Jose Bautista, Toronto Put Dent in Seattle Post-Season Hope in 14-4 Win; Francisco Liriano Wins 4th Straight for Pirates

Players of the Day for Monday, September 22, 2014

American League

Bautista: 35 HRs

Denied a chance at the post-season, the Toronto Blue Jays - an offensive juggernaut - may be putting an end to the hopes of the Seattle mariners, one of the weakest-hitting teams in the league, and still in contention for a wild card spot.

Jose Bautista and his Toronto teammates combined for 16 hits in a 14-4 rousting of the Mariners in the opener of a four-game series north of the border.

Bautista went 3-for-3 with two singles, scored three times, drove in two, and stroked his 35th home run of the season.

Seattle's loss left them two games behind Kansas City for the final wild card position, with just six games left in the regular season. Unless the Mariners can find some runs and stop the Blue Jays from scoring at will, the season may be over sooner than they wish. Toronto is fifth in RBI (2231) in the league and fourth in runs (699). Seattle is 13th in RBI (1971) and 12th in runs (615).

National League

Liriano wins 4th
straight

After a 3-10 start, Francisco Liriano has found his good stuff and the rest of the league simply can't hit it. The resurgence of Liriano in the Pittsburgh rotation has come at the most opportune time, as the Pirates are putting it all together, and, with a combination of two more wins or two Milwaukee losses will qualify for the post season as a wild card.

Following Monday's 1-0 win over the Braves, Pittsburgh is tied with the Giants for the two wild card spots. Milwaukee is a fading five games back.

Giving up three hits, Lirano tossed six innings of shutout ball in the game for his fourth straight win, lifted when Andrew McCutchen launched his 24th home run of the season off loser Aaron Harang in the top of the frame for the game's only run.

In his last four starts, Liriano has been nothing short of electric, allowing 13 hits and just one earned run over 26 innings.

Pittsburgh plays at Atlanta in the second game of their four-game series Tuesday at 7:10 pm EDT.

In related news, the NY Mets won their third straight and tied Atlanta for second place in the East division. Atlanta has lost four in a row and nine of their last 10.

Chris Young's Walk-Off Homer Lifts Yankees over Rays; Pirates Win Behind Francisco Liriano's Eight Scoreless Innings

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 11, 2014

American League

Chris Young:
newest Yankee star

Aside from seven games in triple-A on a rehab assignment, Chris Young has spent the entire 2014 season in New York. Until just last week, he was a member of the Mets' organization, but, earlier this month, he was traded to the Yankees and now does his job in the Bronx rather than Queens.

It appears that the Yankees made a deft move in acquiring Young, since outfielder Brett Gardner is likely a part-time player for the better part of the remainder of the season with an abdominal strain. In his last three games, Young has started in left field, handled the position well and delivered at the plate like a man on a mission, going 6-for-11 with two home runs and seven RBI.

In Thursday's 5-4 victory over the Rays, Young broke up a no-hit bid by Rays' starter, Alex Cobb, slicing a double to the right-center gap with one out in the eighth, later scoring on Martin Prado's two-run homer.

But it was in the bottom of the ninth inning that Young earned his pinstripes, blasting a fastball from reliever Jake McGee over the fence in left field with two aboard and the Yankees down 4-2, for a walk-off win.

The Yankee win kept alive the slim hopes of making the playoffs. New York trails Detroit by four games for the final wild card spot, but Cleveland and Toronto are 1/2 game ahead of the Yankees and Seattle has a 3 1/2 game edge.

The Yankees open a four-game series in Baltimore, including a day-night double-header on Friday, with the AL East-leading Orioles, who could, if they sweep the Yankees and Toronto loses two of three over the weekend, clinch a tie with the Blue Jays for the division title.

A more likely scenario is that the Orioles will clinch the division outright during their three-game series with the Blue Jays, which begins Monday. The O's have a 10-game lead over the Blue Jays and are 10 1/2 in front of the Yankees, making their magic number to clinch the division outright, eight.

Toronto and the Yankees are still in the wild card hunt, so the next six to eight games will go a long way toward separating playoff contenders from pretenders.

National League

Liriano:
8IP 4H 0ER 12K

Francisco Liriano has regained top form and the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't have asked for it to come back at a more opportune time.

Thursday night, Liriano notched his second straight win in a 4-1 defeat of the Phillies, giving up four hits and no runs over eight innings.

The strong-armed lefty from the Dominican Republic walked a pair of batters but struck out a season high 12, including Ryan Howard twice. He struck out at least one batter in each of his eight innings, throwing 69 of 106 pitches for strikes before turning the ball over to the bullpen.

Marc Melancon picked up his 29th save after Jared Hughes allowed a hit and a walk without retiring any batters in the ninth. Carlos Ruiz singled home Marlon Byrd with the Phillies only run before Melancon settled down and mopped up the win.

Pittsburgh continues to hold onto the final wild card spot with a 1 1/2 game edge over Milwaukee and a two-game lead over the Braves.

Liriano improved to 5-10.

Albert Pujols Reaches Hits, Runs, Milestones, Buries Twins, 8-5; Francisco Liriano Leads Pirates in Wild Card Hunt

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 6, 2014

American League

Streaking toward the AL West title, including Saturday's 8-5 win at Minnesota, the LA Angels have gone 18-6 since August 12, and hold a six-game lead over second place Oakland in the division, along with the best record in the majors, at 86-55.

Albert Pujols

While LA's pitching has been top-shelf through the recent run, their hitters have certainly done their part, especially slugging Albert Pujols, who marked two milestones on Saturday in his sure-thing, future hall of fame career.

Pujols was 3-for-5 in the game, including a solo homer in the third inning (25) and a tie-breaking, two-run double in the ninth, which led to the Angels' victory. When he touched home plate after his third-inning belt to left field, Pujols recorded his 1500th run as a major league; and, with his double in the ninth, he reached the 2500-hit mark, fifth among active players (soon to be fourth, when Derek Jeter retires at the end of the season).

The Angels scored an additional run when Pujols was driven in by Howie Kendrick, who went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs. Pujols also scored in the eighth, on a Hendrick triple.

In addition to the huge runs and hits totals, Pujols, a veteran of 14 major league seasons - 11 with St. Louis, three with the Angels - has 517 home runs and 1585 RBI.

Francisco Liriano

The Angels will be seeking a sweep of their four-game series in Minnesota on Sunday, at 2:10 pm EDT.

National League

Hanging on at the fringes of the wild card race, the Pittsburgh Pirates got a much-needed boost from starter Francisco Liriano in Saturday's 5-0 whitewash of the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Liriano fanned nine, walked two and allowed just three hits in his six-inning stint, leaving the game with a 2-0 lead after completing six innings when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh.

Pittsburgh added three more runs after Liriano's departure, recording their second straight win over the Cubs and leaving themselves just 1/2 game behind Atlanta and Milwaukee, who share the position for the second wild card in the National League. The Giants have a solid grip n the first wild card spot, with a four-game edge on both the Braves and Brewers.

The Pirates will be looking for their third straight win and a sweep when they meet the Cubs on Sunday. Game time is 2:20 pm EDT.

Francisco Liriano, Russell Martin Lead Pirates to First Post-season Win Since 1992

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 2, 2013

American League

There were no games in the AL on Tuesday.

The AL Wild Card playoff is slated for an 8:07 pm EDT start in Cleveland, with the Indians hosting the Tampa Bay Rays.

Russell Martin

National League

Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano held the Reds to one run on four hits over seven innings and catcher Russell Martin socked a pair of home runs to lead the Pirates to a 6-2 win over Cincinnati in the NL wild card playoff.

It was the first post-season win for the Pirates since 1992, and it propelled them into the NL divisional series with St. Louis, which begins on Thursday at Bush Stadium.

Liriano walked one and struck out five, keeping the Reds off the scoreboard every inning except the fourth, when Cincinnati pushed a run across. The Pirates countered in the bottom of the inning with two more, however, making it a 5-1 game.

When he finished the seventh inning after throwing 90 pitches, Liriano was replaced on the mound by reliever Tony Watson, who allowed a solo homer by Cincinnati leadoff batter, Shin Soo Choo, in the eighth. It was not even close to being sufficient, as the Reds were dismissed from the playoffs after Jason Grilli set them down in order in the ninth.

Martin's two homers were both solo shots, one in the second inning and one in the seventh. He added a single to go 3-for-4. Marlon Byrd also had a solo homer in the second as the Pirates built their lead.

Today's Trivia: In the 2000s, which two players won the Rookie of the Year award and then won the MVP award the following season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Randy Johnson won the NL Cy Young award four straight seasons, from 1999-2002, pitching for Arizona. Johnson also won the AL Cy Young in 1995 when a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Victor Martinez Leads Tigers to 7-2 Win over Indians; Francisco Liriano, Garrett Jones Power Pirates Past St. Louis, 5-0

Players of the Day for Friday, August 30, 2013

American League

Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez doubled in a pair of runs in the third inning and scored Detroit's final run in the seventh, as the Tigers took another step closer to the AL Central championship with a rain-shortened, 7-2 win over second-place Cleveland.

Opening the three-game series in Detroit, the Tigers took a leg up on their closest pursuer with the win, extending their lead in the division to 7 1/2 games. Cleveland has lost four in a row and has fallen five games behind Oakland in the race for the final wild card spot.

Third baseman Miguel Cabrera left the game in the second inning with an abdominal injury. His status remains day-to-day.

The Tigers will look to further their advantage when they host the Indians in game two, Saturday at 7:08 pm EDT.

Liriano: 15-6

National League

Even though Francisco Liriano didn't get his first start until May 11, his eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball against the St. Louis Cardinals was good enough for his 15th win of the season, tying him for the lead in the National League, as the Pirates downed the Cardinals, 5-0.

Garrett Jones

Liriano (15-6) was in complete control throughout, walking two and striking out six. No Cardinal runner reached second base while he was on the mound, as the lefty baffled St. Louis hitters with sliders and cut fastballs. It was Liriano's third straight win over the Cardinals in the last 30 days. on July 29, he allowed four hits and one earned run and on August 14, he tossed a complete game against them, again allowing four hits and one earned.

Friday's performance showed just how well Liriano has mastered the St. Louis lineup, the victory earning the Pirates a tie with St. Louis in the NL Central, the two teams having identical, 78-56 records.

Garrett Jones accounted for four of the five Pirate runs, doubling in two in the opening inning, socking a solo homer in the fourth and driving in the final Pittsburgh run with a single in the fifth, going 3-for-4 with four RBI.

The two teams will undo the knot atop the division when they meet for game two of the three-game series at 7:05 pm Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

Today's Trivia: True or False: Johnny Bench never led the National League in home runs for a single season. (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Mike Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times from 1974 through 1986.

Alfonso Soriano Drives in Seven as Yankees Crush Angels; Pirates Down Cardinals on Francisco Liriano's Complete Game

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 14, 2013

American League

Soriano: 2HR, 7RBI

The Yankees have been hampered by injuries this season, but to say that Jared Weaver and the LA Angels are having a rough year would be putting it lightly.

Weaver (6-7, 3.49) and the Angels were blown out by the Yankees, 11-3, as Alfonso Soriano and his teammates torched the LA starter for eight runs in the first two innings.

Soriano was 3-for-3, with two homers a double and seven RBI. After a first inning grand slam put the Yankees up 4-0, Soriano doubled in a pair of runs in the second inning as the Yanks plated four more. In the fifth, Soriano launched a solo shot for RBI number seven and in the seventh, the Angels wisely walked him, though he did come around to score on Chris Stewart's double.

The win was the fourth straight for the Yankees and third straight over the visiting Angels, now 16 games behind Texas in the AL West and hopelessly out of playoff contention. New York will try to finish off the series sweep Thursday at 1:05 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Liriano: CG, 4H, 1ER

After handing the Pirates their fourth straight loss and drawing to within two games of the NL Central leaders, the St. Louis Cardinals thought they might have Pittsburgh on the ropes before game two of their three-game series in the gateway city.

Enter Francisco Liriano to put an end to the speculation that the Pirates were about to fold.

With a complete game four-hitter, Liriano won for the eighth time in his last ten starts, sending the Pirates back to a three-game lead in the division with a crucial 5-1 road win.

Staked to an early 5-0 lead, Liriano throttled the Cardinals over the first eight innings, holding them scoreless until the ninth, when Carlos Beltran cashed in Matt Carpenter's double with a ground out to third for the lone St. Louis run of the game.

Otherwise, Liriano (13-5, 2.68) was in complete control, fanning six and walking one, needing just 94 pitches for the complete game win, his second of the season.

The Pirates and Cardinals will complete their three-game series Thursday afternoon at 1:45 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who led the National League in steals three straight years, from 2005 through 2007? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: KC's Dan Quisenberry led the AL in saves four straight years, from 1982 through 1985.

Seattle Drops Orioles, 8-2, on Michael Saunders' Two HR; Francisco Liriano Leads Pirates to 5-2 Win over Rockies

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 3, 2013

American League

Michael Saunders

Michael Saunders belted a pair of homers for Seattle as the Mariners evened their series in Baltimore with an 8-4 victory Saturday.

Saunders' three-run shot in the fifth inning expanded a 3-2 lead by Seattle to a commanding, 6-2 edge. In the ninth, Saunders connected again, with one aboard, completing the scoring for the Mariners.

The win didn't help the Mariners as much as it hurt the O's, who fell 5 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the AL East race. Seattle trails Oakland in the West by 13 games and are eight games under .500 (51-59) with less than two months left in the season.

The M's and O's meet Sunday afternoon at 1:35 pm EDT at Camden Yards to settle the series.

National League

Francisco Liriano

Now that the Pirates have wrested control of the NL Central away from the Cardinals, they're making sure they keep their lead and maybe expand it a little as August rolls onward.

Pittsburgh topped Colorado, 5-2, while the Cardinals fell victim to the Reds, by an 8-3 score, as Francisco Liriano improved to 12-4 with seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball.

Jose Tabata contributed a solo home run and a triple as part of a 3-for-4 effort, driving in a run and scoring twice as the Pirates evened their series with the visiting Rockies.

Liriano, who walked five and fanned six, is having a magical run through the summer, notching victories in seven of his last eight starts. His 12 wins are tied for third in the NL and his 2.02 ERA is among the best in the league, though with just 102 innings pitched, he doesn't qualify for league stats.

Nonetheless, Liriano is one of the main reasons the Pirates are where they are. They hope the lefty hurler remains healthy to lead them in the post-season.

Today's Trivia: True or False: There are more than 250 players with career batting averages over .300 in MLB history. (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Nolan Ryan set the low mark of 5.261 hits per nine innings in 1972 with the California Angels.

Rickie Weeks Keeps Brewers in Contention for Wild Card; Francisco Liriano's 1-Hit Effort Maintains White Sox Lead

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 15, 2012

American League

Pennant races in the American League are all now tighter than they have been all season, down to two main teams in each of the three divisions.

In the East, the Yankees scored a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays while the Orioles were losing at Oakland, 5-2, wresting a one game lead from Baltimore and putting Tampa four back.

The West is now down to a slim two games, after Oakland's win and Texas' 8-6 loss to Seattle.

Francisco Liriano

The White Sox retained their one-game bulge over Detroit as both teams registered identical 5-3 victories on the road, the Tigers topping Cleveland and the Sox knocking off Minnesota.

Chicago got a special performance out of Francisco Liriano, a starter with a world of talent who hasn't had the best of seasons, but who pitched well enough on Saturday to keep the White Sox in front.

Liriano (6-11) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, walking two and striking out nine, but was tagged by Trevor Plouffe, who launched his 22nd home run off the Chicago starter with two outs, after Liriano had plunked Justin Morneau and put him on base.

The belt made the score 4-2 in favor of Chicago. Liriano struck out the next batter to end the inning and his day on the bump. Both teams added single runs in the ninth to produce the final score.

The Sox have won two straight and will conclude their series, seeking the sweep, Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

National League

In the National League, the division races are all runaways, but the focus is on the final playoff spot, the second wild card currently being contested by no less than six teams.

Rickie Weeks

While the Phillies made great strides earlier in the week, winning seven straight, they have lost two in a row now, and have been overtaken by Milwaukee, another team which has seemingly come out of nowhere and into contention.

After their 9-6 win over the Mets, the Brewers find themselves just 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals and Dodgers, the two teams currently tied for the last wild card. The Braves have pretty much locked away to first wild card with a seven game lead over LA and St. Louis.

Rickie Weeks led Milwaukee's 12-hit attack, going 2-for-3 with a double and his 20th home run of the season, a fourth-inning, two run blast in a five-run Milwaukee frame, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 lead that the Brewers would not give away.

Weeks finished with three RBI and two runs.

The Brewers host the Mets in the series' rubber game, Sunday afternoon.

Brandon Moss Powers A's over Arizona; Francisco Liriano Sharp for Twins

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 18, 2012

Grapefruit League

Liriano: 5 IP 0 H 6 K

Minnesota ace Francisco Liriano had an effective tune-up in the Twins' 10-0 blanking of Pittsburgh in Sunday's South Florida exhibition action.

Liriano, who posted a disappointing 9-10 mark last season, was razor-sharp in five innings of work, fanning six Pirate batters and walking one without surrendering a hit. It was Liriano's fourth appearance of the spring and the longest for the left=hander. Through 13 innings, Liriano has struck out 18 batters and is carrying an ERA of 2.77.

The Twins improved to 10-8 in Grapefruit League play.

Moss: 3-3, HR 4 RBI

Cactus League

The Oakland A's were a model of efficiency in their 11-2 victory over the Diamondbacks Sunday, cashing all 11 runs on 11 hits, stranding just six base-runners.

Outfield prospect Brandon Moss went 3-for-3 with a pair of singles and a home run. The lefty slugger, whose longest major league stint was 133 games with the Pirates in 2009, drove in four runs and is batting a brisk .526 this spring with 10 hits in 19 at-bats.

The A's won their 8th road game and lead the Cactus League with a 13-4 record.

Liriano Throws First AL No-Hitter of Season; Rookie Descalso Leads Cards Past Marlins

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 3, 2011

American League

Struggling along with the worst record in baseball, the Minnesota Twins got a much-needed lift when Francisco Liriano shut down the White Sox with the first no-hitter in the American League this season.

Francisco Liriano

An unlikely candidate for the pinnacle of pitching perfection, Liriano entered the game with a 1-4 record and an embarrassing ERA of 9.13. Worse yet, he opened the game by walking Juan Pierre, one of three free passes issued to the Chicago leadoff hitter.

After getting out of the inning on a double play, Liriano issued three more walks into the 4th inning, but then settled in, putting down 11 straight batters from the 4th through the 8th inning. He walked six total, including Pierre again with one out in the 9th, and struck out only two, but he White Sox could not solve him.

The Twins were having their own problems at the plate, scoring just one run off Edwin Jackson, who threw for eight innings, allowing just six hits. The only run of the game came on Jason Kubel's 4th inning home run.

With the 1-0 victory, Minnesota changed places with Chicago, dropping the White Sox into last place in the AL Central by 1/2 game.

National League

Daniel Descalso

The St. Louis Cardinals managed to cool off the Florida Marlins, for one game, at least, but the win came courtesy of a sparsely-used utility infielder who had the good fortune of hitting his first major league home run at an opportune time.

Daniel Descalso had already reached base on an error and scored, singled and walked in three previous plate appearances, but came to bat with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the 7th inning and the Cardinals down 5-4.

Clay Hensley was summoned from the bullpen and Descalso greeted him with a three-run blast to right field that put the Cardinals ahead for good. The St. Louis bullpen finished up the job with two innings of hitless ball and the Cards won, 7-5.

A rookie, Descalso played in 11 games last season with the Cardinals and has been more active this season, getting into 26 games. He's batting .237 with 9 RBI and now, one memorable home run.

STREAKING: 29 straight is the number of games that Andre Ethier has hit safely, extending the longest hitting streak in the majors Tuesday night with an RBI single in four at-bats in a 4-1 loss to the Cubs.

Liriano Fans Nine in Three Innings; Branyan Hopes to Catch on with D-Backs

 Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 23, 2011

American League

Francisco Liriano

For Francisco Liriano, it was all or nothing for three innings as the Twins etched a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

The power-pitching lefty threw 76 pitches over just three innings, coming off a short Spring rest due to a sore shoulder. Liriano either struck out or allowed a hit or a walk to every one of the 16 batters he faced: nine punch-outs, three walks and four hits, one of those a towering home run by Baltimore's Adam Jones, his 4th of the exhibition season.

The nine strikeouts was the most recorded by a pitcher this Spring.

Liriano is still looking for the control that made him one of the brightest prospects back in 2006, when he went 12-3 before succumbing to injury. After missing all of 2007, he's gone 25-27 over three seasons, though last year's 14-10 mark was encouraging.

National League

Russell Branyan

Since becoming somewhat of a regular in 2000, Russell Branyan has played for nine major league teams, but wherever he goes, he carries a big stick.

His current team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, got a taste of what he does to pitches in his wheelhouse as he parked an offering by Arthur Rhodes into the cheap seats. Having the bases chock full of teammates was a happy coincidence, producing a grand slam and a lead for the D-Backs, who went on to a 9-8 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Branyan also singled in four at-bats, scored twice and finished with five RBI. He's in Arizona's camp hoping to make the roster as the regular first baseman.

The slugger has 189 homers on his well-traveled resume, but also carries a lifetime .234 batting average and 1077 strikeouts in 2807 at-bats.

LaRoche, D-Backs Hammer Mets; Liriano Blanks Mariners

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 1, 2010 National League After dropping two of three at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks, one might be inclined to believe that the Mets have thrown in the proverbial towel on the 2010 season, and one might not get much of an argument from most quarters. Having been projected to be one of the top teams in the NL East in each of the last three season, the Mets have proven to be nothing less than complete under-achievers. Their one win against Arizona was a 5-4 squeaker; the other two losses were not close, losing 9-6 on Friday and thumped soundly, 14-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Diamondbacks didn't strike until the 4th inning, but when they did, it was on Adam LaRoche's first of two homers, a three-run shot which drove in Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton. The same two players were aboard for LaRoche in the very next inning, and he delivered the same result, as part of a five-run inning. The Mets had no answers and offered no resistance to the Arizona onslaught. The Diamondbacks hit four homers in all and amassed 16 hits off three Mets' hurlers. LaRoche added a double to go 3-for-6 with 6 RBI. Because Atlanta lost to Cincinnati, 2-1, the Mets didn't lose any ground and remain 6 1/2 games off the pace, tied with the marlins in third place, but the offense has been lacking and now the pitching staff seems to be breaking down as well. Unless something changes soon - and the Mets made no moves prior to the trading deadline - it looks like another sad finish to another lost season in New York. American League Minnesota won its 8th straight game and remain locked into second place, 1/2 game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. The 4-0 win over Seattle was mostly a 7-inning tour de force for starter Francisco Liriano, who allowed just two hits - a triple by Michael Saunders and a Chone Figgins double - and two walks to go with his 11 whiffs, including getting Casey Kothman four times on strikes and Russell Branyan and Figgins three times each. Liriano improved to 10-7, and moved into a tie for second place on the AL strikeout list with Boston's Jon Lester with 150 Ks. Liriano is averaging nearly 10 strikeouts per 9 innings (9.92), as his strikeouts have come over 136 innings. He also has not allowed a run in 21 consecutive innings. The last time he was scored upon was July 16, when he allowed 2 runs over 7 2/3 innings in a 7-4 win over the White Sox. Liriano will likely go against Cleveland on Friday, setting him up as the probable starter for the opener of a three-game series at Chicago, August 10.

Liriano Strong in 8-0 Twins Win; Pelfrey 2-0 for Mets

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 15, 2010 American League It's been a long road back for Francisco Liriano, the Dominican Republic phenom who went 12-3 as a rookie with the Twins in 2006. Injury curtailed that season and completely cancelled the next, and Liriano has suffered setbacks each year hence, but in Thursday's 8-0 whitewash of the Boston Red Sox, Liriano looked more like that 2006 starter than the one who went 11-17 in 2008 and 2009.

Keep up to date with the latest MLB standings at
Yahoo! Sports.

Over his seven innings of work, Liriano allowed just four Boston hits and two walks, and had Red sox batters flailing at fast balls and staring at sliders as he struck out 8 - 6 swinging and 2 looking. He threw 96 pitches, 64 for strikes and left the game looking as strong and fit as when he started. While Liriano was working over the Boston lineup, his teammates cranked out 15 hits against Red Sox starter Time Wakefield and two relief pitchers. Every starter had a hit except AL batting champ Joe Mauer, who may have been more focused on keeping his pitcher in a groove. Apparently, it worked well enough for Liriano to notch his first win of the season, lowering his ERA to 2.08 over 13 innings. National League The 3-6 Mets are off to a troubling start, but the first weeks of the season will be soon forgotten if they get more mound work like that done by starter Mike Pelfrey in his 5-0 win over Colorado. Pelphrey, who opened his campaign allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs over six innings to earn an 8-2 win over Washington, was even better in the thin Colorado air, giving up 5 hits over 7 innings while fanning 6 without walking a batter. The only time the Mets have won this season when Pelfrey wasn't on the mound was April 5, when Johan Santana fired a 7-1 win over the Marlins. Pelfrey now sports an ERA of 1.38 and a WHIP of 1.00.

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NOTES: In the better late than never department, the Houston Astros became the last team in the majors to find a win in 2010, knocking down the Cardinals, 5-1, in St. Louis. Houston had opened the season with 8 straight losing efforts prior to Thursday's breakthrough. Houston's win means handing over the longest losing streak to the Baltimore Orioles, now 1-9 and losers of their last 7 straight. The O's fell victim to the surprising Oakland A's, who still lead the AL West, by a 6-2 score.

Liriano Tosses 6 Scoreless; Holliday Banks a Pair

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 30, 2010 American League For Francisco Liriano, the road back to full health has been a long and arduous one. After emerging in 2006 as a high-octane hurler, Liriano suffered an arm injury that derailed a 12-3 season and caused him to miss all of 2007 after surgery and rehab. In 2008 and 2009, he was still struggling, going 6-4 in 2008, but backtracking to 5-13 last season with an ERA of 5.80. This Spring, the velocity has returned and Liriano's K-BB ratio has improved. He's fanned 30 while walking only 5, including the 8 Ks and 3 walks issued in 6 innings of work against the Pirates, which ended up a 4-1 Minnesota win. Liriano blanked the Pirates for 6 innings, his best start of the exhibition season. For his efforts this Spring, he was rewarded, being named the Twins' fifth starter. National League Entering his 7th season in the majors, Matt Holliday has already crossed some milestones, though there certainly seems to be many more in store for him. Already over 100 hits, Holliday, always a run-producer, is 8 RBI shy of 600, and his 152 homers are fair power numbers. In the Cardinals' 9-4 win over the Mets, Holliday parked a couple of offerings - both solo shots and his first two homers of the Spring - the first of which came right after Ryan Ludwick raked a 2-run shot off Mets' starter Oliver Perez, who lasted just 2 1/3 innings and allowed 7 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Holliday homered later in the game and also scored 3 times. His batting average jumped to .308. He has a career batting average of .318, one of the best among active players. MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies Coming off a reasonably successful 2009 campaign in which they nearly tracked down the Dodgers in the NL West, the Colorado Rockies should be a contender for the division title once again. Finishing just 3 games behind the Dodgers, the Rockies captured the wild card but lost in the divisional series to the Phillies. The Rockies surprisingly came from well out of it. After a 19-28 start, they fired manager Clint Hurdle, replacing him with bench coach Jim Tracy. The moved worked magic for the Rockies, who went 73-42 under Tracy to close out the season. Even after their horrible start, the Rockies ended 2009 with the third-best record in the NL, behind LA and Philly. The 2010 edition of the Rockies comes stocked with an assortment of young players, not a lot of power, a quality pitching staff and one notable veteran: first baseman Todd Helton, who, at 36, can still deliver. He batted .325, with 18 homers and 86 RBI in 2009 and was rock-solid defensively. Around the infield, Clint Barmes mans second base, Troy Tulowitzki stays at short, and Ian Stewart plays the hot corner. Tulowitzki started slowly in 2009, but led the Rockies in homers, with 32 and RBI, 92. Chris Ianetta returns as the primary catcher, though his .228 average last season was a negative. Outfielder Seth Smith has a quiet, but productive season in 2009, banging 15 homes and 55 RBI to go with his .293 batting average. He will play left, with Dexter Fowler returning in center and Brad Hawpe in right. Fowler is the speed guy, with 27 swipes, but he needs to be more consistent at the plate (.266 in 2009). Hawpe is experienced and, along with infielders Barmes and Stewart, should be good for 15-25 homers and 70-90 RBI. Ubaldo Jiménez is the unrivaled ace of the Rockies rotation. In his third season - last year - he was 15-12, though his 3.47 ERA and 198 Ks proves he has the stuff to lead the team in wins. Behind him are four workhorses: Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel. Francis missed all of 2009 with shoulder surgery, but had a good enough Spring to be named the #2 starter. He was awesome in 2007, but suffered the injury half way though the 2008 season. His return to health and a solid performance will be critical to the team's success. Hammel was a full-time starter in 2009 and settled in nicely. Veterans Cook and De La Rosa are good for 160-200 innings. The bullpen is stacked. Closer Huston Street had 35 saves last year and he will again be fronted by Rafael Betancourt, one of the best set-up guys in the game. Randy Flores, Matt Belisle and Franklin Morales will also be called on for situational relief. The Rockies will be part of what looks to be a 4-team race in the division, with the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks all pointed for strong seasons. Along with the NL Central and AL West, it's likely to be one of the most competitive divisions in the majors. The Vegas future book has Colorado slated to win 86.5 games and a 20-1 shot to take home a World Series trophy. They have a chance, but their pitching needs to hold up over the long haul.