Charlie Blackmon 4-5, 4 R, Rockies Top Nats, 10-6; Steve Pearce Slams Again For Jays; Adrian Beltre Notches #3000

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 30, 2017

American League

Pearce: Walk-off Slam

He did it again.

Just three days after slugging a 10th-inning, walk-off grand slam in Toronto's 8-4 win over the A's, Steve Pearce capped a dramatic seven-run, ninth inning rally with another bases-full round-tripper, leading the Blue Jays over the LA Angels, 11-10.

Pearce's second walk-off grand slam in four days came off Angels' reliever, Bud Norris, who surrendered three hits and a walk and was charged with all four runs off Pearce's bat. Prior to Norris' appearance, Brooks Pounders failed to record an out in the bottom of the ninth. He faced three batters, allowed two hits and a walk and was charged with three runs.

Toronto's win came as the top two teams in the AL East - New York and Boston - were losing, but the Jays still trail by eight games in the division and also have to contend with the Orioles and Rays, both winners on Sunday.

Pearce's and Toronto's flair for the dramatic may have come too late in the season for the Blue Jays, however. They got off to a poor start, had injuries to key players and have not recovered. Despite having a mostly healthy lineup, Toronto is just 8-9 since the all-star break, though they have won five of their last seven.

Toronto begins a six-game road trip Monday, opening with the White Sox, then on to Houston for three games.

Beltre: 3000 Hits

MILESTONE: Adrian Beltre recorded his 3000th major league hit Sunday with a fourth-inning double off Baltimore starter, Wade Miley. Beltre would later score on Rougned Odor's single, but the Orioles out-slugged the Rangers, 10-6. Beltre becomes the 31st player to reach the 3000-hit level, joining Roborto Clemente at the magic mark. Beltre, 38, is a 20 year veteran who has played his entire career - save 2010 in Boston - in the AL West, with the Angels, Seattle, and currently, the Rangers. He is a career .286 hitter, with 454 home runs and 1607 RBI, Hall of Fame numbers for sure.

National League

With a rainout of their scheduled Friday night opener, the three-game series between Colorado and Washington evolved into game one on Saturday and a double-header Sunday. The Rockies won Saturday, 4-2, and took the first game of the double-header, 10-6 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, thanks to another outstanding game from leadoff hitter, Charlie Blackmon, who's been tearing up opposing pitching all season long.

In five at-bats, Blackmon lashed four singles, drove in a run, stole a base and scored four times, improving his batting average to .329, fourth-best in the National League, .001 behind Washington's Bryce Harper. Blackmon leads the league in runs, with 93; Harper is second, at 86. Colorado's best hitter is also reshaping the way pitchers handle a lineup. He has 25 home runs (tied for 6th) and 70 RBI, 14th overall.

Blackmon: 4-for-5, 4 R

After singling and scoring in the first and third innings, Blackmon got his third single of the game in the fourth, driving in a run, later scoring from second on Nolan Arenado's single.

In the eighth, Blackmon singled again, stole second and scored on Arenado's triple. Arenado was 3-for-3 and his two RBI increased his league-leading total to 91.

In the nightcap, the Nationals came back with a 3-1 win, avoiding being swept and maintaining a 13 game lead over Miami in the NL East. The Rockies are 1/2 game behind Arizona for second place in the West, but 14 1/2 behind the Dodgers, winners of eight straight.

Colorado is 8-7 after the break and returns home Monday to open a six game home stand, starting on Tuesday with the Mets for three, followed by a visit from the Phillies over the weekend. Washington opens a three-game series in Miami on Monday, followed by three games in Chicago against the Cubs, opening Thursday.

Adrian Beltre Belts Texas to NL West Title; J.A. Happ Sends Pirates Home for Wild Card Showdown with Cubs

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 4, 2015

American League


Texas is the champion of the AL West.

Happ: 6 Shutout Innings
Sends Pirates Home Happy

Beltre: Homer Sends
Rangers to AL West Crown

By defeating the LA Angels on the final day of the season, 9-2, the Rangers clinched the division and will play Toronto in the opening round of the playoffs.

Down 2-1, Adrian Beltre socked a two run homer in the fifth, putting the Rangers on top, then drove in another run with an infield single as the Rangers tacked on six runs in the seventh inning.

The Astros, finished second in the division and will be the second wild card, losing to Arizona, 5-3, on Sunday. Both the Astros and Yankees backed into the playoffs, but moreso the Yankees, as they lost for the sixth time in their last seven games, demolished by the Orioles, 9-4, losing three straight to the Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Astros travel to play the Yankees in the wild card game, Tuesday night at Yankees stadium.

National League

The Pittsburgh Pirates will face the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wednesday as the Pirates finished one game better than the Cubs in the NL Central, taking home field for the wild card game, with a 4-0 win over Cincinnati.

J.A. Happ held the Reds scoreless on three hits over six innings to get the win, improving to 7-2 on the year. The Pirates scored single runs in the first, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Pedro Alvarez socked his 27th homer of the season in the fourth.

The Cubs did their part to make the final day of the season interesting, whipping the Brewers 3-1. Chicago enters the post-season red-hot, winners of their last eight in a row.

Chicago finished 97-65. Pittsburgh was 98-64. Despite their designation as wild cards, the Pirates and Cubs had the second and third-best records in the league behind St. Louis, which ended the season with the best record in the majors, at 100-62, despite dropping both ends of a double-header at Atlanta on Sunday.

Pirates Clinch Playoff Spot as Neil Walker Drives Home 6; Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre Lead Texas over A's

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 23, 2015

American League

Elvis Andrus

Adrian Beltre

With an assist from division foe, Los Angeles, the Texas Rangers expanded their lead to three games over the Houston Astros, downing the Oakland A's, 10-4, Wednesday night.

Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre led the charge for Texas, Beltre singling and scoring in the fourth inning to tie the game at one, before Elvis Andrus unloaded a three-run shot to put the A's down 4-1. Beltre delivered his 16th homer of the season the following inning, another three-run belt that put the game out of reach.

Texas has a magic number of eight to lock up the AL West. The Angels are 4 1/2 back and still looking to get into the playoffs, likely via the wild card. Houston is currently in line for the second wild card, trailing the Yankees (1st wild card) by four games. Minnesota is also in the mix. The Twins are a game behind Houston, 1/2 game ahead of the Angels.

With the third game of the series in Oakland slated for a 3:35 pm EDT start, the Rangers will be looking for the sweep before heading to Houston for a showdown, three-game series with the Astros. On Monday they return home to finish up: three games with the Tigers, followed by four against the Angels, October 1-4.

National League

Walker: HR, 6 RBI

Neil Walker went 4-for-5 and drove in six runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates hammered the Colorado Rockies, 13-7, the win assuring themselves of another trip to the post-season.

The Pirates are the second National League team to qualify for the playoffs. Pittsburgh is assured of at least a wild card spot, but still are eyeing the NL Central crown. They trail the Cardinals (the other NL team to have already qualified for the playoffs) by four games, with 10 left to play. St. Louis was a 10-2 winner over Cincinnati Wednesday night.

In the wild card, Pittsburgh picked up a game over the Cubs, now leading them by three. By most accounts, the Pirates and Cubs will be the wild card, St. Louis the Central division winner, though things could change as the season winds to a close.

The win was Pittsburgh's fifth straight. St. Louis has won four in a row.

Walker connected for his 15th homer of the season in the third inning, his three-run blast upping Pittsburgh's lead over the host Rockies to 5-0. Walker had put the Pirates on the board in the first with a two-run single. Later, he completed the scoring for Pittsburgh with an RBI single in the ninth as Pittsburgh piled on the runs.

The Pirates will be seeking a sweep of the four-game series at Colorado when they conclude this afternoon. Game time is set for 3:10 pm EDT.

On Friday, the Pirates open a three-game series in Chicago, then head home to host the Cardinals for three which will likely decide the division. Pittsburgh finishes up at home with three games versus the Reds on October 2, 3 and 4.

Jason Hayward Gives Cardinals Win with 10th Inning Homer; Adrian Beltre Leads Rangers to First in AL West

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 15, 2015

American League

Beltre: 4-for-5, 2 RBI

Texas took over first place in the AL west with a spirited, come-form behind, 6-5, win over the Houston Astros on Mitch Moreland's sac fly in the bottom of the ninth, but, once again, it was the play of third baseman Adrian Beltre that put the Rangers in position to win.

Beltre went 4-for-5 with three singles and a double, scored a run and drove in two, including the game-tying run in the fourth inning, which knotted the score at 5-all.

Starters Derek Holland for Texas and Collin McHugh were both roughed up early, but the relief staffs of both teams kept the score tied until Moreland drove in Drew Stubbs (who was running for Prince Fielder) from third with a fly ball to center with no outs. Fielder led off the inning with a single, and Beltre singled pinch-runner Stubbs to third before Moreland delivered.

The Rangers have taken two straight over the Astros and forged a 1/2 game lead in the division. Houston is now in position for the 2nd wild card, 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees, but just 1 1/2 in front of the Twins and 3 1/2 better than the Angels.

Game three of the four-game series resumes Wednesday night at 8:05 pm EDT.

Heyward: 3-4, 2 2B, HR, SB

National League

For teams vying for playoff spots - be they wild cards or division titles - every game is big this time of year, so St. Louis fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Jason Hayward delivered a 10th-inning, two-run homer to boost the Cardinals past Milwaukee, 3-1.

It was a timely win, considering that the Pirates have been lately breathing down the backs of the Cardinals, but Pittsburgh lost to Chicago, 2-1, evening their four-game series at a game apiece. Had the Cardinals lost and the Pirates won, the lead in the NL Central would have dropped to just one game, a little too close for comfort, with 18 games remaining in the regular season.

As it turns out, the Cardinals still lead by three over Pittsburgh, and probably don't have to worry about the Cubs, who are likely to be the second wild card, as they are four games behind the Pirates, but 7 1/2 up on the Giants.

Heyward, who's been as steady in right field as the Cardinals could have expected, was 3-for-4.

The Brewers couldn't keep Hayward off the bases, as he doubled in the first inning, walked and stole second in the fourth but was stranded at third, doubled again in the sixth and scored the tying run on Jhonny Peralta's single.

In the eighth, Heyward reached on a fielder's choice and went first-to-third on another Peralta single, but again did not score.

With his fifth plate appearance in the 10th, Heyward belted his 12th home run of the season. Closer Trevor Rosenthal allowed a hit in the bottom of the 10th, but fanned two for his 44th save, second in the majors behind Pittsburgh's Mark Melancon.

Heyward's importance to the Cardinals cannot be understated. Generally batting in the three-hole, he's hitting a solid .296 with 12 homers, 32 doubles, 55 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. He's been caught stealing just three times this season.

The Cardinals play game two of their three-game series at Milwaukee Wednesday, at 8:10 pm EDT.

NL Note: Stephen Strasberg took a no-hitter into the sixth, but allowed a lead-off single, finishing with eight innings of shutout ball, walking one and striking out 14. The Nationals won, 4-0.

Adrian Beltre Belts Two HR in Texas Victory; Zach Greinke Tosses Eight Scoreless as Dodgers Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 14, 2015

American League

Beltre: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Toronto helped itself to a larger lead in the AL East (now up by 3 1/2), taking three of four from the Yankees in New York over the weekend, but the Yanks rallied to avoid the sweep on Sunday with a 5-0 victory, but, those three prior losses have tightened up the wild card race considerably.

Texas downed Oakland, 12-4, staying 1 1/2 back of the Astros in the West, but now find themselves just four games behind the Yankees in the wild card, and one game ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card slot.

Adrian Beltre belted a pair of home runs in the win - a two-run and a three-run shot - tallying five RBI on the day and giving him 55 on the year. Beltre's sub-par stats may be a sign of him slowing down. He turned 36 in April of this year. His numbers suggest 2015 will be among the worst of his career, though he's been providing big at-bats for the Rangers recently.

Texas took the series against Oakland, two games to one, and open a pivotal, four-game series at home against the Astros starting Monday in Arlington. The series may go a long way toward determining not just the AL West winner, but also the wild card participants.

National League

Greinke: 17-3, 1.61 ERA

Continuing their run to the NL West championship, the LA Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, though the final score is hardly indicative of the kind of game pitched by Dodger hurler, Zach Greinke.

Earning his third win in September, Grienke tossed eight innings of shutout ball on three hits, walking two and striking out eight. He needed just 93 pitches (59 thrown for strikes) before turning the ball over the Kenley Jansen for the ninth with a 4-0 lead. Jansen, in a non-save scenario, nearly mucked it up, walking Paul Goldschmidt and allowing a single by David Peralta, before surrendering a two-out home run to Jerrod Saltalamacchia, giving the D'Backs hope. Jansen did finally get the last out, and the win, leaving the Dodgers right where they were when the day started, 7 1/2 games better than the Giants in the division, albeit, with one less game to play.

With 20 games remaining in the regular season, LA is virtually assured of the division crown, and, with the way Greinke has been throwing, only he and Chicago's Jake Arrieta appear as solid candidates for the NL Cy Young award. Grinch leads the majors with a 1.61 ERA.

Greinke has won 12 of his last 14 starts, with one loss and one no-decision, boosting his record for the season to 17-3. Depending on when the Dodgers clinch the pennant and possible playoff scenarios, Greinke could squeeze in four starts, but most likely will get three, and a chance at winning 20 games.

The Dodgers took the series in Arizona, two games to one, and head home to begin a ten-game homestead, beginning with three against the Rockies, starting Monday.

Adrian Beltre Hits for Cycle as Texas Downs Houston; Yoenis Cespedes Provides Power as Mets Take First in NL East

Players of the Day for Monday, August 3, 2015

Beltre's 3rd Career cycle

American League

Life in the AL West is beginning to get a little more interesting, especially after the barrage of 28 hits resulted in a 12-9 Rangers win over visiting Houston Monday.

The Rangers got their runs on the board early, scoring six in the first inning - all off Houston starter Lance McCullers, who got just one out before heading to the shower - and five more in the third.

In the middle of it all was Adrian Beltre, who hit for the cycle, getting all four needed hits by the fifth inning, when he homered, completing his amazing, third career cycle.

espn.com reports:

The last major leaguer with three career cycles was Babe Herman, who had two in 1931 and one in 1933, according to research provided by the Elias Sports Bureau to the Rangers. The only other big leaguers with three career cycles are Bob Meusel (1921, 1922 and 1928) and John Reilly (twice in 1883 and 1890).

Beltre's triple in the first got the Rangers going. He doubled in the second and singled in the third before his fifth-inning blast, finishing a 4-for-5 night with four RBI and two runs. His homer was his ninth of the season.

The victory moved Texas to within seven games of first-place Houston and one game below .500 (52-53). The Angels hold second place, three games out.

Houston and Texas continue play with the second of their three-game series at Arlington, Tuesday, at 8:05 pm EDT.

National League

Cespedes: 3 2B, 4 RBI

Followers of Mets baseball have to be ecstatic over recent developments.

After getting Yoenis Cespedes prior to the trade deadline, the Mets have caught fire again, winning four straight, including Monday's 12-1 water-boarding of the Marlins in the opener of their three-game series in Miami.

Over the weekend, New York took three straight from the Nationals, tying for the lead in the NL East. Coupled with the Nats' 6-4 loss to Arizona on Monday, the Mets find themselves in sole possession of first place in the division, one game up on the Nationals.

Bartolo Colon had one of his best outings of the year, allowing one run on seven hits over eight innings. while Cespedes provided the kind of offense the Mets were seeking when they traded for him, getting the slugger from the slumping Tigers.

In the three games since joining the Mets, Cespedes has yet to homer, but he did deliver a trio of doubles in Monday's victory, driving in four runs, scoring twice.

For the season - slit between New York and Detroit - Cespedes is having himself a banner year, batting .294 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI. While he will probably be among the MLB leaders in RBI this season, because he's split his time between leagues, he won't qualify for any league leadership.

The Mets should be satisfied, however. They traded for, and, apparently, have gotten the big bat needed in the middle of the order, and already, they've taken first place away from Washington.

The Mets continue their series in Miami Tuesday night at 7:10 pm EDT.

Mets' Matt Harvey Blanks Rockies for 1st Career Shutout; Rangers Tie A's in AL West as Adrian Beltre Leads 16-Hit Attack

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 7, 2013

American League

Beltre: 3-4, HR, 3RBI

Nearing the end of July, the Oakland A's had opened up a six-game lead on the Texas Rangers in the AL West. That's all forgotten now, as the Rangers have won nine of their last ten, and, since July 29, the A's have lost six of their last seven, leaving the two teams dead even in the division.

While Oakland can barely escape blaming themselves, they got no help from the LA Angels, now in fourth place after being whipped six straight times by the Rangers since the All Star break, including the just-completed three-game sweep in LA, culminating in the Rangers' 10-3 win in the three-game series sweep.

Having possibly the best season of his 16-year major league career, Adrian Beltre led the Rangers' 16-hit attack on five Angel hurlers with a 3-for-4 effort, including his 25th home run of the season, a sixth-inning, two-run blast that put the Rangers up by a 7-2 score, essentially putting the game out of reach.

Beltre had a pair of singles to go with his homer, drove in three runs and scored four times. He has 70 RBI, tied for ninth in the league, with a .319 batting average, fourth best in the AL. His 25 homers have him tied for sixth with Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo, though far behind Chris Davis' 41 dingers.

After a day off Thursday, both Oakland and Texas will have the opportunity to beat up on last-place teams. Texas opens a four-game series at Houston on Friday, while the A's visit Toronto for four.

National League

Harvey: 4-hit shutout

While the Braves were completing their three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, opening up a 13 1/2 game lead in the NL East with a 6-3 win, Matt Harvey got the Mets into sole possession of third place in the division with a four-hit shutout of the Rockies in a 5-0 victory.

Harvey (9-3) fanned six and did not walk a batter, throwing 78 of 106 pitches for strikes. From the fourth through the eighth inning, Harvey set down 11 straight Rockies, who did not get a runner to second base until there were two outs in the ninth, when Charlie Blackmon singled and took second on fielder's indifference. Harvey induced a pop-up from troy Tulowitzki to end the game, the rookie hurler's first career complete game and shutout.

The six Ks also extended Harvey's lead in the strikeout category. He has 178, 12 better than LA's Clayton Kershaw. Harvey is also among the leaders in ERA. At 2.09, he is second to Kershaw's outstanding 1.91.

The win was the Mets' second straight over the Rockies. They will go for the sweep in a day-game finale at 12:10 pm EDT at Citi Field in New York.

Today's Trivia: From 1954 to 1963, the AL MVP award went to a Yankee player eight times over the 10-year span. Who were the four Yankee players who won MVP awards in those years? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1979, the NL MVP award was a tie between the Mets' Keith Hernandez and Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell.

Joaquin Arias Leads Giants to Sweep of LA; Adrian Beltre's 3 HR, Mitch Moreland's Grand Slam Power Rangers Past Baltimore

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22, 2012

American League

Exactly five years ago, the Rangers embarrassed the Orioles with a ridiculous, 30-3, victory. Wednesday night at home, the Rangers didn't exactly demolish the O's again, though the result was the same: a Texas win and a Baltimore loss.

Adrian Beltre socked three home runs - all within the first four innings - as the Rangers built an insurmountable, 10-1 lead, sending 12 batters to the plate in the fateful fourth, Mitch Moreland smacked a grand slam during the frame, surrounded by two of Beltre's three home runs. Noth Moreland and Beltre finished with five RBI in the 12-3 power display.

Moreland: GS, 5RBI

Beltre: 3 HR, 5 RBI

It was the second time this season that a Ranger had hit three homers in one game. Josh Hamilton stroked four earlier in the season.

The victory kept Texas five games up on Oakland in the AL West; the Orioles, despite the loss, remain in the thick of the wild card hunt, though they dropped out of the #2 slot to third, two games behind Tampa Bay and 1/2 game behind Oakland.

The Rays moved to within three games of the Yankees in the East with the sixth win in their last seven outings, taking two of three in KC with a 5-3 win. The Yankees were swept in Chicago by the White Sox, capped by Wednesday's 2-1 triumph. Chris Sale improved to 15-4 for the Sox, who are two games better than the Tigers in the Central. Sale fanned 13 and allowed just three hits over 7 2/3 innings. Derek Jeter produced the only run for the Yankees with a solo homer in the sixth, his third home run in as many games.


National League

Series sweeps seem to be the agenda this season in the stories rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers.

Joaquin Arias

Back in late June, the Giants took three straight from LA to assume the lead in the NL West. A little more than a month later, the Dodgers returned the favor, sweeping the Giants on their home turf.

With Wednesday's 8-4 win, the Giants completed another sweep of the Dodgers, this time in Los Angeles, to assume a 2 1/2 game lead over LA in the division with the Diamondbacks still lurking, 5 1/2 out.

Joaquin Arias, a 28-year-old utility infield rookie from the Dominican Republic, provided all the runs Matt Cain and the Giants would need with a home run, two doubles and five RBI in four at-bats.

Cain scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowing just one run while whiffing five for his 13th win against five losses.

The Giants head home for a four game series with Atlanta beginning Thursday, while the Dodgers get a day off before opening a three game set with the Marlins on Friday in LA.

Rangers Take Crucial Game Five; One Win Away from Winning World Series

Players of the Day for Monday, October 24, 2011


Rangers 4 Cardinals 2

Mike Napoli broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a bases-loaded double to right center field, scoring Michael Young and Nelson Cruz with the go-ahead and insurance runs, leaving the Rangers one game from winning the World Series and the Cardinals wondering about missed opportunities and the possibility of winning two games back in St. Louis.

Napoli: 8th-inning
double plates pair.

The Cardinals had taken an early lead with two runs in the second inning, and had their ace, Chris Carpenter working over the Ranger lineup from the mound. Carpenter had been strong through five innings, allowing only a third-inning solo homer by Mitch Moreland. With a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth, the Cards appeared to have everything under control. Carpenter was working fast, getting Josh Hamilton on a ground out to first and striking out Michael Young for the second out of the inning. But, when Adrian Beltre saw Carpenter's looping curve ball, he deposited the pitch into the stands above left-center field to tie the game.

Beltre's 6th inning
home tied the game.

Missed opportunities and mistakes doomed the Cardinals the rest of the way, After a one-out walk to Allen Craig in the top of the seventh, Albert Pujols apparently called his own hit and run, but the pitch was high, and Napoli easily gunned down Criag at second. Pujols was then walked intentionally, and Matt Holliday followed with a single to shallow center, Pujols raced around third, drawing an errant throw and Holliday advanced to second. Alexi Ogando, who had relieved Scott Feldman to open the inning, walked Lance Berkman intentionally to load the bases, and then got David Freese to fly out to center on the first pitch. Threat ended. Mistakes noted.

Carpenter cruised through the bottom of the seventh, stranding Ian Kinsler, who had worked out a one-out walk, at first. St. Louis got catcher Yadier Molina to second base on a single and a sacrifice by Ryan Theroit, but could not get to Darren Oliver, who had replaced Ogando after giving up the leadoff single. With the tie-breaking run on second, Oliver punched out Nick Punto swinging and got Rafael Furcal on a harmless ground ball to short.

In the game-changing bottom of the eighth, Octavio Dotel came on for Carpenter, a quizzical move by manager Tony LaRussa, considering how well his ace had pitched, having thrown 101 pitches through seven innings, but  apparently with more gas in the tank. Michael Young led off with a double, but Dotel got Adrian Beltre on a swinging strikeout, then walked Nelson Cruz intentionally. Dotel was lifted for Mike Rzepczynski to face David Murphy, who singled up the middle, the ball glancing off Rzepczynski to second baseman Punto, who had no play at any base, negating a potential double play, leaving the bases chock-full of Rangers. Moments later Napoli ripped his double, giving the Rangers a lead they would take to the ninth.

Closer Neftali Feliz got off to a shaky start in the final frame, plunking Allen Criag to lead off the inning and bringing up Pujols again, but, just as in the seventh, Craig was running on a 3-2 count, the pitch was wide, Pujols swung and missed, but Napoli didn't miss Craig sliding into second base, thrown out for the second time. Matt Holliday worked a two-out walk, but Berkman struck out swinging to end the game and send Texas fans into delirious delight, the Rangers one game from the promised land of a franchise first World Series championship.

Game six will be played back in St. Louis on Wednesday night at 8:05 pm EDT, where the Cardinals split with the Rangers earlier in the series. Jaime Garcia, the hard-luck hurler who pitched seven innings of shutout ball on three hits, but earned no decision as the bullpen wasted a 1-0 lead in Texas' 2-1 win, will go to the mound for St. Louis. Texas sends out game two starter Colby Lewis in what could be a series clinching spot. Lewis also pitched well in his previous start, allowing just one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings.

If the Cardinals force a game seven on Thursday, the likely starters will be the same duo from game three, Matt Harrison for the Rangers facing Kyle Lohse of the Cardinals.

Napoli is having a huge series, and if the Rangers win game six, he would likely be named MVP. Even though he's had only four hits in 13 at-bats (.308), they've mostly been big ones, a two-run homer in game one, a two-run single in game three, a three run blast in game four and Monday night's game winning, two-RBI double, giving the slugging catcher nine RBI in addition to his near-flawless play behind the plate.

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.

Jair Jurrjens One-Hits Orioles; Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre Power Rangers

Players of the Day for Friday, July 1, 2011

American League

Adrian Beltre

Nelson Cruz

As interleague play winds down into final series, the Texas Rangers are counting the blessings of the schedule, having drawn a three-game set with the Marlins in Texas to complete their cross-league encounters for the season.

In the opener, the Rangers took full advantage of Florida's frailties, smashing 15 hits in a 15-5, one-sided romp.

At the heart of the Texas tornado were Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre, who together accounted for five hits and ten RBI.

Beltre went 3-for-4, with two doubles, a single and four RBI, while Cruz, recently returned from the disabled list, had a three-run homer in the 3rd inning (his 19th) and produced a bases-loaded triple in the 8th for a six RBI night.

The Rangers increased their lead in the AL West to two games over the Angels, who lost to the Dodgers, 5-0, and remained 3 1/2 better than the Mariners, 6-0 winners over the Padres.

National League

Jurrjens: 1-Hitter
and 1.89 ERA

Jair Jurrjens flirted with a perfect game for five innings and a no hitter for 6 1/3, eventually walkng Mark Reynolds to lead off the 6th, then giving in to Adam Jones, who singled to center, the Orioles' only hit of a game.

After Jones' hit, Jurrjens simply cruised through the final eight Baltimore batters, finishing with a one-hit shutout, the first blanking of his career, and his second complete game of the season, as Atlanta won, 4-0, remaining four games behind the Phillies in the NL East.

The walk to Reynolds was the only free pass issued by Jurrjens, who took over the NL lead in wins with his 11th, against just three losses.

The Atlanta ace struck out eight, lowered his WHIP to 1.06 and reduced his already-league-leading ERA to a minuscule 1.89.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The American League took back the lead with 8 wins on Friday, giving them a two-game edge over the NL, 113-111.

Beltre Blasts Orioles; Broxton, Kuroda Lead Dodgers to Pair of Wins

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 9, 2011

American League

Adrian Beltre

It's probably too early to be thinking about possible playoff match-ups, but, since it's still only April, the weekend series between the Orioles and Rangers at Camden yards qualifies - for now - as a pairing of the top teams from the AL East and West and the result so far is a draw.

After a rain-out Friday forced a Saturday double-dip, the Orioles took the opener by a 5-0 score behind the 4-hit pitching by Baltimore's Zach Britton, who blanked the Rangers for 7 2/3 innings. It was the first loss of the season by Texas, following a 6-0 start.

Taking an 0-for-4 collar in the first game, newly-acquired Texas 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre was batting just .148, but he and the Rangers would get their revenge in the nightcap,

Beltre, who socked 28 homers and drove in 102 runs in Boston last season, went 3-for-5, with a single, double, home run, three RBI and three runs as the Rangers
blasted the Orioles, 13-1.

Beltre doubled his hit total for the season, to six, and was at .182 with 7 RBI after the onslaught. The two teams conclude their series at 1:35 on Sunday.

National League

Hiroki Kuroda

Jonathan Broxton

2010 was a disappointing year for the Dodgers, watching their arch-rivals, the San francisco Giants, win the NL West and the World Series, so they're determined not to repeat the woes of last season, with a new manager, Don Mattingly, and a new attitude.

They're off to a 5-3 start, 1/2 game behind the Rockies, after they beat the Padres twice on Saturday, winning the resumption of Friday's suspended game, 4-2, in 11 innings and then winning again, 4-0, on the strength of Hiroki Kuroda's 8 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

Jonathan Broxton had the unique pleasure of getting two saves in one day, working a scoreless 11th inning in the suspended game and getting the final out in the regular contest after Kuroda left with runners on first and second.

Broxton issued a walk to load the bases, but then got Cameron Maybin to ground into a game-ending fielder's choice. Broxton also allowed a hit and a walk in the single inning save in the suspended game.

Kuroda, who walked two and fanned four, was nearly unhittable early, taking a one-hitter through six innings, but struggled through the latter stages, allowing six hits overall.

In two starts, both wins, Kuroda has a 1.72 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.

Beltre Blast Bombs Bosox; Matt Cain, Freddy Sanchez Get First Win for Giants

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 2, 2011

American League

Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre capped a six-run 4th inning with a grand slam homer, leading the Texas Rangers to a thorough, 12-5 throttling of the Boston Red Sox.

Beltre joined the Rangers after spending the 2010 season with the Red Sox.

The blast was Beltre's only hit, but it was the biggest of the Rangers' 15-hit attack. all nine players in the lineup registered at least one hit. Nine Ranger hits went for extra bases, including four home runs.

The Rangers have taken the first two games of the series from Boston and will look to complete the season-opening sweep on Sunday.

National League

Matt Cain

Matt Cain started the 2011 season the same way he ended the 2010 season, holding the opposing team scoreless.

Freddy Sanchez

Cain tossed six shutout innings in his first start for the Giants, en route to a 10-0 laugher and the defending world champions' first win of the season after two losses to their most intense rival.

During last year's playoffs and World Series, Cain had thrown 21 1/3 innings without surrendering an earned run. On Saturday, he allowed five hits, issued no walks and fanned three.

Freddy Sanchez provided a nice dose of offense, going 3-for-4, with a single, double and home run. Sanchez drove in three runs and scored twice as the Giants beat up Dodger starter Ted Lilly and three relievers.

Beltre, Red Sox Refuse to Die; Phillies Clinch on Halladay 2-Hitter

Players of the Day for Monday, September 27, 2010

American League

Even though the Red Sox can only hope to tie the Yankees or the Rays for either the wild card or the AL East pennant, they refuse to go down without a fight.

On Monday, the Red Sox produced their 87th win of the season, a 6-1 victory, courtesy of Clay Buchholz, who limited the White Sox to one run on five hits over eight innings, and the bat of Adrian Beltre, who clubbed a pair of doubles while going 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run.

With both the Yankees and Rays losing, the Red Sox remained alive for at least one more day. They must win all of their remaining games, and either the Rays or Yankees lose all of theirs, in order to tie for a post-season position.

The Yankees took a 7-5 defeat at Toronto, while the Rays floundered against the Orioles, losing 4-0 in Tampa, but remained 1/2 game in front of New York in the division standings.

National League

For the fourth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Phillies are champions of the NL East.

This year may have been their sweetest season, overcoming injuries and an Atlanta Braves team that surprised many but eventually fell in face-to-face combat with the fighting Phils.

Fittingly, it was Roy Halladay on the mound for the first and last outs of the clinching game, hurling a 2-hit shutout over the Nationals for an 8-0 win.

Halladay, who didn't allow a walk, gave up leadoff singles in the 3rd and 8th innings, in between setting down 13 straight. Neither runner advanced past first; Wilson Ramos was doubled up in the third inning and Adam Dunn stood stranded at first as Halladay easily set down the next three batters.

A model of efficiency, Halladay recorded his 21st win against 10 losses with just 95 pitches, 65 of which went for strikes. He fanned six, leaving him one short of the NL lead, currently held by Tim Lincecum, with 220. Halladay is unlikely to pitch any more during the Phillies' remaining six games as he will probably take extra rest before the playoffs.

The victory was Halladay's 9th complete game and 4th shutout, both tops in the league. He also leads in innings and wins, stats that should make him the NL Cy Young winner.

PENNANT NOTES: Cincinnati had the night off, and since the Cardinals didn't feel like rolling over just yet, beating the Pirates, 6-4, the Reds still have one more game to win (or one Cardinals loss) before claiming the NL Central.

San Francisco was idle, but the Rockies fell closer to elimination in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers and the Padres fell one game behind the Giants in the division, painfully losing 1-0 to Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs. Zambrano increased his scoreless stretch to 13 innings with 7 shutout frames against the Padres.

Adrian Beltre Blasts for Boston Sweep; Roy Oswalt Shuts Down Brewers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 26, 2010 American League When the Red Sox reached out and grabbed Adrian Beltre from Seattle in the off-season, nobody doubted that the acquisition would pay big benefits for Boston. Fitting right in from the start, Beltre's provided solid defense and an important bat so far this season. The slugging veteran had his best game as a Boston regular in Wednesday's 11-3 win over Tampa Bay, cracking a pair of homers a triple and a single in 6 at-bats as the Red Sox completed their three-game, on-the-road sweep of the first place Rays. Beltre got things started with a solo homer in the 2nd inning, added a 3-run blast in the 3rd, singled in the 7th and capped off his night with a triple in the 9th, plating two more Red Sox runs. The homers were only his 4th and 5th of the season, but the 6 RBI put him at 33 for the year, tops on the team. Beltre also leads the Sox with a .341 batting average, third in the league. Boston moved past Toronto into third place, 5 1/2 games behind the Rays and just 2 back of the Yankees. National League Roy Oswalt hasn't gotten much run support in his 10 starts this season, but made sure he didn't need much as he blanked the Brewers over 8 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk while fanning 9, as the Astros won, 4-0. Oswalt struck out every regular in the Milwaukee lineup one time and added a K on reliever Claudio Vargas for good measure. He threw 74 of 109 pitches for strikes in upping his record to 3-6. Oswalt's poor record is undeserved considering the way he's pitched. In 69 innings, he's allowed just 53 hits, has an ERA of 2.35, 69 Ks and a 1.01 WHIP, among the best in the league. With a little support at the plate, Oswalt could easily be 6-3.

Arizona's Drew, Seattle's Beltre Hit for Cycle; Lee Wins 20th

Players of the Day from Monday, September 1, 2008 American League Adrian Beltre provided a highlight for the suffering fans of the Seattle Mariners, going 5-for-6 and hitting for the cycle in Seattle's 12-6 win over Texas. Beltre drive in 3 runs and scored five times. His solo home run was his 24th of the season. The win didn't do anything for the Mariners. They have been hopelessly out of the pennant race since June. It did, however, aid the first place Angels, reducing their magic number for clinching the division to 8. Notes: The idle Twins tied the White Sox in the Central, as Chicago took one on the chin from Cleveland, 5-0, as Cliff Lee won his 20th game against just 2 losses. It was his 4th complete game and second shutout of the season. Besides being the leading candidate for the AL Cy Young award, Lee should also get Comeback Player of the Year. Last season, in 16 starts, he compiled a 5-8 record with a 6.29 ERA. Lee is the first major league pitcher to win 20, beating out Arizona's Brandon Webb, who is stuck on 19. National League Stephen Drew went 5-for-5, drove in a run and scored 3 times, hitting for the cycle as Arizona downed St. Louis, 8-6. The win kept Arizona 2 1/2 ahead of the Dodgers in the West. Notes: Elsewhere, the Mets beat Milwaukee, 4-2, while Philly was losing to the Nats, 7-4, giving New York a 2 game edge in the standings. Chicago suffered a 3-0 setback to Houston, but still lead the Brewers by 4 1/2 in the Central.

Beltre Bombs Batter Angels; Loshe Ends Pirates' Plunder

American League Fresh off a 3-game sweep of Detroit, the Cleveland Indians flew into Boston and were promptly put in their place by the high-flying Red Sox, who handed them a 5-3 loss. Curt Schilling (5-2) struck out 10 and gave up only 1 run on 6 hits over 7 innings, Manny Ramirez knocked his 8th homer and Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The Sox are 35-15, including 8-3 against Central division foes and lead the AL East by 11 1/2 games. Cleveland has two more games at Fenway, Tuesday and Wednesday. Adrian Beltre (right), dropped to 7th in the Seattle lineup, blasted a 2-run homer in the 6th inning and a solo shot in the 7th, doubled twice, drove n 3 and scored 3 times in 5 at-bats as the Mariners closed the gap in the West with a 12-5 win at 1st place LA. Richie Sexson contributed a 3-run shot (7) and Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 21 games. Seattle has won 4 straight and have clawed to within 3 1/2 games of the Angels. The NY Yankees fell into a tie for last place in the AL East with a 7-2 loss at Toronto as they began a 10-game road trip and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays squeaked out a 6-5 win over visiting Detroit. Catcher Ramon Hernandez swatted a grand slam in the 4th inning and singled and scored in the 6th to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-1 laugher at Kansas City. Steve Traschel (4-3) pitched all 9 innings for the O's, allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. The O's have won 3 straight and are in 2nd place in the East, chasing the Red Sox. Other AL Scores Minnesota 10 Chi White Sox 4 - J. Santana (W, 6-4), 8 IP, 8 K Oakland 5 Texas 3 - C. Gaudin, (W, 5-1) National League The Cincinnati Reds were getting tired of seeing the Pirates beat up on their pitching staff, but pitcher Kyle Lohse (right) took matters into his own hands, shutting down the Pirates with a 6-hit complete game shutout in a 4-0 Reds' whitewash. Lohse (2-6), was in control all day, allowing just one extra-base hit - a 2nd inning Jason Bay triple - without walking a batter, though he didn't record a single strikeout. The Reds (19-33) had lost 6 straight and are in last place in the NL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates had won the first 3 games of the series at Cincy by a combined 33-19 score. Speaking of the Brewers, their recent slide is reaching crisis proportions. Though they still retain a 5-game bulge in the NL Central, their 2-1 loss at Atlanta on Monday was their 6th straight and 13th in their last 17. Two of the National League's hottest teams - the Phillies and Diamondbacks - got together for the first game of a 3-game series in Philadelphia on Monday, with the D-Backs coming away with a 5-4 win.

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First baseman Conor Jackson provided almost all of the offense, banging a 2-run homer in the 1st inning off starter Freddie Garcia and later doubling home a pair in the 9th. Jackson also singled, finishing the day 3-5. Arizona won their 5th straight and 8th of their last 10. At 30 up and 23 down, they trail the Padres and Dodgers by just 1/2 game in the West. Arizona's win snapped Philly's 3-game win streak, a sweep of Atlanta, and kept them 7 games back of the Mets in the East. Other NL Scores Florida 5 Chi Cubs 3 Colorado 6 St. Louis 2 - Rockies, 6-gm. win streak