The Pittsburgh Pirates will not go down without a fight in the National League wild-card race.
Josh Harrison stepped up with a spectacular effort Saturday to help the Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 in a thrilling offensive showdown. Harrison collected three hits with two runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases. When healthy, he is one of the most dangerous players in the lineup.
Brewers third baseman Hernan Perez tried his best to spoil the Pirates' party by hitting two home runs with four RBIs. Milwaukee jumped out to a convincing 5-1 lead through the first three innings — based largely off of a three-run home run from Perez — but they were unable to sustain it, allowing the Pirates to score five runs in the fifth inning.
The Pirates (66-61) have now won three straight games and find themselves tied with the Miami Marlins just 1 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals (68-60) for the final wild card spot.
Pittsburgh's playoff prospects are shifting in the right direction despite learning starting pitcher Gerrit Cole will be scratched from Monday's start against the Chicago Cubs with elbow soreness.
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If Cole checks out all right in his Sunday examination, and they can continue to get timely performances from their hitters, the Pirates could be playing in the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
Players of the day:
Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon belted two home runs to help Colorado beat the Washington Nationals 9-4 in 11 innings. He finished the game with three hits, three runs scored and three RBIs. Blackmon's two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning paved the way for the Rockies' victory.
Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani tossed a complete-game shutout in a 13-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He gave up just four hits and walked one batter, while striking out nine. He improved to 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA on the season.
Highlight:
Blue Jays outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. gets an unusual inside-the-park home run:
Go-ahead Little League HR.
— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2016
Wow: https://t.co/pttzAaoOL0 https://t.co/2gHcjgbVth
Three things to know:
— New York Yankees rookie Gary Sanchez became the first player in MLB history with 11 home runs in his first 23 games when he blasted a bomb in the fourth inning of a 13-5 win against the Baltimore Orioles. Starlin Castro led the Yankees offensively, collecting four hits with three runs scored, a home run and three RBIs.
— Corey Seager hit his 23rd home run of the season, breaking the Los Angeles Dodgers' all-time single-season record for home runs by a shortstop. Seager helped the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2.
— Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler hit his 38th career leadoff home run in a 3-2 loss against the Los Angeles Angels, breaking a tie with Ichiro Suzuki for the seventh-most in MLB history.
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What's next:
Cubs (82-46) at Dodgers (72-57) 4:05 p.m. ET — The Dodgers gutted out a big win Saturday as they try to beat the Giants in the National League West. They will try to win the series with Brock Stewart (0-2, 11.25 ERA) taking the mound to take on Jon Lester (14-4, 2.81 ERA).
Royals (67-62) at Red Sox (72-57) 8:00 p.m. ET — The Indians' recent struggles have helped Kansas City back in the playoff picture, but the Royals need to get through this tough series against the Red Sox. Yordano Ventura (9-9, 4.27 ERA) will try to help them do that against Eduardo Rodriguez (2-5, 5.11 ERA).