Ryan Goins' Grand Slam Lifts Blue Jays Over Brewers; Anthony Rizzo Socks A Pair In Cubs' Victory Over SF

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 24, 2017

American League

"Grand Slam" Goins

Prior to opening day, what was considered to be the best division in the majors was the AL East, and, thus far, it hasn't really disappointed. What is making it all the more interesting is the emergence of the Yankee "Baby Bombers" youth movement, that has taken over first place in the division, and the poor start by the team favored to win it all, the Toronto Blue Jays.

While the Orioles have floundered of late, losing their last four and 10 of their last 13, the other teams are gaining ground on second place Baltimore. New York, Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto all won on Wednesday, tightening the noose around Baltimore.

Toronto, at 21-26, is a work in progress, but they won their third straight, taking down the Brewers in Milwaukee, 8-4. With Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki on track to return from the DL this weekend, the last place Blue Jays may be about to make things even more interesting.

In the meantime, Grand Slam Ryan Goins got the job done. The gritty shortstop socked a bases-loaded homer in the sixth inning that broke the game open. Goins' shot was one of four Blue Jay homers in the game.

The win trimmed Milwaukee's lead in the NL Central to 1/2 game over the Cubs and Cards, both winners on Wednesday. Toronto is still in last place in the AL East, but they're only 7 1/2 back with more than four months of baseball remaining.

On Thursday, the Blue Jays are headed home, where they will open a three game series with the Rangers on Friday. Milwaukee stays home and starts a four game set with Arizona.

National League

The Cubs are on the prowl.

Rizzo: 2 HR, 2 RBI

After winning their second straight over the visiting Giants, 5-4, Chicago is tied with St. Louis in second place, 1/2 game behind the Brewers in the NL Central Division.

Keying Wednesday's win was first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who belted a pair of home runs and singled in his only other official at-bat, going 3-for-3 and driving in two runs.

Both of Rizzo's solo shots tied the game, at 1-1 in the second inning and 2-2 in the fourth. The Cubs added single runs in the fifth, seventh and eight, before the Giants came back with two in the ninth, when Mac Williamson stroked a two-run homer of closer Wade Davis, who picked up his 10th save, nevertheless.

Rizzo's home runs gave him 11 on the season, along with 28 RBI.

The Cubs and Giants conclude their four-game series on Thursday at Wrigley Field with the Cubs leading, two games to one. Getaway game time is 2:20 pm ET.

Ryan Goins Lifts Blue Jays Over Yankees; Travis Shaw Powers Brewers Past Cardinals

Players of the Day for Monday, May 1, 2017

American League

Ryan Goins

Ryan Goins drove in four runs with a two-run homer and the rare score of two players on a sac fly as the Toronto Blue Jays opened a three-game series in New York with a 7-1 win over the Yankees.

The Blue Jays, entering the game with an 8-17 mark, the worst start of any major league team, got going in the second inning when Goins cracked his second home run of the season with a man aboard off Yankee starter Luis Severino.

In the sixth, Goins took a 3-0 offering to the wall in center field, caught by Jacoby Ellsbury, who fell and was unable to throw out either Justin Smoak from third or Devon Travis, who scored all the way from second base.

Meanwhile, Toronto starter, Marco Estrada kept the Yanks at bay, allowing seven hits but just one run through seven innings.

The Yankee loss and Baltimore's 5-2 win at Boston dropped New York into second place, a game behind the Orioles in the AL East. The Yankees will try to even the score with Toronto in game two, Tuesday night at 7:10 pm ET at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Travis Shaw

With the Cubs losing, 10-2, to the Phillies, the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of the opening to tie Chicago for first place in the NL Central via a 10-inning, 7-5 victory at St. Louis.

After the teams finished nine innings tied at 4-4, Milwaukee third baseman, Travis Shaw, delivered the decisive blow, a three-run homer - his seventh of the season - in the top of the 10th.

St. Louis responded with a solo shot by Jedd Gyorko, but the Cards could not rally further.

Shaw, in his first year as a Brewer after two seasons in Boston, is off to a solid start, batting .263 with 21 RBI on a Milwaukee team that leads the majors in home runs (47) and is second in the NL in RBI (137).

The win by the 14-13 Brewers leaves them and the Cubs a game better than the Red and Cardinals in the division. Pittsburgh is two back.

The Brewers and Cardinals play game two of their four-game series Tuesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis at 8:15 pm ET.

Cardinals Clinch NL Central Behind Tyler Lyons and Jason Heyward; Marcus Stroman, Ryan Goins Help Blue Jays Clinch AL East

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 30, 2015

American League

Goins: 5-for-5

Stroman: 4-0 in Sept.

With a 15-2 hammering of the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, the Toronto Blue Jays cliched the AL East and assured that they will have home field advantage in a divisional playoff series beginning October 8.

Marcus Stroman delivered eight solid innings for the Jays, allowing one earned run on five hits, walking two and fanning eight. Streams is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four starts after being recalled from AAA Buffalo in September.

Each of the Toronto starters had at least one hit. Ryan Goins went 5-for-5, scored three times and drove in a run. Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista homered for the Jays, who battered seven Baltimore pitchers for 18 hits.

Toronto dropped the nightcap of the day-night double-header, 8-1, necessitated due to Tuesday night's rainout.

National League

Heyward: Grand Slam

Lyons pitches clincher

The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central with an 11-1 win at Pittsburgh and will proceed to the playoffs with the best record in baseball.

Tyler Lyons held the Pirates scoreless on one hit through six innings and survived through the seventh, when he allowed three hits, but did not surrender a run. Lyons, who spent much of the season in Memphis of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) where he was 9-5 with a 3.14 ERA, struck out five and took the win, improving to 3-1 on the season.

Lyons split time with the Cardinals between the bullpen and eight spot starts, working 57 innings during the regular season.

Jason Heyward rocked a third inning grand slam and finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs, fueling the rout.

The Cardinals dropped the opener of a day-night double bill with the Pirates, 8-2. The win assured Pittsburgh of at least a tie with the Cubs for home field in the wild card game.

St. Louis will enter the post-season as the only team with 100 or more wins. Their 100 win against 59 losses takes the division with three games left. The Pirates will almost certainly finish with the second-best record in the majors. At the end of the last day in September, Pittsburgh has 96 wins with three games left, the Cubs are 92-55, and the Blue Jays, 92-56.

After starting the season 3-3, the Cardinals went on a 17-3 tear their next 20 games, taking control of the NL Central division and never looking back.