Homer Pairs: David Ross Blasts Two for Braves, Adam Lind Doubles Toronto Pleasure

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 26, 2011

American League

Adam Lind

Just 20-odd games into the season, it's business as usual in the AL East, with four teams chasing the Yankees, who happen to be the only unit in the division with a record above .500.

One of those "other" teams on the chase is the Toronto Blue Jays, who have compiled a 10-11 record thus far, including Tuesday's 10-3 win at Texas.

Yankee fans may disagree, but Toronto has the nucleus of a very solid ball team, capable of winning the division or at least contending for it. One of the players who will have to perform at a high level is 6th-year pro Adam Lind, who connected for a pair of homers in the victory.

Lind blossomed in 2009, smashing 35 home runs with 114 RBI, but the numbers were down significantly last season (23 and 72). Toronto's success lies largely with Lind's level of production.

Getting the Blue Jays on the board early, Lind ignited a 5-run, first inning rally with an RBI single and later scored. He knocked a solo homer in the 3rd inning and put the game away with a three-run blast in the 4th. The five RBI gave him a team-leading 17, three behind league leader, Adrian Beltre.

National League

David Ross

With their 8-2 road win, Atlanta delivered the padres' their seventh loss in their last eight games, keeping them mired in last place in the NL West. The Braves also hung the first loss of the season on starter Aaron Harang (4-1).

Jair Jurrjens (2-0) went the distance for the Braves, allowing both earned runs on nine hits, but the Padres were mostly undone by catcher David Ross, who homered twice off Harang with a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run job in the 6th, which finished off the starter and the Braves' scoring for the night.

It wasn't supposed to go that way. Ross was in the lineup to give regular backstop Brian McCann a night off. It was just his fifth game this season, but he made the most of it.

The Braves could use more consistent production. At 12-13, they're 4 games back of the Marlins in the division and though they're second in the league in homers, with 27, their team batting average of .228 is third-worst in the NL.