Washington Rookie Juan Soto Rocks Phillies; Mauer, Twins Maul Yankees, 10-5

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Mauer Slams Yankees

American League

With their lead in the wild card quickly dwindling, the Yankees gave one away to the Twins, as starter Sonny Gray and three relievers allowed 13 hits, losing at Minnesota, 10-5.

Joe Mauer's fifth-inning grand slam put the Twins up by a 10-1 score and pretty much ended the contest. New York had taken the prior five games against the Twins this season. Mauer walked and scored in the third inning, tying the score at 1-1. The Twins tacked on two more runs in the frame and the Yankees never responded. Mauer finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs.

Meanwhile, the Oakland A's shaved another game off New York's lead in the wild card, closing to within two games of the Yankees with a 3-2 win at Baltimore.

Since September 2nd, the Yankees are 4-5, while the Athletics went 7-1, including taking two of three from the Yanks in Oakland. They've gained 3 1/2 games in just over a week.

The Yankees play the series finale in Minnesota at 8:10 pm EDT Wednesday. The A's have game two of their three-game set in Baltimore at 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Soto: Nat's Hot Rookie

The Washington Nationals gave up on their season a few weeks back, but maybe they should have waited just a little longer before jettisoning some of their top players and throwing in the towel.

Taking a pair at Philadelphia, the Nationals did more to ruin the Phillies' chances for reaching the post-season than perhaps any other team could have.

Tuesday's twin killing marked the fourth straight loss for Philadelphia as well as Washington's fourth straight victory. The first-place Braves have made the most of it, also winners of four straight, including Tuesday's 4-1 complete game win by Mike Foltynewicz.

After taking the first game, 3-1, Washington battled back from a 6-3 deficit with three runs in the eighth to tie the game and won it in the 10th on Juan Soto's second home run, a solo shot to left-center that produced the double-header sweep with a 7-6, 10-inning win.

Having doubled in a run in the second inning, Soto smacked his 17th of the season with a man aboard in the fourth. In the first game, Soto went 2-for-4, so his complete day was a 5-for-8 effort with two homers, a double, four RBI and three runs. Not bad for a 19-year-old rookie. He and Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. are the leading NL candidates for rookie of the year. Soto's batting .306 with 18 homers and 60 RBI.

Tuesday's results left the Phillies 6 1/2 behind the Braves in the NL East, with Washington eight out. Neither Philadelphia nor Washington has much hope of catching Atlanta nor reaching the playoffs via the wild card. Philly is 6 1/2 behind the Cardinals for the second wild card, with Washington eight behind. Milwaukee holds the top wild card by two games over St. Louis.

The Phillies and Nationals wrap up their series on Wednesday, 7:00 pm EDT.

Kris Bryant, Wade Davis Lead Cubs Over Brew Crew; Joe Mauer Keeps Twins Alive In Wild Card

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 21, 2018

American League

Mauer: 3-for-4, .311 BA

After dropping three straight to the Yankees in New York, the Minnesota Twins were hoping for better results when they opened a four-game series in Detroit on Thursday.

Getting exactly what they needed from their batsmen - 14 hits - the Twins got back on the winning track with a 12-1 thumping of Detroit.

Leading the assault on Detroit starter Jordan Zimmermann and six relievers was Joe Mauer, resurgent this season as the Twins defied the experts by staying in contention throughout the season. Maueer went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles, driving in two runs and scoring twice. In his 14th year in the majors - all of them with the Twins - he's batting .311 after hitting just .261 last season. His average is the sixth-highest in the American League.

Minnesota also got an assist from Central division rival Cleveland, as the Indians topped the Angels, 4-1, dropping LA into a tie with Texas, 2 1/2 games behind the Twins for the second wild card spot.

Game two of the series is Friday, 7:10 pm ET at Detroit's Comerica Park.

National League

Bryant: game-winning HR

Taking an important step closer to capturing the NL Central division, the Chicago Cubs rallied in the ninth inning and won the opener of a four-game series at Milwaukee in the 10th inning for a 5-3 victory.

Kris Bryant socked a two-run homer in the Cubs' half of the extra inning and Wade Davis (4-1) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out four, including setting down the Brewers in order, on strikes, in the 10th.

Davis: bullpen ace

For Bryant, the 2016 NL MVP, the home run was his 28th of the season. He has 67 RBI on the year. Davis, called on with a man aboard and one out in the ninth, loaded the bases by hitting a batter and allowing a base hit, but struck out Domingo Santana and got Orlando Arcia on a routine ground ball to end the threat. Davis, the Cubs' closer, has 32 saves, a 1.95 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 55 1/3 inning.

The Cubs entered the ninth down a run, but tied the game on Javier Baez's RBI single.

Chicago's win left them with a 4 1/2 game lead over the Brewers and five over the Cardinals. The Cubs have caught fire at the most opportune time, winning eight of their last nine.

Game two of the series starts Friday at 7:30 pm ET.

Joe Mauer Goes 4-for-5 in Twins' Win; Ryan Zimmerman Drives in Four for Nationals

Players of the Day for Monday, April 15, 2013

American League

Mauer: 4-for-5

Not much has been heard from Minnesota this season, probably because until Monday, they had only won four games, but Joe Mauer made a bit of noise with four hits in five at-bats in the Twins' 8-2 win over the Angels.

Speaking of quiet, the Angels aren't exactly blowing off firecrackers at 4-9.

Mauer rapped out a couple of singles, a double and a homer, scored twice and drove in three runs, raising his batting average to .346, which is about where he's likely to finish at the end of the season.

Mauer won the AL batting title in 2006, 2008 and 2009, batting .327, 3.48 and .365, respectively.

The Twins improved to 5-7 and have two more games at home with the Angels, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ryan Zimmerman

National League

After being swept by the Braves, the Washington Nationals needed to get back to winning, so there probably was no better place to do that than in Miami, where the Marlins have won only once in seven games this season.

Jordan Zimmermann tossed a complete game for his third win without a loss and Ryan Zimmerman drove in four runs as the Nats hammered the Marlins, 10-3.

Zimmerman had been off to a slow start, batting just .208 entering the game, but went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season in the fourth inning with a man aboard and also singled in a run. He got one more home with a sac fly.

The Nationals are 8-5, tied with the Mets for second place in the NL East. Both are trailing the 11-1 Braves by 3 1/2 games.

Jeff Francoeur Leads Amazing Royals to 4th Straight Win; Aaron Hicks, Joe Mauer Power Twins

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 24, 2013

Grapefruit League

Mauer: 6RBI

Minnesota pummeled the Blue Jays, 14-5, as Joe Mauer socked a first-inning, three-run homer and Aaron Hicks went 4-for-4 and scored three runs, raising his batting average to .350.

Hicks: 4-4, 3R

Mauer, who won the AL batting tittle in 2006, 2008 and 2009, is certain to be the Twins' starting catcher once again, while Hicks, who spent last season at AA New Britain, appears to be headed to the center field job vacated by departed Ben Revere, who moved over to the Phillies in the NL.

Mauer added a double to finish 2-for-3 with six RBI and is batting an even .400 in eight Spring training games.

Cactus League

Kansas City just keeps rolling along with a .778 winning percentage atop the Cactus League standings.

Jeff Francoeur

The Royals, perennial cellar-dwellers of the AL Central division, have been nothing short of spectacular this Spring, though one can only wonder how long the aura of invincibility will last once the games actually count.

Kansas City dumped the White Sox, 8-2, for their fourth straight win, improving their record to an outstanding 21-6, 3 1/2 games better than their nearest competition, the Seattle Mariners.

Jeff Francoeur delivered a pair of doubles in four at-bats, driving in two runs to spearhead the Royals' attack. A seven-year veteran, Francoeur, who spent five seasons in the National League with Atlanta and the Mets, starts his third season as a Royal. Starter Jeremy Guthrie took the win, throwing six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while fanning eight.

Matt Garza No-Hits Tigers; Joe Mauer Goes 5-for-5 with 7 RBI; Dan Uggla Leads Surging Marlins

Players of the Day for Monday, July 26, 2010 American League Tampa Bay has been relentless in their pursuit of the NY Yankees since being overtaken by them prior to the all star break. The Rays remained three games behind New York in the AL East on Monday thanks to the first no-hitter in Tampa franchise history, twirled by their ace Matt Garza in a 5-0 win over Detroit. While the Yankees were wrapping up a 3-2 win at Cleveland, down in Tampa, Garza was putting the finishing touches on a splendid pitching performance in which - thanks to a 5-4-3 double play that erased the only Tiger baserunner of the night, Brennan Boesch, who walked with one out in the second inning. After that Garza was the picture of perfection, setting down the next 21 straight batters for the fifth no-hitter in the major leagues this season. Garza (11-5) threw 120 pitches, of which 80 went for strikes. Striking out six, the only flaw was that 2nd inning free pass. In Kansas City, the Royals and Twins were playing an entirely different kind of game as the Twins sought to keep the pressure on front-running Chicago in the AL Central. Minnesota amassed 20 hits - including 7 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers - in a 19-1 rout. A double and a three-run homer were part of the package Joe Mauer brought to the plate, going 5-for-5 with seven RBI and three runs, raising his batting average to somewhat pedestrian - for him, a three-time AL batting champ - .305. The Twins remained one game behind the White Sox, 6-1 victors over Seattle. National League The Florida Marlins hit a mid-season soft patch, but are putting together a nice second half run, winning their second straight and 8th of their last 11 since the all star break with a 4-3 win at San Francisco. The victory pulled the Marlins above the .500 mark - at 50-49 - and tied them with the Mets for 3rd place in the NL East, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves. Dan Uggla was instrumental in the win, banging his 19th home run of the season in the 4th inning and scoring on a sac fly in the 6th. Uggla went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. The Marlins used six different pitchers to fend off the Giants in the first of a fur game series.

Mauer Goes 5-6 to Keep Twins on Top; Zito Outshines Wainwright for 2-0 Giants Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 24, 2010 American League If you wanted to design a baseball-hitting machine, you'd probably use Minnesota catcher, 3-time AL batting champion and 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer as a prototype. After spraying out 5 hits in 6 at-bats in Saturday's 12-inning, 9-7 win at Kansas City, Mauer's batting average stands at .381 and the 13-5 Twins have a 3-game lock on first place in the AL Central. Mauer's 5-hit night included a double, triple, three singles and a sac fly in the top of the 12th which added an insurance run for Minnesota. He drove in 2 runs and scored one, in addition to handling 6 different pitchers from behind the plate. Mauer will be hard pressed to repeat as MVP again - his 12 RBI are only third-best on his team, but the potential for another batting title looms large. He's currently third behind KC's Scott Podsednik (.382) and Seattle's Franklin Gutierrez (.397). National League San Francisco still trails San Diego by one game in the NL West, but, after Barry Zito out-dueled Adam Wainwright for a 2-0 win over St. Louis, the Giants have served notice that they almost surely have the best starting rotation in the majors. Zito worked a very strong 8 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks while fanning a season-high 10 St. Louis hitters, striking out every Cardinal starter except catcher Yadier Molina. Zito, who hasn't had a full-season winning record since his 2006 campaign with the A's, is off to a 3-0 start with a sparkling 1.32 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Surrounded by the likes of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jeffrey Sanchez, Zito has responded in the early stages of the season with some of the best pitching of his career. The Giants have taken two straight in their West coast weekend series with the Cards, with Sunday's finale pitting Brad Penny against the Giants' Matt Cain.

Mauer Leads Twins, Batting .383; Garko Delivers for Giants

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 18, 2009 American League Losers of 9 of their last 12 entering Tuesday's meeting with the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins were in desperate need of a win to just remain in the wild card and AL Central conversation, and it was their best hitter, Joe Mauer, who delivered for Minnesota, with a pair of solo home runs and an RBI single in five at-bats that led to a 9-6 Twins win at Texas. Mauer, who is sizzling once again, upped his batting average to a league-leading .383, extending his hitting streak - which began on August 2nd - to 15 games with his 24th and 25th homers and 7th this month. He also has 20 RBI in August and has raised his batting average 30 points. Even with the win, the Twins are languishing in 3rd place in the division, 7 1/2 games behind the Tigers, and are even further back - 9 1/2 games - of the Red Sox and Rangers, co-leaders in the wild card hunt. National League Continuing to hang tough in both the wild card and NL West, the Giants send ace Tim Lincecum to the mound Tuesday, seeking a win in their series opener at Cincinnati. The Reds knocked Lincecum around for 5 runs in 6 innings, but Ryan Garko and the Giants' regulars came through with their bats and an 8-5 win in 10 innings. Garko had just 2 hits in 5 at-bats, but they were both key to the victory. His single in the 6th inning plated a pair of runs, tying the game at 5-5, and later, in the 10th inning, he doubled home two more and scored the final run on Jose Uribe's sac fly. Coming over from the Indians in a trade deadline deal, Garko has played in 18 games for the Giants and has been feeling his way around the National League with a .224 batting average thus far, though the Giants are pleased with his work at first base and he seems to have taken the regular job from Travis Ishikawa. A career .280 hitter, Garko is expected to find his stroke with enough time left for the Giants to make a run at the post-season. The Giants are 5 1/2 behind the Dodgers in the West and 1 game back of Colorado in both the division and wild card standings. NOTES: With the rest of the division stumbling of late (all but the Brewers went 3-7 over their last 10, except the Brewers, who were 4-6), the St. Louis Cardinals have seized control of the NL Central, winning 8 of their last 10 and now lead by 6 games over the floundering Cubs. In the East, the Phillies remain 4 1/2 ahead of the Marlins, despite their 8-2 mark of late, and 6 1/2 better than the Braves. In the AL, the Yankees have all but wrapped up the East, leading Boston by 7 games and the Rays by 10. Detroit continues to hold of the White Sox, with a 3 game lead, and the Angels remain best in the West, 4 1/2 better than the Rangers. The Mariners have all but dropped out, 12 games back.

Mauer, Twins Maul ChiSox; Utley Stars for Phillies

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 21, 2009 American League After dropping the first two of their three-game series at Chicago, the Minnesota Twins were determined not to be swept, and as starter Nick Blackburn rolled through 7 innings of shutout ball (4 hits, 3 BB, 2 Ks), the Twins set to work building an insurmountable lead. By the time Blackburn had proven his mastery over the White Sox lineup, Joe Mauer and the Twins put up 20 runs, easily their most productive single game of the season. Mauer, taking a break from catching duties at DH, doubled twice, hit a grand slam home run and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, amassing 6 RBI to up his season total to 24 and boost his major league best batting average to an astonishing .417. The White Sox did finally get a single run in the bottom of the 8th, and even that was unearned, making the 20-1 thumping not much more comforting. Mauer, widely regarded as the AL's best catcher and one of the top hitters in either league, is well on his way to another outstanding season both behind and aside the plate. He's already led the league in batting twice - in 2006 (.347) and 2008 (.328) - and he's well on his way to doing it again in 2009. National League With Florida losing and the Mets getting a night off, Chase Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies made the most of it, battering the Cincinnati pitching staff for 14 hits and 5 walks in a 12-5 road win. Utley, one of the game's most under-appreciated players, singled, doubled and homered in 4 at-bats, driving in 4 runs and scoring twice. Often in the shadow of Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard, Utley is quietly hitting a solid .295 with 30 RBI and 11 home runs. The Phillies lead the Mets by 1 1/2 games in the contentious NL East.

Sabathia Hurls Brewers Into Playoffs; AL Central Still Undecided

Players of the Day from Sunday, September 28, 2008 American League Joe Mauer wrapped up the AL batting title with a 2-for-5 afternoon, including a 2-run triple in Minnesota's 6-0 win over the Royals, forcing the White Sox - who beat Cleveland 5-1 - to play a make-up game with Detroit on Monday. Mauer's .330 batting average was tops in the AL, beating out Boston's Dustin Pedroia at .326. The Twins finished the regular season with a 1/2 game lead over the White Sox, who will host the Tigers on Monday, making up a game that was rained out in mid-September. Notes: If the White Sox beat the Tigers, the Twins travel to Chicago for a one-game playoff to determine the AL Central. If they lose, the Twins win the division by one game and will begin the playoffs at Tampa Bay on Thursday in the first game of a 5-game series. Boston travels to LA to face the Angels in the other series, which begins on Wednesday. Both series are best-of-five. National League C. C. Sabathia pitched his 7th complete game for the Brewers, allowing just 4 hits and no earned runs while striking out 7 as Milwaukee topped Chicago, 3-1, and clinched the wild card. Tied with the Mets going into the final day of the regular season, Sabathia came through once more for the Brewers as the Mets lost to Florida, 4-2, missing the playoffs by one game, just as they did last season. Notes: The Brewers will open the playoffs at Philadelphia on Wednesday after noon at 3:00 pm ET. Later in the day, Chicago will hosts the Dodgers in the other NL opener at 6:00 pm. Both series are best of five games.

Rays, Dodgers Can Taste It; Phillies, Mets, Brewers Battle On

Players of the Day from Wednesday, September 24, 2008 American League Minnesota's Joe Mauer didn't get a hit in four at-bats, but he grounded into a first inning fielder's choice which plated the first run, and did the same in the second, driving in what proved to be the game-winner in the Twins' 3-2 decision over the White Sox. Minnesota now trails Chicago by a mere 1/2 game in the down-to-the-wire AL Central, and will have a chance to take the lead at home tonight as the division leaders wrap up their head-to-head series. In the East, Tampa Bay reduced its magic number to 1, dominating Baltimore, 11-6. Boston remained 3 back with a 5-4 win over Cleveland. Both have already qualified for the post-season. One more Tampa win or Boston loss will award the AL East title to the Rays. Notes: The Angels won their 98th game and are two ahead of Tampa Bay with the league's overall best record. The team with the best record in the league receives home field advantage in the playoffs and will host the wild card in the first series. National League Nomar Garciaparra homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in a pair as the Dodgers bombed San Diego, 12-4, reducing their magic number to clinch the NL West to 1. With the Cardinals knocking off Arizona for the second night in a row, LA is virtually assured of post-season action. A LA win or an Arizona lost will finish the job. Matters became more complicated in the wild card race. The Mets lost and the Brewers won, putting those two in a tie at 87-71. Philadelphia lost to Atlanta, 10-4, keeping the Mets close in the NL East race, down just 1 1/2 games. Notes: Obviously, the East division and wild card are going to be settled over the final weekend. The Mets finish their series with the Cubs on Thursday, and then host the Marlins in the final three game series. Those Cubs finish at Milwaukee. The Brewers have a Thursday game with Pittsburgh remaining before hosting the series. Chicago has great incentive, even though they've already clinched. At times this season, they have dominated the Brewers, so it's not expected that they'll lie down over the final weekend. Philadelphia would seem to have an easy route to the AL East crown. After a day off Thursday, they are home for three days with the lowly Nationals. A sweep assures the Phillies of the title. Washington needs just one more loss to reach 100.

Catch This: Mauer, Montero Lead Twins, D-Backs

Players of the Day from Saturday, August 16, 2008 American League Joe Mauer is probably the best-hitting catcher in the majors. On Saturday, Mauer singled, doubled, homered, drove in two runs and scored the game winner in Minnesota's 7-6 win at Seattle.

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That kept the Twins tied with the White Sox for first place in the AL Central, as Chicago won, 2-1, in Oakland. Mauer is hitting .321, second in the AL batting race, behind Boston's Dustin Pedroia, at .322. Notes: The Rays and Red Sox both lost, but the Yankees won, and picked up a game on both. New York beat KC, 3-2, in 13, but are still 9 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and 6 behind the Red Sox. National League Miguel Montero only has 137 at-bats this season, but as Arizona's backup catcher, he and Chris Young came through big as the Diamondbacks hammered Houston, 11-5. Both Young and Montero hit grand slam homers in the win. Montero also doubled and hit a solo home run, totaling 5 RBI. The D-Backs have scored 23 runs in two wins over Houston this weekend, and, coupled with LA's 4-3 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday, have regained a 1-game lead in the NL West. Notes: The Cubs lost, 2-1, to Florida, so Milwaukee is back within 4 1/2 games in the Central. The Cardinals pounded the Reds, 9-3, and are 6 1/2 back in the Central. The Mets won, 7-4, over the Pirates, while Philly was losing at San Diego, 8-3. That puts NY 2 games in front of the Phillies and 3 1/2 to the good past Florida.

Mauer Crushes Halos; A-Rod Bashes D-Rays; Howard's Homers

American League LA Angels 2 Minnesota 5 - Catchers aren't usually noted for their speed, but the Twins' Joe Mauer (right) proved that he is no ordinary catcher as he whirled around the bases with an inside-the-park home run in the 8th inning, snapping a 2-2 tie and sending the Twins to their second straight win over AL West-leading Los Angeles. With men on first and third, Mauer hit a blast into the left-center alley, just out of the reach of center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. The teams conclude their series on Sunday, with Minnesota looking for the sweep at the Metrodome. Tampa Bay 3 NY Yankees 7 - Tampa Bay 5 NY Yankees 17 - In the opener, Alex Rodriguez went 0-1 with a pair of walks, but stole a base and scored twice. In the nightcap, A-Rod went 3-4 with a pair of doubles, his 33rd home run and 4 RBI, giving him 96 on the season. Despite the heroics of Rodriguez (right), the Yankees picked up on 1/2-game on Boston, and still trail the Sox by 7 1/2 in the division. A-Rod is having a memorable season, however. His home run was number 497, keeping him on pace to be the fastest ever to 500. His RBI total this season may be even more remarkable. He's almost certain to reach the 100 mark by the end of July, which will be the 10th consecutive season he's had more than 100 RBI and his 11th overall. A-Rod is chasing one (or two) of the greatest records of all time, single-season RBI, held in the AL by another Yankee great, Lou Gehrig, who had 184 in 1931. The Major League record is held by Hack Wilson, who knocked in 191 in 1930 with the Chicago Cubs. A-Rod's previous best was his 142 in 2002. Averaging an RBI per game, Alex will actually have to step it up a bit to catch Gehrig or Wilson, though he's got a great shot at besting the most recent AL high of 167 set by Manny Ramirez in 1999. A 4-time AL Home Runs Leader (2001, 2002, 2003 & 2005) and the AL RBI Leader in 2002, Alexander the Great may be on his way to the one of the most spectacular single-seasons ever. Other AL Scores Seattle 0 Toronto 1 - J. Towers, W (5-6), 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER Chi White Sox 2 Boston 11 - C. Crisp, 3-4, 5 RBI Kansas City 8 Detroit 10, 10 innings - Tigers lead Indians by 2 games in AL Cent. Cleveland 5 Texas 8 Baltimore 3 Oakland 4 National League Atlanta 14 St. Louis 6 - Willie Harris went 6 for 6 with a pair of triples and drove in 6 runs for Atlanta, which moved to within 2 1/3 games of the Mets in the AL East as New York lost to the Dodgers. Philadelphia 12 San Diego 4 - Ryan Howard (right) went 3-3,with a pair of home runs, scored 3 times and drove in five runs as the Phillies picked up a game on the Mets and kept pace with Atlanta in the AL East race. Philly trails New York by 5 and Atlanta by 2 1/2. Other NL Scores Arizona 3 Chi Cubs 2 Colorado 0 Washington 3 NY Mets 6 LA Dodgers 8 - LA takes 1-game lead in NL West San Francisco 8 Milwaukee 0 - B. Bonds, 0-2 Cincinnati 1 Florida 11 Houston 3 Pittsburgh 7