Kubel Launches Twins Over White Sox; Ruiz Caps Wild Comeback as Dodgers Blow 7-Run Lead

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 12, 2010 American League Jason Kubel socked a three-run homer in the top of the 7th inning, knocking out White Sox starter Gavin Floyd as the Twins beat Chicago, 6-1, to regain first place in the AL Central. Kubel's blast - his 17th of the season - came with two out in the inning and provided a cushion for Minnesota's relievers to finish the job Francisco Liriano (11-7) had started. Liriano lasted only 5 2/3 innings, but limited the Sox to just one run on seven hits. Kubel's home run was his only hit in five at-bats. The free-swinging right fielder is batting .266, but has knocked in 73 runs. Kubel hit career-highs last year when he had 28 home runs and 103 RBI. Over his last six games, he's hit four homers driven in eight runs and scored eight times. The Twins and White Sox were tied for first place in the division when the three-game series began. Taking two out of three, the Twins leave Chicago with a slim one-game lead. National League Just a few days ago, when the Dodgers topped the Phillies, 15-9, to open a three-game series in Philadelphia, there was reason for optimism in Los Angeles. On Thursday night in Philly, after blowing an 8th inning, 9-2 lead, the good feelings have faded to disgust and the Dodgers look like dead men walking in the NL West, now nine games behind the division-leading Padres. The Dodgers led the game 4-2 after five innings, added two runs in the 7th and three more in the 8th before handing the ball over to Ronnie Belisario to open the bottom of the 8th. Belisario failed to retire a single batter, allowing four straight hits. Two relievers and three outs later, the Dodgers still felt safe entering the 9th with a 9-6 lead, knowing the baseball would be in the reliable hands of closer Jonathan Broxton. They were sorely mistaken. Broxton started off the inning by plunking Placido Polanco, then issued back-to-back walks to Mike Sweeney and Jayson Werth. With the bases loaded and no outs, it got worse, when third baseman Casey Blake allowed Ben Francisco's ground ball between his legs and into left field, allowing Polanco and Sweeney to score. The next batter, catcher Carlos Ruiz, who had singled twice earlier, lashed a drive to the left field gap that plated both the tying and winning runs, capping a wild comeback and a crucial 10-9 win for the Phillies. Broxton, like Belisario, retired not a single batter, even though he gave up just one hit, Ruiz's game-ending double. While the Dodgers sink slowly into the West, the Phillies captured the final two games of the series and picked up half a game on the idle Braves, who lead the NL East and the Phillies by two games. The Dodgers fell 6 1/2 games behind the Giants in the wold card hunt, with Philly, the Reds and the Rockies also ahead of them.

Ruiz Ruins Rays; Phillies Lead Series, 2-1

Players of the Day from Saturday, October 25, 2008 American League Carlos Ruiz chopped a ground ball down the third base line, sending Eric Bruntlett to the plate with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 5-4 win by the Phillies over the Rays in a critical Game 3 of the World Series. The 45-foot dribbler by Ruiz was set up by the strangest of circumstances. After Jamie Moyer had handled the Rays for six innings and had a lead - thanks to a hustling, first inning run scored by Jimmy Rollins, a solo homers by Ruiz in the second, and back-to-back bombs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard - the Rays struck in the 7th with a pair of runs to cut the lead to 4-3. Both runs in the seventh were charged to Moyer, even though he recorded only one out in the frame. In the 8th, B.J. Upton singled, stole second and third and came home on Ruiz's bad throw to third, which hit Upton and bounded into foul ground. That tied the game at 4-4, setting up the a weird 9th inning. Bruntlett was called on to open the 9th, pinch hitting for Pat Burrell - who hasn't even sniffed a base hit during the series - and was plunked by Rays' reliever J.P. Howell. After loading the bases with intentional walks to Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz, Ruiz worked the count to 2-2 before his chopper handcuffed third baseman Evan Longoria, who flung the ball toward the plate in a desperate - and failing - attempt to get Bruntlett. Notes: The game began after 10:00 pm and finished well after 1:00 am, but there isn't a Phillie fan complaining. In addition to the Phillies' Burrell, two of Tampa Bay's top hitters, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria, are also hitless through 3 games. Burrell is 0-for-9, Pena, 0-for-10, and Longoria, 0-for-12. There are plenty of story lines in this series, but the fact that the #3 and 4 hitters in the Rays' lineup haven't produced a single hit, could become compelling in Game 4. Game 4 is scheduled for an 8:29 start in Philadelphia, where the forecast includes no chance of rain. Andy Sonnanstine gets the start for the Rays, while Joe Blanton goes up the hill for Philadelphia. Sonnanstine was 0-3 in his final 7 starts during the regular season, though the Rays won 3 of the 4 games in which he received no decision. He won a game in each of the prior playoff series against the White Sox and Red Sox. In his 13 innings pitched during the post-season, he's 2-0, with a 3.46 ERA, though he's given up 3 homers. Blanton went through a string of 6 straight no-decisions before winning 3 of his last 4 starts for the Phillies down the stretch in the regular season. In the playoffs, he won a game over Milwaukee, and received no decision in his Oct. 13 start against the Dodgers, though the Phillies won, 7-5. In 11 innings of post-season work, Blanton has an ERA of 3.27, with 4 walks and 11 whiffs, though opponents are hitting .279 against him. The pressure is clearly on the Rays to produce a win Sunday in Philly, because, if they don't, they face elimination at the hands of Game 1 winner Cole Hamels on Monday. Hamels is clearly the best starter in this series; he was brilliant in Game 1 and should be on his toes for Monday's game.

Cleveland's 5 in 9th dumps A's; Ruiz Powers Phils

American League Oakland 5 Cleveland 8 - Cleveland scored 5 in the bottom of the ninth to beat the A's and reclaim a share of first place in the AL Central. The game ended abruptly when Kelly Shoppach launched his 4th home run of the season into the left field stands, scoring himself and two other Indians. NY Yankees 2 Baltimore 3 - Scott Proctor walked Ramon Hernandez, forcing in Corey Patterson with the winning run with one out in the ninth, giving Baltimore a series-opening win against the struggling Yankees. While the O's may be somewhat rudderless, the Yankees are finding new ways to lose. New York is now 11 behind Boston, and also trail Toronto by a game in the AL East, and are 8 games out of the nearest wild card spot. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 6 Tampa Bay 1 - WP: J. Garland (5-5) Texas 9 Detroit 6 - B Wilkerson, 3-run HR (9) Boston 7 Seattle 8 - J.J. Putz, S (22) Kansas City 12 LA Angels 4 - Angels lead Seattle by 6 in AL West Toronto 1 Minnesota 2, 12 innings - Twins bullpen, no hits final 15 batters National League Cincinnati 4 Philadelphia 11 - Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz (right) had a memorable night, cracking a pair of doubles as part of a 3-4, 4 RBI effort, and stealing home for an extra Phillies run. Rookie Ruiz is batting .277 on the season. With the win, Philly crept to within 2 1/2 games of the Mets in the AL East. Houston 5 Milwaukee 11 - If he gets ample playing time, Ryan Braun could be this season's AL Rookie of the Year. In just 29 games, Braun is batting .342, with 6 homers and 23 RBI. On Tuesday, Braun was 3-4 with a 2-run homer, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Milwaukee also got a grand slam from catcher Johnny Estrada to remain 7 1/2 clear of the Cubs in the NL Central. LA Dodgers 6 Arizona 5, 10 innings - The Dodgers weren't expecting it, but they're certainly happy with the result as rookie Tony Abreu hit his first major league home run to give the Dodgers the extra-innings win and a 1/2-game lead in the wild NL West. Arizona and San Diego are tied for 2nd. San Diego 3 San Francisco 2, 10 innings - Another rookie delivered a game-winning homer, as Kevin Kouzmanoff ripped his 6th of the season over the center field wall. Barry Bonds walked 3 times and failed to homer for the 4th straight game. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 3 Florida 2 St. Louis 5 NY Mets 3, 11 innings - B. Ryan - 1st MLB HR, 11th inning Washington 2 Atlanta 6 Colorado 5 Chi Cubs 8 - Rockies have lost 5 straight