CLEVELAND: Making history almost every time they take the field, the Cleveland Indians won their 21st straight game on Wednesday, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers, to set an American League record and join only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many in a row.
Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer (4-3), and Mike Clevinger (10-5) won his consecutive straight start as the Indians matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest winning streak since 1900. The run has put Cleveland within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose century-old mark includes a tie.
Roberto Perez added a homer in the seventh and four Cleveland relievers finished. Cody Allen got his 27th save, giving the Indians the league’s longest streak since the AL was founded in 1901.
During the streak, which began with a 13-6 win over Boston ace Chris Sale on Aug. 23, the Indians have outscored their opponents 139-35 and trailed in only four of 189 innings. Cleveland starters are 19-0 with a 1.70 ERA, and the Indians have totaled more homers (40) than runs allowed.
Cleveland opens a four-game series Thursday night at home against Kansas City, which was outscored 20-0 during its three-day visit last month.
Yankees 3 Rays 2: In New York, a disappointed Jaime Garcia didn’t even look at manager Joe Girardi when the pitcher was removed one out shy of qualifying for his first win with the Yankees, and New York edged Tampa Bay to take two of three games in a series moved from Florida to Citi Field because of Hurricane Irma.
Making his first appearance since Aug. 30, Garcia allowed only Kevin Kiermaier’s solo homer in 4 2/3 innings. Chad Green (5-0) struck out three of his four batters and Aroldis Chapman got four outs for his 18th save in 22 chances. Chapman fanned four and earned his first save of more than three outs since Game 5 of last year’s World Series for the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees won their fourth straight series.
A pro-Yankees crowd of 13,159 raised the total for the series to 49,510. Tickets were $25 each day.
Tampa Bay was heading back home after the game and returns to Tropicana Field for a five-game homestand starting Friday against Boston.
Chris Archer (9-10) dropped to 0-3 in his last four starts, giving up three runs in four-plus innings. He needed 92 pitches to get 12 outs.
New York took a 3-0 lead in the second, when Todd Frazier hit an RBI single and Brett Gardner had a two-run single.
White Sox 5 Royals 3: In Kansas City, Missouri, Jose Abreu hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and Chicago won a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2015.
Tim Anderson singled, went to second on a wild pitch by Scott Alexander (4-4) and stole third before scoring on Abreu’s fly ball. Avisail Garcia added an RBI single to make it 5-3.
Juan Minaya (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Last-place Chicago took two of three at Kauffman Stadium, winning its first road series since June 16-18 and damaging the Royals’ wild-card hopes.
Adam Engel hit a two-run double for Chicago, which has won four of five. White Sox starter Lucas Giolito gave up only Salvador Perez’s solo homer in 6 1/3 innings.
Dodgers 4 Giants 1: In San Francisco, Yu Darvish and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Cody Bellinger hit his 37th home run and Los Angeles won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly three weeks, beating San Francisco.
The win lowered the Dodgers’ magic number to seven for clinching the NL West crown. Los Angeles secured at least a wild-card berth in the playoffs Tuesday night with a victory that ended its 11-game losing streak, the club’s longest since moving to the West Coast in 1958.
Darvish (9-12), acquired from Texas at the July 31 trade deadline, was 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA in six previous starts with Los Angeles but was crisp in his first career outing against San Francisco. The All-Star right-hander pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked none.
Bellinger hit a two-run drive off Matt Moore (5-14). It’s the Dodgers’ first series win in San Francisco since September 2014.
Indians roll to 21st to set American League record
Indians roll to 21st to set American League record
Alcaraz and Sabalenka set sights on Australian Open fourth round
- Spanish world number one Alcaraz came through a tough three-set arm-wrestle in round two
- Top seed Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, faces Russia-born Austrian Anastasia Potapova
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka return to the Australian Open battlefield on Friday with fourth round berths at stake, joined in the fight by third seeds Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev.
Spanish world number one Alcaraz came through a tough three-set arm-wrestle in round two and faces another tricky encounter against French 32nd seed Corentin Moutet.
The 22-year-old has again been handed an afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena, once more following Sabalenka on to Melbourne Park’s center court.
The Belarusian top seed Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, faces Russia-born Austrian Anastasia Potapova to kick-off day six where temperatures are forecast to soar.
Alcaraz, who is bidding for a career Grand Slam of all four majors, said his testing 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2 victory over Yannick Hanfmann in round two served him well.
“I’m still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better,” said the six-time Grand Slam winner.
“Just happy that I’m just improving every day after every match. So hopefully being better in the next round.”
Alcaraz has never gone past the quarter-finals in his four trips to Australia.
Should he beat Moutet, he will meet either American 19th seed Tommy Paul or Spanish 14th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to make the last eight once again.
Sabalenka, as the overwhelming favorite, was upset by Madison Keys in last year’s final but insists revenge is not her motivation.
“I look at each match as a new match, new opportunity. I have also been working really hard,” she said.
“For me, it doesn’t matter what was in the past. For me, it’s the new match.”
Like Sabalenka, Gauff has been impressive so far, saying she was “near perfect” in making the third round.
She faces fellow American Hailey Baptiste, ranked 70, on Margaret Court Arena.
World number three Gauff takes to the court after Russia’s three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev, who lines up against Hungary’s Fabian Marozan.
Last year’s beaten finalist Zverev has dropped a set in both his opening two matches and will have a tough encounter in an evening clash on John Cain Arena against British 26th seed Cameron Norrie.
Women’s seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and men’s 10th seed Alexander Bublik are also in action.
Home hope and sixth seed Alex De Minaur has again been awarded the night match on center court, this time against dangerous American Frances Tiafoe.
Eighth seed Mirra Andreeva rounds out the day’s action on Rod Laver Arena in a clash with Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
