Ivan Nova Hurls Complete Game as Yanks Down Giants; A.J. Burnett Throws Seven Strong as Pirates Drop Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 21, 2013

American League

It's a little strange to have interleague games so close to the end of the season, and maybe the people who make up the schedules should reconsider this for future years, being that interleague contests will have an impact on pennant races.

Ivan Nova

The Yankees aren't complaining, however, taking their second straight from the Giants, who are a half game out of last place in the NL West. Ivan Nova pitched his second complete game in less than a month, his third of the season, regaining the form he displayed when he went 16-4 for the Yanks as a rookie in 2011.

Nova blanked the punchless Giants on six hits over the nine frames, walking one and fanning seven. He needed just 108 pitches to put away the visitors while his teammates collected six runs on seven hits for the 6-0 victory.

Nova improved to 9-5 on the year, more importantly, keeping the Yankees three games behind the Indians in the quest for the second wild card berth. New York bypassed both Baltimore and Kansas City. The O's lost their third straight in a 5-1 defeat at Tampa Bay; the Royals dropped a 3-1 decision to Texas, who remains 1/2 behind Cleveland.

The Yankees will be seeking the series split when they take the field against the Giants at 1:05 pm EDT, Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

AL Wild Card Standings (through 9/21)

Team	GB
Tampa Bay	+1/2
Cleveland	--
Texas	-1/2
NY Yankees	-3
Kansas City	-3 1/2
Baltimore	-3 1/2

National League

A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett gave the Reds a run in each of the first two innings - the second on a solo homer leading off the second by Zack Cozart - but after that he was nearly untouchable, allowing just one more hit over the subsequent six innings, to lead the Pirates to a 4-2 win over visiting Cincinnati.

Following Cozart's homer, Burnett sandwiched a walk to Ryan Hanigan between three strikeouts, en route to fanning 12 on the day. The Pirates responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on Russell Martin's 15th homer of the season, then took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, when they got to Reds' starter, Homer Bailey, for another pair of runs.

The win moved Pittsburgh back to a one-game lead over the Reds in the wild card race. The Pirates are two games behind St. Louis in the NL Central; the Reds, three back. The team with the best record gets home field for the one-game playoff between the two wild cards, so the Pirates, for the moment have the upper hand.

The two teams settle up on Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT in Pittsburgh. The series is tied at a game apiece.

Today's Trivia: How many times did "Mr. October," Reggie Jackson, hit 40 or more home runs in a season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The .301 batting average that won the batting title for Carl Yastrzemski in 1968 came a year after he won the triple crown and was also the only average above .300 in the AL that season.

Chris Davis, Nick Markakis Lead 11-5 Rout of Yankees; A.J. Burnett Tosses 1-Hitter for Pirates; Neil Walker Drives in Five

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 31, 2012

American League

Chris Davis

After the Yankees scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Baltimore Orioles were a dejected bunch. After all, Yankee starter, Ivan Nova, had set down the first three O's in order and the New York batters had given him a comfortable, working lead.

All of that changed as the Orioles sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the second and put up 7-spot on Nova, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of DH Chris Davis that turned a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 Baltimore lead.

Nick Markakis

Davis' 18th home run of the season was a high bomb to left center that bounced off the top of the wall and into the Yankee bullpen. It was the only hit by Davis on the night, but certainly a big one.

Nick Markakis went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in the final two Baltimore runs with his 11th homer, an 8th-inning shot that all but sealed the win for the O's, sending the Yankees to their fourth straight loss as the Orioles prevailed, 11-5.

Baltimore has taken the first two games of the series and will be looking to sweep Wednesday afternoon (1:05 pm EDT) at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles are in second place, 5 1/2 games back. Baltimore has won three straight and are 10-9 since the all star break. The Yankees are just 8-10 since the break.


National League

Burnett: 1-hitter

Neil Walker hit a first inning grand slam and A.J. Burnett took a no-hitter all the way to two outs in the eighth inning as the Pirates beat the Cubs, 5-0, keeping pace with the streaking Reds - 15-3 since the all star break - in the NL Central.

Walker: GS, 5RBI

Burnett didn't give up a base hit until pinch hitter Adrian Cardenas singled with a man aboard in the eighth. As he improved to 13-3, Burnett allowed just two walks and a hit batsman before surrendering the lone hit for the Cubs. He struck out David DeJesus to end the eighth and retired the three batters in order in the ninth for his first complete game of the season and first shutout since 2006, when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Throwing 73 of 108 pitches for strikes, Burnett fanned eight, upping his strikeout total for the season to 102 while lowering his ERA to 3.27.

Walker drove in all of Pittsburgh's runs, adding a sac fly in the seventh. He has 55 RBI on the year.

The win left the Pirates three games back of the Reds in the division. They conclude their series in Chicago with the rubber game Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley field.

After a day off Thursday, the Pirates head to Cincinnati for what promises to be a hotly-contested, three-game weekend series with the Reds.

Rangers Oust Rays; Yankees Survive; Goldschmidt Slam Leads Arizona; Ben Francisco Homer Stops Cards

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 4, 2011

American League

Rangers 4 Rays 3

Adrian Beltre

Texas became the first team to win a divisional series and await the winner of the Yankees-Tigers series in the next round of the MLB playoffs. Adrian Beltre socked three solo home runs to lead the Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Rays, taking the series, three games to one. The only run Beltre was not responsible for in the victory was Ian Kinsler's first inning solo home run.

The Rangers only had six hits in the game, but four of them were homers, enough to spoil the mood of the crowd at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida.

Yankees 10 Tigers 1

Getting an unusually strong pitching performance from A.J. Burnett, the Yankees piled on Rick Porcello and defeated the Tigers in Detroit to send the series back to New York for a conclusive game five on Thursday.

AJ Burnett

Burnett, 11-11 on the season with an ERA over five, worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits and four walks, striking out three, The only run off Burnett was a 4th inning solo homer by Victor Martinez. Burnett left the game as the Tigers batted in the bottom of the 6th inning, comfortably ahead, 4-1. The Yankees broke the game wide open in the 8th when they batted around, scoring six runs in the frame.

Game time Thursday for game five is 8:07 pm EDT. Detroit's Doug Fister will face the Yankees' Ivan Nova.

National League

Phillies 3 Cardinals 2

Ben Francisco

Ben Francisco broke a 0-0 tie with a three-run bomb in the seventh inning to put the Phillies out in front of the Cardinals en route to a game three victory, puttng the Phillies ahead, two games to one, in the divisional playoff series.

Francisco was inserted as a pinch hitter for starter Cole Hamels, who hurled six scoreless innings on five hits, but had thrown 117 pitches. Hamels walked three and struck out eight.

The Cards and Phils get right back to action on Wednesday when game five begins in St. Louis at 6:07 pm EDT.

Diamondbacks 8 Brewers 1

Josh Collmenter

Grand Slam
Goldschmidt

Arizona staved off elimination from the playoffs with an offensive outburst against four Milwaukee pitchers, but it was rookie Paul Goldschmidt's grand slam in the 5th inning off Milwaukee starter Shawn Marcum that really broke the game wide open.

Goldschmidt singled home Miguel Montero in the first inning. He went 2-for-4 with five RBI.

Another Arizona rookie, starting pitcher Josh Collmenter, held the Brewers in check over seven innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits. Collmenter walked a pair and struck out six, earning his first career playoff win.

The Diamondbacks were down two games to one when the series shifted to Arizona for game three. Their victory kept them in the playoffs, forcing game four in Phoenix on Wednesday at 9:37 pm EDT. Randy Wolf goes for Milwaukee against Joe Saunders for the Diamondbacks.

Burnett Stifles Birds; Freese Powers Cards; LaRoche Leads D-Backs

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 29, 2010 American League Keeping up with the red-hot Rays has become an ongoing task for the rest of the AL East, but A.J. Burnett and the NY Yankees aren't about to let them get too far in front. Burnett improved to 3-0 on the season with 8 innings of shutout ball against the worst team in the majors, the 4-18 Baltimore Orioles, allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 4 in a 4-0 Yankee whitewash. The 14-7 Yankees have the second-best record in the American League. Unfortunately, the team that sports the best record in the majors is 2 1/2 games ahead of them. Tampa Bay is 17-5 and has won their last five. Burnett was in control of the weak-hitting O's all night, throwing 77 of 117 pitches for strikes and put down the O's in order in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th innings. Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless non-save ninth. Robinson Cano provided more than enough offense with a pair of solo homers. He also doubled and scored on Marcus Thames' double in the 6th. National League Yesterday, there were two outstanding AL performances. Today, the NL showcases a pair. St. Louis completed a 4-game sweep of the slumbering Atlanta Braves, whose losing streak has now reached crisis proportions: 9 straight, as rookie 3rd baseman David Freese (left) wowed the hometown crowd with his first major league homer - a three-run shot in the 1st inning - and a bases-clearing, 3-RBI double in the 5th for a 6-RBI night. He also added a single and scored twice, his 3-for-3 night at the plate improving his average to .328. Adam Wainwright got his 4th win against just one loss as the Cards won, 10-4. St. Louis has opened up a 4-game lead in the NL Central and, at 15-7, are the only team in the division over .500. The Reds are at 11-11 in second place. Across the field was another rookie, Jason Heyward, who has received tremendous adulation early in the season. Heyward launched his 5th homer of the season and has 17 RBI, but a .237 batting average. Freese has just one homer, but now shows 14 RBI. Let the comparisons for rookie of the year begin. In Chicago, Adam LaRoche (right) doubled and smacked a pair of home runs, driving in 5 runs and scoring 3 times as the Diamondbacks thumped the Cubs, 13-5. His 3-for-4 effort pushed his batting average to .299 and the 5 RBI upped his total to 17. LaRoche, who spent last season playing in Pittsburgh, then Boston and eventually Atlanta, was acquired by the D-Backs in the off-season and has been a steady producer in the 5-spot. Arizona has won 3 straight and is 3 games behind the Padres in the NL West. NOTES: The LA Dodgers have unexpectedly experienced a sudden power outage and are in the throes of a 5-game losing streak, dropping to the bottom of the NL West standings at 8-14, six games out of first place. LA has lost 7 of their last 8 games, were swept by the Mets and have scored just 14 runs in those 7 losses, 3 of them shutouts. It was just a week ago that the Dodgers led the majors with a team batting average over .300. After Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Pirates, they're down to a pedestrian .273.

Burnett Takes No-No Into 7th; Volstad Solid for Marlins

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 14, 2009 American League A.J. Burnett (2-0) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in New York's 7-2 victory at Tampa Bay. Burnett eventually allowed a pair of runs by the Rays in the 7th, briefly tying the game, but the Yankees rallied for a run in the top of the 8th, after which Burnett finished off the inning with a 3-2 lead. when the Yankees scored four more in the 9th, Burnett was relieved for the bottom of the inning. Brian Bruney came on to strike out the side, completing the win. Burnett finished with 8 innings of work, allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs with 9 strikeouts. The win evened the series at a game apiece with the rubber to be played Wednesday night. National League The Florida Marlins improved to 6-1 - the best record in the majors - as Chris Volstad delivered a strong seven-inning outing, allowing just 3 hits and one earned run in Florida's 5-1 win over Atlanta. Volstad struck out 4 and issued two walks, with the only run against him coming via a 4th inning Kelly Johnson solo homer. The second year starter upped his record to 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA.

Giants Win 8th Straight; Yankees in Last Place

Thursday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League A.J. Burnett (right) allowed 4 singles and 4 walks over 7 scoreless innings and a pair of relievers completed the job, sending the slumping NY Yankees to their sixth straight loss and a tie for last place in the AL East with a 6-0 whitewash. The Yankees will try to end their streak by hosting the the team that started it last weekend, the Boston Red Sox, in a 3-game series starting Friday. Josh Beckett became the first pitcher in the majors to win 5 games, giving up 2 earned runs on 8 hits without issuing a walk in Boston's 5-2 win at Baltimore. Beckett got all the support he would need in the 8th inning when Wily Mo Pena banged out a grand slam homer. Jonathon Papelbon set down the O's in the 8th for his 7th save. Beckett, who has yet to suffer a loss, dropped his ERA down to 2.48. Other AL Scores Cleveland 9 Texas 4 - S. Sosa 2 HR (6) Minnesota 1 Kansas City 0, 11 innings - B. Bonser, 5 IP, 0 ER, 8 K, 7 BB Seattle 4 Oakland 2 LA Angels 11 Tampa Bay 3 - V. Guerrero, HR (6), LA 11-3 home, 1-7 road National League After opening the season 8-4, the San Francisco Giants won their 8th straight game last night, a come-from-behind road win over the Dodgers, tying them for first place n the NL West. The 5-4 win was highlighted by Ray Durham's 8th inning double, unknotting a 3-3 tie. Durham later scored the eventual game-winner on Benji Molina's single. Armando Benitez picked up his 7th save, completing the 3-game sweep of the Dodgers. The streaking Giants return home for a three-game set with Arizona beginning Friday. Tony Clark socked a pair of homers and drove in 3 runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-4 win and a 2-1split over the visiting San Diego Padres.

Check baseball card prices at Beckett.com.

The homers were Clark's 3rd and 4th of the season, and second multi-home run game of the season. Clark hit a pair on April 15 in a 6-4 win over Colorado. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 5 Houston 3 - M. Loretta, 4-4, SB (1), Pirates sweep 3 from Astros St. Louis 7 Cincinnati 5 Washington 4 Philadelphia 2