Matt Shoemaker Solid as Angels Down Tigers, 2-0; Zack Greinke Goes to 14-3 as Dodgers Defeat Reds, 1-0

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 27, 2013

American League

Zack Greinke

Matt Shoemaker

With just their second win in the last six games, the LA Angels are still in the race for a wild card, if not the AL West pennant.

LA got 7 1/3 solid innings from starter, Matt Shoemaker, en route to a 2-0 win at Detroit, taking the series two games to one.

Shoemaker (6-9, 4.48) shut down Detroit on one hit, a third inning single with two outs by Anthony Gose, who was promptly erased by the LA hurler, as Shoemaker picked him off to end the inning.

After getting Victor Martinez to fly out opening the eighth inning, Shoemaker was replaced on the mound by Joe Smith, who finished the inning. Huston Street picked up his 31st save with a perfect ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

National League

In the NL West, the race for the division title is heating up as August comes to a close.

On Thursday, Dodger ace, Zack Greinke, cruised through seven innings of shutout ball to lead LA to its third straight win and his 14th against just three losses in a 1-0 win at Cincinnati.

Greinke, who leads the majors with a ridiculous 1.61 ERA, fanned nine, walked two and allowed four hits while his teammates struggled for offense against Reds' hurler, Anthony DiSciafani, who was impressive, also going seven full innings, allowing six hits and the game's only run, which scored not on a hit, but on a second inning double play ball off the bat of Dodger Yasmani Grandal.

There were no extra base hits in the entire game, as 25,529 watched the Reds lose for the 12th time in 13 outings, falling into sole possession of last place in the NL Central, a miserable 29 1/2 games off the pace.

With the win, the Dodgers maintained their 2 1/2 game lead over the Giants, who got another strong performance from Madison Bumgarner, who became the league's second 16-game winner, joining the Cubs' Jake Arrieta. Bumgarner (16-6) gave up two hits and one earned run over six innings, fanning 12, as the Giants knocked off the Cubs, 9-1, taking the series two games to one.

The Dodgers head back to LA on Friday to meet the Cobs for a three-game weekend series, then host the Giants for three starting Monday, August 31.

Matt Holliday's Grand Slam Lifts Cardinals; Matt Shoemaker Delivers as Angels Win Sixth Straight

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 21, 2015

American League

Shoemaker: 6IP, 10Ks

Rolling to their sixth straight win, the LA Angels maintained a two-game lead in the AL West over Houston with a 7-0 shutout of the visiting Minnesota Twins.

Starter Matt Shoemaker improved to 5-7 with a solid six-inning performance, blanking the Twins on two hits over six innings. The Angels staked their hurler to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third innings, but, after Chris Ianetta keyed a five-run sixth inning with a three-run homer, manager Mike Scioscia decided he had gotten all he needed from his starter and sent Fernando Salas out for the seventh inning.

After Salas put down the Twins in order, Jose Alvarez completed the whitewash with two hitless innings.

Shoemaker walked three and fanned 10, matching his season high. Off to a slow start in 2015, Shoemaker was 16-4 last season with the Halos. The win was Shoemaker's first since June 9.

Holliday: Grand Slam

National League

Michael Wacha didn't have his best stuff, but still improved to 11-3, allowing five runs on four hits over five innings as teammate Matt Holliday boosted the Cardinals to an 8-5 win over the White Sox with a fourth inning grand slam.

The homer was just Holliday's fourth of the season, but it came at a most opportune time, lifting the Cardinals to a five-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central. The Pirates fell at Kansas City, 3-1.

While Holliday is batting a healthy .302, his power numbers are way down. He's hit 20 or more homers every season since 2009.

Still, the Cardinals continue to bowl over the opposition. Their 59-34 mark is the best in the majors.

St. Louis faces the White Sox in the completion of their two-game series, Wednesday night in Chicago.

David Buchanan Tosses 5 Scoreless in 3-0 Phillies Win; Matt Shoemaker's 6 Shutout Innings Earns Angels Win over Seattle

Players of the Day for Monday, March 23, 2015

Grapefruit League

David Buchanan

As a rookie last season, David Buchanan started 20 games for the Phillies, won six and lost eight, with an ERA of 3.75. That effort was good enough to assure that he'll be in the rotation this season as the Phils seek to rebound.

On Monday, Buchanan took the mound for the fifth time this Spring - his third start - and delivered a solid performance, blanking the Twins for five innings on two hits.

The 25-year-old Atlanta native fanned three and walked none. The Phillies went on to the 3-0 victory, putting them at an even 10-10. Minnesota dropped to 8-10.


Cactus League

Matt Shoemaker

If Matt Shoemaker returns to the Angels in 2015 with the kind of stuff he had in 2014, the AL West is going to be just as tough as last season, when LA took the division by 10 games.

Shoemaker started 20 games in 2014, went 16-4 with a 3.02 ERA and 124 Ks in 136 innings. His win total was fourth-highest in the American League, and judging by his six innings of shutout ball against the Mariners on Monday, he appears to be right on track for the regular season. He allowed just two hits and a walk, striking out a pair.

As a rookie last season, Shoemaker displayed toughness and durability. With a full season under his belt, he may be on the path to becoming one of the more dominant pitcher in the AL.

The Angels won the game, 5-0, putting them at 11-7, 1/2 game behind the Royals and Dodgers in the Cactus League standings.

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