Alejandro Kirk carries the Blue Jays past the Rangers, 6-5
Kirk singled with the bases loaded in the eighth to help the Blue Jays (72-51) overcome a three-run deficit. Before the catcher's at-bat, reliever Phil Matton (2-5) walked Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded.
Texas' Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer in the seventh.
Louis Varland (4-3) got the win in relief, and Jeff Hoffman finished for his 28th save.
Texas star Jacob deGrom pitched five shutout innings, allowing only two hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Kyle Higashioka hit a three-run homer for Texas in the second inning.
Key moment
Kirk's bases-loaded single in the eighth.
Key stat
The Rangers have lost three in a row to fall to 61-62.
Up next
Toronto LHP Eric Lauer (7-2, 2.82 ERA) was set to face LHP Patrick Corbin (6-8, 4.00) on Saturday.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Mets and Yankees' high-priced rosters are stumbling at a terrible time – but why?
The New York Mets and New York Yankees will have disbursed nearly $640m in player salaries by the end of the 2025 season, but money hasn't bought happiness for either New York City fanbase. After enjoying hot starts to begin the 2025 season, the Yankees are now in third place in the American League East while the Mets are a woeful 11-16 since the All-Star Break and 4-11 in the month of August. Even though both teams would qualify for the postseason if the season ended today, neither of them are meeting their lofty preseason expectations. With under 40 games remaining in the season, what is ailing the teams that enjoyed comfortable first-place leads earlier this season? And is all hope lost as they enter the last quarter of the season? Related: Mariano Rivera tears achilles during Yankees Old-Timers' Day game The Mets When the Mets signed Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765m contract in December, they lured the superstar away from the wealthy crosstown rival Yankees and inherited the weighty expectations that come with a historic signing. When Soto started (relatively) slowly over the first two months of the season, the Mets covered for him with some of the best pitching in baseball (a 2.88 ERA through 31 May) and a strong offensive season from first baseman Pete Alonso. When Soto found his usual form in June, the Mets started faltering. Since the start of June, Soto has hit 21 home runs and posted a .408 on-base percentage, but the Mets are a dreary 28-36 in that same time span. The month of August has been an ongoing nightmare for their pitching staff: the starting pitching that anchored the team to start the season has a ghastly 6.22 ERA in August, which has taxed a tired bullpen that added two major pieces (Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers) at the trade deadline in July. The Mets' bullpen is responsible for eight of the team's eleven losses in August. Helsley, a two-time All-Star who led the National League in saves last year with the St Louis Cardinals, was brought in to set up All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. Unfortunately, Helsley has stumbled to a 7.11 ERA in his first eight games with his new team. It's an uncharacteristically bad stretch for one of baseball's most dominant relief pitchers, and the Mets need him to find his usual form if they want to compete in a loaded National League playoff race. Even with their horrendous run of recent form, the Mets remain one of the most talented teams in baseball and a viable pennant contender. Shortstop Francisco Lindor – who finished second to Shohei Ohtani in last year's NL MVP race – is one of the game's most admired leaders and consistent producers. Even after battling through two major slumps earlier in the season, Lindor has already hit 20 home runs and stolen 20 bases for the fifth time in his career. If the Mets want to make their playoffs, they'll need to play like a postseason team until the end of September. Of their final 38 games, 22 of them will be against teams in the thick of a playoff race (including seven against the division-leading Phillies). For a team that was 21 games over .500 in the middle of June, it would be nothing short of an epic collapse if the Mets were somehow left home in October. Related: 'There was more at stake today': Brewers' victory wins burgers for entire city of Milwaukee The Yankees The Yankees won their first American League pennant in 15 years last season, but their World Series loss to the Dodgers was a bitter end marred by terrible defense and poor hitting in clutch situations. This year's team has better balance than the 2024 version – they added top starting pitcher Max Fried, former MVP Cody Bellinger and two-time All-Star relief pitcher Devin Williams after losing Soto to the Mets – but the Yankees still suffer from inconsistent relief pitching and sloppy defense. Aaron Judge is a good bet to win his third MVP award in four years – he leads baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and times on base – and infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr is, like Lindor, one of eight players this season to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 20 bases. By the end of the season, shortstop Anthony Volpe might join them as a member of the 20-20 club. The offense hasn't been the problem: it has the highest slugging percentage (.430) and more home runs than any team in baseball (195). A lineup featuring Judge, Bellinger (22 home runs this year) Giancarlo Stanton (441 career home runs) will terrify any opposing pitcher. The problem is the pitching staff. Since the All-Star Break, the Yankees have the worst ERA (4.70) of any team competing for a playoff spot and have walked more hitters (110) than any team in baseball in that span. Like the Mets, the Yankees traded for two former All-Star relief pitchers (David Bednar and Camilo Doval), to try to stabilize the struggling staff and push the team into the postseason. While Bednar has adapted nicely (a 2.16 ERA and three saves), Doval has labored to a 6.43 ERA with six walks in eight appearances. General manager Brian Cashman likely envisioned Doval, Bednar, former closer Luke Weaver and Williams vanquishing hitters in the late innings. Instead, the team is experimenting with different roles while trying to fix what is ailing Williams. After three consecutive seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA in Milwaukee, Williams has endured a nightmare opening season in the Bronx, which has seen him lose the closer job before regaining it, only to lose it again after surrendering runs in five consecutive outings over July and August. In 140 innings pitched from 2022-2024, Williams allowed 26 total earned runs and seven home runs. In 47 1/3 innings this season, he has allowed 28 earned runs and five homers. Whether his issues are mechanical or psychological, Williams has not been the pitcher that the Yankees thought they were acquiring this offseason. And then there is the defense. Since their notoriously bad performance in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, the Yankees' defense is more scrutinized than any other team in baseball. They might not be as bad as some people say – Volpe is a Gold Glove-quality shortstop, Paul Goldschmidt remains a reliable first baseman and Bellinger is one of baseball's best defensive outfielders – but some embarrassing blunders have kept that conversation alive. Ultimately, it isn't a trustworthy unit. The Yankees offense is so good, though, that it's unlikely they'll miss the playoffs. The American League is a much weaker overall group than the National League this season, which means the Yankees may very well find their way to a second consecutive pennant. But they'll need to shore up their pitching and defense if they expect to return to the World Series.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fantasy Feed — a whole new way to experience fantasy football
Ever wish you could track every play that impacts your fantasy squad just like you do on Sundays — live, intense and nonstop — all from your Yahoo Fantasy app? Well, we have good news for you. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Fantasy Feed is your all-new, real-time game-day companion, bringing every moment of your matchup to life. Whether you're chasing the lead in a head-to-head matchup or surviving another week in a fantasy guillotine league, Fantasy Feed is where you'll find the action, emotion, and fandom. Think of Fantasy Feed as your league's live stream. You can track all of the action in your matchup and across your league as it unfolds in real-time, and discuss each and every play with the entire Yahoo Sports ecosystem. We're bringing together competition, community, the thrill of victory and the heartbreak of defeat all in a single, dynamic experience. Follow every play from your matchup and league in real-time. React instantly with emojis, comments and banter — just like a group chat but with the entire fantasy community. Discuss big plays, gloat, or hit that fire emoji. Celebrate big moments with touchdown confetti that bring your team's highs (and your opponent's lows) to life. Stay plugged in to how scoring shifts play-by-play, from big runs to heartbreaking interceptions. To check it out, head to your Matchup screen and tap the new Fantasy Feed bar along the bottom. The moment games kick off, every play lights up your feed so you can cheer, talk smack or flex when that game-winning TD shoots you to the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, the Yahoo Sports app features a Key Plays feed that covers every NFL game. You can also filter these feeds by individual NFL games, enabling you to follow, react to, and chat about your favorite team's weekly match-up. In addition, you can get these key plays as a Live Activity, enabling you to follow every big play live on your lock screen. Both feeds are unified across the Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Fantasy apps. This means fans can join a discussion around a key play in one app and continue that same conversation in the other app. So no matter what app they're using, fans won't miss a key moment – or the opportunity to engage with the larger Yahoo Sports community. Draft a team and join the countdown to Week 1 discussion from your matchup screen — available now in the Yahoo Fantasy app. Fantasy Feed marks day 15 of our 28 Days of Fantasy. Follow it all here. FAQ: Is this replacing the Matchup screen? Nope! Fantasy Feed is a complementary experience. It gives you a richer, more community-driven way to follow the action when games are live. What will I see in Fantasy Feed? Every play from players in lineups across your league will be available in the Fantasy Feed — live! All the highs and lows that make fantasy great. You'll see your quarterback score a TD for your team to take the lead, when a team is at risk of elimination in a Yahoo Fantasy guillotine league and more.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025 Brewers Week in Review: Week 21
Last Week's Results Monday: Brewers 7, Pirates 1 Tuesday: Brewers 14, Pirates 0 Wednesday: Brewers 12, Pirates 5 Friday: Brewers 10, Reds 8 Saturday: Brewers 6, Reds 5 Sunday: Reds 3, Brewers 2 Division Standings Brewers: 78-45 Cubs: 70-53 (8 GB) Reds: 65-50 (14 GB) Cardinals: 61-54 (18 GB) Pirates: 52-73 (27 GB) Last Week Brewers: 5-1 Cubs: 3-3 Reds: 3-3 Cardinals: 1-5 Pirates: 1-5 Top Pitching Performance of the Week Freddy Peralta could easily win this 'award' after throwing six shutout innings in a matchup with Paul Skenes, but I'm going to go with Jose Quintana, the only Brewer starter who made two starts this week, and—ironically—the only Brewer to start a game in which they lost all month. Quintana made two really nice outings, first on Monday against the Pirates when he allowed just one run on only three hits and a walk in six innings, and he recreated that performance again on Sunday when his team needed some length from him: 6 1/3 innings, five hits, one walk, one run. The Brewers couldn't muster enough offense on Sunday and thus their big winning streak ended, but Quintana couldn't be blamed; in total, he had a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings this week. Top Hitting Performance of the Week There are a ton of Brewers who had major moments this week—Andruw Monasterio and his big blast, William Contreras had a fantastic week that culminated in a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth on Sunday, Andrew Vaughn's three-run shot in the huge comeback on Friday. But Christian Yelich was otherworldly this week. He went 11-for-25 (.440) with four homers, 12 RBI, and a 1.441 OPS, and he was monstrous in Friday's comeback victory when he had four hits, two homers, and five RBI. Injury Notes & Roster Moves The unfortunate injury news this week is in regards to DL Hall, who felt a tweak near the end of his appearance on Friday and went on the IL with a strained oblique on Saturday. It's unclear how long he'll be out. His replacement on the roster was Grant Anderson, who'd been sent to the minors just hours before Hall hurt himself to make room on the roster for the recently returned Jacob Misiorowski. The Brewers signed veteran reliever Julian Merryweather to a minor-league contract, and assigned him to Triple-A Nashville. Jake Bauers is nearing a return; he was sent out for a rehab assignment earlier this week and will presumably rejoin the big-league club sometime soon. Misiorowski did return from the 15-day injured list, though he pitched poorly on Friday after foregoing a rehab assignment and instead getting right back to the big leagues. Isaac Collins and Blake Perkins were assigned to the paternity and bereavement lists, respectively. Perkins missed games on Friday and Saturday, but was back on Sunday. Collins is expected to rejoin the Brewers Monday in Chicago. In their place, the Brewers called up Tyler Black, who went 0-for-2 but walked three times in five plate appearances, and Steward Berroa, who threw out a runner at the plate to end the first inning on Friday. Berroa is already back at Nashville, and Black likely will be as soon as Collins returns. Robert Gasser's rehab continued with 46 pitches in two innings on August 14. Rob Zastryzny pitched in back-to-back games with Nashville on Wednesday and Thursday as part of his rehab process. Jackson Chourio continues to progress, but it's still unclear when he'll be able to return. The latest updates suggest a rehab assignment near the end of August. Rhys Hoskins remains on a similar timeline. On Deck Monday: @ Cubs (Game 1: 1:20 p.m.) Monday: @ Cubs (Game 2: 7:05 p.m.) Tuesday: @ Cubs (7:05 p.m.) Wednesday: @ Cubs (7:05 p.m.) Thursday: @ Cubs (1:20 p.m.) Friday: vs. Giants (7:10 p.m.) Saturday: vs. Giants (6:10 p.m.) Sunday: vs. Giants (1:10 p.m.)
