MLB Monday scores, highlights, live team updates, news: Pollock hits three home runs against Dodgers
Plus the Red Sox made grand slam history. Here's everything you need to know about Monday's MLB action
By the standards of lame-wad Mondays, it's pretty hefty slate -- 11 games under the lights. The headliner? That depends upon your rooting interests, of course, but the ALCS rematch in Houston was pretty intriguing. Here is everything you need to know about Monday's MLB action:
Monday's scores
- Indians 7, Rangers 5 (box score)
- Cubs 3, Rockies 2 (box score)
- Nationals 3, Pirates 2 (box score)
- Brewers 6, Reds 5 (box score)
- Rays 3, Tigers 2 (box score)
- Red Sox 10, Royals 6 (box score)
- Marlins 8, Phillies 4 (box score)
- Astros 2, Yankees 1 (box score)
- Blue Jays 7, Twins 5 (box score)
- Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 5 (box score)
- Giants 6, Padres 5 (box score)
Pollock homers three times against Dodgers
The Dodgers were dealt a devastating blow Monday afternoon, when it was announced Corey Seager would miss the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery. He had been dealing with elbow issues since last season. The Dodgers were already without Justin Turner (wrist) and Yasiel Puig (hip). Now Seager is hurt as well.
Because the Seager injury wasn't bad enough, the Dodgers also lost Monday night's series opener to the D-Backs, the team they're chasing in the NL West. And, to really rub it in, A.J. Pollock clubbed three home runs against three different pitchers (Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart, Josh Fields) in his team's victory.
Count 'em. 3️⃣ home runs for A.J. Pollock. 💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/7rTAr7zZgM
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2018
Pollock is the fourth player to hit three home runs in a game this season, joining Mookie Betts, Christian Villanueva, and Matt Davidson.
Monday's result improves the D-Backs to 20-8 and drops the Dodgers to 12-16. The Dodgers have dropped six of their past seven games, with five of those six losses coming against the Marlins and Giants. Ouch.
The season is young, sure, but an eight-game deficit? That's rough. Los Angeles has already exhausted their margin for error, and now they won't have Seager for the rest of the season. There is lots of season to go. Lots. It sure feels like things are starting to get away from the Dodgers a little bit, though.
Hader continues incredible season
The best reliever in baseball? It very well might be Brewers southpaw Josh Hader right now. Monday night Hader picked up his fourth save since Corey Knebel landed on the disabled list, and it was an old-school eight-out save. All eight outs were strikeouts.
Hader has now struck out 39 batters in 18 innings so far this season. Or, to put it a better way, he has struck out 39 of 62 batters faced, or 62.9 percent. That is absurd. A great strikeout rate is around 40 percent. Thirty-nine strikeouts against five hits and four walks in 18 innings is video game stuff.
Red Sox tie April grand slam record
Another day, another grand slam for the Red Sox. They've been hitting them with regularity so far this season. Xander Bogaerts did the honors Monday night. To the action footage:
The @RedSox have done this 6(!) times. It’s still April. #PapaSlampic.twitter.com/MQrClGE7QW
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2018
That is grand slam No. 6 for the Red Sox already this season. They didn't hit a single grand slam last season. Not one. The six grand slams are tied for the most in April in baseball history.
The Red Sox have hit 6 grand slams this season, tied for the most by the end of April in MLB history (Montreal Expos had 6 in April 1996). pic.twitter.com/spa45uhyHH
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 1, 2018
Always a good day when you can sneak an Expos reference into a stat.
Astros win ALCS rematch
Last October, the Astros -- as a taut prelude to their seven-game World Series triumph over the Dodgers -- barged back from down 3-2 to nip the Yankees in a seven-game ALCS. On Monday in Houston, those same two squadrons got together for the first time in 2018, and best of all it's a four-game set.
The Yankees went into the series at 18-9 and having won nine straight. The Astros, meanwhile, were 19-10 with an MLB-best plus-66 run differential. In addition to the general strength of each team, this one's also a tantalizing clash of strengths: The Yankees come in leading the AL in runs scored, home runs, and OPS; while the Astros are the AL leaders in ERA and strikeouts.
Pitching prevailed Monday night. Charlie Morton took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and held the high-powered Yankees to one run in 7 2/3 innings before giving way to the bullpen. He struck out 10.
Double-digit strikeout performances have become the norm for the Astros so far this season. Monday's game was their ninth double-digit strikeout game. No other team has more than five.
The Astros’ rotation has now produced nine double-digit strikeout performances, which matches its total from last season. It is not yet May.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) May 1, 2018
New York's winning streak ends at nine. That's the bad news for the Yankees. The good news is Sonny Gray pitched well for the first time pretty much all season. Gray went into Monday's start with a 7.71 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP in four starts and 21 innings. He was able to hold the Astros to two runs in six innings in Houston.
Gray's not out of the woods yet. One good start is an encouraging first step and nothing more. It is something he can build on though. Something positive he and the Yankees can take away from the end of their losing streak.
Twins continue to skid
Boy, things are not going well for the Twins right now. They lost again Monday, this time to the Blue Jays, and they have lost 10 of their past 11 games. They've been outscored 90-44 in those 11 games. Good gravy.
Free-agent pickup Lance Lynn got the start Monday night and again, it did not go well. He got hit around again.
Lynn is now sitting on an 8.87 ERA, and he has allowed at least five runs in four of his five starts. He has also walked 23 batters in 23 2/3 innings. Things couldn't be going much worse for Minnesota right now.
Quick hits
- The Nationals will complete the first month of the season with a losing record. Here's what you need to know about that.
- With SS Corey Seager out for the season, the Dodgers will rely on UTIL Chris Taylor at shortstop for the time being. Here are some potential trade targets, led by Orioles SS Manny Machado.
- Giants LHP Will Smith will be activated off the disabled list Wednesday, reports NBC Sports Bay Area. Smith has not pitched since the 2016 postseason after blowing out his elbow and needing Tommy John surgery last spring.
- Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia expects to be activated off the DL on May 25, he told The Athletic. Pedroia had offseason surgery on his troublesome knee. He has yet to begin playing in minor league rehab games.
- The Diamondbacks placed LHP Robbie Ray on the 10-day DL with an oblique strain, the team announced. He suffered the injury during Sunday's start. RHP Braden Shipley is expected to replace Ray in the rotation.
- The Pirates are moving LHP Steven Brault to the bullpen. He'll be replaced in the rotation by RHP Nick Kingham, who took a perfect game into the seventh inning in his first big league start over the weekend.
- Twins 3B Miguel Sano is "not making a lot of progress" with his hamstring injury, according to the Star Tribune. The club is considering placing him on the disabled list.
- Tigers LHP Daniel Norris will undergo groin surgery and miss 8-12 weeks, the team announced. Norris gave up three innings in 2 1/3 innings in his start over the weekend before exiting the game with the injury.
- Rangers LHP Martin Perez has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with discomfort in his non-pitching arm, the club announced. Perez had offseason surgery on his right elbow and hasn't felt right physically since.
- INF Danny Espinosa has exercised an opt-out in his contract with the Blue Jays, it was announced. He's now a free agent. Espinosa hit .232/.271/.286 with no home runs in 13 Triple-A games in April.
- The Rockies have activated OF Carlos Gonzalez from the DL and placed 2B DJ LeMahieu on the DL with a hamstring strain, the team announced. CarGo had been out with a hamstring injury.
- Top pitching prospect RHP Fernando Romero will join the Twins' rotation, the team announced. RHP Phil Hughes is moving to the bullpen. MLB.com ranks Romero as Minnesota's second best prospect.
