Prince Fielder’s late homer gives Rangers big win over Astros
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.
They say, to the point of cliché, that everything is bigger in Texas. So pardon the cliché, but Prince Fielder’s eighth-inning, go-ahead homer Monday night to lift the Texas Rangers to a 5-3 win over the rival Houston Astros was pretty dang big.
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Big, because the two teams are tussling for control of the AL West in a four-game series that started Monday. Big, because it was a tied game in the eighth inning and Fielder took Will Harris’ pitch 406 feet to centerfield to give Texas a two-run lead. Big, because now the Rangers are only a half-game back in the division.
“I knew I hit it good, but here you never know,” Fielder told reporters after the game. “The wind plays tricks on you sometimes. I knew I had hit it hard enough, but the way [Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick] was going back on it, I didn’t know if he was going to rob it or not.”
Not! So add this to Fielder’s tally of late-inning homers that put his team ahead. He’s one of the most prolific in the past 10 years.
This was a good start to the crucial series for the Rangers, who showed a lot of resolve. They were down 1-0 and 2-1 in the game, but came back both times. The Astros tied it 3-3 in seventh, leading to Prince’s big homer in the eighth.
YANKEES PULL OUT WIN AFTER FOUR IN THE NINTH
When it was over, Erasmo Ramirez was just a foonote. The Tampa Bay Rays starter had taken a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the New York Yankees on Monday, but after Carlos Beltran busted that up and the Yankees scored four in the ninth inning, not too many people will remember the first seven innings.
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What they will remember (especially if they’re Yankees fans) is A-Rod’s two-out RBI double in the ninth that tied the game 1-1 then Slade Heathcott’s three-run homer that put the Yankees up 4-1. Yes, Slade Heathcott. As they cling to the top wild-card spot in the AL, these types of wins are important for the Yanks. They’re wild-card lead is now three games.
INDIANS WIN AGAIN, CONTINUE SEPTEMBER SURGE
Don’t look now, America, but the Cleveland Indians are suddenly relevant in the postseason picture. They were a sexy World Series pick once upon time and started the season with lots of disappointment. But now the Indians are out of last place and hoping to make a run for an AL wild-card spot. And in that wide-open race, it’s not impossible.
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The Indians won again on Monday night, beating the Kansas City Royals 8-3. It’s Cleveland’s 12th win in its last 14 games and its eighth win in nine home games. As the Indians sit now, they’re 71-71 and 4.5 out of a wild-card spot.
KERSHAW DOMINANT AGAIN AS DODGERS BEAT ROCKIES
Clayton Kershaw is doing it again, being better than just about everybody in baseball. While teammate Zack Greinke is more likely to win the Cy Young, Kershaw has been quite good, especially lately, as he’s rebounded from a somewhat slow start.
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On Monday night, Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out five. It was the seventh straight start in which Kershaw pitched seven innings and gave up one run or fewer. That stat courtesy of Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. Kerhshaw is now 8-0 in his last 12 starts and is 14-6 on the year with a 2.12 ERA. The Dodgers won 4-1, by the way.
Here are some other good numbers from Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register:
Yep, he’s good.
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
