Seattle's Felix Hernandez Shuts out Rangers; Todd Frazier Flourishes as Reds Stomp Cardinals, 11-0

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 10, 2015

American League

Hernandez: 17-8

After taking the first two of their four-game series in Seattle, something happened to the Texas Rangers that hasn't occurred all season - they were shut out for the second game in a row.

Wednesday's 6-0 whitewash was followed up by a mound visit by the "King," Felix Hernandez, who gave the Rangers a royal razzing, shutting them down on three hits over eight innings for his 17th win against eight losses, tying him for the most wins in the league with Houston's Dallas Keuchel (17-6). The Mariners took the series-ender, 5-0. Nelson Cruz's two-run homer - his 40th - was all the run support Hernandez needed. Tom Wilhelmsan completed the shutout, working the ninth.

Hernandez, who struck out eight and issued four walks, is approaching a couple of milestones. With four or five starts left in the regular season, Hernandez could reach 20 wins, something - despite his award-winning career marks - he's never done. The closest he got was in 2009, when he posted a record of 19-5.

A six-time all-star, Hernandez upped his strikeout total to 175 on Thursday, putting him at 8th in the league. If he reaches 200 Ks this season, it will be the seventh straight season he's fanned 200 or more.

As far as the Rangers are concerned, they've seen enough of Mr. Hernandez for this year. In four starts against the Rangers, he's won each time, and Texas will likely see him a fifth time, when Texas hosts the Mariners in a three-game series next weekend.

That series is the tail end of a teen-game homestead for the Rangers, who take on the A's for three games beginning Friday, then welcome in the Astros in a make-or-break four-game series. The Astros lead Texas by 2 1/2 games in the AL West.

Frazier: 32 HRs

National League

Holding the best record in baseball from mid-April forward, and, with a 4 1/2 game lead (22 games remaining) over the Pirates in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals appear a lock for the playoffs.

However, as well as the Cardinals have played, the road to the post-season has had its share of bumps and pitfalls.

Thursday night's opener of a four-game series in Cincinnati looked more like a sinkhole as the Reds battered five Cardinal pitchers for an 11-0 win.

Cincinnati knocked out 13 hits, including three by Todd Frazier, who singled, smacked his 40th double, and 32nd homer of the season, driving in three runs and scoring three times.

Frazier is fourth in home runs in the NL and tied for ninth with 83 RBI. The Reds have not been as prosperous as their hard-hitting third baseman, dead last in the NL Central, 29 1/2 games behind the Cardinals.

Some of the angst may have been taken off in the one-sided series opener, but the Cardinals will try to return the favor in game two on Friday. Game time is 7:10 pm EDT.

Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw Hurl Mariners, Dodgers to Opening Day Victories

Players of the Day for Monday, April 1, 2013

American League

Felix Hernandez

After Texas and Houston kicked the 2013 regular season off on Sunday night, nine more AL teams took to the fields across America. Four more - Cleveland, Toronto, Baltimore, Tampa Bay - will open their seasons on Tuesday.

In Oakland, Felix Hernandez got off to a strong start, notching his first win with a strong starting performance in the Mariners' 2-0 win.

The 2010 Cy Young award winner was in mid-season form, throwing 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball on three hits, striking out eight, issuing one walk. A trio of relievers followed Hernandez to the mound, keeping the A's hitless over the final 1 1/3 innings.

Disappointing as the loss was for the hometown fans, they can take solace in the fact that they won't be seeing Mr. Hernandez again on Seattle's trip to the bay area. The A's will try to even up the score on Tuesday at 7:05 pm PDT.

National League

Kershaw: 0ER, CG, 7K

All fifteen NL teams opened their regular seasons on Monday (the Reds hosted the Angels in an interleague game).

While there were some stellar performances, such as Stephen Strasburg's seven scoreless innings or Bryce Harper's two home runs in Washington's 2-0 win over Miami, but nobody had the kind of day that Clayton Kershaw did, as he led the Dodgers to a 4-0 victory over NL West rival, San Francisco.

The NL 2011 Cy Young winner, Kershaw was in top form, dueling with the Giants' Matt Cain in Los Angeles. Both starters were putting up goose-eggs, but after six innings and 93 pitches, Cain was done. George Kontos came on the the Giants and set down the Dodgers in order in the seventh, but, in the eighth, Kershaw led off with his first major league homer, a towering 414-foot blast to dead center field that unknotted the scoreless tie.

After the Dodgers scored thee more runs in the inning, Kershaw returned to the mound and continued to mow down the Giants, finishing up with a four-hit, complete game win, fanning seven without walking a batter.

Kershaw threw 65 of 94 pitches for strikes. The Giants and Dodgers renew their rivalry on Tuesday, at 7:10 pm Pacific time.

Seattle's Felix Hernandez Wins Third 1-0 Game in August; Brewers' Ryan Braun Having Another MVP Season

Players of the Day for Monday, August 27, 2012

American League

Just go ahead and give the AL Cy Young award to Seattle's Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez: 3rd 1-0
win this month

The guy is 13-5 for a last place team, he's already thrown a perfect game this year and on Monday tossed his fifth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win by the Mariners at Minnesota, the third time this month he's pitched a complete game in a 1-0 win and the fourth time this season.

Although Hernandez has proven that he doesn't need much in the way of run support, it would be amazing to see what he'd do with a high run-producing team like Texas or the Yankees, a thought surely pondered upon by the general managers and coaches of both those and likely, many more.

Hernandez allowed five hits and struck out five, giving up only one walk as he out-dueled Minnesota's Liam Hendricks, the hard-luck, 0-7, rookie loser who gave up three hits, one of them, unfortunately, an eighth inning solo homer off the bat of Eric Thames.

King Felix, as he is known around the league has won seven of his last nine starting assignments, leads all starters in the AL with a 2.43 ERA, is third in strikeouts, at 184, and handily leads the league with 196.2 innings pitched to go with a tiny 1.03 WHIP. Only Justin Verlander is close in innings, with 190.2. No other pitcher has more than 180.

Despite the heroic efforts of Hernandez, Seattle remains last in the AL West, 14 1/2 games behind the Rangers.


National League

Braun's 35 HR
leads NL

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't heading to the playoffs this season, but they took out some of their angst and frustration on a fellow NL Central squad that's going nowhere even faster, hammering seven Chicago Cubs' pitchers for 21 hits in a 15-4 demolition.

Ryan Braun, last year's league MVP, was especially disrespectful to the host hurlers, going 4-for-5 with five RBI and three runs, including two singles, a double and a three-run homer - his 35th - which started a nine-run, ninth-inning outburst which sent the remaining Cubs fans to a slightly early exit.

Braun clearly leads all NL hitters in home runs, his 35 seven better than his closest pursuer, St. Louis' Carlos Beltran. He also tied for the league lead in RBI with the Cardinals' Matt Holliday. Both players have 90 on the year.

Bruan may well earn his second straight MVP award, despite grumbling from baseball writers over alleged use of banned substances that nearly cost Braun a 50-game suspension this season. Braun's appeal was upheld and he's played in 119 of Milwaukee's 127 games, batting .307, the eighth-highest average in the league.

Felix Hernandez Throws Perfect Game for Mariners; Mike Leake, Todd Frazier Keep Red-Hot Reds Rolling

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 15, 2012

American League

27 up, 27 down.

That's how Felix Hernandez handled the Tampa Bay Rays on a rare sunny afternoon in Seattle, setting down the Rays in order for the third perfect game this season, a 1-0 victory for Seattle, and the first perfect game in the Mariners' 34-year franchise history.

Hernandez joins Philip Humber of the White Sox and the Giants' Matt Cain as perfect hurlers in 2012, a year in which there have also been three other no-hitters.

This is the first time there have been three perfect games in a single season, and the total no-hitters is one off the modern record of seven in a single season, set in 1990 and again, in 1991. In 1884, under rules that differ widely from today's game, pitchers accounted for eight no-hitters.

Hernandez dominated the Rays from start to finish, throwing mostly breaking balls that Tampa hitters desperately flailed at throughout the game. Over the first three innings, Hernandez recorded two outs on strikeouts, three on fly balls and four ground outs.

Hernandez: Perfect

Then he really started to heat up, his breaking ball swerving across and around home plate to the discomfort of Rays' batters. He struck out two in the fourth inning, then got the side out swinging in the sixth. In the seventh, three ground ball outs were all the Rays could muster, and Hernandez fanned the side again in the eighth.

Desmond Jennings swung and missed at strike three to open the ninth, Jeff Keppinger grounded out to short for the second out, and King Felix finished with a flair, getting Sean Rodriguez looking on a fast ball to end the game and enter the history books.

Hernandez struck out 12 overall, all of them swinging except for the final out of the game. The sharp curves had the Rays fooled, as Hernandez threw 115 pitches, of which only 73 went for strikes. His perfect game was the 23rd in MLB history.

Improving to 11-5, Hernandez, the 2010 AL Cy Young award recipient, lowered his ERA to 2.60, tied for fourth best for starters in the league with Chicago's Chris Sale. His 12 Ks upped his total to 174, tying him for second in that department with Justin Verlander. Max Scherzer leads the league with 178.

The Mariners, hopelessly out of the running for the playoffs and en route to their 11th straight losing season, slowed down the Rays, handing them their second straight loss after Tampa Bay had won seven in a row. The Rays dropped back to third place in the AL East, a game behind Baltimore and seven back of the division-leading Yankees. The O's and Rays are the current leaders in the wild card race.


National League

While not quite the effort of Felix Hernandez, Cincinnati's Mike Leake pitched a whale of a game in the Reds' 6-1 win over the Mets, allowing four hits and one earned in his second complete game of the season.

Mike Leake

Leake, 5-7, out-dueled Mets' knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey, striking out four wihtout issuing a walk as the Reds took their second straight at Citi Field. Leake also aided his own cause at the plate, singling home Todd Frazier in the seventh inning.

Todd Frazier

The Mets only run came in the fourth inning, when Leake got into a bit of a jam, giving up consecutive singles with no outs and putting runners at first and third, before inducing a double play hit into by Daniel Murphy and getting David Wright on a line out to end the inning. That tied the game at 1-1, but the Reds responded in the bottom of the frame with back-to-back home runs by Scott Rolen and Todd Frazier, putting Cincinnati on top, 3-1, a lead they would not relinquish.

Frazier, a replacement for injured Joey Votto, has been a godsend to the Reds. He was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs in the win, and is hitting .286 with 15 homers and 49 RBI in just 290 at-bats.

Since the all star break, the Reds have been absolutely on fire, winning 24 of 32 games, despite a five game losing streak last week. With their win over the Mets they've won five straight and lead the Pirates and Cardinals by seven games in the NL Central.

The series with the Mets wraps up Thursday night at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Reds will be looking for the sweep.

Felix Harnandez Blanks Yanks, 1-0; Angel Pagan Leads Giants to 11-6 Win over Rockies

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 4, 2012

American League

The rest of the Al East can thank Felix Hernandez for temporarily slowing down the Yankee express to the division title, as the Seattle hurler blanked New York on two hits, winning by a 1-0 score.

Felix Hernandez

Hernandez allowed a first inning double by Robinson Cano and a third inning leadoff single by Ichiro Suzuki, but did not allow a hit after that, issuing only a harmless pair of walks over the final six innings.

Following a double play that erased Ichiro in the third, Hernandez set down nine straight before walking Curtis Granderson in the 6th inning. A walk to Raul Ibanez with two down in the seventh was the last base runner the Yankees would have, as Hernandez closed out the game by getting the final seven batsmen in order.

Fanning five, Hernandez increased his league-leading strikeout total to 159. Always efficient, he threw 69 of 101 pitches for strikes for his third shutout of the season.

The Yankees' loss left them with a still-comfortable lead in the division, 6 1/2 games better than the O's and Rays, with Boston 10 back and Toronto trailing, 10 1/2 out.

The series concludes with the rubber match, Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Angel Pagan

The offensive onslaught that started with a 16-4 slaughter on Friday, continued Saturday in Colorado, as the Giants topped the Rockies, 11-6, banging out 17 hits in the process.

Angel Pagan, who was 3-for-4 in Friday's game, went 4-for-6 on Saturday, socking a solo homer in the ninth after singling three times earlier. Pagan scored twice and drove in three of the Giants' runs.

The Giants were never threatened after building a 6-0 lead through five. Colorado scored in the sixth and added two in the seventh, but Pagan's RBI single in the top of the eighth ignited a four-run rally.

The win kept San Francisco in first place in the NL West, 1/2 game better than the Dodgers. Arizona fell three games off the pace, losing to Philadelphia, 3-0.

The series in Colorado concludes on Sunday afternoon.

NOTABLE: Red Hot Reds. Cincinnati took its second straight from the Pirates, Saturday, 5-4, for their fifth straight win and 15th of their last 16.

The Reds have been on a terrific roll; since July 6th they are a staggering 22-3 and lead the NL Central by 5 1/2 over Pittsburgh. The Reds will be looking to sweep their closest rival Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.

Felix Hernandez Fans 12 in 7-0 Shutout; Casey McGehee Helps Pirates Overcome Brewers, 6-4

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 14, 2012

American League

About every five days, Felix Hernandez heads to the mound, and, every time he does, fans are hopeful for something special.

Felic Hernandez

The crowd on hand in Seattle got what they paid for Saturday, as Hernandez - in mid-season form - shut down the Texas Rangers on three hits, fanning 12, in a 7-0 win.

Without walking a batter, Hernandez needed only 107 pitches - 74 for strikes - to win his seventh against five losses and complete his second shutout of the season.

The Rangers' only hits were singles; one in the third, one in the fifth and one in the seventh inning. At one point, in the fourth and fifth innings, Hernandez rung up four straight swinging strikeouts against the heart of the Ranger order, getting Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Andrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz to go fishing.

Hopelessly moored in last place, the Mariners - even after the win - are still 16 1/2 games behind Texas in the Wast. The Rangers lead the Angels by five games.


National League

Casey McGehee

With the Reds winning five straight, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed all hands on deck to keep pace and remain tied with Cincinnati atop the NL Central.

After staking the Brewers to 2-0 and 4-2 leads, the Pirates roared back, getting within one run when Casey McGehee singled in a run in the sixth and then took the lead for good by tacking on a pair in the seventh.

MvGehee, who was 3-for-5 with a couple of ribbies, put on the finishing touch with a solo homer in the eighth for the 6-4 victory, evening the series at a game apiece.

The Brewers dropped back another game, remaining in fourth place in the division, eight games back. Pittsburgh and Cincy remained tied for the lead.

The series concludes this afternoon at 2:10 pm EDT in Milwaukee.

Felix Hernandez Fans 13 in 1-0 Seattle Win; Madison Bumgarner Blanks Reds on One Hit

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 28, 2012

American League

There really hasn't been much to shout about in Seattle this season, unless one is complaining about the Mariners' 33-45 record and last place position in the AL West, but their one true superstar, Felix Hernandez, continues to provide moments of awesome wonderment about every fifth day.

Felix Hernandez

Thursday night's outing for Hernandez was more of his usual excellence, as he dueled with Red Sox starter Franklin Morales (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K), the mound duo putting goose-eggs on the scoreboard throughout.

Hernandez had to pitch a complete game (his fifth of the season) to earn the win, because his teammates couldn't muster up a run until the bottom of the ninth, when John Jaso singled home Casper Wells with one out in the inning for the 1-0 final score.

For his part, Hernandez was magnificent, allowing five hits and one walk while fanning a season-high 13 Boston batters - tying him for the AL lead with Max Scherzer at 114 - as he improved to 6-5.

Hernandez demonstrated his usual, pinpoint control, throwing 128 pitches, of which 84 were strikes.


National League

Bumgarner: 1-hitter

Less than a week ago, the San Francisco Giants were in second place, chasing the LA Dodgers for the lead in the NL West division.

After winning three head-to-head games with the Dodgers in San Francisco - all by shutout: 8-0, 2-0, 3-0 - Madison Bumgarner delivered the icing on the cake with a one-hit, 5-0, shutout of the visiting Reds, the fourth scoreless outing for a Giants starter in a row, and just like that, the Giants suddenly are in first place with a one-game lead over Los Angeles.

The Dodgers lost their fifth straight, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Mets while up the coast, Bumgarner was twirling magic from the mound, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and setting down the final 12 batters in order, walking two and striking out eight.

Becoming the fifth NL pitcher to reach 10 wins, Bumgarner (10-4) has been rock solid for the Giants while other starters - notably, ace Tim Lincecum - leading the league in innings pitched at 110.2, with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. The win was Bumgarner's first career complete game and shutout.

San Francisco set a franchise record with its fourth straight shutout and will seek to extend the streak when they face the Reds in the second of their four game series, Friday night.

Felix Hernandez One-Hits Twins over 8; Chipper Jones Drives in Five in Braves' Comeback Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 5, 2012

American League

With a roster full of solid young talent, the Seattle Mariners are someday going to look back on the 2012 campaign as a building season. They currently are in third place in the AL West, trailing the Rangers by seven games.

Felix Hernandez

One of the stalwarts on Seattle's retooled pitching staff remains Felix Hernandez, the 2010 AL Sy Young award winner, had electric stuff working for him as he shackled the Twins on one hit over eight innings in a 7-0 Seattle triumph.

With the mariners not scoring until the bottom of the sixth, Hernandez had to be on top of his game and was, setting down the first nine batters he faced until Denard Span got the only Minnesota hit of the game, a single to open the fourth inning.

Hernandez got the next two outs, though Span advanced to third base. After walking the bases loaded with his only two walks of the game, Hernandez induced an inning-ending fly to left from Chris Parmalee, ending the bases-full threat.

It was no contest after that, as Hernadez bulldozed through the next four innings retiring the final 13 batters he faced in order, before turning the ball over to reliever Steve Delabar to mop up in the ninth.

Finishing with nine strikeouts, Hernandez improved to 3-1, taking over the AL lead in whiffed batters with 51.


National League

Chipper Jones has already announced his retirement at the end of the 2012 season, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's taking a season-long, lazy victory lap.

Chipper Jones

Long a mainstay of the Braves' offense, the 40-year-old remains an exceptionally dangerous hitter, as was proven Saturday when he helped Atlanta come back from a 6-0 deficit and defeat the Rockies, 13-9.

Colorado scored four runs in the first inning and two more in the second before the Braves got started. After scoring a single run in the third, Jones doubled home a run in the top of the fifth as Atlanta put two ore on the board.

In the sixth, Jones singled in a pair as the Braves added five more runs to tie the game at eight, he drove in two more with another single as the Braves put up four more runs to take the lead for good. Overall, Jones went 3-for-6, drove in five runs and scored once, the win helping Atlanta keep pace in the NL East, where they trail the Nationals by 1 1/2 games.

It was the second straight win over the Rockies in Colorado, the Braves seeking the series sweep Sunday afternoon.

Ricky Romero, Felix Hernandez on Schedule for Jays, Mariners

Players of the Day for Friday, March 16, 2012

Grapefruit League

Ricky Romero

Things are looking up for Ricky Romero and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Romero blanked Tampa Bay over the first four innings of Toronto's 5-0 whitewash of Rays, walking two batters while fanning four without surrendering a hit.

It was Romero's thrid start of Spring and his first win. Over three starts and nine full innings, Romero has given up just two hits and two walks, striking out 8 and keeping opposing hitters to a minuscule .071 batting average.

The Blue Jays have won 12 of 14 Grapefruit League games, and are the best team in the Florida league behind 10-1 Detroit.

Romero is getting set for his fourth season with the Blue Jays, having compiled an enviable 42-29 record with a 3.60 ERA in his first three seasons.

Cactus League

Felix Hernandez

Seattle's Felix Hernandez put in his longest mound stint of the Spring, working six scoreless innings in the Mariners' 6-1 win over Milwaukee, in which the Brewers mustered only two hits.

Hernandez allowed just one of those hits, while striking out six Milwaukee batters and walking one. It was his third start, and his second win against one loss.

The 2009 Cy Young award winner, when he was 19-5 with a 2.43 ERA, Hernandez suffered through 2011 with a pedestrian 14-14 record, a 3.47 ERA, though he did manage to finish 4th in the league in strikeouts with 222.

Hernandez has a career record of 85-67 in seven seasons, all with Seattle.

Felix Hernandez silences A's; Kyle Lohse Tosses 2-Hitter at Nationals

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 21, 2011

American League

Felix Hernandez

At this juncture, a four-game series with the Oakland A's might not seem so important, but the Seattle Mariners need to get something started as they are already mired in last place in the AL West.

The solution, it seems, is to hand the ball to your ace starter, Felix Hernandez, and send him out to the mound.

Sounds simple enough, but Hernandez had to hold the A's scoreless for 7 2/3 innings in order to get the desired result, a 1-0 win, to open the four-game set at Seattle.

Hernandez dueled with the A's Brandon McCarthy, who pitched a whale of a game himself, going the full nine innings, and allowing just four hits, though one was a solo homer by Adam Kennedy in the 4th inning that proved to be the game-winner.

As for Hernandez (2-2), he allowed four hits and three walks over 7 2/3 innings and left with two on and two out in the 8th. Jamey Wright slammed the door on the A's by getting the final out of the inning and Brandon League locked it and threw away the key, working a scoreless ninth inning for his 4th save.

National League

Kyle Lohse

With Adam Wainwright lost for the season, the St. Louis Cardinals were looking for another starter to step up and pick up the slack.

At 3-1, Kyle Lohse has heard the call and answered it, throwing a 2-hit shutout Thursday night against the Washington Nationals.

Lohse, who started off the game by setting down the first eleven men he faced in order, finished with just the two hits and two walks against him, all of the damage spread over the 4th, 5th and 6th innings. After walking Rick Ankiel with two outs in the 6th, that was it, except for Lohse plunking Danny Espinosa to lead off the 9th inning, as he finished the game getting ten of eleven in a row.

Loshe threw 72 of 111 pitches for strikes, fanning six in the 5-0 Cardinal win that kept them tied for first place with Cincinnati in the tight NL Central.

Lohse is 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA and a WHIP of 0.73.

Hernandez Blanks Indians; Davis, Tejada Lead Mets to 18-5 Smashing of Cubs

Players of the Day for Sunday. September 5, 2010 American League It's been another long, fruitless season in Seattle, the Mariners having been hopelessly out of any post-season contention since June. While the team has struggled to score runs and win games, starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, the unblemished ace of the staff, has remained resolute and ferocious on the mound. Despite and 11-10 record, achieved via his latest outing, eight solid shutout innings over the Cleveland Indians in a 3-0 triumph the numbers Fernandez has produced are startling: a 2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 209 strikeouts, which leads the American League. Hernandez fanned nine on Sunday, allowing a mere four hits, walking one. The Indians barely touched his pitches; the hits were all singles. David Aardsma relieved in the ninth, getting the side in order, for his 28th save, itself quit an accomplishment on a team that's won only 54 games and has the third-worst record in the majors. National League Some of the runs scored by the Mets in their 18-5 lambasting of the Cubs might have been better used spread out over a number of games. The Mets, one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NL - better than only Houston and Pittsburgh - took batting practice on Ryan Dempster and five relievers, banging out 21 hits and their season-high in runs. Rookies Ike Davis (left) and Ruben Tejada (right) led the assault. Davis went 4-for-6 with a double and a home run, scored three times and drove in three. Tejada, who entered the game batting .185, went 2-for-4 and drive in five runs. Tejada got a run home in the second with a sac fly, singled in two more in the 5th, hit his first major league homer in the 7th - a solo job - and was issued a bases-loaded walk in the 9th. Tejada raised his batting average to .193, though the smooth shortstop is batting .320 over his last ten games. PENNANT NOTES: There were no changes in the AL races, as the Yankees and Rays both lost, keeping the Yankees 2 1/2 ahead in the East. Chicago and Minnesota were both winners, so the Twins remain 3 1/2 ahead in the Central. In the NL East, both the Braves and Philles lost. Atlanta remains one game in front. San Diego continued to stumble, losing their 10th straight game, a 4-2 loss to the Rockies, who completed the sweep and now trail San Diego by 4 1/2 games. The Giants topped the Dodgers, 3-0, closing the gap between themselves and the Padres to one slim game. The Dodgers head to San Diego for a three-game set beginning Monday, while the Giants play at Arizona and Colorado hosts Cincinnati.

Guerrero Pounds Angels; Felix Hernandez Stymies Yanks; Furcal Terrorizes Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 30, 2010 American League Winning the AL East is never easy, though this season brings more of a challenge to the World Champion Yankees, as both the Red Sox and Rays seem unwilling to allow New York to repeat. While the Rays were helping themselves, beating Boston, 9-4, both teams got some assistance from Seattle starter Felix Hernandez (left), who went the distance, allowing just two hits in a 7-0 whitewash at Yankee Stadium. Hernandez walked two but struck out 11, shutting down one of the most potent offenses in the league and keeping the AL East race tight. The Yankees lead Boston by one game and Tampa Bay by two. Hernandez recorded his third complete game and first shutout of the season, throwing 117 pitches while improving his record to 6-5. Out on the opposite coast, the Texas Rangers were making sure the Angels understood that trading away Vladimir Guerrero (right) was a bad move, as they took the second game of their three-game set by a 6-4 score after dropping the opener, 6-5 on Tuesday. Guerrero was taking great pleasure in beating up on his former team, going 4-for-4, with a pair of homers, a double, five RBI and two runs. After giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead with a grand slam in the 4th, Guerrero made sure of the win with his 18th blast of the season - an 8th-inning solo shot that gave the Rangers a two-run cushion. The win improved the Texas lead in the division to 4 1/2 games over the Angels, with the A's 10 back and Seattle 14 out. Texas and the Yankees share the best record in the majors, at 47-30. Josh Hamilton extended his major league-best hitting streak to 23 games with an 8th-inning ground rule double in his final at-bat. National League Los Angeles got a solid seven innings from Vicente Padilla (2-2), and completed a three-game sweep of their long-standing rivials, the Giants, in San Francisco, with a resonant 8-2 win. While Padilla was limiting the Giants to three hits over his seven innings, Rafael Furcal was making a shambles of Giant pitching, going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer, two RBI, and three runs. The homer was Furcal's 3rd of the season, and 95th of his career. Besides being close to the 100-homer mark, he's also closing in on 500 RBI, with 490 to date, which doesn't sound like much, but is a solid number for a player who's spent most of his life in the leadoff spot. The Dodger win put them 3 games behind the NL West leading Padres, with the Rockies 5 back and the Giants fading to 4th place, 5 1/2 out.

Meche, Hernandez Toss Zeros; Reds' Nix Kicks Braves

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 16, 2009 American League Two outstanding pitching performances - by KC's Gil Meche (left) and Seattle's Felix Hernandez (right) - created a tie for POTD honors for Tuesday. In Kansas City's 5-0 wipeout of Arizona, Meche extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings with a 4-hit, complete game shutout, walking one while striking out 6. Meche, in his previous start, blanked Cleveland on 4 hits over seven innings. Tuesday's outing was an improvement on that, even though the righty threw 132 pitches (82 strikes) as he improved to 4-5 on the season. It was Meche's 3rd career shutout and 6th complete game over 9 seasons. At 7-2, Felix Hernandez has been flying under the radar in Seattle, compiling some impressive stats that compare favorably to any starter in the AL. In his complete-game 5-0 shutout at San Diego, Hernandez allowed just two hits - both singles - while walking 4 and fanning 6. It was Hernandez's second straight win and his third consecutive decision without a loss. Over his past 5 starts - 37 2/3 innings - Hernandez has allowed a paltry 3 earned runs while striking out 34 batters. His seasonal stats are outstanding: 1.22 WHIP, 2.77 ERA. National League In the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds continue to press the issue, remaining in third place, 3 games behind Milwaukee with a 7-2 romp over Atlanta. In Tuesday's win, slugging left fielder Laynce Nix provided a lift, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a single, driving in three runs. Nix got the Reds on the board early, with a run-scoring ground out in the first and an RBI double in the 3rd, and late, with another run-producing double in the 8th inning which completed the Reds' scoring. NOTES: Tampa Bay ended Colorado's 11-game winning streak, busting up the Rockies 12-4 in Colorado. The loss dropped the Rockies two games under .500, leaving only San Francisco and the Dodgers as the only teams in the division with winning records. By winning, the Rays kept pace in the AL East, where each of the top four contenders - Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays - won their interleague contests. Other than the runaway Dodgers in the NL West, the divisional races are tight everywhere. In the AL, the lead in each division is a slender 2 games. In the NL, Philly leads the Mets by 3 games, while the Brewers hold a 1 game edge over the Cardinals in the Central.

Pujols' Pair Completes Sweep of Mets; Fernandez Sets Course for Mariners

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 23, 2009 American League The Seattle Mariners were easily the worst-performing team in the AL last year, checking in with a 61-101 record at season's end, but they are quickly putting 2008 behind them with a hot start and a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL West. One reason the Mariners have found success is the pitching of Felix Hernandez, who improved to 3-0 Thursday with a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay in which he went 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while fanning 7. The numbers Hernandez is posting are not remarkable (3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), but his 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio is excellent and he's allowed just one home run over 26 innings pitched. If Hernandez and the rest of Seattle's staff stays focused, who knows how far the plucky Mariners may go? with the Angels banged up, the Rangers still short on pitching, and the A's still trying to prove they can win with marginal players, the division is up for grabs. National League There's that man again. Thanks to the amazing Albert Pujols, the Cardinals swept the Mets in their mid-week three-game series at St. Louis. Pujols went yard twice on Thursday, with a solo shot in the 1st inning and a 2-run blast in the 4th. After that, both sides piled on for a St. Louis 12-8 win. Pujols also singled, stole a base and scored four runs. After 16 games, Pujols has 6 dingers, 21 RBI, a .345 average and has St. Louis sitting atop the NL Central at 11-5, 1 1/2-games to the good. Can you spell M-V-P?

Hernandez' Historic Homer; Sheets Complete

Players of the Day from Monday, June 23, 2008 American League The Seattle Mariners haven't had much to cheer about but Monday night, starting pitcher Felix Hernandez - who came into the game riding a four-game winning streak - provided the highlight of a lifetime by hoisting a 2nd-inning Johan Santana delivery into Shea Stadium's right field stands for a grand slam home run, leading the Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Mets. The slam was the first by an American League pitcher since 1971, almost 15 years before Hernandez was born, but the hurler didn't last long enough to earn his fifth straight win, having to leave the game in the 4th inning with a sprained ankle.

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Notes: While the Mariners aren't going anywhere in the AL West (they're 19 1/2 games back), the loss for the Mets was stunning and dropped them to 37-38, 4 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. National League Ben Sheets (9-1) pitched his third complete game of the season, working over the Atlanta Braves on four hits, in a 4-1 Milwaukee win. Sheets struck out 7 without walking a batter, dropping his WHIP to 1.04 and his ERA to a solid 2.59. Milwaukee has won three straight and trail the Cubs by 6 games and the Cardinals by 1 1/2 in the NL Central. Notes: Usually considered the weakest division in the NL, this year seems different, as the Cubs, Cardinals and Brewers have the three best records in the league. Incidentally, the Cubs, at 48-28, have the best record in the majors, including a ridiculous record in home games of 32-8.

Punchless Pirates; Rockies Tighten NL West with Sweep of Yankees

American League Seattle 3 Pittsburgh 0 - The Pirates, who haven't scored in 20 innings, went to the clubhouse scoreless for the second straight game as Felix Hernandez (4-4, right) shut them out on 6 hits over 8 innings and closer J.J. Putz finished the job for his 20th save. It was the 8th time this season, most in MLB, that the Pirates have been shut out. Hernandez struck out 9 and walked just one. Other AL Scores LA Dodgers 8 Toronto 4 - J. Kent, 2-5, HR (10) Texas 6 Chicago Cubs 5 - Cubs have lost 4 of last 5 National League Baltimore 6 San Diego 3 - The most compelling race in baseball is probably in the NL West. While the Padres were busily dripping two straight to the teetering Orioles, the Dodgers and Rockies were gaining. The current standings in the division have the Padres and Diamondbacks tied for first, with LA 1/2 back and the Rockies 3 1/2 behind. San Francisco, losers of 7 straight are 11 behind and not a factor. San Diego, which has arguably the best pitching staff in the majors - lowest staff ERA and WHIP at 3.05 and 1.19 respectively - is also saddled with the meekest offense in the league. The Padres are dead last in the NL with a .247 team batting average and near the bottom in most other offensive categories. Their top hitter, Adrian Gonzalez, is hitting .295 with 14 homers and 51 RBI. He leads the team in all three categories with Kahlil Greene and Mike Cameron providing most of the punch after that. It should be interesting to see if the Padres make any moves to pick up a potent bat via the trade route and also whether their pitching can sustain itself through the season, especially against high-powered divisional foe, Colorado. Colorado 4 NY Yankees 3 - The Rockies completed the 3-game sweep of the Yankees, and the surprise is not so much that they did it - they were at home for the series - but that nobody saw it coming. The Yankees have had their ups and downs, but the Rockies have been en fuego since May 21, going 17-7 coming into the Yankees' series. Make that 20-7 now, and 7 of their last 8 as the Rockies head to Toronto for 3 games, their final interleague series of the season. Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4 Sunday (6/10): AL 9, NL 5 Monday (6/11): AL 0, NL 2 Tuesday (6/12): AL: 8, NL: 6 Wednesday (6/13): AL: 6, NL: 8 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5 Friday (6/15): AL: 6, NL: 8 Saturday (6/16): AL: 5, NL: 9 Sunday (6/17): AL: 9, NL: 5 Monday (6/18): AL: 7 NL: 3 Tuesday (6/19): AL: 3, NL: 11 Wednesday (6/20): AL: 10, NL: 4 Thursday (6/21): AL: 3, NL: 2 Total: AL: 91 NL: 78 Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues.

Monroe Slam Downs Birds; Hernandez 1-hits BoSox

Wednesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Detroit's Craig Monroe (right) pounded a grand slam to deep center field at Camden Yards, sending the Tigers to a 4-1, 12-inning win over the Baltimore Orioles. Monroe's blast, his 1st home run of the season, broke a scoreless tie in which the Orioles used 8 pitchers and scored a single run in the bottom of the 12th. Detroit closer Todd Jones came in to get the final out and his 5th save of the season. Monroe finished the night 3-6 with a double, the slam and 4 RBI. The Tigers won 2 of 3 at Baltimore. The Fenway fans came out to see pitching phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K), but instead were treated to a one-hitter by opposing pitcher Felix Hernandez, Seattle's answer to pitcher-hysteria. Hernandez had a no-hitter through 7 innings, but gave up a scratch single to J. D. Drew in the 8th, striking out 6 and walking just 2 for the complete game win. Hernandez has yet to allow an earned run in two starts this season. His first start of 2007 resulted in 8 innings of 3 hit ball against the A's on April 2nd. Troy Glaus launched a solo shot and scored 3 times in Toronto's 7-3 home win over Kansas City. Minnesota's Ramon Ortiz shut down the visiting Yankees on 3 hits, allowing just one earned run, as the Twins won, 4-1. Ortiz picked up his second win in as many outings. Texas shortstop Michael Young homered twice, drove in 4 runs, but his effort fell short as the Devil Rays won, 6-5, at Texas. National League Andruw Jones (right) blasted a 3-run homer in the 7th to help send the Washington Nationals to their 8th loss in 9 games, all at home. The Braves, meanwhile, improved to 7-1 with the 8-3 win and remain alone atop the NL East. It was Jones' 2nd home run of the season; he's batting just .167 thus far. San Diego's Greg Maddux was all 6's on Wednesday night as he evened his record at 1-1. He pitched 6 innings, gave up 6 hits and struck out 6 San Francisco Giants. One column which was not a 6, but a 0, was earned runs. Three Padre relievers came on to finish what Maddux started as the Padres won, 4-0. LA's Brad Penny improved his record to 2-0, as he shut down the visiting Colorado Rockies on 2 hits over 6 1/3 innings. Penny walked 4, struck out 3 and didn't allow a run. Takashi Saito worked the ninth inning for his 5th save in the 3-0 win.