Ryan Braun Homers Three Times for Brewers; David Ortiz, Mike Aviles Lead Boston

Players of the Day for Monday, April 30, 2012

American League

David Ortiz

Following a a tough start, the Red Sox are back at .500 with an 11-11 record, good enough for last place in the AL East. In either of the other two AL divisions, Boston would be in second place, but, that's mere conjecture and idle specualtion.

Mike Aviles

On the final day of April, the Sox beat up on the A's, scoring 11 runs on 11 hits for an 11-6 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz socked a pair of solo homers - his fifth and sixth of the season - and scored three times, while at the top of the order, shortstop Mike Aviles - acquired last season from Kansas City - parked a three-run shot in the left-center stands in the fifth inning, drove in another run with a single and scored twice.

Despite their pedestrian record, last place in the AL East doesn't look so bad when you're only 3 1/2 games off the pace, currently being set by Tampa Bay.


National League

Braun: 3 HR 6 RBI

Fresh off a 3-2 win at St. Louis, which avoided being swept by the Cardinals, the Brewers took their road trip to its next stop, San Deigo, where Ryan Braun unloaded for three home runs in consecutive at-bats and finished off his highlight-reel night with a two-run tripe in the ninth as the Brewers popped the Padres, 8-3.

After flying out to center in the first, Braun homered with one out and no men aboard in the fourth, socked a two-run shot in the fifth and sent out another solo shot in the seventh, giving the 2011 NL MVP seven long balls for the season.

Braun finished 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBI. His three-homer effort was the second of the season in the majors this year. Curtis Granderson turned the trick in New York in the AL.

It was the first time Braun has homered three times in a game. The Brewers' victory kept them in the NL Central hunt, 3 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, with the Reds in between, 3 games out.

Amazing Aviles Leads Royals Sweep of Twins; Bud Norris Silences Brewer Bats

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 1, 2011

American League

Mike Aviles

Really, nobody saw this coming.

With a 10-3 victory, the Kansas City Royals completed a weekend sweep of the Minnesota Twins. After winning 4-3 on Friday, the last two games weren't even close. Kansas City dominated.

The Royals are firmly entrenched at second place in the AL Central, while sending the Twins to the basement of the division. Minnesota is the only team in the major leagues which hasn't won at least 10 games. They are 9-18, tied with the 10-19 White Sox, 10 games back of Cleveland.

The hits just keep coming for the Royals; Sunday's star was second baseman Mike Aviles, a .250 hitter who played like he was a Triple Crown candidate. Aviles went 3-for-5, singled in a run in the 6th and socked a three-run homer in the 8th to put the game away. He also stole a base, scored twice and drove in four runs, giving him the team lead, with 21.

Kansas City is 15-13, 4 1/2 behind the Indians.

National League

Bud Norris

Through 26 games this season, nobody had shut out the milwaukee Brewers.

That fact didn't faze Houston's Bud Norris, who blanked the Brewers for 7 2/3 innings, turned the ball over to his bullpen and got the win in a 5-0 shutout.

Norris cruised through the Milwaukee lineup with aplomb, allowing three hits and three walks while fanning 11. Every starting position player for the Brewers struck out at least once.

It was Norris' second win of the season against one loss, though he's pitched well enough to deserve a few more victories. His Houston teammates don't provide much offense, usually. Norris lowered his ERA to 3.03 and upped his strikeout total to 43.

Houston remains at the bottom of the NL Central. At 11-17, they trail division-leading St. Louis by five games.

Aviles Keeps Hope Alive in KC; Manny Breaks Out

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 15, 2010 American League Long-suffering fans in Kansas City actually have some things about which to cheer this season, as the Royals - serial cellar-dwellers - have managed to stay out of last place most of the season. At 28-37, there are actually three AL teams with worse records: Cleveland, Baltimore and Seattle. Of course, just not being in last place isn't the goal for the Royals. Maybe making it to .500 would be appropriate. They seem to be headed in the right direction, at least offensively, demonstrating their prowess at the plate Tuesday night with a 15-7 romp over Houston in front of a home crowd. The Royals banged out 20 hits, with every starter getting at least one base knock. Going 4-for-5 was second baseman/shortstop Mike Aviles, who's been on something of a tear lately, hitting safely in six of his last seven, raising his batting average to a lofty .321 on the year. Aviles didn't do anything resembling heroic, as all of his hits were singles, but he did get them at the right time, driving in four runs and coming around to score three times. The four ribbies upped his season total to ten, though that's really not the focus for the 5'10" Aviles. So long as he keeps swinging a hot bat, he may move up in the order, maybe even into the two-hole, to help keep hopes alive in Kansas City. National League In the only non-interleague game of the evening, the LA Dodgers - second in the NL West, 1/2 game behind the Padres - treated the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds with an overabundance of disrespect, knocking them off by a lopsided 12-0 score. While Hiroki Kuroda (6-4) and three relievers blanked the Reds, Dodger batters were knocking the ball all around the yard, racking up 19 hits against five different Reds' hurlers. Leadoff man, Rafael Furcal went 5-for-6; James Loney, 4-for-5, but Manny Ramirez singled twice and hit a two-run homer in four at-bats, drove in four runs and scored three times. Manny hasn't been making many headlines this season, as his homer was just his 6th of the year and he's only driven in 32 runs, but the batting average is up to .298, and the win kept the Dodgers 1/2 game back of the Padres, so maybe better things are in store for the second half of the season. The loss put the Reds back into a tie for first in the Central, as St. Louis simply will not go away. The two teams are deadlocked at 36-29, looking down on the rest of the division. The third-place Cubs are 7 1/2 games back.

Kouzmanoff Delivers for Padres; Aviles a Rookie to Watch

Players of the Day from Saturday, June 14, 2008 American League Keep your eye on rookie shortstop Mike Aviles of Kansas City. In the Royals' 12-3 romp over Arizona, Aviles went 4-for-5 with a single, two doubles and his second home run of the season, driving in 2 runs and scoring four times. The game was only the 10th of Aviles' short career, but it's already his 4th multiple-hit game. The effort boosted his batting average to .361. Eight of his 13 hits have been for extra bases. Notes: The Tigers continued their winning ways with their 5th straight, slugging their way past the Dodgers, 12-7, to pull to within 7 games of the White Sox in the Central. National League The San Diego Padres had already taken a one-run lead in the 10th, but Kevin Kouzmanoff made sure they'd stay on top, belting a grand slam to help the Padres finish off Cleveland, 8-3. Kouzmanoff had doubled earlier in the game, and finished his night 2-for-5 with 4 RBI. The homer was his 10th of the season. The Padres' win pulled them to within a game of second place Los Angeles. The Dodgers trail Arizona by 5 1/2 games in the NL West. Notes: The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are pulling away from the pack in the NL Central. Both won last night, while the Brewers, Astros, Pirates and Reds all suffered losses. The Cubs hold a 3 1/2-game edge on the Cards, with the Brewers 5 games further back.