Yankees Rally to Walk-Off in Exras
The New York Yankees' struggles against the Houston Astros over the past couple years nearly continued on Tuesday night, but some late-game heroics lifted them away from that trend. Brett Gardner tied things up with a two-run shot in the ninth, leading the Yankees to walk-off for a 6-5, 10-inning win over the Astros. Gleyber Torres singled home the winning in the in the 10th inning to score Miguel Andujar, handing the Astros their second loss following a blown lead this week. Brad Peacock once again struggled out of the bullpen, giving up the game-ending run in extras after allowing the Cleveland Indians to pull off an improbable rally on Sunday. What made this win for the Yankees so improbable was the fact that they made five errors, including one by the eventual hero, Torres, on the first pitch of the game. It was the first time the Yankees won when committing five errors since a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on April 19th, 1997. Gardner's game-tying blast was his second of the game, as he went deep to begin New York's half of the first inning off of Charlie Morton. Chris Devenski earned the blown save for the Astros, as they elected not to use regular closer Ken Giles for a third straight day. Morton struck out 10 over six innings and was in line for the win before the lead went away for good. These two teams will play the rubber game of the series on Wednesday night.
Braves Earn Another Walk-Off Win Against Mets
The Atlanta Braves continue to stay atop of the NL East Division, although, the gap is closing after the Washington Nationals' rough start. They lived to see another day at the top of the division, recording their second walk-off win in as many days, 7-6, over the New York Mets. Johan Comargo went deep with one out in the ninth inning off of Gerson Bautista, as the Braves remained a half game ahead of the Nationals in the East. Atlanta had to rally from two separate four-run deficits to earn another walk-off victory, as Camargo connected with a line drive over the right field wall. The short-handed Mets continue to struggle since dealing with multiple injuries, as they added another name to that list when Noah Syndergaard went down with a finger injury. Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice and Adrian Gonzalez once in the loss on the road. Steven Matz threw three scoreless innings before being forced to exit with discomfort in his left middle finger. X-rays were negative and there is no word on how long Matz will be out, although it was the last thing New York wanted to see. The win for the Braves is their eighth in their final at-bat this season, five of which have come in the walk-off variety. Their rebuilding process has quickened a wide margin this season, as they sit 10 games over .500 just two days until June. They will host the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, as the Mets will throw Jason Vargas to the mound to replace Syndergaard.
Harper, Reynolds Power Nationals on the Road'
I mentioned the Washington Nationals overcoming their slow start to the season and now putting plenty of pressure on the Atlanta Braves in the East. They did not ease up on Tuesday, earning a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on the road. Bryce Harper hit his NL-leading 17th home run, which is good for second in all of baseball, as the Nats remained a half game behind the Braves for first place. With their game ending before Atlanta's, the Nationals sat tied for first place momentarily for the first time in 55 days. Mark Reynolds continued to roll since being signed by Washington, hitting his sixth home run in just his 12th game with his new team. His batting average sits over .400 since joining the Nats, haunting another former team of his. The win for the Nationals extends their road win streak to eight games, as well as their overall win streak to five in a row, as they have won 20 of 26 games following their 11-16 start. This success comes despite losing Howie Kendrick to a torn ACL, as they also continue to wait on Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Eaton to return from the disabled list. Their nine-game road win streak is the longest such streak since the team's move from Montreal in 2005. Jeremy Hellickson also haunted his former team, allowing two runs over five innings in his second win. Sean Doolittle came on for his 12th save in 13 attempts, completing the win over their in-state rivals. The Orioles did get another long ball from Manny Machado, but have now dropped four in a row. These two teams will end the series on Wednesday night.
The New York Yankees' struggles against the Houston Astros over the past couple years nearly continued on Tuesday night, but some late-game heroics lifted them away from that trend. Brett Gardner tied things up with a two-run shot in the ninth, leading the Yankees to walk-off for a 6-5, 10-inning win over the Astros. Gleyber Torres singled home the winning in the in the 10th inning to score Miguel Andujar, handing the Astros their second loss following a blown lead this week. Brad Peacock once again struggled out of the bullpen, giving up the game-ending run in extras after allowing the Cleveland Indians to pull off an improbable rally on Sunday. What made this win for the Yankees so improbable was the fact that they made five errors, including one by the eventual hero, Torres, on the first pitch of the game. It was the first time the Yankees won when committing five errors since a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on April 19th, 1997. Gardner's game-tying blast was his second of the game, as he went deep to begin New York's half of the first inning off of Charlie Morton. Chris Devenski earned the blown save for the Astros, as they elected not to use regular closer Ken Giles for a third straight day. Morton struck out 10 over six innings and was in line for the win before the lead went away for good. These two teams will play the rubber game of the series on Wednesday night.
Braves Earn Another Walk-Off Win Against Mets
The Atlanta Braves continue to stay atop of the NL East Division, although, the gap is closing after the Washington Nationals' rough start. They lived to see another day at the top of the division, recording their second walk-off win in as many days, 7-6, over the New York Mets. Johan Comargo went deep with one out in the ninth inning off of Gerson Bautista, as the Braves remained a half game ahead of the Nationals in the East. Atlanta had to rally from two separate four-run deficits to earn another walk-off victory, as Camargo connected with a line drive over the right field wall. The short-handed Mets continue to struggle since dealing with multiple injuries, as they added another name to that list when Noah Syndergaard went down with a finger injury. Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice and Adrian Gonzalez once in the loss on the road. Steven Matz threw three scoreless innings before being forced to exit with discomfort in his left middle finger. X-rays were negative and there is no word on how long Matz will be out, although it was the last thing New York wanted to see. The win for the Braves is their eighth in their final at-bat this season, five of which have come in the walk-off variety. Their rebuilding process has quickened a wide margin this season, as they sit 10 games over .500 just two days until June. They will host the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, as the Mets will throw Jason Vargas to the mound to replace Syndergaard.
Harper, Reynolds Power Nationals on the Road'
I mentioned the Washington Nationals overcoming their slow start to the season and now putting plenty of pressure on the Atlanta Braves in the East. They did not ease up on Tuesday, earning a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on the road. Bryce Harper hit his NL-leading 17th home run, which is good for second in all of baseball, as the Nats remained a half game behind the Braves for first place. With their game ending before Atlanta's, the Nationals sat tied for first place momentarily for the first time in 55 days. Mark Reynolds continued to roll since being signed by Washington, hitting his sixth home run in just his 12th game with his new team. His batting average sits over .400 since joining the Nats, haunting another former team of his. The win for the Nationals extends their road win streak to eight games, as well as their overall win streak to five in a row, as they have won 20 of 26 games following their 11-16 start. This success comes despite losing Howie Kendrick to a torn ACL, as they also continue to wait on Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Eaton to return from the disabled list. Their nine-game road win streak is the longest such streak since the team's move from Montreal in 2005. Jeremy Hellickson also haunted his former team, allowing two runs over five innings in his second win. Sean Doolittle came on for his 12th save in 13 attempts, completing the win over their in-state rivals. The Orioles did get another long ball from Manny Machado, but have now dropped four in a row. These two teams will end the series on Wednesday night.