MLB scores, highlights: Astros sweep Dodgers on Jason Castro's walkoff homer

Alec Brzezinski

MLB scores, highlights: Astros sweep Dodgers on Jason Castro's walkoff homer 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 Astros capped off an entertaining series against the Dodgers in style Sunday.

The two teams entered the series atop their respective divisions, so there was a lot of buzz before it even started. Then, Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter on 134 pitches Friday to awaken anyone who wasn't already paying attention. But the series didn't slow down from there.

Game 2 featured Houston's Scott Kazmir facing off against Zack Greinke and his microscopic ERA. Both pitchers cruised through their opposition, but the Astros did just enough early in the game to hang on for the win.

If that didn't have everyone clamoring over the series, Sunday was sure to grab people's attention with Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Kershaw did his thing, tossing eight innings of one-run baseball with 10 strikeouts, but Carlos Correa scored in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Jason Castro didn't let the game linger long. He hit a walkoff home run in the 10th inning to sweep the Dodgers and give the Astros confidence they can beat a proven playoff team.

Here are more highlights from Sunday's games:

Impact Players:

C — Wilson Ramos, Nationals; Chris Gimenez, Rangers: Both Ramos and Gimenez went 2 for 3 with solo home runs and a walk in big wins for their teams.

1B — Adam LaRoche, White Sox: LaRoche went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

2B — Jonathan Schoop, Orioles: Schoop went 3 for 6 with three RBIs in Baltimore's extra-inning loss against the Twins.

SS — Francisco Lindor, Indians: Lindor went 3 for 5 with a solo home run in a win against the Yankees.

3B — Kris Bryant, Cubs: Bryant's bat awoke in a big way against the Braves. The rookie slugger went 3 for 4 with two home runs, three RBIs, two walks and four runs scored in a big win.

OF — Jason Heyward, Cardinals: Heyward went 3 for 4 with two runs scored, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base as he finished a home run shy of the cycle.

DH — Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: Encarnacion helped the Blue Jays sweep the Angels with a 4-for-4 game. He hit a home run, scored two runs and drove in four.

SP — Aaron Nola, Phillies: Nola tossed eight scoreless innings against the Marlins. He struck out six and only allowed three hits in his best outing of the season.

Key Injuries:

Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia will undergo an MRI after leaving Sunday's start with discomfort in his right knee.

Web Gems:

Bryce Harper shows why it's a bad idea to test his arm:

Surprise Performers:

Good: Reds starting pitcher Raisel Iglesias: Iglesias didn't win — nor did the Reds — but the 25-year-old rookie gave up just one earned run in seven innings while striking out 13 batters. 

Bad: Red Sox closer Junichi Tazawa: Tazawa recently moved from setup man to closer, but he hasn't quite figured it out yet. He allowed four runs in the ninth inning Sunday to blow the save against the Royals and fall to 2-6 on the season.

Facts of the Day:

Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels earned his first win with the team. He pitched six innings of two-run ball to beat the Tigers.

Francisco Lindor wasn't intimidated:

Omar Infante tried for an inside-the-park home run — but failed:

The Blue Jays' trades are working out:

Adrian Beltre set a record of his own:

CarGo just keeps tearing the cover off the ball:

Stephen Piscotty, have a day:

The Mets have finally conquered Coors Field:

Off the Field:

Athletics manager Bob Melvin expects Sean Doolittle to get his closer job back:

"Whether it’s put him right in there or give him a lesser role to start, we’ll see," Melvin said, via CSN Bay Area. "Well, that’s what he does. So as long as he’s healthy and feels good, we’ll get him back there at some point."

The Mariners designated relief pitcher Fernando Rodney for assignment, and the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Rays "will look into" signing him.

The Rockies activated relief pitcher Brooks Brown from the 15-day disabled list, then optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Reactions:

It appears Beltre didn't understand why he was being thrown out of the game:

This security guard's reaction to Orbit the Astro was great:

Scores:

AL:

Rangers 4, Tigers 2
Indians 4, Yankees 3
Royals 8, Red Sox 6
Blue Jays 12, Angels 5
Athletics 8, Rays 2
Mariners 8, White Sox 6
Twins 4, Orioles 3 (12 innings)

NL:

Phillies 2, Marlins 0
Diamondbacks 4, Reds 0
Nationals 9, Brewers 5
Cubs 9, Braves 3
Mets 5, Rockies 1
Cardinals 10, Padres 3
Pirates 5, Giants 2

Interleague:

Astros 3, Dodgers 2 (10 innings)

A Look Ahead: (All times Eastern)

Astros (69-56) at Yankees (68-55) 7:05 p.m.: Fresh off their dramatic sweep of the Dodgers, Houston sends Scott Feldman (5-5, 4.05 ERA) to the mound to face Nathan Eovaldi (13-2, 4.24 ERA) and the Yankees. The Blue Jays overtook New York in the AL East, so the Yankees will need to rebound quickly.

Mets (67-56) at Phillies (50-74) 7:05 p.m.: We're always interested when Jacob deGrom (12-6, 1.98 ERA) takes the mound. The young ace has 158 strikeouts in 154 1/3 innings, and hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since May.

Orioles (62-61) at Royals (75-48) 8:10 p.m.: Kris Medlen is making his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery. His arrival to the rotation is almost like a new acquisition for the already dominant Royals. Baltimore is still in the wild-card picture, but will need to catch fire late in the season.

Alec Brzezinski