Showing posts with label Gio Gonzalez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gio Gonzalez. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Gio Gonzalez Takes No-Hitter To 9th For Nationals; Jake Marisnick's 2 HR, 5 RBI Power Houston's 14-7 Win

Players of the Day for Monday, July 31, 2017

American League

Just in case Josh Reddick isn't the clear choice in center field, Houston manager A.J. Hinch has a solid substitute at the ready in Jake Marisnick, a fifth-year outfielder acquired by the Astros from the Marlins in 2014.

Marisnick: 2HR, 5 RBI
It's not that the Astros need more hitters in their already packed lineup - they lead the majors with an incredible .292 team mark, the closest to them in the AL being the Yankees, at .262 - but they appear to have one in Marisnick, who belted a pair of home runs and a double, driving in five runs as Houston hammered visiting Tampa Bay, 14-7.

Houston had already taken a 4-2 lead in the third inning when Marisnick launched his first home run, a 414 blast to left, plating three. Houston scored five runs in the inning. In the fifth, Marisnick homered again, ripping a solo shot down the left field line. In the eighth, he doubled in another run and scored for the fourth time, finishing the night with an impressive line: 3-for-4, four runs, five RBI.

Marisnick is not exactly an unknown quantity, having his best year as a pro, with a .259 batting average, 13 homers, 31 RBI in 162 at-bats.

Houston has been pounding their opponents all season long, leading the AL in hits (1073), runs (623), doubles (234), home runs (172), total bases (1847) and RBI (593). Monday's win was the 17th time they've scored 10 or more runs and the seventh time in July. They lead the LA West by an insurmountable 16 games over Seattle, the only other team in the division with a winning record (54-53). Playing at their current pace, the Astros could clinch the division as early as September 10.

Game two of the three-game series in Houston is Tuesday at 8:10 pm ET.

National League

Gonzalez: No-hitter thru 8
Washington's Gio Gonzalez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning at Miami, but surrendered a single to the leadoff hitter, Dee Gordon, and was relieved by Sean Doolittle to finish the 1-0 win for the Nationals.

Despite not giving up a hit for eight full innings, Gonzalez was far from perfect, walking batters in the first, second and seventh innings, and hitting Miguel Rojas with a pitch in the eighth. Still, no Miami baserunner advanced past first base, Gonzalez inducing a number of ground out fielder's choices to keep the Marlins on their heels. He was also assisted by one double play turned by the Nationals.

Gonzalez fanned five, throwing 67 of 106 pitches for strikes, improving his record to 9-5 on the year. Doolittle earned his fourth save in efficient manner, throwing nine pitches - eight for strikes - to four batters. He gave up one hit, but made quick work of the other three batters.

Washington's win came in the opener of a three game series in Miami, sending the Marlins back another game in the standings. Miami trails the Nationals by 14 games in the NL East.

Game two is scheduled for a 7:10 pm start on Tuesday.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Sonny Gray's 6 Innings Of Shutout Ball Lead A's Over Indians; Gio Gonzalez, Bryce Harper Lead Nats Past Reds

Players of the Day for Friday, July 14, 2017

American League

Friday saw the the major leagues finally back in action after the extended, four-day, all-star break and the activity was much the same as prior to the mid-summer classic.

Sonny Gray: 6 scoreless
All but one of the six division leaders were winners on the day, the except being the Cleveland Indians, who were stopped cold in Oakland by A's starter, Sonny Gray who improved to 5-4 in a 5-0 whitewash.

Gray did not go the distance, throwing exactly 100 pitches over six full innings of work. The 27-year-old right-hander issued one walk in the opening inning, and only got into a little trouble in the third, when he allowed the only two hits - both singles - the Indians would get off him.

With the score already 4-0 in favor of the A's, Gray took a seat and turned the ball over to the bullpen. Ryan Madsen, Sean Dolittle, and Santiago Casilla each tossed an inning in relief, allowing just two hits over the final three innings, fanning six while not allowing any walks.

The A's stand at 40-50, well out of the runaway race in the AL West. Cleveland remained in first place in the Central, 2 1/2 to the good over Minnesota, 10-5 losers at Houston.

Game two of the three-game series is slated for 6:00 pm PT, Saturday in Oakland.

National League

Gonzalez: 8 1/3 scoreless
Leading the NL East, the Washington Nationals finished the first half of the season on a high note, winning for the fifth time in seven games with a 10-5 victory over their closest pursuer, Atlanta, on Sunday.

Apparently, the four-day all-star break didn't hurt, as the Nationals opened the second half with a 5-0 shutout at Cincinnati.

Harper: 2 HR, 3 RBI
The Reds were stymied for 8 1/3 innings by Gio Gonzalez, who had his best outing of the season, giving up four hits and a pair of walks, striking out six. Improving to 8-4, Gonzalez is having a whale of a season, despite a lack of hitting support when he's on the mound. Six times this season, he's allowed one earned run or less and either took the loss or received no decision. Gonzalez has the third-best ERA in the NL, 2.66, and a 1.19 WHIP (11th).

On Friday, he had Bryce Harper to thank, as the all-star right fielder socked a pair of home runs (21, 22) scored three times and drove in three. Harper is tied with Joey Votto and Paul Goldschmidt with 68 RBI, third in the league behind Marcell Ozuna and Nolan Arenado, each with 70.

The Nationals retained their 9 1/2 game lead over Atlanta while the Reds dropped further behind in the NL Central, in last place, 10 1/2 games behind Milwaukee.

Game two of the four-game series is Saturday, 7:10 pm ET in Cincinnati.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Chris Sale Tames Tigers in 5-1 White Sox Win; Gio Gonzalez One-Hits Mets in 9-0 Nationals' Win

Players of the Day for Monday, September 9, 2013

American League

A week ago, it looked like the Detroit Tigers were going to run away in the AL Central. After three straight losses, that isn't looking so certain.

Chris Sale
Detroit's latest defeat came at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, and, more specifically, off the left hand off Sox starter, Chris Sale, who limited the Tigers to four hits and one earned run - that on a seventh-inning, solo HR by Victor Martinez - over eight innings, in a 5-1 win to open a three-game series in the Windy City.

Sale whiffed eight and walked just one while his teammates were building a lead off Detroit starter, Max Scherzer, who failed, for the third straight time, to win his 20th game, dropping his record to 19-3. Scherzer allowed four earned runs in four innings, his shortest outing of the season, but managed to strike out six, giving him 215 on the season, second-most in the AL. Sale is right behind him, with 207. Both are chasing Texas hurler, Yu Darvish, who leads both leagues with 246 Ks.

With Detroit's loss and Cleveland's 4-3 win over Kansas City, the Tiger lead in the division has shrunk to just 4 1/2 games. The Tigers have the benefit of a soft schedule, however. With 18 games left to play, 11 of them are against the White Sox, Twins and Marlins, three of the weakest squads in the majors.

The Tigers will try to end their mini-skid Tuesday night, when they meet the White Sox in game two, at 8:10 pm EDT.

National League
Gonzalez: 1-Hitter

Gio Gonzalez had a no-hitter through six innings, but Zach Lutz, a call-up from AAA Las Vegas, knocked a pinch hit single to right leading off the seventh inning, spoiling the effort for the Washington hurler.

That was to be the Mets' only hit of the night, as Gonzalez put down the next eight straight, walked Lutz with two down in the ninth, and got Andrew Brown on a fly ball to right to end it.

Washington staked Gonzalez to a 2-0 lead on first-inning, solo homers by Denard Span and Ryan Zimmerman, then added seven more from the third through fifth innings for the 9-0 whitewash. Gonzalez (10-6) walked two, fanned eight and needed 110 pitches for his second career shutout and first of the 2013 season.

The win was the third straight for Washington, but they still trail the Braves by 12 games in the NL East and are seven behind Cincinnati for the second wild card.

The series continues Tuesday night at 7:10 pm EDT at Citi Field in New York.

Today's Trivia: Who had more doubles during their major league career, Mike Schmidt or Barry Bonds? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The Angels won 100 games in 2008. The Yankees won 101 in 2003 and 2004, and 103 in 2009.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Alex Gordon's Grand Slam Buries Tigers; Gio Gonzalez, Danny Espinosa Bury Reds, 8-1

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 25, 2013

American League

Alex Gordon
Roughly 1/8th of the way into the season and the Kansas City Royals - the undisputed champion of the exhibition season - has managed to stay much more than merely relevant in the AL Central; with their 8-3, 10-inning win over the Tigers, they hold a 1 1/2 game lead over Detroit and Minnesota.

James Shields and Justin Verlander hooked into a pretty good pitchers' duel. With Verlander exiting after seven innings with an injured thumb and a 3-2 lead, the Royals tied it in the eighth and eventually won it in the top of the 10th.

After a bases-loaded walk to George Kottaras produced the go-ahead run, Alex Gordon left no doubt with a grand slam, 443-foot bomb to center which iced the game.

Gordon had earlier singled and was stranded, leaving him at 2-for-6 for the game, slightly reducing his .337 batting average. His homer was the second of the season for the leadoff left fielder. He has driven in 15 runs.

The result left matters in an unsettled tie for the brief, two-game series after the opening game Tuesday was rained out. The Tigers won, 7-5, on Wednesday.

National League

Danny Espinosa
Gio Gonzalez
Washinton crept a little closer to NL East leader, Atlanta, picking up 1/2 game on the idle Braves with an 8-1 win over the visiting Reds in the opener of a crucial four-game series.

The Nationals find themselves four games back in the division, tied for second place with the Mets.

Washington got all over Reds' starter, Brandon Arroyo, building a 6-0 lead before Joey Votto's solo home run in the fourth got Cincinnati on the board.

Votto's fourth homer was the only mistake Gio Gonzalez made, allowing just the one hit and two walks while fanning seven over eight sparkling innings on the mound, improving to 2-1.

Danny Espinosa provided the offensive spark for the Nats, doubling in the first run of the game and later in the second inning scoring to open a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, Desmond added to what was already a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer, his second of the season.

Bryce Harper socked his eighth of the season to start the third and Denard Span had three hits and drove in three runs.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Chris Davis 4-for-4 in Oriole Loss to Rays; Gio Gonzalez Homers for Nats, Blanks Marlins

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 3, 2013

American League

Chris Davis did everything he could to deliver an Oriole victory, but, the Baltimore pitching staff could not contain Tampa Bay hitters, as the Rays won in the ninth inning, 8-7.

Davis: 4-4, HR 4RBI
Davis went 4-for-4, starting things off with a three-run, first-inning homer, then adding two doubles and a single, driving in four total and scoring twice. The O's exchanged lead with the Rays until tying the game at 7-7 in the ninth, before Matt Joyce led of the bottom of the inning with a game-winning, walk-off homer for the win.

The homer was Davis' second in as many games. His seventh-inning, three-run blast in Tuesday's opener for both teams propelled the Orioles to a 7-4 victory.

The O's and Rays meet again on Thursday in the rubber game of the the three game series. Game time is 3:10 pm EDT at Tropicana Field.

National League

Gio Gonzalez
Miami may have made wholesale changes to their roster during the off-season, but, against the Washington Nationals, they have proven impotent, being shut out for the second straight game as Gio Gonzalez stymied them over six scoreless innings and three relievers finished the job in a 3-0 shutout.

The Marlins were blanked by Stephen Strasburg and the relief staff on Monday; both teams took a day off Tuesday.

Gonzalez surrendered two hits and two walks without yielding a run, fanning five. He also belted a solo homer in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie with Marlin starter Kevin Slowey.

The Nats are 2-0 and tied with Atlanta and the Mets atop the NL East. Miami, along with the Phillies, are 0-2.

Miami will again attempt to score off the Nats' pitching staff Thursday at 4:05 pm. Jordan Zimmermann goes to the mound for Washington.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Gio Gonzalez Wins 19th as Nats Close in on NL East Crown; Alex Rios leads White Sox over Tigers

Players of the Day for Monday, September 10, 2012

American League

While the Orioles, Rays and Yankees took a day off from the torrid AL East race, the two leaders in the Central opened a head-to-head series in Chicago, with the White Sox taking game one of the critical four-game set by a 6-1 score.

Alex Rios
Starting pitcher Jose Quintana scattered seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, allowing the Tigers their only run of the game in the second inning and Alex Rios continued his outstanding season, driving in three runs with his 23rd homer as the White Sox exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Rios added a double and finished the game 2-for-4, upping his average to a solid .294. He's also closing in on his personal best for RBI with 85. He drove in 88 for the Sox in 2010.

The win increased Chicago's lead to three games over Detroit in the division. The Tigers are in danger of missing the playoffs completely, as they trail the A's, O's, Rays and Angels in the wild card race. They are a full seven games behind the A's, who lead all wild card hopefuls, and five behind the Orioles for the second spot.

he series resumes Tuesday night in Chicago at 8:10 pm EDT.


Gonzalez: 19-7
National League

Gio Gonzalez became the first pitcher to reach 19 wins, allowing just three hits over six innings as the Nationals defeated the Mets, 5-1, at Citi Field in New York.

Crafty as ever, Gonzalez surrendered five walks and worked out out of situations with men aboard in four of his six innings, the only Mets' run coming on a leadoff homer by Scott Hairston in the fourth, though by then, the Nats had already put five runs on the board.

Gonzalez fanned six as he improved to 19-7 with a 2.93 ERA, making a strong bid for the Cy Young award in the National League.

Coupled with Atlanta's 4-1 loss in Milwaukee, the Washington lead in the East is back to 6 1/2 games over the Braves. With 20 games left on their schedule, the Nationals' magic number is 15.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss and George Kottaras Drive A's to 20-2 Win; Gio Gonzales

Players of the Day for Friday, August 31, 2012

American League

Josh Riddick
Brandon Moss
With a four game lead in the AL West, the Texas Rangers may feel secure about winning their third straight division title, but some might suggest a look over their shoulder at the fast-closing Oakland A's, winner of seven straight after bombing the Red Sox, 20-2, rapping out 20 hits, scoring in all but two innings.

Among the highlights were Josh Reddick's seventh inning grand slam, Brandon Moss's twodoubles, home run, single, four runs and four RBI, and catcher George Kottaras' single, pair of homers, three runs and five RBI.

George Kottaras
The A's wore out seven Red Sox pitchers over nine innings, suggesting that the remainder of the three game series at Fenway may produce a batting bonanza for the A's and more than just a few sore arms for the Boston pitching staff.

Winning kept the A's one game behind the Orioles in the wild card, but very secure in the #2 wild card slot, 3 1/2 better than Tampa Bay and four up on the Tigers.

While their wild card chances appear solid, the A's no doubt have taken aim at the Rangers as August turns to September and contenders are separated from pretenders.

National League

Gio Gonzalez
Labor Day weekend marks the culmination of a brutal nine-game stretch for the St. Louis Cardinals, having taken two of three in Cincy, lost two of three in Pittsburgh and, after their 10-0 loss Friday in Washington, their losing streak has reached four straight.

While the Cardinals may bemoan life on the road, the playing doesn't get much better for the NL East-leading Nationals, winners of three straight while the second place Braves have dropped their last two, upping Washington's lead to a bulging 6 1/2 games. the largest in either league.

A master of the mound throughout the season, Gio Gonzalez picked up win #17, tying Johnny Cueto and R.A. Dickey for the major league lead.

Gonzalez, who has tasted defeat just seven times this season, shut out the Cardinals on five hits, fanning eight and walking three.

The Nats and Cards have two games remaining in their four game series, with a pair of day games Saturday and Sunday.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rangers Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli Batter Boston, 18-3; Gio Gonzalez Gets 1st NL Win, 1-0 over Astros

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 17, 2012

American League

Hamilton: HR, 5RBI
The Texas Rangers thundered into Beantown for a quick two-game series, and, like their lawmen namesakes, delivered quick and crushing Texas justice to the home-standers, routing the Red Sox by an 18-3 score.

Napoli: 2HR, 4RBI
Banging out 21 hits, seven of the nine Texas starters had at least two hits. Josh Hamilton was chief among the run-producers, going 3-for-5, with a pair of singles and a three-run homer to start off an eight-run uprising in the 8th. Hamilton's homer was his fifth of the year as he tallied five RBI for the game.

Mike Napoli added to Boston's woes, also going 3-for-5, with a single, a couple of home runs and four RBI.

The win was the fifth straight for Texas. Their 9-2 mark has them 3 1/2 games in front of Seattle in the AL West and is tied with the LA Dodgers for the best record in the majors.


National League

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Your eyes aren't deceiving you; those are the Washington Nationals atop the NL East, with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Mets after topping the Houston Astros, 1-0, in D.C.

Gonzalez: 7IP 2H 8K
The Nats have a throng of good young hitters, but they've been getting the job done mostly from the mound. On Tuesday, Gio Gonzalez out-dueled Houston's Wandy Rodriguez over seven innings, for their fifth win in six home games.

Gonzalez allowed only two hits in his seven innings of work, fanning eight with two walks. Rodriguez was victimized in the fourth inning for the only run of the game when Jayson Werth doubled and Adam LaRoche singled him home. Rodriguez, despite a 1.96 ERA, is 2-0. Gonzalez, acquired from Oakland after the end of last season, earned his first win in the National League in his third start for Washington. Ty Clippard worked the ninth and Brad Lidge picked up the save, getting the final three outs.

The Nationals have two more games with the Astros, Wednesday and Thursday. They are 7-2 against the NL Central.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Gonzalez Downs Marlins on One Hit over 8; Cliff Lee Hurls Third Straight Shutout

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 28, 2011

American League

Emilio Bonifacio led off the game for Florida with a single against Oakland starter Gio Gonzalez, but that was the last hit the Marlins would produce in a 1-0 win for the A's.
Gio Gonzalez

Gonzalez would cruise through the remaining innings, allowing just one hit and three walks until leaving the mound after finishing the 8th.

Bonifacio was also the first batter closer Andrew Bailey would face in the 9th, reaching on an error, but Bailey made quick work of the next three batters, getting Omar Infante, Greg Dobbs and Hanley Ramirez swing at third strikes.

Gonzalez was staked to a one-run lead on Kurt Suzuki's sac fly in the 2nd, which plated Hideki Matsui with the game's only score, and the lefty made it hold up with one of the best outings of his career. Gonzalez improved to 7-5, fanning nine in the process.

The win was just the second in the last six outings for the A's, who have fallen six games off the pace in last place in the hotly contested AL West. For the Marlins, it was just another loss in a summer of discontent.

National League

As amazing as the Philadelphia rotation has been this season, Cliff Lee has added superlatives for June, throwing his third consecutive shutout in a 5-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Cliff Lee: 32 straight
scoreless innings
Ever the model of efficiency and control, Lee allowed just two hits and two walks in the whitewash, extending his streak of scoreless innings to 32, and ending June with an ERA of 0.21. He fanned five, increasing his season total to 119, third in the AL.

Lee threw 71 of 112 pitches for strikes, completely stifling the Boston batters who missed the presence of their DH, David Ortiz, who was held out of the lineup because the game was being played in a National League city.

Lee has not allowed a run since the Cubs' Starlin Castro scored in the third inning of a 7-1 Phillies' triumph on June 11. Since then, Lee - who has won five straight - shut out Florida, 3-0, on June 16 and St. Louis, 4-0, on June 22.

Over the 32-inning scoreless span, Lee has given up just 12 hits and issued five walks.

The Phillies maintained their 4 1/2 game lead over Atlanta in the NL East with the victory, while the Red Sox fell 1 1/2 behind the Yankees in the AL East.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: With five days left to interleague play (July 3), the National League tied it back up again at 94 wins for each league, winning eight games while the AL won six.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Gio Gonzalez, Mark Ellis Lead Athletics; Kuroda Blanks Brewers; Harmon Killebrew Gone at 74

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 17, 2011

American League

Gio Gonzalez
Rain washed out four games on Tuesday, but the weather was just fine as the Oakland A's hosted the LA Angels in Northern California. While the Angels and Rangers are the favorites to win the AL West division, Oakland keeps hanging around and their 14-0 victory proves they are a contender with plenty to offer.

Mark Ellis
Gio Gonzalez kept LA in check, giving up one solitary hit over seven scoreless innings. Perfect through the first three innings, Gonzalez walked Macias Izturis in the 4th and surrendered a leadoff single in the 5th to Howie Kendrick, but that was it. No Angel even made it to second base the entire game as reliever Craig Breslow worked a perfect 8th inning and Trystan Magnuson gave up a hit in the 9th, but turned a pair of fielder's choices and a strikeout into a fitting closing.

While Gonzalez and his bullpen mates were baffling the LA batters, Oakland hitters knocked out 15 hits. Mark Ellis collected three of them, doubling in Oakland's first run in the second inning, singling in two more in the 3rd and singling another run home in the 6th. Ellis finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI, scoring three times.

The win put the A's 1/2 game behind the Rangers and Angels, who are tied for the division lead.

National League

Hiroki Kuroda
Working his second straight strong outing, Hiroki Kuroda blanked the Milwaukee Brewers over 7 2/3 innings Tuesday in LA, helping the Dodgers remain relevant in the NL West.

Kuroda (5-3) last stymied Pittsburgh on May 11, holding the Pirates to three hits over seven innings. With the conclusion of the Milwaukee win, Kuroda has not allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings and has dropped his ERA to 2.80.

Scattering six Brewer hits and giving up a couple of walks, Kuroda was effective in tight situations, getting seven hitters on strikes.

The 3-0 win put the Dodgers 3 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the division. Colorado took their second straight from the Giants, 5-3, to reclaim the division lead by 1/2 game.

Harmon Killebrew
This One is Gone: The baseball world mourns the loss of one of the all-time greats as Harmon Killebrew passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday. Killebrew began his playing career with the Washington Senators in 1954, but was best known for his 14 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He finished his major league career in 1975, playing one season with the Kansas City Royals.

One of the top players of all time, Killebrew was a slugger with extraordinary power. A 13-time All Star, he led the American League in home runs six times and finished with 573 homers and 1584 RBI. He ranks 11th in career home runs and will forever remain tied with Rogers Hornsby in RBI, currently 36th all-time.

In 1969, Killebrew earned the AL MVP award, belting 49 home runs and driving in 140 runs.

Killebrew was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. His #3 uniform was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1975. Known as "Killer" at the plate, Killebrew was nothing like his nickname, a mild-mannered gentleman who commanded respect wherever he went.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Gio Gonzalez Outduels Matt Cain; Chris Young Drives Home 4 for D-Backs

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 22, 2010 American League ESPN's Sportscenter anchors may have been oohing and aahing over Daisuke Matsuzaka's one-hit over 8 innings performance, but why didn't they give the same kind of notice to the 2-hitter over 8 innings thrown by Oakland's Gio González in a 1-0 win over Matt Cain and the visiting San Francisco Giants. Bias? Sure Matsuzaka pitches for the well-loved Red Sox, but where's the love for the boys by the Bay? Gonzalez actually out-pitched Dice-K and had to protect a 1-run lead from the third inning on. While Dice-K did give up just the one hit, he walked four batters and struck out five. Gonzalez allowed 2 hits, just one walk and also struck out five, which he had to do, because Matt Cain only allowed the solitary run. Matsuzaka had the benefit of a 5-0 lead after the 5th inning. Besides, the A's are just three games behind the AL West-leading Rangers, while the Sox are mired in 4th place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games back. Give Gio Gonzalez credit for a truly well-pitched game in a tight situation and a continuation of a very nice season. Thus far, the third-year starter is 5-3 with a 3.46 ERA and a WHIP of 1.19. National League After giving up six solo homers but still winning the game, 8-6, the Arizona Diamondbacks didn't want to see any balls flying out of the stadium unless they were hit by the home team on Saturday. As it turned out, neither team had any homers, but Chris Young did have a couple of run-producing hits which helped propel the D-Backs to an 8-5 win. Young did all the raking he'd need to in the first two innings, as Arizona pummeled Toronto pitching for 4 runs in each of the first two frames. Young doubled in a pair in the first and singled home two more in the second. Done deal. Arizona starter Edwin Jackson kept the Jays in the park, holding them to a solitary run over six innings before being touched up a bit in the 7th. For a team which is largely criticized for being devoid of offense, the Diamondbacks have been putting up some impressive numbers. Young's 4 RBI moved him closer to team-leader Mark Reynolds. Young has 34 on the year, Reynolds, 36. Right behind them is 1st baseman Adam LaRoche with 32. Those figures are good for 3rd, 4th and 8th in the league. The Diamondbacks go for the sweep Sunday afternoon.