Windy City Winners: Paul Konerko Leads Sox Past Twins; Jeff Samardzija 1-Hits Pirates Over 8

Players of the Day for Monday, July 23, 2012

American League

Paul Konerko

Remaining in the thick of the AL Central race, the Chicago White Sox took a 7-4 decision over the Minnesota Twins to stay one game behind Detroit, which has won five straight.

Chicago's victory was fueled by the long ball, as Adam Dunn and Alex Rios each cracked two run homers in the third inning, turning a 3-2 lead into a 7-2 bulge. Rios hit his 15th, while Dunn's was his 29th, which leads the major leagues.

The initial three runs for the Sox were supplied by Paul Konerko, who socked his 15th home run in the bottom of the first. In the third, Konerko followed Dunn's belt with a single and scored on the Rios big fly.

The game was the first of a three game set which continues Tuesday night in Chicago with a day game on Wednesday.


National League

Samardzija: 8IP, 1H

Somebody had to cool of the Pittsburgh Pirates, winners of five straight, and that somebody turned out to be Cubs' starter, Jeff Samardzija, who allowed only a one-out, fourth inning single to Andrew McCutchen over eight innings in a 2-0 victory.

As he improved to 7-8, Samardzija got support from Alfonso Soriano, who drove in Starlin Castro twice with a pair of doubles. Samardzija issued just one walk - also to McCutchen - in the first inning, struck out five and finished by retiring 13 straight batters after McCutchen was gunned down trying to steal second before turning the ball over to Carlos Marmol, who allowed a hit in the ninth but still managed to earn his 12th save of the season.

Around the plate all night, Samardzija threw 99 pitches, of which 71 were strikes.

The loss by the Pirates dropped them 1 1/2 behind the Reds in the NL Central. Cincinnati has won five straight, including Monday's 8-3 win over Houston.

Ian Kennedy Wins NL-Best 19th; Brent Morel, Paul Konerko Bash Indians in 9-1 White Sox Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 8, 2011

American League

The Chicago White Sox continue to hang tough in the AL Central, cementing their hold on second place in the division with an 8-1 win over Cleveland that knocked the Indians 10 games off the pace of Detroit and 1 1/2 games behind the Sox, who overtook the Indians earlier in the week.

Morel: 2 HR

Cleveland pitchers didn't do a bad job on most of the White Six hitters, allowing only eight hits. The trouble was three of those hits were home runs, two of them by rookie third baseman Brent Morel, who got the Sox on the board in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1 with a solo blast, then broke the deadlock in the 7th inning with a three-run bomb, putting Chicago ahead for good.

Konerko: Grand

Paul Konerko finished the job, connecting for his 29th of the season with the bases full later in the 7th. Konerko’s 10th career grand slam tied a White Sox record held by Robin Ventura.

Thanks mostly to the Tigers - who have won six straight - the Indians have dropped four in a row, three of them to Detroit, and the White Sox have made the most of it. Still 8 1/2 games behind Detroit, Chicago has little chance of catching them, though after they finish their four-game series with the Indians on Sunday, the Tigers come to town for a three game set.

The last time the Tigers and White Sox met was in the first three days of September, with the Tigers sweeping a three-game series in Detroit. Chicago hopes that a change of scenery to their home ball park will change their fortunes.

National League

Kennedy: 19 Wins

The NL Cy Young award is not going to be easy to figure out this season, but Arizona ace Ian Kennedy put his case forward on Thursday, winning his 19th game against just four losses as the Diamondbacks continue to defy the experts and lead the NL West by 7 1/2 games with a 4-1 win over San Diego.

Kennedy scattered seven hits over 7 2/3 innings, getting help from his infield in the form of two double plays, but mostly he was in command, striking out 11 batters, including a string of five straight over the 5th and 6th innings.

He gave up San Diego's only run of the game with two outs in the 8th and was pulled in favor of reliever Brad Ziegler. J.J. Putz gave up a hit, but struck out two in the 9th for his 38th save.

Kennedy has quietly been having a super season, though he may be overshadowed in the Cy Young race by other National Leaguers having banner years. Kennedy leads the league in wins with 19, followed by LA's Clayton Kershaw with 17 and a pair of Phillies - Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay - with 16. His 2.90 ERA is 9th in the league, and he has rung up 178 strikeouts, fifth best in the NL. The players ahead of him in both departments are the same three chasing after him in wins.

GS Means Grand Slam for Gaby Sanchez; Paul Konerko Powers White Sox over Orioles

Players of the Day for Monday, May 2, 2011

American League

Off to one of their worst starts in memory, the Chicago White Sox went through a sorry weekend, losing three straight to the Baltimore Orioles before finally breaking the slide with a win on Monday.

Paul Konerko

While the Sox don't exactly have a wrecking crew of a lineup, they are fortunate enough to have a wrecking man in the person of one Paul Konerko, who has quietly become one of the most fearsome power hitters in baseball.

Monday's 6-2 win was more about Konerko's power stroke than anything else - the Sox were actually outhit, 11-9 - as the cleanup hitter accounted for four of the White Sox runs.

Konerko made the score 2-0 in the 4th inning with a solo homer, tacked on another run in the 6th with a sac fly RBI and made it 6-0 with his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the 8th inning.

With most of the starters struggling - Alex Rios and Adam Dunn are both batting below .200 - Konerko's .304 batting average is a standout on a team that has underachieved. His 8 homers and 24 RBI are good for 2nd in the AL in the respective categories. With the win, the White Sox moved 1/2 game out of last place, ahead of the Twins in the AL Central.

National League

The Philadelphia Phillies had the day off Monday, and maybe some of them made time to watch the Florida Marlins take one in St. Louis, a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory that tied them with Philadelphia in the NL East.

Gaby Sanchez

We can only imagine the Phillies' players looking over their shoulders - like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - as they are being chased down, wondering, "who are those guys?"

While "those guys" - the Marlins - may not be household names, they are playing at a high level. At 18-9, they are tied with Philly with the best record in the National League.

In Monday's win, the bullpen held St. Louis scoreless after the third inning, allowing for the comeback on Mike Stanton's solo homer in the 5th and Greg Dobbs' sac fly in the 8th, plating Stanton with the game-winner.

The comeback was made possible, however, by a third inning grand slam off the bat of Gaby Sanchez that gave the Marlins a short-lived, 4-2, lead and made Matt Holliday's three-run homer in the bottom frame a little less damaging.

Sanchez powered a blast to the left field stands off Kyle Lohse after the St. Louis starter had loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks. Sanchez also singled in the 9th to go 2-for-5 on the night.

STREAKING: Andre Ethier's hitting streak hit 28 straight games as the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 5-2, on Monday. Ethier went 1-for-4 with a 5th inning RBI single. He's batting .378 and is now half way to Joe DiMaggio's MLB record 56-game streak.

Konerko, Sox Club Royals; Oswalt Fires Phils into First

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 12, 2010 American League Paul Konerko rocked two homers and drove in five runs, leading the Chicago White Sox past the KC Royals, 12-6. The Royals leapt to a 6-0 lead in the opening inning on a pair three-run homers by Billy Butler and Brayan Pena, but Konerko had already begun gnawing away at the lead in the bottom of the frame with the first of his two, a two-run smash to center. Homering again in the 3rd with Alex Rios aboard, Konerko drove this one to left and the Sox scored two more to tie the game after four. In the 6th inning, Konerko broke the knot with a run-scoring single and scored on Andruw Jones' pinch hit grand slam. Chicago tallied six times in the inning to break the game wide open. Still in hopeful pursuit of the Twins, the White Sox didn't gain any ground on the division leaders, still trailing by six games. A day off Monday leads to a three-game showdown with the Twins beginning Tuesday in Chicago. National League When the Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt from Houston prior to the trading deadline, they knew they were getting a quality pitcher who might help them win their fourth straight NL East flag. After his first two starts, an 8-1 loss to Washington and a 5-4 win over Florida (August 1) in which he didn't receive a decision, Oswalt has been magnificent, winning six of his last seven starts as the Phillies overtook the Braves and snatched away first place in the division. With an assist to the Cardinals, who bombed the Braves, 7-3, Sunday night, Oswalt twirled a 4-hit, complete-game shutout in New York, for a 3-0 win over the Mets and a one-game lead in the NL East. The effort was the culmination of a steady streak for Oswalt, who's allowed eight earned runs over his past 51 1/3 innings, a 1.40 ERA. The Phillies have won all of his last seven starts. The Phillies scored single runs in each of the 1st, 3rd and 7th innings, and Oswalt, who allowed two hits in the opening inning, kept the Mets off the bases and off the scoreboard for the duration, walking one and fanning six. After going 6-12 with the Astros, the 6-1 record he's put up since joining the Phillies has Oswalt close to .500, at 12-13. PENNANT NOTES: The Yankees lost their third straight, 4-1, being swept in Texas by the Rangers, but Tampa Bay also lost, 5-4, to the Blue Jays, so the Rays remain 1/2 game behind. With their 5th straight win and an Oakland loss, the Rangers have reduced their magic number to 12 in the West. In the National League, the Reds lost a game they could have won, allowing three runs in the 9th to the Pirates for a 3-1 loss. The still lead the Cardinals by six games in the Central. Tim Lincecum stopped the Padres in their tracks, 6-1, as the Giants moved back into a tie with San Diego atop the West. Colorado won their 10th in a row, a 4-2 win over Arizona, and are just 1 1/2 back of the deadlock.

Konerko Goes 5-for-5 as Sox Blast Twins; Lilly Tosses 2-Hitter vs. Rockies

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 19, 2010 American League Facing a sweep at the hands of their main rival, the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago White Sox would not go quietly. Paul Konerko went 5-for-5, with a home run, double, three singles, four RBI and three runs, as the White Sox pounded out 21 hits for an 11-0 rout of the Twins. About the only thing Konerko didn't do was head into the stands to sell some bags of peanuts. Jumping all over Minnesota starter, Carl Pavano, the Sox scored two runs in each of the 1st and 3rd innings, added another in the 5th and two more in the 7th, which Pavano started, but could not retire a batter. The next four runs all came in the 8th, off reliever Glen Perkins, two of them by Konerko, who doubled in a pair. The win got the White Sox back to within four games of Central division-leading Minnesota, which had won six straight prior to Thursday's game. The Twins have owned the division with a 33-18 record, and have taken four of the last six from the White Sox. Konerko's home run was his 31st of the year, tying him with Miguel Cabrera for second, behing Jose Bautista's 37. Konerko ranks 7th in the league in RBI, with 85. National League The LA Dodgers may have fallen out of the division race in the NL West, but they're not about to slide out of contention in the wild card, at least if Ted Lilly can help it. Lilly gave the LA bullpen a needed day off and the Dodgers a boost of confidence with a complete-game, two-hit shutout over the Colorado Rockies. The 2-0 win left them seven games behind the Phillies in the wild card race, though there are three other teams - Colorado, St. Louis and San Francisco - ahead of them. Lilly won his fourth straight start as a Dodger, joining the team just prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline along with former Cub teammate Ryan Theriot. He threw 79 of 110 pitches for strikes, fanned a season-high 11 and walked two, recording his first complete game and shutout since 2004, when he was a starter with the Blue Jays. After a 1st inning double by Dexter Fowler, the Rockies didn't get another hit until Troy Tulowitski's single in the 7th. In his four Dodger starts, Lilly's ERA is 1.29 and his WHIP a minuscule 0.57. He's allowed just 12 hits and four earned runs over his last 28 innings.

Pujols, Franklin Seal 2-1 Cards' Win; Konerko Sends BoSox to 2nd Straight Loss

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 5, 2009 American League Paul Konerko singled home two runs in the first inning and cranked out his 25th home run of the season - a solo shot in the 9th, as the Chicago White Sox took down the Red Sox for the second straight day, 5-1. Konerko provided more than enough power for starter Gavin Floyd (11-8), who baffled Boston on 3 hits over 8 innings, striking out 11, including getting David Ortiz 3 times. Boston's only run came on Jason Bay's 31st homer in the 8th. The loss didn't hurt Boston's chances in the wild card as both Texas and Tampa Bay went down to defeat. Texas has pulled to within just 2 games of the Red Sox, while the Rays have stumbled badly over the past two weeks and are 6 games off the pace and nearing elimination. The Red Sox and Rangers are both inning their post-season hopes on the wild card, even though the Rangers are only 4 1/2 behind the Angels in the West. Boston trails the Yankees in the East by 8 1/2 games and the Yanks have begun the pennant countdown, with a magic number of 19. Chicago's only hope is to keep on winning and hope that the Tigers and Twins fall apart late. The Pale Hose trail the Tigers by 7 games in the Central and are one behind the Twinkies. They have no chance of winning the wild card, as they are 11 games behind Boston there. National League St. Louis took another step closer to the post-season, with a 2-1, 10-inning victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, in a game that featured two of their most important players: superstar Albert Pujols (left) and intense closer, Ryan Franklin (right). Deadlocked at 1-1 after regulation, Pujols was inserted as a pinch-hitter to lead off the 10th, and with one stroke made the score 2-1, launching his 44th homer (leads majors) to center field. Following Albert the Great's stunning blast, Franklin came on to record his 37th save, securing the Cardinals' 7th win in their last 8 games, reducing their magic number to clinch the Central division to 16. Franklin has converted 37 of 39 save opportunities for a team loaded with starting pitching. The top closer in the National League, Franklin is right behind the top closers in the AL, the Angels' Brian Fuentes (39) and the Yankees' Mariano Rivera (38). His WHIP (0.99) and ERA (1.34) are near the top for closers. He is holding opposing hitters to a meager .186 batting average. NOTES: The NL wild card continues to be the closest race in the majors. All three contenders - Colorado, San Fran and Florida - all won on Saturday, so the standings remain the same. Colorado leads the Giants by one game and Florida by 4. The Braves have fallen 6 off the wild card pace.

Phillies Clinch NL East; NL Wild Card Tied; Who Wants Al Central?

Players of the Day from Saturday, September 27, 2008 American League Paul Konerko cranked a pair of homer runs and drove in three, but it wasn't nearly enough as the White Sox lost their fifth straight and continue to trail the Twins by 1/2 game in the Central division. Cleveland beat the White Sox, 12-6, while the Twins were losing their second straight to the Royals, dropping a 4-2 decision to Kansas City. It was the Twins' second straight loss to the Royals. Notes: Unless Minnesota wins the final regular season game on Sunday and the White Sox lose, Chicago's make-up game will have to be played on Monday in order to decide the division. Further, depending on the outcomes of all games, there may be a playoff on Tuesday at Chicago between the Twins and Sox to decide the division. National League Maybe it will turn out to be a little too late and a game or two short, but Johan Santana hurled a 3-hit, complete game shutout as the Mets dropped the Marlins, 2-0, and tied Milwaukee (losers to the Cubs, 7-3) in the wild card race. Meanwhile, the Phillies did their job, beating the Nationals, 4-3, to clinch their second straight NL East crown. Philadelphia will have home field advantage in one of the first round series. If the Mets win the wild card, the Phillies would play the Brewers. If the Brewers win, they would play them. Notes: Should the Mets and Brewers remain tied after Sunday's games, a single-game playoff on Monday at New York would determine the wild card.

Vazquez, Konerko Lift ChiSox; Kapler Stars for Brewers

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 13, 2008 American League This was such a tough choice, we gave the player of the day for the AL to both Javier Vazquez (left) and Paul Konerko (right), both of whom were instrumental in Chicago's 11-0 drubbing of Detroit on Sunday. Vazquez shut out the punchless Tigers over 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and no walks while striking out 9. Meanwhile, Konerko did his work early on, driving in the first run of the game with a single in the first inning, followed by a grand slam in the 3rd. That was it, but going 2-for-4 with 5 RBI is a pretty good day in anyone's book. Later in the contest, Joe Crede also launched a grand slam, but by then the game's outcome was not in doubt. Notes: Detroit's loss was their second straight and 10th of their first 12 games this season. In the wild AL East, Toronto caught the Orioles with a 5-4, 10-inning win at Texas while the O's were losing to Tampa. Both Baltimore and Toronto are 7-5, but the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays are all within 1 1/2 games. National League

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Here's a comeback, perseverance and feel-good story all rolled into one. Gabe Kapler, a nine-year veteran who spent last season managing Boston's single-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive, knocked a single, double and home run, drove in three runs and scored three times on Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Mets, 9-7, in New York. Kapler, who has played with the Tigers, Rangers, Rockies, and Red Sox, signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee in the off-season and is off to an exceptional start. He's batting a healthy .423, with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. Notes: All things come to an end, including winning, and thankfully, losing streaks. The Washington Nationals broke out of their 9-game funk with a 5-4 win over Atlanta and Colorado ended the D-Backs' win streak at 8 with a 13-5 pounding.