Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Walk-off HBP
The Rangers earned the win over the A’s on Tuesday, 5–4, and it came in unusual fashion: In the 10th inning, with runners on first and second, the A’s decided to walk Carlos Beltran. With the bases loaded, Rougned Odor stepped up to the plate and was hit by the first pitch he saw, thereby bringing in the winning run.
As the Associated Press reported, Odor addressed the walk-off win after the victory:
“The pitch he threw me was really, really in,” he said. “And I was like, ‘I’m not going to move. I’ll take that pitch, and we’ll win the game.'”
Diamondbacks fans might want to avert their eyes . . .
Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 MLB Draft, is expected to make his big-league debut with the Braves on Wednesday. Swanson, who was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks, was traded to Atlanta in a highly criticized exchange for right-hander Shelby Miller (who’s been demoted to triple-A as he tries to figure his stuff out).
The 22-year-old infielder hit .261 in 84 games with the double-A Mississippi Braves this year. Here, FanGraphs scouts the burgeoning star.
Mr. Strasburg struggles in Washington
Nationals righty Stephen Strasburg will take the mound on Wednesday versus the Rockies. The 28-year-old has lost his last two starts—most recently, he allowed six runs over 5 1/3 innings to the Braves.
Here’s Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post on what Strasburg needs to fix to right his ship.
Giants step back
The Pirates defeated the Giants on Tuesday, 4–3. With the loss, San Francisco fell to second in the division behind the Dodgers. The Giants’ time atop the NL West had spanned 121 days.
In other news, veteran reliever Joe Nathan agreed to a minor-league deal with San Francisco. The 41-year-old underwent his second Tommy John surgery in 2015 and is attempting a comeback. He was released by the Cubs earlier this month.
Thor still hammering
Noah Syndergaard hit a tie-breaking two-run home run during the Mets’ matchup with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He also pitched into the sixth inning. The Mets won, 7–5.
That’s three homers for Thor this season, the most by a pitcher in the majors—and, as noted by ESPN, a franchise record.