The Walk Off: Chris Sale and Stephen Strasburg denied 10th wins
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.
Two of baseball’s best had an opportunity to become MLB’s first 10-game winner on Saturday.
Both were denied, as Chris Sale and the White Sox fell 7-4 to the Tigers in Detroit, and Stephen Strasburg’s Nationals lost 6-3 to the Reds.
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In Sale’s case, it was an uncharacteristically rough outing. In 6 1/3 innings, he allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks, while only striking out two. That’s a season low. He left with the White Sox trailing 4-2, and then the game was put out of reach when Matt Albers allowed three more runs in the eighth inning. Sale has done 0-2 with one no-decision since winning his first nine starts.
As for Strasburg, things were a little better overall. He ended up with a no-decision, allowing three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. Strasburg racked up the strikeout though, collecting 10. That included the 1,000th of his career, which made him the first player in Nationals history to reach that mark.
The Nationals were go on to lose on Adam Duvall’s three-run homer in the eighth inning.
TOP PERFORMERS
Francisco Lindor: If you’re not paying attention to Francisco Lindor, you’re missing something special. Cleveland’s 22-year-old shortstop is taking over baseball one game at a time, and that continued in their 7-1 win against the Royals on Saturday. Lindor collected three hits, including his fifth home run of the season. He also doubled twice and teamed with Jose Ramirez for a sparkling defensive gem. There’s nothing he can’t do, and he’s only just beginning.
Starling Marte: The Pirates left fielder finished a home run shy of the cycle on Saturday, but played a key role in their 8-7 win against the Angels. Marte doubled and scored Pittsburgh’s first run in the second inning. He tripled in the third. He singled and scored in a five-run seventh. Then, with a chance to join exclusive company, he walked in the eighth. That means Daryle Ward is still the most recent Pirate to hit for the cycle, with his coming on May 26, 2004.
[Elsewhere: New York writer rips Derek Jeter’s tribute to Muhammad Ali]
Xander Bogaerts: After having his 26-game hitting streak snapped on Friday, Bogaerts bounced back with a big three-hit in Boston’s 6-4 win against the Blue Jays. Bogaerts doubled and scored in the third, singled and scored in the fifth, and then singled again for good measure in the seventh. Bogaerts is now hitting .350 on the season and may have already have his ticket punched to the All-Star game.
Braves: This is a little sarcastic, but not entirely. The Braves made Clayton Kershaw work harder than just about any opponent he’s faced this season. Atlanta forced him to throw 96 pitches over six innings, which marked his shortest outing of the season. The Braves picked up three hits, walked once and only struck out four time. That’s all very good. Unfortunately, they still didn’t score a run and lost to the Dodgers 4-0.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Jeff Samardzija had allowed five home runs all season coming into Saturday’s game. Then, in a span of two innings, he allowed four to the St. Louis Cardinals. That included the mammoth, game-tying three-run homer you see above from Aledmys Diaz. Brandon Moss, Stephen Piscotty and Matt Adams were the others to homer, with the latter two coming on back-to-back pitches. St. Louis won the game 7-4.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 3: Jason Hammel allowed two runs on one hit over seven innings to irmprove to 7-1. The Cubs are now 31-1 this season when scoring five or more runs.
Brewers 6, Phillies 3: Jonathan Villar and Jonathan Lucroy each had three hits for Milwaukee.
Mets 6, Marlins 4: New York scored two in the eighth and ninth respectively to pull of a come-from-behind win. James Loney and Wlimer Flores each had three hits.
Astros 6, A’s 5: Twelve innings was enough for George Springer and Carlos Correa. Springer led off the decisive frame with a double. After a Jose Altuve sacrifice, Correa finished it with a walk-off single.
[Elsewhere: Astros use rookie Tyler White’s SUV for target practice]
Rays 7, Twins 4: Tampa Bay got home runs from Hank Conger, Steven Souza Jr., Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison. They’ll try to take three of four in Minnesota on Sunday.
Yankees 8, Orioles 6: New York nearly blew a seven-run lead, but Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman combined for three scoreless and hitless innings to finish it off.
Rangers 10, Mariners 4: In his return from suspension, Rougned Odor collected two hits and scored two runs to help Texas open up a two-game lead over Seattle in the AL West.
Padres 4, Rockies 3: The big news of the day was San Diego trading James Shields to the White Sox for two minor leaguers.
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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
