Matt Holliday Keeps Cardinals Winning; Derek Holland and Adrian Beltre Lead Rangers in Rout of Boston

Players of the Day for Friday, May 3, 2013

American League

Adrian Beltre

Matching leaders of their respective divisions, Texas welcomed the Red Sox into Arlington for the first of a three-game series Friday, and the Rangers broke out with an 18-hit attack in a 7-0 thumping.

Derek Holland

Texas starter Derek Holland threw eight innings of shutout ball at the Sox, fanning nine while scattering six hits and one walk to even his record at 2-2. Only one Boston baserunner reached second base, as all of the hits off Holland were singles and the Rangers turned two double plays. Derek Lowe piched a perfect ninth inning to close out the whitewash.

Adrian Beltre went 4-for-5, with a double and three singles, driving in three runs. Batting just .215 entering the game, Beltre upped his average to .241 with the effort.

Despite the loss, Boston remained safely in first place in the AL East, as both the second place Yankees and third place Orioles lost. Boston is 2 1/2 games up on the Yankees.

Oakland kept pace with the Rangers in the West, beating the Yankees, 2-0, to remain 1 1/2 games out.

The series continues Saturday afternoon at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a two-run homer - his sixth of the season - to lead the NL Central division-leading Cardinals to a 6-1 win over the homestanding Brewers.

Holliday went 3-for-4 with three runs, singling and scoring in the fifth and seventh innings as the Cardinals extended their lead.

Carlos Beltran added a solo homer in the seventh inning, his eighth of the season.

The win kept the Cardinals a game in front of Pittsburgh, who topped Washington, 3-1. The Central division, which has been a see-saw battle for first place through most of the first month of the season, has opened up a bit as Cincinnati is 2 1/2 back and the Brewers have faded to 3 1/2 out with their third straight loss.

St. louis has won four straight and will look to extend their winning streak when the meet the Brewers at 4:05 pm EDT in game three of their four-game series.

Andre Either Goes 4-for-4 in Dodger Win; Chris Davis Belts 3 HR for Orioles; Texas' Adrian Beltre Hits for Cycle

Players of the Day for Friday, August 24, 2012

American League

Beltre Hits for Cycle

Hitting for the cycle is a rarity. Not quite so unusual is belting three home runs in one game, but Adrian Beltre managed to cram both of those feats into a span of just three days, and, on the night Beltre hit for the cycle, the Orioles' Chris Davis homered in three consecutive at-bats.

Davis: 3 HR

After hitting three homers on Wednesday, Beltre continued his hot streak Friday with a 4-for-4 effort which included a first inning triple, a second inning double, a fifth inning home run and a single, to complete the cycle, in the eighth. Texas pounded Minnesota, 8-0, Beltre's cycle overshadowing a fine pitching performance by 15-4 Matt Harrison, who allowed just two hits over eight innings, fanning five and walking two.

Riding a five-game hitting streak, Beltre has 13 hits in his last 22 at-bats, a .591 clip. The Rangers maintained a six game lead over the A's in the West with the victory.

In Baltimore, the Orioles downed Toronto, 6-4, behind Davis' three homers - solo shots in the second and fourth innings, and a two-run knock that put the O's ahead, 5-1. Davis was 3-for-4 with four RBI and the Orioles remained tied with Oakland for the second wild card spot, 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay.


National League

Ethier: 4-for-4

With rumors of a blockbuster trade between the Dodgers and Red Sox circulating, Andre Ethier went about his business as a professional, going 4-for-4 with a three-run, first inning homer followed by three straight singles, driving in four runs and scoring three times in LA's 11-4 victory over visiting Miami.

The win allowed the Dodgers to keep pace in the NL West, three games behind the Giants, winners of five straight.

The proposed deal between LA and Boston centered on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez heading to the Dodgers. The players have been known for days, but the trade has to be approved by Major League Baseball before it is finalized. Sources say that approval should come Saturday.

According to the LA Times:

The Red Sox would also send pitcher Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford and infielder Nick Punto in the deal, while L.A. would give up James Loney, pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster as well as minor leaguers Jerry Sands and Ivan De Jesus Jr.