Chris Johnson Delivers in Braves Win over Pirates; Luis Martinez, Khris Davis Hit Grand Slams for Brewers in 15-1 Romp

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 26, 2015

Grapefruit League

Chris Johnson

Atlanta third baseman, Chris Johnson, went 3-for-4 in Atlanta's 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh, delivering a single, double and home run, driving in two runs and scoring twice.

The Braves have struggled thus far in the Grapfruit League, the win upping their record to 10-13. The Pirates dropped to an even .500 at 10-10.

Johnson, a major leaguer since 2009, had his best year in 2013, when he had the second-highest batting average in the National League, at a zesty .321. His production fell off in 2014, batting .263 with 10 homers and 58 RBI, but he and the Braves are hoping for improvement this season.

Luis Jimenez

Johnson has a .270 batting average this Spring. The home run was his first.

Cactus League

Khris Davis

Making contact wasn't an issue for the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, but, runners and base and balls leaving the yard was a major issue for the Mariners as the Brewers amassed 22 hits and two players hit grand slams in a 15-1 laugher.

Khris Davis got things started with his first-inning slam and Luis Jimenez finished off the scoring with a bases-chocked, round-tripper in the eighth.

Davis played full time in the Milwaukee outfield last season, belting 22 homers with 69 RBI. He's batting a robust .389 in Spring training. The homer was his first.

Jimenez will likely end up in the minors, but may get a back-up role behind Aramis Ramirez at third base. His home run was his second of the Spring. Jimenez has limited major league experience, hitting .234 in 141 at-bats over the past two seasons.

Both teams ended up with records of 10-11 at the conclusion of the exhibition.

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Chris Johnson Homers Twice in Arizona's 10-4 Win over Pittsburgh; Miguel Cabrera Helps Tigers Past Yankees, 6-5

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 7, 2012

American League

Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera is having another fabulous season for the Detroit Tigers. His 95 RBI lead the American League. He is second in batting, at .326, and the home run he socked in the Tigers' 6-5 win over the Yankees was his 25th, tying him for second on that list.

Who knew, with less than two months left in the season, he'd be making a run at a triple crown?

Cabrera doubled and homered in four at-bats Tuesday, driving in three runs, scoring once.

With the White Sox losing to Kansas City, 5-2, the Tigers are just 1/2 game off the pace in the AL Central, as they seek to sweep their four-game series in Detroit with the Yankees.

They've won the first two games, with the third and fourth on schedule for Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.


National League

Now that Arizona has made up considerable ground in the NL West, they seem reluctant to go away, remaining four games off the pace set by the Giants after their 10-4 shelling of Pittsburgh.

Johnson: 2HR 5RBI

The Diamondbacks dropped the first game of their four-game set in Pittsburgh, 4-0, but evened the series when Chris Johnson erased a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning with a three-run homer, then piled on with plenty of insurance with a two-run bomb in the top of the ninth.

Since being traded from Houston, Johnson has stroked five homers and 15 RBI for Arizona in eight games.

The win snapped a three game losing streak for Arizona, keeping them within range of the lead in their division. They remain moored in third place, but they are in a much better position than just after the all star break. From July 20 through August 3rd, the Diamondbacks were one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 11-3 during that span and making up ground on both the Dodgers and Giants.

The Pirates are 3 1/2 back of Cincinnati in the Central, so both teams are looking to win the last two games of the series, Wednesday and Thursday.

Angels Blast Texas Behind Kendrys Morales Two Homers; Arizona Gains in NL West Behind Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Johnson Homers

Players of the Day for Monday, July 30, 2012

American League

The Rangers and Angels opened a crucial four game series in Arlington Monday night, and the result moved the two AL West contenders closer together as the Angels romped in a 15-8 slugfest.

With neither manager willing to deplete their respective bullpens, only five pitchers were employed in the contest, the worst of it taken by Texas starter Roy Oswald, who allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Kendrys Morales

The biggest blows came in the Angels half of the sixth inning, when LA sent 11 batters to the plate and knocked Oswalt out of the game, scoring nine times. After an Albert Pujols' leadoff double, Kendrys Morales went deep for a two-run homer, and finished the inning off with a grand slam that put the Angels up by a 12-3 score.

Morales's two homers and six RBI gave him 11 and 45, respectively. Mike Trout, who drove in four runs himself, and Maicer Izturis also homered for the Angels.

The result left Texas with a four game lead over the Angels, though Oakland, 4-3 winners in 15 innings over Tampa Bay, is just 3 1/2 behind the Rangers and can benefit from the head-to-head play between their two main rivals.

The series continues Tuesday in Texas, with an 8:05 pm EDT start.



National League

Chris Johnson

For the Arizona Diamondbacks, the time to make a move on the Giants and Dodgers in the NL West is now, as they opened a three game series in LA, 4 1/2 games behind the division co-leaders.

Paul Goldschmidt

It didn't take long for the D'Backs to take advantage of their opportunity. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt hammered a three-run homer in the first inning, and third baseman Chris Johnson banged a grand slam in the fifth, accounting for all of the scoring in a 7-2 victory for the Diamondbacks.

Johnson was playing in his first game for Arizona, having been acquired in a trade from Houston on Sunday. He flied out to right in his first at-bat and grounded into a bases-loaded double play the next time up, but quickly made amends with his 8th homer of the season.

The win, coupled with San Francisco's 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Mets, improved Arizona's position to just 3 1/2 back with a pair of games remaining against the Dodgers.

Arizona has ridden an 8-3 stretch to make up ground in the division and has finally gotten past the .500 mark at 52-51.

The series in LA continues Tuesday with a 7:05 pm PDT start and a 12:05 afternoon contest to close it out.