Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder Bomb Beckett, BoSox; Adam LaRoche Goes 4-for-5 in Nats' Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 7, 2012

American League

Prince Fielder

Boston's Josh Beckett got banged around pretty hard by the heavy-hitting Detroit Tigers, giving up five homers and lasting only 4 2/3 innings in a 10-0 Tiger rout.

Miguel Cabrera

Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera each belted a pair and catcher Alex Avila added a two run shot. Cabrera got things going for Detroit in the first inning, launching a two-run shot, then, in the fourth, Fielder belted a solo job to left center, followed two batters later by Avila, who crushed one to left with Delmon Young aboard.

In the fifth inning, Cabrera and Fielder went back-to-back for the first time together, an occurrence that many AL pitchers fear may happen with some regularity this season. After Fielder's second homer of the day, Beckett pitched to one more batter before making his early exit.

Cabrera finished 2-for-5 with three RBI; Fielder was 2-for-3 with two RBI. The Tigers are off to a 2-0 start, while the Red Sox are 0-2. The series concludes Sunday, starting at 1:05 pm EDT.

Adam LaRoche

National League

The NL East figures to be a dog-fight this season, and already the standings seem to reflect that. The Phillies, Marlins and Braves are already chasing last years whipping boys, the Mets and Nationals, both 2-0.

Washington first baseman Adam Laroche went 4-for-5 with a fourth-inning, two-run homer off Cubs' starter Matt Garza as the Nationals dumped Chicago, 7-4. It was the Cubs' second straight home loss to the Nats.

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LaRoche added three singles, upping his average to an even .500, and scored twice for Washington. Traded to the Nationals from Arizona after the 2010 season, LaRoche played in just 42 games last year, batting just .172, electing for season-ending shoulder surgery in late May.

Back healthy, LaRoche adds a potent bat to the middle of Washington's lineup.