The Walk Off: Nobody is as hot as Rockies rookie Trevor Story

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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.

Colorado Rockies rookie shortstop Trevor Story is your National League Player of the Week. No, MLB hasn't officially released the award just yet, but it's tough to imagine anyone else picking up the honor.*
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Story continued his assault on major-league pitching again Sunday, hitting his seventh home run in just his sixth game. Over his first 28 plate appearances in the majors, the 23-year-old is hitting an amazing .333/.357/1.111.
Not surprisingly, that performance has earned Story a place in the record books.
hiSTORY: @Tstory2's 7th HR set an @MLB record for the most HRs through a team's first 6 games of a season.https://t.co/20o3FsaqVu
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 11, 2016
The fun doesn't stop there, though. Since the season is young, and we're dealing with small samples, Story's numbers look even more ridiculous. Following Sunday's game, Story alone has hit more home runs than 16 different teams. He has matched the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, each club has managed seven dingers.*
The question facing Story isn't whether he can continue to hit at this torrid pace (Spoiler alert: He can't), it's whether he can remain a major-league caliber hitter once pitchers make an adjustment.
Some of the concerns analysts had about Story's approach, mostly his strikeout rate, have remained despite his hot start. Yes, Story is destroying everything he hits, but he's also striking out in 28.6 percent of his plate appearances. It's an incredibly small sample, sure, but it was one of the major issues facing Story entering the season.
The good news is, Story doesn't have to be an exceptional hitter moving forward in order to give the Rockies value. Shortstops hit just .256/.307/.375 last season, so the offensive bar is pretty low. He also has the advantage of playing half his games in Colorado.
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Even if there are growing pains, Story may have shown enough for the Rockies to ride with him even after Jose Reyes returns from a likely suspension. Maybe he won't wind up being an MVP candidate by season's end, but he could emerge as an above-average option at shortstop. For Colorado, that's a major win right now.
TOP PERFORMERS



Carlos Gonzalez: Story's streak may be the biggest narrative coming out of Colorado, but his teammate turned in a better performance Sunday. Gonzalez belted two home runs during the contest. His first gave the club a 1-0 lead in the first inning. His second put the nail in the coffin, giving his club the 6-3 lead.*
Manny Machado: The Baltimore Orioles are the only undefeated team in the game, and Machado is a big reason for that. The 23-year-old contributed in a major fashion Sunday, going 4-for-4, with two runs scored and two RBI in the 5-3 win. The youngster is off to a blistering start this year, hitting .429 to open the season.*
Marco Estrada: Much of the Toronto Blue Jays' success in 2016 depends on whether Estrada can build on his excellent 2015 performance. If Sunday's start was any indication, he's ready to go. Estrada dominated the Red Sox, holding the club scoreless over seven strong innings. He gave up five hits, two walks and struck out eight.*
[Elsewhere: Bartolo Colon came through with a great over-the-shoulder catch]
Nomar Mazara: Mazara looked like a veteran during his debut. The 20-year-old showed his skills immediately, slapping a single in his first at-bat. He was able to pick up another hit in his second plate appearance, keeping up the momentum. The biggest moment, however, came his third time at the plate. Mazara smashed a fastball from Jered Weaver out to center for his first major-league home run. He was considered one of the best prospects in the minors entering the season, and showed why in his start with the Rangers.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT


Jay Bruce may not be a member of the Reds for long, but he's making his contributions count early. The 29-year-old delivered in a big way Sunday, hitting a walk-off triple against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Arquimedes Caminero on the mound, Bruce hit a line shot down the right field line. Brandon Phillips hustled around the bases from first, and was easily safe at home, giving the Reds the 2-1 victory.
[Elsewhere: Robinson Chirinos finished an at-bat despite a broken forearm]
THE SCOREBOARD
Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 0: Two early runs against Steven Wright was all the Blue Jays needed with Marco Estrada on the mound.
Phillies 5, Mets 2: Jeremy Hellickson pitched well again for Philadelphia. The club was lifted by an Odubel Herrera home run off Matt Harvey in the sixth inning.
Nationals 4, Marlins 2: A three-run seventh inning pushed the Nationals over the Marlins. Jayson Werth managed an RBI single to give his club the lead. Clint Robinson also added a single, scoring two and putting the game out of reach.
Cardinals 12, Braves 7: St. Louis overcame a poor start by Adam Wainwright with an offensive explosion. Six players on the Cardinals managed to notch at least one RBI during the contest.
Brewers 3, Astros 2: Dallas Keuchel had an uncharacteristic start, giving up three runs and walking six batters over 5 2/3 innings. Jimmy Nelson was slightly better, allowing just two runs in six innings. Nelson struck out nine.
Royals 4, Twins 3: The Twins couldn't hold a two-run lead in the ninth inning and then lost on a walk-off wild pitch in extras.
Angels 3, Rangers 1: Jered Weaver's first start of the season went well. The veteran allowed just one earned run on six hits over six innings. His fastball sat in the 82 mph range, occasionally hitting 84 mph.
Giants 9, Dodgers 6: Johnny Cueto and Scott Kazmir each gave up six earned runs, but the Giants took advantage of the Dodgers bullpen to give Cueto the win.
Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 3: Jake Arrieta helped his own cause, smashing a 442-foot home run off Shelby Miller. He pitched well too, giving up three runs over seven innings.
Athletics 2, Mariners 1: Coco Crisp's 10th inning home run lifted the A's over the M's. Seattle received another strong start from ace Felix Hernandez. He tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out 10, but had nothing to show for it.
Indians @ White Sox: Postponed: Game will be made up as a doubleheader May 23.*
Yankees @ Tigers: Postponed: A makeup date has not been announced at this time.
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