LA 2nd Basemen Come Alive: Howie Kendrick Leads Angels; Mark Ellis Powers Dodgers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 23, 2013

American League

The LA Angels got off to another slow start this season, but have been coming on strong of late, Tuesday's 5-4, 11-inning win over Texas getting them to within 4 1/2 games of the NL West-leading Rangers.

Howie Kendrick

Tuesday's outcome was largely the work of LA's steady second baseman, Howie Kendrick, who drove in all but one of the Angels' runs, including the solo homer in the bottom of the 11th, which ended the game in heroic, walk-off style, Kendrick's second home run of the season.

Kendrick went 3-for-5, reaching on an infield single in the first, scoring Albert Pujols. His first home run of the season came in the fourth, a two-run blow that put the Angels up 4-0.

Texas battled back to tie the game in the eighth, before Hendrick ended it in the 11th.

The win tied the three-game series at a game apiece. The Rangers and Angels will settle matters on Wednesday at 10:05 pm EDT.

National League

Mark Ellis

Another LA story came out of New York, where the Dodgers topped the Mets, 7-2.

The Dodgers had lost six straight before beating Baltimore on Sunday, prior to their visit to the Big Apple, taking the first of their three-game set at Citi Field, improving to 9-10 on the season.

Second baseman Mark Ellis delivered the goods for LA, going 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, a double, single, four RBI and two runs. His two dingers were the first of the season for Ellis, who belted a solo shot in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2, then cleared the wall in left for a three-run shot in the seventh which put the Dodgers ahead to stay, at 5-2.

Catcher A.J. Ellis (no relation) completed the scoring with a two-run double in the ninth.

Bottom line, "all's Ellis that ends Ellis."

The Dodgers will go for their third straight win when the meet the Mets Wednesday at 7:00 pm EDT.

Gio Gonzalez, Mark Ellis Lead Athletics; Kuroda Blanks Brewers; Harmon Killebrew Gone at 74

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 17, 2011

American League

Gio Gonzalez

Rain washed out four games on Tuesday, but the weather was just fine as the Oakland A's hosted the LA Angels in Northern California. While the Angels and Rangers are the favorites to win the AL West division, Oakland keeps hanging around and their 14-0 victory proves they are a contender with plenty to offer.

Mark Ellis

Gio Gonzalez kept LA in check, giving up one solitary hit over seven scoreless innings. Perfect through the first three innings, Gonzalez walked Macias Izturis in the 4th and surrendered a leadoff single in the 5th to Howie Kendrick, but that was it. No Angel even made it to second base the entire game as reliever Craig Breslow worked a perfect 8th inning and Trystan Magnuson gave up a hit in the 9th, but turned a pair of fielder's choices and a strikeout into a fitting closing.

While Gonzalez and his bullpen mates were baffling the LA batters, Oakland hitters knocked out 15 hits. Mark Ellis collected three of them, doubling in Oakland's first run in the second inning, singling in two more in the 3rd and singling another run home in the 6th. Ellis finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI, scoring three times.

The win put the A's 1/2 game behind the Rangers and Angels, who are tied for the division lead.

National League

Hiroki Kuroda

Working his second straight strong outing, Hiroki Kuroda blanked the Milwaukee Brewers over 7 2/3 innings Tuesday in LA, helping the Dodgers remain relevant in the NL West.

Kuroda (5-3) last stymied Pittsburgh on May 11, holding the Pirates to three hits over seven innings. With the conclusion of the Milwaukee win, Kuroda has not allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings and has dropped his ERA to 2.80.

Scattering six Brewer hits and giving up a couple of walks, Kuroda was effective in tight situations, getting seven hitters on strikes.

The 3-0 win put the Dodgers 3 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the division. Colorado took their second straight from the Giants, 5-3, to reclaim the division lead by 1/2 game.

Harmon Killebrew

This One is Gone: The baseball world mourns the loss of one of the all-time greats as Harmon Killebrew passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday. Killebrew began his playing career with the Washington Senators in 1954, but was best known for his 14 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He finished his major league career in 1975, playing one season with the Kansas City Royals.

One of the top players of all time, Killebrew was a slugger with extraordinary power. A 13-time All Star, he led the American League in home runs six times and finished with 573 homers and 1584 RBI. He ranks 11th in career home runs and will forever remain tied with Rogers Hornsby in RBI, currently 36th all-time.

In 1969, Killebrew earned the AL MVP award, belting 49 home runs and driving in 140 runs.

Killebrew was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. His #3 uniform was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1975. Known as "Killer" at the plate, Killebrew was nothing like his nickname, a mild-mannered gentleman who commanded respect wherever he went.

Tulowitzki Hits for Cycle; Ellis 5-for-5 in A's Win

Players of the Day for Monday, August 10, 2009 American League Neither the A's nor the O's are going anywhere after September, but the players play on, through the dog days of August which are sometimes the hardest on veteran hitters. Apparently, the time of year doesn't matter to Oakland's Mark Ellis, who, despite batting in the #8 hole for the A's, produced a 5-for-5 night at the plate and drove in 4 runs with a double and 4 singles. The A's topped the Orioles, 9-1, for their second straight win and with a win Tuesday against the Orioles, will even their mark against the AL East to 20-20, somewhat of a feat for a last-place club. Ellis, a journeyman second baseman who has played every game of his 7-year major league career with the A's, has played in only 56 games this season, but is getting into a solid groove at the dish, having raised his batting average from .205 on July 19, to his current .270. Ellis has 12 RBI so far this month. National League Taking over sole possession of second place in the NL West, 5 1/2 behind the LA Dodgers, the Colorado Rockies bludgeoned the Chicago Cubs, 11-5, as Troy Tulowitzki went 5-for-5 at the plate and hit for the cycle, driving in 7 runs and scoring twice in the process. Tulowitzki got started early, cranking out a 2-run homer in the first inning, to give Colorado a lead they would never relinquish. The Rockies' shortstop then singled home a pair of runs in the second, doubled in another in the 4th, tripled and scored in the 7th and singled in two more in the 8th. With the Giants losing to the Dodgers, 4-2, the Rockies slipped by San Fran and appear poised to make a run at the Dodgers. If they fail to catch LA., they still have good prospects of making the post season, currently leading the wild card race by one game over the Giants and 3 games over both the Cubs and Marlins. Tulowitzki upped his batting average 10 points, from .266 to .276, and improved his slugging percentage to .530, 13th in the NL. NOTES: That big lead the Phillies used to have in the NL East has pretty much disappeared, since the Marlins continue to win, posting their 4th straight W with an 8-6 victory at Houston. Meanwhile, the Cardinals seem to be putting it all together at the right time, having won four straight as well, and opening up a 3 game lead over the Cubs. The Cards got a 4-1 win over the Reds, as Kyle Lohse (5-7) rebounded from a poor prior start to go 6 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 1 run without giving up a walk. In the AL, the Yankees had their 7-game win streak snapped in a 5-4 loss to Toronto, and Boston won for the first time in 7 games, topping the Tigers, 6-5. The White Sox continue to stumble along in second place in the Central, 3 games out, failing to take advantage of Detroit's loss, dropping a 6-4 decision at Seattle. Perhaps Alex Rios, whom the Sox acquired over the waiver wire on Monday, can give Chicago a boost. The Angels won, increasing their lead in the West to 4 games over the idle Rangers.

Ellis, A's, Hammer Webb, 15-1; Braun Blasts Two for Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 17, 2008 American League Interleague play is good for some teams, not so for others. The Arizona Diamondbacks lost their third straight to an AL team on Tuesday while the Oakland A's were thumping them, 15-1, for their 4th straight over the NL. Mark Ellis, who doubled and scored to open the game, followed up with a pair of home runs - a 2nd inning solo shot and a 3-run blast in the 9th. The leadoff 2nd baseman scored four times and drove in four runs, extending his hitting streak to 8 games. Ellis has caught fire of late, going 18-for-35 (.514) over those eight games, with multiple hits in 6 of them. Notes: While the A's were pounding on the D-Backs, the surprising thing is that they did much of it against one of the National League's best pitchers, Brandon Webb. In a very forgettable outing for Webb (11-3), he allowed 7 runs on 9 hits and 5 walks, lasting only 3 1/3 innings. Despite 3 straight losses, the Diamondbacks are still 4 1/2 in front of the Dodgers with the Giants and Padres 6 1/2 back in the NL West. National League Ryan Braun doubled, hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season, scored three times and drove in three runs in support of Manny Parra (6-2), who gave up just 4 hits over 7 innings as the Brewers blanked the Blue Jays, 7-0.

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Braun's homers moved him into a tie with Florida's Dan Uggla for second place in the long ball chase. Both are two back of Philadelphia's Chase Utley, whose 22 dingers lead the majors. Notes: Who's hot? The Yankees and Tigers have each won 8 of their last 10 and are closing in on the leaders in their respective divisions. New York won their 5th straight on Tuesday, blanking San Diego, 8-0, while the Tigers won for the 7th time in their last 8, with a 5-1 win at San Francisco. Both teams are relishing interleague play. The Tigers are 6-2, and the Yankees, 4-2, against National League foes.