Braves defeat Max Scherzer on controversial walk-off single
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.
The Atlanta Braves managed to do something few teams have done this season: They registered a victory against Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer.
The win didn’t come without controversy, though. With the two clubs knotted 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Scherzer took the mound hoping to send the game into extras.
Pedro Ciriaco led off the frame with a single, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jace Peterson. That’s when controversy struck.
Cameron Maybin hit a walk-off single down the third base line to win the contest. Whether the ball was fair or foul is up for debate. The ball took a big hop on the infield dirt and landed in foul territory once it hit the ground. Umpire C.B. Bucknor ruled that the ball passed over third base in fair territory, making it a fair ball.
Nationals manager Matt Williams did not agree with the call, but due to a strange wrinkle in the replay rules, the umps could not take another look at the play. The rule states that any ball that lands in front of the first or third base umps is not eligible to be reviewed. That seems random, but those are the rules.
With the win, Atlanta improved to 38-41 on the year.
MATT MOORE RUNS OUT OF STEAM
Jose Fernandez and Matt Cain weren’t the only pitchers returning to action Thursday. Tampa Bay Rays left Matt Moore also made his return to the mound during the club’s 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
Moore showed some encouraging signs, but was mostly shaky during his first start of the year. Over 4 2/3 innings, Moore allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked two during the contest.
Moore looked great early, but seemed to tire as the game went on. Through the first three innings, he did not allow a hit against Cleveland.
A sac fly put the Indians on the board in the fourth, and then the floodgates opened in the fifth. After two quick outs, Moore allowed a single against Giovanny Urshela. Urshela advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was brought home on a single by Jason Kipnis.
Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley would follow that up with RBI singles of their own, chasing Moore from the contest. It was Moore’s first start in 451 days.
After the start, Moore said he was happy to be back.
Cleveland improved to 37-41 with the win.
KAZMIR SHUTS DOWN SEATTLE
Oakland Athletics lefty Scott Kazmir dominated the Seattle Mariners during a 4-0 victory Thursday.
Kazmir allowed just two hits during the contest, both of which came against outfielder Frankin Gutierrez. No one else in Seattle’s lineup could touch Kazmir.
Kazmir actually had a perfect game going until the fifth inning. With one out, Gutierrez broke up the perfecto with a double. Gutierrez would add a single in the eighth inning, but was stranded on base both times.
Over eight shutout innings, Kazmir allowed just two hits. He struck out seven and did not issue a walk during the contest.
With the start, Kazmir lowered his ERA to 2.56 on the year.
BOYD BEAT BY BOSTON
It was a bad day for Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Matt Boyd. Boyd was absolutely crushed against the Boston Red Sox during a 12-6 loss.
Boyd got the start for Toronto, and exited the game without recording an out. He allowed three straight singles to open the game, the last of which brought in a run. David Ortiz would then follow that up with a three-run homer, giving Boston the early four-run lead.
They weren’t done yet, though. Hanley Ramirez would follow that up with a solo shot of his own. Pablo Sandoval added a single, and Mike Napoli walked, and that was the end of the day for Boyd.
Both of those runners would come around to score, meaning Boyd was charged with two runs after leaving the contest. He allowed seven runs on six hits during the appearance. Boyd walked one and failed to strike out a batter. He was sent down to the minors after the game.
Toronto briefly attempted a comeback attempt, but Boston managed to pull away in the late innings. With the victory, the Red Sox improved to 37-44.
Want to see more from Thursday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
