Welcome to the first Saturday in September in the 2017 Major League Baseball season. Sure, we've got company now in the form of college football, but it's the pennant race over here. One thing that marks Saturday special is the Astros' return to Houston for the first time since Hurricane Harvey and it'll be a doubleheader. There's also a doubleheader in San Diego, giving us a super-sized Saturday of baseball action. Let's run it all down just as we do every day. 

Saturday's action

Yankees 5, Red Sox 1 (box score)
Astros 12, Mets 8 Game 1 (box score)
Cubs 14, Braves 12 (box score)
Padres 6, Dodgers 5 (box score)
Giants 2, Cardinals 1 in 10 (box score)
Indians 5, Tigers 2 (box score)
Pirates 5, Reds 0 (box score)
Blue Jays 7, Orioles 2 (box score)
Twins 17, Royals 0 (box score)
Nationals 3, Brewers 2 (box score)
Marlins 10, Phillies 9 (box score)
White Sox 5, Rays 4 (box score)
Angels 7, Rangers 4 in 10 (box score)
Astros 4, Mets 1 Game 2 (box score)
Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 2 (box score)
Mariners 7, Athletics 6 (box score)
Padres 7, Dodgers 2 Game 2 (GameTracker)

Indians win 10th in a row

The Indians beat the Tigers 5-2 Saturday, stretching their winning streak to 10 consecutive games.

The Indians, as they so often are, were paced by Corey Kluber. He threw eight innings, allowed one run, and struck out seven batters. His seasonal ERA is now down to 2.56. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen pitched the ninth, with the former running into some trouble by allowing two hits and a run. Nonetheless, Allen checked in and recorded the final out, giving him his 23rd save.

Offensively, the star of the night was left fielder Abraham Almonte. He notched two hits and three runs batted in. Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion and Yan Gomes also had multiple hits. No Indians player who received an at-bat in the game went hitless.

The Indians had previously reeled off one other nine-game winning streak this season. That came back in late July. 

One bit of bad news for Cleveland: Bradley Zimmer left the game and was being examined for a potential head injury.

Astros return home after Harvey, crush Harvey

For the first time since Hurricane Harvey devastated the city of Houston and surrounding areas, the Astros returned to play in Minute Maid Park. They unveiled a Houston Strong patch on their uniforms, too. 

Mayor Sylvester Turner threw out the ceremonial first pitch as part of an emotional pregame ceremony: 

Coincidentally, the pitcher the Astros faced in Game 1 of the doubleheader was Matt Harvey, in his first start back from the disabled list. In a way, it was cool to see the Astros light him up for four runs in the first inning, as if they were symbolically going after "Harvey" on behalf of an entire region. This Harvey would only last two innings, coughing up seven runs on eight hits to Houston. George Springer homered. 

That was his team-leading 30th of the year. 

The Astros' lineup as a whole rolled, as they slugged their way to a 12-8 victory. Six Astros had multi-hit games, including Springer, Jose Altuve, and Josh Reddick -- the latter two each chipping in with three hits apiece.

The Astros later won Game 2 by a 4-1 final. All and all, a good day for Houston baseball.

Tanaka deals, Holliday slugs as Yankees top Red Sox

Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka came into Saturday's start riding a hot streak. In his previous five starts, he was 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 37 strikeouts compared to seven walks in 32 innings. He'd keep that rolling by firing seven strong innings against the first-place Red Sox, allowing only one run on five hits. The game was tied, 1-1, however, heading into the bottom of the sixth. 

Enter Matt Holliday: 

That was Holliday's 17th homer and effectively put the game away for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees win brings them to within 4 1/2 games of the Red Sox in the AL East. 

Sunday's game looms large for the Yankees. They won't get another chance at the Red Sox this season afterward, so it looks like a must-win if they hope to take the East. They would have around a month to make up 3 1/2 games, so they'd still be seeking help from elsewhere but it would be workable. A loss, however, means a 5 1/2 game deficit with no head-to-head chances. That's sticky. They also have to deal with lots of wild-card hopefuls breathing down their necks. 

From the Red Sox perspective, they'd surely like to put the Yankees 5 1/2 back, but it's not nearly as much a must-win as it is for the team in the other dugout. They still have a clear advantage. 

Rizzo reaches personal milestone

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the fourth inning Saturday afternoon, spotting the Cubs an 8-4 lead (it would grow to 10-4 before the inning ended). The three runs driven home gave Rizzo 100 RBI on the season. He also has 30 doubles and 31 homers. He has now had three straight 30-2B/30-HR/100-RBI seasons in a Cubs uniform. The only other player to ever do that was Hall of Famer Hack Wilson (who did it four straight years). 

The Cubs have now won six in a row, including 11 of their last 14.

So does Bellinger

Dodgers rookie slugger Cody Bellinger clubbed his 35th homer of the season on Saturday. That tied him for the Dodgers rookie record with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza (1993). 

Quick hits