Ramon Santiago Slams, Tigers Rough Up Halladay; Mark Teahen Leads Arizona over Seattle

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Grapefruit League

Santiago: Slammer

Ramon Santiago socked a rare grand slam off Philly starter Roy Halladay - who also surrendered a homer to Don Kelly - as the Detroit Tigers routed the Phillies, 10-6.

Halladay, who surrendered seven runs on six hits and four walks, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, taking his first pre-season loss against two winning outings.

Known more for his defensive skills at second base than his hitting prowess, Santiago has played part-time in the Detroit infield for the past six seasons, batting just .206 last year. He has 27 homers lifetime, but victimized Halladay on Tuesday, also collecting a single later in the game. Catcher Alex Avila had two doubles and a single in four at-bats and drove in a run for the 10-8 Tigers.

Cactus League

Mark Teahen

Mark Teahen had just one at-bat, but made it worthwhile, sending a pitch from Seattle's Hector Noesi out of Peoria Sports Complex for a three-run homer, helping Arizona to a 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Teahen's shot came in the fourth inning and put the Diamondbacks up, 4-0. Arizona added another run n the fifth, and their bullpen barely held on for the win, the seventh for Arizona against nine exhibition losses.

The well-traveled Teahen has played with Kansas City, the White Sox and Toronto, but spent last season in AAA with Syracuse of the International League. The Diamondbacks are giving him a go at third base, where he's batting .318 with seven RBI. The homer was his first of the Spring.

Molina 4-for-4 for 6-1 Giants; Jones, Teahen Nice ChiSox Additions

Players of the Day for Monday, April 12, 2010 American League There was an Andruw Jones (left) sighting Monday night, and he was wearing a White Sox uniform. A Superman cape was tucked deftly underneath. Jones, who after twelve tumultuous years in Atlanta, has gone from the Braves to the Dodgers, to the Rangers, and now, to the White Sox. Still a hitter with power, Jones hasn't seen much action, though he's gotten into five games this season for the Sox. On Monday, Jones and fellow new arrival Mark Teahen (right, from KC) played a bit of tag-team, resulting in an 11-inning, 8-7, White Sox win at Toronto.

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Jones got the hit parade started with a 2-run homer in the 2nd, then an RBI single in the 3rd, followed by a solo homer in the sixth. Then he apparently touched Teahen on the dugout steps because the third baseman drove in Alex Rios with a single in the 6th, tied the game with a towering home run to left field in the ninth and won it with a triple in the 11th, sending Omar Vizquel plate-ward. By the numbers, Jones was 3-for-4, with 4 RBI and 2 runs; Teahen went 3-for-5, 3 RBI, a run, and a stolen base. National League The Giants tried to deal away Benjie Molina during the off-season, but found no takers, and they're probably considering themselves fairly fortunate considering the way Molina has handled the San Francisco pitching staff, to say nothing of his recent excellence at the plate. San Francisco continued to storm through the National League, winning for the 6th time in 7 outings by putting a 9-3 hurt on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Molina was the main catalyst, going 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, an RBI double and a 2 run homer, giving him 4 RBI and 2 runs scored on the day. In his only other plate appearance, he was issued a walk, not a bad idea considering his .421 batting average.

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NOTES: The Houston Astros aren't having any fun yet, especially after dropping their 7th straight to open the season in a 5-0 whitewash by the St. Louis Cardinals. That loss was the third time this season the Astros have been shut out. San Fran's Barry Zito issued the first blanking, then J.A. Happ of the Phillies. The Cardinals' shutout stud was Adam Wainwright. In 7 games, Houston has scored just 13 runs. It doesn't take a genius to figur out that scoring less than 2 runs a game will not produce many wins.

Beckett Beaten; Yanks 9 Straight; Royals Explode

Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. American League Colorado 7 Boston 1 - Rockies' third baseman Garrett Atkins went 3-5, and his grand slam home run in the 3rd inning sent Boston ace Josh Beckett to an early departure and his first loss of the season. Beckett (9-1) survived only through 5, allowing 6 earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. He recorded only one strikeout as it was obvious he didn't have his usual best stuff. The Rockies ended their series at Boston ahead, 2 games to 1 and reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 13. They continue to chase the Padres, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Currently, the Rockies are 5 1/2 behind San Diego. NY Yankees 7 Arizona 1 - Boston's loss was New York's gain, as the Yankees won their 9th straight and have closed the gap on the Red Sox to 7 1/2 games in the AL East. Alex Rodriguez had a pair of singles and a double, scored twice and drove in 2 to increase his MLB-leading RBI total to 68. Yankees' starter Andy Pettitte allowed just 4 hits and one earned run to even his record at 4-4. Kansas City 17 St. Louis 8 - Mark Teahen (right) singled and tripled twice in 5 at-bats, drove in 5 runs and scored a run in another Kansas City outburst. The Royals collected 15 hits and 7 walks off 7 different Cardinals' pitchers. Starter Kip Wells (2-11) lasted only 1 1/3 inning, allowing 6 earned runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. The Royals matched their high run total from just three games ago, when they blew out the Phillies, 17-5. It's the 6th time this season Kansas City has put up double digits. San Diego 7 Tampa Bay 1 - Rookie Justin Germano improved to 5-0, blanking the Devil Rays on 3 hits over 6 innings. Germano walked just one batter and struck out 4, lowering his WHIP to 0.93 and his ERA to 2.36. The rookie complements an already robust pitching staff. The Padres lead the majors with a 2.94 staff ERA and the NL West by 1/2 game over Los Angeles. Other AL Scores Minnesota 3 Atlanta 2 - Braves fall to 3rd in NL East, 1/2 behind Philly Milwaukee 6 Detroit 5 - Brewers take 2 of 3 at Detroit, Tigers fall 2 behind Cleveland Washington 3 Baltimore 1 National League Oakland 6 Houston 5, 11 innings - Jason Kendall singled home Bubba Crosby with the winning run to cap a 3-5 night at the plate for the A's 8th win in their last 10 games.

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Oakland moved into a tie with Seattle for 2nd place in the AL West, 5 back of the LA Angels. Craig Biggio had a pinch-hit single for career hit #2985. Texas 6 Pittsburgh 0 - Kameron Loe (2-6) blanked the Pirates on 5 hits over 8 innings as Texas avoided the sweep in Pittsburgh. Other NL Scores LA Angels 9 Cincinnati 7 - K. Griffey Jr., 2-run HR (16) Chi Cubs 5 Seattle 4 Cleveland 3 Florida 2 Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4 Sunday (6/10): AL 9, NL 5 Monday (6/11): AL 0, NL 2 Tuesday (6/12): AL: 8, NL: 6 Wednesday (6/13): AL: 6, NL: 8 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5