Each night in the 2016 baseball season, we'll run down the top news, facts and highlights from action around Major League Baseball.
Astros starter Dallas Keuchel is going through a disappointing 2016 season after being named the AL Cy Young Award winner last year, but Friday he turned in an award-winning performance as his team cut into the rival Rangers' AL West lead.
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In the opener of a three-game series, Keuchel threw his fourth career complete-game shutout to narrow the Astros' deficit in the West to 5 1/2 games.
Keuchel allowed just three hits and struck out seven in the 5-0 victory, his seventh win of the season.
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The Astros jumped ahead with a four-run third inning keyed by RBI hits from Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Tyler White.
Player of the day
Jaime Garcia, SP, Cardinals. Not only did Garcia hurl eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits with 11 strikeouts, he also drove in the game's only run in St. Louis' 1-0 victory over Atlanta. His second-inning single plated Matt Holliday.
Highlight
On the eighth pitch of an at-bat against Reds reliever Ross Ohlendorf, Pirates pinch hitter Sean Rodriguez connected on a walkoff solo homer in the ninth inning.
Three things to know
— Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season. The 14-year player is the only first baseman in MLB history with 400 or more home runs and five Gold Glove awards .
SPECTOR: Teixeira's legacy goes well beyond HR totals
— The Nationals topped the Giants 5-1 to drop San Francisco to 5-14 since the All-Star break, the worst record in the majors.
— Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said 2015 All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder A.J. Pollock (elbow) could return to the club before Sept. 1.
What's next
Blue Jays (63-47) at Royals (51-58), 7:15 p.m. ET: The only pitching matchup of the day between starters with an ERA below 3.00 features AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez (11-1, 2.71 ERA) and the Jays vs. Danny Duffy (7-1, 2.98 ERA) and the Royals. Duffy is coming off a franchise-record 16 strikeouts against the Rays.
Giants (62-47) at Nationals (65-44), 7:05 p.m. ET: Stephen Strasburg (15-1, 2.63 ERA) will seek his career-best 16th win after being named July's Pitcher of the Month. Matt Cain (3-6, 5.53 ERA) toes the rubber for the Giants; he will look to end Jayson Werth’s on-base streak at 36 games.