The Walk Off: White Sox bullpen implodes again in loss to Royals
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 relentless Kansas City Royals of the past few years appear to be back. You know, the team that constantly strung out lengthy rallies that served to rip the heart and soul out of the opposing club? Yeah, those Royals are back.
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The team proved as much during a weekend series with the Chicago White Sox. After completing an incredible comeback down 7-1 in the ninth inning on Saturday, the Royals managed another tremendous comeback win against the White Sox bullpen on Sunday.
While this one wasn’t as dramatic, it was still impressive. With Chicago up 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, White Sox manager turned to Nate Jones to hold the lead. After inducing a quick pop out to lead off the frame, things appeared to be going just fine.
That changed quickly. Lorenzo Cain blasted a solo shot, cutting the lead to just one run. Eric Hosmer responded with double, putting the tying run on second. Jones then walked Kendrys Morales, and gave up a single to Paulo Orlando to load the bases. With the bases loaded, Jones walked in the tying run. He was removed from the game at that point.
Matt Albers was called upon to get out of the situation, but couldn’t get the job done. Cheslor Cuthbert singled in the go-ahead run, giving the Royals the 5-4 lead. Albers would get out of the inning without giving up any more runs, but the damage had been done.
Kansas City went on to win the contest 5-4, sweeping the division-rival White Sox. After the weekend series, the Royals have now risen to first place in the American League Central. The White Sox fell to third.
TOP PERFORMERS
Hunter Pence: After spending much of last season on the disabled list, Hunter Pence is making up for lost time this year. He played a huge role in the San Francisco Giants 8-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, driving in three runs. Pence did so with three doubles, finishing the day 3-for-5. He also scored two runs during the contest. Pence now has a .304 batting average this season.
Rich Hill: When the year is over, Rich Hill may prove to be the best free-agent bargain of the offseason. Hill turned in another fantastic start Sunday, leading the Oakland Athletics to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Hill allowed two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked three, but also managed nine strikeouts during the contest. With the start, Hill now owns a 2.25 ERA.
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Wilson Ramos: Ramos might not get a lot of attention with Bryce Harper doing Bryce Harper things and Daniel Murphy tearing it up, but Ramos has quietly put together a strong season with the Washington Nationals. That continued Sunday in a 10-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Ramos was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3. He managed two singles and a home run during the contest, diving in four runs. Ramos is hitting .336 following the game.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Starlin Castro’s two-run shot in the seventh inning of the New York Yankees game against the Tampa Bay Rays gets our nod here. It’s not because the blast is particularly impressive compared to other home runs, though. It’s because it broke up a no-hitter, gave the team a win and was the only hit the Yankees managed all game. It was the first time in over a century the Yankees managed to win a game despite only having one hit. Thanks to Castro’s blast, the team won 2-1.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3: A late home run by Edwin Encarnacion tied the game, but the Blue Jays eventually lost after Gavin Floyd allowed two runs in the 11th inning.
Orioles 6, Indians 4: Hyun-Soo Kim’s first major-league home run couldn’t have come at a better time. His seventh inning blast gave the Orioles the go-ahead run in the eventual win.
Brewers 5, Reds 4: Jonathan Lucroy did most of the heavy lifting, knocking in a run on a sac fly, a single and a triple. He finished 3-for-5, with three RBI and a walk.
Cubs 7, Phillies 2: The Cubs offense led the way again, pounding Phillies pitcher Vincent Velasquez for seven runs over 4 2/3 innings.
Rangers 6, Pirates 2: The Rangers pounced on Francisco Liriano, tagging the left for five earned runs in six innings.
Astros 8, Angels 6: Carlos Correa’s pinch-hit homer in the top of the 13th gave Houston a three-run lead. The Angels would threaten in the bottom of the frame, but came up short.
Twins 5, Mariners 4: Robbie Grossman, Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano all homered in the club’s fourth-straight win.
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 3: Archie Bradley gave up three runs over 7 1/3 innings, striking out nine. Paul Goldschmidt added two hits, driving in two.
Marlins 7, Braves 3: Marcell Ozuna’s breakout continues. The 25-year-old went 2-for-4, with his 10th home run of the season in the win.
Dodgers 4, Mets 2: Clayton Kershaw lost the win after Adam Liberatore gave up a run-scoring triple in the eighth, but the Dodgers rallied back for the win in the ninth.
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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
