Mark Trumbo Leads Orioles Over Texas; Nolan Arenado's Solo Shot Wins In 11th For Rockies

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 5, 2018

Trumbo: 2 HR, 5 RBI

American League

Baltimore (34-78) has the worst record in the majors, but the games have to be played and the players need to stay sharp and try to win as often as possible. The Orioles, however, haven't won much, and on Sunday, they were looking at being swept four straight by the Texas Rangers in Arlington.

Mark Trumbo prevented the sweep, going 3-for-5 with a single and a pair of timely home runs resulting in a 9-6 Baltimore triumph.

In the first, Trumbo got the Orioles on the board with a run-scoring single, but Baltimore could not maintain the lead, eventually falling behind, 5-4, in the second inning. Trumbo put the O's ahead with a two-run blast in the third and another in the seventh, his 15th, sealing the victory.

The Orioles are baseball's biggest disappointment, and they continue to be. Since the all-star break, they've won six and lost nine.

National League

Arenado saves Rockies

Colorado snapped a five-game losing streak and avoided a sweep by the Brewers in Milwaukee with an 11-inning, 5-4 victory on Sunday.

The Rockies built a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth, but the Brewers erased it with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Nolan Arenado single-handedly bailed out the bullpen with his 29th home run, belting a screamer to left in the top of the 11th inning.

Arenado had a pair of singles prior to his heroic, extra-inning feat, going 3-for-5 on the day with two runs and one RBI, upping his RBI total to 91 on the year. Arenado is tied with St. Louis' Matt Carpenter for the league lead in home runs, and he's third in the NL in RBI.

The Rockies ended Sunday two games behind the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, which are tied for the lead in the NL West. A win by Milwaukee would have tied them with the Cubs, atop the NL Central. The loss left them a game behind Chicago.

Colorado opens a seven-game homestead on Monday, beginning with three against the Pirates before the Dodgers come to town for four.

Jake Lamb Powers Diamondbacks to 20th Spring Win; Mark Trumbo Hits 5th Homer as O's Outlast Yanks

Trumbo adds punch for O's

Players of the Day for Friday, March 25, 2016

Grapefruit League

Outlasting the NY Yankees 11-10 in 10 innings, the Baltimore Orioles won for just the seventh time in March, but they are beginning to show signs of life as there regular season approaches.

One of the highlights of Spring has been the production of Mark Trumbo, acquired during the off-season from Seattle, to add more punch to the lineup.

Turbo socked his fifth home run, hitting behind slugger Chris Davis, who sorely needed to see better pitches last season and, with Trumbo threatening behind him in the order, likely will, this year.

Splitting the season between Arizona and Seattle, Trumbo batted .262 with 22 homers and 64 RBI in 2015.

Jake Lamb

Cactus League

The Arizona Diamondbacks continued their dominance in the pre-season, improving to 20-4 with a 7-5 victory over Cleveland Friday.

Jake Lamb socked his third homer of Spring, helping the Diamondbacks pound Cleveland Starter, Cory Kluber, who was touched up for 13 hits and six runs (4 earned) over 6 1/3 innings.

Lamb, who played in 107 games for Arizona last season, is having a sensational Spring training, going 15-for-41 (.366) with three homers and 12 RBI.

The Diamondbacks have a 5 1/2 game lead over the Angels and Rangers in the Cactus League, and play a road game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Seattle Trio Combines to Down Texas, 6-0; Yoenis Cespedes Brings Mets Back Again for Sweep of Nationals

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 9, 2015

American League

Mark Trumbo

Vidal Nuno

Putting on hold the Rangers' run to the top of the AL West, Seattle blanked Texas, 6-0, behind seven innings of one-hit ball from starter, Vidal Nuno, and 4-for-4 plate efforts from Kyle Seager and Mark Trumbo.

Nuno, a reliever and spot starter for the Mariners this season after being acquired from Arizona in early June, gave up a two-out single to Prince Fielder in the first inning, but completed the next six without giving up another hit. A powerful lefty, Nuno fanned 10, walked two and hit a batter.

Meanwhile, Seager and Trumbo both delivered two-run homers, Trumbo's in the third and Seager's coming in the fifth inning. All six other hits by the pair were singles.

Kyle Seager

Seattle earned its first win in the four-game series, which concludes Thursday at 12:40 pm PDT in Seattle. The Rangers had a two-game winning streak snapped and, with Houston topping Oakland, 11-5, the Rangers fell two games behind the AL West leaders though they remain 1 1/2 games ahead of the Twins for the second wild card.

National League

Yoenis Cespedes

Yoenis Cespedes and the NY Mets did it to the Nationals again Wednesday night, coming from behind to win, 5-3, and take the series, three games to none.

After Kelly Johnson's solo homer tied the game at two in the top of the eighth, Stephen Strasberg fanned Kurt Neiwenhaus for his 13th strikeout and then allowed a one out single to Curtis Granderson. Relieved by Drew Storen, Strasberg saw his chance for a win vanish on one swing by he next batter, Yoenis Cespedes, who launched a two-run homer over the wall in left center.

A one man wrecking crew for the Mets over the past seven games (.424, 5 HR, 11 RBI), Cespedes victimized the Nationals during the three-game series in Washington, going 6-for-14 with two homers and seven RBI.

With the sweep, the Mets have a seven-game lead in the NL East with 23 games to play, a nearly insurmountable edifice to the Nats, who will surely finish in second place in the division (Miami is 19 1/2 back) but will not qualify for the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs have a 9 1/2 game lead on them for the final wild card spot.

The Mets are 5-3 in September and headed to Atlanta for a four-game series with the Braves beginning Thursday. The Braves have the second-worst record in the league, at 56-84.

Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo Lead Angels Win; Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen Shine for Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 19, 2012

American League

Keeping pace with the Texas Rangers in the quest for dominance in the AL West, the LA Angels bounced back from a 5-3 loss in the opener of their home series with the Giants, pounding the visitors from up the coast, 12-5.

Trout: 4-4, 4R

Mike Trout, odds-on favorite to win the AL rookie of the year award, had a second four-hit game in his brief major league career (87 games), going 4-for-4 with three singles and a double and scored four times out of his customary leadoff spot.

Trumbo: 5 RBI

Further down the order, cleanup hitter Mark Trumbo went 3-for-5 - a triple and two singles - driving in five of the Angels' runs.

While the addition of Albert Pujols (who drove in four runs) grabbed all the headlines, Trout and Trumbo have been instrumental to LA's success and their bounce-back from a poor start to the season.

Trout is batting .337 - second in the AL - and has 19 steals to go with his 40 runs, while Trumbo's 47 RBI are tops on the team. He is batting a very solid .326, fourth-best in the league, with 16 homers.

The Angles and Giants conclude their three-game set Wednesday night in Anaheim.


National League

The Pittsburgh Pirates won their third straight, opening their home stand with a 7-2 win over the hapless Twins.

Andrew McCutchen

Josh Harrison

Pittsburgh ended a four-game road skid with a pair of wins at Cleveland and now trail the Reds by just 2 1/2 games in the NL Central. Cincinnati dropped a 3-2 decision at Cleveland on Tuesday.

Second-year player, Josh Harrison, provided the catalyst with a first inning solo homer and added a pair of singles and two steals in a 3-for-5 effort, scoring three of Pittsburgh's runs.

Andrew McCutchen sealed the win with a two-run shot in the seventh - his 12th of the year - and added a couple of singles in four at-bats to raise his average to .332, sixth-best in the National League.

INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD: The American League continues to dominate the games between the leagues, notching a 10-4 record on Tuesday, upping their lead to 108-82 over their National League counterparts.

Mark Trumbo Homers Twice, Drives in Six; Andrew McCutchen Puts Pirates in Tie for First with Reds

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 10, 2012

American League

It was a wild one in Colorado Sunday afternoon as the Angels swept their three-game set at Coors Field, knocking off the Rockies, 10-8.

Trumbo: 2HR 6RBI

Driving in six runs with a pair of three-run homers was Mark Trumbo, who has emerged as a great "protection" batter in the four-hole behind Albert Pujols.

Trumbo smacked his first home run in the opening inning, after Torii Hunter had driven in the first Angel run with a scratch single. The Rockies scored a run in the bottom half, LA added two more in the second, but, Colorado tacked on a five-spot in the bottom half of the second to tie the game at six-all.

In the fourth, Trumbo broke the tie with his second bomb to deep left, his 14th of the season, giving the Angels a three-run cushion. The Rockies were only able to get to within two runs, twice, scoring single runs in both the fourth and ninth. LA added one more run in the eighth, when Howie Kendrick drove in Albert Pujols, who scored three times in the game.

The win kept the Angels three behind Texas - 5-0 winners at San Francisco - in the AL West. The Rockies have now lost five straight and are 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.


National League

Andrew McCutchen

The feel good story of the year in the National League might be the re-emergence of the Dodgers under new ownership or the all-around excellence on display in the nation's capitol by the NL East's first place Nationals.

But, it just could be a story of how the Pittsburgh Pirates are overcoming two decades of mediocrity to challenge for the NL Central crown.

The Pirates completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, as A.J. Burnett gave up two runs over 7 1/3 innings to improve to 6-2, and Andrew McCutchen drove in all of Pittsburgh's runs for a 3-2 victory, the fourth straight for the Bucs.

Coupled with Cincinnati's 7-6 heartbreaker to Detroit on Sunday night's ESPN game, the win earned Pittsburgh a tie with the Reds for first place in the division, with St. Louis two games out.

McCutchen doubled home a run in the first inning and smashed a two-run homer (his 11th) in the third to provide all the run support Burnett and three Pittsburgh relievers would need. He added his 11th steal of the season, swiping third base off KC starter Bruce Chen and has 36 RBI on the year. Now in his fourth season with the Pirates, McCutchen is emerging as a star, almost exactly on pace to become a 30-30 man in steals and homers. Off to a solid start, his .325 batting average is 8th-best in the National League.

With the Reds and Pirates deadlocked atop the Central, both teams begin key interleague series against contending AL teams on Tuesday. The Reds will host Cleveland, while Pittsburgh travels to Baltimore.

Mark Trumbo Leads Angels to 9-8 Win over Yankees; Ty Wigginton Powers Phils Past Mets

Players of the Day for Monday, May 28, 2012

American League

Mark Trumbo

The LA Angles won their seventh straight, defeating the visiting NY Yankees in a wild, 9-8, win getting back to .500 (24-24) for the first time since April 9, when they opened the season with a 2-2 record.

Mark Trumbo ended the marathon, 25-hit jamboree with a walk-off, solo homer off Yankee reliever Cory Wade in the bottom of the ninth.

Earlier, Trumbo stroked an RBI ground rule double and scored in the bottom of the first, helping erase a 3-0 Yankee edge, as the Angels tallied four in the bottom of the frame.

In the third, he tripled and scored again, as the Angels eventually built an 8-5 lead, but gave it up when the Yankees scored three runs in the seventh.

Trumbo finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs and would have hit for the cycle if he had a single, but all of his hits went for extra bases.

The win left the Angels clearly in second place, 6 1/2 behind the Rangers in the AL West, while the Yankees stayed 2 1/2 behind the Rays and Orioles in the East.


National League

Wigginton: 6 RBI

Ty Wigginton has been around. Always a productive hitter, he's been with seven different teams since breaking in, in 2002 with the Mets. During the past off-season, Wigginton went to Philadelphia after spending a season in Colorado with the Rockies, and the Phillies are happy to have him on board, especially since two of their best hitters, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, haven't played yet this season, both sidelined with injuries.

In Monday's game against the Mets in New York, Wigginton boosted his value, going 3-for-3 with six RBI and two runs in an 8-4 Phillies' win. He got things started in the third with a two-run double, broke a 4-all tie in the seventh with an RBI single and put the game away with a three run homer in the top of the ninth.

The result kept the Mets 2 1/2 behind the Nationals in the NL East, tied with Miami for second place. The Phillies are even with Atlanta, four games out. Philly and New York continue their three game series Tuesday and Wednesday at Citi Field.

Haren, Trumbo Lead Angels Past Twins; Cliff Lee Tosses 5th Shutout of Season

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 4, 2011

American League

Mark Trumbo

Dan Haren

Continuing their relentless pursuit, the LA Angles took the rubber game of their series with Minnesota by a 7-1 score.

Dan Haren went eight innings, allowing five hits andjust one run - Jim Thome's 598th career home run - and Mark Trumbo singled, scored and homered, driving in four runs to keep the Angels one game behind Texas in the AL West.

The win was Haren's 12th, against six losses. He fanned six Twins and did not allow a walk. Trumbo's homer - a three-run shot that put the Angels up 5-0 - was his 21st of the season.

National League

Cliff Lee

The pennant race in the NL East might as well be over. Nobody's catching the Phillies.

Proving that they have the best pitching staff in the majors, again, Cliff Lee worked his mound magic to record his fifth shutout of the season, a 7-hit gem in a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Lee (11-7) didn't allow a walk and struck out eight en route to improving his record to 11-7. Amazingly, almost half of his wins came via shutouts.

The Phillies lead the NL East division by 8 1/2 games over the Braves. It is the largest lead in any of baseball's six divisions and the Phillies sport the best record in baseball, at 72-39.

Mark Trumbo Eyeing AL Rookie Honors; Mets Complete 4-Game Sweep of Reds

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 28, 2011

American League

Mark Trumbo

Mark Trumbo went 3-for-5, missing hitting for the cycle for the absence of a single, as the LA Angels continued their relentless pursuit of the Texas Rangers with a 12-7 win at Detroit.

Trumbo, quietly having a smashing year (.256, 19, 53) as the Angels' rookie first baseman, socked his 19th homer in the 2nd inning to get the Angels on the board, then followed up with an RBI triple in the 4th and a run-scoring double in the 7th. He scored three times and drove in five runs.

The race in the AL west has come down to a contentious battle between the top two teams. The Angls have won three straight and seven of their last ten to pull to within two games of the front-running Rangers. Trumbo is looking more and more like the choice for AL Rookie of the Year.

National League

David Wright

Defending champions of the NL Central, the Cincinnati Red are looking less likely to repeat in the most competitive division in the majors, especially now that they've dropped a four-game home series to the NY Mets.

Angel Pagan

Playing without Carlos Beltran - traded to the Giants - the past two games, the middle of the Mets lineup quickly picked up the slack, taking the final two games of the series without much help from their pitching staff.

Following Wednesday's 8-2 romp, New York came through with a 9-8 squeaker, souring the local Reds fans with the sweep. David Wright, Angel Pagan and Jason Bay each collected three hits in the victory, sending the Reds to a 50-55 record, good for fourth place in the Central, 6 1/2 games behind Milwaukee with the Cardinals and Pirates tied for second, 1 1/2 back.

Jason Bay

Catching one team in a divisional race is hard enough, but rallying past three teams in August and September would amount to a Herculean achievement. Meanwhile the Mets continue to chase Atlanta and Philly in the East, though they remain 6 1/2 back of Atlanta and 11 1/2 behind the Phillies.

Wright and Pagan both went 3-for-5, all singles, and drove in a run apiece. Wright scored twice and Pagan three times. Bay was 3-for-4, with two doubles and a single, and drove in three runs.

STREAKS: Florida's Emilio Bonifacio extended his hitting streak to 26 games, going 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and his 24th steal of the season as the Marlins topped the Nationals, 5-2.

In Boston, Dustin Peroia socked an 8th inning home run to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, though it was not enough to overcome the Royals, who won, 4-3.