The Walk Off: Steven Wright tosses complete game against Yankees
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.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright’s early season performance might not be a fluke. With knuckleballers, it’s always tough to tell.
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But if Sunday’s start is any indication, Wright may have earned himself a much longer stay in the Red Sox’s rotation moving forward. The right-hander absolutely shut down the division-rival New York Yankees, holding them to just one run on three hits during a complete-game.
The start was nearly much more impressive until outfielder Brett Gardner played spoiler. Wright had a shutout heading into the ninth, and even managed to pick up two outs before Gardner clubbed a solo home run to right field. While the hit ruined any chance at a complete-game shutout, and a possible Maddux (a complete-game shutout while throwing fewer than 100 pitches), Wright rebounded to strike out Ronald Torreyes to end the game. He had to settle for the complete-game three-hitter, which isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Through six starts, Wright has compiled a 1.52 ERA, with 38 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings. Only three pitchers have a lower ERA than the knuckleballer right now.
Following the contest, manager John Farrell was asked whether Wright would keep his spot in the rotation once the Red Sox get their injured pitchers back.
With the 5-1 win, the Red Sox improved to 18-13 on the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
Manny Machado: Machado led the charge in the Baltimore Orioles’ 11-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. He aided in the team’s comeback early, smashing a two-run homer in the first inning. With things already out of hand late, Machado added to the Orioles lead, hitting a grand slam in the eighth. He finished 2-for-4, with two runs scored and six RBI. Machado is now hitting .350.
Ross Stripling: Stripling continues to surprise for the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Sunday, he was able to hold the vaunted Toronto Blue Jays offense to just one run over six innings in the 4-2 win. Stripling gave up just one hit, did not issue any walks and struck out six. He lowered his ERA to 3.82 with the performance.
[Elsewhere: Bartolo Colon’s home run is already featured on a baseball card]
David Ortiz: Steven Wright may have grabbed the headlines, but Ortiz was fantastic in the Red Sox’s 5-1 win over the Yankees. Ortiz went 2-for-4, with two home runs. The first came against Luis Severino in the first inning. In the fourth, he was able to repeat the task. Both were solo shots. Ortiz is hitting .308 with nine home runs in what is supposed to be his final season.
Jose Quintana: Chicago White Sox starter Jose Quintana is looking to shed the underrated tag this season. Quintana turned in another strong performance Sunday, this time at the expense of the Minnesota Twins. He tossed seven innings, giving up one run on six hits. Quintana issued one walk and struck out five in the 3-1 win. He has a 1.38 ERA through seven starts.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Chicago Cubs employed some interesting strategic moves during Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals, but eventually it all worked out. The Cubs walked Bryce Harper six times, including three intentional walks, just so he wouldn’t hurt them. Ultimately, it was a success. Harper only scored once in the contest, and that allowed the Cubs to come back and send things to extras. Once there, Javy Baez came through in the 13th. With Blake Treinen on the mound, Baez smacked a walk-off solo home run to left center, giving the Cubs the 4-3 victory.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Indians 5, Royals 4: Though he gave up four runs over six innings, Josh Tomlin improved to 5-0 after the Indians jumped over Royals starter Edinson Volquez. Volquez was charged with all five runs in the 5-4 loss.
Rangers 8, Tigers 3: Justin Verlander tossed seven scoreless innings, but the Tigers bullpen imploded, giving up all eight runs in the final two innings. Rangers catcher Bobby Wilson hit a grand slam in the eighth, breaking open the game for Texas.
Brewers 5, Reds 4: Jonathan Lucroy homered in the eighth inning to give the Brewers a one-run lead. Jeremy Jeffress turned in a scoreless ninth to pick up his eighth save.
Phillies 6, Marlins 5: Rookie Tyler Goeddel doubled in the eighth to tie things at five, and was driven in by Andrés Blanco later in the frame to score the eventual game-winning run.
Diamondbacks 5, Braves 3: Chris Herrmann’s second home run of the game was the game-winner for the D-Backs. He finished the day 2-for-5, with two runs scored and three RBI.
Astros 5, Mariners 1: Collin McHugh gave up just one run over seven innings while the Astros tagged Hisashi Iwakuma for three runs and chased him after five.
Pirates 10, Cardinals 5: Gregory Polanco and John Jaso homered, giving Gerrit Cole his third win of the season.
Rays 3, Angels 1: Brad Miller and Curt Casali each hit a home run, which was all Rays pitcher Matt Andriese needed to pick up the win.
Rockies 2, Giants 0: Eddie Butler held the Giants scoreless over six innings. Nolan Arenado picked up three hits during the contest, raising his average to .320.
Mets 4, Padres 3: Matt Harvey allowed two runs and struck out 10 over six innings. Yoenis Cespedes clubbed his 11th home run in the win.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
