There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:
Padres, Mets go back-and-forth in amazing/upsetting game
The Mets entered play on Monday having won seven games in a row, but their series opener against the Padres was a mess. In the best way. Unless you’re a Mets fan, anyway — things didn’t end well for that side. But the game leading up to that end was something else.
Heading into the fifth inning, the two sides were tied up, 1-1, with both starters — Frankie Montas for New York and Dylan Cease for San Diego — getting through the opposing lineups with little issue. Well, Cease can thank Fernando Tatis Jr. for that a bit, since he reeled in a would-be home run in top of the fourth.
The fifth is when things fell apart for both sides, however. First up, a Mark Vientos grand slam that scored Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto and Jeff McNeil, and put the Mets up 5-1.
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The Padres would answer back immediately. Luis Arraez of all people decided it was time to go yard, and while he had to get an assist from the foul pole for it to happen, that still counts the same, you know.
The Mets had the inning all wrapped up and the damage limited to Arraez’s two-run shot, until they couldn’t quite get the third out at first base on a ball hit to Pete Alonso. Jake Cronenworth ended up with an RBI single and the Padres got another chance at the plate thanks to his legging this one out, and then Bryce Johnson made the most of the opportunity with his own single that scored Xander Bogaerts to tie things up, 5-5.
Elias Diaz would add yet another post-Cronenworth RBI single, putting San Diego up 6-5. The Mets would not go quietly, however. Ronny Mauricio tied things up in the top of the ninth with a solo home run off of closer Robert Suarez.
Suarez would hold the Mets after that, however, getting Brandon Nimmo to fly out to center and Francisco Lindor to strike out on a foul tip. The Mets would put Gregory Soto on the mound for his second appearance since he was acquired from the Orioles, and it would not go as well as the first.
Xander Bogaerts singled to open the inning, then pinch-hitter Jose Iglesias reached on a fielder’s choice, while Bogaerts was safe at second due to a throwing error by Soto. Cronenworth attempted to bunt both runners over but got Bogaerts thrown out at third, and then Johnson would strike out, so it seemed that the damage had been avoided. However, it was not to be, as Soto hadn’t erased all the damage from his throwing error:
Diaz would drive in another run with a single that scored Iglesias, and the Padres snapped the Mets’ seven-game win streak. San Diego picked up a game in the wild card standings, while the Mets stood pat in the NL East thanks to the White Sox defeating the Phillies. So hey, not all bad, New York.
Hey, it got there
Sometimes you see an extremely powerful throw from third base after a tough defensive play, and you’re wowed by it. And sometimes, the throw has just enough on it. Lucky for Mariners’ third baseman Ben Williamson, both approaches are valid.
Twins walk it off
Before getting into how the Twins walked it off against the Red Sox following a rain delay, it’s very important that you know that, on Monday night in the ninth inning, Jhoan Duran faced Jarren Duran. That’s right, we got Duran-Duran.
Ahem. The Red Sox entered the top of the ninth with the score tied 3-3, but a Roman Anthony single gave them their second lead of the evening. No one could hold back the rain, so the game had to pause to let the storm pass, and when play resumed, the Sox began to come undone. DaShawn Kairsey Jr. singled to lead off the bottom of the inning, then both Mickey Gaspar and Will Castro were hit by pitches, loading the bases with no outs. A force out at home kept the bases loaded but gave the Sox one out, but it was too late (Marlene): Brooks Lee would single home a pair of runners in the next at-bat, and it was ballgame, Twins.
Minnesota was clearly hungry for a win. You might even say they were hungry like the wolf. But it’s unclear why you would say that. Feels forced.
Naylor’s 1st Mariners dinger
The Mariners traded for Josh Naylor so they could get more offense, and on Monday, that’s what they got. Naylor’s first homer in a Seattle uniform was his 12th of the year, and it gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in a game they’d end up winning against the A’s, 3-1.
A timely shot, but no baseballs were harmed in the making of that homer. Unlike with the next one.
Acuna destroyed a baseball
Ronald Acuna Jr., 468 feet. Holy smokes.
Despite hanging up there forever, Acuna hadn’t passed first base by the time it landed. And that’s fine. You’d admire a shot like that one, too.
Burns was feeling it
Reds’ rookie starter Chase Burns has struggled a bit since coming to the majors, but you can see stretches of the 22-year-old — who was drafted second-overall just last summer — putting it all together. And it looks incredible when he does, such as on Monday when he struck out five Dodgers’ batters in a row.
Burns would give up three runs in 5.2 innings, and Cincinnati would lose 5-2, but starts like that one are still encouraging ones. That Reds’ rotation is so close to being top-to-bottom nasty.
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