Molina 4-for-4 for 6-1 Giants; Jones, Teahen Nice ChiSox Additions

Players of the Day for Monday, April 12, 2010 American League There was an Andruw Jones (left) sighting Monday night, and he was wearing a White Sox uniform. A Superman cape was tucked deftly underneath. Jones, who after twelve tumultuous years in Atlanta, has gone from the Braves to the Dodgers, to the Rangers, and now, to the White Sox. Still a hitter with power, Jones hasn't seen much action, though he's gotten into five games this season for the Sox. On Monday, Jones and fellow new arrival Mark Teahen (right, from KC) played a bit of tag-team, resulting in an 11-inning, 8-7, White Sox win at Toronto.

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Jones got the hit parade started with a 2-run homer in the 2nd, then an RBI single in the 3rd, followed by a solo homer in the sixth. Then he apparently touched Teahen on the dugout steps because the third baseman drove in Alex Rios with a single in the 6th, tied the game with a towering home run to left field in the ninth and won it with a triple in the 11th, sending Omar Vizquel plate-ward. By the numbers, Jones was 3-for-4, with 4 RBI and 2 runs; Teahen went 3-for-5, 3 RBI, a run, and a stolen base. National League The Giants tried to deal away Benjie Molina during the off-season, but found no takers, and they're probably considering themselves fairly fortunate considering the way Molina has handled the San Francisco pitching staff, to say nothing of his recent excellence at the plate. San Francisco continued to storm through the National League, winning for the 6th time in 7 outings by putting a 9-3 hurt on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Molina was the main catalyst, going 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, an RBI double and a 2 run homer, giving him 4 RBI and 2 runs scored on the day. In his only other plate appearance, he was issued a walk, not a bad idea considering his .421 batting average.

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NOTES: The Houston Astros aren't having any fun yet, especially after dropping their 7th straight to open the season in a 5-0 whitewash by the St. Louis Cardinals. That loss was the third time this season the Astros have been shut out. San Fran's Barry Zito issued the first blanking, then J.A. Happ of the Phillies. The Cardinals' shutout stud was Adam Wainwright. In 7 games, Houston has scored just 13 runs. It doesn't take a genius to figur out that scoring less than 2 runs a game will not produce many wins.

Cabrera Leads Tigers over Royals; Molina's 10th Inning Shot Lifts Giants

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 15, 2009 American League The Detroit Tigers (7-4 over their last 11 games) continue to hold off the pesky White Sox in the AL Central. Detroit maintained their 2 1/2 game lead over Chicago with their third straight win, beating the Royals, 10-3, as Miguel Cabrera slugged his 28th home run - a two-run shot in the 8th - and added 3 singles in 5 total at-bats, scoring 3 times and driving in 3. Carbrera, getting better pitches to hit now that Carlos Guillen is back in the lineup and batting behind him, has 70 RBI and a .329 batting average, good for 4th in the American League. Detroit wraps up a three-game series Sunday, then hosts the struggling Mariners for three, Tuesday-Thursday. National League Colorado keeps making progress against the Dodgers in the NL West, but the Giants - who have been up and down recently, going 7-6 in August - continue to hang tough, thanks to their mix of veterans and youngsters. San Fran is nipping at the Rockies' heels, one game back of Colorado in the wild card and the division standings, but 5 1/2 behind the Dodgers. Colorado has pulled to within just 4 1/2 of LA, the closest anyone has been since May 12. The Giants got a 5-4 win over the Mets Saturday, as Benjie Molina stroked his 15th homer to lead off the top of the 10th. Molina earlier singled and doubled home a run in the 6th, going 3-for-4, with a pair of RBI and 2 scores. Just getting started on an 11-game road trip, the Giants are 1-1 against the Mets, with two more games scheduled before heading to Cincy for three and Colorado for a showdown four-game series, August 21-24.

Meche, Callaspo Power Royals; Steady Molina Leads Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 10 American League The Kansas City Royals have fallen to the usual spot near the bottom of the AL Central, but there are signs of life and hope for the future, especially after Gil Meche (left) and Alberto Callaspo (right) combined to tear up the Indians, 9-0, pushing Cleveland into last place in the division. Meche (3-5) worked seven innings of shutout ball, allowing 4 hits and 3 bases on balls, while fanning 11. Meanwhile, Callaspo, one of the promising young players with the Royals, went 4-for-4, with three singles and a fifth-inning grand slam homer, which completed the scoring for the Royals. It was his third homer of the season and also the third of his career. Callaspo seems to have found a limited power stroke this season as the Royals regular second baseman after hitting .305 in 74 games with the Royals in 2008. Meche's 11 Ks matched his career high. National League Since May 24, the San Francisco Giants are 11-4, winning their second straight Wednesday as Benjie Molina smacked a two-run homer in the third and added an insurance run in the ninth inning in a 6-4 Giants' victory over Arizona. Molina, whose 9 home runs and 37 RBI lead the youthful Giants, has been a steadying influence for both the pitching staff and around the clubhouse. Now in his 11th season, the stout Puerto Rican native looks to be on his way to career highs in both home runs and RBI. His previous highs are 19 homers (2006 and 2007) and 95 RBI (2008). He is just the kind of veteran the Giants can begin building a new post-Bonds-era team. The Giants have closed to within 7 1/2 games of NL West-leading Los Angeles.