James Paxton Shuts Down Houston In Seattle's 2-0 Win; Eric Thames Leads Brewers Past Dodgers

Players of the Day for Monday, July 30, 2018

American League

Paxton: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER

James Paxton tossed seven innings of shutout ball and Nelson Cruz doubled in two sixth-inning runs for a 2-0 win in the opener of a three-game series between the Astros and Mariners in Seattle.

Paxton (9-4) allowed three hits and no walks, fanning eight, needing only 82 pitches to stymie the first place Astros. Alex Colome worked the eighth, giving way to Edwin Diaz, who picked up his 40th save of the year. Diaz leads the majors in saves.

Seattle's win moved them to within three games of Houston in the AL West. The Astros have lost five straight.

Game two begins Tuesday, at 7:10 pm PDT.

National League

Thames: 3-run homer

In Los Angeles, the Brewers opened a key four-game series against the Dodgers with a 5-2 victory, creeping to within one game of the idle Cobs in the NL Central division.

Eric Thames provided the winning edge, socking a three-run homer in the third inning. Five Milwaukee pitchers held the Dodgers at bay for the duration of the contest, allowing just five hits.

Thames, who missed nearly a month and a half between April and June, has 14 homers and 32 RBI.

The loss left the Dodgers a mere 1/2-game ahead of Arizona in the hotly-contested NL West. The Rockies are one game back.

Directly out of the all star break, the Dodgers took two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Game two is slated for a 7:10 pm PDT start on Tuesday.