Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie Lead A's 18-3 Win over Twins; Dan Haren Blanks Mets over Six in 3-0 Nationals' Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 11, 2013

American League

Brandon Moss

Getting some help from the Pittsburgh Pirates - who took three straight from the Rangers - the Oakland A's have opened a three-game lead in the AL West, celebrating by setting season-high marks in hits and runs by whipping the Twins by an 18-3 score.

Jed Lowrie

The A's banged out 22 hits as the Twins valiantly sent six pitchers to the mound. Starter Mike Pelfrey was pounded for seven runs on eight hits.

Brandon Moss went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, drove in two runs and scored three times. Shortstop Jed Lowrie was 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season - a two-run job - drove in four runs and scored twice.

The win tied the series at a game apiece with the rubber match set for Thursday afternoon at 1:10 pm EDT in Minnesota.

Having won seven of their last ten while the Rangers went 2-8 has opened things up in the AL West, but the A's still have 17 games on the schedule before they can claim the unlikely (at the start of the season) prize of AL West champs.

National League

Dan Haren

For Dan Haren (9-13, 5.02) and the Washington Nationals, it hasn't been the best of seasons, but Haren put forth one of his best efforts of the year as the Nationals took their third straight from the Mets, shutting them out, 3-0.

Haren threw for six full innings, allowing just one hit - a fourth-inning leadoff single by Juan Lagares - one walk, fanning eight. He threw just 86 pitches before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with a 1-0 lead.

The Nats scored a pair in the eighth to insure the lead. Manager Davey Johnson used three relievers before bringing in close Rafael Soriano, who allowed a hit in the ninth inning but kept the Mets off the board for his 41nd save, second in the NL, behind Atlanta's Criag Kimbrel.

The Nationals will look to make it four straight over their hosts when the two teams meet at Citi Field, 1:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Only one time has a player hit at least 50 home runs and 50 doubles in a single season. Who was it?

Yesterday's Answer: Mike Schmidt led the NL in home runs a record eight times. Barry Bonds only led the league in homers twice.

A's Thump Tigers, 14-4, as Brandon Moss Homers Twice; Jay Bruce Drives in Five as Reds Dismantle Cardinals, 10-0

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 28, 2013

American League

Moss: 2HR, 6RBI

It's not even September, yet the Detroit Tigers may already be thinking about the playoffs and what might happen to them if they run into the Oakland A's.

The A's took their third straight in Detroit, hammering four pitchers for 21 hits, drilling the Tigers, 14-4, and generally putting a scare into the AL Central leaders.

Brandon Moss led the hit parade, going 4-for-5 with six RBI and three runs. Moss, singled, doubled, belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning and finished off his night with a three-run blast in the eighth. Moss, who is about as close as any A's player to superstar status, has 24 home runs on the year, with 66 RBI.

Oakland never trailed, scoring three runs in the second inning, four more in the fifth and three in the sixth, touching up Detroit starter, Doug Fisterfor 15 hits and seven earned runs. The 2-3-4-5 hitters in the A's lineup were a combined 12-for-19, with 10 runs and 10 RBI.

With the win, the A's remained 2 1/2 games behind Texas in the West, while the Tigers continued to lead the Central by 5 1/2 games over the Indians, 3-2 losers to Atlanta.

Game four of the series gets started at 1:08 pm EDT, the A's looking for the sweep.

National League

Bruce: 2-4, HR, 5RBI

After dropping the first two games of their series in St. Louis with the first-place Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds were looking to salvage a win in game three. To do so, they'd have to beat Cardinal ace, Adam Wainwright.

The Reds not only beat Wainwright, they sent him back to the clubhouse after only two innings, ripping him for eight hits and nine runs en route to a 10-0 blowout.

Jay Bruce was Wainwright's main antagonist, driving in the first two runs for the Reds with a single in the first and sending the Cardinal hurler to an early exit with a three-run bomb in the second inning.

With the huge, 9-0 lead, Reds' starter, Homer Bailey (9-10), cruised through 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just five hits and two walks while fanning seven. Chris Heisey finished the scoring for the Reds with a solo homer in the ninth.

The result left the Cardinals with a slim 1/2 game lead over Pittsburgh in the division, with the Reds 3 1/2 games back. While it would be nice, Cincinnati has the luxury of not needing to worry about winning the division, as they are currently six games clear of Arizona for the second wild card spot.

The Reds head next to Colorado, where they open a three-game series with the Rockies on Friday. St. Louis also gets Thursday off, as they travel to Pittsburgh for a critical three-game series with the Pirates.

Today's Trivia: Baltimore's Chris Davis and Manny Machado currently lead the majors in home runs and doubles, respectively. Who were the last two teammates to lead the majors in those categories and in what year did they do it? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1971 World Series, beating the Orioles, four games to three.

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.

A.J. Pollock Leads Arizona over Pirates; Brandon Moss Helps A's to 7th Straight Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 10, 2013

American League

With their 11-5 win over the Angels, Oakland has won seven in a row, launching themselves to the top of the AL West standings with a one-game lead over Texas.

Brandon Moss

Spearheading the A's 16-hit assault was Brandon Moss, who tripled in a pair of runs in the third inning, stroked a solo homer in the fifth, walked and scored in the A's five-run sixth and singled home another run in the seventh to finish off Oakland's scoring.

Moss was 3-for-5 with four RBI, scoring twice. The capable first baseman is batting a cool .400, with 10 RBI and two home runs.

After starting the season with two losses to Seattle, the A's came back to win the final two games of that series, then swept the Astros three straight and have won the first two games of their series with the Angels, which culminates tonight at 7:05 PDT in LA. The A's are 5-0 on the road while the Angels are still searching for their first home win (0-2).

National League

A.J. Pollock

While Buster Posey and Barry Zito (2-0, 0.00 ERA) were busy busting one on the Rockies with a 10-0 win, their third straight, Arizona kept pace with a 10-2 win at home, leaving the Diamondbacks and Giants tied atop the NL West with identical 6-3 records.

Pace by rookie center fielder A.J. Pollock's best game as a pro, Arizona blew away the visiting Pirates with three runs in each of the first and second innings and four more in the fourth.

Pollock who was 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs, doubled and scored the first run for the Diamondbacks in the first on a wild pitch, socked a three-run homer in the second and led off the fourth with a solo shot.

Pollock played 17 games with Arizona in 2012, and has stuck as the regular center fielder.

Avoiding the sweep in Pittsburgh, the D'Backs get a day off Thursday before opening a three-game home set with the Dodgers on Friday.

Yanks Take AL East Behind Robinson Cano; Brandon Moss LeadsA's Win AL West; Miguel Cabrera Captures Triple Crown; NL Winners

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 3, 2012

American League

The New York Yankees wrapped up another AL East title on the final day of the season with a resounding, 14-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Curtis Granderson

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano powered the 15-hit assault on seven Red Sox pitchers, banging a pair of two run homers, two singles, scoring three times and driving in six runs, going a perfect 4-for-4.

Curtis Granderson chipped in with a three-run homer and a solo shot, giving him 43 home runs on the year, tied for second in that category with the Rangers' Josh Hamilton.

The two fell one short of Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, who ended the season tops in batting average, home runs, and RBI, at .330, 44, and 139, respectively. Cabrera, who had finished atop each of the individual categories at least once before, put it all together in a remarkable season that led the Tigers to the AL Central pennant.

Cabrera is the first player since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1967. No National Leaguer has accomplished the Triple Crown since Frank Robinson, playing for the Cincinnati Reds, did it in 1966.

Brandon Moss

Cabrera: Triple Crown

In the AL West, the Oakland A's completed a remarkable run to capture the division title, winning three straight in Oakland from the Texas Rangers, completing a season-ending six-game winning streak with a 12-3 triumph. Brandon Moss led the A's with a single and double in four at-bats, driving in three runs.

The three division races in the AL were all close, the East and West coming down to the final day of the season. The Yanks finished two games ahead of Baltimore in the East, the Tigers topped the white Sox by three games in the Central and Oakland finished one game better than Texas in the West.

Baltimore and Texas will play a one-game wild card playoff on Friday in Arlington, Texas at 8:37 pm EDT.

National League

Posey: .336 BA

With playoff positions already decided in the National League, a salute to the individual category winners:

Buster Posey won the batting title, hitting .336, tops in the majors, for the San Francisco Giants.

Braun: 41 Homers

Ryan Braun led the league in home runs for the second straight season, belting 41 for the Milwaukee Brewers.

San Diego's Chase Headley drove in 115 runs to lead the league.

Clay Kershaw of the Dodgers led all starters with a 2.53 ERA and was second in strikeouts to the Mets' R.A. Dickey, who finished with 230. Kershaw had 229.

Washington's Gio Gonzalez was the league's top winner, with 21.

The NL playoffs get underway on Friday, when the two wild cards, St. Louis and Atlanta, meet for one game in Atlanta at 5:07 pm EDT.

Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss and George Kottaras Drive A's to 20-2 Win; Gio Gonzales

Players of the Day for Friday, August 31, 2012

American League

Josh Riddick

Brandon Moss

With a four game lead in the AL West, the Texas Rangers may feel secure about winning their third straight division title, but some might suggest a look over their shoulder at the fast-closing Oakland A's, winner of seven straight after bombing the Red Sox, 20-2, rapping out 20 hits, scoring in all but two innings.

Among the highlights were Josh Reddick's seventh inning grand slam, Brandon Moss's twodoubles, home run, single, four runs and four RBI, and catcher George Kottaras' single, pair of homers, three runs and five RBI.

George Kottaras

The A's wore out seven Red Sox pitchers over nine innings, suggesting that the remainder of the three game series at Fenway may produce a batting bonanza for the A's and more than just a few sore arms for the Boston pitching staff.

Winning kept the A's one game behind the Orioles in the wild card, but very secure in the #2 wild card slot, 3 1/2 better than Tampa Bay and four up on the Tigers.

While their wild card chances appear solid, the A's no doubt have taken aim at the Rangers as August turns to September and contenders are separated from pretenders.

National League

Gio Gonzalez

Labor Day weekend marks the culmination of a brutal nine-game stretch for the St. Louis Cardinals, having taken two of three in Cincy, lost two of three in Pittsburgh and, after their 10-0 loss Friday in Washington, their losing streak has reached four straight.

While the Cardinals may bemoan life on the road, the playing doesn't get much better for the NL East-leading Nationals, winners of three straight while the second place Braves have dropped their last two, upping Washington's lead to a bulging 6 1/2 games. the largest in either league.

A master of the mound throughout the season, Gio Gonzalez picked up win #17, tying Johnny Cueto and R.A. Dickey for the major league lead.

Gonzalez, who has tasted defeat just seven times this season, shut out the Cardinals on five hits, fanning eight and walking three.

The Nats and Cards have two games remaining in their four game series, with a pair of day games Saturday and Sunday.

Brandon Moss Powers A's over Arizona; Francisco Liriano Sharp for Twins

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 18, 2012

Grapefruit League

Liriano: 5 IP 0 H 6 K

Minnesota ace Francisco Liriano had an effective tune-up in the Twins' 10-0 blanking of Pittsburgh in Sunday's South Florida exhibition action.

Liriano, who posted a disappointing 9-10 mark last season, was razor-sharp in five innings of work, fanning six Pirate batters and walking one without surrendering a hit. It was Liriano's fourth appearance of the spring and the longest for the left=hander. Through 13 innings, Liriano has struck out 18 batters and is carrying an ERA of 2.77.

The Twins improved to 10-8 in Grapefruit League play.

Moss: 3-3, HR 4 RBI

Cactus League

The Oakland A's were a model of efficiency in their 11-2 victory over the Diamondbacks Sunday, cashing all 11 runs on 11 hits, stranding just six base-runners.

Outfield prospect Brandon Moss went 3-for-3 with a pair of singles and a home run. The lefty slugger, whose longest major league stint was 133 games with the Pirates in 2009, drove in four runs and is batting a brisk .526 this spring with 10 hits in 19 at-bats.

The A's won their 8th road game and lead the Cactus League with a 13-4 record.