Adam Lind Belts Two Homers, Drives in six in Blue Jays' Romp; Adam Wainwright Stops Pirates with Seven Scoreless for Cardinals

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 7, 2013

American League

Lind: 2HR, 6RBI

Toronto can only play out the string this season, but the Blue Jays took their second straight over the equally-awful Twins, as Adam Lind socked a pair of three-run homers, powering an 11-2 victory.

Lind's 18th dinger on the season came in the opening inning, his 19th in the ninth.

Meanwhile, Boston reduced its magic number to 12, though winning the AL East is pretty much a foregone conclusion for the Red Sox after pounding the Yankees, 12-9, their third straight over their historic rivals. Tampa Bay, losers of three straight, already has 64 losses, compared to 57 for the Red Sox.

The Rays are also in danger of losing their grip on the second wild card, as Baltimore and Cleveland are now just one game back. The Yankees remain 2 1/2 behind. Texas has a three-game lead on Tampa Bay and is currently in line for the first wild card. The Rangers trail Oakland by 1 1/2 in the West.

National League

Adam Wainwright

St. Louis regained first place in the NL Central, whipping the Pirates for the second straight day, 5-0. The Cardinals got a super pitching performance from their ace, Adam Wainwright, who surrendered just two hits over seven scoreless innings, improving his record to 16-9.

Wainwright walked two and struck out eight, throwing 68 of an even 100 pitches for strikes.

Both of the Pirate hits were by Andrew McCutchen, who singled in the first and doubled in the fourth inning, but McCutchen's double would be the last base hit for the Pirates off the St. Louis starter. After walking Justin Morneau, Wainwright induced a double play from Marlin Byrd and then struck out Pedro Alvarez to end the threat, the shut down Pittsburgh in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, striking out the side in his last inning of work.

The win gave St. Louis a 1/2 game lead in the division. The Pirates will try to avoid the sweep Sunday afternoon at 2:15 pm EDT in Busch Stadium.

Today's Trivia: Not including this season, which National League team has won 100 games or more six times since 1993? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Don Drysdale threw 49 shutouts to 46 for Roger Clemens.

Adam Wainwright Hurls 2-Hit Shutout over Rockies; Adam Lind's 9th Inning Home Run Downs Red Sox

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 11, 2013

American League

Boston's claim to at least a portion of first place in the AL East is over, ended when the Yankees beat Kansas City, 3-2, and Boston lost to the Blue Jays by the same score on Saturday.

Adam Lind

The Red Sox were defeated for the seventh time in their last nine games as Adam Lind broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth with his second home run of the season, a solo shot to center that ended the Blue Jays' three-game losing streak.

Lind, who went 3-for-4, also singled and scored in the fourth inning, driven home by Colby Rasmus.

The Jays led 2-0 until the eighth, when Boston struck for a pair of runs, but, Lind's homer negated the Red Sox comeback.

The Yankees took a one game lead in the division with their win at KC. Mariano Rivera tied Baltimore's Jim Johnson for the AL saves lead, with his 14th. Baltimore, which was also tied for first at the start of the day, dropped an 8-4 decision to the Twins.

Boston hosts Toronto in the rubber game of their three-game series at 1:35 pm EDT.

National League

Adam Wainwright

After rookie Colby Miller blanked the Rockies on one hit Friday, Cardinal ace Adam Wainwright took the mound for St. Louis on Saturday and dusted the Rockies on two hits for a 3-0 win.

Wainwright was perfect through four innings, and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning after walking Todd Helton with one out in the fifth. Nolan Arenado spoiled the no-hit bid with a one-out single in the eighth. Dexter Fowler has the only other hit off Wainwright, a two-out single in the ninth inning.

It was the Cardinals' third straight win, keeping them three games clear of Cincinnati in the NL Central.

Wainwright issued just one walk while striking out seven as he improved to 5-2 on the year. He has fanned 55 in 58 2/3 innings, fifth-best in the NL, the shutout lowering his ERA to 2.30, the ninth lowest in the league.

The Rockies have been blanked twice straight in St. Louis and will try to put a run on the board Sunday afternoon at 2:15 pm EDT when they meet the Cardinals to wrap up the three-game series.

Today's Trivia: Who lead the major leagues in strikeouts in 2012?

Answer to yesterday's question: Bob Gibson, of the St. Louis Cardinals, threw 13 shutouts in 1968.

Homer Pairs: David Ross Blasts Two for Braves, Adam Lind Doubles Toronto Pleasure

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 26, 2011

American League

Adam Lind

Just 20-odd games into the season, it's business as usual in the AL East, with four teams chasing the Yankees, who happen to be the only unit in the division with a record above .500.

One of those "other" teams on the chase is the Toronto Blue Jays, who have compiled a 10-11 record thus far, including Tuesday's 10-3 win at Texas.

Yankee fans may disagree, but Toronto has the nucleus of a very solid ball team, capable of winning the division or at least contending for it. One of the players who will have to perform at a high level is 6th-year pro Adam Lind, who connected for a pair of homers in the victory.

Lind blossomed in 2009, smashing 35 home runs with 114 RBI, but the numbers were down significantly last season (23 and 72). Toronto's success lies largely with Lind's level of production.

Getting the Blue Jays on the board early, Lind ignited a 5-run, first inning rally with an RBI single and later scored. He knocked a solo homer in the 3rd inning and put the game away with a three-run blast in the 4th. The five RBI gave him a team-leading 17, three behind league leader, Adrian Beltre.

National League

David Ross

With their 8-2 road win, Atlanta delivered the padres' their seventh loss in their last eight games, keeping them mired in last place in the NL West. The Braves also hung the first loss of the season on starter Aaron Harang (4-1).

Jair Jurrjens (2-0) went the distance for the Braves, allowing both earned runs on nine hits, but the Padres were mostly undone by catcher David Ross, who homered twice off Harang with a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run job in the 6th, which finished off the starter and the Braves' scoring for the night.

It wasn't supposed to go that way. Ross was in the lineup to give regular backstop Brian McCann a night off. It was just his fifth game this season, but he made the most of it.

The Braves could use more consistent production. At 12-13, they're 4 games back of the Marlins in the division and though they're second in the league in homers, with 27, their team batting average of .228 is third-worst in the NL.

Boston Backs in; Lind Homers Thrice; Molina Rocks Arizona

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 29, 2009 American League The Boston Red Sox dropped their fifth straight, losing an 8-7 decision to Toronto, but earned the AL wild card spot as the Rangers lost to the Angels, 5-2. Boston has a six game lead in the wild card race with just 5 games left. While the Red Sox are flailing their way into the playoffs, Toronto players are simply padding their stats and looking forward to the off-season. One fellow who's had an outstanding season North of the border is Adam Lind, who launched 3 long balls in the win over the Red Sox, a two-run deal in the 1st followed by solo shots in the 5th and 7th innings. Lind leads the Blue Jays with 114 RBI and is second on the team in homers, with 35. He also ranks 3rd in RBI and 4th in homers in the AL. Along with a .305 batting average, Lind has produced a break-out season, more than doubling his career RBI and home run totals. National League Now 8 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 5 behind the Rockies in the wild card race, the San Francisco Giants aren't going to make any post-season noise, but that didn't stop Bengie Molina from roughing up Doug Davis and the Arizona relievers that followed. Molina went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, two singles, four RBI and 2 runs. The batter directly in front of Molina in the lineup, Pablo Sandoval, also had 4 hits in 5 at-bats (2 singles, double, homer), drove in two runs and scored 4 times. Between them the two accounted for more than half of the Giants' 15 hits in their 8-4 win over the Diamondbacks. NOTES: With Florida toping the Braves, 5-4, the Rockies took advantage of the rare Atlanta loss to put a little distance between themselves and their closest pursuer in the wild card hunt. It took 11 innings, but the Rockies finally did away with the pesky Brewers, winning 7-5 on Chris Iannetta's 2-run, pinch hit homer in the bottom of the inning. That put the Rockies three games ahead with 5 left to play, so they still have some work to do. They have two more with the Brewers in Colorado before heading to LA for a season-ending series with the Dodgers. The Braves, who lost for only the 3rd time in their last 17 games, play Florida once more and end at home with four games against the Nationals. The Phillies and Dodgers can each clinch with wins on Wednesday. LA faces the Padres in San Diego, while the Phillies have Houston at home. Every spot except the Central has been decided in the AL, and there was no change in the standings as the Twins and Tigers split a double-header Tuesday. The two play two more head-to-head before the Tigers host the White Sox and the Twins the Royals in three-game series to finish the regular season. Detroit can clinch the division with two wins over the Twins.

8 RBI for Toronto's Lind; Lee Powers Astros Past Cubs

Players of the Day for Monday, August 31, 2009 American League The Toronto Blue Jays got rid of high-priced Alex Rios earlier in the year, tried to unload Roy Halladay and a probably stuck with the multi-million-dollar-dud, Vernon Wells, but in Adam Lind, they have a keeper. Here's a guy who just comes out every day and plays hard, and plays well. Lind was off the charts in Monday's 18-10 hit parade over the Rangers as he drove in 8 runs - the most in the AL in two years and tied for the most in one game in the majors this season with Josh Willingham (July 27), who did it with two grand slams. Lind began his barrage in the 4th inning, extending the Blue Jays' 6-0 lead to 10-0 with a grand slam, his 26th home run of the year. The Rangers, however, fighting for their lives in the middle of the wild card race, cut the lead back to one, scoring 7 in the 5th, 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th while the Jays added just one. Looking for some insurance in the top of the ninth, Lind led off with homer #27, a solo shot, and, after his teammates had added a few more, finished off the Toronto scoring with a bases-clearing double which plated three runs. To go with the 27 dingers, Lind has 89 RBI and a .303 batting average. The loss dropped the Rangers 6 behind LA in the AL West and 4 back of idle Boston in the wild card. National League Carlos Lee is a guy who is having another in a series of solid seasons, but, playing in the relative obscurity of cellar-dwelling Houston, doesn't get much recognition. A .308 hitter, Lee also has 22 home runs and 85 RBI on the season, and Monday he may have put the final nail in the Cubs' post-season coffin, singling in two runs in the 3rd inning and knocking a ball over the center field ivy in the 5th for two more runs in the Astros' 5-3 win. The Astros have fallen out of contention for anything long ago, but they want to make sure the Cubs - still in second place in the Central division - don't make their way to any games in October. Just three games behind them in the division standings, the Astros probably wouldn't mind passing Chicago by as the season winds down. The Cubs are 6 games back of the Rockies and Giants in the wild card race and 10 1/2 behind the Cardinals.

Young's 4-for-4 Boosts D-Backs; Lind Helps Surging Blue Jays

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 18, 2009 American League The Toronto Blue Jays completed a 3-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with an 8-7 win on Rod Barajas' pinch hit solo homer in the 9th, but the guy who got them there was 3rd year player Adam Lind, who is one of the reasons the Jays are in the division hunt. Lind went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a home run, driving in two runs and scoring twice to keep the Blue Jays in the game. The homer was Lind's 14th of the season and his RBI total of 48 leads the team. A .308 hitter, Lind was 6-for-13 in the series with Philly, with two home runs and 3 RBI. The Jays trail the Red Sox by 4 games in the AL East, in third place, just one back of the Yankees. National League Arizona's Chris Young exploded with a 4-for-4 night as the Diamondbacks coasted past the Royals, 12-5. Young stroked a single, two doubles and a triple, scored a run and drove one in and stole his 11th base of the season. Young's totals could have been even more impressive had the batters in the weak Arizona lineup done anything. But Young should not be complaining. The 4 hits boosted his batting average to .206, the first time he's been over .200 since April 29th. The reason nobody's heard much from the Diamondbacks this season is their 29-38 record, which has left them in last place in the NL West, 17 games behind the Dodgers. NOTES: The Washington Nationals humbled the mighty Yankees in their own yard, taking 2 of 3 from the Bombers at Yankee Stadium with a 3-2 win Wednesday and a 3-0 win on Thursday. The Nats are probably unlikely to contend in their division, but they can play spoiler. Those who mentioned that if the Mets miss the playoffs by one game, they can look to the loss induced by Luis Castillo's dropped fly ball last weekend. Since the Yankees were the beneficiaries of that win, one can safely assume that they feel like they've given one or two back with the losses to the Nationals. The Yanks are 3 behind Boston in the AL East. Toronot is 4 back, and Tampa Bay 6 behind. Meanwhile, the Mets didn;t help themselves much as the Phillies were being swpt by the Blue Jays, dropping two of three in Baltimore. The bullpen is still the issue with the Mets, as they gave up a run in the 8th and 2 in the 9th in last night's 5-4 loss to the O's. Francisco Rodriguez blew his second save in his last three tries, allowing the 2 9th inning runs. The Mets still trail Philly by 3 games in the NL East.

Lind's 5 RBI Leads Jays; Victorino Goes 4-5 in Win Over Cards

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 5, 2009 American League The Toronto Blue Jays continue to confound the rest of the AL East, leading the division by a game over Boston, at 19-10. The Blue Jays have gotten solid pitching and timely hitting from the likes of Adam Lind, who has been knocking around with Toronto since 2006 but has become a mainstay at DH this season. In Toronto's 10-6 win over Cleveland Tuesday, Lind was an integral part of the winning formula, singling twice and smacking a three-run homer in the 7th inning to crack open a game tied at 6-6. Lind drove in five runs to give him 29 on the year, with 6 home runs and a .333 batting average. National League After a month of trying, the Phillies have finally caught and passed the Marlins in the NL East, taking a 1/2 game lead in the division. Winning their third straight and second straight over the Cardinals, Philly topped St. Louis in a 10-7 slugfest, their 8th road win against just two losses. Keying the victory was diminutive Shane Victorino, the hitting star of last year's world series, who got the Phillies started with a solo home run in the first inning, a pair of singles, a double, three runs and three RBI. His 4-for-5 evening was marred only by being thrown out trying to steal second base in the fifth inning. NOTES: Absolutely average on the road at 8-8, the LA Dodgers are unbeatable at home, compiling a 12-0 record at Chavez Ravine to open the 2008 campaign. Their even dozen wins tied the major league mark for consecutive home wins to open a season set in 1911 by the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers won their sixth straight overall and, at 20-8, have the best record in the majors and lead the NL West with a 5 1/2-game bulge. LA goes for 13 straight Wednesday night, when they host the league's worst team, the Washington Nationals, who will enter the game with a 7-17 mark.

Lind's 6 RBI Powers Jays; Ramirez Slam Lifts Marlins

Players of the Day, Monday, April 6 American League Not known for amazing power, Tornoto's Adam Lind put on a little bit of a show in the Blue Jays' opening day, 12-5 win over visiting Detroit. The 3rd-year outfielder was in the starting lineup as DH, and he came through with 4 hits, one of them a 3-run, 4th inning blast which put the Blue Jays ahead 9-1. Lind singled in the first, driving in a pair of runs, and drove in another in the 8th inning to give his 6 RBI on the day. National League Hanley Ramirez picked right up where he left off last season, leading the Florida Marlins to a 12-6 home opening victory of the Nationals with a double and grand slam homer. Ramirez doubled in a run and scored in the 3rd inning, then finished off Florida's scoring with his slam in the 6th inning. Last season, Ramirez batted .301, with 33 homers and 67 RBI. Looking to improve on those numbers, he's off to a great start this season.