MLB Nightly 9: Harper hits 8th HR in last 9 games; Cruz crushes Red Sox

Alec Brzezinski

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MLB Nightly 9: Harper hits 8th HR in last 9 games; Cruz crushes Red Sox image

Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups.

Nelson Cruz continued his early-season heroics Friday when he smashed a Junichi Tazawa offering against the left-field wall to break a deadlock in the bottom of the ninth and lift the Mariners past the Red Sox 2-1. Cruz leads MLB with 15 home runs, and he moved into a tie for the AL lead with 30 RBIs.

MORE: Fantasy hitters to buy, sell | Pitching sleepers | Mets' offense will rebound, eventually

While we're on the subject of early-season standouts, we'd be remiss to exclude Bryce Harper. "Bam-Bam" has now hit eight home runs in his last nine games, and has already matched his total from last year (13).

Here are more highlights from Friday's games:

Impact performers

C — James McCann, Tigers: The "other" McCann catcher is taking advantage of his opportunity while Alex Avila is injured. He went 3 for 4 with two runs, an RBI and a walk in a big win on the road against the Cardinals.

1B — Brandon Belt, Giants: Belt's bat has finally come to life. He went 3 for 5 with three runs scored, a home run and four RBIs, raising his average to .291.

2B — Josh Harrison, Pirates: It took him a while, but Harrison has finally joined the party. He went 4 for 6 with three runs and a solo home run in a tough-luck loss in 12 innings.

SS — Jimmy Rollins, Dodgers: Rollins went 4 for 5 with two runs, a home run and two RBIs, but is still batting below .200 (.198).

3B — Mike Moustakas, Royals: "Moose" has figured something out this year. After struggling to hit for any kind of average during his first four seasons, Moustakas upped his average to .315 in the early going after a 4-for-5 night.

OF — Lorenzo Cain, Royals: Cain went 3 for 4 with two runs and five RBIs in a 12-1 win over the Yankees.

DH — Nick Swisher, Indians: Swisher went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, a run and a walk in an 8-3 win against the Rangers.

SP — Kyle Lohse, Brewers: Lohse pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits, and struck out eight against the Mets. He "lowered" his ERA to 5.85 in the outing.

Key injuries

Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders (knee) is expected to need four to six weeks of rest after being placed back on the disabled list last weekend. He developed fluid and discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee, and will be examined by Dr. James Andrews on Monday.

The Nationals placed starting pitcher Doug Fister on the DL with right forearm tightness.

The Mets placed second baseman Dilson Herrera on the DL with a broken right middle finger.

Tigers starting pitcher Shane Greene left Friday's start against the Cardinals with minor ulnar neuritis in his pitching elbow.

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left the game in the third inning with tightness in his left quadriceps.

Surprise performers

Good: Braves outfielder Todd Cunningham went 3 for 4 with two runs an RBI and a stolen base his first career start. He was called up when Kelly Johnson went on the DL with a strained oblique muscle.

Bad: After 12 hard-fought innings, this is hardly the way any game should be decided:

Web gems

Ryan Braun went 2 for 4 with two home runs and three RBIs, and stretched out to make this diving catch:

Jose Altuve shows off his nimble footwork on this throw to first. He also went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs:

Facts of the day

Kris Bryant has four home runs in his last seven games, and he leads the Cubs with 24 RBIs, which is second in the majors since his debut (Bryce Harper has 30).

Pirates pitchers threw an astonishing 136 pitches in the game's first five innings Friday, which is the team's most in that time, since Sept. 18, 2011, in a 15-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Adrian Beltre became the 52nd player all time, and the seventh Dominican-born player, to hit 400 career home runs .

Shortly after that, Miguel Cabrera hit his 399th home run, tying Andres Galarraga for the most by a Venezuelan-born player. He finished the game 3 for 5 with two runs, a home run and two RBIs.

Twins closer Glen Perkins recorded his 100th career save in a 3-2 win over the Rays.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 3 for 5 in a 5-3 loss to the Braves, marking his 11th game of three or more hits on the season. He already has 61 hits.

Reactions

Ryan Raburn should have read the sign:

"Adversity does make you tougher. We threw everything at them and came up short. We got to find a way to show up for (Jon) Lester (on Saturday). It's the big leagues." — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, on quickly getting over a numbing defeat.

Red Sox manager John Farrell, on pitching to Nelson Cruz: “Before you even ask the question, that was a terrible decision on my part. I own that one.”

Off the field

The Yankees placed starting pitcher Chase Whitley on the 15-day DL with a right elbow strain. Chris Capuano (quad) returned from the DL to take Whitley's spot in the rotation.

The Dodgers got some bullpen help:

Hunter Pence (forearm) will be activated from the disabled list Saturday after batting .294/.350/.647 and two home runs over five rehab games with Triple-A Sacramento.

The Astros signed relief pitcher Jose Veras to a minor league contract.

Indians catcher Yan Gomes (knee) will begin his rehab assignment at Single-A Lake County on Friday. He's ahead of schedule from a right MCL sprain and could be activated next week.

The Diamondbacks removed Addison Reed from the closer's role. Manager Chip Hale said he plans to play matchups, but Brad Ziegler will likely get the majority of the opportunities.

Scores

American League:

Angels 3, Orioles 1
Astros 8, Blue Jays 4
Twins 3, Rays 2
Royals 12, Yankees 1
Indians 8, Rangers 3
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1
White Sox 7, Athletics 6

National League

Cubs 11, Pirates 10, 12 innings
Brewers 7, Mets 0
Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3
Giants 10, Reds 2
Braves 5, Marlins 3
Nationals 10, Padres 0
Dodgers 6, Rockies 4

Interleague

Tigers 10, Cardinals 4

A look ahead

The three best games Saturday (all times Eastern):

Rays (20-16) at Twins (19-16), 2:10 p.m.: Two of the surprise teams in the majors face off after a hard-fought first game in the series. Rays pitcher Alex Colome will be looking to bounce back from a poor performance in his last start. The Twins have been able to shut teams down with a strong bullpen and get timely hits.

Tigers (22-14) at Cardinals (24-11), 2:15 p.m.: David Price takes the mound as he returns from a minor hamstring injury. The Tigers jumped all over the Cardinals in the first game of the series. Miguel Cabrera is mashing the ball right now, and J.D. Martinez is starting to find his swing.

Yankees (21-15) at Royals (22-13), 7:10 p.m.: Two of the AL's hottest teams square off in what should be a high-scoring game. The Yankees will send struggling CC Sabathia (1-5, 5.20 ERA) to the mound to face Danny Duffy (2-2, 5.67 ERA). The Royals will look to keep up their hot hitting at home (.289/.344/.444 at Kauffman Stadium this season).

Alec Brzezinski