The Walk Off: Surprising Phillies keep pressure on division foes
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.
We’ve crossed the mid-point of May, and the Philadelphia Phillies still aren’t going away. That’s obviously a very stunning development, because most people didn’t see them holding relevance beyond the first week in April.
Even the Phillies would have to admit they didn’t see this remarkable start coming. Not after they dove headfirst into a rebuilding project expected to take several years. Yet, after the Phillies 4-2 win against the Marlins on Wednesday, they’re 24-17 almost exactly one-quarter of the way through the season, and they’re only one-half game behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East.
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This is why we play the games.
Though it’s unlikely the Phillies will have staying power this season, they’ve shown a strong foundation under manager Pete Mackanin. That foundation is strengthened by fundamentals, which Mackanin made a priorty in spring training.
Talent-deprived teams aren’t supposed to win close games, but that’s exactly what the Phillies are doing in May. Of their 10 wins this months, all of them have been decided by three runs or less, with seven of them coming by one run.
That’s because the Phillies aren’t beating themselves with silly mistakes. Wednesday’s win was a classic example of what’s working for them, as they didn’t commit an error and they maximized scoring opportunities. They’re also getting excellent work from the bullpen. David Hernandez and Hector Nerris earned their 11th and 10th holds respectively with shutout innings, while surprise closer Jeanmar Gomez converted his 16th save opportunity, which is the highest total in baseball.
Baseball is fun right now in Philly, no doubt about. And even if they come back to the pack over the four-plus months, it should be plenty fun then too, because this team’s best days are still straight ahead.
TOP PERFORMERS
Rays: The Tampa Bay Rays didn’t just sweep the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, they absolutely destroyed them, taking all three games by a combined 31-7. Tampa Bay capped the series with a 6-3 win behind home runs from Logan Morrison, Desmond Jennings and Kevin Kiermaier. Looking deeper, they outhit Toronto 44-17 in the series. Needless to say, the Rays took the fight right to them, and now they’re back to .500 while the Blue Jays fall to seven games back in the AL East.
Khris Davis: After homering three times — including a dramatic walk-off grand slam — on Tuesday, Davis continued his roll by reaching base four times in Wednesday’s 8-1 win against the Rangers. Davis singled, walked twice and, yes, he homered again, giving him an MLB-leading nine in May. Danny Valencia, whose homered six times since Friday, stayed hot too with three hits and two RBIs.
Chris Tillman: Baltimore’s ace won his fifth straight start and sixth overall by tossing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball in their 5-2 victory against the Mariners. Overall, Tillman has allow three runs or less in seven of his eight starts that weren’t shortened by rain. The Orioles have won all seven of those.
Travis Wood: The Cubs long reliever made sure his team didn’t lose three straight for the first time this season. Wood entered in the 12th inning with two runners on and nobody out, but escaped the jam without allowing a run. In the next half-inning, Wood hit for himself with the Cubs out of pinch hitters and drew a bases loaded walk for the game-winning RBI. That’s earning your win right there. The Cubs get the duke, 2-1.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Are you kidding, Juan Lagares? The Mets centerfielder went full-scale Willie Mays to rob former teammate Daniel Murphy of extra bases. Murphy settled for a sacrifice fly, and the Nationals wouldn’t need much else in their 7-1 victory.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Tigers 6, Twins 3: A big day for Justin Verlander as he notched his 2,000th career strikeout.
Game 1 — Royals 3, Red Sox 2: Kansas City got a two-run homer from Eric Hosmer in the first and a go-ahead sacrifice fly from Lorenzo Cain in the sixth to win the opener.
Game 2 — Red Sox 5, Royals 3: Boston earned the doubleheader split thanks to another big game from Jackie Bradley Jr. The breakout star had two hits, including a home run, as he extended his hitting streak to an MLB best 24 games.
Braves 3, Pirates1: Finally, Julio Teheran gets his first win of the season. He pitched seven scoreless innings as the Braves won a tight one at PNC Park.
Indians 8, Reds 7 (12 innings): Cleveland got a 12th-inning solo home run from Francisco Lindor. They’ve now won three straight against Cincinnati this season and eight of nine over the past two seasons.
Astros 5, White Sox 3: The White Sox turned their second triple play in 26 days, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Astros.
Cardinals 2, Rockies 0: St. Louis desperately needs Adam Wainwright to turn things around. He looked good here, holding Colorado’s potent offense scoreless over 6 2/3 innings.
Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 2: Jacoby Ellsbury reached base five times and Brett Gardner homered as the Yankees avoid the sweep.
Giants 2, Padres 1: Another gem from Johnny Cueto, who went the distance and allowed just one run on four hits.
Angels 8, Dodgers 1: The Angels got a home run from Mike Trout and scored five in the fifth.
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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
