Alex Wood Shackles Rockies as Dodgers Eye NL West Crown; Prince Fielder, Rangers Bomb Houston Again

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 16, 2013

American League

Fielder: On fire!

Timing is important in all aspects of life, but the Texas Rangers may want to bottle whatever it is that has gotten the team - and especially Prince Fielder - red-hot at the right time of the season.

The Rangers took their third straight from Houston with a rollicking, 14-3, victory, extending their lead in the AL West to 1 1/2 over the former first place Astros.

Finding perfect timing at the plate was Prince Fielder, who homered twice and drove in five runs for the Rangers. Fielder got things started right away, singling home the Rangers' first run in the bottom of the first, then scoring on Mike Napoli's three-run homer as the Rangers put up a six-spot on Houston starter, Dallas Keuchel.

The rout was on.

Fielder belted a solo shot in the third inning and unloaded a three-run homer in the sixth, making the score at the end of the frame, 12-1.

With his 3-for-5 effort in Wednesday's rout, Fielder has absolutely shot the Astros down from the sky. In the three games - all Ranger wins - he's 8-for-13 (.615), with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs. Houston pitchers would have been better off just walking him whenever he made it to the plate, but it's too late for that.

The series concludes with the Rangers looking for the four-game sweep Thursday at 8:05 pm EDT.

National League

Wood: Another LA ace?

Heading toward the playoffs, if there was anything the Dodgers didn't need to add to their roster it was another dominant starting pitcher. They already have Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, who've been treating opposing hitters like trifling playthings, so along comes Alex Wood, shutting out the Rockies for eight innings on one hit Wednesday night in a 2-0 Dodger win.

Just what the Cardinals, Pirates, Mets and Cubs wanted to see, another shutout (almost) by another Dodger hurler.

Wood (11-10) allowed a two-out, second-inning single to Kyle Parker, and then proceeded to set down the next 19 Colorado batters in order. No walks, one hit, five strikeouts, no runs, game over. Greinke and Kershaw may actually have been jealous.

The remaining playoff contenders should be paying close attention, because they're probably going to have to match up with the Dodger pitching staff at some point, and that's not going to look very promising.

Wood was acquired from Atlanta prior to the July 31 trade deadline. He is 4-4 for the Dodgers as a starter but has recently shown signs of coming around. On September 5th, he shut out San Diego for seven innings on three hits. He was shelled in Arizona his next start, but Wednesday's outing suggests that he's put that game behind him.

Taking two of three from the Rockies, the Dodgers maintain their 7 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the West. With 17 games to play, their magic number to clinch the division is 10.

Prince Fielder Sends Rangers over Astros; Clayton Kershaw Wins Ninth Straight for Dodgers

Players of the Day for Monday, September 14, 2015

American League

Fielder: Heroic Homer

Prince Fielder helped the Rangers take game one of their four-game series with the first-place Astros Monday night by scoring three runs and belting a two-run homer in the eighth inning that broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Rangers on to the 5-3 triumph.

Fielder's homer was his 19th of the season and the win put the Rangers a mere 1/2 game behind the Astros. Fielder was 2-for-4, with a single and the decisive blast. He's batting .309 (7th in the AL) with 77 RBI.

Starters Cole Hamels for the Rangers and the Astros' Scott Kasmir each went seven innings and allowed three runs (one of Kasmir's was unearned), but neither received a decision. Relievers Keone Kela took the win and Houston's Will Harris was saddled with the loss.

Game two of the crucial four-game series is Tuesday at 8:00 pm EDT.

National League

It's pretty much over in the NL West, the few questions remaining are by how much the Dodgers are going to take the division and whether they will beat the Mets and Cardinals for the league's best record, and thus, home field advantage at some point in the playoffs.

Kershaw: Absurd Stats

LA's 4-1 win in the opener of a three-game series (and 10 game homestead) featured another stellar performance by another Dodger ace (they have two), Clayton Kershaw, who snuffed the Rockies on three hits, allowing just one earned run over seven innings.

The Rockies scored their only run on a walk a hit and a groundout in the opening frame, but after that, Kershaw was nearly unhittable, striking out the side in the second and allowing just two hits and a walk over the next six innings.

Luis Avilan worked the eighth for the Dodgers and Chris Hatcher picked up the save - his third - holding the Rockies scoreless in the ninth.

The win was the Dodgers' third straight, keeping them 7 1/2 games in front of San Francisco, with 19 remaining. Their magic number to clinch the division is down to 12.

Kershaw (14-6) has won nine straight, with four no-decisions during the span that stretches back to July 3rd. His last loss was June 27th, and in the four no-decision games, he's allowed one earned run in two and no earned runs in the other two. He's allowed just four earned runs in his last 14 starts (108 innings) for an almost impossible ERA of 0.33 over that span.

On the year, he has three complete games, two shutouts and 264 strikeouts, a number that leads the majors. Washington's Max Scherzer is second in the NL with 231.

The Rockies will try to even the series Tuesday night. 7:10 pm PDT is the scheduled start time.

Prince Fielder Leads Tigers in Win over Indians; Hunter Pence Paces Giants as NL West Race Tightens

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 8, 2013

American League

Prince Fielder

What was a tight race a week ago, is quickly turning into a runaway in the AL Central, as the Indians lost their sixth straight game while the Tigers have won three in a row.

Cleveland's latest lost was delivered by the bat of Prince Fielder, whose second inning, bases-loaded double paved the way to a 6-4 Detroit victory, their second straight over their division rival. The Tigers have opened up a 4 1/2 game lead over the Indians.

Fielder's gapper to right-center plated three runs, breaking a 1-1 tie. The Tigers tacked on a pair in the third inning, which was all starter Rick Porcello (3-3) needed, shutting down the Indians on three hits and one earned run over six innings. The Indians scored two unearned runs off Tiger errors, but could not mount enough offense to overcome their deficit.

Fielder, hitting in the all-important spot behind reigning MVP, Miguel Cabrera, added a single, going 2-for-5 on the day. With 12 homers, a .285 batting average and 51 RBI, Fielder is having an exceptional season, especially considering that the guy in front of him, Cabrera, has been routinely clearing the bases. Cabrera has 17 homers and 67 RBI.

The two sluggers in the heart of Detroit's lineup have driven in 118 of 305 total RBI by the team, an outlandish 38.7%.

Detroit will be seeking a sweep of the Indians when they host game three of the weekend series, Sunday, at 1:08 pm EDT.

National League

Tightening the NL West up a little more, the San Francisco Giants cranked out 15 hits in their 10-5 win at Arizona, tying the Rockies - 4-2 losers to San Diego - for second place, 2 1/2 games back of the Diamondbacks.

Hunter Pence

Hunter Pence made the most of his plate appearances, going 2-for-5 with a double and his tenth homer of the season, a seventh-inning solo shot that put the Giants up 9-0.

Prior to his fence-clearing, Pence got the Giants on the scoreboard in the second inning, grounding into a fielder's choice, but then stealing second and third base, scampering home on Miguel Montero's wild throw to third.

He also started the Giants' six-run outburst in the fourth inning, leading off with a ground rule double to left and scoring on a Andres Torres sac fly.

Pence has his season going in the right direction, batting .342 over his last ten games. He's swiped 12 bases this season without being caught.

The Giants and Diamondbacks will settle their differences Sunday at 4:10 pm EDT in the rubber game of the series.

Today's Trivia: Who was the player who led the majors in runs five times from 2003-2010? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: The all-time career leader in RBI is Hammerin' Hank Aaron, with 2297.

Matt Cain, Marco Scutaro, Angel Pagan Lead Giants Back to First Place; Prince Fielder Blasts O's in 5-3 Win

Players of the Day for Friday, August 17, 2012

American League

Fielder: 2HR, 4RBI

Opening a three game series critical to the wild card chase and divisional races in the East and Central, the Baltimore Orioles had a lead at Detroit, but lost it and the game when they failed to keep Prince Fielder in the yard.

Leading 3-1 in the sixth inning, Fielder unloaded for the first of two massive homers - both coming with Miguel Cabrera aboard - to tie the game, then blasted his second in the eighth, completing the 5-3 win.

The victory left the Tigers tied with the Orioles for the second wild card spot, a game behind Tampa Bay, in the #1 wild card position. The Tigers also picked up a game on Central division leader, Chicago, 4-2 losers at Kansas City, leaving Detroit 1 1/2 back in the Central.

Fielder's homers were his 21st and 22nd of the season. The first came off O's starter, Tommy Hunter, the second blow against reliever J. C. Romero. Miguel Cabrera's first inning hoemr - his 31st of the year - provided the only other run for Detroit.

The series resumes Saturday night, with the third game set for Sunday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.

Marco Scutaro

National League

Matt Cain, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro led the San Francisco Giants back into first place in the NL West, powering the Giants to to a lopsided, 10-1 win over the Padres, in the opener of a three-game weekend series in San Diego.

Angel Pagan

Scutaro got the Giants started in the first inning, staking Matt Cain (12-5) to an early advantage with a solo homer.

In the third inning, the Giants sent 14 men to the plate and scored eight runs to essentially put the game out of reach.

Matt Cain

Pagan drove in the first run of the epic inning with an RBI triple and was singled home by Scutaro, who later scored. Cain aided his own cause with a single in the inning which plated Brandon Belt.

Pagan finished up 3-for-5 with two RBI. Scutaro was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Cain, who earlier this season tossed a perfect game, won his second straight start, allowing four hits and a single fifth inning run over eight, fanning six without issuing a walk.

The win gave the Giants a 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers in the West. LA dropped a 4-3 decision at Atlanta.

Prince Fielder Wins Second Home Run Derby

Player of the Day for Monday, July 9, 2012

American League

Just one player of the day from Monday, and he is Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers, who won the 2012 All Star Home Run Derby with an awesome power display in the second and third rounds of the competition.

Fielder: HR King

After hitting five homers in the opening round, Fielder just barely made it to the second round, led by Jose Bautista, who hit 11 and Mark Trumbo and Carlos Beltran, each of whom belted seven.

In the second round, Fielder got into his groove, smashing 11 balls over the walls of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, splashing a good number of them into the fountains beyond center and right fields, including the longest of the night, a 476-foot blast.

Bautista managed to reach the final round, but was overwhelmed by Fielder's power. The burly Detroit first baseman launched 12 homers in the finals, easily bettering Bautista's effort of seven.

Fielder joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to win the home run derby more than once. Griffey did it three times, while Fielder has won it twice, the first time as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009, making him the only player to win it as a representative of teams from both leagues.

Now in his seventh full season as a major leaguer, Fielder has 245 home runs and led the National League in 2007 with 50 long balls.

Prince Fielder's 4 RBI Not Enough to Overcome Rangers; Ian Desmond, Michael Morse, Adam LaRoche Lead Nationals' 12-5 Rout

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 26, 2012

American League

In a losing effort, Detroit's Prince Fielder had two of the Tigers' five hits and knocked in four of their five runs.

Prince Fielder

Falling to the Rangers, 7-5, which evened their series at a game apiece, Detroit mustered only four hits off Texas starter Yu Darvish (10-4), though the 26-year-old rookie from Kobe, Japan fanned 10.

Fielder got the Tigers started in the right direction with a two-run double in the first and belted his 12 homer of the season in the top of the fourth for a 3-1 lead, but the Rangers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the frame and were never headed thereafter. Fielder added his fourth RBI on a ground out in the eighth.

Winners of eight of their last 10, the Rangers maintained their 4 1/2 game lead in the AL West over the pursuing Angels, while the Tigers dropped a game to the White Sox in the Central, where they trail by three games.

The series concludes Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas.

Michael Morse

National League

Adam LaRoche

Washington's bats went to work Tuesday night in Colorado, as the Nationals banged out 21 hits against the Rockies in a 12-5 slaughter.

Ian Desmond doubled three times and singled in five at-bats, scoring once and driving in a pair of runs, while Michael Morse also went 4-for-5, with a double, three singles, two runs and two RBI.

Adam LaRoche, who's been the teams most consistent power hitter, touched off a pair of homers, drove in three runs and scored three times. LaRoche's homers were his 11th and 12th of the season and upped his team-leading RBI total to 47, tying him for fifth in the league with four other players.

Ian Desmond

The Nationals continue to lead the NL East by 3 1/2 over Atlanta and evened their four-game series in Colorado at a game apiece with the win.

Despite being third in the league in batting with a team average of .267, the Rockies continue to be plagued by poor pitching. Their team ERA of 5.38 is the worst in either league and their 770 hits allowed are easily tops in the National League. The Milwaukee Brewers are a distant second, having given up 690 hits.

At 28-45, the Rockies are 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Los Angeles holds a one game lead over the Giants after losing their second straight to their northern rivals, 2-0.

Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder Bomb Beckett, BoSox; Adam LaRoche Goes 4-for-5 in Nats' Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 7, 2012

American League

Prince Fielder

Boston's Josh Beckett got banged around pretty hard by the heavy-hitting Detroit Tigers, giving up five homers and lasting only 4 2/3 innings in a 10-0 Tiger rout.

Miguel Cabrera

Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera each belted a pair and catcher Alex Avila added a two run shot. Cabrera got things going for Detroit in the first inning, launching a two-run shot, then, in the fourth, Fielder belted a solo job to left center, followed two batters later by Avila, who crushed one to left with Delmon Young aboard.

In the fifth inning, Cabrera and Fielder went back-to-back for the first time together, an occurrence that many AL pitchers fear may happen with some regularity this season. After Fielder's second homer of the day, Beckett pitched to one more batter before making his early exit.

Cabrera finished 2-for-5 with three RBI; Fielder was 2-for-3 with two RBI. The Tigers are off to a 2-0 start, while the Red Sox are 0-2. The series concludes Sunday, starting at 1:05 pm EDT.

Adam LaRoche

National League

The NL East figures to be a dog-fight this season, and already the standings seem to reflect that. The Phillies, Marlins and Braves are already chasing last years whipping boys, the Mets and Nationals, both 2-0.

Washington first baseman Adam Laroche went 4-for-5 with a fourth-inning, two-run homer off Cubs' starter Matt Garza as the Nationals dumped Chicago, 7-4. It was the Cubs' second straight home loss to the Nats.

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LaRoche added three singles, upping his average to an even .500, and scored twice for Washington. Traded to the Nationals from Arizona after the 2010 season, LaRoche played in just 42 games last year, batting just .172, electing for season-ending shoulder surgery in late May.

Back healthy, LaRoche adds a potent bat to the middle of Washington's lineup.

Brennan Boesch, Prince Fielder Highlight Tigers' 11-9 Win over Jays; Felix Hernandez Fans Six in Four Innings

Players of the Day for Monday, April 2, 2012

Grapefruit League

Brennan Boesch

9,476 fans showed up for a little Toronto-Detroit tune-up on Monday, and, as expected, they got their money's worth as the teams combined for 19 runs, 25 hits and four homers.

Prince Fielder

The two have been atop the Grapefruit League standings nearly throughout the exhibition season. With the 11-8 Detroit victory, the 23-7 Blue Jays lead 20-7 Detroit by 1 1/2 games as the spring season nears its end and real, regular season play begins Wednesday.

Despite the top two teams getting together again on Tuesday, the Blue Jays are guaranteed to capture the Grapefruit title, as that will be the final exhibition game for both Toronto and Detroit before heading North.

Leading the hit parade for the Tigers was Brennan Boesch, with two singles and a double in four at-bats. Boesch drove in two runs and scored twice, while teammate Prince Fielder belted his fourth springtime homer, a three-run blast which highlighted a seven-run Detroit second inning.

Felix Hernandez

Cactus League

After hurling eight innings (5 H, 1 ER, no decision) in Seattle's 11-inning, 3-1 regular season opening day win in Japan on March 28, Felix Hernandez needed a bit of work prior to his next appearance, so he went out and threw four shutout innings at Colorado to pick up his thrid exhibition win against two losses.

Hernandez was sharp, allowing just two hits while fanning six without issuing a walk as the Mariners racked up the 7-2 win.

The hard-throwing righty appears on track for another sensational season in 2012. In 22 innings this spring, he's struck out 23 batters and held hitters to a .207 average.

Brewers Take ALCS Game One, 9-6; Rangers-Tigers Rained Out

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 9, 2011

American League

Game two of the ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers was cancelled due to - of all things - rain. Texas has been devastated by drought all summer, the irony is that the much-needed rain in the Lone Star state forces the cancellation of Rangers' games at such a crucial time.

Texas leads the series, one game to none, with game two rescheduled for Monday, October 10 at 4:19 pm EDT. The same two pitchers who were slated to start on Sunday will go on Monday - Max Scherzer for the Tigers and Derek Holland for the Rangers.

National League

Braun: homer,
double, 4 RBI

Brewers 9 Cardinals 6

The Milwaukee Brewers started off the NLCS with a bang - more like a couple of bangs - from their top hitting duo, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.

Braun smashed a two-run, first-inning home run in the Brewers' half of the frame, giving Milwaukee a 2-1 lead that would not last. St. Louis scored three runs in the 4th inning on a David Freese home run and added another in the top of the 5th for a 5-2 lead.

Fielder: 2-run HR

The Brewers struck back quickly in the bottom of the 5th, Braun drove in two runs with a ground rule double and the next batter, Fielder, walloped a blast to deep right that plated both of the Milwaukee sluggers, putting the Brewers up by a 6-5 score. Moments later, Yuniesky Betancourt drilled another home run - this one to left-center - bringing himself around behind Rickie Weeks, who had reached on Cardinal reliever Octavio Dotel's throwing error. Milwaukee's five runs in the 5th all came with nobody out.

Both teams scored an additional run in the 7th inning to complete the scoring.

Despite not pitching well, Zack Greinke took the win, extending his perfect record at home. In 17 home starts this season - two of them in the playoffs - Greinke has 12 wins without suffering a loss. Greinke pitched into the 7th, but was lifted when Rafael Furcal led off the inning with a single. Furcal would eventually score, the run charged to Greinke.

Jaime Garcia was saddled with the loss. He was relieved after Fielder's home run in the 5th.

Game two is scheduled for 8:05 pm EDT Monday night, in Milwaukee. Cardinal starter Edwin Jackson faces the Brewers' Shaun Marcum.

Yankees Win, Rangers Ties Series with Rays; Phillies, Brewers Open Playoffs with Wins

Players of the Day for October 1, 2011

American League Divisional Series

Yankees 9, Tigers 3

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano went 3-for-5 and drove in six runs as the Yankees took the completion of the suspended game from Friday night. Cano doubled in a run to break a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning, then socked a grand slam in the 6th and added another RBI double in the 8th to complete the Yankees' scoring. The Yankees lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

Mike Napoli

Rangers 8, Rays 6

Mike Napoli keyed a five-run 4th inning for the Rangers with a bases loaded single, driving in two runs and scoring later in the inning. The Rangers' catcher also singled in the 6th and scored on Ian Kinsler's 2 RBI double, providing Texas with a cushion to tie the divisional series at 1-1.

Prince Fielder

National League Divisional Series

Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 1

Yovani Gallardo

The Milwaukee Brewers took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series with Arizona as Prince Fielder belted a two-run, 7th-inning homer to break the game open. Brewer starter Yovani Gallardo was the master of the mound, stopping Arizona on four hits and a walk over eight innings, yielding only one run while fanning nine.

Phillies 11, Cardinals 4

Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay was roughed up early, on Lance Berkman's three-run home run in the first inning, but maintained his composure to set down 21 batters in a row after Skip Shumacker led off the second inning with a single. Halladay left the game after working eight innings and picked up the win.

Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard belted a three-run homer in the 6th to put the Phillies ahead for good after the Cardinals had built an early 3-1 lead.

The Phillies lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

Mariano Rivera and Time Wakefield Reach Mound Milestones; Fielder and Braun Power Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 13, 2011

American League

Wakefield: 200 Ws

A couple of milestones were reached by two veterans of the Yankee-Red Sox wars on Tuesday, specifically, Boston's knuckle-balling Tim Wakefield notched his 200th win as the Red Sox trounced the Blue Jays, 18-6, and Yankee closer, Mariano Rivera, collected his 600th save in New York's 3-2 win over Seattle.

Rivera: 600 Saves

The Yankees got six good innings out of starter AJ Burnett (4 hits, 2 runs, 11 Ks) and key contributions from Robinson Cano, who had a solo homer in the 2nd inning and drove in the eventual winning run in the 6th on a fielder's choice. Cano's two RBI tied him for the AL with teammate Curtis Granderson at 111. The focus was clearly on Rivera though, who came on, as he customarily does, in the 9th inning, quieting the Mariners by sandwiching a single to Ichiro Suzuki between a pair of strikeouts, the game ending when Russell Martin gunned down Ichiro at second as he attempted to steal.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Rivera's 41st save of the season was also the 600th of his major league career, placing him just one behind the only other pitcher in the "600 save club," Trevor Hoffman. Rivera should have ample opportunity to tie and surpass Hoffman for the all-time lead in saves as the Yankees have 15 more games on the regular season slate.

Dustin Pedroia

In Boston, the Red Sox won just their second game in their last nine tries, as Wakefield lasted six innings while his teammates were collecting 18 hits. Wakefield's 200th win was nothing special other than its milestone status, as he gave up six hits and five runs before exiting. The knuckle-baller has started 461 games over 20 years, compiling 200 wins against 178 losses.

Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury each went 4-for-5 and scored four times. Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a solo homer, two singles and a double, driving in three runs. Pedroia was busy collecting total bases, homering twice and doubling twice, driving in five runs.

Verlander: 23-5

The Yankees maintained a 4-game lead over Boston in the East, and the Red Sox advanced another game over Tampa Bay in the wild card race, as the Rays fell to Baltimore, 4-2. Boston's wild card lead is back to four games.

Justin Verlander won his 23rd game of the season, hurling seven scoreless innings at the White Sox as the Tigers inched closer to the AL Central crown with a 5-0 win. Verlander allowed six hits, two walks and struck out six. Detroit's lead in the division is 12 1/2 games over the Sox and Indians; their magic number is three.

The Angels and Rangers were both winners in the West. Texas remains three games in front of LA in the division.

National League

Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder's solo home run (32) in the 6th inning tied the game at 1-1, and Ryan Braun's bases-empty blast (28) in the 10th provided all the runs needed by Zach Greinke and a parade of five relievers as the Brewers gutted out a 2-1 win over Colorado, improving on their MLB-best home record (52-22) while keeping the second place Cardinals at bay, 6 1/2 games back.

Milwaukee's magic number is reduced to eight, with just 13 games left on their schedule.

Ryan Braun

In the wild card race, both Atlanta and St. Louis were winners, so the Braves continue to lead them by four games.

Out West, both Arizona and San Francisco had to go to extra innings for wins, with the D'Backs knocking off the Dodgers, 5-4, in 10 innings on a bases loaded walk to Chris Young, while the Mark DeRosa's walk-off RBI single in the 12th provided the winning margin in the Giants' 3-2 win over the Padres.

The Giants trail the Diamondbacks by 8 1/2 games in the West.

Philadelphia lost their third straight, but still hold an 11 game lead over the Braves in the East. The Phillies' magic number is five.

Gonzalez Leads Red Sox Back to 1st; Kershaw, Kennedy 16-Game NL Winners; Fielder First to 100 RBI

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 23, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

With David Ortiz sitting out the last nine games with bursitis in his right heel and Kevin Youkilis on the DL with back stiffness since August 17, the Boston Red Sox haven't had their full complement of players and recently relinquished their AL East lead to the Yankees.

With a little help from the Oakland A's, who barely outlasted the Yankees for a 6-5 win Tuesday night, Boston has - despite a recent 5-5 record - regained a tie for the top spot in the division, as Adrian Gonzalez picked up his teammates with two homers and a single in four at-bats, leading to an 11-5 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Connecting for a two-run job in the opening inning, Gonzalez cracked his 20th home run as a Red Sox - a solo shot - in the 4th, singled, but was stranded in the 7th and was intentionally walked and scored in the 8th inning.

Gonzalez leads the majors with a .346 batting average and is second in the AL in RBI with 97, one behind the Yankees' Curtis Granderson.

Ian Kennedy

Boston and Texas have split the first two games of their series, which continues Wednesday and Thursday in Arlington.

National League

Clayton Kershaw

Despite the best pitching staff in the majors belonging to the Phillies, Clayton Kershaw and Ian Kennedy both became 16-game winners on Tuesday to top the National League's win column.

Kennedy, dueling with Washington ace, Jordan Zimmerman, tossed seven innings of shutout ball against the Nationals, with Arizona breaking through in the 7th on Sean Burroughs' two run homer for the 2-0 win, snapping a six-game Diamondback losing streak that had trimmed their lead over the Giants to a single game.

Kennedy scattered six hits and two walks, fanning eight.

Fielder: 100 RBI

During Arizona's slide, the Giants were more than accommodating, dropping four of six themselves, including Tuesday's 7-5 loss to San Diego.

For Kershaw, getting win #16 was a bit easier.

In three innings, the Dodgers had eight hits and scored eight runs off St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. Kershaw cruised through six innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out eight in the 13-2 Dodger win. Kershaw also leads the NL with 207 Ks.

Elsewhere, Prince Fielder became the first player in the majors to reach the 100-RBI mark, doubling home Ryan Braun in the sixth inning of Milwaukee's 11-4 win over the Pirates.

Longoria Drives in Five for Streaky Rays; Fielder, Brewers Win Wild One over Mets

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 20, 2011

American League

Longoria: 4 RBI

Hellickson: 8 scoreless

Winning their fourth straight, the Tampa Bay Rays are acting as though the AL East and wild card races are still up for grabs. Despite trailing the Yankees by eight games in the division and the Red Sox by 7 1/2 in the wild card, the Rays pounded Seattle, 8-0, while the two teams they're chasing lost by identical 9-4 scores.

Evan Longoria delivered the opening salvo for Tampa, belting his 20th home run of the season with one aboard in the first inning. The Rays scored three more in the third, and Longoria completed the Tampa scoring with a two-run single in the three-run eighth.

The Rays banged out 13 hits in supports of Jeremy Hellickson's eight innings of shutout work. Hellickson allowed six hits and a walk, punching out five on strikes as he improved his record to 11-9 and lowered his ERA to 3.02.

The Rays will go for the sweep of Seattle Sunday afternoon in Tampa.

National League

The hottest team in baseball right now is the Milwaukee Brewers, who have won eight of their last 10 and 21 of their last 24, an amazing run, but what may be equally amazing is how they managed to blow a 7-1 lead to the Mets, then came back to win it in the ninth inning.

Fielder: 96 RBI

The Brewers built their big lead on home runs off Mets' starter Chris Capuano, who surrendered seven runs - five earned - over 5 2/3 innings. Ryan Braun got things started with a two-run blast in the first, followed by Prince Fielder's 28th of the season, a three-run shot in the third, and added two more in the 6th off Yunieski Betancourt's two-run job.

The six-run lead was not enough to stave off a two inning rally by the Mets, who put up five runs in the 7th - three of them off former Met Francisco Rodriguez - and three more in the 8th to forge a 9-7 lead.

Striking back in the top of the ninth, Milwaukee loaded the bases off Jason Isringhausen, who walked mark Kotsay to force in a run, then Fielder followed with a seeing-eye single to right, which tied the game. Casey McGehee cued a ball between second and first for two more runs, producing the 11-9 final score.

Fielder's four RBI gave him 96, tying him with Ryan Howard for the NL lead. His 28 homers have him in the midst of a four-way battle for the HR crown. Albert Pujols leads the NL with 30, followed by Dan Uggla and Mike Stanton, each with 29.

Coupled with the Cardinals' 3-0 loss to the Cubs, the Brewers are cruising to the title in the NL Central with an 8 1/2 game lead.

Peavy Goes 8 Scoreless as Sox Sweep Twins; Fielder Scores Four as Brewers Sweep Astros

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 7, 2011

American League

Peavy: 8 scoreless

Jake Peavy evened his record at 5-5 and the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Twins as Chicago batters homered four times to defeat Minnesota, 7-0.

Peavy worked eight full innings, allowing just three hits while fanning six. He did not walk a batter and left the game with a big lead after throwing 108 pitches, 72 of them for strikes.

Paul Konerko connected for his 26th home run - a solo shot - and Brent Lillibridge and Alex Rios also delivered bases-empty bombs. Alexi Ramirez had a two-run homer in the 7th, his 11th of the season.

Peavy's return to form comes at the right time for the battling White Sox. With Detroit losing 4-3 to Kansas City and the Indians blowing a 3-0 lead in the 8th, losing to the Rangers, 5-3, Chicago is just 5 1/2 behind the Tigers and 1 1/2 back of the Indians.

The White Sox travel to Baltimore for a four-game set that begins Monday and then hosts Kansas City for three games. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Indians square off in Cleveland for a three-game series starting on Monday.

National League

Fielder: 4 scores

With a three game lead on the Cardinals in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers won their fourth straight as they completed a three-game sweep of the decimated Houston Astros, by a 7-3 score.

Prince Fielder socked his 26th home run, and drove in two runs, giving him 85 on the year, two behind league-leading Ryan Howard's 87 ribbies.

Fielder also singled twice, going 3-for-4 and scored four times for the Brewers.

With the Reds and Pirates - losers of 10 straight - have quickly fallen out of contention, the sole concern of the Brewers for the rest of the season will be fending off the Cardinals and winning the division.

The Cardinals will get another shot at derailing the Brewers right away, as the two teams match up in St. Louis for a three game series beginning Tuesday.

STREAKS: Dan Uggla went 1-for-5, extending his hitting streak to 28 straight, but teammate Freddie Freeman has his streak stopped at 20 with an 0-for-4 effort in Atlanta's 6-5 win over the Mets.

Pitching and Prince Fielder Lead NL to Second Straight All Star Victory

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 12, 2011

82nd All Star Game

The National League had boasted about its pitching, with good reason, but it was Prince Fielder's three-run homer in the 4th inning that boosted the NL to their second straight All Star win and home field for the NL entrant in this season's World Series.

Fielder's three-run
shot carries NL.

Roy Halladay set the tone for the Nationals, setting down all six of the batters he faced over the first two innings. His teammate, Cliff Lee, surrendered the only run of the game for the AL, a towering 4th inning solo shot off the bat of Adrian Gonzalez, who just a year ago would have been in an NL uniform.

Fielder did his damage in the bottom of the same inning, following singles by Carlos Beltran and Matt Kemp, with a booming belt to dead center field which hit the top of the wall and careened off a back wall of a private box and back onto the field. No doubt about it, Fielder's hit was a goner, and the NL never looked back.

The score could have been worse than the 5-1 final. Cubs' shortstop Starlin Castro stole second and third base in the bottom of the 5th, only to be gunned down at the plate on a nifty bare-handed snatch and throw by Jordan Walden on a Ricky Weeks chopper.

Walden could not get out of the inning unscathed, however, as Weeks stole second and scored on Andre Ethier's scratch single to right. The NL added another run in the 7th on Pablo Sandoval's screaming ground rule double into the left field corner, which plated Houston's Hunter Pence from second base.

The win was the the second in a row for the National League after losing 12 straight - plus one tie - from 1997 through 2009. The NL last strung together wins in 1994, '95 and '96. Fielder was named the All Star Game MVP, the first ever for a player from the Brewers. His homer was also a first in an All Star Game by a Milwaukee Brewer.

With World Series home field secured for the NL for a second straight season, maybe some of the defections on the AL side - like Justin Verlander, Derek Jeter, C.C. Sabathia and Felix Hernandez - will think twice next year about declining a fan vote or a roster selection.

In a related note, Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez was dealt to Milwaukee for two players to be named later.

Bautista Leads Jays to Win at St. Louis; Fielder Powers Brewers Past Twins

Players of the Day for Friday, June 24, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

Toronto hasn't been winning much of late, but they're getting plenty of mileage out of their superstar slugger, right fielder Jose Bautista.

Playing in St. Louis, Bautista doubled and scored in the 1st inning, was intentionally walked and eventually scored again in the 5th, and belted his major-league-leading 23rd home run in the 9th inning, a solo shot that broke a 4-4 tie and ensured a 5-4 win for the Blue Jays.

The win ended a four-game losing skid for the Jays, but they've fallen 7 1/2 games behind in the AL East, a division in which it is difficult to gain on the contenders. The consolation for Toronto was that their win cost the Cardinals a tie for first place in the NL Central, where the Brewers now lead by a game.

Baustista will be mentioned as an MVP candidate. His .326 batting average is third in the AL, and he has 48 RBI to go with those 23 homers.

National League

Prince Fielder

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in sole possession of first place in the NL Central after Prince Fielder drove in the game-tying and game-winning runs in a 4-3 win over Minnesota.

Like most teams, the Twins tried pitching around Fielder, walking him in the 4th and 5th innings. It didn't work out so well in the 4th, as Fielder scored the Brewers' first run, though with first base open with runners on second and third in the 5th, it was the right move, as struggling Casey McGehee flied out to end the inning.

In the seventh, however, after Danny Valencia's three-run homer in the 6th had put the Twins up by a 3-2 score, Fielder came to the plate with runners on first and third, there was no choice but to pitch to him and the result was a two-run game-winning double to right field, driving home both Ricky Weeks from third and Nyger Morgan, who streaked around from score from first.

Fielder is having a monster year, second in the league with 20 home runs and leading the RBI race with 65. Being in first place is its own reward for Fielder and the Brew crew.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The National League won eight games, the American League, six, which eliminated the once-burgeoning AL advantage. The two leagues are now tied for the season in interleague play, each with 70 wins.

Fielder Blasts a Pair in Comeback Win; Miguel Olivo Produces Win for Mariners

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 8, 2011

American League

Miguel Olivo

The Seattle Mariners avoided being swept at Chicago by the White Sox with a 10-inning, 7-4 victory in the thind and final game of the series.

Winning the game could have been easier were it not for Carlos Quentin, who crushed a couple of home runs and drove in three runs to keep the Sox in the contest, but Seattle catcher Miguel Olivo rose to the occasion with a solo homer in the 8th and a two-run double in the top of the 10th inning, later scoring the final Seattle run, producing the final tally.

The victory kept Settle on pace with the front-running Rangers in the West. They are 2 1/2 back at 32-30. The scuffling White Sox remain six back of Cleveland, at 30-34, with Detroit ahead of them, only 1 1/2 behind the Indians.

National League

Fresh Prince
of Milwaukee

It looked like the Brewers were about to lose their second straight home game to the Mets when Ronnie Paulino blasted a grand slam in the top of the 8th, but Prince Fielder was having none of that.

Fielder, who socked a two-run homer in the 4th inning to give Milwaukee a 2-1 edge, followed Ryan Braun's two-run double in the bottom of the 8th with his second two-run shot of the game, a booming drive to left center which tied the game at 6-6.

Fielder's blast set up the dramatic finish in the 10th, as Nyger Morgan doubled home Craig Counsell from second base with the game-winner and a comeback 7-6, 10-inning victory.

The win was important for the Brewers to keep in touch with the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who are just 1 1/2 ahead after losing to Houston, 4-1, Wednesday. Milwaukee will host a three-game weekend series with the Cardinals beginning Friday, an early showdown in the Central division.

JETER 3000 WATCH: Another loss to the Red Sox, this one by an 11-6 score, saw Jeter collect his 2989th base hit, a 5th inning RBI double. The Yankee captain also scored later in the inning, but it was not enough to prevent the Yankees losing their second straight home game to the Red Sox.

Jeter's two-bagger was the 476th of his career, second in Yankee history to the great Lou Gehrig, who knocked 534 doubles in many fewer at-bats (about 1500) than Jeter. Gehrig is also the career team leader in triples, with an amazing 163. Ballparks, particularly Yankee Stadium, were much more spacious back in Gehrig's time, which partially accounts for the high number of three-base hits. Even Babe Ruth legged out 106 triples during his tenure as a Yankee. By comparison, Jeter has 62 triples, tied for 16th on the Yankees' all-time list with Phil Rizutto and Birdie Cree, who played from 1908-1915.