Robinson Cano Slams KC; Tyler Greene Belts a Pair in Cardinal Victory

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 6, 2012

American League

Robinson Cano

The Yankees left Kansas City with a 2-2 split in their four-game series, but with some hope that their slumbering bats have finally awakened.

Nick Swisher was back in the lineup after a short absence, hitting his seventh homer of the year and Alex Rodriguez delivered a three-run job, but Robinson Cano had the big blast, socking a grand slam in the second inning off KC starter Luke Hochevar, as the Yankees put up a six-spot in the second inning and turned the game into a rout, prevailing by a 10-4 score.

Cano's homer was just his second of the season. His 2-for-5 effort raised his batting average to .261.

New York is still hovering just above the .500 mark - at 14-12 - but they are still in fourth place in the division, four games behind the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore took 17 innings to defeat Boston on Sunday, but finally won, 9-6, on Adam Jones' three-run homer in the top of the frame. With Tampa Bay losing to Oakland, the O's were catapulted into first place, 1/2 game ahead of the Rays.


National League

Tyler Greene

Despite dropping two of three to Houston, the St. Louis Cardinals remained in first place in the NL Central with an 8-1 smack-down of the Astros, avoiding the sweep.

St. Louis got solid mound work from Adam Wainwright (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 7 K), but it was the bat of the usually light-hitting second baseman Tyler Greene that turned the tables on the Astros.

entering the contest, Greene was batting an even .200, with one homer and four RBI on the season, but he belted a pair of wall-clearers and a double, driving in four runs from the bottom of the lineup to power the Cardinals to victory. Greene was 3-for-3 and scored three runs.

It was the first multi-homer game of Greene's major league career. He's hit only 8 homers in 359 major league at-bats, all with St. Louis.