Jul 17, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings (58) hits a game winning grand slam home run to defeat the New York Mets during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Pittsburgh won 9-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
July 18, 2021
Jacob Stallings’ two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 9-7 walk-off win over the visiting New York Mets.
With the Mets leading 7-5, reliever Edwin Diaz (3-4) hit Ke’Bryan Hayes and walked Bryan Reynolds. After Ben Gamel struck out, John Nogowski’s infield single loaded the bases. Gregory Polanco struck out, but Stallings hit his eighth homer of the season, a shot to left field, to end it.
Wilmer Difo also homered and Nogowski hit an RBI double for the Pirates, who came back from a six-run deficit.
Pittsburgh starter Wil Crowe pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs and six hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.
J.D. Davis homered twice, Travis Blankenhorn added an RBI double and Jeff McNeil an RBI single for the Mets. New York starter Tylor Megill pitched six scoreless innings, allowing six hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Braves 9, Rays 0
Max Fried was stellar both on the mound and at the plate, and newcomer Joc Pederson homered in his first start as Atlanta cruised to a victory over visiting Tampa Bay.
Fried (7-5) sparkled over seven shutout innings, yielding only four hits and a walk while striking out seven.
He also went 3-for-3, including a two-run double in Atlanta’s six-run fourth inning that gave the Braves control of the middle game of their three-game series with the Rays. The teams will play the rubber game on Sunday.
White Sox 10, Astros 1
Jake Burger hit his first career home run and four teammates also went deep as host Chicago overpowered Houston.
Zack Collins, Tim Anderson, Gavin Sheets and Jose Abreu also homered for the White Sox, who beat the Astros for the first time in six meetings this season. White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (8-6) allowed one run on three hits in going the distance.
Abraham Toro homered for Houston’s lone run. Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve had the Astros’ other hits. Astros right-hander Jake Odorizzi (3-5) gave up four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Yankees 3, Red Sox 1 (6 innings)
Gerrit Cole struck out 11 as host New York beat Boston in a game shortened by rain after six innings.
Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back homers off Hirokazu Sawamura (4-1) as the Yankees beat the Red Sox for the first time in eight meetings this season.
A week after striking out 12 in a complete game win at Houston, Cole (10-4) allowed one run and five hits. He walked two in a 96-pitch outing while the rain intensified throughout the game.
Cardinals 3, Giants 1
Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning as host St. Louis snapped San Francisco’s five-game winning streak.
Goldschmidt’s home run broke open a close game as the Cardinals came into the sixth holding a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals opened the scoring when Tyler O’Neill led off the second with a home run to right.
Kwang Hyun Kim (5-5) went six strong innings for the Cardinals, giving up just three hits with one strikeout. Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani (10-4) was pulled in the seventh for a pinch-hitter after going six innings, giving up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
Angels 9, Mariners 4
David Fletcher extended his hitting streak to 26 games with three doubles and five RBIs, and Alex Cobb pitched 6 2/3 quality innings as Los Angeles defeated Seattle in Anaheim, Calif.
Taylor Ward added a single, double and home run, and Jack Mayfield also homered as Los Angeles evened the three-game series at a victory apiece. Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning for the Mariners.
Cobb (7-3) allowed one run on five hits. The right-hander walked four and struck out six. Fletcher doubled on the first pitch of the night from Seattle left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (6-5), then came up again in the second inning with two outs and the bases loaded and doubled again, clearing the bases.
Tigers 1, Twins 0 (Game 1)
Robbie Grossman belted a solo homer to lead off the first inning, sending host Detroit to a win over Minnesota in the first game of a doubleheader.
The switch-hitting Grossman hit right-handed and blasted a home run into the bullpen in left-center field. It was Grossman’s 13th home run of the season and first at home since June 10.
It would be all the run support needed for four Detroit pitchers, who limited Minnesota to just two hits over seven innings.
Tigers 5, Twins 4 (Game 2, 8 innings)
Miguel Cabrera hit the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Detroit a win over visiting Minnesota in the second game of a doubleheader.
Minnesota took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when Gordon scored on a wild pitch by Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez (3-1) with two outs and runners on second and third.
The Tigers had a chance to win the game in the seventh with a runner on second and one out, but a strikeout of Zack Short and a lineout to right field by Hill ended the threat and forced extra innings.
Dodgers 9, Rockies 2
Max Muncy homered twice, drove in five and finished with four hits, Mookie Betts and A.J. Pollock also went deep, and Los Angeles beat Colorado in Denver.
Betts also had three doubles before leaving the game in the seventh inning with a right hip irritation, according to the team. Pollock had two hits and scored two runs for the Dodgers. Walker Buehler (10-1) struck out eight in seven innings for Los Angeles, which has won eight straight over Colorado.
Ryan McMahon doubled and drove in a run for the Rockies, who didn’t have a baserunner after the third inning.
Orioles 8, Royals 4
Ramon Urias was one of four Orioles with two hits, including an RBI single in a five-run third, as Baltimore defeated host Kansas City in the middle game of a three-game series. Urias also drove in two runs.
Paul Fry (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win. Four pitchers out of the Orioles’ bullpen combined for 4 1/3 innings and allowed no runs on just two hits and a walk.
Royals starter Brady Singer (3-7) took the loss, allowing a career-high seven earned runs. He gave up eight hits and a walk in two-plus innings and struck out one.
Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 2
Willson Contreras hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and visiting Chicago rallied past Arizona.
Contreras had three hits as the Cubs rallied in a span of four pitches against Joakim Soria (1-4). Contreras’ homer gave Chicago its fourth win in six games following an 11-game losing streak. It marked the first time the Cubs won consecutive games since June 22-24.
Nick Ahmed and Josh Rojas drove in the runs for Arizona, which fell to 20-2 when taking a lead into the ninth.
Brewers 7, Reds 4 (11 innings)
Christian Yelich doubled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and Willy Adames went 3-for-6 as Milwaukee beat host Cincinnati.
Jandel Gustave (1-0) pitched the final two innings to record his first win for the Brewers, who improved their lead to six games over second-place Cincinnati in the National League Central. With Nick Castellanos unavailable due to a sore right wrist and a late injury to newly activated Michael Lorenzen, the Reds were forced to use pitcher Wade Miley as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded. Miley grounded out to end the game.
Sean Doolittle (3-1) recorded just one out in the 11th and was charged with the loss.
Indians 3, Athletics 2
Right-hander Cal Quantrill celebrated a homecoming with five strong innings and Franmil Reyes smacked his 15th home run of the season, lifting visiting Cleveland to a win over Oakland.
Less than 24 hours after watching a late lead turn into a walk-off defeat, Indians reliever James Karinchak worked into and out of a ninth-inning jam to protect a narrow lead en route to Cleveland’s fourth win in its last five games sandwiching the All-Star break.
Right-hander Frankie Montas (8-8) limited Cleveland to two runs on six hits in six innings, but took the loss. He walked one and struck out seven.
–Field Level Media
Source: One America News Network
