The Walk Off: Mookie Betts makes history in wild Red Sox loss
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.
Mookie Betts’ two home runs on Wednesday night put him in the history books, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Boston Red Sox from losing. Betts tied a major-league record with five home runs in a two-game span after hitting three on Tuesday.
He led off the game with a homer in the first and followed that up with another solo shot in the second, becoming the first player to hit home runs in each of the first two innings in consecutive games according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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And still with a white-hot Betts, who finished 2-for-3 with two walks (because why would you give him anything to hit at the moment?) and Xander Bogaerts extending his hitting streak to 25 games, Boston lost to the Baltimore Orioles 13-9 in a wild one at Camden Yards.
Joe Kelly was chased with one out in the third inning after Baltimore had already scored seven runs, a performance that was so rough that the right-hander was immediately demoted to Triple-A. Boston’s bullpen didn’t fare much better. With the score tied 8-8, the Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth and added three more in the seventh to bury the Red Sox.
So Betts did it again with the long ball and continues to look great, only this time he couldn’t lift his team to a win. Baltimore is now two games back of Boston for first place in the American League East.
TOP PERFORMERS
Michael Fulmer: Fulmer took a no-hitter into the seventh as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0. The rookie right-hander was removed after 7 2/3 scoreless innings, having struck out eight to improve his record to 5-1.
Wilson Ramos: The Nationals’ catcher had three hits, one of them a home run, and drove in four runs in Washington’s 7-2 win over the Phillies. Ramos is on a tear this season,hitting .338 with a .919 OPS, which is tops among catchers with more than 100 plate appearances.
[Elsewhere: Craig Sager gets full Wrigley experience on ‘Conquer Cancer Day’]
Adam Conley: Conley carried his no-hitter into the sixthbut had to settle for a no-decision after the Miami Marlins coughed up the 2-0 lead he left the game with, only to rebound to edge the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2. Conley nearly threw a no-no in early May, but was pulled after 7 2/3 innings with a zero in the hit column because of his pitch count.
Jon Lester: Kris Bryant gave the Cubs a lead in the third with a two-run shot and that was all Lester needed, pitching a complete game with 10 strikeouts as Chicago beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. The only run Lester gave up was a leadoff homer to Kike Hernandez and he’s now 6-3 with a 2.29 ERA.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
By his own admission, Carlos Gomez has not been at his best for the Houston Astros this season. But this catch is Houston’s 5-4 win in extra innings over the Arizona Diamondbacks was reminiscent of what Gomez can do when he’s playing well and without fear. With the game tied 0-0 in the third and two runners on, Gomez made a leaping grab at the wall on a ball hit by Michael Bourn to left center field. It was a reminder of how dynamic a player he’s been the last few years and that he’s still capable of stepping up with his glove.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
White Sox 2, Mets 1: Todd Frazier tied the game with a home run in the seventh inning and Jose Abreu won it with a sacrifice fly in the 13th.
Brewers 3, Cardinals 1: Zach Davies pitched eight shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing three hits and no walks.
Athletics 5, Twins 1: Sean Manaea gave up one run over six innings and Danny Valencia went 3-for-4 as Oakland cruised to a win.
Indians 5, Rangers 4: Yan Gomes delivered a walkoff single that scored Lonnie Chisenhall in the 11th.
Blue Jays 7, Yankees 0: Toronto’s offense came alive in the seventh with five runs and starter Aaron Sanchez didn’t allow a run in 6 2/3 innings.
Braves 5, Giants 4: Freddie Freeman walked it off in the 11th with a home run to right center field, making up for the three strikeouts he had earlier in the game.
Royals 6, Rays 3: Lorenzo Cain had three hits, scored two runs and drove in another as Kansas City won its sixth straight.
Reds 7, Rockies 2: John Lamb earned his first win of the season with seven innings of one-run ball and Billy Hamilton went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.
Padres 14, Mariners 6: After their boss called them “miserable failures,” San Diego walloped Seattle led by Alexei Ramirez (3-for-5, two HR’s, five RBIs), Wil Myers (3-for-5, HR, three RBIs) and Jon Jay (4-for-6, two runs).
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
