Rain Delays Cards-Reds Game; Rays Extend Lead, Henderson Makes History

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds postponed their NL Central matchup Friday due to rain, and the teams will make it up as part of a split doubleheader today in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Rays extended their AL East lead to 5.5 games with a 4-2 win over the Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewer Logan Henderson made history with a dominant performance.

Logan Henderson pitched five shutout innings in Milwaukee’s 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving him two or fewer earned runs in each of his first 10 career starts, a feat never before seen in modern baseball history. Henderson, who cited a minor back issue that did not impact his performance, struck out five and allowed just three hits. The Brewers have now won nine straight regular-season games against the Dodgers, a stark turnaround from their NLCS sweep at the hands of L.A. last October. Roki Sasaki will start for Milwaukee against Robert Gasser when the NL West and NL Central leaders resume play today.

In a pitchers’ duel between Cleveland and Philadelphia, Gavin Williams struck out 11 batters and held the Phillies scoreless over eight innings to help the Guardians win 1-0. The lone run came in the ninth inning on a Kyle Manzardo home run off Jhoan Duran. Cristopher Sanchez matched Williams’ dominance, allowing just four hits and two walks over eight innings. His scoreless streak now stands at 37 2/3 innings, just 3 2/3 frames away from tying Grover Cleveland Alexander’s Phillies-era record. Slade Cecconi will start for Cleveland against Zack Wheeler in the series finale today.

Gerrit Cole made his first start since Tommy John surgery, striking out six and allowing one run over six innings for the Yankees. But the Rays answered with four runs in the eighth inning to break open a 1-0 game and take a 4-2 win. The Rays’ five-game winning streak and the Yankees’ three-game slide have extended Tampa Bay’s AL East lead to 5.5 games. The two AL East rivals will not meet again until September 22, as today’s game was postponed due to weather.

The Cardinals and Reds will now play two games today in a doubleheader format, with first pitch at 12:10pm CT. The Guardians look to keep their historic pitching streak alive, and the Rays will aim to hold onto their division lead as the AL East race heats up.