Quintana (11-8) allowed four earned runs in four innings and had his career-high streak of seven straight wins snapped. Nicholas Castellanos had two hits and an RBI for the Cubs.
Astros 5, Angels 2
HOUSTON -- Alex Bregman hit his career-high 32nd homer and Wade Miley earned his seventh straight win as Houston beat Los Angeles.
The AL-West leading Astros tied the New York Yankees for the best record in the AL at 84-47. The Angels lost their fourth in a row.
Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a two-run homer in the first inning. Bregman upped the lead to 5-0 with a three-run homer in the third.
Miley (13-4) yielded one run on five hits with four strikeouts over five innings. Will Harris pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.
Luis Rengifo hit a solo home run in the Angels fifth. Mike Trout cut the lead to 5-2 with an RBI single in the seventh.
Dillon Peters (3-2) allowed five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Rangers 4, White Sox 0
CHICAGO -- Willie Calhoun and Danny Santana homered, rookie Kolby Allard pitched into the seventh inning and Texas beat Chicago.
Allard (2-0) allowed six hits, struck out eight and walked none in his fourth start since he was acquired in a trade with Atlanta last month.
Calhoun and Nick Solak had two hits apiece for the Rangers, who had dropped seven of 10.
Jose Abreu had two of Chicago's eight hits, giving him 1,001 for his career
Iván Nova (9-10) was charged with an earned run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He was 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA in his previous six starts.
Sports on 08/26/2019