Mets Win Over Nats Features Two Yoenis Cespedes HRs; Zach Davies Pitches Brewers Past Royals

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 22, 2018

Grapefruit League

Cespedes: 3-3, 2HR 4RBI

If the NY Mets are going anywhere this season, their success falls squarely on the broad shoulders of power-hitting outfielder, Yoenis Cespedes.

The slugger proved his value in Thursday's come-from-behind, 12-5 whipping of the visiting Nationals, as Cespedes started a nine-run, fourth-inning uprising with a solo homer run and added to it later in the frame with a sac fly for his second RBI as the Mets hammered Washington starter, Tanner Roark.

After Jay Bruce completed the inning with a two-run homer, Cespedes added to the Mets' lead in the sixth with another homer, a two-run blast to left. He also doubled, going 3-for-3 with 4 RBI.

Injured much of 2017, Cespedes missed half of the games he could have played, but still managed to knock in 42 runs on 17 homers, batting .292. Healthy once again, the Mets' leading slugger is sporting a .323 average this Spring with is home runs and nine RBI.

The win was only their ninth for New York thus far in Florida. They are eight games off the pace, at 9-16, leading only Pittsburgh in the standings.

Cactus League

Davies was 17-9 in 2017

Continuing their dominance in the desert play of Arizona, the Milwaukee Brewers slipped by charging Kansas City, ending the Royals' seven-game winning streak, with a 1-0 triumph.

Four Milwaukee hurlers limited the Royals to six hits, most of the work done by starting pitcher, Zach Davies, who allowed four hits over five innings, walking one and striking out three for his second win without a loss.

Milwaukee scored the only run of the contest in the fourth inning, when Brett Phillips socked a solo homer.

Davies, a 25-year-old phenom, had a solid season in 2016, going 11-7 with a 3.97 ERA, but really came into his own in 2017, helping the Brewers to a solid second-place finish in the NL Central, six games behind the Cubs. Davies went 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA last season, and appears to be heading for another strong showing in 2018. In 11 1/3 innings this Spring, Davies has a 2.38 ERA and the Brewers hold first place in the Cactus League by 2 1/2 games over the Cubs.