Kelly Johnson Homers Twice as Rays Sting Marlins; Cubs' Jeff Samardzija Blanks White Sox on Two Hits

Players of the Day for Monday, May 27, 2013

American League

Johnson: 2HR, 6RBI

Memorial Day kicked off interleague play between regional "rivals," so it was Miami visiting Tampa Bay for the first of two games before the teams head South for two games in the national League city starting Wednesday.

The Rays, desperately chasing Boston, New York and Baltimore in the AL East, took full advantage of their meeting with the sub-par Marlins, topping Miami, 10-6.

While the Marlins actually out-hit the Rays, 11-10, they didn't have Tampa's Kelly Johnson, who had the Rays' only extra-base hits, going 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs and six RBI.

In the second inning, Johnson completed a six-run attack with his first homer of the day, a three run shot to right. Johnson also completed the scoring for the Rays in the eighth with another three-run homer. In between, came a single, double and, for good measure, Johnson's fifth stolen base of the season.

Johnson's been a pleasant surprise for the Rays, with a .298 average, 10 home runs and 32 RBI.

The win left the Rays five games out in the division, nestled snugly into fourth place, but with eyes on moving up as their four straight games against Miami should result in an extended winning streak.

National League

Samardzija: 2-Hitter

The start of Chicago's crosstown rivalry series between the Cubs and White Sox produced a lopsided victory for the visitors as Jeff Samardzija tossed a two-hit shutout for the Cubs in a 7-0 romp.

Samardzija fanned eight and walked two in his first major league complete game, limiting the White Sox to a pair of singles - one in the second inning and one in the ninth. The lanky, 6'5" right-hander was in control throughout, needing just 108 pitches over the nine frames.

The former All-American wide receiver from Notre Dame moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation last season, when he posted a 9-13 mark. Despite his unimpressive 3-6 record this year, Samardzija's other numbers are pretty solid: a 2.85 ERA and 80 Ks in 72 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters are batting just .196 against him.

The win moved the Cubs out of last place in the NL Central, 1/2 game ahead of Milwaukee, losers of three straight. The Cubs still are 13 games behind the Cardinals in the division, but Samardzija gives the Wrigley Field faithful hope that they have a #1 starter for the long haul.

The White Sox fell five games out in the AL Central. The series continues Tuesday at 8:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trvia: Who was the last catcher to win the AL MVP award? Hint: it was 1999.

Yesterday's Answer: Greg Maddux won the NL Cy Young Award four straight years, from 1992-1995 as a starter for the Atlanta Braves; Randy Johnson took home the award each year from 1999-2002 when he was with the Arizona Diammondbacks.

Kelly Johnson Leads Rays in 12-10 Win over Orioles; Paul Goldschmidt Surging as Arizona Ties for NL West Lead

Players of the Day for Friday, May 17, 2013

American League

Kelly Johnson

Opening an important series at Baltimore Friday night, Tampa Bay took a 12-10 win in a game that nearly got away.

Continuing to lurk just behind the leaders in the AL East, the Rays led 12-4 after six innings and had to hold off a furious Oriole rally as the O's put up six runs in the bottom of the eighth.

With Jeremy Hellickson - who still earned the win - blowing up and reliever Kyle Farnsworth unable to get anybody out (three hits, two earned runs), Joel Peralta came on to get the final out in the eighth and shut down the Orioles in order in the ninth.

Despite the theatrics, the Rays emerged a game above .500, 4 1/2 behind division leading New York. Kelly Johnson delivered for the Rays, socking a three-run homer in the third inning, singling home another in the fifth and doubling and scoring a run in the sixth.

Johnson was 3-for-5 with four RBI, with his sixth home run and 23 RBI.

The Rays and Orioles face off in the second game of the series at 4:05 pm EDT at Camden yards. In third place just 2 1/2 back, the O's lead the Rays by two games in the standings.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt

With their third straight win and a 10-9 loss by the Giants at Colorado, the Diamondbacks regained a tie for first place in the NL West with San Francisco.

Paul Goldschmidt led Arizona's 9-2 win at Miami - the opener of a three-game series - with four hits in five at-bats, his third multi-hit game in his last four.

Goldschmidt blasted his 11th and 12th homers of the season in the first and third innings, both coming off Miami starter Kevin Slowey and both with a man aboard. Later, he singled and doubled, scoring both times, as the Diamondbacks padded their lead.

With his recent surge at the plate, Goldschmidt is challenging in the important statistical categories. His .338 batting average is fourth in the league; his 12 homers second-most and he's second in RBI with 35, one behind Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips.

Arizona and Miami meet again on Saturday at 7:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Which starting pitcher led the majors with 21 wins in 2012?

Yesterday's Answer: Hank Aaron was on 21 All Star rosters, one better than Willie Mays and Stan Musial.

Brewers Clinch NL Central; Diamondbacks, Rangers Take the West; Rays Lose Again

Players of the Day for Friday, September 23, 2011

American League

If not for the Red Sox playing terrible baseball all through the month of September, nobody would be talking about the Tampa Bay Rays, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games, dropping to 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL wild card race.

Kelly Johnson

Toronto's Kelly Johnson drove in a run in the third inning and socked a solo home run in the 6th, leading to a 5-1 win for the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field in Tampa.

The Red Sox were rained out in New York and will play a double-header with the Yankees on Sunday. The Angels dropped a 3-1 decision to Oakland, paving the way for the Rangers to take the division.

Texas defeated Seattle, 5-3, to capture their second straight AL west division championship, completing the divisional races in both leagues.

The Angels trail Boston by 3 1/2 in the wild card.


National League

Pennant races aren't what they used to be, but it would be hard to convince the players of the Milwaukee Brewers of that.

The Brewers clinched their first division title of any kind since 1982, when they were still in the American League and captured the East division.

Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun socked a three-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning, leading to a 4-1 win over the Florida Marlins. The Brewers clubhouse erupted in celebration as players watched the conclusion of the Cardinals-Cubs game, which ended in a 5-1 win by Chicago, eliminating second place St. Louis in the division, giving the crown to Milwaukee.

Braun went 1-for-4 in the game, the clutch homer being his only hit. The Brewers's outfielder is being mentioned prominently in MVP discussions alongside Dodger star Matt Kemp. Braun has 32 home runs, 107 RBI and a .329 batting average, tied for the lead in batting with the Mets' Jose Reyes. Kemp is on the cusp of a triple crown, having hit his 37th home run in LA's 2-0 win over San Diego, tying him with St. Louis' Albert Pujols. He also leads the league with 119 RBI and is batting .326.

Atlanta stopped the Nationals, 7-4, increasing their wild card lead to three games ahead of St. Louis. San Francisco lost the first game of their three game visit to Arizona, 3-1, giving the Diamondbacks the NL West title.

Toronto Trio Blasts Cleveland; Kelly Johnson Slams Cards; Jeter, Yanks Rained Out

Players of the Day for Friday, July 8, 2011

American League

Rajai Davis

Edwin Encarnacion

Talk about the bottom of the order coming through and you have to mention the job done by the sixth, seventh and ninth hitters for Toronto in their 11-7 win at Cleveland.

Edwin Encarnacion (6), Travis Snider (7) and Rajai Davis (9) combined for 10 of the Blue Jays' 16 hits, nine of 10 RBI and eight of the team's 11 runs.

Encarnacion went 4-for-5 and scored four times. Snider was 3-for-5 with a double, home run, five RBI and two runs, but Rajai Davis had a double and a pair of singles in four at-bats, stole two bases, scored twice and drove in four runs.

Travis Snider

The trio put away all thoughts of their previous game, which came to a sudden end when Cleveland's Travis Hafner belted a grand slam for the 5-4 win.

The Blue Jays, though blessed with an enormity of talent, remain near the bottom of the AL East, 11 games back and four games under .500. With the loss, Cleveland is clinging to a 1/2 game lead in the Central. The second place Tigers have won three straight and have been locked into a battle for the division lead for over a month.

National League

Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson had just one hit for Arizona in their 7-6 win at St. Louis, but it was a big one and provided the Diamondbacks' margin of victory.

Tied at three in the top of the seventh, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases for Johnson and the veteran second baseman responded with his 16th home run and second grand slam of the season, establishing a lead that Arizona would not surrender. Arizona gave up three runs in the bottom of the 8th for the 7-6 victory.

It was Johnson's fourth career grand slam and helped the Diamondbacks edge closer to the Giants in the NL West. Arizona trails San Francisco by one game after the Giants lost at home, 5-3, to the Mets. The Cardinals continued to hold second place, tied with Pittsburgh one game back of Milwaukee in the Central.

JETER 3000 WATCH: In what has to be as frustrating for Jeter as it is for the fans, Friday's scheduled game with the Rays was rained out and postponed until September. Jeter, the Yankees and Rays will be on the field Saturday at 1:05, and Sunday will be the final game before the all star break. Jeter is just two hits shy of 3000, but the Yankees start the second half of the season with an eight game road trip, so the two games will be his last opportunity to get hit #3000 at Yankee Stadium.

Jeter, along with Alex Rodriguez and closer Mariano Rivera all pulled out of the all star game due to nagging injuries. Jeter intends to rest his sore calf, which earlier put him on the disabled list, while Rodriguez rests a sore knee and Rivera nurses an ailing right arm.

Hunter, Abreu Lead Angels; Upton, Johnson, Montero Star in D-Backs 15-4 Defeat of Marlins

Players of the Day for Monday, May 30, 2011

American League

Bobby Abreu

The importance of winning early in the season is often understated, but to the veteran players around the league, every game is meaningful.

Torii Hunter

That sentiment is surely not lost on Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, as they try to keep the Angels within striking distance of defending AL West champion, Texas.

In the Angels' 10-8 triumph at Kansas City Monday, both players had big games and important hits. Abreau went 4-for-5 - two doubles, two singles - scored twice and drove in a pair of runs, while Hunter was 3-for-5, with a pair of homers, the second of which came in the 9th inning with the Angels down a run. His two-run blast turned an 8-7 Royals' lead into a 9-8 advantage for the Angels. Hunter drove in four runs, giving him 31 on the year.

LA has managed to keep the Rangers within view, as Texas is just one game in front of the Angels, but the rest of the division is right in the mix, with Seattle 1 1/2 back and the A's 2 1/2 off the pace.

Justin Upton

National League

Kelly Johnson

The hottest team in the majors has to be the Arizona Diamondbacks, winners of seven straight, including Monday's 15-4 pasting of the Florida Marlins.

Arizona has surged from the back of the pack to the top of the NL Western division, with a 1/2 game lead over the Giants. This incredible 14-2 run began on May 14, after the Diamondbacks had lost five straight and fallen into the division basement.

Miguel Montero

In Monday's road fest, Arizona banged out 19 hits. Leadoff hitter, Kelly Johnson could have hit for the cycle as he needed only a single to do so, but instead hammered a pair of homer runs, a double, a triple, scored three times and drove in three runs. Catcher Miguel Montero drove in five runs, going 3-for-5 at the plate, including a three-run homer, but Justin Upton was unstoppable, going 5-for-5 with four singles and his 10th home run of the season. He scored three runs, drove in three and stole a base for good measure.

The game was the first of three with Florida. The Marlins find themselves in the usual position of looking up the standing at Philadelphia. They trail the Phillies by three games in the East.

Nady, Johnson Winfree Torch Cubs; Aaron Hill Rounds Out Blue Jay Lineup

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 29, 2011

American League

Aaron Hill

With the regular season just a few days from opening, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have their starting lineup in good shape now that Aaron Hill has returned to action.

Sidelined for most of the exhibition season with tightness in his right quad, Hill returned to duty about a week ago and has been tearing up opposing pitchers.

In Tuesday's 7-4 win over Baltimore, the spunky second baseman went 3-for-4 with two singles and a double, scored twice and drove in three runs. That pushed Hill's average up to .524 (11-for-21) in seven Spring games.

One of Toronto's rising stars, Hill hit 36 homers and drove in 108 runs in 2009, before backtracking in 2010 with a .205 batting average with 26 homers and 68 RBI.

National League

Kelly Johnson

Xavier Nady

Not generally considered a team with a wealth of hitters, the Arizona Diamondbacks woke u their bats with a barrage of 19 hits in a 15-8 win over the Cubs.

Xavier Nady was 4-for-5 with three singles and a grand slam home run, scoring three times and driving in four runs against the team he played for last year.

Teammate David Winfree went 3-for-6 with two homrs and four RBI and Kelly Johnson added a 3-run shot in addition to his double and two singles in four at-bats.

The Diamondbacks finished last in the NL West in 2010 and are hoping that some of their power strokes translate into wins in 2011.

Kelly Johnson Hits for Cycle, but D-Backs Lose; C.J. Wilson Extends Rangers AL West Lead

Players of the Day for Friday, July 23, 2010 American League The Texas Rangers are in first place in the AL West, and for a number of good reasons. First, they snatched up free agent Vladimir Guerrero from their chief rival, the LA Angels, in the off-season, depriving the Angels of a powerful bat in their lineup while adding it to their own. Second, the Angels can't keep up, partly because they also lost the only other power hitter in their lineup, Kendry Morales, in a freak June home plate celebration in which Morales broke his leg. Morales is out for the season. Third, they already had the nucleus of a solid batting order heading into the season and only needed some pitching to help bring home the AL West flag. And that brings us to reason number four, their pitching staff. Especially now that they've acquired Cliff lee from Seattle and Tommy Hunter (7-0) is back from the DL, they have a quality rotation which can match up with the best in the league. Proof of the Rangers' emergence in the pitching department is starter C.J. Wilson, who blanked the Angels Friday on four hits over 8 innings in a 1-0 triumph that extended the Rangers' lead to seven games. Wilson allowed hits in each of the first three innings, but settled into a groove after that, protecting the 1-0 lead provided by Michael Young's 1st inning solo homer. From the 3rd through the 8th innings, Wilson set down 15 straight Angels and did not walk a batter. Neftali Perez came on for the 9th, setting down the Angels in order for his 27th save, tops in the AL. Wilson has been the glue for the Rangers' pitching staff all season, never missing a start (20) and piling on the innings (127 2/3), while keeping the opposition at bay. Wilson picked up his 9th win against 5 losses in the win over the Angels, dropping his ERA to 3.03, which matches up nicely with his 1.20 WHIP. A converted reliever and closer, Wilson became a full-time starter this season and has flourished in the role, allowing opposing hitters a meager .203 batting average. The Rangers have taken the first two games of their series against the Angels and have two more, Saturday and Sunday. Should they sweep, the AL West race could be effectively over, with the Rangers up by what would be nine games. Unless the Angels come up with some answers, and in a hurry, they look to be second best in a division they've dominated for years. National League You know it's not your year when one of your players hits for the cycle and you still lose the game. Such was the case for the hopeless Arizona Diamondbacks in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Giants, as Kelly Johnson turned the trick with a 4-for-4 effort with 3 RBI and 2 runs. Johnson was the third player this season to hit for the cycle, following Milwaukee's Jody Gerut (May 8) and Texas' Bengie Molina, who did it exactly seven days ago. Getting the tough stuff out of the way with a solo home run in the first inning, Johnson was hit by a pitch and thrown out trying to swipe second base in the 3rd. After a ground rule double in the 5th and a two-run triple in the 6th, Johnson got the needed single leading off the 8th in his final at-bat, but was erased by a double play one batter later. The Diamondbacks are 20 games out in the NL West, but the Giants, 13-3 since July 5th, have taken over sole possession of second place, trailing the Padres by 3 games.