Jason Kipnis Powers Indians to Doubleheader Win over White Sox; Michael Young, Delmon Young Lead Phillies' 16-1 Rout of Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, June 28, 2013

American League

With a doubleheader on Friday, the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox played seven hours and 53 minutes of baseball, churned out 59 hits and 46 runs, and two wins by the visiting Indians, 19-10 and 9-8.

Jason Kipnis

Cleveland's Jason Kipnis had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and four runs in the opener, then going 1-for-3 in the nightcap, driving in Cleveland's first run and the tying run in the ninth on a sac fly as the Indians scored four times, rallying to take both games.

In the opener, the Indians totaled 21 hits, each starter getting at least two, except for right fielder Mark Reynolds, who singled in four at-bats. Other than Asdrubel Cabrera, all nine starters had at least one RBI; all nine scored at least once.

With the pair of wins, the Indians picked up 1/2 game on Detroit and trail the Tigers by just two games in the Central division. The White Sox fell deeper into last place, 10 1/2 off the pace.

The two teams will resume hostilities on Saturday. Game time is 4:100 pm EDT.

NOTABLE: Detroit's Max Scherzer won his 12th straight decision to open the season, the first time any pitcher has done that in 27 years, as he gave up three runs on four hits over seven innings, fanning nine in Detroit's 6-3 win over Tampa Bay. Roger Clemens started 14-0 for the Red Sox in 1986. Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and three RBI.

Scherzer is 12-0 with a 3.10 ERA. In 110 1/3 innings, he's struck out 131 batters, second most in the AL, behind Texas' Yu Darvish.

National League

Delmon Young

Michael Young

After dropping the opener of their four-game series in LA, 6-4, the Phillies came back with a vengeance in the second game, hammering out 21 hits to bury the Dodgers, 16-1.

LA starter Chris Capuano (2-5) to the brunt of the beating, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in just 3 2/2 innings. All of the Philly starters got at least one hit, including starting pitcher John Lannan, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Lannan (1-2) worked seven innings, allowing one earned run on five hits for the win.

Michael Young, batting out of the leadoff spot, stroked four singles in six at-bats, driving in a pair of runs and scoring four times. Delmon Young was 3-for-6 with six RBI, driving in runs in the first, second, sixth and seventh innings.

The win kept the Phillies on pace in the NL East, as both Atlanta and Washington were victorious on Friday. The Braves lead the nationals by 5 1/2, and the Phillies by 7 1/2. Despite the loss, LA is just six games back in the NL West, though they are still in last place in the division.

Game three of the series starts at 7:10 pm PDT on Saturday.

Today's Trivia: What pitcher holds the AL record for most consecutive wins in a single season? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: No Cleveland player has won the AL MVP award since Al Rosen in 1953.

Aaron Hill's Two Homers Help D-Backs to 4th Straight; Michael Young Drives in Five to Power Rangers

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 19, 2012

American League

The way the Texas Rangers are going, they're a cinch to make the playoffs, as the AL West champion, or, even if they stumble a bit, as one of the two AL wild cards.

Texas maintained their five game lead over the A's in the division with an 11-2 romp over the Blue Jays, banging out 19 hits, nine of which went for extra bases.

Michael Young

One of the big advantages the Rangers hold over all opposition in the American League is their power-laden lineup. When you can put a former batting champion in the six hole, like Michael Young was on Sunday, you have no holes in your batting order. Young won the AL batting crown in 2005 with a .331 average.

Young delivered five RBI for the Rangers, going 3-for-5 with a single, double and a three-run homer in the five-run fifth inning, which put Texas up 8-1, and, with Matt Harrison tossing bullets from the mound (8 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), the Rangers cruised to the win, taking two of three from the Jays.

The Rangers return to Arlington Monday for a 10-game home stand, with four games against the lowly Twins sandwiched in between a pair of three-game series with the top two wild card teams from the AL East, Baltimore and the red hot Tampa Bay Rays, who just did the Rangers a big favor over the weekend, taking four straight from the Angels and dropping them nine games behind Texas in the division.


National League

With the Dodgers taking first place in the NL West with a 5-0 win over the Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks crept a little it closer in their quest to reach the top spot in the division.

Aaron Hill

Arizona won its fourth straight, with an 8-1 rout of the Astros, sweeping the three-game series at Houston by a combined score of 23-6. Houston has the worst record in the majors, a distressing 39-83 mark (.320).

Aaron Hill banged a pair of solo homers for the Diamondbacks, going 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and three runs. Hills homers were his 16th and 17th of the season, and raised his batting average to a robust .298, which, if he maintains it, would be the best in his eight year pro career.

With the win and the Giants' 7-1 loss to the Padres - which dropped them 1/2 game behind the Dodgers - the Diamondbacks are 4 1/2 off the pace in the division and have a trio of three games series at home against Miami, Chicago and Cincinnati before heading to LA for a four-game showdown with the Dodgers, August 30 through September 2, followed by a three-game set at San Francisco, so the NL West could begin to sort itself out right after Labor Day.

Ian Kinsler and Michael Young Power Rangers; Matt Garza Shuts Out Brewers for 8 2/3

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 12, 2012

American League

The Texas Rangers are loaded with great hitters - think Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz - but in Thursday's 5-3 win over Seattle, Texas needed only the first two guys in their lineup in order to get the job done, which was putting some distance between themselves and the second place Mariners.

Ian Kinsler

Michael Young

Ian Kinsler and Michael Young both went 3-for-4 and combined to score four of the Rangers' five runs and drive in all of them. Kinsler, batting in his usual leadoff position, had a pair of singles and a double, stole a base, scored three times and drove in a run, while Young, batting right behind him and playing DH for the day, drove in Kinsler each time he was on the basepaths with a couple of singles and and a two-run homer, tallying four RBI and scoring once.

While the rest of the lineup was apparently taking the day off - going a combined 3-for-24 - starter Derrick Holland picked up his first win of 2012, allowing two runs over seven innings. Mike Adams gave up another run in the ninth, but still picked up the save.

The Rangers are 1 1/2 games to the good over Seattle, having concluded the series in Arlington by taking three of four.

National League

The Cubs haven't had much to cheer about thus far, and, heading into the finale of their four-game series at Milwaukee were staring at being swept and starting off the season 1-6.

Matt Garza

Matt Garza came to the rescue with an outstanding job from the mound, throwing 8 2/3 innings of shutout ball on three hits to silence the Brewer bats, earning Chicago's second win of the season against five losses.

Garza allowed two base runners in the first inning on a single and a walk and issued a one-out walk in the second, but after that was lights out. From the third to the ninth inning, he didn't walk another batter and allowed just a pair of harmless singles, fanning nine while nearly going the distance in an 8-0 Cubs' romp.

Garza could have had the complete game shutout, but his own error (and a pitch count at 119), with two down in the ninth prevented him from finishing. Steve Camp came on to get the final out and send the Cubs out of Milwaukee with a much-needed win.

Scott Feldman, Michael Young Lead Rangers past Reds; Jon Lester Tosses Seven Scoreless for Red Sox

Players of the Day for Monday, March 26, 2012

Grapefruit League

Lester: 7IP 2H 10K

The Boston Red Sox got their Grapefruit League record above the .500 mark (11-10) with a 6-0 blanking of the Phillies, though most around the clubhouse were probably more impressed with the work of starter Jon Lester, who, at 2-1, with a 3.50 ERA appears to be about as ready for the regular season as any pitcher in either league.

Lester breezed through seven innings of scoreless ball, displaying pinpoint control as he allowed just two hits while fanning 10 without walking a batter.

Pivotal to Boston's chances of winning the AL East and beyond, Lester's performance in the regular season - and especially against long-time rival New York - will have great bearing on the Red Sox season. In 2011, Lester went 15-9 with a 3.47 ERA, capping six straight seasons without a losing record. Lester's career record is a remarkable 76-34, among the best winning percentages of any major leaguer.

Cactus League

Despite playing this spring in Arizona, a climate very similar to their home games in Arlington, Texas, the reigning AL champion Texas Rangers aren't looking very much like world beaters as they won for just the sixth time against 16 losses, defeating Cincinnati, 12-2, at the Rangers' spring home in Surprise, AZ.

Scott Feldman

Springtime victories are hardly the concern, however, as players hone their skills for the regular season that is now just a week away, and the Rangers have a number of bright spots heading down the Cactus League stretch.

Young: .441 BA

Starting pitcher Scott Feldman shut out the Reds on three hits over six innings, nabbing his first W of the exhibition season, striking out nine Reds' batters and walking none. Feldman threw 54 of 79 pitches for strikes. Feldman started just two games for the Rangers in 2011, but appears to have regained the stuff that made him a rising star when he went 17-8 in 2009.

Michael Young, one of the most consistent hitters of the past decade, rapped out three singles in three at-bats and scored three times. Young is having a solid spring, batting .441. Young hit .338 in 2011, third best in the AL, his best showing since winning the AL batting title with a .331 average in 2005.

Texas Blasts into World Series, Ousts Detroit 15-5; NLCS Moved to Night Game

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 15, 2011

American League

Texas 15 Detroit 5

The Texas Rangers blew open game six with the Detroit Tigers, sending 14 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs in the third inning en route to a game six victory to take the AL championship series, four games to two, advancing to the World Series for the second straight year.

Young: 3-for-5,
2 2B, HR, 5 RBI

Texas erupted after Detroit had forged a 2-0 lead on solo home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta in the first and second innings. Michael Young tied the game with a double to left field and later in the inning plated two more Rangers with a double down the right field line, driving in four runs in the frame. Young added a solo homer with one out in the 7th inning.

Every position player for the Rangers had at least one hit, except for left fielder Endy Chavez, who was lifted for a pinch hitter in the third inning after only one at-bat.

Cabrera added his second solo shot in the 8th for the Tigers, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Rangers made the most of home field advantage, winning each of their three home games and taking one in Detroit.

The Rangers banged out 17 hits in their offensive explosion. Nelson Cruz smacked his sixth home run of the series, a solo knock in the 7th.

National League

Because there will be no game seven in the ALCS, game six of the National League Championship Series was moved from the afternoon to prime time. The Cardinals and Brewers will take the field in Milwaukee at 8:05 pm EDT.

Anibal Sanchez 1-Hits Rockies; Michael Young Raking for Rangers

Players of the Day for Friday, April 22, 2011

American League

Michael Young

Michael Young is one of the best pure hitters in the game and proof of that has been his red-hot start to the 2011 season. He's batting .359, good for third in the AL and he's helped the Texas Rangers to first place in the AL West.

After losing six of their last eight and briefly giving up the division lead, Young and his Ranger teammates were happy to see the Royals visiting for a three-game series on Friday, and welcomed them to the Lone Star state with a five home run, 15 hit, 11-6 beating.

Young was not one of the five Rangers who homered, but he did get things started by singling in Ian Kinsler in the first and tripling him home in the second and scoring as the Rangers built a 5-0 lead.

Another single put Young at 3-for-5 for the night and gave him 28 hits, two behind league leader Alex Gordon, who went 2-for-4 in the same game. Meanwhile, the Angles lost to Boston, 4-3, and the Rangers assumed a 1/2 game lead.

Young won the AL batting championship in 2005 and also led the league in hits that season with 221.

National League

The Florida Marlins won their 4th straight game and kept pressure on the Phillies in the NL East, remaining 1/2 game behind the division leader.

Anibal Sanchez

Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, spoiled on the first pitch to Dexter Fowler, who snapped a single into right field. Fowler had also walked to lead off the game, took second on a passed ball, moved to third on a ground out and scored when Gaby Sanchez threw errantly on Troy Tulowitzki's grounder.

The run was unearned, but gave the Rockies a short-lived 1-0 lead. Little did anyone know that it would be all they would get.

Sanchez cruised through the Rockies' lineup, at one point getting 12 straight outs, including four consecutive strikeouts. He finished allowing only Fowler's ninth inning single and three walks while fanning nine in the 4-1 Florida win.

Sanchez tossed a no-hitter last season, and flirted with another Friday. He is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in four starts this season.

Young Puts Texas Up 2-0; Berkman Drives Yanks past Twins; Lincecum 2-Hits Braves

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 7, 2010

American League

Michael Young broke open a close game with a 3-run homer in the top of the fifth inning, leading the Texas Rangers to a 6-0 win and a two-games-to-none lead in their best-of-five series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers had already scored a run in each of the 3rd and 4th innings to grab a 2-0 lead, but Young's blast off Chad Qualls, who had just entered the game in relief of Rays' starter James Shields, essentially put the game away right there.

Tampa Bay has been unable to get to Ranger pitching. In the two games - both played at Tropicana Field - Rays' hitters have produced only one run on eight hits, getting only two on Thursday off starter C.J. Wilson and a pair of relievers.

Needing just one more win to move to the championship round, the Rangers host the Rays for game three on Saturday, starting at 5:07 pm ET.

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Even though the Twins keep making the playoffs with some degree of regularity, they continue to disappoint in terms of wins.

The Yankees sent the Twins to their 11th straight post-season loss with a 5-2 win at Minnesota, erasing their home field advantage by sweeping the two games at spacious Target Field.

Andy Pettitte delivered seven solid innings for the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits. The Yankees' mid-season acquisition, Lance Berkman, who came over from the Houston Astros in late July, provided the fireworks with a solo homer in the 5th inning that put the Yankees up 2-1.

After Orlando Hudson tied the game at 2-2 with his own solo shot, Berkman doubled home Jorge Posada with a double off his shoe-tops and later came in to score on Derek Jeter's scratch single to right.

The Yankee win was their 8th straight over the Twins. New York can wrap up the series with a win in game three, scheduled for Saturday at 8:37 pm at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Giants' pitching is what got them through the regular season, and it was on full display in the opener of the best-of-five NLDS with Atlanta.

Tim Lincecum, who took home the Cy Young award in the NL the past two seasons, was in exceptional form as he masterfully mowed through the Atlanta lineup, allowing just two hits while fanning 14 in a complete game, 1-0 shutout.

Braves batters were no match for Lincecum's changing speeds and wide-armed delivery. Known as the "freak" for his whirling moound movement, he struck out every batter in the starting lineup except leadoff hitter Oman Infante at least once, including Derek Lee three times.

The Giants scored their only run of the contest in the 4th inning when Buster Posey walked, stole second and came around on Cody Ross's single to left.

Lincecum threw 119 pitches and walked just one batter in his first post-season appearance, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead in the series which resumes Friday at 9:37 pm ET at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Young Leads Rangers to 10th Straight; Dickey 6-0 for Mets

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 23, 2010 American League If the Rangers keep hitting the ball the way they have been, ten-game win streaks - like the one they're currently on - will become commonplace occurrences. Texas pounded a hopelessly-overmatched Pittsburgh team, 13-3, extending the longest winning streak in the majors to 10 games while maintaining a 3 1/2 game bulge over the Angels in the AL West. This game was over early as the Rangers scored all of their runs in the first four innings, led by Michael Young's exceptional 3-for-4 effort. Young, one of baseball's premier hitters, homered in his first-inning at bat, launching his 10th of the season, a two-run shot. He then singled and scored in the 3rd and doubled in a pair and scored again in the 4th inning. After that, he took a seat on the bench, his team comfortably ahead, his .315 batting average intact, along with his 49 RBI. Texas' 10 straight wins have all come against NL squads (Milwaukee, Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh), but they've been solid in both the hitting and pitching departments, outscoring their opponents 64-28 over that span. The Rangers look to extend their streak and complete their third straight series sweep Thursday night in Arlington. National League The Mets keep crowding Atlanta at the top of the NL East standings. Thanks to eight innings of shutout ball by R.A. Dickey, who improved his record to 6-0 in the Mets' 5-0 win over Detroit, Atlanta's lead is down to a scrawny 1/2 game. Dickey, who has only had seven starts this season, has been one of the Mets' most reliable hurlers. After losing his first start - May 19 - at Washington, Dickey has recorded a win in each start after that and is carrying a solid 2.33 ERA. Thursday's 8 innings were the deepest he's gone into a game, and the fur hits allowed the lowest total of his season. Dickey walked two batters and struck out four. He recorded 14 ground outs and retired just 5 batters on flies. The mets can claim first place in the division on Thursday with a win and an Atlanta loss. The Mets are looking for a three-game home sweep of the Tigers while the Braves try to avoid being swept by the White Sox in Chicago.

Don't Mess with Texas: Astros' Albers Grounds Cards; Rangers' Young Drives in 5

Saturday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Texas shortstop Michael Young (right) doubled home 2 runs in the 3rd inning, singled in another in the 6th and punched out a 2-run homer in the 8th to lead the Rangers to an 11-4 laugher over Roy Halladay and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Halladay, who was seeking his 100th career win, was pounded mercilessly by the Texas hitters, who roughed him up for 12 hits and 9 earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, the shortest outing for Halladay this season. It was Toronto's 5th straight loss and sent them to the LA East cellar. Young, who hit .331 in 2005 and .314 last year, has been flirting with .200 most of this season, but his 3-5 performance may be a sign of more good things to come. Chien-Ming Wang worked a perfect game into the 8th inning as the Yankees rolled to an 8-1 decision over the visiting Mariners. Wang gave up an 8th inning home run to Ben Broussard and a harmless single to Jose Guillen and finished with a 2-hitter over 8 innings with 4 Ks and no walks for his 1st win of the season

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against 2 prior losses. Other AL Scores Chicago White Sox 6 LA Angels 3 - B. Jenks, S (9) Baltimore 8 Cleveland 2 Detroit 7 Kansas City 5 - Tigers, Indians tied for AL Central lead Minnesota 2 Boston 1 - J. Santana (W, 4-2), T. Hunter, 20-gm. hit streak Tampa Bay 3 Oakland 2, 12 innings - T. Wigginton 2HR (6) National League Houston rookie Matt Albers (right) shut out the Cardinals on 3 hits over 7 1/3 innings as the Astros put St. Louis into a 13-0 black hole and last place in the NL Central. Albers, whose last outing was only 2 1/3 innings in a 11-2 home loss to Cincy, rebounded to even his record at 1-1 with his first major league win. The Astros provided the Houston native with plenty of support at the plate. Mark Loretta went 4-5; Carlos Lee plated 3 to keep him tied for the NL RBI lead at 28 and rookie center fielder Hunter Pence made his first major league home run a memorable one, knocking it out to center field with the bases full in the 8th inning. The Cardinals fell to 11-17 and are 3-7 over their last 10. The Cards are struggling in the worst ways, 4-10 at home, and 0-5 outside the division. Even Albert Pujols, who entered Saturday's game with a 12-game hitting streak, went 0-4. Barry Bonds cracked career home run #744 Saturday to help the Giants defeat the visiting (and slumping) Philadelphia Phillies (4-6 over their last 10 games), 9-4. Bond's homer was his 10th of the season, tying him with Atlanta's Chipper Jones for the NL lead. Do not adjust your set: Speaking of the slipping Phillies, any cognizant baseball fan must have had a chuckle over the FOX promo for next Saturday's featured MLB telecast - the Cubs at Philly - with the endorsement, "Ryan Howard leads the Phillies..." Apparently, both the game and the promo were set long ago and nobody at the network bothered to look at the stats. Howard, last season's NL MVP (and a formidable power hitter when he's right), is currently batting below .200, has a paltry 4 home runs and 17 RBI, and leads the Phillies with 37 whiffs. Meanwhile, the Cubs' Derrek Lee is hitting .416 and the Cubs have won 4 straight. Apparently, baseball isn't a priority at the American Idol network. J. J. Hardy busted a 3-run homer in the 8th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 6-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh and remain 5 games ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central. The blast was Hardy's 8th of the season and his 4 RBI put him within 2 of the NL lead with 26. Houston's Carlos Lee and Adrian Gonzalez of San Diego lead with 28 each. The 20-10 Brewers are 16-8 within the division and 12-5 at home. Other NL Scores LA Dodgers 6 Atlanta 3 - E. Renteria, 14-gm. hit streak San Diego 7 Florida 6, 12 innings Colorado 9 Cincinnati 7 - M. Holliday, HR (5), 3 RBI (26) Chicago Cubs 5 Washington 3 - R. Hill (W, 4-1), D. Lee 13-gm. hit streak (.416) NY Mets 6 Arizona 2 - Mets, 1-gm. lead in NL East