World Series Game Six: Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon Lead Nationals to Game Six Victory

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Strasburg: 8 1/3 IP, 2R, 7K

World Series, Game 6

Washington Nationals 7 Houston Astros 2

There will be a game seven.

Stephen Strasburg, who has been nothing short of brilliant throughout the regular season, playoffs and World Series, allowed two runs in the first inning, but shut down the Astros over the next seven innings en route to a 7-2 victory by the visiting Nationals, the sixth straight game in which the visitors have emerged victorious.

After being told in the dugout by teammates that he may have been tipping off his pitches with his gloved hand, Strasberg changed his delivery slightly and the results spoke loudly. He set down the Astros in order in the second and third innings, issued two walks in the fourth but didn't give up another hit until Josh Reddick singled in the fifth, followed by George Springer's double that left men on second and third with one out.

Strasburg struck out Jose Altuve and induced a pop out from Michael Brantley to end the threat. After Alex Bregman reached on a single to open the sixth, Strasburg was untouched, retiring the next ten batters in order before giving way to Sean Doolittle with one gone in the Astros' ninth. Strasburg threw 104 pitches and struck out seven.

Rendon: 5 RBI in Game 6

While Strasburg dealt hitless offerings to the assembled Astros, his counterpart, Justin Verlander, was having the same problems that plagued him in his five previous World Series losses. Getting behind on batters able to identify hittable pitches on positive counts led to a run in the first when Anthony Rendon drove in Trea Turner from third and solo homers by Adam Eaton and Juan Soto in the fifth. With the Nationals up, 3-2, Verlander was done after five innings, eventually handed his sixth World Series loss without a win as the Nationals piled on in the late innings.

Strasburg is 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA this post-season and 2-0 in the World Series, picking up the win in games two and six.

Anthony Rendon was an unstoppable force down the stretch, socking a two-run homer in the seventh and a two-run double in the ninth, finishing with five of Washington's seven RBIs.

Washington winning their third game at Houston means that home field advantage has, for the most part, been eliminated from the 2019 World Series. No home team has won a single game.

Game seven is Wednesday night, at Houston, with Zack Greinke on the mound for the Astros and Max Scherzer starting for the Nationals. Game time is 8:07 pm ET.

Cavan Biggio Leads Blue Jays Over Royals; Anthony Rendon's Grand Slam Boosts Nationals Past Braves

Players of the Day for Monday, July 29, 2019

Biggio: 3-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI

American League

Cavan Bigio, son of Hall of Fame, Craig Biggio, unknotted a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning with a solo homer, helping Toronto to a 7-3 victory at Kansas City.

In the ninth, Biggio singled home another run and came around to score for the third time in the game. Earlier, he singled to lead off the sixth inning and scored on Randal Grichuk's two-run shot.

While the Blue Jays are hopelessly out of the playoff scenario, the youth movement is alive and well in Toronto, with Biggio, 24, one of the up-and-coming prospects.

With Toronto taking the opener in Kansas City, they'll look to make it two straight over the Royals. Tuesday's game is scheduled for an 8:15 pm ET start.

National League

Rendon: Grand Slam

Anthony Rendon broke a 2-2 tie with a sixth-inning grand slam, leading the Washington Nationals to a 6-3 victory over division-leading Atlanta.

Rendon's bases-full blast was his 23rd home run of the season, a no-doubter that measured 411 feet over the left field wall at Nationals Park. The four RBI boosted his total to 80, tied for third in the National League.

Rendon trails Pittsburgh's Josh Bell (86) and Atlanta's Freddie Freeman (81) in the NL RBI race.

More importantly, the Nationals' win brought them to within 4 1/2-games of the Braves in the NL East.

Washington has been gaining ground since the all-star break, going 9-2. Atlanta won four straight coming out of the break, but are 4-8 over subsequent games.

Game two of the three-game series is slated to begin Tuesday at 7:00 pm ET.

Michael Fulmer, J.D. Martinez Star In 11-1 Tiger Win; Nationals' Anthony Rendon Slams Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 15, 2017

American League

Martinez: 2 HR, 5 RBI

With the Tigers already up 2-0 against the Blue Jays in the third inning, J.D. Martinez stroked a bases-loaded single to left, plating two runs as Detroit romped past Toronto for an 11-1 victory.

Martinez finished 3-for-5, adding a double and an eighth-inning, three-run homer (15), driving in five runs. When the Tigers were on the field, starter Michael Fulmer was making hay against the Blue Jay lineup, allowing just two hits over eight innings, fanning three while issuing one walk.

Fulmer: 2 hits over 8 IP

Fulmer, 10-6, dropped his ERA to 3.06 (6th in the AL), giving up a lone run in the fourth inning. The 24-year-old hurler threw 61 of 101 pitches for strikes. After Kendrys Morales singled with one down in the second, Fulmer didn't allow another hit until Troy Tulowitzski beat out an infield single with one out in the eighth.

In his second season with the Tigers, Fulmer is approaching his win total from 2016 when he chalked up 11 victories and seven losses in 26 starts.

Alex Wilson pitched a perfect ninth inning for Detroit, sewing up the win, which kept the Tigers somewhat in contention in the AL Central. With the Indians losing their second straight in Oakland by a 5-3 score, Detroit is in fourth place, seven games behind Cleveland. Kansas City is three games out; Minnesota trails the Indians by 1 1/2.

The series tied, 1-1, Detroit will try to get an upper hand over the Blue Jays in the finale, Sunday, 1:10 pm ET at Comerica Park in Detroit.

National League

Anthony Rendon socked a two-run homer and a grand slam, leading the Washington Nationals to their third straight win, a 10-7 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds.

Rendon's two-run shot came in the fourth, giving the Nationals a 3-0 lead as Max Scherzer was cruising to his 11th win against five losses, tossing six scoreless innings on three hits, whiffing 10.

Rendon: 2 HR, GS, 6 RBI

In the seventh, Rendon capped a seven-run Washington outburst with his grand slam, completing the scoring for the visitors to Great American Ball Park. Rendon's homers were his 17th and 18th. He has 61 RBI on the season after driving in six on Saturday, adding a single for a 3-for-3 effort which raised his batting average to .315.

Washington's bullpen didn't do itself or Scherzer any justice, as the Reds scored two in the eighth and five in the ninth before Matt Grace came on to stop the bleeding, getting the three final outs of the game.

The Nationals kept their 9 1/2 game lead over Atlanta, 8-5 winners over Arizona, and will be going for third straight win over the Reds in game three of the four-game series, Sunday at 1:10 pm ET.

Ervin Santana Keeps Twins In 1st With 2-Hit Shutout Of O's; Anthony Rendon Blasts A Pair For Nationals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 23, 2017

American League

Minnesota kept its edge in the AL Central, thanks to a sterling performance by starting pitcher, Ervin Santana, who twirled a two-hit, complete game, 2-0, shutout over the stumbling Orioles.

Santana: 2-Hitter

The Twins' ace allowed only singles by Wellington Castillo in the second and Jonathan Schoop in the fifth. He also issued walks to Shoop and Mark Trumbo, and fanned six. Once settle in, Santana was truly untouchable, retiring the final 14 Oriole would-be hitters in order.

Santana has been insanely good this season, a key reason that the Twins are doing so well. The win was his second complete game shutout of the season and he's joined Houston's Dallas Keuchel as the only seven-game winner in the AL.

At 7-2, Santana has already equaled the number of wins he had last season (7-11) and in 2015 (7-5), allowing just 31 hits in 70 innings. Opposing hitters are batting a mere .143 against him.

The result, combined with Cleveland's 8-7 win over Cincinnati, kept the Twins a game up on the reigning la champions. Detroit is four games out. Baltimore has remained in second place behind the Yankees in the East, 1 1/2 back, but having lost three straight and nine of their last 12, the Orioles have allowed the Red Sox to gain. Boston is 3 1/2 out, two behind Baltimore.

Minnesota will be looking for the sweep at Camden Yards Wednesday afternoon. Game time is 12:35 pm ET.

National League

Rendon: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Threatening to runaway in the NL East division, the Washington Nationals won their second straight with a 10-1 victory over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

While Joe Ross was going eight innings for his second win without a loss, allowing just one Seattle run, Anthony Rendon was doing his thing at the plate, supporting his pitcher with a pair of home runs, a two-run shot in the second and a three-run bomb in the fourth. He also doubled to open the fourth, scoring on Matt Weiters single. Scoring eight runs in the inning, the Nationals sent 11 men to the plate. Along with Rendon, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper also homered.

Harper's home run was his 14th, tying him for the league lead with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman. Rendon's two shot gave him seven on the season; the five RBI upped his total to 28.

The Nationals lead the NL East by 6 1/2 over Atlanta. The Mets are 7 1/2 back.

The game was the first of three in Washington. The Nats and M's will go at it again at Nationals Park, Wednesday night at 7:05 pm ET.

Anthony Rendon 6-for-6, 3 HR, 10RBI As Nationals Crush Mets; Miguel Sano Drives In Five For Twins

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 30, 2017

American League

Sano's 25 RBI Leads AL

Despite a 5.06 ERA, pitcher Phil Hughes improved to 4-1 on the season, getting all the run support he needed from third baseman Miguel Sano, who wnet 3-for-5, including a three-run homer, driving in five runs, giving him the AL lead in RBI with 25. Minnesota handed the Royals their ninth straight defeat, 7-5. Hughes gave up four runs in 5 2/3rds innings.

Sano's home run was his seventh of the season, helping to boost his batting average to .313 while keeping the Twins relevant in the division, led by Cleveland. The White Sox are 1/2 game behind the Indians, with Minnesota 1 1/2 back and Detroit two behind. Kansas City has fallen 6 1/2 off the plate, as Minnesota swept the two games in Kansas City (Saturday's game was rained out).

Winners of four of their last five, the 12-11 Twins open a six-game homestand with three against the Athletics starting on Tuesday. Minnesota is just 5-7 at home.

National League

Rendon: 3 HR, 10 RBI

Heading into the final game of the three-game series against the Mets, Anthony Rendon had hit no home runs and had driven in just five runs in 22 games, but, by the time the Nationals were done romping over the Mets, 23-5, the Washington third baseman had established a new franchise record with 10 RBI, going 6-for-6 with six runs, two singles, a double, and three home runs.

Rendon drove in two with a single in the first, socked a solo homer in the third, stroked a three-run bomb in the fourth, doubled in three more in the fourth, singled and scored in the seventh, and crushed another solo homer in the eighth. It was the kind of game players call a good week.

Matt Weiters homered twice and drove in four runs. Bryce Harper hit his eighth home run and scored four times as the Nationals cranked out 23 hits against five Mets' hurlers.

The win avoided a sweep by the Mets and kept the Nationals well in front in the NL East, with a five game lead over the Phillies and Marlins. Washington has the best record in the majors, at 17-8 (.680). The Mets remain in last place in the division, 6 1/2 out.

Following a day off Monday, Washington will open a three-game series against the visiting, 16-11, Arizona Diamondbacks.

Chris Carter, Houston Dump Blue Jays, 8-2; Jordan Zimmermann, Anthony Rendon Lead Nats over Phils, 11-0

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 2, 2014

American League

Carter: 22 HRs

With the Orioles losing to Seattle, 6-3, the Toronto Blue Jays had an opportunity to cut into Baltimore's lead in the AL East, but they were unable to do so, losing to the lowly Housto Astros, 8-2.

Chris Carter singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, stole a base, scored three times and drove in two runs, leading the Astros to their second straight win over Toronto.

Carter's home run was his 22nd, tying him with Detroit's Victor Martinez for 8th place in the AL long ball department.

Toronto opened with a 6-5 win on Thursday in Houston, but has dropped the last two, losing, 3-1, on Friday and currently trails Baltimore by 2 1/2 games.

Zimmermann: 7-5

The series ends Sunday afternoon. Game time at Minute Maid Park is 2:10 pm EDT.

National League

Rendon: 3-5, 4RBI

Jordan Zimmermann blanked the Phillies over seven innings and Anthony Rendon delivered the goods at the plate, as the Washington Nationals hammered Philadelphia, 11-0, taking a 2 1/2 game lead over Atlanta, losers of five straight.

Having lost the first two games of their home series hosting the Phillies, the Nats weren't exactly looking like division leaders until Zimmermann took the mound, giving up five hits without a walk and striking out eight. The Nationals scored all of their runs in the first four innings, so stretching Zimmermann (7-5) past seven innings and 97 pitches (71 for strikes) was pointless.

Rendon hammered a three-run homer in the second inning off Philly starter, A.J. Burnett, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings. Not satisfied, Rendon doubled and singled, finishing 3-for-5, with four RBI, a stolen base and a pair of runs.

Washington will try to salvage a tie in the four-game series on Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT.

Prospects Anthony Rendon, Johnny Monell Star for Nationals, Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Grapefruit League

Anthony Rendon

Anthony Rendon, a prospect who's never played a major league game, is making a splash in Washington's Spring camp, crashing his fourth home run of the exhibition season and going 4-for-5 with three RBI in the Nationals' 9-7 win over the Astros.

Rendon, a third baseman, is getting a good look by the Nats, though he'll likely need more seasoning before attaching to the big club. His only AA experience was 21 games in the Eastern League in 2012.

Washington improved to 8-8 with the win, while Houston dropped to 7-9.

Cactus League

San Francisco improved to 7-8 with a 9-5 road win over Cincinnati, getting a 3-for-4 effort from catching prospect Johnny Monell.

Monell delivered a pair of doubles and a single, driving in three runs and scoring three times in four at-bats for the Giants, boosting his average to a stratospheric .600 (9-for-15).

After playing a full season of AA ball with Richmond in the Eastern League, Monell is being scrutinized by San Francisco coaches this Spring but has not made the official roster.