Gerrit Cole, Jordan Alvarez Lead Houston to 22-1 Blowout of Mariners; Jack Flaherty Rolls, Cardinals Slash Pirates, 2-0

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 8, 2019

American League

Cole fans 15

Gerrit Cole allowed one hit and struck out 15, and the Houston Astros exploded for 22 hits in a 21-1 blowout of the Seattle Mariners.

Alvarez: 3 doubles, 6 RBI

Cole, 16-5, was perfect except for a second-inning solo homer by Shed Long. He did not walk anyone and threw 68 of 96 pitches for strikes, getting first pitch strikes on 18 of the 25 batters he faced. In his last 18 starts, he's 12-0, dating back to May 27. His strikeout total grew to 281, which leads the majors.

On the offensive side, Houston rang up 11 doubles, three of them by rookie Yordan Alvarez, who went 4-for-6 and drove in six runs. Alvarez is a big-time candidate for rookie of the year in the AL, batting .314 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI in just 258 at-bats.

Houston is 16-1 against the Mariners this season and have won 11 straight head-to-head. The season series closes out on September 24-25, with two games in Seattle.

Looking to wrap up their third straight LA West title, Houston holds a 9 1/2-game bulge on Oakland. The A's arrive in Houston Monday for a four-game series against the Astros. Game one starts at 8:10 pm ET.

National League

Flaherty blanks Pirates

Extending his scoreless streak to 18 innings, Cardinals' hurler, Jack Flaherty, delivered eight innings of shutout ball in a 2-0 St. Louis win at Pittsburgh, taking two of three from the Pirates in their final head-to-head series of the season.

Flaherty allowed five hits and one walk, hit a batter, and was picked off first base after a successful bunt advanced runners to second and third bases. He fanned 10 for the third time this season.

While his base-running might have been questionable, Flaherty's pitching was outstanding, a trait developing over his last eight starts, dating back to August first. Over that span, he's 6-1, with an ERA of 0.50, having worked 54 innings and given up just three earned runs. His scoreless streak dates back to August 28, when he finished a six-inning stint with a pair of goose eggs in a 4-1 loss to Milwaukee.

On September 3, he gave up one hit to the Giants over eight innings in a 1-0 St. Louis victory.

Combined with the Cubs' 8-5 loss at Milwaukee, the Cardinals have opened up a 4 1/2-game lead in the Central division, which, until a few weeks ago, had been a see-saw battle between St. Louis, Chicago, and the Brewers. Milwaukee is 6 1/2 back in the division and tied with the Phillies, two behind Chicago for the second wild card. Arizona is only 1 1/2 behind the Cubs.

Since August 18, the Cardinals are 17-5, while the Cubs and Brewers have not been able to keep pace. After a day off Monday, St. Louis opens a three-game series in Colorado with the Rockies.

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.

Rookie Yordan Alvarez Leads Houston Rout Of O's; Reds' Aristides Aquino Powers Reds Over Cubs

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 10, 2019

American League

Aquino: 3-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI

Recently, the Houston Astros had been bolstering its pitching staff, adding Zack Greinke, Aaron Sanchez, and others, comfortable in the belief that they needed no extra bats.

That concept was verified on Saturday, when the Astros teed off on Baltimore pitchers for 25 hits in a 23-2 wipeout.

Sanchez picked up his second win in a Houston uniform, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. Meanwhile, the Astros' regulars were building a ridiculous lead, scoring nine times in the first three innings, eventually scoring in every inning except the fourth and eighth.

At the peak of Houston's batting barrage was rookie first baseman, Yordan Alvarez, who socked a trio of home runs, including a seventh inning grand slam.

Alvarez totaled seven RBI for the game with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run blast in the ninth. He also walked and scored in the fifth.

This offensive explosion by the 22-year-old was not exactly unexpected. Alvarez has been a hitting machine since being called up in early June. In just 167 at-bats, Alvarez has socked 17 home runs and driven in 51 runs. His batting average is a stratospheric .353. 31 of his 59 hits have been for extra bases.

Houston, winners of eight straight, will be seeking a sweep of the Orioles when they take the field Sunday, 1:05 pm ET. At 77-40, the Astros have the best record in the majors and lead the AL West by 11 games over Oakland.

National League

Aquino: record-setting start

Cincinnati has been a second-tier team nearly all season, hanging at or near the bottom of the NL Central.

Recently, however, the Reds have caught a little fire, going 10-4, including two straight over the division-leading Cubs.

Opening the home series with a 12-5 loss, the Reds battled to a 5-2 win on Friday and dominated Chicago, 10-1, on Saturday.

Although their record is 56-59, the Reds find themselves just six games back in the division, which is certainly the most competitive in the majors.

Saturday's win was fueled by Aristides Aquino's personal home run derby, as the rookie outfielder swatted three solo home runs, one each in the second, third and fourth innings.

The first two belts were laser shots to left - 344 and 385 feet, respectively - but his fourth inning rip was a no-doubter, measuring 452 feet over the center field wall at Great American Ball Park.

Aquino became just the second player in MLB history to homer seven times in his first ten games, tying Trevor Story's record with the Rockies in 2016.

Aquino also joined Eric Davis as the only Cincinnati rookie to homer in four straight games. Davis did it in 1984. Aquino wears the same number as Davis, 44. At 6'4, 220, Aquino is an imposing figure at the plate. He's batting .464 (10-for-28), with 13 RBI.

The Reds will try to maintain their momentum when the wrap up the four-game series with the Cubs on Sunday. Game time is 1:10 pm ET.