Yankees Extend AL East Lead on Raul Ibanez Grand Slam: Miguel Montero Leads D'Backs over Reds

Players of the Day for Monday, July 16, 2011

American League

The Yankees keep pouring it on, extending the largest lead in the majors to nine games as they opened a three-game series with the Blue Jays with a 6-3 victory.

Ibanez: Grand Slam

Their win, combined with Baltimore's 19-7 pounding in Minnesota, increased New York's advantage in the AL East to nine games.

Part of the reason the 55-34 Yankees have the best record in baseball is beacuse of their deep bench, which includes players like Raul Ibanez, a professional hitter in his 15th full season.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Ibanez took a 3-1 offering from Toronto reliever Jason Frasor deep to right field for a grand slam, breaking a 2-2 tie and leading to the the win.

Playing regularly since injury sidelined Brett Gardner early in the season, Ibanez has 12 homers and 40 RBI and has been a key contributor from the middle and bottom of the lineup.

National League

Races in the National League are all close, with the Nationals; 2 1/2 game edge over Atlanta in the East the largest margin.

Montero: 3-4 4RBI

In the West, Arizona has quietly kept itself in contention as the Giants overtook the Dodgers and have forged a two game lead over LA, with Arizona six back after defeating the Reds in the opener of a four game series in Cincinnati by a 5-3 score.

Catcher Miguel Montero led the Diamondback hitters with a 3-for-4 effort, including a three-run double in the first inning and a solo homer - his 9th - off Cincy starter Bronson Arroyo.

Arroyo would last only three innings, allowing all five runs off eight hits.

Montero's four RBI gave him 49 on the season.

The Reds and Diamondbacks continue their series Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.

Miguel Montero Leads Arizona over Seattle; Justin Masterson's Complete Game Keeps Indians in First

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 20, 2012

American League

Cleveland hold onto first place in the AL Central, thanks to a complete game win by Justin Masterson, who struck out nine while holding the visiting Reds to three hits in a 7-1 Indians' victory.

Justin Masterson

Masterson (4-6) didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning and no Cincinnati runner reached second base safely until the eighth inning, when the Reds manufactured their only run of the game - unearned - on an error, double and ground out. Masterson finished in strong fashion fanning the final four batters he faced and didn't issue a walk the entire game.

With the White Sox blanking the Cubs, 7-0, Cleveland maintained their 1/2 game lead in the division and completed the sweep of Cincinnati, who are still 2 1/2 games clear of Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

National League

Miguel Montero

Arizona's Miguel Montero socked a two-run homer and added a pair of singles to go 3-for-4 with four RBI as the Diamondbacks pounded the Mariners, 14-10.

Montero's fourth-inning blast got the Diamondbacks to within one run of Seattle at 5-4, and they tied the score later in the frame. Scoring five in the fifth and four more in the sixth inning, the Diamondbacks pulled away from the visiting Mariners and ended their series taking two of three.

Arizona continues to struggle along in the NL West, a game under .500 at 34-35 and eight games behind the LA Dodgers.

Rookie Eric Hosmer Brings Home Game-Winner in 10th; Justin Upton, Miguel Montero Scorch Rockies

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 23, 2011

American League

Eric Hosmer

After a promising start, the situation is back to normal in Kansas City, with the team in last place in the AL Central, 11 games behind Detroit and 16 games under .500 (42-56).

To Eric Hosmer, however, it's a chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues, and in Saturday's 10-inning, 5-4 win over the Rays, he strengthened his case, going 3-for-5, scoring two runs and driving in the game-winner.

In the 4th inning, Hosmer tied the game at 2-2 when he raced around the bases from first on Mike Moustakas' double to center. Hosmer scored again in the 6th, singling, advancing to third and coming home on a sac fly to get the Royals within one, at 4-3.

The big moment came in the 10th, after KC had tied the game, when Hosmer doubled home the winning run as pinch runner Mike Aviles motered home from first.

Hosmer has credentials for rookie of the year, toting a .277 batting average with nine homers and 40 RBI... and his second walk-off hit of the season.

National League

Miguel Montero

Justin Upton and Miguel Montero absolutely torched the Colorado Rockies, sparking the Diamondbacks to a lopsided, 12-3 win.

Justin Upton

The Arizona pair combined for five hits and 11 of the D-Backs' 12 runs. Both doubled in two runs in the first inning, and they both had homers - Upton's a grand slam and Montero's a two-run job. Montero also was awarded an RBI when he walked with the bases loaded in the 6th inning.

Upton went 3-for-5 with six RBI; Montero was 2-for-4 with five ribbies.

The win helped Arizona stay within range of the NL West-leading Giants at four games out. San Fran beat Milwaukee, 4-2, on Saturday. The Diamondbacks also trail Altanta by five games in the wild card race.

STREAKS: Florida Marlins third baseman Emilio Bonifacio went 2-or-4, extending his career-best hitting streak to 22 games, as the Marlins downed the Mets, 8-5. Seattle equalled the franchise record for futility, losing their 14th straight, as Boston downed the Mariners, 3-1.

Montero Doubles Three Times for Arizona; Vernon Wells Bangs Pair of Homers; Jeter within 6 of 3000, but Injured

Players of the Day for Monday, June 13, 2011

American League

With only three scheduled games, Monday was something of a slow day in the American League, though the LA Angels made the most of it by topping Seattle, 6-3, as the two teams opened a three-game series in the Pacific Northwest.

Vernon Wells,
a sub-.200 hitter?

There's still a pennant race in the West, but the Angels have recently fallen a bit behind. With their win on Monday, they are 32-36, 4 1/2 games back of the Rangers, who lead Seattle by two. Oakland, losers of nine of their last 10, have fallen out of it, now a full eight games off the pace.

Angels' hopes were buoyed by finally getting some production out of Vernon Wells, the erstwhile star from Toronto who is batting just .196 this season. Wells cashed a pair of home runs in the win, a solo shot in the 3rd and a two-run job in the 7th which broke a 3-3 tie and chased Seattle starter, Jason Vargas.

Granted, Wells has only played in 41 games this season, missing most of the month of May on the DL, but he's failed to crack the .200 mark since a 1-for-4 effort opening day against the Royals. His 2-for-4 output on Monday is the closest he's been to the .200 plateau since April 1.

National League

Miguel Montero

Arizona catcher Miguel Montero spanked doubles in his first three at-bats, leading the Diamondbacks to a 12-9 win at Florida.

Montero started off the game with a bases-loaded double in the first, clearing them for three of his four RBI. In the 3rd, he doubled home Stephen Drew and in the 4th he doubled and scored, putting the D-Backs up by an 11-3 score.

The Marlins tried to cut into the lead, but eventually came up just a little short, even though the Florida bullpen held Arizona scoreless after the 4th inning.

After losing the opener of the series on Friday, Arizona bounced back for three straight wins over the Marlins, cutting the Giants' lead in the NL West to 1/2 game. Florida, meanwhile, has gone from hot to not, following up a 6-3 road trip with a horrific 1-10 home stand, falling 7 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the East, and giving up second place to the Braves, who are just 2 1/2 behind.

JETER 3000 WATCH: Fans tracking Derek Jeter's path to 3000 hits will have to wait a little longer. After recording hit number 2994 with a first inning single in the Yankees' 1-0 loss to Cleveland on Monday, Jeter left the field in the 5th inning, limping down the first base line on a routine fly out, heading straight to the dugout in obvious pain.

He failed to come out to the field in the Yankees' 6th and has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 (the least severe) strain of his right calf. He's already been scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's opener with the Rangers, the start of a three-game series, but, unfortunately, the end of the Yankees' current home stand. Jeter will not likely be placed on the DL, though there's no immediate timetable for his expected return to action.

The Yanks go on the road for six interleague games (Cubs, Reds) before returning to Yankee Stadium for a pair of three-game sets with the Rockies and Brewers, so it's conceivable that the rabid New York fans may get to see him crack the 3000-hit mark at home, should he miss, say, five or six of the next nine games.

Hunter, Abreu Lead Angels; Upton, Johnson, Montero Star in D-Backs 15-4 Defeat of Marlins

Players of the Day for Monday, May 30, 2011

American League

Bobby Abreu

The importance of winning early in the season is often understated, but to the veteran players around the league, every game is meaningful.

Torii Hunter

That sentiment is surely not lost on Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, as they try to keep the Angels within striking distance of defending AL West champion, Texas.

In the Angels' 10-8 triumph at Kansas City Monday, both players had big games and important hits. Abreau went 4-for-5 - two doubles, two singles - scored twice and drove in a pair of runs, while Hunter was 3-for-5, with a pair of homers, the second of which came in the 9th inning with the Angels down a run. His two-run blast turned an 8-7 Royals' lead into a 9-8 advantage for the Angels. Hunter drove in four runs, giving him 31 on the year.

LA has managed to keep the Rangers within view, as Texas is just one game in front of the Angels, but the rest of the division is right in the mix, with Seattle 1 1/2 back and the A's 2 1/2 off the pace.

Justin Upton

National League

Kelly Johnson

The hottest team in the majors has to be the Arizona Diamondbacks, winners of seven straight, including Monday's 15-4 pasting of the Florida Marlins.

Arizona has surged from the back of the pack to the top of the NL Western division, with a 1/2 game lead over the Giants. This incredible 14-2 run began on May 14, after the Diamondbacks had lost five straight and fallen into the division basement.

Miguel Montero

In Monday's road fest, Arizona banged out 19 hits. Leadoff hitter, Kelly Johnson could have hit for the cycle as he needed only a single to do so, but instead hammered a pair of homer runs, a double, a triple, scored three times and drove in three runs. Catcher Miguel Montero drove in five runs, going 3-for-5 at the plate, including a three-run homer, but Justin Upton was unstoppable, going 5-for-5 with four singles and his 10th home run of the season. He scored three runs, drove in three and stole a base for good measure.

The game was the first of three with Florida. The Marlins find themselves in the usual position of looking up the standing at Philadelphia. They trail the Phillies by three games in the East.

Catch This: Mauer, Montero Lead Twins, D-Backs

Players of the Day from Saturday, August 16, 2008 American League Joe Mauer is probably the best-hitting catcher in the majors. On Saturday, Mauer singled, doubled, homered, drove in two runs and scored the game winner in Minnesota's 7-6 win at Seattle.

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That kept the Twins tied with the White Sox for first place in the AL Central, as Chicago won, 2-1, in Oakland. Mauer is hitting .321, second in the AL batting race, behind Boston's Dustin Pedroia, at .322. Notes: The Rays and Red Sox both lost, but the Yankees won, and picked up a game on both. New York beat KC, 3-2, in 13, but are still 9 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and 6 behind the Red Sox. National League Miguel Montero only has 137 at-bats this season, but as Arizona's backup catcher, he and Chris Young came through big as the Diamondbacks hammered Houston, 11-5. Both Young and Montero hit grand slam homers in the win. Montero also doubled and hit a solo home run, totaling 5 RBI. The D-Backs have scored 23 runs in two wins over Houston this weekend, and, coupled with LA's 4-3 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday, have regained a 1-game lead in the NL West. Notes: The Cubs lost, 2-1, to Florida, so Milwaukee is back within 4 1/2 games in the Central. The Cardinals pounded the Reds, 9-3, and are 6 1/2 back in the Central. The Mets won, 7-4, over the Pirates, while Philly was losing at San Diego, 8-3. That puts NY 2 games in front of the Phillies and 3 1/2 to the good past Florida.