Thanks to a doubleheader in Cleveland, Saturday brought us an extra full 16-game slate of big league action. First and foremost, the Braves clinched their second straight trip to the postseason on Saturday. Elsewhere we had games with playoff implications in Philly, St. Louis, Chicago, Queens, Texas, Arizona, and Anaheim. Now let's get you up to speed. 

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

Who wins every MLB game? And what underdogs can give you a huge victory tonight? Visit SportsLine now to see the exact score of every MLB game, plus get full player stat projections, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times.

Baseball schedule/scores for Saturday, Sept. 14

Yankees keep dominating AL East opponents

After the Yankees throttled the Blue Jays thanks to a five-home run attack (including two from Brett Gardner), they pushed their lead in the AL East to 9 1/2 games over the Rays. That alone is enough to tell you that the Yanks are dominating their division, but really it goes beyond even that. Here's this, current as of Saturday's win: 

Yep, 52-18 against intra-divisional opponents, which comes to a winning percentage of .743. Here's how that record breaks down: 

  • 12-5 vs. Rays
  • 14-5 vs. Red Sox
  • 9-6 vs. Blue Jays
  • 17-2 vs. Orioles

The Yankees still have five games against the Blue Jays and two against the Rays remaining. So they'll almost certainly break this current tie with the 2018 Red Sox. More to the point, the Yankees' magic number to win the division for the first time since 2012 is now down to four. 

deGrom, Ryu pitch gems

The Dodgers and Mets got together at Citi Field on Saturday night for a battle of NL Cy Young frontrunners -- Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jacob deGrom. The duo did not disappoint, as their combined line for the night makes clear: 

14 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 14 SO

Each ace worked seven innings, and deGrom had eight of the 14 strikeouts. As the following action-sports footage will show, he still had top-line stuff even near the end of his outing: 

DeGrom has been on a roll for some time, but Ryu, who once looked like he was running away with the Cy Young, had struggled badly over his prior four starts. This kind of effort from Ryu was of course most welcome in light of those recent difficulties. The Dodgers skipped his last scheduled turn in the rotation to give him extra rest and perhaps some work on his changeup. Obviously, he responded quite well. 

As you see above, the Mets prevailed, and that was because they were able to get to Joe Kelly and Julio Urias after Ryu was lifted. Every for the Mets is a big one, as they try to hang in the NL wild-card race. As for the Dodgers, they've already clinched the NL West title. With this dual gem, deGrom lowered his ERA to 2.61, while Ryu is now at 2.35. 

Twins use bullpen game to beat Indians

Thanks to a rainout Friday night, the Indians and Twins are playing a doubleheader at Progressive Field on Saturday. Cleveland went into the day 3 1/2 games behind the Twins in the AL Central, and one game behind the Rays for the second wild-card spot.

Friday's game was called in the third inning, burning starters Jake Odorizzi and Aaron Civale, and forcing the Twins to use bullpen games in both ends of the twin bill. Minnesota's bullpen crew responded by holding the Indians to five singles in the shutout win Saturday afternoon. Five relievers combined for nine strikeouts.


IPHRBBK

LHP Devin Smeltzer

3

1

0

1

1

RHP Zack Littell

2

1

0

0

2

RHP Tyler Duffey

1 2/3

1

0

0

1

RHP Sergio Romo

2/3

1

0

0

1

LHP Taylor Rogers

1 2/3

1

0

0

4

TOTAL

9

5

0

1

9

Indians righty Mike Clevinger was excellent, allowing two runs and striking out 10 in eight innings in the doubleheader opener. Jorge Polanco hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give the Twins all the runs they would need. The win snapped Cleveland's four-game winning streak.

With the win, the Twins ensured they will leave this series in first place. A four-game sweep would've moved the Indians into first place by a half-game. Now the best they can do is leave 1 1/2 games back. Minnesota has a chance to really put Cleveland away this weekend, and the bullpen started them off on the right foot Saturday afternoon. Speaking of putting Cleveland away, the Twins prevailed in the second game the doubleheader, as well. 

Pirates allow 10-plus runs ... again

I'm guessing the Pirates and their fans can't wait for this season to be over. Beyond clubhouse discord, Pittsburgh came into Saturday having won only 21 of their last 59 games, and their pitching staff has a 5.38 ERA in those 59 games. The Pirates allowed 17 runs in Friday's loss to the Cubs, and they were tagged for another 14 runs Saturday. Kris Bryant swatted a two-run homer.

Saturday's game is the 28th time this season the Pirates have allowed double-digit runs in a game. That is not only the most in baseball, it's the most by any team in nearly two decades. The leaderboard since 2000:

  1. 2000 Rangers: 30 games with 10-plus runs allowed
  2. 2000 Orioles: 29
  3. 2019 Pirates: 28
  4. Several teams tied with 27 (most recently the 2016 Rockies)

It sure seems like the Pirates are going to clean house this offseason, with manager Clint Hurdle and pitching coach Ray Searage most likely to go. After a season like this, it's hard to say replacing the coaching staff would be unwarranted.

Snitker ejected after Culberson struck in face on bunt attempt

Braves pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson suffered a harrowing injury in Saturday's Braves-Nationals game when he was struck in the face by a pitch from Fernando Rodney during a bunt attempt. Here's the immediate aftermath: 

Culberson was on the ground for several minutes in obvious pain, and he appeared to be bleeding. Finally, he was able to stand up and be helped into a waiting cart. The Nationals Park crowd gave him a warm ovation as he left the field: 

While Culberson's health is obviously the story here, it's also worth noting that one umpire ruled that Culberson offered at the pitch and was thus given a strike as opposed to first base. This set Atlanta manager Brian Snitker off in a big way (possible NSFW language):

Snitker was no doubt already upset to see his player suffer such a serious injury, and his frustration at the strike call is understandable in any context. The good news for Snitker and the Braves is that they went on to score four runs in the frame, as Washington manager Davey Martinez made the mistake of leaving in a clearly rattled Rodney. 

As noted above, the Braves clinched a playoff berth with the win. 

Highlight of the day: Fiers' facial hair

Mike Fiers of the Athletics started against the Rangers on Saturday night, and, well, have a look at the recent life decision of note:

This is, I dunno, a lemur's tail or perhaps the early signs of tornadic activity on doppler radar or the first coil of delicious soft-serve ice cream. Whatever it is, it's what Fiers has chosen to do to himself and others nearby. 

As for more important Fiers matters, he left in the second inning of this start because of apparent arm discomfort. More: 

That situation bears monitoring, as the A's are fighting for a playoff berth, and Fiers has been a vital member of their rotation.

Quick hits

  • The Yankees will activate RHP Dellin Betances on Sunday, reports the New York Times. He has not pitched this year due to ongoing shoulder trouble. Betances recently completed a minor league rehab assignment.
  • Rays UTIL Brandon Lowe may still return this season, reports MLB.com. He's been out with shin and quad injuries since early July. Lowe will get at-bats in the instructional league in the coming days.
  • Twins RHP Sam Dyson will remain shut down with pain in his biceps, reports The Athletic. He has been dealing with the biceps problem since coming over the Giants at the trade deadline. Dyson last pitched Sept. 3.
  • Blue Jays LHP Tim Mayza has a torn elbow ligament and needs Tommy John surgery, reports Sportsnet. Mayza left Friday's game in obvious pain after throwing a pitch. He will likely miss the entire 2020 season.