Hafner Grand Slam Produces 5-4 Win for Tribe; Freeman Leads Braves; Jeter at 2998

Players of the Day for Thursday, July 7, 2011

American League

Toronto pitchers kept Indians' hitters in check through the first eight innings of their game in Cleveland; unfortunately, a ball game lasts nine.

Travis Hafner

Entering the bottom of the 9th down 4-0, the Indians put together a rally, loading the bases on a single, double and a walk before Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the Indians' first run of the game with a single to shallow left. That left the table set for Travis Hafner, who went to the plate with two singles in four previous at-bats, but had no RBI or runs to show for his efforts.

All that changed when Hafner lauched a massive drive into the night air, driving the ball deep into the right field stands for his 12th career grand slam, and, more importantly, a stunning, walk-off, 5-4, victory.

Hafner, playing exclusively as a DH, is batting .347, though the number of at-bats fall short of qualifying him for inclusion in the batting title statistics. Because of minor injuries and interleague play, Hafner has only participated in 48 games and has only 150 at-bats, though he's got eight home runs and 35 RBI. The Indians maintained their 1 1/2 game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Detroit beat KC, 3-1, on Thursday.

National League

Freddie Freeman (R)

Atlanta has won four straight, nine of their last ten, and fresh Freddie Freeman is showing the way.

Freeman, a rookie first baseman, went 3-for-4, including his 13th home run of the season, a three-run, 3rd inning blast that erased a 2-0 Colorado lead as the Braves touched home five times in the inning.

Atlanta scored another run in the 5th, and Tim Hudson and a trio of relievers held the Rockies in check for the 6-3 win and a series sweep of the four games in Atlanta in which Colorado stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez were sidelined with injuries.

Batting .279 with 13 homers and 42 RBI, Freeman is putting in a solid bid for NL rookie of the year, while providing much-needed power for the Braves, who trail Philly by just 2 1/2 games in the torrid NL East. While chasing the Phillies, the Braves have built a 5-game lead over Arizona in the wild card standings.

JETER 3000 WATCH: Finally back in Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter wasted no time in his quest for 3000 hits, taking the first pitch he saw from Tampa starter Jeff Niemann into the left-center gap for a leadoff double. That hit put Jeter just two shy of the mark, but it also turned out to be his only hit of the game, as the Rays dominated the Yankees in a 5-1 win.

Jeter finished 1-for-5, but will have three more cracks at Tampa pitching before the squads set down for the all star break. With New York buzzing and Jeter's penchant for the dramatic, this should turn into a memorable weekend in the Big Apple.

Luis Cruz Leads Brewers Back Over Giants; Travis Hafner Hoping to Rebound

Players of the Day for Monday, March 14, 2011

American League

Leading a 13-hit attack, Cleveland's Travis Hafner singled and doubled twice in four at-bats as the Indians dropped the A's, 9-8.

Travis Hafner

Oakland, suffering its 10th loss against 7 wins, may have lost more than just an exhibition game. Closer Andrew Bailey left the game in the bottom of the 7th inning after facing three batters and recording only one out. Bailey had tightness in his forearm and will be evaluated on Tuesday.

Hafner, who scored twice and drove in a pair of runs, is coming off his fourth consecutive season of under-performance, having hit just 13 home runs with 50 RBI in 116 games last year. In 2006, Hafner smacked 42 homers and drove in 117 runs. His 24 homers and 100 RBI in 2007 were less than expected and the numbers kept falling off in subsequent seasons. He played in only 151 games in all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons, hitting 21 homers over the two-year span.

Hafner has had 11 hits in 32 at-bats this Spring for a .344 batting average.

National League

Luis Cruz

Luis Cruz, a middle infield prospect for Milwaukee by way of Pittsburgh (where else?), went 3-for-5 with a single and two doubles, leading the Brewers from a 3-0 deficit to a 12-8 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Cruz drove in four runs and scored three times, prompting speculation that he may challenge Yunieski Betancourt or Ricky Weeks for playing time at either second base of short.

Having spent 2008 and 2008 in limited roles with the Pirates, Cruz played in just 7 games with Milwaukee in 2010 but is getting a longer look this Spring as the Brewers seek to upgrade their lineup.

Gallardo's Homer, Shutout Work Earns W; Hafner Goes Yard Again

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 20, 2010 American League After displaying extraordinary power in his early years, Travis Hafner was injured in 2008 and limited to just 5 home runs, had shoulder surgery prior to the 2009 season and hit just 16 homers last season, but a 3-run blast in Cleveland's 12-4 romp past Oakland raised some eyebrows and hopes that Hafner is fully recovered from shoulder surgery. It was Hafner's second homer of the Spring, and they came in successive games. The Indians sorely need Hafner's big bat. From 2004 through 2007, he averaged 31 homers and 108 RBI. National League Yovani Gallardo earned his second win of the Spring, blanking the Royals on 4 hits over 5 innings. Gallardo walked 2 and struck out three, and lowered his ERA to 2.57 over 14 innings of exhibition work. The Brewers eked out a 1-0 win thanks to Gallardo's solo homer in the 3rd inning. In 2009, Gallardo appeared on the verge of becoming a stopper for the Brewers, going 8-7 with a 3.22 ERA prior to the all star break. However, he tailed off toward the end of the season, as the Brewers fell out of contention. His second half record of 5-5 included a ballooning ERA of 4.56. Gallardo will have to prove he can remain strong for an entire season before he makes the leap to being one of the league's elite throwers.

Yanks cruise; Mets sputter; Braun leads Brewers to first place

American League Baltimore 0 NY Yankees 12 - The Yankees continue to close ground on the Boston Red Sox, and with Detroit's loss, have virtually guaranteed themselves a spot in the post-season, with a 4 1/2-game lead on Detroit. With 11 games remaining, that puts the Yanks' magic number for clinching the wild card spot at 6, though they're clearly aiming for the AL East crown, now just 2 1/2 games behind Boston. That's the closest the Yankees have been since April. Last night's Baltimore blitz was a personal triumph for Mike Mussina who has rebounded from four straight horrific starts with a pair of September wins. Mussina blanked his former team on 3 hits over 7 innings, walking one while striking out six. Boston 3 Toronto 4 - With the Yankees breathing down their backs, Boston's bullpen can't seem to close out games. Eric Gagne gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in the 8th inning as the Red Sox dropped their 3rd straight. Detroit 4 Cleveland 7 - Travis Hafner (right) unknotted a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning with a massive 3-run blast to center field, giving the Indians their second straight win in the showdown series with the Tigers. Cleveland's now opened up a 6 1/2 game lead on Detroit and has a clear view of the AL Central title. Last night's win reduced their magic number to 5. Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 2 - John Lackey appears to be ready for the post-season. On Tuesday, he struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run on five hits over eight innings, improving to 17-9. The Angels should have the AL West clinched by the weekend. Their magic number is down to 4. Other AL Scores Texas 2 Minnesota 4 Chi White Sox 2 Kansas City 3 Seattle 8 Oakland 7 National League Philadelphia 7 St. Louis 4, 14 innings - The Phillies won their 6th straight, while the Mets dropped their 5th in a row, and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the NL East leaders. Both St. Louis and Philly empties their benches in this one, with the Cardinals using 11 pitchers. Jayson Werth put the game away with a 2-run triple after Chase Utley had already scored the go-ahead run. NY Mets 8 Washington 9 - The Mets can't seem to hold onto a lead as the season winds towards a conclusion. On Tuesday, they blew leads of 4-0 and 7-3, losing their 5th straight and second in a row to the lowly Nationals. After having led the division by as many as 7 1/2 games, are the Mets going to choke? Sure looks like it. Milwaukee 9 Houston 1 - Jhonny Estrada smacked a grand slam and rookie sensation Ryan Braun (right) cranked out his 31st home run, driving in two, as the Brewers used four home runs to bury the Astros and regain a tie for first place with the Cubs. LA Dodgers 1 Colorado 3 LA Dodgers 8 Colorado 9 - The road to the NL West title and probably the wild card slot is going straight through Colorado. The Rockies kept their playoff hopes alive with a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers, dropping them into a 3rd place tie, 5 1/2 games behind Arizona. The Rockies have two more games with LA, then travel to San Diego and Los Angeles for a pair of 3-game series before ending the season with a 3-game set at home with Arizona. San Francisco 0 Arizona 5 - Micah Owings hurled a 2-hit complete game shutout to improve to 7-8 and keep the Diamondbacks a game ahead of San Diego in the division. Owings struck out 4 and walked 1 in his best performance of the season. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Atlanta 4 Cincinnati 5 Chi Cubs 2 - Padres has won 5 straight Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 5

Lo Duca drives in 7 for Mets; Hafner leads Indians

American League Toronto 3 Boston 5 - Josh Beckett allowed 3 runs on 5 hits over 8 innings to boost his record to 17-6, the first 17-game winner in the majors. Boston maintained its 7 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East and cut their magic number for clinching the division title to 17. Cleveland 7 Minnesota 5, 11 innings - Want to know why the Cleveland Indians are in first place by a whopping 7 games in the AL Central? Two words: Travis Hafner. At Minnesota on Tuesday, Hafner got the Indians started with a solo home run in the first inning, tied the game at 5-5 with a 2-run shot in the ninth - his 21st - and drove in the game winner two innings later with a sac fly. His four RBI gave him 84 on the season. The Indians have won 9 of their last 10. Seattle 3 NY Yankees 12 - The Yankees took another step closer to the post-season with a big win over the Mariners. The win put the Yankees 2 games ahead of Seattle in the wild card standings with the rubber game of their 3-game series on Wednesday. Alex Rodriguez crunched his 46th home run, Jorge Posada went 4-4 with a pair of homers and Chien-Ming Wang joined Josh Beckett as the AL's only 17-game winners. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 3 Detroit 1 Baltimore 8 Tampa Bay 4 Kansas City 8 Texas 9 Oakland 3 LA Angels 4 National League NY Mets 11 Cincinnati 7 - Paul Lo Duca smashed a pair of 3-run homers and drove in another run with a single in the 6th inning to lead the Mets with 7 RBI. Lo Duca (right) homered in the 2nd to give the Mets a 3-0 lead and again in the 8th to put the game out of reach. New York maintained its 5 game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. LA Dodgers 6 Chi Cubs 2 - Brad Penny (15-4) allowed just one earned run over seven innings as the Dodgers stayed in the NL West race - 3 games back - and hurt Chicago in the Central. The Cubs' lead is down to just 1/2 game over the Brewers and 1 game over the resurgent Cardinals. The Cubs aren't exactly counting down their magic number just yet. They've lost two straight to the Dodgers with 2 left in their series before heading out for three games in Pittsburgh. On Monday of next week, they play a single game with St. Louis - in Chicago - then travel to St. Louis over the weekend for a three-game set with the Cards that may determine the division winner. The Cubs will have to win it on the road, as their final six games are at Florida and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh 2 St. Louis 6 - Joel Pineiro (5-2) worked out of trouble continually, but limited the Pirates to just 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 5 2/3 innings. The Cardinals kept the pressure on the Cubs, just one game behind in the NL Central. San Diego 1 Arizona 9 - Doug Davis (14-11) allowed the Padres just one run on 5 hits over 7 innings to help the Diamondbacks back into a virtual tie with San Diego in the West. San Francisco 5 Colorado 6 - Don't forget the Rockies, who won their 3rd straight and are just four games out in the division. The Rockies chipped away at a 5-1 deficit, tying the game in the 8th on Kazuo Matsui's RBI single and winning it on Brad Hawpe's one-out single in the 9th. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Washington 4 Philadelphia 5 Atlanta 2 Houston 3 Milwaukee 5

Molina Leaves Yard Twice in 5th; Sizemore, Hafner Lead Tribe

Monday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner (right) were at it again Monday night. Sizemore singled, doubled, stole a base, drove in 2 and scored a run and Hafner blasted his 7th homer of the season - an 8th inning grand slam - to ruin the Baltimore Orioles, 10-1, for a split of their 4-game series at Camden Yards. Starter Fausto Carmona stymied the O's on 7 hits over 7 innings to improve his record to 3-1. The Indians regained a 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over idle Detroit with the win. Other AL Scores Seattle 3 NY Yankees 2 - A. Beltre, GW HR (5), 9th inning, M. Rivera, (L , 1-3) National League The San Francisco Giants scored all of their runs in a crucial 5th inning, as Bengie Molina (right) cracked a pair of homers and drove in 5 runs to humble the NY Mets 9-4. Molina began the barrage with a shot to left center after Mets' starter Oliver Perez walked Ray Durham to open the inning. Then, after getting two outs, 2nd baseman Damion Easley mishandled what would have been Randy Winn's inning-ending ground ball and the game got out of hand as the Giants scored 6 unearned runs, the last 3 coming off Molina's bat with Durham and Barry Bonds aboard. Barry Zito allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs over 6 innings to even his record at 3-3. Brad Penny had everything working in Miami Monday night. Not only did he strike out 14 Marlins over 7 innings, he allowed just 5 hits, no earned runs, didn't walk a batter and even drove in a pair of runs with a single in the 4th inning.

24/7 Fantasy Baseball
The choice of fantasy players for over 10 years.
fantasysports.yahoo.com

Penny and the Dodgers coasted to a 6-1 win to open their 4-game series with Florida and remain a game in front of San Diego in the NL West. Chris Capuano got his 5th win without a loss and the Milwaukee Brewers extended to a 5 1/2-game lead over the idle Cubs with a 3-0 win over visiting Washington. Capuano worked the Nationals over 8 innings, allowing 7 hits and no walks while striking out 9. Francisco Cordero finished up with a hitless 9th inning for his MLB-best 13th save. Geoff Jenkins provided all of the Brewers' offense with his 6th home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the 2nd. Adrian Gonzalez belted his 9th home run of the season - a solo shot in the 2nd inning - and recorded his 29th RBI, tying him with Houston's Carlos Lee, as the Padres kept pace with the Dodgers in the NL West with a 4-2 victory at Atlanta. Other NL Scores Houston 5 Cincinnati 4 - A. Dunn, HR (9) Arizona 4 Philadelphia 3 - J. Valverde, S (12) Colorado 3 St. Louis 2 - Cardinals, 3-7 last 10, O-6 vs. NL East, NL West