Take flight: Greg Bird’s late home run propels Yankees over Blue Jays

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.

New York Yankees outfielder Greg Bird may be a rookie, but he certainly didn’t play like one Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bird smacked a three-run homer in extras to give New York the 6-4 win over their division rival.

Both teams had to come back from late deficits in order to give Bird an opportunity to make his mark. With the Yankees trailing by one in the eighth inning, Carlos Beltran belted a solo home run to give his team the lead.

While the Yankees bullpen has usually shut teams down that late in the contest, the team experienced a rare sign of weakness Tuesday. In the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Miller gave up a game-tying solo shot to Dioner Navarro.

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That set the stage in the top of the 10th. Brian McCann singled to lead off the frame, and that was followed up by Slade Heathcott reaching on catcher’s interference. That’s when Bird stepped to the plate.

On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Bird smacked an 88 mph slider out to right for the three-run shot, putting the Yankees up 6-3.

The Blue Jays would manage a run on a solo home run by Edwin Encarnacion the following inning, but Miller was able to close things out.

With the win, New York improved to 83-67 on the season. The team is currently 2.5 games behind Toronto in the American League East.

ANGELS STAY ALIVE

The Los Angeles Angels are doing whatever they can to stay in the wild card race. Tuesday was a step in the right direction, as the club topped the Houston Astros 4-3.

Not surprisingly, both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols played a role in the win. Trout smashed a two-run shot in the first inning, giving him a career-high 40 on the season.

Pujols followed that up with a solo shot of his own. He also broke a milestone, passing Manny Ramirez for 14th all-time on the career home run list.

The Astros would eventually battle their way back, making it a one-run game. Because of that, the Angels turned to closer Huston Street for the four-out save.

Street blew a save against the Astros last Sunday, but didn’t have an encore experience this time around. While he ran into some trouble in the ninth, Street was able to pitch out of it, recording his 39th save.

With the win, the Angels improved to 77-74 on the year. The team is 2.5 games out of the second AL wild card spot.

RANGERS GET IT DONE

The Texas Rangers were able to capitalize on Houston’s loss Tuesday. Texas managed to defeat the Oakland Athletics 8-6, extending their lead in the American League West.

Mitch Moreland played a big role in the contest. The 30-year-old went 3 for 4 at the plate, with one run scored and two RBI.

His biggest hit of the night came in the sixth inning. With his team down by two runs, Moreland tied the game with one swing of the bat.

With the hit, he tied his career-high for home runs in a single season.

Moreland ties his career-high for HR in a season (23). Has hit some big ones lately. This one ties the game, 5-5. #rangers

— Jared Sandler (@SandlerJ) September 23, 2015

With the win, the Rangers improved to 81-69 on the season. The team holds a two game lead over the Astros in the AL West.

NO CARDS COLLAPSE

The National League Central continues to be the best division in baseball, and the St. Louis Cardinals are not about to cough off their lead with just a few games remaining. The Cards pulled off a victory Tuesday, beating the Cincinnati Reds 3-1.

John Lackey led the way for St. Louis. The 36-year-old lasted seven innings, giving up just one run on nine hits. Lackey struck out seven and did not issue any walks during the outing.

His strong performance at home shouldn’t have come as any surprise to those paying attention this season.

John Lackey has made 16 home starts this season. All 16 have been quality starts and he has a 1.97 ERA in those outings at Busch Stadium.

— Ryan Boyer (@RyanPBoyer) September 23, 2015