Tuesday's MLB: Mets-Reds series another happy reunion for Diaz family
New York — Family reunion at Citi Field.
New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz and his brother, Cincinnati Reds rookie reliever Alexis Díaz, exchanged the lineup cards at home plate before Tuesday’s game between the teams.
With several family members watching and wearing split Mets/Reds shirts picturing both brothers for the second straight night, Edwin and Alexis shook hands with the umpiring crew before hugging one another.
With a 1.39 ERA, 26 saves and 91 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings – not to mention a popular entrance song – older brother Edwin, 28, is enjoying a dominant season. Alexis, 25, made the Reds out of spring training and is 3-1 with a 1.94 ERA and four saves in his first big league action.
“It’s unbelievable,” their father, Edwin, said during the second inning. “Kids started playing at 5 years old, 6 years old. Their dream came true.”
Dad said he got the idea for the split shirts from the mother of Kyle and Corey Seager, who produced similar split shirts when Kyle’s Seattle Mariners and Corey’s Los Angeles Dodgers played against each other when Edwin Díaz and Kyle Seager were teammates in 2018.
“I said, ‘One day, I’m going to be like that,’” the elder Díaz said. “When Alexis came to the big leagues, I said, ‘I’m going to have that shirt, too.’”
Following the exchange at home plate, the brothers posed for a photo with the umpires and hugged again. It was the second time this season the Díaz brothers exchanged lineup cards. They also did it before the series opener between the teams in Cincinnati on July 4.
“That’s a great moment for their family,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said Monday night. “Can you imagine how proud they are?”
Reds manager David Bell was particularly moved by the midseason Díaz family reunion. Bell is a third-generation big leaguer whose late brother, Mike, played with Cincinnati while David was with the Mariners in 2000.
“I think the best part of it is not playing against each other, it’s actually crossing paths in a busy major league schedule where you get lucky and your teams play each other and you get to spend time together,” Bell said. “On the field and everything is great, but away from the ballpark, that’s the best, because it’s your brother and you don’t get to see each other very often, especially when you’re major league baseball players.”
Sale out for year
Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale broke his right wrist in a bike accident over the weekend and will miss the rest of the season, the team said Tuesday, the latest setback during an injury-plagued three years for the Boston ace.
Sale had surgery Monday and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training next year.
“You couldn’t make this up,” Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said Tuesday. “It stinks. It’s really unfortunate. We’re relieved this wasn’t worse, obviously. Very glad this wasn’t worse. But it’s been such a run of bad luck for him and obviously for us.”
Sale’s latest injury raises questions about his future with the team once he’s healthy. The 33-year-old appeared in just two games this season, throwing 5 2/3 innings. He suffered a broken left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive against the New York Yankees on July 17 and had surgery the next day. The start of his season was delayed after he broke a rib while working out on his own during the lockout.
“We need to dispatch some people to go find whoever has the Chris Sale voodoo doll and recover it,” Bloom said.
Bloom said Sale rode his bike home from a throwing session on Saturday at Boston College near his home. He took his bike out again to get lunch and hit something as he was going down a hill, throwing him from the bike and causing what Bloom called “a pretty rough spill.”
Sale’s still-healing left pinkie wasn’t harmed in the crash, Bloom said.
Tuesday's games
(At) N.Y. Mets 6, Reds 2: Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil both homered and drove in two runs, leading Carlos Carrasco and the streaking New York Mets past the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Carrasco (13-4) pitched into the seventh inning and struck out nine to win his fifth straight decision and tie for the National League lead in wins.
Lindor became the first Mets shortstop with multiple 20-homer seasons when he opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the third. He has scored at least one run in 12 straight games, the longest streak of his career and tied with Mookie Betts for the longest in the majors this season.
McNeil led off the fourth with a homer and added an RBI single in the sixth, extending his hitting streak to 12 games.
Washington 6, (at) Chicago Cubs 5: Joey Meneses hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, Keibert Ruiz went deep twice and Washington regrouped after blowing a three-run lead to snap a six-game losing streak.
The Nationals were rolling along with a 4-1 lead, thanks to Ruiz’s solo drive in the second and three-run shot in the fourth against Marcus Stroman. Chicago scored four in the seventh to go up 5-4, capped by RBI singles by newcomer Franmil Reyes and Nico Hoerner against Kyle Finnegan (3-2).
However, Meneses came through against Mark Leiter Jr. (2-5) in the eighth, after Maikel Franco singled with one out and Yadiel Hernandez struck out. He launched a drive to the left-field basket, putting Washington back on top, 6-5.
The Cubs had two on with two out in the bottom half when Carl Edwards Jr. came into the game and struck out Willson Contreras. He then worked the ninth for his first save.
(At) Houston 7, Texas 5: Aledmys Díaz hit a grand slam and Houston roughed up Texas’ Martín Pérez and rallied past the Rangers.
Pérez (9-3) tied a season high by allowing seven runs in five-plus innings to snap a nine-game winning streak, the longest active string in the majors and the best of his career. He had gone 19 straight starts without a loss, with his last one coming on April 17.
The Astros snapped a two-game skid playing without manager Dusty Baker who remained out after testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday. Bench coach Joe Espada is managing the AL West leaders until Baker returns.
Jose Urquidy (11-4) yielded five runs with a season-high three home runs in five innings but got his third straight win thanks to his offense. Ryan Pressly allowed a double to Bubba Thompson to start the Texas ninth before retiring the next three batters for his 22nd save.
(At) Kansas City 4, Chicago White Sox 2, 1st game
Chicago White Sox 3, (at) Kansas City 2, 2nd game: Lenyn Sosa hit his first major league home run and Yoan Moncada also connected as the Chicago White Sox, minus injured All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson, salvaged a split of the doubleheader.
Vinnie Pasquantino homered in both games for Kansas City, becoming the 13th different Royals player to accomplish the feat.
Anderson is expected to miss six weeks with a tear in the middle finger of his left hand. Anderson was injured on a check swing during his last at-bat on Saturday night at Texas. He will have surgery on Thursday in Chicago.
The 29-year-old Anderson is hitting .301 for the playoff-contending White Sox. He missed the opener while finishing up a two-game suspension for making contact with an umpire. He was put on the 10-day injured list between games of the twinbill.
Davis Martin (2-3) picked up the victory in the nightcap after being called up as the 27th man for the doubleheader. He allowed one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Liam Hendriks earned his 23rd save in 26 opportunities.
Jonathan Heasley (1-7), who was called up as the 27th man for the Royals, allowed two solo home runs in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
The Royals got a solid performance from Brady Singer (5-4) in the first game. He allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings.
Lance Lynn (2-5) allowed homers to Pratto and Pasquantino. Lynn gave up four runs on seven hits across six innings.
Atlanta 9, (at) Boston 7 (11): Austin Riley had a go-ahead, two-run single in the 11th inning and Atlanta rallied to beat Boston.
Riley also hit his 30th home run of the season, a towering, two-run shot over the Green Monster, and an RBI triple to help Atlanta snap its first three-game losing streak of the year.
Jarren Duran, Christian Arroyo and Tommy Pham homered for the Red Sox, who have lost three straight and five of six.
With automatic runner Michael Harris II on second base in the 11th, Ronald Acuña Jr. singled and then stole second, setting up Riley’s hit.
Atlanta scored five of its seven runs with two outs.
Dylan Lee (3-0) got the win and Tyler Matzek struck out two in a scoreless 11th for his first save of the season. Braves starter Charlie Morton allowed five runs and six hits over six innings. He struck out seven and yielded all three Boston homers.
Boston lefty Rich Hill was pulled after giving up four runs and seven hits over four innings. Kaleb Ort (0-1), the sixth Red Sox reliever, allowed three runs over 1 2/3 innings.
(At) Baltimore 6, Toronto 5: Rougned Odor hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Baltimore rallied past Toronto.
The Orioles trailed 5-3 in the sixth when the game was delayed 78 minutes because of rain. Then Baltimore cut the lead in half on Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI double in the seventh. Odor connected off Yimi Garcia (1-4) to give the Orioles the lead an inning later.
Nick Vespi (4-0) struck out his only two hitters in the eighth, preventing the Blue Jays from adding to what was then a one-run lead. Félix Bautista pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
Santiago Espinal hit an infield single off Bautista with one out and went to second on a throwing error by Odor, the second baseman. After Lourdes Gurriel Jr. struck out, Bautista retired Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a lineout to second.
Bo Bichette hit two home runs for Toronto, including a three-run shot in the sixth. Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a sixth-inning single.
(At) Milwaukee 5, Tampa Bay 3: Andrew McCutchen and Kolten Wong each drove in two runs and Milwaukee won for the second time in eight games.
The Brewers are 2-5 since trading four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader to San Diego last week, and have fallen out of first place in the NL Central.
Yandy Díaz hit a two-run homer for the Rays. Brewers center fielder Tyrone Taylor made a leaping catch to rob Tampa Bay’s David Peralta of a homer in the second inning.
Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (4-2) struck out four while allowing two runs, two hits and no walks over five innings in his second start since coming off the injured list.
Matt Bush struck out two and retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.
Reliever Ryan Yarbrough (0-7) took over for opener Jimmy Yacabonis to start the second inning and took the loss.
(At) Philadelphia 4, Miami 1: J.T. Realmuto homered, doubled and drove in two runs, Zack Wheeler allowed one run in six sharp innings and Philadelphia won its sixth straight.
Jean Segura also went deep for the Phillies, who have won 11 of 12 while improving to 40-19 since June 1. Philadelphia started the day in second place in the NL wild-card standings.
JJ Bleday homered for the Marlins, who have lost eight of 10.
The game was delayed 32 minutes at the start by rain and again for 28 minutes with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Wheeler (11-5) struck out eight and gave up five hits to lower his ERA to 2.63. Seranthony Dominguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.
Miami’s Braxton Garrett (2-6) gave up four runs – three earned – on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and no walks.