Players of the Day for Saturday, September 12, 2009
American League
With all the hoopla surrounding Derek Jeter becoming the Yankees' all-time hits leader, nobody seemed to notice that the lowly Baltimore Orioles absolutely outplayed the Yankees in two straight games, winning the opener of their 3-game series, 10-4 on Friday and t
aking the second game 7-3 on Saturday. With the focus on leadoff hitter Jeter, the O's spark plug,
Brian Roberts, was not about to go quietly or without notice. After going 1-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs Friday night, Roberts followed up with an even better effort on Saturday, hitting a single, double and his 15th home run - a second-inning grand slam off starter A. J. Burnett - to lead the rout with 4 RBI. For good measure, Roberts added his 29th steal of the season.
The O's can go for the rare sweep at Yankee stadium on Sunday, attempting to keep the Yankee magic number at 14.
National League
2009 has been a forgettable year for the NY Mets. A rash of injuries to key players all but scuttled their competitive chances by mid-season, though the players left standing did their best with limited resources. In an otherwise down year, the Mets got some level of revenge in Saturday's
10-9 win over probable NL East division winner Philly, as
David Wright gave the Mets an early lead, then led a comeback in the late innings.
Wright, batting .316 on the year, started the Mets off with a two-run single in the first, but after leading 4-0, Philadelphia stormed back to take a 9-5 lead after 7. In the 8th, Wright launched the first of his two 2-run homers to close the gap, and hit the game-winner in the 9th with his second bomb. The power numbers way down, Wright's homers were just his 9th and 10th of the season and the 6 RBI upped his total to only 66. In 2008, Wright mashed 33 homers and drove in 124 runs.
The Mets' win kept Philly's magic number at 17, with the never-say-die Marlins closing to within 5 games of first place. 18 games back, the Mets have already been eliminated from the post-season.
NOTES: Saturday was a day for the underdogs, as the only teams among the contenders to record wins were the Red Sox and Dodgers. Boston now holds a 3-game edge over Texas in the wild card race, while the Dodgers bumped their lead to the same level in the NL West. The Rockies, despite ending an 8-game win streak, still have a power lock on the NL wild card, leading the Giants and Marlins by 5 1/2 games. The Marlins probably have a better chance of catching the Phillies, as they are just 5 out and play 6 games with the division-leaders over the last two weeks of the season, the final three coming at the very end of the campaign on October 2, 3, and 4 in Philadelphia.
With all the hoopla surrounding Derek Jeter becoming the Yankees' all-time hits leader, nobody seemed to notice that the lowly Baltimore Orioles absolutely outplayed the Yankees in two straight games, winning the opener of their 3-game series, 10-4 on Friday and taking the second game 7-3 on Saturday. With the focus on leadoff hitter Jeter, the O's spark plug, Brian Roberts, was not about to go quietly or without notice. After going 1-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs Friday night, Roberts followed up with an even better effort on Saturday, hitting a single, double and his 15th home run - a second-inning grand slam off starter A. J. Burnett - to lead the rout with 4 RBI. For good measure, Roberts added his 29th steal of the season.
The O's can go for the rare sweep at Yankee stadium on Sunday, attempting to keep the Yankee magic number at 14.
National League
2009 has been a forgettable year for the NY Mets. A rash of injuries to key players all but scuttled their competitive chances by mid-season, though the players left standing did their best with limited resources. In an otherwise down year, the Mets got some level of revenge in Saturday's 10-9 win over probable NL East division winner Philly, as David Wright gave the Mets an early lead, then led a comeback in the late innings.
Wright, batting .316 on the year, started the Mets off with a two-run single in the first, but after leading 4-0, Philadelphia stormed back to take a 9-5 lead after 7. In the 8th, Wright launched the first of his two 2-run homers to close the gap, and hit the game-winner in the 9th with his second bomb. The power numbers way down, Wright's homers were just his 9th and 10th of the season and the 6 RBI upped his total to only 66. In 2008, Wright mashed 33 homers and drove in 124 runs.
The Mets' win kept Philly's magic number at 17, with the never-say-die Marlins closing to within 5 games of first place. 18 games back, the Mets have already been eliminated from the post-season.
NOTES: Saturday was a day for the underdogs, as the only teams among the contenders to record wins were the Red Sox and Dodgers. Boston now holds a 3-game edge over Texas in the wild card race, while the Dodgers bumped their lead to the same level in the NL West. The Rockies, despite ending an 8-game win streak, still have a power lock on the NL wild card, leading the Giants and Marlins by 5 1/2 games. The Marlins probably have a better chance of catching the Phillies, as they are just 5 out and play 6 games with the division-leaders over the last two weeks of the season, the final three coming at the very end of the campaign on October 2, 3, and 4 in Philadelphia.
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