J.D. Martinez Swats 4 HR In Arizona's 13-1 Rout Of LA; Blue Jays Pound Boston Behind Kendrys Morales

Players of the Day for Monday, September 4, 2017

American League

Morales: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI

For a first place team, the Boston Red Sox haven't been exactly knocking the cover off the ball, losing eight of their last 12, including Monday's 10-4 pounding by the last place Blue Jays, a team that deserves to be where it is, losing 12 of the last 17, including three straight to Boston just a week ago.

Kendrys Morales provided the fuel for Toronto's offensive outburst, socking a first-inning, three-run homer off 2016 Cy Young award winner, Rick Porcello, the Boston hurler dropping to 9-15 after allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Morales added a ninth-inning RBI double, driving in four runs in the game, upping his total for the season to 75.

Coupled with the Yankees' 7-4 win at Baltimore, Boston's tenuous hold on first place in the AL East is down to just 2 1/2 games.

Boston will try to shake out of their slump in game two of the three-game series at Fenway Park, Tuesday at 7:10 pm ET.

National League

Martinez: 4 HR, 6 RBI

J.D. Martinez swatted four home runs in Arizona's no-doubt, 13-0 victory over the LA Dodgers Monday, making the 30-year-old Diamondback outfielder the 18th player in major league history to accomplish the single-game feat, and the second player this season to do so.

Martinez opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Arizona starter, Robbie Ray (12-5), would make that stand up for 7 2/3 innings, blanking the Dodgers on three hits, fanning 14.

In the seventh, Martinez cranked a solo homer out to right center, the first of two measuring 417 feet, the second coming in his next at-bat, in the eighth, also with bases empty. Competing the feat in the ninth, Martinez swatted his fourth of the game with a man aboard, giving him six RBI on the day.

Martinez has 34 homers on the year, 18 of them with Arizona. He hit 16 for Detroit before being traded to the Diamondbacks in mid-July.

The other player to hit four in one game this season was Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett, who did so on June 6, in a 13-1 win over St. Louis.

Arizona's win came in the opener of a three-game series in Los Angeles and was their 11th straight win. Forgetting for now that the Dodgers lead the NL West by 12 1/2 games, the Diamondbacks are clearly the team to beat as September progresses. While Arizona has gotten hot, the Dodgers have gone cold, losing nine of their last 10.

Game two of the series is Tuesday, at 7:10 pm PT in LA.

Arizona Sweeps Dodgers As Zack Greinke Wins 16th; Blue Jays Snap O's Win Streak On Kendrys Morales 3 HRs

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 31, 2017

American League

Morales: 4-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI

Baltimore was making some serious noise in the wild card race, winning seven straight prior to welcoming the Toronto Blue Jays into Camden Yards for a four-game series, but the night would not go well for the high-flying Orioles, as the scrappy Blue Jays grounded them, 11-8.

The game was not one for pitchers on either squad as the two teams combined for 27 hits and five home runs, three of them by Kendrys Morales, who also singled in five at-bats, driving in seven runs.

Morales socked a two-run homer in the third inning, singled home another run in the fifth, and finished off the O's with a three-run blast in the sixth and a solo shot in the eighth, completing the scoring for the Blue Jays. Morales has 25 home runs and 70 RBI on the year.

The Orioles scored a pair of runs in they eighth to close the gap, but it was not enough and the streak was over, leaving Baltimore 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees and 2 1/2 back of Minnesota for the two wild card spots. Both the Twins and Yankees were winners on Thursday. The Yankees topped Boston, 6-2, while Minnesota won their fourth straight, beating the White Sox, scoring the winning run when Max Kepler was plunked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Baltimore will try to get back on the winning track when they meet Toronto in game two, Friday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt's first inning double plated two runs and that was all Zack Greinke needed to notch his 16th win as the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers in an 8-1 win.

Greinke: 16-6, 3.08 ERA

Greinke allowed a run in the second inning, but that was all, going six innings to tie Milwaukee's Zach Davies as the only 16-game winners in the major leagues.

While Greinke limited the Dodgers to just four hits, Arizona slammed LA starter Kenta Maeda for seven runs on eight hits over the first three innings. With the huge lead, Greinke sat after the sixth, allowing T.J. McFarland to work a scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Jake Barrett closed out the game and the sweep with a hitless ninth.

The loss was LA's fifth straight, easily their longest losing streak of the season, but that may be the end of it as ace hurler Clayton Kershaw returns Friday night against the San Diego Padres after spending 40 days on the DL with back problems. The Dodgers dropped three straight - though no to the same team - once each in April, May, and June.

Since the All Star break, the Dodgers have only lost two straight once, dropping a pair to Atlanta, July 20 and 21 as they split a four-game series with the Braves.

Greinke fanned six and walked two, increasing his strikeout total to 188, third in the NL behind Max Scherzer (230) and the Mets' Jacob DeGrom (206).

With the sweep, Arizona vastly improved their chances at making the post season, improving their hold on the top wild card position to 3 1/2 games over the Rockies. They still trail the Dodgers by 16 games, so, with fewer than 30 games to play, catching the runaway leaders in the NL West is not realistic.

The Diamondbacks have won seven straight and nine of their last 10. They open a three-game series in Colorado Friday before returning to LA for the final time this season for a three-game series starting on Labor Day.

It will be the last time Arizona plays LA during the regular season. The season series is tied 8-8.

Bryce Harper's 2 HR Lead Nationals Over Brewers; Steve Pearce, Kendrys Morales Power Blue Jays

Morales: 2 HR, 2 RBI

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 27, 2017

American League

Kendrys Morales slugged a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game; an inning later, Steve Pearce rocked a walk-off grand slam as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat the Oakland A's, 8-4.

Pearce: walk-off Slam

Morales, who also homered in the fifth, was walked immediately ahead of Pearce in the 10th. He has 20 homers on the year. Pearce's blast was his ninth.

The Blue Jays swept the series with the visiting A's, leaving them just 1/2 game behind the Orioles in last place in the AL East. The Jays have been in last place all season, but still have hope of winning the division, since they are only 7 1/2 games behind first place Boston.

Toronto has a slew of games left against teams in the division, including nine each with the Yankees and Red Sox, the two leaders in the division.

Hosting the Angels for three games starting Friday, Toronto hopes to extend their four-game winning streak.

National League

Max Scherzer was on the mound again for the Washington Nationals, and that meant trouble for the visiting Brewers in the rubber game of the three-game series.

Harper: 2HR, 4 RBI

While Scherzer was at his usual high level of efficiency, allowing one run on three hits over six innings, the major issue for Milwaukee came when he was on the bench and the Washington regulars were batting.

The Nationals banged out a total of 19 hits, scoring all of their runs in the first four innings in a 15-2 drubbing of the Brewers.

Of those 19 hits, 11 went for extra bases, including six home runs, two each by Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman hit his 21st and 22nd, Harper's were his 26th and 27th, a two run shot in the first to open Washington's scoring spree, a solo belt in the third. Harper also ripped a double, driving in another run, in the fourth.

The Nationals' superstar - 2012 rookie of the year, 2015 NL MVP - is having another sensational season, with his team gliding toward the post-season, the win putting them 13 in front of the Braves in the NL East.

Harper is batting .338 and has 79 RBI. He's third in National League average, HR and RBI.

The Brewers fell 1 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and head home to face the division leaders in a three-game series starting Friday. Washington hosts the Rockies for three over the weekend.

Paul Goldschmidt, Kendrys Morales Each Homer Twice As Arizona Downs Rockies, Toronto Rocks Tampa Bay

Players of the Day for Friday, May 5, 2017

American League

Kendrys Morales

Having gotten off to an 11-2 start, the worst of any major league team, Toronto still finds itself mired in last place in the AL East due to a combination of poor play and injuries to key players, such as Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson.

One player who hasn't been injured and is having a decent season is Kendrys Morales, who helped the Blue Jays defeat the Rays, 8-4 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs.

Down 3-1, Morales got the Jays even with a two-run blast in the seventh, then helped put the game out of reach with a three-run homer, highlighting a five-run eighth inning.

The home runs were numbers five and six for Morales, acquired from Kansas City during the off-season, and the five RBI gave him an even 20 on the year. Toronto took the opener of their three-game series in Tampa and will try to make it two straight when the teams meet on Saturday. Game time is 4:10 pm.

While the Blue Jays are still just 10-19, once they get healthy, they will probably make it tough on the front-runners in the AL East and throughout the majors.

National League

Paul Goldschmidt

It should come as no surprise that Paul Goldschmidt is among the NL leaders in RBI. After all, he's driven in 205 runs in the past two seasons and has been an all-star for Arizona each of the past four seasons.

On Friday, Goldschmidt cranked out a pair of home runs (#6 and #7) against the Rockies and drove in another run with a single, as Arizona pulled to within 1/2 game of first place Colorado with a 6-3 victory.

The game was the first of a three-game series in Denver, but Goldschmidt took advantage early on, socking a solo shot in the first inning, then adding a three-run belt in the third, putting Arizona up 5-0. In the seventh, Goldschmidt knocked in his fifth run of the game with a single to center, plating David Peralta.

Finishing 3-for-3 with a walk, Goldschmidt raised his average to .330, good for eighth in the National League. His 26 RBI are fourth-best in the NL.

The Rockies will try to retain first place when they meet the Diambondbacks in game two, Saturday night at Coors Field. First pitch is slated for 8:10 pm ET.

Kendrys Morales Sets Royals Record in Romp over Tigers; Yunel Escobar Helps Nationals Keep Pressure on Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 20, 2015

American League


Break open the Kansas City record book, because Kendrys Morales socked three home runs and tripled, sliding George Brett to the side with a team record 15 total bases as the Royals hammered the Tigers, 10-3.

Escobar: 4-for-4, 4 RBI

Morales: 3B, 3HR, 15 TB

KC amassed 19 hits in the romp, with Morales going 4-for-4, with five runs and three RBI. All of his homers - one each in the third, fourth and eighth innings - were of the solo variety. His triple came in the sixth inning, Morales scoring on a wild pitch from Tiger reliever, Jose Valdez.

Morales is a big reason the Royals are looking good heading down the homestretch. The big slugger, acquired from Seattle in the off-season, is batting .293 with 41 doubles, 21 home runs, and, with 105 RBI, is approaching his career-best in that category. He drove in 108 in 2009, then with the LA Angels.

The victory put the Royals within an arm's length of clinching the AL Central pennant outright, their magic number down to just three. They have an 11-game lead over second-place Minnesota with just 13 games left on the regular season schedule.

After a day off on Monday, KC opens a six-game homestead Tuesday, beginning with a three-game series against Seattle, follow by three with the Indians, so it's almost certain that the hometown fans will be on hand to engage in the clinching celebration.

National League

With their 13-3 triumph over Miami, taking the series three games to one, the Washington Nationals tied the Giants for third place n the wild card standings, though that's an unlikely scenario for proceeding to the playoffs since the Cubs have the second spot virtually locked up with a nine-game lead and just 13 games to play.

What the Nationals are making more interesting is the race in the NL East, where, thanks to the Yankees taking two of three from the Mets over the weekend, they've closed to within six games of the division leaders.

Yunel Escobar provided more than enough offense all by himself on Sunday, going 4-for-4, with three singles and a double, three runs and four RBI.

Stephen Strasberg (10-7) took the win with seven innings of work, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out 10.

If the Nationals are going to make a race of it, they'll have to pick up three games before their regular season-ending three-game series at Citi Field with the Mets. They should have ample opportunity, unless the Mets go on an extended winning streak, as the Nats face Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, plus a make-up date with the Red, before heading to New York on October 2nd.

The Nationals open a three-game home series with the Orioles on Monday. Game time is 7:05 pm EDT.

Kendrys Morales Sparks Royals 15-7 Win over Tigers; Ryan Zimmerman Drives in Four for Nationals

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 3, 2015

American League

Zimmerman: 3-3, 4 RBI

Morales: 4-5, 4 RBI

Despite 14 hits and seven runs, the Detroit Tigers lost badly to the Kansas City Royals, who dominated their AL Central foes with a 15-7 triumph.

The Royals totaled 20 hits, led by Kendrys Morales' four hits in five at-bats. Kansas city took the three-game series, two games to one.

Morales singled thrice and doubled, driving in four runs and scoring three.

In his first season with the Royals, Morales, always a solid run producer, has 98 RBI on the season, second in the AL. He's batting .293 with 17 home runs.

With the AL's best record (82-51), the Royals have a 13-game lead over second place Minnesota in the division and can begin counting down toward their second straight playoff appearance, this time with the division crown in hand. Their magic number for clinching outright is 17.

Detroit has seen better days. After finishing atop the Al Central for four straight seasons, the Tigers have slumped to last place in the division, 21 games out.

Kansas City opens a three-game series with the visiting White Sox Friday.

National League

In Washington's 15-1 trouncing of the Atlanta Braves, Bryce Harper recorded a baseball's odyssey, scoring four times without a hit or even an official at-bat.

Harper walked all four times he appeared at the plate and managed to come around to touch home plate every time. In addition, he was credited with an RBI in the second inning, when he walked with the bases loaded, scoring starter Jordan Zimmermann.

Meanwhile, Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-3 with two doubles, driving in four runs and scoring twice.

With the Mets idle, the Nationals closed to within six games of first place with their second straight win. With Atlanta in town for three more games this weekend, the Nats have an opportunity to gather momentum for a showdown with the Mets when the New Yorkers visit Washington for a three-game set beginning Monday.

Atlanta is 54-80 and has lost nine straight.

Kendrys Morales Drives Mariners into 2nd Wild Card Spot; Marcell Ozuna's 4 RBI Buries Braves

Players of the Day for Friday, September 5, 2014

American League

Kendrys Morales

Winning their fourth in a row, the Seattle Mariners overtook Detroit, vaulting into the spot for the second wild card with 7-5 win at Texas.

Kendrys Morales smacked a pair of homers for the Mariners, a pair of two-run strokes - each time with third baseman Kyle Seager aboard - in the second and sixth innings.

Morales missed all of April and May, and has played just 76 games this season, only 37 of those with the Mariners, but he can provide an extra dose of power to the Seattle lineup. He has five homers and 21 RBI for the Mariners this season.

With seattle winning and the Tigers dropping an 8-2 decision to visiting San Francisco, Seattle has surged to a 1/2 game edge in the race for the second wild card. What's more, Seattle finds itself just two games behind the slumping Oakland A's - losers of three straight. The A's currently qualify as the #1 wild card but have won just twice in their last ten games.

Seattle will look to press its advantage when they play game three of their four-game set with Texas at 8:05 pm EDT Saturday night.

National League

Marcell Ozuna

With Milwaukee losing on Thursday while the Braves had the day off, Atlanta moved into a tie for the second wild card spot and had an opportunity to advance their post-season cause with the opening of a three-game series at Miami on Friday, but came up on the short end of an 11-3 score, falling a game back, as the Brewers snapped a nine-game losing streak and took down the Cardinals, 6-2.

Atlanta starter, Aaron Harang, was knocked around by the Marlins, allowing 10 hits and six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings, evening his record at 10-10.

Most of the damage was done by Miami center fielder, Marcell Ozuna, who was 4-for-5 with two singles and a pair of doubles, driving in four runs and scoring twice in the rout.

Overshadowed by teammate Giancarlo Stanton (which is no shame), Ozuna is having himself a splendid season in his first full year with the Marlins, batting .264 with 19 homers and 78 RBI. He's one of the reasons the Marlins are on the fringes of the wild card race, five games behind Milwaukee for the second spot.

The Braves and Marlins resume their NL East rivalry in game two of the series, at 7:10 pm EDT.

Homer Bailey Tosses First No-Hitter of Season in 3-0 Reds' Win; Kendrys Morales Drives in Six as Mariners Sink Rangers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 2, 2013

American League

Morales: 3-5, 6RBI

Because of the way they're playing, the Oakland A's don't really need anyone doing them favors, but Kendrys Morales and the Seattle Mariners did so anyway, boosting the A's back into the top spot in the AL West by taking down the Texas Rangers, 9-2, in the opener of a three-game series in Texas.

While the Mariners were bombing the Rangers, Oakland did their part, defeating the visiting Cubs, 8-7, resulting in a 1/2 game lead in the division.

Raul Ibanez socked his 20th home run for the M's, but the real damage was done by Morales, who hit a solo homer right behind Ibanez in the first inning, then delivered a three-run blast in the fifth, followed by a two-run single in the sixth for a 3-for-5, six RBI game.

The Mariners' good deed didn't help them much, however. They are mired in fourth place in the division, 12 1/2 games back of the A's. They'll try to improve on that when they face the Rangers again on Wednesday night, at 8:05 pm EDT.

National League

Bailey: No-hitter

The last time a major leaguer threw a no hitter was on September 28, 2012 and it was Homer Bailey on the mound in Pittsburgh, leading his Reds to a 1-0 win.

On Tuesday night, Bailey was home in Cincinnati, at a place he feels most comfortable, the pitching mound at Great American Ball Park, facing the World Champion San Francisco Giants in game two of a four-game set.

The Giants didn't look very much like world-beaters, however, as Bailey set them down in routine fashion, throwing the first no-hitter of the season in a 3-0 victory.

Tossing his second career no-hitter, Bailey was in complete command, striking out nine while issuing just one walk, that to Gregor Blanco, leading off the seventh inning.

Bailey (5-6, 3.57) needed just 109 pitches for the mound gem, throwing 74 for strikes, getting ahead of 19 of 28 batters by throwing first pitch strikes, a key to the outstanding performance.

The win was a boost for the Reds, as both the Pirates and Cardinals lost. The Reds trail Pittsburgh by four games. The second place Cardinals are two games out.

Game three of the series begins at 7:10 pm EDT Wednesday night.

Today's Trivia: Which pitcher hold the record for most career no-hitters and how many did he throw? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins set the major league record of 716 at-bats in 2007. Rollins played in all 162 games, hit 30 homers, led the league with 20 triples, drove in 94 and scored 139 runs and won the NL MVP award.

Angels Blast Texas Behind Kendrys Morales Two Homers; Arizona Gains in NL West Behind Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Johnson Homers

Players of the Day for Monday, July 30, 2012

American League

The Rangers and Angels opened a crucial four game series in Arlington Monday night, and the result moved the two AL West contenders closer together as the Angels romped in a 15-8 slugfest.

With neither manager willing to deplete their respective bullpens, only five pitchers were employed in the contest, the worst of it taken by Texas starter Roy Oswald, who allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Kendrys Morales

The biggest blows came in the Angels half of the sixth inning, when LA sent 11 batters to the plate and knocked Oswalt out of the game, scoring nine times. After an Albert Pujols' leadoff double, Kendrys Morales went deep for a two-run homer, and finished the inning off with a grand slam that put the Angels up by a 12-3 score.

Morales's two homers and six RBI gave him 11 and 45, respectively. Mike Trout, who drove in four runs himself, and Maicer Izturis also homered for the Angels.

The result left Texas with a four game lead over the Angels, though Oakland, 4-3 winners in 15 innings over Tampa Bay, is just 3 1/2 behind the Rangers and can benefit from the head-to-head play between their two main rivals.

The series continues Tuesday in Texas, with an 8:05 pm EDT start.



National League

Chris Johnson

For the Arizona Diamondbacks, the time to make a move on the Giants and Dodgers in the NL West is now, as they opened a three game series in LA, 4 1/2 games behind the division co-leaders.

Paul Goldschmidt

It didn't take long for the D'Backs to take advantage of their opportunity. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt hammered a three-run homer in the first inning, and third baseman Chris Johnson banged a grand slam in the fifth, accounting for all of the scoring in a 7-2 victory for the Diamondbacks.

Johnson was playing in his first game for Arizona, having been acquired in a trade from Houston on Sunday. He flied out to right in his first at-bat and grounded into a bases-loaded double play the next time up, but quickly made amends with his 8th homer of the season.

The win, coupled with San Francisco's 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Mets, improved Arizona's position to just 3 1/2 back with a pair of games remaining against the Dodgers.

Arizona has ridden an 8-3 stretch to make up ground in the division and has finally gotten past the .500 mark at 52-51.

The series in LA continues Tuesday with a 7:05 pm PDT start and a 12:05 afternoon contest to close it out.

David Wright Leads Mets Over Phillies; Kendrys Morales, Mike Trout Lead Angels

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 5, 2012

American League

The Angels picked up a game on Texas in the AL West, defeating the Orioles, 9-7, while the Rangers were handled by the White Sox, 2-1.

Mike Trout

Kendrys Morales

Leading the way for LA were Kendrys Morales and leadoff hitter Mike Trout, who went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and three stolen bases, all of them coming in the sixth inning, when he swiped second and third, and continued home on Matt Weiters bad throw that got past third baseman Wilson Betemit.

Morales singled three times in four at-bats, getting the Angels started with an RBI in the first, then rapping a key hit that plated two runs in the fourth to give the Angels an 8-7 lead.

The Angels trail Texas by four games in the division and continue their four game home series against Baltimore, Friday through Sunday.


National League

What a night for David Wright. The Mets' all star third baseman went 3-for-5 with four RBI, including a walk-off, game-winning single with two down in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Mets past the Phillies, 6-5.

David Wright

In an action-packed game that originally was thought to be a pitching duel between two of the league's best, Cole Hamels for the Phillies and the Mets' R.A. Dickey, both pitchers struggled, but lasted seven innings, with Hamels allowing four earned runs to Dickey's five.

Wright had key hits at opportune moments. In the third inning, he singled home Dickey to tie the game at two, then belted a two-run homer in the fifth to put the Mets up, 4-3. After the Phillies added a pair in the sixth, Wright came to the plate in the ninth against closer Jonathan Papelbon, with a run already in and the bases loaded and delivered a bloop single down the right field line out of the reach of Hunter Pence.

For Wright, who was named to the NL all star team earlier in the week as a reserve (Pablo Sandoval is starting at third, but Wright has better numbers), it was a memorable evening in a season in which he's lived up to his reputation as one of the top players in either league. He has 11 home runs, is tied for second in RBI with Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and his .354 batting average is fourth in the National League.

Papelbon took the loss, allowing three hits and a walk in his second blown save of the season. The Mets took two of three from the Phillies and continue to trail the Nationals in the NL East by 4 1/2 games as they begin a three game set with the Cubs at Citi Field on Friday.