Joaquin Arias Leads Giants to Sweep of LA; Adrian Beltre's 3 HR, Mitch Moreland's Grand Slam Power Rangers Past Baltimore

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22, 2012

American League

Exactly five years ago, the Rangers embarrassed the Orioles with a ridiculous, 30-3, victory. Wednesday night at home, the Rangers didn't exactly demolish the O's again, though the result was the same: a Texas win and a Baltimore loss.

Adrian Beltre socked three home runs - all within the first four innings - as the Rangers built an insurmountable, 10-1 lead, sending 12 batters to the plate in the fateful fourth, Mitch Moreland smacked a grand slam during the frame, surrounded by two of Beltre's three home runs. Noth Moreland and Beltre finished with five RBI in the 12-3 power display.

Moreland: GS, 5RBI

Beltre: 3 HR, 5 RBI

It was the second time this season that a Ranger had hit three homers in one game. Josh Hamilton stroked four earlier in the season.

The victory kept Texas five games up on Oakland in the AL West; the Orioles, despite the loss, remain in the thick of the wild card hunt, though they dropped out of the #2 slot to third, two games behind Tampa Bay and 1/2 game behind Oakland.

The Rays moved to within three games of the Yankees in the East with the sixth win in their last seven outings, taking two of three in KC with a 5-3 win. The Yankees were swept in Chicago by the White Sox, capped by Wednesday's 2-1 triumph. Chris Sale improved to 15-4 for the Sox, who are two games better than the Tigers in the Central. Sale fanned 13 and allowed just three hits over 7 2/3 innings. Derek Jeter produced the only run for the Yankees with a solo homer in the sixth, his third home run in as many games.


National League

Series sweeps seem to be the agenda this season in the stories rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers.

Joaquin Arias

Back in late June, the Giants took three straight from LA to assume the lead in the NL West. A little more than a month later, the Dodgers returned the favor, sweeping the Giants on their home turf.

With Wednesday's 8-4 win, the Giants completed another sweep of the Dodgers, this time in Los Angeles, to assume a 2 1/2 game lead over LA in the division with the Diamondbacks still lurking, 5 1/2 out.

Joaquin Arias, a 28-year-old utility infield rookie from the Dominican Republic, provided all the runs Matt Cain and the Giants would need with a home run, two doubles and five RBI in four at-bats.

Cain scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowing just one run while whiffing five for his 13th win against five losses.

The Giants head home for a four game series with Atlanta beginning Thursday, while the Dodgers get a day off before opening a three game set with the Marlins on Friday in LA.