Monday, May 4, 2009

Cueto Blanks Pirates; Guillen Homer Fuels Royal Rally

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 3, 2009 American League The Kansas City Royals are desperately trying to hang in the AL Central race. With their come-from-behind 7-5 win over Minnesota on Sunday the Royals maintained their 1/2 game lead over Detroit in the division. Down 4-0 in the top of the 7th, Jose Guillen's 3-run homer - his third of the season - brought the Royals to within a run. They added two more in the inning to take the lead, then Guillen drove in another run in the 8th, giving KC a 6-4 lead. The veteran outfielder finished with 4 RBI. National League Everybody's chasing the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, but maybe even more surprising is the early success of the Cincinnati Reds, who remained tied for second in the division with the Cubs at 13-11, 3 1/2 behind St. Louis, with a 5-0 win at Pittsburgh Sunday. One reason the Reds are up in the standings is the emergence of Johnny Cueto as a solid starter. In Sunday's win, Cueto was nearly untouchable, allowing no runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 9 over 8 innings. In just his second season, Cueto (2-1) is off to a solid start, having allowed just 2 earned runs over his last 26 2/3 innings on the mound. His ERA has come down to 1.65; his WHIP is a very respectable 1.04.

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