Delmon Young Homers Twice in Tiger Game five Win; Brewers Tie NLCS with Cardinals as Randy Wolf Goes Seven

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 13, 2011

American League


Tigers 7 Rangers 5

Young: 2 HR, 3 RBI

Delmon Young socked a pair of homers off Texas starter C.J. Wilson, to lead the Tigers to a game five victory, staving off elimination and closing the gap to a 3-2 Texas lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

Young stroked his first homer in the 4th inning, a two-out, solo shot that put the Tigers on top, 2-1. Catcher Alex Avila's solo homer in the 3rd had tied the game after Texas scored the opening salvo in the first inning. Texas tied the game up at 2-all in the top of the 5th, and an inning later the Tigers responded with a four-run 6th inning, punctuated by Young's second homer of the game, a two-run blast to left-center that put the Tigers ahead for good.

The Rangers made a game of it scoring two runs in the 8th and another in the 9th, but they could not break through for more runs off Tiger starter Justin Verlander, who worked 7 1/3 innings and took the win, and Phil Coke, who got the final five outs, allowing two hits and an earned run for the save.

The series takes a day's respite as the teams return to Texas for game six and a possible game seven. Max Scherzer goes to the mound for the Tigers on Saturday, facing Ranger starter Derek Holland. Game time is 8:05 pm EDT. If a game seven is necessary, Doug Fister will start for Detroit against the Rangers' Colby Lewis.

National League

Brewers 4 Cardinals 2

Wolf: 7 IP, 2 ER

The Milwaukee Brewers tied the NLCS at two games apiece as Randy Wolf stymied the St. Louis Cardinals over seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits for the win.

Wolf, 13-10, through the end of the regular season, picked up his first victory of the playoffs, fanning six and issuing only one walk. The two Cardinal runs came via the long ball. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig each took Wolf deep in the early innings. Holliday's solo homer came in the second inning, and Craig followed with a bases-empty job in the third, but the Brewers quickly responded with two runs in the 4th and single runs in the 5th and 6th innings to complete the scoring.

The series stays in St. Louis for game five, matching game one starters, Zack Greinke and Jaime García on Friday, at 8:05 pm EDT.

Thome Hits 599th, 600th Career Homers in Twins Win; Wolf Wins 10th as Brewers Extend NL Central Lead to 6

Players of the Day for Monday, August 15, 2011

American League

Thome: 600 HR

There's ample cause for celebration in Minnesota.

Despite the Twins trailing Detroit, Cleveland and the White Sox in the AL Central, things are looking better every day. Justin Morneau is back from a long stint on the DL, and on Monday, slugger Jim Thome hit two home runs to lead Minnesota over first-place Detroit, 9-6.

These were no ordinary home runs. For Thome, who tagged Tiger starter Rick Porcello for a two-run shot in the 6th inning and reliever Daniel Schlereth with a three-run blast in the 8th, they were the culmination of a life-long quest, career numbers 599 and 600, making him the 8th player to reach the hallowed 600-homer plateau.

Better yet, the long balls were meaningful, putting the Twins ahead against the top team in the division.

Both of Thome's bombs were to the opposite field, the first to left-center and the three run shot in the 7th into the left field stands.

The win shaved a half game off Detroit's lead over the Indians and White Sox in the division, 2 and 3 1/2 back, respectively, while the Twins picked up a full game, but remain in 4th place, 10 1/2 back.

Thome, 40 years old and a certain Hall of Famer, drove in five runs, boosting his career RBI total to 1662, 27th all-time. Thome joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa in exclusive 600 home run club.

National League

Wolf: 10 wins

The Milwaukee Brewers are threatening to run away in the NL Central.

Randy Wolf scattered six hits and five walks over eight scoreless innings for his 10th win of the season against eight losses, aided by three double plays and a second inning triple play. The Brewer infield turned its fourth double play in the 9th, a game-ender, giving John Axford his 35th save of the season.

The Brewers got solo home runs from Ryan Braun in the 2nd, and Jonathan Lucroy and Cory Hart in the 8th..

Fausto Foils D-Backs; Wolf Howls at Rangers

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 27, 2010 American League Cleveland fans continue to get excited about the prospects for Fausto Carmona as the regular season approaches. In what is likely to be his final tune-up before the real starts a week from now, Carmona shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks on 3 hits over 7 innings of work, allowing 3 hits, striking out 3 without walking a batter. Cleveland scored single runs in the 1st and 6th innings for the 2-0 victory. Carmona has had the kind of Spring that inspires confidence. In 20 innings, spanning 4 appearances - each of them longer than the previous one - he's allow just 8 hits and one earned run, for a microscopic ERA of 0.45. Carmona went 5-12 last season, but appears to be on the verge of sending 2009 down the memory hole and re-emerging as one of the AL's top hurlers. National League Even though he'd had 3 strong starts during the pre-season, Randy Wolf entered Saturday's contest with the Rangers still seeking his first win of the Spring. Coming over to the Brewers after an 11-9 season with the Dodgers, Wolf probably thought he'd get more run support from the Brewers, but it hadn't quite worked out that way, so Wolf took matters into his own hands and shut out the Rangers' power-laden lineup for 6 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while piling up 7 Ks. The Brewer bats responded - to a degree - scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th and adding another in the 8th for a 3-1 win, and Wolf's lone decision of the exhibition season. Wolf should bolster the Milwaukee rotation when the regular season begins. He tossed 214 innings last season, so he's durable, and this Spring has allowed just 2 runs over 16 innings. MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers Disappointed with a 3rd place finish in the NL Central and an 80-82 record, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to get off to a fast start in the division and wind up in the playoffs come October. All the elements are in place for the Brewers to make a serious run at a division title, though they'll likely face stiff opposition from the Cardinals, Cubs and Astros. The starting rotation appears to be set, with a veteran crew of Yovani Gallardo, Doug Davis, Randy Wolf, Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan. Gallordo is the youngest, but possibly their best starter, heading into the 2010 season. He was up and down in 2009, with a 13-12 record, but the 3.73 ERA was promising, as were the 204 Ks in 185 innings. Davis and Wolf were picked up during the off-season, from Arizona and the Dodgers, respectively, and should provide plenty of quality starts, taking some of the pressure off the bullpen. Said bullpen is anchored by 42-year-old closer Trevor Hoffman, who converted 37 of 41 save opportunities last season and doesn't seem to be slowing down, despite his age. Middle relief will be doled out to Todd Coffey, LaTroy Hawkins, Mitch Stetter, Carlos Villanueva and Claudio Vargas, with Hawkins pegged as the set-up man. Consistency on offense was an issue for the Brew-crew in 2009, with plenty of high-quality stats, but poor run production which cost the Brewers a good number of games. Relying on Prince Fielder (.299, 46, 141 in 2009) alone didn't cut it last season and won't this year, either. That's one of the reasons the Brewers went after - and got - center fielder Carlos Gomez from Minnesota, who will be flanked by dependable Ryan Braun in right and Corey Hart in left. The infield will be bolstered by 3rd baseman Casey McGehee, who displayed enough power as a rookie - 16 homers and 66 RBI in 116 games - to bat behind Fielder in the lineup. Shortstop J.J. Hardy went over to the Twins in the deal for Gomez, as the Brewers feel confident that rookie Alcides Escobar can fill that role on an everyday basis. He hit .304 last season in 34 games with the Brewers and is a solid defensive player with plenty of upside as a base-swiper and solid hitter. He might fit into the leadoff or #2 slot in the lineup. Escobar earned a slew of minor league awards over the past three seasons and is from Venezuela, the country that mines great shortstops. Ricky weeks returns at second base after playing in just 37 games last season. Healthy again, Weeks will provide good defense, along with Escobar, up the middle. He has an average bat, but some power. Behind the plate is veteran Greg Zaun. At 38, Zaun is the only regular over 27, but the youthful Brewers can depend on him for clubhouse leadership and solid handling of the pitching staff. Milwaukee is Zaun's 9th different team on his 16-season MLB odyssey. Milwaukee looks to be cranked up for opening day and a run at post-season glory. Las Vegas has them as a 50-1 shot to win it all, which seems like good odds. If everything falls into place for the Brewers, they could make a run.

Matsui, Yankees Bomb Red Sox, 20-11; Wolf Does It All in Dodger Win

Players of the Day for Friday, August 21, 2009 American League There were so many stars in the Yankees' 20-11 win over Boston (no, that's not a football score), it might have been difficult to find just one player to feature as POTD. Considering that the Yanks banged out 23 hits (11 for extra bases), scored multiple runs in the 1st, 2nd, 5th 6th and 9th innings, and won their 5th straight over Boston, the stats were amazing. A-Rod was 4-for-4 with a triple, Derek Jeter went 3-for-6 and scored three times, Mark Teixeira was 3-for-5, with 3 RBI and 3 runs, but it was Mr Monster Mash himself, Hideki Matsui, who wielded the biggest bat of the night, going 2-for-6, both hits being 3-run home runs to right. Matsui also grounded out in the 7th inning, getting Rodriguez home after his triple, giving him 7 RBI on the night. The game was the highest-scoring one in the long history of these two teams, surpassing the previous high score, when the New York Highlanders topped the Boston Americans, 15-14, back in 1903. With that history in tow, the Yankees continued their drive to the AL East crown, taking a 7 1/2 game lead over the Sox and leading the third place Rays by 10 1/2. The teams renew the rivalry twice more this weekend at Fenway. National League At 8-6, with a 3.34 ERA, LA's Randy Wolf is having a pretty good season with the first-place Dodgers. Wolf, who turns 33 today, got his birthday celebration started a little early, winning a 2-1 contest with the Cubs almost all by himself. On the mound, Wolf was nearly untouchable, allowing just one earned run on one hit and two walks over 7 innings, fanning five. At the plate, he was perfect, doubling in both of the Dodger runs in the second inning and walking in the 4th. When he came to bat in the 7th, his job done, he was pinch hit for by Juan Pierre. George Sherrill held the Cubs hitless in the 8th and Jonathan Broxton picked up his 27th save with a perfect 9th.The win was the second straight for LA, and provided a little breathing room as Colorado was losing to the Giants, 6-3. The Rockies are 4 1/2 back of LA, the Giants trail the leaders by 5 1/2. NOTES: With so much focus on the Yankees-Red Sox series, it's hard to get excited about the other divisional races, but they are still not close to being decided. The Angels have lost two straight and lead the Rangers by 5 1/2. Texas would like to run down the Angels, but they are locked into a wild card battle with the Red Sox and Rays. Boston is one up on the Rangers and 3 ahead of Tampa Bay. The Tigers continue to be hounded by the White Sox in the Central, with a 3 1/2 game lead. Chicago's path to the playoffs is probably through Detroit, as they are 7 1/2 back in the wild card. Over in the NL, Philly still leads the Marlins by 5 1/2 and the Braves by one more. The Central looks to be a one-team race, as the Cardinals have taken control, 7 games to the good over the Cubs. In August, the Cards have amassed a 13-5 record while the Cubs have wilted, going a pathetic 7-12 thus far.

Baltimore's Scott on Tear; Wolf Claws Cubs in 2-1 Dodger Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, May 29, 2009 American League Luke Scott provided all the offense necessary in Baltimore's 5-1 win over Detroit with a first inning solo home run and a three-run blast in the 8th. His 4 RBI were sufficient to support the pitching of rookie David Hernández, who picked up his first major league win in his first start, going 5 2/3 innings, on 5 hits, three walks and one earned run. Scott, who is batting a solid .318 in 31 games this season, launched his 7th and 8th homers, upping his RBI total to 22. Over the past 5 games, Scott has been a fantasy owner's dream, going 10-for-16 with 4 home runs, 9 RBI and 8 runs scored. National League Limited action in the National League, with just two games: the D-Backs topped the Braves, 5-2, while in Chicago, the Cubs lost for the 9th time in their last 11 games, while the Dodgers won the 9th in their last 11, beating the Cubs, 2-1, on the strength of Randy Wolf's 7 innings on the mound. Wolf, one of baseball's aging hurlers, will turn 43 in August, but has proven that he can still bring it on occasion, as he did last night, fanning seven while giving up 6 hits and a walk. The only run came in the 8th inning, on a leadoff solo home run by pinch hitter Bobby Scales, which sent Wolf to the showers. Ramon Troncoso picked up the 2-inning save - his third - but just barely, surrendering 3 hits and two walks during his six-out stint. Wolf improved to 3-1, with a 1.11 WHIP and a 2.84 ERA on the season.

Wolf Extends Cubs' Losing Streak to Five; A-Rod Blasts Rays

Players of the Day from Wednesday, September 3, 2008 American League Apparently, Alex Rodriguez didn't get the memo that the Yankees' season was over because A-Rod broke out the whippin' stick in an 8-4 New York win over the first place Rays. Rodriguez singled, doubled and hit his 31st home run of the season, driving in four, as the Yankees beat the Rays for the second straight day. The win left the Yankees still hopelessly 10 games behind the Rays in the AL East and 7 behind the second place Red Sox. Boston won their third straight, 5-4, over Baltimore, and are securely in the wild card spot, five games up on the Twins, who trail the White Sox by a game in the Central. For Chicago and Minnesota, the remainder of the season looks to be "win or go home." Notes: LA's magic number remained at 7 as they dropped a 9-6 decision to the Tigers. National League If the Cubs are going to win the NL Central, they'll have to do better than their effort against Houston's Randy Wolf Wednesday night. Wolf (9-11) tossed a 6-hit complete game shutout sending Houston past the Cubs by a 4-0 score. Striking out 8 while walking a pair, it was Wolf's best outing of the year and reason for some optimism in Houston for next year. The Cubs, however, are mired in their longest losing streak of the season, now at 5 straight. If not for Milwaukee dropping their last three games, there would be cause for concern. As it is, Chicago is still 4 1/2 clear of the Brewers in the Central. The Cubs begin a 9-game road trip on Friday with 3-game stops at Cincinnati, St. Louis and Houston. Notes: In the East, the Mets have won four straight and lead the Phillies by 3 games. Out West, LA won their 5th straight to remain 1 1/2 behind the Diamondbacks. Arizona visits LA for a three game series beginning Friday. The Phillies will play three at New York over the weekend as well.