A look at what’s happening around the majors on Monday:
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INTERLEAGUE SHOWDOWN
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees visit Atlanta for the start of a two-game series featuring two of the hottest teams in baseball.
The NL East-leading Braves have won nine in a row and 16 of 18. They’ve also won a franchise-record 13 consecutive road games after sweeping Baltimore over the weekend.
The Yankees have also won nine straight after beating Minnesota 7-1 on Saturday. They’ll be rested after Sunday’s scheduled game against the Twins was postponed because of Tropical Storm Henri.
New York holds the top AL wild card and is 4 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Huascar Ynoa (4-2) starts for the Braves against Jordan Montgomery (4-5).
500 CLUB
Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers get a day off to savor the slugger becoming the 28th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs.
The 38-year-old Cabrera connected Sunday in Toronto off left-hander Steven Matz, sending a sixth-inning solo drive over the scoreboard in right-center field. Detroit went on to win 5-3 in 11 innings.
His 500th home run was hit No. 2,955 of his career, and he can reach the 3,000 milestone this year, too, if he can stay healthy and average one hit per game. Only six players have 3,000 hits and 500 homers: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Eddie Murray.
Cabrera is the first Venezuelan to hit 500 homers, and the first player to reach the milestone in a Tigers uniform.
“It’s something special for my country, for my family, to be able to do this,” Cabrera said. “I’m really happy.”
BEYOND THE BELT
All-Star pitcher Lance Lynn takes the mound for the White Sox for the first time since he was ejected from a game against Oakland for throwing his belt during a foreign-substance check at the dugout.
Lynn said umpire Nic Lentz came late to the dugout and while he was trying to get attention from the training staff. The right-hander threw 88 pitches over four innings, giving up one run before his ejection.
The 34-year-old Lynn has been one of the best pitchers in the big leagues this season with a 10-3 record, 2.26 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings. He’ll face Blue Jays rookie Alek Manoah (5-2, 3.34) in the opener of a four-game series.
WICKED WEATHER
The Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox play a makeup game Monday afternoon at Fenway Park, one day after Tropical Storm Henri forced two major league games to be postponed.
Much of the northeastern U.S. was hit by heavy rain Sunday as Henri approached the coastline. Hurricane warnings extended from Connecticut and Rhode Island to New York’s Long Island. Henri was downgraded to a tropical storm but still brought wind gusts of up to 75 mph.
The Twins-Yankees game in New York also was postponed and rescheduled for Sept. 13. Minnesota will have to interrupt a six-game homestand to return to the Bronx for the makeup game.
UNFRIENDLY CONFINES
The plummeting Chicago Cubs have lost a franchise-record 13 consecutive games at Wrigley Field as they welcome Colorado for a three-game series.
Chicago has dropped 18 of 22 overall since trading away stars Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Craig Kimbrel, among others, leading up to the July 30 trade deadline.
“Listen, it’s no fun to lose,” manager David Ross said. “It’s like, nobody is having a good time.”
Kyle Hendricks (14-5, 4.04 ERA) pitches against Antonio Senzatela (2-9, 4.58) and the Rockies, who are 14-45 on the road.
Hendricks leads the majors with 14 wins, while Senzatela is seeking his first victory since June 2.
18 AND COUNTING
The Baltimore Orioles get a day to regroup before trying to stop an 18-game losing streak that’s the longest in the major leagues since Kansas City dropped 19 in a row in 2005.
The Atlanta Braves beat Baltimore 3-1 on Sunday. It was only the third time during the skid that the Orioles lost by two runs or fewer. Baltimore is on pace to lose more than 100 games for the third straight full season, not counting the coronavirus-shortened 2020 schedule.
The Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series starting Tuesday.
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