Manny Machado mashes three home runs in rout of White Sox
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.
Baltimore Orioles slugger Manny Machado was a one man wrecking crew Sunday against the Chicago White Sox. Machado crushed three home runs during the team’s 10-2 rout of Chicago.
Most impressively, Machado had his three home runs at the end of the third inning. That’s right, he clubbed a home run in each of the first three innings against the White Sox.
His first came off an 89 mph fastball from James Shields. The two-run shot gave the Orioles the early lead.
Baltimore would build on that lead in the second inning. Already up 3-0, Machado smashed another shot off Shields, this time a three-run homer. Shields would wind up being pulled from the contest after just 1 1/3 innings. He allowed eight runs.
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The White Sox then brought in Matt Albers, but that didn’t seem to matter to Machado. In the third, Machado belted another two-run shot, this time off an Albers fastball.
Machado did have three more opportunities to tie the major-league record with four home runs in a game, but failed to get it done. He grounded into a double-play in the fifth, lined out to center in the seventh and grounded out to third in the ninth.
Despite that, he still turned in a fantastic game. Machado finished 3-for-6, with three runs scored and seven RBI. He’s hitting .307, with a .923 OPS this year.
TOP PERFORMERS
Ichiro Suzuki: Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki only picked up one hit during Sunday’s 10-7 win over the Colorado Rockies, but it was a big one. In the seventh inning, Ichiro managed his 3,000th career hit in Major League Baseball. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Ichiro smashed a triple off the wall in right. He finished just 1-for-4, with one run scored, but it was a historic moment for baseball. With the hit, Ichiro became only the 30th player in MLB history with 3,000 hits.
Tanner Roark: The Washington Nationals needed Tanner Roark to be on his A-game Sunday against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants, and he definitely delivered. Roark tossed seven shutout innings against the Giants, giving up just five hits. Roark walked three and struck out five during the outing. He managed to out-pitch Bumgarner, who gave up one run over eight inning. That was the difference, as the Nationals came away with the 1-0 win.
Kris Bryant: With roughly two months left in the regular season, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant looks like the front-runner for the National League MVP. Bryant showed off his skills again during Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. In the sixth inning, Bryant smacked his 27th home run of the season. He also added a single and two walks during the contest, reaching base four times in the victory.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout delivered his best impression of Ken Griffey Jr. during Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. His tribute was fitting, considering it was Ken Griffey Jr. weekend at Safeco Field.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Trout managed to pull off yet another home run stealing grab. With the bases loaded, Leonys Martin smashed a ball deep to center. Trout ran back to the wall, timed his jump and snagged the ball just as it was about to go over the wall. With the catch, he turned a grand slam into a sac fly. It wasn’t enough to save the Angels, but it was certainly impressive.
REST OF SCOREBOARD
Royals 7, Blue Jays 1: Kendrys Morales put the game out of reach in the seventh inning, hitting a grand slam against Brett Cecil.
Yankees 3, Indians 2: Masahiro Tanaka allowed one earned run with eight strikeouts over six innings. Dellin Betances struck out two, picking up his second save.
Mets 3, Tigers 1: Both Michael Conforto and Neil Walker homered for New York. Jacob deGrom was solid over 6 2/3 innings, giving up just one run.
Twins 6, Rays 3: Miguel Sano smashed two home runs in the win, and also managed to hit the Tropicana Field roof with a fly ball.
Reds 7, Pirates 3: Gerrit Cole gave up four earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out six in the loss.
Rangers 5, Astros 3: Yu Darvish tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out eight Astros. Rougned Odor added three hits in the win.
Braves 6, Cardinals 3: Adam Wainwright gave up six runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out three in the loss.
Diamondbacks 9, Brewers 3: Arizona got to Jimmy Nelson early, tagging him for seven runs, six earned, over 4 1/3 innings. Six different D-Backs notched at least one RBI.
Phillies 6, Padres 5: Just as San Diego was starting to come back, Jabari Blash hit into a triple play in the seventh inning, The Phillies would wind up holding on for the win.
Dodgers 8, Red Sox 5: David Price was tagged for six runs, three earned, over five innings. Brandon McCarthy struggled with control, walking five in just 3 2/3 innings.
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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
