Players of the Day from Saturday, September 6, 2008
American League
Gregg Zaun spent a long night as catcher in the Blue Jays game with the Rays, but when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 13th, he ended it with a bang - a grand slam home run that gave
Toronto a 7-4 win over first place Tampa Bay.
Zaun handled all 229 pitches from 9 different hurlers in the marathon. He singled twice prior to his game-winning slam, and finished the night 3-for-5 with 4 RBI. While the Jays win didn't change the standings, as the Red Sox lost and the Yankees won, Toronto kept the pressure on the Rays, who remained 2 1/2 ahead of Boston. The Blue Jays are 10 1/2 back, but only 1/2 behind the Yankees. Finishing in third place in the tough AL East would constitute a moral victory for the Blue Jays, who have won 7 straight.
Notes: The White Sox got a big win when Jim Thome swatted his 30th home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the 15th, producing a 7-6 win over the Angels and giving Chicago some breathing room in the AL Central. Minnesota lost to Detroit, 6-4, and now trail the Sox by 2 1/2. With Texas beating Boston, 13-8, the Angels' magic number remained at 5 in the West.
National League
The Cubs had lost 6 straight before
Alfonso Soriano led
Chicago to a 14-9 win at Cincinnati with three home runs and five RBI. Soriano added a single and scored another run n the 8th. His line was 5 at-bats, 4 hits, 4 runs and 5 RBI.
Milwaukee dropped San Diego, 1-0, as Ben Sheets tossed a 5-hit shutout, besting the Padres' Jake Peavy in a mound duel. The Brewers remain 4 games behind the Cubs and lead the wild card race by 4 1/2 over Philadelphia.
Notes: The Dodgers beat Arizona for the second straight time and won their 7th straight overall to take command in the NL West by 1/2 game over the Diamondbacks. Manny Ramirez drove in five runs as the Dodgers won 7-2, preventing Brandon Webb from winning his 20th. Webb was 19-4 on August 21, but has lost each of his last three starts, allowing 21 earned runs in his last 13 2/3 innings.
The Phillies and Mets were rained out and will play a day-night double-header at Shea Sunday. The Mets hold a 2-game edge on Philadelphia. New York's closer Billy Wagner, out since August 3 with a strained right forearm, may return as early as Tuesday, though Friday or Saturday seems more probable.
Boston headed North of the border to begin a three-game series with the Blue Jays, but both teams are likely feeling worn out after they battled through a 4-hour marathon, won by the Red Sox, 13-12.
The two teams combined to use 13 pitchers, who surrendered 34 hits and 20 bases on balls, but in the bottom of the 9th, Jonathan Papelbon came on to set down the side in order and record his 6th save of the season.
Five different Red Sox batters had three hits, including catcher Jason Varitek, who made the most of his 5 at-bats, singling in a pair of runs and scoring in the 3rd inning, driving home two more in the 4th, and singling and scoring again in the 6th, as the Red Sox built a 13-9 lead.
The Blue Jays battled back to make the game a one-run affair, but Daniel Bard pitched out of a troublesome 8th before Papelbon came on to shut the door.
Still under .500, at 9-11, the Red Sox crept to within one game of Toronto (10-10), though Boston still trails AL East-leading Tampa Bay by 5 1/2 games. Varitek is off to a swell start, leading the Red Sox regulars with a .357 average.
National League
Milwaukee catcher Gregg Zaun hasn't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball, entering Monday night's fracas with the Pirates batting .157, but he came through in big fashion as the Brewers downed the Pirates, 17-3.
In 4 at-bats, Zaun socked a three-run double in the 3rd and a two-run double in the 6th, added two singles, drove in 5 runs and scored 3 times as the Brewers devastated the Pittsburgh bullpen once again.
Milwaukee swept the Pirates just last week, 8-1, 8-0 and 20-0. Including Monday's win, they've outscored the Pirates 53-4 over their last four games. Sandwiched in between, the Brewers managed to get swept at home by the Cubs, losing the trio of games by a combined score of 25-4.
Should the Pirates be afraid to face the Cubs? Probably. They host Chicago for three games the first week of May.
