The Rays make a couple of trades, acquiring relief pitcher Dan Jennings from the White Sox for prospect Casey Gillaspie and 1B Lucas Duda from the Mets for P Drew Smith. However, they lose a heartbreaker to the Yankees, 6 – 5, as an apparently inoffensive ground ball by Gary Sanchez finds a hole between SS Adeiny Hechevarria and 2B Tim Beckham to tie the game with two outs in the 9th and Brett Gardner on third base. Gardner then goes yard off Andrew Kittredge in the 11th to end the game.

The Nationals slug 8 home runs in a 15 – 2 demolition of the Brewers. The barrage includes a record-tying 5 homers in the 3rd inning, 4 of them hit consecutively by Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Michael Blazek, making his first career start allows those four long balls, as well as the one hit by Anthony Rendon one batter later that finally chases him from the game. Harper had already hit a two-run shot in the 1st, and Zimmerman and Jose Lobaton both go deep in the 4th to complete the performance. Max Scherzer, who scores on Goodwin’s homer, is the beneficiary of the outburst, winning on his birthday.