Mark Reynolds 2 HR Lead O's over Yanks; Chase Headley Drives in 6, Padres Lose

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 2, 2012

American League

Yankee fans - and players and coaches - have been waiting all season for the Baltimore Orioles to fold up their tents and head for the bottom of the division, where they have been continual residents for the better part of the last fifteen years.

Reynolds: 2HR 4RBI

But, this year's version of the usual unloved losers is a different variety, with solid starting pitching, capable relief and a lineup that seldom goes slumping.

One of the great additions that has helped form the nucleus of the "new" Orioles, is third baseman Mark Reynolds, acquired in an off-season trade with the Diamondbacks following the 2011 campaign.

In Sunday's 8-3 win over the Yankees, Reynolds proved the catalyst for the Baltimore offense, socking a solo homer in the fifth to get Baltimore on the board, and pounding another ball into the left field stands in the sixth, with two aboard, putting the Orioles ahead to stay, at 5-3.

Reynolds also singled and scored in the eighth, when Baltimore plated three runs.

The Yanks leave Baltimore having lost two out of three, their lead trimmed to two games over the O's, and head to Tampa Bay - 3 1/2 back - for a three-game set. On Thursday, the Yankees welcome the Orioles to New York for a crucial four-game series that will go a long way toward determining the AL East champion and wild card standings.

National League

Chase Headley

The divisional races in the National League are taking on a runaway character at the start of September. The smallest lead is 4 1/2 games, the margin that San Francisco has over the Dodgers. In the East, Atlanta has been chasing Washington virtually all season, but can't seem to get much closer than their current 6 1/2 games.

In the Central, it's pretty much over, as the Reds hold a 9 1/2 game bulge over the Cardinals.

With all these big leads, there are a plethora of largely meaningless games, such as Colorado's 11-10 win over the Padres.

In one of the usual of baseball oddities, the Padres banged out 20 hits to the Rockies' 11, but still managed to lose. One cannot lay blame upon Chase Headley, one of the league's hottest hitters, who had a big day at the plate.

Headley cracked his 16th homer, added three and stole a base, scored once and drove in six runs. Headley's big game brought his RBI total to 89 on the year. In his last nine games, he's hit safely in eight, scored six runs and driven in 11.

Ichiro Suzuki Helps Yankees in 10-4 Win; Chase Headley's Two Homers Thwart Pirates

Players of the Day for Friday, August 10, 2012

American League

General managers around the majors are probably still scratching their collective heads over how the Yankees managed to snag Ichiro Suzuki during the frenzy before the trading deadline.

Ichiro Suzuki

Money, playing in New York and the cache of being a Yankee were probably among the reasons one of the premier hitters of the last decade is now wearing pinstripes.

Ichiro certainly made the Yankee brass look good in Friday's 10-4 road win over the Blue Jays. Stationed in center field for the first time as a New Yorker, Ichiro responded with nearly-flawless play in the field and five RBI off a 2-for-5 night at the plate.

In the second inning, Ichiro made the score 2-0 by beating out a potential double play ball that scored a run off a bases-loaded situation. In the eighth, he singled home a pair and did the same in the top of the ninth as the Yankees turned a close game into a rout with three runs in the eighth and four in the ninth.

The win was in the opener of a three game series in Toronto and kept the Yanks 5 1/2 ahead of the Orioles and six clear of hot-pursuing Tampa Bay.


National League

While Ichiro getting into pinstripes was one of the best deals of late July, another head-scratcher is how San Diego's Chase Headley is still toiling for the underperforming Padres.

Chase Headley

A career .270 hitter with a modicum of power, Headley, 28, is likely heading into his best years as a player.

In San Diego's 9-8 win over the Pirates, Headley provided the winning margin with his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the seventh, after tying the score in the fifth inning with a three-run blast.

Pittsburgh had built a 7-1 lead through the first four innings before the Padres struck for six runs in the top of the fifth, capped by Headley's long ball.

After the Pirates took the lead in the lead in the sixth, only to fall behind again on Headley's seventh inning shot, a trio of Padre relievers - Dale Thayer, Luke Gregerson and Huston Street - each pitched an inning of perfection to close out the game.

The loss to Pittsburgh pushed the Pirates a game further behind the Reds, 10-8 winners over Chicago. Cincinnati leads Pittsburgh by 3 1/2 in the NL Central.

Chase Headley, Nick Hundley Power Padres Past Rockies; Matt Wieters Homers Twice for Orioles

Players of the Day for Monday, April 16, 2012

American League

Could this be the year that Matt Wieters lives up to his potential and becomes of the baseball's premier catchers?

Matt Wieters

With a blazing start to the 2012 campaign, this appears to be Wieters' year to shine.

The fourth-year pro capped a six-run 10th inning in Baltimore's 10-4 road win over the White Sox with a grand slam, his fourth homer of the season and his second long ball of the game.

Wieters finished 3-for-4 - his other hit a single - five RBI and a couple of runs as the Orioles took sole possession of first place in the AL East, 1/2 game ahead of the Blue Jays.

The numbers continue to improve. In 2010, Wieters hit .249, with 11 homers and 55 RBI. 2011 was better, at .262, 22 and 68. This season's .344, four homers and nine RBI has him on pace for a breakout season.


National League

With a 2-8 start, Padres' fans haven't had much to cheer about, and, even after Monday night's 7-1 win at Colorado, San Diego still trails the 9-1 Dodgers by 6 1/2 games, the largest deficit in the majors.

Nick Hundley

Chase Headley

If the Padres are going to be competitive, they'll need solid campaigns from two of their better hitters, third baseman Chase Headley and catcher Nick Hundley, who together produced six of San Diego's 14 hits, both players going 3-for-5.

Headley's hits were all doubles, and each time he arrived at second base, Hundley drove him in, with a double and two singles, collecting three RBI for the game.

San Diego's win snapped a four-game losing streak. The Padres continue their three-game series at Colorado Tuesday and Wednesday before returning home for four straight with the visiting Phillies.