Pablo Sandoval Drives In 5 As Giants Top Cards; Nathan Eovaldi Keeps Tampa Bay Alive With 1-Hit Effort

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 8, 2018

Eovaldi: 7IP, 1H, 0ER, 9K

American League

Tampa Bay keeps experimenting with different pitching strategies, often using five or six relievers to get through a given game, but they may have found a hidden gem in Nathan Eovaldi, who tossed seven scoreless innings against the Mets for a solid, 9-0 win at New York's Citi Field.

Not only did Eovaldi lank the Mets, but he allowed just one hit, fanned nine and didn't allow any walks. Taking a perfect game into the seventh inning, Eovaldi's day was spoiled by Brandon Nimmo, who singled to lead off the frame after seeing 18 consecutive Mets fail against the 28-year-old right=hander.

Eovaldi avoided further damage, getting the next three batters in order. Andrew Kettridge finished up, allowing one hit over the final two innings.

The Rays improved to 45-44 with the win and keep hanging around the fringes of the wild card race, though they have a long way to go even think about playoffs.

Tampa took two of three from the Mets and return home to open a three-game series with Detroit, starting Monday at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Sandoval: 3-5, HR, 5 RBI

Pablo Sandoval socked a fifth-inning, three run homer, and added a two-run single in the sixth as the Giants smothered the visiting Cardinals, 13-8.

The Giants' third baseman came around to score in the five-run sixth as well as scoring again to secure the game in the ninth. Sandoval was 3-for-5 with three runs and five RBI.

The decision sent the Cardinals 7 1/2 back of Milwaukee in the NL Central, while the Giants were the only contender to win on the day. As Arizona, LA, and Colorado were each defeated, the Giants managed to move into a tie for third place in the division with the Rockies, 3 1/2 off Arizona's pace.

The portly Sandoval, who checks in at 268 pounds, is having a sub-par season, batting .257 with eight homers and 34 RBI, though those numbers have been achieved in just 191 at-bats.

San Francisco split the four=game series with St. Louis and will open a three-game set with the Cubs at home, starting Monday, 10:10 pm EDT.

Torii Hunter Leads Tigers' 8-3 Win over Yankees; Nathan Eovaldi, Marlins Stop Atlanta's 14-Game Streak

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 10, 2013

American League

Make no doubt about it. The Tigers are the most dangerous team heading down the stretch and likely into the playoffs in the American League.

Torii Hunter

After having their 12-game winning streak broken by the Yankees on Friday, Detroit came back with a vengeance with a 9-3 triumph over New York Saturday, extending their record after the All Star break to 17-4.

Miguel Cabrera socked his 35th home run of the year, while Torii Hunter supplied four RBI with a sac fly in the first and a three-run, sixth-inning homer, going 3-for-4 and scoring twice, a double and single his other hits.

Hunter has been the ideal #2 hitter for the Tigers all season, consistently supplying key hits at opportune moments. He's batting .312 with 13 homers and 60 RBI. He's also scored 70 runs, ninth-most in the AL. Cabrera leads the league with 84.

The loss sent the Yankees 11 games behind AL East-leading Boston, while the Tigers improved their lead to eight games over Cleveland in the Central division, with Kansas City another 1/2 game back. On Sunday, the Tigers and Yankees will complete their three-game series at 1:05 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Eovaldi: 7IP,1H,0ER

Not having much to crow about this season, the Miami Marlins can at least relish the fact that they can, at times, beat the best team in the league.

Miami halted Atlanta's 14-game winning streak - one shy of the record 15 straight since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966 - with a 1-0 win on Saturday, thanks to seven shutout innings from starter Nathan Eovaldi and a bit of timely hitting and heads-up base-running by shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

Eovaldi (2-2, 2.82) allowed one hit - a first-inning single by Freddie Freeman - over his seven frames, walking three and fanning eight, but did not receive a decision as Atlanta starter, Alex Wood, kept Miami off the scoreboard for six innings.

Miami didn't break through until the top of the ninth, when Hechavarria tripled to lead off the inning and scored on Jordan Walden's wild pitch for the only run of the game.

The Miami win didn't change much in the NL East. The Marlins still have a secure hold on last place, 26 games out, while Atlanta retains a firm grip on the division lead, with a 14 1/2 game bulge over second-place Washington, the largest lead in the majors.

The two teams will finish up their three-game series Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Today's Trivia: A stat no pitcher can be proud of, who led the AL in bases on balls allowed three straight years, from 1900-1992? )answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: With 1950 career RBI, Alex Rodriguez needs one more to tie Stan Musial for sixth place all-time.