MLB Nightly 9: Jose Abreu clubs grand slam in Tigers rout

Alec Brzezinski

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MLB Nightly 9: Jose Abreu clubs grand slam in Tigers rout 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.

The Brewers have been feeble offensively in the early going, so manager Ron Roenicke decided to move outfielder Ryan Braun into the leadoff slot to change things up. Braun did have two hits but the Brewers still lost. The Mets, on the other hand, are riding a seven-game win streak and have ace Matt Harvey on the mound Sunday. The Yankees' Chris Young and the White Sox's Jose Abreu belted grand slams to help their respective teams win big.

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Here's a look at what else happened across MLB on Saturday:

Impact players

C — Miguel Montero, Cubs: Montero bashed two home runs for three RBIs and also drew a walk in a 7-6 11-inning win against the Padres.

1B — Adam LaRoche, White Sox: LaRoche went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs in a 12-3 drubbing of the Tigers.

2B — Dee Gordon, Marlins: Gordon went 5 for 5 with three RBIs, raising his average to .400 on the season.

SS — Starlin Castro, Cubs: Castro went 3 for 6 with a run and two RBIs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 11th inning.

3B — Danny Valencia, Blue Jays: Valencia went 4 for 4 with a run and a stolen base in a 6-5 win against the Braves in 10 innings.

OF — Starling Marte, Pirates: Marte was a stat stuffer in 2-for-4 effort. He hit a three-run home run, stole a base and finished the day with five RBIs in a 6-2 win against the hapless Brewers.

DH — Jose Abreu, White Sox: Abreu terrorized Aníbal Sánchez and chased him out of the game in the fourth inning with a grand slam. He finished the game 3 for 6 with two runs and four RBIs to hand the Tigers just their second loss of the season.

SP — Felix Hernandez, Mariners: King Felix fanned 12 batters in seven innings of one-run, two-hit baseball as the Mariners beat the Rangers 3-1.

Key injuries

• The Royals placed closer Greg Holland on 15-day disabled list with a right pectoral strain.

• Orioles' second baseman Jonathan Schoop was placed on 15-day DL with a partial PCL tear and sprained MCL.

• Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy has been placed on the 15-day DL with an aggravated back.

Surprise performers

Good: Indians starting pitcher Danny Salazar earned a win in his season debut and was dominant at times. He allowed just two runs in six innings while striking out 10. Manager Terry Francona has already said Salazar will remain in the starting rotation.

Bad: One day after teammate David Price pitched a gem, Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez got drilled by the White Sox. He gave up nine runs, all earned, in 3 1/3 innings. He allowed a grand slam and only struck out two batters.

Web gems

Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons has developed a strong reputation for making highlight-reel plays, but this latest backwards grab in the outfield took it to a new level.

This next one can't really be called a web gem, but it was impressive all the same.

Way to go, Heidi! The Pirates ballgirl got in on the web gem action with this fine catch:

Fact of the day

Players getting their first MLB hit may not seem noteworthy, but when that player belted the most home runs in spring ball and has been hailed as the savior of the Cubs' franchise, we feel like it's worth mentioning. After striking out three times in Friday's debut, Kris Bryant had a strong day Saturday, batting 2 for 3 with three walks in his second game in the big leagues.

The Mets won their seventh straight game with a 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones is hitting over .500 in his current eight-game hit streak. He had three singles in Saturday's win.

Reactions

This was in response to Yordano Ventura nailing Brett Lawrie with a 99-mph fastball in the fourth inning. Lawrie injured Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar in Friday's game when he slid cleat-first into second base.

Cardinals fans go wild as new outfielder Jason Heyward hits his first home run with the team.

Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison reacts to the camera during batting practice.

Off the field

The Giants received their 2014 World Series rings in a pre-game ceremony at AT&T Park before their game with the Diamondbacks.

The Angels optioned relief pitcher Adam Wilk to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Rays designated relief pitcher Grant Balfour for assignment, even though he's still owed almost $7 million. 

Scores

Results from around the majors on Saturday.

A look ahead

Sunday's top games (All times ET):

White Sox (4-6) at Tigers (9-2) 1:08 p.m.: The White Sox caught the Tigers sleeping Saturday with a 12-3 desolation of Sanchez. Shane Greene (2-0) has been great for the Tigers after two starts and will look to get his team back on track.

Marlins (3-9) at Mets (9-3) 1:10 p.m.: Matt Harvey totes the mound trying to complete the sweep over the Marlins and extend New York's win streak to eight. The Marlins have yet to heat up offensively like many predicted entering the season and they don't want to fall too far behind.

Athletics (6-6) at Royals (8-3) 2:10 p.m.: The newly formed rivalry has seen a little bit of everything through two games. The Royals will be hoping their game can do the talking following a 5-0 loss.

Alec Brzezinski