Bryce Harper's 2 HR Lead Nationals Over Brewers; Steve Pearce, Kendrys Morales Power Blue Jays

Morales: 2 HR, 2 RBI

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 27, 2017

American League

Kendrys Morales slugged a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game; an inning later, Steve Pearce rocked a walk-off grand slam as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat the Oakland A's, 8-4.

Pearce: walk-off Slam

Morales, who also homered in the fifth, was walked immediately ahead of Pearce in the 10th. He has 20 homers on the year. Pearce's blast was his ninth.

The Blue Jays swept the series with the visiting A's, leaving them just 1/2 game behind the Orioles in last place in the AL East. The Jays have been in last place all season, but still have hope of winning the division, since they are only 7 1/2 games behind first place Boston.

Toronto has a slew of games left against teams in the division, including nine each with the Yankees and Red Sox, the two leaders in the division.

Hosting the Angels for three games starting Friday, Toronto hopes to extend their four-game winning streak.

National League

Max Scherzer was on the mound again for the Washington Nationals, and that meant trouble for the visiting Brewers in the rubber game of the three-game series.

Harper: 2HR, 4 RBI

While Scherzer was at his usual high level of efficiency, allowing one run on three hits over six innings, the major issue for Milwaukee came when he was on the bench and the Washington regulars were batting.

The Nationals banged out a total of 19 hits, scoring all of their runs in the first four innings in a 15-2 drubbing of the Brewers.

Of those 19 hits, 11 went for extra bases, including six home runs, two each by Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman hit his 21st and 22nd, Harper's were his 26th and 27th, a two run shot in the first to open Washington's scoring spree, a solo belt in the third. Harper also ripped a double, driving in another run, in the fourth.

The Nationals' superstar - 2012 rookie of the year, 2015 NL MVP - is having another sensational season, with his team gliding toward the post-season, the win putting them 13 in front of the Braves in the NL East.

Harper is batting .338 and has 79 RBI. He's third in National League average, HR and RBI.

The Brewers fell 1 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and head home to face the division leaders in a three-game series starting Friday. Washington hosts the Rockies for three over the weekend.