Stephen Strasburg joins elite company with 12-0 start
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.
Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will carry an unblemished record into the All-Star break after pitching his squad to a 3-1 victory against the Mets on Friday night.
Strasburg allowed one run on just two hits over seven quality innings. In doing so, he joined some elite company, becoming the first National League pitcher to start a season 12-0 since 1912.
#Nationals Stephen Strasburg is the first NL starting pitcher to start 12-0 since Rube Marquard in 1912. Per Sportsnet
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) July 9, 2016
That’s pretty amazing.
Ironically, the last pitcher to accomplish that feat in the American League is current teammate Max Scherzer, who did so in 2013.
Stephen Strasburg is the 2nd pitcher in past 30 years to start 12-0, joining Max Scherzer, who started 13-0 in 2013
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 9, 2016
Overall, Strasburg is just the seventh pitcher since Marquard to start 12-0, so it truly is elite territory no matter how much you value pitcher wins.
Strasburg’s strong first half is made even more impressive by the fact he recently missed two weeks with a back injury. He only returned last Sunday and has been lights out since. In fact, in his last start against the Cincinnati Reds, Strasburg exited the game after pitching 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball. That streak continued into Friday, when Strasburg held the Mets hitless for four innings.
That streak officially ended at 10 2/3 innings when Asdrubal Cabrera started the fifth with a home run. That was Strasburg’s only mistake on Friday as he lowered his season ERA to 2.62.
Strasburg was also slated to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star game, but will skip the festivities to allow his back some extra rest. He’ll replaced by Scherzer.
TOP PERFORMERS
Yasmani Grandal: The Dodgers catcher entered play Friday hitting .193 with nine homers this season. He did wonders for those numbers in a 10-6 win, going 5-for-5 with three home runs and six RBIs. In fact, Grandal was just a grand slam shy of the first-ever home run cycle after hitting a two-run homer in the first, a three-run shot in the third and a solo blast in the seventh. He had one shot to become the 17th player with four home runs in a single game, but settled for a single. Perhaps he’ll always regret that bunt single he squeezed in the middle.
For those of you doing the math at home, Yasmani Grandal has 1,246 feet of home run and a 54-mph bunt single today.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) July 9, 2016
Luis Valbuena: The drama was high in Houston. With one out in the ninth, Valbuena delivered a walk-off three-run homer to give the Astros a 10-9 win against the A’s. Houston actually entered the ninth with a three-run lead, but watched as Oakland rallied for five in the ninth. Houston then mounted its own rally, culminating with Valbuena’s blast to send the crowd home happy. Houston has now won 17 of 22 dating back to June 14.
Jose Fernandez: The Marlins ace made his case to start Tuesday’s All-Star game. The dominant right-hander allowed one unearned run over seven innings in Miami’s 3-1 win against the Reds. Fernandez allowed six hits, but didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight. Fellow All-Stars Fernando Rodney and A.J. Ramos finished the game with perfect innings.
Jason Kipnis: The surging Indians continued their roll with a 10-2 thumping of the Yankees. Cleveland’s offense was paced by Kipnis, who delivered three hits, including a pair of solo home runs. Kipnis joined Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall in homering during a four-run first. He then capped Cleveland’s scoring with another in the seventh, giving him 14 on the season.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
In 2012, Mike Trout cemented his rookie campaign with a memorable home run robbery in Baltimore. On Friday night, teammate Daniel Nava added one to the highlight reel at Camden Yards, leaping high to take a homer from Manny Machado. The robbery came in the first inning of the Angels 9-5 victory. It came two batters after Adam Jones started the game with a home run, so it helped set a positive tone for Los Angeles.
THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Pirates 8, Cubs 4: Pittsburgh beat Jake Arrieta for the first time in four tries this season. The win moves them to within 7 1/2 games of the first-place Cubs.
Blue Jays 6, Tigers 0: Toronto got 5 2/3 scoreless innings from JA Happ and a three-run homer from Edwin Encarnacion as they moved to within one game of first place in the AL East.
Red Sox 6, Rays 5: Boston gained a game on Baltimore too, moving to within two games of first place. They also gained a new reliever, acquiring closer Brad Ziegler from the Diamondbacks.
Braves 11, White Sox 8: Chicago turns its third triple play of the season, but Atlanta hit a trio of home runs against Chris Sale.
Rangers 6, Twins 5: Texas got little production from Cole Hamels, who allowed five runs on five hits and six walks in 4 1/3, but they still bounced back to get a needed win.
Brewers 4, Cardinals 3: Milwaukee gets a walk-off win on Jonathan Villar’s RBI single in the ninth.
Phillies 5, Rockies 3: A pinch-hit, three-run homer from Tommy Joseph in the seventh inning provided the difference.
Mariners 3, Royals 2: Seattle scored the deciding runs on a throwing error and wild pitch in the sixth inning.
Giants 6, Diamondbacks 2: All-Star snub Brandon Crawford picked up three hits, including a home run, to lead San Francisco.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!