Mariano Rivera and Time Wakefield Reach Mound Milestones; Fielder and Braun Power Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 13, 2011

American League

Wakefield: 200 Ws

A couple of milestones were reached by two veterans of the Yankee-Red Sox wars on Tuesday, specifically, Boston's knuckle-balling Tim Wakefield notched his 200th win as the Red Sox trounced the Blue Jays, 18-6, and Yankee closer, Mariano Rivera, collected his 600th save in New York's 3-2 win over Seattle.

Rivera: 600 Saves

The Yankees got six good innings out of starter AJ Burnett (4 hits, 2 runs, 11 Ks) and key contributions from Robinson Cano, who had a solo homer in the 2nd inning and drove in the eventual winning run in the 6th on a fielder's choice. Cano's two RBI tied him for the AL with teammate Curtis Granderson at 111. The focus was clearly on Rivera though, who came on, as he customarily does, in the 9th inning, quieting the Mariners by sandwiching a single to Ichiro Suzuki between a pair of strikeouts, the game ending when Russell Martin gunned down Ichiro at second as he attempted to steal.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Rivera's 41st save of the season was also the 600th of his major league career, placing him just one behind the only other pitcher in the "600 save club," Trevor Hoffman. Rivera should have ample opportunity to tie and surpass Hoffman for the all-time lead in saves as the Yankees have 15 more games on the regular season slate.

Dustin Pedroia

In Boston, the Red Sox won just their second game in their last nine tries, as Wakefield lasted six innings while his teammates were collecting 18 hits. Wakefield's 200th win was nothing special other than its milestone status, as he gave up six hits and five runs before exiting. The knuckle-baller has started 461 games over 20 years, compiling 200 wins against 178 losses.

Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury each went 4-for-5 and scored four times. Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a solo homer, two singles and a double, driving in three runs. Pedroia was busy collecting total bases, homering twice and doubling twice, driving in five runs.

Verlander: 23-5

The Yankees maintained a 4-game lead over Boston in the East, and the Red Sox advanced another game over Tampa Bay in the wild card race, as the Rays fell to Baltimore, 4-2. Boston's wild card lead is back to four games.

Justin Verlander won his 23rd game of the season, hurling seven scoreless innings at the White Sox as the Tigers inched closer to the AL Central crown with a 5-0 win. Verlander allowed six hits, two walks and struck out six. Detroit's lead in the division is 12 1/2 games over the Sox and Indians; their magic number is three.

The Angels and Rangers were both winners in the West. Texas remains three games in front of LA in the division.

National League

Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder's solo home run (32) in the 6th inning tied the game at 1-1, and Ryan Braun's bases-empty blast (28) in the 10th provided all the runs needed by Zach Greinke and a parade of five relievers as the Brewers gutted out a 2-1 win over Colorado, improving on their MLB-best home record (52-22) while keeping the second place Cardinals at bay, 6 1/2 games back.

Milwaukee's magic number is reduced to eight, with just 13 games left on their schedule.

Ryan Braun

In the wild card race, both Atlanta and St. Louis were winners, so the Braves continue to lead them by four games.

Out West, both Arizona and San Francisco had to go to extra innings for wins, with the D'Backs knocking off the Dodgers, 5-4, in 10 innings on a bases loaded walk to Chris Young, while the Mark DeRosa's walk-off RBI single in the 12th provided the winning margin in the Giants' 3-2 win over the Padres.

The Giants trail the Diamondbacks by 8 1/2 games in the West.

Philadelphia lost their third straight, but still hold an 11 game lead over the Braves in the East. The Phillies' magic number is five.

Pineiro 3-Hits Cubs; Wakefield Rebounds for Red Sox

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 19, 2009 American League Following a rough outing against the Angels, in which he was touched up for 7 runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, Boston's 42-year-old Tim Wakefield rebounded with his best performance of the season in a key game against the AL East leading Toronto Blue Jays. Wakefield, getting the start in the opener of the three-game set at Fenway, went 8 solid innings, allowing just one earned run - Kevin Millar's 5th inning homer - on 5 hits and two walks. The Boston bats produced just enough runs to down the Jays 2-1 and close to within 2 1/2 games of the division lead. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth to record his 11th save. Wakefield improved to 5-2. National League The St. Louis Cardinals have cooled off after a torrid start, but are still in the thick of the NL Central race. By topping the Cubs, 3-0, on Tuesday, St. Louis pulled into a 2nd place tie with Chicago, 3 games back of Milwaukee. With the Cardinals' bats slumbering, Joel Pineiro went the distance, shutting out the Cubs on 3 hits, allowing no walks and striking out 5. Pineiro, who was expected to solidify the Cardinals' rotation last season, but finished with a 7-7 record, got his fifth win of the season against just two losses. It was Pineiro's 10th complete game and 4th shutout of his 10 year major league career. NOTES: The Yankees and Brewers are each riding 7-game winning streaks. New York has clawed to within 3 1/2 games of the lead in the AL East, but still trail Boston by a game and Toronto. The Brewers have vaulted to the top of the NL Central with their good fortune, establishing a 3-game lead over both St. Louis and Chicago. The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez homered for the 4th straight game. His bat has been instrumental in getting New York back to winning ways.

Wakefield Stymies Jays; Webb Wins 20th

Players of the Day from Friday, September 12, 2008 American League Nothing like to trip to Boston to put an end to a winning streak. That's what the Toronto Blue Jays discovered as Tim Wakefield tossed 8 innings of shutout ball, paving the way for a 7-0 Red Sox win. Wakefield (9-10) didn't walk a batter and struck out four. With the Rays rained out at New York, Boston reduced the Rays' lead to just 2 games. Notes: The White Sox and Twins were also rained out of their games, so Chicago's lead in the Central remains at 1 game. National League Rumors of Brandon Webb's demise were grossly exaggerated. After failing to win his 20th three straight times, Webb was back on his game Friday, shutting out the Reds on 5 hits over 8 innings as Arizona won, 3-2. The rare Diamondback win - their first in their last 7 games - kept Arizona in step with the first-place Dodgers, who have established a 3 1/2 game lead, and beat Colorado Friday, 7-2. Notes: The Cubs, Mets, Brewers and Phillies were all rained out, so there were no changes in the standings. Nate McLouth nearly hit for the cycle in Pittsburgh's 10-2 win over St. Louis. He failed to get a single though he did reach base five times. McLouth hit a two-run homer and three-RBI double and a triple, driving in 5 runs, his career high.

Great Scott! Olsen Sets Down Brewers; Wakefield Knuckles Under Tigers

Players of the Day from Tuesday, May 7, 2008 American League The old knuckler was working last night for Tim Wakefield. Boston's steady starter baffled Detroit hitters on 2 hits over 8 innings as the Red Sox tamed the Tigers, 5-0. Wakefield whiffed six, including Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield twice each. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez slammed back-to-back homers in the 7th inning. For Ramirez, it was career #497, as his countdown to 500 continues. The homer was Ramirez' first since April 19, a span of 15 games. Wakefield threw 98 pitches, 65 for strikes. Notes: The win was the 5th straight for the Red Sox and Tigers' 5th straight loss as Detroit remains mired in last place in the AL Central. In the West, the Angels and A's are locked in. LA, leading the A's by a game, has won 4 in a row, the A's 3 straight. National League The Florida Marlins are playing better than anyone expected, and regained a first place tie in the East last night as Scott Olsen improved to 4-1, working 8 2/3 innings in the Marlins' 3-0 win over Milwaukee.

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Olsen, carrying a 2.22 ERA, has been lights out against the Brewers this season. Prior to last night's outing, he allowed 4 hits and no runs in 7 1/3 innings against Milwaukee back on April 25. The Marlins won, 3-0, but Olson received no decision. Still having some control problems, Olsen walked 4, while striking out 8 last night. Overall he's fanned 23, but issued 19 free passes. Still, his WHIP is rock-solid at 1.05. In his third year as a starter (all with the Marlins), the win evened Olsen's record at 27 wins and 27 losses. Notes: With a team that scarcely resembles the championship squad from 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals continue to lead the Central division by 2 1/2 games over the Cubs. The Cards have dominated their division, winning 12 of 19, and are 14-7 at home and 8-5 on the road. Manager Tony LaRussa seems to have found the formula for early-season success.

Wakefield gets 15th win for Sox; Teixeira pounds D-Backs

Boston 6 Tampa Bay 0 - Tim Wakefield (right) continued his dominance over the Devil Rays, improving his career record over them to 19-2, while boosting his season record to 15-10 with a 4-hit shutout effort over 7 innings on Monday. Wakefield, who has earned a decision in each of his 25 starts this season, won for the 8th time in his last ten outings. Boston regained a 5-game bulge over the Yankees in the AL East when New York lost to the Angels later in the evening. NY Yankees 6 LA Angels 7, 10 innings - Little-used Ryan Budde, sporting a 1-11 at-bat record this season, got his second hit - and first career double - at an opportune moment. His 10th inning walk-off two-bagger sent Howie Kendrick home with the winning run in a compelling matchup of AL contenders. Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning with a two-run - his 40th - home run, but the Angels countered with 3 of their own in the 7th. Jorge Posada tied the game at 6 with a two-run shot in the eighth. The win kept the Angels 2 games clear of the pressing Mariners, who won their 4th straight. Seattle also moved 1 1/2-games ahead of the Yankees in the wild card race. Seattle 9 Minnesota 4 - Raul Ibanez homered twice, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 times as the Mariners routed the Twins in the first of their 3-game series. Other AL Scores Oakland 6 Toronto 4 Kansas City 3 Chi White Sox 4 National League Atlanta 14 Cincinnati 4 - Mark Teixeira single-handedly pounded the Reds with a pair of 3-run homers and 6 RBI, smacking one in the 2nd and the other in the 4th inning. Teixeira also doubled and walked, scoring four times in the rout. The Braves tied the idle Phillies for 2nd place in the NL East, five games back of the Mets. Atlanta is also one game behind San Diego in the wild card hunt. Milwaukee 9 Arizona 0 - The Brewers offense exploded early, scoring 3 runs in each of the 1st, 2nd and 4th innings. Prince Fielder (right) pounded his league-leading 39th home run and a double, racking up 4 RBI, tying him with the Rockies' Matt Holliday for third place at 96. Meanwhile, rookie hurler Yavani Gallardo (5-6) was working 6 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 5 hits and a walk while punching out 6 on strikes. Gallardo also added to the offensive onslaught with a solo homer in the 2nd inning - his first in the majors. St. Louis 6 Chi Cubs 4 - A couple of recent additions have paid off handsomely for manager Tony LaRussa's Cardinals. Joel Piniero reeled off his third straight win and Rick Ankiel hit his 4th homer in 10 games to lead the Cards to a crucial win over the Cubs. Scott Rolen continued his hot hitting (10-26) with a single, two doubles and 3 RBI and Albert Pujols chipped in with a solo homer - his 28th. The Cardinals salvaged the win in Chicago after losing two straight to the Cubs and having Sunday's game rained out. Overall, it was a great week to be a Cardinal, as the Redbirds took 4 of six from Milwaukee and Chicago, having swept the Brewers earlier in the week. St. Louis trails both the Cubs and Brewers by 3 games in the division even though they are 3 games under .500. The schedule looks positive for the Cards, as their next four 3-game series are against Florida (6 straight losses), Atlanta, Houston and Cincinnati. The Cubs have San Francisco (5 straight wins), Arizona, Milwaukee and Houston upcoming, while the Brewers have Arizona, San Fran, Chicago and Pittsburgh. It's winner-takes-all in the Central, as none of the teams has any hope of taking the wild card spot. Other NL Scores San Francisco 8 Florida 7 Washington 7 Houston 0 Pittsburgh 4 Colorado 2, 11 innings

Wakefield Knuckles D-Rays; Dodger Blues

American League Tampa Bay 0 Boston 3 - There are any number of good reasons why Boston keeps Tim Wakefield (right) around. Monday's 3-0 win over Tampa Bay was just another reminder of how valuable the knuckleballer has been to the franchise over the years. Wakefield improved to 18-2 lifetime against Tampa Bay, one of Boston's divisional foes, a team they simply have to beat consistently. Wakefield (14-10) worked a no-hitter into the 7th inning, ending up with a 2-hit performance over 8 innings. Sometimes, when the knuckler is working, it's almost impossible to hit. Besides having Tampa's number, Wakefield contributes to the Boston staff in a variety of ways. He's consistent. Beginning in 2002, Wakefield's started 158 games and compiled a record of 71-55. He's had a winning record in 5 of his last six seasons, the only blemish coming last year when he was beset with injuries and finished 7-11. He could be on his way to his winningest season. He's got 8 more starts to surpass the 17 wins he put up in 1998. Baltimore 6 NY Yankees 7 - The Yankees kept pace with Boston as Melky Cabrera scored on Derek Jeter's tapper back to pitcher Chad Bradford in the bottom of the 9th. The Yanks have won 4 straight and 9 of their last 10. Minnesota 3 Seattle 4 - Richie Sexson homered to lead off the bottom of the 9th, spoiling another solid performance by Minnesota ace Johan Santana, who allowed 3 runs over 7 innings but received no decision. Besides wins, Santana (12-9) has 4 no decisions and 5 losses in games in which he's pitched at least 6 innings and allowed 3 runs or less. Sexson's walk-off blast was his 19th of the season. With their third straight win, the Mariners picked up 1/2 game on idle Los Angeles and are just 3 back, and remain tied with the Yankees for the wild card lead. Minnesota has lost 5 straight. Other AL Scores Oakland 7 Detroit 2 - Tigers fall into 1st place tie with Cleveland Toronto 2 Kansas City 6 National League Houston 4 LA Dodgers 1 - Roy Oswalt (right) did his part to contribute to the demise of the Dodgers with 8 innings of mound mastery Monday night. The Houston stopper gave up 1 earned run on 6 hits to improve to 13-6, and sink Los Angeles further behind in the NL West. The Dodgers have lost 3 straight, 8 of their last 10 and trail Arizona by 6 1/2 games. Other NL Scores San Francisco 1 Pittsburgh 3 San Francisco 10 Pittsburgh 3