The Walk Off: Matt Kemp drives in six as Padres offense explodes
Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.
Just as we suspected, Coors Field and Colorado Rockies pitching was the cure to what ailed the San Diego Padres offense. After setting a new record in futility — they went scoreless over their first 30 innings of the season — San Diego has erupted for 29 runs in their last 15 innings in Denver.
That includes Saturday’s runaway 16-3 victory.
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Veteran Matt Kemp has been right in the middle of San Diego’s surge. After collecting four hits and driving in four runs in Friday’s win, Kemp followed by going 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs on Saturday. The ten RBIs tie a career high for Kemp in a single series, and there’s still one game left on Sunday afternoon.
Kemp smashed a solo homer in the third off Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa, a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run double in the sixth. Then he took the night off, otherwise who knows what kind of numbers we’d be writing about.
Cody Spangenberg also hit a three-run homer in the third off De La Rosa, while Jon Jay contributed two hits and three RBIs.
The score was so lopsided, not even Trevor Story could save the Rockies. In fact, he actually looked human for the first time in his MLB career, finishing with a mere single while striking out three times and committing his first error. Story’s error, coupled with Mark Reynolds’ error, opened the door to San Diego’s six-run ninth.
It wasn’t pretty, but it did reaffirm what we’ve known for many years. When something has to give, it will always be Rockies pitching.
TOP PERFORMERS
Eugenio Suarez: The Reds new starting third baseman is on a tear to start the season, and that continued in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Pirates. Suarez started the scoring with a first-inning RBI single against Gerrit Cole. Then he capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the seventh. That gives him eight RBIs on the young season to go along with a .368 batting average.
Starlin Castro: The Yankees and Tigers played the coldest game in Comerica Park history (31 degrees at first pitch) but Castro managed to stay hot. New York’s new second baseman picked up two hits in the Yankees 8-4 victory, the second of which was No. 1,000 for his career. On the season, he’s 9-for-20 with two homers and eight RBIs through five games.
Vince Velasquez: Considered the gem of the Cole Hamels trade, Velasquez lived up to the hype in his Phillies debut. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out nine over six scoreless innings as the Phillies topped the Mets 1-0 at Citi Field. Ryan Howard accounted for that run with a home run as Philadelphia picked up its first win of the season.
Colby Rasmus: The veteran outfielder took out his frustration over Friday’s sliding violation with a pair of home runs and a sacrifice fly in Houston’s 6-4 win against the Brewers. The homers were Rasmus’ first of the season. Rookie Tyler White continued his impressive start as well, connecting for his third homer. He has 10 hits through five games.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Kansas City Royals were the only team in baseball without a home run entering play on Saturday. That ended with a bang, and then another bang, as Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain went back-to-back in the fourth inning. Kendrys Morales would add a solo homer in the sixth as the Royals cruised by the Twins, 7-0.
THE SCOREBOARD
Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 4: Boston got three hits from Dustin Pedroia and a two-run triple from Hanley Ramirez to win an eventful game in Toronto.
White Sox 7, Indians 3: Chicago used a five-run seventh-inning rally to top the Tribe and give Chris Sale his second win of the season. Avisail Garcia capped the frame with a three-run homer.
Dodgers 3, Giants 2: San Francisco got a home run from Madison Bumgarner, but L.A. gets the last laugh on Charlie Culberson’s tenth-inning double. This has been one wild series already.
Cardinals 12, Braves 2: St. Louis got hits from nine different players and scored in seven innings as they destroyed Atlanta for the second straight night. The woeful Braves are now 0-5 on the young season.
Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 2: Zack Greinke allowed three runs in the first inning and that was all the breathing room Kyle Hendricks, Adam Warren and Hector Rondon needed. The Cubs trio held Arizona’s offense to four hits. Meanwhile, Greinke falls to 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA through two starts.
Rangers 4, Angels 1: Cole Hamels improved to 2-0 with six innings of one-run ball. Adrian Beltre was the offensive star, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles.
A’s 6, Mariners 1: Rich Hill bounced back from a sluggish opener to dominate the Mariners on Saturday. The veteran left-hander struck out 10 over six innings while limiting Oakland to one run on five hits.
Marlins @ Nationals: Postponed. Game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on May 14.
Rays @ Orioles: Postponed: Game will be made up during the weekend of June 24-26.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
