Niko Goodrum, Tigers Hand Yankees 8-7 Loss; John Gant Leads Cardinals Past Pirates, 5-0

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 30, 2018

American League

Gant: 4-for-5, HR, SB

On a night in which Yankee slugger, Giancarlo Stanton socked his 300th home run, the Yankees could not celebrate his accomplishment as the visiting Detroit Tigers scored three runs in the ninth inning for an 8-7 win.

After Victor Martinez tied the game at 7-7 with a two run homer off New York reliever Dellin Betances, rookie Niko Goodrum connected for his 14th homer of the year, putting the Tigers in the lead.

Goodrum went 4-for-5 on the night, scoring twice and adding a stolen base. The 26-year-old singled in the fourth, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Ronney Rodriguez home run. The Tigers spanked five homers, two by Martinez, who drove in four runs.

Out of contention in the AL Central, the Tigers took game one from the Yankees, dropping New York 8 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the East division. Boston defeated the White Sox, 9-4.

Game two is Friday, 7:00 pm EDT. The Yankees have dropped three of their last four. Detroit snapped a five game losing streak.

National League

Gant: 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, HR

St Louis topped the Pirates Thursday, 5-0, maintaining their position as the #1 wild card team in the ultra-tight National League race to the finish.

Cardinal starter, John Gant, got his third win of the month, improving to 6-5 on the year. Gant worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings, holding the Pirates to three hits while issuing three walks and fanning six. He also hit a solo homer - his second HR of the season - going back to back with Harrison Bader in the third inning.

Gant started out his major league career with the Braves in 2016 and going the Cardinals the next season. His scoreless performance drops his ERA to 3.34 on the year.

St. Louis remained 1/2-game ahead of the Brewers in the wild card race and 4 1/2 behind the Cubs in the NL Central. The NL wild card field is overcrowded. While the Brewers hold the second spot, the Rockies, Dodgers, and Phillies are 2, 2 1/2, and 3 games behind Milwaukee, respectively.

The Cardinals took two of three from Pittsburgh and remains home to host the Reds over the weekend. Game one of the series is Friday at 8:15 pm EDT.