Nady, Johnson Winfree Torch Cubs; Aaron Hill Rounds Out Blue Jay Lineup

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 29, 2011

American League

Aaron Hill

With the regular season just a few days from opening, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have their starting lineup in good shape now that Aaron Hill has returned to action.

Sidelined for most of the exhibition season with tightness in his right quad, Hill returned to duty about a week ago and has been tearing up opposing pitchers.

In Tuesday's 7-4 win over Baltimore, the spunky second baseman went 3-for-4 with two singles and a double, scored twice and drove in three runs. That pushed Hill's average up to .524 (11-for-21) in seven Spring games.

One of Toronto's rising stars, Hill hit 36 homers and drove in 108 runs in 2009, before backtracking in 2010 with a .205 batting average with 26 homers and 68 RBI.

National League

Kelly Johnson

Xavier Nady

Not generally considered a team with a wealth of hitters, the Arizona Diamondbacks woke u their bats with a barrage of 19 hits in a 15-8 win over the Cubs.

Xavier Nady was 4-for-5 with three singles and a grand slam home run, scoring three times and driving in four runs against the team he played for last year.

Teammate David Winfree went 3-for-6 with two homrs and four RBI and Kelly Johnson added a 3-run shot in addition to his double and two singles in four at-bats.

The Diamondbacks finished last in the NL West in 2010 and are hoping that some of their power strokes translate into wins in 2011.

Nady Drives in 6 for Yankees; Ramirez Leads Dodgers over D-Backs

Players of the Day from Sunday, August 3, 2008 American League It appears that the LA Dodgers got what they bargained for in Manny Ramirez, who led the team to a split with Arizona in the Dodgers' 9-3 trouncing of Arizona. Ramirez was a hitting machine, going 4-for-5, with a double, home run and 3 RBI. Since joining the Dodgers, Manny has been Manny, going 8-for-15 with two homers, a double, 5 RBI and 4 runs scored. Sunday's win moved the Dodgers back to within 1 game of the Diamondbacks. Notes: The Phillies won, 5-4, at St. Louis, extending their slim margin in the NL East to 2 1/3 games over the Marlins - who lost to Colorado, 3-2 - and 3 games better than the Mets, swept 4 straight by Houston, concluding with a 4-0 whitewash on Sunday.

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In the Central, the Cubs continue to roll right along, with an 8-5 win at Pittsburgh. With the Brewers and Cardinals both suffering Sunday losses, the Cubs all of a sudden have a 5 game bulge over Milwaukee, with the Cards a game further back. National League Xavier Nady drove in 6 runs as the Yankees salvaged a split with the LA Angels, winning the last two of their four game set, taking a wild one, 14-9. Nady went 4-for-5, and keyed the Yankees' comeback from a 5-0 deficit with a 2-run double in the sixth, a 2-run homer in the 7th, and capped the night off with a 2-run single in the 8th. Notes: The Rays and Red Sox both won, so the Yankees remain 5 1/2 behind Tampa, while the Sox are 3 off the pace. In the Central, Francisco Liriano returned to the Twins just in time to throw 6 shutout innings and help Minnesota to a 6-2 win and first place in the division. The White Sox lost their second straight at KC, being hammered 14-3, in a game marred by a bench-clearing brawl. Meanwhile, the Tigers dropped their 4th in a row and were swept by Tampa Bay, dropping a 6-5, 10 inning decision. At 7 behind, the Tigers' hopes are fading fast. The Angels are still 11 1/2 in front of Texas in the West, despite losing two in a row.