Jose Altuve walks it off as Astros win seventh straight game
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Will the Houston Astros ever lose again? It’s early, but things are starting to look pretty encouraging for the upstart Astros.
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Houston has won seven-straight contest, and are tied for the league lead with 15 wins. That’s right, the team that has lost 416 games over the past four seasons currently leads Major League Baseball in wins.
All-star second baseman Jose Altuve led the charge Thursday, hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. With men on first and second, Altuve sent a 92 mph fastball from Dominic Leone out to left field for the game-winning hit.
Not surprisingly, that wasn’t Altuve’s only contribution during the contest. He finished 3 for 5, with a double and two singles. Altuve scored one run and drove in one RBI. He also managed to swipe his ninth base of the season. The reigning American League batting champ is now hitting .367 following the three-hit performance.
At 15-7, the Astros sit atop the American League West by four games. They head into May as the hottest team in baseball. Houston, we definitely have liftoff.
TWINS POUND CHRIS SALE
Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale suffered the shortest outing since becoming a starter Thursday against the Minnesota Twins.
Sale lasted just three innings, which tied his previous low during a start. He was pounded for nine runs, eight of which were earned.
Things didn’t start out all that strong, as Sale allowed a run in each of the first two innings. He fell apart in the third.
Sale gave up six hits and one walk during the frame. The final nail in the coffin was a Brian Dozier three-run homer. All together, Sale allowed seven runs in the inning. He threw 73 pitches, and did not return for the fourth inning.
The White Sox have gotten off to a poor start, and some players are starting to feel the pressure. Outfielder Adam Eaton even shaved his beard in hopes that it would break the team’s slump.
Eaton is hitting just .192 this season. The White Sox are 8-11.
NATIONALS BATS CONTINUE TORRID STRETCH
After a slow start, the Washington Nationals may finally be playing up to their potential. The club continued their recent hot streak, beating the New York Mets 8-2.
The Nats have won three straight games, and a big reason for that has been the team’s bats. During the streak, the club has scored a ridiculous 34 runs.
Bryce Harper has been the catalyst, hitting .286, with five home runs. He also taken a league-leading 22 walks this season, giving him a .440 on-base percentage.
The club has also experienced a jolt by getting Denard Span back from the disabled list. Offseason trade acquisition Yunel Escobar has also performed well despite moving around the infield to compensate for Anthony Rendon’s injury.
Rendon is currently working his way back from a knee injury, but could resume his rehab assignment Friday.
The team might be peaking right before one of their best players returns to action. They may have started slow, but the Nationals are starting to look dangerous again.
ROYALS BEAT UP ON TIGERS
The Kansas City Royals managed to create some separation in the American League Central, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-1 on Thursday.
Royals pitcher Danny Duffy turned in his finest start of the season, going seven strong innings. He allowed one run on seven hits, striking out seven batters.
On Detroit’s side, Alfredo Simon had a rough go of it. Simon allowed six earned runs on nine hits over just 4 1/3 innings. With the start, Simon earned his first loss of the season, dropping to 4-1.
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Offensively, the Royals were carried by Eric Hosmer, who clubbed his third home run of the season. Hosmer may have been the star Thursday, but most of the starting lineup is hitting well to open the year. The team’s first six hitters in Thursday’s game are currently hitting over .300.
At 15-7, the Royals have a half game lead on the Tigers in the AL Central.
Want to see more from Tuesday’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 [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
