Tigers Sweep White Sox with 18-2 win; Marcum, Braun Lead Brewers Past Houston

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 4, 2011

American League

Miguel Cabrera

There were some big scores put up by some of the leading teams in the American League on Sunday - like Cleveland's 9-6 win at Kansas City, the Yankees' 9-3 win over Toronto, and the 11-4 beating Texas put on Boston - but none were more impressive than Detroit's 24-hit, 18-2 slaughter of the Chicago White Sox.

Alex Avila

While Matt Scherzer was picking up his 14th win against eight losses, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out six over seven innings, the Tigers were galloping around the bases, scoring multiple runs in four different innings. The big bats belonged to Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila and rookie Andy Dirks, who only came on as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning, smacking a two-run single, and later socked a two-run bomb in the 8th inning, going 2--for-2 with a home run and four RBI.

Cabrera went 2-for-4, with a 4th inning double that plated two runs and a 6th inning homer with Dirks aboard. The home run was Cabrera's 26th of the season. He had four RBI to up his total to 92.

Andy Dirks

Avila, who caught the whole game, was 4-for-6, with a pair of ribbies and two runs.

The Tigers swept the weekend series from the White Sox, winning the first two games, 8-1 and 9-8, sending Chicago back down to third place in the AL Central, 8 1/2 games back, while increasing their lead over second-place Cleveland to 6 1/2 games.

Milestones: Toronto's Jose Bautista hit his 40th home run of the season to lead the majors. Adrian Beltre collected his 2000th hit in the Rangers' win over Boston.

Ryan Braun

National League

It was a little different story over in the NL, where Shaun Marcum walked one and allowed just one hit over seven innings as the Brewers continued to demolish the competition with a 4-0 win over Houston.

Shaun Marcum

Marcum (12-5) struck out eight and had a no-hitter spoiled by Houston center fielder Jordan Schafer, who singled with one out in the 6th inning.

Ryan Braun provided the bulk of the offense with a solo homer in the 1st, a bases-loaded walk in the 4th and a run-scoring single in the 7th inning. He went 3-for-3 with three RBI. Braun is having an MVP-like year, batting .325 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI.

The win dropped Milwaukee's magic number for clinching the division to 13. They have a 9 1/2-game lead on St. Louis.