Mike Trout Powers Angels over Rockies, 11-0; Chris Carter 3-for-3 in 13-7 Pounding of Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Grapefruit League

Carter: 3-3 4RBI

Following a strong 2014 campaign, Houston's Chris Carter is hoping to maintain the power stroke that produced 37 home runs and 88 RBI and improve on his .227 batting average.

He appears to be heading in the proper direction after going 3-for-3 with a single and two doubles in Tuesday's 13-7 rip of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carter drove in four runs, snapping out of the 1-12 streak that had started his Spring training.

Houston, one of the worst teams in the majors last season, improved to 7-4; the Pirates dipped to a 6-6 mark.


Cactus League

Trout: 2HR 6RBI

Evening their record at 7-7, the LA Angels clubbed the Rockies, 11-3, powered by a pair of homers from 2014 L MVP, Mike Trout, and his six RBI.

Off to a blazing start in the Arizona heat, Trout has three homers and 10 RBI, along with a sizzling .545 batting average. Last season he batted .287 with 36 home runs and 111 RBI.

Leadoff man, Cole Calhoun went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs and a stolen base. The Angels totaled 15 hits off seven Rockies' hurlers, while five members of the Angels staff held their opponents to just two hits.

Chris Carter, Houston Dump Blue Jays, 8-2; Jordan Zimmermann, Anthony Rendon Lead Nats over Phils, 11-0

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 2, 2014

American League

Carter: 22 HRs

With the Orioles losing to Seattle, 6-3, the Toronto Blue Jays had an opportunity to cut into Baltimore's lead in the AL East, but they were unable to do so, losing to the lowly Housto Astros, 8-2.

Chris Carter singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, stole a base, scored three times and drove in two runs, leading the Astros to their second straight win over Toronto.

Carter's home run was his 22nd, tying him with Detroit's Victor Martinez for 8th place in the AL long ball department.

Toronto opened with a 6-5 win on Thursday in Houston, but has dropped the last two, losing, 3-1, on Friday and currently trails Baltimore by 2 1/2 games.

Zimmermann: 7-5

The series ends Sunday afternoon. Game time at Minute Maid Park is 2:10 pm EDT.

National League

Rendon: 3-5, 4RBI

Jordan Zimmermann blanked the Phillies over seven innings and Anthony Rendon delivered the goods at the plate, as the Washington Nationals hammered Philadelphia, 11-0, taking a 2 1/2 game lead over Atlanta, losers of five straight.

Having lost the first two games of their home series hosting the Phillies, the Nats weren't exactly looking like division leaders until Zimmermann took the mound, giving up five hits without a walk and striking out eight. The Nationals scored all of their runs in the first four innings, so stretching Zimmermann (7-5) past seven innings and 97 pitches (71 for strikes) was pointless.

Rendon hammered a three-run homer in the second inning off Philly starter, A.J. Burnett, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings. Not satisfied, Rendon doubled and singled, finishing 3-for-5, with four RBI, a stolen base and a pair of runs.

Washington will try to salvage a tie in the four-game series on Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT.

Jose Altuve, Chris Carter Power Astros in 16-9 Rout of Mariners; Lance Lynn Fans 10 in St. Louis Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 9, 2013

American League

Jose Altuve

Houston's tenure in the American League is just eight games old, but the Astros have already settled into their usual position, at the bottom of the standings in the West division.

Chris Carter

On Tuesday, however, the Astros showed they have some punch, scoring 13 runs in the first four innings in a 16-9 win over the Seattle Mariners for their second win of the season against six losses.

The barrage was led by a couple of Houston's "youth movement" players, second baseman Jose Altuve and first baseman Chris Carter.

Altuve, who hit .290 in 147 games last season, was 4-for-6 against the Mariners, stroking a pair of singles, a double and his first homer of the season, a two-out, two-run, fourth inning shot, raising his batting average to a sharp .353. Altuve drove in four runs from the leadoff spot.

Carter belted a pair of solo homers and had two singles in six at-bats, driving in three runs. Carter's homers were his first of the season. He socked 16 in 67 games with Oakland last year and was traded to the Astros during the off-season.

Lance Lynn

National League

St. Louis isn't planning on letting the Reds forge a big lead in the NL Central.

After losing the opener of their three-game set in Cincy, the Cards rode the arm of Lance Lynn to a 6-1 victory, evening their record at 4-4, while cutting the Reds' division lead to one game.

Lynn allowed one earned run on four hits over six innings with one walk. He struck out 10 for his first win of the season (1-0), throwing 101 pitches before departing the mound.

A trio of St. Louis relievers finished up, each working an inning, setting down the Reds on one hit.

Homer Bailey will start Wednesday's rubber game against Cardinal starter, Jake Westbrook, at 1:45 EDT in St. Louis.

Luiz Mendoza, Royals Blank White Sox; Chris Carter Socks a Pair for Houston

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 17, 2013

Grapefruit League

Carter: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Chris Carter has been working his way through the minors to the major leagues since 2006, and finally appears ready to make the roster of a parent team.

After playing 83 games with Oakland last season, posting a .239 average with 16 homers and 39 RBI, Carter may end up the starting first baseman for Houston, which acquired his rights during the off-season.

In Sunday's 11-2 mashing of Toronto, Carter showed off some of his impressive power, belting a pair of two-run homers, scoring three times while getting five RBI in a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Carter will have to work on compacting his big swing, as he's already struck out 14 times in 42 at-bats this Spring, but he's socked four homers and has 11 RBI for a team that is in desperate need of a run-producer.

Cactus League

Luis Mendoza

Kansas City continued its assault on the Cactus League, winning for the 17th time against just four losses as they pounded out 18 hits in a 10-0 blanking of the Chicago White Sox.

While the KC regulars were batting balls around Arizona's Surprise Stadium, Luis Mendoza and four relievers were limiting the Chicagoans to five hits and no runs.

Mendoza, who started 30 games last season for the Royals and finished with a respectable 8-10 mark, worked five full innings against the Sox, giving up four hits and a walk, while punching out four on strikes. He's 2-0 for the Royals with an 0.82 ERA in two exhibition starts this Spring.

Thw win gave the Royals a 2 1/2 game lead over Seattle.

Beckett Holds Cards Hitless; Carter Homers Twice in 9th for Mets

Players of the Day for Monday, March 8, 2010 American League Josh Beckett tuned up nicely in Boston's 7-6 win over the St. louis Cardinals on Monday, tossing three hitless innings to start the game, striking out 3. After Beckett's stint, Bostn pitchers held the Cardinals hitless into the 7th, but then allowed S. Louis to strike for a run in the 7th, 2 in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th, but Che-Shuan Lin drove in Josh Reddick in the bottom of the 9th with the winning run. A two-time all-star (2007, 2009) and world Series MVP, it's surprising that Beckett has never won a Cy Young award, though he's consistently in the conversation, so he bears close scrutiny this season, which may turn out to be among his best. Beckett's notched double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons, and last year was 4th in the AL with 17 wins, 6th in strikeouts (199) and 9th in innings pitched (212.1). National League The Mets scored 8 runs off Florida pitchers in the 9th inning to bust open a close game and win going away, 11-2. Outfielder Chris Carter, acquired from the Red sox in the deal that sent reliever Billy Wagner to Boston last year, bashed a pair of bombs in the inning to lead the assault. Carter began the inning with a solo shot, then followed it up with a three-run blast, making the most of his brief appearance. Carter is another of what seems to be an endless supply of outfielders the Mets are looking at. A product of Stanford, Carter has performed well in each of his two prior Spring Training outings, but couldn't break into the bigs except for very brief stints in each of the last two seasons.

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MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins The Twins capped a memorable season in 2009 by chasing down the Tigers and beating them in a one-game playoff to capture the Central Division. That turned out to be the last regular season game played at the Metrodome and also the last Minnesota win, as the Twins were thumped by the Yankees in a 3-game sweep. The Twins will move into new digs in 2009, opening Target Field at the start of the 2010 season. The outdoor stadium has roughly the same dimensions as the old Metrodome, minus the baggie in right field. It will accommodate significantly fewer patrons, with seating capacity 39,504. The Metrodome could hold over 55,000. Changing the venue from indoor to outdoor will have some effect on Minnesota's games, especially in the infield, where the high hops and quick artificial surface will give way to natural grass. The change should help the capable Twins infielders, though they hardly need it. Changing temperatures will be the biggest adjustment players will have to make, as the outdoors in Minnesota in early April and late September are usually a bit chilly. Minnesota will have essentially the same starting five that finished last season, and it's a very capable bunch, led by Scott Baker and Carl Pavano. Nick Blackburn and Keven Slowey are young and improving, but questions still surround Francisco Liriano, who, if healthy, could be Minnesota's top starter. In the field, Minnesota will once again be one of the best fielding teams in the league. They've bolstered the lineup with the addition of Orlando Hudson at 2nd base and J.J. Hardy (who had a down year last season with Milwaukee) at short. Those two are a major upgrade from last year, when Alexi Casilla flopped at second and shortstop Nick Punto was steady in the field but underwhelming at the plate. First baseman Justin Morneau will continue to bat in the cleanup position. Over the past four seasons, Morneau has been the complete power hitter, driving in more than 100 runs in each season and clubbing 34, 31, 23 and 30 home runs over that span. Filling out the infield is 3rd baseman Brendan Harris, and 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer will continue his sparkling career from behind the plate as well as beside it. Mauer led the league with a .365 batting average, his third batting title, and, batting in front of Morneau, is guaranteed to see plenty of hittable pitches. The outfield of Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span is better than adequate, especially Span, who has the speed and bat to become one of baseball's best center fielders. In his first full season in the bigs last year, Span batten .311 and stole 23 bases. Expect the batting average to remain high and the steals head higher. This is a very serious team that has no weaknesses except possibly that they're a little light in the power department, but DH Jason Kubel could change that. Kubel has improved his HR and RBI totals in each of the last three seasons. In 2009, he batted an even .300 with 28 dingers and 103 RBI. Along with Detroit and Chicago, Minnesota should be competitive in the division and are the favorites to win it. The pitching will have to do better, however, if they are to advance through the playoffs. The future book has them down as a 30-1 shot to win the World Series. With a new stadium and a couple of key additions, that's worth consideration.