Kuzul

The Detroit Tigers had no answers for Josh Tomlin.

The right-hander threw a complete game and gave up one run on four hits to lead the Cleveland Indians to an 8-1 victory.

The only knock on Tomlin came in the sixth inning when he gave up a leadoff double to Dixon Machado. After retiring the next two hitters, he gave up an RBI single to Miguel Cabrera.

Jerry Sands led Cleveland’s offensive outburst and put the Indians on the board with a two-run home run in the third inning. The 27-year-old started a four-run fifth inning with a triple and finished the game 2-4.

For the Tigers, starting pitcher Kyle Lobstein gave up six earned runs on eight hits and lasted just 4.1 innings. The left-hander became the third consecutive starting pitcher who couldn’t make it through five innings for Detroit.

Thanks for following our live updates and analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry doesn’t have the same juice as it once did now that the Red Sox have been out of playoff contention for a while.

Still, Tuesday’s matchup will pique attention in the battle of the Northeast.

This one means everything for the Yankees, which are trying to track down the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. Currently, they’re one-and-a-half games behind Toronto in a race that’s sure to go on until late September.

So far, it’s been a pitchers’ duel between Boston’s Rick Porcello and New York’s Michael Pineda.

The Red Sox held a 1-0 lead thanks to a third-inning Pablo Sandoval single before Yankees second baseman Stephen Drew put the Pinstripes ahead with a two-run double in the fifth inning.

The Blue Jays and Yankees would both be in the playoffs if the season were to end today, but New York would be playing the Texas Rangers in the AL Wild Card Game. The Yankees hold a comfortable five-game lead over the first team out of the final wild-card spot—the Minnesota Twins.

Stay tuned with us for live reactions and analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers gave the San Francisco Giants fits for the second straight game in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.

LA also increased its lead in the NL West to 5.5 games with the win.

As expected, this game was a pitcher’s duel between two of the best in baseball. The Dodgers’ Zack Greinke allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five Giants. He is still undefeated in his career against San Francisco. 

Madison Bumgarner allowed seven hits and a home run to Dodgers’ center fielder Joc Pederson in the bottom of the seventh inning. He pitched through seven innings before being replaced by Tim Hudson. 

Adrian Gonzalez singled on a line drive to left field to bring in Jose Peraza for the game’s first score in the third inning. 

Peraza helped make the game’s most important play. With San Francisco runners on second and third with one out in the eighth inning, Peraza snagged a ground ball and flipped it to Jimmy Rollins, who threw to first base for a clutch double play.  

Greinke was pulled earlier in the side after putting the two runners on base. 

Matt Duffy hit a RBI single in the top of the eighth to drive in the Giants’ only run of the game. 

San Francisco will see the Dodgers again tomorrow and in a home stand in late September, which is the Giants’ second to last series of the regular season. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Justin Verlander led the Detroit Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings.

The win gave the 32-year-old the 20th victory of his career against the Royals.

For Kansas City, Johnny Cueto’s struggles continued. It became apparent early that Cueto’s command was off and the Tigers’ offense jumped on his mistakes. The ace gave up four earned runs on nine hits in six innings of work.

The Royals were able to put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth inning, but Bruce Rondon shut down the rally and earned the save.

For the Tigers, Miguel Cabrera is swinging a hot bat and went 2-for-5 with an RBI. He has a .359 batting average and seems likely to win his fourth American League batting title (2011-13).

Thanks for following our live updates and analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Thanks to a walk-off single by left fielder Michael Brantley, the Cleveland Indians downed the New York Yankees 5-4 in 16 innings Tuesday night.  

The sides entered the 10th inning tied 2-2 after Carlos Beltran launched a solo shot in the eighth, and when Chase Headley plated two runs with a single in the top of the 10th, New York appeared to seize an insurmountable edge. 

Entering Tuesday, the Yankees had not lost a game this season when leading by two or more runs in the ninth inning or later, according to ESPN Stats & Info. 

Cleveland, however, evened things up in the bottom of the 10th with a sacrifice fly by Carlos Santana and an RBI single off the bat of Yan Gomes.  

By the time the showdown reached the 15th inning, it had become the longest clash between the Yankees and Indians since a 16-inning tilt in 1984, according to River Avenue Blues’ Katie Sharp.  

And historically, the Yankees have been quite successful in extended showdowns with Cleveland, per Sharp: 

When all was said and done, the Yankees and Indians used eight pitchers apiece. Luis Severino and Carlos Carrasco started the game, and the teams’ bullpens helped keep runs to a minimum during the marathon outing. 

Bryan Mitchell did particularly admirable work for the men in pinstripes, tossing three innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts over the 12th, 13th and 14th innings. The same goes for Indians reliever Ryan Webb, who recorded two strikeouts over three innings without allowing a hit from the 13th to the 15th. 

Ultimately, the Yankees were doomed by their struggles at the plate—particularly at the top of the order. Not only did leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury go 0-for-7, but Brett Gardner went 0-for-6. Alex Rodriguez had a 1-for-6 showing and Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann went 0-for-6 and 0-for-3, respectively. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, that futility has been quite familiar of late: 

Cumulatively, the Yankees went 8-for-54 at the plate Tuesday, while the Indians recorded hits in 17 of their 60 at-bats. 

“We just had a few bad days,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said prior to Tuesday’s game, according to the New York Times‘ Billy Witz. “Sometimes you’ve got to give a little credit to the people you’re facing. If they make their pitches, there usually aren’t a lot of hits.”

The Yankees and Indians will be back at it Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field, where C.C. Sabathia is slated to square off against Danny Salazar. 

But as the Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand noted, the Yankees may need to call on pitching reinforcements after emptying their bullpen Tuesday: 

While Cleveland (52-59) continues to occupy the AL Central cellar following the win, the loss puts the Yankees’ top spot in the AL East in jeopardy.

New York (61-50) is now on a four-game losing streak, and combined with the Toronto Blue Jays’ nine-game winning streak, the Yankees are just a half game up on their Canadian rivals.

With a crucial weekend set in Toronto looming, New York needs to find its footing—and fast—if it’s going to ward off the hard-charging Blue Jays.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Washington Nationals activated ace Stephen Strasburg off the disabled list Friday after more than a month on the shelf due to a strained left oblique, and he twirled a gem Saturday evening in his first MLB start since July 4. 

Matched up against the Colorado Rockies, Strasburg recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts while allowing just three hits and an earned run over the course of seven innings in the Nationals’ 6-1 win. He also didn’t walk a single batter in the triumphant effort. It was the first time Strasburg struck out at least 10 batters since August 3 of last season, per ESPN Stats & Info.  

Strasburg has now recorded at least 10 strikeouts in a game 17 times over the course of his career, according to MLB.com’s William Ladson. 

“His stuff was electric today,” Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said, according to Ladson. “His fastball was moving a lot with velocity and his breaking ball was really good, too. It’s really sharp. It looks like it’s going to be around the strike zone and then it goes down quick to the ground.”

Along with his stellar performance on the mound, Strasburg also cleaned up at the plate. The 27-year-old went 3-for-3 with three singles, which was a career high. 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info) Strasburg became the first pitcher in franchise history to tally 10 strikeouts and three hits in the same game. 

CSNWashington.com’s Mark Zuckerman provided another staggering stat: 

“It was the kind of outing that reminds us why the Nationals took him as the first overall pick in 2009 and why they still believe he can be one of the game’s legitimate aces,” Bleacher Report’s Anthony Witrado wrote. 

Strasburg indicated earlier in the week that he was rounding into form physically, so his dominant outing didn’t come as a complete shock.

“I feel good,” Strasburg said after recording 11 strikeouts in his last rehabilitation start, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). “Stuff’s there, so it’s just trying to keep doing the same things and keep working at all the stuff I’ve been doing. I’m going in the right direction.”

However, it should be noted Strasburg was matched up against a Rockies offense that performs far worse on the road than it does within the friendly confines of Coors Field. 

Although Colorado entered the night ranked first in the National League in runs scored, total bases and RBI, it ranks 11th, ninth and 11th in those same categories on the road, respectively. 

In addition to spending nearly the entire month of July on the disabled list with a strained oblique, Strasburg was sidelined for almost all of June with neck tightness. But with his recent return from the DL and fantastic display Saturday, the right-hander may be putting those injury concerns behind him.

With Strasburg seemingly back at full strength, the Nationals should be feeling good as they seek to reclaim first place in the NL East from the surging New York Mets.

“Hopefully, this kind of bad luck he’s been having, hopefully, he will get rid of those [injuries] and be that guy for the next two-and-a-half months,” Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, per Ladson. “That was special.”

Washington’s starters entered Saturday night with the sixth-best ERA in the NL, but if the 2014 NL strikeout leader can keep setting down batters the way he did against the Rockies, he will significantly bolster a rotation that already boasts Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The American League will have home-field advantage for the 2015 World Series after defeating the National League 6-3 in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout started the action off with a bang by homering off of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke. Trout’s dinger was most notable considering Greinke has a running streak of 35.2 scoreless innings going in regular-season action.

Fox Sports Live highlighted the history Trout made in the Midsummer Classic:

ESPN’s Jayson Stark noted how Trout later impacted the game with his hustle to help his team pull away late:

It therefore came as little surprise that Trout was the game’s Most Valuable Player.

But the NL wasn’t going to go quietly, responding to Trout’s solo shot in the bottom of the second to even the score at 1-1 on a two-out RBI single from St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

Reigning World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner took the hill in the top of the fourth and got into a bases-loaded jam with two outs. The San Francisco Giants southpaw got out of it by getting Houston Astros supreme hitter Jose Altuve to ground into a fielder’s choice.

Another sensational pitcher in Clayton Kershaw was on the bump for the NL in the fifth to spell Bumgarner, but he didn’t show off his usual dominant form. Prince Fielder socked a two-out single to score Trout, and Kansas City Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain smacked a double to plate Albert Pujols.

ESPN’s Dave Rothenberg alluded to Kershaw’s postseason—an especially humorous comment considering the man Kershaw replaced:

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom gave the National League a spark of hope with a stupendous sixth, which ESPN Stats & Info logged in detail:

No one had ever struck out the side on 10 or fewer pitches in an All-Star Game, according to MLB.com.

The momentum deGrom generated carried over to the very first pitch in the bottom of the sixth. Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen destroyed the offering from Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer to make the score 3-2.

That also turned out to be an unprecedented development in All-Star lore, per Stark:

Even the groundbreaking achievements deGrom and McCutchen attained to add suspense to the contest weren’t enough to stop the American League from emerging victorious.

Fielder added another RBI on a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-1 in the seventh, allowing Manny Machado to score after the Baltimore Orioles prodigy slammed a double off the right field wall against Milwaukee pitcher Francisco Rodriguez.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier added a solo homer in the eighth off of Pirates reliever Mark Melancon to further ensure an AL triumph.

At least home fans were in for a treat to start the ninth. Reds flamethrower closer Aroldis Chapman entered the game and struck out the side with heaters, hitting as high as 103 mph on the radar gun, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:

Ryan Braun hit a triple to lead off the bottom of the last frame and came in to score when Brandon Crawford flew out to left field, but it was of little consolation. Although closer Glen Perkins wasn’t in a save situation, he’s converted all 28 of his opportunities in 2015, so he wasn’t going to let the big lead slip.

A considerable amount of parity exists in the American League at the moment. It’s going to be a big edge for the AL to have home field in battling for the Commissioner’s Trophy against their top-heavy NL adversaries.

Only two teams ultimately remain to battle for the top prize. It’s a bit hard to look too far ahead in that regard with so many significant games to be played. However, five of the past six teams to have home field in the World Series have come out on top.

The National League hadn’t won an All-Star Game from 1997 through 2009 before rattling off three consecutive victories thereafter. Now the AL has responded with three straight wins of its own, reasserting its superiority in this high-stakes All-Star showcase. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2015 All-Star Game has arrived! Keep it here for the latest from Great American Ball Park.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2015 Home Run Derby kicked off MLB‘s All-Star break in earnest, and thanks to the new format, it did not disappoint.

After finishing in second place last year, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier returned this year to win in front of his hometown fans at Great American Ball Park. Frazier edged out Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finals to get the victory. Pederson hit 14 homers in the finals, and Frazier needed just one pitch in his bonus time to knock out his 15th.

As ESPN Stats & Info points out, it was a historic performance:

This year’s Derby, in its 30th year, boasted a brand-new format with a completely different set of rules. Instead of getting a number of outs, each player had a set amount of time to hit as many bombs as he could. There was also an opportunity for bonus time if a player hit two homers that traveled at least 425 feet. 

The rules had to be changed slightly at the last minute due to weather concerns. Players were originally scheduled to get five minutes per round, but MLB shortened it to four to try to beat the rain. Additionally, instead of a possible 60 seconds of bonus time, each player maxed out at 30.

In one man’s opinion, MLB—dare I say—knocked it out of the park with the new format. Will Brinson and Jason La Canfora, both of CBS Sports, were just two of many to agree:

The goal, of course, is to hit as many home runs as possible. As the folks at ESPN Stats & Info point out, this year’s Derby was successful in that regard:

The single-elimination format immediately made the Derby more exciting. When you add the timed rounds and the fact that the second hitter each round knew how many he needed, it made for a dramatic night in Cincinnati.

The bonus time was also an interesting wrinkle, and it came into play when Frazier hit his walk-off in extra time.

One of the few downsides to the new style was allowing each hitter a 45-second timeout. While it did give players a chance to regroup, it sometimes made the event drag, as ESPN occasionally cut to commercials during the timeouts.

But that’s just nitpicking. Most of the time, the batter stepped into the box after his timeout and promptly put one in the seats. The delays were minor, but perhaps MLB could tweak the timeout rule in the future to speed up the action a bit.

Overall, kudos to MLB for bringing some excitement back to the Home Run Derby. If Tuesday’s main event is even half as exciting as the long-ball contest, it will make for a wildly successful All-Star showcase.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks are leading the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 Tuesday in a West Coast interleague battle. 

Jeremy Hellickson (4-3, 5.29 ERA) is on the hill for the Diamondbacks and has allowed two hits while striking out two. Meanwhile, Garrett Richards (6-4, 3.97 ERA) has been giving up contact, but is managing pretty well. His run allowed is unearned after two passed balls by his catcher Carlos Perez.

After a rough start to the season, Hellickson has yet to lose a start since April 26. He has also been successful in his career against Arizona. He is 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts, including 2-0 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim with 11.1 scoreless innings, according to ESPN Stats & Information. 

The Diamondbacks have been hot in the last month. Since May 18, their .593 winning percentage is fifth-best in the MLB, according to ESPN. They come into this game winners of four straight, including a 7-3 win over the Angels Monday. 

A win would put Arizona’s winning percentage at .500 for the season. 

Los Angeles has underwhelmed this season, sitting at 32-32 and five games behind Houston for the American League West lead. The team enters Tuesday’s game the loser of eight of its last 12. The offense is certainly a culprit as the Angels rank 26th in baseball with a .241 team batting average. 

Tune in here for live updates and reaction. Join the conversation by posting in the comments section.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com