Kemp, Gwynn, Oeltjen Combine for 12 Hits in Dodger Rout; Cabreras Make Indians a Winner

Players of the Day for Monday, June 27, 2011

American League

Asdrubal Cabrera

Although unrelated, the Cabrera boys, Asdrubal and Orlando, have been a lethal combination in the middle infield for the Cleveland Indians.

Orlando Cabrera

If Monday's 5-4 win over Arizona was made into a Hollywood movie, they would be credited as producers, directors and stars of the film.

Asdrubal got the Indians started with a two-run homer in the first inning and Orlando finished off the show with a solo home run in the top of the 9th for the winning run.

The win left Cleveland a game behind the Tigers in the AL Central, while sending the Diamondbacks to their third straight loss, two games behind the Giants, who have won five straight, in the NL West.

National League

Matt Kemp

Even though the Dodgers filed for bankruptcy on Monday, that did not diminish the desire of the players on the field.

Tony Gwynn Jr.

Chad Billingsley tossed six innings of 4-hit, shutout ball, the bullpen blanked the Twins the rest of the way and the position players banged out 25 hits, in a 15-0 on-field, statement victory over Minnesota, who have now lost six straight.

Three different Dodgers - Tony Gwynn Jr., Matt Kemp and Trent Oeltjen - collected four hits apiece as the team attempted to retain some sense of dignity even though they are nine games behind the Giants in the NL West and eight game under .500, at 36-44.

Trent Oeltjen

Gwynn was 4-for-6, all singles, but stole two bases, scored twice and drove in a run. Matt Kemp continued his assault on pitchers of all types, from either league, going 4-for-5, including his league-leading 22nd home run, a double, two runs and two RBI.

Oeltjen, the rookie outfielder, had a pair of singles, a triple and a solo home run, drove in a pair of runs and scored three times.

Twelve hits by the Dodger outfield says more about the team than the financial fiasco of the ownership.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: There were just six interleague games on Monday, and the National League won four of them, trimming the AL lead to just two games, at 88-86.

Cabrera Leads Cleveland over Baltimore; Cubs, Castro Snap Colorado Streak at Seven

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 16, 2011

American League

Orlando Cabrera

As reported here yesterday, Cleveland and Kansas City are locked into a battle for first place in the upside-down AL Central.

On Saturday, the story got even better as both the Royals and Indians won, while the rest of the division - Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago - all took losses. The co-leaders improved to 10-4 as Kansas City blanked Seattle, 7-0, and the Indians pounded Baltimore for the second straight day, 8-3.

Cleveland was powered by second baseman Orlando Cabrera, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI and three runs. Cabrera got things started in the second inning, driving in the first Cleveland run on a fielder's choice and coming around to score on Matt LaPorta's double.

In the 3rd inning, Cabrera singled home another run and scored and capped off his performance with a two-run blast in the 7th.

The Indians amassed 13 hits overall and seek to sweep the three-game series on Sunday. Likewise, the Royals are looking for a sweep of the Mariners.

National League

Starlin Castro

Starlin Castro had a pair of singles, a double, a home run and drove in three runs as the Chicaco Cubs ended the Rockies' win streak at seven games with a 17-hit assault.

The Cubs haven't had much to cheer about this season, but the 8-3 win over the NL West leader got them back to .500, at 7-7, and into the thick of the NL Central race.

Castro has been solid all along, his 4-for-5 effort boosting his team-leading batting average to .397. Called up early in 2010, Castro made a bid for rookie of the year by batting .300 over 125 games.

The Cubs are just two games behind the Reds in the division with St. Louis and Milwaukee tied for second place 1 1/2 back. Chicago will try to take the series at Colorado with a win Sunday afternoon.

Masterson 2-Hits Red Sox; Cincy Takes Back First; Houston Out of NL Central Cellar

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 9, 2010 American League On a day in which the Indians scored 11 runs, Tampa Bay, 10; Texas, 12; and the White Sox, 15, the best performance in the American League didn't go to anyone belting from the left or right side of the plate, but to 25-year-old Cleveland starter Justin Masterson, who tossed the first complete game shutout of his brief (3 seasons) career, knocking down the Boston batting order on two hits, walking two and striking out six in Cleveland's 11-0 victory. Masterson didn't allow a hit after J.D. Drew's one-out single in the 5th inning, giving up just the two walks after that and aided by a couple of Indian double plays. Hitting his spots consistently, Masterson threw 75 of 110 pitches for strikes, earning just his second win of the season, against five losses. Cleveland offered plenty of support, including Travis Hafner's grand slam in an 8-run 8th inning. It was the most the Indians have scored since outslugging the Yankees, 13-11 on May 29. The win snapped a three-game losing streak, though the Indians remain in last place, 12 1/2 off the pace in the AL Central. National League The Reds beat the Giants, 6-3, and took back first place in the NL Central when the Dodgers topped St. Louis, 4-3, later in the evening. Cincinnati got a big game out of leadoff hitter Orlando Cabrera (left), who had a single and doubled 3 times in 5 at-bats, scoring runs in the 1st, 3rd and 5th innings, the last of which gave the Reds the lead for good. Prior to Wednesday's win, Cabrera and the Reds had lost two straight to the Giants, and look to even the series in the finale Thursday afternoon. They lead St. Louis by one game in the division. Elsewhere in the division, the Houston Astros emerged from last place when Carlos Lee (right) whacked a 10th-inning grand slam to top the Rockies, 6-2. The blast was Lee's 9th homer of the season, and his 4th in his last 8 games, a span in which he has driven in 12 runs. The homer was his only hit of the game, extending his hitting streak to ten games. Lee's power surge is one of the reasons the Astros have won seven of their last nine and are now a 1/2 game better than the Pirates, who fell to Washington, 7-5, and into last place.

Brett Cecil Shuts Down Angels; Cabrera Shines as Reds Leadoff Man

Players of the Day for Monday, May 24, 2010 American League The Toronto Blue Jays took their slugging showcase to Anaheim Monday night, put got a win of a different color as Brett Cecil, Jason Frason and Scott Downs combined for a 3-hit shutout and a 6-0 win over the Angels. Cecil did the bulk of the work, allowing just 2 hits and two walks over 7 1/3 innings, as he improved to 4-2 on the season and the Jays picked up a game on the division-leading Rays, who were being beaten, 6-1, by the visiting Red Sox. The Blue Jays are 6 games behind Tampa Bay, but only 1/2 back of the second place Yankees. The victory was also their 16th road win of the year against just 9 losses, second in the majors to the Rays, who have won 19 away from home. Cecil has been a big part of the road warrior attitude, with all four of his wins coming on the road. Toronto only was able to scratch out 6 hits in the win, but benefitted from the generosity of 8 walks allowed by Angel pitching. While the Jays continue to cruise along, the Angels are still struggling at 21-26, five games off the pace set by the Rangers in the AL West. National League With the rest of the league taking a day off, the Reds took advantage of the opportunity to get back into a tie with St. Louis for first place in the NL Central, beating the visiting Pirates, 7-5. Leading off the game with a bunt single was Orlando Cabrera, who's hitting a solid .326 over his last ten games, helping the Reds run down the Cards and - for a while - take sole control of the division lead. Cabrera - one of a handful of players in the majors who can say he played for the Montreal Expos - was forced out on a double play ball, but it wasn't the last the Pirate infielders would see of him. In fact, Cabrera became well-acquainted with everybody around the horn, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances, with two singles, a double, a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run. That kind of evening is becoming routine for the 35-year-old Cincinnati shortstop, who's been very steady throughout his 13-year career, especially over the past three. Despite playing for four different teams from 2007-2009 (Angels, White Sox, A's, Twins), Cabrera's numbers have not suffered, averaging 188 hits and a .288 average over that span. Now back in the National League, Cabrera appears to be the perfect fit for the up-and-coming Reds.

Lackey Shuts down Former Team; Orlando Cabrera Walks Off Mets

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 5, 2010 American League During the off-season, John Lackey took the free agency route from the West coast to the East, going from the LA Angels - where he had been a starter for all of his 8-year major league career - to the Red Sox. On Wednesday, the 6'6" righty got the chance to welcome his old teammates into Fenway Park and he made the most of it, limiting the Angels to 2 hits over 7 innings in a 3-1 Boston win. Lackey allowed one earned run, ironically off the bat of the Angels worst hitter. Third baseman Brandon Wood, batting .185 in the #9 slot, took one of Lackey's mistakes over the Green Monster in left field for a solo homer. That was just about the only mistake Lackey made on the day, improving to 3-1, walking 2 and striking out 4. The only other hit he allowed was a leadoff single in the second by Kendry Morales. The Sox surely need Lackey's strong arm as they chase the Rays and Yankees in the AL East race. Boston trails Tampa Bay by 6 1/2. The Yankees are in second place, one game behind the Rays. LA might end up with regrets over letting their ace go. The Angels are struggling, at 12-17, three games behind the A's in the AL West. National League Cincinnati shortstop Orlando Cabrera has been around. In 16 major league seasons, the sure-handed fielder has played for 7 different clubs, the last six years in the American League. Now back in the NL, where he began his career with the Montreal Expos, Cabrera is still proving a valuable commodity in the field as well as at the plate. In Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Mets, Cabrera provided the winning margin with his 3rd homer of the year, a tenth-inning walk-off solo shot to left off Mets' reliever Pedro Feliciano. Cabrera was the first batter Feliciano faced, and his last. Cabrera went 3-for-5, having hit a pair of singles before his heroic game-ender. In the 4th inning, he singled home the Reds second run. Cincy's win kept them in second place in the Central, 4 games behind the Cardinals, 4-0 losers to Philadelphia. In the AL East, the Mets dropped to 1 1/2 behind the Phillies.

Cabrera Leads ChiSox; Soto's 7 RBI Slaughter Pirates

Players of the Day from Tuesday, August 26, 2008 American League Batting in the leadoff position, Orlando Cabrera went 4-for-5, with two doubles, a triple, 2 RBI and 3 runs, as the White Sox buried the Orioles, 8-3, and took a 2 game lead in the Central division. A steady performer, Cabrera ranks 15th in the AL with 148 hits, despite his rather pedestrian .276 batting average. Notes: The rest of the Central division keeps looking up at the White Sox, who have led the division most of the season. The Twins lost their 4th straight and are two back, while Cleveland hopped past Detroit into 3rd place with their 9th straight win - a 10-4 pasting of the Tigers. Cliff Lee won his 19th, tops in the AL and tied with Arizona's Brandon Webb for best in the majors. In the East, all eyes were on Alex Rodriguez, who went 0-5, grunded into 2 double plays, struck out twice and stranded seven runners as the Red Sox took the first game of the final series between the Sox and Yankees at Yankee stadium, 7-3. With Tampa Bay losing, 6-2, to Toronto, Boston is now just 3 1/2 behind the Rays with the fading Yankees 9 1/2 back. The Angels got a complete game, 7-hit performance from John Lackey, topping the A's, 5-1, reducing their magic number for clinching the West to 15. National League Rookie Geovany Soto has been a solid contributor at the bottom of the Cubs' lineup all year, but on Tuesday, he was incredible, socking his 20th home run and a pair of bases-loaded doubles to drive in 7 runs in Chicago's 14-9 thrashing of Pittsburgh. Soto is batting .285 with 20 homers and 78 RBI, mostly from the #7 or 8 spot in the order. He's the leading candidate for NL Rookie of the Year honors. Notes: Ben Sheets (12-7) shut the Cardinals out for 6 innings and then took a seat as the Brewers clubbed St. Louis, 12-0, keeping Milwaukee 5 games behind the Cubs and solidly in front in the wild card chase. The Cardinals and Mets both trail the Brewers in the wild card by 4 1/2 games. Speaking of the chokers... er, Mets, they seem to be starting their September swoon a week early, blowing a 7-run lead to the Phillies on Tuesday, as Philly won, 8-7, in 13 innings to take over first place in the NL East by 1/2 game. The Mets have had bullpen issues all season, but especially since closer Billy Wagner went on the DL August 3rd. Wagner is expected to be out at least until the middle of September. The Mets used 8 pitchers on Tuesday. In the West, Arizona and the Dodgers both lost, keeping the Diamondbacks 3 games in front. Bandon Webb failed to win his 20th, as the Padres knocked him around in a 9-2 San Diego win.