Alfonso Soriano Drives in Seven as Yankees Crush Angels; Pirates Down Cardinals on Francisco Liriano's Complete Game

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 14, 2013

American League

Soriano: 2HR, 7RBI

The Yankees have been hampered by injuries this season, but to say that Jared Weaver and the LA Angels are having a rough year would be putting it lightly.

Weaver (6-7, 3.49) and the Angels were blown out by the Yankees, 11-3, as Alfonso Soriano and his teammates torched the LA starter for eight runs in the first two innings.

Soriano was 3-for-3, with two homers a double and seven RBI. After a first inning grand slam put the Yankees up 4-0, Soriano doubled in a pair of runs in the second inning as the Yanks plated four more. In the fifth, Soriano launched a solo shot for RBI number seven and in the seventh, the Angels wisely walked him, though he did come around to score on Chris Stewart's double.

The win was the fourth straight for the Yankees and third straight over the visiting Angels, now 16 games behind Texas in the AL West and hopelessly out of playoff contention. New York will try to finish off the series sweep Thursday at 1:05 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Liriano: CG, 4H, 1ER

After handing the Pirates their fourth straight loss and drawing to within two games of the NL Central leaders, the St. Louis Cardinals thought they might have Pittsburgh on the ropes before game two of their three-game series in the gateway city.

Enter Francisco Liriano to put an end to the speculation that the Pirates were about to fold.

With a complete game four-hitter, Liriano won for the eighth time in his last ten starts, sending the Pirates back to a three-game lead in the division with a crucial 5-1 road win.

Staked to an early 5-0 lead, Liriano throttled the Cardinals over the first eight innings, holding them scoreless until the ninth, when Carlos Beltran cashed in Matt Carpenter's double with a ground out to third for the lone St. Louis run of the game.

Otherwise, Liriano (13-5, 2.68) was in complete control, fanning six and walking one, needing just 94 pitches for the complete game win, his second of the season.

The Pirates and Cardinals will complete their three-game series Thursday afternoon at 1:45 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who led the National League in steals three straight years, from 2005 through 2007? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: KC's Dan Quisenberry led the AL in saves four straight years, from 1982 through 1985.