Kevin Youkilis' Grand Slam Downs Yankees; Adam Wainwright Blanks Astros for 7-0 St. Louis Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 21, 2012

American League

When the Red Sox traded Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox earlier this season, the Yankees were pleased to see a long-time nemesis traded out of their division.

However, as a part of their trip to the Windy City, Youkilis reminded New Yorkers that he remains a Yankee killer no matter where he's playing, smacking a grand slam in the fifth inning to provide the winning margin in Chicago's 7-3 triumph.

The opposite-field smash off starter Ivan Nova broke a 2-2 tie and was the only hit of the night for Youkilis. It was his 15th homer of the season, the 11th as a member of the White Sox, in 46 games with his new team.

Youkilis: Grand Slam

With the Yankees losing their second straight in Chicago, the AL East tightened a little more into a three-way race. Though Tampa Bay lost, 1-0, in 10 innings, to Kansas City, the Orioles dumped Texas, 5-3, and now find themselves just one game behind the Rays and five short of the division-leading Yanks.

The White Sox kept their two-game lead over Detroit - 5-3 winners over Toronto - in the Central, while the A's took a 4-1 decision over Minnesota to creep to within five games of Texas in the West. The wild card, led by the Rays and O's, has the A's 1 1/2 back, Detroit 2 1/2 out and the fading Angels five behind.

The White Sox will be looking for a sweep when they tangle with the Yankees at 8:05 pm EDT on Wednesday.

National League

Wainwright: 7-0 W

As long as the Cardinals keep trotting Adam Wainwright out to the mound every five days they're likely to stay in the wild card race until the very end, posing a significant danger to the rest of the National League teams who have visions of a World Series October.

The Cardinals got red hot in September last year, qualifying for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, and are 3 1/2 behind Atlanta in the overall wild card race, but just 1/2 game behind Pittsburgh for the second slot after Wainwright tossed a complete game, 7-0, shutout against the Astros.

It was Wainwright's third complete game and second shutout of the season. As he improved to 12-10 on the year, Wainwright needed only 104 pitches for the win, allowing five hits, striking out a season-high 12 while issuing just one walk.

In his last six starts, Wainwright has earned the victory in five, and has four straight wins, helping to keep the Cardinals in the thick of the wild card race.

With the opening game win in their three game series with visiting Houston, the Cards seek to sweep the NL's weakest team. Houston has lost five straight.

Following the series with Houston, the Cards embark on their toughest road trip of the season, a ten-game stretch with three in Cincinnati, three in Pittsburgh and four games at Washington, taking them into September.

Chipper Jones Goes 5-for-5; Kevin Youkilis Leads White Sox Rout of Texas

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 3, 2012

American League

Kevin Youkilis

Since being traded from the Red Sox to the White Sox, Kevin Youkilis has had to make adjustments, like batting second in manager Robin Ventura's lineup and not having Fenway's Green Monster lurking invitingly out in left field.

After eight games with the White Sox, however, Youkilis put it all together in Chicago's 19-2 pasting of Texas, going 3-for-6 with a pair of singles, his first home run as a member of the White Sox, four RBI and three runs.


The Sox piled on Texas starter Roy Oswalt, dinging him for 13 hits and nine earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Youkilis started the slaughter with a two-run blast in the first inning, followed by solo shots by Adam Dunn (25) and Alex Rios (11).

Youkilis singled in a run and scored in the second and did the same in the fifth inning, as the Sox pounded out a season-high 21 hits.

The win kept the White Sox two games up on Cleveland in the AL Central, while Texas maintained a five game lead over the Angels, who dropped a 9-5 decision to the Indians.


National League

Jones: 5-for-5

Chipper Jones has already announced that he'll hang up the spikes at the end of this season, but in the meantime, he can still swing the bat with the best of them.

Jones went 5-for-5 in Atlanta's 10-3 win over the Cubs, knocking in four runs with a pair of doubles and three singles. Oddly enough, even though Jones was on base all night and the Braves totaled 10 runs, Jones didn't score any of them.

The Braves continue to chase the Nationals and second place Mets in the NL East. They are five back of Washington, and 1 1/2 behind the Mets. Both New York and Washington were winners on Tuesday, so the Braves didn't pick up any ground.

It was the third time Jones has had five hits in a game.

Jerrod Saltalamacchia, Kevin Youkilis Humble Humber, White Sox; Kirk Nieuwenhuis Rallies Mets for Sweep of Marlins

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 26, 2012

American League

Jerrod Saltalamacchia

The baseball gods can be a fickle bunch. One day you're throwing a perfect game in Seattle and the next time you're on the mound, you get roughed up by Red Sox on your home field.

Kevin Youkilis

Such was the fate of Philip Humber, who returned to a hero's welcome in Chicago after twirling el perfecto this past Saturday.

It didn't take long for exhortations of adulation to turn into jeers of derision, however, as Boston humbled Humber with eight hits and nine runs over five innings of work. Most of the carnage was supplied by Kevin Youkilis, who went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and Jerrod Saltalamacchia, who belted a solo homer in the third inning and a two-run blast in the fifth.

Boston rolled to their fourth straight win, the 10-3 victory opening a four-game series in the Windy City.


National League

This current Mets team may turn out to be more amazing than the originals from the halcyon 1969 season.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Starting a squad consisting entirely of farm-team-produced players, the 2012 version of the Amazins' completed a three game series sweep of the Marlins, much to the dismay of one Jose Reyes, who skipped town during the off-season to hook up with the newly-minted Miami team, fresh, new stadium, flamingos and all.

Reyes had a miserable time at Citi Field, going 1-for-12, dropping his batting average to a ridiculous .205, as the Marlins lost their fifth straight, the Mets rallying for a 3-2, walk-off win.

The bulk of the thrills were produced by rookie center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who led off the Mets' first with a triple and scored to give the New Yorkers a quick, 1-0, lead, only to come back with the bases loaded and the score tied in the bottom of the ninth to deliver a rope into the right field corner, driving in the winning run.

In between, Nieuwenhuis singled, going 3-for-5 for the game, upping his average to .333. His heroic moment was set up by Miami closer Heath Bell, who threw 46 pitches in the 2/3rd of an inning he worked, walking four of the first five batters he faced, including walking in the tying run when he could not get Justin Turner out with 13 pitches. Nieuwenhuis stroked a 1-0 high fastball down the line and over the head of Giancarlo Stanton for the game-winner. Bell (0-3) blew his third save opportunity in five chances.

Youkilis, Lester Lead Boston Rout of Toronto; Jordan Zimmerman Ks 10; Jeter Within 7 of 3000

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 11, 2011

American League

Kevin Youkilis

Francisco Liriano flirted with a no-hitter in Minnesota, eventually surrendering two hits and a run in the 8th in a 6-1 Minnesota win, their third in four games against the Rangers, but Keven Youkilis was a model of efficiency, driving in a run with each hit he had in Boston's 14-1 rout of Toronto.

Jon Lester

The Boston third baseman went 3-for-4, with an RBI single in the 3rd, walked and scored in the 5th, doubled in another run and scored in the 6th and belted a two-run homer in the 9th. That's a single, double, home run, three runs scored and four RBI, a manager's dream, even a fantasy manager's dream.

While "Youk" and the Sox were pounding the Blue Jays for the third straight day, starter John Lester was in his own little world, limiting the Jays to two hits - one of them a 4th inning Jose Bautista solo home run (21) - over eight innings, fanning eight, to go to 9-2 on the season.

The Red Sox maintained their two-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East with the three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, outscoring them by a combined score of 35-6.

National League

Jordan Zimmermann

Jordan Zimmermann might be the best 4-6 pitcher in the major leagues, and on Sunday, he might have pitched his best game of the season, but came away with nothing to show for it, despite the Nationals winning, 2-0.

Zimmermann worked seven scoreless inning for the Nats, allowing just four hits, walking one and striking out 10. Todd Coffey pitched a scoreless 8th inning and the Nationals pushed across two runs in the top of the 9th to give him the win. Drew Storen pitched the 9th for has 15th save.

For Zimmermann, nothing, except for extending a very nice string of games. In his last eight starts, he's gone at least six innings each time on the mound and allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of those starts. For that, three wins, but a seasonal ERA of 3.10 and a 1.08 WHIP.

If only the Nationals could score some runs...

JETER 3000 WATCH: The Yankees took their third straight from the Indians, by a 9-1 score, and Jeter added two more hits to his total, a couple of RBI singles, bringing his career total to 2993, seven hits shy of the haloed mark. The Yanks are home again against Cleveland on Monday, before taking on the Rangers for three games to complete the homestand. The rabid NY fans are hopeful that their favorite son can get hot in time to reach 3000 before the team hits the road.

Gonzalez, Youkilis Lead Boston to 7th Straight; Werth, Espinosa Crush Orioles

Players of the Day for Friday, May 20, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

Interleague games began on Friday, and the National took little time to establish its dominance, taking nine of the 14 cross-league contests.

Kevin Youkilis

One which defied the trend in a rather large way was Boston's smashing, 15-5, victory over the Cubs at Fenway Park, where Boston batters combined for 19 hits and the middle of the lineup - Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis - accounted for nearly half the runs.

Gonzalez, normally known as a doubles and homers type of guy, scratched out four singles in six at-bats, producing four RBI, while Youkilis took care of the extra-bases department, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two run homer, driving in three runs.

The Red Sox have gone from last place in the AL East just a week ago to 1/2 game behind first place Tampa Bay with their 7th consecutive win. The streak began last weekend when they swept three games from the Yankees in New York.

National League

Jayson Werth

While the Washington Nationals are currently positioned in last place in the NL East, they're only two games under .500, at 21-23, which is real progress at this point for the young franchise.

Traveling the 30-odd miles up I-95 to play the Baltimore Orioles, Washington bats hammered out 19 hits against five Oriole pitchers in a 17-5 victory.

Danny Espinosa

Jayson Werth, acquired from Philadelphia in the off-season, blasted a pair of home runs for the Nats, a two-run shot in the 5th and a solo smack in the 7th. He also singled and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving him four RBI on his 3-for-4 night.

Rookie shortstop Danny Espinosa went 3-for-5, with a triple, a three-run homer, five RBI and three runs. Despite a .209 batting average, Espinosa has six home runs and 27 RBI, making han early case for rookie of the year consideration.

Youkilis Keeping Red Sox in Race; McCutchen a Star in Pittsburgh

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 4, 2010 American League Boston continues to hang tough in the AL East, the most competitive division in the majors. With their 8-2 win over Baltimore, the Red Sox are tied for third place with Toronto, just 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay, with the Yankees anchored in second place, 2 games out. The Red Sox resurgence has been largely due to the all-around superb play of Kevin Youkilis, who is having another in a series of solid seasons. Youkilis was at the center of the Boston attack on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and his 12th home run of the year, driving in three runs to give him 38 total. Batting .320, Youkilis leads the Red Sox in home runs and runs scored (49), as Boston goes for the Sweep of Baltimore on Sunday while the Yankees and Blue Jays wrap up their series in Toronto. National League With a habit of trading away their best players over the past 15 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't exactly the most beloved team in the Steel City, but they do manage to bring along some excellent major leaguers every year. One such player is center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year, who is off to a smashing start in his second season, batting .320, with 7 homers, 17 RBI, 13 steals and 34 runs from his usual leadoff spot in the batting order. In Pittsburgh's 6-3 win over the Giants, McCutchen did his thing at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two doubles and a single, scoring three runs and driving in one. In the field, his game-ending, diving catch on Freddie Sanchez's bases-loaded shot to the left-center gap in the 9th saved the game for Pittsburgh. Considering the way he's playing and Pittsburgh's penchant for shipping off its stars, one has to wonder whether McCutchen will still be with the Pirates come September.

Pedrioa, Youkilis Power Red Sox Past Yankees

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 5, 2010 American League The Yankees and red Sox renewed the most-heralded rivalry in baseball with a opening night thriller at Fenway Park. C.C. Sabathia was cruising along with a 5-1 lead after 4 innings when the burly hurler's pitch count began to rise and the big guy started missing his spots. After giving up a run in the 5th, disaster struck in the 6th when Dustin Pedroia (left) walked to open the inning, then Sabathia gave up a double to Victor Martinez and a triple to Kevin Youkilis (right), which plated 2 more runs. After David Ortiz grounded out, Sabathia was pulled, throwing 104 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. Things were getting interesting. Adrian Beltre greeted reliever David Robertson with an RBI single and the game was tied, but the Red Sox were just gearing up. The Yankees came back with two runs of their own in the 7th, but Pedroia responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame, and Youkilis doubled, took third on a Damaso Marte wild pitch and scored what proved to be the game winner on Jorge Posada's passed ball. Pedroia singled home another run in the bottom of the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Yanks in the 9th for the 9-7 Red Sox win. Youkilis had one heck of a night, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs. All of his hits went for extra bases: two doubles and a triple, but, best of all, the Red Sox started 2010 with a win over the world champion Yankees. National League There were no National League games scheduled.

Youkilis Delivers 6 As Sox Crush Yanks; Carpenter Nails Down Padres

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 22, 2009 American League The Boston Red Sox exacted a little bit of revenge on Saturday for Friday's 20-11 beat-down by the Yankees, returning the favor with a 14-1 slaughter of their own. Balls were flying around and out of Fenway Park with regularity, as 11 of the Red Sox's 15 hits went for extra bases - four of them homers. Knocking a pair over the Green Monster and adding an RBI double to his mix, Kevin Youkilis led the assault with 6 RBI on the night, upping his batting average to .308, his RBI total to 72 and his homer count to 22. Youkilis had 29 homers and 115 RBI in 2008, his best season as a pro, and is on pace for another solid campaign. Having shifted back to third base, where he is more comfortable and won a gold glove in 2007, Youk may begin belting with more authority, as the Sox battle for the wild card. Boston's win, coupled with the Rangers losing to the Rays, gave the Sox a 2-game edge over Texas, with the Rays one further back. Boston concludes their series with the Yankees Sunday at Fenway. National League The way the Cardinals are playing and Chris Carpenter is pitching, St. Louis could be heading to the World Series and Carpenter for his second Cy Young award (he won it once, in 2005). While the Cubs were losing their third straight to the Dodgers, Carpenter was holding the Padres scoreless over 7 innings, allowing 3 hits while walking 3 and fanning 6. Carpenter (14-3) cruised to the 7-0 win as the Cards dealt out 14 hits, the starter getting one of those himself. Leading the NL in ERA at 2.12, Carpenter is also tied with Colorado's (and former Cardinal) Jason Marquis and teammate Adam Wainwright for the league lead in wins with 14. The win pushed the Cardinal edge in the division to 8 games over the Cubs, 9 over Houston and 9 1/2 over Milwaukee. The Central division, which was a toss-up at the all star break has been all St. Louis since. The Cardinals went 8-7 in the last half of July, but are putting everything together in August, with a 14-5 record thus far. The addition of Matt Holliday to the regular lineup and the continued solid pitching of Carpenter and Wainwright have virtually assured St. Louis of the division title.

Howard Brings Phillies Back; Youkilis Cranking for Red Sox

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 11, 2009 American League With the Yankees out on the coast, taking a daily beating from the Angels, Kevin Youkilis and the Boston Red Sox are increasing their AL East lead. The Yanks were throttled 14-9 Satuday, while the Red Sox were beating up on the Royals, 15-9, increasing their breathing space to 2 games over New York and 5 1/2 over Tampa Bay. Youkilis, the steadiest Red Sox player all season, singled and mashed a pair of homers - solo and one-run variety - drove in four runs and scored four in the rout. Batting .296, Youkilis upped his home run total to 16 and his RBIs to 52. The Red Sox and Royals close out their four game series on Sunday. A win would give the Sox a 3-1 series edge. The Yankees play the Angels Sunday afternoon with LA seeking the 3-game sweep and at least a 1/2 game advantage over Texas in the AL West. National League Ryan Howard had a perfect night at the plate in Philly's 8-7 comeback win over the Pirates. After singling and walking twice each, Howard saved his big hit for last, trailing by three with one out and two on in the bottom of the ninth, homering to deep center to tie the game at 7-all. Four batters later, Paul Bako completed the Philly revival, knocking in Raul Ibanez from third with the game-winner. Howard finished 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs. He has 22 homers, tying him for 4th in the league with teammate Ibanez and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder. His 66 RBI are third-best in the National League. It was home run #199 in Howard's short career. Philadelphia's 4th straight win boosted their NL East lead to 4 games ahead of Florida, 5 over the Braves and 6 1/2 over the injury-plagued Mets. NOTES: The Phillies have established some space between themselves and the rest of the NL East by finally winning some home games. Before starting their current 10-game homestand, the Phillies were a shabby 13-22 on their own turf. Since then, they've won 8 of their last 9 at home and will look for 9 of 10 Sunday against Pittsburgh, which would be a nice way to head into the All-Star break. The NL West continues to get more interesting by the day. The Giants sliced LA's lead to 6 games with a 2-1 win over the Padres Saturday while the Dodgers were being handled, 6-3, at Milwaukee. Speaking of the Brewers, they remain 2 behind St. Louis in the NL Central. They are followed by the Cubs, Astros and Reds, 3 1/2, 4 and 4 1/2 out, respectively. Alex Rodriguez launched two homers on Saturday, career numbers 569 and 570, which moved him past Rafael Palmeiro into 10th place all time. Next up on the chart for A-Rod are #9 Harmon Killebrew (573), #8 Mark McGwire (583) and #7 Frank Robinson (586).

Red Sox and Rays Ready for AL Championship

National League Championship: Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Boston Red Sox Recent History: Boston finished the regular season with a 16-10 record for September, but they could not catch the Rays and settled for the wild card. Continuing a decades-long mastery of the NL West champion LA Angels, the Red Sox grabbed 3 of 4 games (winning both contests in LA) to advance to the ALCS. Strengths: Booming bats. The Red Sox finished second in the AL (behind Texas) with a .280 team batting average and were also second in RBI and runs. Some of that production came from Manny Ramirez, who was traded at the end of July, but Jason bay picked up the slack, knocking in 37 in 49 games. Kevin Youkilis led the team with 115 ribbies, followed by David Ortiz (89) and Dustin Pedroia (83). Top two. The 1 and 2 batters in the Red Sox lineup really set the table for the sluggers. Leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury batted .280, stole 50 bases and scored 98 runs. Pedroia, normally batting second, just missed winning the AL batting title with a .326 average. His 213 hits and 118 runs led the team. Starters. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Time Wakefield comprise what could be considered the best starting four in the majors. Matsuzaka went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA; Lester was 16-6, with a 3.21 ERA. Beckett fanned 172 batter in 174.1 innings and has big game experience. Weaknesses: Knuckle under. The #4 starter, Tim Wakefield, is a knuckleballer who is sometimes inconsistent. He was just 10-11 with a 4.14 ERA, and if the flutterball isn't working it puts pressure on the bullpen. Middle men. Mid-game relievers, Javier Lopez and Hideki Okajima can hold their own, but after them, there isn't much there. Fans cringe whenever Manny Delcarmen takes over and Mike Timlin had a bad year, with a 5.66 ERA. Players to Watch Kevin Youkilis (R) One of the most intense players to ever set foot on a baseball diamond, Youkilis brings emotion and tremendous hitting skills to the plate. Coming off his best season (.312, 29 HR, 115 RBI), Youkilis is this season's go-to guy. David Ortiz Pig Papi, as he is known throughout the majors, didn't have one of his better seasons, though his post-season resume is filled with clutch performances. In the series with the Angels, Ortiz was only 4-for-18, with no homers and only 1 RBI. If he doesn't produce, the Sox may be sunk. Jason Bay After coming over from Pittsburgh in a three-way deal which sent Manny Ramirez to LA, Bay provided enough offense to help the Sox to the wild card, and had a number of big games and big hits, fitting in nicely to the overall chemistry. A threat with power, Bay is one of the keys to offensive success for Boston. Josh Beckett Though he suffered through an of year (for him), Beckett is still the #1 guy in the rotation. He's won playoff and World Series games and deals well with pressure, but he may not be at the top of his game right now. Jon Lester The Game one starter, Lester didn't allow an earned run in 14 innings in the ALDS, getting an opening night win and a no decision in the Red Sox's 3-2 clincher. He's been tough as nails all season and that doesn't seem about to change. Jonathan Papelbon Emotional and a bit crazy, Papelbon can finish with the best of them. His 2.34 ERA was the best on the team, and he stuck out 77 in 69 innings. If the bullpen can get him the ball with a lead, he's capable of slamming the door, though he might get more 8th inning calls than he would like. Tampa Bay Rays Recent History: Tampa finished up the season by capturing the AL East title by 2 games over the Red Sox, and then took out the Chicago White Sox, the AL Central champions, 3 games to 1. They didn't distinguish themselves in the stretch run to the pennant, going 12-9 from Sept. 9 to the end of the regular season, but the lead they'd built earlier held up. The Rays barely won the season series from the Red Sox 10-8, but took 4 of 6 in a pair of crucial home-and-home series in the closing weeks. Strengths: Team spirit. Tampa Bay is one of the youngest teams in the majors, but the kids have a strong team attitude, picking each other up and playing with passion and determination. Strong starters. Scott Kazmir, James Shields (Game 1 starter), Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine make up a solid rotation though nobody won more than 14 games. Kazmir and Shields are the two most reliable, with ERAs of 3.49 and 3.56, respectively, though the other two aren't far behind. Steady in the middle. Short relievers Grant Balfour and J.P. Howell have been game-changers for the Rays with a combined record of 12-3 and an ERA of 1.96. Speed: Tampa led the AL with 142 steals. B.J. Upton led the team with 44. Carl Crawford had 25 in 109 games and Jason Bartlett swiped 20. Weaknesses: Fanball. Four starters - Longoria, B.J. Upton, Akinori Iwamura and Pena - struck out more than 100 times each. Against Boston's aggressive rotation, that's not a good sign. Defense. Iwamura and Jason Bartlett aren't the greatest middle infielders, but they are steady. However, little things get amplified in the playoffs. Youth. The inexperience of this squad is prescient. Their leader, in many aspects, Evan Longoria, is a rookie, and this is the Rays' first-ever appearance on the post-season stage, so there's not much exposure to pressure upon which to draw. Closing comment. Troy Percival, who was the Rays' regular closer much of the season is off the roster for the ALCS, replaced by Dan Wheeler, who's been shaky, but he's the best they Rays have. Players to Watch Evan Longoria (R) A sure-fire choice for Rookie of the Year honors, Longoria hit 27 home runs and drove in 85 runs in just 122 games, both good for second on the team. He's the heart of the Rays' youth movement. Carl Crawford Though he played in only 109 games due to a late-season injury, Crawford is a key element in the Rays' attack. Possessing both speed and power, if Crawford hits, the Rays go, period. He can be a one-man wrecking crew. Carlos Pena Speaking of wrecking, Carlos Pena has done serious damage to the psyche and records of many AL pitchers. His 31 HR and 102 RBI led the Rays, and he can't be pitched around because there are too many other weapons in the lineup. Pena has extraordinary power. He's hit 77 homers the past two seasons. B.J. Upton In just his third year, Upton has significant upside. Like Crawford, he can hit for power and has speed to burn. In 2007, he hit 24 homers. In 2008, he stole 44 bases. In the playoff series against the White Sox hit three homers and drove in 4 runs. Though one may not know what to expect from Upton, he's sure to provide some thrills. J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour As middle relievers go, these two are probably the best tandem in the majors. Tampa Bay's young starters sometimes need to get out of jams and these are the go-to guys who really produced all season. Without them, the Rays literally would not have won the AL East. Prediction: While the Red Sox have been here before and their starters have an edge over the Rays, there are some concerns. David Ortiz has not been his usual self and there's plenty of pressure on Youkilis and Jason Bay to provide the big guns. Youkilis should deal with it, but how Bay fares is anyone's guess. Also Josh Beckett hasn't been right since mid-season and there's a big hole in middle relief. The Rays have home field, loads of talent and lots of enthusiasm which should get them to their first World Series. Tampa Bay in 7 games. Series Schedule: Game 1: Fri, Oct 10 8:37 pm EDT at Tampa Bay Game 2: Sat, Oct 11 8:07 pm EDT at Tampa Bay Game 3: Mon, Oct 13 4:37 pm EDT at Boston Game 4: Tue, Oct 14 8:07 pm EDT at Boston if necessary Game 5: Thu, Oct 16 8:07 pm EDT at Boston Game 6: Sat, Oct 18 4:37 pm EDT at Tampa Bay Game 7: Sun, Oct 19 8:07 pm EDT at Tampa Bay

Burrell Bomb Puts Atlanta Away; Youkilis Can't Do It Alone for Red Sox

Players of the Day from Monday, September 22, 2008 American League The Red Sox are almost assured of winning the wild card. All they need is one more win or one Yankee loss. Each team has six games remaining. The Twins have been eliminated and can only win the Central, but must get past the White Sox to do so. On Monday, a guy they'll certainly need to produce during the playoffs, Kevin Youkilis, singled, doubled twice and drove in 2 runs in 4 at-bats, though his Red Sox dropped a 4-3 decision to Cleveland. The Rays were meanwhile beating Baltimore, 4-2, improving their AL East lead to 2 1/2 games. Tampa's magic number is now 5. Notes: Both the White Sox and Twins were idle, so Chicago's lead remains at 2 1/2 games. Francisco Rodriguez earned his 61st save in LA's 2-1 win at Seattle, increasing his single-season saves record. National League Philadelphia took a big step closer to the NL East title when Pat Burrell belted a 3-run homer in the 8th inning to put away the Braves, 6-2, increasing their lead over the Mets to 2 1/2 games. The Cubs knocked off the Mets, 9-5, on the strength of pitcher Jason Marquis' grand slam.

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The Mets are in semi-fold mode as September and the regular season winds down. They are just 4-7 since July 13, have given away the division lead, but still remain one game ahead of the Brewers, who have gone into full collapse in the wild card race, losing 14 of their last 19. Philadelphia's magic number is 4. Notes: The NL West tightened up a bit as Arizona knocked off St. Louis, 4-2. With the Dodgers idle, the lead is down to 2 games. LA's magic number stands at 5.

Three Doubles for Youkilis; Edmonds Aids Cubs Win

Players of the Day from Wednesday, August 14, 2008 American League If the Red Sox reach post-season play, they can thank slugger Kevin Youkilis for his relentless attitude. On Wednesday, the gritty infielder socked three doubles in four at-bats, scored three times and drove in two runs, leading Boston to an 8-4 win over Texas.

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Youkilis has been hitting above .300 for most of the season, and now, at .320, is just .002 short of the AL lead, behind Milton Bradley of Texas (.321) and the Yankees' Johnny Damon (.322). One of the toughest outs in the majors, Youkilis may be looking forward to his first batting title. Notes: The Rays won, 3-2, at Oakland, so the Red Sox remain 3 games back, but the Yankees seem to have fallen out of the race, losing 4-2, at Minnesota, which dropped them 9 games behind the Rays. In the Central, the White Sox won 8-0 over KC, to retain their 1/2 game lead over the Twins. The Tigers are another team which doesn't seem to have a post-season future, as they dropped their 3rd straight at home to the Blue Jays, 4-3, to fall 9 1/2 out. The Jay can complete a 4-game sweep of the Tigers Thursday afternoon. The Angels have a 15 game bulge in the AL West. Queue the countdown. LA's magic number is 28. National League The Chicago Cubs have made some good moves to solidify their squad this season, but maybe the best of all was the addition of Jim Edmonds, who has hit 15 home runs and is batting .275 in 60 games since joining the Cubs from San Diego. Edmonds blasted a two-run homer in the 3rd inning and added an RBI double in the 5th, as the Cubs hammered Atlanta, 10-2, in the first game of a double-header. The Cubs also won game two, 8-0. Notes: The Brewers and Cardinals both won Wednesday, so the Cubs only picked up 1/2 game on both, leading Milwaukee by 3 1/2 and St. Louis by 8 1/2 in the Central. The Dodgers beat the Phillies, 7-6, as Philly blew a 6-1 lead. That resulted in ties atop both the NL East and West, with Arizona and LA atop the West and Philly and the Mets locked up in the East, with Florida 1 1/2 back.

Youkilis Bangs Pair; Fielder, Sabathia Keep Brewers Close

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 2, 2008 American League Seemingly, all will be well in Boston without Manny Ramirez, as long as Kevin Youkilis keeps being productive at the plate. On Saturday, Youkilis banged a pair of two-run homers as the Red Sox downed the A's, 12-2. Quietly having an outstanding season, Youkilis, one of the finest pure hitters in the majors, is batting .313 with 20 homers and 74 RBI. The win kept the Sox 3 behind Tampa Bay, who were busy putting more nails in the Detroit Tigers' post-season coffin, hammering home a 9-3 win. In New York, the Yankees avoided being swept by the Angels, winning 8-2. They have one more shot at LA on Sunday and are 5 1/2 back in the AL East. Notes: The White Sox, Twins and Tigers were all losers on Saturday, so the standing remain the same: Chicago leads Minnesota by 1/2 and Detroit by 6 1/2. National League Prince Fielder (left) and C. C. Sabathia (right) provided the power and the pitching to take their second straight at Atlanta, topping the Braves by a 4-2 score. Fielder smacked a solo homer in the 7th to tie the game at one, and then applied the finishing touch with a two-run blast (his 25th) in the 8th inning for a 4-1 lead. Sabathia, who has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the Brewers in July, improved to 5-0 in the NL, allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs over 8 1/3 innings, striking out 9 and walking just one batter. In sic starts for the Brewers, Sabathia has worked 48 innings, allowed 35 hits and 10 earned runs for a 5-0 record, a 1.88 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Notes: Milwaukee is currently in position to be the wild card in the NL, 4 games behind the Cubs in the Central division. In the wild card race, they have a 3 game bulge over the Marlins and 3 1/2 over the Mets. There's certainly the opportunity to run down Chicago in September, but they appear to be on a path to the playoffs. The Mets blew a 4-0 lead and lost in 10 innings to Houston, 5-4, falling 2 behind Philly - 2-1 winners over St. Louis - in the East. The Marlins beat Colorado to remain 1 1/2 back. In LA, Manny Ramirez hit his first homer in the National League as the Dodgers beat Arizona, 4-2, and drew to within 2 games of the Diamondbacks in the West.

Dunn Crashes a Pair in Cincy Win; Youkilis Slams for Sox

Players of the Day from Saturday, July 12, 2008 American League A week ago, it appeared that the Tampa Bay Rays would run away with the AL East title. That's not such a given, now that the Rays have lost six straight. On Saturday, Kevin Youkilis and his Red Sox teammates closed the gap to a mere 1/2 game, as Boston pounded Baltimore, 12-1, while the Rays were dropping their third straight at Cleveland, 8-4. Youkilis accounted for 6 RBI with a grand slam in the third inning, a sac fly in the 4th and a run-scoring single in the 8th. Notes: The Yankees also won, 9-4, over Toronto, putting them 5 1/2 behind the Rays. The AL East looks to be far from a done deal. National League Adam Dunn socked a three-run homer and a solo shot, and Jerry Hairston Jr. went 4-for-4 and scored three times as the Reds tapped the Brewers, 8-2, dropping Milwaukee 6 games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs.

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Dunn's blasts gave him 26 on the season, two behind league leader Ryan Howard, Notes: With both St. Louis and Milwaukee losing, the Cubs squeaked by San Fran, 8-7 in 11 innings, and have a 5 1/2 game lead over the Cards. The Mets extended their winning streak to eight with a 3-0 win over the Rockies, while the Phillies were losing, 10-4, to Arizona and Florida dropped the Dodgers, 5-3. Both the Mets and Marlins are now just 1/2-game behind the Phillies in the AL East. Arizona has re-established a 2-game lead over LA in the West. Mets pitching has been particularly effective of late. Over the past five games, Mets' pitchers have allowed just 13 hits and 4 runs. The bullpen hasn't allowed a run in 18 1/3 consecutive innings. Of course, they're doing this against a couple of the weaker NL West teams, San Francisco and Colorado, but their accomplishments are noteworthy.

BoSox Sweep Rays on Youkilis' 4 RBI; Chipper Jones has HOF Cred

Players of the Day from Sunday, May 4, 2008 American League Kevin Youkilis has been rock steady for the Red Sox since becoming a full-time starter in 2006. That year he batted .279. In 2007, the average was up to .288, and so far this season, he's poking out hits at a robust .308 clip. On Sunday, Youkilis led the Red Sox to a 3-game sweep over Tampa Bay with a 7-3 win over the Rays. This was a return f the favor, so to speak, of last week's sweep of Boston at Tampa.

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The best part for the BoSox is that they end up 3 games in front of the Rays, O's and Yankees in the AL East. Youkilis doubled twice, hit a solo home run, drove in four runs and scored twice in 4 at-bats on Sunday as the Sox finished off the sweep and laid claim to the top spot in the division. Notes: The Twins expanded their AL Central lead to 1 1/2 games over the White Sox (losers of five straight) with their 5th straight win and a three-game sweep of the Tigers in Minnesota. The Twins beat up on Detroit with 11-1, 4-1 and 7-6 wins. National League Might as well reserve a spot in Cooperstown for Chipper Jones, that is, if he ever decides to retire. Maybe his induction will be somewhere around 2015 or so. Jones is approaching some milestone figures. In his 14th year, all with Atlanta, he's played in 1923 games (2000 this season), has 395 homers and 1326 RBI. An RBI total of 1500 is almost an automatic for the Hall, and, barring injuries, Chipper should top that number by August of 2009. He's never hit less than 20 homers in any season, and has topped 30 nine times. On Sunday, Jones led the Braves to a sweep of the Reds in a 14-7 rout at Atlanta. Chipper went 3-for-6, with a double, his 9th home run of the season and five RBI, giving him 27 for the year, 4 behind Houston's Lance Berkman. Jones leads the majors with a .425 batting average and his 9 homers is third best in the NL. Her's hit safely in all but three games and earlier had a 13-game hitting streak. He's had 2 or more hits 15 times this season. Notes: Arizona finally lost their 10th game (21-10), but the Dodgers had their winning streak snapped at eight by Colorado as the Rockies knocked them down by a 7-2 score on Sunday, leaving the Dodgers 4 games behind the D-Backs in the West. St. Louis leads the Central by 1 1/2 over the Cubs, and Philly is 1/2-game to the good over the Mets and Marlins in the East.

Beckett's 7-1 Win Sends Series Back to Boston

Detroit 7 Cleveland 1 - There was no tomorrow for the Boston Red Sox as they faced elimination in the American League Championship Series Thursday night. Down 3 games to 1 to the gritty Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox turned to their stopper, Cy Young candidate Josh Beckett (right). After a shaky first inning in which the Indians plated what would turn out to be their only run of the night, Beckett dominated as he has so often in October, striking out 11 Indians and limiting their offense to just 5 hits over 8 innings. With the game well in hand, Jonathan Papelbon got in an inning of work in the 9th and the best-of-seven series was headed back to Boston for game 6 on Saturday. Beckett allowed three hits in the first inning, and only two after that, and issued just one walk on 109 total pitches, of which he threw 74 for strikes. Beckett had his usual overpowering fastball, and also had his curve working to near-perfection.

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Kevin Youkilis was the slugging star for Boston, with a solo homer in the 1st, an RBI triple in the 7th and a bases-loaded walk in the 8th inning which accounted for his 3rd RBI of the night. David Ortiz chipped in with a pair of RBI on two sac flies. With the Indians now up 3 games to 2, the remaining games will be played at Boston's Fenway Park, where the Indians have already won one game, that being the game 2 marathon won when the Indians scored 7 runs in the 11th to win 13-6. The starters for game six will be the same two that started game 2; Curt Schilling will go for Boston, while the Indians send Fausto Carmona up the hill. Both pitchers were ineffective in their previous starts. Carmona lasted 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks. Schilling went 4 2/3, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs without walking a batter. Game time on Saturday is 8:07 pm ET.