Hanley Ramirez Homers in 14th, Dodgers Sweep D-Backs; Josh Hamilton's 5 RBI Propel Angels Past Cubs, 13-2

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 10, 2013

American League

Josh Hamilton

In the AL West, the A's have held a 1/2 game edge over the Rangers for a week with the Angels lurking, just below .500, some distance back. On Wednesday, both the A's and Rangers were losers, so the Angels picked up a game on both with their 13-2 clubbing of the Cubs and now are nine games out.

Resurgent Josh Hamilton, who has four homers in his last six games and has hit safely in nine of the past ten, belted a pair of homers to send the Angels home a winner, splitting the two-game series at Wrigley Field.

Hamilton's big blast - a three-run donk - came early, in the first inning, setting the tone for the evening's festivities, which consisted of the Rangers smacking around three Cubs' hurlers for a total of 15 hits, nine of them off starter Jeff Samardzija (5-9), who allowed nine and the same number of earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

Hamilton's second homer was a solo shot in the fifth, which pretty much did in Samardzija, coming right after Albert Pujols two-run shot. The Rangers bashed five home runs and had 11 extra base hits in all. Hamilton got his fifth RBI of the evening on a ground out in the eighth. He has 14 HRs and 39 RBI on the year.

LA closes out the first half with a three-game series in Seattle, beginning Friday night.

National League

Hanley Ramirez

Winners of four straight and eight of their last ten, the LA Dodgers closed to within 1 1/2 games of first-place Arizona in the NL West with a 7-5 win in a 14-inning marathon over the Diamondbacks.

Back-to-back home runs by Hanley Ramirez and A.J. Ellis in the top of the final inning produced the victory, with Kenley Jansen working the final two innings in relief, evening his record at 3-3 with two shutout frames.

Ramirez has been lights out since returning from the DL, batting .409 with eight homers and 24 RBI in 35 games. He was 3-for-5 on Wednesday, with the homer, a double and a single, three RBI and two runs.

The victory was the conclusion of a three-game sweep in Arizona for the Dodgers, who will finish out the first half at home with a four-game series against the Rockies, the first game starting at 7:10 pm PDT, Thursday night.

Today's Trivia: In the modern era (since 1900), the single-season record for runs is 177. Who set that mark?

Yesterday's Answer: In his 14-year career, Maury Wills swiped 586 bases and finished with a .281 average. Lou Brock, who broke in two years after Wills, stole 938 bases (2nd all-time) and batted .293 over 19 years.

Marco Scutaro Drives in 7 for Giants; Josh Hamilton Provides Power in 10-9 Texas Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 8, 2012

American League

Josh Hamilton

Adrian Beltre broke a 9th inning 9-9 tie with a sac fly, scoring Elvis Andrus with the game winner as the Texas Rangers topped the Red Sox, 10-9, but Josh Hamilton kept the Rangers in the game, going 3-for-5 with a single, triple and his 30th home run. Adam Dunn leads the AL with 31 homers, followed by Hamilton and Curtis Granderson, who also knocked his 30th on Wednesday night.

Hamilton knocked in four runs for the Rangers through the slugfest, tying him with Miguel Cabrera for league leadership in RBI, with 95.

The Rangers retained their 5 1/2 game lead over Oakland in the AL West. The A's eeked out a 9-8 win over the Angels, dropping them seven behind the Rangers.

Having taken two of three from Boston, the Rangers have a day off Thursday, then welcome in the Detroit Tigers for a three-game weekend set. On Monday, Texas heads to New York for a four game series with the Yankees.


National League

Scutaro: 3-5 GS 7RBI

The Giants have been making all the right moves since the all star break, and broke out the lumber in a 15-0 whipping of St. Louis, keeping them 1 1/2 games clear of the Dodgers in the NL West.

While Ryan Vogelsong was mowing down Cardinal hitters, allowing just three hits over seven innings en route to his 10th win against five losses, Marco Scutaro was clearing the bases for San Francisco.

Not normally viewed as a power hitter or RBI guy, Scutaro drove in seven runs with a third inning, run-scoring single, a bases loaded double in the eighth and a ninth inning grand slam, accounting for nearly half of the Giants' output.

Acquired from the Rockies in late July, Scutaro is batting .347 in 12 games with the Giants, his seven RBI giving him 13 in a San Fran uniform.

The Giants have taken two of three in St. Louis. The series completes with an afternoon clash at Busch Stadium Thursday afternoon.

Ronny Cedeno Drives in 5 in 9-1 Win over SF; Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler Lead Rangers past Angels

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 2, 2012

American League

Ian Kinsler

Completing their four game series with the Angels, the Texas Rangers, after losing the first two games, won the last pair, 11-10 in 10 innings on Wednesday, and 15-9, Thursday, in an offensive show which included 31 combined hits for both teams.

The Rangers banged out 18 hits against five LA hurlers. Angel starter C.J. Wilson was tagged for 10 hits and eight runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Rangers tied the game in the sixth at 8-8 when Elvis Andrus singled home Ian Kinsler. Texas added four more in the seventh and three in the eighth, outdistancing their opponents in the late innings.

Josh Hamilton

Kinsler got the Rangers started with a solo homer in the second inning. He eventually finished 3-for-5 with a single, double, home run, four runs and a pair of ribbies, giving him 51 RBI on the season, four behind the Angels' Mike Trout, who leads AL leadoff hitters with 55.

Josh Hamilton singled and doubled in six at-bats, driving in four runs to take over the RBI lead in the AL with 88, one better than Detroit's Miguel Cabrera.

The back-to-back Ranger wins dropped the Angels into third place, five games out, and 1/2 game behind the surging Oakland A's. The A's and Angels will meet for three games in Oakland starting Monday. The two are currently 1-2 in the wild card race.

National League

Ronny Cedeno

July was not a very good month for the Mets, as they went 4-14 after the all star break and fell out of contention in the NL East, but August is off to a better beginning, with two straight wins over the NL West-leading Giants, including Thursday's 9-1 romp.

Chris Young (3-5) had a strong outing, allowing four hits and one earned over seven innings. Meanwhile, Ronny Cedeno was clearing the basepaths, going 3-for-5 (two doubles and a single) with five RBI, leading the offensive assault.

After Jason Bay doubled home a pair in the first, Cedeno doubled home two more, for a quick, 4-0, lead. Cedeno singled in another run in the fifth and completed the Mets' scoring with a two-run double in the seventh.

While the Mets remained 11 games behind the Nationals in the East, the two losses by the Giants left them just 1/2 game ahead of the Dodgers, who were swept three straight by Arizona, now just two games behind the Giants.

San Francisco goes on the road for the next seven games, with three in Colorado over the weekend, followed by a four game series in St. Louis.

Likewise, Arizona hits the road with three games at Philadelphia and four in Pittsburgh, while the Dodgers host a pair of three-game series with the Cubs and Rockies.

Josh Hamilton Hits Historic Four Homers vs. Orioles; Jake Westbrook, Carlos Beltran Lead Cards over Arizona

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 8, 2012

American League

Josh Hamilton belted four home runs and added a double, going 5-for-5 with eight RBI and four runs scored as the Rangers blasted the Orioles, 10-3, their second straight win at Camden Yards and 12th road win against five losses.

Hamilton's shots were all of the two-run variety; Elvis Andrus was on base for each of his towering shots. Three went to straightaway center, with one lifted over the wall in left.

It was the first time any player had hit four homers in one game since Carlos Delgado did it for Toronto on September 25, 2003, in a win over Tampa Bay. He becomes the 16th player to hit four homers in a game. With his double in the fifth inning, Hamilton's 18 total bases are a new American League record. The eight RBI are a career best for the Texas center fielder. He had never hit more than two homers in a game prior to Tuesday's prodigious, historic feat.

Hamilton: 4HR 8RBI

Hamilton homered off Jake Arrieta in the first and third innings, socked another off Zach Phillips in the seventh and finished with a blast against Darren O'Day. He now leads all of baseball with 14 dingers, four ahead of the Yankees' Curtis Granderson and two better than Dodger Matt Kemp, who leads the NL with 12.

With a .406 batting average and 36 RBI, Hamilton leads the three batting triple crown categories.

The 20-10 Rangers have the best record in the majors, leading Oakland by four games in the West. They've outscored the Orioles 23-6 in the first two games of the series and on Wednesday will go for the sweep.

Despite the loss, the Orioles remained tied for first place in the AL East with Tampa Bay, 5-3 losers to the Yankees on Tuesday.


National League

Beltran: 2HR GS 6RBI

Apparently not having lost much - besides Albert Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa - St. Louis continues to run roughshod over the National League, their 19-11 record now tied with the Dodgers as the bast in the league.

The Cardinals took their second straight from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, as Jake Westbrook turned in another valuable performance from the mound and Carlos Beltran provided more than enough offense in the 6-1 victory.

Jake Westbrook

Westbrook shut down the D'Backs on four hits over seven innings before turning the ball over to the relief staff with a healthy 6-0 lead. Fanning eight and walking two, Westbrook improved to 4-2, dropping his ERA to 1.76, 8th-best among NL starters.

For Beltran, both of his hits came in the first two innings and both were home runs. The Cardinal right fielder socked his 9th homer in the first inning, then smacked a grand slam in the second for his 10th, his six RBI all the Cards needed for the win. Beltran is tied for second in the league with the Reds' Jay Bruce. Matt Kemp leads with 12. Beltran's slam was the 10th of his career.

St. Louis leads the NL Central by 3 1/2 games over Cincinnati and look for the sweep in Arizona Wednesday night.

Rangers Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli Batter Boston, 18-3; Gio Gonzalez Gets 1st NL Win, 1-0 over Astros

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 17, 2012

American League

Hamilton: HR, 5RBI

The Texas Rangers thundered into Beantown for a quick two-game series, and, like their lawmen namesakes, delivered quick and crushing Texas justice to the home-standers, routing the Red Sox by an 18-3 score.

Napoli: 2HR, 4RBI

Banging out 21 hits, seven of the nine Texas starters had at least two hits. Josh Hamilton was chief among the run-producers, going 3-for-5, with a pair of singles and a three-run homer to start off an eight-run uprising in the 8th. Hamilton's homer was his fifth of the year as he tallied five RBI for the game.

Mike Napoli added to Boston's woes, also going 3-for-5, with a single, a couple of home runs and four RBI.

The win was the fifth straight for Texas. Their 9-2 mark has them 3 1/2 games in front of Seattle in the AL West and is tied with the LA Dodgers for the best record in the majors.


National League

Internet Sports Betting
Get FREE Baseball Picks from NSAwins.com.

Your eyes aren't deceiving you; those are the Washington Nationals atop the NL East, with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Mets after topping the Houston Astros, 1-0, in D.C.

Gonzalez: 7IP 2H 8K

The Nats have a throng of good young hitters, but they've been getting the job done mostly from the mound. On Tuesday, Gio Gonzalez out-dueled Houston's Wandy Rodriguez over seven innings, for their fifth win in six home games.

Gonzalez allowed only two hits in his seven innings of work, fanning eight with two walks. Rodriguez was victimized in the fourth inning for the only run of the game when Jayson Werth doubled and Adam LaRoche singled him home. Rodriguez, despite a 1.96 ERA, is 2-0. Gonzalez, acquired from Oakland after the end of last season, earned his first win in the National League in his third start for Washington. Ty Clippard worked the ninth and Brad Lidge picked up the save, getting the final three outs.

The Nationals have two more games with the Astros, Wednesday and Thursday. They are 7-2 against the NL Central.

Phillies Clinch 5th Straight NL East Pennant; Rivera Ties Hoffman; Hamilton Slugs for Rangers

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 17, 2011

American League

Josh Hamilton went 4-for-5 with a home run, two singles and a double and drove in three runs, helping the Texas Rangers pad their lead in the AL West to 4 1/2 games over the Angels with a 7-6 win at Seattle.

Josh Hamilton

As hot as any team in the majors, the Rangers are 10-5 for the month of September and continue t keep the hungry Angels at bay in pursuit of their second straight division crown. Once they finish up in Seattle on Sunday, the Rangers face the A's in Oakland for three games, then return to Arlington for three more with the Mariners before finishing out the regular season with three games at Anahiem with the Angels.

Rivera: 601 Saves

In Toronto, the Yankees came back from a 6-1 deficit to defeat the Blue Jays, 7-6, allowing Mariano Rivera to record save #601, tying him with Trevor Hoffman as the career leader in that department. Rivera was the fifth in a parade of relievers working one inning apiece after starter Bartolo Colon lasted just four innings, allowing all six Toronto runs. Rivera didn't allow a baserunner and chalked up a strikeout for his 42nd save of the season, second best in the AL.

The Rays and Red Sox continued to contest the wild card in Boston, with the Rays coming out on top of a 4-3 score Tampa has taken two of three in Boston and play the series finale Sunday afternoon, but the battle doesn't end there. After a day off Monday, the Rays head to New York for a three game set with the Yankees, then return home for three with the Blue Jays and three more with New York to close out the season. The Red Sox have a series in New York sandwiched between a pair of home and away three game series with the Orioles, a less-daunting task.

National League

Shane Victorino

Oswalt: 7 Scoreless

The Phillies cooled off the red-hot Cardinals - winners of seven of their last eight - with a 9-2 win, clinching their fifth straight NL East title.

Shane Victorino walked with the bases loaded in the 4th inning, socked a solo homer in the 6th and singled in another run in the 8th to lead the effort. Raul Ibanez capped off the scoring with a grand slam later in the 8th inning to seal the victory. Roy Oswalt worked seven scoreless innings from the mound, allowing just five hits while fanning seven.

Ibanez: Slam Man

The win was the 98th for Philadelphia, easily the best in the majors and dropped the Cardinals 6 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the Central division. Milwaukee bombed Cincinnati, 10-1, as they cruise toward the division crown. Atlanta topped the Mets, 1-0, putting them 4 1/2 in front of St. Louis in the wild card race.

Out West, the Giants won their seventh straight, topping Colorado, 6-5, while the Diamondbacks dropped their third in a row, losing to San Diego, 3-1. Those results sliced Arizona's lead in the division to five games with 10 left to play. Arizona has one more game in San Diego before returning home for the remainder of the season. They host Pittsburgh for three games, then the Giants for a three game weekend series before closing out the season with three against the Dodgers.

Interleague: Gonzalez, Rockies Bomb Tigers; Hamilton Leads Rangers Past Braves

Players of the Day for Friday, June 17, 2011

American League

Josh Hamilton

Interleague play is on again, this time for an extended period. The Texas Rangers kicked things off with a trip to Atlanta for a three-game series with the Braves, taking game one by a 6-2 score.

Leading the Rangers was Josh Hamilton, who has been making up for last time after missing six weeks earlier this year. Hamilton stroked his 5th homer of the season in a 4-for-5 effort, a two-run blast that broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning. He drove in another run with a single in the 9th, giving him 3 RBI on the night.

Hamilton is batting .302 and has the Rangers in first place in the AL West, leading the surprising Seattle Mariners by 1/2 game.

National League

Batting leadoff,
Gonzalez has 10-
game hit streak.

It may be unusual for some fans to see Carlos Gonzalez batting leadoff for the Rockies, since the star outfielder was among the league leaders in home runs and RBI last season, but the move seems to be working.

The Rockies won their third straight to pull to within one game of .500, at 34-35, with a 13-6 pounding of the Tigers in the opener of a three game series in Colorado.

Every position player had at least one hit for the Rockies as they banged out 13 base knocks, and while Charlie Blackmon had four hits, Gonzalez had two, one of them his 10th home run of the season, a 5th inning solo shot. Gonzalez also drove in a run with a sac fly in the Rockies' six-run 2nd and two more on a double in the 3rd.

Four RBI from your leadoff spot may not be the prescription for success, but with "Car-Go" going like he is, one can't really argue with the results.

Gonzalez moved to the leadoff spot with the start of a series in San Diego, June 6. After an 0-for-4 opening performance, Gonzalez has adjusted, and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak, which has raised his batting average from .249 to .280. The Rockies are 7-4 since the move.

After taking two of three from Cleveland and reaching first place in the AL Central, the loss by the Tigers, coupled with Cleveland's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, put the two back into a tie atop the division.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: Following the multiple mid-May three-game series, the two leagues ended up tied with 21 wins apiece. On Friday, the American League took eight of the 14 games, and now lead the seasonal series 29-27.

Hamilton, Cruz Batter Boston Bullpen; Dickey 1-Hits Luckless Phillies

Players of the Day for Friday, August 13, 2010 American League The Texas Rangers probably don't need any help in order to win the AL West division, but they'll take it when offered, like they did Friday night, from the imploding Boston pitching staff and bullpen. The Red Sox traveled to Arlington a night after blowing a 9th-inning, 5-2 lead in a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays, evidence that Red Sox arms are tiring in the heat of the summer, but they got no rest in Texas, using eight pitchers in a 10-9, 11-inning loss to the Rangers. Boston scored seven times in the top of the 4th to take an early 8-2 lead, but starter Josh Becket, who hasn't been his usual self all season (3-2, 6.51 ERA), lasted only five innings, allowing single runs in the 1st and 2nd, two in the 4th and two more in the 5th as the Rangers began their rally. Boston scored another run in the top of the 7th, but Texas countered with two more in the bottom of the frame and eventually tied the game when Vlaimir Guerrero singled home Josh Hamilton (left), who crossed the plate for the 4th time in the 8th. Hamilton went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, two singles and a double, raising his outrageous league-leading batting average to .362. There was no further scoring by either team until the bottom of the 11th, when Nelson Cruz (right) took the first offering from Tim Wakefield into the seats in left field for a walk-off, game-winning home run, his 16th of the year. Cruz had been an earlier contributor as well, finishing the night 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs. The Rangers banged out 17 hits against the worn-out Boston staff, who face Texas twice more this weekend before getting a day off. Boston didn't lose any ground to the Yankees or Rays, both losers Friday. They trail New York by six games and are four behind the second-place Rays. Texas sports an 8 1/2 game lead over the Angels, with the A's another 1/2 game back in the AL West. National League Playing in New York at Citi field simply does not agree with Phillies' hitters. Pitcher Cole Hamels would rather not see the Mets again soon either. Hamels, who had the only hit off Mets' starter R.A. Dickey, lost his second straight 1-0 decision to the Mets. Last Saturday, he struck out 11 and allowed just one run over seven innings but was victimized by Johan Santana. On Friday, Dickey allowed only a 3rd inning walk to Wilson Valdez and Hamels' 6th inning single as the Mats blanked the Phillies for the 4th straight time at Citi Field. Back in May they shut them out three straight, outscoring them 16-0. Dickey, a knuckleballer, had the Phillies completely off-balance, striking out seven and getting eight groundouts and eight more outs on fly balls, mostly pop-ups and weak fliers. The Mets scored their only run on back-to-back doubles by David Wright and Carlos Beltran in the 6th inning and regained third place in the NL East, nine games behind front-running Atlanta. The Phillies dropped three games off the pace as the Braves topped the Dodgers, 1-0 in Atlanta. Dickey (8-5, 2.43) recorded his first shutout and complete game since 2003, when he was a starter for the Texas Rangers.

Jon Niese Tosses 1-Hitter at Padres; Josh Hamilton Heating Up

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 10, 2010 American League With the Angels and A's breathing down their backs, the Texas Rangers can't afford any rest as the leaders in the AL West, so it's probably as good a time as ever for Josh Hamilton to heat up at the plate. Hamilton has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games, raising his batting average from .268 to .307. He's currently on a 7-game hitting streak, in which he's hammered four homers and driven in 13 runs. In Thursday's 12-3 win over Seattle, the Rangers' outfielder got going early with his 13th home run of the year, a 2-run blast, in the opening inning. Hamilton singled and scored in the 6th as the Rangers put the finishing touches on their third straight rout of the Mariners (they beat them 12-2 on Wednesday and 7-1 on Tuesday). The Rangers hold a 1 1/2 game lead in the division over the Angels, with the A's lurking just another 1/2 game back. Texas embarks upon a 9-game road trip against NL teams on Friday, with three games each at Milwaukee, Florida and Houston. National League A leadoff double in the 3rd inning by Chris Denofria was the only hit the Padres could produce against Mets' starter Jon Niese, who picked up his third win of the season against two losses with an outstanding 1-hitter which moved the Mets into a tie for second place in the NL East with the Phillies, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves. It was the 10th start of the season for the rookie Niese, who had been scuffling along until Thursday's thriller. Even with that win under his belt, Niese is still carrying a 3.61 ERA and a WHIP of 1.43. Without surrendering a walk, Niese came close to pitching another perfect game, which seems to be all the rage in what many baseball analysts are calling the "year of the pitcher." The Mets got on the board early, with a run in the second and two more in the third off San Diego's Jon Garland, and that was all Niese needed, going the distance for his first career complete game and shutout for the 3-0 win. Tossing 76 of 108 pitches for strikes, Niese was in command throughout, retiring the first six batters he faced and the last 21 in order, fanning 6 in the process.

Holland, Hamilton Rock A's; Bailey Tosses Shutout at Pirates, Reds within 1 game of Cardinals

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 12, 2010 American League Could this be the beginning of the end for the Oakand A's? After knocking off the Rangers in the first game of their 3-game set on Tuesday, the A's ran smack into a tough lefty Wednesday afternoon in Arlington by the name of Derek Holland (left). Called up for his first major league start of the season after going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA in six starts for Oklahoma City, Holland stymied the A's on 5 hits over 6 innings, striking out 7, allowing just one walk and no runs. Last season Holland went 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA in 33 games for Texas, but he's retooled his game to become part of the Rangers' starting rotation. With the 10-1 win, the Rangers snapped a tie for first place in the AL West with the upstart A's. Texas now owns a 1-game advantage, with the rubber game Thursday afternoon. On the offensive side of things, the Rangers racked up 5 homers against A's hurlers, including Josh Hamilton's (right) 7th of the season, a 2-run, 5th inning shot that put the Rangers ahead, 4-0, adding to the disdain for Oakland pitching. Hamilton added a couple of singles on the day, going 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and a couple of runs scored. Hamilton's off to a pretty steady start, batting .285 with the 7 homers and 23 RBI. National League Something's happening in Cincinnati, and it's affecting their pitching staff in wonderful ways. Maybe it has something to do with playing the Pirates, but a day after Johnny Cueto tosses a 1-hitter for a 9-0 Reds' win, Homer Bailey comes out and throws a 4-hit complete game for another Reds win, this one by a 5-0 score, sweeping the Pirates in Pittsburgh, and quietly creeping to within one game of Central division-leading St. Louis. Bailey picked up his first win of the season against 2 prior losses and notched the first complete game and first shutout of his brief career. Bailey has started just 44 games in four partial seasons with the Reds. Needing only 90 pitches, Bailey scattered the four hits without giving up a walk while fanning six different Pittsburgh would-be hitters. The Reds get a day off Thursday, as the Cardinals finish up their series with Houston before the two meet up for a crucial three-game series in Cincinnati beginning on Friday. If Cincy can manage to take two of three from the reigning division champs, they would be either 1/2-game ahead or behind, depending the outcome of the Cardinals' Thursday game. A Reds sweep would give them the outright lead regardless. Should be a fun weekend for NL Central fans. QUICK HITS: Might as well call him Andre the Giant (or Giant killer?). Andre Ethier is feasting on National League pitching early this season. Bashing his 11 home run this season in Wednesday's series-sweeping 6-3 win over Arizona, Ethier now leads the NL Triple Crown categories outright with a .385 batting average (his 1-for-4 effort dropped him down from .390), 11 dingers and an eye-popping 37 RBI. The sweep got the Dodgers back to a respectable 17-17 record, though they still trail the Padres by 4 1/2 games in the NL West.

Andre Ethier Finishes Brewers with Grand Slam; Guerrero, Hamilton Lead Rangers in 13-12 Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 6, 2010 American League When the Texas Rangers acquired Vladimir Guerrero (left) from the Angels in the off-season, they added more power to one of the most productive lineups in the majors and that worked out just fine for them as the free-swinging Guerrero belted an 8th-inning, game winning home run in a wild 13-12 win over Kansas City. The homer was Guerrero's 5th of the season, and second of the game, belting a 2-run shot with Josh Hamilton (right) aboard in the 6th after driving in a run with a sac fly in the third, netting him 4 RBI for the game. Batting just in front of him was Hamilton, who singled, doubled and homered, his solo shot coming just before Guerrero's game winner, tying the score at 12-12 in the 8th. Hamilton drove in 3 runs and crossed the plate 4 times. He has 17 RBI; Guerrero leads the team with 23. Beating the Royals snapped a two-game losing streak for the Rangers, keeping them tied in first place in the AL West with the A's, at 15-14. Seattle and the LA Angels are both languishing, 3 1/2 back. National League Scuffling along in last place in the NL West, the situation could have gotten worse on Thursday for the Dodgers were it not for a struggling Milwaukee bullpen and a timely grand slam off the bat of Andre Ethier. The Dodgers (12-16) were nursing a 3-1 lead into the 9th, but Jonathan Broxton couldn't get the job done, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs which allowed Milwaukee to tie the game at 3-3. It was Broxton's 2nd blown save of the season, but he was bailed out in the bottom half of the frame as LaTroy Hawkins only managed to get one out while loading the bases on two singles and a walk before Ethier came to the plate. With a runner at third and one out, Ethier was just trying to get a good swing on the ball, but he got it all, sending his 10th homer of the season over the center field wall for a sweet ending and a 7-3 win. The last-inning win came after the Dodgers had dropped the first two games of their home series with the Brewers. Ethier, who singled earlier in the game, finished 2-for-4, raising his league-leading batting average to .371. The homer put him in a tie for the NL lead in that department, with Arizona's Kelly Johnson. His 4 RBI gave him the outright league lead with 30, 4 better than Atlanta's prize rookie, Jason Heyward.

Hamilton Reaches 100 RBI Mark; Thieving Taveras Swipes Three

Players of the Day from Friday, July 25, 2008 American League Josh Hamilton smacked his 23rd home run and drove in two runs to make him the first player in the majors to reach the 100 RBI plateau as the Rangers drubbed the A's, 14-6, at Oakland. The win gave the Rangers a 1/2 game edge over the A's for second place in the AL West, though the main beneficiaries are the LA Angels, who hold a 10 1/2 game lead over the Rangers. The Angels won their 3rd straight - and 8th of their last 9 - a 6-5 win at Baltimore. Notes: In Boston, Joba Chamberlain outdueled Josh Beckett to give the Yankees a 1-0 win over the Red Sox in the opener of their 3-game series. Tampa Bay took a 1-game lead in the AL East standings, topping Kansas City, 5-3. In Detroit, Jermaine Dye's 2-run homer in the 9th gave the White Sox a 6-5 win over the Tigers in the first of their 3-game series. With the Twins losing at Cleveland, 5-4, The Sox improved their lead to 3 1/2 games over the Twins and dropped the Tigers 6 1/2 back. Streaks: The Twins have lost 5 straight; the Yankees won their 7th in a row. National League The Colorado Rockies continue to look like they're ready for another run at the NL West title after knocking off Cincinnati, 7-2, on Friday. Leadoff hitter Willy Taveras went 3-for-4, scored a run, drove in another and stole three bases to boost his major league leading total to 45. His closest pursuers in the theft category are LA's Juan Pierre in the NL and Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury in the AL. Both have 35. The Rockies have won three straight and seven of eight since the All Star break. They remain 6 games back of the Diamondbacks and 5 behind the Dodgers. Notes: The Mets took a 2-game lead in the NL East with a 7-1 win over the Cardinals, who have lost 5 straight. The Phillies lost, 8-2, to Atlanta. In the Central, the Cubs kept their slim 1-game lead intact despite losing to Florida, 3-2, as the Brewers had their 8-game win streak halted by Houston, 3-1.

Hamilton a Triple Crown Threat; Pence's 5-for-5 Leads Astros

Players of the Day from Tuesday, May 27, 2008 American League Cincinnati's loss has been the Rangers' gain. After hitting .292 with 19 homers and 47 RBI for the Reds as a rookie in 2007, Josh Hamilton was traded to the Rangers and he's already exceeded expectations. On Tuesday, Hamilton smacked a grand slam - his 13th home run of the season - and doubled in 5 at-bats, driving in five runs in the Rangers' 12-6 thrashing of the Rays.

Winnipeg Food Caterers
Affordable, quality catering for weddings or events of any size.
www.kingcolecatering.net

The five RBI gave Hamilton 58 on the year, miles ahead of the closest competition. Carlos Quentin is second in the AL with 44. The 13 homers has Hamilton second behind Quentin and his .329 batting average is tied with Joe Mauer and Milton Bradley as the best in the AL. Notes: Hamilton is looking having a triple crown season, while Lance Berkman is doing much the same in the AL. The last time a player led the league in average, home runs and RBI in the AL was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 (.326, 44, 121). Frank Robinson (.316, 49, 122) did it the year prior, in 1966, playing for the Orioles. In the NL, the feat was last accomplished in 1937, when Joe Medwick hit .374 with 31 homers and 154 RBI for the St. Louis Cardinals. National League Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 and knocked his 12th home run, but Hunter Pence did him one better, going 5-for-5 at the plate and drove in two runs in Houston's 8-2 win over the Cardinals. Pence, in his first full season as the regular right fielder for the Astros, is batting .311 with 7 homers and 31 RBI, and is one of the reasons (besides Lance Berkman) that the Astros are challenging for the NL Central title. Notes: The Cardinals and Astros are both 30-23, 1 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the Central division. Florida remained 1 1/2 to the good over the Phillies, as the Marlins lost to the Mets, 5-3, while Philly won their third straight, a 7-3 win over visiting Colorado. Nothing much has changed in the West. Arizona still leads the Dodgers by 3 1/2 games.

Hamilton 5-for-5; Werth, 3 HR, 8 RBI as Interleague Play Begins

Players of the Day from Friday, May 16, 2008 American League The battle of Texas goes to... Josh Hamilton, whose 5 hits in 5 at-bats led the Rangers to a 16-8 trouncing of Houston. A second-year center fielder out of Raleigh, NC, Hamilton stroked a pair of homers, a triple and a couple of singles, scored four times and drove in 5 runs as part of the Rangers' 17-hit assault. The perfect night at the plate improved Hamilton's batting average from .293 to .314 and increased his major league-leading RBI total to 49. It was also his 15th multi-hit game this season and fifth in his last seven. The two homers tied him with Carlos Quentin for the AL lead with 10. Traded from the Reds after the 2007 season, Hamilton has been feasting on American League pitching all season. Seems he still likes the NL variety as well. Notes: Bottoms Up: The Detroit Tigers are mired in last place in the Central Division, having lost t straight while Kansas City has quietly snuck up on the leaders with five straight wins and is only 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland. KC and LA are the only AL teams with winning road record, 10-9 and 12-9, respectively. National League Few players ever have the kind of game Jayson Werth had in Philly's 10-3 pounding of Toronto. Werth hit a three-run homer in the second inning, a grand slam in the 3rd and followed those up with a solo shot in the 5th. Three homers in four at-bats, three runs scored and a whopping 8 RBI qualifies as a great night in anyone's book. A mainstay this season in center field for the Phillies, Werth is batting .288 with nine homers and 26 RBI. Notes: The win by Philadelphia moved them into a tie with the formerly red-hot Marlins, who have now lost four straight after dropping a 7-6 decision to Kansas City on Friday.