Ramon Santiago Slams, Tigers Rough Up Halladay; Mark Teahen Leads Arizona over Seattle

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Grapefruit League

Santiago: Slammer

Ramon Santiago socked a rare grand slam off Philly starter Roy Halladay - who also surrendered a homer to Don Kelly - as the Detroit Tigers routed the Phillies, 10-6.

Halladay, who surrendered seven runs on six hits and four walks, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, taking his first pre-season loss against two winning outings.

Known more for his defensive skills at second base than his hitting prowess, Santiago has played part-time in the Detroit infield for the past six seasons, batting just .206 last year. He has 27 homers lifetime, but victimized Halladay on Tuesday, also collecting a single later in the game. Catcher Alex Avila had two doubles and a single in four at-bats and drove in a run for the 10-8 Tigers.

Cactus League

Mark Teahen

Mark Teahen had just one at-bat, but made it worthwhile, sending a pitch from Seattle's Hector Noesi out of Peoria Sports Complex for a three-run homer, helping Arizona to a 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Teahen's shot came in the fourth inning and put the Diamondbacks up, 4-0. Arizona added another run n the fifth, and their bullpen barely held on for the win, the seventh for Arizona against nine exhibition losses.

The well-traveled Teahen has played with Kansas City, the White Sox and Toronto, but spent last season in AAA with Syracuse of the International League. The Diamondbacks are giving him a go at third base, where he's batting .318 with seven RBI. The homer was his first of the Spring.

Santiago 4-for-4 as Tigers Sweep Nats; Ubaldo Jimenez Beats Twins, Now 13-1

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 17, 2010 American League With the arrival of Stephen Strasburg in Washington, the Nationals felt like they had a legitimate chance to make some noise in the NL East. Interleague play and a trip to Detroit may have tempered their enthusiasm for a while. The Tigers took the measure of the Nats, winning all three games of their series, with none of the games even close. On Tuesday, they took the win by a 7-4 score, and then beat them Wednesday and Thursday by identical 8-3 tallies. The final game of the series wasn't decided by the Tigers' big bats, but by the guy least expected to inflict pain, shortstop Ramon Santiago, who went 4-for-4, plus a sac bunt, scored 3 times and drove in a run. Santiago was in the middle of most of the Tiger run-scoring innings. After being forced out at second following his 1st inning sac bunt, he singled in the 3rd, singled and scored in the 5th, delivered an RBI single and scored in the 6th, and singled and scored again in the 8th. Detroit produced 19 hits, with every starter except center fielder Don Kelly getting at least two knocks, but Santiago seemed to be on base the entire game. Generally a sub, Santiago has seen extended playing time this season. The 4 hits raised his batting average from .241 to .262. The Nats were not amused. National League Rockies fans would do well to save souvenirs from the 2010 campaign. While some players have fine seasons, what Ubaldo Jimenez is doing this year could turn out to be historic - in fact, it already is, as Jimenez tossed the first no-hitter in Rockies' history back on April 17, when he blanked the Braves, 4-0. Jimenez wasn't exactly unhittable in Colorado's 5-1 win at Minnesota Thursday, giving up 8 hits, but he managed to out-duel Twins' ace, Francisco Liriano, for 8 innings, picking up his 13th win against just one loss. Minnesota's only run came in the 8th, after the Rockies had already done all their offensive damage. Jimenez completed the inning by getting Joe Mauer on a line out double play. Manny Corpas came on to work a perfect 9th. Among major league pitchers, Jimenez stands statistically alone. His 13 wins are four better than any other starter in the NL, and only Tampa's David Price has earned double-digit wins, with 10. Jimenez leads the majors in ERA, at a sparkling 1.15. That goes along with his 1.00 WHIP. He's earned a decision in every start and has worked 101 1/3 innings, second only to the Phillies' Roy Halladay. Additionally, he has three complete games, two of them shutouts, and, of course, the one -no-hitter.

Santiago's 4-for-4 Puts Tigers on Top; McLouth Powers Pirates

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 17, 2009 American League The Tigers took a 1-game lead in the AL Central with an 11-7 win over Oakland on Sunday, but it wasn't the usual sluggers at the top of the order who delivered the goods. Down in the #8 spot, utility infielder Ramon Santiago put on a hitting clinic with two singles, a triple and a three-run homer, four RBi and 3 runs. Santiago, who is used as a replacement for second baseman Placido Polanco or shortstop Adam Everett, may be playing his way into a permanent lineup spot. In just 54 at-bats, Santiago has 19 hits, 3 homers, 19 RBi and is hitting a very respectable .352. National League Despite beating up on the Rockies in an 11-4 win Sunday, the Pirates are back where they've spent much of the decade, last place in the NL Central. One bright spot for Pittsburgh is center fielder Nate McLouth, who began his major league career as a leadoff hitter because of his blinding speed. Pirates' management soon discovered that McLouth was much more than just a speedster, and moved him into the power positions in the lineup. He responded with 26 homers and 94 RBI in 2008, and is off to a solid start in 2009, with 7 dingers and 28 ribbies. On Sunday, batting out of the three hole, McLouth hit a solo homer in the third, and then led a 10-run 7th-inning with a single, driving in two, scored, and later doubled, plating the final Pirate tally. McLouth's night was 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and a pair of runs scored. McLouth still has that blazing speed, though he's stolen only 5 bases this season without being caught. In his short career, he's only been thrown out 5 times in 67 steal attempts.