The Walk Off: Jonathan Papelbon can’t hold on in Philadelphia

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.

Washington Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon isn’t well-received in Philadelphia. Though Papelbon put up strong numbers as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, he had a … complicated relationship with the fans during his tenure.

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Prior to being traded from the club last season, Papelbon questioned the Phillies’ rebuild and openly said he would rather be with a contending team. Oh, and there was that time he grabbed his crotch in front of the fans after being booed. We can’t forget about that.

Needless to say, the citizens of Philadelphia erupt with happiness any time Papelbon struggles. That is exactly what happened Sunday.

Papelbon was called upon against his former team in the ninth inning with a one-run lead. After making quick work of the first batter, Papelbon gave up a double to Peter Bourjos.

With Bourjos on second, Cedric Hunter flew out. It appeared Papelbon was going to get out of the jam. That wasn’t the case. Andres Blanco singled to left, tying things up 2-2. Blanco managed to take second on the play due to the throw.

With Blanco in scoring position, Freddy Galvis drove a ball out to left that went over Jayson Werth’s head and hit the bottom of the outfield wall. Blanco scored easily on the play, giving the Phillies the 3-2 walk-off victory. Papelbon, the former Phillie, was saddled with the loss.

TOP PERFORMERS

Nolan Arenado: Trevor Story isn’t the only player on the Colorado Rockies who can hit home runs. Arenado proved as much Sunday, providing all the offense Colorado needed during a 2-0 win against the Chicago Cubs. Arenado opened the scoring with a solo shot in the fourth inning, and then gave his team some breathing room with another solo home run in the ninth. Arenado helped spoil Jon Lester’s otherwise very strong start.

Kenta Maeda: The Los Angeles Dodgers may have gotten a better pitcher than many thought this offseason in Maeda. The 28-year-old once again showed off his skills Sunday, this time against the tough division-rival San Francisco Giants. Against a tough offensive club, Maeda allowed just one earned run on four hits over seven innings. He struck out seven during the outing. Through three major-league starts, Maeda has a 0.47 ERA, with 15 strikeouts and four walks in 19 innings.

[Elsewhere: Rajai Davis had trouble with the sun twice on Sunday]

Steven Matz: After lasting just 1 2/3 innings in his first start of the season, Matz bounced back in a big way for the New York Mets on Sunday. Matz went seven strong innings, giving up just three hits and walking two. He struck out nine during the contest and also out-dueled the usually stingy Corey Kluber during the 6-0 victory.

Matt Moore: Moore’s strong spring carried over to the regular season in Sunday’s start against the Chicago White Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays pitcher allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings. He did not issue any walks, and picked up 10 strikeouts. It was the first time Moore racked up double-digit strikeouts in a game since 2013.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

Don’t look now, but after starting 0-9, the Minnesota Twins are on a winning streak. The Twins managed a three-game sweep against the Los Angeles Angels during the weekend series, and Game 3 proved to be the most dramatic victory. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Oswaldo Arcia hit a walk-off single to deep left field, scoring Byron Buxton from first for the 3-2 walk-off win. Arcia had a strong game overall, picking up three hits, but none were bigger than his game-winner.

[Elsewhere: Ian Kinsler may have looked silly, but he was wise to let this easy pop-up fall]

THE SCOREBOARD

Yankees 4, Twins 3: Masahiro Tanaka outdueled Hishashi Iwakuma for the first seven innings. Then, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller did their usual thing in the eighth and ninth.

Braves 6, Marlins 5: The Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Marlins on Mallex Smith’s RBI single in the 10th inning.

Pirates 9, Brewers 3: Andrew McCutchen went yard, and Gregory Polanco picked up three hits as the Pirates won their second-straight game.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 3: Aaron Sanchez turned in another strong start in the rotation, giving up just one run over seven innings. Jose Bautista added his third home run of the season.

Astros 5, Tigers 4: Jose Altuve hit his fourth home run of the season during the win. He also managed three RBI and is now hitting .314 on the season.

Cardinals 4, Reds 3: Backup catcher Eric Fryer led the way, going 3-for-3. His third hit, and second double of the game, drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.

Athletics 3, Royals 2: Josh Reddick broke the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly. Ryan Madson came on in the ninth, and pitched around a two-out single for the save.

Diamondbacks 7, Padres 3: The D-Backs offense managed seven runs despite the fact that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt sat. Yasmany Tomas was the main culprit, going 3-for-4 and knocking in three RBI.

Orioles, Rangers: PPD: The game was rained out. A makeup game will be played June 20. It’s an open day for both clubs and will not be part of a double-header.

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