Danny Espinosa Lifts Angels Over A's; Calyton Richard Goes Eight Shutout Innings For Padres

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 4, 2017

American League

Espinosa: 3-run blast

Danny Espinosa socked a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, leading the LA Angels to a 7-6 triumph over the Oakland A's.

Not known primarily as a power hitter, second baseman Espinosa knocked 24 ball out of parks last season, a career high, and got his stroke aligned with his first of the new season, which was also his only hit in eight at-bats thus far in 2017.

The 383-fott drive to right center drove in teammates Jefry Marte and Andrelton Simmons, bringing the Angels back from a 6-4 deficit. Cam Bedrosian came in to toss a perfect inning in the bottom of the ninth, earning his first save of the season.

Richard: 8 Scoreless

Notable in the game was the first start for Matt Carpenter, who returned to the mound for the first time since being struck in the head by a line drive, suffering a fractured skull, seven months earlier. Carpenter was effective, allowing two earned runs on four hits over five innings.

The win tied the four-game series at 1-1. The two teams take to the field at the Oakland Coliseum for game three Wednesday night at 7:05 pm PT.

National League

After being hammered and humiliated in their season opener, 14-3, by the Dodgers on Monday, Clayton Richard and the San Diego Padres said, "not so fast" to the home-standing Dodgers, blanking them 4-0, to even their record and the series at 1-1.

Richard tossed eight innings of shutout ball, allowing five hits and two walks, fanning five. Efficient in his pitch selection, Richard threw 68 of 99 pitches for strikes and recorded first pitch strikes on 19 of the 27 batters he faced.

A spot starter and long reliever for most of his career, Richard became part of the Padres' starting rotation this season and is off to a great start. The win took his career record above the break-even line, giving him 54 victories against 53 losses.

The Padres and Dodgers play game three of their four-game series Wednesday night in Los Angeles with first pitch slated for 7:10 pm PT.

Alex Gordon's Grand Slam Buries Tigers; Gio Gonzalez, Danny Espinosa Bury Reds, 8-1

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 25, 2013

American League

Alex Gordon

Roughly 1/8th of the way into the season and the Kansas City Royals - the undisputed champion of the exhibition season - has managed to stay much more than merely relevant in the AL Central; with their 8-3, 10-inning win over the Tigers, they hold a 1 1/2 game lead over Detroit and Minnesota.

James Shields and Justin Verlander hooked into a pretty good pitchers' duel. With Verlander exiting after seven innings with an injured thumb and a 3-2 lead, the Royals tied it in the eighth and eventually won it in the top of the 10th.

After a bases-loaded walk to George Kottaras produced the go-ahead run, Alex Gordon left no doubt with a grand slam, 443-foot bomb to center which iced the game.

Gordon had earlier singled and was stranded, leaving him at 2-for-6 for the game, slightly reducing his .337 batting average. His homer was the second of the season for the leadoff left fielder. He has driven in 15 runs.

The result left matters in an unsettled tie for the brief, two-game series after the opening game Tuesday was rained out. The Tigers won, 7-5, on Wednesday.

National League

Danny Espinosa

Gio Gonzalez

Washinton crept a little closer to NL East leader, Atlanta, picking up 1/2 game on the idle Braves with an 8-1 win over the visiting Reds in the opener of a crucial four-game series.

The Nationals find themselves four games back in the division, tied for second place with the Mets.

Washington got all over Reds' starter, Brandon Arroyo, building a 6-0 lead before Joey Votto's solo home run in the fourth got Cincinnati on the board.

Votto's fourth homer was the only mistake Gio Gonzalez made, allowing just the one hit and two walks while fanning seven over eight sparkling innings on the mound, improving to 2-1.

Danny Espinosa provided the offensive spark for the Nats, doubling in the first run of the game and later in the second inning scoring to open a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, Desmond added to what was already a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer, his second of the season.

Bryce Harper socked his eighth of the season to start the third and Denard Span had three hits and drove in three runs.

Yanks Down Rangers on Nick Swisher Slam; Danny Espinosa Helps Nationals Extend NL East Lead in 14-2 Win over SF

Players of the Day for Monday, August 13, 2012

American League

Nick Swisher

AL West leader, Texas, headed into New York looking to press their advantage in a three game series with the Yankees, but Nick Swisher and the Yankee hitters knocked around starter Ryan Dempster for eight earned runs in six-plus innings, whipping the visiting Rangers, 8-2.

The big blast came in the third inning, when Nick Swisher launched a bases-loaded rocket to right field, the grand slam putting an end to a 2-0 Texas lead, sending the Yankees to a series-opening win.

Swisher also singled home Derek Jeter with the Yankees' final run in the seventh, giving him five RBI on the night. Swisher has 15 homers and 63 RBI this season.

The win kept New York five games ahead of the charging Rays, winners of seven straight, while the Rangers extended their lead over idle Oakland to six games in the West.

The series continues Tuesday night in the Bronx with Scott Feldman on the mound for Texas, facing the Yankees' Freddy Garcia.


National League

Danny Espinosa

East coast, West coast, and anywhere in between, it doesn't seem to matter to the Washington Nationals, they just keep on winning. The Nats are 11-2 for the month of August and have a 40-22 record in road games.

Improving upon their major league-best road record with a 14-2 slaughter of the Giants, the Nationals continued their road trip with a series-opening, 21-hit barrage, knocking out NL ERA leader, Ryan Vogelsong, with nine hits and eight runs in just 2 2/3 innings.

Five different Nationals had three or more hits, led by shortstop Danny Espinosa, who went 4-for-6, socked his 12th homer of the season, scored three times and drove in three runs. Roger Bernadina also slapped out four hits - a double and three singles - and drove in three.

The Nationals extended their lead in the NL East to 5 1/2 games over the Braves; San Francisco's loss, coupled with the Dodgers' 5-4 win over Pittsburgh, left the Giants and Dodgers deadlocked atop the West division at 63-53.

Roger Bernadina, Danny Espinosa Leading Rookies; Brett Gardner a Man on the Move

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 17, 2011

American League

Brett Gardner

With Derek Jeter in and out of the lineup now that he's gone beyond 3000 hits, Brett Gardner is getting more chances to bat leadoff for the Yankees. In Sunday's 7-3 win at Toronto, that is where Gardner was found, stroking three singles in four at-bats, scoring three times and swiping a couple of bases - his 25th and 26th of the year.

Gardner got the Yankees on the scoreboard in the 1st, leading off the game with a single, stealing second and scoring on Nick Swisher's two-out base knock.

After the Blue Jays tied the game at 1-1, Gardner got his second hit of the game and came around to score the 4th Yankee run of the 4th inning on Curtis Granderson's double.

And, just in case the Blue Jays thought about a comeback, Gardner singled in the 9th, stole second again and scored his third run of the contest in the top of the 9th.

The scrappy outfielder has been on a tear since the all star break, going 10-for-16 in the four game series with Toronto, raising his batting average to a solid .286. The Yankees split the series, 2-2, and remain 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East.

National League

Danny Espinosa

Looking for the NL Rookie of the Year?

Look no further than the top of the Washington lineup, where center fielder Roger Bernadina and second baseman Danny Espinosa are regularly creating havoc for opposing pitchers.

Roger Bernadina

In Sunday's 9-8 loss to Atlanta, the pair combined for five hits, five runs and four RBI. Bernadina stole second twice, giving him 15 since getting regular playing time in early May. Espinosa socked his 17th home run and his three RBI gave him 55 on the year. He leads the Nationals in home runs, RBI and runs.

While the big free agent signing of Jayson Werth hasn't panned out - Werth is batting just .213, with 10 home runs and 31 RBI - the two rookies at the top of the order presage goof times ahead for the Nats, who are sandwiched between the third place Mets and last place Marlins, at 47-48 in the ultra-competitive NL East.

Danny Espinosa Hammers Lee, Phillies with 2 Homers; Curtis Granderson Goes Yard Again

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 31, 2011

American League

For all the speculation and insight into the AL East pennant race, somehow the Yankees keep finding their way back to the top of the heap.

Curtis Granderson

In the midst of a 9-game West coast swing, the Yankees won their third straight with a 10-3 thrashing of the Oakland A's. In the middle of it all was a most unlikely power hitter, Curtis Granderson, who got things started in the top of the first when he smacked his 17th home run of the season with Derek Jeter aboard.

With a 2-0 lead in hand, Freddie Garcia (4-4) cruised as the Yankees piled on more runs. Granderson stroked a couple of singles, plating another two runs in the 4th and
scoring once in the 6th. The Yankees scored in each of the first six innings except the second.

Granderson, who trails Toronto's Jose Bautista in the home run derby, 20-17, went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs and his 8th stolen base. The Yankees, thanks to Boston losing at Chicago, have a one-game lead in the division.

National League

Danny Espinosa

Already 10 1/2 games out and in the basement of the NL East, the Washington Nationals aren't likely to make much difference in the larger scheme of things, but they certainly have found themselves a second baseman who could become a mainstay for years to come.

Danny Espinosa took Phillies' starter Cliff Lee deep twice as the Nats downed the Phillies, 10-2, evening their series at a game apiece.

Espinosa unloaded on Lee with a three-run blast in the 3rd inning, then sent him to the showers with his 10th home run, a solo shot in the 6th that put the Nationals up 6-2.

Adding a single, Espinosa finished 3-for-4, with four RBI and two runs. Though he's batting just .217, Espinosa has shown good power and clutch hitting. He has 33 RBI on the season.

The Phillies and Nationals complete their three-game series on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Gonzalez, Youkilis Lead Boston to 7th Straight; Werth, Espinosa Crush Orioles

Players of the Day for Friday, May 20, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

Interleague games began on Friday, and the National took little time to establish its dominance, taking nine of the 14 cross-league contests.

Kevin Youkilis

One which defied the trend in a rather large way was Boston's smashing, 15-5, victory over the Cubs at Fenway Park, where Boston batters combined for 19 hits and the middle of the lineup - Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis - accounted for nearly half the runs.

Gonzalez, normally known as a doubles and homers type of guy, scratched out four singles in six at-bats, producing four RBI, while Youkilis took care of the extra-bases department, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two run homer, driving in three runs.

The Red Sox have gone from last place in the AL East just a week ago to 1/2 game behind first place Tampa Bay with their 7th consecutive win. The streak began last weekend when they swept three games from the Yankees in New York.

National League

Jayson Werth

While the Washington Nationals are currently positioned in last place in the NL East, they're only two games under .500, at 21-23, which is real progress at this point for the young franchise.

Traveling the 30-odd miles up I-95 to play the Baltimore Orioles, Washington bats hammered out 19 hits against five Oriole pitchers in a 17-5 victory.

Danny Espinosa

Jayson Werth, acquired from Philadelphia in the off-season, blasted a pair of home runs for the Nats, a two-run shot in the 5th and a solo smack in the 7th. He also singled and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving him four RBI on his 3-for-4 night.

Rookie shortstop Danny Espinosa went 3-for-5, with a triple, a three-run homer, five RBI and three runs. Despite a .209 batting average, Espinosa has six home runs and 27 RBI, making han early case for rookie of the year consideration.

Adam Jones Leads O's Past Twins; Danny Espinosa a Find for Nats

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 9, 2011

American League

Adam Jones

Baltimore's Adam Jones singled, doubled and homered in four at-bats, carrying the Orioles to an 11-2 pounding of Minnesota.

Jones also scored three times and drive in three runs, raising his Spring batting average to a reasonably solid .350 and helping get the O's back to .500 in the Grapefruit League with a 5-5 record.

Jones, of whom much is expected, comes off a somewhat disappointing season in which he slugged 19 homers and drove in 69 runs. A center fielder, Jones is a five-tool guy who some figure to be a league MVP some day. The O's have made some serious off-season moves to improve their offensive production and Jones will be a key to that effort in 2011. Just finishing anywhere other than last place in the rugged AL East will be considered a victory in Charm City.

National League

Danny Espinosa

Rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa is off to a hot start with the Washington Nationals, batting .455 with two home runs and 10 RBI in seven exhibition games.

In Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Marlins, Espinosa powered up with a single, double, his second home run of the season - a two-run seventh inning blast - and four RBI.

After a short stint with the Nationals in 2010 in which he hit six home runs in 28 games (103 at-bats), Espinosa has already secured the starting job at second and he appears to be relishing the appointment.

The Nats finished last in the NL East last year but are expected to be more competitive in 2011.