Slowey, Thome Lead Twins to 3-Game Edge; Glaus Powers Braves Past Dodgers

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 15, 2010 American League It isn't often that a pitcher gets yanked when he throwing a no-hitter, but there are sometimes more important matters which need to be addressed, such as a hurler's health and the implications of a pennant race. Such was the case with Kevin Slowey (left) of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, who tossed seven innings of on-hit ball, allowing only three walks and a hit batsman, before manager Ron Gardenhire decided his man had done enough. Slowey was up to 106 pitches and had missed his last start, due to elbow tendonitis, so Gardenhire didn't want to cause any recurrence of inflammation. Besides, the Twins had just recently managed to secure a little space between themselves and the White Sox, and the team could certainly use the win. When Slowey finished the 7th inning, the score was 1-0, in favor of the Twins. In the bottom of the inning, Jim Thome (right) jacked a three-run homer to put the Twins up 4-0, which added to the angst of pulling the starter. Twins' relievers allowed two runs, but the Twins came away with the 4-2 victory over the A's and a 3-game cushion over the White Sox in the AL Central, as Chicago was outhit by Detroit, 13-8. Slowey improved to 11-5, and Thome's homer was his 16th this season and the 580th of his career. He is 10th on the all-time list, having passed Rafael Palmiero and Harmon Killebrew earlier this season, and is just three long balls shy of Mark McGwire. National League The Braves just keep on winning, clinging to their slim, 2-game lead over the three-time defending NL East champion Phillies. On Sunday, Atlanta's bats did the heavy lifting, pounding four Dodger pitchers for 16 hits in a 13-1 romp. All of the starting players had at least one hit, including starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens, Troy Glaus went 2-for-5, including a three-run homer and an RBI single. Glaus is probably not everybody's fantasy first baseman, but he's had a solid year for the Braves, with 16 homers and 69 RBI, despite a .242 batting average. The Braves have taken two of three from the Dodgers and will wrap up the series on Monday. Philadelphia has been dogging Atlanta for months, and remained two games behind with a 3-1 win over the Mets. The Dodgers have lost four of six on their road trip, which ends Monday, and have fallen out of contention in the NL West and the wild card race. They trail San Diego by 10 games in the division and are 6 1/2 behind the Giants and Phillies, with the Cards and Rockies also ahead of them for the wild card.

Glaus Fully Recovered; Martinez 2 HR Pace Red Sox Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 31, 2010 American League Victor Martinez is ready. The Boston catcher/DH hit a two-run homer off Baltimore starter Jason Berken in the 3rd inning and followed up that blast with a grand slam off reliever Jim Johnson in the 4th. Martinez finished with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 6 RBI and a couple of runs. The Orioles have already seen enough of Martinez, and the regular season hasn't even begun. Martinez has hit safely in each of the past five games, going 11-for-21 with 3 homers, 12 RBI and 8 runs, raising his batting average from .226 to .346. Reserve Kevin Frandsen also hit a grand slam as the Red Sox banged out 17 hits in the 14-6 win. National League Troy Glaus singled and doubled twice, driving in 3 runs in Atlanta's 10-5 win over Houston. The Braves roughed up Houston starter, Wandy Rodriguez, who allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and 9 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, his final tune-up before the regular season begins. Glaus, who missed most of 2009 due to injury (left shoulder), left the Cardinal organization and hooked up with the Braves during the off-season. He had surgery to repair the shoulder and all indications are that the operation was successful. The rangy 1st baseman, who started out his major league career with the Angels and stay on for 7 years, is now playing for the 4th different team in the last six years. He is having the Springtime of his life with the Braves. Through Wednesday's game, he's gone 19-for-46 (.413), with 5 doubles and 9 RBI. There haven't been any home runs off Glaus' bats, but the Braves - and Glaus - are confident they'll come. He has 3-4 on his resume, with a high of 47 in 2000. MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks After winning the NL West in 2007, the Diamondbacks failed to repeat in 2008, losing out to the Dodgers by 2 games and missing the playoffs. In 2009, the wheels came completely off, as the team fell to last place in the division, 25 games out with a record of 70-92. Heading into the new season, prospects for success continue to be dimmed by the absence of quality starters in the rotation. As of the end of March, there were still two spots open, with just Dan Haren, Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson named as regular starters. On Wednesday, March 31, the D-Backs named Rodrigo Lopez as the #4 man in the rotation. Two prospects, Billy Buckner and Kevin Mulvey, have both been optioned to the minors, which leaves the 5th spot still there for the taking. It's an issue, as the regulars in the bullpen have no experience as starters, though as a relief group, it's pretty strong. Chad Qualls saved 24 games last season, before injury shortened his campaign. Juan Gutierrez finished the year as the closer, cashing in 9 of 10 save opportunities in September. He will likely be one of the team's set-up men along with Aaron Heilmann, Bob Howry and Clay Zavada. Getting to the relief corps will be where the rubber meets the road. As far as the every day players are concerned, the D-Backs have a respectable lineup. The youthful outfield, consisting of Conor Jackson - a .290 hitter - Chris Young and Justin Upton, each has limited major league experience, so there's hope for more upside, especially in Young's case. Upton is easily the most productive. In 2009, he batted an even .300, with 26 homers and 86 RBI. Like his brother, B.J., in Tampa, Justin has all the tools. He stole 20 bases last year and will likely be Arizona's best hitter for average. Another rising star is 1st baseman Adam LaRoche, who went from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to Boston last year, eventually signing on with Arizona in the off-season. His resume includes 7 major league season, but they have all been good. He's good for 20-25 homers and 80-100 RBI. Up the middle, 2nd baseman Kelly Johnson and shortstop Stephen Drew will do better defensively than at the plate, though 3rd baseman Mark Reynolds has proven to swing a lethal bat. Entering his 4th season, the power numbers have increased every year. In 2007, he hit 17 dingers and drove in 62 runs; 2008: 28 and 97; 2009: 44 and 102. Behind the plate, Miguel Montero and Chris Snyder each handle pitchers well and are good with the bat, though Montero has demonstrated better plate qualities and will be the starter. If it wasn't for the pitching issues, the Diamondbacks would be considered a contender for the NL West crown, but Los Angeles, San Francisco and Colorado seem to have an edge on them. According to the Vegas future book, the D-Backs are a 60-1 shot to win the World Series and the over-under for wins is 83, which is better than only San Diego in the division.

Home Run Heroes: Glaus, Cabrera Double Their Fun

Players of the Day from Saturday, August 9, 2008 American League Miguel Cabrera is doing all he can to keep Detroit from falling completely out of the AL Central race, but time is running out on the Tigers. While Cabrera was launching a pair of homers and driving in four runs in Detroit's 10-2 dismantling of Oakland, Francisco Liriano was pitching the Twins to a 7-3 win over the Royals and into first place, a mere 1/2 game ahead of the White Sox, who dropped a 6-2 decision to Boston. The Tigers now trail the Twins by 8 games, and are likely going to have to win the division or go home when the calendar turns to October. Cabrera, in his first season in the AL, leads the Tigers with 23 homers and 89 RBI. Notes: The Rays continued their winning ways with an 11-inning, 8-7 win at Seattle and remain 3 1/2 ahead of the Red Sox. The Angels put another nail into the Yankees' postseason coffin with an 11-4 thumping, sending the Bombers 7 1/2 back. The Angels have a 14 game lead over Texas in the West. National League 6 games behind the Cubs in the Central and 2 behind Milwaukee in the wild card race, the St. Louis Cardinals are still in the hunt for October glory. On Saturday, Troy Glaus blasted a pair of homers and drove in five runs, as the Cardinals blasted Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs, 12-3. Glaus is having a banner year for St. Louis, having already played in one more game than he did last season for Toronto, he's also hit one more homer (21) and driven in 17 more runs (79). While the Cards gained on the Cubs, they couldn't pick up any ground on Milwaukee, as Ben Sheets tossed a complete game 5-hitter at Washington. The Nats haven't scored so far in two games in their current series with the Brewers, having faced C. C. Sabathia and Sheets in succession. Notes: Arizona lost its 4th straight and may have lost 2nd baseman Orlando Husdson for the season with a broken left wrist. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Hudson broke it attempting to tag out the Braves' Brian McCann at second. The Braves won, 11-4 and stayed in first place by just 1/2 game because the Dodgers threw away a 2-1, 10th inning lead, losing to the Giants, 3-2. Jonathan Broxton, who is filling in as the closer for injured Takashi Saito, recorded his 6th blown save. In the East, the Phillies beat the Pirates, 4-2, while the Mets landed the Marlins, 8-6, to stay 1 back of Philly with Florida 2 1/2 behind.

Giambi, Rodriguez Smash Rangers; Glaus Heroic in Cardinals' Win

Players of the Day from Wednesday, July 2, 2008 American League With most of the attention in the AL East focused on the Rays' sweep of the Red Sox, the Yankees still pose a threat, though they are now 7 1/2 back in the division race. On Wednesday, Alex Rodriguez (left) and Jason Giambi (right) made sure that the Bombers avoided being swept themselves, but none other than the unbalanced Texas Rangers, as the Yankees feasted on Texas pitching for an 18-7 win. Giambi's grand slam in the 3rd turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead, one which the Yankees would give away. It was Giambi again in the 7th, tying the game at 7-7 with a two-run double that ignited a 9-run inning. Giambi finished 2-for-4 with 6 RBI. Alex Rodriguez did his part, with a single and a three run homer in three at-bats. He also walked twice and scored four times in the rout. Notes: The Angels knocked off their only challenger in the West, beating the A's 7-4, taking 2 of 3 in the series and extending their lead to 5 1/2 games. Unless injuries overwhelm the Halos, might as well chalk them in for the playoffs again. National League The three teams vying for dominance in the NL Central - Chicago, St. Louis and Milwaukee - all won 1-run games on Wednesday, but the Cardinals and Troy Glaus had to work extra hard for their 8-7 victory over the Mets.

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Glaus helped stake the Cards to a 4-0 lead in the first inning with a 3-run homer, but after 7, the Mets were up, 7-5, but the Cardinals were just getting started. Chris Duncan tied the game with a 2-run blast in the 8th, and Glaus ended it in dramatic fashion with his second homer of the night, a 2-out, walk-off solo shot. The win keeps the Cardinals 2 in front of Milwaukee and 2 1/2 back of the Cubs, who won 6-5 at San Fran while the Brewers were beating the Diamondbacks, 4-3. Notes: Milwaukee's win over Arizona dropped the D-Backs under .500, at 42-43, but still 1 1/2 better than the Dodgers. Every team in the division is now playing less than .500 ball.

Gross a Gamer for Rays; Glaus Slams Dice-K, Boston

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 21, 2008 American League Reserve outfielder Gabe Gross doesn't get a lot of playing time, but he made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunity last night, knocking a two-run, game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Tampa Bay win over struggling Houston, which lost for the 9th time in their last 10 outings and fell to the bottom of the NL Central. The loss went to Astros' reliever Doug Brocail (2-3), who failed to record an out in the ninth. With the win, Tampa Bay now trails Boston by just 1/2 game in the AL East. Notes: Continuing to close in on the leaders in their respective divisions, the Yankees and Tigers may be the teams to watch after the All-Star break. The Tigers are 6 games behind the White Sox in the Central, while the Yankees are just 5 behind Boston in the East. National League Because they're chasing the Cubs in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals, despite having the second-best record in the league, have to keep winning. On Saturday, they took their second straight at Boston, as Troy Glaus led the charge with a second-inning grand slam, whipping the Red Sox, 9-3. The Cardinals battered Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka for 7 runs in one-plus inning of work. It was the first loss of the season for Dice-K (8-1), who was making his first start since May 27. Notes: Jim Edmonds homered twice in the Cubs' 9-run 4th inning, en route to an 11-7 win over the White Sox. Edmonds' feat overshadowed another swell game by Aramis Ramirez, who singled in a run in the first inning and smacked a 3-run homer in the big 4th. It was Ramirez' 3rd home run in his last two games.