Hyun-Soo Kim came up big in the Orioles’ late rally over the Blue Jays
As we approach the end of the 2016 season, the playoff races are the only thing to watch, as there are still very lively races for the AL and NL Wild Card spots. There were some teams that are sitting right on the edge of the playoff race and were playing teams that lead their division, but in other cases, teams that were directly in contention for a playoff spot faced each other. Two matchups of AL Wild Card contenders will open this daily update for September 29, 2016.
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Recap
Orioles come back to beat Blue Jays
Hyun-Soo Kim had a pinch-hit, two-run home run off of Roberto Osuna in the top of the ninth inning and the Orioles hung on to beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Chris Tillman allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking three batters and striking out two, while Mark Trumbo had a home run and Adam Jones finished with three hits for Baltimore. Francisco Liriano allowed six hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters in the no-decision, while Troy Tulowitzki and Ezequiel Carrera each had two hits and a run scored for Toronto.
Mariners demolish Astros
Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager had home runs and James Paxton allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, striking out eight, and the Mariners beat the Astros 12-3. Paxton (6-7) now has a 3.79 ERA while Cano and Seager each drove in three runs and Leonys Martin finished 3-for-4 with a walk, RBI, two stolen bases, and three runs scored for Seattle. George Springer and Evan Gattis each had home runs, with Marwin Gonzalez and Yulieski Gurriel finishing 2-for-4, but Doug Fister (12-13) allowed five runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings for Houston.
Mets beat Marlins to keep pressure on in NL Wild Card
James Loney and Jay Bruce each had home runs and Seth Lugo allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings to lead the Mets over the Marlins 5-2 on Wednesday. Lugo (5-2) now has a 2.67 ERA while Bruce and Loney each drove in two runs and Curtis Granderson finished 4-for-4 with a walk and a run scored for the Mets. Martin Prado finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and Giancarlo Stanton had a double, but Jose Urena (4-9) allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings for Miami.
Rockies blank Giants to play spoiler
Tyler Chatwood allowed three hits and two walks in eight scoreless innings, striking out nine batters as the Rockies beat the Giants 2-0 on Wednesday. Chatwood (12-9) now has a 3.87 ERA while Carlos Gonzalez finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and a double, Charlie Blackmon finished 2-for-4, and Nolan Arenado had an RBI for Colorado. Jeff Samardzija (12-11) allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings, striking out 11 batters and walking one, while Kelby Tomlinson had a pitch-hit double and Brandon Belt had a walk and a hit for San Francisco.
Pirates bash ace and ride cycle to beat the Cubs
John Jaso hit for the cycle and the Pirates blasted Cubs’ ace Jake Arrieta for seven runs as Pittsburgh beat the Cubs 8-4 on Wednesday night. Jaso finished 4-for-4 with two runs scored and five RBI while Sean Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored and Jamison Tallion (5-4) allowed one run on one hit in six innings for Pittsburgh. Arrieta (18-8) allowed 10 hits and struck out four batters while seeing his ERA jump to 3.10 while Anthony Rizzo hit a home run and Tommy LaStella had two RBI for the Cubs.
What to Watch For
The NL Central matchup of Dan Straily and the Reds and Alex Reyes and the Cardinals will be the top matchup on Thursday’s slate. Straily has three consecutive quality starts and has allowed three runs or fewer in five consecutive starts and nine of his last 10 starts. Reyes has allowed five runs in his four starts, winning three consecutive starts and posting a 1.58 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 40 innings this season. Danny Duffy, Johnny Cueto, and Jose Quintana will also pitch today.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
