Stats of the Day: No stopping slugging Mets
Here are five interesting items from around the big leagues on Monday …
The Mets used eight extra-base hits in an 11-hit attack and defeated the Nationals, 8-5. New York has six games this season with at least eight extra-base hits, with all six coming since July 25 (a span of 40 games). The Mets are slugging a National League-best .458 since the All-Star break. The highest mark for the franchise after the break came in 2007, when they slugged .447. In the win, Yoenis Cespedes doubled twice and homered. The outfielder -- who played his first game with New York on Aug. 1 -- has 24 extra-base hits in 34 games with the Mets, and is slugging .669. Among Mets with at least 200 plate appearances after the All-Star break, Mike Piazza holds the highest slugging percentage -- a .656 in 1998 (like Cespedes, the year that he was acquired in a trade by the Mets).
Video: NYM@WSH: Cespedes' solo homer is confirmed by review
Baltimore's Manny Machado hit his 27th home run of the year, giving him 23 when batting out of the leadoff slot. Among players in age-22 or younger seasons, Machado and his 23 leadoff shots match Barry Bonds (1987) for the second most all time. Mike Trout (30 in 2012) holds the top spot.
David Ortiz doubled twice in Boston's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays. The pair of two-base hits gave Ortiz 30 doubles for the season, which gave him his seventh 30-double, 30-homer season. Those seven are most for a Red Sox player. All time, for all teams, Ortiz -- with his seven -- is tied with Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira. Those with more: Albert Pujols (11), Manny Ramirez (10), Carlos Delgado (10), Lou Gehrig (nine), Jimmie Foxx (nine), Jeff Bagwell (eight) and Miguel Cabrera (eight).
Video: TOR@BOS: Papi lines an RBI double off the Monster
Dan Haren (7.0 IP, 7 hits) and two relievers combined for a seven-hitter as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals, 9-0. The nine runs gave the Cubs their largest margin of victory in a shutout over the Cardinals in exactly 34 years, when Bobby Bonds homered twice from the leadoff spot and Doug Bird threw a three-hit shutout on Sept. 7, 1981, and Chicago won, 10-0.
The Dodgers (seven) and Angels (nine) saw 16 total pitchers used in a nine-inning contest that lasted three hours and 52 minutes. It's the first nine-inning Interleague game to see this many combined pitchers face at least one batter. The previous high was 14.
Milestone watch for Tuesday
Aroldis Chapman needs one save for 30 this season. It would be his fourth straight season with at least 30, and would tie Chapman with Francisco Cordero (2008-11) for the longest such streak in Reds history.