Brewers Advance on Morgan Single in 10th; Carpenter, Furcal Make Cardinals Winners

Players of the Day for Friday, October 7, 2011


National League

Brewers 3 Diamondbacks 2, 10 innings

Morgan: walk-off
single nips D'Backs

Nyjer Morgan's ground single up the middle off closer John Axford brought home pinch-runner Carlos Gomez from second base with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to advance the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL championship series.

The Brewers were pushed to a game five when the dropped both games at Arizona and the Diamondbacks evened the series at two games apiece, forcing the game five finale at Milwaukee. The home team won every game in the series, though hame five was the only close one, as the average winning margin through the first four games was 4.75 runs.

Milwaukee, winners of the Central Division, host the wild card Cardinals - also from the Central division - at 4:05 pm EDT, Sunday.

Furdal: leadoff triple

Cardinals 1 Phillies 0

Carpenter: 3-Hit
Shutout

Rafael Furcal socked a leadoff triple off Phillies' starter Roy Halladay, and Skip Schumaker's follow-up double quickly turned it into the only run scored in the game as Chris Carpenter delivered a virtuoso mound performance, blanking the Phillies on three hits to allow the Cardinals to advance to the NL championship series against Milwaukee.

Furcal and the rest of the Cardinals were tight in the field behind Carpenter's grinding work from the mound. The lanky St. Louis ace worked over the potent Philly lineup, fanning three without walking a batter, throwing 70 of 110 pitches to send the Phillies home for a winter of regret as the Cardinals take a flight to Milwaukee to carry on in the post-season.

American League

There were no AL games on Friday. The Rangers host the Tigers in game one of the league championship series Saturday at Arlington, Texas at 8:05 pm EDT.

Ellsbury Saves Boston for Now; Cardinals Fly to Within One Game of Braves

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 25, 2011

American League

For most teams, playing a double-header is a little extra work. Staying focused, trying to give 100% through a long day of baseball requires discipline, perseverance and determination. Having to play a twin bill on the road against a potential playoff opponent which just happens to have the best record in the league, with only five days left in the season, requires something more.

Jacoby Ellsbury

And when you've dropped the first game and the second game goes into extra innings with maybe your whole season on the line, it requires a conclusion, and that's exactly what Jacoby Ellsbury provided with a three-run, 14th-inning home run that secured a 7-4 victory over the Yankees to kept Tampa Bay from tying the Red Sox in the wild card standings.

Ellsbury came to the plate just 1-for-6 in the nightcap, with two men aboard and two outs, but ended up 2-for-7 with three RBI, and maybe the biggest hit of Boston's entire season.

In the first game, Ellsbury provided all of Boston's offense, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers and two RBI, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Yankees won, 6-2. Combined with Tampa Bay's 5-2 win over Toronto, Boston's wild card lead had shrunk to a tiny 1/2 game. A loss in the nightcap would have had the Rays and Red Sox in a flat-footed tie with just three games left. Ellsbury's late-night homer at least gave the Red Sox a one game cushion - a little breathing room - as they head to Baltimore for a three game series to close out the regular season.

Tampa Bay will have to contend with the Yankees for the final three games of the season at Tropicana Field in Tampa. The Red Sox dropped three straight to the Orioles, a team that is loose and has nothing to lose, last week in Boston. The Rays dropped three of four to the Yankees last week in New York. Whichever team emerges with the wild card will have earned it.

Edwin Jackson

There is one more team in the race, though the best the LA Angels can do now, after dropping a 6-5 decision to the A's on Sunday, is force a tie. They trail the Red Sox by three games; Tampa by two.

National League

Rafael Furcal

The Cardinals moved to within one game of Atlanta in the NL wild card race, but they're hanging on by a thread and giving their fans heart attacks. After winning Saturday's game with the Cubs with a dramatic two-run rally in the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals only waited until the 8th to take a 3-2 win from Chicago.

Randy Wells and the Cardinals' Edwin Jackson, locked into a pretty heated pitcher's duel. The Cubs only got to Jackson for five hits while the Cardinals got six off Wells, the last one a Rafael Furcal solo home run to right in the bottom of the 8th that snapped a 2-2 tie and led to victory.

Yadier Molina

The Cardinals played from behind most of the game. Jackson, in addition to his seven innings of mound duty (five hits, two walks, two runs, six Ks) drove in the first Cardinal run with a bases loaded sac fly in the 5th that tied the game at one. Starlin Castro singled in Marlon Byrd in the 7th to put the Cubs up, 2-1, but Yadier Molina got the Cardinals back to a tie with a bases empty blast in the bottom of the frame, setting the stage for Furcal's game winner.

With Atlanta losing 3-0 at Washington, the Cardinals are just one game behind the Braves in the wild card chase with three games to play. St. Louis will finish up with three at Houston. The Braves host the Phillies, who've already clinched the NL East, for their last three games. The regular season ends on Wednesday, September 28.

Guerrero Pounds Angels; Felix Hernandez Stymies Yanks; Furcal Terrorizes Giants

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 30, 2010 American League Winning the AL East is never easy, though this season brings more of a challenge to the World Champion Yankees, as both the Red Sox and Rays seem unwilling to allow New York to repeat. While the Rays were helping themselves, beating Boston, 9-4, both teams got some assistance from Seattle starter Felix Hernandez (left), who went the distance, allowing just two hits in a 7-0 whitewash at Yankee Stadium. Hernandez walked two but struck out 11, shutting down one of the most potent offenses in the league and keeping the AL East race tight. The Yankees lead Boston by one game and Tampa Bay by two. Hernandez recorded his third complete game and first shutout of the season, throwing 117 pitches while improving his record to 6-5. Out on the opposite coast, the Texas Rangers were making sure the Angels understood that trading away Vladimir Guerrero (right) was a bad move, as they took the second game of their three-game set by a 6-4 score after dropping the opener, 6-5 on Tuesday. Guerrero was taking great pleasure in beating up on his former team, going 4-for-4, with a pair of homers, a double, five RBI and two runs. After giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead with a grand slam in the 4th, Guerrero made sure of the win with his 18th blast of the season - an 8th-inning solo shot that gave the Rangers a two-run cushion. The win improved the Texas lead in the division to 4 1/2 games over the Angels, with the A's 10 back and Seattle 14 out. Texas and the Yankees share the best record in the majors, at 47-30. Josh Hamilton extended his major league-best hitting streak to 23 games with an 8th-inning ground rule double in his final at-bat. National League Los Angeles got a solid seven innings from Vicente Padilla (2-2), and completed a three-game sweep of their long-standing rivials, the Giants, in San Francisco, with a resonant 8-2 win. While Padilla was limiting the Giants to three hits over his seven innings, Rafael Furcal was making a shambles of Giant pitching, going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer, two RBI, and three runs. The homer was Furcal's 3rd of the season, and 95th of his career. Besides being close to the 100-homer mark, he's also closing in on 500 RBI, with 490 to date, which doesn't sound like much, but is a solid number for a player who's spent most of his life in the leadoff spot. The Dodger win put them 3 games behind the NL West leading Padres, with the Rockies 5 back and the Giants fading to 4th place, 5 1/2 out.

Furcal Leads Dodgers to 14-6 Win; Hughes Takes No-Hit Bid to 8th

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 21, 2010 American League Winning their sixth straight and 9th of their last 10, the New York Yankees maintained their slim 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay on the strength of Phil Hughes' 1-hit performance and a 3-1 win at Oakland. Hughes carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning, but lost it on a one-hop comebacker from Eric Chavezthat he could not handle. Instead of being called an error, the smash was labeled a hit. Had Hughes not stopped the ball, it almost certainly would have bounded untouched into center field. Hughes gathered himself and struck out the next batter, Kevin Kouzmanoff, but walked Gabe Gross to put runners on 1st and 2nd. That prompted manager Joe Girardi to bring in Joba Chamberlain, who allowed the sole A's run of the game on Jake Fox's 2-out single. The run, scored by Chavez, was charged to Hughes. Despite failing in the no-hit bid, Hughes had an awesome outing, giving up just the one hit over 7 1/3 innings, with 2 walks and 10 strikeouts, a career best. Hughes is 2-0 in 2 starts, with an ERA of 2.19. National League Sure, Roy Halladay was on the muscle in his 4-hit, 2-0 shutout over the Braves Wednesday night, earning his first National League shutout, but that's what he does. Besides, Halladay wasn't nearly as unhittable as the stats indicate. Shane Victorino stole a home run from Troy Glaus with a spectacular catch, and infielders Chase Utley and Ryan Howard also added highlight reel fielding gems to aid Halladay's cause. The real story of the day was in Cincinnati, where the LA Dodgers were pummeling the Reds, 14-6. The Dodgers are, after 14 games, still hitting an impossible .315 as a team. Their 18 hits last night were just another dose of reality for the rest of the league to absorb. At the top of the order, Rafael Furcal was banging away, going 3-for-5 with 4 RBI, 3 runs and a stolen base. Furcal is only batting .356. Teammates Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier are hitting .421 and .400, respectively, but Furcal is the guy who literally gets things started. His single, double and triple gave him 7 multi-hit games this season. The Dodgers are 1 1/2 back of the Padres, who hold a 1-game lead over the Giants at the top of the NL West.

Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees Open with Wins

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Playoff Coverage American League NY Yankees 7 Minnesota Twins 2 The Yankees took advantage of a tired Twins team and Derek Jeter led the way from his leadoff position in the lineup, reaching base on all four of his plate appearances with a single, two-run homer, two walks, two RBI and three runs. While Jeter, Alex Rodriguez (2 RBI) and Hideki Matsui (2 RBI homer) were mashing Minnesota pitchers, C. C. Sabathia was working the hitters over from the mound, scattering 8 hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out 8 while allowing only one earned run. Though the Twins scored the first two runs of the game in the 3rd inning, the Yanks responded in the bottom half of the frame with a deuce of their own off a Derek Jeter 2-run homer. The Yankees took the lead in the 4th on a double by Nick Swisher, adding three more in the 5th and another run in the 7th. New York leads the best of five series, one game to none, with game 2 at Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon (6:07 pm EDT). Nick Blackburn goes for the Twins against the Yankees' A.J. Burnett. The LA Angels host the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night in the opener of their five game series. Game time is 9:37 pm EDT. Jon Lester goes for the Red Sox against the Angels' John Lackey. National League Philadelphia Phillies 5 Colorado Rockies 1 - The Rockies finally pushed across a run in the 9th inning off Cliff Lee, but by then it was far too late. Lee dominated from the mound, allowing just 6 hits and the lonely run as the Phillies took game one of their best-of-five series with the Rockies. Lee was largely untouchable, throwing 79 of his 114 pitches for strikes, often getting Colorado hitter off-balance and swinging for balls out of the strike zone. Lee struck out 5, got 10 more outs on ground balls and 11 on flies. His first post-season appearance resulted in a power pitching performance and a complete game win. Lee even added a hit and a stolen base, though the bulk of the damage was done by the heart of the lineup. Jayson Werth tripled in one run. Raul Ibanez accounted for two RBI with a single and double as the Phillies did all of their scoring in the 5th and 6th innings. Every batter in the lineup had at least one hit. The Phils and Rocks go at it again Thursday afternoon at 2:37 pm EDT. LA Dodgers 5 St. Louis Cardinals 3 The Dodgers took the first of their five-game series with St. Louis, capitalizing on a shaky Chris Carpenter and grinding through a game which set a major league post-season record for stranded runners by both teams. The Cards and Dodgers combined to leave 30 men on bases through the nine inning odyssey. Carpenter, who led the NL in ERA during the regular season, struggled through five innings, allowing 4 runs. His Dodger counterpart, Randy Wolf, survived only 3 2/3 before manager Joe Torre had seen enough. With the bases loaded in the 4th, Torre called on Jeff Weaver, who got Ryan Ludwick to ground out to end the inning and the Cardinals' best threat of the night. Thereafter, it was a steady parade of LA relievers - 4 more - who shut down the Cards on 5 hits over the final 5 innings. Rafael Furcal (left) was the hitting star, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Furcal was aboard when Matt Kemp hit a first-inning two-run homer and drove in a run which proved to be the winning margin with a sac fly in the 5th. The Cardinals and Dodgers play the second game of their series Thursday afternoon in LA. Game time is 6:07 pm EDT.

Greinke Slows Red Sox; Furcal Leads Dodgers Closer to Division Crown

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 22, 2009 American League Whatever the reason, the Kansas City Royals have become one of the fiercest teams in the American League of late. Since September 7, the perennial cellar-dwellers have played like a contender fighting for a playoff spot, compiling a 12-3 record, including taking 5 of 6 from Detroit, 2 of 3 from Cleveland and Chicago and now two straight over the Red Sox. After outslugging Boston, 12-9, on Monday, the Royals sent their ace, Zack Greinke, to the mound in search of his 15th win. After the Royals put a five-spot on Red Sox starter Paul Byrd in the first inning, Greinke shifted to cruise control, limiting the Red Sox to just 2 hits and no earned runs over 6 innings in a 5-1 Royals triumph. Barely breaking a sweat, Greinke threw just 91 pitches, walking 3 while fanning 5. At 15-8, Greinke is one of the favorites for the Cy Young award. His 2.08 ERA is tops in the majors, while his 2.06 WHIP leads starting pitchers in the AL. His 229 strikeouts are second in the AL behind Justin Verlander (245) and he's tied for 4th in the league in innings pitched at 216 1/3. Besides those solid numbers, Greinke has allowed just one earned run over his past 35 innings. While the Red Sox are trying to clinch the wild card spot in the playoffs, the Royals have become a royal pain. Boston has two more games in KC before heading to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees. National League The LA Dodgers are so close to clinhing the NL West they can taste it. Following their 14-2 pasting of the Nationals, the Dodgers maintained their 5-game edge over second-place Colorado, with just 11 games left on the schedule. Their magic number is down to 7, meaning that the Dodgers will likely clinch the division before meeting Colorado for three games to end the regular season on October 2, 3 and 4. Leading the charge on Tuesday was Rafael Furcal, who delivered a 4-for-5 effort from his leadoff position in the lineup, driving in 4 runs and scoring twice. Furcal is having a hot September, riding a six-game hitting streak and having a hit in 16 of 18 games thus far in the month. NOTES: In the only divisional race worth mentioning, the Twins and Tigers each won on Tuesday, keeping the Tiger 2 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the AL Central title. The Cardinals won again; their magic number is down to just 2, but despite the potential for the Cards to clinch early, there's still going to be a battle for home field in the National League. Currently, the Cardinals are third (89-63), behind the Phillies (88-62) and Dodgers (91-60). The Yankees are nearly assured of winning the AL East and home field advantage throughout the playoffs after they dropped the Angels 6-5. At 96-56, the Yankees look like the only team in the majors that will achieve 100 wins this season. Their win on Tuesday assured them of a playoff spot, the first team in the majors to earn that distinction. Alex Rodriquez belted a 2-run homer and his 9th inning sac fly proved to be the game-winner. With 89 RBI in the books, A-Rod needs to keep producing in order to keep his string of 100+ RBI seasons intact, a feat the slugger has accomplished the last 11 years in a row. With just 10 games left, Rodriguez will have to be at his best without much rest.

Aybar Goes 7-for-9 in Twin Bill; Furcal Sets Tone in Dodger Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 21, 2009 American League After a rainout Monday, the LA Angels swept a pair of games from slumping Kansas City, winning the first, 8-5, before thumping the Royals in the second, 10-2. The Halos amassed 25 hits over the span of those two games, with shortstop Erick Aybar accounting for 7 of them. In the opener, Aybar went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles, an RBI and three runs, but he bettered that effort in the nightcap, with a double, triple, two singles, a stolen base, two runs and three RBI. Aybar has been a pleasant surprise for the Angels, finally playing full time at short with a .315 batting average. He is just a few plate appearances short of the minimum for qualified leaders, but will likely get those soon. The twin wins pushed the Angels' lead in the West to 3 games. National League The LA Dodgers have won four straight, reopening a fat 9 game lead in the NL West. Their latest hit-fest, a 12-3 home romp over the Reds, was spearheaded by leadoff hitter and shortstop Rafael Furcal, who singled twice, homered, drove in 4 runs and scored twice. Furcal and his Dodgers lead the NL in batting, with a .275 average and 895 hits. They are third in RBI and runs, with 446 and 472, respectively. NOTES: After a solid run, the Giants have fallen on hard times, losing four of five following the All-Star break and being overtaken for second place by the Rockies, who have won four of six over the same span. It all may be for naught, however, with the Dodgers seemingly on cruise control, 9 games out in front. The Rockies are in good position for the wild card, though, with a three-game edge over Atlanta. In the AL, the Yankees won their 5th straight and have finally overtaken the Red Sox for the top spot in the East. New York leads the Red Sox by one game, with Tampa Bay 4 1/2 back. Amid rumors that Roy Halladay is about to be traded, the Blue Jays have fallen out of it, now 10 1/2 back. The Yanks have gotten hot again. After losing three straight into the break, they've come out firing, winning their last five, and now appear to be the team to beat in the East.

Wang Wins 6th; Furcal Leads Dodgers to 7th Straight

Players of the Day from Friday, May 2, 2008 American League On Friday night, Chien-Ming Wang become the first pitcher in the American League to win 6 games, outdueling Seattle's Erik Bedard for a 5-1 Yankee victory. Wang worked six innings, allowing just 3 hits and a pair of walks while striking out five. The only run came in the 6th, when Ichiro Suzuki singled, stole second and third (he had 3 steals on the night) and scooted home on Raul Ibanez's ground out to second. Wang, 6-0, has easily been the brightest spot for the Yankees thus far in the season. He's pitched at least 6 innings in all but one start, and has recorded victories in 6 of 7 outings. In 45 innings, he's only allowed one home run and is carrying an ERA of 3.00 to go with a 1.13 WHIP. Notes: In the hotly contested AL East, the Red Sox reclaimed the lead with a 7-3 win over Tampa. They lead the Rays and O's (4-3 winners at LA) by one game. National League Rafael Furcal singled twice, smacked a three-run homer in a 7-run Dodger 6th inning, scored twice and tallied 4 RBI in five at-bats, as the Dodgers won their seventh straight last night and closed the gap on NL West leader Arizona to 4 games with an 11-6 conquest of the Rockies in Denver. Furcal, LA's exceptional leadoff man, is second in the NL with a .380 batting average. His 30 runs and 46 hits lead the majors. Notes: The Arizona Diamondbacks are the only team in the majors with less than 10 losses. Their 7-2 loss at NY was their 9th of the year, against 20 wins. They have lost 2 of their last 3. Last night the D-Backs were victimized by Jose Reyes, who went 4-for-5 with a double and two triples, stole a base and scored three times.

Furcal 12-14 in last 3 games; Sizemore Leads 15-7 Tribe Rout of Twins

Tuesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore (right) doubled, homered and singled twice in 5 at-bats, driving in 2 and scoring twice as Cleveland outslugged visiting Minnesota, 15-7. Much of the Cleveland pain was inflicted on starter Ramon Ortiz (3-4) who lasted just 1 inning, allowing 6 earned runs on 7 hits and a walk. Ichiro Suzuki knocked 5 singles in 5 at-bats, stole a base, scored a run and drove in another in Seattle's 11-3 home win over the LA Angels. The Mariners are locked into a dead-tight race in the AL West with the Angels and A's. LA leads both Seattle and Oakland by one game. The Angels and Mariners play the second of their 3-game series tonight. Toronto rookie Jesse Litsch, called up from Double-A New Hampshire to replace ailing Roy Halladay, turned in a superb performance, earning his first major league win with a 4-hit, 1-run, 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

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Litsch almost had a complete game, but was pulled with 2 outs in the 9th after walking Miguel Tejada. Jeremy Accardo gave up a single to Ramon Hernandez, but got Aubrey Huff to ground out to end the game. It was Accardo's 3rd save. Other AL Scores Detroit 7 Boston 2 - M. Ordonez, HR (8), 3 RBI (37) Oakland 5 Kansas City 4, 11 innings Tampa Bay 4 Texas 3, 10 innings NY Yankees @ Chi White Sox, Rained out National League Rafael Furcal (right) went 4-5 Tuesday night, equaling a mark held by 4 other players - 4 hits in 3 consecutive games. The major league record of 4 hits in 4 straight games is held by Mitt Stock, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1925. Furcal will have a shot at tying that record tonight when the Dodgers host St. Louis. On Tuesday, Furcal stroked 3 singles, drove in 3 with a bases loaded triple in the 3rd inning and scored twice as the Dodgers outhit the Cards, 9-7. In the past three games, Furcal has blistered the opposition, going 12-14 with 5 RBI, 4 runs scored and a pair of steals. He's raised his batting average from .228 to .297. Dan Uggla socked a pair of home runs - this 7th and 8th - drove in 4 runs and scored twice in 5 at-bats as Florida snapped their 4-game losing streak with a 9-3 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Edgar Renteria hit a 2-run homer in the 1st inning, and a solo shot in the 7th to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 6-3 win at Washington. In between, Renteria singled and scored in the 3rd, part of a 3 run inning that put the game away for starter Tim Hudson, who cruised through 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, a walk and one warned run for his 5th win against one loss. Randy Johnson got his first win since returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing 1 hit and no walks over 6 scoreless innings, striking out 9, as Arizona won, 3-0 at Colorado. Carlos Lee, tied for the NL RBI lead with J. J. Hardy at 37, cracked a pair of homers last night, including the game-winner in the 10th inning as the Astros took a 6-5 decision over visiting Dan Francisco. Lee's homers - his 8th and 9th - were both solo shots, but the slugger also rapped a pair of singles and scored 4 runs in his 4 at-bats. Other NL Scores Philadelphia 4 Milwaukee 3 - Brewers, 4th loss in last 5; Phillies, 8-3 vs. NL Central Chi Cubs 10, NY Mets 1 - A. Ramirez, GS HR (8) Cincinnati 2 San Diego 1, 12 innings - K. Griffey Jr., GW HR (9)