Big Game James Shields Stops Tigers, KC Re-Takes 1st in AL Central; Dan Haren, Carl Crawford Lead Dodgers over Padres

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 10, 2014

American League

James Shields

Game three of the showdown series between Kansas City and Detroit was going to be decisive, as the Tigers had taken the first two games on their home field and tied the Royals for the lead in the AL Central.

Detroit trotted out another of their ace hurlers, Rick Porcello, the 15-game winner that had been so effective during the first half of the season, while the Royals sent "Big Game" James Shields to the mound.

At the end of seven innings, it was obvious why Shields had earned his moniker. That's when Shields took a seat on the bench, after throwing seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits, walking one and fanning nine en route to a 3-0 Royals win and first place in the division.

Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis pitched hitless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, leaving the Detroit hitters wondering whether their bats had holes in them.

Though the Tigers are a game behind KC in the division, they still qualify currently as the #2 wild card, 1 1/2 games behind the A's in the top spot and just 1/2 game better than Seattle. Working against the Tigers is the schedule. They have just 16 games remaining, while the A's and Mariners each have 17 left. Kansas City still has 18 to play and has a two-game bulge in the loss column.

National League

Dan Haren

Carl Crawford

Not about to be caught by the San Francisco Giants, the LA Dodgers took the rubber game of their series with the Padres by a 4-0 score, thanks to seven shutout innings from Dan Haren and a 4-for-4 performance by Carl Crawford.

Haren improved to 13-10 on the season, notching his fifth win in his last seven starts. He allowed just fur hits, walked one and fanned five.

Crawford was perfect at the plate, stroking three doubles and a single, driving in a pair of runs and scoring one.

The result, coupled with the Giants' 5-0 win over Arizona left the two teams fighting for first place in the NL West, the Dodgers holding a 2 1/2 game advantage as the teams head to AT&T Park in San Francisco for a three-game weekend showdown. In the penultimate series for both teams, the Giants will travel to Los Angels for a three-game series on September 22, 23 and 24.

Currently holding firmly to the top wild card spot, the Giants have a four-game lead over #2 wild card, Pittsburgh, with Atlanta and Milwaukee both another 1 1/2 back.

Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie Lead A's 18-3 Win over Twins; Dan Haren Blanks Mets over Six in 3-0 Nationals' Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 11, 2013

American League

Brandon Moss

Getting some help from the Pittsburgh Pirates - who took three straight from the Rangers - the Oakland A's have opened a three-game lead in the AL West, celebrating by setting season-high marks in hits and runs by whipping the Twins by an 18-3 score.

Jed Lowrie

The A's banged out 22 hits as the Twins valiantly sent six pitchers to the mound. Starter Mike Pelfrey was pounded for seven runs on eight hits.

Brandon Moss went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, drove in two runs and scored three times. Shortstop Jed Lowrie was 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season - a two-run job - drove in four runs and scored twice.

The win tied the series at a game apiece with the rubber match set for Thursday afternoon at 1:10 pm EDT in Minnesota.

Having won seven of their last ten while the Rangers went 2-8 has opened things up in the AL West, but the A's still have 17 games on the schedule before they can claim the unlikely (at the start of the season) prize of AL West champs.

National League

Dan Haren

For Dan Haren (9-13, 5.02) and the Washington Nationals, it hasn't been the best of seasons, but Haren put forth one of his best efforts of the year as the Nationals took their third straight from the Mets, shutting them out, 3-0.

Haren threw for six full innings, allowing just one hit - a fourth-inning leadoff single by Juan Lagares - one walk, fanning eight. He threw just 86 pitches before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with a 1-0 lead.

The Nats scored a pair in the eighth to insure the lead. Manager Davey Johnson used three relievers before bringing in close Rafael Soriano, who allowed a hit in the ninth inning but kept the Mets off the board for his 41nd save, second in the NL, behind Atlanta's Criag Kimbrel.

The Nationals will look to make it four straight over their hosts when the two teams meet at Citi Field, 1:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Only one time has a player hit at least 50 home runs and 50 doubles in a single season. Who was it?

Yesterday's Answer: Mike Schmidt led the NL in home runs a record eight times. Barry Bonds only led the league in homers twice.

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.

Melky Cabrera Leads Giants to 14-7 Win at Miami; Albert Pujols, Dan Haren Star in 3-0 LA Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 24, 2012

American League

If the LA Angels are going to get hot and back into the race in the AL West, this weekend would be a great opportunity to do so.

Albert Pujols

Dan Haren

The Angels climbed out of last place in the division, taking the first of a four-game series at Seattle with a 3-0 win, highlighted by Dan Haren's four-hit complete game shutout and a 3-for-4 performance by slugger Albert Pujols, who socked his fifth home run of the season to stake Haren to a 2-0, first inning lead and later, singled, stole second and scored on Kendry Morales' single to left field in the sixth.

While Pujols was supplying the bulk of the offense, Haren needed little cushion to pick up his second win against five losses, striking out 14 Mariners without issuing a walk. After a first inning leadoff single, Haren didn't allow another hit until the sixth inning, setting down 15 in a row. He also finished strong, fanning the first two batters in the ninth, before getting the final out on a routine grounder to second.

LA moved 1/2 game ahead of the Mariners and are incredibly only 6 1/2 games behind Texas and 1 1/2 behind second place Oakland in the division. After an 8-15 start to the season, the Angels are 13-10 in May and have won three straight.


National League

Melky Cabrera

The Giants have a solid grip on second place in the NL West after they opened a four game series in Miami with a 14-7 victory over the Marlins. While they are still 6 1/2 games behind division-leading Los Angeles, they are four games clear of Arizona, with Colorado and San Diego well back.

Melky Cabrera spearheaded the 15-hit Giant assault, scoring three times with a single and two doubles in four at-bats, driving in four runs.

Cabrera has been a bright spot in the usually moribund Giants' lineup, leading the majors with 67 hits while carrying a .362 batting average, third best in the NL. Derek Jeter of the Yankees leads the AL with 64 hits.

After batting .305 with the Royals in 2011, Cabrera joined the Giants for the 2012 campaign.

Ryan Raburn, Tigers Tearing Up Grapefruit League; Dan Haren Fans Seven in Angels Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Grapefruit League

Raburn: HR, 3 RBI

Detroit's Ryan Raburn went 2-for-5 on Tuesday in Detroit's 6-3 win over Washington and actually lowered his batting average. The left fielder socked a two-run homer in the first inning off Nationals' starter Edwin Jackson and later added an RBI single, giving him four home runs and 14 RBI with a .467 batting average.

In six games this Spring, Rayburn has had seven hits in 15 at-bats. Besides the four wall-jumpers, he's had a single, double and a triple, making him the most productive Tiger on a team filled with big bats like Miguel Cabrera and the of-season acquisition, Prince Fielder.

Raburn normally comes to Spring training in good shape. In 2011 he hit .316 and posted a .370 average in 2010's exhibition season.

The Tigers are 7-1 in Florida's Grapefruit League - an .875 winning percentage. They trail the 9-2 Blue Jays in the standings by 1/2 game.

Cactus League

Haren: 3 IP, 7 Ks

Dan Haren wasn't fooling around on the mound in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Arizona. The Angel ace also wasn't hiding any of his good stuff from Diamondback batters, as he worked three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out seven without issing a walk.

Taking the win - his second of the Spring without a loss - Haren has worked five innings, allowed just one hit and one walk while fanning 10.

Having previously toiled for the Cardinals, A's and Diamondbacks, Haren is coming off his first complete season with the Angels, having posted a 16-10 record with a 3.17 ERA and 192 Ks in 2011.

Coupled with Jered Weaver, the Angels have a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. If Albert Pujols - acquired via free agency from the Cardinals in the off-season - can revitalize the Angels' offensive attack, LA should provide a strong challenge to Texas in the AL West.

Dan Haren Blanks Yankees, 6-0; Anibel Sanchez Tosses One-Hitter; Wild Card Races Tighten

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 10, 2011

American League

The Angels are putting on quite a show in the AL West, clinging to post-season hopes based on catching the Rangers in the division or the Red Sox in the wild card race. With Saturday's 6-0 win over the Yankees, September is working out quite well for them.

Haren: 4-Hit Shutout

Dan Haren turned in another clutch pitching performance, improving his record to 15-8, with a complete game, 6-0, win over the AL East-leading Yankees, denying C.C. Sabathia of his 20th win and getting the Angels one game closer to their desired outcome.

Needing 113 pitches to complete the game, Haren threw 78 strikes, gave up just four hits while fanning seven. He did not walk a batter and at one point retired 18 in a row. Haren got into a little trouble in the 8th, when the Yankees collected a pair of singles with one out, but that threat was quickly quelled wen Edgardo Nunez grounded into an inning-ending double play. It was Haren's fourth complete game and third shutout of the season.

In connection with the Rangers dropping an 8-7 decision to the A's and Boston losing, 6-5, to Tampa Bay in 11 innings, the Angels inched to within 1 1/2 games of the Rangers and are five games behind the Red Sox in the wild card chase. Tampa Bay closed to within 4 1/2 of the Red Sox and are seven back of the Yankees in the AL East.

In the Central, Alex Rios clubbed a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning for a 7-3 win over Cleveland, securing the White Sox hold on second place. Unfortunately for both the White Sox and Indians, the Tigers won again, topping Minnesota, 3-2, and have a 9 1/2 game edge over Chicago and lead Cleveland by 11 games. The magic number for the Tigers is nine.

National League

Neil Walker stroked a one-out single in the second inning, but that turned out to be the only hit the Pirates could get off Anibal Sanchez, as the Florida hurler tossed his second one-hitter of the season, beating the Pirates, 3-0, Saturday.

Sanchez: 1-Hitter

While both the Marlins and Pirates have no post-season aspirations, Sanchez, who won for just the second time in his last 16 starts, the win was important in terms of looking ahead to next year. Sanchez allowed the lone hit, walked three and struck out 11, tying his personal best for Ks in a game. He was around the plate all game long, throwing 86 of 119 pitches for strikes.

Meanwhile, the pennant races were taking some odd turns. The Phillies took their third straight from the Brewers, who have lost their last five games, with a 3-2, 10 inning victory in Milwaukee. The win, coupled with St. Louis' 4-3 win over the Braves, shrunk Milwaukee's Central division lead to just six games, while the Phillies' magic number for clinching the AL East dropped to just seven.

The Cardinals are closing fast, not only on the Brewers, but on Atlanta in the wild card race. With their second straight win over Atlanta, the Cards are just 4 1/2 games back.

In the West, Arizona won its 15th straight home game, getting back-to-back home runs from Chirs Young and Lyle Overbay to send the game into extra innings, beating the Padres, 6-5, in 10 innings. With the Giants losing, 3-0, to the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks have a commanding 9 1/2 game lead in the the division, with just 16 left to play.

Haren, Trumbo Lead Angels Past Twins; Cliff Lee Tosses 5th Shutout of Season

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 4, 2011

American League

Mark Trumbo

Dan Haren

Continuing their relentless pursuit, the LA Angles took the rubber game of their series with Minnesota by a 7-1 score.

Dan Haren went eight innings, allowing five hits andjust one run - Jim Thome's 598th career home run - and Mark Trumbo singled, scored and homered, driving in four runs to keep the Angels one game behind Texas in the AL West.

The win was Haren's 12th, against six losses. He fanned six Twins and did not allow a walk. Trumbo's homer - a three-run shot that put the Angels up 5-0 - was his 21st of the season.

National League

Cliff Lee

The pennant race in the NL East might as well be over. Nobody's catching the Phillies.

Proving that they have the best pitching staff in the majors, again, Cliff Lee worked his mound magic to record his fifth shutout of the season, a 7-hit gem in a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Lee (11-7) didn't allow a walk and struck out eight en route to improving his record to 11-7. Amazingly, almost half of his wins came via shutouts.

The Phillies lead the NL East division by 8 1/2 games over the Braves. It is the largest lead in any of baseball's six divisions and the Phillies sport the best record in baseball, at 72-39.

Haren Outduels Verlander; Granderson Knocks a Pair; Howard Leads Phils; Jeter Two Hits Closer

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 5, 2011

American League

Well, Justin Verlander is human after all, as proven by Dan Haren and the LA Angels Tuesday night.

Haren: 2-Hitter

Haren (8-5) shut out the Tigers on two hits, and the Angels pushed across a run in the 2nd inning that held up for the 1-0 win. It was the first loss for Verlander after winning seven consecutive starting assignments dating back to mid-May.

Throwing 87 of 122 pitches for strikes, Haren issued no walks and struck out nine Tigers. The Angels have won four straight and remain tied with Texas atop the AL West with Seattle lurking, just 2 1/2 games back. The win was Haren's second complete game shutout of the year.

Granderson: 25 HR

In Cleveland, the Yankees pounded out 17 hits for a 9-2 win over the Indians. Curtis Granderson went 3-for-6, with two homers - his 24th and 25th - three RBI and three runs. Granderson's two-run shot in the 2nd inning and solo blast in the 4th put the Yankees up 6-0, as C.C. Sabathia improved to 12-4, throwing seven innings of shutout ball and striking out 11.

The Yankees maintained their 1 1/2 game lead over Boston in the AL East, while the Indians held onto the same edge over the Tigers in the Central.

National League

Howard: 71 RBI

It may not seem fair that the Phillies play a three-game series with the Florida Marlins, but the schedule dictates they play the games, no matter the expected outcome.

Tuesday's 14-2 Phillies' romp surprised nobody, as the Phillies kept their NL East lead over the Braves at four games and the Marlins sunk further into the depths of the division.

Ryan Howard went 4-for-5, including his 18th home run of the season, a two-run job in the 4th. Howard also singled twice and doubled, drove in four runs and scored three times.

Jeter: 2996 Hits

With 71 RBI, Howard tied Prince Fielder of the Brewers for the lead in the National League. LA's Matt Kemp is third, with 64.

JETER 3000 WATCH: Derek Jeter took two steps closer to the magic 3000-hit mark, going 2-for-6 in the Yankees' win at Cleveland. That puts him just four hits away with one more game to complete the series in Cleveland. Manager Joe Girardi has suggested that he might sit the Yankee captain for Wednesday's game, as Jeter is just off the DL and has played four straight games - two of them with Trenton on a rehab assignment - and Girardi wants to keep Jeter healthy.

Jeter said he wants to play Wednesday, as the team prepares to head back to Yankee Stadium for a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dan Haren Wins Duel with Nats' Zimmermann; Angel Pagan Leads Mets in 16-9 Triumph

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 29, 2011

American League

Dan Haren

Yes, there is a pennant race in the AL West and the Angels are right in the thick of it, especially after winning their third straight over the Washington Nationals in a 1-0 nail-biter.

Dan Haren outdueled the most luckless starter in the majors, Jordan Zimmermann, who pitches eight innings without giving up an earned run. The game's only run was scored by LA in the 4th inning, ironically set up by a wild throw by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmermann, the pitcher, is 5-7 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

As for Haren, his 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball were enough to produce his 8th win against 5 loess. Haren allowed just two hits, walking one batter while striking out six.

The Angels trail Texas by 1 1/2 games.

National League

There were so many stars in the Mets' 16-9 thumping of Detroit, it was hard to single out one player, but Angel Pagan fit the bill.

Angel Pagan

The Mets hammered out 20 hits, four of them credited to Pagan, who had two singles and two doubles in six at-bats, drove in four runs, stole a base and scored three times.

Pagan has been instrumental the recent Mets' power surge, which has resulted in a team record 52 runs over their last four games, all wins. Oddly enough, there were four homers in the game, all hit by Detroit players.

While the Mets have climbed back over .500 (41-39), they still are playing in one of the toughest divisions in the majors, the NL East, where they trail the Phillies by 9 1/2 games, with Atlanta in second place, 4 1/2 out.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: With each league winning seven games on Wednesday, the overall tally after 202 games is all even at 101 wins apiece.

Unhittable Haren Stymies Tribe; Bourn, Pence Lead Astros Past Cubs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 11, 2011

American League

Dan Haren

When the LA Angels plucked Dan Haren from the Diamondbacks prior to the trade deadline last season, he was supposed to help them catch the Rangers and win the AL West division. The plan didn't quite work out, though it was hardly Haren's fault, as he went 5-4 in 14 starts for the Halos.

Finding themselves in a similar situation to begin the 2011 campaign - chasing the Rangers - Haren is doing everything in his power to keep LA close to the top. On Tuesday, he won his third straight without a loss, tossing a one-hitter at the Cleveland Indians en route to a 2-0 win.

It was Haren's 12th complete game and third shutout of his 9-year major league career, and it was a doozy, the only hit coming in the 4th inning when Shin-Soo Choo lifted a single to center field. After that, Haren set down 17 of the next 18 batters he faced, allowing only a 7th inning walk to Carlos Santana and finishing up by retiring the last eight batters he faced.

Haren walked two and struck out eight, giving him 21 on the year, good for third in the AL, behind teammate Jared Weaver (27) and Edwin Jackson (24) of the White Sox. Incidentally, Haren and Weaver have accounted for all six of the Angel wins.

The numbers for Haren are off-the-charts. In 24 2/3 innings, he's allowed 11 hits and just 2 earned runs, for an ERA of 0.73 and a 0.53 WHIP. Opposing batters are hitting .131 against him.

The Angles trail Texas by three games in the division.

National League

Hunter Pence

Michael Bourn

Michael Bourn went 2-for-5, stole two bases and scored four runs and Hunter Pence went 3-for-5 with four RBI to pace the Astros in just their third win of the season, an 11-2 scorching of the Chicago Cubs.

That the Astros are already five games back in the NL Central is hardly surprising. Beyond leadoff hitter Bourne and #3 man, Pence, Houston doesn't offer much in the way of punch on offense. Bourn leads the team in runs and steals, while Pence is Houston's RBI king, with 9. The Astros have the distinction of being last in the majors in home runs, with only one to their credit.

Making matters worse, their best starting pitcher appears to be Brett Myers, who earned the his first win of the season with seven innings of 1-run ball. The Astros could very well supplant the Pirates as this season's NL Central cellar dweller.

Sabathia Keeps Yankees Close to Red Sox;

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 18, 2009 American League When the Yankees acquired C.C. Sabathia in the off-season, the front office brass was probably envisioning just this kind of scenario, with the Red Sox up in the standings and the Yankees needing a win from their stud starter. On Saturday, Sabathia outdueled Detroit's ace, Justin Verlander, over 7 innings, leaving the game after Alex Rodriguez homered and Melky Cabrera singled home another run to give New York a 2-0 lead. The burly lefty allowed five hits and three walks, but kept the Tigers off the scoreboard, improving his record to 9-6 and getting the Yankees to within 2 games of Boston, losers at Toronto, with a 2-1 win. Sabathia has had an up-and-down season, but still has enough in the tank to deliver the goods in big games. Though not the overpowering pitcher from last season, when he tossed 10 complete games and five shutouts, he may be hitting midseason form at the right time, though it's doubtful that Yankee manager Joe Girardi will allow his ace to be overworked. Sabathia does have 2 complete games and one shutout this season, and after throwing 116 pitches on Saturday, everyone in the AL is aware of his amazing stamina. National League Stationed near the bottom of the NL West, 18 games out, there haven't been many highlights for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, but starter Dan Haren has quietly put together an excellent first half and continued into the second half with a superb outing in Arizona's 4-2 win over St. Louis. Haren shut down the Central division-leading Cardinals on 4 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run over 8 innings, improving his record to 10-5. Considering the Diamondbacks' record (39-52), Haren's stats are mind-boggling: 1.96 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 137 Ks in 138 innings. With a lot of people viewing San Francisco's Tim Lincecum as odds-on to win the Cy Young Award, Haren is putting up numbers the voters will have to strongly consider. The win didn't do much for the D-Backs, who are hopelessly out of any race, but the Cardinals' loss tightened up the NL Central race. St. Louis leads the Cubs and Brewers - both winners on Saturday - by just 2 games, with Houston 3 back.

Haren's Solid Seven Leads D-Backs; Bannister Keeps Royals Tied for 1st

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 22, 2009 American League Kansas City's Brian Bannister made his first start of the season a good one, blanking the Cleveland Indians for 6 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks for a 2-0 Royals win. The 6'2" righty out of USC is in his 4th season in the majors and the Royals are looking forward to many more outings like Wednesday night's. Bannister's excellent six inning stint and 3 innings of 1-hit relief behind him helped the Royals stay tied with the White Sox and Tigers atop the AL Central at 8-6. National League Dan Haren earned his first win of the season with a solid seven innings of shutout ball against the visiting Colorado Rockies. The Arizona ace allowed 6 hits and a pair of walks while tying his season-high 9 whiffs. Relievers Tony Pena and Chad Qualls worked the eighth and ninth innings, Qualls picking up his 4th save of the season, as the Diamondbacks slipped past the Rockies by a 2-0 score. Haren has been espeically prone to tough luck and a lack of support, taking losses in his first three outings, even though allowing just 4 earned runs over 19 innings. The starts for Haren prior to Wednesday produced losses of 3-0, 2-1 and 2-0. Dan Haren has the oddest stats of any starter in either league: an ERA of 1.38, WHIP at 0.88 and a 1-3 record.

Haren's Revenge; Drew Steps Up Game

Players of the Day from Wednesday, June 18, 2008 American League The Red Sox earned a 2-1 split in their series with Philadelphia as J. D. Drew went 4-for-5 in Boston's 7-4 win Wednesday. Drew got things started early for the Sox with a three-run homer in the opening frame - his 13th - and followed up with three singles, completing a 4-RBI night. With both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz out of the lineup, Drew and 3rd baseman Mike Lowell have moved into the 3 and 4 spots in the lineup. While Ortiz is on the 15-day DL, Ramirez took the day off to rest a troublesome hamstring, and should be back in the lineup on Friday. Notes: While the Red Sox nurse their various injuries and their two-game lead over Tampa in the division, the Yankees won their 6th straight (8-5 over San Diego) on Wednesday, and are just 5 1/2 back. In the Central, Detroit has won 8 of their last 9 and are in third place, 6 1/2 behind the White Sox and 2 back of the Twins. The Tigers are still 4 games under .500 (34-38), but after going 17-28 through May 18, they're 17-10 since. National League After seeing ace Brandon Webb demolished by the A's in Tuesday's 15-1 romp, Dan Haren literally took matters into his own hands and single-handedly defeated the A's 11-1, Wednesday night. Haren allowed just 4 hits and one earned run over 7 innings, striking out 8 in the process, but also delivered a key blow with a bases-loaded double in the third inning, which put the D-Backs ahead 8-0. Haren threw 112 pitches as he improved to 7-4 and dropped his ERA to a very respectable 3.26. Notes: It looks like Milwaukee may be about to get serious about the race in the NL Central. With their third straight win - 5-4 over Toronto - on Wednesday, the Brewers have gained to within 6 1/2 of the Cubs and are just 3 behind the Cardinals. Both teams have lost their last two games.

Ramirez Homers Again; Haren Does Homework

Players of the Day from Sunday, June 1, 2008 American League While he may never show it, pressure is probably an issue, even for such a cool customer as Manny Ramirez. With all the pressure off after hitting his 500th home run on Saturday, Manny was more comfortable at the plate on Sunday, leading the Red Sox to a 9-4 victory at Baltimore. Ramirez singled, doubled and homered in five at-bats, driving in three and scoring twice. Notes: Manny has gotten into a groove of late, making him at least part of the HR and RBI leaders' conversation. His 38 RBI place him 5th in the AL, and his 11 homers are good for a three-way tie for 4th in that category. The Rangers' Josh Hamilton leads both categories with 15 homers and 63 RBI. National League If the Diamondbacks reach the playoffs this season, they'll want to make sure that Dan Haren gets his starts at home. Haren (6-4) has not won on the road this season, but pitched another gem on Sunday, blanking the Nationals over 7 innings for a 5-0 Arizona win. All but one of his losses came on the road. Allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks, Haren threw 105 pitches, striking out five before turning the ball over to Chad Qualls in the 8th and Tony Pena for the 9th, both of whom allowed neither a hit nor a walk.

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Arizona has led the NL West nearly from opening day. Currently, they are 4 1/2 to the good over the Dodgers with the Giants, Padres and Giants far back. Notes: Micah Owings, a healthy Randy Johnson and Doug Davis, Haren and Brandon Webb comprise the best starting five in the majors and are beginning to look like the team to beat in the fall. Those five have accounted for 28 of Arizona's 32 wins. The Diamondbacks have also dominated their division, with a 20-8 record thus far.

D-Backs Blank Padres behind Haren, Jackson; Crosby Leads A's Hit Parade

Players of the Day for Friday, April 18, 2008 American League Oakland's Bobby Crosby broke out the hardwood in the A's 13-2 trouncing of Kansas City with a two-run double in the 6th inning which gave Oakland the lead and a 3-run homer in the 8th which finished the scoring blitz. Crosby also singled, scored three times and tallied five RBI. Notes: Where were they hiding him? Cleveland's Cliff Lee improved to 3-0 with a 2-hit shutout over 8 innings at Minnesota last night as the Indians won 4-0. Lee, who's actually been with Cleveland since 2002, has a career record of 57-36 from 128 starts. He's off to a great start in 2008 with these numbers: 22.2 innings, 8 hits, 1 earned run, 20 Ks, 2 BB, 0.40 ERA, 0.44 WHIP. National League Improving to 3-0, Dan Haren (left) shut down San Diego on 3 hits over seven innings, while Conor Jackson (right) singled, tripled twice and homered, drove in four runs and scored three times in five at-bats as the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Padres, 9-0, improving their record against NL West teams to 11-2, while maintaining a 4-game lead over Colorado. Notes: Elsewhere, Chipper Jones continued his hot streak, knocking two more homers and picking up 4 RBI in Atlanta's 6-1 win over the Dodgers. Jones has 7 hits in his last nine at-bats, including 4 homers over his last two games. He is leading the majors with a .455 batting average.

Rocket Returns; Lieber Blanks Royals; Haren Wins 7th Straight

Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. American League NY Yankees 9 Pittsburgh 3 - The Yankees welcomed the return of Roger Clemens and won their 5th straight. The Rocket wasn't exactly dominant, but he was good enough to win, lasting 6 innings while giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and 3 earned runs. Clemens threw 108 pitches and stuck out 6. The Yankees didn't pick up any ground on the Red Sox, but did take over sole possession of 2nd place, 10 1/2 back, as the Orioles lost. Philadelphia 4 Kansas City 0 - Jon Lieber twirled a complete-game 3-hitter and stuck out 11 Royals as the Phillies continued to close in on the Braves and Mets in the AL East. Lieber (right) won for only the 3rd time against 4 losses, but has pitched well enough to win a number of times this season. Note to fantasy players, Lieber is 129-119 with a 3-1 strikeout-walk ratio lifetime. The Phillies are 5 behind New York and trail Atlanta by just 1 1/2. Washington 3 Minnesota 1 - Washington probably isn't going anywhere this season, but Minnesota has definitely gone south in June. The Twins lost for the 6th time in their last 7 games, scoring just 11 runs in the losses. Starter Johan Santana took another tough loss, surrendering just 2 earned runs over 7 innings. Other AL Scores Houston 3 Chicago White Sox 2 - Sox' 5th straight loss Colorado 3 Baltimore 2, 10 innings Detroit 8 NY Mets 7 - J. Bonderman (W, 6-0); C. Guillen, HR (8), 3 RBI Texas 4 Milwaukee 3 - Rangers score 4 in bottom of 9th National League Oakland 6 San Francisco 0 - Oakland hammered former teammate Barry Zito for the second time this season and Dan Haren (right) won his 7th straight decision with a masterful performance, shutting out the Giants on 5 hits over 7 innings. Zito (6-6) lasted only 4 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 9 hits. In a previous meeting between the two Bay Area teams (May 18), Zito gave up 7 earned runs on 6 hits and 7 walks and was also lifted after 4 innings. Haren (7-2) struck out 6 without walking a batter, lowering his ERA to a major league-best 1.58 and his WHIP to 0.86. The A's kept pace with Seattle and the first place LA Angels in the AL West. The Mariners trail LA by 5 1/2 games. Oakland is 6 back. Cleveland 8 Cincinnati 6, Final 11 innings - Grady Sizemore singled, doubled, homered and scored 3 times, including the final run of the game, as the Indians rallied past the Reds. The Indians are being dogged by the Detroit Tigers, who also won on Saturday and remain 2 1/2 back.

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The top two teams in the AL Central are separating themselves from the remainder of the division as Minnesota (-8), Chicago (-10) and Kansas City (-15 1/2) all lost. Atlanta 9 Chicago Cubs 5 - Edgar Renteria slugged a 2-run homer (9) in the 4th inning and added a single and double in 5 at-bats, driving in 4 and scoring twice as the Braves got one back from the visiting Cubs. Chicago won the first two games of the series, which concludes this afternoon in Atlanta. The Braves remain 3 12 behind the Mets in the East. Chicago is 5 back of Milwaukee in the Central. LA Angels 9 St. Louis 3 - The Angels are 12-3 over their last 15 games and 5-0 in interleague play this season, having previously swept the Dodgers back in May. With two straight at St. Louis, the Angels can complete the sweep Sunday afternoon. Toronto 1 LA Dodgers 0 - Derek Lowe pitched all 9 innings and only allowed 4 hits, but one of them was a 6th-inning Matt Stairs solo homer. Shaun Marcum (3-2) and a pair of relievers blanked the Dodgers and evened the series - which concludes today - at a game apiece. Other NL Scores Tampa Bay 7 Florida 2 - J. Shields (W, 6-0), 9 Ks Boston 4 Arizona 3, 10 innings - D. Ortiz scores on M. Lowell sac fly in 10th Seattle 6 San Diego 5 - Padres lead D-Backs and Dodgers by 1, 1 1/2 in NL West Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4

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.