Cardinals win on walk-off after incredible late-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.
Don’t look now, but the St. Louis Cardinals’ “devil magic” may have kicked in again. Despite receiving less attention than normal this season, the Cardinals are just a game out of a wild card spot in the National League.
Much of that is due to a recent surge, in which the club has won four-straight games. If Thursday is any indication, the team’s “devil magic” is in full swing.
St. Louis entered the eighth inning Thursday against the San Diego Padres down by four runs. By all accounts, the game should have been over. On top of the four-run deficit, St. Louis would have to mount a comeback without outfielder Matt Holliday, who left the contest after being hit in the face with a pitch.
Despite the odds, St. Louis began its rally. Jeremy Hazelbaker doubled to open the frame, and was driven in on a single from Jedd Gyorko.
With one out, Kolten Wong doubled, putting runners on second and third. Stephen Piscotty stepped to the plate representing the tying run.
He delivered. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Piscotty smacked a 92 mph fastball from Ryan Buchter to right center for the game-tying home run. The eighth inning rally would be stopped there, but the Cardinals suddenly had life going into the ninth.
That momentum carried over. A double and two intentional walks loaded the bases for the Cardinals. With one out, Aledmys Diaz lined a single to left field to give the team a walk-off 6-5 win.
The Cardinals improved to 51-44 with the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS
David Ortiz: The 40-year-old Ortiz was at it again Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. The Boston Red Sox’s DH did his job well, blasting his 24th home run of the season during the eighth inning. That wasn’t all, though. Earlier in the contest, Ortiz managed two RBI singles. He finished the contest 3-for-5, with one run scored and four RBI during the 13-2 win. Oh, and he got a ball stuck in Pesky’s Pole during batting practice. Not a bad night for the slugger.
Chris Tillman: Tillman continued his resurgence for the Baltimore Orioles with another strong start against the New York Yankees. Tillman lasted seven innings, giving up just one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven. With the 4-1 win, Tillman improved to an incredible 14-2 on the season.
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Justin Turner: After a rough start, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has hit his groove this season. That resurgence continued against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Turner went 2-for-3, smashing two home runs against Stephen Strasburg. He would also walk, reaching base three times. He scored two runs and drove in five during the 6-3 victory.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Chicago White Sox haven’t had much to celebrate in the second half. Coming into Thursday’s game, the team had lost six of its last seven games. They made it seven out of eight after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers, but for a moment, shortstop Tim Anderson made them forget about all their woes.
In the second inning, Mike Aviles hit a grounder to the hole between short and third. Anderson ranged to his right, snagged the ball in his glove, took a few steps, jumped and fired a hard throw to first. His throw barely got Aviles at first, ending the inning. The play was awfully reminiscent of the type of jump-throw Derek Jeter made famous. Perhaps this Anderson kid can play a little.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Marlins 9, Phillies 3: Jerad Eickhoff gave up six runs, five earned, in just five innings. Christian Yelich managed his ninth home run in the win.
Pirates 5, Brewers 3: Matt Joyce gave Pittsburgh a three-run lead with a first-inning home run. He would add to that in the third as he picked up his fourth RBI on a fielder’s choice.
Rockies 7, Braves 3: Carlos Gonzalez’s three-run homer propelled the Rockies early. Chad Bettis tossed a solid game, going 6 2/3 innings and only giving up one run.
Rays 7, Athletics 3: Corey Dickerson put in a lot of work Thursday. His first-inning single gave the club the lead, his fourth-inning homer tied the game back up and his fifth-inning sac fly put the final nail in the coffin for Oakland.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
