MLB Nightly 9: Matt Harvey, Mets take down Yankees

Alec Brzezinski
and others
• 7 min read
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The Mets took it to the Yankees on Saturday to even the Subway Series at a game apiece, and continue to boast the best record in baseball. Matt Harvey has been dealing in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, and the Mets' opportunistic hitters are taking advantage of opposing pitchers' mistakes. Elsewhere, the Royals and White Sox received their punishments for Thursday night's brawl, and Cardinals fans are holding their breath over Adam Wainwright's reported ankle injury.

Here are some of the highlights from around the league Saturday night:

MORE: Beltre breaks bats, bills Richards | Protests at Camden Yards  | Wainwright injured

Impact players

C — Andrew Susac, Giants: Susac went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-4, 11-inning win against the Rockies.

1B — Mark Teixeira, Yankees: Teixeira bashed his eighth home run of the season in a 3-for-4 day despite the Yankees' loss to the Mets.

2B — Jose Altuve, Astros: Altuve went 2 for 5 with three runs scored and hit a rare home run in a 9-3 win against the Athletics.

SS — Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: Tulo went 2 for 5 with a solo home run as his average climbed back over .300 on the season.

3B — Evan Longoria, Rays: Longoria had been quiet in April until Saturday's 4-for-4 effort. He scored and drove in a run while raising his average to .271.

OF — Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins:  Watch out everyone, Stanton is starting to heat up. After failing to hit a home run in his first nine games, Stanton has now hit five homers in his last nine games. He went 3 for 3 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored in an 8-0 drubbing of the Nationals.

OF — Justin Upton, Padres: Much like past seasons, Upton is off to a scintillating start. He hit two more home runs and drove in five runs in an 11-8 loss to the Dodgers.

DH — Jimmy Paredes, Orioles: Paredes busted loose with a 4-for-5 night with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

SP — Matt Harvey, Mets: Harvey was tremendous against his in-city rivals, giving up only two runs in 8 2/3 innings and striking out seven. He moved to 4-0 on the season with the win.

Key injuries

Athletics second baseman Ben Zobrist has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, and will undergo arthoscopic knee surgery. He's expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. Eric Sogard will fill in at second base.

The Red Sox placed outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain.

Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury left Saturday's game with hip tightness. Chris Young will fill in at center if Ellsbury is required to miss any time.

Dodgers relief pitcher Joel Peralta is dealing with "dead arm" and may require a stint on the DL. 

Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright left the game with what appeared to be an Achilles injury, but the team is calling it a " left ankle injury ".

Surprise performers

Good: The Marlins are starting to heat up, and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is leading the way. He belted a three-run home run in a 8-0 win against the Nationals two games after going 4 for 4 at the plate.

Bad: C.C Sabathia continues to struggle. His latest mishap came Saturday when he allowed seven earned runs in five innings against the Mets, raising his ERA to 5.96 on the season.

Web gems

Another day, another Jose Iglesias web gem:

Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis makes a tremendous throw from the ground:

Fact of the day

Tigers platoon center fielder Rajai Davis went 2 for 4 with three runs and three stolen bases.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera drew four walks.

The Mets got back on track with help from an unlikely hero:

Hats off to the Cardinals' Mitch Harris:

Reactions

"Wow. As good as advertised, no doubt about it. … He's a horse. He's got four plus pitches, throws them all for strikes, great demeanor out there on the mound. The Mets are in good shape. He's a cornerstone for them." — Alex Rodriguez, on Mets pitcher Matt Harvey .

Wainwright acknowledged after Saturday's game that the injury he suffered running out of the batter's box is to the back of his left ankle.

"I thought I got hit by something," said Wainwright, who pulled up lame after a fifth-inning pop-out on Saturday night in Milwaukee. "If you look at the replay, I get out of the box and I looked back to think the catcher’s mask must of hit me or the bat must’ve hit me, something must’ve hit me." In other words, it's his Achilles tendon. And if he ruptured it, the right-handed ace could be done for the rest of the 2015 season. 

Off the field

Protesters rioted in the streets of Baltimore right outside Camden Yards, prompting police to momentarily hold fans inside the stadium even after the 10-inning game ended.

The players involved in the White Sox-Royals game learned their punishments Saturday:

The Blue Jays released starting pitcher Ricky Romero . The 30-year-old has battled injury and control issues.

Scores

American League:

Tigers 4, Indians 1

Astros 9, Athletics 3

Rays 4, Blue Jays 2

Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 , 10 innings

Angels 4, Rangers 1

Twins 8. Mariners 5

Royals, White Sox PPD

National League:

Marlins 8, Nationals 0

Braves 5, Phillies 2

Cardinals 5, Brewers 3

Pirates 2, Diamondbacks 1

Giants 5, Rockies 4 , 11 innings

Dodgers 11, Padres 8

Cubs, Reds PPD

Interleague :

Mets 8, Yankees 2

A look ahead

(All times Eastern)

Red Sox (10-8) at Orioles (8-10) 1:35 p.m.: This one could be watched off the field more than on, as the Baltimore riots kept fans from leaving Camden Yards on Saturday night. The game should be good as well in the competitive AL East. 

White Sox (6-9) at Royals (12-4) 2:10 p.m.: These two teams will finish up their game from two nights ago that's tied 2-2 in the eighth before playing a full game after. 

Dodgers (11-6) at Padres (10-9) 4:10 p.m.: Both teams have been two of the hottest in baseball offensively and didn't disappoint Saturday in a 19-run slugfest. The Dodgers have suffered some injuries early in the season, but it's done little to slow them down.

Author(s)
Alec Brzezinski