Chris Young Slams vs. Rangers in 21-5 Yankee Romp; Mets Closing In on First Place after Noah Syndergaard Gem

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Young: GS, 5RBI

American League

When starter Chris Capuano couldn't get out of the first inning and the Texas Rangers put up a five-spot on the NY Yankees, the situation looked dire for the Al East leaders.

But, the feeling didn't last long, as the Yanks put up 11 runs in the second inning and four more in the third on Chris Young's grand slam en route to a smashing, 21-5 victory.

Young, who walked and scored in the second inning, followed up his slam with a pair of doubles and another RBI, finishing the evening with a line score of 3-for-6 with four runs and five RBI.

The game was the second of a four-game series at Texas. The Rangers have the worst pitching staff (highest ERA) in the league and the Yankees are certainly taking advantage of the Rangers' weakness, taking the first game by a 6-2 score.

Noah Syndergaard

Game three of the set begins Wednesday night at 8:05 pm EDT at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.


National League

Opening a three-game series with the visiting Padres, the Mets gained to within one game of the first place Nationals, whipping the Padres, 4-0, while the Nats were held down by the Marlins, 4-1.

New York got an excellent pitching performance from starter Noah Syndergaard (5-5), who went eight innings, allowing just three hits and no earned runs.

The 6'6" rookie out of Mansfield, Texas, goes by the nickname "Thor," and he certainly looked like the god of thunder on the mound Tuesday night, tossing a perfect game through six innings before Will Venable led of the seventh inning with a sharp single up the middle.

Syndergaard allowed an infield single to the next hitter, Yangervis Solarte, but escaped the frame with the shutout intact. Yonder Alonso started the eighth with a single for the Padres, but Syndergaard shut down the side in order after that.

Tyler Clipart came on in the ninth in a non-save situation.

The Mets host the Padres for game two of the series on Wednesday, 7:10 pm EDT at Citi Field.

Chris Young's Walk-Off Homer Lifts Yankees over Rays; Pirates Win Behind Francisco Liriano's Eight Scoreless Innings

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 11, 2014

American League

Chris Young:
newest Yankee star

Aside from seven games in triple-A on a rehab assignment, Chris Young has spent the entire 2014 season in New York. Until just last week, he was a member of the Mets' organization, but, earlier this month, he was traded to the Yankees and now does his job in the Bronx rather than Queens.

It appears that the Yankees made a deft move in acquiring Young, since outfielder Brett Gardner is likely a part-time player for the better part of the remainder of the season with an abdominal strain. In his last three games, Young has started in left field, handled the position well and delivered at the plate like a man on a mission, going 6-for-11 with two home runs and seven RBI.

In Thursday's 5-4 victory over the Rays, Young broke up a no-hit bid by Rays' starter, Alex Cobb, slicing a double to the right-center gap with one out in the eighth, later scoring on Martin Prado's two-run homer.

But it was in the bottom of the ninth inning that Young earned his pinstripes, blasting a fastball from reliever Jake McGee over the fence in left field with two aboard and the Yankees down 4-2, for a walk-off win.

The Yankee win kept alive the slim hopes of making the playoffs. New York trails Detroit by four games for the final wild card spot, but Cleveland and Toronto are 1/2 game ahead of the Yankees and Seattle has a 3 1/2 game edge.

The Yankees open a four-game series in Baltimore, including a day-night double-header on Friday, with the AL East-leading Orioles, who could, if they sweep the Yankees and Toronto loses two of three over the weekend, clinch a tie with the Blue Jays for the division title.

A more likely scenario is that the Orioles will clinch the division outright during their three-game series with the Blue Jays, which begins Monday. The O's have a 10-game lead over the Blue Jays and are 10 1/2 in front of the Yankees, making their magic number to clinch the division outright, eight.

Toronto and the Yankees are still in the wild card hunt, so the next six to eight games will go a long way toward separating playoff contenders from pretenders.

National League

Liriano:
8IP 4H 0ER 12K

Francisco Liriano has regained top form and the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't have asked for it to come back at a more opportune time.

Thursday night, Liriano notched his second straight win in a 4-1 defeat of the Phillies, giving up four hits and no runs over eight innings.

The strong-armed lefty from the Dominican Republic walked a pair of batters but struck out a season high 12, including Ryan Howard twice. He struck out at least one batter in each of his eight innings, throwing 69 of 106 pitches for strikes before turning the ball over to the bullpen.

Marc Melancon picked up his 29th save after Jared Hughes allowed a hit and a walk without retiring any batters in the ninth. Carlos Ruiz singled home Marlon Byrd with the Phillies only run before Melancon settled down and mopped up the win.

Pittsburgh continues to hold onto the final wild card spot with a 1 1/2 game edge over Milwaukee and a two-game lead over the Braves.

Liriano improved to 5-10.

Carlos Pena, Ryan Roberts and Ben Zobrist Key Rays Comeback Win over Angels; Chris Young Powers Arizona over Astros

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 18, 2012

American League

Taking their third straight from the LA Angels, the Tampa Bay Rays strengthend their hold on the top wild card spot with a come-from-behind, 10-8 victory that may have dealt a death blow to the Angels' post-season hopes.

Carlos Pena

Down 8-0 after just three innings, the road-tested Rays used six different pitchers after starter Alex Cobb couldn't get out of the third inning, allowing all eight runs on 12 hits, including home runs by Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.

While the bullpen heroes were blanking the Angels over the final 6 1/3 innings, the Rays' regulars were banging out the hits, scoring seven times in the fifth inning, tying the game in the sixth when Ryan Roberts scooted home on a Jose Lobaton sacrifice fly, and winning the game on Carlos Pena's two-run, pinch hit homer in the eighth.

Ryan Roberts

It was Pena's only at-bat of the game, though a most meaningful one, perhaps the biggest hit for Pena and the Rays of the season. Roberts' contribution was significant, scoring twice on a 2-for-4 night. Ben Zobrist keyed the sixth inning rally with his only hit in five at-bats, a bases-loaded double that sent all three runners home.

Ben Zobrist

A true team effort, nine different Rays scored for the Rays. Roberts was the only player to touch home plate twice.

The Rays have won three straight and eight of their last ten to take the wild card lead by a game over the Orioles and 1 1/2 over the A's, both of which were winners on Saturday. Tampa Bay and Baltimore each picked up a game on the East division leading Yankees, who fell to Boston, 4-1. New York leads the Rays by five and the O's by six games.

The Angels and Rays wrap up their series at 3:35 pm EDT on Sunday with the Rays seeking a four-game sweep. The Angels have fallen eight games behind Texas in the West and 4 1/2 behind the Rays in the wild card, wiht the O's, A's and Tigers ahead of them.


National League

Chris Young singled twice, doubled and socked his 13th home run of the season, driving in three runs with a 4-for-5 effort with two runs scored to lead the Diamondbacks to their third straight win, a 12-4 romp over the hosting Astros that included a nine-run fifth inning.

Chris Young

Houston was leading, 3-1, after four innings until Arizona sent nine men to the plate in the fateful fifth that featured three walks an error and was capped by Aaron Hill's three run homer. Hill had walked and scored earlier in the inning.

Arizona remained five games back in the NL West as the Giants and Dodgers both won on Saturday. San Francisco leads LA by a slim 1/2 game.

The West appears to be an all-or-nothing division, especially for Arizona, with three team vying for the title with little hope of the second place team earning the second wild card slot. Atlanta leads the wild card card chase with the Pirates four games back in the second spot. LA is 1/2 game behind Pittsburgh, the Cardinals another 1/2 game behind LA and the Diamondbacks four games behind St. Louis.

Arizona will be seeking a sweep of the Astros Sunday at 2:25 pm EDT. Following Houston's 82nd loss of the season against just 39 wins - easily the worst record in the majors - the Astros fired manager Brad Mills, hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham.

Andy LaRoche on Comeback Trail; Arizona Whips Padres with Chris Young

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 8, 2011

American League

Andy LaRoche

The Oakland A's used the long ball strategy to whip the San Diego Padres Tuesday by a 6-2 final score. Home runs by Andy LaRoche, Michael Taylor and Anthony Becker all went yard.

For LaRoche, picked up from Pittsburgh by the A's in the off-season, it was his third homer of the Spring as he vies for the regular third baseman spot in Oakland.

LaRoche had a down year in 2010, hitting just four homers and driving in 16 runs in 102 games. His batting average was .206 in 247 at-bats, though he hit .258 in 150 games in 2009.

LaRoche may have an uphill battle for the starting job at third. Kevin Kouzmanoff is the regular, and he's coming off a productive season. LaRoche may end up as the DH or even at first base.

National League

Chris Young

Arizona's Chris Young banged out a double and his first home run of the Spring, drove in four runs and scored twice as the Diamondbacks plastered Cleveland's pitching staff for 22 hits in a 16-5 rout.

One could assume that the Indians need to work on their pitching, as they've given up 41 hits over the past two days, surrendering 19 in a 16-16 tie with the White Sox on Monday.

Young, the unheralded soul of the Diamondbacks, hit 27 home runs for Arizona last year, drove in 91 runs and stole 28 bases. Arizona finished far back in the NL West, in last place in 2010.

Young Delivers Gibson's 1st AZ Win; Max Scherzer Tops Mariners

Players of the Day for Friday, July 2, 2010 American League There were some swell pitching performances around the majors Friday, but none better than Max Scherzer's 8 innings in Detroit's 7-1 win over Seattle. After allowing Seattle an early lead on Frankin Gutierrez's solo homer in the top of the 2nd, the Tigers responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame, allowing Scherzer to settle into a rhythm and slice through the Seattle lineup. Scherzer allowed just two hits after the Gutierrez homer, fanning seven and walking two, earning him his fifth victory against six losses. More importantly, the win allowed Detroit to keep pace with the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 winners over Tampa Bay. The Tigers remained a game behind the AL Central leaders. Third place Chicago is just two games out. National League On Thursday, Arizona fired GM Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch. On Friday. new manager Kurt Gibson recorded his his major league win, as the Diamondbacks hitters erupted with a 12-5 win over the Dodgers. One of the first things the new skipper did was put center fielder Chris Young into the leadoff spot, a move that paid immediate dividends as Young singled and scored Arizona's first run of the game in a three-run first inning. The D-Backs put up 3-spots in each of the first three innings, with Young plating two with a double in the 3rd, then stole third and scored his second run of the game. Starter Edwin Jackson allowed four runs over six innings, good enough to earn the victory, and Young made sure of it by blasting a 3-run homer in the 7th inning, his 13th of the season, tying his personal best of five RBI in a game. Young finished 3-for-5, with a homer, five RBI, three runs and a steal. Oddball: There were five games in which one team did not score a run on Friday, but none of the games were traditional complete game shutouts.

Gio Gonzalez Outduels Matt Cain; Chris Young Drives Home 4 for D-Backs

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 22, 2010 American League ESPN's Sportscenter anchors may have been oohing and aahing over Daisuke Matsuzaka's one-hit over 8 innings performance, but why didn't they give the same kind of notice to the 2-hitter over 8 innings thrown by Oakland's Gio González in a 1-0 win over Matt Cain and the visiting San Francisco Giants. Bias? Sure Matsuzaka pitches for the well-loved Red Sox, but where's the love for the boys by the Bay? Gonzalez actually out-pitched Dice-K and had to protect a 1-run lead from the third inning on. While Dice-K did give up just the one hit, he walked four batters and struck out five. Gonzalez allowed 2 hits, just one walk and also struck out five, which he had to do, because Matt Cain only allowed the solitary run. Matsuzaka had the benefit of a 5-0 lead after the 5th inning. Besides, the A's are just three games behind the AL West-leading Rangers, while the Sox are mired in 4th place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games back. Give Gio Gonzalez credit for a truly well-pitched game in a tight situation and a continuation of a very nice season. Thus far, the third-year starter is 5-3 with a 3.46 ERA and a WHIP of 1.19. National League After giving up six solo homers but still winning the game, 8-6, the Arizona Diamondbacks didn't want to see any balls flying out of the stadium unless they were hit by the home team on Saturday. As it turned out, neither team had any homers, but Chris Young did have a couple of run-producing hits which helped propel the D-Backs to an 8-5 win. Young did all the raking he'd need to in the first two innings, as Arizona pummeled Toronto pitching for 4 runs in each of the first two frames. Young doubled in a pair in the first and singled home two more in the second. Done deal. Arizona starter Edwin Jackson kept the Jays in the park, holding them to a solitary run over six innings before being touched up a bit in the 7th. For a team which is largely criticized for being devoid of offense, the Diamondbacks have been putting up some impressive numbers. Young's 4 RBI moved him closer to team-leader Mark Reynolds. Young has 34 on the year, Reynolds, 36. Right behind them is 1st baseman Adam LaRoche with 32. Those figures are good for 3rd, 4th and 8th in the league. The Diamondbacks go for the sweep Sunday afternoon.

Zito, Young Each Toss 6 Shutout Innings; Crawford Single Plates Pair in 9th

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 6, 2010 American League

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Carl Crawford only had one hit in his four at-bats, but it was a 9th inning scratch single that drove home teammates Sean Rodriguez and Kelly Shoppach with the tying and game-winning runs in Tampa Bay's 4-3 home opening win over the Baltimore Orioles. Crawford's timely hit came off Baltimore closer Mike Gonzalez, who entered the game with a run run lead, but left it after getting only one out in the 9th and allowing a pair of Rays to cross the plate. Blown saves are nothing new for Gonzalez, who blew 7 of 17 opportunities last season. On Tuesday night, he opened the 9th by fanning Pat Burrell, but then allowed a single to Rodriguez and a double by Shoppach. After intentionally walking Jason Bartlett, Crawford delivered the decisive blow.

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National League Two pitching performances were so strong that there was no way to separate them; thus, San Francisco's Barry Zito (left) and San Diego's Chris Young (right) share Player of the Day honers in the NL. In the Giants' 3-0 win over Houston, the only Astro batter Barry Zito couldn't retire was second baseman Jeff Keppinger (2 doubles, walk). Other than him, Zito shut down Houston on one hit and no walks over six innings. All told, Zito allowed 3 hits and a walk, while striking out five. Zito is a key to the Giants' success this season, already having moved into the #2 slot after Tim Lincecum got them their first win of the season on Monday. The 2-0 Giants are the only NL West team without a loss.

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In San Diego's 6-3 win over Arizona, starter Chris Young worked a very impressive 6 full innings, allowing just one hit (to Justin Upton in the 4th) and 3 walks with 5 Ks. After an error in the first inning, Young set down 9 in a row before Upton's single, but never let a runner past second base. Young, who was a stud for the Padres from 2005-2007, with a 32-20 record, sustained injuries in each of the past two seasons and returned a combined sub-par record of 11-12. Back at full strength, Young is expected to pick up much of the slack left by the departed Jake Peavy. Thus far, he's off to a fine beginning.

Young's 4-for-4 Boosts D-Backs; Lind Helps Surging Blue Jays

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 18, 2009 American League The Toronto Blue Jays completed a 3-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with an 8-7 win on Rod Barajas' pinch hit solo homer in the 9th, but the guy who got them there was 3rd year player Adam Lind, who is one of the reasons the Jays are in the division hunt. Lind went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a home run, driving in two runs and scoring twice to keep the Blue Jays in the game. The homer was Lind's 14th of the season and his RBI total of 48 leads the team. A .308 hitter, Lind was 6-for-13 in the series with Philly, with two home runs and 3 RBI. The Jays trail the Red Sox by 4 games in the AL East, in third place, just one back of the Yankees. National League Arizona's Chris Young exploded with a 4-for-4 night as the Diamondbacks coasted past the Royals, 12-5. Young stroked a single, two doubles and a triple, scored a run and drove one in and stole his 11th base of the season. Young's totals could have been even more impressive had the batters in the weak Arizona lineup done anything. But Young should not be complaining. The 4 hits boosted his batting average to .206, the first time he's been over .200 since April 29th. The reason nobody's heard much from the Diamondbacks this season is their 29-38 record, which has left them in last place in the NL West, 17 games behind the Dodgers. NOTES: The Washington Nationals humbled the mighty Yankees in their own yard, taking 2 of 3 from the Bombers at Yankee Stadium with a 3-2 win Wednesday and a 3-0 win on Thursday. The Nats are probably unlikely to contend in their division, but they can play spoiler. Those who mentioned that if the Mets miss the playoffs by one game, they can look to the loss induced by Luis Castillo's dropped fly ball last weekend. Since the Yankees were the beneficiaries of that win, one can safely assume that they feel like they've given one or two back with the losses to the Nationals. The Yanks are 3 behind Boston in the AL East. Toronot is 4 back, and Tampa Bay 6 behind. Meanwhile, the Mets didn;t help themselves much as the Phillies were being swpt by the Blue Jays, dropping two of three in Baltimore. The bullpen is still the issue with the Mets, as they gave up a run in the 8th and 2 in the 9th in last night's 5-4 loss to the O's. Francisco Rodriguez blew his second save in his last three tries, allowing the 2 9th inning runs. The Mets still trail Philly by 3 games in the NL East.

Haren is A's Mr. Reliable; Padres' Young Blanks Pirates

American League Cleveland 8 Boston 4 - The Indians avoided the sweep at Boston as Grady Sizemore went 2-5 with a double and home run (9), stole a base (17), scored 3 times and drove in 2, and catcher Kelly Shoppach went 4-5 with a solo homer and 3 runs scored. The Indians extended their lead in the AL Central to 2 1/2 over Detroit. Boston's Kevin Youkilis hit safely in his 22nd straight game. LA Angels 8 Seattle 6 - Vladimir Guerrero socked a 3-run homer - his 11th - singled twice in 5 at-bats and scored twice as the Angels kept Seattle in their place - 2nd in the AL West. The Angels lead the division by 4 1/2 and have the best home record in the majors at 18-7. Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 23 games. Oakland 6 Texas 1 - Call Dan Haren (right) Oakland's Mr. Reliable. Haren allowed just 1 earned run on 4 hits and 3 walks over 8 innings, to help the A's get a 2-1 split over Texas and stay close to the Angels and Mariners in the AL West. The A's are 5 1/2 back, and Haren (6-2) is one of the reasons for their early season success. Haren's won 6 straight, with 3 straight no decisions - in which he allowed just 4 earned runs over 21 innings - during the stretch. Haren's ERA is a microscopic 1.64 and he's carrying a .89 WHIP. Opposing hitters are batting just .180 against him this season. Baltimore 3 Kansas City 0 - Eric Bedard allowed just 4 hits, walked 2 and struck out 5 over 8 innings, improving to 4-3 as the O's got to a game under .500 (26-27) with their 5th straight win. The Orioles have taken over 2nd place in the AL East, but have an uphill climb to catch the Red Sox, who are 10 1/2 clear. Baltimore swept the Royals in their 3-game set at KC, and continue their road trip with a 4-game set at LA and a 3-game series in Seattle over the next 7 days. NY Yankees 10 Toronto 5 - Yankees tied for last place in AL East with Tampa Bay, 13 1/2 behind Red Sox. Tampa Bay 5 Detroit 3 - James Shields got his first decision since May 3rd with a complete game outing as the Devil Rays took 2 of 3 from visiting Detroit.

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Shields may be the best-kept secret in the majors, sporting a 4-0 record from 10 starts, an ERA of 2.81 and a 1.00 WHIP. He's struck out 69 while walking 17 in 83 1/3 innings. Shields is in his second full season in the majors, both with Tampa Bay. Minnesota 7 Chicago White Sox 6 - David Aardsma pitched to just one batter - but it happened to be Torri Hunter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th. Hunter walked and Jason Tyner trotted home with the winning run, completing Minnesota's 3-game sweep of the visiting White Sox. The win pushed the Twins a game ahead of Chicago and 5 1/2 behind Central division-leading Cleveland. Detroit is 2 1/2 back of the Indians. National League Shutout Night in the NL San Diego 9 Pittsburgh 0 - Chris Young (right) stopped the Pirates on 4 hits over 7 innings as the Padres kept pace with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in the NL West with a 9-0 win at Pittsburgh. Young struck out 7 to improve his record to 6-3. Khalil Greene cracked a grand slam homer in the 8th inning, singled and scored another, and Mike Cameron went 3-4, scoring a run and driving in 3. LA Dodgers 5 Washington 0 - You could see this one coming. The Dodgers boast the 3rd best ERA in the league while the Nats are dead last in hitting with a .239 team average. Derek Lowe (5-5) blanked the Nationals for 7 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5, as the Dodgers got another road win, 5-0. LA is 14-11 in away games, and lead the NL West by 1/2 game over the Diamondbacks. Florida 9 Chicago Cubs 0 - Five different Marlins pitchers produced Florida's 9-0 win at Chicago. Starter Sergio Mitre had to leave at the start of the 5th innings with cramps, but he completed 4 innings, gave up 3 hits and struck out 7. Reliever Randy Messenger worked the 5th and 6th for the win. Dan Uggla homered twice, driving in 4 runs to pick up a game in the NL East and tie the Phillies for 3rd place, 8 back of the Mets. San Francisco 3 NY Mets 0 Barry Zito shut out the Mets over 7 innings on 6 hits and a walk while fanning 7 in San Fran's 3-0 win at Shea. Zito leveled his record at 5-5 and Pedro Feliz drove in all of the Giants' runs with a single and triple in 4 at-bats. The Giants ended a 4-game skid with the win. Despite the loss, the Mets remain 4 games clear of Atlanta in the East. Arizona 4 Philadelphia 3 - Randy Johnson allowed just one hit - a single to Pat Burrell in the 2nd - and set down the last 9 batters he faced in order, blanking the Phillies over 6 full innings as Arizona won their 7th straight, sweeping Philly in the process. The loss dropped the Phils back below .500 at 26-27. St. Louis 8 Colorado 4 - The Cardinals finally got their bats working and ended the Rockies' 7-game winning streak in Colorado. Albert Pujols smacked a 3-run homer - his 9th. Jim Edmonds chipped in with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, including a solo homer (5). Cincinnati 4 Houston 3 - Houston has lost 10 straight but are still a game ahead of the Reds. Atlanta 9 Milwaukee 3 - E. Renteria, 4-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs. Milwaukee leads Pittsburgh by 5 1/2 in the Central despite recent 4-13 record.