Rangers win on walk-off walk, continue to climb AL West standings
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.
It’s not the most exciting way in baseball to secure a walk-off win, but it counts just the same. So the Texas Rangers are totally fine with the walk-off walk they used to beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Monday night.
With the score tied 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Adrian Beltre worked a bases-loaded walk against M’s closer Fernando Rodney to bring home the winning run. Beltre was mobbed mildly at first base by his teammates, who splashed water on him. Gotta celebrate somehow, right?
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The Rangers (60-57) actually have a lot to feel good about lately. It was their fifth straight win and it puts them three games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West. They’re just a game back from a wild-card spot too, which is a big change from just a few weeks ago. On Aug. 1, the Rangers were 50-53 and eight games behind the Astros.
“In that situation I’m trying to do anything to come through, a walk, fly ball, anything,” Beltre told MLB.com. “We are playing with a lot more confidence. We’re doing better in our situational hitting, and our pitching has been great. We’ve got to keep it up.”
Beltre himself was the star Monday night. The walk-off walk was his third RBI of the night. He also had RBI doubles in the first and third innings. Cole Hamels, Texas’ big trade-deadline acquisition, pitched seven innings in his third start for the Rangers. He struck out eight and allowed three runs on seven hits.
YANKEES BEAT THE TWINS IN 10 INNINGS
Elsewhere in the world of not-terribly-exciting walk-off wins: The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins on a walk-off groundout by Chase Headley, which gave them an 8-7 win in 10 innings. Ohhh, what a rush.
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It was a back-and-forth game between the two teams with Brian McCann giving the Yanks an early 3-0 lead on a first-inning homer. Every time the Yankees took the lead, though, the Twins answered. Eventually, Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the sixth to tie the game at seven. McCann, who was 3-for-5 with five RBIs on the night, helped the Yankees’ 10th inning rally with a double off Twins closer Glen Perkins.
Yankees starter Bryan Mitchell left the game after being struck in the face with a line drive. He suffered a nasal fracture.
ORIOLES WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT VS. A’S
It wasn’t as bad as Sunday’s 18-2 blowout, but the Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics once again Monday, even chasing ace Sonny Gray in the sixth inning and handing him a loss.
The Orioles won 4-2, thanks in big part to a three-run homer from Steve Clevenger in the fourth inning. After sweeping the four-game series with the A’s, the O’s (61-56) are now four back in the AL East and currently owning the second AL wild-card spot.
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For Gray, the big bright spot in Oakland’s tough season, his record dropped to 12-5. But his American League-leading ERA dropped too. Only one of the runs he surrendered was earned, so Gray’s ERA went from 2.06 to 2.04.
CARDINALS EDGE GIANTS
In an NLCS rematch, the St. Louis Cardinals got the best of the San Francisco Giants, breaking a tie game in the eighth and eventually winning 2-1. Stephen Piscotty, the Cardinals’ rookie outfielder, tripled and came home to score when Mark Reynolds grounded out. Michael Wacha took a no-decision, but pitched seven innings, striking out six and allowing six hits.
Want to see more from Monday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
