MLB Nightly 9: Josh Donaldson's second home run caps day of four walk-offs

Alec Brzezinski

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MLB Nightly 9: Josh Donaldson's second home run caps day of four walk-offs image

Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups.

Josh Donaldson, Addison Russell, Wilmer Flores and Skip Schumaker all provided walk-off hits for their respective teams in a dramatic Tuesday night around MLB. Donaldson did so with a dramatic home run in the bottom of the ninth for a 10-9 Blue Jays win over the White Sox, while Flores helped the Mets escape the Phillies with a 5-4 win in the 10th.

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Out on the West Coast, aces David Price and Clayton Kershaw threw seven shutout innings, and Matt Kemp broke a scoreless tie in the 10th inning with a bases-clearing double against the Angels.

Here are more highlights from Tuesday's games:

Impact Performers:

C — Josh Thole, Blue Jays: Thole went 3 for 4 with three runs and an RBI.

1B — Mark Teixeira, Yankees: Teixeira went 2 for 4 with two runs, a home run and four RBIs.

2B — Robinson Cano, Mariners: Cano went 2 for 5 with a run scored in a 7-6 win over the Rays.

SS — Elvis Andrus, Rangers: Andrus went 3 for 4 with a stolen base, and now has nine hits in his last five games.

3B — Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays; Kyle Seager, Mariners: Simply put, Donaldson was superb. He went 4 for 4 with five runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs. The second home run was also a walk-off. Seager went 3 for 5 with a grand slam and a go-ahead home run. He ended the day with six RBIs.

OF — Jake Elmore, Rays: Elmore went 2 for 5 and drove in four runs.

DH — Prince Fielder, Rangers; Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: Fielder hit his ninth home run in the month of May in a 3-for-5 effort. Bautista went 3 for 4 with five RBIs in a 10-run explosion for the Blue Jays.

SP — Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: Kershaw looked more like a former Cy Young winner, pitching seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. He carried a perfect game into the fifth inning.

Key Injuries:

Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams exited Tuesday's game versus the Diamondbacks in the fifth inning with an apparent right quad injury. Adams pulled up lame while rounding first base and could be headed to the disabled list. 

Surprise Performers:

Good: The Twins: Minnesota (27-18) has won eight of its last 10 games and currently sits second in the competitive AL Central. The Twins are only one game behind the Royals for the division lead.

Bad: Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran: It's never easy going up against Clayton Kershaw, but Teheran was obliterated on Tuesday to the tune of eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Things were starting to look up for the Braves' ace with only two earned runs in his last two starts, but this performance will knock him back a bit.

Web Gems:

Kris Bryant skipped the web on this gem:

This fan executed the rare "hat gem":

Lorenzo Cain robs a home run:

Rusney Castillo flies through the air with ease:

Facts of the Day:

The Blue Jays' "Three Musketeers" are clicking right now:

Matt Holliday has been consistent:

This is the first time in franchise history the Astros were the first team to 30 wins.

Kershaw is the sixth pitcher since 1900 with 100 or more wins and 1,500 strikeouts within seven years of his MLB debut.

Adrian Gonzalez's home run in the fifth inning gave him RBIs No. 1,000 and 1,001 of his career.

Reactions:

Mark Teixeira can't believe Cain made that catch:

"He's become unbelievable. In the field, he made some unbelievable plays at second. On top of that, maturing at the plate. He obviously is a talent at 21. God, [at 21] there's no chance I'd be doing that. He's fun to watch and he's going to be really good for a long time." — Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said, via MLB.com, on Russell's game-winning hit.

Off the Field:

Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (toe) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday with High-A Brevard County. It's expected to last four games. The Brewers are also set to activate shortstop Jean Segura from the disabled list on Friday without a rehab assignment.

The Athletics activated closer Sean Doolittle from the 15-day DL.

Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (triceps) tossed four scoreless innings Tuesday in a simulated game and is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday.

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (elbow) is scheduled to begin pitching in extended spring training games Monday.

Padres outfielder Wil Myers was told he has shown "marked improvement" with his left wrist when he visited specialist Dr. Lorenzo Pacelli on Tuesday.

The trade between the Dodgers and Braves involving Juan Uribe and Alberto Callaspo is "done," pending approval by the commissioner’s office, according to FOX Sports. It was reported earlier Tuesday that Callaspo rejected the trade, but now FOX's Ken Rosenthal is saying Callaspo waived his right to reject any deal prior to June 15. Rosenthal says it would be a six-player trade that would send Uribe and right-hander Chris Withrow to Atlanta and Callaspo, lefties Ian Thomas and Eric Stults and a minor-leaguer to the Dodgers.

Scores:

AL:

Yankees 5, Royals 1

Astros 4, Orioles 1

Blue Jays 10, White Sox 9

Mariners 7, Rays 6 (10)

Twins 2, Red Sox 1

Rangers 4, Indians 3

Tigers 1, Athletics 0

NL:

Pirates 5, Marlins 1

Cubs 3, Nationals 2

Reds 2, Rockies 1

Mets 5, Phillies 4 (10)

Cardinals 6, Diamondbacks 4

Giants 6, Brewers 3

Dodgers 8, Braves 0

Interleague:

Padres 4, Angels 0 (10)

A Look Ahead: (All times Eastern)

Royals (28-17) at Yankees (24-22) 1:05 p.m.: The Yankees are attempting the sweep after two convincing wins. Michael Pineda (5-2, 3.59 ERA) has struggled in his last two starts giving up 12 runs (nine earned). He'll battle Chris Young (4-0, 0.78 ERA), who may be the most surprising player in baseball this season. 

Mariners (21-23) at Rays (24-22) 1:10 p.m.: If you like pitching duels, you will like this game. Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.19 ERA) faces off against Chris Archer (5-4, 2.40 ERA). Hernandez looks well on his way to competing for his second Cy Young award, and Archer could prove to be one of his main adversaries.

Nationals (27-19) at Cubs (25-20) 8:05 p.m.: Max Scherzer (5-3, 1.67 ERA) has been excellent since signing with the Nationals. Jon Lester (4-2, 3.56 ERA) started the season poorly (15 earned runs in his first four starts), but has bounced back nicely in May.

Alec Brzezinski