The Walk Off: O’s remain undefeated after late Chris Davis blast

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.

It seems pretty silly to refer to any Chris Davis home run as improbable. The 30-year-old Baltimore Orioles first baseman has light-tower power. He’s led the league in big flys twice, and his 128 home runs since 2013 leads the majors.

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Still, when a batter is going up against Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, home runs seems virtually impossible. The 27-year-old star closer had only given up 18 dingers over his seven seasons in the majors.

Something had to give Monday when the two squared off in the ninth inning. With the game tied, Kimbrel entered in the top of the ninth to make sure the Orioles stayed off the board. If he could successfully get through the inning, he would set up his club for a possible walk-off victory.

That wasn’t the case. With two outs and two men on, Davis stepped to the plate looking to give his club the lead. He did just that, smashing a 97 mph fastball straight out to center for a three-run blast.

It was the first time in his career that Kimbrel allowed a three-run home run, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne.

Craig Kimbrel doesn’t give up three-run homers. He did on Monday. But he never had before.

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) April 11, 2016

On top of that, Davis’ shot wasn’t a cheap one. It traveled 449 feet, the second-longest home run ever given up by Kimbrel.

Though they received a solo home run from Mookie Betts in the ninth, the Red Sox couldn’t complete the come back. Davis’ unlikely home run was the difference, giving the Orioles the 9-7 win and keeping their record a perfect 6-0.

TOP PERFORMERS

Daniel Murphy: Murphy appears to enjoy his time in Washington right now. The second baseman added an early two-run homer in Monday’s contest. He would later pick up a single, finished 2-for-4 on the day. Murphy is hitting .471 with the Nats thus far.

Collin McHugh: There weren’t many standout pitching performances Monday, but McHugh managed to shine the brighest. He held the World Series champs scoreless over seven innings. McHugh allowed eight hits and one walk, striking out four during the contest.

[Elsewhere: Erik Kratz fell flat on his face during pre-game player introductions]

Jeremy Hazelbaker: The latest player to be hit by Cardinals devil magic appears to be Hazelbaker. The outfielder continued to rake at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 on Monday. They weren’t just singles either, as Hazelbaker added both a triple and a double during the contest. The 28-year-old is hitting a blazing .526 to open the season.

Rougned Odor: Odor made both his hits count on Monday, driving in runs each time be got on base. A double in the fourth inning put Texas ahead 3-1, and a single in the eighth drove in two more runs, putting the game out of reach. He finished the night 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot, and could see more time there now that Shin-Soo Choo is on the disabled list.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

Things looked bleak for the Chicago Cubs early, but the team managed to battle back late. After being no hit by Brandon Finnegan for 6 2/3 innings, the Cubs bats clawed their way back into the contest. Trailing by one in the eighth inning, Addison Russell stepped to the plate with two men on and a chance to make the Wrigley Field crowd go crazy. He came through. Russell took the first pitch he saw from Jumbo Diaz and deposited it into the left field bleachers for a three-run shot, giving his club the lead. That wound up being the difference, as the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-3.

[Elsewhere: Bryce Harper has some new bat decals celebrating his upcoming home run milestone]

THE SCOREBOARD

Pirates 7, Tigers 4: The Pirates exploded early against Justin Verlander for seven runs. While the Tigers attempted a come back in the middle innings, they couldn’t get the job done.

Padres 4, Phillies 3: A suicide squeeze from Alexi Amarista wound up being the difference in this one. Despite giving up four runs and taking the loss, Aaron Nola did manage nine strikeouts and did not issue a walk.

White Sox 4, Twins 1: After narrowly missing a grand slam, Austin Jackson broke the game open with a two-run single in the fourth inning. Chicago never relinquished that lead, picking up the victory.

Cardinals 10, Brewers 1: Michael Wacha kept the Brewers off the board for six innings, striking out seven during the contest. He was backed by a furious Cardinals offense that featured six players picking up multiple hits.

Nationals 6, Braves 4: Max Scherzer didn’t pitch all that well, giving up four runs, but the Nationals offense pushed him to a victory. After a rocky end to last season, Jonathan Papelbon picked up his fourth save.

Marlins 10, Mets 3: The Marlins offense came alive, scoring seven runs against Steven Matz in the second inning. Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna made hitting coach Barry Bonds happy with home runs.

Astros 8, Royals 2: Collin McHugh shut down the reigning World Series champs, while five players on the Astros notched multiple hits during the game.

Angels 4, Athletics 1: Nick Tropeano out-dueled A’s ace Sonny Gray. Mike Trout reminded us that he’s still good by hitting his first home run of the season. Albert Pujols stole a base.

Rangers 7, Mariners 3: Colby Lewis tossed a quality start, and was backed by Rougned Odor and Prince Fielder, each of who drove in multiple runs during the contest.

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