PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Juan Soto made a leaping catch in foul territory in the first game of a doubleheader and ended eight hours of baseball
with a milestone homer in the second game.Both plays from the talented teen
keyed a sensational sweep for the Nationals.Soto hit a solo home run in the 10th
inning
Kennys Vargas Jersey , his second of the game, to lead the Washington Nationals to a 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies and a doubleheader sweep
on Tuesday night.“I’ve never seen a 19 year old swing and be that patient at the
plate,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “He’s 19 but he plays like he’s
been in the league a long time.”The Nationals rallied for three runs in the
ninth inning off Seranthony Dominguez to tie the game at 6-all. Soto, who hit a
two-run shot in the fourth, connected off Yacksel Rios (3-2) with one out in the
10th for the winner.Greg Holland retired the first batters in the 10th before he
walked the next two. Holland got Cesar Hernandez to fly out to end the game for
his third save. Wander Suero (3-0) got the win.In the first game, Spencer
Kieboom hit his first major league home run after losing a tooth earlier in the
day, Erick Fedde pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and the Nationals
beat Phillies 3-1.The doubleheader was needed once Monday’s night’s game was
postponed because of poor field conditions from weekend rain. The grounds crew
used blow torches to dry a field that had not been covered with a tarp and
players described as “spongy” and “soft.”It’s the Phillies who are stuck in the
mud.The Phillies, who were 15 games over .500 in early August and in the thick
of NL playoff race, have lost four straight games and are 6-16 since Aug. 18.
Philadelphia fell 6 ½ games behind Atlanta in the NL East and 6 ½ games behind
St. Louis in the race for the second wild card spot.The Nationals (73-72) also
swept a doubleheader on Saturday and just may pass the slumping Phillies (74-70)
in the final standings.“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We’re not playing good
baseball right now,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.The second game ended 8
1/2 hours after the first pitch in the opener — and with only a smattering of
fans at the park each time.“I feel beat up right now and I just stood there,”
Martinez said.The Phillies seemed poised to win the nightcap and get some sort
of spark going to stay in the NL playoff picture. They scored five runs in the
fourth inning off starter Tanner Roark, and Jose Bautista hit a solo shot in the
eighth to make it 6-3.But Dominguez failed them and Kapler let his closer labor
through 43 pitches before pulling him. With 20 active pitchers, Kapler nearly
gave them all a turn during the day — except when Dominguez needed help.The
Phillies loaded the bases in the ninth
Bert Blyleven Jersey , but the rally was snuffed when Bautista flied out.Soto had three hits and four RBIs in the nightcap and passed Ken Griffey Jr.
for fourth on the career list for homers by a teenager with 18. He also has the
most multi-homer games by a teenager in baseball history with three.“Can’t wait
to talk to 2-2 over there,” Roark said in the Nationals clubhouse.The Nats had
reason to smile — even if Kieboom, a rookie catcher, was missing a tooth.
Kieboom is waiting on veneers and lost half a temporary tooth earlier at
breakfast when he bit into a baguette. The other half was stuck in his gums.He
looked as if he spit out a tooth while he walked to the plate in the fifth in
the opener. It was just a big spitball. He pointed to the gap as he jogged back
to the dugout after the solo homer.“I just popped it off,” he said, laughing.
“I’ve got to roll with this for a little while but that’s fine. The Caps, those
boys play with no teeth. I can play with no teeth.”Phillies starter Nick Pivetta
(7-12) was one of seven pitchers to work the opener.Fedde (2-3), making his
second start since he missed two months with a sore right shoulder, tossed
one-hit ball through five.The late afternoon start resulted in a sparse crowd
for the first pitch. The 40-plus-person Phillies contingent in front of the
dugout for the national anthem was larger than the bunch of fans in the upper
deck.“One thing that we continue to focus on is who can perform best under
sub-optimal conditions,” Kapler said. “So optimal conditions are a packed house
and really fired up and energetic and suboptimal conditions are when you have
more challenging situations. And I think today was a more challenging situation
and we always challenge our guys to do the best under those circumstances that
they possibly can.”FLIP OUTPhillies 3B Maikel Franco flipped over a railing and
into the dugout chasing down a foul ball in the eighth inning of the nightcap.
Franco left the game with a right shoulder contusion and neck soreness.DOUBLE
DIPThe Phillies have played four doubleheaders this season, their most since
2011. They’ve played three at Citizens Bank Park since the All-Star break.MOVING
ON UPThe Phillies recalled RHP Drew Anderson, RHP Enyel De Los Santos and LHP
Ranger Suarez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.UP NEXTIt’s a doozy: Washington sends
RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-7, 4.04 ERA) to the mound against RHP Aaron Nola
(16-4
http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-o_neill-jersey , 2.29).__ MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gio Gonzalez is getting comfortable with his new
team.The left-hander pitched six smooth innings on his 33rd birthday and Jesus
Aguilar hit a three-run homer in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 7-0 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.Manny Pina also had a three-run shot and
Aguilar finished with four RBIs as he reached 103 for the season. Gonzalez’s
stellar showing helped the Brewers boost their lead for the top NL wild card to
three games over St. Louis, which lost to Atlanta earlier.The Brewers also moved
within 2½ games of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. Chicago lost 9-0 at
Arizona.Gonzalez (9-11) was acquired in a trade with Washington on Aug. 31 in an
effort to bolster the Brewers’ starting rotation. He has picked up a victory in
two of his three starts with Milwaukee, and the Brewers have won all three
games.“It’s been easy to play with these guys because they make you feel
welcome,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no added pressure. Just go out there and play
the best you can.”He allowed just two hits Wednesday — both singles — while
striking out five and walking two.Reds right-hander Matt Harvey (7-9), a pitcher
the Brewers nearly acquired a few weeks ago before a proposed deal fell through,
gave up Aguilar’s game-changing home run.Aguilar, however, said his infield hit
in the first inning for his 100th RBI set up his big night.“I was thinking about
the RBI almost every night,” he explained. “After that, I’m good. It was an
unbelievable feeling. When I get that 100, I’m a new guy.”A leadoff walk to
Gonzalez put Harvey in trouble in the third inning. Christian Yelich reached on
a one-out infield hit when no one covered first base on a bouncer fielded by
Harvey.Aguilar followed with a high drive into the right-field bleachers, his
team-leading 33rd home run of the season, to give the Brewers a 4-0
lead.Milwaukee broke open the game in the sixth on a three-run homer by
Pina
Jacoby Ellsbury Jersey , who worked a 13-pitch at-bat, finally belting a hanging slider from Harvey into the left-field bleachers. Domingo Santana
tripled and Mike Moustakas was intentionally walked before Pina’s ninth homer of
the season extended the lead to 7-0.The Reds had a conference on the mound
during the long at-bat, but it didn’t bother Pina.“I was so focused, man,” he
said. “After they gave an intentional walk to Moose, I was like, I need to do
something this at-bat. He threw me pitches inside, outside, changeups,
fastballs, sliders.“He’s kind of tight. I knew he was going to hang any pitch
and that’s the pitch I hit for a homer.”Harvey was not happy with his outing,
which dropped him to 1-3 with a 6.39 ERA in six career starts against the
Brewers. He allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.“The whole start was not
good,” he said. “I have to be better.”Corey Knebel
http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-don-mattingly-jersey , Junior Guerra and Freddy Peralta finished up for Milwaukee, each pitching one
inning in the combined two-hitter.CHASE STILL ONBrewers manager Craig Counsell
has not given up on catching the Cubs for a division title.“We’ve got nine games
to go,” Counsell said. “We’ve got plenty of baseball left. There are going to be
some great moments. There are going to be plenty of tough moments. That’s all
still ahead of us.“We’re just ready for it to happen. We’ve put ourselves in a
great position to enjoy the last 10 days of the season.”The Brewers have six
road games remaining (three vs. Pittsburgh and three vs. St. Louis) and the
final three at home (against Detroit).Milwaukee ended its homestand with a 3-3
record against the Pirates and Reds.TRAINER’S ROOMBrewers: CF Lorenzo Cain was
not in the lineup after being taken out of Tuesday’s game with a right ribcage
injury. Counsell said he wanted to be cautious with Cain, who ranks fourth in
the NL in batting average (.308). The Brewers are off Thursday and Cain will be
reassessed before Friday’s series opener in Pittsburgh. “I definitely don’t want
to miss a game,” Cain said. “They told me that I’m not looking myself up there
right now.” Santana got the start in right field — his first game as a starter
since June 12 — and Yelich moved to center with Curtis Granderson in left.
Infielder Travis Shaw was back in the lineup after being hit by a pitch Tuesday
and leaving the game with a bruised right knee.UP NEXTReds: LHP Cody Reed (0-2,
4.32 ERA) will make his fifth consecutive appearance as a starter as Cincinnati
opens a four-game series in Miami. He posted a career-high 10 strikeouts in five
innings against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, allowing no runs and two hits in a
game the Reds lost 1-0.Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (14-8, 3.54 ERA) opens a
three-game set in Pittsburgh. He has lost his last three starts, including a 3-2
defeat (allowed three hits, two runs) against the Pirates on Sunday. He is 2-6
with a 4.04 ERA in 11 career starts vs. the Pirates.
