ALDS: Verlander Leads Astros, LeMahieu Powers Yanks; NLDS: Foltynewicz Hurls Braves to Win, Strasberg Solid for Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, October 4, 2019

American League

LeMaheiu powers Yanks

The New York Yankees opened their best-of-five divisional series against Minnesota at home with a bang, most of the noise provided by leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu, who was 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI in the Yankees' 10-4 triumph.

With his team down 2-0 in the third, LeMahieu, who was second in batting in the AL regular season with a .327 average, singled, and scored on Edwin Encarnacion's double. The Yankees would tally twice more in the frame and never look back. LeMahieu socked a solo home run in the sixth inning and ripped a bases-loaded double in the seventh, plating all three and completing the Yankees' scoring.

Game two of the series is Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Verlander wins Game 1

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Justin Verlander got the ball for game one of the Astros' divisional series against the Rays and he did with it what he's been known for throughout his career, blanking Tampa Bay on one hit over seven innings in a dominant performance, fueling a 6-2 Houston win.

Verlander didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, and struck out the side in the seventh to complete his day's work. He fanned eight and walked three. Verlander led the majors with a 21-6 record over the regular season. He and teammate Gerrit Cole are leading candidates for the AL Cy Young award.

The series picks up with game two in Houston on Saturday.

Foltynewicz leads Braves

National League

Atlanta tied its division series with St. Louis via a strong pitching performance from Mike Foltynewicz in a 3-0 game two victory.

The Braves scored a run in the bottom of the first and added two more on Adam Duvall's two-run pinch hit homer in the seventh.

Tied 1-1, the best-of-five series resumes Sunday in St. Louis.

Strasburg fans 10

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Evening their series in Los Angeles at a game apiece, Stephen Strasburg out-pitched LA starter, Clayton Kershaw, hurling the Washington Nationals to a 4-2 win over the Dodgers.

Strasberg allowed just one earned run on three hits over six innings, fanning 10. The Nationals scratched out a run in the first inning and two in the second off Kershaw, who was lifted in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers and Nationals resume their series in Washington on Sunday.

Freddie Freeman's 2 HR Leads Braves to 4th Straight; Justin Verlander Tosses No-Hitter In 2-0 Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 1, 2019

Verlander: 3rd no-hitter

American League

It was only a matter of time before Justin Verlander would throw another no-hitter. On Sunday, time was up.

Verlander blanked the Blue Jays at the Rogers Center in Toronto, fanning 14 for the third no-hitter of his impressive in a 2-0 Houston victory.

After walking Cavan Biggio with one out in the first inning, Verlander set down the next 26 Blue Jays in order, getting the win when third baseman Abraham Toro scorched a two-out, two-run homer in the visitor's half of the ninth. Verlander calmly set down the final three Toronto batters before the Astros broke out in celebration.

Throwing a season-high 120 pitches, Verlander joined the Yankees' Domingo Herman with 17 wins, tops in the majors. He also leads the majors in strikeouts (257) and innings (193). His 2.56 ERA leads the AL.

Verlander joins an elite group with at least three no-hitters, including Nolan Ryan (7) and Sandy Koufax (4). Cy Young, Bob Feller and 1880s-era Larry Corcoran threw three each.

Having already won an MVP and Cy Young award in 2011 as a member of the Detroit Tigers, Verlander is the favorite for this season's Cy Young.

Houston won for the 11th time in its last 14 games, taking a 10-game lead over Oakland in the AL West, as the A's have dropped two straight to the Yankees.

The Astros head to Milwaukee on Monday, opening a two-game series with the Brewers at 4:00 pm ET.

National League

Freeman tearing up NL

Freddie Freeman cracked a pair of home runs and drove in all of Atlanta's runs as the Braves took another step toward their second straight NL East pennant with a 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Backing six innings of mound work by Julio Teheran (9-8, 3.38), Freeman socked a two-run homer in the opening inning, then broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with another two-run jack. In the eighth, the league's leading RBI guy drove in another with a single.

Freeman leads the majors in RBI with 114. His 38 home runs and a .301 batting average are also among the league's best. With Freeman having what looks like an MVP season, the Braves continue winning, taking their fourth straight while sweeping three from the visiting White Sox. Atlanta has held off a surge by the Washington Nationals by winning 12 of its last 14 games.

The Braves will spend Labor Day hosting the Toronto Blue Jays. Game one of their two-game series starts at 1:20 pm ET.

Braves Top Nat, 11-8, Behind Adam Duvall HRs; Justin Verlander Blanks Indians in 2-0 Houston Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 30, 2019

American League

Verlander's 14 wins leads AL

Whenever Justin Verlander goes to the mound, the Houston Astros expect to win.

That's been the case in most of Verlander's 23 starts this season. With a seven-inning, two-hit effort Tuesday at Cleveland, Verlander out-dueled Cleveland's Shane Bieber for a 2-0 victory and his 14th win against four losses.

Dominating the Indians from the very start, Verlander struck out 13 and did not issue any walks. He leads the AL in wins and ERA (2.73). His 196 strikeouts are second league-wide to teammate Gerritt Cole (212).

The win was Verlander's fourth straight. Last outing, he held the A's to two hits and one run over six innings.

Houston's win kept them eight up on Oakland in the AL West and dropped the Indians to three behind Minnesota in the Central division. The Twins took a 2-1 decision at Miami.

Game two of Houston's three-game series at Cleveland gets underway at 7:10 pm ET Wednesday.

National League

Duvall: 4-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Atlanta continues to hold onto first place in the NL East, but both the Nationals and Phillies have been bearing down on the division leaders of late.

The Braves won for just the fifth time in their last 13 games, topping Washington, 11-8 in game two of their three-game series. That left the Nationals 5 1/2 back, while Philadelphia, 4-2 winners over the Giants, remained six games out.

Developing an impressive lead by scoring nine runs in the first four innings, the Braves got home runs from Josh Donaldson (3-run homer in the fourth) and Adam Duvall, who cranked out a pair of solo shots, in the fourth and seventh innings. Duvall also singled twice, going 4-for-5, and scored a run in the third.

Acquired from Cincinnati near the end of last season, Duvall has played in just four games this year, but he's already added some pop, going 9-for-17 (.529) with three homers and five RBI.

What's plagued the Braves most of the season has been a lack of quality relief pitching and that was evident in Tuesday's win. Leading 11-1 after starter Julio Teheran (6 2/3, 7H, 2ER, 6K, 6-7) departed, the Nationals scored seven runs, one in the seventh and two each in the eighth and ninth.

Having split the first two games, the teams meet at 12:05 pm ET Wednesday for the rubber game.

Justin Verlander Hurls Astros Past Red Sox; Justin Turner's HR Powers Dodgers In Game 2 Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 13, 2018

American League

Justin Verlander

AL Championship Series Game One: Houston Astros 7 Boston Red Sox 2

Houston took the opening game of the AL Championship Series behind the capable arm of Justin Verlander, who worked six innings, allowing two hits and two runs for the victory.

Game two is Sunday at Boston's Fenway Park.

Justin Turner

National League

NL Championship Series Game Two: LA Dodgers 4 Milwaukee Brewers 3

Justin Turner's eighth inning, two-run homer proved decisive as the Dodgers rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to take game two of the NLCS, 4-3. Turner's blast ended the Brewers' 12-game winning streak which had extended back into the final eight games of the regular season and included a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the divisional series.

With the series tied at a game apiece, game three shifts to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Justin Verlander Goes Seven Scoreless For Astros; Yonder Alonso Adds Punch To Indians Lineup

Players of the Day for Monday, March 19, 2018

Verlander: 7IP, 0ER, 3K

Grapefruit League

After a sparkling post-season culminating in a World Series Championship, Houston hurler, Justin Verlander picked up where he left off, hurling seven scoreless innings in Houston's 2-0 victory over the Mets.

In his fifth outing of Spring Training, Verlander fanned three, walked one and allowed five harmless singles. The Astros got their runs early, on a second-inning bases-empty homer by Carlos Correa and a third-inning RBI single by Jose Altuve.

Verlander, who went 4-1 with a 2,21 ERA and 38 Ks in last year's post-season, has been solid this Spring. He's 1-1, with a 1.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

The Astros continue to lead the way in the Grapefruit League with a 16-7 mark, though the Red Sox have been closing ground, winning seven straight. Boston is 15-8 and just one game back.

Cactus League

Alonso: 3-3, 2HR, 4RBI

Carving out a 5-4 win over the Giants, the Cleveland Indians won their third straight, closing in on Milwaukee in the standings, The idle Brewers lead the Arizona circuit by 1 1/2 over Cleveland, with the Cubs two back and Kansas City - winners of five straight - just three out.

Paving the way for Cleveland was first baseman, Yonder Alonso, who accounted for all but one of Cleveland's runs with a three-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the fifth that broke a 3-3 tie.

Alonso also singled, completing a 3-for-3 effort with four RBI and two runs scored. Carrying a .357 batting average, Alonso's homers were his fourth and fifth of the Spring.

After splitting last season between Seattle and Oakland with 28 home runs and 67 RBI, Alonso was acquired by the Indians in the off-season, bolstering their roster at first. The newest Indian will likely get most of the playing time at first, with Edwin Encarnacion and Mike Napoli likely to share DH and pinch-hitting duties.

ALCS: Astros Force Game 7 As Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve Lead Houston To 7-1 Win

Players of the Day for Friday, October 20, 2017

American League

Verlander: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER

Justin Verlander stymied the Yankees for the second time in a week, blanking New York on five hits over seven innings as the Astros forced a game seven showdown in the AL Championship Series with a 7-1 win in Houston.

Verlander battled with Yankee starter, Luis Severino, until the Astros broke through with three runs in the fifth inning, keyed by Jose Altuve's two-run, two-out single to left field. Altuve also added a solo home run leading off the eighth inning, as the Astros plated four runs in the frame, blowing the game wide open.

Altuve: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Verlander, who fanned eight and walked one in the win, is 4-0 in the 2017 post-season. Against the Yankees, he is 2-0, allowing one run on ten hits in 16 innings, including his complete game, 2-1 victory in game two. He's struck out 21 Yankee batters over that span, including Aaron Judge four times in the two games.

Three-time AL batting champion, Altuve, is batting .405 in the post-season, with four homers and seven RBI. Since game two, Altuve had gone hitless against the Yankees before breaking out on Friday. The home run was his first in the ALCS.

Houston's win brings up game seven on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the World Series to face the Dodgers. Game time is 8:08 pm ET at Houston's Minute Maid Park.

National League

There were no National League games on Friday as the Dodgers captured the NL flag on Thursday, defeating the Cubs, four games to one in the NLCS. Los Angeles awaits their American League opponent in the World Series, which begins Tuesday, October 24.

Justin Verlander, Carlos Correa Lead Astros Over Yankees; Yasiel Puig Propels Dodgers In NLCS Game One

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 14, 2017

American League

Verlander: 9 IP, 1 ER, 13 K

Justin Verlander went the distance for the Astros, as Houston forged a two games to none lead in the AL Championship Series with their second straight 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Yankees.

Verlander struck out 13 in the complete game win, touched up for the sole Yankee run in the fifth inning when Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back doubles. Hicks doubled into the left-center gap with two outs, and Frazier stroked a ground rule double to the same area, scoring Hicks. The run tied the game after Carlos Correa's solo homer in the fourth put the Astros up, 1-0.

Correa: HR, 2 RBI

Verlander allowed just five hits, winning his third game in this post-season. He's tossed 16 strikeouts in 17 innings, with a 2.04 ERA.

Correa also drove in the game-winning run, as Jose Altuve raced home from first on Correa's one-out double in the bottom of the ninth off Yankee reliever Aroldis Chapman. The 23-year-old shortstop has three homers and nine RBI in the 2017 post-season.

With the two-game lead in hand, Houston heads to New York where games three, four, and five (if necessary) will take place. Game three is Monday at 8:08 pm ET at Yankee Stadium.

National League

The Cobs and Dodgers began the National League Championship Series (NLCS) Saturday with Los Angeles taking the opener, 5-2, rallying from a 2-0 fourth-inning deficit.

Puig: HR, 2 RBI

Clayton Kershaw worked five innings as the starter for LA, but was dinged on a two-run homer by Albert Almora Jr. in the fourth. Following the fifth inning, five Dodger relievers held Chicago scoreless, while Yasiel Puig keyed the comeback with a fifth-inning RBI double and a seventh inning solo homer.

Chris Taylor also belted a solo shot in the sixth, breaking the 2-2 tie.

Puig is batting .467 (7-for-15) in the post-season, with six RBI and one home run.

Game two of the series is Sunday, 7:38 pm ET at Dodger Stadium.

Arizona Downs Miami On Chris Iannetta's Slam, 8 RBI; Justin Verlander Leads 3-0 Houston Win

Players of the Day for Friday, September 22, 2017

American League

Verlander: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Having already clinched the AL West, the Houston Astros are still fighting for the best record in the AL, which would give them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Aiding that cause was their 3-0 win over the Angels Friday, which incidentally left the LA squad with five straight losses and a 3 1/2 game deficit in the race for the second wild card.

Justin Verlander (14-8) had one of his best starts of the season for Houston, tossing seven innings of shutout ball on one hit, walking two and fanning six.

At 34, Verlander has been doing what a veteran hurler should, winning games. Since the all-star break, he's 9-1 and Friday's outing was his fifth straight win. The last four of those wins have come in September, after being traded from the Tigers to the Astros, allowing just two runs in 28 innings, with an ERA of 0.64.

The AL MVP and Cy Young award winner in 2011, Verlander appears ready for the playoffs, regardless of where the games occur. Houston's win and a 3-1 loss by Cleveland to Seattle left the Tribe 1 1/2 games to the good over Houston for the league's best record. The Indians are 96-58; Houston stands at 94-59. The Astros have won eight of their last 10. Both have already clinched their divisions.

The Astros will try to cut into that gap when they meet the Angels in game two of their series in LA, Saturday at 1:05 pm ET.

National League

Iannetta: 2HR, GS, 8RBI

Arizona came closer to clinching the top wild card spot as catcher Chris Iannatta drove in eight runs with a pair of homers and an RBI single for a 13-11 win over the Miami Marlins.

The Diamondbacks lead Colorado by six games in the wild card standings with eight left to play.

In a wild contest that saw seven home runs and the lead change hands five times, Iannatta was at the center of the action, ripping a three-run homer in the first inning, delivering an RBI single in the second and cracking a grand slam in the sixth that put the Diamondbacks ahead for good.

The slam was Iannetta's third in his 12-year major league career, helping him notch a career high with eight RBI. He has 16 homers and 42 RBI in 85 games this season.

Colorado kept pace with a 4-1 win at San Diego and the Cardinals overtook Milwaukee by 1/2 game as they won their fourth straight. St. Louis trails the Rockies by 1 1/2 games for the final wild card.

Arizona can get closer to clinching when they meet the Marlins in game two of their three-game set, Saturday, at 8:10 pm ET in Miami.

Ryan Zimmerman Leads Nats With 2 HR In 10-1 Win; Justin Verlander Brilliant in Tigers' 10-0 Victory

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 9, 2017

American League

Verlander: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Detroit probably won't be seen in October, but they're still playing in August, racking up a 10-0 win over the visiting Pirates Wednesday night.

Justin Verlander didn't allow a hit until Pittsburgh's Josh Bell blooped a two-out double to left in the sixth inning, finishing with eight innings of one-hit ball, striking out six and walking three. Following Bell's two-bagger, Verlander (8-7) didn't allow another baserunner, setting down the last seven batters he faced in order.

Shane Green finished up the whitewash in the ninth.

Ian Kinsler singled, doubled, homered, drove in four runs and scored four times; Nicholas Castellanos singled twice, tripled and drove in five.

The Tigers and Pirates face off again on Thursday, 1:10 pm ET, at Comerica Park in Detroit.

National League

The Washington juggernaut rolls along.

Zimmerman: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Ryan Zimmerman singled, doubled, smacked a pair of home runs, scored four times, and drove in five runs in five at-bats, leading the Nationals to a 10-1 rip over Miami, their nearest rival in the NL East.

Zimmerman's two home runs gave him 26 on the year, to go along with his .310 batting average and 81 RBI. His home run total is his best since 2013, and the RBI number is his highest since 2012, when he drove in 95, and there are still 50 games left to the regular season.

Zimmerman has never batted higher than .307 for a full season, which he did in 2010.

So, it's safe to say that some of the success of the 2017 Nationals can be credited to Ryan Zimmerman having something of a career year.

As for the Marlins, while they are the team closest to the division-leading Nationals in the NL East, they are a distant 14 games back.

Washington leads the current four game series in the nation's capitol, two games to one, with the finale Thursday, at 7:05 pm ET.

Justin Verlander One-Hits Angels for 5-0 Tiger Win; Mets Win 6th Straight Behind Michael Cuddyer

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 26, 2015

American League

Verlander: 1-Hitter

This season has not been an especially pretty one for the Detroit Tigers.

Besieged by injuries and spotty play, Detroit harbors slim hopes of reaching the playoffs, currently five games behind fellow AL Central foe, Minnesota, for the last wild card spot.

All doom and gloom aside, Wednesday night at Comerica Park was something special, as Justin Verlander took a no-hitter to the ninth inning, only to have it spoiled by a leadoff double from Chris Iannetta. Verlander, the 2001 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner, retained his composure and finished up the ninth by getting the Angels out in order, completing the one-hit shutout for a 5-0 Tiger victory.

As is the case with many of his teammates, Verlander is not having anything even remotely resembling a championship season. He's 2-6 with a 3.45 ERA, but against the Angels the old magic was back. Throwing 74 of 112 pitches for strikes, Verlander fanned nine and issue just a pair of walks.

Cuddyer: 3-5, 2B, HR

In spite of the two walks - in the third and eighth innings - Verlander faced the minimum heading to the ninth, thanks to a pair of double plays turned by his infielders.

The loss by the Angels was yet another blow to their post-season hopes. Since August 10, LA is 5-11, and they've lost five of their last six, given up the second wild card spot and now trail the Twins by a game and Texas by 1/2 game for the final playoff spot.

The Angels and Tigers conclude their three-game series at 1:08 pm EDT Thursday.

National League

Winners of six straight with a 9-4 win over the Phillies, the Mets are putting it all together at the right time and blowing away the competition in the NL East.

Michael Cuddyer went 3-for-5 with a single, double and a two-run homer (10), driving in three runs to pace the offense. Cutter's blast in the eighth put the Mets up by a 6-0 score. New York's bullpen nearly squandered seven shutout innings from Bartolo Colon, giving up four runs to the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth.

Tyler Clipart quelled the uprising, getting the final out in the eighth and working the ninth for his 18th save of the season and his second as a member of the Mets.

The Mets can complete the four-game sweep of the Phillies when the two teams meet Thursday night at 7:05 pm EDT.

Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera Lead Tigers over A's in Decisive Game Five

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 10, 2013

American League

Over the past two days, baseball fans have been reminded why experience matters in the post-season, especially in big games and even more so, on the mound.

Justin Verlander

Wednesday saw St. Louis ace, Adam Wainwright, go the distance in a decisive game five win over the Pirates over rookie starter, Gerrit Cole. On Thursday, with the Tigers squaring off in Oakland with the A's, Detroit sent their big-game pitcher, Justin Verlander, up the hill against rookie hurler, Sonny Gray, of the A's.

The result was eerily similar to that in St. Louis a night earlier.

Gray gave up a two-run smash over the wall in right field by an obviously ailing Miguel Cabrera in the fourth inning. 2011 Cy Young award and league MVP Verlander? All he did was take a no-hitter into the seventh inning, shut out the A's over eight full innings and send the Tigers into the AL championship series against the Red Sox.

Miguel Cabrera

Perfect through the first five innings, Verlander gave up a walk to Josh Reddick with one down in the sixth, but didn't allow a hit until Yoenis Cespedes slashed one up the middle and into center field with two gone in the seventh. Verlander finished the inning unfazed, gave up a two-out single to Reddick in the eighth and turned the ball over to closer, Joaquin Benoit, who finished the job for the 3-0 win.

The Tigers scored an additional run in the sixth, when Victor Matinez scored on a fielder's choice.

Verlander fanned 10 and allowed just the two hits and the one walk, throwing 111 pitches, getting first strikes on 17 of the 27 batters he faced, improving his lifetime post-season mark to 7-4, with a 3.48 ERA.

Cabrera, who led the AL in batting with a .348 average, finished second in HRs and RBI behind Baltimore's Chris Davis, with 44 long balls and 137 ribbies. The All-Star third baseman and triple crown winner from 2012 has been slowed late in the year by nagging abdominal and leg ailments. The homer was his 11th in post-season play, to go with 33 RBI and a cumulative .273 average.

The Tigers will travel to Boston for games one and two of the best-of-seven championship series, starting Saturday at 8:00 pm EDT.

National League

There were no National League games on Thursday. The Dodgers and Cardinals begin the NL championship series with two games in St. Louis, game one starting at 8:37 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the record for most career strikeouts in the playoffs? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: False. In the 143 years of major league baseball, there have been 274,586 total home runs.

Jutin Verlander Perfect in Detroit Loss; Matt Young Triples in Three in Angels' Rout of Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, March 1, 2013

Grapefruit League

Verlander: perfect

Don't blame Justin Verlander for Detroit's 6-2 loss to the Mets Friday afternoon.

The 2008 Rookie of the year and 2011 Cy Young Award winner is already in game shape and arguably, mid-season form, tossing three innings of no-hit ball for the Tigers in his second start of the Spring.

Though he didn't get a decision either way, Verlander was as impressive as usual, fanning three without surrendering a walk.

The Mets struck for all their runs in the 4th through 7th innings, while six New York hurlers scattered 12 Tiger hits, surrendering only two runs.

Cactus League

Matt Young

The Angels and Dodgers each banged out 15 hits, but it was the halos who made the most of theirs, also taking advantage of four Dodger errors and six walks to outscore the Dodgers, 16-8, notching their first win of the pre-season, against five losses.

Matt Young stroked a bases-loaded triple to drive in three runs and scored one in two at-bats to lead the Angels.

Young is looking to find a roster spot on an LA squad that is loaded with power, and he's putting on a good show, getting seven hits in his first ten at-bats (.700).

Young has bounced around since 2009, from the Braves to the Tigers (last season) to the Angels, but has yet to garner any significant playing time in the majors, still qualifying as a rookie, despite his age: 30.

Justin Verlander Puts Yankees on the Brink of Elimination

Players of the Day for Tuesday, October 16, 2012

American League

ALCS: Detroit 2 NY Yankees 1 - Justin Verlander turned in another stellar post-season performance, holding a depleted Yankee lineup to two harmless singles and no runs over eight innings before Eduardo Nunez led off the ninth with a solo homer to left.

Verlander pitched to one more batter, his pitch count hitting 132 as he got Brett Gardner on a dribbler to the right side of the infield which Verlander handled and tossed casually to first baseman Prince Fielder.

Verlander: 8 1/3 IP,
3 H, 1 ER, W

Former Yankee reliever, Phil Coke, came on to finish up, getting Ichiro Suzuki to ground out to second, but then allowed back-to-back singles before striking out Raul Ibanez to end the game and put the Tigers up three games to none in the best-of-seven series.

The Tigers managed only single runs in the fourth and fifth off Yankee starter Phil Hughes and reliever David Phelps. Leading off the fourth inning, Delmon Young cracked his second homer of the season to give Detroit the lead, and Miguel Cabrera drove in Quentin Berry with none out in the fifth for the second Tiger run. Berry had reached on a fielding error by third baseman Eric Chavez and stole second prior to Cabrera's line shot to the center-right gap. The run was unearned.

As usual, Verlander was on his game, the only Yankee to hit safely through the first eight innings was Ichiro, who singled in the fourth and seventh, but did not advance past first either time.

Though the result may have been the same regardless, the Yankee lineup was devoid of three regular starters. Derek Jeter, out for the remainder of the playoffs with a broken left ankle, was replaced at short by Nunez. Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher, batting .130 (3-for-23) and .154 (4-for-26), in the playoffs, respectively, were replaced by Eric Chavez at third and Brett Gardner, who returned to his normal position in right field after missing most of the regular season due to injury.

The replacements did as well as could be expected against Verlander. Nunez was 1-for-3 with the solo homer. Chavez went 0-for-3; Gardner, batting in the leadoff spot, was held hitless in four at-bats. Verlander struck out three and did not issue a walk, winning for the sixth time in 11 post-season starts against three losses.

The Yankees face elimination with the Tigers on the verge of a trip to the World Series. Game four gets underway at 8:07 pm EDT in Detroit, Wednesday night.

National League

Game three of the NL Championship Series starts at 4:07 pm EDT in St. Louis. With the series tied at a game apiece, Matt Cain goes to the mound for the Giants; Kyle Lohse starts for the Cardinals.

J.J. Hardy Sends O's to Game Five; Justin Verlander Puts Tigers into ALCS; Jayson Werth Stuns Cards; Buster Posey Slams as Giants Advance

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 11, 2012

American League

J.J. Hardy

ALDS: Baltimore 2 NY Yankees 1, 13 innings - 16 pitchers were used in the marathon extra inning game four between the two AL East entrants in the post-season sweepstakes, but the Yankees' David Phelps was victimized by J.J. Hardy, who stroked a double to deep left field, scoring Manny Machado from second base with the eventual game-winner in the top of the 13th.

Machado doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on Nate McLouth's ground out to second. With the outfield drawn in, Hardy launched a perfect, down-the-middle offering from Phelps, Machado trotting home easily. Jim Johnson worked a perfect bottom of the 13th for his second save of the series.

To settle the series, game five is scheduled for 5:07 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium. C.C. Sabathia goes up the bump for New York, against the Orioles' Jason Hammel.

Verlander: 9IP 4H CG

ALDS: Detroit 6 Oakland 0 - The Tigers took game five of their divisional series with the A's, as Justin Verlander proved once again that he is the ultimate big-game pitcher in the majors.

Verlander improved to 5-3 in the post-season, hurling a four-hit, 11-strikeout gem, advancing the Tigers past the A's and into the Championship Series against either the Yankees or Orioles. The 2011 Cy Young award winner walked one and didn't allow a base runner past second, going the distance for his first post-season shutout in ten starts.

The Tigers won the first two games of the series in Detroit, then dropped two in Oakland before calling on their ace to finish off the A's.

National League

Posey Slams for SF

NLDS: San Francisco 6 cincinnati 4 - Buster Posey socked a grand slam as the Giants erupted for six runs in the fifth inning off Cincy starter Mat Latos, advancing the Giants to the NL championship series to face either St. Louis or Washington.

It was Posey's second home run of the post-season, and likely the biggest shot of his career. Matt Cain took the win and the Giants used five relievers to hold down the Reds, who lost three straight after winning the first two in San Francisco. Sergio Romo allowed a ninth-inning run, but managed to pick up his second save of the series.

Jayson Werth

NLDS: Washington 2 St. Louis 1 - Jayson Werth's leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and sent the divisional series to a deciding game five, to be played Friday night in the nation's capitol.

Werth homered off Lance Lynn, staving off elimination for the Nationals and tying the series at two games apiece.

Washington scored a run in the second and the Cardinals responded with a single run in the top of the third, but that was all the two starters, St. Louis' Kyle Lohse and Washington's Ross Detwiler would allow. Lohse went seven full innings; Detwiler worked six.

Adam Wainwright gets the game five start for St. Louis against the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez. Game time is 8:37 pm EDT.

ALDS: Justin Verlander Leads Tigers Past A's; NLDS: Reds Take Game One over Giants as Brandon Phillips Shines

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 6, 2012

American League

Detroit took game one of their best-of-five series with Oakland, winning, 3-1, behind the pitching of ace starter, Justin Verlander.

Justin Verlander

Tagged by Coco Crisp with a leadoff home run, Verlander quickly settled down, allowing just two more hits over seven full innings, fanning 11 and walking four. Meanwhile, the Tigers scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings, the final run coming on an Alex Avila solo homer.

Dating back to 2006, it was Verlander's ninth post-season start, improving his playoff record to 4-3.

Game two is set for Sunday at 12:07 pm EDT at Detroit. The Orioles and Yankees begin their best-of-five divisional series Sunday at 6:07 pm, in Baltimore.


National League

The Cincinnati Reds won their first post-season game since 1995, taking down the Giants, 5-2, in San Francisco.

Brandon Phillips

Reds' starter, Johnny Cueto, threw just eight pitches before leaving the game with back spasms. Cueto got Angel Pagan on strikes, but could not continue, so a parade of Reds relievers continued, holding the Giants to just two earned runs on seven hits over the final 8 2/3 innings.

Brandon Phillips supplied more than enough offense, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the third inning and an insurance RBI single in the ninth.

Jay Bruce's solo shot in the fourth put the Reds up 3-0. Xavier Paul scored on a passed ball in the ninth to complete the scoring for Cincinnati.

San Francisco's two runs came on a sixth-inning solo home run by Buster Posey and Joaquin Arias score on a wild pitch in the ninth.

The series resumes Sunday with game two in San Francisco at 9:37 pm EDT.

The Nationals and Cardinals open their best-of-five divisional series Sunday in St. Louis. Game time is 3:07 pm EDT.

Aaron Harang Hurls Dodgers Back into First in West; Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera Boost Tigers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 4, 2012

American League

Justin Verlander

After losing the first two games of their four-game series with the Twins, the Detroit Tigers needed a win badly, and turned to their ace, Justin Verlander, to deliver a win.

Miguel Cabrera

Not only did the big righty produce a winning effort, but the Detroit power hitters backed him at the plate. Prince Fielder stroked a two-run double in the opening inning and Miguel Cabrera homered twice, drove in three runs and scored three times in the 5-1 Tiger win.

Verlander scattered four hits, the only run coming off the bat of Chris Parmalee, his fifth inning solo shot cutting the Detroit lead to one. Otherwise, Verlander demonstrated his usual dominance, going the distance for his ninth win against five defeats, fanning seven and walking just one.

Cabrera, after scoring in the first inning on Fielder's double, took matters into his own hands in the late stages of the game, socking a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run job in the seventh to complete a 3-for-3 effort. Cabrera has 18 home runs and 68 RBI, second in the league behind Josh Hamilton's 74.

Detroit remained in third place, 4 1/2 games back of the White Sox in the Central. The Tigers and Twins finish up their series Thursday afternoon in Detroit.

National League

Aaron Harang

The Dodgers conceded first place in the NL West to the Giants just a few days ago, but took it back on Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Cincinnati, who relinquished their lead in the Central to the Pirates.

Aaron Harang tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run on Devin Mesoraco's solo homer in the fifth inning. Harang, staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, struck out five and walked just one to improve to 6-5. Ronald Belisario worked the eighth and Kenley Jansen the ninth, neither reliever giving up a hit. Belisraio struck out the side in his inning of work; Jansen fanned two, picking up his 14th save.

While the Dodgers were taking their second straight from the Reds, Washington defeated the Giants for the second straight time, 9-4, and Pittsburgh won its third straight over the Astros, 6-4, to grab a one game lead in the division.

The Dodgers lead San Francisco by 1/2 game in the West. LA heads to Arizona for four games with the Diamondbacks, leading up to the all star break.

JP Arencibia Leads Jays Rout of Mets; Justin Verlander Tosses 1-Hitter at Pirates; Martin Prado Helps Braves Retain NL East Edge

Players of the Day for Friday, May 18, 2012

American League

Verlander: 1-hitter

Arencibia: 2HR 6RBI

Friday kicked off a weekend of interleague games, some of which were outright mismatches, such as Toronto's 14-5 home victory over the Mets in which JP Arencibia cracked a pair of home runs and drove in a career high six RBI, going 3-for-5.

In Detroit, Justin Verlander held the Pirates hitless until one out in the eighth inning, when Josh Harrison broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle. Verlander finished with a one-hitter, striking out 12 and walking a pair in a 6-0 Tiger win. Verlander threw 76 of 109 pitches for strikes, improved to 5-1 and took over the AL strikeout lead with 68.

Martin Prado

National League

Atlanta's Martin Prado went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, drove in one and scored three times as the Braves padded their NL East lead over Washington to 1 1/2 games with a 5-3 win at Tampa Bay. The Nationals lost a tight, 2-1, extra-inning contest to the Orioles in D.C. on Nick Markakis' solo homer with one out in the top of the 11th inning. The O's lead the AL East by two full games over the Rays.

Interleague play continues through the weekend, except for one NL series between St. Louis and the LA Dodgers due to the imbalance in the number of teams between the two leagues.

Justin Verlander Solid in 2-1 Tiger Win; Mat Gamel Socks Grand Slam, Solo HR for Brewers

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 31, 2012

Grapefruit League

Justin Verlander

Even when the Detroit Tigers don't score a bunch of runs, they still manage to win games. That's because, in addition to having one of the most potent offenses in either league, they have a pitching staff led by 2011 AL Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander.

In Saturday's rain-shortened, 2-1 victory over the Braves, Verlander worked six strong innings, allowing four hits and one earned run, striking out five without issuing a walk.

It was the second win of spring for the mighty righty. After Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Braves tied the game with a run in the fourth, but Clete Thomas put the Tigers back on top with a solo job in the fifth. Verlander continued to dominate through the fifth and sixth innings, and then came the rains. Atlanta (10-17) never got to bat in the seventh.

Detroit continues to trail Toronto in Grapefruit League standings. The Jays are 23-5; the Tigers' 17-7.

Cactus League

Mat Gamel

No Prince Fielder? No problem.

The Milwaukee Brewers took a 10-7 decision over the Padres Saturday as Mat Gamel, who is vying to replace the departed Fielder at first base, smashed a grand slam and added a solo homer, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and possibly make the departure of one of the best power hitters in the game a little easier to stomach in Milwaukee.

Gamel, whose two homers gave him six this spring, looks like the real deal, one that the Milwaukee brain trust have kept hidden away in the minors during the years of Fielder's reign at first base.

A left-handed hitter who fields righty, Gamel played in 61 games with the Brewers in 2009 (5 HR, 20 RBI) and had a coupe of short stints in 2010 and 2011, but mostly he's been down in the minors since 2005, where he's put 105 balls out of various stadia and driven in 503 runs with a .304 batting average.

Maybe he's why the Brewers weren't too worried about losing Fielder to free agency. They were able to replace power with more power.

Verlander, Young Give Tigers Game Three Win; Mike Napoli Homers for Rangers, Lead Rays, 2-1

Players of the Day for Monday, October 3, 2011


American League

Rangers 4 Rays 3

Mike Napoli

Mike Napoli's two-run, 7th-inning home run erased a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead and helped chase Rays' starter, David Price, from the mound. After Craig Gentry singled off Price with two runs already in, he was lifted for Brandon Gomes, who promptly issued a walk to Ian Kinsler. After Gentry and Kinsler moved to second and third on a double steal, Elvis Andrus also walked. J.P. Howell came on for the Rays with the bases loaded, and Josh Hamilton delivered a two-run single, putting the Rangers up, 4-0.

After the Rays scored a run in the bottom of the 7th, Desmond Jennings hit his second solo homer of the game in the 8th, cutting the Texas lead to one run. B.J. Upton walked with nobody out but was gunned down on an attempted steal on a pitchout by Napoli. Texas reliever Mike Adams, who had come on to start the 8th, couldn't get the ball over the plate, walking Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce, giving the Rays hope, but Michael Gonzalez got Johnny Damon to fan on three pitches and closer Neftali Felix struck out Ben Zobrist after Longoria and Joyce had moved to second and third on a wild pitch.

Feliz surrendered a one out single to Sean Rodriguez, but induced a double play from Kelly Shoppach to end the game.

Texas leads the series, two games to one, and can eliminate the Rays in game four at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. Game time is 2:07 pm EDT. Texas sends Matt Harrison to the mound, while the Rays counter with rookie Jeremy Hellickson.

Tigers 5 Yankees 4

Justin Verlander

In the rematch of aces following the game one washout on Friday, both C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander were not as sharp as usual, but Verlander managed the best, getting the win that put Detroit up two games to one, putting the Yankees into an elimination situation on Tuesday in the five-game series.

Sabathia lasted only 5 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and four runs before being pulled by manager Joe Girardi. Sabathia clearly did not have his best stuff, walking six batters with only three strikeouts. Verlander continued through the eighth, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks, but struck out 11 Yankees on his way to the win. The Yankees tied the game with two runs in the top of the 7th on Brett Gardner's two-RBI double, but Verlander stranded him at second when he struck out Derek Jeter to end the inning.

Delmon Young

In the bottom of the frame, Delmon Young socked a solo homer to give the Rangers the lead again, 5-4, and Verlander got through the 8th unscathed, setting the stage for closer Jose Valverde, who hadn't blown a save opportunity all season.

Valverde made matters interesting, issuing a pair of walks in the final inning, but again it was Jeter who struck out to end the game, putting the Tigers in a position to close out the series on Tuesday in game four.

The Yankees are in a precarious position because they have to go to A.J. Burnett in game four. Burnett won two of his final three starts of the regular season, but has been shaky all year, going 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. Rick Porcello goes up the bump for the Tigers. Porcello was 14-9 with a 4.79 ERA during the regular season. Game time is slated for 8:37 pm EDT.

National League

The National Leaguers had the day off for travel, but both divisional series resume Tuesday.

The Phillies face the Cardinals in St. Louis with the series tied at a game apiece, while the Brewers head to Arizona to try to eliminate the Diamondbacks. Milwaukee has a 2-0 lead in their series, and will send Shaun Marcum to the mound against Arizona's Josh Collmenter. Game time is 9:37 pm EDT.

The Phillies and Cards square off at 5:07 pm EDT. The Phillies' Cole Hamels faces the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia.

Erick Aybar 4-for-4 in Angels Victory; Verlander Wins #24; Giants Win 8th Straight

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 18, 2011

American League

Disco-era hit, "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees might become the theme song for the LA Angels, as long as they and the Rangers continue competing for the AL West crown. And, if Boston keeps faltering and the Yankees do the Angels a favor by beating back the Rays (they play them six times over then next ten days), they might find themselves the lucky recipient of a wild card ticket to the post-season.

Aybar: 4-for-4

Avoiding being swept by the lowly Orioles, the Angels hammered Baltimore, 11-2, mostly on the strength of leadoff hitter Erick Aybar, who went 4-for-4 and scored five times.

Aybar doubled twice and swatted a pair of home runs, driving in four runs. After walking in the first inning and scoring on Bobby Abreu's double, Aybar broke a 1-1 tie in the third with a solo home run, and added a two-run shot in the 4th as the Angels scored four times to take control of the game. Aybar doubled and scored in the sixth inning, then drove home another run in the eighth with his second double and scored for the fifth time.

Rival Texas knocked off Seattle, 3-0, keeping the Angels 4 1/2 back in the division, but Tampa Bay beat the Red Sox, 8-5, tightening that race. The Rays trail Boston by just two games in the wild card standings, with the Angels four games out.

Verlander: 24-5

The Yankees dropped a 3-0 decision to the Blue Jays, keeping the Red Sox 4 1/2 back and the Rays 6 1/2 behind.

In the already-decided Central, Justin Verlander improved to 24-5, allowing three hits over eight innings in Detroit's 3-0 victory at Oakland. Verlander walked three and struck out six. The Tigers were the first MLB team to clinch a division, but continue to play hard, hoping to hold off the Rangers for the second best record in the league and home field advantage in the opening playoff round. The Tigers, 89-64, have a one game lead over Texas and trail the Yankees by three games for the best AL record.

National League

Sandoval: 4 RBI

Pablo Sandoval has gotten hot at the right time.

Just a few days since hitting for the cycle, Sandoval had another big game, going 3-for-4 with a triple, two home runs and four RBI as the Giants continued to pressure the Diamondbacks in the NL West, winning their eighth straight, a no-doubt, 12-5 win at Colorado, sweeping the four game series with the Rockies.

Sandoval has had four multi hit games in his last seven, going 14-for-29 (.483) over that span with four homers and 11 RBI.

San Francisco still trails Arizona by five games in the division with nine left to play, three of those between the two contenders. Arizona reduced their magic number to five with a 5-1 win over the Padres.

The Giants also have hopes in the wild card race, where they are four games behind Atlanta, 7-5 losers to the Mets on Sunday. The Cardinals remained in the wild card hunt, beating Philadelphia, 5-0, to creep to within 3 1/2 games of the Braves, though still trailing the Brewers by 6 1/2 in the Central division. Milwaukee completed a sweep at Cincinnati with an 8-1 win.