Trevor Story Leads Rockies To 1st Place In West; Rafael Devers Drives In 6 In Boston's 19-3 Rout Of Baltimore

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 26, 2018

American League

The Orioles managed to win the second game of their doubleheader at Boston, 10-3, but it came after they dropped the day game, 19-3.

Devers: 4-5, 2B, 2HR, 6RBI

In the opener, the Red Sox hammered out 22 hits against five Baltimore hurlers. Rafael Devers had himself an active afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a single, double, two home runs, and six RBI.

Devers got the Red Sox rolling with a bases-full double that plated three in the first inning. After singling home Ian Kinsler in the fifth inning, Devers hit solo homers in the seventh and eighth, his 20th and 21st of the season. The win was Boston's 107th, extending their franchise record for wins in a season. Baltimore lost its 112th game.

Elsewhere, the Yankees fell sloppily at Tampa Bay, 8-7, while the A's walloped Seattle, 9-3, cutting the Yankees' wild card lead to 1 1/2 games. Both Oakland and New York will be wild cards, all that needs to be determined is where the game will be played.

The Yankees play a final game at Tampa Bay before heading up to Boston to close out the regular season with a three-game series. Oakland has Thursday off and finishes out the season at LA, playing the Angels three times over the weekend.

National League

Story: 3-4, 3R, HR, 3RBI

Colorado won their sixth straight game, dropping a 14-0 rip on the visiting Phillies taking their third straight over the East division represenative. During the winning streak the Rockies moved from wild card hopeful to division leader, as the Dodgers, losers of two straight, gave up first place in the NL West with a 7-2 loss at Arizona and the Cardinals lost three straight to the Brewers. The Rockies took a half game lead over LA in the West division.

Knocking out 16 hits, the Rockies got a big effort from Trevor Story, who tripled and scored Colorado's first run on a second inning Carlos Gonzalez sacrifice fly, socked a two-run homer in the fifth, and singled and scored in the seventh.

Having an MVP-like season, Story is batting .290 with 34 home runs and 104 RBI. His numbers place him in a tie for second in homers (Matt Carpenter leads with 36), and in a tie for fourth with Milwaukee's Christian Yelich in the RBI tally. Javier Baez leads the league, driving in 111 runs.

In the Central division, the Brewers completed their sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis with a 2-1 win, dropping the Cardinals a game behind the Dodgers for the second wild card. The Cubs continued to cling to a half game lead over the Brewers, winning, 7-6, in 10 innings over Pittsburgh.

With three games remaining on their slate, the Cardinals, Brewers and Dodgers all have Thursday off, while the Rockies finish up with the Phillies and the Cubs host the Pirates. Over the final weekend, St. Louis is at Chicago, the Rockies host Washington, the Dodgers are at San Francisco, and Milwaukee hosts Detroit. All are three-game series which begin Friday and finish the regular season on Sunday.

Brandon Phillips Homers To Power Red Sox Win; Rockies In First Place After Trevor Story Belts Three HRs

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 5, 2018

American League

Phillips: Game winning HR

Boston's incredible season got a little more interesting and emotional on Wednesday.

The Red Sox came back from a 7-1 eighth-inning deficit to overwhelm the Braves, 9-8 - sweeping the three-game series in Atlanta - with six runs in the eighth and a dramatic, two-run, two-out homer in the ninth by Brandon Phillips.

Phillips' game-winning blast was his first hit of the season, sending the Red Sox dugout into a euphoric celebration.

Phillips signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in June and came up to the parent team on Tuesday but did not play. Wednesday's game was his first major league appearance since he closed out the 2017 season with the Angels.

At 37, Phillips wasn't on a major league roster to start the season, but took up the Red Sox offer and spent most of his time at AAA Pawtucket, where he hit .302 in 38 games. He played most of his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds as the regular second baseman.

Prior to his decisive blow, Phillips had walked twice, scoring in the second and eighth innings. Andrew Benintendi was on first base when Phillips launched his drive to left on the first pitch from Atlanta reliever, A.J. Minter.

After Boston tied the game at 7-all in the eighth, Atlanta slugger, Freddie Freeman put the Braves back on top, 8-7, with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a hitless bottom of the ninth to seal the victory, Boston's 97th of the year. Kimbrel's save was his 38th, which is second the AL behind Seattle's Edwin Diaz, who has 53.

The Red Sox return home to Fenway Park on Friday, opening a three-game series with AL West leader, Houston.

National League

Story: 3 solo HRs 

By winning five straight, the Colorado Rockies have wrested control of the NL West from the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, leading the division by 1 1/2 games after a 5-3 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Trevor Story, who has been on fire of late, socked three solo home runs to lead the Rockies. Story broke a 1-1 tie in the first inning, tied the game at three in the fourth and put the Rockies up 4-3 in the sixth. The three dingers have Story at 31 on the year, tied for third in the NL with five other players. Max Muncy of the Dodgers is second, with 32, and the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter leads the league with 34.

Story is also tied for third in RBI with 95, along with Milwaukee's Jesus Aguilar. Chicago's Javier Baez and Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez each have 100.

Story's hot streak has coincided neatly with Colorado's ascent to the division lead. In his last six games, Story is 12-for-24 (.500) with five homers and 10 RBI.

Colorado's sweep of their three-game series with the Giants goes at an opportune time. The Rockies are in the midst of a 10-game home stand. After a day off Thursday, they host the Dodgers for three games, then welcome in the Diamondbacks for four.

The NL West has been a toss-up for most of the season, and these upcoming series can only add to the drama.

Jakob Junis, Ryan O'Hearn Lead Royals Past Indians; Trevor Story's 2 HR Power Rockies in 9-8 Win

Players of the Day for Monday, September 3, 2018

Junis: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K

American League

The Cleveland express train to the playoffs was temporarily derailed Monday as the Indians dropped a 5-1 decision to visiting Kansas City.

O'Hearn: 2 HR, 3 RBI

Jakob Junis (8-12) shut down Cleveland's batters on two hits and no runs over seven solid innings, fanning six with no walks. While Junis was frustrating Indian hitters, Ryan O'Hearn provided support with two homers, a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run bomb in the sixth.

The win was the 46th - against 91 losses - for the last place Royals. They are 31 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. Cleveland has lost three straight but still leads Minnesota by 14 games in the division, the largest lead in the majors.

The Indians need a combination of 11 wins or 11 Minnesota losses to clinch the division.

Game two of the series at Cleveland is Tuesday at 7:10 pm EDT.

National League

Story: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Trevor Story smacked a pair of home runs and the Colorado bullpen struggled but held on for a 9-8 win over the Giants in the opener of a three game series in Denver.

Story sent out a two-run homer in the first inning after second baseman, DJ LeMahieu, had put the Rockies ahead, 2-0, with a two-run shot of his own.

In the fifth, Story added a three-run blast that had the Rockies up, 7-2. San Francisco came back with a run in the sixth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth, eventually taking an 8-7 lead. Noel Cuevas put the Rockies back in front in the bottom of the eighth with a pinch-hit, two-run single. Wade Davis struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth, earning his league-leading 38th save.

In his third full season, Story is having a career year with 28 home runs, 92 RBI and 24 steals. He's batting .295 in 136 games.

Game two of the series is Tuesday, 8:40 pm EDT.

Walk-Offs To All Star Game: Trevor Story Completes Rockies' Sweep; Twins' Brian Dozier Slams In 10th

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 15, 2018

American League

Dozier: Walk-off Slam

Brian Dozier is known around the league as a dangerous hitter in the clutch and he proved to be just that when he came up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth inning Sunday against the visiting Rays.

Dozier took a one out, 1-1 offering from Tampa's Matt Andriese - the Rays' ninth pitcher of the game - and deposited it in the seats beyond the left field wall of Target Field for an 11-7 victory. His grand slam was his 16th home run of the season and sent Minnesota into the second half in a good way, winners off nine of their last eleven and three of four over the Rays.

Dozier and the Twins underperformed through June, but they seem to have awakened in July. Dozier has especially improved, raising his average from .181 at the end of June to .292 at the all star break.

He's hit safely in 12 of 15 games with five homers and 17 RBI.

The 44-50 Twins are in second place in the AL Central, 7 1/2 games behind Cleveland.

National League

Story: Walk-off Homer

In the National League, there's no doubt which division is the tightest.

It's the NL West, where the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Giants are all within four games of each other. The Dodgers take a 1/2-game lead into the break with their 5-3 win over the Angels, but, in Colorado, Trevor Story had a significant send-off as he belted a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win over Seattle and a sweep of the Mariners in their three-game series.

Story's shot was his 20th of the year, his 68th RBI tying him with teammate Nolan Arenado for fourth in the league.

Colorado heads into the second half on a five-game win streak and winners of 13 of their last 16. They are in third place, two games behind the Dodgers, with a 51-45 record.

Alex Bregman Provides All RBI In Houston Win; Trevor Story Powers Colorado Over Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, September 29, 2017

American League

Bregman: HR, 3 RBI

With the regular season coming to a close on Sunday, the Astros and Indians know they must keep winning if they hope to have the best record in the American League.

Entering Friday's games, the Indians had a one-game edge in that department and took care of business by swatting the White Sox, 10-1. Houston faced a more arduous task, playing at Boston, where the Red Sox are still embroiled in a pennant race with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Houston, thanks to third baseman, Alex Bregman, was up to it, topping the Red Sox 3-2 at Fenway Park, as Bregman drove in all three Houston runs.

While a parade of five Houston hurlers were limiting the Red Sox to five hits and two earned runs, Bregman was going 3-for-4, with a single, double, home run, and, as mentioned, all three RBI.

Bregman got the Astros on the board in the third inning, singling home the first run of the game.He put the Astros up, 3-0, with a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the fifth inning and the Houston bullpen managed to hold on for the win, leaving the Astros exactly where they were a day before, one game behind the Indians in the overall AL standings.

Bregman has had an excellent season, batting .287, with 19 homers and 71 RBI.

Houston will go for their third straight win over the Red Sox on Saturday, in game three of their four-game series, starting at 1:05 pm ET.

National League

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

The Colorado Rockies reduced their magic number for clinching the second wild card to one with a 9-1 romp over the visiting Dodgers, highlighted by four homers at high-altitude Coors Field.

Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon got things going early for the Rockies, each swatting their 37th home run of the year. Arenado's came in the first with the bases empty. Blackmon's was a second-inning, two-run variety as the Rockies built a 5-0 lead in the first two innings of Dodger starter, Hyun Jin Ryu.

The hitting star was Trevor Story, who went 3-for-4, with a single, triple, and a two-run, fourth inning home run that essentially put the game away. Story has 24 home runs and 82 RBI on the year.

With Milwaukee dogging the Rockies the past month, Colorado has done just enough to stay ahead of the Brewers down the stretch. Since September 7, they are 12-8, while the Brewers have gone 12-7, keeping on the pressure.

Colorado has to win just one more game or Milwaukee lose one to clinch the wild card spot and play the single elimination game at Arizona on Wednesday, October 4. They host the Dodgers Saturday at 8:10 pm ET and Sunday at 3:10 pm ET. Milwaukee plays Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis.

Elvis Andrus Leads Texas Past Tigers, 12-6; Trevor Story's 2 HR Power Rockies Over Braves, 17-2

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 16, 2017

American League

Anrdus: 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI

Hopelessly outpaced in the AL West by Houston but still in the hunt for a wild card spot, the Texas Rangers took a step forward, improving to just a game below .500 (59-60) with a 12-6 win over Detroit, sweeping the three-game series at Arlington.

Elvis Andrus had a big night, contributing three of the 17 Texas hits with two singles and his 16th home run, a solo whack that snapped a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning. Previously, Andrus had walked and scored on Adrian Beltre's two-run, third inning homer. Andres singled in two runs in the sixth, then stole second and scored on Nomar Mazara's three-run homer. Finally, Andrus singled home another score in the seventh, tallying four RBI and scoring three times.

Texas completes the sweep at an opportune time, hosting a four game series with the slumping White Sox - losers of four straight - beginning Thursday. After that, the Rangers head to LA for a four-game set with the Angels, the current holders of the second wild card slot, just two games in front of Texas.

National League

Story: 2 HR, 6 RBI

With Arizona losing at Houston, 9-5, the Colorado Rockies took back sole possession of the first wild card position with a 17-2 mauling of Atlanta at Coors Field in Denver.

The Rockies exploded for 18 hits, nine of them for extra bases. Nolan Arenado increased his RBI by two, to 103, which leads the majors. Trevor Story measured the tale of the tape, going 3-for-4 with a single and two hoe runs (17 & 18), knocking in six runs.

Story singled home a run in the third inning, then followed with a two-run blast in the fourth. In the seventh inning, he completed the Rockies' scoring for the game with a three-run shot to left. He has 56 RBI on the year.

Colorado leads the four-game series with the Braves, two games to one, with the finale scheduled for Thursday afternoon, at 3:10 pm ET. The Rockies hold a one-game lead in the wild card with Arizona second. NL Central contenders, St. Louis and Milwaukee trail the Diamondbacks by four and five games, respectively.

Streak Ended: While Miami was winning, 8-1, over the Giants, Giancarlo Stanton's six-game home run came to an end, though Stanton did single twice in four at-bats.

Corey Kluber Sinks ChiSox; Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon Power Rockies Over Giants

Players of the Day for Friday, April 21, 2017

American League

Kluber: 3-Hit Shutout

Corey Kluber had his Friday night good stuff working and the reigning AL champion Cleveland Indians are back in first place in the AL Central after hanging the White Sox out to dry, 3-0.

Winners of four straight, 9-7 Cleveland holds a one-game lead in the ultra-competitive division where even last place Kansas City is a mere two games out at 7-9. Kluber tossed a three-hit shutout at the visiting Sox in the opener of a three game weekend series at the dreadfully-named Guaranteed Rate Field in Cleveland.

Cleveland scored a run in the third and two in the fourth and that was more than enough for the 2014 Al Cy Young award winner, who walked two, struck out nine, a season-high.

It was Kluber's first complete game and shutout of the 2017 season. His 27 strikeouts in 23 innings places Kluber fourth in the whiff department among AL hurlers.

The two teams meet again on Saturday at 7:10 pm ET. Sunday's series finale is a day game set to start at 2:10 pm ET.

Charlie Blackmon

National League

Story: Grand Slam

Staked to an early 3-0 lead, San Francisco's Johnny Cueto couldn't make the most of his good fortune as the Colorado Rockies scored all of their runs in the fourth inning en route to a 6-5 home win.

Trevor Story took Cueto downtown with the bases loaded and three batters later, Charlie Blackmon socked a two-run inside-the-park homer to pad the Rockies' lead.

The round-trippers were the third of the season for Story; Blackmon's was his fourth.

Colorado's win in the series opener at Coors field kept the Rockies 1/2 game in front of Arizona in the NL West while dropping the Giants to 6-11, the worst record in the league and good for last place in the division.

Cueto was touched up for eight hits and all six earned runs, suffering his first loss of the season (3-1).

Colorado hosts the Giants on Saturday for game two, with the first pitch slated for 8:10 pm ET.