Mark Reynolds Leads Brewers to Sweep of Reds; A's Remain Hot as Yoenis Cespedes Homers Twice

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 23, 2014

American League

Cespedes: 2HR, 5RBI

The Oakland A's just keep rolling along, now two games ahead of the Angels in the torrid AL West, after knocking off Houston on Wednesday, 9-7. At 62-38, the A's have the best record in the majors, followed closely by those pesky Angels (60-40).

Yoenis Cespedes, back-to-back champion in the all-star home run derby, proved why he is the reigning strongman in the big leagues, belting two shots in the win - a three-run homer in the second inning and a two-run blast in the fourth, which put the A's up 7-0, prior to their pitching staff nearly giving the game away allowing seven runs over the final five innings, including a five-run Houston eighth.

Cespedes finished 2-for-5, with five RBI. He has 16 homers and 61 RBI on the season.

Reynolds: 2HR, 3RBI

The series tied at a game apiece, the teams will settle up Thursday at 6:35 pm PDT at the Coliseum in Oakland.

National League

Mark Reynolds touched off a pair of homers and added a single in four at-bats as the Brewers dropped the Reds, 5-1, as Milwaukee swept visiting Cincinnati, three straight.

Reynolds broke open a close game in the sixth inning with a two-run job, adding a solo shot in the eighth, giving him three RBI on the night.

The win pushed their lead in the Central to 2 1/2 games over the Cardinals, losers of three straight, and Pittsburgh, who has tied St. Louis for second with two consecutive wins over the Dodgers.