Danny Duffy dominates again, leads Royals to eighth straight win

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.

Don’t look now, but the reigning World Series champs are making their move. The Kansas City Royals won their eighth straight contest Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Twins by a score of 2-1.

The Royals were led by 27-year-old lefty Danny Duffy. Duffy turned in a strong start, holding the Twins to just one earned run on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four during the outing.

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That’s nothing new for Duffy. The left-hander has been quietly fantastic this season. Over 138 2/3 innings, Duffy has a 2.66 ERA. He’s averaging over a strikeout per inning, and has lowered his walk rate significantly.

Put all of that together, and Duffy has turned himself into a dark horse Cy Young candidate. Following Sunday’s start, Duffy’s 2.66 ERA ranks second in the American League, behind Detroit Tigers rookie Michael Fulmer, who owns a 2.58 ERA.

While Duffy certainly deserves credit for the season he’s had, he still faces an uphill battle in the Cy Young race. He’s only made 18 starts this season, meaning he’s thrown fewer innings than some of the top options. His numbers have been impressive, but every other serious candidate has tossed at least 20 more innings than Duffy.

That said, no pitcher has really run away with the race. Corey Kluber leads all AL pitchers in fWAR, and could have the narrative if the Cleveland Indians make the playoffs. Masahiro Tanaka, Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are next on that list, though none of the three play for a contender. Aaron Sanchez rounds out the top-5, but was just sent to the minors in order to limit his innings. He could fall into the same category as Duffy.

Duffy, by the way, currently ranks 10th in the AL with a 3.0 fWAR. Behind his efforts, the Royals are now just 3.5 games out of a wild card spot in the AL. It’s not going to be easy, but if Duffy continues to pitch like this, both he and the Royals might surprise some people come the end of the regular season.

TOP PERFORMERS

Justin Upton: Justin Upton’s first season with the Detroit Tigers hasn’t gone as planned, but fans got what they expected during Sunday’s 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Upton went deep twice during the contest. His first big fly occurred in the third inning. With two men on base, Upton smashed a changeup to left center for the three-run shot. Two innings later, he did the exact same thing. This time, however, his three-run blast came on a fastball. Upton finished the contest 2-for-4, with two runs scored and six RBI.

Mike Leake: St. Louis Cardinals starter Mike Leake was on top of his game during Sunday’s 9-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Leake kept the Phillies off the board for seven scoreless innings. He allowed seven hits and just one walk during the outing. Leake struck out eight. With the win, he improved to 9-9 on the season.

Nolan Arenado: Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado had Chicago Cubs starter Jason Hammel’s number during Sunday’s 11-4 win. Arenado smacked two home runs off Hammel. His first long ball came with two men on in the bottom of the first. Just a few innings later, Arenado struck again. Once again, Arenado added another three-run shot. Arenado also singled twice during the game. He finished 4-for-6, with two runs scored and six RBI.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

For a brief second Sunday, Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols thought he had moved into 10th place on the all-time home run list. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Pujols belted a 95 mph fastball from Chad Green to center field. Off the bat, Pujols thought it was gone. With the hit, Pujols would have 584 career home runs, passing Mark McGwire on the all-time list.

Problem is, New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was patrolling center field. Ellsbury ranged back to the wall, timed his jump perfectly and managed to rob Pujols at the last second. Based on where Ellsbury caught the ball, it seemed likely it would have left the park had he not been there to make the play.

Though Pujols failed to notch the milestone hit, he wound up with the last laugh. The Angels won the contest 2-0. Pujols went 3-for-4, with two runs scored in the victory.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Indians 3, Blue Jays 2: Jose Ramirez played the hero for Cleveland. With the Indians down by one, Ramirez belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Dodgers 4, Reds 0: Julio Urias turned in a strong start, tossing six scoreless frames. He gave up just six hits and struck out six during the outing. Urias did not issue a walk in the win.

Rays 8, Rangers 4: Tampa Bay exploded for five runs in the fourth inning against Martin Perez. Logan Forsythe smashed a three-run homer during the frame, and that proved to be the difference.

Astros 5, Orioles 3: Yulieski Gurriel managed his first major-league hit in his first major-league at-bat. Dallas Keuchel gave up just two runs over eight solid innings.

Braves 7, Nationals 6: The Braves fought back late, tying things up in the bottom of the eighth. In the 10th inning, they completed their come back, as Jace Peterson hit a walk-off home run.

Marlins 3, Pirates 2: Dee Gordon used his speed in the fifth inning, scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

White Sox 4, Athletics 2: The White Sox jumped on Zach Neal early, scoring four runs against him in just 4 2/3 innings.

Brewers 7, Mariners 6: The Mariners melted down in the ninth inning. Tom Wilhelmsen gave up four earned runs in just a third of an inning to pick up the loss.

Padres 9, Diamondbacks 1: Braden Shipley gave up seven runs over 5 1/3 innings. Seven different Padres notched at least one RBI.

Mets 2, Giants 0: Jeff Samardzija carried a no-hitter through six innings, but lost it to start the seventh. One batter later, Yoenis Cespedes went yard to give the Mets the lead and, eventually, the win.

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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