Hamilton 5-for-5; Werth, 3 HR, 8 RBI as Interleague Play Begins

Players of the Day from Friday, May 16, 2008 American League The battle of Texas goes to... Josh Hamilton, whose 5 hits in 5 at-bats led the Rangers to a 16-8 trouncing of Houston. A second-year center fielder out of Raleigh, NC, Hamilton stroked a pair of homers, a triple and a couple of singles, scored four times and drove in 5 runs as part of the Rangers' 17-hit assault. The perfect night at the plate improved Hamilton's batting average from .293 to .314 and increased his major league-leading RBI total to 49. It was also his 15th multi-hit game this season and fifth in his last seven. The two homers tied him with Carlos Quentin for the AL lead with 10. Traded from the Reds after the 2007 season, Hamilton has been feasting on American League pitching all season. Seems he still likes the NL variety as well. Notes: Bottoms Up: The Detroit Tigers are mired in last place in the Central Division, having lost t straight while Kansas City has quietly snuck up on the leaders with five straight wins and is only 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland. KC and LA are the only AL teams with winning road record, 10-9 and 12-9, respectively. National League Few players ever have the kind of game Jayson Werth had in Philly's 10-3 pounding of Toronto. Werth hit a three-run homer in the second inning, a grand slam in the 3rd and followed those up with a solo shot in the 5th. Three homers in four at-bats, three runs scored and a whopping 8 RBI qualifies as a great night in anyone's book. A mainstay this season in center field for the Phillies, Werth is batting .288 with nine homers and 26 RBI. Notes: The win by Philadelphia moved them into a tie with the formerly red-hot Marlins, who have now lost four straight after dropping a 7-6 decision to Kansas City on Friday.