Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Mini bat flip
Rougned Odor made an ugly error on the basepaths during the Rangers’ matchup with the Mariners on Tuesday. In the seventh inning, Odor tried to turn a single into a double and promptly got himself out.
But Odor eventually redeemed himself, hitting a monster two-run home run off Seattle closer Edwin Diaz to earn the walk-off win, 8–7. It was Diaz’s first blown save for his club.
Odor, upon hitting the game-winner, gave Diaz a massive staredown. He also performed a wee bat flip, which is already being compared to a bigger, much more famous bat flip from a certain Blue Jays slugger.
Giants killer
Zack Greinke led the Diamondbacks to a win over the Giants on Tuesday. Greinke allowed two runs—one earned—in six innings of work. The Giants have not have a great second half, though the team is just two games back of first in the division, with a firm hold on the first NL wild card spot.
Diamondbacks righty Shelby Miller returns to the big club following a stint in triple-A. The 30-year-old last made a major-league start on July 6. He’ll take the mound Wednesday versus Giants lefty Matt Moore, who tossed a one-hitter in his last outing.
Comeback crushed
The Royals attempted to rally from behind on Tuesday, forcing their matchup with the Yankees into extra innings. But the men in pinstripes pulled out the win, 5–4.
Kansas City is now three games back of the second AL wild-card spot, while the Yankees are three and a half games back.
Speaking of the Yankees, it seems a number of them are in Tim Tebow’s corner, offering praise for the former NFLer as he attempts a career in the bigs.
Thor hates the wave, too
The Mets defeated the Marlins on Tuesday 7–4. They got some help from Curtis Granderson, who homered twice.
After the win, Noah Syndergaard took to Twitter to celebrate his team’s victory—and voice his complaints about the dreaded wave.
In less-fun-for-the-Mets news, Steven Matz’s expected return from the disabled list is off this week. The starter is reportedly feeling “irritation” in his shoulder.
Something’s up with Arrieta
Jake Arrieta just hasn’t looked right of late. But what could be wrong with the Chicago Cubs’ ace? FanGraphs investigates the source of his problems.