Jed Lowrie's Walk-Off Homer Leads A's Past Angels; Cards' Carlos Martinez Wins At Plate

Players of the Day for Monday, May 8, 2017

Lowrie: 2HR, Game-winne

American League

The Oakland A's used the long ball to score all of their runs in a 3-2, 11-inning win over the visiting Angels, as both teams struggle to catch the runaway Astros, who lead the division by six games.

Jed Lowrie accounted for two of the A's runs, socking a solo shot in the fourth and the walk-off solo blast in the bottom of the 11th. In between, Trevor Plouffe added a bases-empty homer in the fifth.

Second baseman Lowrie returned to the A's in 2016 after spending a year in Houston. Though he's batting .295, he's hit four homers and has only eight RBI as he's not getting much help from his teammates.

The Angels, A's, and Mariners each trail the Astros by six games. Oakland hosts the Angels in game two of their three-game series at 7:05 pm PT at the Oakland Coliseum.

National League

St. Louis reached first place in the NL Central on Monday, whipping the Miami Marlins, 9-4, their fourth consecutive victory.

Martinez: Big Hitter

The Cardinals' rise to the top spot in the division can be credited partly to the New York Yankees, who took three straight from the Cubs over the weekend and Monday turned down the Reds, 10-4, leaving St. Louis 1/2 game better than Cincy and a full game ahead of slumping Chicago.

Credit is also due starting pitcher, Carlos Martinez, who wasn't exactly overpowering on the mound, but who absolutely terrorized Marlins' starter Adam Conley, doubling in three runs in the second inning and singling in another and scoring in the fourth. Conley lasted just 3 2/3 innings, as the Cards built a 7-0 lead.

Martinez worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits, fanning seven with two walks, but his real value obviously came from when he was at the plate rather than throwing to it.

The 25-year-old righty is 2-3 with a 3.86 average. After a shaky start, the Cardinals have been playing much better of late. After dropping three straight to the Yankees in New York, they've gone on a 14-5 tear. They'll be looking to add to or keep their lead in the division when they play game two of their three-game series in Miami Tuesday at 7:10 pm ET.

Notable: Chris Taylor's first inning grand slam opened the floodgates in LA, as the Dodgers romped over the Pirates, 12-1. Taylor went 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs. He's batting .395 and the Dodgers are in second place, just two games behind Colorado in the NL West.