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.

Carlos Guillen Puts Tigers on the Brink with 12th Straight Win; Roy Halladay Shuts Out Astros, 1-0

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 14, 2011

American League

Carlos Guillen has been nearly a forgotten man in Detroit, having spent much of the season on the DL or simply holding down the Tigers' bench. But in the 12th straight win for the Tigers - their longest winning streak since 1934 - Guillen was the star.

Carlos Guillen

Having played in only 26 games all season, Guillen was in the lineup for the first time in 10 days, and got the Tigers going with a solo homer in the top of the second inning. The White Sox plated four in the bottom frame and held a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth, but Tiger magic struck again as Detroit scored three runs to tie the game.

In the 10th, Guillen put the Tigers up by a run, driving home Will Rhymes with a single, his third hit in five at-bats. Jose Valverde closed it down in the bottom of the 10th, striking out the side for a 6-5 Detroit victory.

Coupled with Cleveland's 9-1 loss at Texas, the Tigers stand one game away from their first Central division title, holding a 12 1/2 game lead over both the White Sox and Indians.


National League

Halladay: 18 wins

The NL Cy Young Award is still being disputed on the field by Arizona's Ian Kennedy, LA's Clayton Kershaw and the Phillies' Roy Halladay, but the NL East is just about over as the Phillies topped the Astros 1-0, on Halladay's six-hit, complete game shutout, his 18th win of the season.

Halladay managed to help the Phillies avoid the ignominy of being swept by the Astros, by far the worst team in the majors, with a 51-98 record. He walked just one and struck out six, boosting his record to 18-5.

Halladay is third in the league in strikeouts (211), wins and ERA (2.34), though he leads Kershaw by one inning atop the NL, with 219 2/3 innings pitched.

The win clinched a playoff spot for the Phillies, which is somewhat meaningless, as they hold an 11 game lead over Atlanta in the division and surely aren't thinking about a wild card with their magic number to clinch the division down to just three.

Halladay Gets 17th in Win Over Brewers, Howard Homers; Wade Davis Keeps Tampa in Race, Topping Red Sox

Players of the Day for Friday, September 9, 2011

American League

The final three weeks of the regular season are going to be exciting for the LA Angels and Tampa Bay Rays, especially if Boston - currently the wild card leader - continues to lose games and players down the stretch.

Wade Davis

In Tampa, the Rays took the first game of a critical three-game series from the Red Sox, 7-2, getting a complete game from Wade Davis (10-8), the second of his career, and the 15th complete game by Rays' starters this season, tops in either league.

Davis smoked the Sox on six hits, allowing just two runs in the top of the 6th, when Tampa already had built a 5-0 lead. The Rays got the runs back in the bottom of the frame and Davis cruised, striking out 8 Red Sox hitters without issuing any walks.

The win moved the Rays to within 5 1/2 games of Boston in the wild card race. In LA, the Angles got a walk-off sac fly from Maicer Izturis, plating pinch runner Jeremy Moore with the game winner in a 2-1 thriller to move to within five games of Boston and remain 2 1/2 back of Texas in the AL West division. With the Yankees losing, the Red Sox remained 2 1/2 behind them in the East.

Boston is hoping for the return of starters Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett, both of who are making progress with injuries. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis returned to Boston to have his sore hip examined by team doctors and undergo an MRI exam. He is listed as day-to-day, but the Red Sox hope he'll be back in the lineup soon, without having to go onto the DL.

The Rays will have every opportunity to make a late season charge. After the series with the Red Sox concludes in Tampa on Sunday, they fly to Baltimore for a three game series, then head to Boston for four games. After that, it's three games at Yankee stadium before returning home for three with the Blue Jays and three more with the Yanks to close out the regular season.

National League

The Milwaukee Brewers have the best home record in the majors - 50-21 - though the Phillies are trying to see to it that their 49-22 home mark becomes the best as the two battle in a three game series in Milwaukee.

Howard: 111 RBI

Halladay: 17 Wins

In Friday's opener, Roy Halladay stymied the Brewers for eight innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight for his 17th win against five losses in a 5-3 victory. Reliever Antonio Bastardo, who came on in the 9th in a non-save situation, nearly gave the game away, giving up a single and a walk before Ryan Madson came on to clean things up and record his 29th save.

Ryan Howard socked his 29th homer of the season, a three-run blast in the 1st inning, staking Halladay with an early lead. The three RBI gave Howard the lead in the NL with 111, three better than Prince Fielder, who singled and scored in the game, but did not drive in any runs.

Halladay, a Cy Young candidate in a crowded field, is third in the league in wins behind Arizona's Ian Kennedy (19) and LA's Clayton Kershaw, who won his 18th Friday night with a 2-1 win over the Giants.

The Dodger win and San Francisco loss worked out just fine for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won their 15th straight home game and are 44-26 at home this season. They lead the Giants by a very comfortable 8 1/2 games and are cruising toward the NL West division title.

The Phillies have the smallest magic number in the majors, at nine, as they lead the Braves by 11 games in the East. Milwaukee may not want to look over its shoulder, because the Cardinals have trimmed their lead to seven games in the Central, as they downed Atlanta, 4-3, in 10 innings.

Mike Trout Leads Angels Over Mariners; Halladay Wins 16th for Phillies

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 30, 2011

American League

Trout: 5 RBI

In the AL West, every game for the two front-runners - the Angels and Rangers - is critical as the days and number of games dwindle down toward the end of the season.

After dropping two of three to the Rangers over the weekend, the Angels promptly lost one of those critical contests at Seattle on Monday, 5-3, but came back strong with a 13-6 romp over the division's cellar dweller.

The offense came mainly from rookie call-up Mike Trout, who drove in five runs with a pair of homers and a bases loaded walk.

Trout got the Angels on the board with a solo home run - his 4th - in the 2nd inning, then increased the lead to 4-0 with a 3-run blast in the 4th. When he came to the plate in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and three runs already in, Jeff Gray, who had come on in relief of starter Anthony Vasquez, issued his third walk to as many batters, forcing in Trout's 5th RBI.

Trout would eventually cross the plate for the third time on a sac fly as the Angles plated eight in the frame.

The win left the Angels still chasing the Rangers, 3 1/2 games back. The Rangers beat Tampa Bay, 2-0, maintaining their division lead.

National League

Halladay: 16-5

With the assortment of bats in the Philadelphia lineup, Roy Halladay normally doesn't have to do much hitting when he's working the mound as part of the regular rotation, but he helped his own cause on Tuesday with a bases-loaded double that turned a 3-0 lead into 6-0 with one swing.

Not that Halladay needed to clear the bases. His 6th-inning hit came as he was en route to going 16-5 on the year, holding the Reds to two hits while walking two and fanning nine over seven innings in Philly's 9-0 rout.

The win improved the Phillies' lead in the NL East to 7 1/2 games over the Braves, who have lost two straight while the Phillies have put together back-to-back wins over the Reds.

Halladay is third best in the NL in three major categories: Wins (16), ERA (2.47) and Ks (191).

Romero Shuts Out Cards; Longoria Bangs a Pair; Reyes Runs Wild; Halladay Gets 10th Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 26, 2011

American League

Evan Longoria

Tampa Bay pounded out 19 hits and scored 7 runs in the final two innings as they grounded the Houston Astros, 14-10. The top three hitters in the lineup, Johnny Damon, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria had 11 hits between them with Longoria going 4-for-6 with a double, two homers - his 8th and 9th - three runs and five RBI.

Longoria's numbers (.253, 9, 33) are down this season due to having missed almost all of April due to injury, but he's coming around fine, with 8 hits, 3 homers and 10 RI in his last three games.

Ricky Romero

The Rays trail the Yankees by two games in the AL East and Boston by 1 1/2.

In St. Louis, Ricky Romero evened his record at 7-7 with a four-hit, 5-0, shutout of the Cardinals. It was Romero's sixth career complete game and second shutout. He walked two and struck out five, using 106 pitches to get the much-needed win for the Blue Jays, who have fallen seven games off the pace in the AL East, though they are playing .500 ball, at 30=9-39.

National League

Roy Halladay picked up his 10th win of the season against three losses, leading the first place Phillies to a 3-1 win over Oakland. It was Hallady's fifth complete game of the season, despite not having thrown a shutout.

Roy Halladay

It wasn't the prettiest performance by the two-time Cy Young award winner, who scattered eight hits and only struck out four batters, though he did not issue any walks. Halladay is second in the NL in strikeouts, with 123, behind Clayton Kershaw's 128. He is also tied for wins with Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens.

Jose Reyes

The Phillies have the largest lead in the majors, a five-game bulge over Atlanta.

Down in Texas, the Mets won their second straight after dropping the opener of the series, whipping the Rangers, 8-5. Jose Reyes continued his remarkable season, going 4-for-5 with an RBI a stolen base, three runs and his 14th triple of the year, easily tops in the majors.

Reyes leads the NL not only in triples, but also in hits (113), runs (61) and batting average (.341).

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: The AL continued to stretch its narrow lead on the NL, winning eight, while the NL won six, putting the AL up by four, at 86-82.

Halladay Throws Second Complete Game in 2-1 Win; Ichiro Scores as Seattle Wins 5th Straight

Players of the Day for April 30, 2011

American League

Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-3, swiped a couple of bases and scored a crucial run in Seattle's 2-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Ichiro, extending his hitting streak to eight games, scored in the 3rd inning on Milton Bradley's double, breaking a scoreless tie. Jack Cust scored the other Seattle run, coming home on a sac fly in the 6th inning.

The Mariners employed three pitchers to complete the shutout at Boston. Brandon League picked up his 7th save, working the 9th inning.

It was the fifth straight win for the Mariners, still in last place in the AL West, though they are now just 3 1/2 games beind the division-leading Rangers. Ichiro has his average up to .328, 8th best in the AL. He leads the league in hits with 39 and is tied for the league lead in steals with Tampa Bay's Sam Fuld, at 10.

National League

Roy Halladay improved to 4-1 with a patient, 2-1, win over the NY Mets.

Roy Halladay

The Mets got on the board first, when Carlos Beltran singled in Dennis Murphy. Halladay, unfazed, finished the inning and went on to work his second complete game of the season, getting the win when the Phillies struck for two runs in the 7th inning.

Halladay has thrown nine complete games in each of the past three seasons and an incredible 60 complete games in his career.

The Philly ace allowed seven hits, walked one, and struck out eight - including Jason Bay three times and david Wright twice. His season total of 47 is second in the NL, behind Matt Garza's 51.

With Florida losing, 4-3, in 10 innings to Cincinnati, the Phillies extended their division lead to 1 1/2 games.

STREAKING: ANDRE ETHIER extended his hitting streak to 26 games, singling in the Dodgers' loss to San Diego. Cleveland won their home winning streak to 12 straight, slipping by the Tigers in 13 innings, 3-2. The Indians are tied with the Phillies for the best record in the majors, at 18-8. Cleveland leads the AL Central by 4 1/2 games.

James Shields Throws 2nd Straight Complete Game; Halladay Fans 14 in Philly Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 24, 2011

American League

James Shields

Just in case anyone thought James Shields' complete game, 4-1 win over the White Sox last week was a fluke, "Big Game James" put that notion to rest with a sizzling, 4-hit, 2-0, shutout win on the road in Toronto.

Given a 2-0 lead - courtesy of a Ben Zobrist home run - before he even threw a pitch, Shields responded by not allowing a hit until the 5th inning, working over the Blue Jays for the full nine innings, walking two and striking out seven.

With back-to-back complete games, Shields (2-1) lowered his ERA to 2.35 and his WHIP to 0.93.

After a 1-8 start, the Rays have reeled off 10 wins in their last 13 games and moved into second place in the AL East, 3 games back of the Yankees.

National League

The Phillies have won five straight, keeping the red-hot Florida Marlins at bay in the NL East. Their latest victory was a not-so-subtle reminder to the rest of the league that they can beat you with hitting or pitching.

Roy Halladay

Sunday's sensational effort by Roy Halladay didn't result in a complete game as the Padres finally broke through for a run in the 9th inning. With two down in the inning, Wes Venable singled in Jason Bartlett and Halladay gave way to Antonio Bastardo, who promptly retired Nick Hundley for the 3-1 Philadelphia win.

The drama came after Halladay had already punched out 14 Padres on strikes, allowed just five hits and a walk over 8 2/3 innings for his third win of the season against one loss.

Halladay, a known workhorse, threw 130 pitches. His 14 strikeouts tied his career high.

The Philly pitching staff recorded two shutouts in the four game sweep of the flailing Padres and allowed just 3 runs over 36 innings. They lead the Marlins by 1 1/2 games in the division.

Halladay Works Six Scoreless over Yankees; Rajai Davis Brings Speed, Power to Blue Jays

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 10, 2011

American League

In five major league seasons, Rajai Davis has worn the caps of the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's, where he spent the last 2 1/2 seasons, but this year he'll be plying his trade wearing the cap - and uniform - of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rajai Davis

Batting in the leadoff spot for the Jays in their 7-4 victory over the Twins, Davis singled, doubled and cracked his second home run of the exhibition season, driving in three runs and scoring once in four at-bats.

Known more for his speed than his power, Davis hasn't even attempted a swipe in 8 games this Spring, but he promises to bring some baserunning excitement to the top of the Blue Jays' order, having stolen 50 bases in 2010 after swiping 41 the year prior.

Davis should be a good fit for the leadoff role in Toronto. He carries into the season a career .330 on base percentage.

National League

Roy Halladay

Looking very much like he's ready for the regular season to begin, Philadelphia ace Roy Halladay outdueled C.C. Sabathia, supplying six scoreless innings against the Yankees en route to a 7-0 win for the Phillies.

Halladay allowed four hits, struck out two and didn't issue a walk, while Sabathia went five innings, surrendering three hits with two Ks and no walks.

Halladay was the NL Cy Young Award winner for 2010. He also won the award as the top pitcher in the American League in 2003 with Toronto. Halladay was 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA last season with the Phillies.

Playoff Players: No-Hit Halladay; Lee's 10 Ks Down Rays: Teixeira Drives Yankee Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 6, 2010

National League

In the most dazzling post-season pitching performance since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Philadelphia's Roy Halladay entirely shut down the National League's most prolific offense with a no-hitter in game one of the best-of-five divisional series in a 4-0 win over the Reds.

Facing just one batter over the minimum, the likely NL Cy Young award winner's only misstep was a 5th inning walk issued to Jay Bruce. Beyond that, Halladay was magnificent, hitting the corners with all of his pitches and keeping batters off-balance by changing speeds and throwing to spots.

Halladay struck out eight, and got 12 more outs on ground balls. He threw only 104 pitches, 79 of which went for strikes. Hardly any balls were hard-hit, and the most difficult play was probably on the shortest hit ball of the game, which also resulted in the final out, when Brandon Phillips pounded a pitch into the dirt in front of home plate. The ball traveled no more than seven feet, but Carlos Ruiz, who Halladay credited for calling a great game, pounced and threw a strike to Ryan Howard, planted on first base 90 feet away.

The no-hitter was the first in post-season play since the Yankees' Don Larsen threw a perfect game in the 1956 world Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Halladay also became the first pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter (actually a perfect game against Florida on May 29) in the regular season and the post-season in the same year.

The Phillies, who took the NL East for the fourth straight season, relied heavily on Halladay's arm to catch and overtake the Braves. The ace went 11-2 from the end of June to the end of the season.

Halladay also aided his own cause, driving in a run in the second inning and scoring on Shane Victorino's 2-RBI single. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the series, which resumes Friday at 6:07 pm ET in Philadelphia.

American League

Tampa Bay battled all the way to the final game of the season to secure home field advantage in the playoffs by winning the AL East, then squandered it in the opening innings of their playoff game with the visiting Rangers.

Texas scored a pair of runs in the second inning and single runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th, chasing Rays' starter David Price on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings. While Price was stumbling, Ranger starter Cliff Lee was stunning, fanning 10 over seven innings without walking a batter, allowing only five hits and a solitary run in the 7th inning on Ben Zobrist's solo homer, which proved to be far too little as the Rangers took game one, 5-1.

Lee was most in trouble in the bottom of the first inning, when he gave up three singles to load the bases with one out, but then got Carlos Pena looking at a called third strike and Rocko Baldelli with a swinging strikeout to finish the inning unscathed.

Catcher Benji Molina was the hitting star, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI as the Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the series. Game two is scheduled for 2:37 pm ET on Thursday.

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The Yankees rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the top of the sixth, and after Minnesota tied the game with a run in the bottom of the inning, Mark Teixeira blasted a 2-run homer to right field in the 7th, putting the Yankees ahead in a 6-4 win over the Twins to open the best-of-five series in Minnesota.

Teixeira, who led the Yankees during the regular season with 33 homers, delivered the clutch blow an inning after he had singled and scored the Yankees' first run, driven in by second baseman Robinson Cano. Jorge Posada drove in another run in the inning and Curtis Granderson capped the 4-run rally with a 2-run triple.

Teixeira finished with a 2-for-5 effort at the plate with two runs and two RBI. In 20 post-season games (4 with the Angels in 2008), Teixeira has a .247 average with 3 homers and 11 RBI. In the 2009 run to the world championship, Teixeira batted .282 with 4 homers, 8 RBI, scoring 10 runs.

Game two of the series is Thursday at 6:07 pm ET in Minnesota.

Beltre, Red Sox Refuse to Die; Phillies Clinch on Halladay 2-Hitter

Players of the Day for Monday, September 27, 2010

American League

Even though the Red Sox can only hope to tie the Yankees or the Rays for either the wild card or the AL East pennant, they refuse to go down without a fight.

On Monday, the Red Sox produced their 87th win of the season, a 6-1 victory, courtesy of Clay Buchholz, who limited the White Sox to one run on five hits over eight innings, and the bat of Adrian Beltre, who clubbed a pair of doubles while going 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run.

With both the Yankees and Rays losing, the Red Sox remained alive for at least one more day. They must win all of their remaining games, and either the Rays or Yankees lose all of theirs, in order to tie for a post-season position.

The Yankees took a 7-5 defeat at Toronto, while the Rays floundered against the Orioles, losing 4-0 in Tampa, but remained 1/2 game in front of New York in the division standings.

National League

For the fourth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Phillies are champions of the NL East.

This year may have been their sweetest season, overcoming injuries and an Atlanta Braves team that surprised many but eventually fell in face-to-face combat with the fighting Phils.

Fittingly, it was Roy Halladay on the mound for the first and last outs of the clinching game, hurling a 2-hit shutout over the Nationals for an 8-0 win.

Halladay, who didn't allow a walk, gave up leadoff singles in the 3rd and 8th innings, in between setting down 13 straight. Neither runner advanced past first; Wilson Ramos was doubled up in the third inning and Adam Dunn stood stranded at first as Halladay easily set down the next three batters.

A model of efficiency, Halladay recorded his 21st win against 10 losses with just 95 pitches, 65 of which went for strikes. He fanned six, leaving him one short of the NL lead, currently held by Tim Lincecum, with 220. Halladay is unlikely to pitch any more during the Phillies' remaining six games as he will probably take extra rest before the playoffs.

The victory was Halladay's 9th complete game and 4th shutout, both tops in the league. He also leads in innings and wins, stats that should make him the NL Cy Young winner.

PENNANT NOTES: Cincinnati had the night off, and since the Cardinals didn't feel like rolling over just yet, beating the Pirates, 6-4, the Reds still have one more game to win (or one Cardinals loss) before claiming the NL Central.

San Francisco was idle, but the Rockies fell closer to elimination in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers and the Padres fell one game behind the Giants in the division, painfully losing 1-0 to Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs. Zambrano increased his scoreless stretch to 13 innings with 7 shutout frames against the Padres.

Twins Clinch; Santana Denies Rangers; Halladay Wins 20th

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 21, 2010 American League This hasn't been the Angels' year. As they play out the string, watching as the Texas Rangers take the division title that has been exclusive property of the Angels the past three seasons, the players do their best to delay the inevitable, not willing to go down without putting up a fight. Plenty of that fighting spirit is apparently left in Ervin Santana, who recorded his 17th win of the season with a 2-0 shutout of the first-place Rangers. even though Texas holds a seven game lead over the A's and 8 1/2 over the Angels, Santana delayed the celebration of winning the AL West by at least another day, allowing just five hits and a walk while fanning eight Texas would-be hitters. The win was the third straight for the Angels and got them to within a game of .500, at 75-76. They go for the sweep of the Rangers on Wednesday, still hoping to deny Texas, whose magic number is stalled at six. Coupled with Chicago's loss to the A's, the Twins captured the AL Central with a 6-4 win over Cleveland, becoming the first team in the majors to clinch a post-season slot. Minnesota may still be looking for more wins, as they are just one game behind the Yankees for the best record in the league. Having the best record would pit the Twins against the wild card, though it may be a moot point since the wild card will come out of the AL East, and since - according the major league rules - two teams from the same division cannot face each other in the opening playoff round, the Twins are destined to get the wild card team no matter what. Having the best record in the league, however, would assure them of home field advantage should they advance to the championship series. National League Like his 20-win counterpart in the American League, C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay wasn't overpowering in notching win #20, just good enough, holding the second-place Braves to three earned runs over seven innings, while his teammates were putting up five against Atlanta pitching. Philly's 5-3 win was their ninth straight, the season-high win streak coming at a nearly perfect time of year, as the Phillies drive toward their 4th consecutive NL East championship. Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer in the 3rd inning and Raul Ibanez accounted for the other two Philadelphia runs with a single in the 6th. After Halladay gave up singel runs in each of the 5th, 6th and 7th innings, he was lifted for Ryan Madsen, who completed the 8th. Brad Lidge came on in the 9th for his 25th save. Halladay allowed seven hits, walked two and only struck out three. Even though the Philly ace has earned wins in his last four starts, there's some reason for concern. He's allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last six starts, dating back to August 25th. Leading the major leagues in innings pitched, at 241.2, the long campaign may be taking a toll. Halladay (20-10) will likely get some time off should the Phillies clinch shortly. Their magic number stands at six. Not only are the Phillies' streaking into the post-season, over the past two games they've done it against their closest pursuer in the division. Atlanta came to Philly with hopes of slicing into the three-game lead, but, after two straight losses, find themselves five games behind and now looking at the wild card as their path to the playoffs. PENNANT NOTES: Cincinnati won their second straight while the Cardinals dropped their second in a row, so, over the course of two days, hope has turned to despair and anxiety to anticipation as the Cards fold and the reds churn toward the NL Central crown. The Reds have a eight-game lead over St. Louis; their magic number is six. In the West, the Giants maintained their hold on first place by 1/2 game over the Padres with a 1-0 win over the Cubs. Buster Posey homered in the top of the 8th for the game's only run. Carlos Zambrano had blanked the Giants for 6 innings, but Matt Cain was equal to the task, shutting out the Cubs for six. Neither starter earned a decision. San Diego breezed past the Dodgers, 6-0, as Clayton Richard scattered eight hits for the complete game shutout. Colorado lost their second straight and dropped back to 2 1/2 games off the pace. In the AL East, the Yankees took the measure of the Rays for the second straight night, beating Tampa, 8-3, and assuring themselves of first place even if Tampa wins the next two games of their four-game showdown series. The Yankees are up by 2 1/2 games over the Rays and have the best record in the majors, with 92 wins and 59 losses.

Rodriguez Blasts Three Homers in KC; Halladay Blanks Mets

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 14, 2010 American League With the pressure off Alex Rodriguez since cracking his 600th career home run back on August 4, the Yankees' slugger has been more fluid and relaxed at the plate, able to concentrate on winning games rather than reaching milestones. The Yankee third baseman was in all star form on Saturday, smacking three homers and driving in five runs in an 8-3 win at Kansas City. Rodriguez singled in the second inning, but really didn't get going until the 6th, when he launched a leadoff homer to dead center field. He followed that up with a pair of two-run shots, one in the 7th and another in the 9th, going 4-for-5 for the game and raising his RBI total to 97, which was enough to skip past Miguel Cabrera (94) and into the AL lead. A-Rod needs 9 more home runs and just 3 RBI to have 30 homers and 100 RBI in 13 straight seasons. The Yankees maintained their two game lead over Tampa Bay in the division with the win. National League Frustrated at Citi Field, where they've been shut out four straight times, the Phillies finally turned the tables on the NY Mets by bringing their their very own shutout master, Roy Halladay. Halladay even helped out in the hitting department, going 1-for-3 and scoring the Phillies' first run. He was his usual magnificent self on the mound, blanking the Mets over 8 innings while his teammates scored three more times for a 4-1 win, breaking the schneid while picking up a game on the NL East leaders, Atlanta, 2-1 losers to the Dodgers. The Phillies trial Atlanta by two games. Halladay allowed just 4 hits while striking out 7 in his 8 innings of work, improving to 15-8 on the year.

Roy Halladay Pitches Perfection; Kendry Morales Slams, Celebrates, Ends up on DL

Players of the Day for Satuday, May 29, 2010 American League Kendry Morales smacked a game-ending grand slam as the Angels beat the Mariners in 10 innings, 5-1, but what happened during the celebration at home plate was surely nothing to cheer about. After Bobby Abreu tied the game with his 6th homer of the season in the bottom of the 8th, the Angles loaded the bases with one out in the 10th on a double, an intentional walk and a error by former Angel, Chone Figgins. Morales drove a Brandon League offering to the deepest part of the ballpark, clearing the wall in dead center field. As teammates mobbed him at home plate, Morales leaped and landed awkwardly on his left ankle, resulting in a lower leg fracture and a trip to the DL. After a solid start to the season, with 11 home runs and 39 RBI, he is expected to have surgery on Sunday and will likely miss at least the next two months. The best Angels' power hitter, Morales' loss will be a blow to the struggling Angels, who are still under .500, at 24-27, and trail the division-leading A's by 3 1/2 games. Texas is in second place, just 1/2 game out. National League Having just been shut out three straight game by the Mets and getting just enough offense to beat Florida in the first of their four-game series Thursday, 3-2, Roy Halladay knew he'd have to be sharp to keep his team in the game and in first place in the NL East. Not only was Halladay sharp, he was perfect, tossing the 20th perfect game in major league history and second this season as the Phils squeaked past Florida, 1-0. Working the corners of the plate, Halladay threw 115 pitches, of which only 72 were strikes, but he fanned 11 Marlins, got eight on ground outs and another eight on fly balls. The win was Halladay's 7th against just three losses, his fifth complete game and third shutout of the season. The second no-hitter in the National League this season (Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado had the first, back on April 17 at Atlanta) and third in the majors this season (Oakland's Dallas Braden threw a perfect game against Tampa on May 9 in Oakland). The last time a Phillies' pitcher threw a perfect game was back on June 21, 1964, when now-Seantor Jim Bunning turned the trick against the NY Mets, who were in their third year of existence after expansion. Will Halladay follow Bunning into politics when he retires? That won't be known for some time, as Halladay, just 33, should have another 7-10 years ahead of him. At 155-79, Halladay is currently tied for 5th place among active pitchers in career wins with Kevin Millwood. Ahead of him are teammate Jamie Moyer (263), 14 years his senior; Andy Pettitte at 235; Time Wakefield with 190; and Livan Hernandez, who has 160. With the Braves also winning on Saturday, the Phillies maintained their 1 1/2 game lead in the division and look for the sweep over the Marlins Sunday afternoon.

Markakis Drives in 5 as O's Beat Boston; Halladay Stumps Mets on 3-Hitter

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 1, 2010 American League Nick Markakis has been hitting well of late, and maybe that's one of the reasons his Baltimore Orioles have won 3 of their last 5, and two straight, after a disastrous 3-16 start. Markakis scored his 6th multiple-hit game in his last nine, taking advantage of Daisuke Matsuzaka's first 2010 start by banging out a pair of RBI singles in his first three at-bats. When he scored on Matt Weiters 5th-inning 3-run homer, Matsuzaka was gone, but Markakis returned an inning later with two aboard and took a Tim Wakefield - who had relieved Dice-K - offering over the Camden Yard right field wall for a three-run homer. Ty Wiggington launched a pair of solo homers, giving the O's four for the game in a 12-9 win. Markakis finished up 3-for-4 with 5 RBI and 2 runs, boosting his batting average to .302. The O's will be looking for the sweep on Sunday against the flagging Red Sox. National League The Mets are still in first place in the NL East, but their lead is only 1/2 game after Roy Halladay stopped their winning streak at 8 and moved the Phillies past Washington, back into 2nd place in the division. The Nationals dropped a 7-1 decision to the Marlins. Halladay was in complete control throughout the game, and didn't allow a hit or a walk over the final 5 innings, throwing a 3-hit, one walk complete game shutout, his second of the season, upping his record to 5-1 as the Phillies cruised to the 10-0 victory. The Phillies roughed up Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey with a 6-run 4th inning, capped by Shane Victorino's 3-run homer. The two teams play the rubber game of their 3-game set Sunday night in a nationally-televised (ESPN) cable broadcast. NOTES: While Roy Halladay was his usual exceptional best, Giants' hurler Matt Cain may have actually been better, as he shut down the Rockies on 1 hit and 3 walks over 8 solid innings, putting down the last 15 batters he faced in order. Troy Tulowizski's leadoff double in the 4th was the only hit off Cain, who got his first win of the season. Cain finally put up a W in his fifth start, though his other outings were all good. He's 1-1, with a 2.84 ERA and a WHIP of 1.01. The Rockies managed a run off Guillermo Mota in the 9th, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Giants won for the 4th time in the last 5 games, 6-1.

Halladay On Target for Phils; Ankiel Busting Out for Royals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 9, 2010 American League Rick Ankiel got shipped from St. Louis to Kansas City in the off-season, but he's likely to thrive in the no-expectations environment surrounding the Royals, who finished last season tied with Cleveland in last place with a record of 65-97. Ankiel delivered an RBI single in the 4th and a three-run homer in the 6th, helping the Royals come back from 5 runs down to defeat the Oakland A's, 11-10. Ankiel, who began his major league career as a starting pitcher, developed a complete aversion for finding the plate in 2004, but re-emerged as a power hitter in 2007. After spending the next two years with the Cards, he finds himself not far from St. Louis, but in another state, another league and another uniform. He's likely to spend time in the outfield and as a DH with the Royals in 2010, and, if they ever need to intentionally walk anyone, Ankiel can still throw it wide and high. National League Roy Halladay was on the mound for the Phillies and the front office brass probably liked what they saw from the off-season's most-celebrated acquisition. Hallady gave up three hits in three innings of work, but fanned 5 as the Phillies downed the Braves, 7-4. The effort was Halladay's second of the Spring. In his initial outing, he worked two innings, allowed no hits and struck out 3. Looks like Mr. Halladay will fit right into the National League without any issues. MLB Preview: Cleveland Indians Here's a team that has self- destructed in just a few short years and looks to be down for the count in an improving AL Central. The Indians won the division in 2007, were competitive in 2008, but finished in a tie with the Royals last season, 21 1/2 games back of Minnesota, the division champion and they've made no moves to improve in the off-season. Possibly the best thing that can be said about what appears to be another bad Indians team is that there's no place to go but up. However, with Grady Sizemore the only potential all-star on the squad (OK, maybe Jake Westbrook), this is a team devoid of quality major league talent. Sinker-baller Fausto Carmona seeks to rebound from a horrible 2nd year in the majors after being a bright star as a rookie. Designated hitter Travis Hafner and 3rd baseman Russell Branyan might combine for more than 50 homers this season, but are a certainty for 300 strikeouts if they both stay healthy. Kerry Wood has made the transition from starter to closer, but he won't have many opportunities to save games as the Indians are a good bet to lose at least 90 times in 2010. Maybe they have some rookies worth a look, though there aren't any great expectations out there. Vegas future book has them down as 200-1 to win the World Series, a bad bet, even if the odds were to go to 2000-1.

Hallady's 4th Shutout Downs Boston; Phillies Are In; Nolasco Fans 16 in Marlins Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 30, 2009 American League The game may not have mattered to the Red Sox, but Roy Halladay wanted to end his 2009 season on a positive note. With many of the Boston regulars taking seats on the bench after clinching the wild card spot a day ago, Halladay knifed through the depleted lineup like he was pitching to minor leaguers, which, in fact, he was. Cruising to his 17th win against 10 losses, Halladay shut down the Red Sox on 3 hits and two walks, striking out 6 in a 12-0 Toronto triumph. It was his 4th shutout of the season - a career high - and 9th complete game, tying his career best, set in 2003 and again in 2009. While the Yankees' C.C. Sabathia is the current favorite to win the Cy Young award, Halladay's numbers are right there with the best in the league and should be given strong consideration. He leads the league with 239 innings pitched, is tied for 4th in wins, and his 2.79 ERA is third best among starters. Nobody except Kansas City's Zack Greinke is close to him in complete games or shutouts. Greinke has 6 and 3, respectively. Separating himself from the pack even further, Halladay's 208 Ks to 35 BBs is the best ratio in the league. Again, only Greinke comes close (237-49). National League The Florida Marlins have been eliminated from post-season contention, but Ricky Nolasco made sure that the Atlanta Braves would be playing golf instead of baseball in October, fanning a career-best 16 batters in a 5-4 Marlins' win. At one point, Nolasco struck out 9 batters in a row, one short of the major league record set by Tom Seaver. The 16 Ks also set a new standard for the franchise, and ended Nolasco's remarkable season with a flourish. The 4-year pro will finish 2009 with a 13-9 record after having been sent to the minors earlier in the year. Nolasco allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks in 7 2/3 innings. Neither of the two runs scored on him were earned. The Braves lost their second straight to the Marlins and trail the Rockies by 4 games in the wild card race. The best the Braves can do is tie, but the Rockies would have to lose all four of their remaining games. The Braves could conceivably win their last four, as they host the Washington Nationals to close out the season. The Nats are the worst team in the majors, with a 55-103 record. NOTES: San Diego got 7 shutout innings (on one hit) from Clayton Richard and kept the LA Dodgers from clinching the NL West. With their magic number stuck at 1, the Dodgers dropped the 5-0 decision, their 4th straight loss. That leaves the Rockies just 2 1/2 back, with Colorado visiting LA for the final three games. The Phillies smashed the Astros, 10-3, clinching their third straight NL East crown. Philadelphia is just 1/2 game behind the Dodgers for the best record in the league, which would give them home field throughout the playoffs. The Phils are 92-66, while the Dodgers are 93-66, and have just 3 games left. The Phillies play all of their games at home, with one against the Astros on Thursday, and three over the weekend with the Marlins.

Halladay 1-Hits Yanks; Ludwick Foils Pirates

Players of the Day for Friday, September 4, 2009 American League Riding a 7-game win streak he Yankees weren't too concerned about having to face Toronto starter Roy Halladay again. In fact, the last time they faced the Blue Jay ace, they roughed him up for 10 hits and 5 runs, knocking out three homers in a 5-3 win. Naturally, Halladay had other ideas, especially since he'd been on the losing end of his last three starts. The result was vintage Halladay and an end to the Yankees' current reign of terror. Halladay tossed a complete game, one-hitter, striking out nine and walking three to improve to 14-8 and bring his ERA back down to 2.98. The only hit came off the bat of Ramiro Pena, the #9 hitter, who was in the lineup at shortstop, giving Derek Jeter a night off. Toronto won, 6-0. It was Halladay's 6th complete game of the season and second shutout. As far as winning his second Cy Young award is concerned, Halladay is still in the running with about five starts remaining. National League The St. Louis Cardinals are on cruise control, 11 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Cubs in the NL Central, their magic number is already down to 17 and it's not even Labor Day. Even on a night in which one of their ace starters, Adam Wainwright, gets blown out, allowing 9 hits and 6 runs in just 5 innings, the hitters take up the slack, especially Albert Pujols (43rd home run, 3 RBI) and Ryan Ludwick, who went 5-for-5 with a pair of homers and a double, driving in 5 runs and scoring 3 times as the Cards trumped the Pirates, 14-7. Ludwick, who's been sharing outfield time with Colby Rasmus and Matt Holliday, still has impressive numbers: 20 HR, 86 RBI and a .276 batting average.

Halladay Shuts Out Royals; Jones Perfect in Braves' 8-7 Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, June 7, 2009 American League Roy Halladay has already won one Cy Young award (2003), and it looks like he's well on his way to a second. In Sunday's 4-0 whitewashing of the Royals, Halladay was on cruise control, scattering seven hits without yielding a walk, striking out six. It was his third complete game and first shutout of the season. Notching his major league best 10th win against just one loss, Halladay helped keep the Blue Jays in the hunt in the AL East, 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees. Halladay's stats are sensational: He hasn't lost since April 21, winning 7 of his last 9 starts. This season, he's lasted at least 7 innings in every start, ranks fifth in the AL in ERA at 2.52, 4th in WHIP at 1.02, 3rd in strikeouts (88) and leads the league in innings pitched at an even 100. National League In Atlanta's wild, 8-7 win at Milwaukee, won by the Braves in come-from-behind fashion with three runs in the 8th inning, Chipper Jones was a force of nature, going 4-for-4, tripling in a run in the first, smacking a solo homer in the 3rd and blasting a three-run shot in the fifth. He also singled in the seventh and was intentionally walked - with runners on first and second - in the eighth inning, completing a perfect night at the plate while amassing 5 RBI. Jones continues to creep up on the leaders in batting average, now tied for ninth with the Cardinals' Raul Ibanez, at .329. Jones won his first batting title last season when he hit .364. His five-RBI afternoon gave him 1402 for his career.

Halladay Stymies Yankees; Hawpe, Stewart Crush Astros

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 12, 2009 American League Roy Halladay continued his dominance over the Yankees, and, ostensibly, the rest of the league, with a 5-hit complete game win as the Blue Jays topped New York, 5-1. Halladay improved to a major league-high 7 wins against just one loss, fanning five while walking none. The only run he allowed came in the 7th inning, when Alex Rodriguez singled home Johnny Damon. Otherwise, he was in complete control, upping his career record against the Yankees is 16-5. Hallady's ERA is a rather pedestrian 2.65, but his WHIP is 1.03 and his strikeout to walk ratio is 7-1 (49-7). Plus, his Blue Jays lead the AL East by a game over the Red Sox. The Yankees are 6 1/2 back. National League The Colorado Rockies pounded Houston 12-1 Tuesday, as Brad Hawpe (left) and Ian Stewart (right) each drove in 5 runs. Hawpe went 4-for-4, singling twice, doubling and knocking a two-run homer while Stewart hit a solo homer and a grand slam. Both players scored twice in the rout, Colorado's second straight win. The Rockies host Houston for two more games at the mile-high launching pad.

Halladay 2-Hits Yankees; Lohse Strong on Comeback Trail

Players of the Day from Friday, July 11, 2008 American League The New York Yankees would probably prefer that Roy Halladay pitch in another league, or at least another division, because even though the Blue Jays aren't usually part of the pennant race picture, Halladay seems to think he is every time he takes the mound. For the second time in three tries this season, Halladay shut down the Yankees, allowing just two hits in a complete game, as the Blue Jays won, 5-0. Ever the workhorse, Halladay threw 117 pitches, struck out 8 while walking only one batter. The only hits were a single by Alex Rodriguez in the 4th inning and Derek Jeter's 9th inning ground rule double. Notes: Fortunately for the Yankees, the Red Sox and Rays both lost on Friday, so they didn't lose any ground in the standings, currently 6 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and 5 back of Boston. National League Here's a solid candidate for comeback player of the year. In 2007, Kyle Lohse went 9-12 pitching for Cincinnati and Philadelphia, but has found a new home in St. Louis, where he's now 11-2, after shutting out Pittsburgh for 7 innings in the Cardinals' 6-0 win over the Pirates on Friday. Lohse gave up 6 hits and a lone walk while striking out 3, lowering his ERA to a very solid 3.39 and helping the Cardinals retake second place from Milwaukee in the Central. With the Brewers losing and the Cubs winning on Friday, the Cards are 1/2 game better than Milwaukee and 4 1/2 behind Chicago. Notes: The Met won their 7th straight, topping Colorado, 2-1, but Florida and Philly both won, so New York remains tied with the Marlins, 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies.