Orioles 4-0 on Roberts 3-Run Blast; Walker Leads Pirate to 4-3 win over Cards

Players of the Day for Monday, April 4, 2011

American League

Brian Roberts

Who's that atop the AL East standings? The Baltimore Orioles, that's who.

The O's have been the best team in the American League since Buck Showalter took over the managerial reins in August of last season, and they're 4-0 this season, their best start since 1997. Last year, under Showalter, the Orioles finished up 34-23, but still were easily in last place, a full 30 games behind division champions Tampa Bay.

Brian Roberts, who missed most of last season due to back and other nagging injuries, connected for his second home run of the season, a fifth-inning, three-run shot off Tiger starter Rick Porcello. The blast broke a 1-1 tie and paved the way to a home opening 5-1 win in Baltimore.

The O's swept Tampa Bay to start their season and kept the momentum going at Camden Yards. The homer was Roberts' only hit of the day, but it was the decisive shot.

After playing just 59 games in 2010, Roberts is back as the Orioles regular second baseman and leadoff hitter.

National League

Neil Walker

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't played a home game this season and won't until they face the Rockies on Thursday, but they're swashbuckling their way through the NL Central, taking two of three in Chicago and beating the Cardinals, 4-3, on Monday to open their three-game series in St. Louis.

Neil Walker went 3-for-4, doubling in a pair of runs in the sixth inning before scoring on Andrew McCutchen's second homer of the season.

Walker and leadoff hitter Jose Tabata are leading the Pirates with their one-two punch. Tabata is batting .429; Walker's three hits upped his average to .412.

Notable: Texas Ranger Nelson Cruz smacked his 4th home run in as many games, joining Mark McGwire (1998) and Willie Mays (1971) as the only players to go yard in each of their first four games of a season. With their fourth win, the Rangers join the Orioles, Phillies (3-0) and Reds (3-0) as the only unbeaten teams in the majors.

Wright's 6 RBI Lifts Mets; Roberts Slams Burnett, Yanks

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 12, 2009 American League With all the hoopla surrounding Derek Jeter becoming the Yankees' all-time hits leader, nobody seemed to notice that the lowly Baltimore Orioles absolutely outplayed the Yankees in two straight games, winning the opener of their 3-game series, 10-4 on Friday and taking the second game 7-3 on Saturday. With the focus on leadoff hitter Jeter, the O's spark plug, Brian Roberts, was not about to go quietly or without notice. After going 1-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs Friday night, Roberts followed up with an even better effort on Saturday, hitting a single, double and his 15th home run - a second-inning grand slam off starter A. J. Burnett - to lead the rout with 4 RBI. For good measure, Roberts added his 29th steal of the season. The O's can go for the rare sweep at Yankee stadium on Sunday, attempting to keep the Yankee magic number at 14. National League 2009 has been a forgettable year for the NY Mets. A rash of injuries to key players all but scuttled their competitive chances by mid-season, though the players left standing did their best with limited resources. In an otherwise down year, the Mets got some level of revenge in Saturday's 10-9 win over probable NL East division winner Philly, as David Wright gave the Mets an early lead, then led a comeback in the late innings. Wright, batting .316 on the year, started the Mets off with a two-run single in the first, but after leading 4-0, Philadelphia stormed back to take a 9-5 lead after 7. In the 8th, Wright launched the first of his two 2-run homers to close the gap, and hit the game-winner in the 9th with his second bomb. The power numbers way down, Wright's homers were just his 9th and 10th of the season and the 6 RBI upped his total to only 66. In 2008, Wright mashed 33 homers and drove in 124 runs. The Mets' win kept Philly's magic number at 17, with the never-say-die Marlins closing to within 5 games of first place. 18 games back, the Mets have already been eliminated from the post-season. NOTES: Saturday was a day for the underdogs, as the only teams among the contenders to record wins were the Red Sox and Dodgers. Boston now holds a 3-game edge over Texas in the wild card race, while the Dodgers bumped their lead to the same level in the NL West. The Rockies, despite ending an 8-game win streak, still have a power lock on the NL wild card, leading the Giants and Marlins by 5 1/2 games. The Marlins probably have a better chance of catching the Phillies, as they are just 5 out and play 6 games with the division-leaders over the last two weeks of the season, the final three coming at the very end of the campaign on October 2, 3, and 4 in Philadelphia.