Players of the Day for Sunday, August 4, 2019
American League
The best race in the AL is clearly in the Central division, where the Minnesota Twins are clinging to a three-game lead over the streaking Cleveland Indians.
Over the weekend, the two front-runners each swept their series on home turf. The Twins took three from Kansas City while the Indians were busy taking down the visiting Angles, winning by scores of 7-3, 7-2, and Sunday, 6-2.
It's obvious that the Indians are getting timely hitting and quality pitching. Sunday's conquest was engineered from the mound by Shane Bieber, who went the distance, allowing two runs on five hits, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Bieber improved to 11-4, and has been one of the top throwers in the league since before the all-star break. In his last seven starts, the 24-year-old righty is 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA, allowing 34 hits and 14 earned runs in 53 innings. During that span he's averaging more than seven innings per start and is a big reason the Indians are well paving a way to the post-season, whether they catch the Twins or not.
Cleveland leads the wild card race by two games over Tampa Bay and three over the Oakland A's.
Next up for the Indians are three games with the Rangers, starting Monday, after which they head to Minnesota for a crucial four-game series with the Twins, beginning Thursday.
National League
Why are the Dodgers running away with the NL West?
Cody Bellinger? Clayton Kershaw?
How about Max Muncy?
Muncy's 4-for-5 effort in Sunday's comeback 11-10 win over the Padres was further evidence that he has been the unsung hero of 2019 for Los Angeles.
Not only did Muncy sock his 27th home run of the season with a second inning solo shot that got the Dodgers on the board, but he added a pair of doubles and a single, scored three times, drove in three runs, the last two in the bottom of the ninth, when he doubled home the game-tying and winning runs.
The Dodgers rallied from deficits of 6-3 and 10-7 to take the third of their four-game home series against San Diego, sending the Padres reeling into last place in the division, 21 1/2 games off the pace.
The scrappy 28-year-old infielder is on track to better his outstanding 2018 campaign in which he batted .263 with 35 home runs and 79 RBI. This season, he's batting .265 with 27 long balls and 74 ribbies and the Dodgers are looking to clinch the division by mid-September, if not sooner.
LA is clearly the class of the National League. Their 74-40 record is the best in the majors and far ahead of the pack in the NL. Atlanta has the second-best mark, at 66-47.
With San Diego put away, the Dodgers host St. Louis for three games beginning Monday at 7:10 pm PT.
American League
 |
| Bieber: Complete game W |
Over the weekend, the two front-runners each swept their series on home turf. The Twins took three from Kansas City while the Indians were busy taking down the visiting Angles, winning by scores of 7-3, 7-2, and Sunday, 6-2.
It's obvious that the Indians are getting timely hitting and quality pitching. Sunday's conquest was engineered from the mound by Shane Bieber, who went the distance, allowing two runs on five hits, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Bieber improved to 11-4, and has been one of the top throwers in the league since before the all-star break. In his last seven starts, the 24-year-old righty is 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA, allowing 34 hits and 14 earned runs in 53 innings. During that span he's averaging more than seven innings per start and is a big reason the Indians are well paving a way to the post-season, whether they catch the Twins or not.
Cleveland leads the wild card race by two games over Tampa Bay and three over the Oakland A's.
Next up for the Indians are three games with the Rangers, starting Monday, after which they head to Minnesota for a crucial four-game series with the Twins, beginning Thursday.
National League
 |
| Muncy: 4-5, HR, 3R, 3RBI |
Cody Bellinger? Clayton Kershaw?
How about Max Muncy?
Muncy's 4-for-5 effort in Sunday's comeback 11-10 win over the Padres was further evidence that he has been the unsung hero of 2019 for Los Angeles.
Not only did Muncy sock his 27th home run of the season with a second inning solo shot that got the Dodgers on the board, but he added a pair of doubles and a single, scored three times, drove in three runs, the last two in the bottom of the ninth, when he doubled home the game-tying and winning runs.
The Dodgers rallied from deficits of 6-3 and 10-7 to take the third of their four-game home series against San Diego, sending the Padres reeling into last place in the division, 21 1/2 games off the pace.
The scrappy 28-year-old infielder is on track to better his outstanding 2018 campaign in which he batted .263 with 35 home runs and 79 RBI. This season, he's batting .265 with 27 long balls and 74 ribbies and the Dodgers are looking to clinch the division by mid-September, if not sooner.
LA is clearly the class of the National League. Their 74-40 record is the best in the majors and far ahead of the pack in the NL. Atlanta has the second-best mark, at 66-47.
With San Diego put away, the Dodgers host St. Louis for three games beginning Monday at 7:10 pm PT.
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