Michael Wacha Tosses Complete Game, 5-0 Cardinal Win; Chris Davis Socks Two HRs In 12-1 Baltimore Romp

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 18, 2017

American League

In Baltimore, Shin Soo Choo led off game with a solo home run for Texas, but, as it turns out, that would be the only run the Rangers would score, as Baltimore amassed 16 hits and routed the AL West visitors, 12-1.

Chris Davis scorched a two-run homer in the middle of Baltimore's six run first, and belted a grand slam in the fourth to account for half of Baltimore's runs.

Davis: 2HR, Slam, 6RBI

Davis' homers were numbers 15 and 16, unusually low totals for the Oriole slugger, because he missed over a month - from June 12 to July 14 - on the DL. This was his fifth game back and first multi-hit game since June 6.

During his absence, the Orioles went into an extended tailspin, going 11-15 into the all-star break. Having Davis back is a plus, but it didn't seem to matter as the O's dropped three straight to the Cubs coming out of the break, though they've now taken two straight from Texas.

Dylan Bundy threw exactly 100 pitches, working six innings for the win. He's 9-8 on the year.

Having Davis back in the lineup regularly should be a boost to Baltimore's fortunes, though their pitching staff seems to be at the root of their problems. They trail the Red Sox by eight games in the AL East, where Tampa Bay is in second place, two games out and New York is 3 1/2 off Boston's lead.

The Orioles will try to make it three straight at Camden Yards when they meet the Rangers Wednesday night, 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Wacha throws first shutout

With the Dodgers winning their 10th straight with a 1-0 Clayton Kershaw gem Tuesday and the Nationals taking their sixth straight, LA and Washington lead their respective divisions by 10 1/2 and 11 1/2 games, leaving the Central as the only real race in the National League.

Milwaukee still leads the division by 2 1/2 over the Cubs, but they've dropped three straight while Chicago has won five in a row, the Cardinals two straight and the Pirates, given up for dead back in May, are on a three-game win streak and only five games off the pace.

St. Louis reached to within 4 1/2 games of the Brewers with a second straight win at Citi Field, topping the Mets, 5-0, on Michael Wacha's three-hit, complete game shutout.

The victory was a milestone for Wacha, his first complete game and first shutout of his five year major league career.

Wacha walked one and struck out eight. After allowing a two-out single to Yoenis Cespedes in the first, Wacha didn't give up another hit until Michael Conforto's one-out, sixth inning double. Conforto also singled to lead off the ninth, eventually reaching third base on a wild pitch and a Cespedes ground out, but Wacha ended the drama by striking out Jay Bruce to end the game.

The win was the fourth straight in as many starts for Wacha, who improved to 7-3, dropping his ERA to 3.71. In three July starts, the 6'6" hurler is 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA.

St. Louis will try to make it three straight against the Mets when the teams take the field Wednesday at 7:00 pm ET.

Mark Teixeira Powers Yankees with Grand Slam, 2-Run Homer; Michael Wacha Goes Seven Scoreless for St. Louis

Players of the Day for Friday, July 31, 2015

Wacha: 12-4

Teixeira: 2HR, 6RBI

American League

As Yankee radio announcer John Sterling might say, Mark Teixeira sent a "Tex-message" to the White Sox Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, belting a grand slam, a two-run homer and a double n five at bats as the Yankees hammered out 18 hits in a 13-6 victory

Making a bid for AL MVP, Teixeira collected six RBI, giving him 73 on the season, tied with Toronto's Josh Donaldson for the league lead. Teixeira also has 28 homers, tied for third with Detroit's J.D. Martinez. LA's Mike Trout leads the league with 32; teammate Albert Pujols is second, with 30 dingers.

The Yankee fist baseman connect for his slam in the second inning off White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, who was tagged for eight runs in just three innings of work. Teixeira belted the two-run blast in the fourth, off reliever Matt Albers. The Yankees scored five runs in each of the innings and were ahead 11-2 after just 3 1/2.

New York continues to lead the AL East by six games over the Orioles and Blue Jays, both winners on Friday. The Yankee win snapped a two-game losing streak suffered at Texas.

The White Sox and Yankees meet in the second of their three-game series on Saturday. Game time is 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Michael Wacha had his usual assortment of dazzling pitches, leading the Cardinals to a 7-0 win over Colorado in the second game of a four-game set in St. Louis.

Wacha allowed just four hits over seven innings, striking out seven and issuing just one walk. Improving to 12-4, Wacha threw 70 of 102 pitches for strikes before being lifted for reliever Randy Choate, who pitched a scoreless eighth, and Seth Maness, who mopped up in the ninth.

Wacha was supported with home runs by Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta, helping the Cards take a 2-0 edge in the series and maintaining a 5 1/2 game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

St. Louis continues with the best record in the majors, at 66-37 (.641), and hosts the Rokies for game three at Busch Stadium at 7:15 pm EDT, Saturday.

Michael Wacha, Carlos Beltran Thump Dodgers, 9-0, Lead Cardinals into World Series

Players of the Day for Friday, October 18, 2013

National League

Carlos Beltran

Amazing rookie, Michael Wacha, and tireless veteran, Carlos Beltran, led the charge in a 9-0 slaughter of the LA Dodgers as the St. Louis Cardinals captured the National League pennant and are headed to the fall classic.

Michael Wacha

Wacha won for the second time in the league championship, topping LA's Clayton Kershaw with seven innings of shutout ball and Beltran drove in the first and last runs for the Cardinals, in front of an over-capacity crowd of 46,899 in St. Louis.

Called up in August from the Cardinals' AAA affiliate, Memphis (Pacific Coast League), Wacha was used primarily as a reliever until September, when he joined the starting rotation, going 2-1, with a 1.78 ERA in five starts.

In the ALDS, Wacha held the Pirates to one run on one hit - an eighth-inning solo homer by Pedro Alvarez - over 7 1/3 innings for a 2-1 win. St. Louis won the divisional series in five games.

In game two of the championship series, Wacha faced off with Kershaw for the first time, shutting out the Dodgers on five hits over 6 2/3 innings in a 1-0 St. Louis victory.

In three post-season starts, Wacha is 3-0, with an 0.43 ERA, allowing one run on eight hits over 22 innings, walking four and fanning 22. In the pennant-clincher Friday, the 6'6" right-hander walked one and fanned five.

Beltran got the Cardinals on the board in the third inning with an RBI single and later scored as the Cardinals got to Kershaw early for four runs. In the fifth, St. Louis plated five more, Beltran finishing the job with another RBI single, driving in Wacha with the final run of the game.

Beltran also doubled, going 3-for-4 for the game. He drove in six runs for St. Louis in the series, the same number he had in the divisional series against Pittsburgh.

By beating the Dodgers four games to two, St. Louis heads to the World Series for the fourth time in the last 10 years. They await the winner of the ALCS which resumes Saturday night in Boston (8:37 pm EDT), the Red Sox holding a 3-2 lead in games over Detroit.

Game one of the World Series is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23. Having won the All-Star game, the American League champion will have home field advantage, hosting games one, two, six and seven, if necessary. The middle three games will be in St. Louis.

Today's Trivia: The record for RBI in a single World Series is 12. What player holds that distinction? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Mickey Mantle holds the record for most World Series homers with 18. Babe Ruth is second with 15, though Ruth hit his in 167 plate appearances; Mantle had 273 World Series plate appearances.

Anibal Sanchez, Jhonny Peralta lead Tigers to 1-0 Win over Red Sox; Cardinals Take 2-0 Lead in NLCS as Michael Wacha Silences Dodgers

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 12, 2013

American League

Anibal Sanchez

Jhonny Peralta

Tigers' starter, Anibal Sanchez, tossed six innings of no-hit ball to lead Detroit to an opening-game, 1-0, win over the Boston Red Sox in the AL championship series.

Detroit's only run came in the top of the sixth inning, when Jhonny Peralta drove in Miguel Cabrera from third with a solid single to center. Peralta also doubled twice, going 3-for-4 with the lone RBI.

Sanchez struck out 12 and walked six, and was pulled after six innings due to a high pitch count (116) despite the no-hit bid. A series of relievers made their ways to the mound after the departure of Sanchez, each keeping the no-hit bid intact until Joaquin Benoit surrendered a single to Daniel Nava with one out in the ninth, though the hit came to naught as Benoit got Stephen Drew to fly out to Carlos Beltran in right field and Xander Bogaerts on a popup to short, securing the win.

Sanchez took the win, his second, against three losses, in post-season play. John Lester, despite pitching well for six innings, was saddled with the loss.

Michael Wacha

Game two of the series is slated for an 8:07 pm EDT start, Sunday evening at Fenway Park.

National League

Michael Wacha allowed no runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings, as the Cardinals took their second straight from the LA Dodgers, 1-0, in St. Louis.

Wacha out-dueled LA ace, Clayton Kershaw, who took the loss, when David Freese came home on a Jon Jay sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freese's double was one of just two hits allowed by Kershaw. The run was unearned because Freese took third base on a passed ball by A. J. Ellis, preceding Jay's sac fly.

Now 2-0 in post-season play, Wacha, the savvy rookie hurler, shut down the Pirates in the NLDS on October 7, allowing one run on one hit, going 7 1/3 innings for the 2-1 victory. Wacha has allowed just six hits and one run in 14 innings in the post-season, fanning 17.

Game three of the NL championship series will be held in LA, on Monday, at 8:07 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the record for strikeouts in a single post-season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Randy Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez each won five post-season games in a single season, Johnson in 2001, Rodriguez in 2002.

Evan Longoria, Jose Lobaton Keep Rays' Hopes Alive in 5-4 Win; Michael Wacha Forces Game 5 for Cardinals; Juan Uribe Homers to Lead Dodgers into NLCS

Players of the Day for Monday, October 7, 2013

American League

Evan Longoria

Jose Lobaton

Evan Longoria tied the game at 3-3 with a three-run homer and pinch-hitter Jose Lobaton delivered a walk-off, game-winning home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Rays to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox, keeping the Rays alive in the ALDS.

Tampa Bay lost the first two games of the best-of-five series in Boston and were in danger of elimination, as Boston forged a 3-0 lead until Longoria's blast in the fifth inning.

The Rays took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, but Boston quickly re-tied the game with a single run in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the frame, Boston reliever Koji Uehara seemed to have things well in hand, retiring the first two batters in order, but surrendered the bomb to Lobaton, forcing a game four, Tuesday, 8:37 pm EDT at Tropicana Field.

Michael Wacha

In Detroit, the Oakland A's took a 2-1 lead with a 6-3 victory over the hometown Tigers. Game four is Tuesday at 5:07 pm EDT.

National League

Rookie hurler, Michael Wacha, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, spoiled when Pedro Alvarez socked a solo homer to put the Pirates down 2-1 against the Cardinals in game four of the NLDS. Wacha would not face another batter, manager Mike Matheny opting for his bullpen, which got the final five outs of the game without incident, evening the series at two games apiece and forcing a decisive game five in St. Louis on Wednesday night (8:07 pm EDT).

Juan Uribe

Matt Holliday's two-run homer in the fifth inning provided the winning runs for the Cardinals' 2-1 victory. Wacha was 4-1 in nine starts during the regular season for St. Louis and took the win in his first post-season appearance.

In Atlanta, the Braves were eliminated by the LA Dodgers, three games to one, when Juan Uribe touched off a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning, sending the Dodgers into the NL Championship Series with a 4-3 victory.

Dodger starter Clayton Kershaw pitched well for six innings on three days' rest, allowing just three hits, but the Dodgers surrendered two unearned runs. Reliever Brian Wilson took the win and Kenley Jansen struck out the Braves in order in the ninth for his first post-season save.

Today's Trivia: After the Yankees, what AL team has won the most World Series? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Juan Marical and Fergie Jenkins were pitchers who liked to finish what they started. Marichal had 244 complete games in 16 seasons; Jenkins, 267 in 19 seasons.

Michael Wacha Throws One-Hitter in St. Louis Win; Michael Brantley, Jason Giambi Lead Wild Win for Indians

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 24, 2013

American League

Jason Giambi

Heading into the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead over the White Sox, the Cleveland Indians appeared to be on their way to a fifth straight win, retaining their one-game edge over Texas in the wild card race. They would call on closer Chris Perez and eventually win the game, but the way in which they did so was not what they had in mind.

Perez allowed solo homers to Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza, blowing the lead and the save, putting the White Sox up 4-3, the Indians coming to bat with one more chance to tie or win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Michael Brantley

With one out, Michael Brantley, who had kept the Indians in the game with a single, a homer and two RBI, singled to right, representing the tying run. After Mike Aviles struck out, Jason Giambi was called upon to pinch hit with two down and the game - and possibly the season - on the line.

Though seldom used, the 42-year-old slugger with 437 career home runs came through with a booming blast to right field which plated the tying and winning runs, sending the home crowd into delerium with the walk-off, 5-4 victory.

The win kept the Indians a game ahead of the Rangers, who themselves were 3-2 winners over Houston, with five games left to play. In New York, the Rays eliminated the Orioles by topping the Yankees, 7-0, Baltimore falling to Toronto, 3-2 in 10 innings. Kansas City lost to Seattle, 4-0, putting them four games behind Cleveland; the Yankees, five out and all but finished for the year.

AL Wild Card Standings (through 9/24)

Team	GB
Tampa Bay	+1
Cleveland	--
Texas	-1
Kansas City	-4
NY Yankees	-5

National League

Michael Wacha

The St. Louis Cardinals maintained their two-game lead on the Pirates in the Central division thanks to the outstanding gem of a pitching performance turned in by rookie hurler Michael Wacha, who came within one out of throwing a no-hitter in just his ninth major league start.

Wacha got down to the final out against the visiting Nationals, but Ryan Zimmerman provided the spoiler, lashing a ground ball up the middle for a single, the only hit against Wacha on the night. With just a two-run lead, Wacha was pulled in favor of Trevor Rosenthal, who got the final out of the game by inducing a ground ball to first by Jason Werth, preserving the win for Wacha and a 2-0 St. Louis victory, reducing the Cardinals' magic number to three for the NL Central title.

Wacha walked two and fanned nine over his 8 2/3 innings on the mound, throwing 112 pitches, 77 for strikes. He is 3-1 since being called up August 10, getting his first major league win in June before being sent back to AAA Memphis in the Pacific Coast League.

The Cardinals have one more game remaining with the Nats, at 1:45 pm EDT in St. Louis before closing out the regular season with three games at home with the Cubs.

Pittsburgh remained two games back of the Cardinals with an 8-2 win at Chicago; the Reds fell to the Mets, 4-2, and are three games out.

Today's Trivia: Who led the NL in strikeouts more times, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax or Steve Carlton? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Cardinal hurler, Dizzy Dean, led the NL in Ks from 1932-1935.

Eric Hosmer Homers, Leads Royals to 5-2 Win over Tigers; Michael Wacha Blanks Pirates for 7 as Cardinals Sweep

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 8, 2013

American League

Eric Hosmaer

With one swing of the bat, Eric Hosmer turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 win over the visiting Tigers, taking two of three to finish off their weekend series.

Hosmer's three-run, two-out homer provided the edge for the Royals. He also singled twice, going 3-for-4 on the day, raising his batting average to .302, tops on the team and eighth in the league.

While the Roayls enjoyed winning for the sixth time in their last eight games, they are running out of time, both in the division and the wild card hunt.

The Tigers, despite two straight losses, are still 5 1/2 ahead of Cleveland, with the Royals seven back. Kansas City also trails Tampa Bay for the final wild card position by 3 1/2 games, though Baltimore, Cleveland and New York are closer.

Kansas City can make their own fate, as they have nine straight games upcoming against their division rivals. They have three at Cleveland starting Monday, then three at Detroit, followed by three more with the Indians at home. In this next run of games they can make or break their post-season chances.

National League

Michael Wacha

Michael Wacha is just what the Cardinals need heading down the stretch in the treacherous NL Central division.

Wacha, a reliever and spot starter, shut out the Pirates for seven innings on Sunday, allowing just two hits, as the Cardinals completed their sweep of the visitors with a 9-2 victory, reclaiming first place by 1 1/2 games over Pittsburgh.

A rookie hurler, Wacha walked two and struck out the same number, winning his third game without a loss in 12 appearances, six of them as a starter. Cardinal batters supported their mound mate with two runs in the first, three in the second and a four-run outburst in the fifth.

Having done away with Pittsburgh, the Cardinals may have to be more concerned with the Reds, winners of four straight and now tied with the Pirates for second place in the division, though the Cardinals don't face them for the remainder of the season.

St. Louis gets a day off Monday and continues their home stand with a three-game series against Milwaukee beginning Tuesday.

Today's Trivia: Starting with 2003, only two American League teams have won 100 or more games in a single season. Who are they? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The Atlanta Braves won 104 games in 1993, 101 in 1997, 106 in 1998, 103 in 1999, 101 in 2002, and 101 in 2003