Kevin Pillar Leads Giants To 9-8 Win Over Cardinals; Mookie Betts Homers Twice In Red Sox Victory

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 4, 2019

American League

Betts: 4-for-5, 2HR, 5RBI

Realists may believe Boston's chances for reaching the playoffs are fading fast, but apparently nobody told Mookie Betts.

The Red Sox's leadoff hitter absolutely tore up Minnesota's starting pitcher, Jose Berrios, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo home run, then mashing a three-run shot in the second. After Berrios went to the showers in the sixth, Betts responded to the relief staff with a single and his fifth RBI of the game, won by Boston, 6-2. The run was changed to Berrios.

Betts finished 4-for-5, with two homers - his 24th and 25th - two runs and five RBI, giving him 75 on the year. Betts leads the league in runs, with 125.

With Cleveland topping the White Sox, 8-6, Minnesota's loss left them 5 1/2 ahead of the Indians in the AL Central. Boston trails Oakland and Cleveland for the second wild card slot. Tampa Bay holds the top position, though only by 1/2 game over the A's and Indians.

The rubber game of the series is set for Thursday in Boston, at 7:10 pm ET. On Friday, the Red Sox welcome in the Yankees for a "make-or-break" four-game series over the weekend and into Monday.

Pillar powers Giants

National League

Kevin Pillar and the San Francisco Giants found a way to slow down the charging Cardinals, but just barely, as they out-slugged St. Louis in a 9-8 win.

Pillar's two-run homer in the eighth inning provided the difference, turning a 8-7 deficit into a 9-8 lead that was secured by the Giants' bullpen for the win.

The two teams combined for 28 hits and used 13 pitchers. Pillar went 4-for-5 with three singles in addition to his 21st home run of the year, driving in three runs.

At 67-72, the Giants have almost no hope of reaching the playoffs. The win snapped a four-game losing streak.

Even with the loss, the Cardinals remain one of the hottest teams in the majors, having won 14 of their last 18.

St. Louis continues to lead the NL Central, but dropped 1/2-game to the second place Cubs, who were idle on Wednesday and trail now by 2 1/2 games.

The Giants and Cardinals wrap up their four-game series in St. Louis on Thursday. Game time is 1:15 pm ET, after which the Giants head to Los Angeles for three games with the Dodgers. On Friday, the Cardinals begins a six-game road trip with three each in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Mets End Skid As Todd Frazier Drives In Six; Mookie Betts Keeps Red Sox Hopes Alive

Players of the Day for Friday, August 30, 2019

American League

Betts homers twice

Mookie Betts got the Red Sox started with a leadoff home run. Five hours later, he ended Boston's 15-inning marathon with another solo shot, as Boston kept its playoff hopes alive with a 7-6 win over the Angels at Anaheim.

Betts finished the night 3-for-7 with three runs and two RBI, adding a single and scoring the third inning.

One of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this year, Betts has 23 home runs and 69 RBI. His 121 runs leads the majors.

The win kept the Red Sox 5 1/2 behind Oakland for the second wild card. Cleveland leads by a game in the #1 position, while Tampa Bay helped themselves with a 4-0 win over the Indians on Friday. Boston is 4 1/2 behind the Rays.

Boston has won three straight and five of their last six games, and will look to make it two straight over the Angels when they meet on Saturday, at 6:07 pm PT.

National League

Frazier: 2HR, 6 RBI

Losers of six straight, the New York Mets needed a spark - and a win - lest they fall completely out of contention in the wild card race. Entering the first of a three-game series at the Phillies, they found themselves five games behind the Cubs for the second wild card, with the Phillies, Brewers and Diamondbacks (winners of five straight) in between.

Through seven innings, there seemed to be little hope, as the Mets and Phillies remained tied at 1-1. All of that changed in the final two innings, as the teams combined for 14 runs.

After Amed Rosario singled in two runs, Todd Frazier broke out with his 17th home run, a three-run blast that gave the Mets a solid lead at 6-1. In the ninth, he did it again, driving in six runs with his two dingers, as the Mets exploded to an 11-5 victory.

The win kept the Mets on pace with the Cubs and Diamondbacks, both winners Friday, and improved their position versus the Phillies and Brewers. Milwaukee has lost four of its last five games.

The Mets and Phillies meet again on Saturday and Sunday.

Mookie Betts' 3 Homers Power Red Sox Past Yankees; Paul Goldschmidt Blasts Cardinals into 1st Place

Players of the Day for Friday, July 26, 2019

American League

Betts: 4-5, 3 HR, 5 RBI

In the first two games of their four-game set at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox have made the New York Yankees look like also-rans, rather than the team leading the AL East.

After bombing them 19-3 on Thursday, the Red Sox came out swinging again, as Mookie Betts got the hit parade going with a leadoff homer. J.D. Martinez followed with a two-run blast, putting Boston up, 3-0, after one, en route to a 10-5 victory.

Betts homered in his second and third at-bats, stroking a solo shot in the third and a two-run rip in the fourth. All three of his home runs were over the Green Monster in left field. For good measure, Betts tattooed the wall in his fourth at-bat, driving in another run with a double in the sixth inning. He finished up 4-for-5 with five RBI and four runs.

Boston's hard-hitting lineup has taken the measure of New York's below-average starting pitching and depleted bullpen. They mangled Yankee starter, James Paxton, for nine hits and seven runs over four innings.

Despite giving up 10 hits, Boston's Andrew Cashner (10-5) took the win, limiting the Yanks to three runs over 6 2/3 innings.

New York has lost four of their last six games while the Red Sox have won four of their last five. The Yankees still lead Tampa Bay by 8 1/2 games, with Boston another 1/2-game back.

Game three of the series starts at 4:05 pm ET, Saturday.

Goldschmidt: 5 Games, 5 HR

National League

Paul Goldschmidt's eighth-inning, three-run homer turned the tables on Houston, leading St. Louis to their sixth straight win, 5-3 over the visiting Astros.

It was the fifth straight game in which Goldschmidt has gone yard, one game short of the club record shared by Matt Carpenter and Mark McGwire.

After Matt Wieters tied the score at 2-2 in the seventh and the Astros responded with a run in the top of the eighth, Goldschmidt provided the winning margin, sending St. Louis to first place in the NL Central, a position they have not held since May 7. Losing 3-2 to Milwaukee, the Cubs dropped into second place, one game back. Milwaukee is just two games off the pace.

The win was the sixth straight for St. Louis. They are 12-3 since the all-star break. During that period, Goldschmidt has batted .269, with seven dingers and 19 RBI.

St. Louis will have the opportunity to extend their streak and maintain sole possession of first place when they take on the Astros in game two of their three-game series. First pitch is slated for 7:15 pm ET, Saturday night.

Houston remained eight games ahead of Oakland in the AL West, as the A's were dropped by the Rangers, 5-2.

Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. Drive Boston Past Houston, Evening NL Championship Series, 1-1

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 14, 2018

American League

AL Championship Series Game Two: Boston Red Sox 7 Houston Astros 5

Bradley Jr.: 2B, 3 RBI

Trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded in the third inning, Jackie Bradley Jr. lofted a double down the left field line off the Green Monster to bring home three runs, putting the Red Sox ahead for good and tying up the championship series at a game apiece.

Betts: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI

Boston added a run in the seventh inning when Mookie Betts walked, took second on a wild pitch, third on a passed ball and scored on yet another passed ball. In the eighth, Betts doubled in another Red Sox run to extend the lead. Craig Kimbrel picked up the save despite allowing a run in the ninth.

The series shifts to Houston for games three, four, and five, starting Tuesday, October 16 at 5:09 pm ET.

National League

There were no games in the National League.

Game three of the NLCS between Milwaukee and the LA Dodgers is Monday in Los Angeles, 7:39 pm ET.

Rockies' Charlie Blackmon Hits For Cycle; NL West, Central Still Undecided; Boston's Mookie Betts Captures AL Batting Crown

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 30, 2018

American League

Betts: AL batting champ

While Boston's 10-2 win over the Yankees in the regular season finale meant nothing in terms of the post-season, it did provide conclusive confirmation of the AL batting champion, Mookie Betts, who went 1-for-2, finishing the regular season with a .346 batting average.

Betts finished ahead of teammate J.D. Martinez, who ended the season second to Oakland's Khris Davis with 34 home runs to Davis' 38. Martinez did lead in RBI, however, with 130. Davis was second with 123.

The Yankees claimed another record in the game. Miguel Andujar tied the AL rookie record for doubles in a season with his 47th, equalling Boston's Fred Lynn 1974 mark. Lynn won the AL MVP award that season, and, while Andujar has been sensational, he's likely to win only the rookie of the year award. Betts or Martinez are favored to be named league MVP.

The Yankees host the Oakland A's in the wild card game on Wednesday. Boston will play the winner in the AL division series.

National League

Blackmon hits for cycle

The Rockies are in the playoffs, but whether they'll be a wild card or the NL west champion still needs to be decided.

Charlie Blackmon hit for the cycle and the Rockies closed out the regular season with a 12-0 romp over the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers, who entered the day in a flat-footed tie with Colorado atop the NL West, also romped home with a 14-0 defeat of the Giants in San Francisco.

Likewise, the NL Central ended in a tie for first place as the Cubs and Brewers both finished in style, the Cubs topping the Cardinals, 10-5, while the Brewers routed the Tigers 11-0. There will be a pair of one-game playoffs to determine post-season seedings.

Blackmon, batting in his usual leadoff spot, got the hardest part of the cycle out of the way on the second pitch he saw from Nationals' starter Erick Fedde, tripling to right field in the bottom of the first. He scored on Nolan Arenado's home run, beginning the slaughter. Arenado's home run was his 37th, enough to lead the NL in home runs. Matt Carpenter of St. Louis, Milwaukee's Christian Yelich and Arenado's teammate, Trevor Story each ended the season with 36.

In the third inning, Blackmon's 29th homer brought in two runs for a 4-0 lead. He beat out an infield single in the fifth and scored again on David Dahl's three-run homer. After striking out in the sixth, Blackmon doubled, driving in two runs, to complete the cycle.

Blackmon batted .289 for the season, with 70 RBI and led the league in runs. His 119 runs scored was one more than Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, who captured the batting title with a .323 average.

The Rockies play at Los Angeles Monday at 4:00 pm EDT to determine the division champion and wild card. At 1:00 pm EDT, the Cubs host the Brewers for the Central division title. The loser of that game will host Wednesday's NL wild card game.

Scooter Gennet Stays Hot, Leads Reds Past Miami; Mookie Betts Powers Red Sox To AL East Crown

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 20, 2018

American League

Betts: 4-for-5, HR, 5 RBI

Clinching the AL East at the home of their long-standing rival, the Boston Red Sox took charge late in the concluding game of their series in New York, topping the Yankees, 11-6.

Mookie Betts was at his very best after the Red Sox dropped the first two games of the series. Betts, who leads the AL in batting with a .339 average. Teammate J.D. Martinez is second at .331. The two are the leading candidates for AL MVP.

The Red Sox leadoff hitter singled, doubled twice and concluded a 4-for-5 effort by rapping his 30th home run with two aboard off Yankee reliever Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning. Betts scored three times and drove in five runs.

With the best record in the majors (104-49), the Red Sox are assured of home field advantage throughout their playoff run. The 104 wins ties the franchise record, but Boston still has nine games left to play. It's the third straight division title for Boston, which has held onto first place in the division since July 2.

For the Yankees, the loss hurt. They're clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead over the Oakland A's in the wild card after the A's banged out 22 hits in a 21-3 win over the Angles (no, that's not a football score).

In a potential league championship preview, Boston heads to Cleveland Friday for a three-game series. The Yankees host Baltimore and Oakland welcomes in the Twins. Houston, with a 3 1/2 game lead over the A's in the West, is home for a three-game series with the Angels.

National League

Gennett: 2-for-3, HR, 4RBI

There was limited action in the National League on Thursday, the only impactful game being Atlanta's 8-3 victory at Philadelphia and the Mets' 5-4, 12-inning triumph over Washington.

Those results left the Braves with a seemingly unassailable 6 1/2-game lead in the NL East over the Phillies, with the Nationals nearly eliminated, eight games out with just nine to play. The magic number for the Braves to clinch the division is four. Theirs is the largest lead in the National League.

In Miami, Scooter Gennett did his part to keep heat on Milwaukee's Christian Yelich as the two vie for the batting title. Gennett drove in all four runs in the Reds' 4-2 victory with a double and home run in three at-bats.

The Cincy second baseman drove in a pair of runs in the second with his double to left field and knocked in two more in the seventh inning with his 23rd home run. Like Yelich, Gennett is much more than a high-average singles hitter. His 92 RBI is among the league's leaders. He's tied at #10 with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman and Philadelphia's Rhys Hoskins. Yelich has 93.

Gennett trails Yelich by the barest of margins. He's at .318, Yelich has a .319 average.

All 15 NL teams will be in action Friday through Sunday with pennant races in each division and wild cards still up for grabs.

Mookie Betts Leads Boston's 10-1 Win Over Angels With 3 HR; Patrick Corbin 1-Hits Giants for 1-0 Arizona Victory

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 17, 2018

American League

Betts: 3-3, 3HR, 3RBI

Mookie Betts was at it again, socking three solo homers in Boston's 10-1 road win over the Angels, spoiling the highly-anticipated match-up between Boston hurler David Price and LA's Shohei Ohtani.

Betts homered to lead off the game, and, after 66 pitches in just two innings, Ohtani was done for the day, having allowed two more runs in the second.

Betts and Boston were far from done against the Angels' pitching staff. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt each socked two-run homers in the third inning, followed by Betts' second solo shot of the game. The Angels could only respond with a single run in the bottom of the innings. In the eighth, Betts cracked his third homer, completing the scoring.

Betts has five home runs and 13 RBI. His .389 batting average leads the majors.

The result left LA at 13-4, still 2 1/2 games better than Houston in the AL West. Boston upped its record to 14-2, three games to the good over Toronto. The Yankees feel to Miami, and are stuck in third place, six games out.

The two division leaders return to the diamond on Wednesday for game two of their three-game series at 10:07 pm EDT.

National League

Corbin throws 1-hitter

With the Diamondbacks taking two of three at San Francisco a week ago, the Giants were intent on evening the score in game one of the series in Arizona, sending their ace, Johnny Cueto, to the mound.

Cueto was top shelf, shutting out the Diamondbacks on two hits over seven complete innings, but Arizona hurler Patrick Corbin was better, going the distance for his third win of the season without a loss as the Diamondbacks prevailed in a 1-0 dessert duel.

Corbin was perfect until walking Joe Panik in the fourth and didn't allow a San Francisco hit until Brandon Belt beat out a checked swing infield single with two outs in the eighth, spoiling the no-hit bid. Corbin got the next batter to end the frame and put the side down in order in the ninth for the one-hit victory and the first shutout of his six-year career, all with the Diamondbacks.

Arizona scored the game's only run on David Peralta's RBI single in the eighth. Corbin faced two over the minimum and threw exactly 100 pitches.

Striking out nine, Corbin has 37 Ks on the year, one behind Washington's Max Scherzer for the NL and major league lead. In 27 1/3 innings, Corbin has allowed just 14 hits, five runs and walked just five.

The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by 2 1/2 games over the Rockies. 6-10 San Francisco is six games back.

Arizona and San Francisco square off again on Wednesday, in game two of the three-game series at 9:40 pm EDT.

Mookie Betts 4-for-4, Grand Slam Lifts Boston Over Yanks; Stephen Strasburg Hurls Nats Past Braves

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 10, 2018

American League

Betts: 4-4, 5R, GS, 4RBI

Opening a three-game series, the Yankees and Red Sox renewed their legendary rivalry on Tuesday at Fenway Park, but, other than Aaron Judge, the Yankees turned out to be largely spectators as Boston beaned the Bombers, 14-1.

Making life difficult for Yankee pitchers was Mookie Betts, Boston's leadoff hitter, who went 4-for-4 with a walk, scored five times and socked a grand slam, capping a nine-run sixth inning that put the game out of reach.

Chris Sale cruised through six innings, scattering eight hits and one earned run for his first decision of the season.

Betts, whose effort put him atop the majors with a .432 batting average, started the Sox off with a leadoff double, scoring the initial run in the first inning, singled and scored in the second, walked and scored in the fourth, doubled and scored in the sixth before his slam in the same inning completed the rout.

The Yankees will try to forget their game one flop when they meet Boston in game two, Wednesday night at 7:10 pm EDT. 9-1 Boston leads the AL East by two games over the Blue Jays. The Yankees are 4 1/2 back, at 5-6.

National League

Strasburg: 8 scoreless

For the second time in as many games, the Washington Nationals scored in the first inning and rode their starter's arm to victory over the Atlanta Braves.

On Monday, Max Scherzer shut out the Braves. Tuesday's mound heroics were performed by Stephen Strasburg, who shut out the opposition on three hits over eight innings, after Ryan Zimmerman's triple put two on the board for Washington en route to a 4-1 victory.

Strasburg improved to 2-1, walking two and striking out eight. After allowing a Dansby Swanson single in the second, Strasburg didn't allow another baserunner until Ender Inciarte singled with one out in the sixth, setting down 12 straight.

Swanson doubled in the only run for the Braves in the ninth, off reliever Ryan Madsen.

Strasburg is working on back-to-back 15-4 seasons, and is off to a solid start with a 2.21 ERA and 21 strikeout victims in 20 1/3 innings.

The Nationals improved to 6-5, tying them with the Braves for second place in the NL East. Both teams are trailing the red-hot Mets, who won their seventh straight with an 8-6 comeback win at Miami. The Mets are 9-1 and lead the division by 3 1/2 games.

The Nationals will be looking for the series sweep Wednesday when A.J. Cole takes the mound against Atlanta's Brandon McCarthy at 1:05 pm EDT in Washington, DC.

Mookie Betts 2 HR Lead Red Sox; Eddy Alvarez Shines As White Sox Paste Brewers, 16-1

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 25, 2018

Grapefruit League

Betts: 2-2, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Boston took over first place in the Grapefruit League on Saturday and continued their hold of a 1/2-game lead over Houston with a 6-1 triumph over the Twins on Sunday.

Mookie Betts led off the game with a solo homer, walked and scored in the second inning, then added a two-run belt in the fourth, going 2-for-2 with three RBI and three runs in Boston's win.

Betts, who batted .264 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI in 2017, is having a strong Spring, batting .340 with three home runs and eight RBI.

Cactus League

Losing a bit of their grip on first place, the Milwaukee Brewers were blasted by the White Sox, 16-1, as Chicago knocked out 19 hits against a parade of 10 Brewer hurlers.

The home-standing Sox scored multiple runs in five separate innings, building a 10-0 lead before Milwaukee scored its only run of the game in the sixth.

Non-roster player, Eddy Alvarez, stroked a two-run homer in the fourth inning and singled in four at-bats, driving in four runs on the day.

The Brewers lead in the Cactus League fell to just one game over the Indians and Cubs. The White Sox are 16-12, 2 1/2 games off the pace.

Mookie Betts Helps Red Sox Overcome Orioles, 10-8; Miami's Giancarlo Stanton Socks 55th Home Run

Players of the Day for Monday, September 18, 2017

American League

Betts: 93 RBI

The two main wild card contenders - the Yankees and the Minnesota Twins - were embroiled in battle resulting in a 2-1 win for New York, the Boston Red Sox held their edge in the AL East over the Yanks with a 11-inning, 10-8 victory at Baltimore over the Orioles.

Baltimore built a 5-0 lead, roughing up Boston starter, Doug Fister, for five runs on four hits and five walks in the first two innings. In the band-box that is Camden Yards, no lead is safe, especially when the game is only two innings old and the opponent is the Red Sox. 19 pitchers would eventually go to the mound - 10 for the Sox; nine for Baltimore - before this event was over, ended by rookie Andrew Benintendi's 11th-inning single that plated the winning runs.

Prior to that climactic conclusion, however, Mookie Betts provided four of the comeback runs for the Red Sox. In the fourth, Betts singled home the first Boston run, then, capping a six-run fifth inning that put the Red Sox up 7-6, Betts delivered a bases-loaded double that sent three teammates across home plate.

Both teams would score more, getting eventually to an 8-8 game in the seventh inning and proceeding to extra frames.

Betts' four RBI gave him 94 on the year, along with 22 homers and a .263 average.

The win kept Boston three games up on the Yankees in the division and they'll try to keep that edge or advance it when they play game two of the three-game series at Baltimore, Tuesday at 7:05 pm ET

National League

Stanton: 55 Home Runs

With many teams having Monday off, the only really meaningful game of the day was Milwaukee's 3-0 win over Pittsburgh, keeping the Brewers within shouting distance of the Cubs in the NL Central and the Rockies in the wild card race. Milwaukee trails the Cubs by 3 1/2 and the Rockies by two games.

In Miami, Giancarlo Stanton was the center of attention as he continued his assault on stadium dimensions with his 55th home run of the year, a massive, 455-foot blast to center that scored three runs.

The homer put the Marlins ahead, 5-1, in the fourth. The Mets had no answers as the game turned into a 13-1 rout for the Marlins.

Stanton singled in another run in the fifth inning, improving his RBI total to 117 on the season, second in the NL to the 125 of Colorado's Nolan Arenado. The Miami slugger also scored three times, upping his run total to 115, second to another Colorado player, Charlie Blackmon, who leads the majors with 131.

Both the Mets and Marlins have been eliminated from playoff contention. They play game two of the series Tuesday, 7:10 pm ET.

Mookie Betts 4-for-5 In Red Sox Victory Over Phillies; Braves Top Nationals, 13-2, Brandon Phillips 4-for-6

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 14, 2017

American League

Betts: 4-5, 2 HR, 4 runs

Literally, the Red Sox offense starts with Mookie Betts.

The Boston leadoff hitter socked a pair of late-inning home runs, but he did more damage in Boston's 7-3 win at the Phillies earlier in the game.

Betts, who went 4-for-5, started the contest off with a single and scored Boston's first run when Zander Bogaerts doubled him home. In the second, Betts doubled in a run and scored again as Boston built a 5-0 lead.

The pair of homers by Betts came in the fourth and ninth innings, capping a big day for Boston's right fielder.

With the win - Boston's third straight - the Red Sox moved to within two games of the Yankees for the AL East lead. New York was downed for the second straight game in LA, as the Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit for a 7-5 win.

Boston plays at Philadelphia in the second of their brief two-game interleave series Thursday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Phillips: 4-for-6, 3 RBI

A wild series wrapped up Wednesday at Nationals Park as the Atlanta Braves took the series finale, 13-2, taking two of three from NL East leader, Washington.

The three games saw a total of 51 runs scored, though the closest game was the opener, an 11-10 thriller, won by the Braves. The Nationals took the middle game, 10-5, but the Braves had their way in the end, roughing up Washington starter Tanner Roark, who allowed seven earned runs on nine hits over five innings.

The first three batters in Atlanta's lineup were a combined 10-for-16, with second baseman and number two hitter Brandon Phillips going 4-for-6 with two singles, two doubles, three runs and three RBI.

A 16-year veteran, Phillips - who spent most of his career with the Reds - was picked up by Atlanta after the 2016 season and their decision seems to be paying benefits. A lifetime .276 hitter, Phillips is batting .306 in 54 games.

Despite losing, the Nationals are still leading the division by 8 1/2 over the Mets. Miami is 9 1/2 out and the Braves trail by 10. Atlanta has Thursday off and heads home to open a ten-game home stand, starting on Friday with three against the Marlins. Washington begins a four-game showdown series with the Mets on Thursday in New York. Game time at Citi Field is 7:05 pm ET.