Danny Salazar leads Indians to sixth straight victory

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It may be too late, but the Cleveland Indians are surging heading into September. The club picked up its sixth straight win Monday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2.

Starter Danny Salazar was magnificent against the best offense in baseball. Salazar allowed just two runs on six hits over seven strong innings. He walked one and struck out 10 Blue Jays during the performance.

Though Salazar was great, the team ran into some trouble after he exited the game. Toronto was able to make things interesting in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Bryan Shaw picked up two quick outs to start the eighth, but followed that up by allowing a hit to Jose Bautista. He was removed from the game at that point in favor of closer Cody Allen.

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Allen looked shaky to kick things off. After a single from Edwin Encarnacion put men on second and third, Allen intentionally walked Troy Tulowitzki after falling behind in the count 2-0. He was able to strike out Justin Smoak to end the frame.

Things weren't any easier in the ninth, though. Allen allowed two singles in the inning, bringing the winning run to the plate twice. Ben Revere popped out, setting the stage for American League MVP candidate Josh Donaldson to play the hero.

For once, Donaldson couldn't get the job done. Allen struck him out, preserving the victory. With the win, Cleveland improved to 64-66 on the year. The team is just four games out of the second wild card spot in the AL.

DALLAS KEUCHEL LEADS ASTROS TO ANOTHER WIN

In what should come as no surprise, the Houston Astros won a game with Dallas Keuchel on the mound Monday. Keuchel was excellent, helping his team pull off the 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The AL Cy Young award candidate tossed seven strong innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out eight and walked one during the contest.

With the win, Keuchel became the first 16-game winner in the American League. He did some show that he was human during the start, though, giving up his first home run in Minute Maid Park this season.

Coming into the game, Keuchel had a 1.35 ERA at home this year. He's still in good shape, despite the home run.

With the win, Houston improved to 73-59 on the season. They are four games up on the Texas Rangers in the AL West.

METS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS

The New York Mets gained a game in the standings Monday. The club did so by riding Bartolo Colon to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Colon had everything working during the contest. He kept the Phillies off the board for eight innings, giving up just four hits. Colon struck out nine and walked one.

He was backed by Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson. Both players hit home runs in the fifth inning, giving Colon a three-run lead.

Jeurys Familia came on in the ninth, and made things interesting before finally closing it out. Familiar loaded the bases to kick things off. One run would come around to score, but Familia would induce a double play. With one out, and the tying run at the plate, Familia struck out Andres Blanco for the win.

With the victory, the Mets improved to 73-58. They hold a 6.5 game lead over the Washington Nationals in the NL East.

NATIONALS BULLPEN CAN'T GET IT DONE

The Mets were able to gain a game Monday after the Washington Nationals bullpen imploded. The Nats couldn't hold a lead against the St. Louis Cardinals, eventually falling 8-5.

The loss was a real let-down for Washington. After the club fell behind by two runs early, the Nationals managed to claw their way back into the game.

The team cut the deficit to one run in the sixth, and managed to take a two-run lead on a Ryan Zimmerman home run the following inning. It wouldn't last.

In the bottom of the frame, Casey Janssen struggled to pick up outs. While he did induce a double play ball, it was too late. Janssen was removed after allowing the Cards to tie things up. Felipe Rivero came on in relief, but gave up a two-run double to Jason Heyward and a run-scoring single to Kolten Wong.

After the five-run inning, the Cardinals kept the Nationals off the board. With the win, St. Louis improved to 85-46 on the year.

Want to see more from Monday's slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik