Monday, June 8, 2009

Halladay Shuts Out Royals; Jones Perfect in Braves' 8-7 Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 7, 2009 American League Roy Halladay has already won one Cy Young award (2003), and it looks like he's well on his way to a second. In Sunday's 4-0 whitewashing of the Royals, Halladay was on cruise control, scattering seven hits without yielding a walk, striking out six. It was his third complete game and first shutout of the season. Notching his major league best 10th win against just one loss, Halladay helped keep the Blue Jays in the hunt in the AL East, 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees. Halladay's stats are sensational: He hasn't lost since April 21, winning 7 of his last 9 starts. This season, he's lasted at least 7 innings in every start, ranks fifth in the AL in ERA at 2.52, 4th in WHIP at 1.02, 3rd in strikeouts (88) and leads the league in innings pitched at an even 100. National League In Atlanta's wild, 8-7 win at Milwaukee, won by the Braves in come-from-behind fashion with three runs in the 8th inning, Chipper Jones was a force of nature, going 4-for-4, tripling in a run in the first, smacking a solo homer in the 3rd and blasting a three-run shot in the fifth. He also singled in the seventh and was intentionally walked - with runners on first and second - in the eighth inning, completing a perfect night at the plate while amassing 5 RBI. Jones continues to creep up on the leaders in batting average, now tied for ninth with the Cardinals' Raul Ibanez, at .329. Jones won his first batting title last season when he hit .364. His five-RBI afternoon gave him 1402 for his career.

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