Padres Rip Brewers for 23 Hits; Adam Dunn Leads White Sox Past Angels

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 11, 2011

American League

When people think of Adam Dunn, they usually envision a huge, lumbering hulk of a man with a big swing who hits lots of home runs and strikes out even more frequently.

Adam Dunn

Well, Adam Dunn was lumbering all right in Chicago's 10-inning, 6-4 win over the LA Angels. He was lumbering around the bases, mostly, going 4-for-6 with a home run (yeah, had one of those), a double, two singles, a walk and yes, one strikeout, scoring three times and driving in one run.

Dunn's four-hit game was punctuated by a 10th-inning double which sent Alexei Ramirez around to third base with one out. Ramirez scored on a wild pitch and Dunn followed him home with an insurance run on Brent Lillibridge's scratch single.

A third inning solo home run was Dunn's 4th of the season and briefly tied the game at 1-1.

The win gave the White Sox a 2-1 series win at LA, and it was the fourth win in their last five games, though Chicago remains well back in the AL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the division-leading Indians. The Royals and Tigers, both winners on the night, picked up a game on the Indians - who had their home win streak snapped at 14 in an 8-2 loss to the Rays - and are 4 1/2 back.

National League

Jason Bartlett

With the team decimated by trades over the past three seasons, there isn't much noise coming from the San Diego Padres, but every now and then the crack of the bat punctures the silence, as it was in their 13-6 win at Milwaukee.

San Diego punched out 23 hits off six Milwaukee pitchers, 12 of them off starter Randy Wolf, who lasted just 3 1/3 inning. Doing his fair share of the damage was Jason Bartlett, who went 4-for-6, with a double and three singles, scored twice, drove in two runs and, for good measure, stole a pair of bases.

The baker's dozen put up on the Brewers was the most runs in a single game by the Padres this season, topping the 11 they scored on St. Louis on opening day. Despite the offensive outburst, the Padres remain in last place in the NL West, but, even though they are just 15-22, they are only 5 1/2 games behind co-leaders San Fran and Colorado.

Hope springs eternal, or at least in early May.

Rappin': Rajai Davis went 4-for-4 (all singles), scored twice, drove in a pair of runs and stole two bases as the Blue Jays knocked off Boston, 9-3. With the Red Sox scuffling along in last place (actually tied with Baltimore and Toronto, 4 1/2 games out), the upcoming weekend series with the Yankees is an opportunity for every team in the AL East to make a move. Tampa Bay is already tied with the Yanks and hosts Baltimore for three games, while the Jays head to Minnesota for three with the Twins, who have the unique distinction - at 12-23 - of having the worst record in the majors. Minnesota has lost five straight.

Barlett, Crawford, Rays 1-2 Punch; Reynolds Having Career Year

Players of the Day for Monday, August 3, 2009 American League No two players better exemplify the importance of the 1 and 2 batters in a lineup more than Tampa Bay's Jason Bartlett (left) and Carl Crawford (right). Their enormous talents were on display in Monday's 10-4 Rays win over Kansas City. The pair started right off in Tampa's half of the first inning. Bartlett walked, Crawford singled and both advanced on Evan Longoria's ground out. The solid baserunning paid off when Carlos Pena drove them both home with a 2 RBI single. In the 2nd, with runners on first and second, Bartlett laid down a bunt to load the bases and Crawford delivered with a double plating two more. Before KC knew what was happening, the Rays were up 4-0. As the game progressed, the onslaught continued. Bartlett finished up 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple, 2 RBI and 2 runs. Crawford went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI a run and his league-leading 49th steal, 1 better than Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury. Bartlett and Crawford rank third and ninth in AL batting average, at .337 and .317, respectively. The Rays picked up a half game on the idle Yankees, whom they trail by 5 1/2 games. National League The Arizona Diamondbacks are hopelessly out of contention in the NL West, but the team has hopes that the remainder of this season will prepare then for better things in 2010. One of the reasons for optimism in the desert is the play of third baseman Mark Reynolds, who, in his third full season, is putting up numbers that identify him as a blossoming star. Reynolds mashed a pair of homers - a solo shot in the first and a two-run bomb in the second - to pace the D-Backs to a 6-0 lead, as they held off the Mets, 6-5. Dan Haren struggled through 7 innings to get his 11th win and Chad Qualls picked up his 20th save with a 1-2-3 9th. With his two home runs, Reynolds has put 32 out of ballparks, challenging St. Louis' Albert Pujols for the NL lead. Pujols has 34. Reynolds is also moving up the RBI ladder into a tie for 6th with Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, with 73 on the year. though he is well behind the leaders, Prince Fielder (93) and Pujols (92). NOTES: Milwaukee kept the National League competitive with a 6-5 win over the Dodgers Monday night in LA. Ryan Braun went 4-for-5, with a 3-run homer (his 22nd), as the Brewers remained tied with Houston in third place in the NL Central, 4 games behind the Cardinals and Cubs. With the Dodgers losing for the 7th time in their last 11 outings, the Rockies and Giants continue to entertain thoughts of running down the division leader. The Dodger lead was cut to 6 1/2 as the Rockies won their 4th straight, a 6-4 win at Cincinnati. San Fran dropped 1/2 game behind Colorado, losing, 4-3, at Houston.

Rays' Bartlett Batters A's; Wilson, Bucs Swat Nats

Players of the Day for Monday, May 18, 2009 American League The reigning AL champs, Tampa Bay, remain mired near the bottom of the AL East, though they are only 6 1/2 games behind division-leader Toronto, and it's still mid-May. By thumping Oakland 13-4 on Monday, the Rays reached the .500 level, at 20 up and 20 down, thinks to a 4-for-4 performance by shortstop Jason Bartlett, who has found his groove this season. Bartlett rapped out a pair of singles and a triple in three at-bats, driving in a season-high 5 runs and crossing the plate himself three times. A career .285 hitter in 4 seasons with Minnesota and one with the Rays (2008), Bartlett is smacking the rawhide at a healthy .384 clip, second in the AL. Bartlett has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games. The Rays have won four straight. National League Pittsburgh won their third straight game, opening a 4-game series at Washington with a 12-7 win. Shortstop Jack Wilson spearheaded the assault with 4 hits in 4 at-bats, including a pair of doubles and a triple. Wilson drove in two in the top of the 6th inning, tying the game at 5-5, and scored moments later to give the Pirates the lead for good. Overall he scored three times and reached base in all five of his plate appearances, as he was issued a base on balls in his final trip to the dish in the ninth inning. Wilson upped his batting average to .293.