Torii Hunter Saves Twins with 9th-Inning Homer; Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies Dump Nats with Grand Slam

Players of the Day for Friday, August 7, 2015

American League

Gonzalez: GS, 4 RBI

Hunter Leads Twins

A much-needed win was what the Twins got Friday in the opener of a three-game series in Cleveland, when Torii Hunter put Minnesota on top with a ninth-inning solo homer for a 10-9 victory.

Minnesota was coming off being swept four straight in Toronto by the Blue Jays, prior to which they ended a series against Seattle with a 4-1 loss, their Friday night win snapping a five-game losing streak.

Hunter's home run was his 18th of the season. In previous at-bats he singled and doubled, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs. He has 60 RBI on the year.

Minnesota's win left them in second place, 9 1/2 games back of the Royals in the AL Central, the largest lead in any of MLB's six divisions. The Twins are also on the outside looking in at the wild card, where they trail the Angels by 3 1/2 games, but have Toronto and Baltimore ahead of them as well.

The series between the Twins and Indians resumes Saturday night at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Carlos Gonzalez lashed a two-out, eighth-inning grand slam, erasing a 4-1 deficit and sending the Colorado Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals.

The 23rd home run of the season for Gonzalez came off reliever Drew Storen, who was saddled with the loss, eclipsing a solid pitching performance by starter Jordan Zimmerman, who allowed the Rockies just four hits and one earned run over 6 2/3 innings. The four RBI gave Gonzalez an even 60 on the year.

The win meant little to the Rockies, who are mired in last place in the NL West, but sent the Nationals to a sixth loss in their last eight games. Since the All-Star break, Washington has been sliding into mediocrity, going 8-13, relinquishing their NL East lead to the Mets, who, following Friday's 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay, hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Nationals in the division.

Game two of the three-game series at Nationals Park is slated for 7:05 pm EDT, Saturday night.

Homers by Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera Power Tigers over Twins; Andrew Cashner Tosses 2-Hit Shutout over Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, September 15, 2014

American League

Miguel Cabrera

Torii Hunter

Breaking a 6-6 tie in the top of the ninth inning, Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera socked back-to-back homers to give Detroit a 8-6 win at Minnesota in the opener of a three-game series with the Twins.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Tigers, who have regained control of the AL Central after yielding the lead to Kansas City in August. Coupled with the Royals' 4-3 win over the White Sox, Detroit holds a 1 1/2 game edge in the division.

Game two is Tuesday at 8:10 pm EDT.

The other two divisions of the AL are nearly decided as both the Angels and Orioles won on Monday, the Angels topping Seattle - and sending the Mariners further down the standings in the wild card hunt - 8-1, while Baltimore took care of second-place Toronto with a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Baltimore's victory opened a three-game series with Toronto and set the stage for a possible clinching of the division on Tuesday, when the two teams meet for game two at 7:05 pm EDT. Baltimore's magic number is now one; LA's is three, as the A's are 10 1/2 back and were idle on Monday.

The A's have a one-game edge over KC for the first wild card. Seattle trails KC for the second wild card by two games. Toronto, Cleveland and New York are further back with fading hopes of reaching the post-season. The Yankees - 1-0 losers at Tampa Bay Monday - were officially eliminated from the AL EAst race.

National League

Cashner: 2H ShO

Andrew Cashner (4-7, 2.20) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, eventually settling for a two-hit shutout for the Padres in a 1-0 win over the visiting Phillies Monday night.

Cashner walked one (Chase Utley in the fourth), fanned seven and threw 68 of 92 pitches for strikes. Domonic Brown bunted his way on with one out in the fifth, but was quickly erased on an inning-ending double play. Marlon Byrd's leadoff single in the eighth inning was the only other hit for the flat-lining Phillies.

The shutout was the second of the season for the San Diego hurler. Cashner shut out the Tigers on one hit back on April 11.

Elsewhere, division leaders LA and Washington were both winners; the Cardinals maintained a 3 1/2 game lead over the Pirates in the Central. Both the Cards and Pirates were idle on Monday.

In the only significant wild card action, San Francisco dropped its third straight, losing, 6-2, at Arizona. The Giants still hold a 2 1/2 game edge over the Pirates in the wild card. Pittsburgh is 1 1/2 in front of Milwaukee for the second wild card slot. The Brewers were also off Monday.

Torii Hunter's Three-Run Blast Lifts Tigers over A's; Danile Murphy Goes 4-for-5 as Mets Crush Phillies, 11-3

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 29, 2013

American League

Torii Hunter

The Detroit Tigers just barely kept themselves from being swept at home by the A's, when Torii Hunter lifted a Grant Balfour offering into the left center field stands, giving the Tigers a 6-7 win in the finale of the four-game series.

Hunter who watched from the bench most of the game, came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and remained in the game, replacing Andy Dirks in right field. Detroit erased a 6-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the sixth and four in the ninth, capped by Hunter's walk-off, game-winner.

Victor Martinez drove in the first run of the final frame, singling home Austin Jackson. Hunter was the Tigers' last chance, coming to the plate with two on and two out. It was his 16th home run of the season, helping to increase Detroit's lead over the Indians in the AL Central to 6 1/2 games, as the Indians fell prey to the Braves, 3-1.

Oakland fell three games behind idle Texas in the West division, but still hold the second wild card spot. They are 1/2 game behind Tampa Bay in the wild card standings and lead Baltimore by 3 1/2 for the final playoff spot.

The A's return to Oakland to open a three-game series with the Rays on Friday. Happy to see the A's depart, the Tigers host a three-game series with second place Cleveland, starting Friday night at 7:08 pm EDT.

National League

Daniel Murphy

Not that it matters much in the larger scheme of things, but the NY Mets regained a tie for third place in the NL East with the Phillies, downing their neighbors to the South with an 11-3 beating, finishing their four-game series with a 2-2 tie in games.

Mets' second baseman, Daniel Murphy, went 4-for-5, with a double three singles a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored, as the Mets banged out 11 hits, nine of them shared by the 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup.

While both teams are technically 20 1/2 games behind the Braves in the division, the Phillies have a slight percentage advantage, at 61-73, though the Mets have one fewer loss. Their record is 60-72.

On Friday, both teams open three-game series on the road. The mets are at Washington, while the Phillies travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs.

Today's Trivia: Babe Ruth lead the AL in home runs a record 12 times. Who won the most home run titles in the National League? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1927, Babe Ruth led the majors with 60 home runs and teammate Lou Gehrig mashed 52 doubles, also tops in the majors.

Torii Hunter Leads Tigers' 8-3 Win over Yankees; Nathan Eovaldi, Marlins Stop Atlanta's 14-Game Streak

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 10, 2013

American League

Make no doubt about it. The Tigers are the most dangerous team heading down the stretch and likely into the playoffs in the American League.

Torii Hunter

After having their 12-game winning streak broken by the Yankees on Friday, Detroit came back with a vengeance with a 9-3 triumph over New York Saturday, extending their record after the All Star break to 17-4.

Miguel Cabrera socked his 35th home run of the year, while Torii Hunter supplied four RBI with a sac fly in the first and a three-run, sixth-inning homer, going 3-for-4 and scoring twice, a double and single his other hits.

Hunter has been the ideal #2 hitter for the Tigers all season, consistently supplying key hits at opportune moments. He's batting .312 with 13 homers and 60 RBI. He's also scored 70 runs, ninth-most in the AL. Cabrera leads the league with 84.

The loss sent the Yankees 11 games behind AL East-leading Boston, while the Tigers improved their lead to eight games over Cleveland in the Central division, with Kansas City another 1/2 game back. On Sunday, the Tigers and Yankees will complete their three-game series at 1:05 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium.

National League

Eovaldi: 7IP,1H,0ER

Not having much to crow about this season, the Miami Marlins can at least relish the fact that they can, at times, beat the best team in the league.

Miami halted Atlanta's 14-game winning streak - one shy of the record 15 straight since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966 - with a 1-0 win on Saturday, thanks to seven shutout innings from starter Nathan Eovaldi and a bit of timely hitting and heads-up base-running by shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

Eovaldi (2-2, 2.82) allowed one hit - a first-inning single by Freddie Freeman - over his seven frames, walking three and fanning eight, but did not receive a decision as Atlanta starter, Alex Wood, kept Miami off the scoreboard for six innings.

Miami didn't break through until the top of the ninth, when Hechavarria tripled to lead off the inning and scored on Jordan Walden's wild pitch for the only run of the game.

The Miami win didn't change much in the NL East. The Marlins still have a secure hold on last place, 26 games out, while Atlanta retains a firm grip on the division lead, with a 14 1/2 game bulge over second-place Washington, the largest lead in the majors.

The two teams will finish up their three-game series Sunday at 1:35 pm EDT at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Today's Trivia: A stat no pitcher can be proud of, who led the AL in bases on balls allowed three straight years, from 1900-1992? )answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: With 1950 career RBI, Alex Rodriguez needs one more to tie Stan Musial for sixth place all-time.

Torii Hunter 4-for-5 in Tigers' 11-1 Rout of Nationals; Freddie Freeman 4-for-4 in Atlanta's 9-0 Win over Rockies

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 31, 2013

American League

Torii Hunter

At age 38, Torii Hunter is enjoying one of his finest seasons of his 15-year major league career, batting .316 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI after going 4-for-5 in Detroit's 11-1 rout of the Washington Nationals.

After doubling and being stranded in the first inning, Hunter socked his 11th home run of the season - and fourth in his last seven games - in the second inning, a solo shot, singled in another run and scored in the fourth and doubled home one more run in the seventh, driving in three runs and scoring a pair.

Batting in the second spot in Detroit's lineup most of the season, Hunter has solidified an already-powerful Tiger batting order.

Detroit's win was their fifth straight, though they've had a hard time expanding their lead in the division because second place Cleveland has won seven straight while third place Kansas City has strung together eight wins in a row.

The Tigers lead the Indians by 2 1/2 games. The Royals are seven games out.

National League

Freddie Freeman

The Colorado Rockies will be more than happy to depart from Atlanta after the conclusion of their four-game series on Thursday.

That's because the Braves have taken them to the woodshed, winning the first three games by a combined score of 29-11, including Wednesday's 9-0 bashing.

After crushing a pair of homers on Tuesday, Freddie Freeman continued his hot hitting, going 4-for-4 (all singles) against Colorado hurlers in Wednesday's win.

Freeman drove in two runs and scored a pair, improving his RBI total to 71, fifth best in the National League. In the three games against the Rockies, Freeman has gone 7-for-13 at the plate, driving in six runs and scoring six.

The Braves have won six in a row and will be looking for the sweep of the Rockies, Thursday night at 7:10 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: Who led the AL in triples four straight years (1991-1994) and then led the NL in triples in 1996? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: As far as three-baggers were concerned, it was no contest. Lou Brock tripled 141 times in 19 seasons, while Rickey Henderson has just 66 triples in his 25-year career.

Torii Hunter Falls a Single Short of Cycle in Tiger Victory; Jay Bruce Rallies Reds to 13-4 Stomping of Mariners

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 6, 2013

American League

On Friday it was Juan Uribe coming up a single short of hitting for the cycle, on Saturday, it was Torii Hunter's turn to do the same thing, though he drove in only three runs as opposed to Uribe's seven.

Torii Hunter

In Detroit's 9-4 win over the Indians, Hunter doubled, tripled and homered in five at-bats, but did not come up with what is considered the "easist" part of the cycle, the single.

Nonetheless, Hunter was an integral part of the Tigers' taking their second straight over their Central division rivals, expanding their lead over Cleveland to 3 1/2 games, with Kansas City six back.

Game three of the four-game series is set for 1:05 pm EDT Sunday in Cleveland.

On Saturday, Hunter was named as a reserve to the American League All-Star roster. The annual showcase event is to be held July 16 at Citi Field in New York.

National League

Jay Bruce singled, doubled, drove in three runs and scored four times as the Cincinnati Reds pummeled the Seattle Mariners, 13-4.

Jay Bruce

The Mariners led early, enjoying a 3-1 bulge entering the fourth inning, but the Reds scored three in the fourth, two in the fifth and three more in the sixth, before finally blowing the game wide open with four eighth-inning runs. Bruce's double in the sixth was a key hit, sending two Reds home for an 8-4 lead, which became 9-4 when Bruce scored on a single by Jack Hannahan.

In his sixth season - all with the Reds - Bruce is quietly having another solid season, with 18 homers and 59 RBI to go with a .274 batting average. He's on pace to better his career-best marks set last season, of 34 HR and 99 RBI.

Winning helped the Reds cut a game off Pittsburgh's lead in the NL Central, where the Pirates hold a one-game advantage over the Cardinals, with the Reds now 3 1/2 back.

Seattle remained 12 1/2 out in the AL West, in fourth place.

The Mariners took Friday's contest, 4-2, so the two teams will meet for the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1:10 pm EDT in Cincinnati.

Today's Trivia: The all-time record for losses by a pitcher in a season is 48, set way back in 1883. Who holds this dubious distinction? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Ted Williams is actually the all-time career leader in on base percentage, at an incredible .4817. Ty Cobb's .4330 ranks ninth all-time.

Bryce Harper Leads Nationals in Sweep of White Sox; Detroit Pounds Blue Jays, 11-1, Behind Torii Hunter

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 11, 2013

American League

Torii Hunter

Twice in his four at-bats, Torii Hunter came to the plate with runners in scoring position and both times he delivered solid singles, driving in three runs and scoring twice as the Tigers mauled the Blue Jays, 11-1.

Hunter, batting a brisk .405, was 2-for-4; teammate Prince Fielder also had two hits and drove in four runs, supporting the eight innings of work by Doug Fister (2-0), who allowed one earned run while scattering eight hits.

A regular starter since 1999, Hunter arrived in Detroit during the off-season after five seasons with the Angels.

Oddly enough, the Tigers, last season's AL champs, are chasing the Kansas City Royals, winners of four straight. Detroit trails KC by a game in the Central division.

National League

Bryce Harper

As a rookie last season, Bryce Harper turned plenty of heads, winning the NL rookie of the year award batting. 270 with 22 homers, 57 RBI, 18 steals and 98 runs..

He doesn't seem to be suffering from much of a sophomore slump, batting .417 with eight RBI, two of which he produced in Thursday's interleague, 7-4 win over the visiting White Sox.

Harper was on base four of the five times he went to the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and two walks, scoring twice. The Nationals have won three straight, sweeping the Sox, but find themselves a game back of the Braves in the NL East, who have put together a six-game winning streak.

The Braves and Nationals open a three-game series in Washington beginning Friday at 7:05 pm EDT.

Cody Ross Bolsters Boston Attack; Albert Pujols, Torii Hunter Lead Angels

Players of the Day for Friday, March 30, 2012


Grapefruit League

Cody Ross

Boston's off-season acquisition of outfielder Cody Ross is looking like one of the shrewder moves moves of the winter, as the lefty hitter has displayed nice power to all fields and should have a fun time in tiny Fenway once the regular season begins.

Ross cracked a pair of two-run homers - his fifth and sixth of the spring - and drove in four runs to help the Red Sox overcome the Twins, 9-7, on Friday, improving to 13-11 as exhibition baseball winds down.

If Ross can carry his spring training form into the regular season - he's batting .366 and has driven in 15 runs - the Red Sox should have one of the more formidable offenses in the AL.

Albert Pujols

Cactus League

The Angels are starting to look like the offensive juggernaut they envisioned when they signed Albert Pujols this past winter.

Torii Hunter

Pujols went 2-for-3 and socked his fifth home run to help the Angels overcome Arizona, 9-2, improving their exhibition record to 17-10, good for second place in the Cactus League behind the Oakland A's.

Torii Hunter continued his torrid spring with a double and two singles in three at-bats. Hunter is batting .347 and looks forward to his fifth year with the Angels after an illustrious career as the center fielder for the Minnesota Twins.

The Angles open the regular season with a three-game home stand against Kansas City, beginning on April 6.

Hunter, Moreland Each Homer Twice as Angels, Rangers Win; Rodriguez Blanks Giants

Players of the Day for Friday, August 19, 2011

American League

Mitch Moreland

The race in the AL West between the Rangers and Angels was pretty close until this week, when the Rangers went to LA and took three of four, upping their lead to a solid six games.

Torii Hunter

There's still a lot of baseball to be played, however, and the two teams meet again for a three-game series in Texas, August 26-28, and again at the very end of the season, with three games in Anaheim, on September 26-28.

On Friday, the Rangers maintained their advantage with a 7-4 win over the White Sox in which Mitch Moreland socked a pair of home runs and drove in five runs for the Rangers.

Not to be outdone, Torii Hunter did the same - two homers and five RBI - as the Angels knocked off Baltimore, 8-3.

The race bears watching, with the Angels having to make up significant ground on the Rangers, who lost in the World Series last season to the Giants. Only one team will likely make the playoffs, as LA is currently nine game behind Boston in the wild card race.

National League

Wandy Rodriguez

As the trading deadline approached last month, three Astro names were being bandied about as possible free agents: Michael Bourne, Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez. Bourne got a ticket to Atlanta, Pence ended up with the Phillies, but there were no takers on Rodriguez, leaving the Astros with a load of young talent and nary a veteran.

Rodriguez proved skeptics wrong again Friday, when he blanked the San Francisco Giants for eight innings, evening his record at 9-9 in a 6-0 Houston victory.

Allowing five hits and a couple of walks, Rodriguez struck out eight before turning the ball over the bullpen for the final inning, his second win in his last three starts.

The loss left the Giants 2 1/2 games behind Arizona in the West, as the Diamondbacks also lost, 4-2, to a red-hot Atlanta squad.

Hunter, Abreu Lead Angels; Upton, Johnson, Montero Star in D-Backs 15-4 Defeat of Marlins

Players of the Day for Monday, May 30, 2011

American League

Bobby Abreu

The importance of winning early in the season is often understated, but to the veteran players around the league, every game is meaningful.

Torii Hunter

That sentiment is surely not lost on Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, as they try to keep the Angels within striking distance of defending AL West champion, Texas.

In the Angels' 10-8 triumph at Kansas City Monday, both players had big games and important hits. Abreau went 4-for-5 - two doubles, two singles - scored twice and drove in a pair of runs, while Hunter was 3-for-5, with a pair of homers, the second of which came in the 9th inning with the Angels down a run. His two-run blast turned an 8-7 Royals' lead into a 9-8 advantage for the Angels. Hunter drove in four runs, giving him 31 on the year.

LA has managed to keep the Rangers within view, as Texas is just one game in front of the Angels, but the rest of the division is right in the mix, with Seattle 1 1/2 back and the A's 2 1/2 off the pace.

Justin Upton

National League

Kelly Johnson

The hottest team in the majors has to be the Arizona Diamondbacks, winners of seven straight, including Monday's 15-4 pasting of the Florida Marlins.

Arizona has surged from the back of the pack to the top of the NL Western division, with a 1/2 game lead over the Giants. This incredible 14-2 run began on May 14, after the Diamondbacks had lost five straight and fallen into the division basement.

Miguel Montero

In Monday's road fest, Arizona banged out 19 hits. Leadoff hitter, Kelly Johnson could have hit for the cycle as he needed only a single to do so, but instead hammered a pair of homer runs, a double, a triple, scored three times and drove in three runs. Catcher Miguel Montero drove in five runs, going 3-for-5 at the plate, including a three-run homer, but Justin Upton was unstoppable, going 5-for-5 with four singles and his 10th home run of the season. He scored three runs, drove in three and stole a base for good measure.

The game was the first of three with Florida. The Marlins find themselves in the usual position of looking up the standing at Philadelphia. They trail the Phillies by three games in the East.

Hunter Dynamic in Angels Win; Stubbs, Janish Punish Cubs

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 4, 2010 American League Selecting the Royals at Angels as ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball presentation seemed a bit odd, unless you are a network executive looking to pump up the ratings for the All Star game and the Home Run Derby which precedes it. ESPN execs got a little more than they bargained for, as Torii Hunter provided one of the best performances in a single game this season. As expected, the Angels clobbered the Royals, 11-0, as Joel Pineiro blanked them for the first seven innings, while Hunter smoked them with a three-run homer in the 3rd, a two-run job in the 7th, and capped it off with a two-run single in the 8th inning. Hunter finished the game 3-for-4, with three runs scored and seven RBI. The homers were Hunter's 13th and 14th, helping to up his RBI total to 60, along with a solid .294 average. Coupled with the Rangers' loss to the White Sox, the win drew the Angels back to within 3 1/2 games of Texas in the AL West. National League Wrapping up a four-game series with the Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds played most of the game without star first baseman Joey Votto, who was ejected in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes. No problem. The Reds banged out 16 hits, 7 of them homers in the 14-3 romp Paul Janish (left) was inserted in place of Votto and played third base, with Miguel Cairo moving over from third to first. Janish only went 4-for-4 with three singles and a two-run homer, driving in three runs and scoring three times. Janish wasn't alone in his plate exploits. Of the seven bombs belted by the Reds, three of them came off the bat of Drew Stubbs (right), who, for some reason is batting 8th. Stubbs belted a pair of solo shots - one in the 3rd and one in the 9th - sandwiching a 7th-inning, three-run blast in between. Stubbs was 3-for-5, with five RBI and three runs scored. Just imagine what the NL Central leaders would have done with Votto in the lineup. Taking three of four in the series, the Reds outscored the Cubs 30-8, and lead the Cardinals in the NL Central by 1 1/2 games.

Clippard Holds for Nats; Hunter Dusts Indians; Lester Fans 11 for BoSox

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 28, 2010 American League Two players turned in outstanding AL performances Wednesday night, both instrumental to their team's victory. In Toronto, the Boston Red Sox completed their three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, as Jon Lester (left) picked up his first win of the season. After allowing a leadoff walk to start the game and a leadoff double in the second inning, Lester settled in and set down the next 14 straight batters and 18 of 19 before retiring after 7 full innings. It was Lester's longest outing of the season and by far his best. In four previous starts he had allowed 25 hits and 15 earned runs over 21 2/3 innings. Lester was in complete control, allowing only the 2nd inning double by Vernon Wells and a pair of walks to leadoff hitter, Mike McCoy, while fanning 11. The Red Sox managed to score a couple of runs for the 2-0 win, moving past the Blue Jays into 3rd place in the AL East. The 11-11 Sox are 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Rays and trail 2nd place New York by 3 games. Torii Hunter (right) made sure the Angels kept the heat on the A's in the AL West, as he drove in 3 runs and scored the game-winner as LA topped Cleveland, 4-3. Hunter, who was 3-for-4 for the game, tied the score with his 2nd home run of the year, a 3-run shot in the 6th. He doubled to lead off the bottom of the 9th for the Angels, and advanced to third after an intentional walk to Hideki Matsui and a double play. Another intentional walk to Juan Rivera set the stage for Howie Kendrick, who, with the Cleveland infield playing back, laid down a perfect bunt which sent Hunter homeward with the game-winner. The Angels are now just 1/2 game behind the A's, who have led the division most of the season. National League You won't see him doing endorsements for major brands, and you probably won't hear his named mentioned by many sportscasters, but Washington reliever Tyler Clippard may be the best set-up man and long reliever in the business. Clippard came on in the 8th inning of Washington's 3-2 win over the Cubs, holding Chicago scoreless despite allowing a hit and a walk. Matt Capps came on in the 9th to record his league-leading 10th save of the season for the surprising Nationals, who are 12-10 and just a game behind the Mets in the NL East. Clippard's numbers have been mind-blowing so far in 2010. He's appeared in 11 games, working 16 2/3 innings. He's allowed just one earned run on 7 hits overall, striking out 20 while walking 7. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 7 appearances, a span of 9 1/3 innings. Hitters are batting just .132 against him. Amazingly, his 0.54 ERA is better than his impressive 0.84 WHIP. With Clippard (3-0, 5 Holds) and Capps at the back end of the Nationals' bullpen, if they're ahead after 7 innings, it's usually game over.

Angles Send ALCS Back to New York

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 22, 2009 LA Angels 7 NY Yankees 6 Down 3 games to 1 and facing elimination, the LA Angels put on a gutsy performance to take game 5 of the ALCS and send the series back to New York for game 6 and a possible game 7. John Lackey pitched admirably for the Angels, keeping the Yankees' powerful lineup in check through 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Leading 4-0 in the 6th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, manager Mike Scioscia nearly made the managerial gaffe of the playoff season, lifting Lackey for reliever Darren Oliver, who immediately - on his very first pitch - surrendered a bases-clearing double to Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira, cutting the lead to 1 run. The Yankees were hardly through, however, scoring 3 more runs in the inning to take a 6-4 lead. LA battled back in the bottom half of the frame with three runs of their own, reclaiming the lead at 7-6, and keeping it with solid relief in the final two innings of Yankee at-bats. In the middle of both Angel scoring outbursts, was center fielder Torii Hunter (left). when the Angels jumped on Yankee starter A.J. Burnett for 4 runs in the first, it was Hunter's single which drove in the first two runs and Hunter who scored the third. In the fateful bottom of the 7th, Hunter worked a two-out walk off Phil Hughes with one run already in, to keep the rally alive. He later scored the final and go-ahead run on Kendry Morales' single to right. Hunter reached base every time he stepped to the plate, drawing two walks and singling twice. He scored two runs and drove in a pair. The series now shifts back to yankee Stadium, where the Yankees will try to wrap it up when Andy Pettitte starts against Angel hurler Joe Saunders. Game time is 8:07 pm EDT on Saturday.

Sanchez Slams Tigers; Hunter's 3 Bombs Led Angels Rout of Padres

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 13, 2009 American League The California Angels have spent most of the season in a spot to which they are unaccustomed, that being anywhere but first place in the AL West, but they aer just 3 1/2 games behind the Rangers after Torii Hunter launched 3 solo home runs against San Diego pitching in the Angels' 9-1 mashing of the Padres. Hunter's homers were part of a 14-hit attack, 8 of which went for extra bases. It was the second straight pasting put on the Padres by LA; on Friday, the Angels pounded them, 11-6. Hunter is surely enjoying hosting the Padres. On Friday, he hit a two-run homer in the first inning to welcome the San Diegans to Anaheim. Through all the injuries and setbacks endured by the Angels this season, Hunter has quietly put up some incredible numbers. He's batting .321, with 16 home runs, 49 RBI and 11 stolen bases. With fellow slugger Vladimir Guerrero - who missed more than a month in April and May - getting back into his groove, the Angels appear poised to make their move in the division. National League Pittsburgh may not be headed for the playoffs this year (again), but they do have a pretty good number of young hitters, as the Detroit Tigers found out on Saturday. Every position player in the lineup had at least one hit as the Pirates plundered the Tigers, 9-3, in the second of their three-game series. Making the most of the carnage done to Detroit's pitching staff was Freddy Sanchez, who belted a 4th inning grand slam that put the game out of reach. Sanchez, a staple at second base for Pittsburgh since 2003, also singled in the game, raising his batting average to .311. In 2006, Sanchez led the league in hitting with a .344 average. NOTES: In the NL West, most fans have been fixated by the Giants' recent pursuit of the Dodgers, but quietly, the Rockies have pulled into third place - still 10 1/2 games back - by winning 10 straight games. Following three straight losses to Houston to begin June, the Rockies began their streak the next day, with a 10-3 win over the Astros, then took four straight in St. Louis, three more at Milwaukee and have returned home to take the first two from Seattle, with the third and final game in the series Sunday. Despite the exceptional run, the Rockies are still two games under .500, at 30-32. The Dodgers remain 7 games to the good in front of the Giants in the division.

Hunter, the Yankee Killer; Sabathia Hurls Shutout at Nats

Players of the Day from Friday, August 8, 2008 American League With the Texas Rangers taking it on the chin, 9-1, at Baltimore, the LA Angels didn't waste the opportunity to add another game to their lead in the AL West. Torii Hunter singled twice, doubled, homered and drove in 4 runs as the Angels pounded the Yankees, 10-5, Friday night. That gives the Angels a 13-game edge in the division. They are also 3 games up on AL East-leading Tampa Bay for home field through the playoffs with the best record in the majors, at 72-43. Notes: The White Sox downed the Red Sox, 5-3, dropping Boston 3 1/2 behind the Rays, while Chicago maintained its 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the Central. In Detroit, the vultures are circling, as the Tigers dropped another game further behind, losing at home to Oakland, 4-2. The A's win snapped their 10-game losing streak. National League The incredible saga of C. C. Sabathia continued last night as the burly hurler pitched his 4th complete game and second shutout of the season as the Brewers blanked Washington, 5-0.

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Sabathia allowed just 5 hits and a single walk while fanning 9 Nationals. It was his 9th straight win, a streak which stretches back to June 10, when he was with Cleveland. Sabathia is 6-0 since joining the Brewers in early July and is carrying ridiculous numbers in the NL: a 1.58 ERA, a WHIP of 0.91, with 12 walks and 52 Ks in 57 innings. Notes: Despite Sabathia's best efforts, the Brewers can't seem to make up any ground on the Cubs, who are still 5 games ahead after topping the Cardinals, 3-2, in 11 innings. Milwaukee is 2 games in front of St. Louis in the wild card race, however, with the next closest pursuer the NY Mets, 3 1/2 back. In the West, Arizona has lost three straight and the lead is down to just 1/2 game over the Dodgers.

Pujols Decks Mets in 14th; Hunter Perfect at the Plate

Players of the Day from Saturday, July 26, 2008 American League The Angels keep rolling right along, already looking forward to the post-season with a 10 1/2 game lead in the AL West. On Saturday, Baltimore hurlers could not keep Torii Hunter off the base paths, as he walked twice, went 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in five with a pair of homers and a 2-run single as the Angels pummeled the Orioles, 11-6. The Angels have the best record in the majors, at 64-39. Notes: The Yankees topped the Red Sox for the second straight day, winning 10-3. The Tampa Bay Rays said, "thank you very much" as they were beating KC, 5-3, to improve their lead to 2 games over the Sox and 3 over the Yanks. New York will go for the sweep and a tie for second place on Sunday at Fenway. In the Central, the White Sox topped the Tigers again, 7-6. With Minnesota winning 11-4, at Cleveland, Chicago retained their 3 1/2 game edge while the Tigers dropped 7 1/2 off the pace. National League Albert Pujols is not the kind of hitter to whom you would want to give extra at-bats, but that's what happened in St. Louis' 10-8, 14-inning win over New York, as Pujols, who had singled four times already, stepped to the plate for the 8th time. The result was a two-run homer and a win for the Cardinals as Pujols upped his batting average to .351 with a 5-for-8 effort and three RBI. The win ended a five-game St. Louis losing streak and kept them in the NL Central race, three games behind Milwaukee and Chicago. Notes: The Cubs lost to Florida, 3-2, while the Brewers were beating Houston, 6-4, to draw even for first place in the Central. Despite their loss, the Mets stayed 1 game ahead of both Florida and Philly, 10-9 winners over Atlanta. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Rockies all won, keeping the West standings static. Arizona is one up on LA and 6 ahead of Colorado.

Hunter Homers Twice for Halos; Kuroda Near Perfect as Dodgers Tie D-Backs

Players of the Day from Monday, July 7, 2008 American League Throughout their lineup, the Texas Rangers have plenty of big bats, but Ervin Santana, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter put the game out of reach before most of them even made it to the plate. After 1 1/2 innings, the Angels had already put up 8 runs and Santana was on his way to his 10th win against 3 losses. Hunter singled home a run in the first, and after Guerrero smacked a two-run homer, Hunter followed with a solo shot, adding another in the 7th. Hunter finished 3-for-5, with 3 RBI and 2 runs as the Angels outlasted the Rangers, 9-6. The Angels have a 6-game lead over the A's and are 8 1/2 better than the Rangers in the AL West. Notes:Kansas City avoided being swept, winning the last of their 4-game series with Tampa Bay, 7-4, ending the Rays' 7-game winning streak. The Red Sox won, 1-0, over NY, leaving them 4 back with the Yanks 8 1/2 out. National League The LA Dodgers spent the first half of the season chasing the Arizona Diamondbacks, and on Monday night, rookie starter Hiroki Kuroda finally got them into a tie for first place in the NL West with a sparkling one-hitter as the Dodgers blanked Atlanta, 3-0. Kuroda, who has had flashes of brilliance to offset some truly ugly outings, allowed only a Mark Tiexiera double to open the 8th inning, as he struck out 6 and didn't walk a batter, using just 91 pitches for the complete game shutout. Only six Atlanta batters got the ball into the air, as Kuroda retired 15 on ground outs. Notes: The outing was the second complete game shutout in just over a month for Kuroda. On June 6, he blanked the Cubs on 4 hits. He followed that up with his shortest outing of the season, 2 1/3 innings at San Diego, in which he walked four and allowed 5 hits and six earned runs. His last outing, July 1 at Houston, he worked 7 shutout innings in a 4-1 win. Kuroda is 5-6 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

Indians Claim Ohio; Mets Squeak by Yanks, Hunter Slams Brewers

Note: During Interleague play, games played in AL parks are listed under American League, NL parks, National League. Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore (right) smacked a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning and added 3 singles to go 4-5 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI and a stolen base (15) as the Cleveland Indians took the first game of the Ohio series, 9-3, over Cincinnati. Bay Area Bombing - The San Francisco Giants brought out their ace, Barry Zito, a former A's pitcher, but the Oakland A's greeting was not very cordial. Zito lasted into the 5th inning, allowing 7 runs on 6 hits and - get this! - 7 walks, as the A's pounded their crosstown rivals, 15-3. Zito (3-5) has mostly struggled in the NL, accruing an ERA of 5.13, issuing 28 bases on balls while striking out 30. After Zito's departure, the A's continued piling on. They scored in every inning except the 2nd and 4th, with the big blast coming in the 5-run 8th, capped by Mark Ellis' grand slam. Barry Bonds singled twice in 3 at-bats but hasn't hit a home run in his last 8 games, his longest such drought of the season. Aaron Boone went 2-3 with a grand slam home run in the 3rd inning and scored another run as the

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Florida Marlins beat up on their Sunshine State hosts, Tampa Bay, 8-4. Placido Polanco had 3 doubles in 4 at-bats, scored twice and drove in 3, Gary Sheffield was 2-5 with his 7th home run, 3 RBI and 3 runs, and Sean Casey stroked 4 singles in 5 trips to the plate, drove in 2 and scored twice as the Detroit Tigers ripped the St. Louis Cardinals, 14-4, in the first of a three-game rematch of last season's World Series participants. Other AL Scores LA Angels 9 LA Dodgers 1 San Diego 8 Seattle 1 - C. Young (W, 5-3) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K National League Torii Hunter (right) pounded a grand slam home run in the third inning, singled and scored in the 6th and starter Boof Bonser won his second game of the season, holding the Milwaukee Brewers to 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings in an 8-1 rout. Bonser struck out 11 batters while walking just one. The Twins snapped a 3-game losing streak, sending the Brewers to their 6th loss in their last 8 games. Oliver Perez (5-3) outdueled Andy Pettitte, pitching 7 2/3rds innings in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Yankees. Perez allowed just 4 hits and 2 earned runs, both which came off the bat of Hideki Matsui's 4th inning homer. That was all the offense the Yanks could muster as reliever Joe Smith finished the eighth by striking out Derek Jeter and Billy Wagner mopped up in the 9th for his 10th save. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 11 Arizona 5 Cubs 6 White Sox 3 Philadelphia 5 Toronto 3 Baltimore 5 Washington 4 Texas 7 Houston 4 Kansas City 5 Colorado 2 - Royals win 3rd straight, 5 of last 6

SF's Lewis Hits for Cycle; DeJesus Leads Royals to 11-1 Win

Sunday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League David DeJesus (right) doubled twice and stroked a pair of singles in 6 at-bats to help the Kansas City Royals to their most lopsided win of the season, an 11-1 decision over the White Sox in Chicago. DeJesus, one of the few bright spots for the otherwise dismal Royals, is batting .292 out of the leadoff spot. On Sunday, he drove in 2 runs and scored 3 times, more than enough needed by starter Jorge de la Rosa, who allowed just one run on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings to improve his record to 4-3. The 11 runs scored by the Royals matched their season high from April 20, an 11-7 win over Minnesota. Jack Cust capped a 5-run 9th-inning rally with a 3-run homer to give the Oakland A's a 10-7 win over visiting Cleveland. The game-ending blast was his 5th home run in the last 4 games and 6th in 7 games total since joining the A's. Cust also doubled and scored in the 4th inning. Cust has 9 hits in 26 at-bats (.346), 7 of which have been for extra bases. Boston 6 Baltimore 5 - the Red Sox scored all 6 of their runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, capped off when O's reliever Chris Ray dropped the toss from Kevin Millar on Julio Lugo's grounder, which would have been the final out, but instead allowed Jason Varitek and Eric Hinske to score the tying and winning runs. The win gave Boston 2 of 3 in their home series against Baltimore and put them 8 games up on both the O's and Yankees. The Twins weren't about to let Detroit embarass them with a sweep at home, especailly not on national TV and Torii Hunter (right) made extra sure it didn't happen, leading Minnesota to a monstrous 16-4 beating of the Tigers. Hunter hit a 3-run homer in the 1st, doubled in a pair in the 4th and blasted a 2-run bomb in the 7th inning to account for a 3-5, 7 RBI night with 2 runs scored. Hunter, who had a 23-game hitting streak snapped on May 10, is batting .324 with 8 homers and 29 RBI through 35 games. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 2 Toronto 1 - J. Seo (W, 2-3) 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K Texas 7 LA Angels 6 Seattle 2 NY Yankees 1 National League Just called up this past Thursday when Dave Roberts was put on the 15-day DL, rookie Fred Lewis (right) hit for the cycle Sunday, going 5 for 6, driving in 4 runs and scoring 3 times as the San Francisco Giants slaughtered the Rockies, 15-2, to split their 4-game series in Colorado. Lewis led off the game with a double and scored on a balk. He then homered with two aboard in the 4th inning, tripled to drive in another run in the fifth, and singled twice in the 7th, scoring once again. Each of Lewis' extra base hits were his first of the season and the triple and homer the first of his major league career. Lewis played in 13 games last season for the Giants, going 5-11. Today's totals made him 7-14 with 7 RBI and 5 runs scored. Not a bad start for a leadoff center fielder. Rafael Furcal went 4-4, including two doubles, stole a pair of bases, scored twice and drove in a run and Nomar Garcaiparra stroked 3 singles in 5 at-bats, drove in 3 runs and scored once as the LA Dodgers completed a 3-game sweep of the visiting Cincinnati Reds with a 10-5 win. NY Mets 9 Milwaukee 1 - Damion Easley went 3-5, including his 5th home run of the season (a 2-run shot), drove in 4 total and scored twice in support of the 2-hit pitching of Oliver Perez who struck out 6 over 8 1/3 innings and allowed a run on Bill Hall's 1-out homer in the 9th. Prior to that, the only hit off Perez (4-3) was by opposing pitcher Chris Capuano, who faced defeat for the first time this season (5-1). Rookie Justin Germano worked 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits as San Diego whitewashed the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0. Germano didn't allow a walk and struck out 3 in his second start of 2007. Called up to replace Clay Hensley in the Padres' rotation, Germano pitched 6 innings at Atlanta on May 8, gave up just 3 hits and a run, but did not figure in the decision as the Padres lost, 3-2. Both Perez, who came to New York via trade in 2006 from Pittsburgh, and Easley, acquired in the off-season from Arizona, have solidified the Mets and contributed to their success. Perez sports an ERA of 3.00 and has 43 Ks in 42 innings. Easley is batting a solid .283 and often bats in the pivotal #2 hole. In his last 4 games as a regular, he's 8-16 with a pair of homers. Pittsburgh's Chris Duffy went 3-4, stole his 6th base of the season, drove in 2 runs and scored 3 times as the Pirates throttled the visiting Atlanta Braves, 13-2. Other NL Scores Washington 6 Florida 4 - Nationals sweep 3-game series from Marlins Chicago Cubs 4 Philadelphia 1 - A. Soriano, 0-4, snaps 20-gm. hit streak Houston 5 Arizona 2

Two for Alou; Royal Slide Reaches 6

Tuesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League The Kansas City Royals took a 6-5 lead in the 6th inning at Detroit, but they scored no more and the Tigers rallied with single runs in the 7th and 8th to win 7-6 and extend KC's losing streak to six games. Placido Polanco singled, tripled and homered in 5 at-bats, scoring 3 times and driving in a pair of runs, including the game winner in the 8th inning. Torii Hunter smacked a fifth inning grand slam off Seattle starter Jeff Weaver en route to an 11-2 win for the visiting Twins. Hunter added a double in a 2-4 performance while catcher Joe Mauer belted out 3 doubles, scored twice and drove in 3 runs in 4 at-bats. Ramon Ortiz allowed the Mariners' only 2 runs of the game, working 7 innings for his 3rd win with no losses. Weaver, who lasted only 2 innings in his first start of the season, managed to hang in for 6 innings, though the results were hardly encouraging. While Weaver actually cut his ERA nearly in half, from 30.50 to 15.75, he was touched by the Twins for 10 hits and 7 runs, all earned. Hard to believe this is the same guy who pitched 8 innings in the championship-clinching 5th game of the World Series last season, but it is. Weaver was traded by the Cardinals to the Mariners in the off-season. Message to Jeff: less surfing, dude; more pitching. National League Moises Alou backed Tom Glavine's 6 strong innings with a pair of home runs, pacing the Mets to an 8-1 pasting of the Phillies. Alou's dingers were his first in a Mets uniform and came with one on in the 2nd and the bases empty in the 6th. Glavine, meanwhile, scattered 6 hits and 1 earned run, improving to 3-1 on the year. Jose Reyes boosted his league lead in stolen bases to 8 with a pair of thefts. Ryan Freel went 4-5, scored 3 times and drove in a run as the Reds took back first place from the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, 11-5. Alex Rodriguez continued to scorch opposing pitchers last night with a 2-run homer and an RBI single to lead the Yankees to a 10-3 win over the visiting Indians. The Bombers blew up Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook (0-2), roughing him up for 8 hits and 8 earned runs in just 1 2/3rd innings, including 3 home runs.

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Rodriguez leads the majors with 8 home runs and 21 RBI and has a 17-game hitting streak extending back to last season. He is batting .375 over 12 games this season. A-Rod, if he keeps up his torrid pace, will soon be closing in on some April records. Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 13 homers in April of 1997 for Seattle; Albert Pujols set the major league mark last season when he knocked out 14 in April for St. Louis. Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers holds the somewhat unassailable early-season RBI record, having driven in 35 in April, 1998.