Marwin Gonzalez Homers As Houston Wins 4th Straight; Mets' Jose Reyes Drives In 5

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 3, 2017

American League

While the races are tight - albeit it's only early May - in the AL East and Central divisions, the Houston Astros are threatening to run away in the West.

Marwin Gonzlaez

Houston's 10-1 rout of the Texas Rangers was their fourth straight victory, taking the third in a row from visiting Texas.

Marwin Gonzalez had two hits and whacked a two-run homer to center in the sixth inning for a 6-1 lead. Gonzalez has four homers in his last three games, socking a pair against Texas on Tuesday, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth, boosting Houston to an 8-7 win. He also homered against Oakland on Sunday in Houston's 7-2 win. The sixth-year first baseman did not play in Monday's 6-2 win over the Rangers. He's batting .246 with eight home runs and 19 RBI.

Houston leads the Angels by 4 1/2 games in the division. Seattle is in third, though seven games out. At 19-9, Houston has the best record in the majors and will try for a sweep of the Rangers when they meet Thursday, 2:10 pm ET at Minute Maid Park.

Reyes: 5 RBI

National League

Jose Reyes set a career mark, driving in five runs in the Mets' 16-5 victory at Atlanta.

Reyes went 2-for-5, starting with a two-run single in the third inning. Following with a sac fly in the fifth, Reyes capped off his big night with a bases-loaded double that sent three runners to the plate in the eighth inning as the game got completely out of hand.

The Mets racked up 20 hits of six Atlanta hurlers, scoring seven times in the eighth after already leading 9-5.

New York's win put the Braves temporarily back into last place in the NL East, with the Mets just 1/2 game better. The battle for last place continues on Thursday at 7:35 pm ET in Atlanta. New York has taken two of three.

Jose Reyes, Chad Jenkins Lead Blue Jays in 19 Innings; Devin Mesoraco's Grand Slam, Two-Run Homer Lifts Reds

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 10, 2014

American League

Jose Reyes

Chad Jenkins

It took the Blue Jays over six-and-a-half hours, 22 players and 19 innings, but they eventually beat the Tigers, 6-5, taking the series two games to one, and back into second place in the AL East.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 19th, Jose Bautista lashed a single down the right field line to bring home Munenori Kawasaki with the walk-off, game winner. It was Bautista's only hit of the game (1-for-8), made possible by Jose Reyes, who went 4-for-9 and was on second base when Bautista delivered the victory blow.

Of Reyes' four singles, one came in the seventh, making the score, 5-3, in favor of Detroit; another was in the bottom of the ninth and drove in Anthony Gose to tie the game at 5-all. The Tigers scored all of their runs by the fourth inning and were shut out for 15 straight frames, the last six by Chad Jenkins, who gave up seven hits and a walk, but kept the Tigers off the scoreboard. Normally a set-up guy, Jenkins has not given up an earned run in his last 14 2/3 innings, a streak dating back to June 26.

It was the second straight day that a game had gone 19 innings, the first time that has occurred in baseball history. On Saturday, the Angels outlasted the Red Sox, winning on a 19th-inning solo homer by Albert Pujols. That game took 6:21, six minutes less than the Blue Jays-Tigers extravaganza.

Mesoraco: 2HR 6RBI

With Baltimore winning and the Yankees losing, the Blue Jays find themselves five games behind the Orioles and a game better than New York. The Tigers, losers of five of their last seven, hold a slim 1/2-game lead over the surging Royals, who won their seventh straight, topping the Giants, 7-4.

National League

The Reds continue to hang on in the NL Central, in fourth place, five game behind Milwaukee, and are among five teams within 2 1/2 games of each other in search of two NL wild card positions.

On Sunday, catcher Devin Mesoraco drove in six runs with a pair of homers - a two-run shot in the first and a grand slam in the fifth - for a 7-2 Cincinnati win over visiting Miami.

The Reds, who slumped badly following the all-star break, losing seven straight and nine of ten, have regained some of their winning ways, going 8-5 since July 29.

Mesoraco has aided in the resurgence, batting .297 with 20 homers and 61 RBI.

Jose Reyes Leads Blue Jays; Franklin Gutierrez Drives in 4 for Blazing Mariners

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 2, 2013

Grapefruit League

Reyes: 3-for-3, HR

After a failed experiment by the Marlins resulted in a mass exodus, the acquisition of Jose Reyes from Florida by the Blue Jays might just be the key to Toronto winning the weakened AL East this season.

The scintillating shortstop had it all going on in Toronto's 11-6 runaway win over the Phillies, clubbing his first home run of the Spring while going 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs.

Reyes had an OK 2012 in Miami, batting .287 with 40 steals, but he will surely add speed and spark to the leadoff spot for Toronto in 2013. He's off to a blistering start, going 9-for-13 (.643) in his first five games.

Cactus League

Gutierrez: HR, 4RBI

Center field in Seattle appears to already be a settled position, as Franklin Gutierrez clubbed his third home run of the preseason in the Mariners' 9-5 win over the Dodgers.

Gutierrez played just 40 games for Seattle in 2012, sidelined by injuries most of the season, but has come to the Arizona training facility in great health and ready for a full campaign.

Homering and singling in three at-bats, Gutierrez drove in four runs, upping his total to seven. He's batting .364 (4-for-11) with all but one of his hits going over the fences.

Seattle is off to a swell start in Cactus league play, with an 8-1 record. Only 8-0 Kansas City is ahead of them in the standings.

Romero Shuts Out Cards; Longoria Bangs a Pair; Reyes Runs Wild; Halladay Gets 10th Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 26, 2011

American League

Evan Longoria

Tampa Bay pounded out 19 hits and scored 7 runs in the final two innings as they grounded the Houston Astros, 14-10. The top three hitters in the lineup, Johnny Damon, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria had 11 hits between them with Longoria going 4-for-6 with a double, two homers - his 8th and 9th - three runs and five RBI.

Longoria's numbers (.253, 9, 33) are down this season due to having missed almost all of April due to injury, but he's coming around fine, with 8 hits, 3 homers and 10 RI in his last three games.

Ricky Romero

The Rays trail the Yankees by two games in the AL East and Boston by 1 1/2.

In St. Louis, Ricky Romero evened his record at 7-7 with a four-hit, 5-0, shutout of the Cardinals. It was Romero's sixth career complete game and second shutout. He walked two and struck out five, using 106 pitches to get the much-needed win for the Blue Jays, who have fallen seven games off the pace in the AL East, though they are playing .500 ball, at 30=9-39.

National League

Roy Halladay picked up his 10th win of the season against three losses, leading the first place Phillies to a 3-1 win over Oakland. It was Hallady's fifth complete game of the season, despite not having thrown a shutout.

Roy Halladay

It wasn't the prettiest performance by the two-time Cy Young award winner, who scattered eight hits and only struck out four batters, though he did not issue any walks. Halladay is second in the NL in strikeouts, with 123, behind Clayton Kershaw's 128. He is also tied for wins with Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens.

Jose Reyes

The Phillies have the largest lead in the majors, a five-game bulge over Atlanta.

Down in Texas, the Mets won their second straight after dropping the opener of the series, whipping the Rangers, 8-5. Jose Reyes continued his remarkable season, going 4-for-5 with an RBI a stolen base, three runs and his 14th triple of the year, easily tops in the majors.

Reyes leads the NL not only in triples, but also in hits (113), runs (61) and batting average (.341).

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The AL continued to stretch its narrow lead on the NL, winning eight, while the NL won six, putting the AL up by four, at 86-82.

Sox, Mets Go Back to Work with Wins

American League Toronto 4 Boston 7 - The All-Star break behind them, Boston wasted no time at all getting back to business, as their power hitters, David Ortiz (right) and Manny Ramirez combined for 5 RBI. Ortiz was 3-5 with 2 runs driven in, while Manny went 2-4 and knocked home 3. NY Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 3 - The Yankees know that now is the time to begin making up ground on Boston and at least get themselves into position to challenge for the AL East title. To that end, Alex Rodriguez smacked his 31st home run of the season, sandwiched between solo shots by Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, all in the 4th inning. The homers broke a 1-1 tie and propelled the Yanks to the .500 mark at 43-43. New York's next 26 games are all against teams with losing records - Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore, Chicago and Kansas City. During the same span, Boston, while playing some of the same teams, will also be tangling with Cleveland, Seattle and Los Angeles. Oakland 2 Minnesota 6 - Michael Cuddyer went 4-4 with a double, triple and a pair of singles. The win keeps the Twins in the hunt, 7 games back of Detroit in the Al Central, while sending the A's below .500 (43-44) with their 4th straight loss, 9 1/2 behind the Angels in the West. Detroit 2 Seattle 3 - The Mariners got all of their runs in a decisive 5th inning, and J.J. Putz notched his 25th save, temporarily moving Seattle to within 2 games of the idle LA Angels. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 9 Baltimore 7 National League Cincinnati 2 NY Mets 3 - Jose Reyes (right) and Ruben Gotay led off the game with back-to-back homers off Bronson Arroyo, and Orlando Hernandez held the Reds to 2 runs on just 3 hits over 6 innings for the win.

A-Rod Rocks 30th; Rookie Pence Leads NL at .342

American League Boston 5 Detroit 6 - The Tigers completed the 3-game sweep of Boston, leaving the Red Sox a little bruised heading into the break, though still 10 games clear of the Yankees and Blue Jays in the AL East. The Tigers took sole possession of first place in the Central by a game of Cleveland, who lost a squeaker at Toronto. Detroit has won five straight. With all the milestones being reached this season, Gary Sheffield may want to add his name to the watch list. He needs 24 more homers for 500, crashing his 21st of the season in the Detroit win. LA Angels 0 NY Yankees 12 - It's only fitting that Alex Rodriguez (right) would make one more appearance as the star of the day just prior to the All-Star break. Rodriguez joined teammates Hikedi Matsui and Robinson Cano in 3-run homer derby against the Angels on Sunday. Never outdone, A-Rod also added a run-scoring single and was aboard for Matsui's homer, to lead the Bombers with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. At the break, A-Rod has posted MVP-like numbers: .317, 30 home runs and 86 RBI. Keep the record books handy and the doors to the Hall of Fame wide open. Rodriguez, a native New Yorker who will turn 32 on July 27, needs just six more homers to reach 500, and 67 more RBI to make it an even 1500. Just for good measure, check out the 250 stolen bases, .306 lifetime batting average and .577 slugging percentage. Barry, are you paying attention? Cleveland 0 Toronto 1 - Josh Towers worked a perfect game into the 6th inning, threw 3-hit, shutout ball for 8 innings, but didn't get the decision as Alex Rios' single with one out in the ninth sent Reed Johnson to the plate with the winning run. The Jays took 2 of 3 from the Indians and have won 3 of their last 4. Seattle 7 Oakland 3 - The Mariners banged out 16 hits to pull to within 2 1/2 of first place LA in the AL West. Seattle's won 3 straight and 4 of their last 5. Other AL Scores Minnesota 3 Chi White Sox 6 Tampa Bay 4 Kansas City 12 - T. Pena Jr., 3-5, 4 RBI Baltimore 1 Texas 2 National League NY Mets 3 Houston 8 - The Astros earned a split in their 4-game series with the Mets, who limp into the break just 2 games clear of Atlanta and 4 1/2 ahead of Philly. After sweeping the aforementioned Phillies, the Mets went 2-6 and clearly need some pitching to go with their awesome lineup. Jose Reyes swiped another pair of bases, to up his MLB-leading theft total to 46. Houston Rookie Hunter Pence (right) went 2-5 to take over the NL batting average lead at .342. Arizona 3 Cincinnati 4, 11 innings - Scott Hatteberg singled home Edwin Encarnacion with the game-winner as the Reds completed their sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Reds have won four straight while the D-Backs have dropped their last 5. Chi Cubs 2 Pittsburgh 6 - Jason Bay busted his 13th home run off Cubs' starter Carlos Zambrano, helping the Pirates take 2 of 3 from the 2nd-place Cubbies. Chicago didn't lose any ground on the Brewers, and remain 4 1/2 back. Just a hunch, but it looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting in the funky NL Central. With just the Cubs and Brewers over .500, the other four teams are still within hailing distance. Even the last place Reds, who have won 4 straight, are just 13 behind. Florida 3 LA Dodgers 9 - Catcher Russell Martin, voted into his first All-Star game earlier in the week, singled and homered in two at-bats, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times, to draw the Dodgers back to 1-game behind the Padres in the NL West. Atlanta 5 San Diego 4 - The Braves survived a 3-run, 9th inning rally by the Padres to hold onto an important win heading into the break. The Braves took two of three in San Diego and trail the Mets by a mere 2 games in the NL East. Catcher Brian McCann socked a two-run homer in the first and drove in 2 more with a single in the 6th, helping the Braves to their 4th win in their last 5. Other NL Scores San Francisco 0 St. Louis 7 - T. Wellemeyer (W, 3-1), 5 IP, 2 H, O ER Philadelphia 8 Colorado 4 Milwaukee 2 Washington 7

Ibanez Helps Mariners Sink Yanks; Hardy Leads Brew Crew; Lee at .422

Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Raul Ibanez (right) stroked 4 singles in six at-bats, scored twice and drove in 2 runs, while teammate Jose Lopez cracked a 2-run homer, drove in 2 more with a single and scored twice in 5 at-bats as the Seattle Mariners knocked off the NY Yankees in New York, 15-11. The Mariners put together an 8-run 5th inning in which they retired starter Kei Igawa, and damaged the reputations of relievers Colter Bean and Luis Vizcaino, sending 13 batters to the plate. To make the night completely awful for the Yanks, Derek Jeter went 0-6, ending his 20-game hitting streak. Nick Swisher's 2-out, 3-run homer in the top of the 9th, snapped a 2-2 tie and the Oakland A's went on to win the first of a 3-game series at Tampa Bay, 5-2. Swisher had earlier knocked in another run with a double and finished 2-4 with 4 RBI. Dan Haren worked 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 9 and did not walk a batter. Reliever Justin Duchscherer (3-1) got the win and closer Huston Street picked up his 8th save. Tim Wakefield threw 7 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks and the Boston bullpen finished the job for a 2-0 road win at Minnesota.

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Torii Hunter extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a pair of singles. For good measure, Hunter stole his 7th base of the season. Hank Blalock went 3-4 with a 2-run homer, drove in 3 and scored twice as the Texas Rangers defeated visiting Toronto, 7-1, in the first of their 3-game weekend series. Other AL Scores Baltimore 3 Cleveland 2, 10 innings LA Angels 5 Chicago White Sox 1 - Angels, 4 SB Detroit 6 Kansas City 3 National League The Brewers were feeling some heat from Pittsburgh and they responded with a 10-0 win in the 2nd of their 4-game set at Milwaukee. J. J. Hardy (right) provided more than enough offensive fireworks with a 4-5 night, including his 7th home run. Hardy drove in 3 and scored twice. Starter Claudio Vargas worked 6 scoreless innings, allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 4. A trio of Brewer relievers finished the whitewash as Milwaukee remained 5 games ahead of the Cubs and pushed the Pirates into 3rd place, 5 1/2 back in the AL Central. Derrek Lee extended his hitting streak to 12 games and raised his batting average to a gaudy .422 with a single and his 2nd homer in 3 at-bats as the Cubs knocked off the visiting Nationals, 6-4. Alfonso Soriano hit safely in his 13th straight game, going 2-5. John Smoltz shut out the Dodgers on 6 hits over 7 innings, striking out 6 and walking 2, to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 4-0 win over the visiting LA Dodgers.

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Smoltz improved to 4-1, and kept the Braves tied for first place with the Mets in the NL East. Jose Reyes singled 3 times in 4 at-bats, drove in a run, scored one and stole his major league best 18th base, helping John Maine get to 5-0 with a 5-3 win at Arizona. The win kept the Mets tied for first with the Braves in the NL East. Maine threw six innings, allowing 6 hits and 1 earned run, while striking out 7 and walking a batter. His ERA is a miniscule 1.37. Other NL Scores Colorado 6 Cincinnati 5, 11 innings Florida 5, San Diego 4 - H. Ramirez, 4-5 St. Louis 3, Houston 2 - A. Pujols, 12-gm. hit streak San Francisco 6 Philadelphia 2

Buehrle No-Hits Rangers; Beltran, Reyes Power Mets

Wednesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Mark Buehrle (right) threw the first no-hitter of the season, an 8 K, 1 walk gem against the Texas Rangers in Chicago. The White Sox won 6-0 as Jim Thome launched a pair of solo homers sandwiched around Jermaine Dye's grand slam in the 5th. It was Buehrle's 3rd start and 1st win of the season. Buehrle nearly had a perfect game but still faced the minimum 27 batters. In the 5th inning he walked Sammy Sosa with one out, but picked him off and retired Hank Blalock on a ground out to end the inning. Besides the 8 Ks, Buehrle got 11 outs on the ground and 7 on fly balls, throwing 106 pitches, 66 for strikes. Nice! Dan Haren finally got his first win of the season with a 3-0 home win over AL West rival Anaheim, sending the Angels to their 6th straight loss. Haren threw 7 innings of shutout ball, giving up only 4 hits and no walks.

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He's pitched brilliantly this season but has been the victim of some tough luck in his previous three starts, two of which resulted in losses. In those three previous starts against Seattle, the Angels and the Yankees, Haren allowed only 4 earned runs over 18 innings, but only received a pair of losses and a no decision for his efforts. With Wednesday's performance, Haren's ERA dropped to 1.44 and his control pitching has yielded a WHIP of 1.04. It's about time he got a win under his belt. The Yankees already had a 6-2 lead at home, so Alex Rodriguez availed himself the opportunity to launch another home run, his 9th of the year, into the left field stands. A-Rod drove in Derek Jeter, who went 3-5 with a pair of doubles and scored twice to increase his major league-leading HR and RBI totals to 9 and 23. The Yanks look to complete the 3-game sweep of Cleveland this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. They've hammered the Indians 10-3 on Tuesday and 9-2 last night. Other AL Scores Baltimore 6 Tampa Bay 4 Kansas City 4 Detroit 3,10 innings Boston 4 Toronto 1 Minnesota 5 Seattle 4 National League Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran (right) are two of the reasons the Mets are the team to beat in the NL East. Last night in Miami, they both came through with big outings to spoil Florida's Dontrelle Willis' chance to go 4-0. Reyes went 4-5 with a pair of doubles, scored twice and drove in a run. Beltran singled in the first to drive in 2 runs and hit his 3rd homer of the year - a solo shot - in the 4th inning. Beltran scored twice and his 3 RBI gave him 15, two behind Houston's Carlos Lee, who leads the NL. John Maine went 7 innings for the win, making him 2-0. Willis was awarded his first loss of the season. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, last season's NL MVP, continues to struggle at the plate. Going 0-5 in last night's 6-5, 13-inning loss at Washington, Howard's batting average sunk to .213. He's hit only 1 home run and has just 7 RBI through 13 games. He's struck out 16 times, about once every 3 at-bats. Bill Hall singled, doubled and homered with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored to lead Milwaukee back into first place in the turbulent NL Central with a 7-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh. Hall, who hit 35 homers and drove in 85 last season for the Brewers is off to another solid start and that's good news for Milwaukee fans. Other NL Scores San Francisco 6 St. Louis 5, 12 innings Houston 7 Cincinnati 2 Colorado 7 LA Dodgers 2 Atlanta 8 Chicago Cubs 6 Arizona 5 San Diego 2, 12 innings