Christian Yelich Leads Brewers In Chase of Cubs; Mike Trout 5-for-5 As Angels Whip White Sox

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 8, 2018

American League

Trout: 5-for-5, 2HR, 5RBI

Even though the Angels are out of contention for the post-season, Mike Trout is still putting up some impressive numbers.

Trout went 5-for-5 with two home runs, five RBI and three runs as the Angels defeated the White Sox, 12-3. Trout's homer was his 33rd of the season. He is batting .316 with 68 RBI. The LA outfielder is fourth in the AL in batting and tied for sixth in home runs with Giancarlo Stanton and Francisco Lindor.

Elsewhere, the west division leader, Houston, won their seventh straight, knocking off Boston at Fenway Park for the second straight game, 5-3. The Astros can't seem to shake off the A's, who have won three straight and are 3 1/2 back in the division. The Yankees were also winners on Saturday, defeating the Mariners in Seattle, 4-2. New York is 7 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the AL East and holds the top spot in the wild card race, 3 1/2 better than the A's.

Houston wraps up it's series in Boston, and the Yanks will be looking to sweep the Mariners Sunday.

National League

Yelich: .316, 28HR, 86RBI

Much like the famous line from the movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," the Chicago Cubs may be looking over their shoulders at the Milwaukee Brewers, asking, "who are those guys?"

After dropping two games to the Washington Nationals, the Cubs' lead in the NL Central has dwindled to 2 1/2 games after Christian Yelich and the Brewers defeated the Giants, 4-3.

Who is Christian Yelich? He's the Brewers' 26-year-old left fielder who just happens to be second in the league in batting at .316 (behind Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett, .317), with 28 homers (tied for 11th with teammate Travis Shaw) and 86 RBI (tied for 9th with Philadelphia's Ryhs Hoskins).

Yellich and Shaw both homered in the Milwaukee win, backing 5 2/3 shutout innings by starting pitcher, Gio Gonzalez (8-11). It was Gonzalez's first start for the Brewers after his separation from the Washington Nationals.

The Brewers have taken two straight at home from the Giants and will be looking for the series sweep when they take the field Sunday at

Mike Trout, Albert Pujols Power Angels Past A's; Nats' Stephen Strasberg Shuts Out Marlins

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Trout: 4-for-4, HR, 4 R

American League

With the Yankees getting swept three straight by Cleveland, dropping both ends of a Yankee Stadium doubleheader Wednesday, the AL wild card race has suddenly become a life-and-death affair for eight teams, all within five games of each other.

New York's lead as the top wild card has slipped to a single game over the Twins, but even they are not safe, despite winning three straight. The Angels are one game back and the Orioles won their seventh straight to end the day 1 1/2 behind the Twins and 2 1/2 behind the Yankees. The other teams in contention are Texas, Tampa Bay, Seattle, and Kansas City.

In LA, capped by Cliff Pennington's grand slam, the Angels rallied for five runs in the seventh inning, overtaking the A's for a 10-8 victory and a three-game sweep.

Pujols: 2 HR, 4 RBI

Albert Pujols socked a pair of home runs, scored three runs and drove in four. Mike Trout went 4-for-4, scored four runs, and drove in one with a first inning solo homer, his 27th. Pujols banged out numbers 20 and 21, tying Jim Thome for seventh place on the career HR list, at 612. At 37, Pujols has played 17 seasons. The six players ahead of him on the career list all played 22 seasons, except for Hank Aaron (755), who played 23. The LA slugger has an outside chance of catching Barry Bonds (762) for the all-time lead, but almost certainly will make the 700 club if he remains in good health.

With the sweep behind them, the Angels get a day off Thursday and begin a nine-game road trip Friday, starting with three games in Texas with the Rangers.

National League

The Miami Marlins were red hot entering their three-game series with at NL East leader, Washington. After being swept, including Wednesday's 4-0 shutout courtesy of Stephen Strasberg, they couldn't get out of town soon enough.

Strasberg Shuts Out Miami

Strasberg, who hurled the complete game shutout (first of the season), was largely untouchable, except for T.J. Realmuto, who had three of the six hits off the National's hurler, a single, double and triple. Strasberg threw 78 of 110 pitches for strikes, fanning eight and walking one.

The shutout left the Marlins tied with the Cardinals, 5 1/2 games back of Colorado for the second wild card spot, but Milwaukee is ahead of them, three games down to the Rockies. Arizona holds a three-game lead in the top position.

Sweeping the series also virtually ended any hope in the NL East, expanding the Nationals' lead to 15 games over Miami, with 30 remaining.

The Marlins head back to Miami for a three-game series starting Friday with the Phillies. Washington opens a four-game series with another contending team, the Brewers, in Milwaukee, Thursday night.

Mike Trout's 4-for-4, Grand Slam Lifts Angels; Carlos Gonzalez Smacks Two Homers, Drives in Six for Rockies

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 26, 2015

American League

Trout: 4-4, Grand Slam

Regaining the major league home run lead from teammate Albert Pujols, Mike Trout helped the Angels salvage a win in their three-game series with Texas, going 4-for-4 with a pair of singles and two homers (#s 30, 31), one of which was a grand slam.

After dropping the first two games of the series, 4-2, and, 7-6, the Angels roared back on Sunday with a 13-7 rout.

Combined with Houston's 5-1 loss at Kansas City, the win pushed the Angels back into sole possession of first place in the AL West with a one-game lead over the Astros.

Trout socked a solo homer in the first inning, then followed up with the grand slam in the sixth, blowing open a game that the Angels led by only a run - 3-2 - entering the inning.

By the time the Rangers got to bat again in the top of the seventh, it was 8-2, and the outcome largely determined.

Gonzalez: 2HR, 6RBI

Trout's 4-for-4 effort boosted his batting average to .315, among the league leaders, and his five RBI gave him 64 on the season, fifth-best in the American League.


National League

After singling home the first run in Colorado's half of the third inning, Carlos Gonzalez capped a 10-run outburst by the Rockies with a two-run homer, giving Colorado a 12-4 lead over the visiting Reds.

Gonzalez smashed another homer - this time a three-run shot - in the fifth inning, tallying six RBI on the day and helping the Rockies to a 15-hit, 17-7 victory, taking two out of three from the visiting Reds.

The homers were Gonzalez's 17th and 18th of the season, his 3-for-4 effort giving him a .270 batting average with 47 RBI.

The win didn't help Colorado much, as they still are last in the NL West, 12 games behind the LA Dodgers, who hold a one-game edge over he Giants.

One of the more prolific hitters in the National League, 29-year-old Gonzalez has 154 homers and 504 RBI with a .291 average in eight major league seasons.

Mike Trout Powers Angels over Rockies, 11-0; Chris Carter 3-for-3 in 13-7 Pounding of Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Grapefruit League

Carter: 3-3 4RBI

Following a strong 2014 campaign, Houston's Chris Carter is hoping to maintain the power stroke that produced 37 home runs and 88 RBI and improve on his .227 batting average.

He appears to be heading in the proper direction after going 3-for-3 with a single and two doubles in Tuesday's 13-7 rip of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carter drove in four runs, snapping out of the 1-12 streak that had started his Spring training.

Houston, one of the worst teams in the majors last season, improved to 7-4; the Pirates dipped to a 6-6 mark.


Cactus League

Trout: 2HR 6RBI

Evening their record at 7-7, the LA Angels clubbed the Rockies, 11-3, powered by a pair of homers from 2014 L MVP, Mike Trout, and his six RBI.

Off to a blazing start in the Arizona heat, Trout has three homers and 10 RBI, along with a sizzling .545 batting average. Last season he batted .287 with 36 home runs and 111 RBI.

Leadoff man, Cole Calhoun went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs and a stolen base. The Angels totaled 15 hits off seven Rockies' hurlers, while five members of the Angels staff held their opponents to just two hits.

Jered Weaver, Mike Trout Help Angels Reduce Magic Number to 4; Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Zack Greinke Lead Dodgers Past Giants, 17-0

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 13, 2014

American League

Mike Trout

Jered Weaver

With 14 games left to play in their regular season, the LA Angels have the best record in the majors and are looking squarely at the AL West title and home field throughout their stay in the playoffs.

In Saturday's 5-2 win over Houston, two of the players most responsible for the success of the Angels - and their current 10-game winning streak - provided the keys to victory.

Starter Jered Weaver became the AL's first 17-game winner, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings with 12 strikeouts and one walk, while Mike Trout belted a pair of homers and a double in three at-bats, and drove in two runs, boosting his RBI total to 107, which leads the majors. Trout's two solo homers gave him 34 on the year, tying him for third in the AL with Chicago's Jose Abreu.

The win pushed the Angels' magic number for clinching the division down to four, their lead over the A's remaining at 11 games, as Oakland dropped Seattle 3-2 in 10 innings.

Zack Greinke

The A's remain in line for the first wild card spot, though their lead over Kansas City is just 1/2 game. Seattle fell to 1 1/2 off the pace.

Seeking a sweep of the three-game series and their 11th straight win, the Angels host the Astros, Sunday at 3:35 pm EDT.

National League

Matt Kemp

After being embarrassed, 9-0, in Friday's opener of the three game series in San Francisco, the LA Dodgers calmly slipped the shoe onto the other foot and mashed out 24 hits in a 17-0 slaughter of the Giants on Saturday, re-establishing a two-game lead in the division over their northern California rivals.

Hanley Ramirez

Matt Kemp was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a single, driving in three runs in the rout. Hanley Ramirez went 4-for-5 - a double and three singles - drove in a pair of runs and scored one.

Starting pitcher, Zack Grienke, worked six innings of scoreless ball, allowing four hits without a walk, fanning five, and also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs.

To say the least, the game was out of hand by the middle of the second inning, when the Dodgers had alredy put eight runs on the scoreboard. Giants' starter, Tim Hudson, worked into the second inning but didn't record an out in that frame, allowing six runs on eight hits.

While the loss was a setback for the Giants in the division race, they managed to keep a four-game edge in the wild card, as Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Atlanta all lost.

Orioles, Angels Magic Numbers: 5; Mike Trout Leads Angels to Ninth Straight; Madison Bumgarner Stifles Dodgers, Giants within One

Players of the Day for Friday, September 12, 2014

American League

While the East and West became nearly sorted out on Friday, the Central division and two wild card sport remain up for grabs in the American League.

Mike Trout

Baltimore took both ends of a day-night double-header, winning the first game by a 2-1 score in 11 innings and taking the second with a 5-0 skunking of the power-deficient Yankees, who saw their slim hopes of reaching the post-season take a dismal turn for the worse. The Orioles have won six straight, have an 11 1/2 game lead over Toronto and a magic number for clinching the division of five.

In LA, the Angels dropped their magic number to five as well, cruising to their ninth straight win, an 11-3 spanking of the Astros, to take an 11-game division lead.

The Angels were led by potential league MVP, Mike Trout, who doubled and tripled in four at-bats, scored twice and drove in two runs, expanding his AL RBI lead to four over Nelson Cruz and Miguel Cabrera. Trout has 105 RBI on the season and is tied with Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins for the MLB lead.

Detroit won and Kansas City lost, putting the Tigers 1/2 game ahead in the topsy-turvy Central division. The wild card scenario continued to tighten, as the A's lost and Seattle won, leaving Oakland 1/2 game ahead of both Seattle and Kansas City. Cleveland and Toronto are another four back, the Yankees five away from the second wild card.

National League

Bumgarner: 18-9

Opening a three-game series in San Francisco, the white-hot Giants pounded their West coast rivals, the LA Dodgers, with a 9-0 beating, led by home runs from Brandon Crawford and Travis Ishikawa and seven innings of shutout ball from Madison Bumgarner, who became the fourth NL pitcher to notch 18 wins.

Bumgarner (18-9) allowed just three hits and walked two for the win. He struck out nine, giving him 208 Ks on the year, trailing Stephen Strasburg (223), Johnny Cueto (220), and Clayton Kershaw (210).

Along with Bumgarner, Kershaw, Cueto and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright also have 18 wins for the year.

Juan Gutierrez finished the whitewash of the Dodgers with two perfect innings in relief.

The win pushed the Giants to within one game of the Dodgers for the lead in the NL West. San Francisco, winners of four straight, is well-positioned for the post-season, with a four-game lead over Pittsburgh in the wild card race. The Pirates have won three in a row and lead Milwaukee by 1 1/2 and Atlanta by 3 1/2 for the final wild card berth.

The Dodgers and Giants take the field for game two of their series at 6:05 pm PDT on Saturday.

American League Wins All-Star Game Again, 5-3; Mike Trout MVP

Player of the Day for July 15, 2014

2014 MLB All Star Game

The American League continued its decades-long dominance over their Nation League rivals, winning the 2014 All Star game by a 5-3 score, ensuring the the AL entrant in the World Series will have home field advantage.

Trout, MVP

The AL has won 14 of the last 18 mid-summer classics, losing three straight from 2010-2012, but now having won the last two. The 2002 exhibition ended in a 7-7 tie at Milwaukee's Miller Park.

St. Louis pitchers, Adam Wainwright and reliever Pat Nesheck were tagged for all five runs, as AL hitters savaged starter Wainwright for three first inning scores, including a double by leadoff hitter Derek Jeter, a run-scoring triple by game MVP Mike Trout of the LA Angels, and a two-run homer by Detroit's Miguel Cabrera.

The National Leaguers evened the score at 3-3 with two runs in the second inning and one more in the fourth. Milwaukee's Jonathan Lucroy doubled in both innings, driving in a run in each.

But the NL could not maintain their momentum as the second Cardinal hurler to go to the mound, Pat Nesheck allowed a pair of one-out singles by Derek Norris and Alexi Ramirez and a double by Trout to give the AL a 4-3 lead. Jose Altuve delivered a sac fly scoring Ramirez from third to complete the scoring.

Trout finished 2-for-3, with a double, triple, two RBI and a run scored. Nesheck took the loss; Detroit's Max Scherzer took the victory, giving up a double in the fifth to Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki, but holding the NL scoreless.

Minnesota's Glen Perkins pitched a perfect nine-pitch ninth for the save.

Mike Trout, Angels Pound Mariners, 12-0; Daniel Descalo's Five RBI Lead Cardinals over Padres

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 21, 2013

American League

Mike Trout

The LA Angels got off to a horrible start this season, and, while they're not in last place in the AL West - that happens to be the exclusive province of the Houston Astros - they might as well be, trailing arch-rival Texas by 9 1/2 games.

If the Angels are to get back into contention, a few more games like their 12-0 pasting of Seattle will be needed, both to regain confidence and to boost their record (18-27) closer to something resembling respectability.

Jerome Williams blanked the Mariners on six hits over eight innings, and the Angels regulars cranked out 15 hits, taking the first of their two game home series in blowout fashion.

Mike Trout provided more than enough offense all by himself, singling twice, doubling and smacking his ninth homer of the season, driving in five runs and scoring twice.

Trout, last season's AL rookie of the year, hasn't been all that explosive until lately. He has his batting average up to .293, with nine HRs and 34 RBI.

The quick series concludes Wednesday at 7:05 pm PDT.

National League

Daniel Descalso

After winning the world series in 2011, the Cardinals were expected to have a fall-off, especially with the departure of manager Tony LaRussa and slugger Albert Pujols, but, the team has been resilient, if not surprising, reaching the playoffs in 2012 and currently leading the NL Central by 1 1/2 games over relentless pursuers, Cincinnati, with the Pirates just another 1/2 game back.

One of the reasons the Cardinals have been so competitive is the steady play of second baseman Daniel Descalso. Adroit in the field and trustworthy at the plate, Descalso took on the role of those usually above him in the lineup on Tuesday, powering the Cardinals to a 10-2 victory at San Diego, evening their three-game series at a game apiece.

Descalso was a perfect 3-for-3, with a single, double, home run, three scores and five RBI, enabling starter, Adam Wainwright to relax and allow just one run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings, fanning six.

The Cards continue to cling to the Central division lead and will be seeking a win in the series finale, Wednesday at 7:10 pm PDT.

Today's Trivia: The art of the swipe has been greatly diminished in baseball's recent history. Who was the last player to steal over 100 bases in a season?

Yesterday's Answer: Tony Gwinn's 1994 batting average of .394 led the National League.

Mike Trout, Garrett Richards Boost Angels over Tigers; Byrce Harper's Two Homers Give Nationals a 7-6 Win over Mets

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 20, 2013

American League

Trout: GS, 4 RBI

Richards: 8 Ks

Despite their slow start, the LA Angels are letting AL champion, Detroit, know that they're serious about competing for the pennant, winning the second straight in their three-game series, by a blowout, 10-0 score.

Detroit starter, Rick Porcello, didn't get out of the first inning as the Angles sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs. Mike Trout led the opening-inning barrage with a single and a grand slam homer that sent Porcello to a very early shower.

With the huge lead, LA's Garrett Richards was able to relax, tying up the Tigers on two hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out a season-high eight without surrendering a walk. A part-time starter, Richards recorded his first win of the season, without a loss.

The Angels are just 6-10, but will go for the sweep when they host the Tigers in the series finale, Sunday at 3:35 pm ET. Detroit remained tied for first place in the Central with Kansas City.

National League

Harper: 2HR 3RBI

Bryce Harper stroked a two-run homer in the third inning and his eighth inning solo blast broke a 6-all tie, leading the Nationals to a 7-6 victory against the home-standing NY Mets.

Harper, last year's rookie of the year in the NL, was 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI, his pair of homers giving him seven on the season. Apparently not affected by any kind of sophomore slump, Harper is batting .371 with 14 RBI.

The Nationals evened their series in New York after a 7-1 loss, Friday. The two will meet for the rubber game at 1:10 pm Sunday at Citi Field.

The result left 10-7 Washington just three games behind the Braves, who have lost two straight to the Pirates. New York is 4 1/2 out, at 8-8.

STREAKERS: Despite the recent turmoil in Beantown, the Red Sox have maintained their composure, putting together a seven-game winning streak to lead the AL East with a 12-4 record (best in the AL), two up on the Yankees in the division. In the NL West, the Rockies have surprised everybody with an eight-game streak of their own, taking a 2 1/2 game lead over San Francisco after slipping by the Diamondbacks, 4-3, on Saturday.

Maicer Iztuis, Melky Cabrera Lead Toronto's Rout of Yankees; Mike Trout Tuning Up for Angels

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 14, 2013

Grapefruit League

Melky Cabrera

Despite their 8-10 exhibition record, the Toronto Blue Jays are looking like the class of the AL East, especially after bashing the Yankees, 17-5, at their Spring home in Dunedin, Florida.

Maicer Izturis

Leadoff batter, Maicer Izturis was 2-for-3 with three runs and five RBI to pace the Jays. Further down the order, Melky Cabrera singled and doubled twice in three at-bats, driving in four runs and scoring twice.

Izturis was acquired from the LA Angels in the off-season. Cabrera came to the Jays via Oakland.

The Blue Jays totaled 13 hits in the rout, but were helped by nine walks by Yankee pitchers and three errors by New York infielders.

Cactus League

Mike Trout

LA's Mike Trout was the talk of the baseball universe last season, taking home rookie of the year and silver slugger honors after posting incredible numbers (.326, 30 HR, 83 RBI) in his inaugural season as a major leaguer.

Trout is tuning up for another season atop the Angels' lineup, already boasting a .407 average, despite LA's struggling 4-11 start.

In Thursday's 12-5 clobbering of the White Sox, Trout had one of his better days at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a homer (his first) a double, a stolen base, two RBI and three runs.

Mike Trout, Albert Pujols Lead 13-0 Rout of Tigers; Buster Posey Drives in 5 as Giants Pad NL West Lead

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 17, 2012

American League

Trout's .355 leads AL

Winning the second game of their four game series at Detroit, the LA Angels banged out 18 hits, including four home runs, for a lopsided, 13-0 win, evening the series at a game apiece.

Albert Pujols

Rookie Mike Trout continues to blaze away, going 4-for-6, including his 13th home run of the year, a second inning, two-run blast. Trout's .355 batting average easily leads the league (Joe Mauer is second at .333), and his three runs scored upped his total to 64, puttin him in fourth place behind a trio of players with 65.

Albert Pujols chipped in with his 16th home run, a solo shot, scored three times and had two RBI, going 3-for-4 in the game.

The Angels continue to chase the Rangers, though it seems every time LA wins, so does Texas, whose lead in the AL West is still 5 1/2 games following their 6-1 win at Oakland.

National League

Outside of Tim Lincecum's problems (he's 3-10 with a 5.93 ERA), everything is going just swimmingly in San Francisco.

Posey: 3-5 5 RBI

The Giants opened a three-game set in Atlanta on Tuesday and quickly cooled off the ret-hot Braves, who had won eight straight, with a 9-0 victory.

While Barry Zito was moving down the Braves, allowing just three hits over seven innings, Buster Posey was busy clearing the bases, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a single, driving in five runs.

Posey doubled home the game's first run in the opening inning, drove in another with a single in the third, then busted loose with a bases-loaded double in the fourth inning, driving in three more, as the Giants broke the game open with six runs.

Posey is having a solid season, batting .302 with 52 RBI.

The win was the Giants' fourth straight. At the same time, the Dodgers have lost four in a row and now trail San Francisco by three games in the NL West.

The Braves and Giants will have at each other in the second game of the series, Wednesday night at 7:10 pm EDT.

David Wright Leads Mets Over Phillies; Kendrys Morales, Mike Trout Lead Angels

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 5, 2012

American League

The Angels picked up a game on Texas in the AL West, defeating the Orioles, 9-7, while the Rangers were handled by the White Sox, 2-1.

Mike Trout

Kendrys Morales

Leading the way for LA were Kendrys Morales and leadoff hitter Mike Trout, who went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and three stolen bases, all of them coming in the sixth inning, when he swiped second and third, and continued home on Matt Weiters bad throw that got past third baseman Wilson Betemit.

Morales singled three times in four at-bats, getting the Angels started with an RBI in the first, then rapping a key hit that plated two runs in the fourth to give the Angels an 8-7 lead.

The Angels trail Texas by four games in the division and continue their four game home series against Baltimore, Friday through Sunday.


National League

What a night for David Wright. The Mets' all star third baseman went 3-for-5 with four RBI, including a walk-off, game-winning single with two down in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Mets past the Phillies, 6-5.

David Wright

In an action-packed game that originally was thought to be a pitching duel between two of the league's best, Cole Hamels for the Phillies and the Mets' R.A. Dickey, both pitchers struggled, but lasted seven innings, with Hamels allowing four earned runs to Dickey's five.

Wright had key hits at opportune moments. In the third inning, he singled home Dickey to tie the game at two, then belted a two-run homer in the fifth to put the Mets up, 4-3. After the Phillies added a pair in the sixth, Wright came to the plate in the ninth against closer Jonathan Papelbon, with a run already in and the bases loaded and delivered a bloop single down the right field line out of the reach of Hunter Pence.

For Wright, who was named to the NL all star team earlier in the week as a reserve (Pablo Sandoval is starting at third, but Wright has better numbers), it was a memorable evening in a season in which he's lived up to his reputation as one of the top players in either league. He has 11 home runs, is tied for second in RBI with Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and his .354 batting average is fourth in the National League.

Papelbon took the loss, allowing three hits and a walk in his second blown save of the season. The Mets took two of three from the Phillies and continue to trail the Nationals in the NL East by 4 1/2 games as they begin a three game set with the Cubs at Citi Field on Friday.

Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo Lead Angels Win; Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen Shine for Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 19, 2012

American League

Keeping pace with the Texas Rangers in the quest for dominance in the AL West, the LA Angels bounced back from a 5-3 loss in the opener of their home series with the Giants, pounding the visitors from up the coast, 12-5.

Trout: 4-4, 4R

Mike Trout, odds-on favorite to win the AL rookie of the year award, had a second four-hit game in his brief major league career (87 games), going 4-for-4 with three singles and a double and scored four times out of his customary leadoff spot.

Trumbo: 5 RBI

Further down the order, cleanup hitter Mark Trumbo went 3-for-5 - a triple and two singles - driving in five of the Angels' runs.

While the addition of Albert Pujols (who drove in four runs) grabbed all the headlines, Trout and Trumbo have been instrumental to LA's success and their bounce-back from a poor start to the season.

Trout is batting .337 - second in the AL - and has 19 steals to go with his 40 runs, while Trumbo's 47 RBI are tops on the team. He is batting a very solid .326, fourth-best in the league, with 16 homers.

The Angles and Giants conclude their three-game set Wednesday night in Anaheim.


National League

The Pittsburgh Pirates won their third straight, opening their home stand with a 7-2 win over the hapless Twins.

Andrew McCutchen

Josh Harrison

Pittsburgh ended a four-game road skid with a pair of wins at Cleveland and now trail the Reds by just 2 1/2 games in the NL Central. Cincinnati dropped a 3-2 decision at Cleveland on Tuesday.

Second-year player, Josh Harrison, provided the catalyst with a first inning solo homer and added a pair of singles and two steals in a 3-for-5 effort, scoring three of Pittsburgh's runs.

Andrew McCutchen sealed the win with a two-run shot in the seventh - his 12th of the year - and added a couple of singles in four at-bats to raise his average to .332, sixth-best in the National League.

INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD: The American League continues to dominate the games between the leagues, notching a 10-4 record on Tuesday, upping their lead to 108-82 over their National League counterparts.

Rocking Rookies: Mike Trout, Bryce Harper Lead Angels, Nationals to Fourth Straight Wins

Players of the Day for Monday, June 11, 2012

American League

Mike Trout

With a 3-2 road win over the Dodgers, the LA Angels inched still closer to Texas in the race for the AL West division title, drawing to within 2 1/2 games of the idle Rangers with their fourth straight win.

Rookie Mike Trout, who is well on his way to vying for rookie of the year honors now that he's become the Angels' regular leadoff hitter and center fielder, led the Angels with a 2-for-4 effort, including a solo home run in the fourth inning and a run-scoring single in the sixth.

With the score tied in the top of the ninth, Trout worked a one-out walk, stole second and scored the game-winning run on a single to left center by Albert Pujols. Trout had stolen third base back in the sixth inning, and with the ninth inning swipe upped his total for the season to 15, tying him with Cleveland's Jason Kipnis for the league lead.

Trout, who is batting .354 through 40 games, doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify among the league leaders, though he's close.


National League

Bryce Harper

Speaking of rookies, there's a pretty good one in Washington by the name of Bryce Harper, who helped the Nationals to their fourth straight victory, a 6-3 win at Toronto.

Harper singled three times in four at-bats, stole his fourth base of the year, scored twice and drove in a run as the Nats increased their lead over Atlanta to three games in the NL East. Atlanta fell at home, 3-0, to the Yankees.

Harper has played in 39 games thus far and has compiled a batting average of .295 with six home runs and 18 RBI. Listed on the roster as a left fielder, Harper can play any outfield position. In Monday's contest he patrolled both center and right field.

Washington's win came in the opener of a three game series in Toronto, which continues with a night game on Tuesday and a day game Wednesday.

Mike Trout Leads Angels Over Mariners; Halladay Wins 16th for Phillies

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 30, 2011

American League

Trout: 5 RBI

In the AL West, every game for the two front-runners - the Angels and Rangers - is critical as the days and number of games dwindle down toward the end of the season.

After dropping two of three to the Rangers over the weekend, the Angels promptly lost one of those critical contests at Seattle on Monday, 5-3, but came back strong with a 13-6 romp over the division's cellar dweller.

The offense came mainly from rookie call-up Mike Trout, who drove in five runs with a pair of homers and a bases loaded walk.

Trout got the Angels on the board with a solo home run - his 4th - in the 2nd inning, then increased the lead to 4-0 with a 3-run blast in the 4th. When he came to the plate in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and three runs already in, Jeff Gray, who had come on in relief of starter Anthony Vasquez, issued his third walk to as many batters, forcing in Trout's 5th RBI.

Trout would eventually cross the plate for the third time on a sac fly as the Angles plated eight in the frame.

The win left the Angels still chasing the Rangers, 3 1/2 games back. The Rangers beat Tampa Bay, 2-0, maintaining their division lead.

National League

Halladay: 16-5

With the assortment of bats in the Philadelphia lineup, Roy Halladay normally doesn't have to do much hitting when he's working the mound as part of the regular rotation, but he helped his own cause on Tuesday with a bases-loaded double that turned a 3-0 lead into 6-0 with one swing.

Not that Halladay needed to clear the bases. His 6th-inning hit came as he was en route to going 16-5 on the year, holding the Reds to two hits while walking two and fanning nine over seven innings in Philly's 9-0 rout.

The win improved the Phillies' lead in the NL East to 7 1/2 games over the Braves, who have lost two straight while the Phillies have put together back-to-back wins over the Reds.

Halladay is third best in the NL in three major categories: Wins (16), ERA (2.47) and Ks (191).