Because the two Bay Area teams are enjoying an off-day before their two-game series begins Saturday, Friday brings us a 14-game slate of big league action, including a potential World Series preview in Los Angeles. As well, we've got games with playoff implications all over the schedule, so let's jump in. 

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 schedule/scores for Friday, August 23

Paxton, Yankee bats throttle Dodgers

The Yankees kicked the Dodgers around in L.A. on Friday night. Didi Gregorius homered twice, Gary Sanchez became the fastest in AL history to 100 career home runs, and Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres also went deep. Most notably, James Paxton looked dominant against the NL's top offense: 

player headshot
James Paxton
BOS • SP • #65
vs. LAD, 8/23/19
IP6 2/3
H5
R2
SO11
BB0
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The Yankees have not been getting good starting pitching lately, so this kind of outing is most welcome. Paxton entered the night with a 4.54 ERA on the season, so the Yankees are no doubt hoping something has kicked in for him. Speaking of which: 

Paxton's counterpart on this evening, NL Cy Young candidate Hyun-Jin Ryu, did not enjoy one of his better performances: 

That includes the first grand slam he's allowed in his career (Gregorius in the fifth inning). 

Sanchez hits, pitches Nats to win in Wrigley

The Nationals and Cubs opened an important three-game series at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. The two clubs came into Friday separated by one game in the standings, which means they are neck-and-neck in the wild-card race. (The Cubs are still vying for the NL Central title, of course.)

Washington jumped all over Jon Lester on Friday, tagging him for one run in the first, one run in the third, two runs in the fourth, and two more in the fifth. Lester was charged with six runs in 4 1/3 innings. Anibal Sanchez, meanwhile, held the Cubs to one hit and two garbage time runs (one earned) in 8 1/3 innings. He also drove in a run with a gorgeous bunt.

Couldn't roll it any better. Sanchez threw a season high 111 pitches in his 8 1/3 innings and now has a 3.81 ERA on the season. He's been a rock solid fourth starter behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin. Juan Soto chipped in three hits Friday, including his 29th home run.

The Nationals have now won three straight games and 10 of their last 12 games. They're averaging 102/12 runs in those 12 games. Washington sits in the top wild-card spot. 

Cardinals move back into first place

The Cardinals romped over the visiting Rockies on Friday, and young ace Jack Flaherty once again spun a gem. The digits: 

player headshot
Jack Flaherty
DET • SP • #9
vs. COL, 8/23/19
IP6
H3
R0
SO9
BB1
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Now check out the roll he's been on lately: 

Before that current run began, Flaherty had a disappointing 4.90 ERA for the season. Since that crater, though, he's pitched like the frontline guy the Cardinals believed him to be. Also in this one, Marcell Ozuna had a double and a homer, and Yadier Molina talied three hits. In related matters, this win in tandem with the Cubs' loss noted above pushed the Cardinals back into first place in the NL Central by a half-game.

Mets lose heartbreaker

As you see above, the Mets fell at home in 14 innings to the Braves. Along the way, Jacob deGrom dominated on the mound and at the plate, and Ronald Acuña Jr. became the second-youngest member of the 30-30 club. The bigger story is that the Mets saw their five-game win streak come to an end and as such lost ground in the NL East and in the NL wild-card standings. 

The Mets tied an MLB record in this one by striking out 26 batters, but their efforts came to grief thanks in large measure to Billy Hamilton's first hit as a Brave: 

The Braves, meantime, have won nine of 12 and maintain their six-game lead over the Nationals in the NL East. They're now 9-3 against the Mets in 2019. 

Lyles throws six no-hit innings for Crew

The Brewers suffocated the Diamondbacks on Friday in large measure because of Jordan Lyles' six no-hit innings. Over that span, Lyles struck out five and walked two. Manager Craig Counsell lifted Lyles after 99 pitches and despite a six-run lead, obviously with an eye on keeping his arms as fresh as possible for the stretch drive. With two outs in the seventh, rookie reliever Devin Williams permitted Arizona's first hit of the game. With the win, the Brewers are now 3.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central and three games behind the Cubs for the second wild-card spot. 

As for Lyles, he now has a 2.67 ERA in five starts since the Brewers acquired him from the Pirates on July 29. 

Aquino makes history again

The Reds took on the increasingly miserable Pirates on Friday night in Pittsburgh, and Cincy rookie slugger Aristides Aquino didn't take long to once again go yard. Color-television footage forthcoming: 

(Yes, those are the Spy vs. Spy uniforms of Players' Weekend you see above.) Yep, that's Aquino's 12th home run in just his 22nd career game played. Suffice it to say, that's a magma-hot start to the 25-year-old's career, and he's made plenty of history along the way. He added another notch with this one: 

And soon enough he's very likely to be on top of this list all by himself: 

As of that 12th blast, Aquino is slashing .324/.395/.868 this season. Prior to his call-up, he pretty well destroyed Triple-A pitching thanks in part to some changes to his stance and swing. Although Aquino probably won't continue this torrid pace -- who could? -- his power is legit, and he's a key long-term piece for the Reds. 

Quick hits