Astros call up top prospect Alex Bregman after rout of Angels
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.
You could argue that the Houston Astros won twice on Sunday. The first win came during a 13-3 rout over the Los Angeles Angels. The second came hours later, when the team announced top prospect Alex Bregman would make his major-league debut Monday.
While the 22-year-old was drafted as a shortstop last season, he’s played both third base and left field in order to add to his versatility. Over two levels, the former No. 2 overall draft pick is hitting a combined .306/.406/.580 this season. The Astros are set up the middle with Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, and the team’s recent signing of Yulieski Gourriel could complicate the third base plans.
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Bregman is considered one of the best prospects in the game right now, so the Astros will have to get creative with his positions at first. It’s assumed he’s being called up to play everyday, because you don’t call up a player of Bregman’s talent to watch him sit 2-3 times per week.
Bregman entered the season ranked 18th on MLB.com’s top-100 list. His strong numbers have pushed him up even higher on midseason updates. Baseball Prospectus ranked Bregman as the No. 4 overall prospect in the game during its July update. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Bregman as the best prospect currently in the minors.
Anyone can fail in baseball, even the top overall prospect, but Bregman seems like as good a bet as any to contribute this year.
After a 7-17 April, the Astros have played like a playoff-caliber club. Adding Bregman to that mix should only make them more dangerous.
TOP PERFORMERS
Billy Butler: Butler came through in a big way during the Oakland Athletics’ 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. With the game tied in the bottom of the eighth, Butler smashed a 92 mph fastball from Erasmo Ramirez out to right center for the go-ahead home run. Oakland would hold on in the ninth, picking up the victory. Butler also singled in a run earlier in the contest. He finished 2-for-4, with one run scored and two RBI.
Steven Matz: New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz turned in a strong outing during the team’s 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday. Matz went six scoreless innings, giving up just four hits. He walked two and struck out six. With the win, Matz improved to 8-6 on the year.
Hanley Ramirez: Ramirez opened the scoring for the Boston Red Sox during the team’s 8-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. In the second inning, Ramirez hit a three-run homer to give Boston a one-run lead. The Twins would tie things up, but Ramirez would reach base again and come around to score, padding the Red Sox’s lead. He finished 2-for-4, with two runs scored and three RBI.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Detroit Tigers may have eventually lost Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox by a score of 5-4, but outfielder Justin Upton provided a nice highlight. In the bottom of the third inning, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu appeared to hit a ball to deep left field.
Upton tracked the ball to the wall, jumped and … made the catch at the last second. Though he robbed Abreu, some didn’t realize it initially. The Tigers broadcasters thought Abreu hit a home run at first. So did the person in charge of fireworks at U.S. Cellular Field. After Upton snagged the ball and threw it back to the infield, the fireworks in the stadium started going off. At least the White Sox were able to make up for that embarrassing mistake with a walk-off victory.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Rangers 2, Royals 1: A.J. Griffin and Edinson Volquez engaged in a pitcher’s duel for a bit, but neither factored into the decision. Delino DeShields’ seventh inning home run against Luke Hochevar decided the game.
Yankees 5, Giants 2: The Yankees jumped all over Jeff Samardzija, pounding him for five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Buster Posey drove in two runs, but it was too late for a comeback.
Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0: J.A. Happ gave up just one hit over six scoreless innings. Edwin Encarnacion aided in the win by hitting his 27th home run of the season.
Diamondbacks 9, Reds 8: A late Jay Bruce home run almost completed the comeback, but Yasmany Tomas’ two earlier long balls were enough to propel the D-Backs to a win.
Orioles 5, Indians 3: A late single by Mike Napoli tied things up, but Nolan Reimold delivered a walk-off, two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to win the game.
Padres 10, Nationals 6: The Nationals bullpen faltered late. Shawn Kelley gave up two runs in one inning while Jonathan Papelbon gave up four in just 2/3 of an inning. Papelbon was saddled with the loss.
Pirates 5, Phillies 4: Matt Joyce’s two-run shot in the sixth tied the game for Pittsburgh. An inning later, Adam Frazier hit a solo shot to give the team the lead.
Cubs 6, Brewers 5: Jon Lester struggled over four innings, giving up four runs and five walks. The Cubs managed a comeback against reliever Will Smith, who allowed five runs, four earned, without recording an out.
Rockies 7, Braves 2: Nolan Arenado came through again for Colorado. The third baseman went 3-for-5, with two runs scored and three RBI. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning to open the scoring.
Dodgers 9, Cardinals 6: The Dodgers jumped all over Cardinals starter Mike Mayers. Mayers lasted just 1 1/3 innings, giving up all nine runs.
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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
