Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Ready for Playoffs; Matt Chapman Gets A's Closer to wild Card

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 26, 2019

American League

Chapman belts 2-run HR

Game by game, little by little, the Oakland A's continue to charge toward the playoffs.

On Thursday, the A's took a 3-1 win at Seattle, holding a one-game lead over Tampa Bay for the first wild card.

Matt Chapoman's second inning, two-run homer off Felix Harnandez was all the A's needed in support of Sean Manaea's six innings of four hit ball. Manaea allowed one run, before the Oakland bullpen took over, holding the Mariners hitless over the final three innings.

Chapman's home run was his 36th. He's driven in 91 runs this season.

Oakland's win, and Cleveland's 8-0 loss to the White Sox, left the A's one win short of clinching a playoff spot. The A's will close out the regular season this weekend, playing three more games in Seattle, while the Rays finish with three in Toronto and the Indians have three in Washington against the Nationals.

National League

Kershaw: 6 scoreless

Clayton Kershaw is ready for October baseball.

In a final tuneup in preparation for the playoffs, the Dodgers' ace shut out the Padres Thursday night on two hits over six innings, improving to 16-5 with a 1-0 win at San Diego. Kershaw threw just 90 pitches for the win, striking out seven with one walk.

The Dodgers have already locked up home field for the duration of their National League playoff run.

In other games that mattered, the Washington Nationals topped the Phillies for the fifth straight time, maintaining their one-game lead over Milwaukee in the wild card race. The Brewers won again, defeating the Reds in Cincinnati, 5-3.

Milwaukee remains alive for the Central division crown. They are one game behind St. Louis in the division race.

The Brewers close out their season with three games at Colorado. St. Louis hosts three with the Cubs, while the Nationals finish up at home, hosting three games with the Cleveland Indians.

Daniel Poncedeleon Tosses Seven Hitless In St. Louis Debut; A's Rout Texas, 15-3, Matt Champan Homers, Drives in 4

Players of the Day for Monday, July 23, 2018

American League

Chapman: 3-5, HR, 4RBI

Johnathan Lucroy mashed a second-inninggrand slam and three other A's homered as Oakland routed the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, 15-3.

One of the home run hitters was third baseman, Matt Chapman, who chipped in with a three-run shot in the seventh and went 3-for-5 with four RBI. He singled in the second, prior to Lucroy's slam, and singled home the A's final run in the eighth.

Chapman's home run was his 11th, and the four RBI upped this season's total to 34.

The A's have been one of the more pleasant surprises in the American League. Their 58-43 record has them in third place in the AL West, 7 1/2 behind the division-leading Astros, but just 2 1/2 behind Seattle for the second wild card spot. The A's have won three straight and 24 of their last 31.

Game two of their four-game series in Texas is scheduled for an 8:05 pm EDT start on Tuesday.

Poncedeleon: 7IP, 0H, 3K

National League

Sometimes, great efforts are wasted.

That was certainly the case for Cardinal pitcher, Daniel Poncedeleon, who was making his major league debut against the Reds in Cincinnati.

As first starts are concerned, this one was spectacular, as Poncedeleon worked out a no-hitter over seven complete innings before being pulled with a pitch count of 116, fanning three and walking three.

Two innings later, the rookie hurler's stunning performance was all but forgotten when St. Louis reliever Bud Norris, after getting two outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not complete the job, giving up a game-tying home run to Eugenio Saurez, guaranteeing that Poncedeleon could not get the win.

After that, Norris completely folded, giving up two singles and a walk to load the bases for pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera, who finished the game with a single to center, plating the go-ahead run in a 2-1 Cincinnati win.

14 months ago, the 26-year-old Poncedeleon was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery. His no-hit debut was a tribute to hard work, perseverance, and commitment.

When he returns to the mound in five days or so, his record will still be 0-0, his ERA 0.00, and his confidence, hopefully, unshaken.