NLDS: Yaider Molina Keeps Cardinals Alive; ALDS: Charlie Morton Rescues Rays; Yankees sweep Twins, Move On

Players of the Day for Monday, October 7, 2019

American League

Morton dominates Astros

Tampa Bay Rays 10 Houston Astros 3

Charlie Morton struck out nine and gave up one run over five innings as the Rays took game three of their series against the Astros and avoided elimination in the division series.

Morton allowed just three hits. Jose Altuve's first inning solo homer was the only run scored off Morton, who needed just 93 pitches to notch the victory.

Lifted after the fifth inning, Morton left confidently with an 8-1 lead. The Rays belted four home runs, three of them off Houston starter, Zack Greinke, who was battered for six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings.

Houston leads the series, two games to one. Game four is Tuesday, in Tampa, at 7:07 pm ET.

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New York Yankees 5 Minnesota Twins 1

The New York Yankees are moving on, heading to the AL Championship Series after sweeping the Minnesota Twins three straight in the divisional round. New York's 5-1 win. New York awaits the winner of the Houston-Tampa Bay series.

National League

St. Louis Cardinals 5 Atlanta Braves 4, 10 innings

Molina delivers for Cards

Marcell Ozuna slugged a pair of solo homers, and Yadier Molina drove in the tying and winning runs as the Cardinals evened their series with the Braves at two games apiece.

With one out in the eighth and the Braves ahead, 4-3, Paul Goldschmidt doubled to left. After Ozuna struck out, Molina lifted a soft liner that glanced off first baseman Freddie Freeman's glove, scoring Goldschmidt with the tying run.

After the Braves failed to score in the top of the ninth and 10th innings, Kolton Wong led off the bottom of the 10th with a ground rule double off Atlanta hurler, Julio Teheran. After Goldschmidt was intentionally walked, Ozuna grounded into a fielder's choice, with Goldschmidt out at second. Wong moved to third.

On the first pitch he saw, Molina lifted a fly ball to deep left, which easily plated Wong with the winning run, setting off an on-field celebration by the Cardinals.

The St. Louis win means a deciding game five will be played in Atlanta on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 5:02 pm ET.

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Washington Nationals 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Max Scherzer delivered seven strong innings as the Nationals tied their best-of-five divisional series with the Dodgers at two games apiece, winning game four, in Washington. Scherzer allowed one earned run on four hits, fanning seven.

Ryan Zimmerman's three-run homer capped a four run fifth inning that propelled the Nats to the win, forcing game five Wednesday (8:37 pm ET) in Los Angeles.

Cardinals Down Cubs on Yaider Molina, Paul DeJong HRs; Marcus Semien Leads A's Past Rangers

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 21, 2019

Semien: 3-3, HR, 3BB

American League

The Oakland A's are serious about making the playoffs.

Winning their fourth straight and 15th in their last 18 games, the A's pounded the Rangers, 12-3, maintaining a two-game lead in the wild card race over Tampa Bay.

Oakland belted out 14 hits and worked nine walks against eight Texas hurlers. Leadoff hitter, Marcus Semien, led the assault, going 3-for-3 with two singles and a home run. He was on base six times, as he walked in his other three plate appearances.

Semien led off the A's first with a single and scored on Matt Olson's single to right. He also walked later in the inning as the A's piled seven runs on the visiting Rangers.

In the second, Semien walked, forcing in a run, then socked his 32nd homer of the year in the fifth inning, a solo shot that put the A's up 10-0. He scored twice and drove in two runs.

Over his last 15 games, as the A's have gone 12-3, Semien has been sensational, batting .371, with six homers and 15 RBI. He's driven in 90 runs this season and scored 119 runs. His totals for batting average, runs, home runs and RBI all all career highs for the seven-year veteran.

Tampa Bay kept pace with the A's winning, 5-4 over Boston. Cleveland dropped a game behind the Rays, losing, 9-4, to the visiting Phillies. Each of the three wild card contenders have seven games remaining.

National League

Molina's HR tied game.

Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong socked back-to-back 9th inning home runs off Chicago closer, Craig Kimbrel, and the Cardinals took their third straight over the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a 9-8 victory Saturday.

On the wrong end of an 8-7 score after eight innings, St. Louis struck quickly against Kimbrel and the Cubs. Molina led off the inning with his ninth homer of the season, tying the game. DeJong followed with his 28th, a towering 440-foot blast that stood up as the game-winner when Carlos Martinez got the final three outs in the bottom of the frame.

DeJong's HR won game.

The win left the Cubs stunned with their fifth straight defeat and third straight at the hands of the Cardinals. Chicago fell six games back in the NL Central, and are in danger of being eliminated not just from the division race, but from the wild card as well.

Washington, holder of the top wild card, kept a one-game lead over Milwaukee with a 10-4 win over the Marlins. The Brewers won their fifth straight, dropping the Pirates, 10-1. Chicago trails the Brewers in the wild card race by three games with seven left to play.

The Cardinals, winners of four straight, will be looking for a four-game sweep of the Cubs when the two meet in the series finale, Sunday, 2:20 pm ET.

On the verge of clinching a post-season spot after a three-year playoff absence, St. Louis plays three games in Arizona next week before returning home for a final, three-game series with the Cubs.

Yadier Molina Homers Twice, Cardinals Whip Brewers Again; Yordan Alvarez Powers Astros Past Rays

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 27, 2019

American League

Alvarez: 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Houston continued to roll towards a third straight AL West championship, taking the first game of their series with Tampa Bay with a resounding, 15-1, conquest, on Tuesday.

Justin Verlander won his 16th game of the season against five losses, working 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Yordan Alvarez banged a pair of home runs, doubled, scored three times and drove in four runs.

Alvarez is Houston's rising-star rookie who has provided quite a boost to their already-loaded lineup. in 60 games, Alvarez is batting .329 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI.

After dropping five straight mid-month, the Astros have regained their winning edge, taking eight of their last nine games. They lead the division by nine games over the Athletics. Tampa Bay fell a game behind the A's in the wild card race. Cleveland leads, holding a 1/2-game advantage over Oakland.

Game two of the series is slated for an 8:10 pm start, Wednesday night in Houston.

National League

Molina: 3-3, 2HR, 3RBI

St. Louis won its sixth straight game Tuesday, taking another from the fading Milwaukee Brewers, 6-3.

Instrumental to their victory was catcher, Yadier Molina, with a pair of home runs and a double in three at-bats.

Molina, a nine-time all-star, ripped a solo homer in the fifth, smacked a two-run shot in the seventh, and doubled and scored in the ninth.

Missing from action most of July and half of August due to injury, Molina's return has coincided with the Cardinals' winning ways. Returning to the lineup on August 13, Molina is batting .308 since. The Cardinals have won 15 of 18 since August 9 and have surged to the lead in the NL Central, currently holding a three game advantage over the Cubs.

Milwaukee's season has suddenly gone south. The Brewers are 5-9 since August 11 and are 6 1/2 out in the division. Their chances of making the playoffs via the wild card are also in jeopardy. They are 3 1/2 behind the Cubs, who hold the second wild card, but the Phillies and Mets are ahead of them.

The Cardinals will be seeking to sweep the Brewers when they take the field for game three of the series, Wednesday, 2:10 pm ET.

Cardinals Rip Nationals On Yadier Molina's Grand Slam; Yandy Diaz Leads Indians Over Royals

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 4, 2018

American League

Diaz: 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Yandy Diaz singled, tripled and homered in four at-bats, driving in a pair of runs and scoring three times as the Indians broke Kansas City's five-game winning streak with a 9-3 no-doubter.

The Indians also ended a three-game skid of their own, though with a the largest lead in the majors at 15 games in the AL Central division, nobody was particularly concerned.

Diaz, who didn't get an official at-bat this season until July 22, is batting .333 with one homer and 11 RBI in 21 games.

Mike Clevenger struck out 10 while holding the Royals to one run on three hits over six innings. Clevenger improved to 11-7.

The Indians and Royals close out the series in Cleveland Wednesday, 1:10 pm EDT. Cleveland's magic number to clinch the division is 10.

National League

Molina: Grand Slam

After dropping a 4-3 decision in 10 innings on Labor Day, the St. Louis Cardinals let their bats do the talking to the Nationals in game two of their three-game series in Washington, DC.

Cardinal batters stroked five homers in the 11-8 slugfest, three of them coming in the sixth inning, when Marcel Ozuna and Paul DeJong smacked back-to-back solo shots, followed by Patrick Wisdom's 426-foot moon shot. Ozuna also belted a solo dinger in the first inning.

In the ninth, Yadier Molina closed out the Cardinals' scoring, unloading a grand slam. Washington came back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, as the Cards used seven pitchers.

Molina's slam was his 17th homer of the season, to go with 61 RBI and a .273 batting average.

While the Cardinals were taking down the Nats, Milwaukee was taking their second straight over the Cubs, reducing Chicago's lead in the Central division to three games. St. Louis lurks in third place, 4 1/2 out.

The rubber game of the series is scheduled for a 7:05 pm EDT start, Wednesday night.

Yadier Molina Drives In 5 As Cards Sweep Pirates; Nats Clinch; Gary Sanchez Leads Yankees Over Rangers

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 10, 2017

American League

Sanchez: 2HR, 4R, 2RBI

The Yankees have a 3 1/2 game hold on the first wild card spot, but they are clearly intent on gaining a more secure spot in the post-season, taking two of three from the Rangers with a 16-7 thumping in the series finale.

Coupled with Boston's 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay, the Yankees trail the Red Sox by 3 1/2 games in the AL East.

Fueling New York's offense has been a primary focus of Gary Sanchez. The second-year catcher doubled and smacked a pair of home runs in the win, driving in two runs and scoring three times as the Yankees tore up Texas starter A.J. Griffin and three subsequent relievers with 18 hits, including the two bombs by Sanchez and a pair of round-trippers by Aaron Judge, who leads the league with 41.

Sanchez, who missed a month earlier in the season due to injury, has 30 homers and 83 RBI. He hit 12 in August alone and drove in 26 runs last month. Sanchez had to sit out three games recently, serving a suspension for a fight in Detroit a few weeks back. His two homers were his first of September. He has a five-game hitting streak and is batting .400 so far this month.

The Yankees got a break in the schedule thanks to Hurricane Irma. Baseball executives moved the three-game series originally scheduled to be played at Tropicana Field in Tampa to the Mets' Citi Field facility. The series opens Monday at 7:10 pm ET. New York has won six of their last eight.

National League

Molina: HR, 5 RBI

While the Brewers were completing a three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the St. Louis Cardinals were happy to remain tied for second place with Milwaukee, winning their third straight as well, sweeping the Pirates at Busch Stadium with a 7-0 whitewash.. Both the Brewers and Cardinals trail the Cubs by a mere two games in the NL Central, the one division race that is still wide open.

Michael Wacha blanked Pittsburgh over eight innings on five hits, fanning seven while issuing no walks. More than enough offense was supplied by the incomparable Yadier Molina, who tied a career best with five RBI, driving in three with a home run in the third inning after singling home the first St. Louis run in the first.

Completing his 2-for-3 day at the plate, Molina launched a sac fly in the seventh inning, completing the scoring for the game. Reliever Jon Gant allowed one hit, but held the Pirates scoreless in the ninth.

Having his usual solid season, the 35-year-old veteran catcher is batting .280 with 17 home runs, 72 RBI, and eight stolen bases.

With the race tightening in the division, the Cardinals are having a September to remember, winning eight of their last ten. Milwaukee is 5-4 for the month, the Cubs, 4-6, and in danger of losing their grip on first place.

St. Louis gets a day off Monday before hosting the Reds for three games. After that, the Cubs come to town for three in a series crucial to both teams.

CLINCHER: With a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia and Miami's 10-8, 11-inning loss to Atlanta, the Washington Nationals became the first team in the majors to clinch a post-season berth, clinching the NL East division.

With 19 games remaining and a 20-game lead on the Marlins, the Nationals punched their ticket to October with three weeks left to play.

Yadier Molina Helps Cards Hand Brewers Ninth Straight Loss; Robinson Cano Leads Mariners Past Rangers, 10-2

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 4, 2013

American League

Cano: 4 RBI

Robinson Cano went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners opened a four game series in Texas with a 10-2 win over the Rangers.

Cano was right in the middle of a six-run Mariner uprising in the second inning, stroking a bases-loaded single up the middle, bringing home two runs. In the third, Cano drove in another pair of runs with a double, his 32nd of the season.

Having his usual solid season, Cano is tied for fourth in batting with Jose Abreu at .322. Cano has 12 homers and 75 RBI.

The victory kept Seattle 1/2 game behind Detroit for the second wild card, though the Mariners find themselves just three behind Oakland for the first wild card, which, until just a few weeks ago, was considered to be already sewn up.

Having just taken two of three from the A's in Oakland, the Mariners look forward to a three-game home series against the A's on September 12, 13 and 14. Of interest to the Mariners are also the seven remaining games they have against the Angels, who have a five-game lead in the division and are eight in front of Seattle. The Mariners begin an 11-game road trip with four games in Anaheim, but get the Angels in Seattle for three games to close out the regular season, a scenario which could benefit them should LA have clinched the division by then.

National League

Yadier Molina

There were only two games played in National League parks On Thursday, and only one of those was meaningful, but it was big, as the St. Louis Cardinals sent the Milwaukee Brewers to their ninth straight defeat, opening a crucial four-game series in Milwaukee with a 3-2 victory.

The Cardinals scored all of their runs in the first three innings, and used seven pitchers to keep Brewer bats at bay. Michael Wacha allowed a run in the first inning and Marco Gonzales gave up one in the sixth, but the St. Louis bullpen came up with the needed outs over the final three innings to seal the win. Trevor Rosenthal made it interesting by issuing two walks in the ninth, but did not give up a hit for his 42nd save of the year, tying him with Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel for the league lead.

Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday each had three hits and scored a run for the Cardinals. Yadier Molina drove in two runs with a single in the first inning.

The win put St. Louis up by four games in the NL Central, a division that was led by Milwaukee for almost he entirety of the season until last week, when the Brewers started a nine-game road trip with a win at San Diego, but followed up with eight straight losses - two to San Deigo, then three each to the Giants and Cubs.

Thursday's loss dropped the Brewers into a tie with Atlanta for the second wild card spot. Both teams trail San Francisco in the wild card standings by three games.

Orioles' Chris Davis Ties pre-All Star AL HR record with 37th; Yadier Molina Leads Cardinals and NL in Batting

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 14, 2013

American League

Chris Davis

If not for Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, Baltimore's Chris Davis would be mentioned singularly in talk of triple crown possibilities. Even still, Davis is having a season unlike any other, one that could be record-breaking.

Davis cracked his 37th home run of the season and drove in four runs in the Orioles' 7-4 victory over the Blue Jays, the final game for both teams prior to the All Star break, giving Baltimore a 2-1 edge in the series and leaving them solidly in third place in the AL East, 4 1/2 behind Boston and two games back of second-place Tampa Bay.

Launching #37 to the opposite field in the third inning, Davis gave the Orioles a 6-0 lead. He already had driven in two runs with a double in the bottom of the first, as Baltimore built a 4-0 advantage, shelling Toronto starter, Josh Johnson, who ended up working six innings and allowing all seven runs.

Davis tied Reggie Jackson for the American League record for home runs by the All Star break. Jackson hit 37 dingers by mid-July in 1969. Only two other players have ever hit so many before the summer classic. Barry Bonds hit 39 homers pre All Star game in 2001. Mark McGwire belted 37 in 1998. Both were National Leaguers suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.

With four RBI on Sunday, Davis totaled 93, the seventh-highest total in major league history prior to the All Star break, though he is still two behind Cabrera, who has 95, tying him with Josh Hamilton for fifth place all-time, who had that many in 2008.

National League

Yadier Molina

St. Louis' Yadier Molina is having himself a Hall of Fame season, leading the National League in batting at a .341 clip, after going 4-for-6 in the Cardinals' 10-6 hammering of the Cubs at Wrigley Field Sunday night. The Cards dealt out 21 hits.

After the Cubs tied the game at six with a pair of runs in the eighth inning, Molina put the finishing touch on the win with a three-run homer for the final score. Prior to hitting his seventh long ball of the season, Molina had singled three times, driven in a run and scored twice.

The win put St. Louis back into sole possession of first place in the NL Central, a position they've held most of the year, after the Pirates lost a 4-2 decision to the Mets.

At the break, Molina and teammate Allen Craig are 1-2 in batting, Craig checking in at .333. Leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter is not far back at .321, sixth-best in the league.

Molina will be the starting catcher for the National League in the 2013 All Star game, Tuesday night at New York's Citi Field.

Today's Trivia: Who played in more All Star games, Reggie Jackson or Johnny Bench? (answer Wednesday)

Yesterday's Answer: George Foster led the NL in RBI in 1976, 1977 and 1978.

Ian Kinsler Sends Rangers Past Jays; Yadier Molina Powers Cardinals with Grand Slam

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 27, 2012

American League

Completing the three-game sweep of the Blue Jays with a 12-6 victory, the Texas Rangers have once again powered their way to the best record in the American League with a 30-18 mark, and lead the surging LA Angels - winners of six straight - by 6 1/2 games.

Ian Kinsler

Texas got going in a hurry, scoring seven times in the second inning and two more in the third, while the Jays were only able to muster single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, clearly not enough to close up the gap.

Ian Kinsler was the driver of the early scoring, doubling and driving in two in the second inning before socking his 6th homer of the season, with a man aboard in the third.

The regular leadoff hitter for the Rangers, Kinsler has touched home plate 41 times this season, four more than teammate Josh Hamilton, who is tied for second with Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez, with 37.

National League

Yadier Molina

After losing three straight at home to the Phillies, the Cardinals finally got a win to avoid a four-game sweep - a no-doubt, 8-3 victory in the series finale, but the poor recent record of 3-7 has dropped St. Louis from the top spot in the Central division, as Reds have surged past, winning eight of their last ten.

The Cardinals were aided by catcher Yadier Molina, who stroked a first-inning grand slam off Philly starter Roy Hallady, who lasted only two innings in the shortest stint of the season.

With Halladay chased from the mound, Adam Wainwright protected the early lead allowing one earned run off of seven hits over six innings, earning his fourth victory against five losses.

The Cardinals trail the Reds by 1 1/2 games in the division. The Phillies, despite better play recently, are still stuck in last place in the East, five games off the pace being set by the Washington Nationals.

Cardinals Take Game Five, 7-1, Lead NLCS, 3-2; Rangers-Tigers Resume Saturday

Players of the Day for Friday, October 14, 2011

National League

Cardinals 7 Brewers 1

St. Louis bounced back after Thursday's loss to forge another lead in the NLCS, taking a 3-2 series edge back to Milwaukee, where they can eliminate the Brewers with a game six victory.

Jaime Garcia

The Brewers were their own worst enemy, committing four errors in the game, though St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa and starting pitcher Jaime Garcia deserve most of the credit for the win. Garcia lasted only 4 2/3 innings, yielding one earned run off seven hits, fanning five without issuing any walks, but he was even more effective at the plate, going 0-for-2 with an RBI, though his key at-bat came in the crucial bottom of the second.

After Yadier Molina had doubled in Lance Berkman with the game's first run, Nick Punto lined out to third, leaving David Freese on thrid and Molina on second with two outs and Garcia coming to the plate. The 25-year-old lefty sent a hot smash between the legs of Milwaukee third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr., scoring both Freese and Molina, who were off on contact. The play was ruled an fielding error, though the ball never touched Hairston's glove, taking a low hop under it after skidding off the lip of the infield grass. A clean bounce would probably have resulted in Garcia being thrown out at first, ending the inning. The official scorer may have been too hard on Hairston; ruling the play a hit rather than an error would have given Garcia a couple of RBI.

In the fourth, Garcia did manage to get an RBI, on his ground out to short after LaRussa made the unorthodox move of having #8 hitter Punto sacrifice with one out and Freese on second and Molina on first. Punto laid down a perfect bunt to advance the runners to second and third, and Garcia laid the bat on the ball, plating Freese and putting the Cardinals ahead 4-0.

In the fifth, after Garcia had allowed the Brewers to score a run with two out, two aboard and Ryan Braun heading to the dish, LaRussa lifted his starter for reliever Octavio Dotel, who struck out Braun swinging on a series of low, outside sliders.

Matt Holliday

Yadier Molina

From there, the brilliant St. Louis bullpen took over, allowing just two hits the rest of the way. In the series, Cardinal relievers are 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA over 22 2/3 innings, holding Milwaukee batters to a .164 average. The only St. Louis starter to last long enough to record a win is Chris Carpenter, who worked five full innings in the Cardinals' 4-3, game three victory.

Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina each collected three hits, a double and two singles apeice. Holliday drove in a pair of runs, while Molina scored once and drove in one.

Game six is Sunday in Milwaukee, at 4:05 pm EDT. St. Louis sends Edwin Jackson to the mound to face Shaun Marcum in a rematch of game two starters.

American League

Friday was a travel day for the American Leaguers. The best-of-seven championship series resumes Saturday in Arlington, TX, at 8:05 pm EDT. with the Rangers holding a 3-2 edge over the Tigers.

Ellsbury Saves Boston for Now; Cardinals Fly to Within One Game of Braves

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 25, 2011

American League

For most teams, playing a double-header is a little extra work. Staying focused, trying to give 100% through a long day of baseball requires discipline, perseverance and determination. Having to play a twin bill on the road against a potential playoff opponent which just happens to have the best record in the league, with only five days left in the season, requires something more.

Jacoby Ellsbury

And when you've dropped the first game and the second game goes into extra innings with maybe your whole season on the line, it requires a conclusion, and that's exactly what Jacoby Ellsbury provided with a three-run, 14th-inning home run that secured a 7-4 victory over the Yankees to kept Tampa Bay from tying the Red Sox in the wild card standings.

Ellsbury came to the plate just 1-for-6 in the nightcap, with two men aboard and two outs, but ended up 2-for-7 with three RBI, and maybe the biggest hit of Boston's entire season.

In the first game, Ellsbury provided all of Boston's offense, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers and two RBI, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Yankees won, 6-2. Combined with Tampa Bay's 5-2 win over Toronto, Boston's wild card lead had shrunk to a tiny 1/2 game. A loss in the nightcap would have had the Rays and Red Sox in a flat-footed tie with just three games left. Ellsbury's late-night homer at least gave the Red Sox a one game cushion - a little breathing room - as they head to Baltimore for a three game series to close out the regular season.

Tampa Bay will have to contend with the Yankees for the final three games of the season at Tropicana Field in Tampa. The Red Sox dropped three straight to the Orioles, a team that is loose and has nothing to lose, last week in Boston. The Rays dropped three of four to the Yankees last week in New York. Whichever team emerges with the wild card will have earned it.

Edwin Jackson

There is one more team in the race, though the best the LA Angels can do now, after dropping a 6-5 decision to the A's on Sunday, is force a tie. They trail the Red Sox by three games; Tampa by two.

National League

Rafael Furcal

The Cardinals moved to within one game of Atlanta in the NL wild card race, but they're hanging on by a thread and giving their fans heart attacks. After winning Saturday's game with the Cubs with a dramatic two-run rally in the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals only waited until the 8th to take a 3-2 win from Chicago.

Randy Wells and the Cardinals' Edwin Jackson, locked into a pretty heated pitcher's duel. The Cubs only got to Jackson for five hits while the Cardinals got six off Wells, the last one a Rafael Furcal solo home run to right in the bottom of the 8th that snapped a 2-2 tie and led to victory.

Yadier Molina

The Cardinals played from behind most of the game. Jackson, in addition to his seven innings of mound duty (five hits, two walks, two runs, six Ks) drove in the first Cardinal run with a bases loaded sac fly in the 5th that tied the game at one. Starlin Castro singled in Marlon Byrd in the 7th to put the Cubs up, 2-1, but Yadier Molina got the Cardinals back to a tie with a bases empty blast in the bottom of the frame, setting the stage for Furcal's game winner.

With Atlanta losing 3-0 at Washington, the Cardinals are just one game behind the Braves in the wild card chase with three games to play. St. Louis will finish up with three at Houston. The Braves host the Phillies, who've already clinched the NL East, for their last three games. The regular season ends on Wednesday, September 28.

Rangers Score 20 Runs in Win over Twins; Yadier Molina Keeps Cards Tied for First

Players of the Day for Monday, July 25, 2011

American League

Ian Kinsler

When all of their position players are healthy, the Texas Rangers have undoubtedly one of the most potent offensive attacks in the majors. To prove their point, the Rangers knocked out 27 hits in a devastating display of hitting, defeating the visiting Minnesota Twins, 20-7, in the first of a three-game series.

The hits and runs were the most by any major league team this season. Every starting player had at least two hits, except for third baseman Chris Davis, who went 0-for-6.

Playing as DH, Ian Kinsler led the assault from the top of the order, going 4-for-6 with a double, home run, four RBI and two runs. Nelson Cruz and catcher Mike Napoli also collected four hits.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had the most erudite quote, saying, “the first five innings looked like a ZIP code, that will tell you how it went…33354.”

The only innings in which the Rangers did not scare were the 6th and 8th, the latter pitched by Twins' outfielder Michael Cuddyer, though he loaded the bases with one out before setting down the last two Texas batters the Twins needed to face.

The win put the Rangers four games to the good over the Angels in the West. The Twins, who have been trying to get to .500 after a horrible April, remained in fourth place in the tightening Central division, seven game behind the Detroit Tigers.

National League

Yadier Molina

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the fight of their lives for the lead in the NL Central, having to fend off the surprising Pirates, along with the defending division champion Reds and the hard-hitting Brewers.

On Monday night, the Cards did what they do best, bludgeoning the Houston Astros, 10-5, to remained tied with Pittsburgh atop the division. The Pirates dumped Atlanta, 3-1.

Yadier Molina showed off his power stroke, going 3-for-4 with a double and his 8th home run, driving in two runs and scoring three times.

The idle Brewers dropped 1/2 game behind the dual division leaders, while the Reds were stymied by the Mets, 4-2, falling four games off the pace.

STREAKS: Seattle lost their 16th consecutive game, a 10-3 laugher by the Yankees to open a three-game series in New York.

Rodriguez Powers Yanks Past O's; Yadier Molina Paces Cardinals Slaughter of Padres

Players of the Day for Friday, September 17, 2010 American League Even though his team has been in front or close to the top of the AL East all season, the name of Alex Rodriguez hasn't been seen here too often; surprising, since A-Rod is having a very productive season. In the Yankees' 4-3 win at Baltimore Friday, Rodriguez provided all of the offense, with a solo homer in the second inning and a dramatic, two-out, three-run home run in the top of the 9th which erased a 3-1 Oriole lead. With that, and Tampa Bay's 4-3 loss to the Angels, the Yankees resumed control of first place, though only by 1/2 game over the Rays. The home runs were Rodriguez' 24th and 25th of the season, leaving him five short of becoming the first player in major league history to hit 30 or more and drive in 100 or more run in 13 straight seasons. Last year, he had exactly 30 and 100, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs in one inning of the final game of the season. He'll need another dose of drama to get the five more long balls needed, having just 15 games remaining in the regular season. National League Teams vying for the NL West crown may have to rethink their strategies. The two top teams, San Francisco and San Diego, both took losses on Friday, while the Rockies continued to close in from third place. The Giants were shut out by Milwaukee's Randy Wolf, 3-0, while Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Padres, 14-4. Molina delivered four hits in four at-bats, two singles and two doubles, and drove in five runs in the Cardinal rout. It was an explosive offensive performance for a player normally notable for his defense behind the plate. While the two teams ahead of them were stumbling, the Rockies were going about the business of rallying late in the season, getting a 7-5 win over the Dodgers to pull to within 1 1/2 game of the first place Giants. It's the closest the Rockies have been all season. San Diego is in second place, 1/2 game out. Colorado's surge has been sensational. Since August 22nd, they've gone 18-6, but since September 2nd, their record is 12-2. PENNANT NOTES: The Twins and White Sox both lost, so Minnesota remains 9 games in front in the AL Central. Texas lost and the A's beat the Twins, so Texas is back to a 9-game lead in the West. The Phillies and Braves both won, keeping Philadelphia's lead at three games in the NL East. In the Central, the Cardinals still appear to have something left, but despite winning and the Reds losing, still trail Cincy by six. The Cardinals will have to get help from other teams if they hope to catch the Reds, however, as they don't face them head-to-head. Of the 14 games Cincinnati has left to play, only three - against the Padres - are with teams with winning records. The remaining games are against Houston (5) and Milwaukee (6).

Slam Dance: Molina Lifts Cards; Kalish Powers Red Sox

Players of the Day for Monday, September 6, 2010 American League Tampa Bay opened a critical series in Boston on Monday, and with the Yankees losing, 4-3, to the Orioles, the team had a chance to close the gap on the front-running Yanks to 1 1/2 games. Boston, however, had other ideas. The Red Sox took advantage of 10 walks issued by Rays' pitchers and hammered out a 12-5 victory, highlighted by home runs by David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and a grand slam by rookie Ryan Kalish. Already ahead, 7-2, and with a run in off a bases-loaded walk to Jed Lowrie, Kalish took an Andy Sonnanstine offering into Fenway's right field seats, putting the game completely out of reach. Prior to his first career grand slam, Kalish had singled, stole second and scored in the 2nd inning. Afterward, in the 7th, he walked, again stole second base, went to third on a ground out and scored his third run of the game on a sac fly. Boston's win didn't do much for their hopes, even though they picked up a game on both Tampa and New York. They still trail the Yankees by nine games. Tampa Bay remained 2 1/2 behind the Yankees in the AL East. National League It may be too late, but the St. Louis Cardinals may not be through just yet. After sweeping the Reds three straight in the second week of August, the Cards encountered sudden stretch of undistinguished play, going 5-13 and falling eight games behind until taking two of three against the Reds this weekend and beating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Monday. St. Louis broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning with six runs, capped by Yadier Molina's grand slam. Cardinal relievers tried to give the game away, allowing two runs in each of the final two Milwaukee at-bats, but still managed to prevail. Molina's homer was his 6th of the year and the 4 RBI upped his season total to 52, just four short of his career best, 56, in 2007. The Cardinals' win, coupled with Cincinnati's 10-5 loss at Colorado have St. Louis six games back, and only five behind in the loss column. The Reds have two games in hand. PENNANT NOTES: The Padres snapped their 10-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Dodgers, and remained one game to the good over the Giants and 4 1/2 ahead of the Rockies, as both of those teams also won. In the NL East, the Phillies split a double-header with Florida, winning the nightcap, 7-4, after losing the opener, 7-1. With Atlanta dropping their second straight - a 3-1 loss at Pittsburgh - the Phillies have closed the game to a mere 1/2 game. Minnesota retained their 3 1/2 game lead over the White Sox, with a 5-4 win over Kansas City while the Sox beat Detroit by the same score in 10 innings. Jim Thome hit his 585th home run in the Twins' win, one behind Frank Robinson on the career list. Texas has lost four straight, but still lead the A's by seven games in the AL West.