A's Grab WC Home Field on Ramon Laureano's HR; Ian Happ, Cubs Thwart Cardinals in NL Central

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 28, 2019

American League

Laureano's HR wins for A's

The Oakland A's wrapped up home field for their upcoming wild card playoff game against Tampa Bay with a 1-0 win at Seattle Saturday.

Ramon Laureano roped a third-inning solo home run to left and Brett Anderson and a trio of relievers made it hold up, giving the A's a one-game edge over the Rays in the wild card hunt.

Laureano's home run was his 24th of the year.

Oakland's victory assured that he A's would host Wednesday's AL wild card game (8:00 pm ET), the winner going on to face the Houston Astros, the loser going home. Even if Oakland loses its final regular season game Sunday at Seattle, they would still own the tie-breaker over Tampa Bay, as they took the head-to-head season series over the Rays, 4-3.

The other playoff positions in the AL are set. Minnesota will open agains the Yankees in New York in the other five-game divisional series.

National League

Happ: 2 HR, 4 RBI

A week ago, St. Louis all but eliminated the Cubs from playoff contention, sweeping their NL Central rivals four straight in Chicago.

Now, the Cubs are bent on getting revenge.

St. Louis, on the verge of capturing the division crown for the first time since 2015, has dropped the first two games of their regular-season-ending series with the Cubs and have just one game remaining.

After losing the opener, 8-2, Friday, the Cubs clubbed the Cardinals again, 8-6, on Saturday.

Ian Happ socked a pair of two-run homers off Cardinal starter, Adam Wainwright, to lead the Cubs assault. A bench-clearing non-brawl erupted in the second inning after Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch from Cubs' starter, Cole Hamels.

The Cardinals, who have lost four straight, remain a game to the good over the Brewers, thanks to Colorado, who have cooled off the Brewers by taking the first two games of their three-game series.

St. Louis faces the Cubs one last time on Sunday, while the Rockies host the Brewers. Should the Brewers and Cards tie for the division title, they would play one game - in St. Louis on Monday - to determine the wild card and division. The winner would play Atlanta in one divisional series; the loser would play at Washington in the one-game wild card elimination game, Tuesday

Matt Carpenter Leads NL with 34 HR As Cardinals Down Dodgers; Mike Fiers, Ramon Laureano Lead A's Past Rangers

Players of the Day for Monday, August 20, 2018

Laureano: 2 HR, 5 RBI

American League

Oakland moved back into a tie with Houston for the NL West lead as the A's dumped Texas, 9-0, on Monday.

Fiers: 7IP, 1H, 0ER, 8K

The win came in the opener of a three-game series with the Rangers at Oakland and was the A's seventh in their last nine games.

Mike Fiers tossed seven innings of one-hit ball to improve to 9-6. Nomar Mazara led off the Rangers' second with a double. Fiers plunked the next batter, Jurickson Profar, but retired the next 18 in order as the A's ran up the score. Fiers, who was traded from Detroit on August 5th, fanned eight and walked one. In three starts with the A's, Fiers has been effective, notching two wins without a loss, allowing three runs over 18 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA.

Rookie Ramon Laureano ripped his first two major league homers, a two-run blast in the second inning and a three-run shot in the sixth. Laureano has played just 12 games with the A's and is carrying a .291 batting average (9-for-32).

While the A's were plowing ahead, the Mariners were proceeding to send Houston to an eighth loss in their last 10 games, topping the Astros in Seattle, 7-4. The Mariners are within striking range in the division, just 3 1/2 back of the co-leaders.

Game two of the series in Oakland is slated for a 7:05 pm PDT start.

National League

Carpenter's 34 HR leads NL

Opening a three-game series in Los Angeles, the St. Louis Cardinals scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth on back-to-back home runs by Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter for a 5-3 victory.

With the score tied 3-3 and Dodger closer Kenly Jansen - fresh off the DL - opening the ninth, Gyorko, pinch-hitting, blasted his 11th homer into the center field seats. Carpenter quickly followed with his 34th of the year, also to center, adding an insurance run. Jansen had been sidelined since August 9, when he was hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat.

Carpenter is having an outstanding season as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter. His 34 homers lead the NL. He has 69 RBI and a .277 batting average. His 85 runs is tied for second in the league with Milwaukee's Christian Yellich. Colorado's Charlie Blackmon leads with 89. Carpenter was 3-for-5 with a single and double in addition to his homer.

The win pushed the Cardinals to within 3 1/2 games of the Cubs, leaders of the NL Central and 1/2 game behind Milwaukee in the standings and the wild card race. St. Louis is tied with the Rockies and Phillies. The Dodgers are two games out. With close races in all three divisions, the situation throughout the league is fluid. Currently, Atlanta leads the East by one game and Arizona heads up the West by 1/2 game.

In August, St Louis has been the best in the majors with a 15-4 record.

The Dodgers host St. Louis in game two Tuesday, 7:00 pm PDT.