Embarrassing balk proves costly in Angels loss to Orioles

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.

The Los Angeles Angels thought they were in good hands on Saturday when they turned the ball over to Joe Smith. Unfortunately, the veteran reliever let the game slip through his fingers — literally — in one of the most unfathomable and embarrassing moments of the season.

Smith, who’s sure to garner interest on the trade market this month, was attempting to protect a one-run lead in the seventh inning. He was in a tough spot. Baltimore had runners at second and third with two outs, but all he needed was one good pitch to escape.

That’s when the unthinkable happened. As Smith reached in his glove and started his delivery to Adam Jones, the baseball simply fell out of his hand. That’s an automatic balk, which allowed Jonathan Schoop to trot home with the tying run.

The pitcher’s mound is an island unto itself. In moments like that it has to feel like the loneliest place on earth.

Unfortunately for Smith, there would be more trouble to come. After escaping the seventh inning with the game tied, Smith was brought back to start the eighth. He was greeted by a Manny Machado single, and then two batters later it was Schoop who haunted him again by knocking in the go-ahead run. That run would hold as the difference in Baltimore’s 3-2 win, and perhaps Smith’s most painful loss in the big leagues.

TOP PERFORMERS

Daniel Murphy: The former Met now owns the Mets in a baseball sense. Murphy went 3-for-4 in the Nationals 6-1 win on Saturday, connecting for a home run and a double while driving in four. Murphy now has six home runs and 19 RBIs against his former team already this season, which is amazing for several reasons. Here are a couple.

The second tweet was sent before Murphy finished doing damage on Saturday, but you get the point. He’s feasting on Mets’ pitching.

Tyler Anderson: The Rockies rookie notched a trio of firsts in their 8-3 win against the Phillies. On the hill, Anderson earned his first win by tossing six innings of two-run ball. At the plate, he picked up his first hit with a single in the third inning. Two innings later, he connected on his first home run, a two-run blast that tied the game and lit a fire under Colorado’s offense.

Yankees Bullpen: New York’s bullpen trio of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman carried a heavy load in Saturday’s 7-6, 11-inning win against the Indians. Manager Joe Girardi counted on his big three to pitch the final 5 1/3 innings after starter CC Sabathia was pulled after 5 2/3 innings. Betances allowed the game-tying run in the seventh, but aside from that they were effective, striking out eight total while allowing four hits and three walks. Chapman picked up the win.

Kendall Graveman: Oakland’s starter pitched lights out in Saturday’s 3-2 win against the Astros. The 25-year-old right-hander retired the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a single to A.J. Reed. He ended up tossing eight innings of two-run ball to earn his fifth win.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Josh Bell sure knows how to make a first impression. The 23-year-old slugger has appeared in two games since his call up, both as a pinch-hitter, and he’s now 2-for-2 after launching his mammoth grand slam in the Pirates 12-6 win against the Cubs.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Tigers 3, Blue Jays 2: Toronto’s seven-game winning streak ends thanks to Victor Martinez’s go-ahead homer in the eighth inning.

White Sox 5, Braves 4: Reigning Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier homered for the second straight day. His two-run blast in the second inning gave him 25 for the season and gave Chicago the lead for good.

Cardinals 8, Brewers 1: St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez struck out 11 over five innings to pick up his eighth win.

Red Sox 4, Rays 1: Tampa Bay has now lost 21 of 24 games dating back to June 16.

Marlins 4, Reds 2: Miami got three hits from Martin Prado and three runs scored from J.T. Realmuto to win again against Cincinnati. They’ll go for a three-game sweep on Sunday.

Royals 5, Mariners 3: Kansas City and Seattle are playing leapfrog in the AL wild card standings. The Royals are now up 1/2 game on the M’s.

Giants 4, Diamondbacks 2: After Jake Peavy was removed in the fourth inning, San Francisco’s bullpen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. Six relievers contributed, George Kontos earned the win and Santiago Casilla the save.

Dodgers 4, Padres 3: In this his second big-league start after Tommy John surgery, Brandon McCarthy allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings. He also struck out six and earned his second win.

Twins 8, Rangers 6: Minnesota got a big game from Eddie Rosario, who homered, doubled twice and scored four runs.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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