Anthony Rizzo's 5 RBI Power Cubs, 15-5, Over Reds; Indians Down Red Sox On Edwin Encarnacion's Two HR

Players of the Day for Monday, August 14, 2017

American League

Encarnacion: 2HR, 4RBI

Cleveland continues to look like the team to beat in the American League.

Winning a makeup (from August 2) game in Boston, 7-3, the Indians won their fourth straight and hold a five game lead over Minnesota and Kansas City in the AL Central.

Edwin Encarnacion belted a pair of two run homers - in the fifth and sixth innings - the first breaking as 3-3 tie, the second producing the final, winning score.

Encarnacion's home runs were his 25th and 26th of the season and fourth in the past four games.

The game was a one-off, in the middle of a 10-game road trip for the Indians, which is now an 11-game tour. Cleveland will have ample opportunity to expand upon their lead in the division, as they travel to Minnesota and Kansas City in back-to-back three-game series this week.

The opener of their series in Minnesota is slated for an 8:10 pm ET start on Tuesday.

National League

Rizzo: HR, 5 RBI

Anthony Rizzo socked his 27th home run, singled twice and drove in five runs as the Cubs routed the Cincinnati Reds, 15-5, in the opener of a four game series at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Rizzo and the Cubs banged out 17 hits, getting an early 2-0 lead on Rizzo's two-run single in the first. In the fourth, Chicago broke the game open, scoring five runs, concluded by Rizzo's solo homer.

With the bases loaded in the seventh, Rizzo delivered another two-run single as part of the Cubs' six run inning.

The win gave Chicago a little breathing room in the NL Central. They lead the Cardinals by 1 1/2 and the Brewers by 2 1/2 games. Both St. Louis and Milwaukee were idle on Monday.

Game two of the series is Tuesday, 8:05 pm ET.

STREAKING: In the Marlins' 8-3 win over the Giants Monday, Giancarlo Stanton broke the Miami club mark of 42 homers set by Gary Sheffield in 1996, doing it in the Marlins' 117th game of the season.

Stanton has homered in five straight games, and 22 times in his past 34 games. Since July 17 he has 17 home runs and he has 10 home runs in August. He has 93 RBI, second in the National League.