Aaron Sanchez, Houston Hurlers Combine for No-Hitter; Eduardo Escobar Drives in 7 as D'Backs Rout Nats, 18-7

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 3, 2019

American League

Sanchez leads no-hit effort

There was no shortage of significant individual performances across both leagues Saturday, but the most notable came in a group effort, as Aaron Sanchez and a trio of relievers combined to no-hit the visiting Mariners, 9-0.

Sanchez, who was acquired from Toronto prior to the trade deadline just days ago, shunted Seattle batters over the first six innings, walking two, fanning six in his first start as an Astro.

He was followed by Will Harris in the seventh, who walked one baut tter bended the inning with a double play. The eighth was worked by Joe Biagini, who also walked one but completed his inning without incident. In the ninth, Chris Devenski put down the Mariners 1-2-3, finalizing the third no-hitter in the majors this season. Both Harris and Biagini are former Blue Jays, also coming to Houston via the Sanchez trade.

This is the second time in the past month Seattle has been the victim a combined no-hitter. On July 12, two Angels' pitchers didn't allow a hit in a game dedicated to Tyler Skaggs, who suffered an untimely death days earlier.

Oakland's Mike Fiers owns the only other no-hitter in the majors this season.

Elsewhere, Nelson Cruz continued his impressive hitting, swatting three home runs in Minnesota's 11-3 win over Kansas City. Cruz has 30 homers and 72 RBI. Cruz has 17 home runs and 36 RBI in his last 30 games.

The Yankees likely put an end to Boston's post-season hopes, taking both ends of a double-header in New York, 9-2, and 6-4. D.J. LeMahieu socked a pair of homers in the opener, driving in four runs. LeMahieu leads the AL with a .336 batting average.

Boston has dropped three straight to the Yanks, extending their losing streak to seven. The third-place Red Sox trail the Yankees by 13 1/2 games and are 5 1/2 games out of the second wild card spot.

National League

Escobar: 2 HR, 7 RBI

The wild card race is alive and well in the National League, with no fewer than eight teams within 4 1/2 games of each other.

Arizona is near the bottom of that slate, but they made sure Stephen Strasberg and the Washington Nationals felt their presence with an unwelcome, 18-7, blowout of the visitors.

Eduardo Escobar mashed a pair of home runs and drove in seven runs as the Diamondbacks pummeled Strasberg, the league's leading Cy Young candidate, for nine hits and nine earned runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Escobar socked a two-run homer in the first inning, drove in a run with a single in the fifth, walked to force in another run in the seventh and boomed a three-run blast in the eighth. He has 24 homers on the season and his 88 RBI is second in the league to Pittsburgh's Josh Bell (89).

The Mets are also in the wild card hunt, 4 1/2 games off the pace set by St. Louis. Winning for the eighth time in their last nine games, New York got a huge effort from Wilson Ramos, who singled three times and belted his 11th home run, driving in six runs in the Mets' 7-5 win at Pittsburgh.

Finally, LA's Walker Buehler improved to 10-2 with a 4-1 win over the visiting Padres. Buehler allowed five hits, one of them a solo homer by Manuel Margot in the eighth, but tossed a complete game, striking out a season-high 15.

Martin Maldonado Powers Houston Back Into 1st Place; Clay Buchholz, Paul Goldschmidt Lead Arizona Past Angels

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22, 2018

American League

Houston took back sole possession of first place in the AL West with a 10-7 win at Seattle while the A's were losing, 4-2, to Texas.

Martin Maldonado

The Astros nearly gave the game away. After leading 8-0 after four, they allowed the Mariners to score multiple runs and end the sixth inning down 9-7. Tyler White, who was 3-for-5, socked a solo homer in the ninth to finish the scoring.

Martin Maldonado, acquired from the Angels in late July, singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, leading the Astros with three RBI. In August, Maldonado is hitting .303, with three homers, eight RBI and 11 runs.

Houston had been stumbling with two of its stars, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, on the bench earlier in the month, but both have returned to the 2017 champs. The Astros are just 9-9 in August, but have won two straight and three of their last four. They open a three-game series at the LA Angels Friday.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt

Arizona won its third straight, knocking off the visiting LA Angels, 6-1, maintaining a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rockies in the NL West. Colorado took down the Padres, 6-2.

On the mound, Clay Buchholz was solid, hurling seven innings of shutout ball for his seventh win against two losses.

Clay Buchholz

Buchholz, who spent much of the season on the DL, won for the sixth time in his last seven starts, allowed four hits, no walks, and struck out seven.

Offensively, Paul Goldschmidt got the Diamondbacks started with his 29th homer of the season in the first inning, a two-run shot. He later added a single and double, going 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI.

The Diamondbacks have won six of their last seven and are beginning to open some space in the contentious division race. The Dodgers, 3-1 losers to the Cardinals, are in third place, 4 1/2 games back.

Arizona has Thursday off and hosts a three-game series with Seattle over the weekend.

Paul Goldschmidt Homers Arizona Over Reds; Chris Sale Shuts Down O's, Boston Sweeps

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 12, 2018

Sale: 5 IP, 1H, 0ER, 12K

American League

The Boston Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, don't make a lot of headlines because all they do is win, including Sunday's 4-1 win at Baltimore, which saw the return off the DL of Chris Sale, Boston's ace starter.

Sale allowed one hit and no runs over five innings of work, striking out 12. Sale improved to 12-4 and dropped his ERA to 1.97.

The Red Sox continue to lead the AL East by an eye-popping 9 1/2 games over the Yankees.

The Sox took four straight in Baltimore and head to Philadelphia on Tuesday for a two-game series with the Phillies.

National League

After losing the first two games of their three-game series in Cincinnati, Arizona retained control of the NL West with a 9-2 romp over the Reds Sunday.

Goldschmidt: 2 Homers

Paul Goldschmidt connected for his 25th and 26th home runs and drove in three runs. Goldschmidt socked a two-run homer in the sixth inning, then added a solo shot in the ninth as the Diamondbacks tacked on four more runs.

Goldschmidt carries a .284 batting average and has driven in 64 runs this season.

The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by one game over the Dodgers. LA took a 4-3 defeat at Colorado on Sunday, dropping out of a tie for the division lead.

Arizona heads next to Texas for a pair of games with the Rangers, starting on Monday, 8:05 pm EDT.

Arizona's Patrick Corbin Blanks Phillies Over 7 1/3; Joey Gallo Wrecks Seattle In 11-7 Texas Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Gallo: 3-for-5, 2HR, 4RBI

American League

Joey Gallo socked a pair of home runs and drove in four runs, going 3-for-5 in the Rangers' 11-7 win over Seattle.

Gallo, who at age 24 is in his second full season with the Rangers, has 31 homers and 71 RBI. He and his Texas teammates made life miserable for Seattle's visit to Texas, scoring 11 runs in each of the last two games, taking the series two games to one and dropping the Mariners eight games off the pace in the AL West and three behind Oakland for the second wild card slot.

The Rangers reminded the Mariners of how important division contests are. They evened the season series at six games apiece despite being in last place in the division and hopelessly out of contention.

Seattle, which has lost seven of their last nine, have a tough road directly ahead. They open a four-game series in Houston on Thursday, then head to Oakland for three games against the Athletics.

National League

Corbin: 7 1/3 IP, 0ER, 9K

Taking the rubber game of their three-game series with the visiting Phillies by a 6-0 score, the Arizona Diamondbacks regained first place in the NL West by 1/2 game as the Dodgers dropped a 3-2 decision to Oakland.

Arizona's success was aided greatly by starting pitcher, Patrick Corbin, who improved to 9-4 with 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball.

Corbin allowed four hits, walked none, and fanned nine, increasing his strikeout total to 183, tied for second in the league with the Mets' Jacob DeGrom. Max Scherzer leads the league with 216 Ks.

Philadelphia's loss reduced their lead in the NL East to 1/2 game over Atlanta, 8-3 winners at Washington.

Both league leaders have Thursday off. The Phillies open a three-game series at San Diego on Friday while the Diamondbacks open a nine-game road trip with three in Cincinnati.

Corey Kluber Silences Angels in 3-0 Cleveland Shutout; Nick Ahmed Drives Diamondbacks Past Giants

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 4, 2018

American League

Practically without notice, the Cleveland Indians have consistently held the largest advantage of any of the division leaders across the American and National leagues.

Kluber: 3-hit shutout

Cleveland's nine game edge over Minnesota in the AL Central was bolstered by the three-hit shutout tossed by Corey Kluber in a 3-0 win over the visiting LA Angels.

Struggling 16 games off the pace in the AL West, Angel hitters mostly flailed away without success at Kluber's offerings as the Indian ace tied Rick Porcello and Luis Severino as 14-game winners in the American League. Kluber is 14-6. He threw 68 of 94 pitches for strikes and finished his seventh career shutout with seven strikeouts.

Despite the lowest winning percentage of any division leader (.550, 60-49) the Indians have been on cruise control since mid-May. No other team in their division has a winning record.

Having split the first two games, the Angels and Indians will close out the series, Sunday in Cleveland, at 1:10 pm EDT.

National League

Ahmed: 3-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Arizona whipped the Giants, 9-3, taking control of the NL West by a game over the Dodgers, when LA was smothered by Houston, 14-0.

Driving the offense was Nick Ahmed, who went 3-for-3 with a single and a pair of home runs. Ahmed plated Steven Souza, Jr. with his single in the opening inning, socked a two-run homer in the fifth inning and launched a solo shot in the eighth, driving in four runs and scoring three.

Ahmed's homers were his 13th and 14th of the season. He has 57 RBI and a .247 batting average.

The Diamondbacks lost the opener of the four-game series with San Francisco, but have bounced back to take the last two straight.

Arizona will be looking to close out the series on a winning note when they host the Giants in game four, Sunday, 4:00 pm EDT.

Mookie Betts Leads Boston's 10-1 Win Over Angels With 3 HR; Patrick Corbin 1-Hits Giants for 1-0 Arizona Victory

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 17, 2018

American League

Betts: 3-3, 3HR, 3RBI

Mookie Betts was at it again, socking three solo homers in Boston's 10-1 road win over the Angels, spoiling the highly-anticipated match-up between Boston hurler David Price and LA's Shohei Ohtani.

Betts homered to lead off the game, and, after 66 pitches in just two innings, Ohtani was done for the day, having allowed two more runs in the second.

Betts and Boston were far from done against the Angels' pitching staff. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt each socked two-run homers in the third inning, followed by Betts' second solo shot of the game. The Angels could only respond with a single run in the bottom of the innings. In the eighth, Betts cracked his third homer, completing the scoring.

Betts has five home runs and 13 RBI. His .389 batting average leads the majors.

The result left LA at 13-4, still 2 1/2 games better than Houston in the AL West. Boston upped its record to 14-2, three games to the good over Toronto. The Yankees feel to Miami, and are stuck in third place, six games out.

The two division leaders return to the diamond on Wednesday for game two of their three-game series at 10:07 pm EDT.

National League

Corbin throws 1-hitter

With the Diamondbacks taking two of three at San Francisco a week ago, the Giants were intent on evening the score in game one of the series in Arizona, sending their ace, Johnny Cueto, to the mound.

Cueto was top shelf, shutting out the Diamondbacks on two hits over seven complete innings, but Arizona hurler Patrick Corbin was better, going the distance for his third win of the season without a loss as the Diamondbacks prevailed in a 1-0 dessert duel.

Corbin was perfect until walking Joe Panik in the fourth and didn't allow a San Francisco hit until Brandon Belt beat out a checked swing infield single with two outs in the eighth, spoiling the no-hit bid. Corbin got the next batter to end the frame and put the side down in order in the ninth for the one-hit victory and the first shutout of his six-year career, all with the Diamondbacks.

Arizona scored the game's only run on David Peralta's RBI single in the eighth. Corbin faced two over the minimum and threw exactly 100 pitches.

Striking out nine, Corbin has 37 Ks on the year, one behind Washington's Max Scherzer for the NL and major league lead. In 27 1/3 innings, Corbin has allowed just 14 hits, five runs and walked just five.

The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by 2 1/2 games over the Rockies. 6-10 San Francisco is six games back.

Arizona and San Francisco square off again on Wednesday, in game two of the three-game series at 9:40 pm EDT.

Patrick Corbin 1-Hits Dodgers In Arizona Win; Miguel Sano 3-for-5, 2 RBI To Lead Twins

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 4, 2018

American League

Sano: 3-for-5, 2 RBI

The Twins remained tied for first place in the AL Central with the White Sox as they dumped the Pirates, 7-3, in Pittsburgh.

Both the Sox and Twins have yet to see their home stadiums; both are 3-2 on the road.

Minnesota got a home run from Brian Dozier for the third straight game, and Miguel Sano singled twice and doubled in five at-bats, driving in two runs, scoring twice.

Known primarily as a power hitter, Sano showed great patience and skill at the plate, scoring a tying run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly, and tying the game again in the sixth with an RBI single before adding an insurance run with another run-scoring single in the seventh.

Sano has homered twice already this season. Last year, he smacked 28 home runs and drove in 77 runs in 114 games.

The Twins head home on Thursday to host Seattle at 4:10 pm EDT.

Corbin: 7 1/3 IP, 1H, 12K

National League

Humming along like a well-oiled machine, the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth game in six outings, downing the visiting Dodgers, 3-0, as starter Patrick Corbin became the first pitcher in the National League to win two games.

Corbin didn't allow a hit until Matt Kemp's two-out double in the fifth inning broke up his bid for a perfect game. In the eighth, Corbin walked Kemp with one out and was done, manager Torey Lovullo pulling the starter after he threw 62 of 98 pitches for strikes, allowed one hit, one walk, struck out 12, and blanked the Dodgers throughout.

Archie Bradley finished the inning without incident and Brad Boxberger picked up his second save of the season walking two and fanning two without allowing a hit in the ninth.

The win left the Diamondbacks two games up on Colorado and the Giants, with Los Angeles 3 1/2 back after the three-game sweep by Arizona.

The Dodgers get a day off before opening a weekend series at San Francisco on Friday. Arizona heads to St. Louis for a three-game series starting on Thursday.

Jake Lamb Leads Diamondbacks With 4 RBI; Matt Davidson's 3 HRs Lift White Sox Over Royals

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 29, 2018

Davidson: 3HR, 5 RBI

American League

OK, OK, Giancarlo Stanton belted two homers in his first game as a New York Yankee, leading to a 6-1 victory over Toronto, but, in Kansas City, Matt Davidson was raising some heads as he hammered three balls out of Kauffman Stadium, leading the White Sox to a 14-7 rout of the Royals.

After banging out solo shots in the fourth and fifth innings, walking and scoring in the seventh, Davidson delivered the coup de grace in the eighth with a three-run shot which completed the White Sox scoring, finishing his day at 3-for-5 with five RBI and four runs.

No stranger to the long ball, Davidson rocked 26 homers as a rookie in 2017, and is certain to provide plenty of power to the middle of Chicago's lineup this season.

The win put the Sox all alone in first place in the AL Central, as the Indians and Twins were losers on opening day and Detroit's home opener against the Pirates was rained out.

After a day off Friday, the three-game series in Kansas City resumes on Saturday at 7:15 pm EDT.

National League

Lamb: 2-for-4, 4 RBI

It was opening day throughout the National League, and fans could not be happier than those in Arizona, where the Diamondbacks rolled the visiting Rockies, 8-2.

With four RBI on the day, Jake Lamb delivered half of the Arizona runs with a two-run double in the first inning, followed by a single in the sixth. The Diamondbacks took advantage of some Colorado wildness, taking six walks in addition to their 12 hits.

Jamb, who batted fourth behind Paul Goldschmidt, was certain to see plenty of good pitches and came through with runners on base.

Coming off his best year as a pro, Lamb, beginning his fourth full season, is looking to improve on his impressive numbers from 2017, in which he batted .248 with 30 homers and 105 RBI, seventh-most in the National League.

The win put the D'Backs on top of the NL West with the Giants, who downed the Dodgers, 1-0. San Diego fell 2-1 in 12 innings, their home opener spoiled by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Game two of the three-game series is slated for Friday at 9:40 pm EDT.

Sonny Gray Goes Five In Yankee Win; Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke Lead Diamondbacks

Players of the Day for Monday, March 26, 2018

Gray: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7K

Grapefruit League

Lest season, the Yankees acquired Sonny Gray from the Oakland A's just prior to the trade deadline, thinking he would fill out the starting rotation and help the Yanks make the playoffs.

New York did reach the playoffs, but not because of Gray, who earned a decision in each of his 11 starts down the stretch, going 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA. Gray was signed to a full contract and will be in the starting rotation, as he's settled down into a nice groove this Spring, winning two games without a loss, including Monday's 5-1 victory over the Braves.

Gray tossed five innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. He struck out seven and did not surrender any walks, lowering his ERA to a very respectable 1.98 over 13 2/3 innings.

Greinke: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Gray never trailed, as Didi Gregorius and Giancarlo Stanton each belted two-run homers. Gregorius launched his in the first inning; Stanton hit his third HR of the preseason in the third.

Cactus League

Goldschmidt: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI

Paul Goldschmidt singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats and Zack Greinke allowed one lonely hit over six innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks dumped the Cleveland Indians, 7-0.

Greinke set down the first ten batters he faced before giving up a one-out, fourth-inning single to Rajai Davis, the only hit Cleveland would produce all day. Grienke fanned four, didn't walk a batter and improved to 2-1 for Spring, with a 1.04 ERA.

Last season, Greinke and Goldschmidt led Arizona to the playoffs as a wild card. Greinke was 17-7 with an ERA of 3.20. Goldschmidt batted .297 with 36 home runs and 120 RBI.

The Diamondbacks evened their record at 15-15, trailing Milwaukee by for games with one game left to play before the regular season begins Thursday.

Paul Goldschmidt Sets Tone As Diamondbacks Win Wild Card, 11-8, Over Colorado

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 4, 2017

National League

Arizona advanced to the NLDS with an 11-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Goldschmidt: 3-run HR

The game included 30 hits - 17 by the Diamondbacks - four home runs and a record four triples by Arizona. Colorado never led, as Arizona starter, Zack Greinke, kept the Rockies off the board for the initial three innings as his teammates built a 6-0 lead. That would change in the fourth, when the Rockies posted four runs and chased Greinke to the bullpen.

Paul Goldschmidt got the run parade started with a three-run homer in the first after David Peralta and Ketel Marte each singled to start the game. In the second, Peralta singled again, this time driven home by Marte's triple to the right-center gap. Arizona tacked on two more in the third on Daniel Descalso's home run with Jake Lamb on base.

The Rockies chipped away in the latter innings, but Arizona responded with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth. 14 pitchers appeared in the slug-fest. Obviously, none of them fared particularly well. Oddly enough, Andrew Chafin took the win, getting just one out, inducing a fly ball to center from Charlie Blackmon in the fourth with two out and a man aboard.

After a day off Thursday, the Diamondbacks open the best-of-five NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday at 10:30 pm ET.

The Nationals host the Cubs earlier in the day, their best-of-five series starting at 7:30 pm ET.

American League

There were no AL games on Wednesday. The ALDS best-of-five series between the Yankees and Indians begins on Thursday at 7:30 pm ET.

Boston opens their NLDS at Houston Thursday. Game time is slated for a 4:08 pm ET start.

Arizona Downs Miami On Chris Iannetta's Slam, 8 RBI; Justin Verlander Leads 3-0 Houston Win

Players of the Day for Friday, September 22, 2017

American League

Verlander: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Having already clinched the AL West, the Houston Astros are still fighting for the best record in the AL, which would give them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Aiding that cause was their 3-0 win over the Angels Friday, which incidentally left the LA squad with five straight losses and a 3 1/2 game deficit in the race for the second wild card.

Justin Verlander (14-8) had one of his best starts of the season for Houston, tossing seven innings of shutout ball on one hit, walking two and fanning six.

At 34, Verlander has been doing what a veteran hurler should, winning games. Since the all-star break, he's 9-1 and Friday's outing was his fifth straight win. The last four of those wins have come in September, after being traded from the Tigers to the Astros, allowing just two runs in 28 innings, with an ERA of 0.64.

The AL MVP and Cy Young award winner in 2011, Verlander appears ready for the playoffs, regardless of where the games occur. Houston's win and a 3-1 loss by Cleveland to Seattle left the Tribe 1 1/2 games to the good over Houston for the league's best record. The Indians are 96-58; Houston stands at 94-59. The Astros have won eight of their last 10. Both have already clinched their divisions.

The Astros will try to cut into that gap when they meet the Angels in game two of their series in LA, Saturday at 1:05 pm ET.

National League

Iannetta: 2HR, GS, 8RBI

Arizona came closer to clinching the top wild card spot as catcher Chris Iannatta drove in eight runs with a pair of homers and an RBI single for a 13-11 win over the Miami Marlins.

The Diamondbacks lead Colorado by six games in the wild card standings with eight left to play.

In a wild contest that saw seven home runs and the lead change hands five times, Iannatta was at the center of the action, ripping a three-run homer in the first inning, delivering an RBI single in the second and cracking a grand slam in the sixth that put the Diamondbacks ahead for good.

The slam was Iannetta's third in his 12-year major league career, helping him notch a career high with eight RBI. He has 16 homers and 42 RBI in 85 games this season.

Colorado kept pace with a 4-1 win at San Diego and the Cardinals overtook Milwaukee by 1/2 game as they won their fourth straight. St. Louis trails the Rockies by 1 1/2 games for the final wild card.

Arizona can get closer to clinching when they meet the Marlins in game two of their three-game set, Saturday, at 8:10 pm ET in Miami.

Aaron Judge Leads Yankees' 13-5 Rout Of Baltimore; Zack Godley Throws 8 Shutout Innings For Arizona

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 14, 2017

American League

Fighting a prolonged mid-season slump, Yankee rookie right fielder, Aaron Judge, seems to have broken out of late.

Judge: 2 HR, 6 RBI

After hitting .230 with seven homers and 11 RBI in July, followed by an unproductive August with just three home runs, seven RBI and a .185 batting average, Judge has rebounded in September in time for the pennant and/or wild card final stretch.

With two home runs and six RBI in New York's 13-5 victory over the slumping Baltimore Orioles, Judge's September totals are solid: six home runs, 14 RBI and a .262 average. He also singled in the game, going 3-for-4, scoring three times.

In the first game of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, the New Yorkers had their way with the fast-fading Orioles, scoring six runs in the first inning, three in the fourth and four in the sixth. Seven of their 14 hits were for extra bases, including four home runs.

The win put New York in a sweet spot, three games up on the Twins for the top wild card. Baltimore trails Minnesota by 5 1/2 games and is on the verge of elimination from October baseball.

Game two of the series is Friday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Godley: 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 7 K

Arizona continues headlong through September, en route to what appears to be the #1 wild card, which would supply them with home field advantage in the one-game playoff scenario.

With a 7-0 win at Colorado Thursday, the Diamondbacks hold a five game lead over the Rockies in the wild card standings. There are just 15 games left on Arizona's schedule, so, barring a complete collapse, they should host the wild card game the first week in October.

Starting pitcher, Zack Godley (8-7), picked up the win, tossing eight innings of shutout ball against Colorado. He allowed five hits, fanned seven and did not issue any bases on balls.

The Diamondbacks are 9-4 in September, the last two coming at Colorado's expense. The schedule gets pretty favorable for Arizona as the regular season winds down with six games against the Giants and three with the Padres. They open a three-game series in San Francisco Friday at 7:15 pm PT.

Jay Bruce Powers Indians To Record 21st Straight Win; A.J. Pollock Drives Arizona Win Over Rockies

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 14, 2017


American League

Bruce: 3-run homer

Picking up Jay Bruce for the Mets was a wise move by the AL defending champion Cleveland Indians. Taken in a deal just prior to the July 31 trade deadline, Bruce has added some punch to the lineup and Wednesday socked a first-inning, three-run home run to set the wheels turning for Cleveland's AL record 21st consecutive victory in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

In 27 games this season with the Indians, Bruce has five home runs, 18 RBI and is batting .253.

The first inning homer was Bruce's only hit of the night, in three at-bats, but it was enough to get the Indians the lead in support of starter Mike Clevinger, who worked 5 2/3 innings and got the win, despite some shoddy fielding which allowed two unearned runs of the three attributed to the starter.

Cleveland had added another run in the third inning, putting the Indians up 4-3 following Clevinger's departure and they take don another run in the seventh, the relief staff holding the Tigers scoreless over the final three innings. Cody Allen picked up his 27th save with a perfect ninth.

The 21 wins surpasses the American League record held by the 2002 Oakland A's and ties the 1935 Chicago Cubs as the second-longest streak since 1900. The 1916 New York Giants hold the record, at 26, but that mark includes a tie.

Cleveland will look to extend their streak when they host the Kansas City Royals in the first of four games, Thursday at 7:10 pm ET.

Pollock: 2B, HR, 4 RBI

National League

Colorado took the first two games of a four-game series at Arizona, cutting the Diamondbacks' lead in the wild card race to three games, but Arizona roared back with an 8-2 victory on Wednesday, pushing their advantage back to four.

The Diamondbacks were led to the win by center fielder A.J. Pollock, who went 3-for-4 with a single, double, three-run home run and four RBI.

Pollock had played in 98 games for Arizona this season, and has 30 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBI.

Arizona trails the Dodgers by 10 games in the NL West, but is in good position as the top wild card. Besides Colorado, there are only two other teams - Milwaukee and St. Louis - with a shot at gaining a wild card. The Brewers and Cardinals are three and 3 1/2 games behind the Rockies, respectively.

Game four of the series is Thursday at 4:05 pm ET.

J.D. Martinez Swats 4 HR In Arizona's 13-1 Rout Of LA; Blue Jays Pound Boston Behind Kendrys Morales

Players of the Day for Monday, September 4, 2017

American League

Morales: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI

For a first place team, the Boston Red Sox haven't been exactly knocking the cover off the ball, losing eight of their last 12, including Monday's 10-4 pounding by the last place Blue Jays, a team that deserves to be where it is, losing 12 of the last 17, including three straight to Boston just a week ago.

Kendrys Morales provided the fuel for Toronto's offensive outburst, socking a first-inning, three-run homer off 2016 Cy Young award winner, Rick Porcello, the Boston hurler dropping to 9-15 after allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Morales added a ninth-inning RBI double, driving in four runs in the game, upping his total for the season to 75.

Coupled with the Yankees' 7-4 win at Baltimore, Boston's tenuous hold on first place in the AL East is down to just 2 1/2 games.

Boston will try to shake out of their slump in game two of the three-game series at Fenway Park, Tuesday at 7:10 pm ET.

National League

Martinez: 4 HR, 6 RBI

J.D. Martinez swatted four home runs in Arizona's no-doubt, 13-0 victory over the LA Dodgers Monday, making the 30-year-old Diamondback outfielder the 18th player in major league history to accomplish the single-game feat, and the second player this season to do so.

Martinez opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Arizona starter, Robbie Ray (12-5), would make that stand up for 7 2/3 innings, blanking the Dodgers on three hits, fanning 14.

In the seventh, Martinez cranked a solo homer out to right center, the first of two measuring 417 feet, the second coming in his next at-bat, in the eighth, also with bases empty. Competing the feat in the ninth, Martinez swatted his fourth of the game with a man aboard, giving him six RBI on the day.

Martinez has 34 homers on the year, 18 of them with Arizona. He hit 16 for Detroit before being traded to the Diamondbacks in mid-July.

The other player to hit four in one game this season was Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett, who did so on June 6, in a 13-1 win over St. Louis.

Arizona's win came in the opener of a three-game series in Los Angeles and was their 11th straight win. Forgetting for now that the Dodgers lead the NL West by 12 1/2 games, the Diamondbacks are clearly the team to beat as September progresses. While Arizona has gotten hot, the Dodgers have gone cold, losing nine of their last 10.

Game two of the series is Tuesday, at 7:10 pm PT in LA.

Eduardo Escobar Homers Twice As Twins Top Royals, 17-0; J.D. Martinez Leads Arizona To 9th Straight

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 2, 2017

American League

Escobar: 3B, 2HR, 6RBI

In their 17-0 rout of the Royals, the Minnesota Twins got to Kansas City pitchers early and often, scoring 10 runs in the first two innings, evening the three-game series in Minneapolis at a game apiece.

While Joe Mauer was going 4-for-4, his cross-diamond teammate, third baseman Eduardo Escobar, was swinging with power, going 3-for-5 with a triple and a pair of homers, driving in six runs.

Escobar's triple came with the bases loaded in Minnesota's six-run second inning. He mashed a solo shot to center in the fifth inning and completed the scoring for the day with a three-run blast to left in the seventh.

Minnesota's win kept them in control of the second wild card. With the Yankees topping the Red Sox, 5-1, the Twins remained a game back of New York, the top wild card.

The series finale is scheduled for a 2:10 pm ET start, Sunday afternoon.

National League

Martinez: HR, 4 RBI

There is no team hotter than the Arizona Diamondbacks right now, as they won their ninth straight game taking the second of their three-game series with a 6-2 victory at Colorado.

J.D. Martinez, who was plucked from the Tigers mid-July and played his first game as a Diamondback on July 19, got Arizona off to a quick start with a three-run homer in the first inning, adding an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth.

Martinez has 14 home runs as a Diamondback and had 16 when he was in Detroit, giving him 30 on the year, to go with a combined 73 RBI. In 96 games, the seven-year veteran right fielder is batting .277.

Arizona's winning streak dates back to a 3-2 win in the final game of a four-game series with the Mets. Since then, Arizona has swept the Giants and Dodgers, and are on the verge of doing the same to the Diamondbacks, their main competitor in the wild card chase.

The win pushed Arizona's hold on the first wild card to 5 1/2 games over their NL West rivals. Colorado leads Milwaukee by 1 1/2 for the second slot.

Game three is Sunday at 3:10 pm ET. Whether Arizona wins or not, they head back to LA for a final regular season meeting with the Dodgers, a three-game set, beginning Monday.

Arizona Sweeps Dodgers As Zack Greinke Wins 16th; Blue Jays Snap O's Win Streak On Kendrys Morales 3 HRs

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 31, 2017

American League

Morales: 4-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI

Baltimore was making some serious noise in the wild card race, winning seven straight prior to welcoming the Toronto Blue Jays into Camden Yards for a four-game series, but the night would not go well for the high-flying Orioles, as the scrappy Blue Jays grounded them, 11-8.

The game was not one for pitchers on either squad as the two teams combined for 27 hits and five home runs, three of them by Kendrys Morales, who also singled in five at-bats, driving in seven runs.

Morales socked a two-run homer in the third inning, singled home another run in the fifth, and finished off the O's with a three-run blast in the sixth and a solo shot in the eighth, completing the scoring for the Blue Jays. Morales has 25 home runs and 70 RBI on the year.

The Orioles scored a pair of runs in they eighth to close the gap, but it was not enough and the streak was over, leaving Baltimore 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees and 2 1/2 back of Minnesota for the two wild card spots. Both the Twins and Yankees were winners on Thursday. The Yankees topped Boston, 6-2, while Minnesota won their fourth straight, beating the White Sox, scoring the winning run when Max Kepler was plunked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Baltimore will try to get back on the winning track when they meet Toronto in game two, Friday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt's first inning double plated two runs and that was all Zack Greinke needed to notch his 16th win as the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers in an 8-1 win.

Greinke: 16-6, 3.08 ERA

Greinke allowed a run in the second inning, but that was all, going six innings to tie Milwaukee's Zach Davies as the only 16-game winners in the major leagues.

While Greinke limited the Dodgers to just four hits, Arizona slammed LA starter Kenta Maeda for seven runs on eight hits over the first three innings. With the huge lead, Greinke sat after the sixth, allowing T.J. McFarland to work a scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Jake Barrett closed out the game and the sweep with a hitless ninth.

The loss was LA's fifth straight, easily their longest losing streak of the season, but that may be the end of it as ace hurler Clayton Kershaw returns Friday night against the San Diego Padres after spending 40 days on the DL with back problems. The Dodgers dropped three straight - though no to the same team - once each in April, May, and June.

Since the All Star break, the Dodgers have only lost two straight once, dropping a pair to Atlanta, July 20 and 21 as they split a four-game series with the Braves.

Greinke fanned six and walked two, increasing his strikeout total to 188, third in the NL behind Max Scherzer (230) and the Mets' Jacob DeGrom (206).

With the sweep, Arizona vastly improved their chances at making the post season, improving their hold on the top wild card position to 3 1/2 games over the Rockies. They still trail the Dodgers by 16 games, so, with fewer than 30 games to play, catching the runaway leaders in the NL West is not realistic.

The Diamondbacks have won seven straight and nine of their last 10. They open a three-game series in Colorado Friday before returning to LA for the final time this season for a three-game series starting on Labor Day.

It will be the last time Arizona plays LA during the regular season. The season series is tied 8-8.

Boston Wins 7th Straight Behind Chris Sale's 13 Ks; Jake Lamb Slams Dodgers In 6-3 Arizona Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 8, 2017

American League

Sale: 14-4, 2.57, 229 Ks

Boston won its seventh straight game, doing so behind their ace, Chris Sale, in a 2-0 win at Tampa Bay.

Sale was at his very best, allowing two hits and a walk over eight full innings, fanning 13, tying a season-high. Sale struck out 13 on two prior occasions, April 20 at Toronto and July 20, at home against the Yankees. Having struck out 11 in a May 7 win over Baltimore, Sale has double-digit strikeout games against all four AL East opponents.

Looking every bit like this season's Cy Young award winner, Sale leads the AL wins (14-4), ERA (2.57) and strikeouts, his 229 total a clear lead of 40 over Tampa Bay's Chris Archer.

Sale put down the first ten batters he faced, his perfect performance interrupted by a throwing error by third baseman Rafael Devers with one down in the fourth. He entered the fifth with a no-hitter, but Wilson Ramos singled with one out. Sale gave up the only other hit by the Rays in the sixth inning and issued a walk to open the seventh, but set down the next six straight, handing the ball over to closer, Craig Kimbrel, after fanning four of the last five batters he faced.

Picking up his 28th save, Kimbrel was equally impressive, fanning the three batters he faced in the ninth.

The Red Sox will be looking for their eighth straight win and a sweep of the two games at Tampa Bay when they face the Rays Wednesday night at 7:00 pm ET.

National League

Lamb: 25 HR, 90 RBI

Down 16 games in the NL West, Arizona opened their three-game series with the visiting first-place Dodgers the way they had to, with a 6-3 victory, slicing slightly into LA's overwhelming lead.

Jake Lamb did almost all of the Diamondbacks' damage, whacking a pair of home runs, a fourth inning solo shot and a seventh inning grand slam that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 advantage for the home team.

Lamb's homers were his 24th and 25th, closing in on his career-best total of 29 round-trippers in 2016. His five RBI in the game made him the second National Leaguer to reach 90, behind Colorado's Nolan Arenado, who leads the majors with 98.

Arizona improved to 64-48. Even though they still trail the Dodgers by 15 games, they do lead the wild card race, by 1/2 game over the Rockies. Both Arizona and Colorado have to continue their strong play as there are a trio of NL Central teams gunning for at least one of the wild card slots. Milwaukee, St. Louis and Pittsburgh are currently 6, 7, and 8 games behind the Rockies.

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks have two more games at Chase Stadium, with game two scheduled for Wednesday night at 9:40 pm ET.

Paul Goldschmidt Belts 3 HR, Arizona Drops Cubs, 10-8; Corey Kluber Goes Distance In Cleveland's 5-1 Win Over Yankees

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 3, 2017

Kluber 3-hit, CG Win

American League

Corey Kluber was in complete control, throwing his third complete game of the season - and 13th over the last four seasons - defeating the New York Yankees, 5-1, before 28,124 fans at Cleveland'sProgressive Field.

Kluber allowed just three hits, one a solo home run by Yankee DH, Gary Sanchez, a seventh-inning dinger that cut into the Cleveland lead only briefly. The Indians were leading 4-0, but added another run in the bottom of the inning for the final, 5-1 score.

Kluber walked one and fanned 11. It was the 11th time this season that the Cleveland ace has registered 10 or more strikeouts in a game. With 172 strikeouts on the year, Kluber ranks third among AL hurlers, behind Tampa's Chris Archer (182) and Boston's Chris Sale (216).

Other than the Sanchez homer, all the Yankees could muster offensively were a fourth inning double by Cliff Frazier and a fifth inning single by Ronald Torreyes. Kluber improved to 9-3, with a 2.77 ERA. Impressively, Kluber has a 0.95 WHIP over 123 2/3 innings, second only to Sale (0.91).

The victory kept Cleveland 2 1/2 games ahead of the Royals in the AL Central. The Yankees third straight loss dropped them two games back of Boston in the East as the Red Sox topped the White Sox, 9-5.

Game two of the four-game series is Friday, 7:10 pm ET.

Goldschmidt: 3 HR, 6 RBI

National League

Chicago Cub catcher, Willson Contreras, belted two home runs and drove in six runs, but, on the other side of the diamond, in the dugout of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt was getting the last laugh, as he socked not two, but three home runs, the final one breaking an 8-8 tie, as Arizona outlasted Chicago, 10-8.

Goldschmidt got the Diamondbacks off to a quick start with a three-run homer in the first, then blasted a two-run shot in the fifth, upping the Arizona lead to 6-1. Arizona's pitchers could not contain Contreras and the Cubs, eventually giving up the lead in the seventh, though the Diamondbacks regained it in the eighth and the Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

In the ninth, Goldschmidt delivered his third homer - and 25th of the season - of the game, for a 9-8 lead. J.D. Martinez made it a back-to-back deal with his solo jam and a 10-8 lead. Goldschmidt finished 3-for-4 with six RBI and four runs.

Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for Arizona, giving up a pair of walks, but eventually fanning three for his 24th save.

Arizona's closed out the series at Chicago winning two of three and maintained their second place slot in the NL West, though they are 14 games behind the Dodgers. They lead the Rockies by 1/2 game in the division and the wild card race. Chicago lost their second straight but still lead the Brewers by 1 1/2 in the Central.

The Cubs remain home over the weekend, starting a three-game series with Washington Friday. Arizona heads to San Francisco on Friday for three games with the Giants.

Kevin Gausman Blanks Rangers In 4-0 Baltimore Win; Zack Greinke 13-4 After 7-1 Arizona Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 29, 2017

American League

Gausman: 8 2/3, 7 H, 0 ER

While the Yankees and Red Sox were winning to stay 1-2 in the AL East, Kevin Gausman was doing his best to keep the Orioles relevant, scattering seven hits over 8 2/3 innings in a 4-0 Baltimore road victory.

New York won its sixth straight, topping Tampa Bay, 6-5, while Boston outlasted Kansas City, 9-8, ending the Royals nine game winning streak.

The Yankees took over first place in the division on Friday and remain 1/2 game ahead of the Red Sox. Baltimore is a surprising 7 1/2 back, considering how poorly the Orioles have played through much of the past two months. 7-8 since the all-star break, Baltimore is 22-30 for June and July, but still have a chance to catch the leaders with a slew of games still to be played between division opponents.

Gausman improved to 8-7 with his near-complete game, but was pulled with tow down in the ninth as his pitch count soared to 118 while walking two and allowing a base hit in the final inning. Zach Britton came out of the bullpen to nail down the final out, earning his seventh save.

Fanning eight and walking three, Gausman was solid through the middle of the game, allowing a single with two outs in the fifth before setting down ten straight Texas hitters.

Tied a game apiece, the Orioles and Rangers conclude their three-game series Sunday at 3:05 pm ET.

National League

Greinke shuffles Cards

Zack Greinke gave up three hits and a run in the first inning, but settled down after that, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-1 thumping of the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

After the unsettling opening frame, Grienke set down nine straight Cardinals from the second through fourth innings before allowing one more hit and his only walk of the game in the fifth. He was bailed out of that by a double play and cruised through the sixth and seventh, setting down another six straight before departing with a 4-1 lead.

Jake Barrett and Silvino Bracho each pitched an inning of relief after the Diamondbacks tacked on three more runs in the top of the eighth.

Greinke fanned one and threw 63 of 98 pitches for strikes, improving to 13-4 on the year with a 2.84 ERA. Arizona remained in second place in the NL West, a game ahead of the Rockies but 13 back of the streaking Dodgers, winners of seven straight.

The Cardinals fell 4 1/2 off the NL Central pace, led by the Cubs, who topped Milwaukee, 2-1, in 11 innings, improving their lead over the Brewers to 1 1/2 games.

Arizona has won two of three in St. Louis. The series concludes Sunday, with game time set for 2:15 pm ET.

Jose Altuve 4-for-4 As Astros Thump Phillies, 13-4; A.J. Pollock Leads Arizona Past Braves, 10-2

Players of the Day for Monday, July 24, 2017

American League

Winning the opener of a three-game series in Philadelphia, 13-4, the Houston Astros improved to a MLB-best 36-12 record on the road.

Altuve's .365 leads AL

Putting that in perspective, no other team in the AL West and no teams in the AL East have winning road records. Only Cleveland (27-21) and Minnesota (26-18) are above .500 away from home.

Overall, the Astros have left the rest of the league in their dust, leading the division by a whopping 17 games with a record of 66-33 (.667).

At the heart of Houston's offense - they lead the league in runs scored (594) and scoring differential (+178) - is second baseman Jose Altuve, putting in a serious bid for league MVP.

In Monday's blowout win, Altuve went 4-for-4 scoring three runs and driving in three with a pair of doubles and two singles. Not only is Altuve leading the league in batting at .365, he's third in on-base percentage (.421), runs (71), and stolen bases (21) while on pace for well over 200 hits, currently with the league lead at 138, 20 more than Cleveland's Jose Ramirez.

With just over tow months left in the season, all that's left to determine from Altuve and the Astros is how many games they'll win on their way to the post-season.

Houston and the Phillies play game two Tuesday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Pollock: 3-5, HR, 4 RBI

Arizona moved back into a tie for second place with Colorado in the NL West with a 10-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

While the Diamondbacks have faint hope of catching the Dodgers for the division crown, as LA has an 11 1/2 game lead, a win over the Braves was important since Atlanta also has wild card aspirations, trailing the Nationals by 12 1/2 games in the East. The Braves' loss sent them 9 1/2 behind in the wild card.

With Matt Greinke cruising to his 12th win against five losses, A.J. Pollock provided more than adequate offense, smacking two doubles and a two-run home run, driving in four runs in five at-bats.

Pollock is batting .303 but missed a substantial part of the season - half of May and all of June - on the DL. Apparently back in the groove, Pollock has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 12-for-27 (.444) over that span.

The Diamondback and Braves play game two of the three game series Tuesday, 9:40 pm ET at Chase Field in Phoenix.