Matt Wieters, Endy Chavez Lead Orioles Over A's; Brewers Keep Closing as Wily Peralta, Ryan Braun Lead 3-0 Win Over Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 16, 2012

American League

Matt Wieters socked a pair of solo homers and Endy Chavez went 4-for-4 as the Baltimore Orioles avoided being swept in Oakland, keeping pace with the Yankees in the AL East pennant race with a 9-5 victory.

Matt Wieters

The win left the O's a game behind New York as the Yanks took two out of three from the visiting Rays, finishing the series with a 6-4 win. Looking more and more like an also-ran, the Rays have fallen five back of the Yankees and four behind Baltimore, currently in line for the second wild card position.

The A's dropped three back of Texas in the West but remain two games up on the Orioles for the first wild card. The Rangers took a 2-1 decision over Seattle on Sunday.

Endy Chavez

Wieters had only three official at-bats, walking twice and scoring a third time in the seventh inning after his solo shots in the second and fourth innings put the Orioles up 3-2. Chavez singled three times and doubled, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.

Baltimore begins a three game series in Seattle Monday, while the Yankees get a day off before opening a three game set with Toronto on Tuesday.

The A's hit the road for the next ten games, beginning Tuesday with three in Detroit, then three in New York and four games with the Rangers in Texas, a series that should go a long way toward deciding the AL West and the wild card positions.

National League

Don't look now, but here come the Brewers.

Milwaukee won its second straight over New York, topping the Mets, 3-0, behind the two-hit pitching of rookie Wily Peralta (2-0) and a pair of homers by Ryan Braun.

Braun: 40 HRs

Peralta went eight full innings in his third start of the season, walking one and fanning five while he bamboozled the Mets hitters. Of the three base runners Peralta allowed, two reached second, but none advanced any further. John Axford came on to earn his 29th save with a hitless, scoreless ninth.

Peralta: 8IP 2H 0ER

Braun's homers were both of the solo variety. He went back-to-back with Aramis Ramirez leading off the fourth inning, then sent his league-leading 40th over the left field wall in the sixth.

The result left Milwaukee just 2 1/2 behind the Cardinals in the race for the second wild card spot. St. Louis topped the Dodgers, 5-2, in 12 innings, dropping the Dodgers one game back. Pittsburgh lost and slipped behind the Brewers by 1/2 game.

Atlanta has virtually sewn up the first wild card. The Braves stuck it to the Nats, 5-1, Sunday night, sweeping the series in Atlanta while creeping to within 5 1/2 of Washington in the NL East standings.

The Phillies trail St. Louis by for games. Arizona is 4 1/2 out.

Milwaukee has been on a September tear, winning 11 of 15 games thus far. They face a rugged 10-game road trip beginning Tuesday, taking them to Pittsburgh for three games, Washington for four and finally into Cincinnati for a three game series the middle of next week.