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The Juice: Viciedo’s big homer makes Yankees long for Mo, Bumgarner pitches like mad

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

No Mo: Most ninth innings used to be cake for the Yankees when Mariano Rivera was healthy. And with closer Rafael Soriano unavailable Thursday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi entrusted a two-run lead to Cody Eppley, Clay Rapada and David Robertson. None of them are Mo, either, and Dayan Viciedo of the White Sox made the Yankees pay with a go-ahead three-run home run in a 4-3 Chicago victory. The key moment was Rapada's throwing error on a potential double-play grounder against A.J. Pierzynski. Derek Jeter probably made White Sox closer Addison Reed a little nervous with his long fly to deep right with a runner aboard in the bottom of the ninth, but outfielder Alex Rios (and not a fan in the stands) came down with the ball for the last out.

Four aces: Take away a solid single to center by Ryan Hanigan in the sixth inning Thursday night, and Madison Bumgarner pitches a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants. Regardless, his one-hitter against the Reds in a 5-0 victory was the fourth straight shutout twirled by the Giants. They're the first team since the Orioles in 1995 and the 17th team overall since 1918 to pitch four straight shutouts. Bumgarner also struck out eight and, because the Dodgers lost to the Mets, the Giants moved into first place by themselves in the NL West for the first time this season. Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Tim Lincecum started the Giants' previous three games.

Saltaladroppia: Seattle's John Jaso (Jingleheimerschmidt!) drove in Casper Wells with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to reward a dominant, 13-strikeout effort by Felix Hernandez in a 1-0 victory against the Red Sox. Hernandez allowed five hits and a walk over 128 pitches in a vintage performance, and led the charge out of the dugout to celebrate on the field after Wells scored. A two-hop throw from right field by Cody Ross would have kept the game scoreless on Jaso's single if Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia had kept possession of the ball at the plate.

Bauer sour: Trevor Bauer made his highly anticipated debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he suffered a strained groin and lasted only four innings. His tricky groin has been a recurring issue all season for Bauer, one of the top pitching prospects in the league after being made the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. He hopes to make his next start in five days. Arizona beat Atlanta 3-2 after Chris Young hit a tie-breaking home run against Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.

Little guy with a big hit: Handed a two-run lead in the ninth inning, Astros closer Brett Myers allowed six runs, including a go-ahead grand slam to San Diego's Alexi Amarista in a 7-3 loss. Amarista, who at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds is one of the smallest players in the league, went big for the first time in his major-league career.

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Quote of the Day: ''As difficult as the time is for me, you know for me it's about going out there and pitching well and helping the team. We want to win. Anytime I can go out there and give our team a chance to win, that's what I'm all about.'' — Detroit's Max Scherzer, after striking out seven in a 5-2 victory against the Rays. Scherzer's brother Alex Scherzer died earlier this month.

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Photo of the Day: Clint Barmes? Big fan!


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Three Facts for the Water Cooler:

• Pittsburgh beat the Phillies 5-4, and A.J. Burnett won his eighth straight start, the longest streak for a Pirates pitcher since Dock Ellis in 1974. Trippy.

• The Orioles collectively are 3 for 52 with runners in scoring position over their past 10 games, and have scored only 14 runs in that span. They also have lost seven of nine after falling 7-2 to the Indians.

• Mike Trout leads the AL with a .345 batting average and the Angels have won 25 of 33 overall and 14 of 15 on the road after beating the Blue Jays 9-7.

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