David Ortiz Drives in Six as Boston Keeps Pace with Yankees; Joey Votto Leads Reds to 10-0 Thumping of Phillies

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 18, 2013

American League

Ortiz: 2HR, 6RBI

It's not even June, but the Yankees and Red Sox are playing like it's September.

Robinson Cano cracked a pair of homers as the Yankees topped the Blue Jays, but David Ortiz, who's been hotter than Beyonce in spandex, smashed a couple of his own and added an RBI single to drive in six runs, leading the Red Sox past the Twins, 12-5.

The Red Sox won their fourth straight and took the second in a three-game series at Minnesota which concludes Sunday afternoon at 2:10 pm EDT.

Ortiz got the Sox on the board with a three-run crank in the first inning and singled home another run in the third. With Boston leading 7-5, Ortiz put the game away in the seventh inning, with a two-run blast to right field. For good measure, he also walked and scored on a sac fly in the ninth.

Riding a six-game hitting streak, Ortiz is batting .362, which would be second in the league if he had enough qualifying at-bats. He is 10th in RBI with 29, after driving in six on Saturday.

Boston trails the Yankees by one game in the AL East, and has a 2 1/2 game edge over third place Baltimore, which lost its fourth straight, falling to the Rays, 10-6, when closer Jim Johnson couldn't nail down the save.

National League

Joey Votto

Continuing to close ground on the Cardinals in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds won for the eighth time in their last 10 games, evening their series at Philadelphia at a game apiece with a 10-0 plundering of the Phillies.

The Reds are just 1 1/2 back of St. Louis after the Cardinals dropped a 10-inning, 6-4 decision to the Brewers.

Joey Votto raised his batting average to .346 - second-highest in the league - with a 4-for-4 effort, socking his sixth home run of the season along with a double and two singles, driving in two and scoring twice. Votto has hit safely in his last seven games.

Bronson Arroyo shut out the Phillies for 7 2/3 innings on five hits, fanning six, while evening his record at 4-4.

The series concludes Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: In 2010, a National Leaguer almost hit for the triple crown, leading the league in home runs (42) and RBI (118), but finishing tied for fifth in batting with a .312 average. Who was this star?

Yesterday's Answer: Washington's Gio Gonzalez led the majors with 21 wins in 2012.

Joey Votto's Grand Slam a Game-Winner; Nelson Cruz Goes 4-for-4 with Grand Slam as Rangers Rout Angels

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 13, 2012

American League

With a five game lead in the AL West after bombing the Angels in front of a national TV audience (ESPN), 13-6, the Texas Rangers have the best record in the league and are essentially steamrolling their way toward what seems a probable third consecutive World Series appearance.

Nelson Cruz

As the Angels have been dealt to the West cellar, the Rangers should have few issues disposing of the A's and Mariners, running away with the division.

In Sunday's slug-fest, the Rangers banged out 19 base hits, eight of them for extra bases, and, even though Josh Hamilton didn't hit a home run, Nelson Cruz - who hasn't gotten off to a very great start - did, and it was one which blew the game wide open, a third inning grand slam of Angel ace, Jered Weaver, that made the score 6-2 and sent the starter to the showers only 3 1/3 innings into the game.

The Rangers continued to pile up the hits and runs; Cruz went 4-for-4 - a double and two singles - and scored three runs to go with his four RBI. Texas took two of three in the series and remain home for a pair of two-game series against the Royals and A's before next weekend's interleague play at Houston.


National League

Joey Votto

Thanks in part to the Braves sweeping a three game series from the Cardinals, Joey Votto's three home runs - including a game-ending grand slam - have the Reds in second place in the NL Central, having trimmed St. Louis' lead to just 2 1/2 games.

Votto's 4-for-5 effort included a double, three homers, six RBI and four runs, as the Reds' first baseman nearly single-handedly kept the Reds from being swept by the Nationals with a 9-6 victory.

Votto belted a solo job in the first and another in the fourth inning, which tied the game briefly at two, but the Nats eventually held a 6-5 edge heading into the bottom of the ninth. With HVVV Rodriguez in to close out the contest, the Reds loaded the bases on a single, sacrifice, foul out and a pair of walks, setting up Votto for his specialty, the long ball, which he delivered to straightaway center to the delight of the home crowd.

The Reds pursuit will become more difficult starting Monday as they travel to red-hot Atlanta while the Cardinals host the Cubs. Both are two-game series.

Wilson Betemit's Walk-Off Homer Keeps Orioles Tied for First; Joey Votto Powers Reds Past Astros

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 29, 2012

American League

Oakland's Bartolo Colon was cruising along, pitching into the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead over the home-standing Baltimore Orioles in the rubber game of their three-game series.

After a leadoff single to J.J. Hardy, Colon struck out Nick Markakis and appeared on his way to a complete game and his fourth win of the season.

Wilson Betemit

The Orioles, though, had other ideas. Adam Jones chopped a grounder between the mound and third, which Colon fielded, whirled and threw into right field, allowing Hardy and Jones to reach second and third. All of a sudden, the 2-0 lead wasn't so safe.

In came Grant Balfour to quell the uprising, but the O's were having none of it, as Matt Wieters tied the game, banging a double off the wall in left-center. After intentionally walking Chris Davis, Wilson Betemit - 0-for-3 on the afternoon - had his turn at the plate with the winning run in scoring position in the form of Endy Chavez, inserted to run for the slow-footed Wieters.

Betemit took a Balfour offering over the wall in right field, a three-run, walk off homer for a 5-2 win that kept the Orioles tied for first place in the AL East with the Rays, after Tampa Bay knocked off Texas by the same score, Sunday night.

The smash was Betemit's third of the season, but easily his most memorable. The Orioles open a three game series with the Yankees in New York on Monday.


National League

Joey Votto

Joey Votto hasn't gotten off to a very good start, but his Reds were still in second place in the NL Central entering Sunday's rubber game with the visiting Astros. In the division, nly the Cardinals had a record over .500, and they'd built a four game lead on the rest of their rivals.

With St. Louis falling to the Brewers, 3-2, Cincinnati managed to pick up a game and get to 11-11 after Votto drove in four runs in the Reds' 6-5 win over the Astros.

Votto socked a two-run homer - his second of the season - in the fourth inning and drove home two more with a double in the seventh which tied the score at 5-all. Jay Bruce's solo shot - his 7th - in the 8th provided the winning margin.

The Reds have the day off Monday before starting a three-game series with the Cubs which will finish their home-stand. After that, they head to Pittsburgh and Milwaukee for six games on the road.

Verlander Mows Down 14 in Tiger Win; Lucas Duda, Joey Votto Star for Mets, Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 25, 2011

American League

Justin Verlander

In the odd twist that is interleague play, the Detroit Tigers knocked the Arizona Diamondbacks out of first place in the NL West with a 6-0 win, courtesy of Justin Verlander's right arm and a 1-0 win by San Francisco over Cleveland.

In conjunction with that same San Fran win, the Tigers got back into a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Indians.

Verlander tied C.C. Sabathia as the first pitchers to win 10 games this season in the AL. They were joined by Jair Jurrjens of Atlanta, who won his 10th for the NL Atlanta Braves.

As usual, Verlander was in complete control from the mound, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out a season-high 14 batters, improving to 10-3 on the year.

Approaching the all star break, Verlander's stats are worthy of a start in the midseason classic, with an ERA of 2.38, 124 Ks (leads the majors) and an 0.84 WHIP.

National League

Lucas Duda

The New York Mets scored a season-high for runs in their 14-5 victory over the Texas Rangers as rookie Lucas Duda went 4-for-5 with three doubles and drove in four of the Mets' runs.

Joey Votto

Duda was the most unlikely of heroes. He entered the game batting just .173, sharing time at first base and in left field with Daniel Murphy and the struggling Jason Bay.

Equalling Duda's performance for NL POTD was Cincinnati's Joey Votto, who displayed some of the spark that made him the NL MVP last season.

In the Reds' 10-5 romp in Baltimore Votto was 3-for-5, blasting his 10th and 11th home runs of the season - a three run homer in the 3rd inning and a 5th inning, two-run job. Votto also singled and scored another run on Scott Rolen's homer in the 7th.

The Reds remained tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for third place in the NL Central, three games behind Milwaukee. The second place Cardinals are two games back of the Brewers.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: After the two leagues ended up tied at 70 on Friday, the American League narrowly took back the lead in interleague play, winning 8 and losing 6, to put them ahead 78-76.

Stubbs, Votto Star for Reds in 7-6 Win; Justin Smoak Socks Detroit

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 27, 2011

American League

Justin Smoak

After losing the opener of their three-game home series with Seattle, 7-3, the Detroit Tigers brought out their ace, Justin Verlander, for game two, but another the hard-throwing righty was no match for Seattle's Justin Smoak, who smoked a Verlander first inning offering into the stands in left center to give the Seahawks a 3-0 lead before most fans had even settled into their seats.

Working with the lead, Seattle's Erik Bedard cruised to his first win in nearly two years, allowing a solitary run over seven solid innings. Bedard's last win was June 7, 2009.

Verlander departed after six innings, but the Tiger bullpen fell apart in the ninth, allowing Seattle six more runs. Smoak was in the middle of that rally with a two run single, and later scored Seattle's final run in the 10-1 victory. Smoak finished 2-for-5 with five RBI and two runs.

Seattle remains in last place in the AL West, but will still be looking for the road sweep on Thursday.

Smoak, who was traded from Texas to Seattle last season as part of the deal that sent Cliff Lee to the Rangers, had a promising rookie year, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 48 runs in 100 games. This season, he's batting .302 with 4 bombs and 14 ribbies.

National League

Drew Stubbs

Drew Stubbs' 10-inning homer to dead center field gave the Cincinnati Reds a 7-6, 10th-inning win over the Brewers, but they wouldn't have made it to the extra frame were it not for Joey Votto.

Joey Votto

Votto hit is fifth home run of the season in the first inning, a three-run blast off Yovani Gallardo, the Brewers' starter. He also singled in the sixth inning for his fourth RBI of the game, but Milwaukee tied the game at six with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

The teams went scoreless for the next three innings, until Stubbs hit his game winner, a mammoth shot that left the Reds 1/2 game behind St. Louis in the NL Central and the Brewers another 1/2 game behind them. Stubbs, batting leadoff, went 2-for-5 with the lone RBI, but scored three times.

To say that the division is tight would be a sublime understatement. All six teams are within four games of each other.

Carlos Quentin Powers Sox Rout; Joey Votto Delivers for Reds

Players of the Day for Friday, March 18, 2011

American League

Carlos Quentin

John Danks worked six solid innings, fanning four while giving up a solitary run on 4 hits, but he didn't need to be that sharp as his teammates rapped out 21 hits in an 18-1 destruction of the Oakland A's and a quartet of untested hurlers.

Carlos Quentin was at the heart of the batting-practice-like affair, pounding a home run, two doubles and a single in four at-bats, with four RBI and three runs.

A mainstay in the White Sox lineup, Quentin, despite playing in only 131 games in 2011, cracked 26 home runs and drove in 87. He's healthy once more and looking to make up for lost time. The rest of the AL Central has been put on notice.

National League

Joey Votto

The rival Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds added some fuel to the Central Division fire on Friday, engaging in a 40-hit slugfest that had the Reds come out eventually on top, 14-13.

The Reds burned through five pitchers, while the Cubs employed just four, including starter Carlos Zambrano, who was dinged for sic runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Joey Votto and Scott Rolen homered for the Reds. Rolen nailed a three-run shot, while Votto's was a two-run variety, and he added an RBI singles in a 2-for-3 effort.

Votto had a breakout season in 2010, earning him the league's MVP award, with 37 home runs, 113 RBI and a .324 batting average. He flirted with triple crown numbers all season, along with Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and and Albert Pujols of St. Louis.

Francouer an Able Addition for Rangers; Votto Still in MVP Hunt as Reds, Phillies Clinch Ties

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 26, 2010

American League

Having already clinched the AL West, the Texas Rangers let their subs have a go at it on Sunday, the result being a scary, 22-hit, 4 home run, 16-9 victory over the Oakland A's.

Mitch Moreland hit two homers and drove in five runs; David Murphy socked a homer and drove in four, but the best performance was by recently-acquired Jeff Francouer, who smacked a home run, went 4-for-6 and drove in four runs.

Francouer was a deft pick-up by the Rangers, who may need some extra help in the outfield or as a DH or pinch-hitter in the post-season. Josh Hamilton, the Rangers' regular left/center fielder, has been sidelined since the first week of September with back spasms, but is expected to make his return the last weekend of the regular season.

In the meantime, Francouer has played exceptionally well, batting .385 with two homers and 11 RBI in ten games. The Rangers will finish the season with the third-best record of the three division winners, which means they will likely end up playing the winner of the AL East - either the Yankees or Rays - in the first round of the playoffs.

National League

The Padres are probably pleased to be see Cincinnati move on past San Diego. Even though the Padres took two of three from the likely NL Central champs, the wins were hard-earned, both by 4-3 scores, but Sunday produced a blowout for the Reds in a 12-2 rout.

Joey Votto, still slugging and vying for the NL MVP award, stroked his 37th home run in the first inning and singled home two more runs in the 8th, as the Reds clinched at least a tie with St. Louis in the division while dropping the Padres 1/2 game behind the Giants in the NL West.

Votto is still in the midst of a triple crown chase which nobody will win. He's batting .326 - second to Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez - his 37 homers are tied for second with Adam Dunn, both chasing Albert Pujols, who smacked his 42nd of the season on Sunday. Votto's 111 RBI are third-best in the league, behind Pujols (116) and Gonzalez (114).
Between these three top sluggers, the MVP vote figures to be one of the closest in memory. Even though Votto may not lead te league in any single category, he will have the advantage of playing for a playoff team, which Pujols and Gonzalez are unlikely to attain.

PENNANT NOTES: The Reds and Phillies are each guaranteed at least a tie for their respective divisions. The Phillies, despite losing on Sunday, also are assured a playoff spot. No team can match their record, even if they lose all of their remaining six games. They need one more win or an Atlanta loss to secure the division, same as the Reds, with the Cardinals chasing.

The Rockies are clinging to faint hope now, losing, 4-2, to the Giants and falling 4 1/2 games off the pace. San Diego has a four-game lead over them for the wild card, with Atlanta also seeking it, 1/2 game behind the Padres. The Rockies have seven left to play, but any combination of three losses or three wins by the Padres or Atlanta would eliminate them mathematically.

In the AL East, the Yankees may have ended the nightmare scenario with a 4-3, 10-inning win over the Red Sox Sunday night. The Sox had taken two straight from the Yanks and remained alive for the wild card, but Sunday's win turned those hopes into despair. The best the Red Sox can do now is tie for the wild card, but the Yankees would have to lose all six of their remaining games and the Red Sox would need to win seven straight, including the final three games of the season, against New York at Fenway, a scenario very unlikely to occur.

With the Yankee win and the Rays falling to Seattle, 6-2, Tampa leads by just 1/2 game in the division.

Thome Passes Frank Robinson, Twins Win; Votto Walk-Off Paces Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 11, 2010 American League Nick Blackburn and Carlos Carrasco put up goose-eggs over 8 and 7 1/3 innings, respectively, and the Twins and Indians' relievers took their scoreless battle into extra innings. In the 12th inning, Jim Thome had seen enough pitches and hammered an 0-2 offering from Justin Germano into the Cleveland bullpen beyond the center field wall for the game's only run. It was Thome's 23rd home run of the season, the 587th of his career, passing Frank Robinson on the all-time list for 8th place. Better yet, after Matt Capps set down the Indians in order in the bottom of the inning, it proved to be the game-winner, as the Twins endured, 1-0. With the White Sox falling to Kansas City, 8-2, Minnesota re-established a six-game lead in the Central, lowering their magic number to 15. The solo shot was Thome's only hit of the night, out of four at-bats, but it was typical for the big slugger out of Peoria, IL, who turned 40 just two weeks ago. Acquired from the Dodgers in the off-season, Thome has proven a worthwhile addition. Of his 68 hits, 41 have been for extra bases and he's driven in 53 runs in just 245 at-bats. National League The Reds don't seem to be worried about the Cardinals any more; while their Central division foes flounder, Cincinnati just keeps winning games. Their 5-4, 10th-inning victory, provided by Joey Votto's walk-off home run, stood in sharp contrast to St. Louis' 12-inning, 6-3 loss to the Braves. Where the Reds are winning, the Cardinals are losing. Cincinnati has been getting the big hits in key situations all season long; the Cardinals have fallen in crunch time. Votto, who still may be entertaining thoughts of a triple crown, smashed his 33rd home run of the season off Pirates' reliever Justin Thomas to lead off the extra frame. The blast put him four behind Albert Pujols (37) and gave him 101 RBI on the season, one behind Pujols. Votto's .320 batting average is good for third-best in the league, behind the Colorado duo of Carlos Gonzalez (.335) and Troy Tulowitzki (.324). Cincinnati's win, coupled with the St. Louis loss, put the Reds seven games ahead in the division. They have just 20 more regular season games remaining; their magic number is down to 15. PENNANT NOTES: The Padres took back first place in the NL West with a 1-0 win over the Giants and lead by a game. Colorado won their 9th straight and trail San Diego by 2 1/2. In the East, Atlanta beat the Cardinals, 6-3, in 12 innings, tying for the lead, as Philadelphia dropped a 4-3 decision to the Mets. The Rays pulled to within 1/2 game of the Yankees, winning their second in a row over Toronto with a 13-1 laugher. The Yankees, meanwhile, have dropped two straight, losing to Texas, 7-6. The Rangers continue to run loose on the lead in the West, leading Oakland by 7 1/2 games. The Rangers' magic number is 14.

Joey Votto Challenges Pujols' Triple Crown Bid; Napoli Slams Rays

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 25, 2010 National League A few days ago, it was mentioned here that Albert Pujols could be on the way to winning the NL Triple Crown. After what Joey Votto did Wednesday night in Cincinnati's 12-11, 12-inning win at San Francisco, it appears that he has taken notice and has a legitimate shot himself. The Reds had built an 8-1 lead after scoring in the top of the 5th, but began the process of blowing that when the Giants plated two in the bottom of the 5th and two more in the 6th. After a six-run 8th inning, it was the Giants with the 11-10 lead, the Reds' bullpen unable to hold down the Giants after they chased starter, Homer Bailey. Votto, who had helped build the lead with a two-run, first inning homer and a solo blast in the 4th (his 31st), hung in with his teammates, and when Paul Janish singled home Drew Stubbs in the 9th, the game was tied. In the 12th, it was Votto again, with his 4th hit of the night, singling in Miguel Cairo with the go-ahead run. Francicso Cordero nailed down the final three outs in the bottom of the inning, salvaging a much-needed win for the Reds which almost turned into a disaster. Votto finished the night 4-for-7 with two hoers and four RBI. He is leading the league in batting average, at .326, and is two behind Pujols in the other categories. Pujols leads in homers, 33-31 and RBI, 92-90. It is apparent that either man could get hot and take all three departments for the first triple crown since 1967. While the Reds won, the Cardinals lost, so Cincy upped its lead in the division to 3 1/2 games. The Giants remained in a dead heat for the wild card with the Phillies, also losers on the night. American League The LA Angels are probably not going to win the AL West this season. They trail the Rangers by ten full games in the standings. Even the A's have passed them by and are now 1 1/2 games ahead. But that doesn't mean anything to Mike Napoli, who has quietly put together a fine season in the absence of the Angels' main slugger, Kendry Morales. After Morales went down with a broken leg in June, Napoli was called upon to fill the void, and he's responded with 21 homers and 60 RBI, both career-high marks. In the Angels' 12-3 win over Tampa Bay, Napoli led the charge with a run-scoring double in the first inning, a grand slam in the 3rd and a bases-loaded walk in the 4th inning, forcing home another run. He finished the game 2-for-4 with six RBI, helping the Angels avoid being swept after the Rays had won the first two games of the series. The Rays' loss didn't hurt them, as the Yankees also fell, to the Blue Jays, 6-3, in Toronto. Those two remain tied for the AL East lead, with Boston looming, 5 1/2 games back.

Brandon Morrow Fans 17 in 1-Hit Effort; Votto Clubs 28th to Lead Reds Sweep of Cubs

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 8, 2010 American League This season, the Toronto Blue Jays have been noted as the team most likely to bludgeon another into submission via the long ball, but yesterday, starting pitcher Brandon Morrow showed Blue Jay fans that there are other ways to win ball games, specifically, by throwing a no-hitter for 9 2/3 innings, striking out 17 batters and generally overpowering the opposing batters at the point of attack. Morrow was brilliant, improving his record to 9-6, but may come up a little arm-weary in his next outing, as he threw 136 pitches to record what ended up being the first shutout and complete game of his four-year major league career, though most of the first three were spent primarily as a reliever. The Jays scored a single run in the bottom of the first inning and Morrow made it stand up, fanning each of the Toronto starters at least once, most twice, and Carl Crawford three times in the 1-0 win which completed a three-game sweep of the second place Rays. With the Yankees beating Boston, 7-2, the loss dropped Tampa Bay 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees, with Boston seven back and the Jays 10 1/2 behind the front runners. Morrow's 17 Ks were the most by a pitcher this season and the most by a Blue Jays pitcher since Roger Clemons set the club record by fanning 18 Kansas City Royals on August 25, 1998. Evan Longoria broke up Morrow's no-hit biiiiiid with a ground ball up the middle which infielder Aaron Hill knocked down but could not make a play on. Unfazed, Morrow - after a short visit from Jays' manager Cito Gaston - proceeded to finish the game by striking out Dan Johnson. National League The Cincinnati Reds are just clobbering the ball. Finishing up a three-game sweep of the struggling Cubs with Sunday's 11-3 battering, the Reds have opened up a two-game lead on St. Louis in the NL Central and may prove difficult to catch down the stretch. In Sunday's game, Joey Votto was once again at the heart of the offensive attack, going 2-for-4, with a double and his 28th home run of the season, leaving him two behind NL leader Adam Dunn and tied with Albert Pujols. Votto's 4 RBI gave him 75 on the year, putting him in 4th position in that department. Pujols leads the league with 82, followed by injured Ryan Howard's 81 and the Mets' David Wright, who has 77. The Reds have won four straight and will have the opportunity to defend their division lead or expand it when they host the Cardinals in a three-game series beginning Monday night.

Phillips, Votto Smash Brewers; Trevor Cahill Shuts Down Rangers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 28, 2010 American League With a 7 1/2 game lead in the AL West, deep in the heart of Texas many are thinking that the divisional race is all but over. Don't tell that to the Oakland A's. The A's evened their three-game series with the Rangers by taking the second game, 3-1, exactly the score they were beaten by in the opener. Trevor Cahill came up big against the Rangers, blanking them on two hits over eight innings, walking three and fanning four. Coupled with the Angels' 7-3 loss to Boston, it's now the A's, not the Angels, in second place. Since the all star break, Oakland has kept pace with the Rangers, going 8-3 while the Rangers were 9-4. The Angels have fallen on hard times, with a 5-8 record over the same span, losing their last four straight and have fallen into third place 8 1/2 games out. Cahill (10-4) has started three times against Texas this season and has recorded two wins and one no decision, though the A's won that game. On Wednesday, he allowed just one hit until the 4th inning, when Josh Hamilton singled, sending Vlaimir Guerrero, who had earlier walked, to third base, but Cahill stuck out Nelson Cruz to get out of the inning. He didn't allow a hit after that, turning the ball over to the bullpen after eight innings. The Rangers scored their only run of the game off reliever Michael Wuertz in the 9th, but Craig Breslow came in and fanned Hamilton and Cruz to end the game. National League St. Louis and Cincinnati are dead even again in the NL Central... almost. The Reds have played two more games than the Cardinals, and have one more win and one extra loss, so technically, the Cards lead the division by .001. While St. Louis was busy blowing leads to the Mets, finally winning in 13 innings on (who else?) Albert Pujols' RBI single, Brandon Phillips (left) and Joey Votto (right) were taking care of business in Milwaukee with a 10-2 win. The Brewers were leading until the top of the 6th, when Phillips singled, stole second and scored on Votto's single to right. The Reds would score four more in the frame, and their bullpen wouldn't allow another Milwaukee run. In the 8th, the Reds scored five more runs, four of them on Phillips' grand slam, his 14th homer of the year. Votto put his stamp on the game with his league-leading 26th homer, a solo shot to center. The Cardinals and reds have been locked into this duel pretty much all season, leaving the rest of the division in their dust. The two next meet for a three-game series in Cincinnati on August 9, 10 and 11. Still Streaking: Absolutely the hottest rookie in either league, Buster Posey extended his hitting streak to 21 straight with a single in the third inning of San Francisco's 10-9, 10-inning win over the Marlins. Posey has now matched Josh Hamilton and Jose Guillen for the longest streak in the majors this season and is within one of tying Willie McCovey's franchise record of 22 straight. The San Francisco catcher will have his chance on Thursday night when the Giants seek to sweep their three-game set with the Marlins.

Joey Votto Hammers Two Homers vs. Mets; Carlos Quentin Bangs a Pair for ChiSox

Players of the Day for Monday, July 5, 2010 American League Carlos Quentin continues to produce for the WhiteSox, bashing a pair of homers and driving in three runs in Chicago's 9-2 win over the Angels. Quentin, who struggled at the start of the season, is making up for lost time. The two homers in Monday's game gave him seven over his last 13 games and upped his RBI total to a respectable 53. With the Tigers winning over Baltimore and the Twins idle, Detroit has - for the moment - taken over first place in the AL Central, with the Twins 1/2 back and the White Sox only a game out. Opening their four-game series with a win over the Angels, the Sox are in the midst of what should be one of the best pennant races in the majors. For LA, the loss was another missed opportunity to gain ground on the Rangers, who continue to lead them by 3 1/2 games. Texas lost, 9-3, to Cleveland on Monday. National League The Reds have won five of their last six, are in first place (by two games over the Cardinals) and Joey Votto leads the National League in home runs with 21. So why isn't Votto on the All Star team? Well, he plays first base, a position long-dominated by Albert Pujols. Then there's Philly's Ryan Howard and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder who also ply their trades at first base. So, Votto is the 4th best first baseman in the league, maybe, but he does have more homers than any of them (Pujols has 20). Votto took some of his frustration out on the NY Mets, banging a pair of long balls - both solo shots - to give him the NL lead as the Reds beat up Mike Pelfrey and downed the Mets, 8-6. Votto also doubled and walked in 4 at-bats, scoring three times and driving in two. His 59 RBI leads the Reds and is tied for 4th in the NL, with Ryan Howard.

Votto's 3 HRs Powers Reds; Twins' Gomez Hits for Cycle

Players of the Day from Wednesday, May 7, 2008 American League Carlos Gomez knew right away it was going to be a good night. The Twins' leadoff hitter homered off Chicago starter Mark Buehrle to open the game, then stroked an RBI triple in the 5th and doubled home a run in the 6th. His single in to lead off the ninth inning completed one of baseball's rarities - hitting for the cycle. Gomez scored twice and drove in three runs as the Twins humbled the White Sox, 13-1 Wednesday night. Gomez was acquired by the Twins from the Mets in the off-season, as part of the deal that sent Johan Santana to New York. Getting most of the starts in center field, Gomez is batting .282 with 19 runs scored and 11 RBI. The home run last night was only his second of the season. Notes: The Twins continue to lead the Central, though now it's Cleveland in second place, 1 1/2 back. Minnesota is the only team in the division with a winning record (17-15). National League Cincinnati is struggling already, but on Wednesday, rookie first basemanJoey Votto provided some hope for the future, blasting three home runs in the Reds' 9-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Votto, who played in 24 games last season for the Reds, hit solo shots in the 2nd and 5th innings, and followed up with a thundering 2-run blast in the 6th. The homers came off of three different Chicago pitchers and gave Votto seven for the year. The other reason for Reds' optimism was on the mound, in the form of rookie starter Edinson Volquez, who worked seven shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and 6 walks while striking out 10. The 10 Ks matched a season high for Volquez, who improved to 5-1 with a 1.06 ERA. Notes: Rumors surrounding Ken Griffey Jr. being traded to Seattle continue to circulate, especially after USA Today's story on Wednesday quoted Griffey as saying he would be happy to return to his first major league team. Junior is sitting just three homers shy of the 600 mark, so the Reds are reluctant to ship him off just now, but there's no doubt he'd like to play on a contending team, having never been to a World Series. The Mariners, however, have fallen 7 1/2 games off the pace in the AL West, which is almost as badly as the Reds are doing, 8 behind St. Louis in the NL Central.