Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez Lead Players of the Week for April 6-12

Players of the Week for April 6-12, 2015

American League

Cabrera: .520 BA

AL Infielder: Getting off to a blazing start, the Detroit Tigers swept the Indians (at Cleveland) and Twins (in Detroit) for a 6-0 record and a tie for first place with the equally-hot Kansas City Royals.

Mashing away, and, putting a significant scare into pitchers everywhere, Miguel Cabrera set out on an MVP pace with a .520 batting average (13-for-25), including two doubles, two homers and eight RBI, which is tied for the league lead with KC's Salvador Perez.

Cabrera didn't start out the season with his best. Against the Twins, he was just 2-for-11 with two RBI, but in the three-game sweep of Cleveland, he went 11-for-14. In Sunday's 8-5 finale, he was 4-for-4 with two homers, four RBI, and three runs.

Ramirez: Red Sox
LF is red-hot.

AL Outfielder: Adding Hanley Ramirez to their roster has already paid off for the Red Sox, as the shortstop-turned-left fielder turned in an awesome week as the Red Sox went 4-2 on the road with a pair of wins in Philadelphia and two more against the Yankees in the Bronx.

Ramirez played in five of those games, sitting out Saturday's game with the Yankees, but, he made is presence felt in the series final (won by the Yanks, 14-4) with his third home run of the season, and a sac fly, good for two RBI.

While Ramirez hasn't set foot yet in Fenway Park, Boston fans were appreciative from day one. Ramirez opened the season with a two HR game in Boston's 8-0 rout of the Phillies. Ramirez went 2-for-4 and drove in five runs.

For the week, he batted .320, with three homers and seven RBI.

Ventura: 2-0

AL Starting Pitcher: With his team scoring runs in bunches, Yordano Ventura didn't have to be very sharp, but he managed to rack up a pair of wins, the first in a 10-1 victory over the White Sox on opening day, and, the latest, a 9-2 romp over the Angels on Sunday afternoon.

The first outing was better than the second, though the starter was solid in both. In the opener, he went six innings, allowing four hits and one earned run, fanning two. His second start featured seven strikeouts, and two earned runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. A bit troubling is Ventura's giving up a home run in each of his starts.

Holland: 3 saves

AL Relief Pitcher: When your team goes 6-0 for any week, chances are your closer is going to get a few save chances.

Such was the case for KC's Greg Holland, who managed to finish three of Kansas City's six wins, working the ninth in each of their Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday victories. Holland hasn't allowed a hit (or a walk) in three innings of work thus far into the season, and he's fanned three, two of them in Thursday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Holland had 47 saves in 2013 and 46 last season, finishing second in saves both seasons.


National League

Gonzalez: 5 HR

NL Infielder: The Dodgers made some moves in the off-season, but one constant is going to be Adrian Gonzalez at first base, and for good reason. Gonzalez started out his 2015 campaign in style, bashing home runs in his first two games before belting three of them and driving in five runs in the Dodgers' 7-4 win over the Padres.

After his blazing 10-for-13 start, Gonzalez cooled off into the weekend, but still managed to go 4-for-10 in three games at Arizona, laving his batting average, as of Sunday night, at a blistering .609. His five homers lead the majors, but he's driven in just seven runs, though that is good enough to tie hime for fourth place with Philly's Jimmy Rollins.

Dickerson: 9 RBI

NL Outfielder: Prior to dropping Saturday and Sunday games to the Cubs, the Rockies were off to a 4-0 start, largely the result of the play of left fielder Corey Dickerson, who started the season with a bang, belting a three-run homer and driving in four runs in Colorado's 10-0 smashing of the Brewers on opening day in Milwaukee.

After that, Dickerson hit safely in each of his next five games, added another homer and drove in five more runs. By week's end, Dickerson was batting .417, and had nine RBI, good enough for the league lead over Cincinnati's Joey Votto and Todd Frazier, each with eight.

Greinke: 0.69 ERA

NL Starting Pitcher: - Zack Greinke ought to be 2-0, but he's 1-0, since, in his first start of the season on April 7, his teammates failed to score early or often, despite Grienke's six innings of 2-hit ball. The starter gave up a run in that 7-3 loss to the Padres, but came back undaunted on Sunday at Arizona, tossing seven shutout innings on five hits as the Dodgers whipped the Diamondbacks, 7-4.

Grilli: 3 saves

Striking out seven without allowing a walk in his second outing, Greinke upped his seasonal total to 11 Ks and is at his best with a 0.69 ERA and 0.62 WHIP.


NL Relief Pitcher: Atlanta's Jason Grilli looks like a keeper as the Braves' closer. Grilli got three chances and converted them all in a pair of wins over the Marlins and a Friday night, 5-3 win over the Mets.

Grilli, who spent last season split between Pittsburgh and the LA Angels, appears fit and ready for the Braves. He fanned four in his three innings of work, didn't give up a hit and issued just one walk.

The Braves are 5-1 as of Sunday night and have a two-game lead over the Mets and Phillies in the NL East.

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Homers by Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera Power Tigers over Twins; Andrew Cashner Tosses 2-Hit Shutout over Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, September 15, 2014

American League

Miguel Cabrera

Torii Hunter

Breaking a 6-6 tie in the top of the ninth inning, Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera socked back-to-back homers to give Detroit a 8-6 win at Minnesota in the opener of a three-game series with the Twins.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Tigers, who have regained control of the AL Central after yielding the lead to Kansas City in August. Coupled with the Royals' 4-3 win over the White Sox, Detroit holds a 1 1/2 game edge in the division.

Game two is Tuesday at 8:10 pm EDT.

The other two divisions of the AL are nearly decided as both the Angels and Orioles won on Monday, the Angels topping Seattle - and sending the Mariners further down the standings in the wild card hunt - 8-1, while Baltimore took care of second-place Toronto with a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Baltimore's victory opened a three-game series with Toronto and set the stage for a possible clinching of the division on Tuesday, when the two teams meet for game two at 7:05 pm EDT. Baltimore's magic number is now one; LA's is three, as the A's are 10 1/2 back and were idle on Monday.

The A's have a one-game edge over KC for the first wild card. Seattle trails KC for the second wild card by two games. Toronto, Cleveland and New York are further back with fading hopes of reaching the post-season. The Yankees - 1-0 losers at Tampa Bay Monday - were officially eliminated from the AL EAst race.

National League

Cashner: 2H ShO

Andrew Cashner (4-7, 2.20) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, eventually settling for a two-hit shutout for the Padres in a 1-0 win over the visiting Phillies Monday night.

Cashner walked one (Chase Utley in the fourth), fanned seven and threw 68 of 92 pitches for strikes. Domonic Brown bunted his way on with one out in the fifth, but was quickly erased on an inning-ending double play. Marlon Byrd's leadoff single in the eighth inning was the only other hit for the flat-lining Phillies.

The shutout was the second of the season for the San Diego hurler. Cashner shut out the Tigers on one hit back on April 11.

Elsewhere, division leaders LA and Washington were both winners; the Cardinals maintained a 3 1/2 game lead over the Pirates in the Central. Both the Cards and Pirates were idle on Monday.

In the only significant wild card action, San Francisco dropped its third straight, losing, 6-2, at Arizona. The Giants still hold a 2 1/2 game edge over the Pirates in the wild card. Pittsburgh is 1 1/2 in front of Milwaukee for the second wild card slot. The Brewers were also off Monday.

Four Phillies Combine for No-Hitter in Atlanta; Miguel Cabrera Homers Twice as Tigers Down Indians

Players of the Day for Monday, September 1, 2013

American League

Miguel Cabrera

While the Detroit Tigers continue to do battle with the Royals for first place in the AL Central, in deference to the excitement of the divisional pennant race, they're doing their level best to make the wild card a non-event.

Their latest effort was to quell the recent uprising by the Indians, who had drawn to within three games of the Tigers after taking two from the Royals and having the final game of that series suspended by rain.

Detroit batters took little time to let their opponents know what they thought of Cleveland starter, Cory Kluber, hammering him for seven hits and five earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings, en route to a 20-hit, 12-1 victory.

Miguel Cabrera rapped out a pair of singles and a pair of homers in five at-bats, driving in three runs and scoring four times. Cabrera popped his 18th homer of the season in the first inning with a man aboard, then added his 19th with a solo shot in the eighth. The three RBI gives Cabrera 94 on the year, fourth in the AL behind rookie Jose Abreu, who leads the league with 99.

The result left the Tigers 1/2 game behind Kansas City in the divisional standings, but four games up on both the Yankees and Indians in the race for the second wild card spot. The Tigers are just 1 1/2 up on Seattle, however. The Oakland A's have the first spot in hand, for now, with a four-game edge over Detroit.

Ken Giles

Cole Hamels

The Tigers and Indians resume hostilities Tuesday night at 7:05 pm EDT in game two of the four-game set at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

National League

ESPN delivered a holiday treat as the nationally-televised game between the Phillies and Braves on Monday turned into the fourth no-hitter of the season in the majors, as Cole Hamels shared the workload with three relievers in a 7-0 whitewash.

While quite effective, the no-hitter was hardly a thing of spectacular beauty. Hamels, who worked the first six innings, struggled with his control throughout, walking five batters and plunking Atlanta second baseman Phil Gosselin, but managed to keep the Braves' bats silent as he fanned seven but was spent after throwing 108 pitches.

Jonathan Papelbon

Jake Diekman

Along came the Phillies' bullpen to the rescue.

Jake Diekman fanned two of the three batters he faced in the seventh and Ken Giles struck out the side in the Atlanta eighth. Jonathan Papelbon retired the final three batters in the ninth in order, completing the no-hit effort, the first combined no-hitter in Phillies history.

Ben Revere drove in five runs for Philadelphia with a sac fly in the third inning, a bases-clearing triple in the seventh and a run-scoring single in the ninth.

The victory did not lift the Phillies out of last place in the NL East, where they trail the Mets at the bottom by 1/2 game, but it did damage to Atlanta's post-season hopes, keeping them three games behind San Francisco and 1 1/2 back of Milwaukee in the race for the two wild cards. The Brewers and Giants were both losers on Monday, the Brewers falling, 4-2, at the Cubs, while the Giants came up short in a 10-9 shootout in Colorado.

Game two of the four-game series in Atlanta starts at 7:10 pm EDT at Turner Field.

Tigers Tie ALCS as Austin Jackson, Miguel Cabrera Power Detroit; Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers Force Game Six with 6-4 Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 16, 2013

American League

Austin Jackson

Miguel Cabrera

Detroit tied Boston at two games apiece with a 7-3 win in game four of the ALCS.

Getting to Boston starter, Jake Peavy, early, the Tigers scored five runs in the second inning, and two more in the fourth, all runs charged to Peavy, who did not get an out in the fourth, officially logging just three innings, allowing five hits and three walks.

Center fielder, Austin Jackson, demoted from his usual leadoff spot to the eight-hole in the order, spent most of the night on the base paths, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, a stolen base, a run and two RBI. Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4, drove in a pair of runs and also stole a base.

Game five is 8:07 pm EDT at Comerica Park in Detroit.

National League

Adrian Gonzalez sparked the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over St. Louis in game five of the NL championship series with a 3-for-4 performance, socking a pair of homers, driving in two runs and scoring three times.

Adrian Gonzalez

A.J. Ellis and Carl Crawford also homered for the Dodgers. All of the long balls were solo shots.

Gonzalez got things started for the Dodgers in the bottom of the second when he singled and scored on Juan Uribe's single. The Dodgers scored twice in the frame, but were quickly tied when St. Louis plated two in the top of the third. The first of Gonzalez's two homers gave LA the lead in the bottom of the third, and they continued to add to the lead with single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth.

St. Louis rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth and brought the winning run to the plate with two outs, but Kenley Jansen got pinch-hitter Adron Chambers looking on a called third strike with two runners aboard to end the threat and the game.

LA's win staved off elimination, forcing a game six in St. Louis, Friday, at 8:37 pm EDT. St. Louis leads the series, three games to two.

Today's Trivia: Who had more World series wins, Whitey Ford or Bob Gibson?

Yesterday's Answer: Lou Brock holds the record for stolen bases in a single World Series, swiping seven in both the 1967 and 1968 series.

Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera Lead Tigers over A's in Decisive Game Five

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 10, 2013

American League

Over the past two days, baseball fans have been reminded why experience matters in the post-season, especially in big games and even more so, on the mound.

Justin Verlander

Wednesday saw St. Louis ace, Adam Wainwright, go the distance in a decisive game five win over the Pirates over rookie starter, Gerrit Cole. On Thursday, with the Tigers squaring off in Oakland with the A's, Detroit sent their big-game pitcher, Justin Verlander, up the hill against rookie hurler, Sonny Gray, of the A's.

The result was eerily similar to that in St. Louis a night earlier.

Gray gave up a two-run smash over the wall in right field by an obviously ailing Miguel Cabrera in the fourth inning. 2011 Cy Young award and league MVP Verlander? All he did was take a no-hitter into the seventh inning, shut out the A's over eight full innings and send the Tigers into the AL championship series against the Red Sox.

Miguel Cabrera

Perfect through the first five innings, Verlander gave up a walk to Josh Reddick with one down in the sixth, but didn't allow a hit until Yoenis Cespedes slashed one up the middle and into center field with two gone in the seventh. Verlander finished the inning unfazed, gave up a two-out single to Reddick in the eighth and turned the ball over to closer, Joaquin Benoit, who finished the job for the 3-0 win.

The Tigers scored an additional run in the sixth, when Victor Matinez scored on a fielder's choice.

Verlander fanned 10 and allowed just the two hits and the one walk, throwing 111 pitches, getting first strikes on 17 of the 27 batters he faced, improving his lifetime post-season mark to 7-4, with a 3.48 ERA.

Cabrera, who led the AL in batting with a .348 average, finished second in HRs and RBI behind Baltimore's Chris Davis, with 44 long balls and 137 ribbies. The All-Star third baseman and triple crown winner from 2012 has been slowed late in the year by nagging abdominal and leg ailments. The homer was his 11th in post-season play, to go with 33 RBI and a cumulative .273 average.

The Tigers will travel to Boston for games one and two of the best-of-seven championship series, starting Saturday at 8:00 pm EDT.

National League

There were no National League games on Thursday. The Dodgers and Cardinals begin the NL championship series with two games in St. Louis, game one starting at 8:37 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the record for most career strikeouts in the playoffs? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: False. In the 143 years of major league baseball, there have been 274,586 total home runs.

Tigers Sweep Mets, Cabrera Hits 42nd Homer; Giants' Ryan Vogelsong Humbles Pirates, 4-0

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 25, 2013

American League

Miguel Cabrera

If it wasn't for Baltimore's Chris Davis, Miguel Cabrera would be cruising toward his second straight triple crown, unprecedented in major league baseball history.

He may do it despite the outstanding season Davis is having.

The Tigers completed their three-game sweep of the Mets, thumping their hosts, 11-3, banging out 18 hits against six sore-armed Mets' hurlers. Cabrera has three of those hits, including his 42nd home run of the season, a first-inning, two-run job, and added a pair of singles in a 3-for-4 effort.

Detroit has the best record in the league, which, if they continue to hold that distinction through the end of the season, would give them home field advantage for the duration of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Cabrera leads the league with a .360 average, 128 RBI and is second to Davis with 42 home runs. Davis has 46.

The Tigers lead the Indians by six games in the Central division, and return to Detroit Monday to open a seven game home stand - four against the A's, beginning Monday at 7:08 pm, followed by three games with Cleveland, which will be the final regular season meeting of the Central's two top teams.

National League

Ryan Vogelsong

With St. Louis losing the finale of their series against Atlanta, 5-2, the Pittsburgh Pirates had the opportunity to break their first-place tie with the Cardinals in the Central division, but found Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants too good on Sunday.

Vogelsong (3-4) allowed just two hits over eight innings as the Giants downed the Pirates, 5-2, whiffing five while issuing one walk. The Giants scored a run in the third and three more in the eighth inning, all off Pittsburgh starter, A.J. Burnett.

Lifted for a reliever after eight innings, the outing for Vogelsong was his best since returning from the DL in early August, resulting in his first win in four starts. He had been sidelined since late May.

The Giants and Pirates split the series, two games apiece. San Francisco is completely out of the playoff picture, but the Pirates return to Pittsburgh for a six-game home stand, with three each against Milwaukee - starting Tuesday at 7:05 pm - and St. Louis, coming in on Friday.

Today's Trivia: Again in 1968, McLain won the AL Cy Young award. In the National League, which pitcher was 26-9, threw 30 complete games, led the league in innings pitched and did NOT win the NL Cy Young award? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Philadelphia's Steve Carlton had 27 wins in 1972; as did Oakland's Bob Welch in 1990.

Clayton Kershaw Throws Eight Scoreless as Dodgers Win 10th Straight; Miguel Cabrera Downs KC with Walk-Off HR in Detroit Victory

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 17, 2013

American League

Miguel Cabrera made all the difference in Detroit's 6-5 win over the Royals on Saturday with a walk-off homer leading off the bottom of the ninth.

Miguel Cabrera

After dropping both ends of a double-header to Kansas City on Friday, the Tigers needed a lift, and it was provided by the game's biggest star.

Cabrera rocked an offering from Royal reliever, Aaron Crow, into the right field stands, his 39th on the year producing his 117th RBI. In the fourth inning, Cabrera drove in a go-ahead run with a double. He finished 2-for-5 with two RBI. Cabrera is second in the league in homers to Baltimore's Chris Davis (44) and leads the league in batting average (.361) and RBI.

Detroit's win kept them six games up on second place Cleveland, 7-1 winners at Oakland, and left KC 7 1/2 off the pace in third.

The finale of the five-game series - now tied at two games apiece - concludes Sunday at 1:08 pm EDT at Comerica Park in the Motor City.

National League

Clayton Kershaw

It's beginning to get a bit hopeless for the rest of the teams in the NL West, as the Dodgers won their 10th in a row, topping the Phillies, 4-0, as Clayton Kershaw blanked the home team over eight innings en route to his 12th win against seven losses.

Kershaw scattered three hits over his eight frames on the mound, striking out eight while walking only one. The Dodger ace threw 71 of 100 pitches for strikes and got first-pitch strikes over on 20 of the 27 batters he faced. Kershaw lowered his ERA to 1.80, lowest in the major leagues.

Brandon League came in to mop up in the ninth in the non-save situation, retiring the Phillies in order to end the game.

The Dodgers lead Arizona by 8 1/2 games with the rest of the division completely out of contention. The Diamondbacks are the only team within hailing distance of LA, and even that's a long shot with just 40 games remaining.

LA tied a major league record by going 42-8 over their last 50 games, tying the record set by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942. A win over the Phillies on Sunday would set a new major league mark for any 50-game stretch.

The Dodgers will go for the sweep - and the record - when they face the Phillies in the three-game series finale, Saturday at 1:35 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: The record for total bases in a single season is an impressive 457. Who holds that mark? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 2001, Juan Pierre led the NL by being caught stealing 17 times for the Colorado Rockies. Pierre would lead the league in the same category in 2003, 2004 and 2005 with the Florida marlins, in 2006 with the Cubs and lead the AL in 20010 and 2001 with the White Sox.

Miguel Cabrera's Three Homers Wasted in Tigers' Loss at Texas; Yonder Alonso, Padres Pound Nationals, 13-4

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 19, 2013

American League

Playing in front of a national TV audience on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Miguel Cabrera put on a power performance, but Adrian Beltre and David Murphy powered Texas to an 11-8 victory, taking their series with the Tigers three games to one.

Miguel Cabrera

Cabrera belted three homers - two solo shots and a two-run bomb - singled in the first inning and walked and scored in the sixth, but his 4-for-4, five RBI effort was for naught as the Rangers rallied from a 4-1 deficit with four runs in the fifth, four more in the sixth and two in the eighth.

David Murphy's three-run homer in the sixth gave Texas a lead they would not relinquish. Beltre had two doubles and went 4-for-5.

The loss for the Tigers left them two games behind Cleveland in the AL Central, while Texas enjoys a 6 1/2 game bulge over Oakland in the West.

Cabrera, who took down the triple crown last season, leads the league in RBI with 47, batting average (.387) and his 11 homers is one behind an AL foursome with 12.

National League

While the Giants, Rockies and Diamondbacks try to sort things out atop the NL West, San Diego continues to make progress on the leaders.

Yonder Alonso

Despite a record of 20-23, the Padres are only 4 1/2 back of Arizona, which held onto a one-game lead despite a 2-1 loss at Miami. Colorado topped the Giants, 6-0, tying the Giants for second place.

San Diego earned a 2-2 split in their home series with the Nationals, banging out 15 hits to take the finale, 13-4.

Unheralded Yonder Alonso singled, doubled and cranked out his sixth homer of the season, scoring three times and driving in a pair of runs. The Padres hammered Washington starter, Dan Haren (4-5), for seven runs on nine hits over five innings.

In his second full year with the Padres, Alonso is having a solid start to his season, batting .289 with 26 RBI.

The loss left Washington 2 1/2 behind the Braves in the East. On Monday, San Diego begins a three-game series with Central division leader, St. Louis.

Today's Trivia: In 2009, Ichiro Suzuki led the majors with 224 hits. He was followed by two players - each with more than 200 hits - who played for the same team. Who were they?

Yesterday's Answer: Albert Pujols took the NL Home Run and RBI titles; his .312 batting average was tied for fifth with teammate Matt Holliday.

Miguel Cabrera Powers Tigers over Houston in 17-2 Rout; Jose Fernandez One-Hits Phillies over Seven in Marlins' Victory

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 4, 2013

American League

The Detroit Tigers continued to hold first place in the AL Central, though only by 1/2 game over the Royals, who kept pace with a 2-0, complete-game shutout by Jeremy Guthrie (4-0).

Cabrera 4-4, 2HR 6RBI

Detroit went the offensive route, banging out 21 hits and scoring in every inning except the third, to pummel the Astros, 17-2.

Seven of the nine regulars in the Detroit lineup had two or more hits, including Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera, each with four.

Cabrera had his best day at the plate this season, going 4-for-4 with a pair of homers (his fifth and sixth) and two singles, driving in six of the Tigers' runs, scoring three times. Cabrera got things started with an RBI single in the first, then popped a two-run homer in the second, a bases-loaded walk in the third, a solo homer in the fourth and another RBI single in the seventh inning.

4-0 Max Scherzer cruised to the win, allowing three hits and a run in eight innings with eight Ks.

Cabrera, who took home the AL MVP award last season while posting a triple crown, leads the league in batting (.390) and RBI, with 36. His six homers are three off the pace of four players - Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Morse, Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis.

Winners of three straight, the Tigers go for the four-game sweep of the 8-23 Astros, Sunday at 4:10 pm EDT.

As the Tigers and Royals continue to contend for the division lead, they are being closely followed by the Indians, winners of six straight, just three games out.

National League

Fernandez: 7IP, 1H, 0ER

There haven't been many South Beach smiles for the 9-22 Marlins, but Saturday's seven-inning, one-hit performance by rookie hurler Jose Fernandez provided some promise for the future.

The Marlins took the game, 2-0, as Fernandez stymied the Phillies throughout, fanning nine while surrendering one walk for his first win as a major leaguer against two losses.

The only hit off the rookie was by Freddy Galvis, a one-out single in the first inning. Fernandez then mowed down the next 20 batters in order, before surrendering a walk to Galvis to lead off the seventh before striking out the next three batters - Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Delmon Young - all swinging.

Relievers Mike Dunn and Steve Cishek each turning in perfect innings in the eighth and ninth, Cishek earning his fourth save of the season.

The win was the Marlins' first in three games of their four-game series in Philadelphia. They'll attempt to get a split when the series concludes at 2:35 pm EDT Sunday.

Miguel Cabrera Homers as Tigers Sweep Braves; Pittsburgh's Russell Martin Cranks a Pair of Homers in 9-0 Rout of Cardinals

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 28, 2013

American League

Miguel Cabrera

In a game played during a relentless rain event, the Detroit Tigers completed their three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves with an 8-3 victory, sending the Braves to their fourth consecutive loss while the Tigers won their third straight and closed to within 1/2 game of AL Central leader, Kansas City.

Reigning AL MVP, Miguel Cabrera, turned a close game into a no-doubter with his third home run of the season, a seventh-inning, three run blast that completed the scoring for the Tigers.

Following Cabrera's homer, Al Alburquerque and Jose Valverde slammed the door shut on the Braves, each turning in hitless inning stints. Cabrera's home run was his first since April 16, though his batting average (.375, tied for second in the AL with teammate Torii Hunter) and run production have not suffered. He has 26 RBI on the season, third in the AL behind Chris Davis (28) and Mike Napoli (27).

Cabrera also doubled in three official at-bats, scoring a tie-breaking run in the sixth inning on a sac fly by Victor Martinez.

National League

Russell Martin

Russell Martin homered twice as the Pittsburgh Piratestook over first place in the tight NL Central with a 9-0 slaughter of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Martin, who came to the Pirates during the off-season after two seasons with the Yankees, cranked a first-inning solo homer to get Pittsburgh on the board in the second inning and launched a two-run jack in the ninth to complete the rout. In between, he doubled, going 3-for-5 on the day, with three RBI. Martin, who averages just 13 homers per year, has hit five already this season.

While the Pirates were piling up 13 hits on four St. Louis pitchers, Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke was humming, stifling the Cardinal bats on three hits over seven innings to get to 3-1 on the year. Reliever Justin Wilson closed folded the Cards with two innings of hitless ball.

The win put the Pirates 1/2 game up on the Cardinals with their second straight win over the redbirds after dropping the series opener in St. Louis with a 9-1 beating.

The division remains the most contentious in the majors. Following the Cardinals are Cincinnati, 1 1/2 back and Milwaukee, a mere two games behind the Pirates.

Juan Francisco Socks a Pair as Braves Go 12-1; Miguel Cabrera Leads Detroit to 1st Place in AL Central

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 16, 2013

American League

Miguel Cabrera

With their 6-2 victory at Seattle and Kansas City's 6-3 loss at Atlanta, the Detroit Tigers took over sole possession of first place in the AL Central.

Last year's MVP and triple crown winner, Miguel Cabrera provided the bulk of the tigers' offense, singling in the game's first run in the first inning, then erasing a 2-1 Seattle lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. Cabrera got his third hit of the day in the seventh, singling home Austin Jackson with an insurance tally.

Cabrera's homer was his second of the year, his 3-for-5 effort raising his batting average to .345. His four RBI upped his total to 17 on the season, the third highest total in the AL behind teammate Prince Fielder and Baltimore's Chris Davis, both of whom have 19.

Detroit leads the Royals by one game in the division and have two games remaining in Seattle before heading down the coast to play the Angels.

National League

Juan Francisco

In Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Royals, Braves' hitters produced nine hits, five of them going over the fences for solo home runs.

Justin Upton blasted his major league-leading eighth of the season, sandwiched in between bombs by Jason Heyward and Dan Uggla in the eighth inning, the Braves going back-to-back-to-back off Royals' reliever Kelvin Herrera, putting the game away with four runs in the inning.

The other runs scored by Atlanta came off the bat of Juan Francisco, who touched off solo shots in the second and seventh innings, his second blast tying the game at 2-2.

Francisco's two homers were his second and third of the season, helping Atlanta to baseball's best record. At 12-1, they lead the NL East by a whopping 4 1/2 games over the Nationals. Miami, which has begun the season with a 3-11 mark, are already 9 1/2 games off the pace.

Yanks Take AL East Behind Robinson Cano; Brandon Moss LeadsA's Win AL West; Miguel Cabrera Captures Triple Crown; NL Winners

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 3, 2012

American League

The New York Yankees wrapped up another AL East title on the final day of the season with a resounding, 14-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Curtis Granderson

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano powered the 15-hit assault on seven Red Sox pitchers, banging a pair of two run homers, two singles, scoring three times and driving in six runs, going a perfect 4-for-4.

Curtis Granderson chipped in with a three-run homer and a solo shot, giving him 43 home runs on the year, tied for second in that category with the Rangers' Josh Hamilton.

The two fell one short of Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, who ended the season tops in batting average, home runs, and RBI, at .330, 44, and 139, respectively. Cabrera, who had finished atop each of the individual categories at least once before, put it all together in a remarkable season that led the Tigers to the AL Central pennant.

Cabrera is the first player since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1967. No National Leaguer has accomplished the Triple Crown since Frank Robinson, playing for the Cincinnati Reds, did it in 1966.

Brandon Moss

Cabrera: Triple Crown

In the AL West, the Oakland A's completed a remarkable run to capture the division title, winning three straight in Oakland from the Texas Rangers, completing a season-ending six-game winning streak with a 12-3 triumph. Brandon Moss led the A's with a single and double in four at-bats, driving in three runs.

The three division races in the AL were all close, the East and West coming down to the final day of the season. The Yanks finished two games ahead of Baltimore in the East, the Tigers topped the white Sox by three games in the Central and Oakland finished one game better than Texas in the West.

Baltimore and Texas will play a one-game wild card playoff on Friday in Arlington, Texas at 8:37 pm EDT.

National League

Posey: .336 BA

With playoff positions already decided in the National League, a salute to the individual category winners:

Buster Posey won the batting title, hitting .336, tops in the majors, for the San Francisco Giants.

Braun: 41 Homers

Ryan Braun led the league in home runs for the second straight season, belting 41 for the Milwaukee Brewers.

San Diego's Chase Headley drove in 115 runs to lead the league.

Clay Kershaw of the Dodgers led all starters with a 2.53 ERA and was second in strikeouts to the Mets' R.A. Dickey, who finished with 230. Kershaw had 229.

Washington's Gio Gonzalez was the league's top winner, with 21.

The NL playoffs get underway on Friday, when the two wild cards, St. Louis and Atlanta, meet for one game in Atlanta at 5:07 pm EDT.

Tigers Clinch AL Central as Miguel Cabrera Chases Triple Crown; Kyle Kendrick Blanks Nats for 7, but Washington Still Wins NL East

Players of the Day for Monday, October 1, 2012

American League

With its 6-3 win over Kansas City, the Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central and are heading to the playoffs again. As has been the case throughout the season, Miguel Cabrera, on the verge of becoming the first triple crown winner in the majors since Carl Yastrzemski completed the feat in 1967, was at the center of the action.

Cabrera went 4-for-5, socked his major league-best 44th home run, drove in a run, giving him 137 (also tops in the majors) and boosted his batting average to .329, edging the Angels' Mike Trout at .325 for the top spot in the batting average category.

Miguel Cabrera

The Tigers still have two games to play; Trout and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers could still spoil Cabrera's bid, though it seems likely that the Tigers' third baseman will end the season the leader in the three major categories.

The win by Detroit eliminated the White Sox from the post-season as Baltimore or the Yankees and either Oakland or Texas will take the two wild cards. Oakland topped the Rangers in the first game of their regular-season-ending three game series, 4-3. Any win by the Rangers gives them the AL West. The A's have to win both of the remaining games in order to take the division. There cannot be a tie.

Baltimore lost to the Rays, 5-3, but has wrapped up one of the two wild cards. The Yankees are in the driver's seat for the division, having blasted Boston, 10-2 and needs one more win to clinch at least a tie for the title. Baltimore would have to win both of their remaining games and have the Yankees lose one for a tie. Two Baltimore wins and two Yankee losses would give the O's the division.

Kyle Kendrick

National League

Washington wrapped up the first NL East division title since the franchise moved to D.C. from Montreal in 2005 when the Atlanta Braves lost to Pittsburgh, 2-1. The Nationals lost their second straight, losing to the Phillies, 2-0, as Kyle Kendrick held the Nats scoreless for seven innings on four hits and a walk, striking out five. Three Philadelphia relievers completed the whitewash.

The Cardinals clinched at least a tie for the second wild card with a 4-2 win over the Reds. The Dodgers, winners of six straight, beat the Giants, 3-2, and continue to trail St. Louis by two games, with only two games left.

Miguel Cabrera in Serious Triple Crown Hunt; Kyle Lohse Goes Seven Scoreless for Cardinals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 18, 2012

American League

With 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Detroit Tigers - still three games behind the White Sox in the Central after Chicago beat Kansas City, 3-2, and the Tigers hammered the A's, 12-2 - are running out of time, but Miguel Cabrera hasn't yet run out of hits, homers and RBI.

Cabrera: 2HR 6RBI

Cabrera belted a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, in Detroit's win, going 3-for-4 (the other hit was a double) with six RBI, putting the Tiger slugger in a realistic position to complete the triple crown for the first time since Carl Yazstremski did it in 1967.

Cabrera's .333 average leads the league; he is tied for the RBI lead with Josh Hamilton with 129 and trails Hamilton in homers by two, at 40.

The Tigers either have to catch the White Sox or make up significant ground on the wild card teams, an unlikely occurrence since they trail the A's by six games and Baltimore and New York by 5 1/2, after the Orioles topped the Mariners, 4-2, in 18 innings.

Baltimore's win resulted in a tie atop the AL East with the Yankees, whose scheduled game against the Blue Jays was rained out.

To make up for the postponed game, the Yanks and Jays will play a day-night double-header on Wednesday.

National League

Lohse: 7 scoreless

With the largest lead in any of MLB's divisions at 11 games, the Cincinnati Reds need to win just four more games to capture the flag and be the first team to qualify for the playoffs.

Since there is no plausible reality by which the Cardinals could catch the Reds, St. Louis continues to cling to the second wild card, after beating the Astros, 4-1, Tuesday night, behind seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball by Kyle Lohse (15-3).

Lohse stymied the Astros, fanning five and walking two, while the Cardinals scored a single run in the second, added two in the fifth and another in the seventh. The St. Louis starter has been a godsend for the Cardinals. With just three losses, Lohse has the best winning percentage of any starter in the league, his 2.71 ERA is third in the NL and he is among the leaders in innings, at 199.

The St. Louis win kept the Cardinals 1 1/2 ahead of the Dodgers and 2 1/2 in front of fast-closing Milwaukee, which shut out the Pirates (3 1/2 back), 6-0, for the second wild card spot.

Chris Johnson Homers Twice in Arizona's 10-4 Win over Pittsburgh; Miguel Cabrera Helps Tigers Past Yankees, 6-5

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 7, 2012

American League

Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera is having another fabulous season for the Detroit Tigers. His 95 RBI lead the American League. He is second in batting, at .326, and the home run he socked in the Tigers' 6-5 win over the Yankees was his 25th, tying him for second on that list.

Who knew, with less than two months left in the season, he'd be making a run at a triple crown?

Cabrera doubled and homered in four at-bats Tuesday, driving in three runs, scoring once.

With the White Sox losing to Kansas City, 5-2, the Tigers are just 1/2 game off the pace in the AL Central, as they seek to sweep their four-game series in Detroit with the Yankees.

They've won the first two games, with the third and fourth on schedule for Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.


National League

Now that Arizona has made up considerable ground in the NL West, they seem reluctant to go away, remaining four games off the pace set by the Giants after their 10-4 shelling of Pittsburgh.

Johnson: 2HR 5RBI

The Diamondbacks dropped the first game of their four-game set in Pittsburgh, 4-0, but evened the series when Chris Johnson erased a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning with a three-run homer, then piled on with plenty of insurance with a two-run bomb in the top of the ninth.

Since being traded from Houston, Johnson has stroked five homers and 15 RBI for Arizona in eight games.

The win snapped a three game losing streak for Arizona, keeping them within range of the lead in their division. They remain moored in third place, but they are in a much better position than just after the all star break. From July 20 through August 3rd, the Diamondbacks were one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 11-3 during that span and making up ground on both the Dodgers and Giants.

The Pirates are 3 1/2 back of Cincinnati in the Central, so both teams are looking to win the last two games of the series, Wednesday and Thursday.

Aaron Harang Hurls Dodgers Back into First in West; Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera Boost Tigers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 4, 2012

American League

Justin Verlander

After losing the first two games of their four-game series with the Twins, the Detroit Tigers needed a win badly, and turned to their ace, Justin Verlander, to deliver a win.

Miguel Cabrera

Not only did the big righty produce a winning effort, but the Detroit power hitters backed him at the plate. Prince Fielder stroked a two-run double in the opening inning and Miguel Cabrera homered twice, drove in three runs and scored three times in the 5-1 Tiger win.

Verlander scattered four hits, the only run coming off the bat of Chris Parmalee, his fifth inning solo shot cutting the Detroit lead to one. Otherwise, Verlander demonstrated his usual dominance, going the distance for his ninth win against five defeats, fanning seven and walking just one.

Cabrera, after scoring in the first inning on Fielder's double, took matters into his own hands in the late stages of the game, socking a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run job in the seventh to complete a 3-for-3 effort. Cabrera has 18 home runs and 68 RBI, second in the league behind Josh Hamilton's 74.

Detroit remained in third place, 4 1/2 games back of the White Sox in the Central. The Tigers and Twins finish up their series Thursday afternoon in Detroit.

National League

Aaron Harang

The Dodgers conceded first place in the NL West to the Giants just a few days ago, but took it back on Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Cincinnati, who relinquished their lead in the Central to the Pirates.

Aaron Harang tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run on Devin Mesoraco's solo homer in the fifth inning. Harang, staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, struck out five and walked just one to improve to 6-5. Ronald Belisario worked the eighth and Kenley Jansen the ninth, neither reliever giving up a hit. Belisraio struck out the side in his inning of work; Jansen fanned two, picking up his 14th save.

While the Dodgers were taking their second straight from the Reds, Washington defeated the Giants for the second straight time, 9-4, and Pittsburgh won its third straight over the Astros, 6-4, to grab a one game lead in the division.

The Dodgers lead San Francisco by 1/2 game in the West. LA heads to Arizona for four games with the Diamondbacks, leading up to the all star break.

Andy Dirks, Miguel Cabrera Drive Detroit Past A's; Stephen Strasburg fans 13 in Washington Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 10, 2012

American League

With their minds set on repeating as champions of the Central division, the Detroit Tigers remained two games behind Cleveland with a 10-6 win at Oakland in the opener of a four game series, while the Indians took care of business with an 8-3 victory over the bumbling Boston Red Sox.

Andy Dirks

Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a double, three singles, three RBI and a run scored, driving in a pair as part of an eight-run third inning, in which the Tigers sent 13 batters to the plate.

Miguel Cabrera

Andy Dirks got the Tigers off to a fast start with a solo homer in the first, one of four hits in four at-bats on the night for the second-year outfielder. His other three hits all singles, Dirks scored twice and leads the Tigers with a .383 batting average and is hitting .455 with three homers and nine RBI over his last 10 games.

The eight hits by Dirks and Cabrera were part of a 17-hit barrage by the bat-happy Tigers.

At 16-15, Detroit hasn't exactly dominated the division, though they are 7-6 as a road team. They'll have three more opportunities to improve their road record in Oakland over the weekend.


National League

Stephen Strasburg

In the only National League game of the day, the Washington Nationals regained sole possession of first place in the East division with a 4-2 victory at Pittsburgh.

Stephen Strasburg worked his magic from the mound, fanning 13 over six innings, while allowing one earned run off five hits and three walks. Having to battle with men on in four of his six innings of work, Strasburg, the NL strikeout leader (51), baffled hitters with teammates on the bases with strikeouts, and, at one point fanned seven straight Pirates.

Improving to 3-0 on the season, Strasburg helped the Nats avoid a sweep in the three-game series and back to a 1/2 game lead over idle Atlanta in the division, with the surprising Mets - winners of five straight - a game back and resurgent Miami three out. Philadelphia remained in the cellar, 5 1/2 back.

The Nationals head straight to Cincinnati for a three game weekend set, starting on Friday.