Eduardo Rodriguez Hurls Red Sox Closer To Playoffs; Miami's Giancarlo Stanton Racks HR #57

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 23, 2017

American League

Rodriguez: 7 2/3 IP, 0 ER

Boston's 5-0 win at Cincinnati was their fifth consecutive win, keeping them four games ahead of the Yankees in the race for the AL East title, the only division yet to be decided in the American League.

The Red Sox got a terrific performance from starting pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez (6-6, 3.91), who blanked the Reds for 7 2/3 innings on three hits, all singles.

Rodriguez, who didn't give up a base hit until Joey Votto singled with one out in the fourth, walked two and struck out six.

With one more road game, Sunday, 1:10 pm ET at Cincinnati, Boston returns home to Fenway Park for the final week of the regular season, starting Monday with three games against Toronto, followed by four with Houston.

As both they and the Yankees have eight games left, Boston's magic number to capture the division is five.

National League

With every passing at-bat, Giancarlo Stanton's quest to tie or break Roger Maris' non-steroid-era record of 61 home runs in a season becomes more of a dramatic quest for the 27-year-old slugger.

Stanton: 57 HR, 125 RBI

Stanton has exceeded all expectations despite his Marlins falling out of contention for the post-season early in September. On Saturday, in Miami's 12-6 win at Arizona, Stanton launched number 57, a solo shot in the fourth inning. Earlier, Stanton delivered a third-inning double, driving in tow runs. In the ninth, he grounded into a fielder's choice, sending home the Marlins' final run.

Tallying four RBI on the day, Stanton continues to chase Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the NL RBI lead. Arenado has 126, Stanton closed to within one, at 125.

Miami's win kept the Diamondbacks from clinching a playoff spot, though that is nearly a certainty. With eight games left, Arizona leads Colorado by six games as the first wild card, making their magic number to clinch that coveted spot, three.

Stanton should have ample opportunity to add to his home run and RBI totals. After closing out the series in Arizona Sunday (4:10 pm ET), the Marlins play three in the thin air of Colorado, then return home for the final four games of the season, with Atlanta.