The Walk Off: Gerrit Cole disses Cubs after shutting them down
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.
Pitchers are going to have to bring their absolute best in order to shut down the Chicago Cubs lineup this season. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole did just that during the club’s narrow 2-1 win Sunday.
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Cole was fantastic during the start, giving up just three hits over eight innings. The Cubs lead the league in walks, but failed to draw one against Cole. He struck out seven during the outing.
Even then, it wasn’t easy to come out ahead. Cole was matched by Cubs starter Jon Lester throughout most of the game. In fact, Lester took a no-hitter into the top of the seventh inning against Pittsburgh before Starling Marte hit a single with one out. Marte would come around to score later that inning on a Jung-Ho Kang double.
Kang would strike again in the top of the ninth, knocking a solo home run against closer Hector Rondon. That run became crucial, as the Cubs mounted a comeback in the bottom of the inning.
Mark Melancon entered the game in the bottom of the ninth looking for the save, but ran into some trouble. A walk to Dexter Fowler and a single by Jason Heyward put men on first and third with no outs. Anthony Rizzo hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Fowler, but Melancon managed to get Ben Zobrist to ground out to end the game.
While it might seem like a tough task to shut down the Cubs, Cole didn’t seem too impressed with the team following the win.
He may have been able to get away with that after today’s performance, but the Cubs will have plenty of chances to prove him wrong over the course of the season. The two teams still play each other 13 times, and that doesn’t include a possible meeting in October.
TOP PERFORMERS
Danny Valencia: Valencia was a one-man wrecking crew during the Oakland Athletics’ 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Valencia collected three hits, all of which left the yard. His third and final home run wound up being the difference. With the game tied at six in the ninth inning, Valencia blasted a solo shot off Steve Geltz for the go-ahead run. He finished the game 3-for-5, with three runs scored and five RBI.
Jose Fernandez: Fernandez turned in one of his finest starts of the season Sunday against the Washington Nationals. The Miami Marlins ace lasted seven innings, giving up just one run during the 5-1 win. He struck out 11 and walked three during the outing. He also helped his own cause, driving in two runs on a single during the sixth inning.
[Elsewhere: Jose Bautista got punched in the jaw during a huge brawl with the Rangers]
Ian Desmond: Sunday’s Toronto Blue Jays-Texas Rangers contest will be more known for huge brawl and the punch heard round the world, but before all of that, Ian Desmond’s giant home run was the main story. With the Rangers down by two, Desmond delivered a three-run homer off reliever Jesse Chavez in the seventh inning. It was the biggest hit of the contest … until Rougned Odor got to Jose Bautista. Desmond finished 2-for-4, with one run scored and 4 RBI in the 7-6 win.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran only had one hit during the team’s 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but it was a big one. Beltran’s sixth inning home run not only gave the Yankees a lead, but it also helped him reach a milestone. The blast was Beltran’s 400th home run of his career.
With the hit, he joined an elite club:
Beltran also had a sacrifice fly earlier in the contest. He finished 1-for-3, with two runs scored and three RBI in the win.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Twins 5, Indians 1: Tyler Duffey held Cleveland scoreless over seven innings and Eddie Rosario drove in three runs during the win.
Tigers 6, Orioles 5: A back-and-forth game was decided in the top of the eighth when J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera decided to go back-to-back to give the Tigers the game-tying and game-winning runs.
Red Sox 10, Astros 9: Xander Bogaerts and Ryan Hanigan provided most of the offense for Boston, driving in a combined seven runs during the victory.
Reds 9, Phillies 4: Adam Morgan had a rough start, giving up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. Eugenio Saurez contributed to that, clubbing a three-run shot in the fourth.
Brewers 3, Padres 2: Chris Carter went 3-for-4, hitting a home run and a run-scoring double during the contest. Jonathan Lucroy went yard for his second straight game.
Royals 4, Braves 2: The Braves mounted a late comeback against Wade Davis, but Kendrys Morales’ two run shot in the thirteenth gave the Royals the win.
Angels 3, Mariners 0: Hector Santiago allowed just two hits over eight scoreless innings against Seattle. He struck out five and walked one in the win.
Rockies 4, Mets 3: Ryan Raburn’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh proved to be the difference as the Rockies completed a sweep of the Mets.
Giants 2, Diamondbacks 1: Arizona nearly rallied back in the ninth, but lost on a review after a safe call was overturned at first.
Cardinals 5, Dodgers 2: Corey Seager hit two home runs, but that was all the Dodgers’ offense could muster against Mike Leake.
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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
