J.A. Happ's 1-Hit Outing Lifts Yankees Over Rays; Ronald Acuna Jr. Leads Braves To 4th Straight

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Happ: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

American League

The New York Yankees have been holding onto the top wild card spot since early May, but they haven't lost sight of the fact that Oakland and Seattle have made up ground over the long haul. They're still 3 1/2 up on Oakland and seven to the good over Seattle.

Nearing the end of July, prior to the trade deadline, the Yankees bolstered their pitching staff by picking up Lance Lynn from the Twins and J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays. The two pitchers have been lights out since putting on the pinstripes.

On Tuesday, Happ won his third straight as a Yankees, blanking the Rays on one hit over seven innings in New York's 4-1 home victory. The 35-year-old lefty threw 106 pitches, walked four, fanned four and lowered his Yankee ERA to 1.89. On the season, he's 13-6 with a 3.86 ERA.

Lynn has done his part as a reliever and starter. In three appearances (two starts) for the Yanks, he's allowed one run on 12 hits over 16 2/3 innings with 22 strikeouts, for an ERA of 0.54. Lynn - who is 1-0 as a Yankee - is scheduled for a start Friday against the Blue Jays.

The Yankees have won seven of their last nine after being swept four straight by the Red Sox. On Wednesday, they face the Rays in game two of their three game series, 7:05 pm EDT.

Acuna Jr. is on fire

National League

Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. isn't just hot, he's sizzling

On Monday, Acuna, the Braves' leadoff hitter, hit home runs in his first at-bat in both games of a doubleheader sweep of the Miami Marlins. On Tuesday, Acuna belted a leadoff homer on the first pitch, to become the youngest player in major league history to homer in five straight games.

Helping the Braves down the Marlins, 10-6, Acuna ripped a three-run shot in the seventh inning after Dansby Swanson put Atlanta up, 7-6. Acuna went 3-for-5, his two dingers driving in four runs.

Acuna has hit safely in his last eight games, batting at a .471 pace (16-for-24) with eight home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs. His hot streak has vaulted the Braves into first place in the NL East by two games over the Phillies, 2-1 losers Tuesday night in Boston.

Atlanta has won four straight and 13 of their last 17. They will be seeking a four-game sweep of the Marlins when they take the field at home, Wednesday, 7:35 pm EDT.