Scooter Gennet Stays Hot, Leads Reds Past Miami; Mookie Betts Powers Red Sox To AL East Crown

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 20, 2018

American League

Betts: 4-for-5, HR, 5 RBI

Clinching the AL East at the home of their long-standing rival, the Boston Red Sox took charge late in the concluding game of their series in New York, topping the Yankees, 11-6.

Mookie Betts was at his very best after the Red Sox dropped the first two games of the series. Betts, who leads the AL in batting with a .339 average. Teammate J.D. Martinez is second at .331. The two are the leading candidates for AL MVP.

The Red Sox leadoff hitter singled, doubled twice and concluded a 4-for-5 effort by rapping his 30th home run with two aboard off Yankee reliever Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning. Betts scored three times and drove in five runs.

With the best record in the majors (104-49), the Red Sox are assured of home field advantage throughout their playoff run. The 104 wins ties the franchise record, but Boston still has nine games left to play. It's the third straight division title for Boston, which has held onto first place in the division since July 2.

For the Yankees, the loss hurt. They're clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead over the Oakland A's in the wild card after the A's banged out 22 hits in a 21-3 win over the Angles (no, that's not a football score).

In a potential league championship preview, Boston heads to Cleveland Friday for a three-game series. The Yankees host Baltimore and Oakland welcomes in the Twins. Houston, with a 3 1/2 game lead over the A's in the West, is home for a three-game series with the Angels.

National League

Gennett: 2-for-3, HR, 4RBI

There was limited action in the National League on Thursday, the only impactful game being Atlanta's 8-3 victory at Philadelphia and the Mets' 5-4, 12-inning triumph over Washington.

Those results left the Braves with a seemingly unassailable 6 1/2-game lead in the NL East over the Phillies, with the Nationals nearly eliminated, eight games out with just nine to play. The magic number for the Braves to clinch the division is four. Theirs is the largest lead in the National League.

In Miami, Scooter Gennett did his part to keep heat on Milwaukee's Christian Yelich as the two vie for the batting title. Gennett drove in all four runs in the Reds' 4-2 victory with a double and home run in three at-bats.

The Cincy second baseman drove in a pair of runs in the second with his double to left field and knocked in two more in the seventh inning with his 23rd home run. Like Yelich, Gennett is much more than a high-average singles hitter. His 92 RBI is among the league's leaders. He's tied at #10 with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman and Philadelphia's Rhys Hoskins. Yelich has 93.

Gennett trails Yelich by the barest of margins. He's at .318, Yelich has a .319 average.

All 15 NL teams will be in action Friday through Sunday with pennant races in each division and wild cards still up for grabs.

Reds, Scooter Gennett Wreck Dodgers, 10-6; Gary Sanchez Powers Yankees Past Twins

Players of the Day for Monday, September 10, 2018

American League

Sanchez: 3-for-5, HR, RBI

J.A. Happ blanked the Twins for six innings and Gary Sanchez went 3-for-5 with his second home run since returning from the DL as the Yankees moved closer to the post-season with a 7-2 win at Minnesota.

Sanchez broke a scoreless tie with his 16th home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning, then singled and scored as the Yankees piled on six runs in the seventh. The Yankee catcher doubled in the eighth, but was left stranded along with Giancarlo Stanton, who had walked before him, when Greg Bird, the only Yankee regular without a hit, struck out to end the inning.

The win kept New York three games ahead of the Oakland A's in the wild card hunt. The A's had the day off and are in control of the second position, 7 1/2 games better than Tampa Bay and Seattle.

New York also has faint hopes of catching the Red Sox in the East division. Boston was idle on Monday and leads the race by eight games.

Game two of the Yankees' series in Minnesota is Tuesday, 8:00 pm EDT.  New York is 5-0 against the Twins this season.

National League

Gennett's .320 leads NL

Taking control of the National League batting race, Scooter Gennett lashed four singles, drove in three runs and scored twice, guiding the Cincinnati Reds to a 10-6 victory over the visiting LA Dodgers.

Gennett, in a fight for what could be his first batting title, broke away from Milwaukee's Christian Yellich, who went 1-for-4 in the Brewers' 3-2 win over the Cubs. Yellich is batting .315. Gennett's four hits raised his average to .320, tops in the league.

While Gennett was beating up LA hurlers, the Dodgers watched their playoff hopes diminish slightly as the Cardinals came from behind to defeat the Pirates, 8-7, putting them two games up on the Dodgers in the second spot of the wild card race. Colorado thumped Arizona, 13-2, extending its NL West lead to 1 1/2 games over LA. Third place Arizona is 3 1/2 off the pace.

Monday's contest was the first of a three-game series in Cincinnati. Game two is Tuesday at 6:40 pm EDT. The Dodgers have lost all five games with the Reds this season.

Scooter Gennett Leads Reds To Second Straight Win; Angels Take Game Two From Astros On Andrelton Simmons' 2 HRs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 24, 2018

American League

Simmons: 3-4, 2HR, 5RBI

The two top teams in the West played game two of their series in Houston on Tuesday, as the Angels took their second straight over the Astros in an 8-7 victory, taking over first place in the division by 1/2-game.

After being blanked, 2-0, in game one, Houston found themselves in an immediate 2-0 hole after solo home runs by Mike Trout in the first and Andrelton Simmons in the second inning.

When Simmons legged out an infield single in the third, plating Martin Maldonado, LA led, 4-1, but the Astros came back in the fifth and sixth to forge a 5-4 advantage.

The Reds responded in the seventh. After Albert Pujols singled in a run to tie the game, Simmons mashed his second homer of the game, a three-run kill shot to left. Houston did managed to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but LA's bullpen held together for the slim win.

Simmons had a game to remember, going 3-for-5 with two homers, five RBI and two runs.

The Astros will be looking to avoid an embarrassing home sweep Wednesday when the two teams meet for game three, 2:10 pm EDT.

National League

Gennett: 3-5, 2HR, 4RBI

Cincinnati got off to an increbilry bad start to the 2018 season, going 3-18, but their bats have suddenly found new life against the Atlanta pitching staff, and they've won two straight, including Tuesday's 9-7, 12-inning epic.

The Braves sent seven different pitchers to the mound, but could not keep Reds' hitters at bay. Cincinnati banged out 12 hits, three of them coming off the bat of Scooter Gennett, who singled and homered twice, the second of which ended the game in the bottom of the 12th.

Doing his best impression of a one-man wrecking crew, Gennett singled and scored on a Freddie Freeman throwing error in the second, launched his first home run of the game in the fifth, drove in another run with a squeeze bunt in the seventh, and with teammate Joey Votto on first with no outs in the 12th inning, treated fans to the walk-off win with his second home run.

After playing four seasons in Milwaukee, Gennett really hit his stride in his first season with the Reds, batting .295 with 27 home runs and 97 RBI in 2017.

This season has been a slow start for him and the Reds. The two Tuesday homers were his first of the season, and he's driven in just 13 runs, despite a solid .287 batting average.

Cincy will be looking to make it three straight over the Braves when the two teams take the field Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. Game time is 6:40 pm EDT.

Grand Slam By Scooter Gennett Lifts Reds; Rougned Odor 2 HR Lead Ranger Rout Of White Sox

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 19, 2017

Odor: 2 HR, 5 RBI

American League

Rougned Odor led a 20-hit assault by the Texas Rangers, as they hammered the visiting White Sox, 17-7, in the third of their four-game series.

Odor belted two home runs, giving him 26 on the year, and drove in five runs in the rout. The first of his two blasts capped a six-run third inning outburst by the Rangers and erased a 5-1 deficit. Odor's three-run homer came after the Rangers had already plated three in the inning.

Odor also homered in the fourth, a solo shot that added to the Texas lead, but, the real insult came in the seventh, when he walked with the bases full, giving him his fifth RBI of the game, upping his season total to 58.

The win put the Rangers at .500, with a 61-61 mark, and left them 1 1/2 games behind the Twins and Angels, presently co-owners of the second wild card spot. The Yankees have a good grip on they top wild card, with a 3 1/2 game lead.

The Rangers conclude their series with Chicago at 3:05 pm ET on Sunday.

National League

Gennett Slams Braves

Not probable as a playoff team this season, the Cincinnati Reds (53-71) will be in the midst of the teams trying to make it to October via either the NL Central title or the wild card route.

To that end, Saturday's 11-8 defeat of the Braves in Atlanta may be of instruction to teams that will be facing the power-laden Reds in the days and weeks ahead.

The Reds were taking it to the Braves pretty well, leading, 7-2, after Scooter Gennett knocked in Joey Votto on a sac fly.

Atlanta would not go easily, however, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning to close the gap. In the ninth, Gennett again was at the plate with a runner on third - and ones on first and second as well - when he uncorked his 21st home run of the season, a grand slam that put the Braves up comfortably, 11-4.

Atlanta would score four more in their final at-bat and put the tying run at the plate. Cincinnati reliever, Michael Lorenzen, slammed the door shut to close out the game.

Gennett is one of the reasons other teams should beware when facing the Reds. He's having the best season of his five year major league career, driving in 75 runs with a .292 batting average, surpassing his seasonal home run and RBI numbers in fewer games than in any of his previous years, all of which, prior to this year, were with the Brewers.

The victory gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the series, which concludes Sunday at 1:35 pm ET. Atlanta has taken a severe blow to what slim playoff hope they may have had, falling 12 games out of the second spot over the past two games.

Scooter Gennett Socks Four Homers In Reds' Win; Mike Moustakas, Royals End Houston Win Streak At 11

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 6, 2017

American League

Moustakas: Game-winner

For now, at least, Houston's reign of terror in the American League is over after the Kansas City Royals ended the Astros' 11 game winning streak with a 9-7 victory Tuesday night.

Mike Moustakas, who's been one of the more consistent performers for the Central division last-place Royals, was the game-changer, going 4-for-5, including the game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

Moustakas singled twice and doubled in his at-bats prior to the dramatic ending. The Royals erased a 7-1 Houston lead and it was 7-2 in the fourth, when Moustakas singled home Eric Hosmer, getting KC a run closer. He also singled and scored as a part of a four-run rally in the eighth inning which tied the game.

There were two outs in the ninth when Moustakas launched the game-winner. It was his 15th of the season.

The result left Houston still leading the NL West, by a mere 13 games over the Angels and Mariners. Kansas City remains in last place, but they are only 5 1/2 games behind division-leading Minnesota.

Game three of the four-game series is set for 8:15 pm ET at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

National League

Gennett ties MLB mark

In the bottom of the first inning, Scooter Gennett singled home Billy Hamilton off Cardinal starter, Adam Wainwright. OK, the guy was batting .270 with 20 RBI in 111 at-bats entering the game, so, nothing really out of the ordinary.

What was about to happen nobody could have predicted.

Gennett, a 5'10", 185-pound utility player, hit home runs in his next four at-bats, starting off with a grand slam in the third inning, putting the Reds ahead, 5-0. After Eugenio Suarez cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the fourth, Gennett did what any self-respecting slugger would, he hit another home run. 10-0 Reds.

After sending the first two balls over the walls in right and center fields, respectively, Gennett went opposite field in the sixth for a solo shot. In the eighth, he did it again, with a two run home run to right. When it was all over, the Reds slaughtered the Cardinals, 13-1 and Scooter Gennett was the talk of the sports world, becoming the 17th major leaguer to hit four home runs in a single game, joining the likes of Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays and Mike Schmidt, who have a combined career total of 1,701 homers.

Gennett's career total: 42... and that's in over 1600 at-bats.

Gennett finished with impressive stats, going 5-for-5, with four runs and 10 RBI, which tied the Reds' franchise record for most RBI in a single game, tying Walker Cooper's mark from 1949. His 17 total bases are now a club record. That's pretty impressive since professional baseball in Cincinnati dates back to 1869.

Accurate records exist from 1876, when the Reds were admitted to the National League. After four years in the senior circuit, the Reds were expelled for nine years for selling beer in the stands! The horror! Cincinnati was readmitted after the 1989, playing the American Association during the National League absence.

The victory moved the Reds 1/2 game ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central, trailing division co-leaders Chicago and Milwaukee by three games.

Game three of the four-game set in Cincinnati is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.

Roger Bernadina, Stephen Strasburg Down Mets, 12-0; Brewers' Scooter Gennett Hits for Cycle

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Grapefruit League

Stephen Strasburg

Fives were wild for Washington phenom Stephen Stasburg, as the Nationals shut out the Mets, 12-0, in exhibition action in Melbourne, Florida.

Roger Bernadina

Strasburg worked five scoreless innings, allowed five hits, but struck out five batters, for his first win after racking up three spring losses with sub-par performances.

The win will serve as an emotional boost for the 23-year-old Strasburg, who will be back in the Washington rotation after missing most of last season due to injury. The righty fire-baller went 1-1 in 2011 in five late-season starts with the Nats after going 5-3 in 12 starts as a rookie in 2010.

While Strasburg and three other Washington hurlers were keeping the Mets off the scoreboard, Nationals' hitters banged out 17 hits, including a 3-for-3 effort from center fielder Roger Bernadina, who singled twice, cracked his first homer of the spring and drove in four runs.

The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Nationals, who are 6-13 in Grapefruit League play.

Cactus League

Minor league prospect Scooter Gennett hit for the cycle as Milwaukee downed Kansas City, 7-3, in Surprise, Arizona, Sunday.

Gennett, a second baseman who will likely start the season with the Brewers' AA affiliate, Huntsville, in the Southern League, capped his feat with a two-run homer in the 8th inning, sealing the win for the Brew Crew.

Gennett got the toughest of the cycle hits, a triple, in the first inning, doubled in the second and singled in the sixth, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. Gennett, who is not on the Brewers' major league roster, has a .500 batting average (5-for-10) this spring.