Juan Pierre, John Mayberry Help Phils Dominate Reds; Ryan Dempster, Texas Drop Orioles

Players of the Day for Monday, August 20, 2012

American League

Ryan Dempster

Since being acquired by the Rangers in a late July trade with the Chicago Cubs, Ryan Dempster has not always lived up to expectations.

In two key starts - against the Angels and Yankees - Dempster both times allowed nine hits and eight earned runs, evincing considerable consternation among the Texas brass and Ranger fans.

Monday's effort was a bit closer to what was expected: Dempster allowed four hits and only one earned run over eight solid innings, guiding the Rangers to a 5-1 win over the wild card-contending Orioles.

Fanning six while walking two, Dempster picked up his second win as a Texas Ranger, getting the three-game series with the visiting O's off to a strong start.

The win improved the Texas lead in the AL West to six games over Oakland. The A's dropped a 7-2 decision to the Twins.


National League

Sooner or later, somebody was going to cool off the Reds; suitably, the reigning NL East champion Phillies did it with a barrage of 15 hits in a 12-5 stomping to open a four-game series in Philadelphia.

John Mayberry

After Cincinnati opened up a 5-3 lead with three runs in the top of the fifth, the Phillies dashed the hopes of their visitors with four runs in the bottom of the inning and three more in the sixth, putting the game away early.

Juan Pierre

John Mayberry and Juan Pierre were the slugging stars for Philadelphia. Mayberry went 3-for-5 with two singles, and a sixth inning home run, driving in three and touhing the plate three times.

The speedy Pierre was 3-for-4, with a pair of singles and a double, two stolen bases, three runs and an RBI, raising his batting average to .312, though he doesn't have enough at-bats (311) to qualify amongst NL batting leaders.

Despite the loss, the Reds maintained their 6 1/2 game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central as Pittsburgh lost, 3-1, at San Diego.

The Reds, who had won three in a row and eight of their last nine before hitting the road to Philly, will try to get back on track when the series resumes Tuesday night.

Dempster, Lee Author 3-0 Cubs Win Over Dodgers; Guerrero Lights Up Royals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 25, 2010 American League Rolling right along, the Texas Rangers widened their lead in the AL West to three games over the A's, with an 8-7 win at Kansas City. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz both bashed solo homers, but Vladimir Guerrero belted a pair of two-run bombs and doubled home Ian Kinsler with what would prove to be the winning run in the 7th inning. Guerrero tallied five RBI, which vaulted him past Evan Longoria, Jose Bautista and Miguel Cabrera into first place in that category with 42 on the year. He's also batting a robust .347, second in the league (Justin Morneau leads at .381) and his 12 homers are good for 4th on that list. The Rangers acquired Vlad via free agency from the Angels during the off-season and haven't regretted the move for a moment. A big-time slugger who's become a fairly permanent DH, Guerrero, at 35, is quietly creeping up the career home run list. With 419, he's sixth among active players and 42nd all-time. League MVP in 2004, Guerrero has never led the league in homers, RBI or batting average, but he's putting up Triple Crown-like numbers this season. National League Ryan Dempster (left) allowed just three singles and a base on balls over 8 scoreless innings and Derrek Lee (right) went 3-for-3 and accounted for all of the Cubs' runs with a 6th-inning RBI single and a two-run homer in the 8th as Chicago won their third straight, downing the visiting Dodgers, 3-0. Dempster needed just 104 pitches (64 for strikes) to keep the usually-potent LA lineup in check, fanning seven and never allowing anyone past second base. From the 4th through the 8th inning, Dempster was untouchable, retiring the final 13 batters he faced in order. Carlos Marmol pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 10th save of the season. Dempster is 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA. For Lee, it was one of his best games in what otherwise has been a disappointing season. He entered the game batting just .218, and the home run was just his 6th of the season. Lee has only 23 RBI, which is still third best on the team. Alfonso Soriano leads the Cubs with 27; Marlon Byrd is second with 26. That kind of underperforming offense and spotty pitching has the Cubs still under .500, though at 22-24, they are actually just 4 games behind NL Central co-leaders, Cincinnati and St. Louis. QUICK HITS: Jon Lester allowed Tampa Bay just one hit over 6 innings, striking out 9 and walking 5, and a trio of relievers didn't give them as much as a single over the final three innings, as the Red Sox took the measure of Tampa Bay for the second straight night with a 2-0 win. Boston downed the Rays 6-1 on Monday and will go for the sweep of the AL East leaders on Wednesday. Willy Aybar had the only hit of the game for the Rays.