Asdrubal Cabrera's clutch home run keeps Mets in NL wild-card spot
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.
Asdrubal Cabrera knew it was gone as soon as he connected. His majestic bat flip was absolutely indication of that. Cabrera hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning for the New York Mets in a wild 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Twice in this game it appeared the Mets were headed to a fourth straight loss, not ideal at a time when they’re trying to hold onto a wild-card spot in the National League. New York went to the plate in the home half of the ninth down 6-4 and Jose Reyes sent the game to extra innings with a two-run homer.
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It was the Phillies that struck first in extras scoring two runs in the top of the 11th to take a 8-6 lead into the bottom of the inning. It looked once again like the Mets were in trouble. After Michael Conforto walked with one out and Reyes followed that up with a sharp single, there was hope. Up stepped Cabrera and on the second pitch he saw from Edubray Ramos over the wall in right field and sent Citi Field into a frenzy.
The victory keeps the Mets in the top wild-card spot, though their 81-72 record is the same as the Giants. The idle St. Louis Cardinals are 1/2 game back in the race. And what a race between those three teams it promises to be with a week and a half left in the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
Carlos Santana: Santana’s three-run shot in the sixth inning lifted the Cleveland Indians to a 5-2 win against the Kansas City Royals. Santana is now tied with Mike Napoli for the team lead in home runs with 34.
Matt Kemp: Kemp came up with two home runs in the Atlanta Braves’6-3 win over the Miami Marlins. That gives him 33 homers on the season, as well as 104 RBIs, both the most he’s had since his remarkable 2011 campaign.
Justin Verlander: Verlander struck out 11 and gave up two runs over six innings in a 4-2 win as the Detroit Tigers played the second game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins. It was a big win for Detroit, as it moves them into sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the American League.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
The Boston Red Sox do a big portion of their damage offensively with the long ball. That doesn’t mean they can’t win with speed, too. Jackie Bradley Jr. showed off his wheels in a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, legging out a triple on a ball ripped to the corner in right field. Triples are fun.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Tigers 9, Twins 2: Victor Martinez’s three-run homer in the ninth was part of a six-run inning for Detroit in the first game of the doubleheader.
Rays 2, Yankees 0: Blake Snell didn’t allow a run in five innings and Corey Dickerson hit a solo shot.
Angels 2, Astros 0: Houston’s loss – due to an Albert Pujols home run and seven shutout innings from Ricky Nolasco – drops Texas’ magic number to clinch the AL West to one.
Brewers 3, Pirates 1: Scooter Gennett and Chris Carter powered Milwaukee’s offense with homers.
Dodgers 7, Rockies 4: Yasmani Grandal’s grand slam accounted for four of Los Angeles’ five runs in the seventh inning.
Giants 2, Padres 1: Jeff Samardzija had nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings while Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence drove in a run each in the eighth to get their starter the win.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
