Adrian Beltre's walk-off home run caps late comeback against A's
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.
At this point in his career, nothing Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre does should be surprising. Beltre made his major-league debut at age-19, and still puts up exceptional numbers at age-37.
Beltre has been considered a fringe Hall of Fame candidate for a while now, and everything he does from this point on will only add to his excellent resume. When the voters eventually have to make their Hall decision on Beltre, they might want to consider Monday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
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Beltre not only turned in a dominant performance, but he was almost singlehandedly responsible for the Rangers’ 7-6 comeback win.
Though Beltre had already singled twice and scored a run, his first big at-bat came in the seventh inning. With Texas down by two, Beltre hit a solo home run off John Axford to cut the deficit to just one run.
That hit would become even more important two innings later. Beltre again stepped to the plate, but this time, he had a chance to win the game. With a man on first, Beltre could give the Rangers a win if he could hit another home run.
By now, you already know how the story ends. Beltre smashed the first pitch he saw from A’s closer Ryan Madson, sending it into the left center seats for the two-run walk-off home run. He finished the game 4-for-5, with three runs scored and three RBI.
With the win, the Rangers extended their lead in the American League West to 3.5 games over the Houston Astros.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jay Bruce: Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce proved to be a thorn in San Francisco Giants pitcher Jake Peavy’s side during the club’s 7-5 win Monday night. Bruce hit two home runs against the starter, including one two-run blast in the fourth inning, and another two-run shot just two frames later. He finished 2-for-4, with two runs scored and four RBI in the victory.
Michael Pineda: The New York Yankees didn’t look like sellers after trading Aroldis Chapman earlier in the day. Michael Pineda kept the club afloat during its 2-1 win over the Houston Astros on Monday. Pineda was magnificent. The 27-year-old went seven strong innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out eight. With the win, Pineda’s record improved to 5-9.
Albert Pujols: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols played a major role in Monday’s 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. The defending champs had no answer for the 36-year-old. Pujols singled three times during the contest, finishing 3-for-5. All three of his hits came with men in scoring position, meaning he notched at least one RBI with each hit. He finished with one run scored and four RBI in the win.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Houston Astros may have lost to the New York Yankees on Monday night, but shortstop Carlos Correa tried to put them in a good position early. Correa opened the contest by making a fantastic diving play against Yankees leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury.
On the second pitch of the game, Ellsbury hit a line shot off an 89 mph heater from Dallas Keuchel. Correa didn’t have much time to react, but quickly started to move to his right before diving to snag the ball in mid-air. It was an exceptional way to start the contest, even if Houston eventually lost 2-1.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Orioles 3, Rockies 2: A fielding error in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Orioles the the walk-off win over the Rockies.
Blue Jays 4, Padres 2: The Padres may have lost, but outfielder Alex Dickerson did manage to hit a home run into the fifth deck in Toronto.
Tigers 4, Red Sox 2: Boston attempted a comeback late, but Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez was able to wiggle out of a bases loaded jam with two outs in the eighth. He picked up the save after tossing a perfect ninth.
Phillies 4, Marlins 0: Jeremy Hellickson tossed six scoreless innings and gave up just one hit in the win. The Phillies gave up just two hits total during the contest.
Brewers 7, Diamondbacks 2: Braden Shipley’s major-league debut was ruined in the sixth inning. In that frame, he allowed a three-run homer to Martin Maldonado and a solo shot to Andy Wilkins. He was charged with six runs in the loss.
White Sox 5, Cubs 4: Despite blowing a ninth inning lead, the White Sox managed to charge back in the bottom of the frame with a walk-off single from Tyler Saladino.
Cardinals, Mets: PPD: This game has been postponed. It will be played as part of a double-header Tuesday.
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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
