Robinson Cano Hoers Twice, Leads 10-4 Yankee Victory over Twins; Jayson Werth Drives in Five as Nationals Rip Brewers

Players of the Day for Monday, July 1, 2013

American League

Snapping a five-game losing streak, the Yankees opened a four-game series in Minnesota with a rousing, come-from-behind, 10-4 victory, spearheaded by the bat of Robinson Cano.

Cano: 2HR, 3RBI

Cano, who will captain the the AL home run derby team during all-star festivities, belted a pair of homers along with a double in four at-bats, scoring four times and driving in three. For much of the contest, Cano was the Yankee offense. His two homers were a solo shot in the first and a two-run drive in the third, as the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie.

Chris Parmalee's solo homer in the sixth made it 4-3 Twins, but Cano led off the eighth with a double, moved to third on a bunt single by Ichiro Suzuki and scored on a wild pick-off throw to first, tying the game. After that, Yankee bats came alive for six more runs, including four in the ninth, putting the game out of reach.

The game was just one of three in the AL on Monday, the Yankees picking up 1/2 game on idle division-leading Boston, though still six games out, in fourth place.

Game two of the series commences Tuesday night at 8:10 pm EDT.

National League

Werth: 2-5, 5RBI

Manager Davey Johnson shook up his lineup, putting slugger Jayson Werth into the second slot, the move producing five RBI from the lanky right fielder and a 10-5 Washington win over Milwaukee in the opener of a four-game series in the nation's capitol.

After Bryce Harper got the Nats on the board with his 13th homer of the season in the first inning, Werth drove in four run in a seven-run third inning, with a double, plating two and, after scoring, a single which knocked in another pair.

He was also credited with an RBI for reaching on an error in the eighth giving him five on the night in a 2-for-5 effort.

The Nationals gained 1/2 game on idle Atlanta, but still trail in the NL East by six games to the Braves. Milwaukee sank lower into last place in the Central, losing their sixth straight and falling 19 games off the Pirates' pace.

Game two is set for 7:05 pm EDT, Tuesday night.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the MLB record of 716 at-bats in a single season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The major league record for doubles in a season is 67, set in 1931 by Earl Webb of the Boston Red Sox.

David Lough Goes 4-for-4 as Royals Trump Twins, 9-8; Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth Power Nats to 13-2 Win over Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 30, 2013

American League

While the surprise team in the NL is surely the Pirates, a case can be made that the Royals are out-doing themselves in the AL Central, where they trail Cleveland and Detroit by 4 1/2 games following Sunday's results.

David Lough

Kansas City defeated Minnesota, 9-8, getting a 4-for-4 performance from rookie right fielder, David Lough, who stroked three doubles and his second home run of the season, helping the Royals stave off the Twins.

Lough scored four times and drove in three runs, the last of which coming on his solo homer, giving the Royals an 8-7 lead in the eighth. Eric Hosmer's solo drive in the ninth provided the eventual winning margin.

With 121 at-bats in 34 games, Lough is batting a solid .314

Cleveland got a complete game, 4-0, shutout from Justin Masterson, while the Tigers were losing, 3-1 at Tampa Bay. The Indians have won four straight and are tied for the division lead with Detroit.

National League

Ian Desmond

Washington keeps chasing the Braves, runaway, 6 1/2 game leaders in the NL East, taking two of three against the Mets in New York over the weekend, culminating in a 13-2 rout of their hosts, keeping pace with the Braves, who swept the visiting Diamondbacks with a 6-2 win on Sunday.

Jayson Werth

Ian Desmond doubled and homered in four at-bats, scored a pair of runs, stole his ninth base of the season and drove in three, propelling the Nationals to the win.

Jayson Werth also homered and doubled, driving in a run and scoring four times.

Washington is just a game over .500, at 41-40, but the rest of the division seems to be losing hope of catching the Braves. Philadelphia is 9 1/2 out, the Mets 13 back and Miami 18 games behind.

The Nationals hope to gain some ground when they open a four-game series at home against Milwaukee Monday. The Braves are home to start a three-game series with Miami on Tuesday.

Streakers: Michael Cuddyer of the Colorado Rockies stroked a single in four at-bats, extending the longest winning streak in the majors this season to 27 games. Cuddyer is batting .344, just behind league-leader, Yadier Molina, at .345.

Pittsburgh has won nine straight and has the best record in the majors, at 51-30.

Today's Trivia: Baltimore's Manny Machado has 38 doubles this season, chasing the record of 67, held by whom?

Yesterday's Answwer: New York Giants‘ ace Carl Hubbell won 24 games in a row over the 1936 and 1937 season.

J.J. Hardy Sends O's to Game Five; Justin Verlander Puts Tigers into ALCS; Jayson Werth Stuns Cards; Buster Posey Slams as Giants Advance

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 11, 2012

American League

J.J. Hardy

ALDS: Baltimore 2 NY Yankees 1, 13 innings - 16 pitchers were used in the marathon extra inning game four between the two AL East entrants in the post-season sweepstakes, but the Yankees' David Phelps was victimized by J.J. Hardy, who stroked a double to deep left field, scoring Manny Machado from second base with the eventual game-winner in the top of the 13th.

Machado doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on Nate McLouth's ground out to second. With the outfield drawn in, Hardy launched a perfect, down-the-middle offering from Phelps, Machado trotting home easily. Jim Johnson worked a perfect bottom of the 13th for his second save of the series.

To settle the series, game five is scheduled for 5:07 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium. C.C. Sabathia goes up the bump for New York, against the Orioles' Jason Hammel.

Verlander: 9IP 4H CG

ALDS: Detroit 6 Oakland 0 - The Tigers took game five of their divisional series with the A's, as Justin Verlander proved once again that he is the ultimate big-game pitcher in the majors.

Verlander improved to 5-3 in the post-season, hurling a four-hit, 11-strikeout gem, advancing the Tigers past the A's and into the Championship Series against either the Yankees or Orioles. The 2011 Cy Young award winner walked one and didn't allow a base runner past second, going the distance for his first post-season shutout in ten starts.

The Tigers won the first two games of the series in Detroit, then dropped two in Oakland before calling on their ace to finish off the A's.

National League

Posey Slams for SF

NLDS: San Francisco 6 cincinnati 4 - Buster Posey socked a grand slam as the Giants erupted for six runs in the fifth inning off Cincy starter Mat Latos, advancing the Giants to the NL championship series to face either St. Louis or Washington.

It was Posey's second home run of the post-season, and likely the biggest shot of his career. Matt Cain took the win and the Giants used five relievers to hold down the Reds, who lost three straight after winning the first two in San Francisco. Sergio Romo allowed a ninth-inning run, but managed to pick up his second save of the series.

Jayson Werth

NLDS: Washington 2 St. Louis 1 - Jayson Werth's leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and sent the divisional series to a deciding game five, to be played Friday night in the nation's capitol.

Werth homered off Lance Lynn, staving off elimination for the Nationals and tying the series at two games apiece.

Washington scored a run in the second and the Cardinals responded with a single run in the top of the third, but that was all the two starters, St. Louis' Kyle Lohse and Washington's Ross Detwiler would allow. Lohse went seven full innings; Detwiler worked six.

Adam Wainwright gets the game five start for St. Louis against the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez. Game time is 8:37 pm EDT.

Mark Reynolds, Zach Britton Lead Orioles to First Place Tie with Yankees; Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth Lead Storming Nationals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 4, 2012

American League

Trailing the Yankees by a game in the AL East, manager Buck Schowalter got his team fired up for their game in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

Zach Britton

Whatever the manager said to his troops, it certainly did the trick, or maybe there was a little bit of scoreboard watching, because shortly after the Rays took a 3-2 lead against the Yankees in Tampa, on Evan Longoria's two-run homer, the O's hitters went to work, banging out 18 hits in a 12-0 wipeout of the Blue Jays.

Mark Reynolds

While Zach Britton was blanking the Jays on four hits over seven innings, fanning eight, Mark Reynolds led the offensive assault, first with a three-run homer in the fifth which broke a tie at zero, and later delivering an RBI single and scoring in a five run eighth that padded the O's lead.

After Britton handed the ball over, Baltimore relievers, Kevin Gregg and Zach Phillips each worked a perfect inning of relief, closing out the scoreless mound work.

Red hot Reynolds finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs, helping the Orioles tie the Yankees for first place in the division, the first time the Orioles have had a share of the lead this late in the season since 1997.

Seeing the ball well, Reynolds has been banging it hard, going 8-for-19 over his last five games with five homers and 11 RBI. Reynolds hit 37 homers for the O's last season, but seems to be just hitting his best stride with 17 so far this year.

The Orioles will be looking for the sweep of the Blue Jays when they take the field Wednesday in Toronto. The Jays have not scored a single run off Baltimore pitching over the first two games. The Yankees will try to avoid being swept by the Rays, who are just 1 1/2 back after taking the first two games of their series in Tampa.

Baltimore heads to New York for a four game series with the Yankees beginning Thursday.


National League

Jayson Werth

Whether manager Davey Johnson shuts down Stephen Strasberg after a couple more starts or not, the Washington Nationals keep rolling right along, leading the Braves in the NL East by 7 1/2 games after bombing the Cubs, 11-5, Tuesday night.

Adam LaRoche

The Nats hammered seven Chicago hurlers for 19 hits, scoring in every inning except the third and fifth, not needing to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

From the leadoff spot, Jayson Werth went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run. Adam LaRoche homered twice (his 26th and 27th), drove in two runs and scored twice, adding a couple of singles in a 4-for-4 effort.

Washington has won three straight and will be seeking their third consecutive win over the visiting Cubs when they play the third of their four game series on Wednesday night. Nationals' fans can start the countdown to the NL East pennant: the magic number for Washington - which has the best record in baseball at 83-52 - is 20.

This post, and this day are dedicated to Nicholas Gagliano Sr., born this day in 1924 and passed on in July of 2009. He is the author's father.

Danny Duffy One-Hits A's over Six; Jayson Werth, Ross Detwiler Send Mets to 1st Loss

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 10, 2012

American League

Duffy: 1 hit over 6

There are some good, young ballplayers in Kansas City, like Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer and pitcher Danny Duffy.

Danny Duffy?

Yes, Danny Duffy, who went 4-8 with a 5.64 ERA in 20 starts as a rookie last season for the Royals, but got his 2012 campaign off to a flying start with a one-hit effort over six innings Tuesday night.

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Duffy yielded four walks and struck out eight in the rain-shortened, eight-inning, 3-0 victory over the A's. The only Oakland hit off Duffy occurred in the third inning, when Chad Pennington doubled to the gap in right center, but was promptly picked off by the alert starter.
The Royals scored two runs in the top of the fourth, and added another on Mitch Maier's bases-empty blast, his first homer of the season.

The entire game was played in the midst of a steady drizzle, but when Eric Hosmer struck out in the top of the eighth during a downpour, umpires halted play and eventually called the game.

Reliever Aaron Crow replaced Duffy in the seventh and put down the A's in order for his first major league save.


National League

Ross Detwiler

After Ian Desmond had staked him to a 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run, Washington starter Ross Detwiler nearly gave it right back, allowing the first two Mets' hitters to reach on a double and single, putting runners on first and third with no outs.

But, that was as far as the Mets would go, as the side-winding lefty got the next three batters with a pair of Ks and a pop foul. After that, Detwiler, a 6'5" hurler, was lights out, eventually putting down 15 of 16 batters following the leadoff hits in the first, the only blemish a harmless, second inning, two-out walk.

Jayson Werth

Detwiler lasted only five innings, but picked up his first win of the season while sending the Mets to their first loss after four wins, fanning six and allowing only two hits.

Jayson Werth broke out of a season-starting slump with four hits in five at-bats - a double and three singles - scoring once and driving in a pair, helping the Nationals pad their lead with three runs and in the sixth and single scores in the seventh and eighth for the 6-2 win.

The 3-2 Nationals are a game back of the Mets, with a chance to tie for the NL East lead when the two teams square off Wednesday afternoon (1:10 pm EDT) at Citi Field in New York. Washington's Steven Strassberg and the Mets' Johan Santana are scheduled to start.

Gonzalez, Youkilis Lead Boston to 7th Straight; Werth, Espinosa Crush Orioles

Players of the Day for Friday, May 20, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

Interleague games began on Friday, and the National took little time to establish its dominance, taking nine of the 14 cross-league contests.

Kevin Youkilis

One which defied the trend in a rather large way was Boston's smashing, 15-5, victory over the Cubs at Fenway Park, where Boston batters combined for 19 hits and the middle of the lineup - Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis - accounted for nearly half the runs.

Gonzalez, normally known as a doubles and homers type of guy, scratched out four singles in six at-bats, producing four RBI, while Youkilis took care of the extra-bases department, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two run homer, driving in three runs.

The Red Sox have gone from last place in the AL East just a week ago to 1/2 game behind first place Tampa Bay with their 7th consecutive win. The streak began last weekend when they swept three games from the Yankees in New York.

National League

Jayson Werth

While the Washington Nationals are currently positioned in last place in the NL East, they're only two games under .500, at 21-23, which is real progress at this point for the young franchise.

Traveling the 30-odd miles up I-95 to play the Baltimore Orioles, Washington bats hammered out 19 hits against five Oriole pitchers in a 17-5 victory.

Danny Espinosa

Jayson Werth, acquired from Philadelphia in the off-season, blasted a pair of home runs for the Nats, a two-run shot in the 5th and a solo smack in the 7th. He also singled and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving him four RBI on his 3-for-4 night.

Rookie shortstop Danny Espinosa went 3-for-5, with a triple, a three-run homer, five RBI and three runs. Despite a .209 batting average, Espinosa has six home runs and 27 RBI, making han early case for rookie of the year consideration.

Phillies Spank Dodgers, 10-4, Win NLCS 4 Games to 1

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Philadelphia Phillies 10 LA Dodgers 4 It wasn't even close. When it came down to it, LA's pitching staff was no match for the bludgeoning of the Phillies' hitters, who outscored their West coast counterparts, 35-16, over the course of five games. The only game the Dodgers won was a 2-1 decision in game 2, in which the Philadelphia bullpen gave away a superb 7 innings of shutout work by Pedro Martinez. Other than that gaffe, the average winning margin for the Phillies was 5 runs. It really was as one-sided as the 4 games to 1 margin indicates. The Phillies got on the board early against LA starter Vicente Padilla. After Cole Hamels gave up a 1st inning home run to Andre Ethier, the Phils responded with 3 runs of their own, all of them on a massive blast by Jayson Werth (left), who also singled and scored in the 4th and launched a solo shot in the 7th to go 3-for-4 with two homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs. Philadelphia scored all of their runs on just 8 hits, thanks to 3 hit batsmen (Jimmy Rollins twice) and 4 walks issued by LA hurlers. 6 of Philly's hits went for extra bases, including home runs by Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino. Ryan Howard's streak of consecutive RBI post-season games was snapped at 8, tying him with Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez, but Howard was named the series MVP. Howard batted .333 over the five-game span, with 2 homers, a double, a triple and 8 RBI. The Phillies advance to their second straight World Series, hoping to repeat against either the LA Angels or the Yankees. New York leads the series 3 games to 1, with a chance to wrap it up tonight in LA. The last National League to repeat as world champions was the 1975 and 1976 Cincinnati Reds, who beat Boston in 1975 and the Yankees in 1976.

Weaver Stops Indians, 3-0; Werth On Fire As Phillies Race to NL East Crown

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 19, 2009 American League On the strength of Jered Weaver's 7-hit, complete game shutout, the California Angels moved another step closer to their third straight AL West title. With the Angels winning, 3-0, at Cleveland and the Rangers losing at home, 5-4, to the Twins, LA has assumed a 6 1/2 game lead in the division and appears to be ready to shift to cruise control for the remainder of the season. Picking up their 5th straight win, the Angels have only 44 games left to play, though they do play the Rangers 6 times in September, in addition to key dates with the Yankees and Red Sox. For Weaver (13-4, 3.89), it was the second shutout and 4th complete game of the season and his 4-year career. On pace for 16-18 wins this season, Weaver may emerge as a dark horse candidate for the Cy Young award. In Wednesday's outing, Weaver issued only one walk and struck out 3, throwing 72 of 116 pitches for strikes. National League With the Marlins losing to the Astro, 6-3, the Phillies trounced the Diamondbacks, 8-1, for their third straight win and a 5 1/2 game lead in the NL East. Gunning for their third straight division crown, the Phillies got home runs from the middle of their lineup, as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both went yard and Jayson Werth cleared the fences with solo shots twice and added a single in 4 at-bats. Werth has been swinging a big bat for Philadelphia of late, homering in three of his last four games, upping his season totals to 27 and 74 RBI. In addition to the power stroke, Werth also has employed his speed to steal 13 bases in 16 attempts this year.

Burnett Stops Mets on 1 Hit; Happ, Werth Provide Phillies Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 27, 2009 American League Boston still leads the AL East, but the Yankees continue to hunt, just 4 games back. On Saturday, A.J. Burnett twirled a no-hitter through five innings before giving up a single to Alex Cora opening the 6th for the only hit in 7 innings of work. Burnett (6-4) walked 3 and struck out a season-high 10. Only one Met baserunner reached second base as Burnett and the Yankees topped the Mets, 5-0, their second straight lopsided win in the subway series which concludes Sunday at City Park. So far, the Yankees have won 4 out of 5 between the two New York metro teams. National League Having gone 2-11 in interleague play since June 12, watching their NL East lead shrink to a mere 1/2 game, the Philadelphia Phillies needed somebody to step up and get the team back to its winnings ways. In Satruday's 10-0 plastering of the Blue Jays, Jayson Werth (left) provided the offense while rookie J.A. Happ (right) pitched his first major league complete game shutout, working over the Jays on 5 hits, striking out 4 without issuing a walk. With Happ keeping the Blue Jays in complete control, Werth did more than enough damage at the plate to secure the win, going 4-for-4 with a single, double and two homers, three RBI and three runs scored. Werth has 15 homers and 43 RBI on the season. Happ is 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Coupled with losses by both the Mets and Marlins, the Phillies opened up a 1 1/2 game lead in the division over NY, with the Marlins 2 games back. NOTES: Other stellar performances from Saturday's action included Tim Wakefield's 3-hit, 6-inning shutout effort to lead Boston past the Braves, 1-0 and Albert Pujols' pair of 2-run homers in St. Louis' 5-3 win over Minnesota. Wakefield's win tied him with Minnesota's Kevin Slowey (victimized by Pujols) and Roy Halladay for the AL lead in wins with 10. Albert the Great, meanwhile, leads the majors in homers (28) and RBI (74). Pujols could be having his best year ever, and that's saying something. He's on pace to smash is personal best power numbers of 49 homers and 137 RBI, which earned him his first MVP Award in 2005. Pujols won it again last year with 37 homers, 116 RBI and a .357 batting average. The Angels are finally back to familiar ground, atop the AL West, thanks to some help from fellow Californians down the coast. San Diego popped Texas, 7-3, while the Angels were dispatching Arizona, 2-1, resulting in the Halos taking a 1/2-game lead in the division. The Rangers will have their opportunity to take the lead back, but they'll have to do it in Anaheim, as the two teams open a 3-game series on Monday.

Cabrera Drives in 6 as Tigers Roll; Werth 4-for-4

Players of the Day for Friday, April 10, 2009 American League There's that man again. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is off to an incredibly hot start. On Friday, he hit his third homer of the season, a 4th inning grand slam, and doubled in a couple more in a 6-run 7th, as the Tigers walloped the Rangers, 15-2. Cabrera also singled, going 3-for-5 with 6 RBI, putting his batting average at .611 and his RBI total at 10. National League The Philadelphia Phillies aren't off to a very good start in defense of their 2008 championship, having won just once in four tries. Last night, ace starter Cole Hamels was roughed up at Colorado, allowing 11 hits and 7 runs in just 3 2/3 innings. On the bright side, Jayson Werth rapped out 4 hits in four at-bats, including a pair of singles, a double and a ninth-inning solo homer run. Werth scored all three of Philadelphia's runs in the 10-3 Colorado rout.

Hamilton 5-for-5; Werth, 3 HR, 8 RBI as Interleague Play Begins

Players of the Day from Friday, May 16, 2008 American League The battle of Texas goes to... Josh Hamilton, whose 5 hits in 5 at-bats led the Rangers to a 16-8 trouncing of Houston. A second-year center fielder out of Raleigh, NC, Hamilton stroked a pair of homers, a triple and a couple of singles, scored four times and drove in 5 runs as part of the Rangers' 17-hit assault. The perfect night at the plate improved Hamilton's batting average from .293 to .314 and increased his major league-leading RBI total to 49. It was also his 15th multi-hit game this season and fifth in his last seven. The two homers tied him with Carlos Quentin for the AL lead with 10. Traded from the Reds after the 2007 season, Hamilton has been feasting on American League pitching all season. Seems he still likes the NL variety as well. Notes: Bottoms Up: The Detroit Tigers are mired in last place in the Central Division, having lost t straight while Kansas City has quietly snuck up on the leaders with five straight wins and is only 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland. KC and LA are the only AL teams with winning road record, 10-9 and 12-9, respectively. National League Few players ever have the kind of game Jayson Werth had in Philly's 10-3 pounding of Toronto. Werth hit a three-run homer in the second inning, a grand slam in the 3rd and followed those up with a solo shot in the 5th. Three homers in four at-bats, three runs scored and a whopping 8 RBI qualifies as a great night in anyone's book. A mainstay this season in center field for the Phillies, Werth is batting .288 with nine homers and 26 RBI. Notes: The win by Philadelphia moved them into a tie with the formerly red-hot Marlins, who have now lost four straight after dropping a 7-6 decision to Kansas City on Friday.