MLB Nightly 9: Nelson Cruz bashes his MLB-leading 12th and 13th HRs

Alec Brzezinski

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MLB Nightly 9: Nelson Cruz bashes his MLB-leading 12th and 13th HRs 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.

There are six divisions between the AL and NL and after the first month of the season, one could make the case that four of those six divisions are led by surprise teams.

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Who honestly thought the Astros would have a six-game lead over the Angels in the AL West? Or that the Mets would lead the Marlins in the NL East? One of the reasons this season has been so entertaining is because the younger teams are scoring runs and providing a little bit of flair in a sport people were writing off.

Here are Saturday's scores and highlights:

Impact players

C — Russell Martin, Blue Jays: Martin went 3 for 5 with two runs and a solo home run in a convincing 11-4 win against the Indians.

1B — Kyle Blanks, Rangers: Blanks was incredible in the Rangers' 8-7 extra-innings win against the Athletics. He went 4 for 5 with two runs, a home run and three RBIs.

2B — Dee Gordon, Marlins: Can anyone slow down Gordon? He's now hitting .440 on the season after yet another 3-for-3 game that included three runs scored, two walks and two more stolen bases, bringing his season total up to 11.

SS — Jean Segura, Brewers: Segura went 4 for 5 with two RBIs and a stolen base in a rare Milwaukee win.

3B — Martin Prado, Marlins: Prado is starting to heat up, along with his team. He went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs in a 7-0 win against the Phillies.

OF — Colby Rasmus, Astros: Rasmus was 3 for 5 with three runs and a solo home run in Houston's 11-4 win over the Mariners.

DH — Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: Bautista has been quiet this season but went 2 for 5 with a run and four RBIs in an 11-4 win against the Indians.

SP — David Price, Tigers: Price went the distance in a one-run complete game against the Royals. He improved to 3-1 with the win and lowered his ERA to 2.93.

Key injuries

Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings was scratched Saturday because of left knee soreness. He was originally listed in the starting lineup for the first time since April 25th, but was scratched just before the first pitch.

Surprise performers

Good: The Astros: After starting the season 4-6, Houston (16-7) has now won its last nine games after an 11-4 drubbing of the Mariners. Jose Altuve is quickly becoming one of the premier players in baseball, and outfielder Jake Marisnick has been a pleasant surprise.

Bad: Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber was shelled again Saturday, yielding five runs (four earned) over five innings in an 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays. Kluber is now 0-4 following last year's Cy Young campaign, and his ERA jumped from 4.24 to 4.62 in the loss.

Web gems

Andrew McCutchen swept in to make this nice diving play:

Marlon Byrd's catch was great, but the dance might need some work:

Marisnick hit a home run and made this catch on Houston's infamous hill:

Facts of the day

Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz hit his MLB-leading 12th and 13th home runs:

Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances struck out all four of the batters he faced — it's the first time he's done so in his career.

Talk about having two aces:

The Mariners and Astros combined to hit a season-high nine home runs.

Reactions

We can no longer say Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton isn't original:

"They were a nice young team last year and they're playing extremely well right now. Everything is clicking on all cylinders for them. You run into hot teams, that's just the way it goes. I like my team. In fact, I love my team. I think we'll come out of it and be fine. We'll have our winning streaks, too." — Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said (via MLB.com) about the Astros.

Off the field

The Brewers activated outfielder Carlos Gomez (hamstring) from the 15-day DL.

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon (knee, side) was a late scratch from the Double-A Harrisburg lineup on Saturday, and is still at least a week away from returning to the Nats'.

Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan underwent surgery Saturday for his fractured right wrist and is expected to be sidelined through the All-Star break.

Scores

AL:

Yankees 4, Red Sox 2

Twins 5, White Sox 3

Blue Jays 11, Indians 4

Orioles 4, Rays 0

Astros 11, Mariners 4

Tigers 2, Royals 1

Rangers 8, Athletics 7 (10 innings)

NL:

Cardinals 2, Pirates 1 (11 innings)

Brewers 6, Cubs 1

Marlins 7, Phillies 0

Nationals 1, Mets 0

Reds 8, Braves 4

Padres 4, Rockies 2

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 4

Interleague:

Giants 5, Angels 4

A look ahead: (All times Eastern)

Nationals (11-14) at Mets (16-9) 1:10 p.m.: The Nationals have been struggling to give their starting pitchers run support in recent games, but the Mets have shaky as well recently. Doug Fister totes the mound in a division rivalry game against Dillon Gee.

Tigers (16-9) at Royals (16-8) 2:10 p.m.: David Price pitched a complete game Saturday to slow down the charging Royals. The Tigers' bats have cooled off a bit since their red-hot start, but they may need to score some runs with the struggling Anibal Sanchez on the mound.

Yankees (15-9) at Red Sox (12-12) 8:05 p.m.: Alex Rodriguez is in search of his 661st home run and the chance to hold down fourth place all time by himself. The Yankees have been surprisingly consistent in the first month, and they boast one of the best bullpens in baseball with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller closing out games.

Alec Brzezinski