Justin Verlander One-Hits Angels for 5-0 Tiger Win; Mets Win 6th Straight Behind Michael Cuddyer

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 26, 2015

American League

Verlander: 1-Hitter

This season has not been an especially pretty one for the Detroit Tigers.

Besieged by injuries and spotty play, Detroit harbors slim hopes of reaching the playoffs, currently five games behind fellow AL Central foe, Minnesota, for the last wild card spot.

All doom and gloom aside, Wednesday night at Comerica Park was something special, as Justin Verlander took a no-hitter to the ninth inning, only to have it spoiled by a leadoff double from Chris Iannetta. Verlander, the 2001 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner, retained his composure and finished up the ninth by getting the Angels out in order, completing the one-hit shutout for a 5-0 Tiger victory.

As is the case with many of his teammates, Verlander is not having anything even remotely resembling a championship season. He's 2-6 with a 3.45 ERA, but against the Angels the old magic was back. Throwing 74 of 112 pitches for strikes, Verlander fanned nine and issue just a pair of walks.

Cuddyer: 3-5, 2B, HR

In spite of the two walks - in the third and eighth innings - Verlander faced the minimum heading to the ninth, thanks to a pair of double plays turned by his infielders.

The loss by the Angels was yet another blow to their post-season hopes. Since August 10, LA is 5-11, and they've lost five of their last six, given up the second wild card spot and now trail the Twins by a game and Texas by 1/2 game for the final playoff spot.

The Angels and Tigers conclude their three-game series at 1:08 pm EDT Thursday.

National League

Winners of six straight with a 9-4 win over the Phillies, the Mets are putting it all together at the right time and blowing away the competition in the NL East.

Michael Cuddyer went 3-for-5 with a single, double and a two-run homer (10), driving in three runs to pace the offense. Cutter's blast in the eighth put the Mets up by a 6-0 score. New York's bullpen nearly squandered seven shutout innings from Bartolo Colon, giving up four runs to the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth.

Tyler Clipart quelled the uprising, getting the final out in the eighth and working the ninth for his 18th save of the season and his second as a member of the Mets.

The Mets can complete the four-game sweep of the Phillies when the two teams meet Thursday night at 7:05 pm EDT.

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.

Ian Kinsler Leads Tigers in Win over Kansas City; AL Wild Card Tight ; Michael Cuddyer Drives in Seven for Rockies

Players of the Day for Friday, September 19, 2014

American League

Ian Kinsler

In his years with the Texas Rangers, Ian Kinsler gained valuable first-hand experience of pennant races and post-season play, so it was no surprise that he was batting in the leadoff spot when the Tigers opened an important three-game series at Kansas City on Friday.

The scrappy second baseman wasted no time getting the Tigers into gear, singling and scoring in the first inning, as Detroit forged a 3-0 lead. Kinsler went on to double and homer in four subsequent at-bats, driving in three runs as the Tigers routed the Royals, 10-1.

Justin Verlander held Kansas City to one earned run on seven hits over seven innings for his 14th win against 12 losses.

The result moved Detroit 1 1/2 games up on the Royals in the AL Central and made the wild card chase the closest it has been all season, with three teams - Oakland, Kansas City and Seattle - all within one game of each other.

The A's and Mariners were both winners on Friday, putting Oakland up by 1/2 game over the Royals, with Seattle another 1/2 game back. Oakland and Seattle have just nine games remaining in the regular season (Kansas City, 10), meaning there are no days off until the season ends on Sunday, September 28. Two teams will be wild cards, playing a one-game playoff at the home of the team with the better record.

The Yankees, winners of four straight, are 4 1/2 behind KC, but are quickly running out of time.

Game two of Detroit's series at Kansas City is slated for 1:05 pm EDT on Saturday.

National League

Cuddyer: GS, 7RBI

At the start of the season, Michael Cuddyer was one of the hottest hitters in the National League, until suffering a hamstring injury that had him on and off the DL through the summer. Just about 12 days ago, the hamstring healed, he began playing regularly in right field, and Cuddyer has picked up right where he left off, riding a six-game hitting streak through Colorado's 15-3 pasting of Arizona Friday night.

Going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a grand slam, Cuddyer drove in seven runs and scored three runs as the Rockies and Diamondbacks play out the string, both teams long since having fallen out of post-season contention.

Elsewhere, the Dodgers improved their lead in the NL West to 3 1/2 games with a 14-5 slaughter of the Cubs in Chicago, while the Giants lost at San Diego, 5-0. In the Central, St. Louis squeezed out another close win, taking a 2-1 decision over Cincinnati. St. Louis leads Pittsburgh by 2 1/2 games in the division. Washington has already clinched the East.

The wild card is all but decided, that only matters remaining being what teams will be in which positions. Currently, the Giants have a one-game lead over Pittsburgh, but the Pirates are red-hot, having won five in a row, including Friday's 4-2 victory over the Brewers, which left Milwaukee 4 1/2 games behind the Pirates and with little chance of catching up.

Naturally, all positions could change, but the four remaining playoff spots appear to be split between St. Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

Alfonso Soriano Belts Two Homers, Leading Yankees over O's; Michael Cuddyer Ties for NL Batting Lead as Rockies Stun Giants

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 10, 2013

American League

Alfonso Soriano

The Yankees knotted their series with Baltimore at a game apiece when Alfonso Soriano cranked a couple of home runs, leading to a 7-5 victory Tuesday night.

After Chris Davis launched his 49th of the year to give Baltimore a 4-1 advantage, Soriano hit the first of his two homers, a solo shot, cutting the lead to two runs.

In the eighth, after Robinson Cano singled home Alex Rodriguez to tie the game at 4-4, Soriano mashed his second of the game, putting the Yankees ahead for good, with a 6-4 lead.

Acquired from the Cubs prior to the July 31 trading deadline, Soriano has been a firebrand for the Yankees, hitting 15 homers with 47 RBI in 43 games. Including his stats with the Cubs, he has 32 home runs and 98 RBI on the year.

The win moved New York closer in the chase for the second wild card position, as Tampa Bay lost, 2-0, to Boston. The Yankees are two games out, while Baltimore and Cleveland are tied, 1 1/2 back of the Rays. Boston, meantime, has surged to an 8 1/2 game lead in the division, their magic number to clinch the title at 10.

The Orioles host New York in game three of their four-game set Wednesday night at 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Michael Cuddyer is having one heck of a season at the plate for the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is not enjoying the same success, mired near the bottom of the NL West with a 67-79 record, 19 games behind the LA Dodgers, who are streaking toward the playoffs.

Michael Cuddyer

Cuddyer socked his 19th and 20th home run of the season and added a single in five at-bats, raising his batting average to .330 and tying Atlanta's Chris Johnson for the NL batting lead. He drove in four runs and scored twice as the Rockies bumped off the Giants, 9-8, rallying from a 6-0 deficit.

Cuddyer's first homer came in the fifth inning, after the Rockies had already plated two runs. His three-run shot put Colorado down by a run, at 6-5. The two teams traded leads, eventually ending up in an 8-8 ties when Hunter Pence drove in a pari of runs for the Giants in the eighth, but Cuddyer provided the game-winner in the top of the ninth, a 427-foot bomb to left with the bases empty.

The Rockies and Giants will settle their differences in the series finale Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 pm EDT at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Magic Numbers: The Dodgers need a combination of six wins or six Arizona losses to clinch the NL West, while the Braves knocked their magic number to clinch the East division down to seven with a 4-3 win over Miami. The Braves lead Washington by 12 games.

Today's Trivia: Who won more home run titles, Barry Bonds or Mike Schmidt? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Barry Bonds had 601 doubles in his major league career, compared to 401 for Mike Schmidt.

Astros' Brett Oberholtzer Tosses 4-Hit Shutout over Mariners; Michael Cuddyer Leads Rockies Past Reds with 4-for-4 Effort

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 1, 2012

American League

A tip of the cap to Houston's Brett Oberholtzer, who threw a four-hit shotout in a 2-0 win over the Seattle Mariners Sunday afternoon.

Brett Oberholtzer

A rookie, Oberholtzer came out of the bullpen at the end of July to assume a position in the Astros' starting rotation and has responed with a 4-1 mark.

Against Seattle, Oberholtzer walked one and struck out five for his first major league complete game and shutout, items that are becoming rarities in the current age of specialization. He threw 83 of 113 pitches for strikes and had first-pitch strikes on 26 of the 32 batters he faced.

Houston, the major league's worst team at 45-91, avoided being swept by the Mariners, coughing up the series three games to one.

Elsewhere, the A's handed the rays their fourth straight loss, sweeping their three-game series with a 5-1 victory in the finale. That leaves the A's one game behind Texas in the AL West and 2 1/2 in front of the Rays in the wild card competition. Tampa Bay leads Baltimore and Cleveland by three, with the Yankees another 1/2 game out.

National League

Better put the Reds' plans for the post-season on hold for a while longer.

Cuddyer: 4-4, 3RBI

Michael Cuddyer and the Rockies made sure the Reds know they have to keep on winning in order to earn a wild card spot or possibly win the NL Central, topping them 7-4, in Denver, Sunday afternoon, taking the series, two games to one.

Cuddyer drove in three runs - one each, in the first, fifth and seventh innings with a pair of doubles and his 17th home run of the season. He also added a single to go 4-for-4 and stole a base.

While the Reds are still six games clear of Arizona for the second wild card and 3 1/2 behind the Pirates and Cardinals in the Central division, the annual of professional baseball are rife with stories of September swoons, though the Reds have maintained a winning attitude thus far.

The Rockies were long ago eliminated from the post-season landscape, though Cuddyer finds himself in a tight battle for the NL batting title. His .328 average is third in the league, behind Atlanta's Chris Johnson (.333) and the Cardinals' Yadier Molina (.329).

Today's Trivia: 1998-1999 was the last time a National Leaguer win back-to-back batting titles. Who was it? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Tony Gwynn won eight NL batting titles, Wade Boggs won five in the AL.

Michael Cuddyer Leads Rockies over Giants in Tight NL West; Anibal Sanchez Hurls One-Hitter as Tigers Take AL Central Lead

Players of the Day for Friday, May 24, 2013

American League

Sanchez: 1-hitter

Joe Mauer can do a lot of things with a bat, but Tiger pitcher, Anibal Sanchez, probably wishes he hadn't been in the lineup Friday night when the Twins played the second of their four-game series in Detroit.

That's because, other than Mauer's one out single in the ninth inning, no other Twin was able to touch Sanchez in Detroit's 6-0 victory. Sanchez fanned 12, walked three and gave up just Mauer's one hit as the Tigers rolled to the top of the standings in the AL Central, 1/2 game up on Cleveland, thanks to Boston's 8-1 win over the Indians.

At 5-4, Sanchez has been a stoic performer for the Tigers after arriving in midseason from the Marlins. His 12 Ks on the night were good enough to get him to second in the AL in strikeouts, with 80, trailing Texas' Yu Darvish (91), but wasn't his best effort of the year. That was back on April 26, when he fanned 17 Braves over eight innings. His 2.38 ERA is fifth-best in the league. Friday's outing was Sanchez's first shutout and complete game of the season.

The Tigers continue their series with the Twins Saturday at 4:08 pm EDT.

National League

Michael Cuddyer

Tyler Chatwood threw six innings of shutout ball and Michael Cuddyer drove in three runs as the Rockies broke up a three-way tie for first place in the NL West with a 5-0 win at San Francisco.

With Arizona taking a 5-2 win over the Padres, the Rockies remained tied with the Diamondbacks in the division, with the Giants dropping one game back.

Chatwood gave up four hits as the Colorado starter, giving way to a parade of three relievers who kept the Giants in check through the final three innings.

Cuddyer socked his eighth homer of the season in the sixth inning of San Francisco starter, Tim Lincecum (3-4), who fanned eight but allowed four runs on seven hits over seven innings.

Victimizing Lincecum in the first inning, Cuddyer got the Rockies on the board with a two-out double, his 2-for-4 performance raising his batting average to .325.

The Rockies have won three straight and will go for their second straight over the Giants when they play the second in their three-game series Saturday at 4:05 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: In 2012, only one National League player - a shortstop - played in all 162 games. Who was this modern-day iron man?

Yesterday's Answer: Jose Reyes led the majors in 2005, 2006, and 2008 with 17, 17 and 19 triples, respectively, and tied Shane Victorino for the major league lead with 16 in 2011.

Cuddyer Cycles Twins to Win; Rookie Kawakami Tops Halladay, Jays

Players of the Day for Friday, May 22, 2009 American League Interleague play began Friday, and the Minnesota Twins bats kept booming. Just one night after hammering the White Sox, 20-1, the Twins welcomed the Brewers for the first of a three-game series. While the Twins didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball, they did amass 12 hits in an 11-3 victory, four of those belonging to Michael Cuddyer, who hit for the cycle. Cuddyer began his historic night with a first-inning three-run homer, then doubled and scored in the third, singled in a run in the fourth and completed the cycle by legging out a triple in the sixth, driving in his fifth run of the evening. Cuddyer, having a productive season with a .291 batting average, 9 homers and 30 RBI, has been on a hot streak. He also had four hits in Thursday's romp. National League Roy Halladay doesn't lose often, especially when he pitches like he did in Atlanta Friday, surrendering just five hits and no runs while fanning 6 over 7 innings. Actually, Halladay didn't take the loss, reliever Jesse Carlson did that, as Atlanta rookie Kenshin Kawakami spun a 3-hit gem, striking out 8 without giving up a walk over 8 innings as the Braves topped Toronto, 1-0. Kawakami, who notched his third win against five losses, recorded his longest outing of the season, and easily his best. A native of Japan, Kawakami has registered a decision in each of his 8 starts, carries an ERA of 4.73 and has struck out 42 batters in 45 2/3 innings.