Each night in the 2016 baseball season, we'll run down the top news, facts and highlights from action around Major League Baseball.
The Astros took another step Friday night in their push to make the postseason, beating the Blue Jays 5-3 for their fourth-straight victory.
Coming off a doubleheader sweep of the Twins on Thursday in which they scored 25 runs, the Astros bats cooled but got all the offense they needed thanks to 23-year-old right-hander Joe Musgrove.
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Making only his third career MLB appearance and his second start, Musgrove went seven innings to get his first MLB victory. He gave up only six hits and one walk, striking out seven. He now has a 1.47 ERA in 18 1/3 innings this season.
Musgrove wasn't the only Astros youngster making a splash Friday. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez homered in his MLB debut for his first hit.
A popular choice in the preseason to win the AL West, nothing has come easy for the Astros this year. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel is a disappointing 7-11 with a 4.56 ERA. Just in the last week, the team has lost Colby Rasmus to the DL with an ear condition, and DFAed struggling outfielder Carlos Gomez.
Yet the Astros are somehow still in the AL playoff chase. The win against the Blue Jays leaves the Astros just two games behind Boston in the race for the second wild-card spot.
Not bad for a team that started 17-28, and was under .500 in late June.
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Player of the day
Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox: A night after he went down in apparent agonizing pain after a collision at first base, Ramirez hit a three-run home run in the first against the Diamondbacks. And then he hit another three-run homer in the second. Ramirez finished with only those two hits in four at-bats, but that was all the offense the Red Sox needed in a 9-4 win.
Highlight:
Thanks for the memories, A-Rod. Barring a shocking move to another team, this is the final hit of his 22-season career:
Three things to know:
— The Cubs blasted five home runs en route to their 11th straight victory in a 13-2 shellacking of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. It's the Cubs longest winning streak since a 12-game run in 2001.
— Jake Thompson struck out four batters in the second inning against the Rockies, becoming the first Phillies pitcher to turn the feat since 1902.
— Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi went on the 15-day disabled list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, with a right elbow injury. The team recalled RHP Luis Severino from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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What's next:
Tigers (61-54) at Rangers (69-48) 8:05 p.m. ET — This is an important series for both teams. The Rangers are trying to hold off the red-hot Mariners in the AL West. The Tigers are solidly in contention for a wild-card spot, if not the AL East championship. The Tigers face a tough matchup against Cole Hamels (12-3, 2.89 ERA). The Tigers will counter with left-hander Matt Boyd (3-2, 4.69 ERA), who got hammered in several outings in June, but has been solid since the All-Star break, with a 2.76 ERA in his last six appearances.
Cardinals (60-56) at Cubs (73-41) 2:20 p.m. ET — Luke Weaver, a 22-year-old right-hander, will make his MLB debut for the Cardinals. The Cardinals's No. 2 prospect, Weaver has made only 13 minor league starts above the Class-A level, and he's going to be facing the best team in baseball this season in Wrigley Field. Welcome to the big leagues, Luke. He'll be matched against unsung Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, who is 11-7 with a 2.17 ERA this year.