Josh Bell, Andrew McCutchen Lead Pirates 13-5 Rout; Edwin Encarnacion Leads Indians Past Jays, 13-3,

Players of the Day for Friday, July 21, 2017

American League

In the offseason, the Indians picked up Edwin Encarnacion to add some power to their lineup. The 34-year-old slugger has done just that and he made his former team take notice in the opener of a three-game series in Cleveland against the Blue Jays with a four-RBI performance in the Indians' 13-3 rout of Toronto.

Encarnacion: HR, 4RBI

After Toronto had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, Encarnation cut it in half with his 20th home run of the season, a mammoth, 421-foot blast to center. In the fifth, Toronto added another run, but, in the bottom of the inning, the Indians plated four, capped by Encarnacion's double, which sent two runs home and a 5-3 lead for the home team.

Capping off his 3-for-4 effort with an RBI single in the seventh, the rest of the tribe piled on, adding six more runs to complete the whipping.

The result improved Cleveland's lead in the Central to 1 1/2 games over Minnesota and Kansas City. Detroit is 5 1/2 back, while Toronto remains alone in last place in the East division.

The two teams go at it again on Saturday, with game two scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.

McCutchen: 3-4, 3R, 3RBI

National League

Flying just under the radar most of the year, the Pittsburgh Pirates have awakened and are the hottest team in the NL Central.

Pittsburgh won its sixth straight on Friday, swashbuckling past the Rockies, 13-5, in Denver. Since the all-star break, the Pirates are 7-1 and 12-2 since the fourth of July.

Bell, 4-6, 4 RBI

Leading the barrage of 18 hits against five Colorado pitchers were Andrew McCutchen, who was 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI and a pair of walks, and Josh Bell, 4-for-6 with a double, three singles and four RBI.

The 2013 NL MVP, McCutchen is having another solid season, batting .294 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI. He generally hits out of the three-hole, in front of second year first baseman, Bell, who has strikingly similar numbers, .248, 17 HR, 52 RBI.

The win left the Pirates just two games off the lead in the division. Milwaukee leads the Cubs by one, with Pittsburgh another game back.

Game two of the series is at 8:10 pm ET, Saturday in the Mile High city.

Marco Estrada Blanks Yanks, Completing Toronto Sweep; Andrew McCutchen, Francisco Cervelli Power Pirates

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 9, 2015

National League

Francisco Cervelli

Andrew McCutchen

Despite being five games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, the Pittsburgh Pirates have the second-best record in the league and only St. Louis and Kansas City have better records in the majors.

Pittsburgh dynamism was on display Sunday night, when they banged 16 hits out of their home base, PNC Park, defeating the Dodgers by a 13-6 tally.

As usual, leading the hit parade was Andrew McCutchen, who went 2-for-4 with a home run (17) and four RBI, giving him 74 on the season.

Francisco Cervelli, an off-season addition from the Yankees, contributed a single, triple and home run in four at-bats, driving in three and scoring twice.

The Dodgers held a 5-3 lead until the seventh inning, when the Pirates got into LA's bullpen for nine runs, blowing the game completely wide open and completing the three-game sweep of the Dodgers, who still hold a three-game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

Pittsburgh has won four straight and are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs in the wild card race.

Marco Estrada

The Pirates get a day off Monday prior to opening a critical series in St. Louis on Tuesday. The Dodgers head back to LA where they will host the Nationals starting Monday.

American League

With a 2-0 shutout, the Toronto Blue Jays completed their weekend sweep at Yankee Stadium, and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Yankees in the AL East.

Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista each sent out solo home runs, which was enough for starting pitcher, Marco Estrada, who held the Yankees scoreless for 6 1/3 innings before turning the ball over to Toronto's effective bullpen.

In the three-game series, the Yankees managed to score just one run, and were shut out for 25 consecutive innings, after Mark Teixeira's solo homer in the series opener.

Estrada (10-6) allowed three hits, walked three and struck out six. He threw just 89 pitches, 56 of them for strikes.

The Jays have now won eight straight and seem to have complete control over their post-season destiny. Besides closing quickly on the Yankees, their win gave them a 1/2 game lead over the Angels in the wild card race.

The Jays head back to Toronto for a series with the A's on Tuesday, as the Yankees head to Cleveland.

Yoenis Cespedes Drives A's Past Jays, 9-4; Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen Push Pirates to within 1/2 Game of 1st in NL Central

Players of the Day for Monday, July 29, 2013

American League

Yoenis Cespedes

It's no fluke that the Oakland A's are leading the AL West by six games over the Rangers, with the rest of the division fading fast in Oakland's rear-view mirror.

Yoenis Cespedes, he of the All Star Home Run Derby 2013 championship, belted an eighth-inning solo homer to cement Oakland's 9-4 win over the visiting Blue Jays.

Sporting a batting average that is flirting with the Mendoza line at .236, Cespedes has been picking it up of late, going 3-for-5 in the A's victory, with a triple, the homer, and a single, scoring twice while driving in three.

Cespedes is batting a more-robust .333 over his last ten games, with eight RBI during that span, giving him an even 50 on the season. Not by coincidence, the A's are 7-3 in their last ten, while the Rangers have dropped seven of their last ten games.

The win opened a three-game series with the Jays, which continues Tuesday night at 10:05 pm EDT.

National League

Andrew McCutchen

It's tough being on top. Just ask the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pedro Alvarez

Fresh off being swept by the Braves in a three-game series, the Cardinals headed to Pittsburgh to open a five-game series with the second place Pirates, who have been breathing down the back of St. Louis for most of the season.

Pittsburgh pulled to within 1/2 game of St. Louis in the Central division with a 9-2 win, powered by two of the Pirates' biggest stars, Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen got things started in a hurry for Pittsburgh, singling in the game's first run in the first inning, followed, later in the frame by Alvarez with a three-run homer, as the Pirates build a 4-0 lead off St. Louis starter, Jake Westbrook.

McCutchen singled and scored again in the seventh, the game getting out of hand, as Francisco Liriano (11-4) stifled the Cards on four hits and one earned run over seven, fanning eight.

Today's Trivia: Joe Medwick set the NL mark for doubles in a season with 64 in 1936. Since then only one player has been close, with 59 two-baggers in a season. Who was it and what year was it? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Lance Berkman led the NL in doubles in 2001, with 55, and tied for the lead with Nate McLouth, both with 46, in 2006.

Brandon Moss Homers Twice, Powers A's to AL West Lead; Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen Help Pirates Rip Giants, 12-8

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 12, 2013

American League

Brandon Moss

With the Rangers losing their second straight to the Indians by a 5-2 score, Oakland took over sole possession of first place in the AL East with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Yankees.

The Oakland win was powered by Brandon Moss, who homered twice and drove in three runs while starter Dan Straily limited the Yankees to two runs on three hits over 6 2/3 innings, improving his record to 4-2.

Moss got the A's started with a two-run rip in the second inning, adding an insurance run with his 11th homer of the year in the eighth.

Batting an unimpressive .228, Moss, however has delivered well in the clutch. He has 33 RBI on the season.

The A's also took the opener of the series on Tuesday by a 6-4 score and will be seeking the sweep when they host the Yankees in the day-game finale, Thursday, at 12:35 pm PDT.

National League

Andrew McCutchen

The current version of the Pittsburgh Pirates is hardly similar to the teams the organization have put on the field for most of the past two decades. This one is serious, and contenting for the NL Central crown.

Marte: 4-5, 4 R

Proving they are worthy of the league's attention, the Pirates took their second straight from the world champion Giants, pounding Barry Zito (4-5) and four relief pitchers for 18 hits in a 12-8 triumph.

Sporting a 4.79 ERA, things didnt start well for Zito, despite taking the mound with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of a Hunter Pence RBI double in the Giants' half of the first.

Leadoff hitter Starling Marte singled and came around to score on the first of three Andrew McCutchen RBI. This became a recurring theme, as Marte finished 4-for-5 - all singles - scored four runs and swiped a pair of bases while McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a double and a duo of singles.

Marte, a rookie, after playing in 47 games for the Pirates last season, is having a solid year atop the Pirates' batting order, hitting .289 in 63 games. His two steals gave him 20 on the season, second most in the league, behing Everth Cabrera's 30.

McCutchen, hitting .297, has picked it up of late, riding a four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 8-for-14 (.571).

The Pirates will be looking for a sweep of the Giants Thursday night at 7:05 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: The St. Louis Cardinals are leading the NL with a .275 team batting average. What team had the highest NL team batting average for a single-season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) recorded 62 saves in 2008 for the LA Angels.

J.P. Arencibia, Edwin Encarnacion Lead Surging Blue Jays past O's; Andrew McCuthen Drives Pirates to Sweep of Cubs

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 23, 2013

American League

J.P. Arencibia

J.P. Arencibia drove in four runs and Edwin Encarnacion hoisted a grand slam in the fourth inning as the Blue Jays opened an important four-game series against the Orioles with a convincing, 12-6 victory.

Edwin Encarnacion

Arencibia's 11th home run came with a man aboard in the fifth inning. Earlier, the Toronto catcher doubled home a run in the fourth inning. His final RBI came in the eighth, when he grounded out with the bases loaded, bringing home Jose Bautista as the Blue Jays put the game out of sight with four runs in the frame.

Encarnacion's slam was his 13th homer of the season and his only hit of the game, but it gave Toronto an 8-3 lead, which was nearly a necessity, since starter Brandon Morrow allowed six runs on ten hits over seven innings, Despite the poor outing, Morrow (2-3) did notch the win.

The Toronto win was their seventh in their last ten. Still trailing the AL East, the Blue Jays are 8 1/2 back of the Yankees, who lead the division. Baltimore fell to 3 1/2 back of the idle Yanks.

The Jays and Orioles renew their rivalry in the second game of the series at 7:07 pm EDT in Toronto.

National League

Andrew McCutchen

In the only NL game Thursday, Andrew McCutchen carried the Pirates to their fourth straight win, stroking three singles from four at-bats, driving in two runs and stealing a pair of bases as Pittsburgh took their third in a row from the lowly Cubs, 4-2.

Pittsburgh's three-game sweep dropped Chicago into sole possession of last place in the NL Central, a full 12 games behind St. Louis. Winners of eight of their last 10, Pittsburgh continues to put pressure on the first-place Cardinals, the Pirate win tying Cincinnati for second place, 1 1/2 back of St. Louis.

McCutchen didn't get off to a great start of his 2013 campaign, but lately has been making up for lost time, with multiple hits in five of his last six games, raising his batting average to .291. The fleet center fielder has 12 steals (fourth in the NL) and has crossed home plate 33 times, tied for seventh in the league.

The Pirates open a three-game series at Milwaukee Friday night at 8:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who is the active player that has led or tied for the major league lead in triples four times since 2005?

Yesterday's Answer: The "Big Train," Walter Johnson, threw 110 shutouts, a major league record likely never to be broken.

White Sox, Alex Rios Fall Short in 11-9 Loss to Blue Jays; Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen Keep Pirates in First Place

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 8, 2012

American League

Leading the Central division, the Chicago White Sox went looking for a sweep of their three-game series with visiting Toronto on Sunday, but, despite their best effort of Alex Rios, ended up falling short in an 11-9 loss to the Blue Jays.

Alex Rios

Rios socked a three-run homer in the first inning, but all that did was put the White Sox a run down, as Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus has each blasted two-run shots in the top of the inning.

After the Blue Jays scored a run in the second, two in the third and another in the fourth, Rios doubled in a run and scored in the fifth, as the Sox plated four, again trailing the Jays by a run.

In the sixth, Rajai Davis walked, stole second and third (two of his three swipes in the game), and scored on a wild pitch. The Jays added two more runs in the frame, putting them up 11-7 and even though the White Sox scored a run in the sixth and Rios doubled and scored again in the seventh - capping a 3-for-5, three run, four RBI effort - it was still not enough to overcome the ten hit attack of the Blue Jays, which included four doubles and four homers.

Despite the loss, the White Sox head into the break with a three game lead in the division, as Cleveland lost but Detroit won their fifth straight, 7-1, over Kansas City, to get within 3 1/2 of Chicago.

Toronto remained in last place in the AL East, 9 1/2 behind the Yankees, but are now tied with Boston at 43-43, as the Yanks dumped the Red Sox, 7-3, taking three of their four games at Fenway Park.


National League

Walker: 5-for-5 4R

The story the Pittsburgh Pirates are writing is the best one in the National League, and, if they continue playing the way they are, it could be the best story in sports this year.

McCutchen: 2HR 4RBI

Winning for the 10th time in their last 12 games, the Pirates beat up on Tim Lincecum (3-10) and the Giants in a 13-2 blowout at home, ending their three game series with two wins as all teams head to the all star break.

Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker personally accounted for eight of the Pirates' 17 hits, getting to Lincecum early as McCutchen drove in Walker with a two run homer, his first of two fence-clearers on the day.

Walker went 5-for-5 with a double and a home run, scored four times and drove in a pair of runs, while McCutchen was 3-for-5 with two homers, three runs and four RBI. Lincecum, who lasted only 3 1/3 innings, was rocked for six earned runs on seven hits, two of them homers by McCutchen and Walker.

The four RBI gave McCutchen 60 on the year, tied for third in the NL, to go with his league -leading .362 batting average. He's also creeping up on the home run leaders. His two on Sunday gave him 18, tying him with Cincinnati's Jay Bruce for fourth in the league.

The win kept Pittsburgh's hold on first place in the NL Central intact, a game ahead of Cincinnati and St. Louis, both winners on the day. San Francisco remained 1/2 game behind the Dodgers in the West.

Mike Moustakas Leads KC Rout of Blue Jays; Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen Power Pirates

Players of the Day for Monday, July 2, 2012

American League

You'd never know it because they get so little coverage, but the Kansas City Royals are right in the middle of the hunt for the AL Central, hanging at 5 1/2 back after their 11-3 win over the Blue Jays Monday.

Mike Moustakas

At 36-42, the Royals aren't even a .500 team, but only division leader Chicago (42-37) and Cleveland (40-39) are above the break even mark in the AL's weakest division.

The Royals have patched together a contender with a combination of fair pitching and solid hitting. At .265, the Royals are tied for fourth in team batting average, though their home runs (65) and RBI (302) numbers rank near the bottom of the league.

One player who can contribute to making those power numbers better is third baseman Mike Moustakas, who doubled and socked a seventh-inning grand slam in five at-bats, driving in five runs to lead KC over Toronto.

In his second year with the Royals, Moustakas has 14 hoers and 43 RBI, to go with a .266 batting average.


National League

The Pittsburgh Pirates will not go away.

Garrett Jones

With their 11-2 win over Houston, the Pirates maintained their hold on second place in the NL Central, one game back of the Reds, who topped the Dodgers, 8-2, holding onto their slim lead.

Andrew McCutchen

The Pirates banged out 18 hits in their rout, six players having multiple-hit games, among them Andrew McCutchen, who went 4-for-5, scored three times and drove in a run, and Garrett Jones, hwo led the team with four RBI, also going 4-for-5 and scoring three runs with a double and a two-run homer in the fourth, when the Pirates broke the game open with four runs.

The win was the opener of a four-game set with the Astros, one of the league's worst teams at 32-48. Pittsburgh will host the Giants for three games following the series with Houston, leading up to the all star break.

Meanwhile, the Reds continue their three-game series at LA, and then move down the coast for four games with the Padres, another of the NL dregs, with a 31-50 record.

Andrew McCutchen Leads Pirates in 14-5 Romp over Cards; Aaron Cook Shuts Out Mariners on 80 Pitches

Players of the Day for Friday, June 29, 2012

American League

Aaron Cook needed only 80 pitches to blank the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, as Boston hitters delivered four homers to back the 2-hit shutout. It was the 10th time this season Seattle has been held scoreless for a full game.

Cook: 80-pitch shutout

Sidelined since his first start of the season on May 5 when he cut his left knee on a play at the plate, Cook was making his second start since returning to the Red Sox rotation. He got the win against Atlanta on June 24, allowing two runs on six hits over five innings, but on Friday night, his sinker was working to near-perfection getting 16 outs on ground balls and two on strikes.

The complete game was the 12th of his career, and his third shutout. Cook joined the Red Sox after the end last season, having spent 10 years in Colorado.

Only Ichiro Suzuki and John Jaso had hits off Cook, both singles to lead off innings, Ichiro's in the fourth and Jaso's in the eighth. Cook issued no walks and improved to 2-1 on the year, making his presence felt at the right time, as the Red Sox, after a tough start, are now tied with Tampa Bay for third place in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 5 1/2 games. The Yankees lost their second straight at home to the White Sox, falling by a football-like score of 14-7 on Friday.


National League

McCutchen: .344 BA

The 2012 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates is not a team to be taken lightly.

Taking down the Cardinals, 12-5, on Friday, Pittsburgh secured a 1 1/2 lead over third place St. Louis and trail the NL Central-leading Reds by just one game.

Pittsburgh's third straight win came largely at the expense of St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, who allowed seven earned runs off 11 hits in just five innings.

As has been the case most of the season, Andrew McCutchen led the Pirate assault with four hits in five at-bats, including a double and his 15th home run of the season. McCutchen scored four times and drove in three runs, boosting his total to 51, sixth best in the NL. His .344 batting average is the fifth-highest in the league and his 15 homers are tied for sixth in that department.

The Pirates play the second game of their three game series in St. Louis Saturday afternoon at 2:15 pm and finish up Sunday with another day game.

In San Francisco, the Reds halted the Giants' four game win streak with a 5-1 win to retain their slim edge over the Pirates. San Fran held onto first in the West as the Dodgers lost their sixth straight, a 9-0 loss to the Mets, as R.A. Dickey won his MLB-best 12th game with a three-hit, 10 K effort over eight innings.

Will Middlebrooks Delivers for Hot Red Sox; Andrew McCutchen, James McDonald Lead Pirates in 9-1 Rout of Twins

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 21, 2012

American League

Will Middlebrooks

There's life in Boston.

Thanks to an eighth-inning home run by rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks, the Red Sox defeated the visiting Miami Marlins, 6-5, Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Middlebrooks delivered the tying runs with his eighth home run with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Daniel Nava drove in Ryan Kalish with the game-winner one out later.

The Red Sox picked up half a game on the idle East division-leading Yankees and second place Baltimore, plus a full game on third place Tampa Bay, 5-2 losers at Washington. Boston is 5 1/2 off the pace.

Middlebrooks has been getting plenty of playing time and producing well, drinving in nine runs over his last six games. Against the Marlins on Thursday, he went 3-for-4, driving in four of Boston's six runs. Middlebrooks is batting .316 with 31 RBI in 38 games

The win was the fifth straight for the surging Beantowners, who swept the Marlins three straight.

National League

Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen was at it again, as the Pirates pulled to within two games of the first place Reds in the NL Central with a 9-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Pittsburgh took two of three from Minnesota, who are circling the drain in the AL Central, with a league-worst record of 27-41.

James McDonald

McCutchen scored twice and drove in three with a 3-for-4 effort - a single, double and triple - raising his batting average to .339, fifth-best in the NL. He's hit safely in five straight games and nine of his last ten and decimated Twins' pitching, going 7-for-11 with five RBI in the three-game series.

With the Pittsburgh regulars piling up the runs, starter James McDonald dictated to the Twins for his first major league complete game, allowing one run on six hits, striking out five without issuing a walk. He is 6-3 with a 2.12 ERA, fourth among NL starting pitchers.

INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD: The AL went 8-6 on Wednesday and 3-2 on Thursday, as they continue to dominate the National League with just three days of interleague play remaining. The AL lead has become insurmountable, at 119-90.

Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo Lead Angels Win; Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen Shine for Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 19, 2012

American League

Keeping pace with the Texas Rangers in the quest for dominance in the AL West, the LA Angels bounced back from a 5-3 loss in the opener of their home series with the Giants, pounding the visitors from up the coast, 12-5.

Trout: 4-4, 4R

Mike Trout, odds-on favorite to win the AL rookie of the year award, had a second four-hit game in his brief major league career (87 games), going 4-for-4 with three singles and a double and scored four times out of his customary leadoff spot.

Trumbo: 5 RBI

Further down the order, cleanup hitter Mark Trumbo went 3-for-5 - a triple and two singles - driving in five of the Angels' runs.

While the addition of Albert Pujols (who drove in four runs) grabbed all the headlines, Trout and Trumbo have been instrumental to LA's success and their bounce-back from a poor start to the season.

Trout is batting .337 - second in the AL - and has 19 steals to go with his 40 runs, while Trumbo's 47 RBI are tops on the team. He is batting a very solid .326, fourth-best in the league, with 16 homers.

The Angles and Giants conclude their three-game set Wednesday night in Anaheim.


National League

The Pittsburgh Pirates won their third straight, opening their home stand with a 7-2 win over the hapless Twins.

Andrew McCutchen

Josh Harrison

Pittsburgh ended a four-game road skid with a pair of wins at Cleveland and now trail the Reds by just 2 1/2 games in the NL Central. Cincinnati dropped a 3-2 decision at Cleveland on Tuesday.

Second-year player, Josh Harrison, provided the catalyst with a first inning solo homer and added a pair of singles and two steals in a 3-for-5 effort, scoring three of Pittsburgh's runs.

Andrew McCutchen sealed the win with a two-run shot in the seventh - his 12th of the year - and added a couple of singles in four at-bats to raise his average to .332, sixth-best in the National League.

INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD: The American League continues to dominate the games between the leagues, notching a 10-4 record on Tuesday, upping their lead to 108-82 over their National League counterparts.

Mark Trumbo Homers Twice, Drives in Six; Andrew McCutchen Puts Pirates in Tie for First with Reds

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 10, 2012

American League

It was a wild one in Colorado Sunday afternoon as the Angels swept their three-game set at Coors Field, knocking off the Rockies, 10-8.

Trumbo: 2HR 6RBI

Driving in six runs with a pair of three-run homers was Mark Trumbo, who has emerged as a great "protection" batter in the four-hole behind Albert Pujols.

Trumbo smacked his first home run in the opening inning, after Torii Hunter had driven in the first Angel run with a scratch single. The Rockies scored a run in the bottom half, LA added two more in the second, but, Colorado tacked on a five-spot in the bottom half of the second to tie the game at six-all.

In the fourth, Trumbo broke the tie with his second bomb to deep left, his 14th of the season, giving the Angels a three-run cushion. The Rockies were only able to get to within two runs, twice, scoring single runs in both the fourth and ninth. LA added one more run in the eighth, when Howie Kendrick drove in Albert Pujols, who scored three times in the game.

The win kept the Angels three behind Texas - 5-0 winners at San Francisco - in the AL West. The Rockies have now lost five straight and are 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.


National League

Andrew McCutchen

The feel good story of the year in the National League might be the re-emergence of the Dodgers under new ownership or the all-around excellence on display in the nation's capitol by the NL East's first place Nationals.

But, it just could be a story of how the Pittsburgh Pirates are overcoming two decades of mediocrity to challenge for the NL Central crown.

The Pirates completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, as A.J. Burnett gave up two runs over 7 1/3 innings to improve to 6-2, and Andrew McCutchen drove in all of Pittsburgh's runs for a 3-2 victory, the fourth straight for the Bucs.

Coupled with Cincinnati's 7-6 heartbreaker to Detroit on Sunday night's ESPN game, the win earned Pittsburgh a tie with the Reds for first place in the division, with St. Louis two games out.

McCutchen doubled home a run in the first inning and smashed a two-run homer (his 11th) in the third to provide all the run support Burnett and three Pittsburgh relievers would need. He added his 11th steal of the season, swiping third base off KC starter Bruce Chen and has 36 RBI on the year. Now in his fourth season with the Pirates, McCutchen is emerging as a star, almost exactly on pace to become a 30-30 man in steals and homers. Off to a solid start, his .325 batting average is 8th-best in the National League.

With the Reds and Pirates deadlocked atop the Central, both teams begin key interleague series against contending AL teams on Tuesday. The Reds will host Cleveland, while Pittsburgh travels to Baltimore.

Verlander Becomes First 18-Game Winner; Homers by McCutchen, Walker, Jones Fuel Pirate Victory

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 16, 2011

American League

Verlander: 18 Wins

There was no shortage of runs across the American League on Tuesday, but the Minnesota Twins didn't exactly share in the bounty, as Detroit's Justin Verlander became the first 18-game winner in the majors as the Tigers retained their stranglehold on first place in the Central division with a 7-1 victory over the fading Twins.

Verlander didn't have his best stuff, but pitched well enough to hold Minnesota to one run over 7 1/3 innings of work, throwing 81 of 122 pitches for strikes as his teammates built a huge lead, scoring two in the 4th, three in the 5th and two more runs in the 6th.

The loss dropped Minnesota 11 1/2 back of Detroit and likely out of contention. The Tigers, meanwhile, increased their lead on Cleveland, losers to the White Sox, 8-7 in 14 innings, to 3 games. Chicago remained 3 1/2 out.

McCutchen: 3-run HR

Verlander struck out 8 and allowed seven hits and a walk. Looking more and more like a shoo-in for the AL Cy Young Award, he lowered his ERA to 2.31 and increased his league-leading strikeout total to 204.

National League

Walker tied it
in the 9th

Thanks in part to the Pittsburgh Pirates, life and the pursuit of the NL Central crown got a little bit easier for the first place Milwaukee Brewers.

While the Brewers were winning their fifth straight with a 2-1 win over the Dodgers, the Pirates, trying to remain relevant, took a swipe at second place St. Louis, beating them for the second time in two days, 5-4, in 11 innings.

Jones won it in 11th

Andrew McCutchen continued his impressive season for the Bucs, swatting a three-run homer - his 17th - in the 3rd inning of Cardinal starter Chris Carpenter, but, after Albert Pujols hit his 30th home run and David Freese drove in another, the game was tied at 3-3 in the 6th.

St. Louis took a 4-3 advantage in the top of the ninth, Niel Walker tied it back up with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, setting the stage for Garrett Jones' game winner in the 11th, a leadoff, walk-off solo blast that left the Pirates 13 games back, but, more importantly for the Brewers, dropped the Cardinals to seven games off the pace.

McCutchen, Pirates Blister Giants, 9-2; Jason Kipnis 5-for-5 in Cleveland Win; Uggla Streak Reaches 31

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 10, 2011

American League

Jason Kipnis

One might suspect that the Cleveland Indians have heard enough about how they're folding under pressure, can't win the AL Central and so forth. The Indians have responded by winning two straight against the division-leading Tigers including Wednesday's 10-3 blowout victory.


With one game left in the series, the Tigers have seen their lead shrink back to just two games over the Indians, with the White Sox lurking, just four out.

In Wednesday's romp, much of the offensive damage was delivered by rookie second baseman Jason Kipnis, who went 5-for-5 with three singles, a double and a home run, scoring four times and driving in three runs.

Having been called up only recently, Kipnis has played in just 16 games, but has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 and is sporting a .295 batting average and has six homers. Kipnis has filled a hole not only at second base, but also as the number two hitter in the lineup.

The Indians will go for the three game sweep Thursday night in Cleveland.

National League

Andrew McCutchen

The Pirates may have faded recently, but they're taking out their anger on the San Francisco Giants, taking two of three from the NL West contenders and knocking them out of first place after Wednesday's 9-2 win.

Jonathan Sanchez, the Giants' starter making his second start since coming off the DL, was hammered by the Pirates, allowing four hits, four walks and four earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Sanchez had allowed seven hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Phillies on August 5.

Andrew McCutchen had one of the stranger stat lines for a leadoff hitter, going 1-for-1 with four runs, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases. McCutchen walked three times, including a base on balls to lead off the game, later scoring - after swiping second - to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. His only hit happened to be a home run off Sanchez with a runner aboard in the 3rd inning.

The Pirates remained 10 1/2 behind Milwaukee in the Central division, as the Brewers won their 7th straight. The Giants' loss dropped them 1/2 game behind Arizona in the West.

STREAKS: Atlanta's Dan Uggla went 3-for-5 in the Braves' 6-2 win over the Marlins, extending his consecutive game hitting streak to 31 games, the longest in the majors this season. Amazingly, Uggla is batting only .224, but that's quite an improvement over the .173 batting average when he began his streak.

Tigers Blank Blue Jays Second Straight Day; McCutchen Leads Pirates Past Rays

Players of the Day for Sunday, February 27, 2010

American League

Brad Penny worked two strong innings, allowing one hit, no walks, fanning one batter and his Tiger teammates continued their domination over the Blue Jays, posting their second straight shutout, a 1-0 win, as the Tigers scratched out a run in the 6th.

Penny was 3-4 with the Cardinals last season after bouncing from Boston to the Giants in 2009. If he regains some of his prior form, he could add valuable innings to a Detroit staff that is already pretty good.

Through two games, no Blue Jay has touched home plate and Tiger pitching has limited the punchless bunch to 8 hits total.

National League

Possibly the best player in Pittsburgh's camp, Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-3 with a solo homer, single and double, driving in two runs and scoring three times as the Pirates blasted the Rays, 10-3.

The third-year pro blossomed in 2010, batting .286 (same as 2009) with 16 homers, 56 RBI, 94 runs and 33 stolen bases. McCutchen has all the tools, but, as has been the cae in Pittsburgh for pretty much the past 20 years, he doesn't have much quality around him. The Pirates sem content to develop talent and then ship it off to contending teams, rather than keeping it at home. That's led to seasons of sorrow for many once-loyal fans.

Maybe this will be the year the Pirates' management gets serious about actually building a contending team, though betting on that probability has been a losing proposition for many years.

Youkilis Keeping Red Sox in Race; McCutchen a Star in Pittsburgh

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 4, 2010 American League Boston continues to hang tough in the AL East, the most competitive division in the majors. With their 8-2 win over Baltimore, the Red Sox are tied for third place with Toronto, just 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay, with the Yankees anchored in second place, 2 games out. The Red Sox resurgence has been largely due to the all-around superb play of Kevin Youkilis, who is having another in a series of solid seasons. Youkilis was at the center of the Boston attack on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and his 12th home run of the year, driving in three runs to give him 38 total. Batting .320, Youkilis leads the Red Sox in home runs and runs scored (49), as Boston goes for the Sweep of Baltimore on Sunday while the Yankees and Blue Jays wrap up their series in Toronto. National League With a habit of trading away their best players over the past 15 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't exactly the most beloved team in the Steel City, but they do manage to bring along some excellent major leaguers every year. One such player is center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year, who is off to a smashing start in his second season, batting .320, with 7 homers, 17 RBI, 13 steals and 34 runs from his usual leadoff spot in the batting order. In Pittsburgh's 6-3 win over the Giants, McCutchen did his thing at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two doubles and a single, scoring three runs and driving in one. In the field, his game-ending, diving catch on Freddie Sanchez's bases-loaded shot to the left-center gap in the 9th saved the game for Pittsburgh. Considering the way he's playing and Pittsburgh's penchant for shipping off its stars, one has to wonder whether McCutchen will still be with the Pirates come September.

Podsednik Keeps Sox in Contention; McCutchen Belts 3 for Pirates

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 1, 2009 American League When the Yankees left Tampa Bay for Chicago on Wednesday, they were riding high, an 11-2 record since the all star break having given them the AL East lead. Following three games against the White Sox, they're not feeling so giddy, their 3-game lead having now shrunk to just 1/2 game over the Red Sox after the Sox took their third straight from the Bombers, by a 14-4 score. The first game of the series was a close, 3-2 win for Chicago, but Friday's 10-5 beat down preceded the big blowout as the Sox roughed up starter A. J. Burnett for 10 hits and 7 earned runs in 4 2/3 short innings. Scott Podsednik spearheaded the Chicago onslaught, going 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and a pair of runs scored. The effort raised Podsednik's batting average to .303, just what the Sox need to continue contending in the Central division. Chicago continues to dog leader Detroit by 1 1/2 games, with Minnesota 3 games out. The loss narrowed New York's lead to 1/2 game over Boston, with Tampa Bay 5 back. The Sox and Yankees conclude their series Sunday. National League Rookie Andrew McCutchen is a speedy 175 lb. leadoff hitter for Pittsburgh, who, in 50 games, had hit exactly 3 home runs, but the diminutive center fielder doubled his total by launching a trio of bombs in Saturday's 11-5 Pirate win over Washington. McCutchen started with a solo shot in the Pittsburgh half of the first inning, then cracked a two-run shot in the 4th to give the Pirates a 7-2 lead, and then completed the scoring with a 3-run blast in the 6th. He also bunted for a single and scored in the third, leading to a 4-for-6, 6 RBI, 4 run performance. NOTES: While the races in the two other divisions tightened up on Saturday, the Angels bought themselves some breathing room in the AL West with another dominating win over the Twins, winning 11-6, after beating Minnesota 11-5 on Friday. Their 4th straight win gave the Angels a 4-game lead over Texas, who lost, 7-2, to Seattle. In the NL, the only close race is in the Central, though it's now down to just two teams, as the Cardinals lead the Cubs by 1/2 game. Milwaukee and Houston have fallen 5 1/2 back and Cincinnati continues to slide, losing their fifth straight and 12th of their last 15 since the all star break. The Reds are now tied with the Pirates for last place, 11 games back. The Phillies have a 6-game lead over the Marlins in the East, and appear to be on their way to another divisional crown. In the West, Los Angeles continues to lead by 7 games over the pesky Giants and Rockies, and the Dodger lead just doesn't seem to be all that secure. Just 8-8 since the break, the Dodgers prepare for a 7-game home stand against Milwaukee (3 games) and Atlanta (4 games) this coming week. In what could be a watershed stretch for the Giants, the week includes three games each against the Astros and Reds. The Giants play in Houston and then return to the Bay for Cincy while Colorado plays three at Philly and then returns home for three games with the Cubs. A good showing could separate the Giants from the Rockies and put them closer to the Dodgers, whom they host on August 10, 11 and 12.