Logan Forsythe 5-for-5 In Twins Win Over Tigers; Jose Bautista Drives In 7 As Mets Rout Phillies, 24-4

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 16, 2018

5-for-5 Forsyth

American League

Minnesota clubbed Detroit, 15-8, Thursday, but it's not likely Minnesota is going to get any close to Cleveland in the AL Central, where the Indians are the only team over .500 and lead the Twins by 12 games.

Minesota's 15-hit outburst was led by second baseman Logan Forsythe, who had a 5-for-5 night at the plate, socking a pair of doubles, three singles, driving in two runs, and scoring three times.

Minnesota is 57-63 on the year, second best in the division, a full eight game up on third place Detroit. The White Sox and Royals are 25 and 32 1/2 games out, respectively.

The Twins play the second of a four game home series against Detroit Friday, 8:10 pm EDT.

National League

Bautista: 3-for-4, GS, 7RBI

Jose Bautista didn't even start the first game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia, but he made a major impact, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam, driving in seven runs in the Mets' 24-4 win.

Yes that's right, three touchdowns and field goal. The scoring outburst by the Mets came a day after they bounced the Orioles, 16-5, setting a franchise record for runs in a game. The previous record was 23 runs at the Cubs on Aug. 16, 2017.

Bautista entered the game in the bottom of the third inning, after right fielder Brandon Nimmo was injured grounding out to end the top half of the frame. His first at-bat was a single in the fifth, driving in a run and subsequently scoring. As the Mets piled on the runs, Bautista got to the plate again in the inning, delivering his 10th home run, a grand slam for 10 runs in the inning. The Mets scored in every inning except the second and sixth.

After lining out in the seventh, Bautista doubled in another run, for a season-high seven RBI.

The Mets dropped the second game, 9-6, and play again in Philly, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday's game is set for a 6:05 pm EDT start.

Cody Bellinger Blasts Two HR As Dodgers Win 10th Straight; Jose Bautista Leads Blue Jays Over Royals

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 25, 2017

American League

Bautista: Leading Man

Still three games under .500 (36-39) and in last place in the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves just five games out of first place in the division, currently shared by the Yankees and Red Sox.

Toronto's good fortune is only partly due to their play, since they're 4-4 recently and just avoided a sweep in Kansas City with an 8-2 win on Sunday. Mostly, the position in the standings is due to the Yankees having lost 10 of their last 12 and the Red Sox going 4-6 in their last ten. It also didn't hurt that Baltimore and Tampa Bay played each other over the weekend, with the Orioles prevailing, two games to one.

The Blue Jays re-jiggered their lineup in a most unusual way in their series-ending win at KC, putting one of their power hitters, Jose Bautista, at the top of the order, when he's most accustomed to batting third or fourth.

Toronto's move paid off in spades as Bautista tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a two-run homer, his 13th of the year. Drawing a walk with the bases loaded in the sixth, Bautista gave the Jays a 3-2 lead, and capped off his effort at the leadoff spot with an RBI single in the ninth, going 2-for-4 with four RBI.

Kansas City's loss dropped the Royals back to .500 (37-37), 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota, which took over the AL Central lead with a three-game sweep at Cleveland, including Sunday's 4-0 win. Kansas City hits the road for three games in Detroit on Tuesday, while the Blue Jays begin an important stretch Tuesday, starting with three games at home with Baltimore, followed by a three-game visit from the Red Sox. After that, they head to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees.

By all appearances, the AL East is about to become even more interesting.

National League

Bellinger: 25 HR leads NL

Less than a week ago, the NL West was about as tight as a division race could get, with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Rockies all vying for the top spot.

Now that the Dodgers have won 10 straight, including a sweep of their three-game series with visiting Colorado, LA has opened a two-game lead over Arizona, dropping Colorado 4 1/2 back.

Completing the sweep emphatically with a 12-6 mauling of the Rockies, the Dodger bats were live, getting 13 hits off six Colorado hurlers. Rookie phenom, Cody Bellinger, socked a pair of home runs to enhance his National League-leading total to 25. Bellinger's shots were both of the two-run variety, pumping his RBI total to 55.

The Dodgers have now swept their last three series, taking three from the Reds and four from the Mets before shutting down the Rockies. Prior to a 12-5, June 12 loss at Cleveland - their last taste of defeat - the Dodgers had won six straight, so they're on a 16-1 run and are 18-5 in the month of June.

Next up for the Dodgers are a pair of two-game series with the Angels, with two hosted by the Dodgers before heading to Anaheim for the return dates. The home-and-home series starts Monday at 10:10 pm ET.

Jose Bautista Homers For 4th Straight Blue Jay Win; Bryce Harper's Walk-Off HR Keys Nationals Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 13, 2017

Bautista is heating up

American League

Toronto is beginning to find their groove, winning their fourth straight by taking down the visiting Mariners, 7-2, thanks to Jose Bautista's three-run homer.

Bautista came to the plate in the seventh with the score tied and two aboard for the Blue Jays, and promptly delivered his fifth home run of the season 438 feet away into the stands past center field.

The blow broke a 2-2 tie, propelling the Jays to their third straight over the Mariners. They will be looking for the series sweep when the two teams meet on Sunday, 1:07 pn ET at the Rogers Centre.

The fact that the Jays are winning and Bautista - a six-time all-star who led the AL in home runs in 2010 and 2011 - is heating up is no coincidence. His bat is essential to Toronto's attack, especially since trading Edwin Encarnacion in the off-season and extended injuries to Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki. Bautista has homered in three of his last four games, driving in eight runs.

Harper: Walk-Off HR

Off to a very slow start with just 17 RBI and a .185 batting average, "Joey Bats" may be finding his best stroke as the Jays struggle to get out of last place in the AL East, where they trail the Yankees and Orioles by seven games.

National League

Bryce Harper only had one hit in Washington's 6-4 win over the Phillies Saturday at Nationals Park, but it was a decisive one, a two-run, walk-off blast with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

The home run was Harper's 11th on the season, to go with 31 RBI, tying him for third in the NL with Colorado's Mark Reynolds. Teammate Ryan Zimmerman leads the league with 36 RBI and also leads in batting (.397) and homers (13, tied with Milwaukee's Eric Thames).

The win was the first over the Phillies in their three-game series. With Friday night's game rained out, the teams will finish up with a double-headed on Sunday, the first game at 1:35 and the second starting at 7:05 pm ET.

Cubs Advance to NLCS on Javier Baez Blast; Jose Bautista Leads Blue Jays over Rangers; Toronto to Meet Royals in ALCS

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 14, 2015

American League

Bautista Sends Jays to ALCS

A pair of game fives took place Wednesday in the ALDS, with Toronto moving on past the Texas Rangers, 6-3, and the Royals disposing of the pesky Astros, 7-2.

In Toronto, Jose Bautista had he game-winner, stroking a three-run blast in the seventh which broke open a 3-3 tie.

The Royals advanced to their second straight ALCS, riding the two-hit pitching of Johnny Cueto to the victory. Cueto's only mistake was a second-inning homer with a man aboard to Luis Valbeuna. The Royals hung in, took the lead in the fifth inning and polished off the Astros with three more in the eighth.

The Royals host Toronto in game one of the AL Championship series, which gets underway Friday, October 16.

National League

Baez puts Cubs in NLCS

The Mets and Dodgers will go to a decisive game five after LA came back to take game four in New York, 3-1. Game five is slated for an 8:00 pm ET start on Thursday in Los Angeles. Zack Greinke goes to the hill for the Dodgers, while the Mets will start Jacob DeGrom.

In Chicago, the Cubs took down the Cardinals, the team with the best regular season record, 6-4, advancing to the NL Championship.

The Cubs continued to employ the long ball as their major force, socking three home runs in the clincher against St. Louis, the unlikely hero of the game, shortstop Javier Baez, who unloaded for a three-run homer in the second inning off Cardinal starter, John Lackey. Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber also homered for the Cubs.

Mets Grab NL East as Lucas Duda Blasts Grand Slam; Jose Bautista Homers Twice as Jays Drop Rays

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 26, 2015

American League

Duda: Grand Slam

Bautista: 2HR, 4RBI

Jose Bautista belted a first-inning, three-run homer off Tampa Bay starter, Chris Archer, and added a solo shot in the eighth to up his home run total to 39 and lead the Blue Jays to a 10-8 win over the visiting Rays.

With the Yankees winning, 2-1, over the White Sox in New York, Toronto's lead in the AL East remained at four games, the magic number to clinch the division crown down to five for the Blue Jays.

Bautista, fifth in the league in home runs, tied Baltimore's Chris Davis for second in the RBI tally, at 110. Fellow Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson leads the league with 121, and teammate Edwin Encarnacion completes the trio of Toronto players with more than 100 RBI, at 105, tied for fourth with Kansas City's Kendrys Morales.

The Blue Jays, winners of three straight, will look to sweep the Rays on Sunday afternoon and take another step closer to the division title. Game time is 1:07 pm EDT at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

National League

Closing the deal on the NL East with a rousing, 10-2, victory over the Reds, the NY Mets head to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Lucas Duda, who homered twice on Friday and drove in six runs, belted a first inning grand slam to get the Mets started before the Reds even got to bat.

Curtis Grandson added a solo shot in the second and David Wright ripped a three-run blast in the ninth for good measure. Starter Matt Havey scattered nine hits, allowing the Reds two runs over 6 2/3 innings. Harvey struck out six, improving to 13-7. Getting the division clincher over and done means that Harvey - and the rest of the pitching staff - will be fully rested for the opening game of the divisional round, whichever team emerges as a playoff opponent.

The Mets have an 8 1/2 game lead over the second-place Nationals and just seven games to play.

Jose Bautista Lead Blue Jays Past Orioles; Gerrit Cole Throws Seven Scoreless as Pirates Down Cardinals

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 6, 2015

American League


There is absolutely no letup in the AL East competition between the Blue Jays and Yankees. On Sunday, both teams took wins, the Yankees coming from behind to defeat the Rays at Yankee Stadium, 6-4, while the Blue Jays were dusting off the Orioles up in Toronto, 10-4.

Bautista: HR, 3RBI

Cole: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER

Baltimore used six relievers after starter Chris Tillman lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on eight hits. Toronto's assault was spearheaded by Jose Bautista, who smacked his 33rd homer of the season with one aboard in the first inning to put the Jays up 3-0. In the third, Bautista walked and scored on a Troy Tulowitski home run. Bautista doubled in another run and scored again in the sixth inning, finishing 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI.

Bautista's RBI total stands at 94, second on the team and just one ahead of teammate Edwin Encarnacion. The two are fourth and fifth in the league, respectively. Another Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson, leads the major with 114 RBI.

Both the Blue Jays and Yankees completed their series on Sunday, winning two of three. Toronto starts a three-game series in Boston on Monday. The Yankees host Baltimore.

National League

Gerrit Cole threw seven innings of shutout ball as the Pirates tried to apply the brakes to the season-long runaway freight train that has been the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cole allowed two hits, three walks, and struck out seven, leading Pittsburgh to a 7-1 win over the Central division front runners. In he process, Cole earned his 16th win against eight losses and the Pirates gained to within 5 1/2 games in the division race.

Pittsburgh took two of three in the series at St. Louis, but still faces an uphill battle to catch the Cardinals. The two teams will meet just three more times this season, in a series at Pittsburgh September 28-30, the second-last series of the season for both teams.

Having logged 180 innings already, the Pirates will be looking to Cole down the stretch and into the playoffs for deep starts. If they can't catch the Cardinals, Pittsburgh is still looking at the wild card. They lead the Cubs by three games for the first wild card spot and home field in the one-game playoff. The Washington Nationals are the next in line, but they are a full 10 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh.

The Pirates open a three-game series in Cincinnati on Monday, while the Cardinals host the Cubs.

Jose Bautista, Toronto Put Dent in Seattle Post-Season Hope in 14-4 Win; Francisco Liriano Wins 4th Straight for Pirates

Players of the Day for Monday, September 22, 2014

American League

Bautista: 35 HRs

Denied a chance at the post-season, the Toronto Blue Jays - an offensive juggernaut - may be putting an end to the hopes of the Seattle mariners, one of the weakest-hitting teams in the league, and still in contention for a wild card spot.

Jose Bautista and his Toronto teammates combined for 16 hits in a 14-4 rousting of the Mariners in the opener of a four-game series north of the border.

Bautista went 3-for-3 with two singles, scored three times, drove in two, and stroked his 35th home run of the season.

Seattle's loss left them two games behind Kansas City for the final wild card position, with just six games left in the regular season. Unless the Mariners can find some runs and stop the Blue Jays from scoring at will, the season may be over sooner than they wish. Toronto is fifth in RBI (2231) in the league and fourth in runs (699). Seattle is 13th in RBI (1971) and 12th in runs (615).

National League

Liriano wins 4th
straight

After a 3-10 start, Francisco Liriano has found his good stuff and the rest of the league simply can't hit it. The resurgence of Liriano in the Pittsburgh rotation has come at the most opportune time, as the Pirates are putting it all together, and, with a combination of two more wins or two Milwaukee losses will qualify for the post season as a wild card.

Following Monday's 1-0 win over the Braves, Pittsburgh is tied with the Giants for the two wild card spots. Milwaukee is a fading five games back.

Giving up three hits, Lirano tossed six innings of shutout ball in the game for his fourth straight win, lifted when Andrew McCutchen launched his 24th home run of the season off loser Aaron Harang in the top of the frame for the game's only run.

In his last four starts, Liriano has been nothing short of electric, allowing 13 hits and just one earned run over 26 innings.

Pittsburgh plays at Atlanta in the second game of their four-game series Tuesday at 7:10 pm EDT.

In related news, the NY Mets won their third straight and tied Atlanta for second place in the East division. Atlanta has lost four in a row and nine of their last 10.

Jose Bautista's Two Homers Wasted as Yankees Topple Blue Jays; Yasiel Puig Legs Out Three Triples in Dodger Victory

Players of the Day for Friday, July 25, 2014

American League

Bautista: 2HR, 4RBI

Jose Bautista socked two homers - a three-run shot in the first inning and a solo job in the third - both off Yankee starter, Hiroki Kuroda - doubled later and accounted for all of Toronto's scoring, in a 6-4 loss at Yankee Stadium.

After the second Bautista home run, Kuroda (7-6) settled down, lasting 5 2/3rds innings for the win, moving the Yankees into sole possession of second place in the AL East, three games off the pace being set by the Baltimore Orioles (2-1 winners at Seattle). Toronto fell to four games out.

The pair of shots gave Bautista 20 homers on the year, marking the fifth straight season he's had at least 20 home runs. The Toronto slugger also has 60 RBI and is batting .297.

The Blue Jays will try to even the series at a game apiece, Saturday at 1:05 pm EDT.

National League

Puig: 3 Triples

The Dodgers opened their three-game series at San Francisco with a resounding, 8-1, triumph, clawing to within half a game of the NL West-leading Giants.

Yasiel Puig tied a 113-year-old franchise record with three triples and the team tied a franchise mark with five triples in the game, the most by a Dodger team since 1921.

Puig's extreme night of cardio work matched the effort of Jimmy Sheckard, a left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1901. Puig, playing his first game this season as the LA center fielder, added a double, drove in two runs and scored a pair.

Puig has eight triples on the season, is batting.315 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI.

Game two of the series is slated for a 6:05 pm PDT start on Saturday.

Jose Bautista Powers Blue Jays over Rays in 10; Cliff Lee Goes the Distance in Phillies' 3-0 Win over Miami

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 22, 2013

American League

It's still May, so there's plenty of time for the AL East's last-place Toronto Blue Jays to get back into the race; they have too much talent to be written off so early.

Bautista:
4-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI

The best the Jays can hope for is that the teams ahead of them beat each other senseless, and Toronto can do further damage when they play teams in their division head-to-head.

That exact situation arose Wednesday, as the Orioles topped division-leading New York by a 6-3 tally while Toronto did their part, taking down the Rays, 4-2, in 10 innings.

Jose Bautista drove in all of Toronto's runs, going 4-for-4 with a pair of solo homers and singles in the first and last innings to get the Blue Jays both on the board and off the field with a win.

The 2010 and 2011 AL home run champ belted his 10th in the fourth inning and his 11th in the ninth to send the game into an extra inning. With two down and two aboard in the 10th, Bautista delivered a single to right, scoring Colby Rasmus with the game-winner.

Taking two of three from the visiting Rays, Toronto (19-27) is now nine games behind the Yankees in the division.

National League

Lee: CG, 3H, 5Ks

Despite Atlanta winning their sixth straight, the Phillies have managed to stay close to the NL East leaders, just 5 1/2 games back after defeating the Miami Marlins in Miami, 3-0.

Going the distance for the Phillies was Cliff Lee, who improved to 5-2 on the year with his first shutout and complete game of the season.

Lee fanned five and walked two while limiting the Marlins to just three hits - all singles - throwing 85 of his 115 pitches for strikes.

The win was the 12th career shutout and 27th complete game for the 34-year-old hurler, in a major league career which dates back to 2002, when he broke in with the Cleveland Indians.

The Phillies won the last two games of the series after dropping the opener and stand at 23-24, in third place in the division. Washington holds second place, 4 1/2 behind the Braves.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the all-time career record for shutouts?

Yesterday's Answer: St. Louis speedster, Vince Coleman, swiped 109 bases in 1987.

Jose Bautista Ties for AL HR Lead as Blue Jays Roll; Carlos Beltran Leads Cardinals over Royals

Players of the Day for Friday, June 22, 2012

American League

Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista rocked his 23rd home run as the Toronto Blue Jays - tied with Boston for last place in the AL East, 5 1/2 behind the Yankees - rolled past the Miami Marlins, 12-5 on Friday.

The Blue Jays and Boston have identical 38-34 records, but are cursed - for now, at least - with playing in the ultra-competitive AL East, the only division in the major leagues in which all five teams are over .500.

Ricky Romero picked up his eighth win against one loss, despite giving up four runs over seven innings.

Bautista, who led the AL in home runs each of the past two seasons, drove in three runs, going 3-for-4 and tied Adam Dunn of the White Sox for the league home run lead.

The win was the first of a three game series in Miami.

National League

Carlos Beltran

With a pair of doubles in five at-bats, Carlos Beltran - an off-season acquisition by the world champion Cardinals - drove in four runs to lead St. Louis to an easy, 7-4 win over the Royals, in the opener of their three game series in Kansas City.

Beltran doubled home two runs in the first inning and repeated the effort in the second, as the Cardinals plated ten baserunners in the opening two innings.

St. Louis continued in hot pursuit of the Reds, who lead the NL Central by three games over St. Louis, but saw their lead over Pittsburgh reduced to one game as Cincinnati lost their fourth straight.

Beltran has 52 RBI on the season, second in the NL to Matt Kemp, who leads with 55.

Jose Bautista Leads Blue Jays to Sweep of Yankees; Brandon Beachy Shuts Out Miami as Atlanta Takes First in NL East

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 17, 2012

American League

Jose Bautista socked his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning that erased an early 1-0 Yankee lead, and scored on J.P. Arencibia's seventh inning homer, as the Blue Jays took both of their two game series against New York in Toronto with a 4-1 win.

Jose Bautista

Bautista went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, singling with one out in the seventh inning before Arencibia's homer to left field off Yankee reliever Corey Wade put the game out of reach.

The Blue Jays took over third place from the Yankees by 1/2 game. They are four games behind the Orioles, who lead the division with the best record in the AL at 25-14 after defeating Kansas City, 5-3, Thursday. The O's are a game ahead of the Rays, who lost to the Red Sox by the same 5-3 score.

The Blue Jays, if they are to make up any ground on the Orioles and Rays, will have their work cut out for them over their next four series. The play three interleague games against the Mets in Toronto this weekend, then head on the road for a pair of three-game sets with Tampa Bay and the Texas Rangers before returning home for three with the Orioles.


National League

Atlanta's in first place and Brandon Beachy appears headed straight to July's All Star Game.

Brandon Beachy

The Braves earned a split in the their two game series against Miami with a 7-0 victory over the Marlins, vaulted past the Nationals - 5-3 losers to Pittsburgh - into the top spot in the NL East and have won five of their last seven.

Beachy, the second year starter who is quickly becoming the ace of the staff, notched his first major league complete game and first shutout, breezing through the Marlins lineup without allowing a walk, setting down the last nine batters he faced in order.

Beachy allowed just five his, fanning eight, as he earned his fifth victory against one loss. He's tied for second in the league in wins and his 1.33 ERA leads all NL starters. Beachy threw a season high 122 pitches, locating 80 of them for strikes.

The Braves head to Tampa Bay Friday for a three game series with the Rays.

Jose Bautista, JP Arencibia Lead Blue Jays to Longest Opening Day Win; Roy Halladay Blanks Pirates in 1-0 Victory

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 5, 2012

American League

Bautista: 3-4, HR 2 RBI

Jose Bautista started the 2012 season with a strong message for opposing pitchers as the AL home run leader the past two seasons belted a homer and added a pair of singles and two RBI in four at-bats, helping the Toronto Blue Jays to an opening day, 7-4, 16-inning win at Cleveland.

Arencibia: 3R Homer

The contest was the longest opening day game in MLB history, ended when catcher JP Arencibia got his first hit of the season, a three-run homer that plated teammates Brett Lawrie and Omar Vizquel.

Following the Arencibia blast, Toronto's Luis Perez and Sergio Santos put three Cleveland batters down in order to end the game.

Toronto had scored just one run - on Bautista's homer - before they rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to tie the game. The Indians scored four second-inning runs off starter Ricky Romero but failed to find home plate for the rest of the game as a parade of seven Toronto pitchers held them scoreless for the next 14 innings.


National League

Halladay: 8IP, 2H, 5K

There have been some changes in Philadelphia since the end of last season, but at least one thing has remained the same: Roy Halladay is still one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.

Halladay worked over the Pittsburgh Pirates for eight innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five without issuing a walk and Jonathan Papelbon got his first National League save with a hitless ninth as the visiting Phillies topped the Pirates, 1-0.

The Phillies scratched out their lone run in the seventh inning when Carlos Ruiz got Ty Wiggington home with a sacrifice fly.

Of five National League openers, only the Mets and Reds won at home. The Phillies joined the Dodgers and the Nationals as road victors.

Tommy Joseph Thrills Locals in Scottsdale as Giants Pound Brewers, 13-3; Jose Bautista Belts a Pair for Blue Jays

MLB Players of the Day for Saturday, March 10, 2012

Grapefruit League

Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista is picking up right where he left off last season, banging a pair of homers and driving in three runs in three at-bats in Toronto's 5-3 win over Houston, before 2,815 spectators at the Blue Jays Spring training home in Dunedin, Florida.

Bautista connected for a two-run blast - his first bomb of the Spring - off Astro starter Zack Duke in the third inning and sent the first pitch he saw from right-hander Jordan Lyles over the 400-foot sign in right center field in the fifth.

In 2011, Bautista slammed 43 homers to lead the American League for the second straight season, driving in 103 runs for the Jays. The slugging right-fielder had 54 in 2010 with 124 RBI.

Cactus League

Tommy Joseph

San Francisco pounded six Milwaukee pitchers for 16 hits in a 13-3 shellacking Saturday in front of 11,834 fans at the Giants' Spring home in Scottsdale, AZ.

Barry Zito worked three scoreless innings for his second win of the exhibition season, and promising rookie prospect Tommy Joseph belted a pair of home runs, driving in four runs in three at-bats.

Joseph, who has never played in a major league game, is batting .444 (4-for-9) in four games thus far and has driven in six runs. Having played high school ball in Scottsdale, 21-year-old Joseph thrilled the locals with his performance on Saturday. He played with Class A Advanced San Jose last season, ripping 22 home runs and 95 RBI while being named to California League postseason All-Star team.

Bautista, Encarnacion Lead Blue Jays to Wild, 11-10, Win over Red Sox; Carpenter Blanks Brewers, 2-0, on Four Hits

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 7, 2011

American League

With the Yankees losing to Baltimore, 5-4, in 11 innings during the afternoon, the Red Sox had an opportunity to pick up a game on the AL East leaders. After blanking the Blue Jays, 14-0, the day before, Boston players probably thought they had a shot at taking two straight with Tim Wakefield going to the mound.

Encarnacion: 5 RBI

Things didn't quite work out as the teams battled to an 11-10 decision in favor of Toronto, aided by Jose Bautista, who only had one hit (and it wasn't a home run) and some key contributions from streaky Edwin Encarnacion.

Bautista was such a thorn in the side of Boston pitchers that he was walked twice, but smacked a ground rule double in the third inning, but then proceeded, with two outs, to steal third base and home, boosting the Blue Jays' lead to 5-3 at the time.

Jose Bautista

The Red Sox scored four in the next half inning and another in the top of the 5th, putting themselves ahead 8-5, but Encarnacion, who drove in the first Toronto run with a sac fly in the first, struck back with an RBI single in the 7th and delivered a bases-loaded double in the 8th, plating three more to put the Jays up 11-8. Boston scored two more in the top of the 9th, falling a run short of tying the game.

Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with five RBI. Bautista was 1-for-2, with two steals, two runs and two RBI, giving him 94 on the year.

Jacoby Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 12 games, going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI. His name being tossed around MVP discussions, Ellsbury is batting .316 (6th in the AL), with 25 home runs, 88 RBI and 36 steals (3rd in the AL). The Red Sox remained 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the division.

National League

Chris Carpenter

Time continues to work against the St. Louis Cardinals, though they're doing their best in what seems a futile effort to catch the Brewers in the NL Central.

The Cardinals took the rubber game of their three-game set with Milwaukee, winning 2-0, on the strength of Chris Carpenter's 4-hit shutout.

It was the righty's third complete game of the season and first shutout. Carpenter has thrown 14 shutouts in his 14-year major league career.

Evening his record at 9-9, Carpenter walked two and struck out five, needing only 97 pitches (64 strikes) to mow down the potent Brewer lineup. The Cardinals took the last two from Milwaukee, but still trail the Brewers by 8 1/2 games in the division. They did get some help from the Phillies in the wild card race, as they downed the Braves, 3-2, cutting their lead over St. Louis to 6 1/2 games.

Bautista Leads Jays to Win at St. Louis; Fielder Powers Brewers Past Twins

Players of the Day for Friday, June 24, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

Toronto hasn't been winning much of late, but they're getting plenty of mileage out of their superstar slugger, right fielder Jose Bautista.

Playing in St. Louis, Bautista doubled and scored in the 1st inning, was intentionally walked and eventually scored again in the 5th, and belted his major-league-leading 23rd home run in the 9th inning, a solo shot that broke a 4-4 tie and ensured a 5-4 win for the Blue Jays.

The win ended a four-game losing skid for the Jays, but they've fallen 7 1/2 games behind in the AL East, a division in which it is difficult to gain on the contenders. The consolation for Toronto was that their win cost the Cardinals a tie for first place in the NL Central, where the Brewers now lead by a game.

Baustista will be mentioned as an MVP candidate. His .326 batting average is third in the AL, and he has 48 RBI to go with those 23 homers.

National League

Prince Fielder

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in sole possession of first place in the NL Central after Prince Fielder drove in the game-tying and game-winning runs in a 4-3 win over Minnesota.

Like most teams, the Twins tried pitching around Fielder, walking him in the 4th and 5th innings. It didn't work out so well in the 4th, as Fielder scored the Brewers' first run, though with first base open with runners on second and third in the 5th, it was the right move, as struggling Casey McGehee flied out to end the inning.

In the seventh, however, after Danny Valencia's three-run homer in the 6th had put the Twins up by a 3-2 score, Fielder came to the plate with runners on first and third, there was no choice but to pitch to him and the result was a two-run game-winning double to right field, driving home both Ricky Weeks from third and Nyger Morgan, who streaked around from score from first.

Fielder is having a monster year, second in the league with 20 home runs and leading the RBI race with 65. Being in first place is its own reward for Fielder and the Brew crew.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The National League won eight games, the American League, six, which eliminated the once-burgeoning AL advantage. The two leagues are now tied for the season in interleague play, each with 70 wins.

Lincecum Goes Distance in 3-0 Win; Bautista Homers Twice for Toronto

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 21, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista isn't exactly on record-setting pace, though he's awfully close.

With two more homers in Toronto's 7-5 victory over Houston, Bautista blasted numbers 17 and 18, which would translate into 61-65 homers, depending on how healthy he remains and how many games he plays.

Trailing 4-0, Bustista's three-run shot in the 6th inning got the Blue Jays back within striking distance. In the 7th, Toronto added three more runs to take the lead for good, punctuated by Bautista's second homer of the game, a trademark solo shot to left in the 8th inning. He also singled and stole a base, raising his league-leading average to .364.

The win kept the Blue Jays in the hunt for the AL East lead. Tampa Bay and the Yankees are tied for first with Boston 1/2 game back, as their seven-game win streak was ended in a 9-3 loss to the Cubs. Toronto is 1 1/2 out of first place, at 23-22. Baltimore trails in the division, but are only four games off the pace.

National League

Tim Lincecum

After giving up nine hits, six walks and seven runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings in Monday's 7-4 loss to Colorado, Tim Lincecum was looking to bounce back with a better performance against crosstown rival Oakland as the two Bay-area teams matched up in an interleague series.

The Giants took the first of the three-game set Friday, 2-1, in 10 innings, on stingy pitching and Aubrey Huff's walk-off RBI single. In Saturday's 3-0 win, Lincecum displayed the determination that has made him one of baseball's premiere power pitchers.

Lincecum yielded only three harmless singles - in the 1st, 8th and 9th innings - putting down 21 straight batters in between - going the route to even his record at 4-4. It was his first complete game and first shutout of 2011, equalling last season's totals.

Throwing 133 pitches (84 for strikes), Lincecum did not allow a walk and fanned six. Better yet, it was the Giants' fourth straight win and put them up 2 1/2 games on Colorado, 3-2 losers at Milwaukee.

DIAMOND NOTES: The National League won eight of the 14 interleague games on Saturday, keeping them in the lead, 17-11, over the American League. A consideration for MLB: how about interleague games counting for home field advantage in the World Series, instead of basing it on just one game - the All-Star game - as it is now?

Bautista Socks Three Homers in Blue Jay Win;

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 15, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

Prior to last season, Jose Bautista had never hit more than 16 home runs in a season, yet he shocked the baseball world in 2010 by leading the majors in homers.

A subtle change in his stance and approach at the plate turned Bautista into a wall-crashing dynamo, making a shambles of the home run "race." By the time he was done, there was a huge gulf between Bautista and his nearest competitor. In the AL, Paul Konerko finished second in homers with 39. Albert Pujols led the NL with 42, both well short of Bautista's 54.

To the surprise of many, Bautista is at it again, socking three more long flies to up his MLB-best total to 16, as the Blue Jays topped the Twins, 11-3.

Bautista went 3-for-5 - all homers - drove in four runs and scored three times. His lead in the AL home run race is three better than the Yankees' Curtis Granderson, who also seems to have found his power stroke later in life.

Riding a seven-game hitting streak, Bautista is hitting .462 (12-for-26) with six dingers and 12 RBI over that span.

With Boston taking three straight from the Yankees, Toronto has benefitted. The Blue Jays are tied with Baltimore, just three games behind division-leading Tampa Bay and a game behind New York. Boston trails the division, but the Red Sox are only 3 1/2 off the pace.

National League

Ryan Braun

Over the weekend, the Cincinnati Reds swept three games from the St. Louis Cardinals, reclaiming first place in the NL Central.

With the Reds tearing up the top of the division, Milwaukee kept pace with a three-game sweep over the Pirates, culminating in Sunday's 9-6 win.

At the center of the action, as usual, was the Brewers' slugging left fielder, Ryan Braun, who socked his league-leading 13th home run and also tripled in three at-bats. Braun's first inning, three run homer got the Brewers off to a fast start and his triple in the second extended the early lead.

Milwaukee was up 6-0 before the Pirates rallied for five run in the 5th inning, but the Brewers notched two more in the bottom half of the frame and cruised to victory. Braun is batting .309 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI (3rd in the NL). The Brewers are in third place, four games behind the Reds, who lead the Cardinals by 1 1/2.

Bautista Batting .396 for Blue Jays; Gallardo Fans 9 in 5 for Brewers

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 26, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

One of the biggest surprises of the 2010 season was undeniably the home run power produced by the bat of Toronto's Jose Bautista, who led the AL in long balls with 54. Buatista was also 3rd in the AL with 124 RBI.

From the way Toronto's slugging 3rd baseman is stinging the ball this Spring, it appears that last season's exploits were no fluke, but rather the result of a change in stance and approach at the dish. In Saturday's 7-6 win over the Phillies, Bautista went 3-for-4, each of his hits a double, and drove in three runs as the Blue Jays amassed 13 hits.

Always one to get the most out of exhibition games, Bautista has 3 homers and 13 RBi over 17 games, along with a robust batting average of .396.

National League

Yovani Gallardo

It took ten innings for Milwaukee to finally push another run across the plate and knock off the Seattle Mariners, 2-1, but well before that, Seattle batters were baffled by the deliveries from Yovani Gallardo, who didn't get the win, but fanned nine Mariners over the first five innings.

Gallardo allowed just four hits and didn't allow a run and walked only one batter in his fnal tune-up prior to opening day.

In five starts this Spring, Gallardo went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 23 Ks over 18 1-3 innings. The strikeout tally is nothing new for the righty. He punched out 204 batters in 2009 and another 200 in 2010.

Bautista Making MVP Case; Phillips, Reds Ready to Roll into Playoffs

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 30, 2010

American League

As a team, the Toronto Blue Jays have hit 253 home runs, the fourth-highest total by a team in major league history, and still have a shot to tie or break the record set by the 1997 Seatle Mariners of 264.

The trouble is, their remaining games are being played at spacious Target Field in Minnesota, which has quickly become known as the place where long fly balls go to die. That didn't seem to have an effect on the thundering Blue Jays Thursday night, when they sent six balls out of the park, including two by AL and major league home run leader, Jose Bautista.

Bautista may have cemented himself a 2010 MVP award with a 7th inning grand slam and a 9th inning solo shot to right field, the first opposite field home run of his career. That gave Bautista 54 on the year, quite an accomplishment in the post-steroid era, and 124 RBI, second only to Miguel Cabrera's 126 in the AL.

The Jays pounded the Twins, 13-2, in the first of four games which will conclude the season. The fact that the Twins have already secured the AL Central crown could work to Toronto's advantage as Minnesota will probably empty their bullpen in the remaining three games, meaning that Toronto batters should be swinging for the fences this weekend.

National League

The Cincinnati Reds have a few more days in which to loosen up and get their players ready for the post season.

From all appearances, they're loose and ready, after knocking off the Astros, 9-1, on Thursday night.

Brandon Phillips is surely showing signs that he's geared up for the post-season, as the spunky second baseman slugged a two-run homer, singled in another run and stole a base in the Reds' win.

The home run was Phillips' 18th of the year, to go with 16 steals. He finished the night, 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and scored a run.

PENNANT NOTES: San Francisco took another step closer to winning the NL West with a 4-1 win over Arizona, while the Padres took a heart-breaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Cubs, falling three games behind the Giants and ensuring the best they could do is tie for the division lead.

To do so, they'll have to win all of their remaining games, which just happen to be the three they're playing in San Francisco this weekend. The Giants can clinch the division by winning any one of the game, beginning Friday night.

The Padres risk missing the playoffs altogether, as they are two games behind the Braves in the wild card race. Atlanta hosts Philadephia in a three-game, regular season-ending series starting Friday.

Rays Win Despite Two Bautista Homers; Tulowitzki, Rockies Win 9th Straight

Players of the Day for Friday, September 10, 2010 American League Against most teams, a seven-run lead is usually safe, but the Toronto Blue Jays are not like most teams, as Tampa Bay found out Friday night. The Blue Jays rallied from an 8-1 deficit on the strength of four long balls, two by AL home run leader Jose Bautista, whose second two-run blast of the contest tied the game in the bottom of the 7th inning. Bautista hit his 45th in the 5th inning after Adam Lind belted a two-run job in the 4th. Catcher John Buck sent a solo shot out in the 7th before Bautista crushed #46. The Jays lead the majors in home runs and continue to play solid baseball. They are, however, stuck in the wrong division, trailing the Yankees by 15 games with both Tampa Bay and Boston also in front of them. Despite the power display by the Blue Jays, Tampa Bay came back to win the game as even Longoria scored the winning run in the top of the 9th, when Yunel Escobar threw wildly to first base, attempting to complete a double play. Longoria had advanced from second to third on the play, and scooted home when the ball sailed into foul ground for the 9-8 victory. Hours later, the Yankees would lose to the Rangers, 6-5, in 16 innings, to lead the Rays by 1 1/2 in the AL East. The Rays are virtually assured of reaching the playoffs for the second time in three years as they hold a 7 1/2 game lead over Boston and Chicago in the wild card race. Toronto added to their home run total, which now stands at 222. With 141 games already in the books, they still need to hit two per game, on average, the rest of the way to tie the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the major league record of 264 home runs by a team in one season. National League Making up for lost time, Troy Tulowitzki has been hammering baseballs all over National League parks. The Colorado shortstop spent the latter half of June and most of July on the DL, but since returning to full health, he's raised his batting average from .306 to .327, challenging teammate Carlos Gonzalez for the batting title. The rest of the Rockies couldn't be happier, as they've won eight straight and now trail the co-leaders in the NL West - San Diego and San Francisco - by just 2 1/2 games. The Giants finally caught the Padres, beating them for the second straight game. The Giants used six pitchers to complete a 1-0 shutout and tie up the division. While those two battled, Tulowitzki was leading the Rockies, going 3-for-3, with a pair of home runs, one of the traditional variety and another an inside-the-park kind. His other hit was a run-producing double. He finished with three RBI and scored four times as the Rockies trampled the Diamondbacks, 13-4. "Tulo" has hit safely in nine of his last ten games, going 16-36 (.444) with 8 home runs and 17 RBI. Gonzalez went hitless for the second straight game following a 16-game hitting streak that led him to the league's batting lead. He was up to .340, but has since fallen to .335. PENNANT NOTES: In the AL Central, the Twins lost and the White Sox won, to Minnesota's lead is back to an even five games. Texas beat the Yankees, lowering their magic number to clinch to AL West to 15. The Phillies and Braves each won, so Philadelphia remains one game in front in the NL East. St. Louis lost to Atlanta while the Reds beat Pittsburgh, 4-3, so Cincinnati's lead in the Central is back up to six games. While the Rays or Yankees will almost surely be the AL wild card, the NL is a bit more complicated. St. Louis looks like the odd team out, as they will probably have to catch the Reds to reach the post-season at all. They trail the Braves - currently the wild card leader - by 6 1/2 games, but San Francisco and San Diego are both a game behind the Braves, with Colorado 3 1/2 back.