Cardinals Win 6th Straight On Dexter Fowler Grand Slam; Trey Mancini Homers Twice As Orioles Down A's 7-2

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 10, 2017

American League

After making an errant throw in the first inning which led to an Oakland score, Baltimore first baseman, Trey Mancini, would eventually make up for his miscue, backing starting pitcher Wade Miley with a pair of solo homers in a 7-2 Baltimore win at Oakland.

Trey Mancini: 2 HR

While Miley was shutting out the A's on three hits over seven inning after the first-inning unearned run, Mancini was banging balls out of the park, each of his homers a part of a back-to-back set-up. In the fourth, Adam Jones sent one out to break a 1-1 tie (his 21st), with Mancini increasing the lead with his first bomb of the night. Again, in the sixth, Mancini went yard with his 20th, ahead of Mark Trumbo's solo blast (18th).

A pleasant surprise for the O's, Mancini is batting .296 and has driven in 60 runs.

The Oriole win kept them 8 1/2 behind Boston in the AL East. Boston won its eighth straight while the Yankees lost, 4-0, at Toronto, widening the Red Sox lead to 4 1/2 over New York.

Boston and the Yankees will play each other six times in the next ten days, starting with a trio of games in New York over the weekend. The schedule opens up possibilities for the Orioles or Rays, who are seven games back, to make up some ground or improve their position in the wild card race.

Baltimore plays the second game of the four-game series in Oakland, Friday, at 7:05 PT.

National League

Fowler: Grand Slam, 5RBI

Acquired by the Cardinals from the Cubs during the off-season, Dexter Fowler has provided some pop and solid play in center field for St. Louis, despite a couple of stints on the DL this season.

Since coming off the DL for the second time, Fowler has played in four games, going a combined 6-for-13 (.462), capped by his grand slam in the Cardinals' 8-6 victory over Kansas City, the second straight win for St. Louis over the visiting Royals. Fowler's bases-loaded bash in the seventh inning, unknotted a 3-3 tie. An inning earlier, Fowler doubled in the first run for St. Louis, as the Cardinals erased a 3-0 KC lead.

Finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and five RBI, Fowler led the surging Cardinals to their sixth straight triumph, overtaking Milwaukee, losers of five straight, for second place in the NL Central, one game behind the Cubs.

With what may be the best pitching staff in the division, the Cardinals may be able to do themselves more good when they open a three game series with Atlanta at Busch Stadium Friday. Adam Wainwright (11-5) goes to the mound for St. Louis, facing Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz (10-6). Game time is 8:15 pm ET.