Jered Weaver, Mike Trout Help Angels Reduce Magic Number to 4; Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Zack Greinke Lead Dodgers Past Giants, 17-0

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 13, 2014

American League

Mike Trout

Jered Weaver

With 14 games left to play in their regular season, the LA Angels have the best record in the majors and are looking squarely at the AL West title and home field throughout their stay in the playoffs.

In Saturday's 5-2 win over Houston, two of the players most responsible for the success of the Angels - and their current 10-game winning streak - provided the keys to victory.

Starter Jered Weaver became the AL's first 17-game winner, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings with 12 strikeouts and one walk, while Mike Trout belted a pair of homers and a double in three at-bats, and drove in two runs, boosting his RBI total to 107, which leads the majors. Trout's two solo homers gave him 34 on the year, tying him for third in the AL with Chicago's Jose Abreu.

The win pushed the Angels' magic number for clinching the division down to four, their lead over the A's remaining at 11 games, as Oakland dropped Seattle 3-2 in 10 innings.

Zack Greinke

The A's remain in line for the first wild card spot, though their lead over Kansas City is just 1/2 game. Seattle fell to 1 1/2 off the pace.

Seeking a sweep of the three-game series and their 11th straight win, the Angels host the Astros, Sunday at 3:35 pm EDT.

National League

Matt Kemp

After being embarrassed, 9-0, in Friday's opener of the three game series in San Francisco, the LA Dodgers calmly slipped the shoe onto the other foot and mashed out 24 hits in a 17-0 slaughter of the Giants on Saturday, re-establishing a two-game lead in the division over their northern California rivals.

Hanley Ramirez

Matt Kemp was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a single, driving in three runs in the rout. Hanley Ramirez went 4-for-5 - a double and three singles - drove in a pair of runs and scored one.

Starting pitcher, Zack Grienke, worked six innings of scoreless ball, allowing four hits without a walk, fanning five, and also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs.

To say the least, the game was out of hand by the middle of the second inning, when the Dodgers had alredy put eight runs on the scoreboard. Giants' starter, Tim Hudson, worked into the second inning but didn't record an out in that frame, allowing six runs on eight hits.

While the loss was a setback for the Giants in the division race, they managed to keep a four-game edge in the wild card, as Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Atlanta all lost.

Angels Win, 1-0, as Jered Weaver Dazzles Twins;

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 24, 2013

American League

Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver gave up two hits over eight innings as the LA Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins, 1-0.

Weaver was on his game, striking out nine while walking just one over eight innings, before handing the ball over to closer, Ernesto Frieri, who picked up his 25th save of the season, though it was not without some nail-biting moments. Frieri put two men aboard via walks, but eventually escaped his own jam, preserving the win for Weaver, a sub-par, 5-5, on the year.

The Angels managed to regain a tie for third place in the AL West, as Seattle dropped a 10-1 decision to Cleveland, ending an eight-game win streak.

National League

Yasiel Puig

Sparked again by rookie Yasiel Puig, the LA Dodgers won their sixth straight with a come-from-behind, 8-3, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays.

Puig - a heavy favorite to capture the NL rookie of the year award - went 3-for-5, with a double and his ninth home run of the season, scored the tying run in the ninth inning off a Colby Rasmus error, adding his homer in the tenth after the Dodgers had already plated two of their five running in the extra frame.

Mark Ellis hit a two-run shot before Puig's solo homer and the Dodgers sent home two more on Andre Ethier's double to the lef-center gap, completing the sweep of the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Today's Trivia: Who won the AL batting title in 1976? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Mike Schmidt led the NL in home runs eight times, including three in a row, from 1974-1976. In 1984, he tied for the league lead with Dale Murphy and in 1980 hit 48, his high mark for a single season.

Jered Weaver Wins 7th Straight; Brandon Crawford Dives in Five for Giants

Players of the Day for Friday, July 20, 2012

American League

Jered Weaver improved to 12-1 as the LA Angels opened their three game home series with rival Texas with a 6-1 victory, slicing a full game off the Rangers' division lead, which now stands at five.

Weaver: 12-1

Weaver was in complete control for most of the seven innings he worked, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out five. The lanky hurler kept the top of the Texas batting order in check, limiting the first seven batters to a 2-for-27 output.

Only Elvis Andrus did any damage, belting a solo homer in the top of the first inning. After that, Weaver was pretty much lights out.

Weaver won his seventh straight decision, not having lost since being belted around by the Rangers, in Texas, on May 13, a 13-6 Texas win in which Weaver lasted only 3 1/3 innings. It was his only loss of the season.


National League

Crawford: Slammin'

Brandon Crawford untied a 1-1 score with a sixth inning grand slam, propelling the Giants to a 7-2 win over the home-standing Phillies.

Crawford, a second year shortstop, knocked his third homer of the season off Philly starter Vince Worley and followed that up with a run-scoring single in the eighth, giving him five RBI for the game.

Tim Lincecum allowed five hits and two earned runs while fanning six over seven innings to pick up his fourth win of the season against 10 losses.

With the win, the Giants maintained their 2 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West, and will look to make it two in a row over the Phillies, Saturday afternoon, with the series concluding Sunday.

Jered Weaver Tosses No-Hitter over Twins; Carlos Beltran Drives in 7 as Cards Rout Pirates

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 2, 2012

American League

Weaver: No-Hitter

Since signing onto a monster contract with the Angels after the 2011 season, Albert Pujols has still not hit a home run in the American League, but the Angels still have reason to be hopeful, as ace starter Jered Weaver snuffed the Minnesota Twins with a no-hitter.

The Angels won the game, 9-0, as Weaver worked over the struggling Twins' lineup, fanning nine as he improved to 4-0 on the year. It was the first no-hitter of Weaver's seven-year career, and the second American League no-no in less than two weeks. On April 21, White Sox hurler Phil Humber threw a perfect game at Seattle.

Weaver was close to a perfect game, but a passed ball by catcher Chris Ianetta on a strikeout of Chris Parmalee in the third inning and a walk to Josh Willingham in the seventh were two-out spoilers.

Weaver threw 121 pitches, 77 for strikes, completely dominating and baffling the Minnesota batters.

Even though LA swept the three-game set, the Angels remain in last place in the AL West, however, their 10-15 record seven games off the pace being set by the Texas Rangers.


National League

Beltran: 2HR, 7RBI

Carlos Beltran - a valuable, free agent, off-season pick-up from San Francisco - began the season hitting in the #2 hole for St. Louis, but, since Lance Berkman went on the 15-day DL April 19 with a strained left calf, he's been filling in at the cleanup spot.

That lineup move paid off in spades Wednesday night as Beltran went 4-for-5 with two singles and a pair of three-run homers for seven RBI in St. Louis' 12-3 stomping of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both of Beltran's blasts came off Pirate starter AJ Burnett, who was rocked for 12 hits and 12 earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings. The Cardinals scored four runs in the first, three in the second and five in the third inning. After bombing Burnett, St. Louis got five more hits, for a total of 17, but did not score against Pittsburgh's relievers.

Beltran

The home win was the second straight over Pittsburgh in which St. Louis scored in double figures, having beaten the Pirates, 10-7, on Tuesday. The Cardinals extended their NL Central lead to 4 1/2 games over the Reds, 3-1 losers to the Cubs Wednesday night. Houston swept three from the Mets and tied Milwaukee for third place in the division, 5 1/2 back.

NOTABLE: Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz drove in seven runs in a 15-13, 11-inning loss to Atlanta with a pair of doubles and his fourth home run of the season for struggling Philadelphia. The Braves trail the Nationals by 1/2 game in the NL East. Philadelphia is in fourth place, 3 1/2 out.

Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson Lock into 1-0 Duel; Jayson Heyward Leads Braves Past Rockies

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 21, 2011

American League

Wilson: hard luck

Baseball is essentially a fair game to all, but sometimes great efforts go unrewarded.

Weaver leads AL
with 1.81 ERA

Such was the case as C.J. Wilson matched up in a pitching duel with Jered Weaver as the Angels and Rangers played the rubber game of a three-game series.

Wilson threw eight innings of two-hit ball, giving up one walk and striking out eight batters.

The critical play came in the 2nd inning, as Howie Kendrick was hit by a pitch and took second on Wilson's wild pitch, which struck out Mark Trumbo. The next batter, Mike Trout, lifted a fly ball into shallow center field which should have ended the inning, but was dropped by the Rangers' Endy Chavez, allowing Kendrick to easily score from second.

It turned out to be the only run of the game -unearned - giving the Angels and Weaver the series win. Weaver improved to 13-4 by pitching seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits and two walks while whiffing six in the Angels' 1-0 victory.

The decision left the Rangers with a shrinking, three-game lead over the tenacious Angels, who hung tough in the division race while the Rangers went on a twelve game winning streak which ended when the Angles won Wednesday's game, 9-8.

National League

Jason Hayward

Atlanta's Jason Heyward isn't having the kind of season many expected, though in Thursday's 9-6 comeback win over the Rockies, he provided enough of a spark for fans to believe that he's coming around at the right time.

Heyward, batting only .229, homered and doubled in five at-bats, scoring once and driving in three runs. His two-run home run in the 3rd inning helped cut into a 4-0 Braves lead, and his double in the 7th drove in the game's final run as the Braves scored four times, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 9-6 victory.

The Atlanta win got them 1/2 game closer to the idle Phillies in the NL East. The Braves trail the Phillies by four games but lead the wild card by five games over Arizona.

Colorado dropped to 47-52, 10 games off the pace set by the Giants in the NL West.

Weaver Gets Angels Closer with 10th Win; Hanley Ramirez Slams Rangers; Interleague Tied Up

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 2, 2011

American League

Weaver's 1.92 ERA
leads AL starters.

The LA Angels clawed to within one game of NL West-leading Texas on the back of another strong outing by their #1 starter, Jered Weaver, who prevailed over the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in a 7-1 Angels romp.

Weaver allowed just four hits, a pair of walks and the solitary earned run, improving to 10-4 on the year while retaining his league-leading ERA, which was lowered a notch to 1.92.

While Kershaw maintained the NL lead in strikeouts (138), fanning 10, Weaver set down eight batters on strikes and has 114, good for fifth in the AL.

The Angels and Dodgers conclude their annual cross-town, cross-league rivalry on Sunday night with the series tied at a game apiece.

National League

Hanley Ramirez

Don't look now, but there's been a Hanley Ramirez sighting, and it wasn't in one of those chic South Beach boutiques.

Ramirez exploded for a pair of home runs as the Florida Marlins came out on the winning end for a change with a 9-5 win at Texas.

Getting the Marlins off to a flying start, Ramirez hammered a grand slam over right field in the first inning, and, after making outs in his next two at-bats, followed up with a solo shot to left-center in the 7th inning. He also singled in the 9th, to complete a 3-for-5 day at the dish.

As the Marlins have stumbled this season, so too their superstar. Ramirez is batting just .230 with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 65 games.

While the Florida win did little to ease the team's pain (they're in last place, 15 1/2 games out, in the NL East), the loss by Texas reduced their lead over the Angels to one game.

STREAKS: The Yankees have won seven straight. Ryan Braun of the Brewers extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a 1-for-4 effort on Saturday.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: With just one more day of interleague play remaining, the two league have proven nothing against each other, as each has come up with the very same number of wins and losses, 119 each, after the NL won eight games and the AL, six, on Saturday.

Stifling Shutouts: Jered Weaver Stops A's; Ian Kennedy 3-Hits Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, April 25, 2011

American League

Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver is on a roll and the rest of the American League isn't happy about it.

Weaver kept his record perfect, winning his sixth game in as many starts with a 5-0 shutout over the A's.

The ace of the Angels stopped Oakland on seven hits, walking one and striking out 10 for his third career shutout and sixth career complete game. In 45 2/3 innings this season, Weaver's allowed a measly five runs and his strikeout total - now at 49 - is the most in the majors. In the AL he leads Justin Verlander (35) and Ricky Romero (34) by a solid margin.

LA scored twice in the second inning, adding a single run in the third and two more in the fourth to give Weaver a working lead that he used to his advantage.

The Angels trail Texas in the AL West by 1 1/2 games.

National League

Ian Kennedy

Normally, it's the Phillies doing the shutting out.

On Monday, Arizona's Ian Kennedy turned the tables on the AL East leaders with a 3-hit shutout and a 4-0 win for the Diamondbacks.

Matched up against Philly's Cliff Lee, Kennedy didn't flinch, while Lee - who fanned 12 - allowed all of Arizona's scores in his seven innings of work.

Kennedy, meanwhile, was busy working through the Philadelphia lineup. He gave up a double in the first inning to Placido Polanco, a Jimmy Rollins single in the 4th and a single by Polanco in the 6th. After that, no Phillie reached base for the duration of the contest.

Improving to 3-1, Kennedy fanned Rollins, Lee, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard twice each, ending the game with a swinging strikeout of Rollins, which brought his total for the game to 10.

It was Kennedy's initial complete game and shutout. His 10 Ks are a season high.

Jered Weaver Goes to 5-0, Angels Lead AL West; Nolasco Solid in 6-0 Marlins Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 20, 2011

American League

Jered Weaver

There's a new leader in the AL West, but it's a familiar face, that of the LA Angels, who took the final two games of their three-game series with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

As ace hurler Jered Weaver improved his record to 5-0, the Angels left Texas with a one-game lead in the division and the Texas team out of first place for the first time this season.

Weaver was far from perfect, but managed a complete game, 4-1, win, allowing just six hits while punching out 8 batters on strikes. The only Ranger run came in the 6th inning, when Michael Young doubled home Elvis Andrus.

That was it, however, as Weaver set down ten of the next 11 men to finish the game. He did not walk a batter.

A model of consistency has been Weaver's trademark this season. In 36 2/3 innings, he's allowed just five earned runs, resulting in an ERA of 1.23 and a 0.76 WHIP. His 39 strikeouts are tops in the American League.

National League

Ricky Nolasco

Keeping the pressure on the Phillies in the NL East, the Florida Marlins remained 1/2 game back of the division leaders with a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Starter Ricky Nolasco delivered seven scoreless innings to go to 2-0 on the season, his teammates giving him an early working margin after scoring four times in the second and twice more in the third inning.

Nolasco set down nine straight in the middle innings, including fanning five in a row - setting the side down in the 4th and the first two batters in the 5th on strikes. He finished with eight Ks and one walk before heading to the bench after seven innings.

It was the second straight 6-0 win for Florida over Pittsburgh. Josh Johnson shut down the Pirates on Tuesday and Florida can cmplete the sweep when the teams take the field Thursday night in Miami.

DIAMOND NOTES: It has to be a little disconcerting for the players, but the LA Dodgers are soon going to be operated by MLB, according to statements made Wednesday afternoon by the Office of commissioner Bud Selig.

It appears to be the first step in fixing the franchise's finances, which have run afoul of late. Revealed during divorce negotiations with his wife Jamie, owner Frank McCourt appears to have put the Dodgers under a $400 million debt burden. MLB will investigate the owner and likely will seek a sale of the team and restructuring of its finances.

Jamie Moyer, Jered Weaver Hurl Phils, Angels to Victories

Players of the Day for Friday, May 7, 2010 American League Out of last place, the LA Angels may be making some progress toward the top of the AL West standings. After Friday's 8-0 whitewash of the Mariners (losers of 7 straight and now occupying last place in the division), the Angels are 3 1/2 behind the Rangers and 2 1/2 back of the second-place A's. At 13-18, LA still has a long way to go before earning any level of respect, but Jered Weaver's, latest, a 3-hit, no-run, 7 1/3 inning stint, is a huge positive for the struggling squad. Weaver was not by any means dominant, throwing 117 pitches and walking three batters, but he battled and kept the Mariners off the scoreboard while his teammates scored 4 runs in each of the 1st and 4th innings. Pitching with a huge lead, Weaver was able to mix up his pitches and keep Seattle's hitters in check as he improved his record to 4-1, with an ERA on 2.66 and a solid 1.05 WHIP. Weaver struck out 7, giving him 47 in 44 innings this season. He was 10th in the AL in 2009, fanning 174 batters. National League Other than Troy Glaus, the Atlanta Braves simply couldn't touch ageless Jamie Moyer Friday night. Glaus registered the only two hits against the 47-year-old hurler, who became the oldest player in the history of baseball to throw a shutout, bettering the old mark - set by Phil Neikro back in 1986 - by nearly a year. After Glaus got the Braves' first hit with a single to start the second inning, Moyer got Matt Diaz to ground into a double play and proceeded to set down the next 16 batters in order. Glaus had his other single to open the 8th inning, but was forced out at second. Moyer finished the inning, getting the next two batters on fly balls and got through the 9th without incident. Moyer struck out 5 and didn't walk any batters. Thanks to the second inning DP, he faced 28 batters, one over the minimum, for the 7-0 Phillies' win, keeping them 2 games ahead of the Mets in the NL East. Moyer improved his record to 4-2.

Weaver Pitches Angels to 2-0 Lead; Yankees Win in 11

Players of the Day for Friday, October 9, 2009 American League NY Yankees 4 Minnesota Twins 3, 11 innings - The Yankees beat the Twins for the 9th straight time in 2009, putting Minnesota on the brink of elimination, down 2 games to 0 in the best-of-five series, which heads to the Metrodome for game 3. Mark Teixeira delivered a solo homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to snap the 3-3 tie and send Yankee Stadium into a frenzy, but it was Alex Rodriguez who made his teammate's heroics possible, driving in all three Yankee runs with a single in the 6th which pushed across Derek Jeter and a 2-run bomb off Minnesota closer Joe Nathan in the 9th, which sent the game into extra frames. Roriguez is batting a cool .500 over the first two games, with a home run and 5 RBI. Game 3 is Sunday in Minnesota. Starting pitchers for the 7:07 pm EDT start are Andy Pettitte for NY and Carl Pavano, a Yankee cast-off, for the Twins. The Yankees can close out the series with a win. LA Angels 4 Boston Red Sox 1 - For all the swagger and supposed advantage the Red Sox had coming into this series with the Angels, the results have been almost exactly the opposite of what Boston fans thought would happen. For the second night in a row, the Red Sox bats were silenced by exceptional starting and relief pitching as the Angels took a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series. Jered Weaver allowed two hits and issued two walks in 7 1/3 innings, limiting the Red Sox to just one earned run while fanning seven. The only run came in the 4th, when Victor Martinez singled home Jacoby Elsbury to give Boston a brief 1-0 lead. The Angels countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, then added three more when they finally got to Boston starter Josh Beckett and used their speed to build an insurmountable lead. The 7th was Beckett's undoing and also exposed Boston's inability to keep base runners in check. The 3-run inning included a walk, a hit batsmen, two steals of second base, a single and a triple. By the time it was over Beckett was in the clubhouse and the Red Sox were thinking about game 3. Weaver, following John Lester's command performance on Thursday, was in control the entire time he was on the mound. Outside of the 4th inning, Boston never had a runner past first base, as Weaver set down the first nine batters in order, had a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th, issued harmless, two-out walks in both the 5th and 7th and finished by striking out J.D. Drew looking to open the 8th. With that, he was relieved by Darren Oliver, who was followed by Kevin Jepsen. Brian Fuentes picked up the save, getting the final two batters after Jepsen gave up a one-out double to Kevin Youkilis in the 9th. The Red Sox have scored just one run in 18 innings against Angels' pitchers. The series shifts to Boston for game 3 on Sunday at 12:07 pm EDT. Scott Kazmir goes for the Angels against Boston's Clay Buchholz. An Angel win sends them to the AL Championship Series. National League Two Saturday games are on tap in the NL. The Dodgers can finish a sweep of the Cardinals with a win in St. Louis. LA leads 2-0, after St. Louis blew game 2 in the ninth inning. The Cards send Joel Piniero to the hill to face LA's Vicente Padilla. Game time is 6:07 pm. The Rockies and Phillies play game 3 in Denver, Colorado, where the forecast is for snow showers and temperatures around the freezing mark. If the game goes off as scheduled, the Phillies will start Pedro Martinez against Colorado's Jason Hammel at 9:37 pm EDT.

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.

Fukudome Cuts Cards; Weaver Sinks Mariners

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 26, 2009 American League After losing the first two of their three-game series with Seattle, the LA Angels needed a big performance and they got one from starter Jered Weaver, who shut out the Mariners on three hits over seven innings while his teammates were piling up 8 runs for an 8-0 thumping. Weaver walked two while striking out 5 as he earned his second win against one loss. Weaver, who had an off year in 2009 with a 10-11 record, dropped his ERA down to 2.45. His WHIP is a very solid 1.17. National League The Cubs dropped the first two of their series at St. Louis, but came back to take the finale, as Kosuke Fukudome powered them to a 10-3 win with a pair of singles and an 8th-inning, 3-run homer and 5 RBI. Fukudome, who hit 10 homers in all of 2008, already has put four out of the park this season. The Cubs are looking for more power from the second year outfielder, currently batting in the #3 spot in the lineup. The numbers are encouraging: .371 average, 4 HR, 15 RBI.

Angels No-Hit Dodgers, Lose; Lincecum Goes to 9-1

Players of the Day from Saturday, June 28, 2008 American League Jered Weaver (6-8) didn't allow a hit to the Dodgers on Saturday. He did, however, give up a run, and that cost him the game, as the Dodgers won a strange one, 1-0, over the Angels. In the 5th inning, Weaver threw wildly to first, attempting to throw out Matt Kemp, who reached on the error, stole second and went to third on catcher Jeff Mathis' throwing error. Kemp then scored on Blake DeWitt's sac fly to right. And that was it, as Jose Arredondo worked hitless 7th and 8th innings, while Chad Billingsley and a pair of Dodger relievers shut out the Angels on 5 hits. Notes: According to published reports, it's only the fifth time since 1900 that a team has won a game without getting a hit. Incidentally, the Dodger win kept them at 2 1/2 behind the Diamondbacks, the closest they've been since early April. The Angels, despite losing straight, are still 3 1/2 clear of the A's in the AL West. National League Here's your National League starter for the All Star game. Tim Lincecum improved to 9-1 on Saturday, with 7 innings of shutout ball as the Giants downed Oakland 1-0. Lincecum allowed just five hits while fanning 11. The second-year starter has compiled one of the best records in baseball (9-1, 2.38 ERA, 114 Ks), pitching for arguably one of the worst teams in the National League. Lincecum has accounted for almost a third of their 35 wins, has posted five straight wins since losing to Colorado, 3-2, back on April 29. Lincecum's record could actually be much better. Four times this season, he's left games after allowing either 0 or 1 earned runs without getting a decision. Notes: Just how bad are the Giants? Well, in a year in which the NL is sporting some pretty feeble squads, San Fran is an enigma. They, along with Arizona, are the only teams in the NL West with winning records against divisional foes. They're also the worst home team in the majors, with a disappointing 14-24 record by the Bay. An average hitting team (.260), they are dead last in the majors in home runs (52) and only the Padres and Nationals have scored less runs (324) in the NL. Thanks to the Dodgers and Giants winning 1-0 games, the NL actually took the day's interleague games, 8-6, bringing the totals since June 13 to AL, 129; NL, 78.

Tough-luck Weaver; Church a Mets Leader

Players of the Day from Tuesday, May 13, 2008 American League 2008 has not been kind to Angels' starter Jered Weaver, who went 24-9 over the past two seasons, but is off to a 2-5 start this year. Last night in Anaheim was more of the same. Weaver threw 1-hit ball over 7 innings but didn't get a decision as John Danks was shutting out the Angels on 7 hits. Eventually, LA scored a couple runs and beat the White Sox, 2-0, albeit too late for Weaver to get a decision.

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Scott Shields (2-0) picked up the win and Francisco Rodriguez earned his major league-leading 16th save. Notes: Tampa Bay took over first place in the East with a 2-1, 11-inning win over the Yankees while Boston was dropping a 5-4 decision to Baltimore. Tampa has won six straight; the red Sox have lost three in a row and Tampa leads by 1/2 game. With Florida 1 1/2 up in the NL East, this marks the deepest into a season that both Florida teams lead their respective divisions. National League After he socked 15 homers and drove in 75 runs with the Nationals in 2007, the Mets were expecting good things from Ryan Church, but maybe not this good. On Tuesday night, in the Mets' 6-3 win over Washington, Church drove in four runs with a solo home run, a two-run double and a sac fly, giving him, 30 RBI, second on the team behind David Wright's 32. His 8 homers, .324 batting average and 29 runs all lead the team. Notes: Home Sweet Central: All six teams in the NL Central have winning home records, even last-place Cincinnati, at 10-9. On the flip side, none have winning road records, though the Cubs, Cardinals and Astros are all just a game under .500 away from home.