Carlos Pena, Ryan Roberts and Ben Zobrist Key Rays Comeback Win over Angels; Chris Young Powers Arizona over Astros

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 18, 2012

American League

Taking their third straight from the LA Angels, the Tampa Bay Rays strengthend their hold on the top wild card spot with a come-from-behind, 10-8 victory that may have dealt a death blow to the Angels' post-season hopes.

Carlos Pena

Down 8-0 after just three innings, the road-tested Rays used six different pitchers after starter Alex Cobb couldn't get out of the third inning, allowing all eight runs on 12 hits, including home runs by Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.

While the bullpen heroes were blanking the Angels over the final 6 1/3 innings, the Rays' regulars were banging out the hits, scoring seven times in the fifth inning, tying the game in the sixth when Ryan Roberts scooted home on a Jose Lobaton sacrifice fly, and winning the game on Carlos Pena's two-run, pinch hit homer in the eighth.

Ryan Roberts

It was Pena's only at-bat of the game, though a most meaningful one, perhaps the biggest hit for Pena and the Rays of the season. Roberts' contribution was significant, scoring twice on a 2-for-4 night. Ben Zobrist keyed the sixth inning rally with his only hit in five at-bats, a bases-loaded double that sent all three runners home.

Ben Zobrist

A true team effort, nine different Rays scored for the Rays. Roberts was the only player to touch home plate twice.

The Rays have won three straight and eight of their last ten to take the wild card lead by a game over the Orioles and 1 1/2 over the A's, both of which were winners on Saturday. Tampa Bay and Baltimore each picked up a game on the East division leading Yankees, who fell to Boston, 4-1. New York leads the Rays by five and the O's by six games.

The Angels and Rays wrap up their series at 3:35 pm EDT on Sunday with the Rays seeking a four-game sweep. The Angels have fallen eight games behind Texas in the West and 4 1/2 behind the Rays in the wild card, wiht the O's, A's and Tigers ahead of them.


National League

Chris Young singled twice, doubled and socked his 13th home run of the season, driving in three runs with a 4-for-5 effort with two runs scored to lead the Diamondbacks to their third straight win, a 12-4 romp over the hosting Astros that included a nine-run fifth inning.

Chris Young

Houston was leading, 3-1, after four innings until Arizona sent nine men to the plate in the fateful fifth that featured three walks an error and was capped by Aaron Hill's three run homer. Hill had walked and scored earlier in the inning.

Arizona remained five games back in the NL West as the Giants and Dodgers both won on Saturday. San Francisco leads LA by a slim 1/2 game.

The West appears to be an all-or-nothing division, especially for Arizona, with three team vying for the title with little hope of the second place team earning the second wild card slot. Atlanta leads the wild card card chase with the Pirates four games back in the second spot. LA is 1/2 game behind Pittsburgh, the Cardinals another 1/2 game behind LA and the Diamondbacks four games behind St. Louis.

Arizona will be seeking a sweep of the Astros Sunday at 2:25 pm EDT. Following Houston's 82nd loss of the season against just 39 wins - easily the worst record in the majors - the Astros fired manager Brad Mills, hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham.

Carlos Pena Wrecks Yankees in 7-6 Win; Chad Billingsley Dominates Padres

Players of the Day for Friday, April 6, 2012

American League

Carlos Pena

Carlos Pena finished what he started in Tampa Bay, that being demonizing Yankee pitchers in a 7-6 opening day win for the Rays.

Banished to the Cubs and the National League after hitting just .198 in 2010, Pena returned to Tampa Bay with a renewed attitude and a fresh start at first base. It didn't take long for his presence to be felt at the plate, as he belted a first inning grand slam off Yankee starter CC Sabathia for a quick 4-0 Tampa Bay lead.

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The Yankees bounced back and led 6-4 after their at-bat in the top of the third. Tampa responded with a run in the bottom of the inning and the score remained the same until the bottom of the ninth, when the Rays scored a pair of runs off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, the final one the game-winner, as Pena stroked a single to center and Ben Zobrist trotted home for the 7-6 decision.

Pena finished his day 3-for-5 with five RBI.

Rivera lasted only 1/3 of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks, both intentional.

The Yanks will try to make amends Saturday night, when the Rays host them again at 7:10 pm EDT.


National League

The LA Dodgers have gotten off on the right foot for their new owners with a 2-0 record as they backed the brilliant pitching of Chad Billingley with two runs in each of the first, third and fifth innings for a 6-0 win at San Diego.

LA topped the Padres, 5-3, in both teams' season opener Thursday.

Chad Billingsley

Billingsley was, for the most part, untouchable, surrendering just three hits to the Padres while striking out 11 with one walk over 8 1/3 scoreless innings.

The 6'1" righty threw 70 of 108 pitches for strikes and was lifted with one out in the 9th after a dominant performance. Reliever Jamey Wright came on to get the final two outs.

Andre Ethier drove in four runs, doubling home a pair in the first inning and tripling home two more in the fifth.

NOTABLE: Albert Pujols was hitless (0-3) in his first game as an LA Angel, but Jered Weaver was in fine form, hurling eight scoreless innings on four hits while fanning 10 in LA's 5-0 win.

Carlos Pena Keeps Rays Alive; Phil Hughes Leads Yankees to Sweep of Twins

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 9, 2010

American League

Deep in the heart of Texas, the Rays faced elimination from the playoffs just a week after winning the AL East with the best record in the league.

After dropping two straight in Tampa, the Rays found themselves staring at the wrong side of a 2-1 score as they batted in the top of the 8th inning.

With one out, Dan Johnson doubled and was replaced at second by pinch-runner Desmond Jennings. His team five outs away from being swept, Carlos Pena stepped to the plate, and delivered the biggest hit of the series for the Rays, a line single to right filed that sent Jennings home with the tying run.

After an out and a walk to Jason Bartlett, Pena eventually came around to score the go-ahead run on John Jaso's single up the middle.

In the top of the 9th, the Rays added insurance to their lead on a solo homer by Carl Crawford and a two-run shot by Pena.

Juaquin Benoit, who took the mound with one out in the 7th, held the Rangers hitless in the bottom of the 8th, recording five straight outs. Rafael Soriano gave up a solo shot to Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the 9th, but managed to avoid further damage, sealing the Rays' 6-3 win.

The series resumes Sunday with the Rays still on the brink of elimination, but with at least the confidence of having won a game. Wade Davis takes the mound for the Rays against Texas' Tommy Hunter at 1:07 pm ET.

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It's got to be tough for the Twins, having to face the Yankees just about every time they reach the playoffs. This year was exceptionally brutal, as the Bombers took out the Twinkies three straight, adding insult to injury by winning the first two games in Minnesota.

Phil Hughes became the Twins' hangman du jour, blanking Minnesota for seven innings, allowing just four hits and a walk while fanning six, leading to a 6-1 Yankee win.

Minnesota did finally get on the scoreboard, but it was in the 8th inning off Kerry Wood, who took the ball from Hughes to start the inning. After they scored their run, Minnesota loaded the bases, but Boone Logan and David Robinson got Jason Kubel and Delmon Young on routine fly balls to end the threat, the inning and all hope for a Twins revival. The loss was the Twins' 12th straight in post-season play, the second most in MLB history. Nine of those losses have been to the Yankees, who also swept them last season.

The Twins were swept by Oakland in the divisional series in 2006. In 2004, the Twins took the first game of the ALDS from the Yankees, but then dropped the next three, which began their streak of post-season failure.

As the wild card, the Yankees will travel to either Tampa or Texas, depending on the outcome of their series, on Friday, October 15, for the start of the AL Championship Series.

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There were no National League games on Saturday. On Sunday, the Braves host the Giants at 4:37 pm ET. That series is tied at a game apiece. The Phillies will be looking for the sweep when they play at Cincinnati at 8:07 pm ET.

Pena, Baldelli Lead Rays into Playoffs as AL East Champs; Sanchez, Giants Take NL West

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 3, 2010

American League



With one down in the top of the 12th, pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli (left) singled, stole second and scored the game winner when Kelly Shoppach grounded a ball through the legs of third baseman Wilson Betemit for a 3-2 win over Kansas City.

The AL East Pennant already assured, the Rays fought back in the 9th inning, when Carlos Pena (right), struggling with a batting average around .200 almost all season, doubled in two runs to tie the game in the 9th.

Hearing that the Yankees had lost to Boston before their at-bat in the 9th, thus making the Rays AL East champs by virtue of beating the Yankees head-to-head, Tampa went out and won a game that didn't matter, for the sake of ending the season with a win.

Tampa, with the best record in the AL, heads back to Tampa, where they will take on the Texas Rangers in a best-of-five series. The wild card Yankees play at Minnesota, also beginning Wednesday.

National League


Jonathan Sanchez (13-9) pitched five innings of shutout ball, singled and scored the game's first run, as the Giants topped the Padres in the winner-take-the-West season finale, 3-0. Brian Wilson pitched a perfect ninth for his 48th save of the season, edging out Heath Bell, who could only sit and watch as the Padres' season ended. Bell had saved each of the previous two games of the series - both Padres' wins over the Giants to tie Wilson in saves and force the showdown in the season's final game.

It was the culmination of a slow collapse which began in late August for the Padres, who went from leading the NL West by seven games to missing the playoffs entirely in the course of just over a month. San Francisco never gave up, knowing they had enough talent on their pitching staff that they could reach the post-season with less than an explosive offensive team.

The Giants captured the West for the first time since 2003 and will open a best-of-five series with the wild card  Braves on Thursday at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum is expected to start for the Giants.

In order to keep on playing, no matter what the Padres did, the Braves knew they had to win and they seemed to be on a glide path to the post-season when their bullpen allowed a 6th inning 8-2 lead shrink to 8-7 by the middle of the 8th. Philadelphia rallied for two runs in the 7th and three more in the 8th.

Billy Wagner pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the Braves, and despite allowing a run on two hits and a walk, he got the last four outs by strikeout, as the Braves won, 8-7, and hours later- when the Giants beat San Diego - learned that they would be the wild card team.

Philadelphia will host Central-division champion Cincinnati in a similar best-of-five series.

Pena, Baldelli Lead Rays into Playoffs as AL East Champs; Sanchez, Giants Take NL West

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 3, 2010

American League



With one down in the top of the 12th, pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli (left) singled, stole second and scored the game winner when Kelly Shoppach grounded a ball through the legs of third baseman Wilson Betemit for a 3-2 win over Kansas City.

The AL East Pennant already assured, the Rays fought back in the 9th inning, when Carlos Pena (right), struggling with a batting average around .200 almost all season, doubled in two runs to tie the game in the 9th.

Hearing that the Yankees had lost to Boston before their at-bat in the 9th, thus making the Rays AL East champs by virtue of beating the Yankees head-to-head, Tampa went out and won a game that didn't matter, for the sake of ending the season with a win.

Tampa, with the best record in the AL, heads back to Tampa, where they will take on the Texas Rangers in a best-of-five series. The wild card Yankees play at Minnesota, also beginning Wednesday.

National League


Jonathan Sanchez (13-9) pitched five innings of shutout ball, singled and scored the game's first run, as the Giants topped the Padres in the winner-take-the-West season finale, 3-0. Brian Wilson pitched a perfect ninth for his 48th save of the season, edging out Heath Bell, who could only sit and watch as the Padres' season ended. Bell had saved each of the previous two games of the series - both Padres' wins over the Giants to tie Wilson in saves and force the showdown in the season's final game.

It was the culmination of a slow collapse which began in late August for the Padres, who went from leading the NL West by seven games to missing the playoffs entirely in the course of just over a month. San Francisco never gave up, knowing they had enough talent on their pitching staff that they could reach the post-season with less than an explosive offensive team.

The Giants captured the West for the first time since 2003 and will open a best-of-five series with the wild card  Braves on Thursday at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum is expected to start for the Giants.

In order to keep on playing, no matter what the Padres did, the Braves knew they had to win and they seemed to be on a glide path to the post-season when their bullpen allowed a 6th inning 8-2 lead shrink to 8-7 by the middle of the 8th. Philadelphia rallied for two runs in the 7th and three more in the 8th.

Billy Wagner pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the Braves, and despite allowing a run on two hits and a walk, he got the last four outs by strikeout, as the Braves won, 8-7, and hours later- when the Giants beat San Diego - learned that they would be the wild card team.

Philadelphia will host Central-division champion Cincinnati in a similar best-of-five series.

Anibal Sanchez 1-Hits Giants, Ends Posey Streak; Carlos Pena Stars as Rays Win 6th Straight

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 29, 2010 American League When the Detroit Tigers traveled to play the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series, it was supposed to have been a showdown between two of the top AL contenders. By the time it was all over, some fans were wondering why only one team showed up as the Rays swept the slumping Tigers, finishing them off with a 4-2 win Thursday night. After taking the first three games handily, by scores of 5-0, 3-2 and 7-4, game four was all Carlos Pena, the slugging first baseman who's struggled to keep his batting average over .200 all year. Pena drove in all four runs for the Rays, going 3-for-4, with a solo homer in the 2nd inning, a singled that plated a pair of run in the 3rd and another RBI single in the 8th. Despite the low batting average (.216), Pena is among the league leaders in home runs (23) and RBI (68). The four straight home wins by the Rays bettered the Yankees' output in Cleveland, where they won three of four, keeping the AL East race a tight, 2-game lead for New York. The Tigers, meanwhile, have all but fallen out of contention in the AL Central, dropping four straight and 12 of 15 since the all star break, dropping six games off the pace of the Chicago White Sox, winners of four straight. Minnesota remains comfortably in second place, 1 1/2 games out, having won their last five. National League San Francisco catcher Buster Posey was looking to tie Willie McCovey's franchise mark for rookies of 22 straight games with a hit when he and his Giant teammates ran into Anibal Sanchez and the Florida Marlins. Sanchez (8-6) had all of the Giants' would-be hitters off-balance as he twirled a one-hit shutout, his first complete game of the season, retiring the first 13 in order before Jose Uribe reached with one out in the 5th on an error by first baseman Jorge Cantu and Pablo Sandoval followed that up with a bloop single to center. Sanchez got out of the inning without suffering further damage and didn't allow another hit the rest of the way, finishing with 8 strikeouts and one walk in Florida's 5-0 win. Posey had just three cracks at Sanchez, but he struck out in his first two plate appearances and grounded into a double play after Aubrey Huff had walked to lead off the 7th inning. His piece of immortality will have to wait, though it seems certain to come at some point. Posey is batting .358 and is the leading candidate for NL rookie of the year. For Sanchez, his first shutout and complete game since his rookie season of 2006 has him believing in himself again and adding to the Marlins' hopes of running down the Braves in the NL East. The win put Florida at .500 (51-51), 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta, in 4th place. The Phillies are 2 1/2 back, the Mets trail the Braves by 6 1/2. The Giants lost a game to the Padres, 3-2 winners over LA, but are still alone in second place, 3 1/2 games out.

Stephen Strasburg Magnificent in Majors Debut; Pena, Neimann Lead 1st-Place Rays

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 8, 2010 American League With the Yankees and Red Sox right behind them, there will be no rest maintaining a lead in the AL East for the Tampa Bay Rays, so they have to get their best from both the pitching staff and their regular players. That's exactly what they got in Tuesday's 9-0 win over Toronto - also in the AL East mix - as starter Jeff Niemann (left) went the distance with a 2-hit shutout and Carlos Pena (right) broke out of his season-long slump just long enough to blast two homers - one a grand slam - and drive in five of the Rays' ten runs. Facing a Toronto team that leads the majors in home runs, Niemann was undaunted, tossing a no-hitter until Mike McCoy singled with one out in the 6th inning. Niemann gave up another single to Adam Lind, leading off the 7th, but finished strong, retiring the last nine batters in order. The win was his first complete game shutout of the season, a trick he turned twice in 2009. Neimann is 6-0, with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. At the plate, Carlos Pena did his damage with two swings of the bat. After belting a solo homer in the 4th inning, he finished off a 7-run Rays' 5th with a towering grand slam to right field. The homers were his 10th and 11th of the season, and, despite batting just .187, Pena's five RBI gave him 39 on the year. Tampa Bay's win kept them 2 games ahead of the Yankees and 4 up on Boston. Toronto dropped 5 1/2 off the pace, but will look to draw closer in the final two games of the series in Tampa. National League Having spent the first two months of the season laboring in the minor leagues, Stephen Strasburg has been the recipient of more press and hype than any rookie of recent vintage. In his first major league start, he lived up to all of it, turning in a stunning, dominating performance as the Washington Nationals downed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2. The 6'4" righty from San Diego overmatched the Pirate batters with 100 MPH fastballs and wicked, unhittable curves. Strasburg gave up four hits and two earned runs over 7 complete innings, but he struck out 14 - including the last 7 he faced - without issuing a single walk. Lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 7th with the Nats holding a 4-2 lead, Strasburg wowed the sellout crowd in the nation's capitol. The Nats' bullpen, which has been among the best in the majors at closing out opponents, kept the lead safe as Ty Clippard gave up a lonely single in the 8th for his 13th hold and Matt Capps worked a perfect 9th for his major league-leading 19th save. Both runs came on Delwyn Young's 4th inning homer, giving Pittsburgh a temporary 2-1 lead. With Strasburg solidifying the rotation and Clippard and Capps providing stellar back-end relief, the Nationals may be a force with which to reckon as the season progresses. Still under .500 (28-31), the Nats trail NL East leader Atlanta by six games, but there's still plenty of baseball to be played. In the currently wide-open division, any team that can string together wins has a chance to stay close or establish a lead into September.

Pena Delivers in Rays 10-1 Triumph; Brewers Hammer Pirates, 20-0

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 22, 2010 American League Look who's in first place in the AL East. No, it's not the Yankees or the Red Sox. It's the Tampa Bay Rays, who did a serious number on the Chicago White Sox Thursday night, knocking them off in a 10-1 road win. The 12-4 Rays not only have the best record in the majors (1/2 game better than the Yanks, who lost at Oakland, 4-2), but they've done much of their work on the road, putting up a 9-1 record to start off the season. What may have been most satisfying for the Rays in their romp past the home Sox was how they manhandled starter Jake Peavy, who put up a string of 7s - 7 hits, 7 earned runs, 7 walks - in 4 1/3 innings. Carlos Pena got things started for the Rays in the 3rd when Peavy set him up with the bases loaded, courtesy of two walks and a single. Pena took a free pass for his initial RBI, and added three more in the 8th when he cracked a bases-loaded double. Pena also singled and scored in the 5th. That's why Pena is tied for second in the league with 17 RBI. He delivers in clutch situations. National League It's official! The Pittsburgh Pirates have no pitching, as was amply proven by the Milwaukee Brewers, who pounded the swashbucklers, 20-0. Milwaukee - 2nd in the NL Central, 2 games behind St. Louis - hammered out 25 hits, 12 of them for extra bases, including 4 home runs - yes, Prince Fielder hit his first of the season. All of the starting position players had at least two hits except for 3rd baseman Casey McGahee. Jim Edmonds had 4, including his first homer of the season - a three-run shot, but Ryan Braun topped the charts with a single, double, his own three-run homer, 5 RBI and 3 runs in 4 at-bats. Braun was at his productive best, boosting his batting average to a hitter-friendly .417. The Brewers have won four straight, including a three game sweep of the Pirates, and return home for a three-game weekend series with the struggling Cubs, losers of 5 of their last 6. Milwaukee's win broke a tie in the division between themselves and the Pirates, both of which entered the game at 7-7. Pittsburgh dropped a game behind the Brewers and may be headed back where they seem to be most comfortable, in the basement of the NL Central.

Pena Pounds O's in Extra Frame; Phillips Hits Lift Reds

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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American League Baltimore rookie Brian Matusz was just cruising along, shutting out the Rays over 7 full innings, his teammates helping forge a 3-0 lead. Pitching into the 8th, Matusz got Willy Aybar swinging for his 8th strikeout for the first out of the inning. It would prove to be his last as he allowed four straight singles to Tampa batters and was pulled. Two more singles and a double later, the Rays finished up the top of the 8th leading 5-3. After Baltimore scored 2 to even the score at 5 in the bottom of the 8th, the two teams played a scoreless 9th before Carlos Pena uncorked his second home run of the year, a 3-run shot to right that put the Rays up for good. Baltimore managed only a single run in the bottom frame, coming out on the losing end of an 8-6 tally. In addition to his game-winning blast, Pena had singled twice earlier, once in the crucial 8th, driving in a run. Pena finished up 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and a run. He has 7 RBI to go with his .308 average.

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National League The Cincinnati Reds needed a Joey Votto RBI single and a bases-loaded walk to Scott Rolen to knock down the Marlins, 10-8, in 10 innings, but it was Brandon Phillips who had the big night at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a pair of singles, 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Phillips doubled and scored in the 8th to put the Reds up 8-5 before the Marlins tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Cody Ross' 3-run blast. Phillips had also scored in the first on Jonny Gomes home run and his single in the 11th kept the inning alive. Possibly the best pure hitter on the team, Phillips entered the game batting a woeful .185. After his four hits, his average shot up to .273.

Wainwright Wows; Willingham Plows; Pena Pops a Pair

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 25, 2009 American League Already leading the American League in home runs, Carlos Pena improved his edge with a pair of blasts in Tampa Bay's 7-3 win over Toronto. Sending out two-run bombs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings, Pena helped the Rays build an early 6-1 lead en route to their second straight win at Toronto. With 37 homers in his holster, Pena is well ahead of the pack. Mark Teixeira and Russell Branyan are tied for second place with 31 each. Pena is also challenging for the RBI title. His 4 ribbies pushed him to third place in the league at 91, behind Teixeira (93) and Justin Morneau (95). The Rays kept pace in the wild card chase, 3 behind Boston and 1 1/2 behind the Rangers. Both Texas and the Red Sox have won two straight as well. National League We have a tie for NL POTD. Adam Wainwright (left) shut out the Houston Astros on 3 hits over 8 innings without allowing a walk as the Cardinals won a squeaker, 1-0, the sole run driven in by none other than Mr. Universe, Albert Pujols. Wainwright was pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th, after throwing 114 pitches and striking out 5. Closer Ryan Franklin came in for the 9th and slammed the door for his 33rd save, tying Colorado's Huston Street for the league lead. Wainwright (15-7) joined NY's C.C. Sabathia as the only 15-game winners in the majors. The Washington Nationals aren't going to be playing in October, but they're making sure some of their friendly foes aren't making their ways to the post-season. At Wrigley Field Tuesday, the Nats brought their bats, sending the Cubs to their 4th loss in their last 5 games with a 15-6 blowout. Leading the way was Josh Willingham (right), who cranked a couple over the ivy and added two singles in a 4-for-4 effort. Willingham, in one of the most impressive offensive performances of the season, scored 5 times and drove in 6 runs. Breaking out of a 2-for-23 slump, Willingham got his average back up to .301 and improved his home run total to 21, with 56 RBI. NOTES: As well as the Phillies are going - 7 up on the Marlins and Braves in the NL East - they have to be concerned about their ability to close out games, especially after Brad Lidge blew his 9th save opportunity of the season in spectacular fashion Tuesday at Pittsburgh. After the Phillies had built a 4-3 lead with 2 runs in the top of the 9th, Lidge came on in the bottom frame but did not get a single out, surrendering three straight hits, the last of which was a game-winning 2-run homer by Andrew McCutchen (8). As the closer for a World Series contender, Lidge's numbers are appalling, to say the least. Though he has 25 saves, few have been easy. In 46.2 innings, he has allowed 56 hits, 28 walks and 38 earned runs, is 0-6 with a 1.80 WHIP and an astonishing 7.33 ERA. Though the Phillies' brass insists that he's the "man," speculation is high that Brett Myers will assume the closer role, as he has relevant experience with Phillies in that regard. Myers saved 21 games for the Phils in 2007 with just 3 blown saves. Myers is currently on a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading, and is expected to return to the Phillies early next month. It's almost certain that Myers, who is recovering from right hip surgery, will get a couple of chances should Lidge continue to perform poorly.

Rollins, Victorino Victimize Cardinals; Pena Leads Rays Comeback

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 25, 2009 American League After leading the Rays 8-1, the Toronto Blue Jays managed to squander all of that over the final four innings of regulation and finally lose the game, 10-9, in 12 innings. Jason Bartlett's double scored Ben Zobrist with the game winner, but it was Carlos Pena and his teammates who kept rallying the rays in the late innings. Pena went 2-for-6 with a bases loaded triple in the 7th inning and a solo homer in the 9th which got the Rays to within one run. Willie Aybar tied the game one out later. Pena drove in four runs and scored twice; his home run was his 25th, tying him for the league lead with the Yanks' Mark Teixeira. The Rays are still a factor in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 5 1/2 games, and 4 games behind second place Boston. Toronto's loss dropped them 12 1/2 out in the division. National League With a 6 1/2 game lead over the Marlins and Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies are not only on cruise control in the NL East, they have shifted into overdrive, winning 16 of 21 games in the month of July. After taking one on the chin Friday in an 8-1 home loss to St. Louis, the Phils came back in the second game of the division-leader series with a vengeance, beating up Cardinals' starter Kyle Lohse and five relievers to the tune of a 14-6 laugher. The Phillies banged out the same number of hits as they scored runs, including home runs by Jimmy Rollins (left) and Shane Victorino (right), the #1 and #2 hitters in their potent lineup. The back-to-back, 6th inning homers were of the grand slam variety (Rollins) and a solo shot by Victorino. Rollins went 2-for-5, with 5 RBI and 2 runs, while Victorino also stroked three singles in a perfect 4-for-4 game, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times. The 5-run inning turned a 4-3 Cardinal lead into an 8-4 deficit and the Phillies added six more in the 7th to put the game away. Having gotten off to a very poor start in 2008, Rollins is batting .315 over the past 8 games, while Victorino has been solid all season, checking in at .318. NOTES: St. Louis' loss at Philadelphia assisted in tightening the race in the torrid NL Central, as the Cubs and Brewers won, while the Astros suffered a loss. The Cards' lead is down to just 1/2 game over Chicago, with Houston 1 1/2 back and Milwaukee 2 1/2 out. In the AL, the Tigers took their third straight from second place Chicago, improving their lead to 3 games in the Central. In the West, the Angels continued to gradually pull away, now 4 1/2 ahead of Texas, as the Angels won their 8th straight, 11-5 over Minnesota, while the Rangers dropped a 6-3 decision at Kansas City.

Pena Knocks #19; Ibanez Blast Buries Mets in 10

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 11, 2009 American League While the Red sox were in the process of sweeping the Yankees (see notes below), Tampa Bay has been busy taking two of three from the Angels and moving back to .500 (31-31). With the Red Sox just 6 games ahead, the Rays may soon find themselves back in the thick of the division and wild card races. In Thursday's 11-1 thumping, Carlos Pena added to his resume with a 1-for-3 night which included a sac fly for one RBI, a walk and run scored and a three-run homer in the 8th inning to finish off the scoring. despite his horrific .229 batting average, Pena is otherwise having a solid season, with 19 homers and 47 RBI. He's on pace for his third straight 30+ homer and 100+ RBI season. National League The Phillies headed into New York on Tuesday with a 3-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. They departed with a 4-game bulge after back-to-back extra-inning wins and a decided psychological edge. After dropping the first game of the series 6-5, the Phillies responded with an 11-inning win on Chase Utley's home run on Wednesday for a 5-4 win and followed that up with a 3-run Raul Ibanez blast in the 10th inning of Thursday's game, posting a 6-3 result. Ibanez's game-winner was his only hit of the game, but it was his 21st of the season, one behind San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez in the NL, while the 3 ribbies pushed him to the league lead in that department with 58. NOTES: The Yankees were swept in Fenway by the Red Sox, making it 8 straight wins for Boston in the rivalry. The Yanks swaggered into Boston with a 1-game lead in the standings, but left with bowed heads, 2 games back. How big a deal is losing 8 straight to the Red Sox? Well, since it is the longest winning streak in the rivalry for Boston since the Yankees were called the Highlanders in 1911-12, even the NY Daily News is praising Boston's emergence as the powerhouse in the division. Are Mort Zuckerman's guys playing to Boston's ego, or is there a hidden agenda, something to get the Yankee juices flowing? We'll see what happens when the Yanks take on cross-town rivals next: the Mets.

Pena's Pair Crushes A's; Victorino Slams Marlins in 9th

Players of the Day for Friday, April 24, 2009 American League Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena socked a pair of homers - a three-run shot in the 3rd and a solo blast in the 6th - to lead the last-place Rays to an 8-2 victory at Oakland. Pena leads the majors with 8 home runs and is tied with St. Louis' Albert Pujols for the major league RBI lead with 21. The Rays, last season's AL champions, are struggling, however, with a 7-10 record at the bottom of the AL East standings, already 5 1/2 games back of the surprising Blue Jays, who have the best record in baseball at 13-5. National League Blanked by Florida starter Josh Johnson for 7 innings and another by reliever Leo Nunez, the Phillies entered the top of the 9th trailing the Marlins by a 3-0 score. Florida closer Matt Lindstom melted down in the final inning, allowing a double to Jayson Werth and three walks, producing the Phillies' first run. With the bases still loaded, Shane Victorino then launched a grand slam into the right field stands, and Chase Utley finished the job with a solo homer for a 7-3 Philly win. Victorino's homer was his only hit of the game and just his second long ball of the season, but, as he did in last fall's World Series, he made the most of his moment. The last-inning eruption brought the Phillies to within 3 1/2 games of the NL East-leading Marlins, who, after a torrid 11-1 start, have now lost 4 straight, including being swept at Pittsburgh earlier this week. The Phillies have two more games at Florida, Saturday and Sunday, and hope to tighten the divisional race even further.

Pena Blasts Yankees; Duke Humbles Struggling Astros

Players of the Day for Monday, April 13, 2009 American League The Yankees sure miss Alex Rodriguez, but their pitching staff better figure out what to do with Carlos Pena, as the Tampa Bay first baseman went 3-for-6 last night with a pair of doubles, a grand slam and 6 RBI as the Rays stunned the Yanks, 15-5. Pena already has three homers on the year, to go with his 9 RBI. He's only walked 3 times, which seems like an option for Yankee hurlers as they continue with the second of their three-game series at Tampa, Tuesday. National League Pittsburgh's Zach Duke blanked the helpless Astros on 4 hits for a complete-game win, his second of the season, in a 7-0 Pirate win. The Astros have not scored a run since putting up a pair in the 9th inning of an 11-2 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. Since then, Houston is 0-for-the-last-18-innings, and are 1-6 overall. Duke allowed just one run in his first 2009 start, going 6 1/3 against the Cardinals, which puts him in elite company, having an ERA (0.59) lower than his WHIP (0.89). Duke went 5-14 last season for Pittsburgh, but looks much improved in 2009.

Pena, Rays Sting Twins; Jacobs Keeps Florida Hopes Alive

Players of the Day from Friday, September 19, 2008 American League Carlos Pena doubled, homered and drove in four runs in Tampa Bay's 11-1 rout of the fading Minnesota Twins. With Boston beating Toronto, 4-3, and the White Sox creaming KC, 9-4, the Rays remain 1 1/2 to the good atop the AL East, but the Twins dropped 2 1/2 behind Chicago in the Central and are close to being eliminated from wild card consideration, 7 1/2 behind Boston. Notes: The Angels, having already clinched the AL West, keep playing hard to maintain their overall lead for home field throughout the playoffs. After a wild 15-12 win at Texas on Friday, the Angels are 94-59 and with 9 games remaining may be the only team in the majors to reach 100 wins this season. 100-62 may be good enough to capture AL home field rights. The Rays, being the only team within striking distance at 91-61, would have to win nine of their last ten to match that mark. No matter the outcome, the AL will have home field advantage in the World Series after winning the All Star game in this past July. National League The Phillies came into Miami sporting a seven-game winning streak. Trouble was, their hosts, the Florida Marlins, were ready and waiting with an 8-game streak of their own on the line. Mike Jacobs helped settle the matter with a 2-run double in the 1st and a 2-run single in the 6th, helping the Marlins to their 9th straight in a 14-8 slugfest over the Phillies. Pretty much written off a few weeks ago, the Marlins never gave up and have roared back to within 4 1/2 of the Phillies, who currently are the wild card leader. Florida is also just 5 games back of the Mets in the NL East race. The Mets downed Atlanta, 9-5, on Friday, to retake the lead in the division. In between the Phillies and Marlins in the wild card race are the Milwaukee Brewers, who took another step backwards on Friday in an embarrassing 11-2 loss at Cincinnati. Milwaukee is this season's September swooner, compiling a horrific 4-14 record so far this month. While still in contention for the wild card, they face the Cubs in the final three games of the season, Sept. 26, 27 and 28. Chicago's magic number to clinch the division title is down to 1, despite being hammered by the Cardinals, Friday night. Notes: In the West, the Dodgers look to be the class of the division, but they'll have to prove it to their upstate rivals, the Giants, who ham-strung them 7-1 in the opener of their 3-game series in LA. Following the weekend series, LA hosts the Padres for three and closes out the season next weekend at San Francisco. The Dodgers lead the NL West by 3 1/2 games over Arizona. Their magic number is 6.

Angels Clinch West; Pena Homer Tops BoSox; Wright Powers Mets

Players of the Day from Wednesday, September 10, 2008 American League A former Red Sox, Carlos Pena blasted a Mike Timlin offering over the green monster in Fenway, lifting Tampa Bay to a 14-inning, 4-2 win over the Red Sox. Pena's 3-run homer gave the Rays a little more breathing room atop the AL East, as they took 2 of 3 at Boston and re-established a 2 1/2 game lead in the division. While the Red Sox remain in second place, they still have a firm grip on the wild card, holding a 5-game advantage over Minnesota. The Red Sox have one series remaining with Tampa, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Notes: The LA Angels clinched the AL West title on Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the NY Yankees. The Angels had to wait for the Mariners to drop Texas, 8-7, to begin the celebration, but with 17 games left on the schedule, they had plenty of time on their hands. The Sept. 10 clinching is the earliest ever for the Western division. The previous mark was held by Oakland, which clinched the 1971 title on Sept. 15. Minnesota and Chicago both won, so the White Sox remain 1 game ahead in the Central. Chicago ended Toronto's 10-game win streak, 6-5, while the Twins romped past KC, 7-1. National League David Wright may be on his way to being named the NL MVP, but the competition is tough, especially from his own teammates. Wright hit his 28th home run of the season, doubled, singled twice, scored four times and drove in three runs as the Mets topped Washington, 13-10, and improved their lead in the NL East to 3 1/2 games over the Phillies. Wright is hitting .296 and has 109 RBI, but that's just a little better than the guys who are normally in front of and behind him in the lineup. Carlos Delgado has 104 and Carlos Beltran has 102 RBI. No other team in the majors has three players with 100 or more RBI. In fact, only one team, Houston, has two. Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman have both driven in exactly 100. Notes: The Dodgers keep rolling toward the post-season, winning for the 10th time in their last 11 games - a 7-2 mash of the Padres. The Diamondbacks continue to slump in second place, losing their 6th straight. What makes this LA story so intriguing is that prior to setting off on their current winning way, the Dodgers had lost 8 straight and 10 of 11. With that kind of consistency, even the current 3 1/2 game lead isn't safe in baseball's wackiest division. The Cubs and Brewers both won, so Chicago remains 4 1/2 ahead. Milwaukee has a 4-game edge on the Phillies for the wild card.

Pena Blasts Rays Past O's; Hudson is Lights Out for Braves

Players of the Day for Friday, April 11, 2008 American League If you're looking for action, look no further than the AL East. While the Yankees and Red Sox squared off in Beantown, the division-leading Orioles were visiting Tampa Bay, where Carlos Pena was making life difficult for Baltimore pitchers. Pena homered in the first and the seventh innings, a two-run and a three-run shot, respectively, drawing the Rays and O's even at 5-5. But, when the slugger came up with the bases loaded in the 8th, he walked, forcing in the game-winning run. Tampa tacked on four more for a 10-5 win, but clearly Pena was a force with which the O's could not reckon. In five plate appearances, Pena homered twice and walked twice. The two dingers gave him the AL lead, at 5, and his 6 RBI also tied him for AL top honors with Toronto's Vernon Wells, at 12. Notes: Chien-Ming Wang became the first AL pitcher to record 3 wins, hurling the Yankees past Boston, 4-1, with a complete-game, two-hit effort. Wang didn't walk a batter and the only run came on a J.D. Drew 5th inning bomb. National League Known for its versatile and successful pitching staff, Tim Hudson is making Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzoni proud these days. On Friday night, the veteran pitched one of his best games ever, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks over 8 innings in a 3-0 blanking of the Washington Nationals. Hudson stuck out 5 and got 12 more outs on ground balls, needing only 96 pitches (64 for strikes) to get his 2nd win of the season against no losses. Hudson's 2.14 ERA is nice, but the 0.67 WHIP over 21 innings thus far in the season, is eye-catching. Notes: Still streaking. Hudson's shutout over Washington was the Nats' 8th straight loss. Out West, Arizona improved to 8-2 and a 2 1/2-game lead in the division with their 7th straight win, an 8-2 romp over Colorado.