Paul Goldschmidt, Jason Kubel Power Arizona Past Reds, 11-5; Red Sox Down Tigers on 4-for-5, 5 RBI Output from Shane Victorino

Players of the Day for Friday, June 21, 2013

American League

Expanding their lead to two games over the Orioles in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox evened their series with the visiting Tigers with a 10-6 victory Friday night.

Victorino: 5 RBI

Recently returned from a stint on the DL, Shane Victorino went 4-for-5, getting things started with a solo homer in the first inning off Tiger starter, Doug Fister, followed by three one-base raps which kept the merry-go-round of Red Sox runners on the base paths going.

Victorino singled home two in the fourth, another in the sixth and grounded into a fielder's choice to tally his fifth RBI of the game in the eighth inning. Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 and smashed his 20th homer of the season - a three-run belt - in the fifth, to draw the Tigers within a run at 6-5, but Victorino and the Sox just kept hitting and scoring, knocking out 17 hits off five Tiger hurlers.

With the Orioles losing to Toronto, 7-6, on Rajai Davis' RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox may soon have to concern themselves with the Blue Jays, who are still in last place, but have pulled themselves to the .500 mark with nine straight wins and are just seven games back.

The O's and Blue Jays play a 1:07 pm EDT day game at the Rogers Centre. The Red Sox continue their series with the Tigers at 7:15 pm EDT on Saturday.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt

Arizona got all over Cincinnati starter, Johnny Cueto, knocking him out in just 4 1/3 innings on 11 hits and seven earned runs, en route to an 11-5 win in the the opener of a weekend series at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Jason Kubel

Paul Goldschmidt tied Philly's omonic Brown for second place in NL home runs with his 18th and 19th of the season and drove in three runs, going 3-for-5. Goldschmidt, the NL leader in RBI, upped his total to 65.

Jason Kubel added to the 15-hit Arizona assault, banging out a double and three singles in five at-bats, scoring three runs and driving in one.

The win kept the Diamondbacks in first place in the NL West, 2 1/2 clear of San Diego, winners of eight of their last ten. The Reds dropped into third place, 1/2 game behind the Pirates, who trail the Cardinals by three games in the Central division.

Cincinnati will try to even the series when the two teams take the field at 4:15 pm PDT, Saturday.

Today's Trivia: Who won more MVP awards, Willie Mays or Hank Aaron? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Hall of Famer Wade Boggs won the AL batting title five times. In 1983 he hit .361, followed by four straight titles from 1985 to 1988, in which he hit .368, .357, .363 and .366, respectively.

Jason Kubel Homers Three Times for Arizona; Austin Jackson Delivers First Place for Tigers

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 21, 2012

American League

Austin Jackson

By winning their fourth straight - 7-1 victory over the White Sox - the Detroit Tigers have emerged with a 1/2 game lead over Chicago in the AL Central.

With 11-2 Chris Sale taking the mound for the Sox in the second game of their three game series in Detroit, Chicago hoped to expand their slim lead in the division, but leadoff hitter Austin Jackson was having none of it, doubling home a pair of runs in the fifth and, after Brennan Boesch delivered a three-run shot in the sixth, Jackson followed up with a bases-loaded single, plating two more runs.

Sale took the loss, making him 11-3, while Detroit starter Rick Porcello improved to 7-5.

The Tigers will try for the sweep Sunday afternoon, which would give them another game expansion on their lead. A loss would return division leadership to the White Sox.


National League

Jason Kubel: 3 HR

Catching the San Francisco and Los Angeles - the top two teams in the NL West - is proving to be difficult for the Arizona Diamondbacks, even as they took their second straight from the Astros, 12-3, after taking game one of the series by a 13-8 score.

The D'Backs are getting plenty of offense, especially from their best off-season pick-up, left fielder Jason Kubel, who belted a trio of homers and drove in six runs as the Diamondbacks established an early lead and never looked back.

Kubel socked a two-run shot in the first inning, then added a three-run job in the fourth as Arizona plated five. His bases-empty delivery in the sixth inning gave him 20 home runs (3rd in the NL) and 70 RBI on the season, which currently leads the league.

Nonetheless, the Diamondbacks can't seem to make any headway into the upper echelon of the division, remaining seven games out as LA and San Fran both won on Saturday.

Arizona will look for the series sweep on Sunday and hope that they can make up some ground on their current 10-game home stand, which proceeds with three against Colorado beginning Monday and concludes with four games against the Mets.

Cody Ross Belts a Pair in 10-1 Boston Win; Kubel's Two Homers Lift Arizona over Cincy

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 18, 2012

American League

Catching the Yankees in the AL East is not going to be easy, but the Boston Red Sox will have that on their minds the rest of the season. While New York was winning their third straight - a rain-shortened, 6-0 win over Toronto - the Red Sox were thumping the White Sox, 10-1, thanks to a couple of homers by Cody Ross.

Cody Ross

Ross belted a pair of three-run shots and added a sixth-inning double and scored to round off a 3-for-5 effort, driving in six runs and scoring three times.

The victory moved Boston into a tie for third place with Tampa Bay, though both teams are 10 1/2 behind the Yankees. Baltimore is 10 out, in second place, making the Yanks' lead the largest in the majors.

The Red Sox have recently gotten a couple of veterans back from injuries. Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury give the Sox needed punch at the top of the lineup, in addition to excellent defense in the outfield. Boston is still awaiting the return of former MVP, Dustin Pedroia, who has been sidelined since July 4 with a jammed right thumb.

Boston plays New York 12 more times, including the final three games of the regular season, in New York. With their full lineup intact, can they make a run at the Bombers?


National League

Jason Kubel

Jason Kubel's two home runs helped lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-1 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds, to take a 2-1 lead in their four game series.

Kubel got things started with a two-run bomb in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fourth to back the pitching of Ian Kennedy, who scattered eight hits and allowed just one earned run over eight strong innings.

The homers were Kubel's 16th and 17th; the three RBI upped his season's total to 63, the fourth-highest total in the league and just three behind leader Carlos Beltran of St. Louis.

The win kept Arizona seven games behind San Francisco in the West, with the Dodgers in between, three games out. Cincy's loss moved them back into a dead heat in the Central with the Pirates, who topped Colorado, 9-6.

Jake Peavy's Shutout of A's Gets White Sox to First Place; Jason Kubel leads D-Backs over Struggling Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, April 23, 2012

American League

Since being traded from San Diego to the White Sox, it's been a bumpy road for Jake Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young award winner. Acquired in 2009, prior to the trading deadline, Peavy won three games for Chicago that year, but the White So did not make the playoffs.

Jake Peavy: 3-0

The following two years were typified by various injuries, allowing Peavy to start just 33 games, roughly the amount a healthy starter would get in just one season.

2012 seems to be moving in the right direction, however. After tossing a 3-hit, 4-0, shutout against the A's, Peavy is 3-0 and the White Sox are tied with Detroit for the lead in the AL Central.

Peavy set down the first nine Oakland batters he faced in order and got some help from Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, who hit back-to-back solo homers for a 2-0, fourth inning lead. Peavy got out of a two-on, no outs jam in the bottom of the frame with a double play and cruised to the victory, striking out five and walking two on 107 pitches.

It was the third time Peavy's gone the distance with a shutout for the White Sox, accomplishing the feat once each in 2010 and 2011. His 3-0 record has him tied for the AL lead in wins with six other starters. His 1.88 ERA is among the best in the league, while a WHIP of 0.73 is the best among AL starters.


National League

Jason Kubel

When the Diamondbacks went shopping for more offense during the off-season, they found their way to Minnesota and acquired Jason Kubel, who had played for the Twins since being called up in 2004.

Kubel went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a solo homer in Arizona's 9-5 win over Philadelphia, driving in two and scoring twice, sending the Phillies to their third straight loss and the NL East cellar.

Arizona improved to 9-8 with the victory, just 1/2 game out of second place in the NL West, though everybody in the division is chasing the 13-4 Dodgers.

Kubel's home run was his second of the season, but his .294 batting average portends more good things to come.

Kubel Launches Twins Over White Sox; Ruiz Caps Wild Comeback as Dodgers Blow 7-Run Lead

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 12, 2010 American League Jason Kubel socked a three-run homer in the top of the 7th inning, knocking out White Sox starter Gavin Floyd as the Twins beat Chicago, 6-1, to regain first place in the AL Central. Kubel's blast - his 17th of the season - came with two out in the inning and provided a cushion for Minnesota's relievers to finish the job Francisco Liriano (11-7) had started. Liriano lasted only 5 2/3 innings, but limited the Sox to just one run on seven hits. Kubel's home run was his only hit in five at-bats. The free-swinging right fielder is batting .266, but has knocked in 73 runs. Kubel hit career-highs last year when he had 28 home runs and 103 RBI. Over his last six games, he's hit four homers driven in eight runs and scored eight times. The Twins and White Sox were tied for first place in the division when the three-game series began. Taking two out of three, the Twins leave Chicago with a slim one-game lead. National League Just a few days ago, when the Dodgers topped the Phillies, 15-9, to open a three-game series in Philadelphia, there was reason for optimism in Los Angeles. On Thursday night in Philly, after blowing an 8th inning, 9-2 lead, the good feelings have faded to disgust and the Dodgers look like dead men walking in the NL West, now nine games behind the division-leading Padres. The Dodgers led the game 4-2 after five innings, added two runs in the 7th and three more in the 8th before handing the ball over to Ronnie Belisario to open the bottom of the 8th. Belisario failed to retire a single batter, allowing four straight hits. Two relievers and three outs later, the Dodgers still felt safe entering the 9th with a 9-6 lead, knowing the baseball would be in the reliable hands of closer Jonathan Broxton. They were sorely mistaken. Broxton started off the inning by plunking Placido Polanco, then issued back-to-back walks to Mike Sweeney and Jayson Werth. With the bases loaded and no outs, it got worse, when third baseman Casey Blake allowed Ben Francisco's ground ball between his legs and into left field, allowing Polanco and Sweeney to score. The next batter, catcher Carlos Ruiz, who had singled twice earlier, lashed a drive to the left field gap that plated both the tying and winning runs, capping a wild comeback and a crucial 10-9 win for the Phillies. Broxton, like Belisario, retired not a single batter, even though he gave up just one hit, Ruiz's game-ending double. While the Dodgers sink slowly into the West, the Phillies captured the final two games of the series and picked up half a game on the idle Braves, who lead the NL East and the Phillies by two games. The Dodgers fell 6 1/2 games behind the Giants in the wold card hunt, with Philly, the Reds and the Rockies also ahead of them.

Kubel Scores Four as Twins Re-take AL Central Lead; Ethier, Dodgers Pound Phillies

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 10, 2010 American League The AL Central has proven to be one of the more interesting races this season, and it got more interesting Tuesday night as the Minnesota Twins took the first game of their three-game series in Chicago, blasting the White Sox, 12-6. White Sox pitchers couldn't seem to hold Minnesota batters inside the yard, allowing five home runs, with ten of the Twins' 14 hits going for extra bases. One player they could not keep off the basepaths was Jason Kubel, who has been on a tear over his last ten games, going 13-for-31 (.419), with four homers and 12 RBI. On Tuesday, he reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances, walking three times and smacking a double and a two-run homer in his two official at-bats. Kubel scored four times in the game. The Twins took over first place in the division by one game with their third straight win and fourth win in their last five. Meanwhile, the White Sox have dropped three straight and four of their last five. National League In Philadelphia, the Dodgers piled on 18 hits off seven Philadelphia pitchers winning a 15-9 slug-fest over the Phillies. Andre Ethier had a sensational night at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBI, scoring four times as the Dodgers won the first of their three game series against the NL East-contending Phillies. With the effort, Ethier's batting average leapt eight points, from .296 to .304, putting him back into an elite group of 11 NL players with averages of at least .300 with the requisite number of plate appearances to qualify for league leadership. As for his team, the Dodgers are still breathing, though their prospects may be lowered to competing for the wild card. They trail the Padres in the NL West by seven games, but are just 4 1/2 behind the Reds and Giants in the wild card race with the Phillies in between, 3 1/2 ahead of the Dodgers, one game out. In order to remain relevant, the Dodgers need to play well on the road, where they are 23-30 on the year. Following two more games in Philly, they travel to Atlanta to face the division-leading Braves for three games before returning to LA. The Phillies fell 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East, as the Braves took a 4-2 decision in Houston.

Kubel Slam Lifts Twins over Orioles; Kershaw Blanks Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 25, 2010 American League In what has become the best divisional race of the summer, the Minnesota Twins clawed back to within one game of the White Sox in the AL Central with a 10-2 pasting of the Orioles in Baltimore. Taking full advantage of the band-box dimensions of Camden Yards, the Twins banged out 19 hits against a quartet of Oriole hurlers, with every player getting at least one base knock. Jason Kubel the the home run parade with his 12th of the year, a 3rd inning grand slam that put the Twins up 4-1 and ahead for the duration. Kubel added a pair of singles, but did not figure further in the scoring. Also homering were Jim Thome, who launched the 576th of his career, red-hot Delmon Young (14) and Jason Repko, who had his first of the season in the 9th inning. Other than Kubel's slam, the homers were all solo shots. The AL Central race continues to attract three teams. The Detroit Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over Toronto in the back end of their day-night double header and are now just two behind the White Sox. National League Clayton Kershaw kept the Mets from touching home plate for eight innings, lifting the LA Dodgers to a 1-0 win as the Dodgers took three of four from the punchless New Yorkers. Kershaw allowed the Mets seven hits, but worked out of trouble in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings after setting them down in order in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The Dodger starter was aided by a double play and catcher Russell Martin, who gunned down Jose Reyes on his attempt to steal second base. The Dodgers had even fewer hits - four - but capitalized in the 8th inning when Martin doubled, sending Casey Blake around from first to score the game's only run for the 1-0 victory. Kershaw was relieved in the 9th by flame-throwing Kenley Jansen, who earned his first major league save with a perfect 9th inning which included a pair of strikeouts. The Mets took only the second game of the four-game set, 6-1. They were shut out, 2-0, in the series opener and lost, 3-2, in 13 innings on Saturday. The Dodgers continue to try to keep pace with the Padres, who lead the NL West by 3 games over the Giants. The Dodgers are 6 back, and the Rockies, losers of five in a row, have fallen 7 1/2 games off the pace. In the NL East, the Mets have lost eight of their last ten and are 7 1/2 behind Atlanta, with Philadelphia in second place, 5 games out. Florida is just 1/2 game behind the Mets.

Pelfrey, Mets Complete Scoreless Sweep of Phillies; Kubel Swings Twins Over Yanks

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 27, 2010 American League Now that the Minnesota Twins have settled into their new outdoor stadium at Target Field, the next step would probably be to actually take a series from the Yankees. New York took the first two games of their three-game set in Minnesota, but the Twins avoided being swept with an 8-2 win over the Bronx Boys, thanks largely to a well-timed burst of offense from Jason Kubel. Off to a very slow start, Kubel has been swinging the bat better of late, though still without consistency. In Thursday's win, he went 3-for-4, with two homers and a double, scored three times and drive in five runs. His double in the second inning put the Twins up 2-0 and he scored later in the inning for a 3-0 lead. In the sixth inning, Kubel launched a solo homer to right and came up big again in the 7th, with a three-run blast that put the game completely out of reach. Kubel's batting average is still a sub-par .233, but he's hit three homers and driven in 16 runs over the past 10 games. As the weather heats up, it appears Jason Kubel will also. National League Mets' pitchers have to be feeling good about their just-completed sweep of Philadelphia, in which they combined to keep the Phillies off the scoreboard for the entire 27 innings. After beating the first-place Phils, 8-0 and 5-0, Mike Pelfrey took command of the mound for his 7th win against just one loss, tossing seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win. Pelfrey wasn't exactly overpowering, but he was effective, allowing three hits and five walks while striking out 5. The Mets' infield turned three double plays to get their starter out of jams in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings. Pedro Feliciano worked the 8th and Francisco Rodriguez picked up his ninth save with a perfect 9th inning. The sweep helped everybody else in the division close the gap on the Phillies, who have lost five straight. Atlanta is all of a sudden just 1 1/2 back, the Mets are 2 behind, with the Nationals and Marlins in the hunt, three games out.

Big Unit Joins 300-Win Club; Twins' Kubel Hammers Indians

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 4, 2009 American League Jason Kubel moved into the 4-spot behind slugging Justin Morneau and had himself a whale of a night at the plate in the Twins' 11-3 pounding of Cleveland. With the two guys in front of him - Joe Mauer (3-for-4, 4 runs) and Morneau (3-for-3, 3 runs, 3 RBI) - were on base consistently, Kubel did a nice job picking them up, driving in six runs with a three-run homer in the first and another in the second inning. He also added a double, completing a 3-for-4 performance. Not noted for his power - the two homers gave him 7 on the season - Kubel is hitting for average, checking in at .322, which puts him in third place on his team. Mauer is blazing at .436, while Morneau is belting at a .348 clip. The Twins are in second place in the AL Central, trying to chase down the Tigers, 2 1/2 games ahead. Detroit has lost 3 straight. National League The youthful San Francisco Giants swept a double-header from Washington, winning 5-1 and 4-1, the second game a rain-sortened 6 inning affair, but it was the elder statesman on the squad, Randy Johnson, who stole the spotlight, racking up win #300 in the opener. Johnson, 45, was in vintage form, allowing just two hits and an unearned run over 6 innings, walking two and striking out a pair. The Nationals' sole run came in the 6th, with the Giants nursing a 2-0 lead, on a rare throwing error by Edgar Renteria. After the run scored, however, Johnson, unflappable as always, got out of the inning with minimal damage. While the relief corps took over, Johnson had to wait it out, but when the Giants scored 3 more runs in the top of the ninth, the Big Unit's place in baseball history was assured. In 1988, Johnson broke into the majors with the Montreal Expos, but really didn't begin to gain notoriety until 1991 with the Seattle Mariners, when his blazing fastball and diving slider began to baffle batters around the American League. Eventually, Johnson would lead his league in strikeouts 9 times, win 5 Cy Young Awards (1 with Seattle, 4 with Arizona) and put up Hall of Fame stats: 300 wins, 164 losses, 3.28 ERA. 1.17 WHIP, 4845 strikeouts in 4097 1/3 innings. And he's not done yet. With their twin killing of the Nats, the Giants pushed past the .500 mark (27-25) and into sole possession of second place in the NL West, 8 games behind the LA Dodgers. Somewhat of a surprise, the Giants have held their own in the division (13-15), and have winning records against the East (8-5) and Central (5-3)

Kubel Slams, Hits for Cycle; Ludwick Blasts a Pair as Cards Fold

Players of the Day for Friday, April 17, 2009 American League Just a few days ago, Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers accomplished the rare feat of hitting for the cycle. As of Friday night, he became ancient history as Minnesota's Jason Kubel turned the trick in the Twins' 11-9 slugfest over the LA Angels. Kubel got things going early with an RBI double in the 1st inning. In the third, he singled and moved to second on Justin Morneau's ground out, but was gunned out at the plate trying to score. Kubel tripled and scored in the 6th inning, tying the score at 3, but the best was yet to come. After the Angels scored 5 in the 7th and one more in the 8th to take a 9-4 lead, the Twins cut the lead to 9-7 when Kubel appeared at the plate with the bases loaded and the game on the line. Kubel launched his second homer of the season deep to right, giving him the game-winning grand slam, the cycle, 5 RBI and a pair of runs scored. National League It's easy to overlook some of the players on St. Louis' roster as most of them pale by comparison to the incomparable Albert Pujols, but Ryan Ludwick, who routinely bats behind Pujols, is making a name for himself in his third year in a Cardinal uniform. After hitting 14 homers in limited action in 2007, he followed that up with 37 for a full season in 2008. This year, he's off to a grand beginning, and in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Cubs, he belted a pair of bombs along with a single in five at-bats, drove in 4 runs and boosted his batting average to .405. Ludwick has 4 homers and 10 RBI thus far in 2009.

Kubel Homers Down ChiSox; Fielder Keeps Brewers Close

Players of the Day from Tuesday, September 23, 2008 American League In what will likely decide the AL Central, the Twins and White Sox opened their three-game series in Minnesota Tuesday night. Game one went to the Twins as Jason Kubel tripled and homered twice, scoring three times and driving in three runs in Minnesota's 9-3 rout of the white Sox. That tightened the race to a 1 1/2 game lead for Chicago. It's all or nothing for both teams. Boston clinched at least a wild card placing with a 5-4 win over Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Rays were sweeping the Orioles in their day-night double header, 5-2 and 7-5. Tampa Bay now leads the AL East by 3 games. Their magic number is 2.

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Notes: Whatever happens in the Twins - White Sox series this week, both teams will have important games remaining. The Twins will stay at home to host the Royals, a distinct edge, as KC is one of the weaker teams in the AL. The White Sox will host the Indians for a 3-game series. Third-place Cleveland has been hot - 14-8 in September. Their loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday halted a 7-game win streak. The Indians, who have been out of the playoff race for months, may have the last laugh as a spoiler. Also in the mix is a rainout with Detroit that would be played on Monday, Sept. 29, if necessary. A two-day rainout washed away games with the Tigers on September 12 and 13. The Sox took both ends of a double header on the 14th, but the third game of the series was indefinitely postponed. National League Prince Fielder was not about to let the season slip away, especially against the lowly Pirates. With the score tied at 6-6 with two out in the bottom of the 9th, Fielder launched a bomb deep into the right field stands, bringing home Ryan Braun and himself with the winning runs in Milwaukee's 7-5 win over Pittsburgh. Milwaukee's win kept the wild card race tight as a sailor's knot. The Mets won, 6-2, over the Cubs, leaving the New Yorkers one game ahead of the Brewers. The Phillies dropped a 3-2 decision to Atlanta, leaving the Mets 1 1/2 back of Philly in the NL East race. Florida, despite a valiant season-long effort, was eliminated from both the wild card and NL East races with a 9-4 loss at Washington. Notes: The Dodgers took a long stride closer to the NL West title with a 10-1 win over San Diego coupled with Arizona's 7-4 loss at St. Louis. Those results left the Dodgers three games up with five to play. Their magic number is 3.

Gonzalez Walks Off Reds in 18th; Kubel Slams Tigers

Players of the Day from Sunday, May 25, 2008 American League Jason Kubel broke open a 1-1 game with an 8th inning grand slam that propelled the Minnesota Twins to a 6-1 victory over the hapless, last-place Tigers on Sunday. Kubel also singled earlier in the game, and finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBI. The win got the Twins to .500 (25-25) and into sole possession of second place in the upside-down AL Central, 2 1/2 behind the surprising White Sox. Notes: The Twins have relished beating up on divisional opponents, posting a 15-9 record. Sunday was their 5th win in their last 6 games against the Tigers. National League The last-place Padres haven't had much to cheer about this season, but after 18 grueling innings last night in San Diego, Adrian Gonzalez finally delivered some joy in the form of a walk-off 3-run homer to down the Reds, 12-9. Gonzalez went 4-for-9, with a single, two doubles and the game-ending bomb, drove in four runs and scored just once. For Gonzalez, one of the Padres actually having a productive season, it was his 14th home run of the season. His 43 RBI ties him with Houston's Carlos Lee, who are both two behind Lance Berkman. Notes: The Reds used 10 pitchers in the Sunday marathon; the Padres employed eight. Fans are still waiting for Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run. Junior hit #498 on May 22, ending a 21-game homer drought and he has only five on the season.