The Boston Red Sox have a potential gold glove center fielder in Jackie Bradley Jr., but the Cleveland Indians have a guy named Greg Allen in that same position and he showed last night why that award is still, pardon the pun, up for grabs.
Allen made two sensational catches, one up against the center field wall, and another sliding into the dirt of the triangle at the deepest part of Fenway Park, to thwart any potential comeback momentum the Red Sox were building, and Cleveland beat Boston 6-3, sending the Red Sox to a third straight defeat for only the second time this season.
Cleveland's rookie starter Shane Bieber, when he wasn't getting bailed out by Allen on defense, got the job done himself, taking a shut out into the seventh inning and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five.
Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi, who got off to a great start when he was traded from Tampa to Boston, winning his first two games, has been less impressive since, and last night was tagged for four runs on 10 hits and a walk in five and a third innings.
So, is it panic time in Red Sox Nation? That would be premature, although it's not unprecedented by any stretch for a Red Sox club to blow a big lead in late August. That lead is now down to eight games after the NY Yankees outlasted the Miami Marlins in a 2-1, 12 inning victory in south Florida.
It was the first game for Giancarlo Stanton in Miami since Marlins co-owner and former Yankee great Derek Jeter traded Stanton to New York for a bag of magic beans and a knowing wink, but the win for New York did come with some bad news in the guise of yet another injury to a star player.
The Yanks had taken the lead in the top of the 12th on a sac fly and fireballer Aroldis Chapman came on in the bottom of the frame to close things out, but after a couple of batters reached he motioned to the dugout and was removed from the game for pain in his knee, the same injury that's put him on the shelf at various times the last couple of seasons.
Tommy Kahnle was trotted out for his first save opportunity since 2016 and got the job done, and the Yankees keep winning even with four key players in Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, and now Chapman dealing with injuries.
At Citi Field in Queens, rookie Jeff McNeil is giving NY Mets fans hope for next year. McNeil went 4 for 4 at the plate last night including a go-ahead double in the 8th as the Mets topped the San Francisco Giants 6-3.
In Toronto, the Blue Jays exploded for four home runs, including back to backers by Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales to beat the sad beyond tears Baltimore Orioles 8-2.
At Centennial Field the Vermont Lake Monsters got excellent relief pitching, holding the Aberdeen Ironbirds to just one unearned run over six innings in a 6-3 win. Alfonso Rivas scored the winning run in the eighth after leading off with a double for Vermont.
The winner of the Stowe Mountain Lodge Tennis Classic will be crowned later today, and the championship match will feature Germany's Max Marterer against American Dennis Kudla. Kudla made the final yesterday by defeating fellow American Bradley Klahn in a tiebreaker in the second set.
Former UVM men's basketball star Trae Bell-Haynes has signed a professional deal to play in Germany with the Fraport Skyliners of the Basketball Bundesliga, that's the top pro level in Germany. Bell-Haynes is a native of Toronto and finished his UVM career eighth all-time in overall scoring scoring and number five all-time in assists.
