Gerardo Parra Goes 5-for-6 in Orioles' 18-2 Romp; Giants Sweep Nats on Madison Bumgarner's 3-Hit Shutout

Parra: 5-for-6

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 16, 2015

American League


The AL East continues to be the most intriguing race in the majors, with the Yankees failing to sweep the Blue Jays in Toronto on Sunday, dropping a 3-1 decision, and reducing their lead over Toronto to a mere 1/2 game.

While the two leaders were battling, the Orioles were sending baseballs all over and out of Camden Yards, accumulating 26 hits in an 18-2 rout of the visiting Athletics.

Of those hits, seven went for two bases and four for home runs, two of them by center fielder Adam Jones, who contributed three RBI.

Catcher Caleb Joseph was 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run and four ribbies, but, outfielder Gerardo Parra stole the show with a 5-for-6 day at the plate, getting the O's started with a first-inning home run, followed by a double and three singles, scoring three times and driving in three runs.

Bumgarner: 3-Hit Shutout

Parra, acquired by Baltimore just prior to the trading deadline, has been a solid addition to the Orioles' lineup, batting .295 with three homers in 14 games.

The Orioles finished the weekend just four games from the first-place Yankees, and 1/2 game better than the Angels for the final wild card spot. Baltimore can finish off the sweep of Oakland when the two meet on Monday in the finale of their four-game series. Game time is 7:05 pn EDT.

National League

The San Francisco Giants completed their sweep of the visiting Washington Nationals, with a 5-0 victory on Sunday, thanks to another outstanding outing by Madison Bumgarner, who joined the Cubs' Jake Arrieta, Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole and the Cardinals' Michael Wacha as the league's fourth 14-game winner.

Bumgarner notched his third straight win with a superb three-hit shutout of the Nationals, walking one while striking out a 14, matching his season high.

It was Bumgarner's third complete game and first shutout of the season. At 14-6, Bumgarner is well-entrenched in the Cy Young award vote gathering. The shutout lowered his ERA to 2.98 and his strikeout total was upped to 174, third-best in the league behind Clayton Kershaw (205) and Max Scherzer (194).

The Giants kept pace with the Dodgers - winners of three straight - in the NL West, 2 1/2 games back, but 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the second wild card spot.

The Giants open a three-game series in St. Louis on Monday, while the Nationals, trailing the Mets by 4 1/2 in the East, opens a series in Colorado on Tuesday.