Miguel Cabrera in Serious Triple Crown Hunt; Kyle Lohse Goes Seven Scoreless for Cardinals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 18, 2012

American League

With 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Detroit Tigers - still three games behind the White Sox in the Central after Chicago beat Kansas City, 3-2, and the Tigers hammered the A's, 12-2 - are running out of time, but Miguel Cabrera hasn't yet run out of hits, homers and RBI.

Cabrera: 2HR 6RBI

Cabrera belted a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, in Detroit's win, going 3-for-4 (the other hit was a double) with six RBI, putting the Tiger slugger in a realistic position to complete the triple crown for the first time since Carl Yazstremski did it in 1967.

Cabrera's .333 average leads the league; he is tied for the RBI lead with Josh Hamilton with 129 and trails Hamilton in homers by two, at 40.

The Tigers either have to catch the White Sox or make up significant ground on the wild card teams, an unlikely occurrence since they trail the A's by six games and Baltimore and New York by 5 1/2, after the Orioles topped the Mariners, 4-2, in 18 innings.

Baltimore's win resulted in a tie atop the AL East with the Yankees, whose scheduled game against the Blue Jays was rained out.

To make up for the postponed game, the Yanks and Jays will play a day-night double-header on Wednesday.

National League

Lohse: 7 scoreless

With the largest lead in any of MLB's divisions at 11 games, the Cincinnati Reds need to win just four more games to capture the flag and be the first team to qualify for the playoffs.

Since there is no plausible reality by which the Cardinals could catch the Reds, St. Louis continues to cling to the second wild card, after beating the Astros, 4-1, Tuesday night, behind seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball by Kyle Lohse (15-3).

Lohse stymied the Astros, fanning five and walking two, while the Cardinals scored a single run in the second, added two in the fifth and another in the seventh. The St. Louis starter has been a godsend for the Cardinals. With just three losses, Lohse has the best winning percentage of any starter in the league, his 2.71 ERA is third in the NL and he is among the leaders in innings, at 199.

The St. Louis win kept the Cardinals 1 1/2 ahead of the Dodgers and 2 1/2 in front of fast-closing Milwaukee, which shut out the Pirates (3 1/2 back), 6-0, for the second wild card spot.

Cardinals Come Out Swinging: David Freese and Kyle Loshe Work Win in Miami

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 4, 2012

National League

Freese: 3-4, 2 RBI

The world champion St. Louis Cardinals picked up right where they left off last season, winning the opening game of the National League season with a 4-1 win over Miami, spoiling the Marlins' christening of their new stadium.

Lohse: 7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

David Freese staked starter Kyle Lohse to a 2-0, first inning lead, and went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored to pace the Cardinal attack.

Lohse worked a no-hitter into the seventh inning, spoiled by a leadoff Jose Reyes single, but worked into the eighth, leaving the game with a man aboard and one out after fanning Marlin catcher, Gaby Sanchez. Fernando Salas surrendered a two out double that scored Lohse's responsibility for the only Miami run of the game. Lohse finished with 7 1/3 innings pitched, allowing two hits and an earned run for the first win of 2012.

Freese, the MVP of last year's World Series continued his hot batting into the new season. Lohse received the start for the opener due to a nerve injury to Cards' ace Chris Carpenter, who is out indefinitely.

Damon Homer Helps Rays in Wild Card Chase; Cardinals Win With Dramatic Ninth

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 24, 2011

American League

With divisional races all decided, the focus for the remainder of the regular season will be on the wild card races, which are down to just a few teams in both leagues. In the AL, Tampa Bay improved their chances for post-season play with a 6-2 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, while the imploding Red Sox got the Bronx treatment, pounded by the Yankees, 9-1.

The Rays fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning as Jose Bautista socked his major league-leading 43rd home run. Rays' starter Jeff Niemann was lifted after just one inning, having given up two run on two hits and two walks. Niemann had had his start pushed back due to a sore back and clearly was not at his best.

Johnny Damon

Tampa Bay battled right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first and took the lead on a Ben Zobrist solo homer in the fourth. The Rays' bullpen set a team record, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for eight innings, and Johnny Damon sealed the win with an eighth-inning, three run home run. Gamon had doubled home Zobrist in the first inning and went 3-for-3, with four RBI.

Combined with the Red Sox loss to New York, the Rays trailed Boston by 1 1/2 at the end of the day. Tampa could tie the Red Sox for the wild card spot on Sunday if they beat Toronto and Boston drops both of their games to the Yankees. Boston plays a day-night double-dip due to a rain out of Friday's game.

The LA Angels remained relevant with a 4-2 win over the A's, 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. The Angels complete their series with the A's on Sunday.

National League

Blanked for eight innings, the St. Louis Cardinals kept their wild card hopes alive when they scored a pair of run in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 win over the Cubs.

Starter Kyle Lohse kept St. Louis in the game, allowing six hits, but only one run over seven innings, striking out eight. Lohse didn't walk anyone, nor did he receive a decision, though the end result was a positive one, as the Cardinals inched to within two games of the Braves in the NL wild card race. Atlanta was defeated 4-1 at Washington.

Kyle Lohse

Carlos Marmol was on the mound in the ninth, looking to close things out for the Cubs, though it did not go well for him. Matt Holliday got things started for the Cardinals in the ninth with a one-out single and was replaced by pinch runner Tyler Greene. Greene stole second and moved up to third as Geovany Soto's throw sailed into center field. After a David Freese strikeout, Yadier Molina walked and was pinch run for by Adron Chambers, Skip Schumaker also walked, loading the bases for Ryan Theriot, who was also issued a free pass, forcing in Greene to tie the game.

When Marmol uncorked a wild pitch to Rafael Furcal, Chambers streaked home from third with the game winner and new life in St. Louis. Marmol (2-6) took the loss. It was his 10th blown save of the season, tops in the majors.

Felix Hernandez silences A's; Kyle Lohse Tosses 2-Hitter at Nationals

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 21, 2011

American League

Felix Hernandez

At this juncture, a four-game series with the Oakland A's might not seem so important, but the Seattle Mariners need to get something started as they are already mired in last place in the AL West.

The solution, it seems, is to hand the ball to your ace starter, Felix Hernandez, and send him out to the mound.

Sounds simple enough, but Hernandez had to hold the A's scoreless for 7 2/3 innings in order to get the desired result, a 1-0 win, to open the four-game set at Seattle.

Hernandez dueled with the A's Brandon McCarthy, who pitched a whale of a game himself, going the full nine innings, and allowing just four hits, though one was a solo homer by Adam Kennedy in the 4th inning that proved to be the game-winner.

As for Hernandez (2-2), he allowed four hits and three walks over 7 2/3 innings and left with two on and two out in the 8th. Jamey Wright slammed the door on the A's by getting the final out of the inning and Brandon League locked it and threw away the key, working a scoreless ninth inning for his 4th save.

National League

Kyle Lohse

With Adam Wainwright lost for the season, the St. Louis Cardinals were looking for another starter to step up and pick up the slack.

At 3-1, Kyle Lohse has heard the call and answered it, throwing a 2-hit shutout Thursday night against the Washington Nationals.

Lohse, who started off the game by setting down the first eleven men he faced in order, finished with just the two hits and two walks against him, all of the damage spread over the 4th, 5th and 6th innings. After walking Rick Ankiel with two outs in the 6th, that was it, except for Lohse plunking Danny Espinosa to lead off the 9th inning, as he finished the game getting ten of eleven in a row.

Loshe threw 72 of 111 pitches for strikes, fanning six in the 5-0 Cardinal win that kept them tied for first place with Cincinnati in the tight NL Central.

Lohse is 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA and a WHIP of 0.73.

Lohse Delivers for Cards; Cruz on a Tear in Texas

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 23, 2009 American League The Texas Rangers have one of the most potent lineups in the majors, but one player who doesn't get much mention is emerging star Nelson Cruz, whose two homers and four RBI led the way to a 7-3 Rangers victory at Houston. Cruz smashed a three-run shot in the 4th inning to give the Rangers the lead, then he and teammate Hank Blaylock hit back-to-back solo homers to complete the scoring in the 6th. Cruz has had limited opportunities the past three seasons, but is playing full time this year and has responded with a .285 batting average, 11 homers and 30 RBI. His contributions are one reason the Rangers lead the Angels in the AL West by 3 games. National League The resurgent St. Louis Cardinals won their fifth straight game on Saturday, tying Milwaukee for the NL Central lead at 26-17. Kyle Lohse (4-3) delivered another strong mound performance, limiting the Royals to 4 hits, no walks and no runs over 8 innings, while striking out 6 for a 5-0 St. Louis win. Lohse's mound mastery was another in a string of outstanding work by the Cardinal starting five, who have allowed a combined 1 earned run during the five-game win streak. Each starter has earned a win as they swept the Cubs and now have taken two straight from the Royals. Lohse, who went 15-6 for St. Louis last season, is off to a solid start, joining Chris Carpenter, Todd Wellemeyer, Adam Wainwright and Jose Pineiro as the starting five.

Mound Masters: Bedard, Harang, Lohse Dominant

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 12, 2009 American League Acquired from Baltimore following the 2007 season, Seattle's Erik Bedard was part of a 2008 season chock full of disappointment, spending much of the season on the DL, while still going 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA. Now recovered from shoulder issues, the left-hander worked 8 1/3 innings of shutout ball in his second start of the season, helping the punchless Mariners slip past Oakland, 1-0. Bedard, who allowed only 3 hits and one walk, struck out 7 for his first win of 2009. National League Two starters tossed complete-game shutouts on Sunday, so they both get a share of player of the day honors. Kyle Lohse (left) earned his second win of the season with a 3-hit gem against Houston, leading to a 3-0 St. Louis win. Lohse didn't walk anyone and struck out 4 batters. His ERA dropped to 1.13, while the WHIP came down to a minuscule 0.56. In Cincinnati, the Reds scored two first inning runs and starter Aaron Harang (right) made them stand up, blanking the Pirates for the duration and the 2-0 Reds' win. Harang evened his record at 1-1, allowing 3 hits without a walk while fanning 9 Pirates, including Nate McLouth 3 times. The 6'7" San Diegan threw 80 of 108 pitches for strikes, lowered his ERA to 0.64 and is just 8 Ks away from 1000 for his career.

Halladay 2-Hits Yankees; Lohse Strong on Comeback Trail

Players of the Day from Friday, July 11, 2008 American League The New York Yankees would probably prefer that Roy Halladay pitch in another league, or at least another division, because even though the Blue Jays aren't usually part of the pennant race picture, Halladay seems to think he is every time he takes the mound. For the second time in three tries this season, Halladay shut down the Yankees, allowing just two hits in a complete game, as the Blue Jays won, 5-0. Ever the workhorse, Halladay threw 117 pitches, struck out 8 while walking only one batter. The only hits were a single by Alex Rodriguez in the 4th inning and Derek Jeter's 9th inning ground rule double. Notes: Fortunately for the Yankees, the Red Sox and Rays both lost on Friday, so they didn't lose any ground in the standings, currently 6 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and 5 back of Boston. National League Here's a solid candidate for comeback player of the year. In 2007, Kyle Lohse went 9-12 pitching for Cincinnati and Philadelphia, but has found a new home in St. Louis, where he's now 11-2, after shutting out Pittsburgh for 7 innings in the Cardinals' 6-0 win over the Pirates on Friday. Lohse gave up 6 hits and a lone walk while striking out 3, lowering his ERA to a very solid 3.39 and helping the Cardinals retake second place from Milwaukee in the Central. With the Brewers losing and the Cubs winning on Friday, the Cards are 1/2 game better than Milwaukee and 4 1/2 behind Chicago. Notes: The Met won their 7th straight, topping Colorado, 2-1, but Florida and Philly both won, so New York remains tied with the Marlins, 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

Beltre Bombs Batter Angels; Loshe Ends Pirates' Plunder

American League Fresh off a 3-game sweep of Detroit, the Cleveland Indians flew into Boston and were promptly put in their place by the high-flying Red Sox, who handed them a 5-3 loss. Curt Schilling (5-2) struck out 10 and gave up only 1 run on 6 hits over 7 innings, Manny Ramirez knocked his 8th homer and Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The Sox are 35-15, including 8-3 against Central division foes and lead the AL East by 11 1/2 games. Cleveland has two more games at Fenway, Tuesday and Wednesday. Adrian Beltre (right), dropped to 7th in the Seattle lineup, blasted a 2-run homer in the 6th inning and a solo shot in the 7th, doubled twice, drove n 3 and scored 3 times in 5 at-bats as the Mariners closed the gap in the West with a 12-5 win at 1st place LA. Richie Sexson contributed a 3-run shot (7) and Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 21 games. Seattle has won 4 straight and have clawed to within 3 1/2 games of the Angels. The NY Yankees fell into a tie for last place in the AL East with a 7-2 loss at Toronto as they began a 10-game road trip and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays squeaked out a 6-5 win over visiting Detroit. Catcher Ramon Hernandez swatted a grand slam in the 4th inning and singled and scored in the 6th to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-1 laugher at Kansas City. Steve Traschel (4-3) pitched all 9 innings for the O's, allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. The O's have won 3 straight and are in 2nd place in the East, chasing the Red Sox. Other AL Scores Minnesota 10 Chi White Sox 4 - J. Santana (W, 6-4), 8 IP, 8 K Oakland 5 Texas 3 - C. Gaudin, (W, 5-1) National League The Cincinnati Reds were getting tired of seeing the Pirates beat up on their pitching staff, but pitcher Kyle Lohse (right) took matters into his own hands, shutting down the Pirates with a 6-hit complete game shutout in a 4-0 Reds' whitewash. Lohse (2-6), was in control all day, allowing just one extra-base hit - a 2nd inning Jason Bay triple - without walking a batter, though he didn't record a single strikeout. The Reds (19-33) had lost 6 straight and are in last place in the NL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates had won the first 3 games of the series at Cincy by a combined 33-19 score. Speaking of the Brewers, their recent slide is reaching crisis proportions. Though they still retain a 5-game bulge in the NL Central, their 2-1 loss at Atlanta on Monday was their 6th straight and 13th in their last 17. Two of the National League's hottest teams - the Phillies and Diamondbacks - got together for the first game of a 3-game series in Philadelphia on Monday, with the D-Backs coming away with a 5-4 win.

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First baseman Conor Jackson provided almost all of the offense, banging a 2-run homer in the 1st inning off starter Freddie Garcia and later doubling home a pair in the 9th. Jackson also singled, finishing the day 3-5. Arizona won their 5th straight and 8th of their last 10. At 30 up and 23 down, they trail the Padres and Dodgers by just 1/2 game in the West. Arizona's win snapped Philly's 3-game win streak, a sweep of Atlanta, and kept them 7 games back of the Mets in the East. Other NL Scores Florida 5 Chi Cubs 3 Colorado 6 St. Louis 2 - Rockies, 6-gm. win streak