Kris Bryant Drives in 4, Cubs Pound Pirates; Brett Gardner Delivers for Yankees in Blue Jay Blowout

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 14, 2019

American League

Gardner: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Closing in on 100 wins, the Yankees (98-52) reduced their magic number to four with a blowout, 13-3, win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

The Yankees amassed 19 hits, three of them by Brett Gardner, who doubled and went yard twice, driving in five runs for the AL East division leaders. Gardner got the Yankees on the board with a double in the second inning, followed up with a solo homer in the fourth and put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the fifth. He totaled five RBI on the day.

Gardner, 36, has a career-high 25 home runs this season. He's driven in 66 runs, scored 79 and has 10 stolen bases.

The Yankees close out their series in Toronto on Sunday, starting at 1:07 pm ET, before returning home for their final home stand of the year, hosting three games each with the Angels and Blue Jays, starting Tuesday.

National League

Bryant: 3-3, HR, 4 RBI

With a commanding 14-1 win over Pittsburgh Saturday, the Cubs not only maintained their hold on the second wild card, but picked up a game on Central division-leading St. Louis, as the Cardinals were defeated by Milwaukee, 5-2.

Kris Bryant went 3-for-3 in the Chicago rampage, singling in a run in the second inning, whacking a two-run homer in the fourth, and taking one for the team when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth, with the bases loaded, accounting for his fourth RBI of the day.

Bryant is quietly having a solid season, batting .285 with 29 home runs and 73 RBI. He's picked up the pace as the Cubs are serious about making the playoffs, batting .391 with three homers and nine RBI in his last seven games.

Saturday's results left the Cubs 1 1/2 behind Washington in the wild card, holding second by a game over the Brewers, three over the Mets, and 3 1/2 over the Phillies. More importantly, Chicago pulled to within three games of the Cardinals in the division. The Cubs and Cardinals play each other seven more times in the final two weeks of the season.

Chicago, winners of three straight, finish their series in Pittsburgh Sunday.

Brett Gardner Leads Yankees To Split At Baltimore; Philly's Aaron Nola One-Hits Mets, Plates 3 With Double

Players of the Day for Monday, July 9, 2018

American League

Gardner: 4-6, HR, 3 RBI

By anybody's standards, Brett Gardner had a heck of a day as the Yankees split a double header with the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Sitting out most of game one, a 5-4 win for the Orioles, Gardner was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter, but made up for it in the nightcap, going 4-for-6 with a homer, double, a pair of singles, three runs and three RBI.

The Yankees romped to a 10-2 victory.

After singling and scoring in the first inning, Gardner's seventh homer of the season put the Yanks ahead, 3-0, in the fourth. His double in the seventh extended the Yankee lead to 7-0. Gardner came around to score on a bases-loaded throwing error and singled again in the ninth.

With Boston winning their seventh straight, 5-0, at Texas, the Yankees slipped to 2 1/2 games behind the AL East leaders.

The Yankees and Orioles play game three of their four-game set Tuesday at 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Nola: 7IP, 1H, 0ER, 10K

With the Washington Nationals lurking 5 1/2 games behind, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are locked into a tie for first place in the NL East, both teams sporting identical 50-39 records.

The deadlock came about as a result of steady, heady play by both squads, the latest being Philly's 3-1 win over the flagging Mets (13 1/2 back) at New York's Citi Field.

Aaron Nola improved to 12-2 with his best outing of the season, a one-hit, seven inning shutout performance the that keyed the Philadelphia victory.

Nola became the first NL pitcher to win 12 games, one ahead of Washington's Max Scherzer and the Cubs' Jon Lester.

Not only did Nola completely stymie the Mets, he also delivered all three Philly runs with a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning. The lone hit off Nola was in the first, when Wilmer Flores singled with two out. After that, Nola set down 18 straight, walking Michael Conforto with two down in the seventh prior to finishing out the inning by fanning Dominic Smith for his 10th strikeout.

After going 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA last year, Nola has emerged as the Phillies' ace with his sixth straight win. His 2.27 ERA is second in the league, behind the Mets' Jacob DeGrom (1.79).

Atlanta was idle, but opens a series at home with the Blue Jays Tuesday. The Phillies and Mets tangle in game two, Tuesday at 7:10 pm EDT.

Brett Gardner Slams Astros In 13-4 Yankee Romp; Dodgers' Austin Barnes Drives In 7 In 10-4 Rout Of Padres

Players of the Day for Friday, June 30, 2017

American League

Gardner: 3-5, 6 RBI

Limping out of Chicago after taking two of four from the White Sox, the Yankees opened a three-game series in Houston with the AL West-leading Astros Friday night.

Without some of their best players, the Yankees looked to reliable Brett Gardner for leadership and he delivered, driving in six runs from his spot atop the batting order.

Making his presence felt early, Garnder doubled and scored in the third inning, tying the game at 1-1. After Houston took a 3-1 lead, the Yankees exploded for five runs in the sixth, Gardner driving in the go-ahead run with a two-out single, later scoring on a wild pitch to make it 6-3 Yankees.

Putting his stamp on the game, Gardner came to the plate with the bases full, delivering a grand slam that put the Astros away for the night. Overall, Gardner was 3-for-5 with three runs and six RBI in the 13-4 rout, keeping the Yanks a game behind Boston - 7-4 winners in 11 over Toronto - in the AL East.

Gardner is batting .261 with 15 homers and 40 RBI. Normal starters, Matt Holliday, Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro all are out of the Yankee lineup with various maladies.

Houston hosts the Yankees in game two of the series, Saturday, 7:15 pm ET.

National League

Barnes: 2 HR, GS, 7 RBI

As many expected, the Dodgers began beating up on the Padres in the opener of their three-game series in San Diego with a 10-4 beating.

Los Angeles finished the month of June with a 21-7 record. They're 19-3 since June 7 and have surged to the lead in the NL West, currently holding a 3 1/2 game advantage over Arizona in the division.

LA knocked out 19 hits against the Padres, but the biggest blows were dealt by rookie back-up catcher, Austin Barnes, who got the Dodgers rolling with a first inning grand slam, and completed the scoring with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, for a career-high seven RBI.

Barnes has played in parts of both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, but has had only 37 plate appearances in each season. In 95 at-bats this season, Barnes has four home runs, 18 RBI and a .284 batting average in 41 games.

The Padres haven't played the Dodgers since early May, with the Dodgers now holding a 6-1 advantage over their neighbors to the South. Game two of the series is slated for Saturday, 7:10 pm PT at Petco Park.

Aaron Judge, Austin Romine, Brett Gardner Power Yanks Into 1st Place; Matt Kemp Socks Three Homers For Braves

Aaron Judge

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 29, 2017

American League

After Friday night's heroics by Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees made it even more difficult on Saturday to choose a player of the day when they drubbed Baltimore, 12-2, taking the second straight from the Birds and taking sole possession of first place in the AL East.

Possibly overlooked in Friday's game were the aptly-named Aaron Judge's two homers, both line shots with plenty of power.

On Saturday, Judge could not be overlooked, as he homered once again, blasting a two run shot, his 10th of the season, in the seventh inning to complete New York's scoring. That gave Judge, the Yankee's full time rookie right fielder, the AL lead (tied with Oakland's Khris Davis) in the long ball department and boosted his team-leading RBI total to 20, tied for fourth in the league.

Judge managed to reach base every time he went to the plate, adding a single and two walks, going 2-for-2 with four runs, two RBI and a stolen base.

Brett Gardner

Austin Romine

Earlier in the game, Brett Gardner mashed his first two homers of the season, a solo shot to lead off the Yankee first and a three-run dinger in the second. In between Gardner's belts, Austin Romine knocked in one of his five runs with a sac fly, then singled in two more in the fourth and socked a two-run homer in the sixth.

All told, the Yankees seem to have captured lightning in a bottle with their mix of veterans and young players.They not only have the lead in the AL East, but the best record in baseball, at 15-7. They're 14-3 since their 1-4 start to the season and will look to sweep division rival Baltimore on Sunday at 1:05 pm ET at Yankee Stadium.

National League

After being traded from the Dodgers to the Padres and, after last season, to the Braves, Matt Kemp is quickly heating up, smacking three home runs in Atlanta's 11-3 victory over Milwaukee.

Kemp: 3HR, 5RBI

Going 3-for-5, Kemp hit two-run homers in the fifth and eighth innings, sandwiching a solo shot in the seventh. The homers were numbers four, five and six on the year and his five RBI gave him 15, exceptional because Kemp missed two weeks between April 7th and 20th, and has only had 52 at-bats. He's batting .327.

Over his last five games, Kemp is 8-for-23 with 11 RBI and has helped the Braves win four straight. Atlanta started the season 6-12, but is closing in on .500, at 10-12.

Atlanta will be looking for the sweep at Milwaukee when the two teams meet at 2:10 pm ET Sunday.

Honorable mention: Washington's Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-4 and hit his 11th home run in a 5-3 losing effort against the Mets on Saturday, but Zimmerman leads the league in batting (.410) and RBI (27) and his 11 homers is tied for the league lead with Eric Thames, currently on the disabled list.

Ivan Nova tossed a three-hit shutout for the Pirates, walking none and fanning seven as Pittsburgh won, 4-0. Nova is 3-2 with a 1.50 ERA.

Roger Bernadina, Danny Espinosa Leading Rookies; Brett Gardner a Man on the Move

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 17, 2011

American League

Brett Gardner

With Derek Jeter in and out of the lineup now that he's gone beyond 3000 hits, Brett Gardner is getting more chances to bat leadoff for the Yankees. In Sunday's 7-3 win at Toronto, that is where Gardner was found, stroking three singles in four at-bats, scoring three times and swiping a couple of bases - his 25th and 26th of the year.

Gardner got the Yankees on the scoreboard in the 1st, leading off the game with a single, stealing second and scoring on Nick Swisher's two-out base knock.

After the Blue Jays tied the game at 1-1, Gardner got his second hit of the game and came around to score the 4th Yankee run of the 4th inning on Curtis Granderson's double.

And, just in case the Blue Jays thought about a comeback, Gardner singled in the 9th, stole second again and scored his third run of the contest in the top of the 9th.

The scrappy outfielder has been on a tear since the all star break, going 10-for-16 in the four game series with Toronto, raising his batting average to a solid .286. The Yankees split the series, 2-2, and remain 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East.

National League

Danny Espinosa

Looking for the NL Rookie of the Year?

Look no further than the top of the Washington lineup, where center fielder Roger Bernadina and second baseman Danny Espinosa are regularly creating havoc for opposing pitchers.

Roger Bernadina

In Sunday's 9-8 loss to Atlanta, the pair combined for five hits, five runs and four RBI. Bernadina stole second twice, giving him 15 since getting regular playing time in early May. Espinosa socked his 17th home run and his three RBI gave him 55 on the year. He leads the Nationals in home runs, RBI and runs.

While the big free agent signing of Jayson Werth hasn't panned out - Werth is batting just .213, with 10 home runs and 31 RBI - the two rookies at the top of the order presage goof times ahead for the Nats, who are sandwiched between the third place Mets and last place Marlins, at 47-48 in the ultra-competitive NL East.

Gardner Slam Lifts Yanks; Rollins Sparks Phillies to Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 3, 2010 American League With Boston and Tampa Bay refusing to go away, the Yankees need every game to be a winning effort, so, after losing 6-1 to Toronto on Friday, the Yanks were feeling a little pressure with the Red Sox just 1/2 game back and Tampa 2 behind. The opening inning didn't offer a great prospect for success. Andy Pettitte gave up a two-run homer to Jose Bautista, putting New York in an immediate hole. But the Yankees are a resilient bunch with many potent bats. In the bottom of the 3rd, Brett Gardner, the number 9 hitter, singled to start the inning and came around to score as the Yankees loaded the bases and Mark Teixeira doubled home two. Gardner came back to the plate again, this time with the bases chock full of Yankees and pounded a grand slam - the first of his career - to right field. Again the Yankees loaded the bases, and Alex Rodriguez cleared them with a double. By the time the dust had settled, the Yankees would put up 11 runs in the inning. Game over, final: 11-2. Gardner went 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in four runs, all on the big knock. The Yankees retain the top spot in the AL East, as Boston and Tampa Bay also won. National League The bad news is that Chase Utley is on the bench for the Phillies, but the good news is they do have Jimmy Rollins back at the top of the order. Utley is out 6-8 weeks, undergoing surgery and rehab on his right thumb. Rollins missed most of April and May and the first three weeks of June nursing various injuries. Finally back to full health, Rollins added a spark in the Phillies' 12-4 win over Pittsburgh after the Pirates had take the first two of the four-game series. Rollins singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, scoring three times and driving in three. In the field, he was part of three Philly double plays. The home run, just his 4th of the season, came with one aboard in the 5th, when the Phillies had already established a huge lead. The Phillies still have a lot of work to do if they expect to win the NL East for a third straight year and attempt to play in their third straight World Series. Atlanta keeps bowling along, with a 3-game lead over the resurgent (and injury-free) Mets. The Phillies are in third place, 5 games back.

Justin Upton, Yankee Killer; Brett Gardner Adds Depth for New York

Players of the Day for Monday, June 21, 2010 National League The first day of summer yielded only three games in the major leagues, all interleague variety, all won by National League teams, with both Players of the Day coming from the same game, Arizona's 10-4 triumph over the NY Yankees. The Diamondbacks jumped all over NY starter, A.J. Burnett, scoring five runs in the first inning and adding single scores in both the 2nd and 4th innings. Doing much of the damage was Justin Upton, who started the 9-hit barrage off Burnett with a 1st-inning solo homer, then singled and scored all the way from first base on Miguel Montero's double in the 2nd. His motor humming, Upton hit full speed in the 4th, when he walked, stole second and scored another D-Backs run. After bieng hit by a pitch and forced out at second in the 6th inning, Upton returned in the 8th, smacking a three-run homer, his 13th of the season. Just for the record, Upton went 3-for-3 with two homers, 4 RBI, 4 runs and a stolen base. American League Also having a perfect night at the plate for the Yankees, but without the same impact as Upton's was for Arizona, Brett Gardner dinged out four singles in his four at-bats, swiped his 23rd base of the season and scored twice in the losing effort. Gardner, who has become a fixture in the Yanks' lineup, playing mostly left field, continues to thrive at the plate, the 4-for-4 effort raising his batting average to .324, second-best among Yankee starters. Quietly piling up some impressive stats, Gardner is 10th in the AL in batting average, 5th in runs, and 4th in steals (Juan Pierre leads with 27 swipes). Recently demoted from second in the batting order to 9th (8th in interleague games), Gardner often finds himself batting with men on base - particularly Robinson Cano, who leads the league with a .365 average - or reaching base in front of the top of the order and Derek Jeter, all among the reasons the Yankees have seized temporary control of first place in the AL East, 1/2 game ahead of Tampa Bay and Boston.

Gardner's 5-for-6 Sinks Mets; Ethier Blasts Three for Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, June 26, 2009 American League Brett Gardner won the center field job in Spring training, lost it briefly to Melky Cabrera, but, after his 5-for-6 performance Friday night in the Yankees' 9-1 thumping of the Mets, there's little doubt who will be regularly patrolling the depths of Yankee Stadium in the foreseeable future. Gardner started the game off with a sharp single, but was forced out at second. He singled again in the second and scored. In the 6th, he singled, stole second and was left stranded. Gardner knocked his 3rd home run of the season, a solo shot in the 8th, and in the ninth, smacked a triple to the right-center gap, driving in his second run and scored on Johnny Damon's double to complete the Yankee scoring. Gardner boosted his average from .281 to .303. Blessed with blazing speed, Gardner has proven adept at the swipe, having stolen 17 bases this season in 19 attempts. National League Andre Ethier is one of the players helping the Dodgers survive Manny Ramirez's 50-game drug suspension, due to end within a week. While the Dodgers have seen their lead in the NL West shrink a bit, they are still a comfortable 8 games clear of the San Francisco Giants. On Friday, Ethier proved his value in big ways, launching three homers and driving in six runs in the Dodgers' 8-2 win over visiting Seattle. Either unloaded on starter Jason Vargas with a three run shot in the second inning, followed up with a two-run blast in the 6th and a solo shot in the 8th. Ethier has just 14 home runs on the season to go with 49 RBI, but those numbers are expected to rise once Manny gets back in the lineup.