Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 14, 2019
American League
Along the way to what should be their fourth straight NL West title, the Houston Astros are likely to find a few bumps in the road, such as what happened late in the game on Thursday in a 13-9 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
With the score knotted at nine and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, James McCann launched a drive off an 0-2 pitch that rose and carried out over the fence and into the bullpen in left field.
McCann's grand slam was more than enough to secure the win for the home-standing Sox. Alex Colome slammed the door shut on the Astros in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning.
McCann also singled and scored in the third inning, going 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI.
The White Sox took two of three in the series against Houston, who lost a game on their lead over Oakland in the division. The Astros lead the West by 9 1/2, and open a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday.
The road to the playoffs may just get a little bumpier.
National League
For the rest of the National League and teams looking forward to the playoffs, the good news is that Dodgers' ace, Clayton Kershaw, doesn't pitch every day.
The bad news is that when he does, he's sharp as a razor and nearly impossible to defeat.
In Wednesday's 9-1 win at Miami, Kershaw shut down the Marlins on two hits over seven innings without allowing a run.
That wasn't the half of it. Kershaw fanned the first seven batters he faced, didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, issued no walks and no Marlin made it safely past first base. He finished with 10 strikeouts. It was total domination, start to finish, by the 31-year-old, three-time Cy Young award winner (2011, 2013, 2014).
Kershaw (12-2, 2,41) hasn't lost a decision since June 29. In seven starts since then, he's 5-0, with a 1.40 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 45 innings.
LA has won four straight and nine of their last ten games. They lead the NL West division by a stunning 19 1/2 games. Ostensibly, Kershaw will be watching from the bullpen on Thursday when they wrap up their three-game series in Miami. Game time is 3:05 pm ET.
American League
 |
| McCann: Grand Slam |
With the score knotted at nine and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, James McCann launched a drive off an 0-2 pitch that rose and carried out over the fence and into the bullpen in left field.
McCann's grand slam was more than enough to secure the win for the home-standing Sox. Alex Colome slammed the door shut on the Astros in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning.
McCann also singled and scored in the third inning, going 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI.
The White Sox took two of three in the series against Houston, who lost a game on their lead over Oakland in the division. The Astros lead the West by 9 1/2, and open a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday.
The road to the playoffs may just get a little bumpier.
National League
 |
| Kershaw: 7IP, 2H, 0ER, 10K |
The bad news is that when he does, he's sharp as a razor and nearly impossible to defeat.
In Wednesday's 9-1 win at Miami, Kershaw shut down the Marlins on two hits over seven innings without allowing a run.
That wasn't the half of it. Kershaw fanned the first seven batters he faced, didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, issued no walks and no Marlin made it safely past first base. He finished with 10 strikeouts. It was total domination, start to finish, by the 31-year-old, three-time Cy Young award winner (2011, 2013, 2014).
Kershaw (12-2, 2,41) hasn't lost a decision since June 29. In seven starts since then, he's 5-0, with a 1.40 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 45 innings.
LA has won four straight and nine of their last ten games. They lead the NL West division by a stunning 19 1/2 games. Ostensibly, Kershaw will be watching from the bullpen on Thursday when they wrap up their three-game series in Miami. Game time is 3:05 pm ET.
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