Encarnacion's Grand Slam Lifts Indians to Walk-Off Win
The Cleveland Indians had themselves a very eventful night on Tuesday, both good and bad, but it ended in celebration. Edwin Encarnacion's 11th-inning grand slam gave them an 11-7 walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels. The grand slam was the second of the game for the Indians, as Bradley Zimmer hit his first-career slam in the second inning. The Indians hit multiple grand slams in a game for the first time since 1999. They are the first team to hit two slams in one game, with the second being a walk-off, since 1930. Bud Norris surrendered Encarnacion's shot to suffer his third loss, as the Indians recorded their fifth straight win. Cleveland led 7-0 after two innings before the Angels' rally began with a three-run shot from Kole Calhoun. Luis Valbuena added a two-run shot during the comeback, which included a four-run third inning. Angels starter Jesse Chavez had all seven runs charged against him in the second inning, which also included a big fly from Michael Brantley, helping the Indians record their 10th win in 11 games against the Angels. Dan Otero earned the win after throwing a scoreless 11th for "The Tribe" who hang on to a 1.5-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central.
Dodgers Become First Team to 70 Wins
Despite losing their ace, Clayton Kershaw, to a back injury for four-to-six weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers have not slowed down, and continue to roll past the rest of the majors. The Dodgers became the first team to 70 wins with a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Chris Taylor remained red hot with a two-run double to lead the Dodgers. as he has gone 23-for-44 at the plate since the All-Star break. The 26-year-old had two hits on Tuesday to record his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, and is now hitting 321 on the season since being called up on April 19th. Los Angeles has the best record in baseball at 70-31 after winning 35 of their previous 41 games, including four in a row. Kenta Maeda earned his ninth win after lasting five innings, while Luis Avilan recorded his first career save after pitching the final three innings. Jose Berrios had a four-run fourth inning against him that was the key in his fourth loss of the year. These two teams will finish off their series on Wednesday night.
Mariners, Cardinals Earn Walk-Off Wins
The St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners may or may not be legitimate contenders in their respective leagues, although, they played spoilers for two contenders on Tuesday night. First, the Cardinals were lifted by rookie Harrison Bader in his major league debut. The rookie doubled to lead off the ninth inning, and then scored the winning run on a Jedd Gyorko sacrifice fly for a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. Bader did all of this in front of his family, as the 23-year-old was called up from the minors on Tuesday morning after St. Louis placed Dexter Fowler on the DL with a strained left wrist. Bader got the start in centerfield, and went hitless in his first three at-bats, before his first career hit would lead to a game-winner. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners needed 13 innings, but walked off against the first-place Boston Red Sox for a 6-5 win. Jean Segura's RBI single was the walk-off hit for Seattle in a game that lasted over four hours. Guillermo Heredia provided the spark after moving from first to third on a wild pitch, before scoring on Segura's game winner. Heredia also went deep earlier in the game. Doug Fister fell to 0-5 as a member of the Red Sox after giving up the walk-off run in his third inning of work. Boston had plenty of opportunities to avoid extra innings and win the game, but stranded two runners in the eighth, ninth, and 11th innings. Mike Zunino added a long ball in the win for the Mariners, who were surprised by a three-run inning against starter Felix Hernandez.
The Cleveland Indians had themselves a very eventful night on Tuesday, both good and bad, but it ended in celebration. Edwin Encarnacion's 11th-inning grand slam gave them an 11-7 walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels. The grand slam was the second of the game for the Indians, as Bradley Zimmer hit his first-career slam in the second inning. The Indians hit multiple grand slams in a game for the first time since 1999. They are the first team to hit two slams in one game, with the second being a walk-off, since 1930. Bud Norris surrendered Encarnacion's shot to suffer his third loss, as the Indians recorded their fifth straight win. Cleveland led 7-0 after two innings before the Angels' rally began with a three-run shot from Kole Calhoun. Luis Valbuena added a two-run shot during the comeback, which included a four-run third inning. Angels starter Jesse Chavez had all seven runs charged against him in the second inning, which also included a big fly from Michael Brantley, helping the Indians record their 10th win in 11 games against the Angels. Dan Otero earned the win after throwing a scoreless 11th for "The Tribe" who hang on to a 1.5-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central.
Dodgers Become First Team to 70 Wins
Despite losing their ace, Clayton Kershaw, to a back injury for four-to-six weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers have not slowed down, and continue to roll past the rest of the majors. The Dodgers became the first team to 70 wins with a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Chris Taylor remained red hot with a two-run double to lead the Dodgers. as he has gone 23-for-44 at the plate since the All-Star break. The 26-year-old had two hits on Tuesday to record his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, and is now hitting 321 on the season since being called up on April 19th. Los Angeles has the best record in baseball at 70-31 after winning 35 of their previous 41 games, including four in a row. Kenta Maeda earned his ninth win after lasting five innings, while Luis Avilan recorded his first career save after pitching the final three innings. Jose Berrios had a four-run fourth inning against him that was the key in his fourth loss of the year. These two teams will finish off their series on Wednesday night.
Mariners, Cardinals Earn Walk-Off Wins
The St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners may or may not be legitimate contenders in their respective leagues, although, they played spoilers for two contenders on Tuesday night. First, the Cardinals were lifted by rookie Harrison Bader in his major league debut. The rookie doubled to lead off the ninth inning, and then scored the winning run on a Jedd Gyorko sacrifice fly for a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. Bader did all of this in front of his family, as the 23-year-old was called up from the minors on Tuesday morning after St. Louis placed Dexter Fowler on the DL with a strained left wrist. Bader got the start in centerfield, and went hitless in his first three at-bats, before his first career hit would lead to a game-winner. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners needed 13 innings, but walked off against the first-place Boston Red Sox for a 6-5 win. Jean Segura's RBI single was the walk-off hit for Seattle in a game that lasted over four hours. Guillermo Heredia provided the spark after moving from first to third on a wild pitch, before scoring on Segura's game winner. Heredia also went deep earlier in the game. Doug Fister fell to 0-5 as a member of the Red Sox after giving up the walk-off run in his third inning of work. Boston had plenty of opportunities to avoid extra innings and win the game, but stranded two runners in the eighth, ninth, and 11th innings. Mike Zunino added a long ball in the win for the Mariners, who were surprised by a three-run inning against starter Felix Hernandez.
