Pedroia Extends Hitting Streak to 16 Games; Freddie Freeman Powers Atlanta Past Rockies

Players of the Day for Monday, July 18, 2011

American League

Dustin Pedroia

With David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg serving suspensions for a fighting incident prior to the all star break, there were no punches thrown as the Orioles and Red Sox opened a three-game series in Baltimore, but there was plenty of hitting.

The two teams combined for 28 hits; the Red Sox coming away with a 15-10 victory.

Boston Didn't have Big Papi, but they got Carl Crawford back from the DL to provide a couple of hits. Dustin Pedroia continued his hot streak, going 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Pedroia singled and doubled, driving in three runs and scoring once.

Prior to his 16-game streak, Pedroia had an 11-game hitting streak interrupted by a 0-for-3 effort June 28 at Philadelphia. Over his past 28 games, Pedroia has raised his batting average from .258 to .295 and the Red Sox have won 13 of the 16 games in his current hitting streak.

National League

Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman is having one heck of a rookie season with the Atlanta Braves.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with three RBI - two of them on a 3rd inning home run - and scored twice as the Braves continued to pressure the Phillies in the NL East with a 7-4 win at Colorado.

The three ribbies gave Freeman an even 50 for the year and his home run was #14 for the Atlanta first baseman.

Atlanta's win pushed them to within 2 1/2 games of the first place Phillies, as the Cubs beat Roy Halladay, 6-1, in Chicago.

NOTABLE: The Pittsburgh Pirates survived a 90-minute delay in the 1st inning and knocked off the Reds, 2-0, to take sole possession of first place in the contentious NL Central. The Pirates lead Milwaukee and St. Louis by 1/2 game, with the Reds four games out.

Jim Thome socked his 596th home run on Sunday, a three-run blast that gave the Twins a 4-3 win over the Royals. Thome is four shy of becoming the 8th player in major league history to reach the 600 home run mark, and his shot against the Royals was his 500th as an American Leaguer, making him the 11th player to achieve that lofty plateau.