Alex Rios' 6 Hits, Dayan Viciedo's Two Homers Lead White Sox over Tigers; Wily Peralta Tosses 3-Hit Shutout for Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 9, 2013

American League

Rios: 6-for-6

It isn't often that a player gets six hits in a game. So rare is the feat that it's only happened 32 times in the American League, or about once every three years, on average.

It also isn't very often that the Tigers lose big with Justin Verlander on the mound, but that's exactly what happened when Alex Rios knocked out a triple and five singles, leading the White Sox to an 11-4 victory.

Dayan Viciedo

Rios' big night was part of a 23-hit attack, 12 of which came off Verlander, who yielded five runs, working into the eighth. That was when the Sox exploded a 1-1 tie, scoring seven runs in the frame and three more in the ninth.

Rios led off the eighth inning with a single, stole second and scored on Adam Dunn's two-run homer. Later in the inning he singled again, driving in a run, and singled again in the ninth, for another RBI. Riios also stole second in the fifth inning, making his line for the night, 6-for-6, a run, two RBI, two steals.

Dayan Viciedo also had a huge effort, with a single and two homers in four at-bats, four RBI and two runs.

The result left the White Sox still in last place, 13 games out, and Detroit in first, with a 2 1/2 game lead over Cleveland.

Game two of the series is 7:08 pm EDT, Wednesday night.

National League

Wily Peralta

There hasn't been a heck of a lot to cheer about in Milwaukee this season, but starting pitcher, Wily Peralta, gave the home town fans a treat with a three-hit shutout in the Brewers' 2-0 win over the Reds.

Peralta (6-9), a 24-year-old rookie out of the Dominican Republic, notched his first complete game and first shutout of his brief, but promising, major league career, fanning six and walking four.

Shin-Soo Choo led off the game with a single, but was doubled up on a liner. After that, the Reds didn't get another hit until Derrick Robinson tripled in the seventh, but was gunned down at home, trying to stretch the hit into a score.

The Brewers got their two runs on Logan Shafer's home run in the fifth inning, which proved to be all Peralta needed to get the win.

Cincinnati's loss dropped them four back of St. Louis - winners of four straight - in the Central division. The Brewers continue in last place, 17 1/2 games out.

Milwaukee will be looking for the series sweep when they host the Reds at 2:10 pm EDT on Wednesday.

Today's Trivia: Who had a higher lifetime batting average, Lou Brock or Maury Wills? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Tom (Flash) Gordon converted 54 straight save opportunities for the Boston Red Sox in 1998 and 1999. After blowing his first opportunity of the 1998 season, Gordon saved 43 straight, then added 11 in a row to start the 1999 campaign.