Dodgers' Rich Hill Loses Game, No-Hitter In 10th; Eric Hosmer Leads Royals 3rd Straight Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 23, 2017

American League

Hosmer: 3-4, HR, 4 RBI

Kansas City continues to play well enough to be in contention in both the AL Central and the wild card races. With their 6-4 victory over the visiting Rockies they picked up a game on Cleveland (losers to Boston, 6-1) and are tied with the LA Angels, 1/2 game behind division foe Minnesota for the second wild card spot.

The Royals third straight win was in doubt for much of the nine innings, the Rockies up 4-2 after six. In the seventh, Eric Hosmer got the Royals closer, singling home Whit Merrifield, and in the bottom of the ninth, still down a run, Hosmer came to the plate with the tying and winning runs on base, delivering a walk-off home run, taking the second of the three-game series with Colorado.

Hosmer's homer was his 21st of the season and his third hit of the game. Having a solid season, Hosmer is batting .319 and has driven in 73 runs. He's second in the AL in batting, though leader, Jose Altuve, has a safe advantage, at .358.

The loss was Colorado's fourth straight, endangering their playoff potential. Though they are just 1/2 game behind Arizona for the first wild card, their hold on the second spot has been slipping all through August, as the Brewers, Cardinals and Marlins are in the hunt, three, four and 5 1/2 games back, respectively.

The Royals will be seeking their fourth straight win and a sweep of the series in game three, Thursday, 2:15 pm ET.

National League

Hill's No-Hit Bid Spoiled

Taking the first two games of their four-game series in Pittsburgh, the LA Dodgers were looking good in game three, with starter, Rich Hill, cruising through eight innings with a perfect game. The problem, however, was that the Dodgers couldn't conjure up a run off Pittsburgh hurler, Trevor Williams, who had blanked the NL West leaders for eight full innings on seven hits.

Hill's perfect game disappeared in the ninth, when Mercer safe at first on error by third baseman Forsythe, but the Pirates couldn't break through, as Hill stiffened, getting the next three batters in order, taking a no-hitter into the 10th.

It was that extra inning that finally did Hill in, as Josh Harrison led off the frame with his 17th home run, a walk-off solo shot, ruining the night for Hill and the Dodgers, while sending nearly 20,000 Pirate fans home happy and with hope for the playoffs with the 1-0 victory.

Hill still is credited with a nine-inning no-hitter, but also suffers the loss. The 33-year-old is 9-5 with a 3.32 ERA. The Dodgers are in no danger, having the best record in baseball, at 89-36, and a 21-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. Pittsburgh is eight down in the NL Central and 7 1/2 out of the second wild card.

The series concludes Thursday. Game time is 4:05 pm ET.

Eric Hosmer 5-6, Grand Slam As Royals Win 8th Straight; Marcell Ozuna, Marlins Bury Rangers, 22-10

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 26, 2017

American League

Kansas City won its eighth straight game, a 16-2 thrashing of the Tigers, in which six Detroit hurlers allowed a total of 22 hits, though all but three of them were singles. Essentially, the Royals were all over the bases the whole game. Only in the sixth inning did Kansas City go down in order.

Hosmer: 5-6, Grand Slam

Slugging Eric Hosmer accounted himself well in the bloodbath, going 5-for-6, scoring five times and driving in six, thanks to having one of those three extra base hits, a grand slam in the seventh. The Royals scored nine times in the inning, Hosmer's blast making the score 13-1.

The rest of Hosmer's other hits were singles, raising his average from .310 to .319 during the course of the game. He's batting a robust .368 in July, part of the reason the Royals are fast on the heels of division-leading Cleveland, a mere 1 1/2 game out, despite the Indians winning six straight, including Wednesday's 10-4 mashing of the Angels. Hosmer has 16 home runs and 59 RBI.

Kansas City didn't come roaring out of the all-star break, losing four of their first five games, but they've gotten red hot of late, taking the final two games of an earlier four-game series with the Tigers on their way to consecutive sweeps over the White Sox and now the Tigers, in Detroit.

After a day off Thursday, the Royals head east on Friday, playing back-to-back three-game series in Boston and Baltimore.

National League

It was a tough night for You Darvish and the Texas Rangers - maybe even tougher for the 26,471 fans in Arlington - as the Miami Marlins took the rubber game of their three-game series by the football-ish score of 22-10.

The Rangers used six pitchers, though starter Darvish got the worst of it, allowing 10 runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings. Miami had the same number of hits as runs, 14 of them going for extra bases, including four homers.

Ozuna: 3-5, 4 R, 5 RBI

Marcell Ozuna didn't have a home run, but he did double twice and triple in five at-bats, scored four times and drove in five runs, giving him 77 RBI on the season, third in the National League.

Ozuna, batting .315 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI is putting up MVP-like numbers, despite playing on the same team as Giancarlo Stanton, who did hit a home run, his 33rd, which leads the majors.

Unfortunately, the Marlins have little pitching to go with their awesome lineup of mashers. While Miami hits .268 as a team, third in the NL, their pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.72, 11th of 15 teams in the NL.

That's landed them at 46-53, 14 games behind the Nationals in the NL East, with the Braves and Mets between them and the division leader.

The Marlins return home Thursday, where they will host Cincinnati for four games. Texas gets a day off before hosting a three-game series with Baltimore Friday. The Rangers recently swept the Orioles four straight at Camaden Yards.

Eric Hosmer Helps Lift Royals Past Astros; Yoenis Cespedes, Travis d'Arnaud Power Mets to 13-7 Win over Dodgers

Players of the Day for Monday, October 12, 2015

American League

Eric Hosmer

Both the Royals and Blue Jays - the two teams with the best records in the league - staved off elimination on Monday, forcing a fifth and final game in each of their series.

Toronto socked a trio of home runs in the first two innings and added three more runs in the third for a 7-0 lead before Texas was able to get on the board. Toronto's 8-4 win

In Houston, the scenario was a bit more dramatic. Down, 6-2, in the eighth inning, the Royals rallied to a 9-6 victory, putting the Houston celebration on hold.

Yoenis Cespedes

In the eighth, when the Royals plated five, Eric Hosmer scored the go ahead run after driving in a run with a single. In the ninth inning, Hosmer then sealed the deal with a two-run blast that sent Astros fans home unhappy.

Hosmer was 2-for-5 on the day, with three RBI and two runs.

Travis d"Arnaud

Both games five will be played on Wednesday. The Blue Jays host the Rangers at 4:07 pm EDT, while the Astros try to win at Kansas City in the late game, at 8:07 pm EDT.

National League

In the NLDS, the Mets and Cubs both are up two games to one over the Dodgers and Cardinals, respectively.

Chicago pounded six homers out of Wrigley Field, whipping St. Louis, 8-6. Game four is scheduled for Tuesday at 4:37 pm EDT.

The Mets hammered the Dodgers, 13-7, at Citi Field in New York. Curtis Granderson drove in five runs with a pair of doubles. Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d"Arnaud each homered, drove in three runs and scored three times.

Game four is slated for Tuesday, 8:07 pm EDT.

Eric Hosmer, Royals Crush Indians; Cubs' Kris Bryant Walks Off Rockies with 9th Inning Homer

Players of the Day for Monday, July 27, 2015

American League

Eric Hosmer

The first-place Kansas City Royals wasted little time taking control of the first of their three-game series at Cleveland.

Eric Hosmer cranked a three-run homer in the top of the first inning, helping the Royals cruise to a 9-4 triumph.

Hosmer's 10th home run was part of a 3-for-5 night for the Royal first baseman. Subsequently, he added two singles and finished with four RBI, scoring three times.

Homer finished the night with a .308 batting average, 10 HRs and 53 RBI.

The Royals have opened up an eight-game lead over second-place Minnesota in the AL Central, the largest advantage in the majors. Mired in last place in the division, the Indians languish, 15 games back.

Game two of the series is slated for 7:10 pm EDT on Tuesday.


National League

Kris Bryant:
Rookie of the Year?

In Chicago, there's plenty of hope for the future of the Cubs. Rookie third baseman Kris Bryant is a big part of that hopeful future, as he smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning at Wrigley Field Monday, giving the Cubs a walk-off, 9-8 win over visiting Colorado.

Bryant delivered with two down in the ninth and teammate Dexter Fowler aboard, sending his 15th home run of the season over the wall in center field.

Batting .254 with 15 HRs and 59 RBI, Bryant is a serious candidate for NL rookie of the year. He was 2-for-5 with three RBI on the night, his RBI single in the fourth inning accounting for Chicago's first run.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, this doesn't look like the season in which they'll be making history, looking tend the longest World Series drought in the majors. They trail the Cardinals by 11 1/2 games in the NL Central division and have the Pirates five games in front of them. Looking at a wild card, however, the Cubs are just 2 1/2 games behind the Giants for the second spot.

Game two of the three-game series is set for an 8:05 first pitch, Tuesday night.

Eric Hosmer, Alex Rios Star for Slugging Royals; Kirk Nieuwenhuis 4-for-4 in Mets Win

Nieuwenhuis

Players of the Day for March 4, 2015

Grapefruit League

Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 4-for-4 in the Mets' and Atlanta's 2015 debut, an 8-2 win over the Braves at Champion Stadium, the Braves' Spring training facility in Kissimmee, Florida.

Nieuwenhuis had four singles, scored a run and drove in one.

The Mets hammered out 14 hits against eight Atlanta hurlers. Matt Capps took the loss, giving up two earned runs on two hits and a walk in an inning of work,  though the brunt of the assault was sustained by Jose Veras, who worked just 2/3rds of an inning, giving up a pair of walks, three hits and five earned runs.


Cactus League

Hosmer

Rios

Kansas City hitters are picking it up right where they left off last season, banging out 15 hits against the Rangers in Wednesday's 13-2 romp.

Leading the hit parade were Eric Hosmer and Alex Rios, who each homered, doubled and drove in three runs. The game was the opener for both clubs, played at Surprise Stadium, in Surprise Arizona, the preseason home of the Rangers.

Rios had a little extra incentive in the game, having been traded from the Rangers to the Royals in the off-season. In 2014, Rios' power numbers were down, as he hit just four homres and drove in 54 runs in 131 games.

He recorded career highs in 2012, with the White Sox, when he knocked out 25 homers and 91 RBI.

Eric Hosmer Homers, Leads Royals to 5-2 Win over Tigers; Michael Wacha Blanks Pirates for 7 as Cardinals Sweep

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 8, 2013

American League

Eric Hosmaer

With one swing of the bat, Eric Hosmer turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 win over the visiting Tigers, taking two of three to finish off their weekend series.

Hosmer's three-run, two-out homer provided the edge for the Royals. He also singled twice, going 3-for-4 on the day, raising his batting average to .302, tops on the team and eighth in the league.

While the Roayls enjoyed winning for the sixth time in their last eight games, they are running out of time, both in the division and the wild card hunt.

The Tigers, despite two straight losses, are still 5 1/2 ahead of Cleveland, with the Royals seven back. Kansas City also trails Tampa Bay for the final wild card position by 3 1/2 games, though Baltimore, Cleveland and New York are closer.

Kansas City can make their own fate, as they have nine straight games upcoming against their division rivals. They have three at Cleveland starting Monday, then three at Detroit, followed by three more with the Indians at home. In this next run of games they can make or break their post-season chances.

National League

Michael Wacha

Michael Wacha is just what the Cardinals need heading down the stretch in the treacherous NL Central division.

Wacha, a reliever and spot starter, shut out the Pirates for seven innings on Sunday, allowing just two hits, as the Cardinals completed their sweep of the visitors with a 9-2 victory, reclaiming first place by 1 1/2 games over Pittsburgh.

A rookie hurler, Wacha walked two and struck out the same number, winning his third game without a loss in 12 appearances, six of them as a starter. Cardinal batters supported their mound mate with two runs in the first, three in the second and a four-run outburst in the fifth.

Having done away with Pittsburgh, the Cardinals may have to be more concerned with the Reds, winners of four straight and now tied with the Pirates for second place in the division, though the Cardinals don't face them for the remainder of the season.

St. Louis gets a day off Monday and continues their home stand with a three-game series against Milwaukee beginning Tuesday.

Today's Trivia: Starting with 2003, only two American League teams have won 100 or more games in a single season. Who are they? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The Atlanta Braves won 104 games in 1993, 101 in 1997, 106 in 1998, 103 in 1999, 101 in 2002, and 101 in 2003

Eric Hosmer's Two Homers Lead Royals to DH Sweep of Tigers; Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence Power Giants to 14-10 Win over Marlins

Players of the Day for Friday, August 16, 2013

American League

Eric Hosmer

Combine exceptional pitching with a couple of home runs from Eric Hosmer and you get a double-header sweep of the Detroit Tigers by the unflappable Kansas City Royals.

Hosmer's solo rome run in the fourth inning of game one staked KC starter, Danny Duffy, to an early lead in his duel with Detroit's Justin Verlander. Duffy, a third year pro recalled this week from AAA affiliate Omaha, allowed just one hit over six innings to pick up his first win of the 2013 campaign.

Verlander gave up another run in the seventh that proved the game-winner. Ramon Santiago socked a pinch-hit home run off Royal reliever Aaron Crow to cut the lead in half, but closer Greg Holland slammed the door on the Tigers in the ninth for his 33rd save and a 2-1 Royals win.

In the nightcap, Hosmer homered early again, this time in the third inning, launching a two-run homer into the right field stands of Comerica Park in support of James Shields' seven innings of shutout ball. Shields allowed three hits, walked four and fanned one, evening his record at 8-8 as the Royals produced a 3-0 victory and a double-header sweep of first place Detroit.

The twin killing left the Royals 6 1/2 games back, in third place in the AL Central, just 1/2 game behind second place Cleveland. The Royals lead the five-game series, two games to one, with the next meeting slated for Saturday evening at 7:08 pn EDT.

National League

Hunter Pence

Brandon Belt

With both teams scraping the bottom of their respective divisions, there isn't much happening for either the Giants or the Marlins, so what better way to pass through a Friday night's contest than by bruising a few pitcher's egos.

The two teams combined for 35 hits and 24 runs as the Giants prevailed at Marlins Park by a 14-10 margin.

Pablo Sandoval went 4-for-4, Brandon Belt singled twice, doubled, tripled, scored four times and drove in a run, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Hunter Pence went 3-for-6 with two doubles and a triple, scoring three times and driving in five.

The Giants (54-67) are 1/2 game out of last place in the NL West, while the 46-74 Marlins have the worst record in the league and have last place in the NL East virtually wrapped up.

The two teams will slug out game two of their three-game series Saturday night, starting at 7:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Some guys just out to go straight. Which player led his league seven different times, for four different teams - from 2001 to 2011 - in being caught stealing? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: While Babe Ruth hit more homers than teammate Lou Gehrig, Gehrig was the leader in doubles, amassing 534 to the Bambino's 508.

Jeremy Guthrie, Eric Hosmer Lead Royals to 13-0 Shutout; Justin Upton's Home Run Delivers Atlanta's 11th Straight Win

Players of the Day for Monday, August 5, 2013

American League

Jeremy Guthrie

Jeremy Guthrie threw a complete game, four-hit shutout as the Royals won for the 12th time in their last 13 outings, hammering the Twins, 13-0.

Eric Hosmer

Guthrie (12-7) walked one, struck out seven and needed just 106 pitches to blank the flailing Twins. It was Guthrie's fourth straight win and his second shutout of the season.

Eric Hosmer provided more than ample offense for the streaking Royals, going 3-for-5 with a single, double and a three-run homer, his sixth of the season. Hosmer drove in five runs.

KC is 7 1/2 games behind Central division-leading, Detroit. The Indians are four games out, in sewcond place.

The Twins will try to even the series Tuesday night when they meet the Royals in game tow of their three-game series, at 8:10 pm EDT.

National League

Justin Upton

Justin Upton's 8th inning home run broke a 2-2 tie and the Braves held on in the ninth, defeating Washington, 3-2 for their 11th straight victory and a 13 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

Upton's solo shot was his third hit of the game, after singling in the third and singling again in the fifth, scoring the second of the Braves' runs.

Atlanta mets Washington for game two of their three-game set Tuesday night at 7:05 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Speaking of A-Rod, how many times has he been named AL MVP? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) is right at .3001. If he continues to play while appealing his suspension and going 1-for-4 as he did Monday, the .300 career mark may be in jeopardy.

Lance Lynn Shuts Out Marlins over Six; Royals Wrap Up Cactus League as Eric Hosmer Leads

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 28, 2013

Grapefruit League

Lynn: 6IP, 2H, 0ER

With exhibition season winding down and opening day just a few days off, starting pitchers are getting in the final tune-ups.

Lance Lynn, last season's rookie phenom for the St. Louis Cardinals, has to be feeling good after blanking the Marlins for six innings on two hits in St. Louis' 1-0 victory.

The burly right-hander struck out five, didn't allow a walk and improved to 2-3 in his final Grapefruit League start. Three Cardinal relievers each worked an inning to keep the shutout intact, sending the Cardinals to a 16-14 record, good for fourth place in the standings.

Lynn was 18-7 in 2012, with a 3.78 ERA. He fanned 180 hitters in 176 innings.

Cactus League

Eric Hosmer

Kansas City wrapped up the Cactus League title with an 8-3 win over Cincinnati, winning as they have all Spring, by battering the opposition with a relentless attack.

The Royals banged out 16 hits against a parade of six Reds' hurlers, scoring five in the third and three more in the fifth.

Alex Gordon hit his seventh homer, catcher Salvador Perez whacked his fourth and Eric Hosmer went 3-for-5 (all singles) and scored a pair of runs. Hosmer is having a spectacular Spring, batting .385 with two homers and 14 RBI.

Kansas City stands 3 1/2 games in front of Seattle in the Cactus standings, with just three games remaining. The Royals have posted a 24-7 in exhibition play.

Albert Pujols, Eric Hosmer Star in 11-8 Shoot-out; Brian Dinkelman Lead Twins over Pirates

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 29, 2012

Grapefruit League


Because of last season's injuries to stars Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, a last-place finish in the AL Central and off-season trades - particularly that of Michael Cuddyer, which sent the OF/DH to Colorado - the general perception around the Minnesota clubhouse is that there is open competition for a lot of positions.

Brian Dinkelman

That's why any number of minor leaguers are getting extended looks, like utility infielder-outfielder Brian Dinkelman, who spent most of last season in AAA Rochester (NY), but batted a respectable .301 with the big club in a 23-game look-see.

Coaches got an eyeful in Minnesota's 11-4 rout of the Pirates, as Dinkelman was stationed in left field and went 3-for-4 at the plate, with a pair of singles and his first homer of the spring. Dinkelman drove in four runs and scored twice as the Twins pounded five Pittsburgh hurlers for 15 hits.

Even with all the moving parts, Minnesota is having a pretty good exhibition season. They are 16-12 in Grapefruit League play and are 11-4 on the road.

Albert Pujols

Cactus League

In Thursday's slug-fest special, the LA Angels and Kansas City Royals combined for 32 hits, including 14 extra base hits, of which six cleared the fences and the bases.

Eric Hosmer

At the end of it all, the Angels, which had 20 of the base knocks, came out on top, 11-8, with Albert Pujols going 4-for-4, with a double, three singles, four RBI and a run scored. The three-time NL MVP is batting .388 with four home runs and 14 RBI this spring, after signing onto a monster deal with LA in the off-season.

For the Royals, Eric Hosmer continues to impress. The second-year pro socked his fifth homer of the spring, along with a single and double in a 3-for-4 effort with three RBI and a pair of runs.

Hosmer is having an all-star kind of exhibition season, batting .418 with five long balls and 23 RBI. As a rookie with the Royals in 2011, Hosmer belted 19 home runs and drove in 78 runs while batting a solid .293 in 128 games.

Rookie Eric Hosmer Brings Home Game-Winner in 10th; Justin Upton, Miguel Montero Scorch Rockies

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 23, 2011

American League

Eric Hosmer

After a promising start, the situation is back to normal in Kansas City, with the team in last place in the AL Central, 11 games behind Detroit and 16 games under .500 (42-56).

To Eric Hosmer, however, it's a chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues, and in Saturday's 10-inning, 5-4 win over the Rays, he strengthened his case, going 3-for-5, scoring two runs and driving in the game-winner.

In the 4th inning, Hosmer tied the game at 2-2 when he raced around the bases from first on Mike Moustakas' double to center. Hosmer scored again in the 6th, singling, advancing to third and coming home on a sac fly to get the Royals within one, at 4-3.

The big moment came in the 10th, after KC had tied the game, when Hosmer doubled home the winning run as pinch runner Mike Aviles motered home from first.

Hosmer has credentials for rookie of the year, toting a .277 batting average with nine homers and 40 RBI... and his second walk-off hit of the season.

National League

Miguel Montero

Justin Upton and Miguel Montero absolutely torched the Colorado Rockies, sparking the Diamondbacks to a lopsided, 12-3 win.

Justin Upton

The Arizona pair combined for five hits and 11 of the D-Backs' 12 runs. Both doubled in two runs in the first inning, and they both had homers - Upton's a grand slam and Montero's a two-run job. Montero also was awarded an RBI when he walked with the bases loaded in the 6th inning.

Upton went 3-for-5 with six RBI; Montero was 2-for-4 with five ribbies.

The win helped Arizona stay within range of the NL West-leading Giants at four games out. San Fran beat Milwaukee, 4-2, on Saturday. The Diamondbacks also trail Altanta by five games in the wild card race.

STREAKS: Florida Marlins third baseman Emilio Bonifacio went 2-or-4, extending his career-best hitting streak to 22 games, as the Marlins downed the Mets, 8-5. Seattle equalled the franchise record for futility, losing their 14th straight, as Boston downed the Mariners, 3-1.

Rasmus Triples Twice for Cardinals; Eric Hosmer Leads KC Past Rangers

Players of the Day for Friday, May 27, 2011

American League

Eric Hosmer

Before Eric Hosmer even stepped foot onto a major league diamond, the raves were already coming. Judged the best prospect in the Royals' farm system, the KC brass could not keep him in AAA ball as he was hitting .439 with a 1.107 OPS with Omaha in the Pacific Coast League.

Since joining the Royals as their everyday first baseman, the 6'4", 230-lb. rookie has done nothing but impress. In Friday's 12-7, 14-inning win at Texas, Hosmer made yet another statement that he's here to stay, going 4-for-7 with a home run, double, two singles, four RBI and two runs. About the only thing he didn't do was sell hot dogs in the stands.

Since joining the Royals earlier this month, Hosmer is batting .284 with 4 homers and 11 RBI and has made the Royals respectable. Although Cleveland has a six-game lead in the division, Kansas City is hanging on in third place, 8 games back with Detroit is two games ahead of them.

Should the Indians stumble, Hosmer and the Royals will be there to pick up the pieces.

National League

This is probably not the best time for the Rockies to be hosting a three-game series with St. Louis.

Colby Rasmus

Once holding a healthy lead in the NL West, Colorado has hit the skids hard, losing seven of their last eight and the Cardinals made it four straight, beating the Rockies 10-3 win to open the series.

St. Louis jumped all over starter Ubaldo Jiminez, dropping him to 0-5 with 12 hits and six runs over six innings. The chief tormentor was center fielder Colby Rasmus, who singled twice and tripled off Jimenez, then added a two-run triple in the seventh to cap a 4-for-5 night with three RBI, two runs and a steal.

Rasmus has five triples already this season and is batting .287. The win put the Cardinals 3 1/2 up on Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Rockies continued slide has them four games behind San Francisco in the NL West. Arizona has taken over second place, 1 1/2 out.