Chris Davis' Grand Slam Lifts O's over A's in 10; Madison Bumgarner Solid as Giants Keep Pressure on Dodgers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 5, 2015

American League

Bumgarner: 12-6

Davis: Grand Slam in 10th

With time beginning to be a "front-of-mind" factor in all major league races, the Baltimore Orioles - and quite a few others - have to be thinking about making a move right about now.

The O's in particular, are just out of the wold card race, two behind the Angels and one game back of fellow AL East club, Toronto, but, the Orioles have to be thinking more about catching the Yankees and taking down the division crown, as they did last season.

With that in mind, Baltimore got a boost from their big slugger, Chris Davis, defeating the A's, 7-3, in 10 innings and taking two of three on the road.

Davis scored the tying run in the sixth, when he scored from second on a single by J.J. Hardy, and then delivered the decisive blow in the 10th, a grand slam, putting the O's up by the final score.

Following Daivs' blast (his 28 homer of the season, to go with 79 RBI, 3rd in the AL), Zach Britton - who came on in relief with two down in the eighth - put down the Athletics in order in the bottom of the tenth, sealing an important victory for Baltimore.

The Yankees feel to Boston, 2-1, on Wednesday, while the Blue Jays outlasted Minnesota, 9-7, putting the Yankee lead over Toronto at 4 1/2, and 5 1/2 ahead of the Orioles.

Baltimore gets a day off Thursday, traveling to Anaheim, where they open a three-game weekend series with the Angels on Friday.

National League

The Giants continue to keep the pressure on the Dodgers in the NL West, where they trail their southern cousins by two games after Madison Bumgarner improved to 12-6 with a 6-1 triumph over the home-standing Atlanta Braves.

Bumganer didn't give up a run until the seventh, but it was all the Braves would get. Manager Bruce Bochy pulled his starter after the run scored with one down in the eighth inning, calling on deliver Hunter Strickland after Eury Perez reached on an infield single. Strickland walked one but completed the inning without any damage. Santiago Casilla mopped up with a hitless ninth inning for the win.

Bumgarner is having his usual solid season for the Giants. He threw 116 pitches, allowed seven hits and struck out nine, giving him 148 on the year, fifth in the National League. His ERA is 3.28 with a 1.10 WHIP.

The Giants took two of three on the road from Atlanta and head to Chicago, where they open a four-game series with the Cubs on Thursday. The Dodgers whipped the Phillies, 4-3, on Wednesday and finish up their series on Thursday.