Delmon Young Homers as Orioles Get Back to Winning Ways; Brewers Pound Padres 10-1 as Aramis Ramirez Stars

Players of the Day for Monday, August 25, 2014

American League

After losing three straight in Chicago to the Cubs, the Baltimore Orioles got back on track with a resounding, 9-1 win over Tampa Bay, belting five home runs.

Delmon Young

Delmon Young, who has been getting more playing time since all-star third baseman Manny Machado went down with a season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago, delivered the biggest blow, a three-run blast in a six-run fifth inning, followed by solo homers by J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis, the O's going back-to-back-to-back.

Young also singled and doubled, going 3-for-3 on the night, raising his batting average to a solid .311. Young's played in just 67 games this season, but he's provided a boost for the Orioles, hitting safely in six of his last seven games.

While the O's were knocking balls out of Camden Yards, Chris Tillman was shutting down the Rays, allowing just three hits over seven innings. The Rays' only run was unearned.

Baltimore's victory was timely, keeping the Yankees six games back in the AL East. The Yanks have won five straight and have been slicing into the Orioles' lead in the division.

The four-game series with the Rays continues Tuesday night in Baltimore. Game time is 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Aramis Ramirez

It's probably safe to say that if the Milwaukee Brewers keep getting 16 hits a game, they'll win the NL Central.

While that may be unlikely, the Brewers are a hitting machine, and they did bang out 16 hits in their 10-1 victory over the Padres, Monday in San Diego.

Milwaukee is tied for third in the NL with a team .256 average, and ranks second to Colorado in runs, RBI and home runs.

Providing a healthy portion of the Milwaukee offense all season, Aramis Ramirez was 3-for-5 in the game, with a single, double, solo homer (14), three RBI and two runs. Ramirez is batting .307 and has driven in 61 runs for the Brewers this season. He's been seeing lots of good pitches this season, as he generally bats fourth, behind Ryan Braun.

The Brewers' win kept them 1 12 ahead of St. Louis in the Central division. The Cardinals scored three runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Pirates 3-2.

Milwauke will play game two of their three-game series in San Diego Tuesday at 10:10 pm EDT.

Jason Kipnis Powers Indians to Doubleheader Win over White Sox; Michael Young, Delmon Young Lead Phillies' 16-1 Rout of Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, June 28, 2013

American League

With a doubleheader on Friday, the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox played seven hours and 53 minutes of baseball, churned out 59 hits and 46 runs, and two wins by the visiting Indians, 19-10 and 9-8.

Jason Kipnis

Cleveland's Jason Kipnis had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and four runs in the opener, then going 1-for-3 in the nightcap, driving in Cleveland's first run and the tying run in the ninth on a sac fly as the Indians scored four times, rallying to take both games.

In the opener, the Indians totaled 21 hits, each starter getting at least two, except for right fielder Mark Reynolds, who singled in four at-bats. Other than Asdrubel Cabrera, all nine starters had at least one RBI; all nine scored at least once.

With the pair of wins, the Indians picked up 1/2 game on Detroit and trail the Tigers by just two games in the Central division. The White Sox fell deeper into last place, 10 1/2 off the pace.

The two teams will resume hostilities on Saturday. Game time is 4:100 pm EDT.

NOTABLE: Detroit's Max Scherzer won his 12th straight decision to open the season, the first time any pitcher has done that in 27 years, as he gave up three runs on four hits over seven innings, fanning nine in Detroit's 6-3 win over Tampa Bay. Roger Clemens started 14-0 for the Red Sox in 1986. Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and three RBI.

Scherzer is 12-0 with a 3.10 ERA. In 110 1/3 innings, he's struck out 131 batters, second most in the AL, behind Texas' Yu Darvish.

National League

Delmon Young

Michael Young

After dropping the opener of their four-game series in LA, 6-4, the Phillies came back with a vengeance in the second game, hammering out 21 hits to bury the Dodgers, 16-1.

LA starter Chris Capuano (2-5) to the brunt of the beating, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in just 3 2/2 innings. All of the Philly starters got at least one hit, including starting pitcher John Lannan, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Lannan (1-2) worked seven innings, allowing one earned run on five hits for the win.

Michael Young, batting out of the leadoff spot, stroked four singles in six at-bats, driving in a pair of runs and scoring four times. Delmon Young was 3-for-6 with six RBI, driving in runs in the first, second, sixth and seventh innings.

The win kept the Phillies on pace in the NL East, as both Atlanta and Washington were victorious on Friday. The Braves lead the nationals by 5 1/2, and the Phillies by 7 1/2. Despite the loss, LA is just six games back in the NL West, though they are still in last place in the division.

Game three of the series starts at 7:10 pm PDT on Saturday.

Today's Trivia: What pitcher holds the AL record for most consecutive wins in a single season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: No Cleveland player has won the AL MVP award since Al Rosen in 1953.

Delmon Young Perseveres for Detroit; Jeter Out with Broken Ankle

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 13, 2012

American League

ALCS: Detroit 6 NY Yankees 4, 12 innings - Where Detroit's bullpen couldn't finish the job, Delmon Young just kept on playing, eventually getting the big hit in the 12th inning to take game of the the AL league championship over the Yankees.

The Tiger designated hitter had key hits throughout the game, singling home Miguel Cabrera with the second run of the sixth inning, putting the Tigers up, 2-0, then homering in the eighth for a 3-0 lead.

Delmon Young

Detroit added another run in the eighth for a 4-0 lead, but closer Jose Valverde gave up two-run homers to Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

After Cabrera walked ot lead off the 12th and moved to second on Prince Fielder's ground out to first, Young cracked a double to right field, scoring Cabrera with what would be the winning run.

Young was replaced for pinch-runner Don Kelly, completing a 3-for-5 effort with three RBI and a run scored. Kelly scored an insurance run for Detroit on Andy Dirks bouncer back to pitcher David Phelps, after racing to third on Jhonny Peralta's single up the middle.

It was Peralta's hit that may have turned the series in favor of Detroit, because it was on that play that the Yankees lost their captain, Derek Jeter, for the remainder of the playoffs, Jeter tumbled to glove Peralta's hopper, planted on his left foot, but fell to his stomach, flipping the ball to second baseman Robinson Cano, though Cano had no play.

Jeter writhed in pain on the ground, having broken his left ankle, the same one that's been bothering him the past couple of weeks. He was helped off the field and replaced by Jayson Nix. Jeter will not return for the Yankees this season.

Game two will start Sunday at 4:07 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium. Detroit's Anibal Sanchez faces Hiroki Kuroda for the Yanks.

National League

The NL Championship series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants begins Sunday at 8:07 pm EDT. The series opens in San Francisco, home of the NL West champion Giants, who send Madison Bumgarner to the mound against the Cardinals' Lance Lynn.

Carlos Gonzalez Ties MLB Mark as Rockies Sweep Astros; Delmon Young Powers Tigers Past Red Sox

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 31, 2012

American League

Delmon Young

In the only Al game of the day, Detroit topped Boston, 7-3, avoiding being swept by the Red Sox in the concluded four-game series at Fenway Park.

Delmon Young, who joined the Tigers late last season after three-and-a-half years with the Twins and is off to a slow start, singled twice and hit an eighth-inning solo homer in five at-bats, powering Detroit with three RBI and a run scored.

Young is hitting just .256 with four homers and 19 RBI in 44 games this season.


National League

Gonzalez: 4 straight HRs

The Colorado Rockies completed their four game sweep of Houston with an 11-5 victory as Carlos Gonzalez tied a record held by 21 other major leaguers by hitting his fourth home run in as many plate appearances. 38 players have hit four home runs in four straight official at-bats.

Gonzalez connected in the first inning off Astro starter Bud Norris, blasting a three-run shot to left field as the Rockies scored five times in the opening frame and added four more in the second for a commanding lead.

Having hit three homers in his final three at-bats in Wednesday's 13-5 rout, Gonzalez was looking to set a new major league record for home runs in consecutive at-bats, but was intentionally walked, to the great displeasure of the Colorado fans.

He eventually scored in the inning and finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs.

NOTES: Some key weekend series begin Friday in both leagues, with the Orioles at Tampa Bay and the LA Angels hosting West division leader, Texas, in the AL, while the key action in the NL is focused on the tight East division. Philadelphia hosts Miami, and first place Washington travels to Atlanta. All five teams in the division are within three games of each other and all are above .500 on the season.

Delmon Young Continues Hot Pace; Carlos Peguero's 4 RBI Power Mariners

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Grapefruit League

Delmon Young

Justin Verlander, winner of the American League Cy Young and MVP awards last season, struggled though five innings of work, giving up a pair of runs on five hits and two walks, striking out four, but still earned his first win of spring in Detroit's 7-2 victory over 5-13 Atlanta.

The win kept red-hot Detroit in first place on the Grapefruit circuit at 13-2. The Tigers scored in the first, second, third and fifth innings, knocking around Atlanta starter Jair Jurrgens for all seven runs, six of them earned.

Ryan Raburn socked his sixth home run of the exhibition season, a two-run shot, and Delmon Young continued hitting at a blistering pace, going 2-for-3 with a home run (his 4th) and three RBI.

Young is having the Springtime of his dreams, batting .485 (16-for-33), with four doubles, four homers and an astounding 18 RBI.

Cactus League

Carlos Peguero

If Carlos Peguero stays healthy this season, he could help the Seattle Mariners stay competitive in the rugged AL West. For the present, Peguero is having the kind of spring the Mariners expected from him.

In Seattle's 8-1 win over the Reds, Peguero went 2-for-5 with four RBI, smashing his fourth homer which helped Kevin Millwood pick up his second win.

Peguero played in 46 games early last season with Seattle but a strained right calf kept him sidelined the rest of the way.

Seattle is 12-7 in Cactus League play, good for fourth place.

Jake Peavy Goes 5 Hitless for White Sox; Delmon Young Powers Tigers over Cardinals

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 17, 2012

Grapefruit League

Young: 2B HR 4 RBI

The Detroit Tigers may want to consider moving to Lakeland, Florida, their off-season home, on a more permanent basis. Following Saturday's 10-3 pounding of St. Louis, the Tigers are 10-1 in exhibition play.

Outfielder Delmon Young belted a home run - his first of the year - and a double, driving in four runs for Detroit and raising his spring batting average to a robust .519. Prince Fielder went 3 for 3 with a pair of singles and a triple. Ryan Raburn hit his fifth homer of the spring. The Tigers scored all of their runs in the 4th through 7th innings.

Young, a right-handed slugger with ample power, came to the Tigers mid-season via Minnesota. He began his career with the Rays and spent two years with Tampa before heading to Minnesota in 2008. In 40 games with Detroit last season, Young socked eight homers and drove in 32 runs. A .288 career hitter, Young will likely platoon in the outfield or as a DH in Detroit's power-laden lineup.

Cactus League

Peavy: 5 IP 0 H 5 K

White Sox starter Jake Peavy had it going on from the mound in Chicago's 5-0 blanking of Seattle.

The right-handed hurler tossed five innings of hitless ball at the Mariners, whiffing five with one walk, to earn his first win of the spring after a couple rough outings in which he allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.

Peavy, the national League 2007 Cy Young Award winner, spent seven seasons in San Diego before arriving with the White Sox on a mid-season trade in 2009. suffering from injuries the last two seasons, Peavy went 14-13 with the Sox in 2010 and 2011, though the team hopes he can regain his previous form this year.

In 2007, Peavy led the NL in wins (19), ERA (2.54) and strikeouts (240).

Delmon Young Homers Twice in Tiger Game five Win; Brewers Tie NLCS with Cardinals as Randy Wolf Goes Seven

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 13, 2011

American League


Tigers 7 Rangers 5

Young: 2 HR, 3 RBI

Delmon Young socked a pair of homers off Texas starter C.J. Wilson, to lead the Tigers to a game five victory, staving off elimination and closing the gap to a 3-2 Texas lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

Young stroked his first homer in the 4th inning, a two-out, solo shot that put the Tigers on top, 2-1. Catcher Alex Avila's solo homer in the 3rd had tied the game after Texas scored the opening salvo in the first inning. Texas tied the game up at 2-all in the top of the 5th, and an inning later the Tigers responded with a four-run 6th inning, punctuated by Young's second homer of the game, a two-run blast to left-center that put the Tigers ahead for good.

The Rangers made a game of it scoring two runs in the 8th and another in the 9th, but they could not break through for more runs off Tiger starter Justin Verlander, who worked 7 1/3 innings and took the win, and Phil Coke, who got the final five outs, allowing two hits and an earned run for the save.

The series takes a day's respite as the teams return to Texas for game six and a possible game seven. Max Scherzer goes to the mound for the Tigers on Saturday, facing Ranger starter Derek Holland. Game time is 8:05 pm EDT. If a game seven is necessary, Doug Fister will start for Detroit against the Rangers' Colby Lewis.

National League

Brewers 4 Cardinals 2

Wolf: 7 IP, 2 ER

The Milwaukee Brewers tied the NLCS at two games apiece as Randy Wolf stymied the St. Louis Cardinals over seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits for the win.

Wolf, 13-10, through the end of the regular season, picked up his first victory of the playoffs, fanning six and issuing only one walk. The two Cardinal runs came via the long ball. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig each took Wolf deep in the early innings. Holliday's solo homer came in the second inning, and Craig followed with a bases-empty job in the third, but the Brewers quickly responded with two runs in the 4th and single runs in the 5th and 6th innings to complete the scoring.

The series stays in St. Louis for game five, matching game one starters, Zack Greinke and Jaime García on Friday, at 8:05 pm EDT.

Verlander, Young Give Tigers Game Three Win; Mike Napoli Homers for Rangers, Lead Rays, 2-1

Players of the Day for Monday, October 3, 2011


American League

Rangers 4 Rays 3

Mike Napoli

Mike Napoli's two-run, 7th-inning home run erased a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead and helped chase Rays' starter, David Price, from the mound. After Craig Gentry singled off Price with two runs already in, he was lifted for Brandon Gomes, who promptly issued a walk to Ian Kinsler. After Gentry and Kinsler moved to second and third on a double steal, Elvis Andrus also walked. J.P. Howell came on for the Rays with the bases loaded, and Josh Hamilton delivered a two-run single, putting the Rangers up, 4-0.

After the Rays scored a run in the bottom of the 7th, Desmond Jennings hit his second solo homer of the game in the 8th, cutting the Texas lead to one run. B.J. Upton walked with nobody out but was gunned down on an attempted steal on a pitchout by Napoli. Texas reliever Mike Adams, who had come on to start the 8th, couldn't get the ball over the plate, walking Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce, giving the Rays hope, but Michael Gonzalez got Johnny Damon to fan on three pitches and closer Neftali Felix struck out Ben Zobrist after Longoria and Joyce had moved to second and third on a wild pitch.

Feliz surrendered a one out single to Sean Rodriguez, but induced a double play from Kelly Shoppach to end the game.

Texas leads the series, two games to one, and can eliminate the Rays in game four at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. Game time is 2:07 pm EDT. Texas sends Matt Harrison to the mound, while the Rays counter with rookie Jeremy Hellickson.

Tigers 5 Yankees 4

Justin Verlander

In the rematch of aces following the game one washout on Friday, both C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander were not as sharp as usual, but Verlander managed the best, getting the win that put Detroit up two games to one, putting the Yankees into an elimination situation on Tuesday in the five-game series.

Sabathia lasted only 5 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and four runs before being pulled by manager Joe Girardi. Sabathia clearly did not have his best stuff, walking six batters with only three strikeouts. Verlander continued through the eighth, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks, but struck out 11 Yankees on his way to the win. The Yankees tied the game with two runs in the top of the 7th on Brett Gardner's two-RBI double, but Verlander stranded him at second when he struck out Derek Jeter to end the inning.

Delmon Young

In the bottom of the frame, Delmon Young socked a solo homer to give the Rangers the lead again, 5-4, and Verlander got through the 8th unscathed, setting the stage for closer Jose Valverde, who hadn't blown a save opportunity all season.

Valverde made matters interesting, issuing a pair of walks in the final inning, but again it was Jeter who struck out to end the game, putting the Tigers in a position to close out the series on Tuesday in game four.

The Yankees are in a precarious position because they have to go to A.J. Burnett in game four. Burnett won two of his final three starts of the regular season, but has been shaky all year, going 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. Rick Porcello goes up the bump for the Tigers. Porcello was 14-9 with a 4.79 ERA during the regular season. Game time is slated for 8:37 pm EDT.

National League

The National Leaguers had the day off for travel, but both divisional series resume Tuesday.

The Phillies face the Cardinals in St. Louis with the series tied at a game apiece, while the Brewers head to Arizona to try to eliminate the Diamondbacks. Milwaukee has a 2-0 lead in their series, and will send Shaun Marcum to the mound against Arizona's Josh Collmenter. Game time is 9:37 pm EDT.

The Phillies and Cards square off at 5:07 pm EDT. The Phillies' Cole Hamels faces the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia.

Delmon Young Socks for Twins; Chris Capuano on Comeback Trail

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 19, 2011

American League

Delmon Young

The Minnesota Twins smacked around the Tampa Bay Rays in a 9-2 win, improving to 12-9, good for 4th place in the Grapefruit League.

Minnesota had 13 hits, three of them by Delmon Young, who the Twins acquired from Tampa Bay in 2008. Young socked his first home run of the exhibition season, drove in four runs and scored twice, going 3-for-4. He raised his batting average to .368.

Young had a solid season with the Twins in 2010, batting .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBI.

National League

Chris Capuano

Chris Capuano looks like a keeper in the Mets' starting rotation.

Picked up following a 2010 campaign with Milwaukee in which he went 4-4 in nine starts, Capuano turned in his best effort of the Spring, working over the Nationals for 5 1/3 innings without allowing a run. He surrendered three hits and struck out five, paving the way to a 7-4 victory.

Following a few good seasons with the Brewers, Capuano missed all of 2008 and 2009 due to injury, but worked his way back to the majors last season. If he continues making progress, he could wind up as one of the steals of the off-season.

He did fan 54 batters in 66 innings last season, much of that in relief, so there's reason to believe he's got the goods.

Young Powers Twins to 9-Game Lead in AL Central; Giants Take First in NL West, Huff Shines

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 17, 2010 American League For all intents and purposes, the Minnesota Twins wrapped up the Central division title this week, taking three straight from their closest pursuer, the Chicago White Sox. After blasting them by identical 9-3 scores in the first two games of the series, the Twins let them get a little closer, but still managed the sweep with an 8-5 win Thursday in Chicago. Delmon Young was the slugging hero for the Twins, going 3-for-5 with a couple of singles, a two-run homer and two runs. Young's 5th inning shot put the Twins up, 6-2, but the Sox made a game of it scoring three runs before the Twins answered with two more in the top of the 9th. Carl Pavano worked five innings to record his 17th win against 11 losses, and the Twins stretched their divisional lead to nine games while shrinking their magic number down to eight. Young's homer was his 18th, and the two RBI gave him 102 on the year. National League Aubrey Huff went 2-for-4, belted a three-run homer, scored twice and led the San Francisco Giants to a 10-2 win over the LA Dodgers. The fifteen-hit assault vaulted the Giants into first place in the NL West, 1/2 game better than the Padres, who were shut out at St. Louis, 4-0. Huff got the Giants on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, after the Dodgers had taken a 1-0 lead, when he scored on Buster Posey's double. In the 3rd inning, Huff found the stands with his 25th home run, followed by Posey's 15th. The back-to-back wall-clearings staked the Giants to a 5-1 lead. Starter Jeffrey Sanchez went seven innings for his 11th win against 8 losses. He fanned 13, allowing just four hits and one earned run. San Francisco will try to retain their hold on first place when they host Milwaukee for three games over the weekend. After that they head to Chicago for three with the Cubs, then three at Colorado, who are just 2 1/2 back and in position to vie for either the division or the wild card. The Giants have the good fortune to finish with six games at home, three each against the Diamondbacks and Padres, playing the latter the final three games of the season. PENNANT NOTES: The Yankees, Rays, Braves and Phillies were all idle Thursday night, so no changes occured in either of the East divisions. The Rays lead the Yankees by 1/2 game; Atlanta trails Philadelphia by 3 games. The Cardinals won while the Reds lost, so St. Louis still clings barely to life, seven games behind the Reds. The Rangers lead the A's by 10 games in the AL West, with a magic number of eight. Texas should have things wrapped up by next weekend as they close out their season with 17 straight games against division rivals. They play three games each at Seattle and then at Anaheim, then head up the coast for four games at Oakland. After that, they close out at home. A three-game series with the Mariners is followed by four games with the Angels.

YDelmon Young 4-for-4 in Twins Win; Johnny Cueto Pitches Reds Back Into First

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 24, 2010 American League Along with Detroit, Minnesota continues to pursue the first place White Sox in the AL Central, and the Twins got a little bit closer Saturday as the Sox lost to Oakland, 10-2, while the Twins produced a 7-2 win at Baltimore. As he's been doing over the past few weeks, Delmon Young provided the spark with a 4-for-4 effort, including a two-run homer and a sac fly for 3 RBI in the win. Young has been on a tear, picking up the slack for the injured Justin Morneau. His home run was his 12th of the season, and he's moving up the leader board in RBI, with 73. He's had multiple hits in seven of his last ten games. The Twins closed the gap on the White Sox to two games. With the Tigers dropping a 3-2 decision to Toronto, the Twins took over second place by 1/2 game. National League When the Astros and Reds took the field Saturday in Houston, a lot of eyes were trained on Roy Oswalt, but once the action got started, Houston hitters were frustrated trying to locate Reds' starter Johnny Cueto's sliders and sinkers. With the trade deadline just a week on the horizon, a number of teams are looking at Oswalt as a possible addition, but he was roughed up by the Reds, who banged out nine hits and scored six runs in just five innings off the Houston hurler. Cueto, meanwhile was mowing down the Astros, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out six over 8 innings, improving his record to 10-2 and pushing the Reds back into first place in the NL Central with a 7-0 win. The Cardinals lost their third straight, a 6-5 decision to the Cubs, to fall 1/2 game behind the Reds.

Holliday Leads Rockies in 18-17 Win over Marlins; Young, Twins Rock Tribe

Players of the Day from Friday, July 4, 2008 American League The surprising Minnesota Twins simply will not go away in the race for the top spot in the AL Central. On Independence Day, Delmon Young singled twice and hit a three-run homer in five at-bats, scoring three times and driving in four to lead a 15-hit Minnesota attack as the Twins pummeled Cleveland, 12-3. Notes: Coupled with the White Sox's 7-1 loss to Oakland, the win moved the Twins to within 1 game of first place. In the East, Tampa Bay hammered KC, 11-2, while Boston handed the Yankees their second straight loss, 6-4. While the Red Sox remained 3 games behind the Rays, the Yanks dropped into a tie with the Orioles, 9 out. National League In this season's highest-scoring game, Rockies, 18, Marlins,17, Matt Holliday homered twice - the second blast a grand slam - singled and scored the winning run in the 9th, helping the Rockies come all the way back from a 13-4 4th inning deficit. Holliday contributed 5 RBI to the Colorado attack, but certainly wasn't the only star in the lineup. Ryan Spilborghs went 4-for-5, scored four times and had 3 RBI; Clint Barnes also was 4-for-5, while Garret Atkins went 5-for-6 with 3 RBI and 3 runs. For the Marlins, Jorge Cantu was 4-for-5 and scored 4 times, and Cody Ross drove in 5 runs with a pair of singles and a bases-loaded double. Notes: The Phillies benefited from Florida's flop, beating the Mets 3-2 (their 4th straight win), to pull 3 1/2 ahead of the Marlins in the East. The Cubs also increased their advantage to the same margin in the Central with a 2-1 win over the Cardinals. However, in the West, Arizona lost while the Dodgers won, leaving the D-Backs just 1/2 game in front of Los Angeles.