Indians run all over Angels to tie franchise record
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.
The Cleveland Indians had a pretty clear game plan on Friday night: Run!
The aggressive Indians started the game running and never stopped, swiping eight total bases en route to an easy 13-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels. The eight steals actually tied the single-game franchise record originally set on Aug. 27, 1917 against the Washington Senators.
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Though they wouldn’t divulge their secret, they obviously felt pitcher Tyler Skaggs and catcher Geovany Soto were vulnerable to base stealing threats. Seven of Cleveland’s eight steals came with Skaggs still on the hill, despite him lasting only five innings. Rajai Davis and Jose Ramirez led the way, each stealing three bases, while Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor each added one.
“Our baserunning tonight set the tone,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “We had hits to get on, and it was early in the innings, but our baserunning, they did a good job. We stole bases. We didn’t just run with abandon. We were intelligent. I thought it set the tone for the whole game.”
Good, smart baserunning is another weapon the Indians possess that can often be overlooked. They reminded on Friday how vital it can be on any given night, while giving future opponents something to think about.
With Friday’s win, Cleveland pushed its lead in the AL Central to five full games over Detroit. If the idea is to run away from the division, games like this will definitely help.
TOP PERFORMERS
Chicago Cubs: The unstoppable Cubs made it 11 straight wins by dismantling the Cardinals 13-2 at Wrigley Field. Chicago’s offense laid waste to Adam Wainwright, scoring seven runs in two innings against the Cardinals ace. That included a knockout three-run homer from Willson Contreras. Chicago also got home runs from Matt Szczur (two) Jorge Soler and Javier Baez. On the hill, Jake Arrieta earned his … win by pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
Last time the Cubs had a 14 game lead?
Sept. 14, 1929.
— Chris Jaffe (@jaffechris) August 12, 2016
Hanley Ramirez: Have a day, Hanley. The Boston Red Sox slugger was going for his second three-homer game of the season in a 9-4 win against the Diamondbacks, but instead settled for a pair of three-run homers. The Red Sox would have been happy either way they gained a full game on the first-place Blue Jays.
Jonathan Lucroy: It’s safe to say Lucroy is making a strong impression. In their 8-5 win against Detroit, the veteran catcher connected for two more home runs, giving him six since officially joining the team on Aug. 1. Lucroy delivered a three-run shot in the first inning and then followed with a two-run blast in the third. Texas another got homers from Mitch Moreland and another trade deadline addition, Carlos Beltran.
Ryan Schimpf: San Diego’s rookie outfielder put forth a monstrous performance in their 8-6 win against the struggling Mets. Schimpf set the tone for the game, launching first-inning grand slam against Logan Verrett to cap a five-run first inning. Two innings later, he added a two-run homer that proved to be the dagger. Though the Mets fought back valiantly, they never fully recovered.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Andrew McCutchen has been looking for a breakthrough game for awhile now. He finally got one in Friday’s 5-1 win against the Dodgers, and it came on both sides of the field.
As you can see in the video, “Cutch” traveled a great distance to take away extra bases from Yasmani Grandal. By then, he’d already set the tone at the plate with an RBI single. He later added a sole home run to give him his first multi-hit game since July 27.
REST OF SCOREBOARD
Astros 5, Blue Jays 3: MVP candidate Jose Altuve came through again, delivering a go-ahead two-run double to provide the difference as Houston wins its fourth straight.
Braves 8, Nationals 5: Atlanta denied Stephen Strasburg his 16th win, while handing him his second loss. Freddie Freeman drove in four with a double and three-run homer.
Phillies 10, Rockies 6: Philadelphia wins despite Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon smashing three solo home runs.
Yankees 6, Rays 3: The Yankees won A-Rod’s emotional farewell behind an RBI double from Rodriguez himself and four RBIs from Starlin Castro.
White Sox 4, Marlins 2: Chicago plays spoiler behind a four-hit night from Adam Eaton and six innings of one-run ball from Carlos Rodon.
Reds 7, Brewers 4: Speedster Billy Hamilton swiped bases No. 49, 50 and 51 on the season in Cincinnati’s win.
Royals 7, Twins 3: Kansas City wins behind seven innings of three-run ball from Yordano Ventura.
A’s 6, Mariners 3: Oakland needed just two hours and 19 minutes to finish off Seattle. Sean Manaea allowed three runs over six innings.
Orioles 5, Giants 2: MLB home run leader Mark Trumbo connected for No. 33 to lead Baltimore.
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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!
