Alex Rios' 6 Hits, Dayan Viciedo's Two Homers Lead White Sox over Tigers; Wily Peralta Tosses 3-Hit Shutout for Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 9, 2013

American League

Rios: 6-for-6

It isn't often that a player gets six hits in a game. So rare is the feat that it's only happened 32 times in the American League, or about once every three years, on average.

It also isn't very often that the Tigers lose big with Justin Verlander on the mound, but that's exactly what happened when Alex Rios knocked out a triple and five singles, leading the White Sox to an 11-4 victory.

Dayan Viciedo

Rios' big night was part of a 23-hit attack, 12 of which came off Verlander, who yielded five runs, working into the eighth. That was when the Sox exploded a 1-1 tie, scoring seven runs in the frame and three more in the ninth.

Rios led off the eighth inning with a single, stole second and scored on Adam Dunn's two-run homer. Later in the inning he singled again, driving in a run, and singled again in the ninth, for another RBI. Riios also stole second in the fifth inning, making his line for the night, 6-for-6, a run, two RBI, two steals.

Dayan Viciedo also had a huge effort, with a single and two homers in four at-bats, four RBI and two runs.

The result left the White Sox still in last place, 13 games out, and Detroit in first, with a 2 1/2 game lead over Cleveland.

Game two of the series is 7:08 pm EDT, Wednesday night.

National League

Wily Peralta

There hasn't been a heck of a lot to cheer about in Milwaukee this season, but starting pitcher, Wily Peralta, gave the home town fans a treat with a three-hit shutout in the Brewers' 2-0 win over the Reds.

Peralta (6-9), a 24-year-old rookie out of the Dominican Republic, notched his first complete game and first shutout of his brief, but promising, major league career, fanning six and walking four.

Shin-Soo Choo led off the game with a single, but was doubled up on a liner. After that, the Reds didn't get another hit until Derrick Robinson tripled in the seventh, but was gunned down at home, trying to stretch the hit into a score.

The Brewers got their two runs on Logan Shafer's home run in the fifth inning, which proved to be all Peralta needed to get the win.

Cincinnati's loss dropped them four back of St. Louis - winners of four straight - in the Central division. The Brewers continue in last place, 17 1/2 games out.

Milwaukee will be looking for the series sweep when they host the Reds at 2:10 pm EDT on Wednesday.

Today's Trivia: Who had a higher lifetime batting average, Lou Brock or Maury Wills? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Tom (Flash) Gordon converted 54 straight save opportunities for the Boston Red Sox in 1998 and 1999. After blowing his first opportunity of the 1998 season, Gordon saved 43 straight, then added 11 in a row to start the 1999 campaign.

Matt Wieters, Endy Chavez Lead Orioles Over A's; Brewers Keep Closing as Wily Peralta, Ryan Braun Lead 3-0 Win Over Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 16, 2012

American League

Matt Wieters socked a pair of solo homers and Endy Chavez went 4-for-4 as the Baltimore Orioles avoided being swept in Oakland, keeping pace with the Yankees in the AL East pennant race with a 9-5 victory.

Matt Wieters

The win left the O's a game behind New York as the Yanks took two out of three from the visiting Rays, finishing the series with a 6-4 win. Looking more and more like an also-ran, the Rays have fallen five back of the Yankees and four behind Baltimore, currently in line for the second wild card position.

The A's dropped three back of Texas in the West but remain two games up on the Orioles for the first wild card. The Rangers took a 2-1 decision over Seattle on Sunday.

Endy Chavez

Wieters had only three official at-bats, walking twice and scoring a third time in the seventh inning after his solo shots in the second and fourth innings put the Orioles up 3-2. Chavez singled three times and doubled, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.

Baltimore begins a three game series in Seattle Monday, while the Yankees get a day off before opening a three game set with Toronto on Tuesday.

The A's hit the road for the next ten games, beginning Tuesday with three in Detroit, then three in New York and four games with the Rangers in Texas, a series that should go a long way toward deciding the AL West and the wild card positions.

National League

Don't look now, but here come the Brewers.

Milwaukee won its second straight over New York, topping the Mets, 3-0, behind the two-hit pitching of rookie Wily Peralta (2-0) and a pair of homers by Ryan Braun.

Braun: 40 HRs

Peralta went eight full innings in his third start of the season, walking one and fanning five while he bamboozled the Mets hitters. Of the three base runners Peralta allowed, two reached second, but none advanced any further. John Axford came on to earn his 29th save with a hitless, scoreless ninth.

Peralta: 8IP 2H 0ER

Braun's homers were both of the solo variety. He went back-to-back with Aramis Ramirez leading off the fourth inning, then sent his league-leading 40th over the left field wall in the sixth.

The result left Milwaukee just 2 1/2 behind the Cardinals in the race for the second wild card spot. St. Louis topped the Dodgers, 5-2, in 12 innings, dropping the Dodgers one game back. Pittsburgh lost and slipped behind the Brewers by 1/2 game.

Atlanta has virtually sewn up the first wild card. The Braves stuck it to the Nats, 5-1, Sunday night, sweeping the series in Atlanta while creeping to within 5 1/2 of Washington in the NL East standings.

The Phillies trail St. Louis by for games. Arizona is 4 1/2 out.

Milwaukee has been on a September tear, winning 11 of 15 games thus far. They face a rugged 10-game road trip beginning Tuesday, taking them to Pittsburgh for three games, Washington for four and finally into Cincinnati for a three game series the middle of next week.