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 Blue Jays completed a three-game road sweep of the Yankees on Sunday with a second straight shutout.
Marco Estrada threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Blue Jays while Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista both homered. Donaldson's homer against Masahiro Tanaka was his ninth first-inning blast this season.
"I think what it says is I'm getting ready for the first at-bat and [beyond]," Donaldson said of his first-inning homers. "It helps when you have great hitters around you, not only behind you, but I have Tulo (shortstop Troy Tulowitzki) in front. Right away, those guys have to be on top of their game, and I just kind of have been fortunate enough to get some pretty good pitches and put good swings on them."
The win was Toronto's (61-52) eighth straight, putting the Blue Jays 1 1/2 games behind New York (61-49) for the AL East lead.
Between Drake and the Blue Jays, it's been a pretty good couple of weeks in Toronto.
Impact Players:
C — Francisco Cervelli, Pirates: 3 for 4, with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs vs. Dodgers
1B — Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: 3 for 4, with two homers and two RBIs vs. Rockies
2B — Jose Ramirez, Indians: 2 for 5, with two RBIs vs. Twins
SS — Erick Aybar, Angels: 2 for 5 vs. Orioles
3B — Aramis Ramirez, Pirates 2 for 4, with an RBI and two runs vs. Dodgers
OF — David Murphy, Angels: 3 for 6, with a home run and four RBIs vs. Orioles
DH — Richie Shaffer, Rays: 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs vs. Mets
SP — Corey Kluber, Indians: 9 IP, three hits, one run (earned), one walk and 10 strikeouts vs. Twins
Key Injuries
Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Pirates with an apparent leg injury.
Surprise Performers
Good: Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta went 5 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI in a win against the Reds.
Bad: Twins starting pitcher Phil Hughes gave up seven earned runs on nine hits in just three innings, as the Indians beat the Twins.
Web Gems
The Padres ballgirl turned in a stellar play on a Matt Kemp liner.
Chris Owings sent the Reds packing with this bases-loaded, walkoff single in the 10th inning for the Diamondbacks.
Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who drove in a career-high five runs in Boston's 7-2 win over the Tigers, also made this incredible over-the-shoulder catch in the fourth.
Facts of The Day:
Carlos Gonzalez goes high and deep quite frequently.
Carlos Gonzalez's 6th-inning HR was calculated at 436 ft, his 5th 425-ft HR since 7/1 Only Nelson Cruz has more (6) pic.twitter.com/Z9S5Bu71Jg
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 9, 2015 It's tough to do something no Red Sox player has ever done, but it happened Sunday.
Henry Owens is the 1st @RedSox pitcher whose 1st career win came in a start against a former Cy Young winner. (via @EliasSports )
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 9, 2015 Reactions:
Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta: "Each game is big for us because of the division we're in and the two teams ahead of us," Arrieta said of the Cardinals and Pirates, who are 1-2 in the National League Central. "We know they're not slowing down and we don't intend to, either. What we have to do now is continue to make it difficult for the guys ahead of us, continue to show that we're going to put pressure on and not let up."
Off The Field:
Wrigley Field evacuated after game following bomb threat
Andruw Jones isn't retired, hopes to come back to baseball
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (thigh) is unlikely to return from the disabled list before Wednesday.
The Red Sox acquired infielder Carlos Rivero from the Mariners for cash considerations.
Red Sox reliever Koji Uehara has been sent back to Boston to undergo a full exam on his injured wrist.
The Red Sox designated RHP Justin Masterson for assignment.
Scores:
American League
Blue Jays 2, Yankees 0
Red Sox 7, Tigers 2
Indians 8, Twins 1
Angels 5, Orioles 4
Athletics 5, Astros 4
Mariners 4, Rangers 2
National League
Rockies 6, Nationals 4
Royals 5, White Sox 4
Brewers 5, Cardinals 4
Cubs 2, Giants 0
Diamondbacks 4, Reds 3
Phillies 5, Padres 3
Marlins 4, Braves 1
Pirates 13 , Dodgers 6
Inter-League Play
A Look Ahead: (All times Eastern)
Angels (59-51) at White Sox (51-58) 8:10 p.m.
Chris Sale has gone through a mini-slump of late, as he’s allowed seven earned runs and lasted fewer than six innings in back-to-back starts. On the other end of the spectrum, Matt Shoemaker (5-7, 101 strikeouts) has been nearly unhittable over 19 scoreless innings heading into Monday's contest.
Nationals (57-53) at Dodgers (62-49) 10:10 p.m.
Monday kicks off a three-game set between the hot-and-cold Nationals and a Dodgers team that has played a slew of close games recently. The Dodgers are 6-4 in their past 10 games, but just 2-3 in their past five. They will send Brett Anderson (6-6, 3.06 ERA) to the mound while Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 3.75 ERA) will get the start for the Nationals.