A-Rod blasts MLB-record 25th grand slam as Yanks remain atop AL East

Joe Rodgers

A-Rod blasts MLB-record 25th grand slam as Yanks remain atop AL East 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.

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez extended his MLB record with the 25th grand slam of his career Tuesday to give the Yankees a lead in the seventh inning of an eventual 8-4 win over the Twins. The go-ahead homer was also A-Rod's 25th of the season and No. 679 of his career. The estimated 420-foot blast was the first long ball for Rodriguez since his 40th birthday on July 27, a span of 72 at-bats.

MORE: Baseball's all-time saves leaders | Spieth wins $5,000 off Johnson in first-pitch contest

Yankees relievers were able to preserve the victory, the 66th for the Bombers this season. New York still leads the Blue Jays, who also won Tuesday, by one game in the AL East, and is five games up on the Orioles, who lost to the Mets.

Three games ended in walkoff fashion as the Astros, Pirates and Athletics all won in their final at-bat.

First, Astros outfielder Marwin Gonzalez enjoyed his first career walkoff, hammered a home run in the 10th inning to beat the Rays, 3-2.

Then, the Pirates' Pedro Florimon, who was batting .063 entering Tuesday's game, delivered an RBI triple as the Bucs outlasted the Diamondbacks 9-8 in 15 innings. 

Finally, who doesn't love a bite of late-night breakfast, "Country Breakfast," to be exact? Billy Butler hit a double off Dodgers reliever Yimi Garcia in the bottom of the 10th as the A's spoiled Clayton Kershaw's outing, 5-4. 

Here are more highlights from Tuesday's games:

Impact players

C — Francisco Cervelli, Pirates: Finishing 4 for 7 in the Pirates' marathon against the Diamondbacks, Cervelli scored the winning run in the bottom of the 15th. 

1B — Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: Ending a 1-for-19 slump, Zimmerman went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two walks as the Nats routed the Rockies, 15-6. 

2B — Ian Kinsler, Tigers: Kinsler went 5 for 5, falling a triple shy of the cycle, against the Cubs. He added three runs and two RBIs. 

SS — Ian Desmond, Nationals: Desmond went 3 for 6 with four RBIs and a run scored. He and teammate Yunel Escobar became the first Nationals duo with at least four RBIs in same game since 2011.

3B — Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays: Donaldson went 3 for 4 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBIs. He now has 33 home runs and 91 RBIs on the season. 

OF — Melvin Upton Jr., Padres: The man formally know as B.J. went 3 for 4 with two homers and five RBIs. His sixth-inning blast was the first of his career with his brother Justin on base.

DH — David Ortiz, Red Sox: Big Papi extended his hitting streak to 10 games by going 2 for 4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. 

SP— Jacob deGrom, Mets: deGrom continues to dominate. He lowered his ERA to 1.98 with 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Orioles. He struck out six and now owns an impressive 158:29 K:BB ratio over 154 1/3 innings. 

Key injuries

Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig exited against the A's with a right hamstring injury. He will have an MRI on Wednesday but said after the game the injury doesn't feel as severe as the one that sidelined him for 38 games earlier in the season. 

Giants right-hander Mike Leake, who was scheduled to come off the disabled list and start Tuesday against the Cardinals, instead will stay on the disabled list with a nagging left hamstring problem.

Leake's teammate Hunter Pence missed Tuesday's game against the Cardinals after getting his left side checked by team doctors. They ruled Pence has an oblique strain. He'll head to the 15-day disabled list to recover. 

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has a deep bone bruise in his right shin, but he is expected to avoid the disabled list.

Out 16 days with inflammation in his right shoulder, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis was activated from the 15-day disabled list. He was hitless in a pinch-hit at-bat. 

Shut down last September with a neck issue, Twins closer Glen Perkins may have a similar fate this season. He will undergo an MRI on his neck Wednesday. 

Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez exited against the Nationals with right knee inflammation. He's listed as day to day.

The Phillies placed third baseman Maikel Franco on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 12, with a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist. He is batting .277/.340/.490. 

After sitting out with soreness in his left knee, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is hoping to return to the lineup Thursday against the Tigers. 

Out since July 2 with a fractured right wrist, Astros outfielder George Springer played catch and took dry swings with a fungo bat Tuesday. 

Marlins pitcher David Phelps is done for the season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right forearm.

Web gems

Mets rookie left fielder Michael Conforto fields Henry Urrutia's single and makes a strong throw to catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who tags out the Orioles' J.J. Hardy at home plate:

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw made a terrific play with his back turned to home plate to snare a comebacker off the bat of A's batter Eric Sogard. He later threw a tantrum (and the ball) after a fielding lapse. 

Surprise performers

Good: Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and Tigers reliever Buck Farmer each got a hit in their respective games. Bumgarner was called on as a pinch hitter in the seventh. 

Bad: On the opposite side of the diamond, D-backs slugger David Peralta was 0 for 6 despite his team putting up eight runs on 12 hits. 

Facts of the day

With his 3-for-5 performance, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has 156 multi-hit games in the last three seasons, the most of any player in MLB.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman converted 56 straight save opportunities at home before blowing a save against the Royals. It was the longest streak since saves became an official statistic in 1969, ESPN reported.

Angels slugger Albert Pujols hit his 553rd career home run and is now just two homers shy of tying Manny Ramirez for 14th on baseball's all-time list.

Off the field

The Angels called up former first-round pick Kaleb Cowart from Triple-A Salt Lake, where he was batting .323/.395/.491. The third baseman went 0 for 3 in his MLB debut.  

Rockies manager Walt Weiss announced that John Axford will return to his ninth-inning closer role. Axford was demoted July 31 in favor of Tommy Kahnle, who failed to embrace the role. Kahnle had a 4.05 ERA with just two saves the past 15 games. 

The Rangers acquired outfielder Will Venable from the Padres in a waiver deal in exchange for minor league catcher/outfielder Marcus Greene and a player to be named.

Red Sox have hired former Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski as their new president of baseball operations. Current general manager Ben Cherington has decided to leave the franchise but will stay on to help Dombrowski make the transition to Boston.

Royals manager Ned Yost raised eyebrows after wearing his Apple watch in the dugout. MLB quickly told Yost he's not allowed to wear the gadget during games.

Reactions

Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente would have turned 81 years old Tuesday. Sporting News contributor Adrian Burgos Jr. ponders what Clemente would have thought about Major League Baseball today.

Legendary closer Trevor Hoffman will appear on the writers' Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2016. Sporting News contributor Graham Womack outlines Hoffman's career and when you can expect him in Cooperstown. 

Reds fans gave Royals ace Johnny Cueto a standing ovation in his return to Cincinnati. Cueto pitched seven full seasons for the Reds before being traded to Kansas City in July. 

Cueto's new manager, Yost, didn't receive a standing ovation. In fact, he was booed after being ejected from the game after he argued with umpire Mark Carlson over the result of a review in the top of the 11th inning. 

Scores

American League

Yankees 8, Twins 4
Red Sox 9, Indians 1
Mariners 3, Rangers 2
Astros 3, Rays 2, 10 innings
Angels 5, White Sox 3

National League

Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 8, 15 innings
Marlins 9, Brewers 6
Giants 2, Cardinals 0
Nationals 15, Rockies 6
Padres 9, Braves 0

Interleague

Mets 5, Orioles 3
Blue Jays 8, Phillies 5
Royals 3, Reds 1, 13 innings
Tigers 10, Cubs 8
Athletics 5, Dodgers 4, 10 innings

A look ahead

(All times Eastern)

Mets (64-55) at Orioles (61-57), 7:05 p.m.: Despite his success at Citi Field, Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard (7-6, 3.07 ERA) has been roughed up on the road this season (5.01 ERA, 1.55 WHIP). He will look for the first road win of his career as the Mets finish a two-game series in Baltimore. Ubaldo Jimenez (9-7, 3.92 ERA) will take the hill for the O’s, who are seeking their fifth win in the past six games.

Giants (65-54) at Cardinals (76-43), 7:15 p.m.: Matt Cain (2-3, 6.05 ERA) takes the mound against Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals in a matchup of pitchers going in opposite directions. Cain is 0-2 with an 8.24 ERA in his past four starts, while Garcia has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 outings. Garcia may get all the run support he needs from third baseman Matt Carpenter, who is 7 for 10 with five RBIs in the regular season against Cain in his career. 

Tigers (57-61) at Cubs (67-50), 8:05 p.m.: A pair out southpaws square off as Daniel Norris (2-2, 4.24 ERA) and the Tigers take on Jon Lester (8-8, 3.21 ERA) and the Cubs. Norris, acquired from Toronto in the David Price deal, will make his first interleague start. Lester will look to ride a recent hot streak. He is 4-0 with a 2.04 ERA in his past five starts. He will have to be careful with the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, Rajai Davis and Ian Kinsler, who are all hitting .300 or higher against Lester in their careers during the regular season.

Joe Rodgers