Indians Crush White Sox, 14-3, Ryan Raburn, 3-for-3, 5 RBI; Freddie Freeman Helps Braves Get Closer to NL East Pennant in 6-1 Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 12, 2013

American League

Ryan Raburn

Gaining a wild card in the American League is not going to be an easy task this season, as there are no less than six teams in contention for two spots. Excluding Texas, which currently has a two-game lead for the first wild card, five teams are all within 2 1/2 games of each other, Tampa Bay being the current leader for the second wild card.

While the Yankees have taken three straight from the Orioles and no trail the Rays by just one game, winning three of four at Camden Yards, the Cleveland Indians refuse to go away. On Thursday, Cleveland opened a four-game series in Chicago by thumping the White Sox, 14-3, getting a 3-for-3 effort from Ryan Raburn which included a single, double and a first-inning, three-run homer.

The Indians went on to score in each of the first five innings, tallying seven in the fifth, Rayburn completing the scoring with a two-run single that put the Indians up by a dozen runs.

Thus, the Indians have themselves positioned 1 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and 1/2 behind the Yankees. Baltimore and Kansas City are tied, 2 1/2 behind the Rays.

Clevleand will go for its second straight win over the White Sox, Friday afternoon, at 2:10 pm EDT.

National League

Freddie Freeman

With Washington winning six in a row, Atlanta's clinching of the NL East division has been temporarily delayed, but the Braves need only any combination of six more wins or six Washington losses to head into the post-season.

Their quest was put more in sight with a 6-1 win over the Marlins, closing out a four-game series in Miami with the Braves taking three of four.

Freddie Freeman was part of the action, socking his 20th home run of the season in the fourth inning after singling and scoring in the third.

Freeman's two-run shot added insurance for Freddy Garcia, who allowed just five hits and one run over six innings, picking up his first win as a Brave. Freeman finished up 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI and continues to look like a solid choice for MVP. After going 7-for-16 in the series with the Marlins, he's batting .309 and his 98 RBI are third-most in the league, behind Paul Goldschmidt (109) and Brandon Phillips (101).

The Braves open a three-game series with San Diego in Atlanta, but then go back on the road, meeting the Nationals for three games, September 16-18.

Today's Trivia: Of these three players: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Gwynn, who has the highest career batting average? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1995, Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians led the majors with 50 home runs and 52 doubles, making him the only member of his own 50/50 club. Amazingly, Belle did not receive the AL MVP award, which went to Boston's Mo Vaughn, even though Belle batted .317 to Vaughn's .300. The two tied for the league lead in RBI with 126, but Belle had 11 more home runs, scored 23 more runs than Vaughn, who also had only 28 doubles and led the majors in strikeouts (150).

Two Ryan Raburn Home Runs Lead Indians over White Sox, 6-1; Atlanta Wins 7th Straight on Justin Upton's 5 RBI

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 1, 2013

American League

Winning their eighth consecutive game, beating up on the White Sox, 6-1, the Cleveland Indians finally made up some ground on the first-place Tigers, but only because Detroit had the night off.

Ryan Raburn

The Tigers have won five straight, while third-place Kansas City is hottest of all in the Central division, winners of nine straight as they downed Minnesota, 7-2.

Cleveland pounded out 14 hits against the Sox, but the most important ones were the three that came off the bat of Ryan Raburn, who was 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, four RBI and two runs.

Raburn homered with a man aboard in the third, singled in another run in the fifth and socked his second home run of the game in the seventh, a solo shot that completed the scoring.

Cleveland completed their four-game sweep of the visiting White Sox and will be looking to extend their streak when they open a series in Miami, Friday at 7:10 pm EDT against the Marlins

National League

Justin Upton

Atlanta just keeps rolling along, winning their seventh straight with an 11-2 trouncing of the Rockies that completed a sweep of the visitors in the four-game series. The Braves outscored Colorado by a combined score of 41-13, and, in the last three games, 31-5.

The star of Thursday night's massacre was Justin Upton, who started the season like a house afire, belting 12 homers in April, only to tail off dramatically, with just two in May, and one each in June and July. The two Thursday homers - a two run donk in the first inning and a three-run yank in the eighth - gave him 18 on the year, upping his RBI total to 53.

While Upton's batting average fell from .298 at the end of April to just ,258 at the conclusion of Thursday's game, the Braves haven't slowed down. The win increased their lead to 11 1/2 games over the idle Washington Nationals in the NL East, the largest lead in any major league division.

Atlanta will be looking to do more damage in the division when they open a three-game series in Philadelphia at 7:05 pm EDT, Friday night, followed by three straight at Washington.

Today's Trivia: Since 2004, the National League leader in fewest hits per nine innings has come from the NL West every year except 2005. Who was the leader that season?

Yesterday's Answer: Lance Johnson led the AL in triples four straight years (1991-1994) with the White Sox, then led the NL in triples in 1996 when he had 21 three-baggers with the Mets, the most in an NL single season since 1930.

Ryan Rayburn Goes Deep Twice as Indians Pound Phillies; Rickie Weeks Drives in Five as Brewers Blast Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 30, 2013

American League

Double-digits were the order of the day on Tuesday. Across the major leagues, five different teams scored at least 10 runs, but the Cleveland Indians topped them all, smashing seven homers in a 14-2 squashing of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ryan Raburn

Cleveland hitters made a mockery of Roy Halladay (2-3), knocking him out in 3 2/3 innings with eight runs off nine hits, three of them home runs.

Cleveland right fielder Ryan Raburn wasn't among Hallady's victimizers; he waited until the relievers came on, belting a two-run long ball in the fifth and a solo blast in the seventh. Earlier, Raburn singled and scored as the Indians plated four runs in the fourth inning.

After a slow start, Raburn's caught fire, racking four home runs in his past two games. In the series finale with Kansas City on Sunday, he went deep twice with four RBI. All of his homers and seven of his eight RBI have come in the past two games.

The Indians host the Phillies for game two of the interleague series Wednesday at 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Rickie Weeks

Milwaukee took itssecond straight from the Pirates in a 12-8 slug-fest, sending St. Louis - a 2-1 winner over the Reds - into first place in the stifling NL Central. The Cards lead Pittsburgh and Milwaukee by 1/2 game; Cincinnati is a mere one game out.

The two teams combined for 29 hits against a total of 11 pitchers. Rickie Weeks drove in five runs, going 3-for-5 with a single, double and his second home run of the season, a three-run, eighth inning belt that advanced the Brewers' 9-8 lead to the final tally.

Earlier, Weeks walked and scored in the second inning, doubled and scored in the third and singled home a pair of runs in the fourth.

Entering the game batting an anemic .167, Weeks batted from the five hole in the order, responding with his best game of the season, his average magically levitating to a nearly-reasonable .191.

The Brewers will be seeking the home sweep and a possible look at first place in the division Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 pm EDT.

Ryan Raburn, Tigers Tearing Up Grapefruit League; Dan Haren Fans Seven in Angels Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Grapefruit League

Raburn: HR, 3 RBI

Detroit's Ryan Raburn went 2-for-5 on Tuesday in Detroit's 6-3 win over Washington and actually lowered his batting average. The left fielder socked a two-run homer in the first inning off Nationals' starter Edwin Jackson and later added an RBI single, giving him four home runs and 14 RBI with a .467 batting average.

In six games this Spring, Rayburn has had seven hits in 15 at-bats. Besides the four wall-jumpers, he's had a single, double and a triple, making him the most productive Tiger on a team filled with big bats like Miguel Cabrera and the of-season acquisition, Prince Fielder.

Raburn normally comes to Spring training in good shape. In 2011 he hit .316 and posted a .370 average in 2010's exhibition season.

The Tigers are 7-1 in Florida's Grapefruit League - an .875 winning percentage. They trail the 9-2 Blue Jays in the standings by 1/2 game.

Cactus League

Haren: 3 IP, 7 Ks

Dan Haren wasn't fooling around on the mound in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Arizona. The Angel ace also wasn't hiding any of his good stuff from Diamondback batters, as he worked three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out seven without issing a walk.

Taking the win - his second of the Spring without a loss - Haren has worked five innings, allowed just one hit and one walk while fanning 10.

Having previously toiled for the Cardinals, A's and Diamondbacks, Haren is coming off his first complete season with the Angels, having posted a 16-10 record with a 3.17 ERA and 192 Ks in 2011.

Coupled with Jered Weaver, the Angels have a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. If Albert Pujols - acquired via free agency from the Cardinals in the off-season - can revitalize the Angels' offensive attack, LA should provide a strong challenge to Texas in the AL West.

Tigers, Ryan Raburn Pound Braves, 18-3; Brandon Allen Slams Cubs with 7 RBI

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 4, 2012

Grapefruit League

Raburn: GS, 5 RBI

Sure, it's just the first week of the exhibition season, but the Atlanta Braves might want to take a serious look at their pitching staff.

For the Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, they should have few issues in the power department after bashing nine home runs and 19 hits off seven Atlanta throwers in an 18-3 blowout. Six of the Tiger homers came off Julio Teheran, who is looking to become a Braves starter.

Prince Fielder got his first homer as a Tiger - a solo shot - and Ryan Raburn socked a pair of bombs, including a grand slam and drove in five runs.

The Tigers were already up 11-1 before Atlanta scored a single run in the fifth. Detroit responded with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the inning.

Rayburn, who has been more or less the Tigers' regular left fielder for the past three years, batted .256 in 2011, with 14 homers and 49 RBI, though he struck out 114 times in 371 at-bats.

Allen, GS, 7 RBI

Cactus League

Oakland chalked up its second win in its first three games, out-slugging the Chicago Cubs in their Spring opener, 12-10.

Brandon Allen, a 6'3", 235-pound first baseman, drove in seven runs with a grand slam and a bases-loaded double in five at-bats.

Allen was traded from the Diamondbacks to the A's during the 2011 campaign after spending 2009 and 2010 with Arizona. The slugger displayed his raw power last season, belting 18 home runs in 52 games between the two clubs.

Despite the solid power stats, Allen still has to work on his approach, having struck out 68 times in 175 at-bats, finishing the year with just a .200 average.

Ryan Raburn Goes 4-for-5 in 14-4 Tiger Victory; Starlin Castro Leading NL in Hits

Players of the Day for Monday, September 12, 2011

American League

The Detroit Tigers took another step - make that two steps - closer to becoming the AL Central Division champion, knocking off the second place White Sox, 14-4, Monday in Chicago.

Ryan Raburn

With a win and a loss to their closest pursuer, the Tigers reduced their magic number from seven to five and appear to be well on their way, holding an 11 1/2 game lead over both the White Sox and Indians.

Detroit knocked out 21 hits, four of them by Ryan Raburn, batting down in the #9 hole in the Tigers' power-laden lineup. Raburn began his assault on Chicago pitching with a second inning home run, a solo shot, his 13th of the year, and proceeded to go 4-for-5 with a double, two singles, scoring three times and driving in three.

Detroit has pulled away in the division, winning ten straight games, the most they've won in a row since getting 11 straight in 1968, the year they beat St. Louis in the World Series, four games to three.

In the East, the Yankees beat the Mariners, 9-3, pounding starter Felix Hernandez with nine hits and six runs in six innings. The Tampa Bay Rays remained on fire, whipping Baltimore, 5-2, to pull to within seven of the Yankees and three behind the idle second place Red Sox, who are also the AL wild card leader.

In the West, the Angels dropped a 6-3 decision to the A's, dropping them to three games behind the front-running Rangers.

National League

It's been a rough season for both the Cubs and the Reds, but Chicago shortstop Starlin Castro is making the best of it and making a name for himself in the process.

Castro's 190 hits
leads NL

Castro delivered another super game performance by going 3-for-4, with two doubles and his ninth home run of the season, knocking in three runs and scoring four times as the Cubs downed the Reds, 12-8, in Cincinnati.

Castro is batting .308, 6th in the NL, and his 190 hits leads the league. The slick-fielding middle infielder has scored 86 runs, driven in 61 and has 32 doubles, nine triples and 21 stolen bases.

Around the NL, the Braves and Cardinals were both losers, keeping Atlanta's lead in the wild card race at 4 1/2 games. The Braves have lost four straight, three of them to the Cardinals, who swept a weekend series in St. Louis.

The Phillies lost the Houston, 5-1, but Atlanta's loss knocked their magic number for clinching the East down to five. Arizona and San Francisco both won, which kept the Diamondback's lead in the West at 8 1/2 games.

Raburn Swats a Pair for Tigers; McCann's Shot Saves Braves

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 29, 2010 American League Both the Tigers and Blue Jays have dropped out of their respective division races and neither team has much chance of making it into the playoffs as a wild card, but the players soldier on, looking to win as many games as possible down the stretch. Completing a four-game series in Toronto with a split, thanks to a 10-4 win on Sunday, the Tigers can look forward to having a nice, young outfield in coming years. Rookie Austin Jackson looks like a keeper in center, and fellow first-year man Brennan Boesch was hot earlier and just needs more seasoning. Complementing them is Ryan Raburn, currently on a seven-game hitting streak which reached a crescendo Sunday when he belted a pair of homer runs and drove in four. Batting .414 (12-for-29) over that seven game span, Raburn's homers were his 9th and 10th. He's upped his RBI total to 44 in just 260 at-bats. The Tigers are 10 games behind Minnesota in the division. Toronto dropped back to 11 1/2 off the pace in the AL East. National League Atlanta keeps finding new ways to win, their most recent being scoring six runs in the final two innings to take out the Marlins, 7-6. Lulling Florida into a false sense of security by scoring just a single run in the first inning and nothing thereafter, the Braves cam to life against the Marlins' bullpen, scoring three runs in the 8th and three more in the ninth, concluding with a two-run homer by Matt Diaz and a solo game-winner by catcher Brian McCann. McCann went 3-for-4 on the night and only drove in the one run, though it was the most important run of the night. His solo blast gave the Braves a 2-1 split of their three-game series with the Marlins and kept them two games ahead of the Phillies, who have won the division three straight years. Atlanta will host the Mets next and won't see the pursuing Phillies until late September, when they play them three times in Philly, September 20, 21 and 22, and host them for the final three games of the season, October 1, 2 and 3. Stay tuned. This one could go down to the wire.

Detroit's Double Slam Crushes A's; Mets Have Mr. Wright

Players of the Day for Friday, May 15, 2009 American League Detroit's Ryan Raburn (left) and Brandon Inge (right) each belted grand slam homers and drove in five runs apiece as the Tigers hammered the punchless A's, 14-1. Raburn hit his homer in the first inning to get the Tigers off to a hot start, while Inge waited until the sixth inning for his bases-loaded blast to pretty much finish things off. Inge singled home Clete Thomas in the 8th for an additional RBI. Thomas and Miguel Cabrera each had 3 hits and 4 runs in the rout. Raburn's homer was his first of the season; for Inge, his 10th. The win kept the Tigers tied for first in the AL Central with Kansas City. National League David Wright remains one of the hottest hitters in the National League, boosting his average to .341 Friday with a 3-for-5 effort (double, 3 singles), a stolen base, 4 RBI and a run scored in New York's 8-6 win over Washington. Wright has hit safely in his last seven games and has been an integral part of New York's rise to the top of the AL East, which they lead by 2 games over Philly and Atlanta. Friday's effort was Wright's 5th multiple-hit game in his last seven.