World Series: Cardinals Win Wild Game Six over Rangers, Force Game Seven

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 27, 2011

Cardinals 10 Rangers 9, 11 innings

As Game Six's go, this one was excitement to the extreme.

15 pitchers. Eight pinch-hitters. Five home runs. Five errors. Scoring in 13 of 22 half-innings. And every time the Texas Rangers forged a lead that might take them to victory and a World Series championship, the plucky St. Louis Cardinals found ways to tie the score and eventually, in the second extra inning, to win it, staving off elimination to force the first game seven since 2002, when the Angels beat the Giants.

Berkman tied the
game in the 9th.

This game six had it all. Both starters - Jaime Garcia for St. Louis and Colby Lewis for the Rangers - were dinged for first-inning runs. Texas struck first for a single run in the top of the first, but Lance Berkman's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning gave the Cardinals their only lead of the night until 10 innings later when David Freese led off the bottom of the 11th, taking a two-strike pitch from Mark Lowe to straight-away center field for a game-winning walk off home run that sent the St. Louis faithful into a fall classic frenzy.

Freese's solo homer
won it in the 11th.

Freese, who had delivered a two-out, two-strike triple in the bottom of the ninth to send Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman home with the game-tying runs, was mobbed by teammates at the plate and had his jersey ripped off and shredded by his ebullient teammates.

The game had so much drama, passion and tension, it might as well have been written by a Faulkner, Steinbeck or maybe even Hemingway. The Rangers tied the score at 2-2 in the second and took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 4th. St; Louis tied the score in the bottom of the inning.

The Rangers scored again in the top of the 5th, 4-3. St. Louis evened it at 4-all in the bottom of the 6th. That's when it really got interesting.

Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz hit back-to-back solo homers in the seventh. Kinsler drove in Derek Holland for the third run of the frame and Texas had what looked to be an insurmountable lead at 7-4. The Cardinals had only three more half-innings to make up the deficit.

In the bottom of the seventh they went quietly, but got one run back on Allen Craig's one-out, solo home run in the 8th, but left the bases loaded when Rafael Furcal grounded out to second, leaving the Cardinals still down two runs.

After Albert Pujols doubled with one out in the ninth and Berkman walked, Freese belted a line shot off the right field wall that eluded right fielder Nelson Cruz, allowing the two to score. With Freese standing less than 60 feet away from a Cardinal win, Yadier Molina lined out to Cruz in right.

In the 10th, Josh Hamilton put the Rangers up 9-7, with a one-out, two-run homer to right field, again putting the Rangers just three outs away from their first World Series title in the 50-year history of the franchise.

The Cardinals, however, weren't ready to make off-season arrangements. David Descalso led off the bottom of the 10th with a scratch single to right. Jon Jay, hitless in the series, nubbed a single to left and when Kyle Loshe, pinch-hitting for reliever Jason Motte, bunted the base runners over to second and third, the Cards were once again in business. Ryan Theriot hit a smash to Beltre at third, whose only play was across the diamond, getting Theriot, but allowing Descalso to score. After an intentional walk to Pujols put runners at first and second with two outs, Berkman, who leads all hitters in the series with a .435 batting average, singled to shallow center, bringing home Jay and tying the score at 9-apiece.

All of a sudden, the Rangers had gone from one strike away from winning the World Series to having Pujols on third, Berkman on second - after he moved up on fielder indifference - and the dangerous Allen Craig at the plate. Craig, however, failed to deliver, as the cardiac Cardinals had all night, grounding to first to end the inning, but setting up Freese's 11th-inning drama.

Freese's two hits in five at-bats boosted his series average to .333. He drove in three of the game's most important runs, including the clincher. Berkman, who has been unstoppable at the plate, was 3-for-5, with three RBI and four runs.

The two teams will regroup overnight and head back to Busch Stadium for game seven on Friday night at 8:05 pm EDT. While Texas will go with game three starter Matt Harrison, St. Louis has options. Kyle Lohse would normally get the nod, but manager Tony LaRussa has a fresh Edwin Jackson and his ace, Chris Carpenter, who, because of a travel day Tuesday and the Wednesday rainout, is available off three days' rest.

Friday night, game seven. It doesn't get much better than that, but, as a prelude, game six wasn't bad.

Robert Andino Ruins Red Sox in 7-5 Oriole Win; Kershaw Wins 20th; Pujols, Berkman, Theriot Keep Cards Close

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 20, 2011

American League

Some things just aren't meant to be. Others are. For the Boston Red Sox, reaching the playoffs by winning the AL wild card seems to be a quest doomed to failure as they lost for the sixth time in eight games, this one another late inning bullpen meltdown against the bottom-feeding Baltimore Orioles, who defeated the Red Sox, 7-5, even as Boston's closest pursuer, Tampa Bay, was losing to the Yankees, 5-0.

Robert Andino

For Baltimore's Robert Andino, until this year a part-time utility infielder since 2004, his moment to shine was Tuesday night in Boston. After singling and scoring Baltimore's first run in the third inning, Andino singled and was stranded in the 4th inning and flied out to end the 6th. But, in the 8th inning, the scrappy second baseman approached the plate with the bases full of his teammates and Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound. Andino delivered a game-changing, two-out double to right field, plating all three runs and putting the O's up by two runs. Andino promptly stole third, but was stranded there when J.J. Hardy popped out to end the inning.

Nova: 16-4

Orioles' relievers put down the Red Sox calmly in the 8th and 9th, securing the win, keeping Boston just two games ahead of Tampa Bay in the wild card race. The Orioles and Red Sox square off again on Wednesday to complete the series, then, after a day off Thursday, the Sox head down to the Bronx for a three game series with the Yankees before returning to Baltimore for the final three game series of the regular season.

Granderson: 119 RBI

The Yankee win over Tampa Bay was doubly good, as they increased their lead in the AL East to six games over Boston and eight over the Rays. Their magic number dropped to three as rookie sensation Ivan Nova improved to 16-4 with 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits, walking three and striking out three. Curtis Granderson increased his major league best RBI total to 119 with four RBI, three of them coming on a bases-loaded double in the second inning. The Yankees host the Rays in a double-header Wednesday.

In the West, Texas won its third straight, 7-2, at Oakland, while the second place Angels kept pace, outslugging Toronto, 10-6. The Rangers lead the Angles by five games with eight games left for both teams, who meet in the final three game series for both teams, at Anaheim, September 26-28. The Rangers' magic number is four.

National League

Kershaw: 20 Wins

LA's Clayton Kershaw joined Arizona's Ian Kennedy as the NL's second 20 game winner with a 2-1 win over the Giants, halting San Fran's winning streak at eight and keeping the Giants 5 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks in the desperate NL West race.

Lance Berkman

Kershaw scattered six hits over 7 1/3 innings, the only run coming with one out in the 7th on a home run by the Giants' Chris Stewart. Kershaw battled Tim Lincecum, who took the loss, falling to 13-13 on the year. After allowing Stewart's home run, reliever Kenley Jansen came on and struck out the next two batters to end the 8th inning and Javy Guerra closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning.

Kershaw now is tied for the NL lead with 20 wins and also leads the league in strikeouts (242) and ERA (2.27), the same as Detroit hurler, Justin Verlander, in the AL who leads all three categories with 24 wins, 244 Ks and a 2.29 ERA. The dual pitching triple crowns would be a first if they hold up for the remainder of the season. There have been 19 pitching triple crowns in the majors and seventeen of those pitchers have reached the Hall of Fame. Grover Cleveland Alexander, Walter Johnston and Sandy Koufax each accomplished the feat three times, but never have two pitchers done it in the same season in opposing leagues.

Ryan Theriot

Albert Pujols

The loss by the Giants kept them in the chase for the NL West title, though time and games are dwindling fast. The Diamondbacks lost to Pittsburgh, 5-3, keeping the magic number at three. San Francisco plays three games at Arizona this weekend, beginning Friday.

In the wild card race, the Atlanta Braves held onto their slim 2 1/2 game lead with a 4-0 shutout over the Marlins, but the St. Louis Cardinals are not going away, as they opened a three-game home series with the Mets with an 11-6 victory. Alberrt Pujols went 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI (97) and scored the tying run in the 7th inning on Ryan Theriot's pinch-hit, bases-loaded ground rule double. Lance Berkman - 2-for-5, 1 run, 2 RBI - came home right behind Pujols, putting the Cardinals up 7-6. The Cards eventually scored six times in the frame, sealing the win.

Milwaukee kept cruising toward the NL Central crown with a 5-1 win over the Cubs. The Brewers lead St. Louis by 5 1/2 games, their magic number just three.

Cards Tie for 1st on Berkman Pair; Sabathia Fans 13 as Yanks Roll; Interleague Remains Tied

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 30, 2011

American League

Sabathia fanned 13

There's a familiar tune being sung in New York. It's the one which has the Yankees singing the lead and Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays and O's relegated to the chorus.

After C.C. Sabathia tied a career high with 13 Ks against his former teammates - the Milwaukee Brewers - the Yanks stood alone atop the AL East, 2 1/2 ganes to the good over the Red Sox, 4 ahead of the Rays, with the others fast fading from contention.

Sabathia dominated his old buddies in the 5-0 Yankee win, their fifth straight. He fanner Ricky Weeks three times and Prince Fielder twice. Only Ryan Braun, who was 3-for-3 and is riding a 20-game hitting streak, was able to solve the Yankee ace.

Sabathia scattered those three Braun hits and three others over 7 2/3 innings, issuing a pair of walks along the way as he improved to 11-4.

In another piece of good news for the Yankees, Derek Jeter will resume his pursuit of 3000 hits when he comes off the DL on Monday, July 4 in the open of a three-game series in Cleveland. Only six hits shy of the mark, Jeter could conceivably break it in Cleveland, but has a better shot of getting to 3000 against the Rays, at home in New York, during a four-game series July 7-10.

National League

Berkman: 2 Homers

With all star slugger Albert Pujols gone for the next four to six weeks while the fracture in his left forearm heals, the Cardinals - with the assistance of the Yankees - have managed to climb back into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.

Maybe interleague play isn't fair - the Cardinals were sweeping the Orioles while the rewers were being swept three straight by the Yankees - but the Cards aren't complaining after Lance Berkman delivered a pair of home runs in their 9-6 win at Camden Yards.

Berkman smacked a two-run job in the 3rd to put the Cardinals up 4-0 and a solo shot in the 7th to finish the scoring for St. Louis. Berkman's homers were his 19th and 20th, good for third place in the home run chase, behind Matt Kemp's 22 and Prince Fielder, who has 21.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: Eight Thursday games did nothing to unknot the season series between the two leagues, as each won four games, keeping the series tied at 105 wins each.

Lance Berkman Powers Cardinals Past Marlins; Erick Aybar Strokes 4 Hits as Angels Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 5, 2011

American League

Erick Aybar

OK, it's only May, but on has to be impressed with the action in the AL West, which has turned into a four-way horse race (never mind that the Kentucky Derby runs Saturday) with all of the teams within three games of each other.

At the top sit the LA Angels, with a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers, courtesy of an 11-0 spanking of the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park, and a 3-1 win by Seattle, over the Rangers. The A's are two games back and the Mariners - who have been the hottest team in the division over the past two weeks - are three games out.

Leading the way for the Angels was, appropriately, leadoff hitter Erick Aybar, who's off to a sensational start, batting .342 after singling four times in six at-bats in the win. Aybar played just three games before going down with an injury on April 2, but has returned in fine form, hitting safely in 12 of his last 14 games.

In Thursday's win, he scored twice, drove in a run and also swiped a pair of bases.

National League

Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman is tearing it up and the Philadelphia Phillies are happy about it because the cards just split a four-game series with the Marlins, allowing Philly to establish a little breathing room in the NL East, though a mere two-game lead on Florida.

Meanwhile, Berkman, picked up from the Yankees in the off-season, is simply killing the ball, leading the Cardinals to a similar, 1 1/2 game lead in the Central division. Berkman picked up four more RBI in St. Louis' 6-3 victory over the Marlins, with a three-run homer - his 10th - and a sac fly.

Though Berkman's batting average gained a little with the 1-for-2 effort, he still trails teammate Matt Holliday at the top of the NL leader board. Berkman is hitting .392, while Holliday is steaming along at .417. Berkman is also second - tied with Milwaukee's Ryan Braun - with 10 homers (Chicago's Alfonso Soriano leads with 11), but he took over the lead in RBI. His 32 is three better than Ryan Howard's 29.

Ten RBI for Ben Zobrist in Double Header; Berkman Adds Depth to Cardinal Attack

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 28, 2011

American League

Ben Zobrist

Ballplayers live for driving in runs. Getting hits is nice, but hitting with runners on base, in scoring position, is what it's all about.

An RBI per game would break records. Getting three or four in a game is outstanding, but what Ben Zobrist of the the Tampa Bay Rays did on Thursday was off the charts.

Zobrist drove in eight runs in the first game of a double header and, for an encore, knocked in two more as the Rays took a pair from the struggling Twins, 15-3 and 6-1.

The start of the first game was fairly routine, though the Rays hit home plate twice, one run driven in by Zobrist on a single to right. But that was just the beginning of the onslaught and Zobrist's record day.

He hit a three-run homer in the sixth, doubled in two more in the 8th and doubled again in the 9th, driving in two more runs, finishing with an amazing line stat: 4-for-6, with a home run, two doubles, two runs and eight RBI.

After that, one would think Minnesota might have chosen to pitch around Zobrist, but he went 3-for-4 in the second game, with another homer and a double, scored twice and drove in two more runs, pushing his RBI total for the day to 10 and vaulting himself into the league lead with 25 on the season and into a tie for second in home runs with seven, one behind Toronto's Jose Bautista.

The two Tampa wins extended their winning streak to five straight, putting them 1 1/2 games behind the division-leading Yankees in the AL East. The Twins dropped into a tie with the White Sox for last place in the Central, seven games behind the streaking Cleveland Indians.

National League

Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman spent most of his major league career toiling in the relative obscurity of Houston. Last season, he took the free agency route to New York in late July, though the Yankees didn't use him very much and eventually shuffled him off to the National League's Cardinals.

Manager Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis brass have been more than content with the slugger's performance thus far. Berkman is batting over .400 and, together with Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols, creates a pitcher's nightmare in the middle of the Cardinal lineup.

The Cardinals took a one-game lead in the NL Central with an 11-7 win at Houston, and Berkman made sure his former team would regret letting him go.

Berkman went 4-for-5, crashed a pair of homers, doubled, scored three times and drove in five runs. In the just-completed three-game series at Houston, Berkman went 8-for-14 and drove in seven runs. It's safe to say he made his point to his former team.

Berkman's .410 batting average is second in the NL to teammate Matt Holliday (.433). He's also second in home runs with 8, and RBI with 22.

Berkman Slam Dumps D-Backs, 15-5; Rodriguez, Rivera Key Yankee Surge to 1st

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 13, 2011

American League

Alex Rodriguez

It didn't take long for the Yankees to figure out that they needed to do something about the upstart Orioles, which took off with an early lead in the AL East.

With a 7-4 win at Yankee Stadium, the Yanks have caught the O's in the standings, with both teams holding a 6-4 record, tied for first place in the division.

Mariano Rivera

After the Orioles failed to score in the first, despite getting Brian Roberts over to third base with one out, the Bombers responded with a three-run blast off the bat of Alex Rodriguez, building the lead after that until they led 7-0, before Baltimore finally got to starter A.J. Burnett for four run in the 7th. Rodriguez added a single later to complete a 2-for-3 night.

A-Rod's homer was his fourth of the season, Burnett won his third game without a loss and Mariano Rivera picked up his fifth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. The Yankee closer has allowed just 2 hits in 5 1/3 innings, and has not allowed a run.

National League

The St. Louis Cardinals scored in each of the first five innings, cruising to a 15-5 slaughter at Arizona.

Lance Berkman

After Colby Rasmus scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch, Lance Berkman grounded out, but brought home Albert Pujols with the second run.

In the next inning, Berkman would have a better at-bat, smacking a grand slam homer to key a six-run inning. The shot was Berkman's only hit in five at-bats, but he did drive in five runs, increasing his total to 11 on the year.

By the time Arizona got on the board with a pair of runs in the 4th inning, the Cardinals had already plated a dozen and the contest was essentially no contest.

St. Louis has gotten off to a slow start, at 5-7, and their star, Pujols, who scored three times and drove in a pair of runs, has hit just one home run thus far, though nobody believes the Cardinal slugger will struggle for long.

Young Puts Texas Up 2-0; Berkman Drives Yanks past Twins; Lincecum 2-Hits Braves

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 7, 2010

American League

Michael Young broke open a close game with a 3-run homer in the top of the fifth inning, leading the Texas Rangers to a 6-0 win and a two-games-to-none lead in their best-of-five series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers had already scored a run in each of the 3rd and 4th innings to grab a 2-0 lead, but Young's blast off Chad Qualls, who had just entered the game in relief of Rays' starter James Shields, essentially put the game away right there.

Tampa Bay has been unable to get to Ranger pitching. In the two games - both played at Tropicana Field - Rays' hitters have produced only one run on eight hits, getting only two on Thursday off starter C.J. Wilson and a pair of relievers.

Needing just one more win to move to the championship round, the Rangers host the Rays for game three on Saturday, starting at 5:07 pm ET.

---

Even though the Twins keep making the playoffs with some degree of regularity, they continue to disappoint in terms of wins.

The Yankees sent the Twins to their 11th straight post-season loss with a 5-2 win at Minnesota, erasing their home field advantage by sweeping the two games at spacious Target Field.

Andy Pettitte delivered seven solid innings for the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits. The Yankees' mid-season acquisition, Lance Berkman, who came over from the Houston Astros in late July, provided the fireworks with a solo homer in the 5th inning that put the Yankees up 2-1.

After Orlando Hudson tied the game at 2-2 with his own solo shot, Berkman doubled home Jorge Posada with a double off his shoe-tops and later came in to score on Derek Jeter's scratch single to right.

The Yankee win was their 8th straight over the Twins. New York can wrap up the series with a win in game three, scheduled for Saturday at 8:37 pm at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Giants' pitching is what got them through the regular season, and it was on full display in the opener of the best-of-five NLDS with Atlanta.

Tim Lincecum, who took home the Cy Young award in the NL the past two seasons, was in exceptional form as he masterfully mowed through the Atlanta lineup, allowing just two hits while fanning 14 in a complete game, 1-0 shutout.

Braves batters were no match for Lincecum's changing speeds and wide-armed delivery. Known as the "freak" for his whirling moound movement, he struck out every batter in the starting lineup except leadoff hitter Oman Infante at least once, including Derek Lee three times.

The Giants scored their only run of the contest in the 4th inning when Buster Posey walked, stole second and came around on Cody Ross's single to left.

Lincecum threw 119 pitches and walked just one batter in his first post-season appearance, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead in the series which resumes Friday at 9:37 pm ET at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

5-for-5 Victor Martinez Keys Red Sox Win; Berkman Brings Lumber for Astros

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 1, 2010 American League Boston fans may want to mark down May 17 as the low point of the Red Sox season. It was on that date that the Yankees beat up closer Jonathan Papelbon in an 11-9 comeback win that dropped the Red Sox 8 1/2 games off the pace in the AL East. Things looked hopeless, but Boston rebounded, beat the Yankees the following night and have won 11 of their last 14 games as four teams are sizzling right now in the AL East. With their 9-4 home win over the A's Tuesday night, the Red Sox are still five games out, in 4th place, mostly because the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays all are playing equally solid baseball. Keying Tuesday's win was Victor Martinez, who went 5-for-5 with 4 doubles, scored twice and drove in two key runs. Martinez' double in the 6th plated Darnell McDonald, snapping a 4-all tie, and his two-bagger in the 8th essentially put the game away. Off to a very poor start, Martinez has picked it up lately with 6 multi-hit games in his last 9, raising his batting average from .227 to .279. His resurgence has coincided with Boston's current string of excellent play. National League The Houston Astros have really struggled this season. Even with their 8-7 win over the Nationals, their 18-34 record is the worst in the National League. Houston is dead last in the NL Central, 12 1/2 games behind the Reds. On the first day of June, however, there are signs of hope, especially if Lance Berkman finally starts bringing the lumber like he did Tuesday night. Berkman, mired in a 2-for-17 slump heading into Tuesday's contest, broke out with a 3-for-5 effort, including a two-run double in the first inning, an RBI single in the 6th and a 2-run, game-winning, walk-off single in the ninth. Berkman drove in five runs, getting the month of June off to a positive start. The win was just their second in the last six games, but evened their 4-game series with Washington at one apiece. It was Houston's 10th home win against 19 losses, and just their 3rd victory over NL East teams this season.

Crede's Slam Finishes Marathon; Berkman 4-for-4 in Houston Hit-Fest

Players of the Day for May 13, 2009 American League After battling for 12 innings, the situation looked bleak for the Twins when Detroit's Curtis Granderson tripled and scored on Jesse Crain's balk in the top of the 13th. That made the score 10-9 with Minnesota coming to bat in the bottom of the inning. Jason Kubel led off the frame with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Nick Punto, who was sacrificed to second by Denard Span and scored on Matt Tolbert's scratch single, tying the game again. After a ground out by Joe Mauer and walks to Justin Morneau andMichael Cuddyer loaded the bases, Joe Crede launched his 5th home run of the season, ending the contest with Minnesota on top, 14-10. Crain, who was the goat a half-inning earlier, took home the win. Crede, after nine seasons in the AL Central with the White Sox, is proving his value in his first season as a Twin. It was the Twins' second straight win over Detroit. Minnesota goes for the home sweep on Thursday. The Tigers remain in a tie for first in the division with Kansas City, with Minnesota a game back. National League The hits just kept coming in the second game of Houston's three-game set at Colorado. After being bombed by the Rockies, 12-1 in the first game, Houston came back with a vengeance, knocking out 24 hits in a 15-11 win. Every starter had at least two hits, including starting pitcher Mike Hampton, who singled twice and scored a pair of runs. Miguel Tejada had three hits, scored three times and drove in three, Geoff Blum doubled twice and drove in five, but Lance Berkman topped the hit parade with four singles in four at-bats, scoring 3 times and driving in two runs. Berkman, who has been in a wicked slump since the start of the season, may be finally coming around for the struggling Astros. The four-hit effort raised his batting average from .187 to .216. NOTES: Ryan Zimmerman's hitting streak ended on Wednesday night at San Francisco, as the Nationals' third baseman went hitless in three at-bats with a pair of walks. despite the 0-for-3 effort, Zimmerman's batting average of .357 ranks fifth in the National League. His 51 hits are tops in the league, with LA's Orlando Hudson two back at 49 and a .348 batting average.

Sizemore's Slam Ruins Yankee Opener; Berkman Blasts Pirates

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 16, 2009 American League The NY Yankees opened an new chapter in their storied history with the first home game at the new Yankee Stadium, but the Cleveland Indians put a damper on the festivities, pounding New York, 10-2. With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Cleveland struck for 9 runs off the Yankees' suspect relief corps, capped by Grady Sizemore's grand slam, which put the game hopelessly out of reach. Sizemore's bomb was his only hit of the game, and it occurred after the Indians had already scored four runs in the inning. Victor Martinez completed the scoring with a solo shot in the same inning. Both homers came off reliever Damaso Marte. The grand slam was Sizemore's third homer of the season and upped his RBI total to 10. National League Astro fans haven't had much to cheer about this season, but after taking 2 of 3 at Pittsburgh with a 6-3 win Thursday night, spirits may be rising. Lance Berkman, who hasn't exactly gotten off to a scorching start, broke open a 3-3 game with his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in the sixth inning which sealed the deal for Houston. The Pirates struck for 2 runs in the first and another in the second inning, but were unable to get any more runners across home plate after that. Notes: The Florida Marlins keep winning, leading the NL East with a major league-best record of 8-1, maybe the most astonishing development is a continent away, in the AL West, where the Seattle Mariners lead the division by 2 1/2 games with a 7-3 record. The Mariners finished last in the division last year and were pretty much ruled out of contention by the end of May. This season may be different, owing to the overall weakness in the division. Texas, Oakland and the LA Angels are all 4-5.

Peralta Scores for Indians; Berkman Topples Giants

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 16, 2008 American League The Cleveland Indians won their third straight, extending their lead to 1 1/2 games over Minnesota and Chicago in the AL Central with a 4-2 win over Oakland on Thursday. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta singled, homered, stole a base and scored three times as the Indians got their offense from an unlikely source. Peralta is batting just .221. Notes: Tampa Bay finished off their four-game set in New York by beating the Yankees, 5-2, winning three of the four. While the Rays surged to the top of the AL East, the Yanks dropped into last place, 4 1/2 games off the pace, scoring just 6 runs in the four games against Tampa. National League Lance Berkman is having an incredible season. Last night, in Houston's 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Giants, Berkman delivered the final blow with a solo home run in the 9th inning, capping a rally in which the Astros overcame deficits of 6-0 and 7-3. In addition to his league-leading 15th homer, Berkman singled in a pair of runs in the 4th inning, plating the Astros' first runs of the game.

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His three RBI gave him 43, which leads the AL by 9, and his two hits in four at-bats improved his batting average to .391. Notes: Last season's NL champions, the Colorado Rockies, don't look like they're about to repeat. In fact, they've fallen out of the NL West race, 11 games behind Arizona. While the Diamondbacks have been red hot, the Rockies have produced a record of 15-26, second worst in the majors, just 1/2 game better than the Padres.

Shields 1-Hits Angels; Astros' Berkman On a Tear

Players of the Day from Friday, May 9, 2008 American League As pitcher's duels go, Friday's battle between the Angels' Jon Garland and Tampa Bays' James Shields was as good as it gets. Garland allowed just four hits over eight innings while Shields was twirling a 1-hitter, finishing up by retiring the final sixteen straight batters. Neither had allowed a run when the Rays went to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Garland had thrown 114 pitches and was replaced by reliever Justin Speier, who promptly allowed a single by B.J. Upton. After Carlos Pena advanced Upton to second with a ground out, Evan Longoria ended the game with a blast into the left field stands for a 2-0 Tampa Bay win. Shields (4-2) had to throw just 92 pitches for the complete game shutout, his second this season. The only hit was a harmless third-inning single by Brandon Wood. Apparently more comfortable at home, Shields shut out the Red Sox in his last home appearance on April 27, giving up just two hits and one walk. On Friday, Shields didn't walk a batter and struck out 8. In his last two home starts, his WHIP is a ridiculous 0.22. Notes: While the Rays were winning in the bottom of the 9th, the Red Sox were losing, as Minnesota's Mike Lamb singled home a pair with two outs in the frame against closer Jonathan Papelbon for a 7-6 Twins' win. Tampa is just 2 1/2 back of Boston in the AL East. Minnesota stayed a game better than the White Sox in the Central while the A's also lost and stayed tied for first with the Angels in the West. National League Looking for an MVP candidate? Check out the Astros' Lance Berkman, who is having a Triple Crown-like season. On Friday, Berkman went 3-for-4, with his 14th double and 12th home run (2nd in the NL) of the season, scored twice and drove in two, giving him a league-leading 35 RBI. The Astros downed the Dodgers, 7-1, with Berkman, as he has all season, leading the way. While the Astros have won 6 of their last 7 and are just 2 1/2 behind the Cardinals in the Central, Berkman has been a beast at the plate. He's hit safely in 8 straight, expanding his batting average from .299 to .380 (2nd in the NL) with 4 homers and 12 RBI over that span. Nearly impossible to get out, he's had 18 hits in his last 24 at bats (.750). That's just plain smokin'! Notes: The Braves' win streak was snapped at six with a 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh, but despite their efforts, they're still in 4th place, 2 1/2 back in the East because the division-leading Marlins have won five in a row. On the other side of the ledger, the Giants and Padres have both dropped five straight are are 9 and 11 games out of the race in the West. The Padres have been particularly awful. After a 4-4 start, they've gone 7-21, including 1-7 thus far in May.