Pirates earn third consecutive postseason berth with win in Colorado

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.

After going 21 seasons without earning a postseason appearance, the Pittsburgh Pirates have started a streak that will make their two decades of futility a distant memory. With Wednesday’s 13-7 victory against the Colorado Rockies, the Pirates are headed to the postseason for the third straight season, earning at least a wild card berth in the National League.

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With longtime starter Charlie Morton on the hill, Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 7-1 lead, seemingly setting a storybook scenario for Morton. However, he would not earn the clinching victory as the Rockies climbed back in the game during the middle innings. Morton was charged with six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings before giving way to a Pirates bullpen that was up to task. They allowed one run the rest of the way.

Another longtime Pirate did have a storybook game. Second baseman Neil Walker collected four hits and drove in six runs. In fact, he drove in the first five in the game with a two-run single in the first and a three-run homer in the third.

The decisive hit would come in the ninth, when Sean Rodriguez cracked a bases-clearing double. Pittsburgh would score six times in the inning.

The Pirates celebration afterward was somewhat subdued compared to the last two seasons, which by the way were both also clinched on Sept. 23. The still have division title to pursue and home-field to lock up in a potential wild-card game. They hope to earn a bigger celebration a few weeks down the road.

BLUE JAYS SHUT OUT YANKEES BEHIND MARCUS STROMAN

With heavy hearts, the Yankees and Blue Jays took the field on Wednesday just hours after learning that Yogi Berra had died at age 90. After a classy tribute video aired on the Rogers Centre videoboard, the division rivals got right back to business, with the Blue Jays ultimately walking away with a 4-0 victory.

[Slideshow: Remembering Yogi Berra’s best quotes.]

Once again, the story of the game for Toronto was Marcus Stroman. Making his third start since suffering what was believed to be a season-ending Achilles injury in March, the 24-year-old right-hander was dominant again, tossing seven scoreless inning with only five hits allowed. He’s allowed total of four earned in 19 innings since his return and now has three wins, including two over the Yankees.

It’s almost like adding another key piece at the trade deadline. The Jays actually did that with David Price, so the rotation is shaping up quite well for an October run.

As for the lineup, it’s still good, too. They didn’t need to do much on Wednesday, but they did plenty thanks to Russell Martin’s three-run home run. That opened up the lead after Kevin Pillar opened up the scoring with an RBI double.

The Blue Jays also opened up their lead in the AL East to 3 1/2 games while lowering their magic to eight. The Yankees are obviously in a tough spot, but as a legend once, the race isn’t over until it’s over.

ANGELS TAKE CRITICAL SERIES FROM ASTROS

The Houston Astros grip on the second AL wild-card spot seems to get looser by the day. On Wednesday, they dropped the rubber match of a critical series with the Los Angeles Angels, losing 6-5 at Minute Maid Park. In the process, their wild card advantage shrunk to just one game over the Minnesota Twins and 1 1/2 over the Angels.

After battling back from an early 3-0 deficit to take the lead, Houston’s bullpen faltered in the eighth inning. Three relievers combined to allow three runs. David Freese, a former postseason hero with the Cardinals, delivered the go-ahead hit, a two-run double against Pat Neshek. That wasted another quality start from Mike Fiers.

[Look: The telegram Johnny Bench got after breaking Yogi Berra’s home-run record.]

As always, MIke Trout was a big part of the Angels attack, doubling twice and scoring twice. He’s in the middle of a hot stretch now that could end up catapulting his squad right back into a playoff position. Kole Calhoun had a nice game as well, connecting on his 24th home run as the Angels denied Houston a chance to clinch its first non-losing season since 2008.

That will have to until Friday when the Astros host the West-leading Rangers. The Angels are headed home to face Seattle.

FREDDIE FREEMAN CRUSHES METS OFF THE BENCH

An off night for Freddie Freeman quickly turned into one of his biggest games of the season.

With the Braves trailing by two in the seventh innng, Freeman was called upon to pinch-hit against Addison Reed with the tying runs on base. Freeman delivered, ripping a double that evened the score and set himself up for an even bigger hit two innings later.

With the game still tied in the ninth, Freeman smacked a go-ahead three-run home run against Jeurys Familia. A home run that stood as the difference in Atlanta’s 6-3 victory.

Not bad, right? With five RBIs in two plate appearances, Freeman was more productive on his day off than some of us are working a full shift. The Mets are no doubt wishing he”d just stayed home, but Freeman was ready to produce. That’s particularly impressive from a guy who’s used to playing every day.

With the win, the Braves got to play spoiler and help the Washington Nationals. Washington did nothing with it, losing 6-5 to Baltimore. That keep New York’s division lead at 6 1/2 games, while lowering their magic number to five.

Want to see more from Wednesday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.

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