Joey Votto smashes three home runs in Reds’ win Tuesday
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.
For at least one night, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was able to silence his critics. The slugger blasted three home runs during an 11-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
After a first inning walk, Votto went on his tear. In his next two at-bats Votto crushed two solo shots off Aaron Harang. He would strike again in the seventh inning, this time against Phillies reliever Dustin McGowan.
[On the latest StewPod: Will the MLB Draft ever be cool?]
On the first pitch he saw from McGowan, Votto crushed a 94 mph fastball out to right field for another solo shot. Votto would actually receive another at-bat in the game, but wound up grounding out to second.
Still, he’s probably happy with the performance.
With the game, Votto improved his average to .300 on the season. Through 55 games this season, Votto has already doubled his home run total from last year. It appears his demise was greatly exaggerated.
The victory pushed the Reds to 26-31 on the season. The team remains 11 games out of first in the National League Central.
EDWIN GOES BOOM IN FIRST GAME BACK
It’s been a rough week for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion. After missing time with a hamstring issue to start the month, Encarnacion tweaked his shoulder shortly after returning to action.
The shoulder issue required another two days of rest, causing Encarnacion to miss a majority of the team’s games lately. He managed to return Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, however, and he didn’t disappoint.
Encarnacion picked up just one hit in the contest, but he made it count. With his team down 3-2, Encarnacion stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth representing the winning run.
Winning the game with one swing would not be easy. Ramos had not allowed a home run in over a year.
That streak is over. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Encarnacion belted a 93 mph fastball out to center for the two-run walk-off shot.
The victory gave the Blue Jays their seventh straight win. The club is now 30-30 on the season.
BRAVES MANAGE LATE RALLY AGAINST SHIELDS
San Diego Padres pitcher James Shields was in line for the win Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, but couldn’t hold on. Shields would pick up the no-decision during the team’s 6-5 loss.
Things started out well enough. Shields tossed five scoreless frames to begin the outing. Things started to fall apart, however, in the sixth.
Jace Peterson led things off with a double. After getting Cameron Maybin to ground out, Shields allowed a single against Freddie Freeman.
An error against Nick Markakis allowed the first run to come in against Shields, moving the score to 5-1. Shields would then walk Juan Uribe to load the bases.
They wouldn’t stay loaded for long. Andrelton Simmons blasted a bases-clearing double. Jonny Gomes would add an RBI single, tying the game 5-5 against Shields. He was pulled at that point.
The Braves would scratch off another run in the eighth inning and hold on for the 6-5 victory. With the win, Atlanta moved to 28-30 on the year.
CHRIS YOUNG FLIRTS WITH NO-NO IN ROYALS’ WIN
It was nearly an exceptional day for pitchers named “Chris” on Tuesday. San Francisco rookie Chris Heston threw the season’s first no-hitter, and Kansas City Royals veteran Chris Young flirted with one for a while during a 2-0 win.
Young kept the Twins off guard throughout most of the start. While he allowed three walks during the outing, Young didn’t give up his first hit until the seventh.
[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]
With one out in the inning, Trevor Plouffe blasted an 86 mph fastball for a triple against Young. The Royals were clinging to just a one-run lead at that point, so manager Ned Yost actually removed Young for the game.
The gamble paid off as the Royals’ bullpen did not allow the run to cross the plate.
Over 6 1/3 innings, Young allowed just one hit. He struck out two and walked three. He was taken out after throwing just 83 pitches.
With the start, Young is boasting a 2.25 ERA. The victory moved the Royals ahead of the Twins in the American League Central by one game. The team is now 33-23 on the year.
Want to see more from Tuesday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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
