Thanks to a doubleheader in Baltimore, there were 16 games on the schedule Saturday. Just four afternoon games, however, so it was a busy night of baseball. 

Select games can be streamed regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). For more on what channel each game is on, click here.

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Baseball scores for Saturday, July 13

Soto sinks Phillies

When 20-year-old Nationals outfielder Juan Soto stepped the plate against the Phillies in the top of the ninth on Saturday night in Philly, his team had a less than an 8.0 percent chance to win the game. Yes, they were down by only one run, and Anthony Rendon had just singled. But they were down to their final out, and closer Hector Neris was on the mound. Here's what Soto did: 

That's Soto's 16 homer of the season, and with one swing he took the Nats from better than a 90 percent chance of losing to better than an 80 percent chance of winning. Sean Doolittle made the narrow margin stand up despite a somewhat shaky bottom of the ninth. 

Soto's once-struggling Nationals are now 7-1 in July and 25-9 since the start of June. That surge has elevated them from disappointment to certifiable contender. As for the Phillies, they're in third place and just two games above .500. This one's a painful loss for Gabe Kapler's squad, which has now lost 23 of its past 37.

Chicago teams involved in seven-run first innings

Depending which Chicago team you support, the first inning either went very well or very poorly Saturday. Over at Wrigley Field, the Cubs hung a seven-spot in the first inning against Jordan Lyles and the Pirates. Jon Lester's booming two-run single to the opposite field was the highlight of the inning.

Lester added a solo home run in the third inning for good measure. It was his first home run of the season and the third of career, all with the Cubbies. The Cubs took all the mystery out of Saturday's game early. They hammered Lyles (and Chris Stratton).

Meanwhile, out in Oakland, the White Sox were on the wrong end of a seven-run first inning. The Athletics put up seven runs on Dylan Covey and Ross Detwiler at the ... checks notes ... RingCentral Coliseum, thanks largely to Franklin Barreto's three-run home run. To the action footage:

The seven-run first inning ties the largest offensive inning of the season for the Cubs. As for the White Sox, the seven-run first inning is not their worst defensive inning of the year. They allowed nine runs in the third inning against the Red Sox on May 4.

By the way, the Cubs' contest ended in pretty nifty fashion from the Chicago standpoint: 

Yankees narrowly avoid being shut out

The fifth longest "no shutout" streak in baseball history remains alive. Saturday afternoon the Yankees scored at least one run for the 172nd consecutive game, though it wasn't until Aaron Judge's two-out run-scoring single in the ninth inning that they got on the board.

Only one other time during this 172-game no shutout streak did the Yankees go into the ninth inning without a run. Here are the five longest no shutout streaks in baseball history:

  1. Yankees: 308 games (August 3, 1931 to August 2, 1933)
  2. Brewers: 212 games (August 11, 1978 to September 29, 1979)
  3. Reds: 208 games (April 3, 2000 to May 23, 2001)
  4. Phillies: 174 games (September 20, 1992 to September 29, 1993)
  5. Yankees: 172 games (July 1, 2018 to present)

The Yankees did manage to keep their no shutout streak alive Saturday. They could not win the game, however. New York has dropped three of their last four dating back to prior to the All-Star break.

Trout joins 30-homer club

Coming into Saturday's slate, just Christian Yelich of the Brewers, Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers, and Home Run Derby champ Pete Alonso of the Mets had reached the 30-homer mark for 2019. Mike Trout of the Angels promptly joined them: 

There's No. 30, and the moment the best baseball player in the world has a 2019 slash line of .308/.459/.672 with more walks than strikeouts (that's of course in addition to running the bases well and playing a nifty center field). Trout now has four home runs in his past three games and eight in July -- a month that of course includes the All-Star break.

Kepler makes history at Bauer's expense

Back on June 6, Twins outfielder Max Kepler had a three-homer game against Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer in Cleveland. On Saturday back at Progressive Field, Kepler and Bauer met again. Here's how that went: 

And Kepler's next time up: 

So, yeah, that's five home runs in his last five at-bats against Bauer. That's the first time in MLB history that's happened within a single season: 

And if you count across seasons, it's the first time it's happened in almost 60 years: 

Back on June 6, Kepler homered on a fastball, slider, and changeup from Bauer. On Saturday, he turned around a fastball and then a 79-mph curve. On the other hand, Bauer also throws cutter and a very occasional sinker, and Kepler hasn't homered off those yet. 

Mr. Bauer, your thoughts?

Anyhow, Bauer struck out Kepler in the fourth inning, thus ending the streak, but not before history was made. There's owning the opposition, and then there's giving your foe a thorough, deep-tissue Keplering. This is a rarely glimpsed example of the latter. 

Overall, Kepler in his breakout 2019 season is batting .266/.338/.538 with 23 home runs and standout defense in right field. Bauer is also having a strong 2019, recent and ruthless Keplering notwithstanding.

Bellinger ties Yelich for home run lead, hears "MVP" chants in Fenway

The Dodgers hit four home runs at Fenway Park on Saturday night on their way to that 11-2 romp over the Red Sox. One of those home runs belonged to All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was also celebrating his 24th birthday: 

Yes, he jumped all over that Steven Wright knuckleball for home run No. 31 on the season. That ties him for the moment with Christian Yelich of the Brewers for the major-league lead (Mike Trout and Pete Alonso are each at 30). Yelich is of course the reigning NL MVP, but Bellinger right now bests him in OPS+ and WAR. Framed another way, Bellinger is slashing .338/.433/.695, and Yelich -- despite playing in a much easier home ballpark for hitters -- is roughly the same at .328/.429/.701. So is Bellinger in line to topple Yelich as MVP in the senior circuit? Let's allow some Fenway-goers to have their say: 

And: 

Hey, the Dodgers (narrowly) have the best record in baseball and are a national brand, so it's not necessarily surprising that they have plenty of rooters show up at a World Series rematch on a weekend night. Normally, though, it's the Red Sox who are taking over the home team's yard. Anyhow, if paces hold, then those MVP chants for Bellinger will likely wind up being true. 

Quick hits

  • The Red Sox have acquired RHP Andrew Cashner from the Orioles in exchange for two prospects. Get the details here.
  • The Rays traded IF Nick Solak to the Rangers for RHP Peter Fairbanks, both teams announced. Our R.J. Anderson recently reported Tampa was looking to deal Solak for pitching help, specifically a player in his pre-arbitration years like Fairbanks.
  • Nationals RHP Max Scherzer has landed on the IL with mid-back strain. The move is retroactive to July 10.
  • The Yankees activated 1B Luke Voit off the 10-day injured list, the team announced. He missed 12 games with an abdominal injury. IF Breyvic Valera was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
  • The Orioles placed RHP Dylan Bundy on the 10-day injured list with a knee tendinitis, the club announced. He allowed seven runs in one inning Friday. RHP Tayler Scott was called up in a corresponding move.
  • The Phillies have reportedly signed 1B Logan Morrison to a minor-league contract.