Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron both homer in the Angels’ 2-1 win over the White Sox.
1. Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels. Heaney didn’t get the win in the Angels’ 2-1 victory over the White Sox, but his role in the Angels’ rotation is becoming increasingly vital, with Matt Shoemaker sent down to Triple-A, Jered Weaver just off the DL and C.J. Wilson‘s season-ending elbow surgery set for Thursday. With the Angels reeling — six losses in seven games entering the contest and the majors’ worst record since July 23 at 6-17 — Heaney allowed just one run in six innings. His final out was his biggest: With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, he struck out Tyler Flowers on a 3-2 fastball after an eight-pitch battle. C.J. Cron‘s homer in the seventh off Carlos Rodon was the go-ahead blast.
Heaney, the rookie left-hander acquired from the Dodgers in the Howie Kendrick deal, has allowed more than two runs just once in his 10 starts since being called up in late June. He has gone at least 5 1/3 innings each turn, which has provided stability to the rotation. His fastball is a two-seamer with sinking action that sits at 90-93 mph, and he throws it a lot: more than 60 percent of the time so far, and 58 of 100 pitches Monday. Heaney mixes in a slider and changeup, but it’s all about the movement and location on his two-seamer.
Baltimore Orioles. What to make of the Orioles? They’ve been hovering around .500 all season, usually flying under the radar but never viewed as a strong playoff contender. That’s likely a reflection of the lack of star power in their rotation. But the Orioles have also been inconsistent. They had one very good stretch from June 4 through June 28, in which they went 18-5. They followed that with a 5-15 stretch that dropped them to 46-49 on July 24. They won five in a row and then went 6-7 the next two weeks. They just swept the A’s in a four-game series that included beating Cy Young contender Sonny Gray 4-2 on Monday behind Chris Tillman and hometown hero Steve Clevenger.
Clevenger, born in Baltimore and a graduate of Mount St. Joseph’s High School (Mark Teixeira also went there), had brief stints with the O’s in 2013 and 2014 but has spent most of 2015 in Triple-A. He’s back for his third stint with the team this season, after playing two games in May and two in June. The backup catcher went 4-for-6 as the DH in Sunday’s 18-2 win, which earned him another start against Gray. In the fourth inning, a two-out error by second baseman Eric Sogard kept the inning going, and Jonathan Schoop followed with a single. Clevenger then homered on an 0-2 fastball Gray didn’t get far enough inside. Hitters against Gray on 0-2 counts this season entering the game: .110 average, with two home runs.
Tillman took it from there. He went seven innings and allowed two runs — home runs — but just three hits. That’s five strong outings in his past six starts (2.31 ERA in those six games), including four starts of seven-plus innings. Like last year, Tillman might be finding a groove at the right time. Buck Showalter then handed the ball to his dynamic 1-2 duo of Darren O’Day and Zach Britton. If the Orioles have a strength aside from Manny Machado, it’s these two. The Orioles are 51-1 when leading after seven and 54-0 when leading after eight.
What to make of the Orioles? Well, they lead the race for the second wild card by a half-game over the Angels. Their next 25 games are against playoff contenders, starting with the Mets on Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s time to put them on your radar.
3. Walk-off wins! The Texas Rangers got one against the Mariners, courtesy of a Fernando Rodney bases-loaded walk to Adrian Beltre (which is bad news for Beltre, who hates to have his head touched). Here’s how that inning went: Bunt single, bunt single, HBP, strikeout, walk. That’s why the Mariners lead the majors with nine walk-off losses. Anyway, the Yankees also got one in the 10th inning, thanks to two defensive miscues by the Twins. Did you know the Rangers are only three games behind the Astros in the AL West? And just one back of the second wild card? AL mediocrity, everyone!
4. Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals. He’s good.
5. Bionic hands! Hailey Dawson, 5, was born without fingers on her right hand, but she threw out the first pitch before the Orioles’ game with the help of a prosthetic device that allows her to grip objects … such as a baseball.
