Mike Mousttakas Lead Royals to Game Two Win in ALCS; Matt Harvey, Mets Take Game One over Cubs

Moustakas: 2-4, 2 RBI

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 18, 2015

American League


Kansas City took game two of the ALCS with a 6-3 victory over Toronto, giving the Royals a two-games-to-none lead in the best of seven series.

The Royals overcame a 3-0 Blue Jay lead with five runs in the bottom of the seventh. After yielding a leadoff single to open the first, Toronto starter, David Price, set down 18 straight Royals and was cruising along with a comfortable lead into the seventh. Then Kansas City struck like lightning, scoring five runs on five hits, sending Pirce to the showers.

Mike Moustakas singled in a run during the seventh-inning rally and singled home another in the eighth to complete the scoring for Kansas City.

The series takes a day off Sunday for travel. Monday, the venue shifts to Toronto's Rogers Centre for game three, at 8:07 pm EDT.

National League

Harvey: Game One Winner

Matt Harvey worked into the eighth inning while the Mets built a lead on solo homers by Daniel Murphy and Travis d-Arnaud leading to a 4-2 triumph at Citi Field in game one of the NLCS.

The Mets put their ace on the mound at home and Harvey did not disappoint, striking out nine and not yielding a run until the Cubs struck for a single run in the fifth, temporarily tying the game at one apiece. Murphy's first-inning solo shot had given the Mets the lead earlier.

Curtis Granderson singled home a run in the bottom of the fifth, then d'Arnaud smashed his solo shot to dead center, the ball traveling some 436 feet for the 3-1 lead.

Granderson drove in another run in the eighth to complete the scoring for the Mets.

Harvey threw 64 of 97 pitches for strikes and allowed only three hits and one run until Kyle Schwarber touched him up with a solo shot in the eighth. Mets' closer, Jeurys Familia, took over after Harvey's 7 2/3 innings, slamming the door shut with a four-out save.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Sunday at 8:07 pm EDT at Citi Field in New York.

A-Rod, Nelson Cruz, Jeurys Familia, Matt Carpenter Highlight POTW through April 19

Players of the Week for w/e April 19, 2015

American League

A-Rod

Infielder of the Week - While he certainly has his hare of detractors, NY's Alex Rodriguez spent the week hammering out hits to the tune of a .333 average (6-for-18) with three HRs, a double and five RBI. A-Rod also worked out five walks and scored seven times as the Yankees went 4-2.

Cruz

Outfielder of the Week - Even though the Seattle Mariners went just 2-4 during the week, that didn't stop right fielder, Nelson Cruz, from doing some serious mashing.

Cruz belted six homers in the week, starting with a pair in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers, and finishing with a two-homer game in an 11-10 victory over Texas on Sunday.

Cruz extended his hitting streak to eight games. During the week's six games, he went 12-for-24, an even .500. The six homers and other hits yielded 10 RBI for Cruz, who leads the majors in home runs, with eight, and has 14 RBI, two behind Baltimore's Adam Jones in the AL.

Greene

Miller

Starting Pitcher of the Week - Detroit's Shane Greene improved to 3-0 with a pair of victories on the week. On April 14, Greene went eight innings in a 2-0 win at Pittsburgh, allowing just three hits. In his next start, on April 19, Greene got more support, going seven solid innings in a 9-1 win over the White Sox. Greene allowed one earned on five hits, fanning three.

Relief Pitcher of the Week - The Yankees' Andrew Miller has settled into the closer role nicely, picking up three saves in the most recent week to give him four on the season. Miller had a five-out save in a 6-5 win over the Orioles, followed by a four-out save against the Rays and a regular ninth-inning variety again against the Rays, as the Yanks swept Tampa Bay.


National League

Carpenter

Infielder of the Week - St. Louis has surged to the top of the NL Central on the strength of second baseman, Matt Carpenter's torrid hitting streak.

Riding a seven-game hitting streak (two hits in each game) Carpenter ended the week batting an even .400. Nine of his 12 hits went for extra bases - seven doubles and two home runs, including a leadoff blast in Sunday night's 2-1 win over the Reds.

Harvey

Outfielder of the Week - The Mets have won seven straight and are atop the NL East, and that's the same number of games comprising left fielder Michael Cuddyer's hitting streak.

Cuddyer

Cuddyer went 10 for 21 (.476) on the week, driving in our runs with three doubles and a triple in his arsenal.

Starting Pitcher of the Week - Scary as it may be to think about, Matt Harvey is 3-0 and still hasn't displayed his best stuff. Harvey, who picked up two wins on the week, gave up five hits and three earned in the Mets' 6-5 win over Philly on the 14th, striking out eight, then, on the 18th Harvey allowed four earned runs while fanning seven in the Mets' 7-6 win over the Marlins. Harvey worked six innings in each of his starts.

Familia

Relief Pitcher of the Week - Jeurys Familia pitched five innings in relief for the Mets and picked up five saves, tying him with Atlanta's Jason Grilli for the major league lead with six. Familia allowed just two hits and one earned run over the five games, striking out five and issuing two walks. All of his saves occurred at the Mets' home field, Citi.

Josh Satin Carries Reds in 4-3 Win over A's; Sabathia Rocked as Matt Harvey and Mets Shut Down Yanks, 6-0

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 22, 2015

Grapefruit League

Harvey: 5 2/3, 2H 0R

On Sunday, the Mets and Yankees staged the Sunshine State version of the Subway Series, playing at the Mets' Spring home at Tradition Field, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The result - a 6-0 Mets victory - had all the feel of one club trying to hang on with aging veterans (Yankees) while the other (Mets) seemed to be embracing and enjoying the spirit of a young club on the rise.

Matt Harvey tossed 5 2/3 innings of 2-hit, scoreless ball for the Mets and was rewarded with the win, as his teammates smacked three homers against Yankee starter C.C. Sabathia, who was shelled in his second start of the pre-season, allowing homers by David Wright, Lucas Duda and leadoff hitter, Juan Legares.

Legares' shot was of the inside-the-park variety, facilitated when Yankee center fielder, Jose Pirela, attempting to chase down the drive, crashed into the wall and was knocked out. Pirela was taken from the field with what appeared to be a concussion, and did not return.

Satin: HR, 4RBI

Harvey, who missed all of last season due to injury, is returning after Tommy John surgery. He fanned four and has looked solid in four starts, allowing two runs over 14 1/3 innings.

Cactus League

Evening their record at 9-9 with a 4-3 victory over Oakland, the Cincinnati Reds got all of their offensive production from the player all the way down at the bottom of the lineup, left fielder, Josh Satin.

Satin rallied the Reds from a 3-0 deficit with a three-run homer in the eighth and then delivered the game-winner with two down in the ninth on an RBI single.

A California native, Satin played part-time for the Mets from 2011-2014, and was acquired by the Reds in the off-season. His most productive stint was in 2013, when he hit .279 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 75 games.

Mets' Matt Harvey Blanks Rockies for 1st Career Shutout; Rangers Tie A's in AL West as Adrian Beltre Leads 16-Hit Attack

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 7, 2013

American League

Beltre: 3-4, HR, 3RBI

Nearing the end of July, the Oakland A's had opened up a six-game lead on the Texas Rangers in the AL West. That's all forgotten now, as the Rangers have won nine of their last ten, and, since July 29, the A's have lost six of their last seven, leaving the two teams dead even in the division.

While Oakland can barely escape blaming themselves, they got no help from the LA Angels, now in fourth place after being whipped six straight times by the Rangers since the All Star break, including the just-completed three-game sweep in LA, culminating in the Rangers' 10-3 win in the three-game series sweep.

Having possibly the best season of his 16-year major league career, Adrian Beltre led the Rangers' 16-hit attack on five Angel hurlers with a 3-for-4 effort, including his 25th home run of the season, a sixth-inning, two-run blast that put the Rangers up by a 7-2 score, essentially putting the game out of reach.

Beltre had a pair of singles to go with his homer, drove in three runs and scored four times. He has 70 RBI, tied for ninth in the league, with a .319 batting average, fourth best in the AL. His 25 homers have him tied for sixth with Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo, though far behind Chris Davis' 41 dingers.

After a day off Thursday, both Oakland and Texas will have the opportunity to beat up on last-place teams. Texas opens a four-game series at Houston on Friday, while the A's visit Toronto for four.

National League

Harvey: 4-hit shutout

While the Braves were completing their three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, opening up a 13 1/2 game lead in the NL East with a 6-3 win, Matt Harvey got the Mets into sole possession of third place in the division with a four-hit shutout of the Rockies in a 5-0 victory.

Harvey (9-3) fanned six and did not walk a batter, throwing 78 of 106 pitches for strikes. From the fourth through the eighth inning, Harvey set down 11 straight Rockies, who did not get a runner to second base until there were two outs in the ninth, when Charlie Blackmon singled and took second on fielder's indifference. Harvey induced a pop-up from troy Tulowitzki to end the game, the rookie hurler's first career complete game and shutout.

The six Ks also extended Harvey's lead in the strikeout category. He has 178, 12 better than LA's Clayton Kershaw. Harvey is also among the leaders in ERA. At 2.09, he is second to Kershaw's outstanding 1.91.

The win was the Mets' second straight over the Rockies. They will go for the sweep in a day-game finale at 12:10 pm EDT at Citi Field in New York.

Today's Trivia: From 1954 to 1963, the AL MVP award went to a Yankee player eight times over the 10-year span. Who were the four Yankee players who won MVP awards in those years? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1979, the NL MVP award was a tie between the Mets' Keith Hernandez and Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell.

Mike Napoli Ends Boston Win over NY with Walk-Off Homer in 11th; Matt Harvey Tosses Seven Scoreless as Mets Top Phillies

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 21, 2013

American League

C.C. Sabathia andf Ryan Dempster were on the mound and the series was on the line in the finale of the three-game Yankees-Red Sox series Sunday night at Fenway Park, but it was the lack of solid pitching that was most of the story in Boston's 8-7, 11-inning victory, a 2-1 series edge for Beantown.

Mike Napoli

The Red Sox touched up Sabathia for nine hits and seven earned runs over five innings, three runs coming on Mike Napoli's third inning homer, which turned a 3-1 Yankee lead into a 4-3 Red Sox advantage. Boston built the lead to 7-3 by the fifth, but the Yankees came back to tie the game with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

In the bottom of the 11th, Napoli came through again, this time with the bases empty and two outs, sending a drive over the wall in center field and the largest crowd of the season at Fenway home happy.

The pair of homers were Napoli's 12th and 13th. He finished 2-for-6 with four RBI and a pair of scores including the game-winner.

Laving the Boston area with two losses in three games, the Yankees dropped seven games off the pace in the AL East. Boston remained 1 1/2 ahead of the Rays and 3 1/2 better than the Orioles.

National League

Matt Harvey

Probably not in need of any favors, the Atlanta Braves got a couple from the Mets over the weekend as the New Yorkers took the final two games of their three game series with the visiting Phillies, including Sunday's 5-0 triumph, giving the Mets a 2-1 series win. Keeping the Phillies - who had moved into second place in the NL East right off the All Star break with a 13-8 win over the Mets on Friday - 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta was primarily the doing of rookie hurler, Matt Harvey, who sparkled in seven scoreless innings fresh off his All Star game start.

Harvey allowed just three hits while extending his league lead in strikeouts with 10, without surrendering a walk. The right-hander improved to 8-2 on the year, providing a bright spot in an otherwise up-and-down season for the Mets. Harvey's 157 Ks are 11 more than LA's Clayton Kershaw.

The Mets are still eight games under .500 and 10 games off the pace being set by the Braves, but are now only three games behind the Nationals, who have lost three straight - all to the Dodgers - since the All Star break.

Today's Trivia: Who is the major league career leader in sacrifice flies? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1996, Baltimore's Bobby Bonilla tied the AL record for sacrifice flies in a season, with 17, equalling the mark set in 1971 by the Yankees' Roy White. Sac flies have only been tracked statistically since 1954.

Matt Harvey One-Hits White Sox in Mets' 1-0 Win; Matt Wieters Leads Orioles past KC

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 7, 2013

American League

While the Red Sox were losing, 6-1, to the Twins, the Baltimore Orioles managed to win their third straight, a 4-3 victory over the visiting Royals, to pull to within a game of East division-leading Boston.

Matt Wieters

Baltimore jumped on KC starter, Ervin Santana, scoring three runs in the first inning, two on a double by catcher Matt Wieters which knocked home Nick Markakis and Adam Jones.

The Royals returned fire and tied the game at three, with a run in the third and two in the seventh on Alex Gordon's two-run belt, but Wieters came through with another RBI double in the eighth inning after Adam Jones walked to open the frame and took second on a throwing error by Royals' catcher, Luke Hochevar.

Jim Johnson stoned the Royals in the ninth, setting them down in order for his 12th save of the season, tops in the AL.

Wieters finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, boosting his total runs driven in to 18.

The Royals and O's hit the field for game two of the three-game set on Wednesday at 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Matt Harvey, the young pitching phenom for the Mets, turned in his best performance of the season, but didn't get a decision, despite the Mets' beating the White Sox, 1-0, in 10 innings.

Harvey: 9IP, 1H, 0ER

Harvey set down the first 20 batters he faced, but had his perfect game spoiled by an infield single off the bat of Alex Rios with two down in the seventh inning. Undeterred, Harvey set down Adam Dunn swinging, one of 12 strikeouts on the night for the right-handed flame-thrower.

Finishing strong, Harvey put the Sox batters down in order in the eighth and ninth, getting the last two on strikeouts, however, the Mets also failed to score a run off White Sox starter Hector Santiago and relievers Matt Lindstrom and Nate Jones through nine innings.

After Bobby Parnell set down the White Sox in the top of the ninth, the Mets broke through off Jones in the 10th when Ike Jones led off with a walk, reached second on a sac bunt and scored when pinch-hitter, Mike Baxter, singled him home. Jones took the loss, his third without a win; Parnell won his third without a loss.

Even though Harvey didn't record a win, he's having a solid season - 4-0 with a 1.28 ERA and 58 Ks in 49 innings, leading the National League.

Chicago will try for a split in the two-game series Wednesday night at 7:10 pm EDT at Citi Field.