Kris Bryant turns in MVP-caliber performance in win over Brewers

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.

It’s only his second season in the majors, but Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is making a run at the National League MVP award. Bryant may have already been the leading candidate for the honor coming into Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Anyone who doubted him coming into the game went home reconsidering that position.

Bryant could not be stopped at the plate during the contest. He kicked things off slowly, hitting an unexciting single in the first inning. His next time up, Bryant decided to show off his power, smacking a two-run shot to left center in the third inning.

Kris Bryant refused to make outs Thursday. (Getty Images/Jonathan Daniel)

The following inning, Bryant continued his assault on baseballs. This time, he drove in a run with a double. If you’re keeping score at home, Bryant was a triple away from the cycle by the end of the fourth inning.

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In the sixth, Bryant stepped to the plate looking for that triple … and couldn’t get it. Nope. Turns out, Bryant hit the ball too hard. It sailed out deep to center for another home run. Bryant would get one more opportunity at the cycle in the eighth inning, but instead opted to hit another single.

By the time the dust had settled, Bryant finished an incredible 5-for-5, with two singles, two home runs and a double. He scored four runs and drove in five during the Cubs’ 9-6 victory over Milwaukee.

It’s tough to really undersell how well Bryant has performed this season, but Thursday’s game put him on a fun list.

4+ Hits, 4+ Runs & 4+ RBI in a game#Cubs since 1970
Bryant today
Bryant 6/27/16
Bryant 4/21/16
Soriano 9/6/08
Sosa 8/18/95
Sandberg 8/10/89

— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) August 18, 2016

Coming into Thursday, Bryant was tied with Corey Seager for the National League lead with a 5.9 fWAR. By Friday, he’ll lead all NL players in fWAR.

TOP PERFORMERS

Ramon Cabrera: The Cincinnati Reds were supposed to be overmatched against Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, but they hit him pretty well during Thursday’s 5-4 win. Catcher Ramon Cabrera led the way. In the second inning, Cabrera crushed an 84 mph curveball from Fernandez, sending it into the stands out in right. The drive drove in three shots, giving the Reds the early lead. Cabrera would also single later in the contest. He finished 2-for-4, with one run scored and three RBI.

Reynaldo Lopez: Washington Nationals pitcher Reynaldo Lopez turned in a dominant start during the team’s 8-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Lopez tossed seven dominant innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on just four hits. He walked two and struck out 11, earning his second win of the season.

J.J. Hardy: A number of Baltimore Orioles turned in strong offensive days during the club’s 13-5 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday. J.J. Hardy’s may have been the most well-rounded of the bunch. Hardy registered three hits, including two home runs and a double during the victory. He finished the contest 3-for-4, with three runs scored and three RBI.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

The 6-4-3 double play is one of the most common combinations you’ll find in baseball. The 6-3-4 double play, on the other hand, isn’t something you expect to see very often.

The event did happen to occur, however, during the Detroit Tigers game on Thursday. In the top of the eighth inning, the Boston Red Sox were threatening to increase their lead. With men on first and second, even a double play should have scored a run.

That wasn’t the case. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a grounder right at second base. Tigers shortstop Erick Aybar was shaded that way, and grabbed the ball a few feet in front of the base. Since Aybar couldn’t turn and step on second, he decided to wait and tag Hanley Ramirez, who was advancing from first.

Realizing this, Ramirez just stopped running. Aybar had no choice but to throw to first for that out. At that point, Ramirez tried to hustle to second. Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera quickly threw to second baseman Ian Kinsler over at second. Kinsler managed to tag Ramirez for the double play.

Due to the confusion, the runner on third base was unable to score on the play. That wound up being significant, as the Tigers came back to win the game 4-3.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Royals 8, Twins 1: Dillon Gee allowed just one earned run over seven strong innings. He was supported by Alex Gordon, who mashed a grand slam in the fourth inning.

Phillies 5, Dodgers 4: Maikel Franco played the hero in the seventh inning. With the Phillies down by one, Franco belted a go-ahead two-run homer.

Indians 5, White Sox 4: With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Naquin hit a game-winning sac fly to give Cleveland the win.

Angels 6, Mariners 4: Matt Shoemaker allowed just two runs over seven innings, barely out-dueling Hisashi Iwakuma for the win.

Giants 10, Mets 7: After giving up an early grand slam, Madison Bumgarner would later homer to give the Giants the lead. That proved to be enough, as the Giants refused to let New York back into the contest.

Padres 9, Diamondbacks 8: Alex Dickerson’s bases-clearing double in the bottom of the eighth put San Diego up by two. They managed to hold off the D-Backs despite a ninth inning rally.

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