Dan Haren, Denard Span Pace Nationals; Chris Tillman Stymies Angels in 5-1 Baltimore Victory

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 2, 2013

American League

Chris Tillman

Baltimore began a West coast swing in positive fashion, topping the LA Angels, 5-1, as Chris Tillman sparkled on the mound.

Holding the Angels scoreless though eight innings, Tillman turned the ball over to closer Jim Johnson, who fanned two in the final frame, but also gave up Albert Pujols' fifth homer of the season, a solo shot that avoided the shutout.

Tillman gave up just three hits, but threw 114 pitches, prompting the manager Buck Showalter to call on the bullpen. walking two and striking out three, Tillman improved to 2-1, lowering his ERA to a reasonable 3.63. The win was Tillman's second straight, after an 0-1 beginning on four starts. He's been notably better in his last three outings, allowing just three earned runs over the past 20 2/3 innings. His eight innings against the Angels was his longest outing of the season, a positive for the O's.

Baltimore kept pace with Boston in the East division, where they trail the Red Sox by 3 1/2 games. In second place are the Yankees, 2 1/2 out. The 10-18 Angels are seven games out in the West. They are 6-7 at home, one of four AL teams with losing home records. The others are Cleveland, Houston and Toronto.

The win was the opener of a our game set in LA, which resumes Friday at 7:05 PDT.

Dan Haren

National League

Denard Span went 3-for-4, singling and scoring in the first inning and driving in a pair of runs in the second and those runs were all washington starter, Dan Haren, would need, as the Nationals defeated the Braves, 3-1, closing out their four game series in Atlanta with a 2-2 split.

Denard Span

Haren gave up four hits, keeping the Braves off the board until the seventh inning, when he allowed Atlanta's only run of the game, a two-out solo homer off the bat of Dan Uggla.

Haren lasted eight innings, striking out four and walking one to even his record at 3-3. The win moved the Nationals closer to the Braves in the NL East, where they trail Atlanta by 2 1/2 games.

Rafael Soriano worked the ninth inning for his ninth save of the season, allowing one single, but no further damage.

Leadoff hitter, Span, who was on base four times in the win, has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games.

Washington heads to Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend series while the Braves finish up a seven-game home span with three games against the Mets, beginning Friday.

Baltimore's Chris Tillman One-Hits White Sox over Seven; Ricky Nolasco Shuts Out Nationals, Justin Ruggiano 4-for-4

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 28, 2012

American League

Tuesday was a pitcher's night in the major leagues, with three shutouts in both the AL and NL. Oddly enough, only one of the six shutouts was a complete game effort.

In Cleveland, the A's blanked the Indians, 7-0, using four pitchers, while the Rangers needed three to stop the Rays, 1-0, Ian Kinsler's 4th inning homer accounting for the game's only run.

Tillman: 7 IP, 1 H

Baltimore recorded the most impressive and possibly important win of the evening, blanking AL Central leader, Chicago, 6-0, on two hits, one allowed by starter Chris Tillman, who earned his seventh win against two losses in just ten starts.

Tillman walked four and struck out five over seven innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning, which was promptly ended when Dayan Viciedo singled to open the frame. After a walk issued to Alexei Ramirez, Tillman got the next nine outs in order before giving the ball up to Brian Matusz, who fanned two, didn't walk anyone and gave up the only other White Sox hit over the final two innings.

The win allowed Baltimore to keep pace with the Yankees in the AL East race, 3 1/2 games out, and stay tied with Oakland for the top two wild card spots. The A's and O's are followed in the wild card pecking order by the Rays, 1 1/2 behind, Detroit, two out, and the Angels, 3 1/2 back.

The White Sox, losers of the first two of their four-game series in Baltimore, continue to hold a two game edge of the Tigers in the Central.


National League

Ricky Nolasco

In Miami, Ricky Nolasco turned in his finest performance of the season, blanking the Washington Nationals, 9-0, on five hits, striking out six without issuing a walk.

Justin Ruggiano

Nolasco, 10-12, threw 78 of 115 pitches for strikes, tossing his second completegame and first shutout of 2012 while teammates Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Ruggiano accounted for seven of the Marlins' 13 hits and five RBI.

The Marlins got all over Washington starter Stephen Strasburg, scoring seven runs (five earned) off nine hits in five innings, fueling even more speculation that Strasburg will be shut down for the season sooner, rather than later.

Ruggiano went 4-for-4, with three singles and a first inning solo homer off Strasburg, driving in two runs and scoring twice.

The loss by the Nationals, coupled with Atlanta's 2-0 victory over San Diego, reduced Washington's lead in the East to four games. The Braves also improved their lead over St. Louis to 2 1/2 games for the first wild card spot. The Cardinals, dropped a 9-0 decision to the Pirates.