Francisco Lindor Leads Cleveland To 5th Straight Win; Jose Martinez Drives In Six As Cards Drub Reds, 13-4

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 12, 2018

American League

Lindor: 2-4, HR, 3R, 3RBI

Winning their fifth straight, he Cleveland Indians completed a four-game home sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 9-3 laugher over their AL Central opponents.

Francisco Lindor socked his initial home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning to get the Indians started, then doubled in a pair of runs before scoring on Jose Ramirez's two-run homer, putting Cleveland up 6-0.

In the fourth, Lindor was hit by a Michael Fulmer pitch, loading the bases, eventually scoring the last of Cleveland's runs.

Fulmer didn't get an out in the fourth, and was responsible for eight earned runs, officially over three innings.

Instrumental to Cleveland's success the past few seasons, Lindor belted 33 home runs and drove in 89 runs last season, mostly from the leadoff position in the Indians' lineup.

The Indians remain tied with Minnesota for the division lead, 3 1/2 ahead of the Tigers and White Sox. Toronto comes to visit for a three game series starting Friday at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Opening a four-game series in Cincinnati, the St. Louis Cardinals got off to a flying start with a 13-4 romp over the Reds, highlighted by a six-RBI effort by second-year star, Jose Martinez.

Martinez: 4-6, HR, 6RBI

Marinez singled in the first to put get the Cards on the board, drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to tie the score at 4-4, socked a solo homer in the seventh and doubled in both the eighth and ninth innings, driving in two in the eight and one more in the ninth.

Batting .364 with three home runs and 14 RBI (second in the majors behind Pitssburgh's Gregory Polanco, 15), Martinez is proving that he's a major leaguer for the long run.

Making a bid for rookie of the year in first full season, Martinez batted .309 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI in 109 games for the Cardinals in 2017.

St. Louis, along with the rest of the division is chasing Pittsburgh in the NL Central. St. Louis is 3 1/2 back, the Cubs three behind and Milwaukee in second place, 2 1/2 behind the Pirates. Cincinnati is off to a horrific start, seven games out with a 2-10 record.

Game two of the series is Friday at 6:40 pm EDT at the Great American Ball Park.