Rookie A.J. Pollock Leads Arizona over Rockies; Omar Infante Drives Detroit to 7-4 Win over Braves

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 27, 2013

American League

With all the power in the middle of Detroit's lineup, one wouldn't expect the team to be carried to victory by the guy all the way down at the bottom, but that's exactly what happened when #9 hitter Omar Infante took over the game in in the fourth inning.

Omar Infante

The Braves and Tigers forged a 3-3 tie until Infante came to the plate in the fourth and smacked a two-run homer - his first of the year - off Atlanta starter, Kevin Medlen, putting the Tigers up by a pair and ahead to stay as Rick Porcello steadied after a shaky beginning and closed the door on the Braves, working into the seventh.

Justin Uptin's MLB-leading 12th homer brought the Braves back to within one, but Infante appeared again, doubling home a run and later scoring, putting the finishing touch on a 7-4 victory, the second straight in the three-game series with Atlanta.

Infante finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs. The Braves and Tigers finish up Sunday night at 8:00 pm EDT, the game to be televised nationally by ESPN.


National League

A.J. Pollock

While San Francisco was losing their second straight to the Padres - 8-7 in 12 innings - the Arizona Diamondbacks took over sole possession of second place in the NL West with a 3-2 win over the first place Rockies, closing to within one game, with the finale of their four-game series set for Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

Arizona got off to a quick start, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning off Colorado starter, Jeff Francis, on rookie A.J. Pollock's solo jack and a Cody Ross triple which plated Miguel Montero.

The Rockies eventually tied the score at 2-2 with single runs in the sixth and seventh, the game eventually headed to an extra inning as the two teams combined to use 11 pitchers.

In the bottom of the tenth, Pollock led off with a clean single and stole second with one out, moving to third on catcher Wilin Rosario's throwing error. After an intentional walk to Montero, Cody Ross cooly delivered the game-winning blow, drilling a sac fly to center which plated Pollock with the deciding run.

Pollock, who played in 31 games for the D'Backs in 2012, finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, the first and last for Arizona.

A win Sunday by the Diamondbacks would result in a tie for first with the Rockies. Game time is 4:00 pm EDT.

A.J. Pollock Leads Arizona over Pirates; Brandon Moss Helps A's to 7th Straight Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 10, 2013

American League

With their 11-5 win over the Angels, Oakland has won seven in a row, launching themselves to the top of the AL West standings with a one-game lead over Texas.

Brandon Moss

Spearheading the A's 16-hit assault was Brandon Moss, who tripled in a pair of runs in the third inning, stroked a solo homer in the fifth, walked and scored in the A's five-run sixth and singled home another run in the seventh to finish off Oakland's scoring.

Moss was 3-for-5 with four RBI, scoring twice. The capable first baseman is batting a cool .400, with 10 RBI and two home runs.

After starting the season with two losses to Seattle, the A's came back to win the final two games of that series, then swept the Astros three straight and have won the first two games of their series with the Angels, which culminates tonight at 7:05 PDT in LA. The A's are 5-0 on the road while the Angels are still searching for their first home win (0-2).

National League

A.J. Pollock

While Buster Posey and Barry Zito (2-0, 0.00 ERA) were busy busting one on the Rockies with a 10-0 win, their third straight, Arizona kept pace with a 10-2 win at home, leaving the Diamondbacks and Giants tied atop the NL West with identical 6-3 records.

Pace by rookie center fielder A.J. Pollock's best game as a pro, Arizona blew away the visiting Pirates with three runs in each of the first and second innings and four more in the fourth.

Pollock who was 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs, doubled and scored the first run for the Diamondbacks in the first on a wild pitch, socked a three-run homer in the second and led off the fourth with a solo shot.

Pollock played 17 games with Arizona in 2012, and has stuck as the regular center fielder.

Avoiding the sweep in Pittsburgh, the D'Backs get a day off Thursday before opening a three-game home set with the Dodgers on Friday.