Twins Win, 5-2, As Ervin Santana Tosses 5th Complete Game; Vance Worley, Dee Gordon Lead Marlins Past Nats

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 2, 2017

American League

There were not many runs scored on Wednesday, with 12 of 28 teams on MLB fields scoring two or fewer runs and six of those teams not scoring at all.

Santana's 5 CGs Leads MLB

Of all these low-scoring games, in only one did a starting pitcher go the entire distance, that being Minnesota's Ervin Santana, in the Twins' 5-2 victory at San Diego.

The complete game was Santana's fifth of the season, which is three more than any other pitcher in the league. While there are probably a couple dozen starters who could pitch a full nine innings, the nature of baseball in the age of numbers, studies, and career protection, few do. Santana is a throwback to the 60s, when complete games were the norm rather than the oddity.

In the win over the Padres, Santana allowed four hits and two runs, both of them coming off the bat of Jose Pirela, who socked a two-run homer in the fourth inning. That didn't faze Santana, who set down the first ten batters faced in order before surrendering a single prior to Pirela's homer.

After that, it was lights out for the Padres, able to muster only two hits and a walk the rest of the way. Santana finished with nine strikeouts on 110 pitches, 82 of which were strikes. At 12-7 with a 3.28 ERA, Santana is one of the leading causes for Minnesota's success this season. They've cooled off since the break (6-11), and trail Cleveland in the AL Central by six games.

Worley: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER

The Twins head to home Thursday for the opener of a four-game series with the Rangers. Game one starts at 8:10 pm ET.

National League

Even though the Washington Nationals lead the NL East by 12 games, the division race is far from over, according to the Miami Marlins.

Miami took the final two games of their three-game series with the visiting Nationals, winning the finale, 7-0, as Vance Worley made the most of his spot start, flinging seven innings of shutout ball on two hits for the win and leadoff hitter Dee Gordon went 3-for-4 with two singles, a triple, two stolen bases, three runs and an RBI.

Gordon: 3-4, 3 R, 2 SB

On Tuesday, the Marlins erased a 6-0 win to take the game, 7-6. Washington starter, Max Scherzer, went just one inning, but also homered in his only at-bat, belting a three-run shot. Scherzer didn't take the mound for the second inning, complaining of stiffness in his neck. He expects to make his next start and is set to see a chiropractor this week. Stephen Strasburg is already on the DL and the Nationals cannot afford to lose Scherzer as well for any extended period.

In Wednesday's series finale, Worley allowed a first-inning single to Howie Kendrick, but got out of the frame on a double play. After that, he allowed just one more hit and didn't give up any walks. No Washington batter reached second base with Worley on the mound.

Meanwhile, Gordon was running wild. He walked and scored in the first inning, singled and stole second in the third, tripled and scored in the fifth, singled in a run in the sixth, stole second and scored again.

Gordon is batting an even .300, has scored 71 runs, tied for fifth in the NL, and his 40 steals is second league-wide to Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton (44). Worley is 1-2 with a 5.31 ERA in 14 appearances, six of them starts.

The Marlins head to Atlanta for a three-game series with the Braves starting Friday. On Monday, they'll open a four-game series in Washington. The Nationals open a three-game series with the Cubs in Chicago on Friday.

Ervin Santana Goes Distance As Twins Blank Giants, 4-0; Tyler Moore Belts A Pair In Marlins Win At Pittsburgh

Santana: 4-hit CG Shutout

Players of the Day for Friday, June 9, 2017

American League

A primary reason the Minnesota Twins are in first place in the AL Central division is the continued excellence of ace starter, Ervin Santana, who notched his eighth win against three losses Friday as the Twins whipped the Giants, 4-0.

The win was in the opener of a three-game weekend series in San Francisco. Santana was brilliant, hurling his third complete game shutout of the season, allowing just four hits and needing a mere 91 to tame the San Francisco lineup.

Striking out five and walking one, Santana set down 13 of the first 14 batters he faced and set down the final eight in order.

With an ERA of 2.20, Santana is a solid prospect to be a one of the starters chosen for next month's all-star game. The most glaring statistic in his repertoire is the .154 batting average he allows opposing batters. In 90 innings, Santana has given up just 47 hits.

Moore: 2 HR, 4 RBI

Minnesota's victory kept them 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland, 7-3 victors over the White Sox on Friday.

Game two of the series at AT&T Park is Saturday, 1:05 pm PT.

National League

Giancarlo Stanton hit his 16th home run of the season and Tyler Moore put a pair of balls in the stands as the Miami Marlins out-slugged Pittsburgh, 12-7.

After delivering a sac fly in the second inning to get the Marlins on the board, Moore belted a two run homer in the third and launched a solo shot in the seventh as Miami built an insurmountable lead. The Pirates made the score more respectable by scoring a run in the eighth and two in the ninth.

Moore also singled, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI.

Moore, who missed half of April and the first nine days of May, has just recently found his best groove, going 7-for-12 in his last three games, raising his batting average from .175 to .269.

The win was the third straight for the Marlins, who are 11 games behind Washington in the NL East. Pittsburgh hosts Miami in game three of their four-game set Saturday, 4:05 pm ET.

Ervin Santana Keeps Twins In 1st With 2-Hit Shutout Of O's; Anthony Rendon Blasts A Pair For Nationals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 23, 2017

American League

Minnesota kept its edge in the AL Central, thanks to a sterling performance by starting pitcher, Ervin Santana, who twirled a two-hit, complete game, 2-0, shutout over the stumbling Orioles.

Santana: 2-Hitter

The Twins' ace allowed only singles by Wellington Castillo in the second and Jonathan Schoop in the fifth. He also issued walks to Shoop and Mark Trumbo, and fanned six. Once settle in, Santana was truly untouchable, retiring the final 14 Oriole would-be hitters in order.

Santana has been insanely good this season, a key reason that the Twins are doing so well. The win was his second complete game shutout of the season and he's joined Houston's Dallas Keuchel as the only seven-game winner in the AL.

At 7-2, Santana has already equaled the number of wins he had last season (7-11) and in 2015 (7-5), allowing just 31 hits in 70 innings. Opposing hitters are batting a mere .143 against him.

The result, combined with Cleveland's 8-7 win over Cincinnati, kept the Twins a game up on the reigning la champions. Detroit is four games out. Baltimore has remained in second place behind the Yankees in the East, 1 1/2 back, but having lost three straight and nine of their last 12, the Orioles have allowed the Red Sox to gain. Boston is 3 1/2 out, two behind Baltimore.

Minnesota will be looking for the sweep at Camden Yards Wednesday afternoon. Game time is 12:35 pm ET.

National League

Rendon: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Threatening to runaway in the NL East division, the Washington Nationals won their second straight with a 10-1 victory over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

While Joe Ross was going eight innings for his second win without a loss, allowing just one Seattle run, Anthony Rendon was doing his thing at the plate, supporting his pitcher with a pair of home runs, a two-run shot in the second and a three-run bomb in the fourth. He also doubled to open the fourth, scoring on Matt Weiters single. Scoring eight runs in the inning, the Nationals sent 11 men to the plate. Along with Rendon, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper also homered.

Harper's home run was his 14th, tying him for the league lead with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman. Rendon's two shot gave him seven on the season; the five RBI upped his total to 28.

The Nationals lead the NL East by 6 1/2 over Atlanta. The Mets are 7 1/2 back.

The game was the first of three in Washington. The Nats and M's will go at it again at Nationals Park, Wednesday night at 7:05 pm ET.

Ervin Santana, Miguel Sano Lead Twins To 1st Place; Brandon Drury Powers Arizona Past Pirates, 11-4

Santana: 6-1

Players of the Day for Friday, May 12, 2017

American League

The Twins are in first place.

Yes, you read that right. After winning at Cleveland, 1-0, in the opener of a three-game series by Lake Erie, the Twins hold a one game edge over the reigning AL champions in the Central division.

Ervin Santana notched his sixth win against one loss, hurling seven innings of two-hit shutout ball at the Tribe. Santana clearly didn't have his nastiest stuff, throwing just 56 of 99 pitches for strikes, walking five and fanning four, but, looking like an elite pitcher, he worked out of self-made jams, worked the lineup and managed masterfully.

Sano: HR sinks Indians

His six wins tied him with Houston's Dallas Keuchel for the AL lead and with LA's Clayton Kershaw for the major league lead. Santana's effort was backed by Miguel Sano's 10th home run of the year, a first-inning solo shot off Cleveland starter, Josh Tomlin, who also pitched a whale of a game (six hits, seven Ks), but was tagged with the loss.

Minnesota's top slugger, Sano registered his 30th RBI, second in the AL to Seattle's Nelson Cruz (31).

Taylor Rogers and Matt Belisle got the Twins through the eighth and Brandon Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth inning preserving the win with his ninth save. The win was the 10th on the road for the Twins, against just four road losses.

The teams resume heir battle for the top spot in the division Saturday, 4:10 pm ET, at Progressive Field.

National League

At the start of the season, some baseball experts were saying that the Giants and Dodgers would fight it out in the NL West.

Drury: 3-5, 3-run HR

Well, while it's still early, the Giants are in last place, 10 games behind Colorado. The Dodgers evened their series with the Rockies at 1-1 Friday with a 6-2 win and are 1 1/2 games back, but, the Arizona Diamondbacks are lurking, just two games off the pace after swamping the Pirates, 11-4.

The win was Arizona's third straight and second straight in the four-game series with visiting Pittsburgh. Banging out 16 hits, the Diamondbacks scored all of their runs in the second and third innings, hammering Pittsburgh starter, Tyler Glasnow, for seven runs on seven hits and pasting reliever, Josh Lindblom, for four runs in the third.

Going 3-for-5 was second baseman Brandon Drury, whose three-run homer capped the big third inning assault. He also doubled and singled in the game.

Following his first full season as a starter in 2016, Drury has become an integral part of the Arizona attack. Last season, he was solid, with a .282 batting average, 16 homers and 53 RBI. This year, in 32 games, he's batting .325, with three homers and 14 RBI.

The Diamondbacks are second in runs (182) and fifth in batting (.261) in the National League. Their 44 home runs and 172 RBI are among the leaders in the majors.

Arizona seeks its fourth straight win when they host the Pirates in game three, Saturday, 8:10 pm ET.

Minnesota's Ervin Santana, Colorado's Tyler Chatwood Throw First Shutouts Of Season

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 15, 2017

American League

Ervin Santana

Jackie Robinson Day became a day of firsts in the majors, highlighted by the first two complete game shutouts tossed in each league.

In Minnesota, the Twins earned a tie for first place with the Tigers (13-6 losers at Cleveland) in the Central division with a 6-0 shutout of the White Sox courtesy of Ervin Santana's magical one-hitter.

Staked by his teammates to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, Santana improved to 3-0, allowed a third inning single to Jomar Narvaez and walked Avisail Garcia to open the fourth. After a wild pitch that sent Garcia to second, Santana settled in to sit down the next 18 would-be batters in order, finishing with the one-hitter and the first shutout of the season in the American League.

In near-complete control throughout, Santana threw 72 of 107 pitches for strikes, walked one and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.41 in the process.

Tyler Chatwood

It was the 17th career complete game for the 34-year-old righty, and his 9th shutout.

The White Sox and Twins play the rubber game of their three-game series at Target Field on Sunday, starting at 4:10 pm ET.

National League

Out in San Francisco, the Colorado Rockies took a slim 1/2 game advantage over the Dodgers and Diamondbacks when Tyler Chatwood threw the first shutout of his six-year MLB career, topping the Giants with a two-hit, 5-0, shutout.

Earning his first win of the season, Chatwood walked one and struck out four, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Chris Marrero dinged him for a clean single to right field.

Allowing another single to right to lead off the seventh by Joe Panik, Chatwood didn't allow another hit, issuing his lone walk to Dennard Span in the ninth without further damage.

Throwing 105 pitches in the complete game win, Chatwood hit the strike zone with 67, facing 30 batters, three over the minimum.

Leading the series two games to one, the Rockies will look to improve upon their 8-5 record when they finish up with the Giants at 4:05 pm ET at AT&T Park.

Oakland Secures Cactus League Crown Behind Scott Kasmir and Billy Butler; Ervin Santana Sharp as Twins Fall to Boston

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 2, 2015

Grapefruit League

Ervin Santana

Ervin Santana must have figured he'd given his team a reasonable shot at winning their game with the Boston Red Sox. After all, he'd held Boston scoreless over the first five innings on one hit, walked just one batter and struck out a pair while his Twins' teammates had put two runs on the scoreboard.

All of that changed as soon as his replacement hit the mound, the Red Sox exploding for seven runs in the sixth inning, getting six of them off J. R. Graham, who allowed six hits in 1/3 of an inning, and the other off Nick Burdi, who got the last two outs of the inning, but not before giving up a two-run homer to Mike Napoli.

Thus, Santana, who has had a solid Spring, was denied his fourth win against one loss. Santana got no decision, but, he appears ready for the regular season. In five starts, he's tossed 19 innings, allowing just four runs, for an ERA of 1.89.

His teammates seem to need a bit more seasoning. After the 8-5 defeat by Boston the Twins are 12-15, while the Red Sox have improved to 16-11 and are just 1/2 game behind the Blue Jays and Mets, both 18-12.

Santana spent the first eight years of his major league career with the Angels, then went to Kansas City in 2013, before heading to Atlanta, where he was 14-10 last year. The Twins acquired the 6'2" right-hander in the off-season.

Cactus League

Butler: New A.

Kazmir: Sharp.

The Oakland A's claimed the Cactus League crown with an 8-2 win over the Giants on Thursday, but, instead of doing so amidst the desert breezes of Arizona, the finalized the deal at the Giants' home field, at AT&T Stadium in San Francisco, where an estimated 41,581 watched the A's capture the first of what they hope will be many flags this year.

Scott Kazmir looked good in his final tune-up prior to the regular season, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. He did not issue any walks, nor did his strike out any of the opposition.

Billy Butler went 3-for-5, including his fifth homer of the exhibition season, and drove in a pair of runs, giving him 15 RBI this Spring.

Kazmir is starting his second season with the A's. Last year he was 15-9 with a 3.44 ERA. Butler figures to be the primary DH for the Athletics. He was snatched away from Kansas City this off-season, after having spent his entire, eight-year career with the Royals.

The win was the ninth straight for the A's, who hold a 2 1/2 game edge on Kansas City with just two games left to play.

* * * *

With the start of the regular season, significant changes are coming to Baseball On Deck.

Instead of daily posts featuring players of the day, the format will change to a main, once-weekly post, on Mondays, in which various players of the week will be presented. Each league will feature an infielder and outfielder of the week, along with starting pitcher of the week and reliever of the week for both the American and National leagues. A special category for DH of the Week will also be part of the new mix.

Interim posts - between Mondays - will appear on an ad hoc basis, along with presentation of streaks, notable stats and other stories of note. These changes will allow Baseball on Deck to become more focused on the larger scope of the season while also providing a more literate interpretation of events.

During the season special attention will be given to the standings and schedules of contending teams, as well as expanded coverage during the pennant races in September and the playoffs and World Series in October.

These changes will begin shortly. Saturday and Sunday will be the final posts in the current Players of the Day format, but opening week of the regular season will feature daily, or nearly daily, posts. The first major post in the new, expanded format will be Monday, April 13.

Houston Rookie Brandon Barnes Hits for Cycle in Astros Loss; Ervin Santana Shuts Down Tigers in 1-0 KC Win

Players of the Day for Friday, July 19, 2013

American League

Barnes Hits for Cycle

Here's what happens when you're the worst team in baseball, i.e., the Houston Astros, with an MLB-worst 33-62 record: your number seven hitter goes for the cycle and you still lose the ball game.

That's exactly what happened in Houston Friday night, when center fielder Brandon Barnes went 5-for-5 with all the requisite variety of hits, beginning with a solo homer in the second inning, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead, the only advantage they would enjoy on the night.

In the bottom of the fourth, Barnes tripled in another run, though by then, the Mariners had run in four. In the sixth, Barnes singled, followed by a double in the eighth which completed the cycle, later scoring on a Brett Wallace home run.

Down 10-6 in the ninth, Barnes singled once more, took second on fielder's indifference and scored the Astros' final run on Matt Dominguez's single to complete the 10-7 defeat.

Barmes scored three times and drove in just two runs, though Houston compiled a resume of 16 hits. Seattle's leadoff hitter, Brad Miller, set the pace for the M's with a pair of homers and five RBI.

Game two of the series is set for a 7:10 pm EDT start.

National League

Santana: 7 1/3 scoreless

With one of the more imposing lineups in the majors, it's not easy to keep the Detroit Tigers off the scoreboard, but that's precisely what KC starter Ervin Santana did, hurling 7 1/3 innings of shutout, two-hit ball in the Royals' 1-0 triumph over the current AL Central leaders.

Santana (6-6) walked one and struck out six in his mound stint, relieved in the eighth inning after throwing 106 pitches. The Kansas City win was huge, as the opener of a three-game series in KC with the Tigers. The Royals are still seven games back, but Cleveland is just 1 1/2 behind the Tigers in the divisional race.

The series continues with game two beginning at 7:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: It's not the prettiest way to reach base, but who was hit by more pitches, Frank Robinson or Don Baylor?

Wednesday's Answer: Cal Ripken Jr. appeared in 19 All Star games, the most by any infielder.

Jason Hammel, Ervin Santana Notch One-Hitters; Matt Holliday Leads Cardinals over Royals

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 16, 2012

American League

It may not exactly be the year of the pitcher, but with four no-hitters already this season (including two perfect games), dominance on the mound is spreading.

Jason Hammel

On Saturday, two hurlers, the Angels' Ervin Santana and Baltimore's Jason Hammel each came within a hit of record book territory with one-hit performances.

In Atlanta, Hammel set down 20 of the first 21 Braves in order, walking Dan Uggla to lead off the second, before surrendering another walk to Uggla and a scratch single to Jason Heyward with two out in the seventh.

Ervin Santana

Hammel got Eric Hinske on a routine fly ball to end the inning, and sailed through the eighth and ninth unscathed, finishing with a one-hitter, eight strikeouts and two free passes in the 5-0 Baltimore victory. His record improved to 7-2 as the O's evened their series with the Braves and play the rubber game Sunday afternoon.

Baltimore remained 1 1/2 back of the Yankees, winners of eight straight, in the AL East.

Ervin Santana took nearly the same route to a 2-0, 1-hit win as Hammel, retiring the first 20 Arizona batters, until surrendering a single toJustin Upton with twoouts in the seventh. Besides a walk to Miguel Montero in the ninth, that was the only blemish on Santana's game.

The Angels pounded outt10 hits, but only Mark Trumbo's first inning, two-run homer produced and scoring. Santana finished with one walk and five Ks, keeping LA within striking distance of AL West leader, Texas, four games out.

National League

Holliday: 4-5, 5RBI

The Cardinals and Royals each banged out 14 hits, but St. Louis prevailed in a 10-7 win, as Matt Holliday went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs.

Every hit was a run-producer for the St. Louis left fielder, socking a two-run homer (11) in the first, doubling and scoring in the second, singling in another run in the seventh and finishing with a two-run double in the eighth.

The victory kept the Cardinals tied for second in the NL Central, four games behind the Reds, winners of five in a row.

St. Louis will finish their home series with the Royals Sunday afternoon.

Ervin Santana Sets Down Blue Jays; Uggla Homers Twice, Streak at 32 Games

Players of the Day for Friday, August 12, 2011

American League

At the start of the season, the AL West looked every bit like it would turn into a showdown between the Angels and Rangers, and so far, that prognostication has proven true. All season long, one of those two teams has held first place, but lately it's been the Rangers, clinging to a 2 game lead over the hot-pursuing Angels.

The teams opened weekend series on Friday, with Texas pounding Oakland, 9-1, and the Angels taking on the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Santana: 4th CG

With the teams literally a continent apart, LA took care of business with a 5-1 victory, punctuated by a another high-quality performance from LA starter Ervin Santana, who went the distance, allowing seven hits and two walks while fanning six.

Santana, who threw a no-hitter at Cleveland on July 27 and has won his last five starts, didn't allow a runner past second base until there was one out in the 9th inning, when Eric Thames took him out of the park for Toronto's only run.

Santana's 4th complete game of the season improved his record to 9-8, somewhat short in the win category for a pitcher carrying a 3.10 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, but the Angels will take it, keeping pace with the Rangers all the while.

National League

Dan Uggla raised his batting average to .229 as the Braves won their fifth straight, a 10-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Uggla: 32 Straight

What's remarkable about Uggla's batting average is that he's hit safely in 32 straight games - surpassing the Atlanta record of 31 held by Rico Carty since 1970 - raising his average 56 points since he started the streak on July 5th, when he was batting a miserable .173.

In Friday's game, Uggla had it going on against Cubs' starter Carlos Zambrano, socking a pair of solo homers - one in the 2nd inning and one in the 5th - between them being plunked by Zambrano in the bottom of the 3rd, an incident that would eventually lead to Zambrano being tossed with one out in the 5th, after missing Chipper Jones with two straight inside pitches.

Uggla also singled later in the game, going 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. His pair of homers put him among the league leaders, with 26.

The Braves pounded five home runs off Zambrano, who was not to be found following the game, reportedly having cleaned out his locker and departed the stadium by the time the Braves had completed their romp.

Ervin Santana Throws No-Hitter for Angels; David Wright Leads Mets to 3rd Straight Over Reds

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 27, 2011

American League

Santana: No Hits

The LA Angels keep nipping the heels of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. On Wednesday, they had something more to cheer about than being in second place.

Ervin Santana threw a no-hitter at the Cleveland Indians, in their home park, a place and a team against which he had never won.

The game began in dubious fashion, after the Angels had gone down in order in the top of the first inning. Santana got leadoff hitter Ezequiel Carrera to ground to short, only to have shortstop Erick Aybar throw wildly to first. Carrera stole second and after an out, went to third on Asdrubal Cabrera's ground out to second. Then Santana uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Carrera to trot home with a run, despite the Indians getting no hits.

After that, however, Santana was all business, getting Travis Hafner to strike out to end the inning, then putting down the next 19 batters he faced before allowing a walk with one out in the 8th. He struck out the next two batters and got the side in order for his first career no-hitter and the third this season in the majors.

Santana struck out 10, issued the one walk and improved to 6-8. The other no-hitters thrown this year were by Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano, against the White Sox on May 3 and Detroit's Justin Verlander against Toronto on May 7.

Santana's 3-1 win got the Angels to within two games of the Rangers, who were beaten at home, 7-2, by the Twins.

National League

Wright: Lots of hits

With Carlos Beltran traded to the Giants earlier in the day, the Mets weren't supposed to beat up on the Reds. Then again, they weren't supposed to beat them in the first two games of the series - with Beltran - but they did.

Recently returned from a long stint on the DL, David Wright came through with a single, a sac fly and a three-run homer in four at-bats, driving in four runs as the Mets cruised to their third straight win at the Great American Ball Park, beating the Reds, 8-2.

Wright, an all star third baseman who went to the DL on May 15, returned on July 22 and has been scorching the ball, hitting safely in six straight games, going 12-for-28 (.429) over that span with two home runs and 11 RBI.

The loss knocked the 4th-place Reds 5 1/2 back of the new leader in the NL Central, Milwaukee. The Cardinals are 1/2 game out and the Pirates are hanging tough, just 1 1/2 behind the Brewers. The Mets are 12 1/2 behind the Phillies in the East and trail Atlanta by 7 games in the wild card race.

STREAKS: Seattle ended the mid-summer nightmare of 17 straight losses with a 9-2 win against the Yankees. emilio Bonifacio extended his MLB-best hitting streak to 25 games. Boston's Dustin Pedrioa has the longest in the American League this season, at 24 straight.

Twins Clinch; Santana Denies Rangers; Halladay Wins 20th

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 21, 2010 American League This hasn't been the Angels' year. As they play out the string, watching as the Texas Rangers take the division title that has been exclusive property of the Angels the past three seasons, the players do their best to delay the inevitable, not willing to go down without putting up a fight. Plenty of that fighting spirit is apparently left in Ervin Santana, who recorded his 17th win of the season with a 2-0 shutout of the first-place Rangers. even though Texas holds a seven game lead over the A's and 8 1/2 over the Angels, Santana delayed the celebration of winning the AL West by at least another day, allowing just five hits and a walk while fanning eight Texas would-be hitters. The win was the third straight for the Angels and got them to within a game of .500, at 75-76. They go for the sweep of the Rangers on Wednesday, still hoping to deny Texas, whose magic number is stalled at six. Coupled with Chicago's loss to the A's, the Twins captured the AL Central with a 6-4 win over Cleveland, becoming the first team in the majors to clinch a post-season slot. Minnesota may still be looking for more wins, as they are just one game behind the Yankees for the best record in the league. Having the best record would pit the Twins against the wild card, though it may be a moot point since the wild card will come out of the AL East, and since - according the major league rules - two teams from the same division cannot face each other in the opening playoff round, the Twins are destined to get the wild card team no matter what. Having the best record in the league, however, would assure them of home field advantage should they advance to the championship series. National League Like his 20-win counterpart in the American League, C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay wasn't overpowering in notching win #20, just good enough, holding the second-place Braves to three earned runs over seven innings, while his teammates were putting up five against Atlanta pitching. Philly's 5-3 win was their ninth straight, the season-high win streak coming at a nearly perfect time of year, as the Phillies drive toward their 4th consecutive NL East championship. Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer in the 3rd inning and Raul Ibanez accounted for the other two Philadelphia runs with a single in the 6th. After Halladay gave up singel runs in each of the 5th, 6th and 7th innings, he was lifted for Ryan Madsen, who completed the 8th. Brad Lidge came on in the 9th for his 25th save. Halladay allowed seven hits, walked two and only struck out three. Even though the Philly ace has earned wins in his last four starts, there's some reason for concern. He's allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last six starts, dating back to August 25th. Leading the major leagues in innings pitched, at 241.2, the long campaign may be taking a toll. Halladay (20-10) will likely get some time off should the Phillies clinch shortly. Their magic number stands at six. Not only are the Phillies' streaking into the post-season, over the past two games they've done it against their closest pursuer in the division. Atlanta came to Philly with hopes of slicing into the three-game lead, but, after two straight losses, find themselves five games behind and now looking at the wild card as their path to the playoffs. PENNANT NOTES: Cincinnati won their second straight while the Cardinals dropped their second in a row, so, over the course of two days, hope has turned to despair and anxiety to anticipation as the Cards fold and the reds churn toward the NL Central crown. The Reds have a eight-game lead over St. Louis; their magic number is six. In the West, the Giants maintained their hold on first place by 1/2 game over the Padres with a 1-0 win over the Cubs. Buster Posey homered in the top of the 8th for the game's only run. Carlos Zambrano had blanked the Giants for 6 innings, but Matt Cain was equal to the task, shutting out the Cubs for six. Neither starter earned a decision. San Diego breezed past the Dodgers, 6-0, as Clayton Richard scattered eight hits for the complete game shutout. Colorado lost their second straight and dropped back to 2 1/2 games off the pace. In the AL East, the Yankees took the measure of the Rays for the second straight night, beating Tampa, 8-3, and assuring themselves of first place even if Tampa wins the next two games of their four-game showdown series. The Yankees are up by 2 1/2 games over the Rays and have the best record in the majors, with 92 wins and 59 losses.

Angels Best in West; Jurrjens Keeps Braves on Warpath

Players of the Day for Monday, September 28, 2009 American League The LA Angels captured their third straight AL west crown - and 4th in 5 years - and did it in style, with an 11-0 trouncing of second-place Texas, as Ervin Santana pitched a complete-game shutout to even his record at 8-8. Santana allowed 7 hits and one walk while striking out 2. The native of the dominican Republic came up big when it counted. After missing starts in April and most of June, Santana strung together 4 straight wins in August, but was winless since August 22nd. Kendry Morales hit his 33rd home run of the season and drove in 3 runs. Bobby Abreu singled, doubled and tripled in five at-bats. During the clubhouse celebration, the Angels toasted their fallen teammate, Nick Adenhart, the 22-year-old pitcher who died in an April car accident, by dousing his #34 jersey in champagne and beer. LA has three more games with Texas, who is facing elimination in the wild card race as well. They trail Boston by six games with six to play. National League Keeping their playoff hopes alive, the Atlanta Braves downed the Florida Marlins, 4-0, in the opener of their 3-game series in Atlanta for their 7th straight win and 15th victory in their last 17 outings. The win moved the Braves to within 2 games of idle Colorado in the wild card race and put them just 4 behind the Phillies in the NL East. Philadelphia has been inconsistent of late, winning just 4 times in their last 9 games, including Monday's 8-2 defeat to Houston. The Phillies' magic number remained stuck at 3, thanks largely to the red-hot Braves. Jair Jurrjens kept the Marlins in check over the first seven innings, allowing just 5 hits and a walk while on the mound before turning the ball over to Atlanta's capable bullpen. Jurrjens improved to 14-10 with his 4th straight win. Over the last 29 innings, Jurrjens has been nearly untouchable, allowing a mere 2 earned runs.

Gonzalez 6-for-6 in Padres' Win; Santana Blanks Rays on 3 Hits

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 11, 2009 American League Beginning to find the right stuff at the right time of year, Angels' starter Ervin Santana - who was 16-7 last season - pitched his best game of 2009, blanking the Rays on 3 hits for a complete-game, 6-0, Angels win. Santana (5-6, 6.38 ERA) faced just 29 batters, two over the minimum, thanks to three double plays turned in by the LA infield. He also issued just two walks while getting six hitters on strikes, including leadoff hitter Jason Bartlett three times. Of his 97 total pitches, 65 went for strikes as Santana cruised through the Rays lineup. The Rays, normally one of the AL's best-hitting teams, has been blanked 3 times since July 1, including Mark Buehrle's perfect game on July 23. All of the whitewashings have occurred on the road. Tampa, in danger of becoming irrelevant, has dropped 9 games behind the AL East leading Yankees and 3 1/2 behind Boston, the leaders of the wild card race. The Angels upped their lead over the Rangers to 5 games, as Texas was blanked by Cleveland, 5-0. National League The San Diego Padres haven't had much to get excited about in 2009, but Adrian Gonzalez provided some good cheer as he became the first major leaguer this season to knock out 6 hits in a game. Gonzalez, a .251 hitter coming into the game at Milwaukee - won by the Padres, 13-6 - singled every time he went to the plate, except in the third inning, in which hit laced a double to center, finished with a .262 batting average. San Diego remains anchored in last place in the NL West, but the loss by Milwaukee dropped them 2 games under .500 (55-57), 6 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the Central and the same number of games behind the Rockies in the wild card standings. The Brewers are a woeful 9-14 against NL West teams.

Phillies Get Boost from Bruntlett; Santana Goes 6-0 for Angels

Players of the Day from Monday, May 5, 2008 American League The Angels' Ervin Santana improved to 6-0 as he blanked the Royals on 4 hits in a complete game shutout, 4-0 win Monday night. Santana is one of the brightest young pitching stars in the AL. In his 4th full season as a starter, he sports a 2.02 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, having allowed just 11 runs over 49 innings. He's struck out 38 batters while walking only 9. On Monday, he fanned 9 without issuing a free pass. It was the second complete game and second shutout of his career and the win kept the Angels a game in front of the Oakland A's in the West. Santana threw just 97 pitches, 69 for strikes, facing 31 batters, 4 over the minimum. Notes: Streaking: The Twins have won five straight, while they passed by the Chicago White Sox, losers of 6 in a row. In the East, Boston's won four straight and is in 1st place, while the Blue Jays have won 5 straight, but are mired in last place. National League The Phillies have plenty of offensive stars on their roster, so it was somewhat surprising that light-hitting Eric Bruntlett would star at the plate in Philadelphia's 11-4 romp past Arizona. Bruntlett, a .247 career hitter, singled and tripled in five at-bats, driving in three with his 7th-inning bases-loaded triple which broke the game wide open. This was the opener of a four-game series between the Phillies and Diamondbacks at Arizona. The two are the respective leaders in their divisions. The Phillies are a game up on the Marlins and 1 1/2 ahead of the Mets in the East, while Arizona leads the hard-charging Dodgers by 3 games in the West. Notes: Roadies wanted. Only three NL teams have winning road records: Arizona (9-5), Philadelphia (9-6) and Florida (8-5). Oddly enough, the Phillies can't win in their division, where they are 3-6, while Arizona can't win outside it. The D-Backs are 17-5 against NL West teams, but just 4-6 against the East and Central.