Dylan Bundy Stifles Pirates in 7-5 Baltimore Win; Jakob Junis Perfect as Royals Down Padres

Players of the Day for Monday, March 12, 2018

Grapefruit League

Bundy: 5IP, 1ER, 5K

Inconsistent pitching plagued the Baltimore Orioles all of last season, as they fell off the pace in the AL East late in the season, eventually fading to last place, 18 games behind the division-winning Red Sox.

The O's are still looking to fill out their rotation, but they have their ace in Dylan Bundy, who turned in a solid five innings to get his first win of the Spring in a 7-5 victory over the Pirates.

Bundy scattered seven hits and allowed just one run over five full innings, striking out five without walking a batter. Bundy gave up the sole run in the first, but the Orioles rallied for five runs in the fourth inning, adding another in the fifth and two more in the eighth

to secure the victory.

Going 13-9 for a last-place team in 2017, Bundy has the tools and credentials to make him Baltimore's ace heading into the new season. Keven Gausman could also be considered the #1 starter for Baltimore, as he threw more innings than Bundy (186-169), but he was just 11-12.

Junis: 4 IP, 0 H, 7K

Cactus League

After a very successful debut in 2017, Kansas City hurler, Jakob Junis got in a quality outing, leading the Royals to a 4-0 whitewash of the San Diego Padres.

Junis tossed four perfect innings, fanning seven, to earn his first win of the Spring season. The Royals got a solo homer in the second from all-star catcher Salvador Perez and a three-run double off the bat of Michael Saunders in the third, which proved to be more than enough for Junis and a quartet of relievers who allowed just two hits over the final five innings.

As a rookie last season, Junis started 16 games, compiling a 9-3 record with a 4.20 ERA, certainly good enough to keep his spot in the rotation with the expectation of better things to come from the 6'2" right-hander.

The Royals have had an up-and-down preseason, winning eight against nine losses in the Cactus League. They are currently four games behind the league-leading Cubs with a slew of teams in front of them.

Miami's Giancarlo Stanton Ties MLB HR Record; Baltimore Wins 6th Straight On Dylan Bundy's One-Hitter

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 29, 2017

American League

Bundy: 1-hit shutout

Baltimore's pitching has not been anywhere near the best this season - a 4.80 team ERA, 14th of 15 AL teams - but Dylan Bundy has been the most consistent, as he demonstrated with a one-hit, 4-0 shutout over Seattle Tuesday night at Camden Yards.

Bundy allowed a bunt single by Kyle Saeger in the fourth inning, but other than two walks (both in the third inning), a hit batsman (Robinson Cano, 9th inning) and a pair of throwing errors by shortstop Tim Beckham (1st and 8th innings), the Mariners could not solve the 24-year-old right-hander.

The win was Baltimore's sixth straight and Bundy's 13th win against eight losses, his first career shutout and complete game and moved the Orioles to within 1 1/2 games of the Minnesota Twins, holders of the second wild card spot. With Boston winning and the Yankees rained out, the Orioles remained eight games behind the Red Sox, but picked up 1/2 game on the Yankees, trailing them by four in the AL East. The Yankees also hold the top wild card spot with a 2 1/2 game edge on the Twins.

Baltimore will be seeking its seventh straight and a sweep of the Mariners when their series concludes Wednesday at 3:05 pm ET.

National League

Stanton: 18 HRs in August

Miami has lost two straight at Washington, losing to the Nationals 8-3 on Tuesday, but that hasn't stopped Giancarlo Stanton from setting records.

Stanton launched his 51st home run of the season and 18th in August, shattering the National League record jointly held by Sammy Sosa and Willie Mays (17) and tying the major league mark held by Rudy York of Detroit in 1937. No player has ever hit 19 home runs in any month except Sammy Sosa, who socked 20 in June of 1998.

Sosa's MLB record is tarnished by being made amidst the steroid era. He, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds set records for home runs in various categories, McGwire hitting 70 in one season, Bonds becoming the all-time home run champion, with 762. Despite putting up outstanding numbers and being eligible for years, none of that trio and other suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs have been admitted to the Hall of Fame. Sosa and Bonds played their final seasons in 2007, McGwire retired in 2001.

Players become ineligible for election to the Hall of Fame if he is listed on fewer than 5% of the ballots or fail to receive listing on the required 75% of all ballots for ten years of eligibility, which begins five years following retirement. McGwire was eliminated in 2016. Bonds and Sosa are still eligible, but have not made the grade.

Noting the above reference to the steroid era, it should be within the powers of major league baseball to nullify - or at least asterisk - all of the records set by players from that period. If that were the case, Stanton - rightfully so - would be recognized as the all-time NL leader for home runs in any month, and tied with York for the MLB record.

There are still two games remaining in August for Stanton and the Marlins, so it is not beyond consideration that the preeminent slugger in game today could sock a few more.

Game three of the series is scheduled for 4:05 pm ET at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.