Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox Pound Yanks, 19-3; Daniel Murphy Leads Rockies in Comeback Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 25, 2019

Bogaerts: 4-6, 2HR, 4RBI

American League

Entering their four game series at Boston, the New York Yankees held a 10-game lead over Tampa in the division and an 11-game bulge over the Red Sox.

That would be hard to believe after the events of the first game, in which the Red Sox hammered starter Masahiro Tanaka for seven runs in the first inning, en route to a 19-3 demolition of the first place Bombers.

The Red Sox amassed 23 hits off four Yankee hurlers, 13 of them for extra bases. Xander Bogaerts was one of the leaders of the assault, going 4-for-6 with four RBI and four runs. Bogaerts' first-inning, three-run homer set the tone, and Boston hitters just kept piling on the division leaders with impunity.

Bogaerts added a pair of singles and an eighth-inning solo homer. While the Red Sox are just 8-6 since the all-star game, their relatively tame performance cannot be tied to Bogarts and his hot bat. He's batting .419 with six home runs and 17 RBI over his last 15 games.

Friday's game two is scheduled for a 7:10 pm start at Fenway Park.

Murphy: 3-5, HR, 2 RBI

National League

Daniel Murphy is heating up, and that should be good news for the Colorado Rockies.

One of the best hitters in the majors, Murphy's been boosting his batting average, upping it to .287 with a 3-for-5 effort in Colorado's 8-7 comeback win at Washington.

The Nationals held a 7-5 lead entering the eighth inning, but Murphy cut the lead in half with his third hit of the game, a solo homer into the right field seats.

After Ian Desmond tied the game in the ninth with a solo shot of his own, Murphy knocked in the game-winner on a fielder's choice ground out, getting Charlie Blackmon home from third.

Murphy drove in two runs and scored three times. Over his past 15 games, Murphy has been on fire, batting .327 with three homers.

Colorado's victory left them mired in last place in the NL West. They are 6 1/2 games away from the wild card spot.

The Rockies open a three-game series in Cincinnati, Friday at 6:40 pm.

Nationals Swamp Mets, 25-4, Daniel Murphy Drives in 6; A's Stay Hot Behind Kris Davis

Players of the Day for Monday, July 31, 2018

American League

Davis: On a home run spree

Oakland keeps grinding along in the AL West, and they are beginning to look like a significant threat to the first place Houston Astros.

The A's won their second straight at home against the Blue Jays with a 6-2 victory on Tuesday.

Khris Davis socked his 29th home run of the season and drove in a pair of runs, going 3-for-5. Quietly heating up the leader boards, Davis is fourth in AL home runs and second in RBI with 84, trailing only Boston's J.D. Martinez (89).

Davis has been hotter than a pistol of late. Over his last 10 games, he's smacked eight home runs and driven in 20 runs. He batted .323 in July.

The win left the A's in third place in the division, five games off the pace. Seattle is second, trailing the Astros by four.

Oakland will be seeking the sweep over Toronto when they take the field Wednesday, 3:35 pm EDT.

National League

Murphy: 3-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI

The Washington Nationals scored in each of the first five innings and added six runs in the eighth for a 25-4 rout of the visiting New York Mets, the worst defeat in Mets' history.

After a seven-run first inning, the Nats scored three runs in each of the next four, leading by a 16-0 score.

It got worse when the Mets put their seventh pitcher on the mound to work the bottom of the eighth. The pitcher of choice was actually outfielder, Jose Reyes, who, honestly, would stick to being a position player. Reyes allowed five hits, two walks, a pair of homers and six runs before eventually getting the Nationals to make three outs.

The gaudy numbers put up by the Nationals included five doubles, two triples and five home runs. Daniel Murphy drove in six runs with a single and two home runs to lead the 25-hit assault.

Murphy, who only started his 2018 campaign on June 12 due to injury, is batting .287 with four homers and 23 RBI. He hit .347 in July.

Washington's win left the Nationals in third place, 5 1/2 behind Philadelphia in the NL East. Atlanta holds second, 1/2-game back of the Phillies.

Washington has taken the first two games of the series, which concludes Wednesday at 12:05 pm EDT.

David Price Shuts Down Yankees In 3-0 Boston Win; Nationals Win 4th Straight On Daniel Murphy's 2 HR

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 16, 2017

American League

Price: 8 IP, 7 H, 0 ER

After losing the first game of Sunday's double-header 3-0 to the Yankees, the Red Sox turned to David Price as the starting pitcher in the nightcap.

Responding with one of his best efforts of the season, Price blanked the Yanks for eight innings as Boston prevailed, 3-0.

Improving to 5-2, Price, who spent the start of the season on the disabled list and didn't get his first start until May 29, seemed to have found his best form against Boston's most consistent rival. Though he gave up seven hits, Price didn't walk anyone and struck out eight, throwing 75 of 107 pitches for strikes.

The Yankees didn't really connect well. Of their seven hits off Price, six were singles and no runner advanced past second base. Craig Kimbrel came on for his 24th save in the ninth.

The result of the series split, 2-2, left the Yankees and Red Sox where they started prior to the all-star break, with Boston holding a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL East, though Tampa Bay managed to slip past the Yankees into second place, three games behind the Red Sox.

Boston remains home to host Toronto for four games, starting Monday, while the Yankees continue their road trip, landing in Minnesota for a three-game series which also begins Monday.

National League

The Nationals took their third straight in Cincinnati and fourth straight overall, topping the Reds, 14-4, Sunday afternoon.

Murphy's .348 Leads NL

Getting to Cincy starter, Homer Bailey, early was the league's leading hitter, Daniel Murphy, who launched a two-run homer in the opening inning to get the Nationals on the board.

Washington built a 4-0 lead, but the Reds came back with a pair in the third, until Murphy again homered, this time with two aboard, for a 7-2 lead in the fifth. Adam Lind added a two-run homer in the same inning. In the seventh, Anthony Rendon parked a solo shot and Jose Lobaton landed a two-run homer.

Murphy went 3-for-5 on the day with five RBI, upping his average to .348. He leads San Francisco's Buster Posey, at .328.

Washington's win kept them 9 1/2 ahead of Atlanta in the NL East, as the Braves topped Arizona, 7-1, for their third straight victory.

The Nationals will be looking to sweep the Reds when the teams take the field Monday at Great American Ball Park. Game time is 12:35 pm ET.

John Hicks Powers Tigers Into 1st Place Tie; Nationals Sweep Mets On Daniel Murphy's Slam

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 23, 2017

American League

Looking once again like a legitimate contender in the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers took the final game of their series at Minnesota with a very efficient 13-4 victory, banging out the same number of hits as runs produced.

Hicks: 3-5, HR 5RBI

Playing in just his second game this season, rookie John Hicks drove in five runs, going 3-for-5 with two singles and a three-run homer that capped the scoring for Detroit.

In his limited major league experience, Hicks has played only 20 games in three separate seasons, likely owing to the fact that he's a first baseman, playing behind the likes of Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera.

The win gave the series to the Tigers, two games to one, and moved them into a tie for first place with the Indians, both teams at 10-8. Detroit opens a ten-game home stand on Tuesday, when they host the Seattle Mariners in the first of three games.

National League

Murphy: Slammin'

Daniel Murphy's first inning grand slam was just enough for Max Scherzer (3-1), who allowed three earned runs over eight innings as the Washington Nationals completed the three game sweep of the Mets at New York's Citi Field with a 6-3 win.

Murphy teed off on Mets' starter Zak Wheeler, who had loaded the bases in the opening frame, getting only one out before Murphy arrived at the plate. Having traded Murphy to the Nationals following the 2015 season, the Mets' brass have to live down the bonehead move as Murphy blossomed into a textbook high-average hitter, batting .347 for the Nationals in 2016, second best in the National League.

The sweep help expand the Nationals' lead in the NL East to three games over Miami while sending the Mets to an 8-10 record, 5 1/2 games back. Washington has the best record in the majors, at 13-5. They travel to Colorado Monday to open a three-game series with the red-hot Rockies (13-6), who completed a sweep of their own over the weekend, taking three straight from the Giants. The Rockies hold a 1 1/2 game lead over Arizona in the topsy-turvy NL West.

Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy Lead Mets to Sweep of Cubs, Head to World Series; Blue Jays Stay Alive as Marco Estrada Stops Royals

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Estrada saves Blue Jays

American League


With 7 2/3 solid innings from Marco Estrada, the Blue Jays staved off elimination with a 7-1 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals.

Game five was decidedly one-sided, as Estrada allowed only three hits and didn't give up a run until the eighth inning, when he surrendered a two-out homer to Salvador Perez.

Estrada set down the entire lineup in order over the first three innings, then after Alcides Escobar singled to open the fourth, Estrada recorded 11 straight outs, beginning with a double play that erased Escobar and Ben Zobrist, until walking Lorenzo Cain with two down in the seventh.

Toronto used a four-run sixth inning to take hold of the game, highlighted by Troy Tulowitzki's bases-loaded double which plated three.

The teams head back to Kansas City for game six on Friday. First pitch is slated for 8:07 pm EDT.

National League

Duda drives in five

Murphy set MLB HR mark

The Cubs will have to go Back to the Future if they wish to end their 107-year-old World Series drought because the New York Mets completed a four game sweep with an 8-3 win to capture the NL title and head for October glory.

New York took little time to press their case, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding two in the second.

Lucas Duda provided the power, socking a three-run homer in the first inning and driving in two more in the second with a double.

Daniel Murphy set a mejor league record with his sixth home run in the last six games, sending out a two-run shot in the eighth to put the game completely out of reach.

The Mets make the trip to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2000, when they lost to the Yankees in five games. They last won the World Series in 1986, when they defeated the Red Sox in seven games.

Alcides Escobar Leads Royals to 14-2 Wreck of Blue Jays in ALCS; Daniel Murphy Homers Again as Mets Take 3-0 Lead over Cubs in NLCS

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 20, 2015

American League

Escobar: 4 RBI

Despite Toronto's 11-8 win in game three, the ALCS seems destined to be in the hands of the Kansas City Royals, who took a commanding three-games-to-one lead in the best of seven series with a 14-2 mashing of the Blue Jays Tuesday at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

Leadoff hitter Alcides Escobar paced the Royals, going 2-for-3 with a pair of sac flies and a ninth inning single that plated the final two Kansas City runs. Escobar drove in four runs.

Escobar singled in the first and was aboard for Ben Zobrist's homer as the Royals pounded knuckballer, R.A. Dickey for four first inning runs.

Dickey lasted only until two down in the second inning, allowing an Alex Rios solo homer, which ended his mound appearance. It didn't get much better as the Royals ripped through six Toronto relievers, adding four runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth and two in the ninth.

Murphy: 5 games, 5 HR

Toronto now faces elimination in Wednesday's game five at the Rogers Centre. Start time is 4:07 pm EDT.

National League

Daniel Murphy was at it again, homering for the fifth straight game, and so were the players batting immediately in front and back of him, as the 2-3-4 Mets batters were a combined 8-for-14 and scored all five of the Mets runs in a 5-2 game three win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Murphy, David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes backed the pitching of Jacob deGrom, who tossed seven innings, allowing just four hits, two of them solo homers by Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber, which were the only runs the Cubs would score on the night.

Both Cespedes and Wright had two singles and a double. Wright scored three runs; Cespedes drove in two. Murphy went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. His solo homer in the second put the Mets ahead 2-1.

The win put the Mets in the enviable position of being up three games to one in the best of seven NLCS, with the chance to put the hopes of generations of Cubs' fans to rest for another season on Wednesday. Game time is 8:07 pm EDT in Chicago.

Mets Grab 2-0 Lead in NLCS as Daniel Murphy Homers for 4th Straight Game

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 18, 2015

American League

The Kansas City Royals lead the Toronto Blue Jays two games to one in the AL Championship series as the teams took Sunday off to travel and prepare for game three, in Toronto, Monday, at 8:07 pm EDT.

Murphy: HR, 2 RBI

National League

Daniel Murphy homered for the fourth straight game, leading the New York Mets to a 4-1 win over the Cubs in game two of the best-of-seven NLCS.

Murphy, who had a career-high 14 homers during the regular season, has gotten red-hot during the playoffs. His homers in games four and five of the NLDS helped defeat the LA Dodgers. In the NLCS, his first inning, game one solo shot helped the Mets to take a 4-2 victory.

On Sunday, Murphy again went yard early, touching off a two-run blast against Chicago ace, Jake Arrieta, sending the Cy Young hopeful to his first defeat since July 25. Murphy also singled and walked, going 2-for-3 for the game.

Arrieta only lasted five innings, giving up all four of the Mets' runs. It was his shortest outing of the season, matching starts on May 2nd and June 6th, both of which ended in losses. Arrieta had won 13 straight, including 11 during the regular season. He also won the wild card game against Pittsburgh and notched a win against St. Louis in the divisional series.

Noah Syndergaard got the win for New York, allowing one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine.

The Mets lead the series two games to one, with the series heading to Wrigley Field in Chicago for games three and four, and, if necessary, game five.

Game three is scheduled for Tuesday night at 8:07 pm EDT.

Torii Hunter's Three-Run Blast Lifts Tigers over A's; Danile Murphy Goes 4-for-5 as Mets Crush Phillies, 11-3

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 29, 2013

American League

Torii Hunter

The Detroit Tigers just barely kept themselves from being swept at home by the A's, when Torii Hunter lifted a Grant Balfour offering into the left center field stands, giving the Tigers a 6-7 win in the finale of the four-game series.

Hunter who watched from the bench most of the game, came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and remained in the game, replacing Andy Dirks in right field. Detroit erased a 6-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the sixth and four in the ninth, capped by Hunter's walk-off, game-winner.

Victor Martinez drove in the first run of the final frame, singling home Austin Jackson. Hunter was the Tigers' last chance, coming to the plate with two on and two out. It was his 16th home run of the season, helping to increase Detroit's lead over the Indians in the AL Central to 6 1/2 games, as the Indians fell prey to the Braves, 3-1.

Oakland fell three games behind idle Texas in the West division, but still hold the second wild card spot. They are 1/2 game behind Tampa Bay in the wild card standings and lead Baltimore by 3 1/2 for the final playoff spot.

The A's return to Oakland to open a three-game series with the Rays on Friday. Happy to see the A's depart, the Tigers host a three-game series with second place Cleveland, starting Friday night at 7:08 pm EDT.

National League

Daniel Murphy

Not that it matters much in the larger scheme of things, but the NY Mets regained a tie for third place in the NL East with the Phillies, downing their neighbors to the South with an 11-3 beating, finishing their four-game series with a 2-2 tie in games.

Mets' second baseman, Daniel Murphy, went 4-for-5, with a double three singles a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored, as the Mets banged out 11 hits, nine of them shared by the 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup.

While both teams are technically 20 1/2 games behind the Braves in the division, the Phillies have a slight percentage advantage, at 61-73, though the Mets have one fewer loss. Their record is 60-72.

On Friday, both teams open three-game series on the road. The mets are at Washington, while the Phillies travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs.

Today's Trivia: Babe Ruth lead the AL in home runs a record 12 times. Who won the most home run titles in the National League? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1927, Babe Ruth led the majors with 60 home runs and teammate Lou Gehrig mashed 52 doubles, also tops in the majors.

Edwin Encarnacion Belts Two Homers in One Inning as Blue Jays Romp; Mets' Daniel Murphy Blasts Two Homers in 11-0 Rout of Nationals

Players of the Day for Friday, July 26, 2013

American League

It's a shame the Toronto Blue Jays are such an unbalanced team, blessed with great power and hitting, cursed with shoddy pitching. The Jays are second in the AL in home runs, with 128 (Baltimore leads - 141) and are sixth in RBI, but their pitching staff has an ERA of 4.35, better than just one team - Houston - and they are tied for the lowest number of saves in the league, at 21.

Edwin Encarnacion

Then there's Edwin Encarnacion, the sweet-swinging, all-purpose DH, first baseman, third baseman and sometimes outfielder who is having a monster season, despite being overshadowed by Baltimore's Chris Davis and Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. Encarnacion is third behind those two in home runs and RBI, belting a pair Friday to give him 28 on the year, along with five RBI, for 80. The best part is that Encarnacion, who included a double and scored another run to go 3-for-5 with three runs, hit both of his homers in the seventh inning, when the Blue Jays more than batted around, scoring eight runs to turn a 6-4 Astro lead into a 12-8 Toronto victory.

Encarnacion started the offensive explosion with a solo shot in the inning and ended it with a grand slam.

The win was Toronto's second straight over Houston, though both teams remain mired in last place in their respective divisions.

The two cellar-dwellers will play game three of their four-game set on Saturday at 1:07 pm EDT.

National League

Daniel Murphy

Possessing what may be the best pitching staff in the division, the Mets keep gradually creeping closer to second place in the NL East, though on Friday, they might best have saved a few runs for the nightcap as they split a double-header with the Nationals in Washington, DC, winning the first game, 11-0, but dropping the nightcap, 2-1.

In the opener, rookie hurler Jennry Mejia tossed seven innings of shutout ball in his first start of the season (just what the Mets need: another quality starter), though he didn't even need to be that sharp, because Daniel Murphy socked a pair of homers to go with a couple of singles in a 4-for-5 game, scoring three times and driving in five runs.

Murphy hit a solo shot in the first, followed by a two-run belt in the third. He also singled in a run in the seventh and another in the ninth, later scoring, as the Mets piled in six runs in their final at-bat.

Murphy was 2-for-4 in the second game, extending his hitting streak to six games with four straight multiple-hit games.

The results left the Mets 10 1/2 back of Atlanta in the division, with the Phillies nine out and the second-place Nationals 8 1/2 out.

The Nationals host the Mets in game three of four on Saturday, at 3:05 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: who won more league batting championships, Stan Musial or Ted Williams? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Had George Brett not captured the 1976 AL batting championship, Rod Carew might have won it seven straight, having batted .331 to Brett's .333. He was the league top hitter from 1972 to 1975 and again in 1977 and 1978. Along with his 1969 title, he had the AL's highest average seven times.