The Walk Off: Pair of aces become MLB’s first 10-game winners
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.
Friday was a star-studded night on the pitching mound, and for three of those pitchers came an opportunity to separate themselves from the 2016 pack.
Washington’s Stephen Strasburg, Chicago’s Chris Sale and San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto all toed the rubber looking for win No. 10 this season, and for two of them that would become a reality.
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Beginning in Washington, Strasburg became the first two double-digits in Nationals 9-6 win against the Phillies. He wasn’t the sharpest early, allowing a pair of runs in the second and third innings respectively, but he did settle in to get through seven. Strasburg ended up allowing those four runs on five hits, while striking 10, as he improved to 10-0. That gives him seven double-digit strikeouts outing this season, trailing only Clayton Kershaw.
In Chicago, Sale wasn’t far behind. Though he also faltered a bit, allowing five runs (including three home runs) over six innings, he got some solid run supports in the White Sox 7-5 win against the Royals. That included a pair of hits from the debuting Tim Anderson, who scored Chicago’s first run. Sale struck out eight and is now 10-2.
As for Cueto, he was the best of bunch on this night. He had a rough first inning where he hit one batter, walked another and committed a questionable balk. That resulted in two runs for the Dodgers, but that would be all they scored in eight innings against Cueto.
Unfortunately for him, Clayton Kershaw dealing for the Dodgers, striking out 13 while allowing two runs in his eight inning. Cueto settled for a no-decision, as the Dodgers won 3-2 on a Justin Turner’s ninth-inning homer.
TOP PERFORMERS
Edwin Encarnacion: Mired in an 0-for-19 slump, picked a perfect time to break out. With the Blue Jays and Orioles tied in the 10th inning, he worked a full count against reliever Brad Brach before connecting on a walk-off home run to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 win. It was the fifth walk-off blast of Encarnacion’s career, and it also made just the eighth player in team history to reach 600 career RBIs.
Xander Bogaerts: The AL’s leading hitter raised his average to .349 with a 4-for-5 performance in the Red Sox 8-1 drubbing of the Twins. Bogaerts started the scoring with a three-run homer in the first, and then singled three times in support of Steven Wright, who improved to 7-4 by allowing one unearned run over 7 1/3 innings.
[MLB Draft: Orioles draft the son of controversial former star Rafael Palmeiro]
CC Sabathia: The 35-year-old left-hander continued his strong turnaround in the Yankees 4-0 win against the Tigers. Sabathia limited Detroit to five hits and two walks over his seven scoreless frames, and has allowed just three earned runs total in his last 38 innings. That is most reminiscent of his days with the Indians, Brewers and even his early seasons in New York, when Sabathia was a perennial Cy Young contender. With his health intact and his personal issues seemingly behind him, it’s possible the Yankees again have a second ace.
Adam Wainwright: The Cardinals ace didn’t pitch on Friday, but he still had a big hand in the Cardinals 9-3 win against the Pirates. Serving as a pinch-hitter in the 12th, Wainwright a two-run double that gave St. Louis the lead and opened the flood gate to a six-run inning.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Kirk Nieuwenhuis did his best to thwart his former team’s success by robbing Asdrubal Cabrera of a home with this fantastic catch. It just wasn’t enough, as the Mets went on to beat the Brewers 2-1 in 11 innings. Of greater concern to New York, it was another positive outing for Matt Harvey, who allowed one run on two innings over six innings.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Reds 2, A’s 1: Cincinnati was no-hit by Sonny Gray into the sixth inning, but rallied for two in the seventh on an Adam Duvall RBI double and a wild pitch that scored Duvall.
Braves 5, Cubs 1: As big an upset as you’ll see in MLB. The 17-42 Braves knocked off the 41-17 Cubs.
Rays 4, Astros 3: Tampa Bay closer Alex Colome got out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth to pick up his 18th save. He has a 0.96 ERA on the season and should get some All-Star consideration.
Padres 7, Rockies 5: San Diego scored four in the ninth, capped by a Wil Myers’ three-run home run.
Indians 6, Angels 2: A complete game for Corey Kluber, who allowed two runs on three hits while striking out eight.
Marlins 8, Diamondbacks 6: Miami scored in the seventh, which included a grand slam from Justin Bour.
Mariners 7, Rangers 5: Dae-ho Lee hit a pair of home runs and drove in four as Seattle earned a needed win against Texas.
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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
