Wednesday brought us a slightly abbreviated 14-game slate of big-league action, as the Twins and Brewers are both enjoying a day off. A potential World Series preview concluded in Houston with one team reeling with injuries and the other reeling in the W-L category coming in. A three-time defending division champion came in down 10 games in said division but is seeing some good signs on offense while a rookie got a pretty rude welcome against a storied franchise.
Oh, and the Giants lost to the Marlins, making it an MLB-worst seven consecutive losses.
That and more in our nightly roundup. Let's get to it.
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Baseball scores for Wednesday, May 29
- FINAL - Pirates 7, Reds 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Yankees 7, Padres 0 (box score)
- FINAL - Angels 12, Athletics 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Rangers 8, Mariners 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Indians 14, Red Sox 9 (box score)
- FINAL - Phillies 11, Cardinals 4 (box score)
- FINAL - Tigers 4, Orioles 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Marlins 4, Giants 2 (box score)
- FINAL/11 - Rays 4, Blue Jays 3 (box score)
- FINAL - Nationals 14, Braves 4 (box score)
- FINAL - White Sox 8, Royals 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Cubs 2, Astros 1 (box score)
- FINAL - Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 4 (box score)
- FINAL - Dodgers 9, Mets 8 (box score)
Dodgers stun Mets with late power surge
The story was Mets rookie Pete Alonso hitting his 18th and 19th home runs. They added on homers from youngsters Amed Rosario and Dom Smith in the seventh inning, too, to take an 8-3 lead. A Justin Turner RBI single to make it 8-4 in the bottom half seemed relatively harmless. A Corey Seager homer to make it 8-5 probably made things a bit worrisome, but then the bottom of the ninth was off the rails.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz entered the game. He wouldn't even record an out until the Mets had lost.
- Joc Pederson homered.
- Max Muncy homered.
- Turner doubled.
- Cody Bellinger doubled Turner home and in four batters, it was tied.
Things had already fallen apart, now that it was tied, but it got worse. Mets manager Mickey Callaway elected to intentionally walk Seager with first base open, to give them a force. It makes sense, so why didn't he do that with Bellinger the previous hitter? They had a lead and Bellinger has been the best player in baseball this year.
Anyway, then Matt Beaty sent a routine grounder to the left side of second base. Rosario picked it up and had time to get at least a force at second, but his feet got tangled up and everyone was safe.
So it was bases loaded with no outs and a tie game in the bottom of the ninth.
Fortunately for all involved, Alex Verdugo hit a fly deep enough to plate Bellinger and end it.
Two major, obvious takeaways:
- Gut punch loss for the Mets, who almost went over .500 for the first time since May 2.
- The Dodgers offense is utterly relentless.
Dodgers fans, enjoy. Avert your eyes, Mets fans:
The two teams will square off again Thursday night.
Indians offense explodes, shows good signs
The Indians have won the AL Central three seasons in a row, but found themselves down 10 games entering Wednesday's action. In addition to some key rotation injuries, the biggest problem to date has been the anemic offense. Here's where they ranked among the 15 AL teams in various categories before their bout with the Red Sox.
Runs: 13th
Average: 14th
On-base percentage: 12th
Slugging percentage: 15th
Doubles: 15th
Triples: 15th (with zero)
Home runs: 13th
Jose Ramirez has been an MVP candidate the past few years, and he entered the game hitting .204/.308/.301.
Well, they won on Tuesday thanks to scoring seven runs (all seven) in the eighth and ninth innings, using two doubles and two home runs, among other good offensive things.
Wednesday, they damn near scored a run every inning. Their nine-inning line score goes: 2, 1, 3, 1, 1, 2, 4, 0, 0.
Of note: Ramirez went 2 for 5 and both hits were doubles.
Also, seven of the nine hitters had at least two hits. Of their 18 hits, nine were extra-base hits and, get this, they picked up three triples! For more on their history-making triples futility and breaking it in weird fashion, click here.
This could be a season-defining turnaround for the Indians to storm back late and then go nuts on offense. They win the series, move back above .500 and now get the White Sox for four games before playing host to the Twins for three. It's still May, but not for much longer. Now is the time to get it going for good. A big run here in the next seven and the season is salvageable.
Cubs salvage one in Houston thanks to Hendricks
Through May 14, the Cubs looked like they had rebounded from a terrible first road trip to be one of the best teams in baseball. They had won 23 of 30 games. The pitching in that stretch had been stellar, with the staff as a whole posting a 2.29 ERA.
They then lost four of six before getting two victories, and then losing five of six. In that full 14-game stretch, the staff ERA was 5.69, including 7.10 in the most recent six games. There were problems with the starters and relievers alike. There were blown late games and starters just not working deep enough. It could be a personnel problem for the bullpen while most of the starters just need to pitch better.
Enter Kyle Hendricks. Manager Joe Maddon spoke before the game about needing Hendricks to get deep and he did just that, allowing one run on four hits and a walk through eight innings. He struck out seven. He also worked around a leadoff double from Tyler White in the fifth, thanks in part to a heads-up play from second baseman David Bote throwing White out at third on what could've easily been a routine 4-3 groundout.
Sure, the Astros were without George Springer, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, but the opponent hardly mattered. The Cubs need a starter to get deep and let that overworked bullpen get an extra day of rest.
I say "extra" there because the Cubs are getting their first day off in nearly three weeks Thursday before facing the Cardinals. This victory feels "big" in the sense of stopping the bleeding before the day off and that series while also seeing a starter throw so well.
Also in this game, a young fan was struck with a hard line drive foul ball.
Paddack rudely welcomed to the Bronx
Going into a Wednesday afternoon start at Yankee Stadium, Padres rookie sensation Chris Paddack had allowed four home runs to 195 batters faced this season. Two batters into his start, it was six home runs to 197 batters. DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit opened with back-to-back home runs.
Wednesday was the 10th time in Yankees history they opened a game with back-to-back home runs. Most recently, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge did it last July against then-Blue Jay and current Yankee J.A. Happ. At 110.4 mph, Voit's home run is the hardest hit ball Paddack has allowed this year:
Gio Urshela added a solo home run in the third inning. These are the first three home runs Paddack has allowed to right-handed batters in his big-league career. Going into Wednesday's game, righties were hitting .108/.159/.120 with one extra-base hit (a double) against Paddack. To his credit, Paddack settled down and got through five innings following the homer barrage.
On the other side, James Paxton returned to the Yankees after missing roughly four weeks with a knee injury. He was marvelous through four no-hit innings, striking out seven and generating a swing-and-miss on a whopping 17 of his 66 pitches. Because it was his first start back from the injured list, the Yankees had Paxton on a strict pitch count, and he made the most of it.
Paxton now has a 0.34 ERA in five starts and 26 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium this season. He has struck out 37 of the 99 batters he has faced at home. The Yankees, meanwhile, have won eight consecutive series and 12 of their past 13 series. It is their first eight-series winning streak since a nine-series streak in 1998. They will open a four-game set with the Red Sox on Thursday in the Bronx.
Rays walk it off in extras, winning streak at five
The Rays' bullpen actually blew a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning, but all's well that ends well in The Trop. Take it away, Willy Adames:
The Rays have now won five straight and seven of eight overall. Let's look ahead, though. A really fun series awaits.
The Rays will play host to the Twins for a four-game series starting Thursday night. At 37-17, the Twins have the best record in baseball. At 34-19 and back on track from a bit of a lull, the Rays aren't too shabby themselves. It's sure to be a fun measuring stick for both teams.
Bell continues his huge breakout season
The Pirates came into Wednesday having lost seven of nine games. They were back under .500 for the first time this month. A Colin Moran three-run homer broke a scoreless tie in the sixth:
Starting pitcher Steven Brault did good work, as did Richard Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano behind him.
We've got to talk about Josh Bell (again), though. He was a big part of the rally in the sixth, picking up a one-out single to put two runners on base, leading to the Moran home run.
Next inning, Bell put the game out of reach with a three-run job of his own.
A career .260/.348/.436 heading into this season, the 26-year-old is now slashing .345/.409/.718 with 19 doubles, 18 home runs and 51 RBI. The Pirates have played 54 games. These are jump-off-the-screen numbers. He's all kinds of locked in right now and looks ready to make his first All-Star team, despite playing in a league with first baseman such as Anthony Rizzo, Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Rhys Hoskins, Max Muncy, Pete Alonso and Eric Hosmer.
Anderson vs. Royals again, Anderson wins
The rivalry between the Royals and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson grows, with Anderson getting the last laugh this time around. Full story here.
Quick hits
- It's Wednesday, which means R.J. Anderson posted his weekly MLB Prospect Watch. This week he highlighted the Astros and their impressive organizational depth, which goes beyond top prospects RHP Forrest Whitley and 1B/OF Yordan Alvarez.
- Speaking of the Astros, SS Carlos Correa will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured rib. Houston is already without OF George Springer (hamstring) and 2B Jose Altuve (knee), so that's three star-caliber up-the-middle players they're missing.
- Free agent LHP Dallas Keuchel is said to be open to a one-year contract. Keuchel and RHP Craig Kimbrel will be free from draft-pick compensation next Monday. Their markets should heat up soon after that.
- The Astros placed top prospect RHP Forrest Whitley on the 7-day minor league injured list, reports MLB.com. He'll go to the team's complex in Florida to rehab. Whitley has allowed 33 runs in 24 1/3 Triple-A innings this season.
- The Red Sox placed 1B Mitch Moreland on the 10-day injured list with a back problem, the team announced. Moreland had not played since Sunday with back and knee trouble. RHP Colten Brewer was called up in a corresponding move.
- Athletics DH Khris Davis (oblique) has started hitting, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. He is eligible to be activated on Saturday, but it is likely Davis will need a few days beyond that for a rehab assignment to get back up to speed.
- Athletics LHP Sean Manaea threw a 40-pitch bullpen session, reports MLB.com. There is no timetable for him to begin a minor league rehab assignment, however. Manaea is recovering from last year's shoulder surgery.
- The Phillies placed LHP Adam Morgan on the 10-day injured list, the team announced. He has a forearm strain and it is unclear how long he will be sidelined. RHP Yacksel Rios was called up to fill Morgan's roster spot.
- Mariners SS J.P. Crawford was placed on the 10-day injured list with an ankle injury, the club announced. He suffered the injury running the bases Tuesday night and could miss 3-4 weeks. IF Dylan Moore was called up in a corresponding move.
- Pirates RHP Trevor Williams (side) has resumed throwing, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He played catch at 105 feet and also threw from a slope. Williams is still likely several weeks from rejoining the rotation.
- The Cardinals called up top prospect LHP Genesis Cabrera, the team announced. Cabrera has a 6.35 ERA in 39 Triple-A innings this year. He'll make his MLB debut Wednesday. Cabrera came from the Rays in the OF Tommy Pham trade.
- Blue Jays RHP Ryan Tepera had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow Wednesday, reports Sportsnet. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Tepera allowed eight runs in 11 innings before going on the injured list.