Brennan Boesch, Prince Fielder Highlight Tigers' 11-9 Win over Jays; Felix Hernandez Fans Six in Four Innings

Players of the Day for Monday, April 2, 2012

Grapefruit League

Brennan Boesch

9,476 fans showed up for a little Toronto-Detroit tune-up on Monday, and, as expected, they got their money's worth as the teams combined for 19 runs, 25 hits and four homers.

Prince Fielder

The two have been atop the Grapefruit League standings nearly throughout the exhibition season. With the 11-8 Detroit victory, the 23-7 Blue Jays lead 20-7 Detroit by 1 1/2 games as the spring season nears its end and real, regular season play begins Wednesday.

Despite the top two teams getting together again on Tuesday, the Blue Jays are guaranteed to capture the Grapefruit title, as that will be the final exhibition game for both Toronto and Detroit before heading North.

Leading the hit parade for the Tigers was Brennan Boesch, with two singles and a double in four at-bats. Boesch drove in two runs and scored twice, while teammate Prince Fielder belted his fourth springtime homer, a three-run blast which highlighted a seven-run Detroit second inning.

Felix Hernandez

Cactus League

After hurling eight innings (5 H, 1 ER, no decision) in Seattle's 11-inning, 3-1 regular season opening day win in Japan on March 28, Felix Hernandez needed a bit of work prior to his next appearance, so he went out and threw four shutout innings at Colorado to pick up his thrid exhibition win against two losses.

Hernandez was sharp, allowing just two hits while fanning six without issuing a walk as the Mariners racked up the 7-2 win.

The hard-throwing righty appears on track for another sensational season in 2012. In 22 innings this spring, he's struck out 23 batters and held hitters to a .207 average.

Fielder Leads Brewers to Sweep of Marlins; Boesch Bashes Texas in Tiger Rout

Players of the Day for Monday, June 6, 2011

American League

Brennan Boesch

In the Al Central, the Indians have been faltering of late, losing five straight, the most recent a 6-4 loss to the suddenly red-hot Minnesota Twins, who have now won five straight, though the main beneficiary has been Detroit. The Tigers have won four of five games in June and are 9-4 since May 22.

Taking on the Texas Rangers in the first of a three-game set in Arlington, Detroit sliced further into Cleveland's once-imposing lead with a 13-7 victory, shaving the Indians' edge to a mere 1 1/2 games.

Providing the bulk of the offense was right fielder Brennan Boesch, who went 5-for-6 with five RBI and three runs.

Boesch got the Tigers started with a three-run homer in the 1st inning, then followed up with a solo shot - his 8th - in the 3nd. He singled and scored in the 4th, then doubled in another run in the 6th before singling once more in the 9th.

With the effort, Boesch raised his batting average to a respectable .278 and has now accounted for 32 RBI.

National League

Beware the Brew Crew!

Prince Fielder

The Milwaukee Brewers completed a four game sweep of the Florida Marlins Monday night in Miami with a 7-2 win, drawing to within 1 1/2 games of the Cardinals in the NL Central.

The victory was their 4th straight and 13th in their last 15 games. Not only have the Brewers cut into the Cardinals' lead, but they've put some distance between themselves and third place Cincinnati, now five games off the pace. And even though it's a little early to start keeping tabs, the Brewers are leading the wild card race by one game over Arizona.

In Monday's win, the bat of Prince Fielder provided all the scoring starter Zach Greinke would need to notch his fifth win against one loss. Fielder smacked his 14th homer of the season, a three-run shot off Javier Vazquez in the 3rd inning to stake the Brewers to an early lead.

Fielder also singled home Ryan Braun with the Brewers' final run in the 7th inning. The four RBI put Fielder back on top in the NL RBI category with 49. He leads Matt Kemp by one and Rya Howard by two.

The Brewers head back to Milwaukee for a six-game home stand on Tuesday. They take on the Mets before three games with the Cardinals over the weekend, a series will impact the top of the Central division.

Cabrera, Boesch Power Tigers Past Yankees; Garcia Tosses First Shutout of Season

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 3, 2011

American League

Brennan Boesch

Miguel Cabrera

Avoiding a sweep in their season-opening series with the Yankees, the Detroit Tigers pounded out 14 hits in a 10-7 win at Yankee Stadium.

Obviously enjoying the surroundings were the two power hitters in the Tiger batting order, #3 hitter Brennan Boesch and behind him Miguel Cabrera.

Boesch went 4-for-4 with a home run, three singles, a sac flay, four runs and four RBI. Cabrera had a pair of homers and a single in five at-bats, also drove in four runs and scored twice. The two accounted for half of the Tigers' hits and 7 of their 10 RBI.

Cabrera is hitting a brisk .455, though he's overshadowed by Boesch's ridiculous .625 average.

National League

Jaime Garcia

Opening weekend in the majors was witness to a good deal of slugging, but pitching came at quite the premium. There was no lack of starters being shelled and relievers took their lumps as well.

One pitcher who came through unscathed was St. Louis' Jaime Garcia, who threw the first complete game shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over San Diego.

After scoring a 13-8 season as a rookie with the Cards, Garcia is off to a spectacular start, allowing just four hits - all singles - and two walks in his 2011 debut, fanning nine Padres along the way.

Garcia struck out the side in the second and induced 12 outs on ground balls. With Adam Wainwright gone for the season, the Cardinals are encouraged to see Garcia step up early in the season. The Cardinals won their first game of 2011 after dropping two straight at home to the Padres.

Brennan Boesch, Roaring Rookie for Tigers; Huff Helps Giants Stay in NL West Race

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 16, 2010 American League Minnesota still sits atop the AL Central division, but their lead has been dwindling as the Detroit Tigers have won five straight, including Wednesday's 8-3 win over Washington. Detroit will remain a serious contender in the division if their pitching can remain just better than average (4.12 ERA, 6th in the AL), because they have plenty of big bats in the lineup, especially since rookie Brennan Boesch has already exceeded all expectations and has become a mainstay in right field. Boesch added to his already-impressive resume with his 9th homer of the season, an 8th-inning, three-run moon shot which some people believe landed in Canada. Boesch also singled and scored in the second and drove in a run with a single in the third inning. The Tigers only had seven hits total, but Boesch had three himself. A leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, Boesch is hitting an impressive .343, with 9 homers and 34 RBI in just 160 at-bats. His OPS is a stunning 1.019, fifth among AL players with at least 160 at-bats. Ahead of his are some pretty good hitters: Justin Morneau, Miguel Cabrera, Kevin Youkilis and Robinson Cano. With the win, Detroit remains 2 1/2 behind the Twins, who also won, 2-1, on the strength of Scott Baker's solid 7 innings (2 hits, no earned runs, 12 Ks). The Twins' lead may be even smaller once interleague play ends and the Tigers head to Minnesota for a three-game set the 28th, 29th and 30th of June for a critical showdown. National League The NL West continues to be one of the strongest and most interesting divisions in baseball, with four teams having legitimate chances of winning the title. Currently led by the Dodgers, the Padres are just 1/2 game behind, the Giants, 1 game back and the Rockies, 5 out. San Francisco kept things interesting with a 6-3 win over Baltimore, while the Dodgers took first place by beating the Reds for the second straight game while the Padres were being beaten by Toronto. The Giants continue to stealthily stay in he race with one of the best pitching staffs in the league (3rd in ERA at 3.30, behind San Diego and St. Louis), and timely situational hitting by regulars such as Aubrey Huff. Huff accounted himself well in the win, getting a single, double and his 11th home run of the season, scoring three times and driving in a pair of runs in four at-bats. A veteran with plenty of soil beneath his cleats, Huff played six years with Tampa Bay, then wound his way through Houston, Baltimore and Detroit before ending up with the Giants, where he has proved versatile - playing left or right field and first base - and valuable, hitting .305 with 11 homers and 36 RBI.