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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.
We knew the Baltimore Orioles weren't going to finish the season 162-0, but their fans would have been plenty satisfied with 8-0 on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for them, that wasn't to be either. In a game that was decided by timely pitching and timely hitting, time finally ran out on their perfect season as they fell 4-2 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
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Baltimore certainly had its chances against Red Sox starter Joe Kelly. He allowed a baserunner in each of his five innings and needed a staggering 116 pitches to record 15 outs. He did prove resilient though, making quality pitches when he needed to. As a result, he minimized the damage against him, allowing just two runs despite giving up seven hits and walking five.
Boston would add one more that inning on a Mookie Betts ground out, and then held on tight as the bullpen brought it home. Five relievers combined to get 12 outs, and Craig Kimbrel put the stamp on it by striking out the side in the ninth.*
That officially ended Baltimore's record-setting start to the season. Never before had they gone 7-0, and no other team in baseball was able to reach 7-0 this season, so Baltimore has a lot to feel good about. At the very least, they're a long way away now from going winless in 12 games to begin spring training.*
TOP PERFORMERS*
Nolan Arenado: Remember Nolan Arenado? He was the Rockies breakout star last season, and apparently he's ready to reclaim some of the spotlight from rookie sensation Trevor Story. In *Wednesday's 10-6 win against the Giants, Arenado went ballistic, launching a pair of home runs and driving in a career-high seven runs. He couldn't get it completely away from Story. He stayed hot with three hits of his own, including a pair of triples. *
Domingo Santana: The 23-year-old outfielder smoked a*go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Brewers a stunning 6-4 win against the Cardinals. It was no cheapie either, as Santana dialed up a 440-foot blast against All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal. Santana also doubled earlier in the game and scored on a Jonathan Lucroy double. Lucroy finished with three hits as Milwaukee evened its record at 4-4.*
[Elsewhere: Mike Trout, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp pay tribute to Kobe Bryant]
Jerad Eickhoff: While Aaron Nola and Vince *get most of the hype in Philadelphia, Jerad Eickhoff has flashed some brilliance as well. That was especially true in the Phillies 2-1 win against the Padres on Wednesday. Eickhoff tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine. Through two starts, he has a sparkling 1.50 ERA.*
Logan Verrett: With Jacob deGrom scratched from Wednesday's start due to lat tightness — and to be present for the birth of his first child — the Mets rolled with spot starter Logan Verrett. The change up worked out quite well, as Verrett tossed six scoreless innings to lead the Mets to a 2-1 win over the Marlins. Verrett wasn't expected to go beyond three or four innings, but Terry Collins rode the hot hand. Verrett struck out six while allowing just three hits as New York avoided a three-game sweep.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT*
The Mariners finally won at home thanks to Dae-Ho Lee. The rookie from Korea delivered a pinch-hit, two-run walk-off homer to give the Mariners a 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon. Seattle started the season with five straight losses at Safeco Field.**
THE SCOREBOARD
Angels 5, A's 1:*Mike Trout led the way with three hits and three runs scored. Matt Shoemaker picked up the win with six scoreles innings.*
Nationals 3, Braves 0: Washington did all of the scoring in the fourth inning on Stephen Drew's solo homer and Jayson Werth's two-run blast.*
Blue Jays 7, Yankees 2: Ryan Goins was Toronto's offensive star in this one, collecting three hits and driving in two runs.*
Tigers 7, Pirates 3:*Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided the difference with his sixth-inning grand slam. Ian Kinsler also homered for Detroit.
Indians 4, Rays 1: Carlos Carrasco was superb, limiting Tampa Bay to one run on four hits over eight innings.*
Cubs 9, Reds 2: Chicago scored five in the first inning and never looked back en route to its first 7-1 start since 1985. Kris Bryant made the loudest impact, connecting on his first home run of the season.
White Sox 3, Twins 0: Minnesota falls to 0-8 after mustering just four hits against Carlos Rodon and a trio of White Sox relievers. They'll try again on Thursday against Mat Latos.*
Royals 4, Astros 2: Salvador Perez cranked the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth off a struggling Ken Giles. Joakim Soria notched the save for a resting Wade Davis.*
Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 1: Starting pitching continues to be the story for Los Angeles. Alex Wood kept that going with seven innings of one-run ball against a double-tough Arizona lineup.*
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