Orioles rally late, pull off dramatic ninth inning comeback

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.

After the fifth inning, the Baltimore Orioles looked doomed. With the San Francisco Giants leading 7-1, the Orioles would need to pull off an incredible late-inning comeback to take home the win. Even with a power-heavy offense, that seemed unlikely.

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But Baltimore showed more resolve than most clubs. While the sixth inning brought no runs, the Orioles started to chip into San Francisco’s lead in the seventh. Matt Wieters would double to start the frame, and was driven in on a sac fly from Adam Jones. Hyun-Soo Kim would also double in a run, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

The eighth inning brought more of the same. Mark Trumbo closed the gap with a solo shot, his 34th home run of the year. J.J. Hardy would single in another run. Heading into the ninth inning, the Orioles were down just 7-5.

Jonathan Schoop rounds the bases after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer. (Getty Images/Lachlan Cunningham)

With one out in the ninth, Manny Machado started the rally with an infield single. Giants closer Santiago Casilla struck out Chris Davis, however, meaning the Orioles were down to their last out.

With the game on the line, Mark Trumbo walked. That brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Jonathan Schoop. On the second pitch of the at-bat against Casilla, Schoop blasted an 81 mph curve to left center for the three-run shot. The hit put the Orioles up 8-7, giving the club its first lead of the day. They were just one out away from the loss.

Zach Britton entered in the ninth, and while he put two men on base, one via intentional walk, he managed to get out of the inning unscathed, securing the 8-7 victory for Baltimore.

With the win, the Orioles are just a half game out of first place in the American League East.

TOP PERFORMERS

Mookie Betts: When you win a game 16-2, you’re bound to have some strong offensive performances. Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was a one-man wrecking crew during Sunday’s victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the second time this season, Betts crushed three home runs in a single game. He wasted no time getting to work, smacking a two-run shot against Zack Greinke in the first inning, and coming back with a three-run shot against Greinke in the second. With Greinke gone, Betts popped his third home run of the day off Adam Loewen in the fifth. He would also single, finishing 4-for-6, with three home runs, four runs scored and eight RBI.

Steven Matz: The New York Mets came close to picking up their second no-hitter in franchise history during Sunday’s 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres, but couldn’t get things done. For 7 1/3 innings, Steven Matz kept the Padres off the hits column of the scoreboard. It wasn’t until Alexei Ramirez slapped a single down the first base line that his bid for history came to an end. Despite that, he still put up a tremendous start. Over 7 1/3 inning, Matz allowed one hit and two walks. He struck out eight, picking up his ninth win of the year.

Evan Longoria: Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria played a huge role in the club’s 12-3 win Sunday over the New York Yankees. Longoria smacked two doubles and a single during the contest, driving in four runs. He came around to score once, finishing the night 3-for-4, with one run scored and four RBI. Longoria is hitting .289 on the year.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

There wasn’t a lot to celebrate during the Texas Rangers’ 7-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, but Rougned Odor was able to give Texas fans something to celebrate.

In the top of the third inning, Andrew Romine lined what appeared to be a line drive single to right field off the bat. That wasn’t the case. Odor reacted quickly, immediately turning and running to his left. As the ball was about to sail over his head, Odor gave a quick leap, and snagged it in his glove for the out. It was one of the few strong moments for the Rangers during the contest.

REST OF SCOREBOARD

Royals 11, Twins 4: Kansas City jumped all over Hector Santiago in the fourth inning, tagging the lefty for six runs. He left after just four innings, giving up seven total runs on nine hits.

Blue Jays 9, Astros 2: Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Edwin Encarnacion all homered during the rout. Marcus Stroman picked up the win after giving up two runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Indians 5, Angels 4: Neither Jered Weaver nor Trevor Bauer pitched well to kick things off. Despite giving up four runs over six innings, the Indians rallied to give him the win.

Marlins 5, White Sox 4: Chris Sale was tagged for five earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits, one walk and notched seven strikeouts in the loss.

Nationals 9, Braves 1: Tanner Roark held the Braves to just one earned run over seven solid innings. Anthony Rendon and Chris Heisey went deep for Washington.

Phillies 7, Rockies 6: The Rockies nearly came back in the ninth, picking up two runs against Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez, bit Gomez was able to hold on for the save.

Brewers 7, Reds 3: Ryan Braun went 3-for-4, clubbing two home runs and driving in six during the win.

Mariners 8, Athletics 4: Kyle Seager’s bases-clearing double broke open the contest for Seattle. The A’s attempted a rally, but would eventually come up short.

Pirates 11, Dodgers 3: Chad Kuhl gave up just two runs over six inning, earning the victory. Jordy Mercer, Jung-ho Kang and Sean Rodriguez all hit home runs for Pittsburgh.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 4: Despite Anthony Rizzo’s strong game, the Cubs could not complete a comeback against St. Louis. The Cardinals knocked around reliever Hector Rondon, who allowed four earned runs in the eighth inning.

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