Scutaro Finishes Off Sweep of Tigers; Giants Win World Series, 4-0, Pablo Sandoval MVP

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 28, 2012

World Series

Scutaro: Game-winner

Game 4: San Francisco 4 Detroit 3, 10 innings - Marco Scutaro's two-out single in the top of the 10th inning scored Ryan Theriot from second base, breaking a 3-3 tie and sending the Giants to their second World Series championship in three years.

Sandoval: MVP

Theriot singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on Brandon Crawford's sacrifice bunt, and held his position as Phil Coke struck out Angel Pagan. Coke had come on in relief of Octavio Dotel in the ninth, fanning the side to force extra innings, but Scutaro and the Giants would not be denied, the scrappy second baseman singling to short center to drive in the game winner.

Pablo Sandoval, who was 1-for-5 in game four, finished with a .500 batting average (8-for-16) with three homers and four RBI, all of which came in game one, won by the Giants, 8-3.

The Tigers, one of the best-hitting teams in either league, were flat in the series, scoring only six runs. They were shut out by identical 2-0 scores in games two and three, and, as a team batted .159 (20-for-126) for the series, and, after their eight hits in game one, hit only .130 (12-for-92).

The Giants ended the post-season on a seven-game win streak, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS to whip the Cardinals before sweeping the Tigers in the World Series.

Matt Cain, Marco Scutaro Lead Giants Past Cardinals, Into World Series

Players of the Day for Monday, October 22, 2012

National League

Matt Cain

NLCS: San Francisco 9 St. Louis 0 - Matt Cain threw 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball and Marco Scutaro went 3-for-4 as the Giants blew past the Cardinals in game seven to capture the NL Championship and head to the World Series against the AL's Detroit Tigers.

Scutaro: NLCS MVP

Cain, a 3-1 loser in game three, redeemed himself in the ultimate test, scattering five Cardinal hits while walking one and striking out four to notch his fourth career post-season victory against two losses.

Scutaro, who was named series MVP, scored just once and didn't drive in any runs, but singled to lead off the third inning, starting a four-run rally that was the eventual undoing of Cardinal starter, Kyle Lohse, who took the loss.

Scutaro batted .500 for the series (14-for-28), scored six runs and drove in four. He carries a nine-game, post-season hitting streak into the World Series, which begins Wednesday in San Francisco.

Game one of the fall classic is set to begin at 8:07 pm EDT on Wednesday, October 24. Game two will be on Thursday, also in San Francisco. Games three, four and - if necessary - five, will be in Detroit, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the 27th, 28, and 29th. Should the series go to games six and seven, those would be back in san Francisco, on Wednesday, October 31 and Thursday, November 1.

The Tigers beat the New York Yankees four straight in the ALCS, and will be well-rested, with their starting rotation in good order. Justin Verlander will start game one for Detroit. The Giants have not yet named a game one starter.

San Francisco came back from being down three games to one in the NLCS, capturing the final three games by a combined score of 20-1, their starting pitching coming through with superior performances when it mattered most.

Matt Cain, Marco Scutaro, Angel Pagan Lead Giants Back to First Place; Prince Fielder Blasts O's in 5-3 Win

Players of the Day for Friday, August 17, 2012

American League

Fielder: 2HR, 4RBI

Opening a three game series critical to the wild card chase and divisional races in the East and Central, the Baltimore Orioles had a lead at Detroit, but lost it and the game when they failed to keep Prince Fielder in the yard.

Leading 3-1 in the sixth inning, Fielder unloaded for the first of two massive homers - both coming with Miguel Cabrera aboard - to tie the game, then blasted his second in the eighth, completing the 5-3 win.

The victory left the Tigers tied with the Orioles for the second wild card spot, a game behind Tampa Bay, in the #1 wild card position. The Tigers also picked up a game on Central division leader, Chicago, 4-2 losers at Kansas City, leaving Detroit 1 1/2 back in the Central.

Fielder's homers were his 21st and 22nd of the season. The first came off O's starter, Tommy Hunter, the second blow against reliever J. C. Romero. Miguel Cabrera's first inning hoemr - his 31st of the year - provided the only other run for Detroit.

The series resumes Saturday night, with the third game set for Sunday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.

Marco Scutaro

National League

Matt Cain, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro led the San Francisco Giants back into first place in the NL West, powering the Giants to to a lopsided, 10-1 win over the Padres, in the opener of a three-game weekend series in San Diego.

Angel Pagan

Scutaro got the Giants started in the first inning, staking Matt Cain (12-5) to an early advantage with a solo homer.

In the third inning, the Giants sent 14 men to the plate and scored eight runs to essentially put the game out of reach.

Matt Cain

Pagan drove in the first run of the epic inning with an RBI triple and was singled home by Scutaro, who later scored. Cain aided his own cause with a single in the inning which plated Brandon Belt.

Pagan finished up 3-for-5 with two RBI. Scutaro was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Cain, who earlier this season tossed a perfect game, won his second straight start, allowing four hits and a single fifth inning run over eight, fanning six without issuing a walk.

The win gave the Giants a 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers in the West. LA dropped a 4-3 decision at Atlanta.

Marco Scutaro Drives in 7 for Giants; Josh Hamilton Provides Power in 10-9 Texas Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 8, 2012

American League

Josh Hamilton

Adrian Beltre broke a 9th inning 9-9 tie with a sac fly, scoring Elvis Andrus with the game winner as the Texas Rangers topped the Red Sox, 10-9, but Josh Hamilton kept the Rangers in the game, going 3-for-5 with a single, triple and his 30th home run. Adam Dunn leads the AL with 31 homers, followed by Hamilton and Curtis Granderson, who also knocked his 30th on Wednesday night.

Hamilton knocked in four runs for the Rangers through the slugfest, tying him with Miguel Cabrera for league leadership in RBI, with 95.

The Rangers retained their 5 1/2 game lead over Oakland in the AL West. The A's eeked out a 9-8 win over the Angels, dropping them seven behind the Rangers.

Having taken two of three from Boston, the Rangers have a day off Thursday, then welcome in the Detroit Tigers for a three-game weekend set. On Monday, Texas heads to New York for a four game series with the Yankees.


National League

Scutaro: 3-5 GS 7RBI

The Giants have been making all the right moves since the all star break, and broke out the lumber in a 15-0 whipping of St. Louis, keeping them 1 1/2 games clear of the Dodgers in the NL West.

While Ryan Vogelsong was mowing down Cardinal hitters, allowing just three hits over seven innings en route to his 10th win against five losses, Marco Scutaro was clearing the bases for San Francisco.

Not normally viewed as a power hitter or RBI guy, Scutaro drove in seven runs with a third inning, run-scoring single, a bases loaded double in the eighth and a ninth inning grand slam, accounting for nearly half of the Giants' output.

Acquired from the Rockies in late July, Scutaro is batting .347 in 12 games with the Giants, his seven RBI giving him 13 in a San Fran uniform.

The Giants have taken two of three in St. Louis. The series completes with an afternoon clash at Busch Stadium Thursday afternoon.

Boston Hammers Toronto, 14-0; Beltran Gets Giants to Within Six of Arizona

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 6, 2011

American League

Jon Lester

David Ortiz

There were three outright slaughters in the AL on Tuesday, two by division leaders. Texas got a complete game, five-hit shutout from C.J. Wilson in their 8-0 win over Tampa Bay. Combined with the Angels' 2-1 loss to Seattle, that put the Rangers up 3 1/2 games in the West.

Detroit bombed Cleveland 10-1, sending the Indians back to third place 1/2 game behind the White Sox - 3-0 winners over Minnesota - who trail the Tigers by eight games in a division that was once close and now looks like a runaway for Detroit.

But the biggest blowout was Boston's 14-0 beating of Toronto. Jon Lester limited the Bue Jays to three hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out 11 in the process for his 15th win against six losses. Lester's mound work would have been good enough, but it was overshadowed by the explosive Boston batters, who hammered out 20 hits, 11 of them for extra bases.

Marco Scutaro

Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with a double, three runs and two RBI, giving him 105 on the year, good for second in the AL, tied with the Yankees' Robinson Cano and four behind another Yankee, Curtis Granderson. David Ortiz had four hits in six at-bats, two of them doubles. He also scored three runs and drove in a pair.

However, it wasn't a big guy who led the way for the Beantown Bombers. Shortstop Marco Scutaro went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a single, scored two runs and drove in four. Batting behind Ortiz, Scutaro had one of his best games as a major leaguer.

The win by Boston didn't help them catch up on the Yankees, who continued to lead the AL East by 2 1/2 games with a 5-3 win over Baltimore. Catching the Yankees may not be a top priority for the Red Sox, however. Getting ready for the post-season might be, as they lead the wild card standings by a cool 8 1/2 games over the Angels.

National League

Carlos Beltran

San Francisco's move to get Carlos Beltran at the trading deadline may prove to be one of the best deals of the season, though it might be a little too late as the Giants try to chase down NL West leader Arizona.

Beltran was an essential element in the Giants' 6-4 win over San Diego Tuesday night, bringing them to within six games of the Diamondbacks, who dropped an 8-3 decision to the Rockies when Colorado exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Beltran went 3-for-4 with three key RBI. In the third inning, he singled home a run to put the Giants up 3-2, then, after the Padres tied the score at 3-all, he doubled in another run in the 5th inning. He walked to lead off the 8th inning and scored, adding a ground-out RBI in the 9th to seal the victory.

With 20 games left in the season, time is not on the Giants' side, though they will get one more crack at the D'Backs when they face them in Arizona on September 23, 24 and 25, in the penultimate series of the season. The Giants have an equal number of home and road dates remaining, though they have to face the Rockies seven times, including in their final three game series at home.

Scutaro Homers Twice to Drop Rays; Phillies, Howard Retain 1/2-Game Lead

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 8, 2010 American League After theYankees won on Nick Swisher's 9th inning, walk-off home run, the Tampa Bay Rays knew they needed to beat the Red Sox again in order to keep the Yankees within a game and a half. Tampa didn't quite get the job done, and the Yankees can thank Boston's Marco Scutaro, as the Red Sox downed the Rays, 11-5, improving New York's lead to 2 1/2 games. Scutaro, batting leadoff for the embattled Boston squad, made the most of his five trips to the plate, collecting four hits, including two home runs (numbers 9 and 10), a double and a single. The scrappy shortstop drove in three of Boston's runs and scored three times as the Red Sox scored in six of the eight innings they needed to bat. Winning over the Rays was a bittersweet victory for Boston, which has been destroyed by injuries to a number of key players. They are more than likely out of any pennant race, trailing the Yankees by nine games, though they do play them six more times, including the final three games of the season, October 1-3, at Fenway. The Red Sox still may have a chance of catching the Rays for the wild card slot. They are 6 1/2 games behind them in that race, though they'll need help from other teams. They do not play tampa Bay any more this season. National League Rarely is Ryan Howard not in the lineup for the Phillies, but he missed a number of key games when he went on the Dl earlier this year. He went down on August 1st and returned on the 21st, but it took the big man a little time to get his swing back into a groove. It was ten games - on August 31 - before Howard hit a home run, but that was like throwing a switch. He's banged out four more since then. On Wednesday, with the Phillies having taken a 1/2-game lead in the NL East over the Braves, Howard provided all the power, going 3-for-5 with a two-run single in the first inning, a three-run homer (#28) in the 4th and another run-scoring single in the 7th. Thanks to Howard's six RBI, the Phillies maintained their lead over Atlanta - who won, 9-3, over Washington - with a 10-6 win over the Marlins. Howard is quickly catching up on the leading power hitters in the National League. His 28 home runs are 5th most, and the 95 RBI has him just five behind Carlos Gonzalez. PENNANT NOTES: San Diego and Colorado won, but the Giants lost, so the NL West has the Padres 2 games ahead of the Giants with Colorado 4 1/2 back. The Reds and Cardinals both lost (Cincy has lost four straight), so St. Louis still trails by 6 games. Texas snapped their five-game losing streak with an 8-1 win over Toronto and lead Oakland by 7 games in the AL West. Minnesota won their sixth in a row and the White Sox fell for the second straight day, increasing the Twins' advantage to 5 1/2 games.

Man-Ram Pinch-Hits Dodgers to Win; Scutaro's Pair of Homers Lifts Jays

American League July has been a rough month for the Toronto Blue Jays. Amid swirling trade rumors for ace starter Roy Hallady, the Jays have put together a 6-10 record thus far and have fallen out of the AL East race, now 10 1/2 games behind the Yankees. As it has been for many of the recent years past, the Jays look like they're being reduced to play the role of spoiler down the stretch. Despite the hard times, leadoff hitter Marco Scutaro and some of his teammates continue to produce at the plate. In Wednesday's 10-6 win over Cleveland, Scutaro cracked a pair of home runs in consecutive at-bats in the 5th and 6th innings - a solo shot, and then a 3 run blast which put the game away. The Jays sent five balls over the walls in the win. A starter since 2004, Scutaro is having his best season to date, batting .286 with 8 homers, 43 RBI, 67 runs and 8 steals. National League Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 22, 2009All of LA anxiously awaited the return of Manny Ramirez from his 50-game suspension, and Manny, in his usual dramatic fashion has made the wait worthwhile. Since his return to the starting lineup July 3, Manny has produced at a .347 clip with 5 homers and 17 RBI, but none was more satisfying than his pinch hit grand slam in the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Reds, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending the Dodgers to their 5th win in a row. The Dodgers maintained their comfortable 9-game lead over Colorado in the NL West. NOTES: Todd Helton laced his 500th double on Wednesday, in Colorado's 4-3 win over Arizona, and followed that feat up with an 8th-inning, game-winning solo homer for the second-place Rockies. Colorado continues to chase the Dodgers in the division, but has a 1 1/2 game bulge on sliding San Francisco in the wild card race. The Giants have lost 5 of 6 since the All Star break. Over in the AL, the Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox, dropping Boston into second place in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Angels were doing the same to the Royals, keeping Texas 3 games back. The Rangers have crept to within 2 1/2 of the Red Sox in the wild card chase, still a distinct possibility, with nearly 70 games left to play for each team. The Central continues contentious, with the White Sox and Twins dogging the Tigers, 1 and 2 1/2 back, respectively. Key series this weekend include the White Sox at Detroit and the Twins at LA. In the NL, the Cardinals visit Philadelphia while the Cubs host the Reds.