Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy Lead Mets to Sweep of Cubs, Head to World Series; Blue Jays Stay Alive as Marco Estrada Stops Royals

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Estrada saves Blue Jays

American League


With 7 2/3 solid innings from Marco Estrada, the Blue Jays staved off elimination with a 7-1 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals.

Game five was decidedly one-sided, as Estrada allowed only three hits and didn't give up a run until the eighth inning, when he surrendered a two-out homer to Salvador Perez.

Estrada set down the entire lineup in order over the first three innings, then after Alcides Escobar singled to open the fourth, Estrada recorded 11 straight outs, beginning with a double play that erased Escobar and Ben Zobrist, until walking Lorenzo Cain with two down in the seventh.

Toronto used a four-run sixth inning to take hold of the game, highlighted by Troy Tulowitzki's bases-loaded double which plated three.

The teams head back to Kansas City for game six on Friday. First pitch is slated for 8:07 pm EDT.

National League

Duda drives in five

Murphy set MLB HR mark

The Cubs will have to go Back to the Future if they wish to end their 107-year-old World Series drought because the New York Mets completed a four game sweep with an 8-3 win to capture the NL title and head for October glory.

New York took little time to press their case, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding two in the second.

Lucas Duda provided the power, socking a three-run homer in the first inning and driving in two more in the second with a double.

Daniel Murphy set a mejor league record with his sixth home run in the last six games, sending out a two-run shot in the eighth to put the game completely out of reach.

The Mets make the trip to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2000, when they lost to the Yankees in five games. They last won the World Series in 1986, when they defeated the Red Sox in seven games.

Mets Grab NL East as Lucas Duda Blasts Grand Slam; Jose Bautista Homers Twice as Jays Drop Rays

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 26, 2015

American League

Duda: Grand Slam

Bautista: 2HR, 4RBI

Jose Bautista belted a first-inning, three-run homer off Tampa Bay starter, Chris Archer, and added a solo shot in the eighth to up his home run total to 39 and lead the Blue Jays to a 10-8 win over the visiting Rays.

With the Yankees winning, 2-1, over the White Sox in New York, Toronto's lead in the AL East remained at four games, the magic number to clinch the division crown down to five for the Blue Jays.

Bautista, fifth in the league in home runs, tied Baltimore's Chris Davis for second in the RBI tally, at 110. Fellow Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson leads the league with 121, and teammate Edwin Encarnacion completes the trio of Toronto players with more than 100 RBI, at 105, tied for fourth with Kansas City's Kendrys Morales.

The Blue Jays, winners of three straight, will look to sweep the Rays on Sunday afternoon and take another step closer to the division title. Game time is 1:07 pm EDT at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

National League

Closing the deal on the NL East with a rousing, 10-2, victory over the Reds, the NY Mets head to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Lucas Duda, who homered twice on Friday and drove in six runs, belted a first inning grand slam to get the Mets started before the Reds even got to bat.

Curtis Grandson added a solo shot in the second and David Wright ripped a three-run blast in the ninth for good measure. Starter Matt Havey scattered nine hits, allowing the Reds two runs over 6 2/3 innings. Harvey struck out six, improving to 13-7. Getting the division clincher over and done means that Harvey - and the rest of the pitching staff - will be fully rested for the opening game of the divisional round, whichever team emerges as a playoff opponent.

The Mets have an 8 1/2 game lead over the second-place Nationals and just seven games to play.

Lucas Duda Homers Twice as Mets Approach NL East Crown; Carlos Carrasco One-Hits Royals, Fans 15

Players of the Day for Friday, September 25, 2015

American League

Duda: 2HR, 6RBI

Carracso: 1-hitter

Kansas City clinched the AL Central on Thursday, but on Friday they were nearly no-hit as Carlos Carrasco went the distance, tossing a one-hit shutout in a 6-0 Cleveland victory.

Carrasco walked two and fanned 15, improving to 14-10 on the year.

It was his third complete game and first shutout of 2015.

The Royals will try to get back on track when they host the Indians in game two of their three-game series at 7:10 pm EDT Saturday night.

National League

Lucas Duda crushed a pair of three-run home runs as the Mets inched closer to capturing the NL East pennant with a 12-5 win at Cincinnati.

Duda socked his 23rd homer of the season in the third inning and his 24th in the seventh, both coming with two men aboard.

With the win and the Nationals' 8-2 loss to Washington, the Mets' magic number is down to one.

New York could grab the title as early as Saturday, when the Mets look to win their third straight over the Reds. Game time for the third of the four-game series is 4:10 pm EDT.

Lucas Duda Powers Mets into First Place Tie with Nationals; Stephen Drew Carries Yankees Past White Sox

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 2, 2015

Lucas Duda

Stephen Drew

American League

The New York Yankees head back to home ground with a win at the end of a successful road trip, topping the White Sox, 12-3, Sunday as Stephen Drew provided the punch for starter Ivan Nova and a trio of relievers.

Drew singled, doubled, and tripled in five at-bats as the Yankees blew open a close game with five runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth.

The Yankee second baseman drove in four runs and scored twice. Nova allowed one earned run over six innings, striking out seven.

The Yankees took the series with the Sox, two games to one and completed a ten-game road trip with a 6-4 mark.

A day off is in store for the Yanks on Monday, before hosting the Red Sox for three games at Yankee Stadium beginning Tuesday.

The Yankees lead Toronto and Baltimore by six games in the AL East division.

National League

Socking three home runs in the third inning and getting another solid pitching performance from starter Noah Syndergaard, the New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals, Sunday, 5-2, tying them for first place in the NL East.

Curtis Granderson, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda all connected for home runs in the third inning off Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmermann, posting five runs in the frame, erasing a 1-0 Washington lead. Granderson and Duda each had two-run shots. Murphy's homer was of the solo variety.

Syndergaard kept the Nats in check, allowing just one more run over eight innings of work. Both Washington runs came on solo homers. Anthony Rendon socked one to open the game in the first inning; Yunel Escobar added his sixth of the season in the sixth.

Sweeping the series from the vision Nationals, three games to none, the Mets took Friday night's contest by a 2-1 score in 12 innings and won Saturday, 3-2.

On Monday, the Nationals return home to face the Diamondbacks, while the Mets travel to Miami to open a series with the Marlins.

Victor Martinez Leads Tigers with 3-for-6 effort, HR, 4 RBI; Mets' Lucas Duda Belts a Pair in 11-3 Win over Dodgers

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 24, 2014

American League

Victor Martinez

On Sunday, Detroit earned a split in their four-game series at Minnesota with a 13-4 romp as they continue to battle for the second wild card spot, primarily with Seattle, who leads the Tigers by a game.

Victor Martinez continued his excellent season, smacking his 25th home run, a three-run, sixth-inning belt. Martinez added a pair of singles to go 3-for-6 and had four RBI on the day.

Like a good wine, Martinez seems to be getting better with age. At 35, he's already equaled his best home-run output for a full season and is on pace for over 100 RBI, which would be the fifth time he's reached that mark. His .328 batting average is second in the AL, behind Houston's Jose Altuve (.334). Martinez has never finished higher then fourth in batting, when he hit 330 in 2011.

As far as Tiger hitters are concerned, they probably wouldn't mind a few more games at Minneapolis' Target Field. In the four games just completed, the Tigers and Twins piled up 73 runs. Pitchers from both staffs are relieved to see the series end.

Lucas Duda

The Tigers continue to trail Kansas City in the Central, but picked up a game Sunday, as the Royals dropped a 3-1 decision at Texas and now lead by two games. Detroit will host a three-game series with the Yankees starting Tuesday, then head back on the road for eight games - four each against the White Sox and Indians.

National League

With a 4 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the West, the Dodgers are in control of their post-season destiny, but they failed to complete the sweep oof the Mets Sunday, as Lucas Duda homered twice and drove in four runs for an 11-3 Mets' win.

Duda, in his fourth year as the Mets' full-time first baseman, is having his best year yet, already reaching a career highs in home runs with 26, and on pace for his best year ever driving in runs. He currently has 76, but has been piling them up recently, knocking in 11 in his last six games, along with five home runs.

After his three-run homer in the third inning put the Mets ahead, 5-1, Duda singled in another run in the seventh and put the icing on the cake with a solo shot in the ninth.

Duda is third in the NL in home runs, behind Miami's Giancarlo Stanton (32) and the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo (29).

Yu Darvish Fans 10, Blanks Mariners in Texas Win; Ike Davis, Lucas Duda Lead Mets over Nationals

Players of the Day for Friday, April 19, 2013

American League

Yu Darvish

Texas picked up a game on AL West leader, Oakland, as the Rangers took the first of a three game series with visiting Seattle by a 7-0 score, behind the brilliant pitching of starter Yu Darvish.

Improving his record to 3-1, Darvish scattered three hits and three walks over seven complete innings, blanking the Mariners while fanning 10.

Texas bats erupted for six runs in the fifth inning to give their ace plenty of breathing room, though Darvish took a seat after seven, having thrown 111 pitches. Robbie Ross and Michael Kirkman completed the mound duty, each allowing one hit in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

The series resumes Saturday night, at 8:05 pm EDT in Arlington.

National League

Ike Davis

Lucas Duda

The highly-anticipated pitching duel between Washington Stephen Strasburg and the Mets' Matt Harvey was worth the price of admission to Citi Field, especially for Mets' fans, who saw Strasburg get splattered by the middle of New York's lineup and Harvey work seven strong innings for a 7-0 victory.

Harvey allowed four hits and the lone Washington run while fanning seven while Ike Davis and Lucas Duda each belted a pair of homers to power the Mets' win. Davis hit the first of his two in the sixth and Duda followed later in the inning, both solo shots off Strasburg. In the eighth, the duo did it again, Davis crashing his third of the season - a two run blast - and Duda following up with his second solo shot, his fifth of the season, both bombs coming off reliever Drew Storen.

The result left the two teams 1/2 game apart in the standings. Washington is 9-7, the Mets stand at 8-7, with two more match-ups this weekend. Both are chasing the Braves in the East.

NOTABLE: It's been tough to slow down the Atlanta braves this season, but Pittsburgh's Wandy Rodriquez proved it could be done, blanking the Braves on one hit - a fourth inning single by Jason Heyward - over seven innings, en route to a 7-0 victory. It was just the third time the Braves have suffered defeat. They lead the NL East by four games with a 13-3 record.

Lucas Duda, David Wright Even Series with Rockies; Chris Davis Leads O's into AL East First Place

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 28, 2012

American League

Manager Buck Schowalter has his young Orioles just about where he wants them: tied for first place in the AL East with Tampa Bay. While the Rays were losing to Texas, 7-2, on Saturday, the O's were taking batting practice against the A's, banging out 14 hits in a 10-1 win at Camden Yards.

Chris Davis

The Orioles struck early, scoring five times in the second inning, adding a single run in the third, three in the fifth and another run in the seventh on Chris Davis' fourth home run of the season.

Davis had already inflicted some pain on the A's staff, driving in a run in the second and two more in the fifth with a pair of singles. His homer capped a 3-for-4 outing with four RBI and two touches of home plate.

Coming to the Orioles by way of the Rangers, Davis is getting regular playing time at first base, David is making the most of it, batting .313 with four homers and 11 RBI.

The O's and A's wrap up their three-game set with the rubber game Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.


National League

After being pounded, 18-9, by the Rockies on Friday, the Mets got their share of revenge, evening the series at a game apiece with a 7-5 win in Colorado.

David Wright

Lucas Duda

With the two through five hitters going a combined 11-for-18, the Mets knocked out 13 hits. Lucas Duda snapped a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning with a two-run single after David Wright had knotted the score with an RBI single. Wright and Duda accounted for six of the Mets' seven RBI.

Wright went 3-for-4, with a double and two singles, drove in three runs and scored twice, raising his team best batting average to a robust .385. Duda socked his fourth homer of the year in the second inning - a two-run shot that got the Mets on the board. He went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

The Mets and Rockies will complete their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.

Lucas Duda Slams for Mets; Juan Rivera, Dodgers, Rough Up Weaver, Angels

Players of the Day for Monday, March 12, 2012

Grapefruit League

Lucas Duda

Lucas Duda's 5th inning grand slam helped the Mets take a 7-3 lead over the Tigers, but Detroit rallied back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, then added the game-tying run in the 8th.

The game remained tied at 7-7 and ended that way after one extra inning.

Duda had just the one hit in two at-bats on the day, his first homer of the Spring.

Flourishing for the oft-injured Mets last season, Duda batted .292 with 10 homers and 50 RBI in 100 games. He is expected to be the Mets' regular right fielder this season.

Cactus League

Juan Rivera

Don't talk to Juan Rivera about singles. This Spring, Rivera has four hits in 16 at-bats, all of them for extra bases. In the Dodgers 9-1 win over the Angels on Monday, Rivera doubled in the first inning off Angel ace Jered Weaver, bringing home two runs. It was his first hit that wasn't a home run of the exhibition season.

Later on, Rivera got his home run groove on, socking his third fence-clearing smash of Spring, driving in two more runs.

Rivera left the Angels for the Toronto after the 2010 season, and then went to the Dodgers after playing in 70 games for the Blue Jays. A skilled RBI guy, Rivera had 23 doubles and 11 homers last season, driving in 74 runs with a .258 batting average.

The Dodgers lead the Cactus League with a 6-1 record.

Verlander Mows Down 14 in Tiger Win; Lucas Duda, Joey Votto Star for Mets, Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 25, 2011

American League

Justin Verlander

In the odd twist that is interleague play, the Detroit Tigers knocked the Arizona Diamondbacks out of first place in the NL West with a 6-0 win, courtesy of Justin Verlander's right arm and a 1-0 win by San Francisco over Cleveland.

In conjunction with that same San Fran win, the Tigers got back into a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Indians.

Verlander tied C.C. Sabathia as the first pitchers to win 10 games this season in the AL. They were joined by Jair Jurrjens of Atlanta, who won his 10th for the NL Atlanta Braves.

As usual, Verlander was in complete control from the mound, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out a season-high 14 batters, improving to 10-3 on the year.

Approaching the all star break, Verlander's stats are worthy of a start in the midseason classic, with an ERA of 2.38, 124 Ks (leads the majors) and an 0.84 WHIP.

National League

Lucas Duda

The New York Mets scored a season-high for runs in their 14-5 victory over the Texas Rangers as rookie Lucas Duda went 4-for-5 with three doubles and drove in four of the Mets' runs.

Joey Votto

Duda was the most unlikely of heroes. He entered the game batting just .173, sharing time at first base and in left field with Daniel Murphy and the struggling Jason Bay.

Equalling Duda's performance for NL POTD was Cincinnati's Joey Votto, who displayed some of the spark that made him the NL MVP last season.

In the Reds' 10-5 romp in Baltimore Votto was 3-for-5, blasting his 10th and 11th home runs of the season - a three run homer in the 3rd inning and a 5th inning, two-run job. Votto also singled and scored another run on Scott Rolen's homer in the 7th.

The Reds remained tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for third place in the NL Central, three games behind Milwaukee. The second place Cardinals are two games back of the Brewers.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: After the two leagues ended up tied at 70 on Friday, the American League narrowly took back the lead in interleague play, winning 8 and losing 6, to put them ahead 78-76.