Rivalry Roundup: Gio Urshela walks off the Tigers, Blue Jays lose a long one

The Yankees lost a frustrating one Monday night, a 6-4 loss to the Orioles where one more big hit would have made all the difference. The clutch hits in our rivals’ contests might be rubbing salt in the wound, but at least only three of them were in action, with the Rays and Red Sox off.

Detroit Tigers (14-17) vs. Minnesota Twins (26-16)

Be prepared to get your heart broken ... or at least, feel a little twinge of nostalgia. An old friend was the difference for the Twins as they beat the Tigers 5-4 on a walkoff single.

The Twins put up five runs, but only on two scoring plays, as Max Kepler hit a grand slam in the first inning to put his squad up 4-0. Miguel Cabrera had two hits in the comeback, including an RBI single that tied the game in the seventh, but really, all of that was prologue for Gio Urshela:

The walkoff single pushed the AL Central lead to 4.5 games for the Twins.

Toronto Blue Jays (22-20) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (24-18)

José Berríos had a strong start at Busch Stadium, striking out seven in 6.1 innings, and his counterpart Miles Mikolas was also tough over 6.2, but after each starter was out of the game, the 3-3 tie held until the tenth inning, when Paul Goldschmidt ended things with a walkoff grand slam. The final score was 7-3, but the game was much closer than that.

You’ll notice that is not Jordan Romano, he of the 2.70 ERA. Charlie Montoyo fell for the ol’ save-your-closer-for-a-save-situation, and paid for it by bringing in a pair of relievers who weren’t as good as his best, one who loaded the bases and one who promptly allowed the unloading of them. In the battle of the birds, a birdbrained decision doomed Toronto.

Cleveland Guardians (18-20) vs. Houston Astros (27-16)

The Astros got absolutely slapped around by Cleveland. Tristan McKenzie worked into the seventh before Alex Bregman got Houston on the board with a solo shot, and that was the only blemish on the slight righty’s night. He logged just three strikeouts against a single walk, but it was enough to shut the Astros down in the Guardians’ 6-1 win.

Surprise, surprise, José Ramírez was the big bat in the win, driving in four runs on a pair of hits, a double and a two-run shot into the bullpen:

The Angels were off last night so the loss only costs the Astros a half-game in the already very tight AL West race.