The Walk Off: Mets top Giants again, push winning streak to eight
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.
Does April have to end?
That might be a question the New York Mets were asking on Saturday. Then again, with they way they’re playing right now, it’s more likely they were asking what time the batting cages will open on Sunday morning, the first day of May.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]
The Mets concluded April as the hottest team in baseball, winning their eighth straight game 6-5 against the San Francisco Giants. They end April with a 15-7 record, which is one win shy of a team record and good for the third best record in MLB.
There’s no World Series hangover with this team. And there’s actually room for improvement once they can get Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom in the flow again. DeGrom pitched Saturday, allowing three unearned runs over six innings. His offense had his back again, smacking two more homers to run their opening month total to 33, which tied a franchise record for April.
One of Saturday’s blasts came off the bat of Michael Conforto. The second year outfielder is the hottest of the Mets, hitting .407 with nine doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs since moving to the No. 3 spot 14 games ago. He’s found a home, and with Yoenis Cespedes driving in runs like crazy, there’s a lot to like about this offense.
Yeah, it’s only one month. But woah, the Mets are scary.
TOP PERFORMERS
Trevor Story: Colorado’s shortstop had a chance to set a new rookie record for home runs in April. He settled for a run-scoring double in the third and the go-ahead two-run triple in the ninth to help pace the Rockies 5-2 win against the Diamondbacks. Story finishes the month with 10 homers, four doubles, three triples and 20 RBIs.
Jordan Zimmermann: Say hello to MLB’s five-game winner not representing a Chicago team. Both Jake Arrieta and Chris Sale beat him there, but Zimmermann wrapped up his dominant month at 5-0 as well. In Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Twins, the 29-year-old right-hander pitched seven innings of one-run ball. As a result, his ERA actually went up to 0.55. Detroit’s other big addition, Justin Upton, also contributed. His first-inning three-run homer was all Zimmermann and company needed.
[Elsewhere: Zac Curtis wears the face of shock after call up from A ball]
Joe Ross: Who’s Joe Ross you ask? He’s the Washington Nationals best pitcher this season, at least so far. He’s also the brother of Padres star pitcher Tyson Ross, but he’s making a name for himself now. That continued in the Nationals 6-1 win against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Ross tossed six innings, allowed one run and picked up his third win of the season. He also lowered his ERA to a sparkling 0.79.
Philadelphia Phillies: The Mets aren’t the only hot team in the NL East. The Phillies ran their winning streak to five on Saturday, defeating the Indians 4-3. Freddy Galvis did the buk of the damage, delivering a two-run homer in the first and an RBI single in the seventh. Philadelphia also got another quality start from rookie Jerad Eickhoff, who allowed three runs over six innings while striking out four. Now check out this interesting stat.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
A day off did Giancarlo Stanton some good. Check out his 462-foot home run that left the bat at 117 mph according to Statcast and drilled the Miller Park scoreboard. That was one of four Marlins home runs as they topped the Brewers again 7-5.
THE SCOREBOARD
Braves vs. Cubs: Postponed by rain. Teams will play a single game as scheduled on Sunday. The makeup game will be played on July 7 at Wrigley Field.
A’s 2, Astros 0: Jesse Hahn allowed three hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Houston finishes April at 7-17.
Rays 4, Blue Jays 3: Tampa Bay gets walk-off winner on Curt Casali’s single in the ninth.
Pirates 5, Reds 1: Francisco Liriano pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball as Pittsburgh finishes April at 15-9.
Red Sox 8, Yankees 0: Boston got its most lopsided shutout victory over the Yankees at Fenway Park since 1973.
White Sox 8, Orioles 7: Chicago picks up its franchise-best 17th win in April thanks to Jose Abreu’s RBI single in the ninth.
Rangers 7, Angels 2: Mitch Moreland capped a decisive six-run third inning with a three-run homer.
Mariners 6, Royals 0: Kansas City has been shutout on consecutive nights. This time Wade Miley went to the distance, holding them to five hits.
Padres 5, Dodgers 2: The slumping Dodgers lost their sixth in a row. But the good news is they’re still in first place.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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
