The Walk Off: Jordan Zimmermann still hasn’t allowed a run in 2016
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.
The Detroit Tigers are getting everything they paid for and more from Jordan Zimmermann.
The 29-year-old right-hander, who signed a five-year, $110 million contract this winter, tossed another 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball in the Tigers 3-2 win against the Royals on Wednesday. That runs his streak to 19.1 scoreless innings to begin his season and his career in a Tigers’ uniform.
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Zimmermann was challenged by Kansas City’s resilient offense, which is no surprise. He allowed seven hits and one walk during his outing. But he had an answer for every challenge. That was essential given how well Ian Kennedy was pitching on the other side, and proved extra important when the Royals rallied for two runs in the ninth inning against Francisco Rodriguez. Those came on solo home runs from Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez.
Offensively, Detroit was able to chip away, scoring single runs in the third, sixth and ninth innings. Ian Kinsler knocked in two runs on a double and a ground out.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia kept his production going as well with a hit and two walks. He scored twice.
Focusing on Zimmermann, he’s 3-0 to begin his Tigers career. According to ESPN Stats and Info, he’s also the first to begin a career with Detroit with three straight scoreless outings. Now the question is whether or not he can make it four when he takes on the Oakland A’s next week at Comerica Park.
TOP PERFORMERS
Mookie Betts: Boston’s leadoff man feasted on Rays’ pitching, reaching base four times and scoring three runs in the Red Sox 7-3 victory. Betts delivered the game’s most crushing hit as well when he broke it open with a two-run, second-inning homer against a struggling Chris Archer. David Ortiz added a pair of doubles and drove in three for good measure.
Chris Sale: The Chicago White Sox ace became baseball’s first four-game winner with a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Angels. Sale allowed just two hits and one unearned run over seven innings. Though he only struck out three, which will likely be his lowest total of the season, he also walked zero in this effiicent outing. He then watched on comfortably as Nate Jones and David Robertson brought home a 2-1 victory.
[Elsewhere: ESPN fires Curt Schilling after latest controversy]
Peter Bourjos: The postion player batting ninth worked for the Phillies in their 5-4 upset of the Mets in 11 innings. That’s where Bourjos started the game, that’s where Bourjos provided the game-tying RBI single in the seventh inning and that’s where he delivered the walk-off hit as well with an infield single in the 11th. Good move, Pete MacKanin.
Zack Greinke: Good news, D-Backs fans, your ace is officially back on track with his second straight solid outing, this time against the San Francisco Giants. Greinke allowed one run on six hits over 6.2 innings to lead Arizona to a 2-1 victory and pick up his first win of the season. In the process, Greinke lowered his ERA to 5.25 on the young season while positioning the D-Backs for a four-game series sweep at AT&T Park on Thursday. .
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
There are painful ways to lose, and then there’s the way Toronto lost to Baltimore, which we’d call an extreme form of pain. With the bases loaded and two outs in the tenth inning, Josh Thole allowed Joe Biagini’s pitch to bounce off his glove and roll toward the screen for the dreaded walk-off passed ball. Adding further insult, fellow catcher Caleb Joseph raced home to give Baltimore its 4-3 win.
THE SCOREBOARD
Reds 6, Rockies 5: Cincinnati’s backup catcher Tucker Barnhart delivered two run-scoring hits, including a walk-off single in the ninth as the Reds claimed a series victory at home.
Cardinals 5, Cubs 3: St. Louis started with a high-flying catch by Randal Grichuk to rob Anthony Rizzo of a first-inning homer. Then a half-inning later, Matt Holliday provided the difference with a two-run homer.
Mariners 2, Indians 1: Nori Aoki’s two-run triple in the second inning was all the offense Seattle would need behind starter Taijuan Walker and a trio of relievers. Walker allowed just one unearned run over six innings while Joel Peralta, Joaquin Benoit and Steve Cishek each tossed a scoreless frame.
A’s 5, Yankees 2: Oakland starter Kendall Graveman was excellent on the hill, allowing one run over 6.1 innings. He even made history at the plate, becoming the first starting pitcher to bat in a game at the New Yankee Stadium.
[Related: A’s pitcher makes history with unlikely at-bat at Yankee Stadium]
Nationals 3, Marlins 1: The good news for Washington is that it improved to 11-3 with another win. The bad news is Washington lost pitcher Joe Ross early to a blister and outfielder Jayson Werth to a hamstring injury.
Dodgers 5, Braves 3 (10 innings): Rookie Ross Stripling came back to Earth a bit, allowing three runs in 3.2 innings. But the Dodgers rallied and eventually won in 10 innings on RBI hits from Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal.
Rangers 2, Astros 1: Pitching ruled the night in Texas. Cole Hamels got the upper hand on Doug Fister by allowing just a solo home run to Tyler White over his 6.2 innings. Fister made just one big mistake as well, but that resulted in a two-run homer from Rougned Odor.
Brewers 10, Twins 5: Six different Brewers had multi-hit games and Domingo Santana, Chris Carter and Aaron Hill each homered in a runaway win.
Padres 8, Pirates 2: Any good night for San Diego’s offense is big news, but the real story is left-hander Drew Pomeranz. The former top pitching prospect in Cleveland continued coming into his own with 6.2 innings of one run ball. He also struck out 10 in his third straight excellent outing to open the season.
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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
