Ryan Zimmerman's Three Homers Lead Nationals; Yovani Gallardo Stops KC

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Grapefruit League

Ryan Zimmerman

Opening Day is less than a week away, so players are making sure to get their best swings in as the exhibition season winds down.

One fellow who got a number of good at-bats on Wednesday was Washington's Ryan Zimmerman, who socked a trio of homers in the Nationals' 11-2 win over Atlanta.

Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with a pair of solo shots and a two-run donk, raising his RBI total to nine in 16 Spring games along with a .308 average.

Washington, NL East champions in 2012, haven't exactly been tearing up the Grapefruit League, tied with the Yankees near the bottom of the standings, at 13-17.

Cactus League

Yovani Gallardo

Somebody had to slow down the runaway KC Royals, so, leave it to one of the top National League hurlers, Yovani Gallardo, to apply the brakes to Kansas City hitters.

Blanking the Royals over the first three innings, Gallardo went on to record his first victory of Spring (against two losses), going 6 1/3 innings, giving up a single earned run on two hits and three walks while fanning two.

The Brewers banged out 16 hits, winning, going away, 9-1.

At 11-17, Milwaukee is still 11 games back of the Cactus League leading Royals, who need only win one more game to claim the exhibition championship, a feat they haven't done in the regular season since the days of George Brett back in 1985, when they won the World Series.

Yankees Win, Rangers Ties Series with Rays; Phillies, Brewers Open Playoffs with Wins

Players of the Day for October 1, 2011

American League Divisional Series

Yankees 9, Tigers 3

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano went 3-for-5 and drove in six runs as the Yankees took the completion of the suspended game from Friday night. Cano doubled in a run to break a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning, then socked a grand slam in the 6th and added another RBI double in the 8th to complete the Yankees' scoring. The Yankees lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

Mike Napoli

Rangers 8, Rays 6

Mike Napoli keyed a five-run 4th inning for the Rangers with a bases loaded single, driving in two runs and scoring later in the inning. The Rangers' catcher also singled in the 6th and scored on Ian Kinsler's 2 RBI double, providing Texas with a cushion to tie the divisional series at 1-1.

Prince Fielder

National League Divisional Series

Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 1

Yovani Gallardo

The Milwaukee Brewers took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series with Arizona as Prince Fielder belted a two-run, 7th-inning homer to break the game open. Brewer starter Yovani Gallardo was the master of the mound, stopping Arizona on four hits and a walk over eight innings, yielding only one run while fanning nine.

Phillies 11, Cardinals 4

Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay was roughed up early, on Lance Berkman's three-run home run in the first inning, but maintained his composure to set down 21 batters in a row after Skip Shumacker led off the second inning with a single. Halladay left the game after working eight innings and picked up the win.

Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard belted a three-run homer in the 6th to put the Phillies ahead for good after the Cardinals had built an early 3-1 lead.

The Phillies lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

Verlander Wins 20th; Danks Keep White Sox in Hunt; Gallardo, Brewers Steaming Toward Playoffs

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 27, 2011

Verlander: 20-5

American League

Justin Verlander became the first pitcher in the majors to reach 20 wins, as the Tigers fought to a 6-4 win over the pesky Minnesota Twins.

Danks: 3-hitter

Not pitching particularly well, Verlander allowed eight hits, three walks and four runs over six full innings, fanning six. His teammates picked him up with two runs in the 7th to snap a 4-4 tie and hold on for the win. Verlander is 20-5; the win kept Detroit 6 1/2 in front of Cleveland and 7 better than Chicago in the AL Central. Verlander is the quickest pitcher to 20 wins since 2002.

The White Sox got the pitching performance of the day from John Danks, who tossed his second complete game and first shutout of the season, a three-hit, 3-0, gem over Seattle, striking out 10 to match his career high.

Danks, who started the season 0-8, has won six of his last seven decisions.

Gallardo: 15-8

National League

Their magic number to capture the NL Central division at 19, the Milwaukee Brewers are cruising into September and on into the playoffs.

Yovani Gallardo improved to 15-8, striking out 10 over seven innings in which he allowed six hits. two walks and no earned runs, leading the Brewers to a 6-4 win over the Cubs.

The Brewers have the best home record in the majors, an astonishing 49-16 and lead the second place Cardinals by 10 1/2 games, the largest lead in any major league division.

Santana's Five RBI Not Enough Against Rangers; Gallardo, Braun Lead Milwaukee Uprising

Players of the Day for Friday, August 5, 2011

American League

Carlos Santana and the Cleveland Indians built a 6-1 lead over the Rangers in just the first two innings of their game at Texas. Unfortunately for them, baseball games generally last nine innings, though in this case, the Rangers eventually emerged victorious in 11.

Santana: 5 RBI

Getting the Indians off to a flying start, Santana socked his 17th home run off Texas starter Derek Holland, a three-run shot in the first inning.

In the second, Santana cranked a double to center field, driving in two more runs as part of a three-run inning, knocking out Holland after just 1 2/3rd innings. A solo homer in the third inning by Shelley Duncan put the Indians up 7-2, but the Rangers eventually came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th on Michael Young's two-run homer and win it in 11, 8-7, when Elvis Andrus scored from second base on Josh Hamilton's infield single.

Santana finished 2-for-4 with five RBI, all in the first two innings of the game. The Cleveland backstop has been on a two-game tear, homering and driving in three runs in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox, but the Indians have been sliding, winning just three of their last ten games and falling four behind Detroit in the AL Central.

Texas managed to hold their one-game lead over the Angels in the West. The Angels have won seven of their last ten.

National League

Gallardo: 13 Wins

The Milwaukee Brewers won for the ninth time in their last 10 games, as Yovani Galardo allowed just one run over eight strong innings, winning his 13th against seven losses in the Brewers' 8-1 romp in Houston.

Braun: .329 BA

Gallardo allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out 6, tying Arizona's Ian Kennedy for second in the NL with 13 wins. Roy Halladay leads the league with 14 victories.

At the plate, Ryan Braun went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles, scoring twice, driving in a run and swiping his 20th base. Braun is challenging for the league batting crown with a .329 average, right behind Jose Reyes of the Mets, who leads, at .336.

The Brewers maintained their three-game bulge over St. Louis in the Central division, which has quickly become a two team affair. The slumping Pirates - losers of eight straight - have fallen eight games off the pace and Cincinnati is 8 1/2 back.

Verlander Throws 2nd Career No-Hitter; Gallardo One-Hits Cards over 8; Ethier Streak Snapped

Players of the Day for Saturday, May 7, 2011

American League

Justin Verlander

It was just one of those days. Betters struggled to make contact as six teams were shut out across the majors.

While shutouts are fine and laudable, no-hitters are gems in the rough, and that's what Justin Verlander had, stifling the Toronto Blue Jays right in their own yard.

Verlander faced the minimum 27 batters, as he was perfect until walking J.P. Arencibia with one out in the 8th inning, but got Edwin Encarnacion to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Needing just 108 pitches - 74 strikes - Verlander finished his second career no hitter by getting Rajai Davis flailing at strike three, his fourth strikeout in the 9-0 Detroit win.

Verlander is just 3-3 on the season, and the Tigers are still scuffling along in 3rd place in the AL Central, seven games off the pace set by Cleveland, but at least for the day, they're on top of the world.

National League

On Friday, the Brewers couldn't touch Jaime Garcia, as the Cardinal lefty was perfect through eight innings, eventually settling for a 2-hit shutout.

Yovani Gallardo

On Saturday, Yovani Gallardo answered the challenge, throwing a no-hitter through seven innings, until Daniel Descalso spoiled it with a single to lead off the eighth. Gallardo finished the frame, then handed the pitching chore over to closer John Axford, who tossed in a perfect 9th for to 4-0 Milwaukee win.

Gallardo (3-2) finished with the one-hitter, allowing four walks and striking out six. He also was fine in the field, starting a 1-6-3 double play that ended the seventh inning.

Needing 118 pitches to get through the 8th inning was apparently enough to set Gallardo down for the ninth. He threw only 69 strikes.


SNAPPED: Andre Ethier fell a game short of tying willie Davis for the longest hitting streak in Dodger history when he wore the collar in an 0-for-4 effort against the Mets. The Dodgers went down to their 4th straight loss, falling to the Mets, 4-2.

Yunel Escobar Smacks 2-Run Shot in 10th; Yovani Gallardo 2-Hits Braves

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 5, 2010

American League

Yunel Escbar

This season's version of the AL East may not be all about the Yankees and the Red Sox. Even the reigning champion Tampa Bay Rays may not be part of the mix come September, partly because they let slip away their best player, Carl Crawford, but also because they've lost other players like Carlos Pena (free agency to the Cubs) and Evan Longoria (injured earlier this week).

The Baltimore Orioles have come out of the running, winning their first four games, but in hot pursuit are the Blue Jays, improving to 3-1 on the season with a 10-inning, 7-6 win over the A's.

Blessed with a solid, though unspectacular pitching staff, the Jays have a wealth of talent scattered through their lineup. One such player is shortstop Yunel Escobar, who came over to the Jays from Atlanta last season and perked up right away, raising his batting average by 37 points (from .238 to .275).

This season, Escobar is batting a brisk .375, and was the star of Tuesday's victory, going 3-for-5, scoring three times, including on his walk-off, two run homer in the 10th inning, to cap Toronto's comeback win.

After battling to a 5-all tie in regulation, the A's took a 6-5 lead on Josh Willingham's solo shot in the top of the 10th, but Escobar ended the game with his first home run of the season, a two-run blast to right off A's reliever Grant Balfour, bringing home Rajai Davis, who had singled to lead off the frame.

National League

Yovani Gallardo

Loaded with power hitters, the Milwaukee Brewers found out that pitching is important as Yovani Gallardo tossed a two-hit, complete game shutout over the Braves for Milwaukee's first win of the season.

Matched up against Derek Lowe, Gallardo proved best - not only on the mound, but at the plate, as he singled and came around to score the game's only run on Ryan Bruan's two-on, two-out single in the third inning.

Gallardo limited the Braves to just two hits and a pair of walks over nine innings for the 1-0 win. He didn't allow anyone past first base, getting help from his teammates, who turned double plays in the first and fourth innings. Gallardo, who had 200 Ks last season, struck out just two batters over the nine innings.

After Dan Uggla singled to lead off the 8th, catcher George Kottaras threw him out attempting to steal second, ending Atlanta's final threat.

In 2010, Gallardo was 14-7 with two shutouts. He's 1-0 after two starts this season with a shutout and an ERA of 1.20

Bautista Batting .396 for Blue Jays; Gallardo Fans 9 in 5 for Brewers

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 26, 2011

American League

Jose Bautista

One of the biggest surprises of the 2010 season was undeniably the home run power produced by the bat of Toronto's Jose Bautista, who led the AL in long balls with 54. Buatista was also 3rd in the AL with 124 RBI.

From the way Toronto's slugging 3rd baseman is stinging the ball this Spring, it appears that last season's exploits were no fluke, but rather the result of a change in stance and approach at the dish. In Saturday's 7-6 win over the Phillies, Bautista went 3-for-4, each of his hits a double, and drove in three runs as the Blue Jays amassed 13 hits.

Always one to get the most out of exhibition games, Bautista has 3 homers and 13 RBi over 17 games, along with a robust batting average of .396.

National League

Yovani Gallardo

It took ten innings for Milwaukee to finally push another run across the plate and knock off the Seattle Mariners, 2-1, but well before that, Seattle batters were baffled by the deliveries from Yovani Gallardo, who didn't get the win, but fanned nine Mariners over the first five innings.

Gallardo allowed just four hits and didn't allow a run and walked only one batter in his fnal tune-up prior to opening day.

In five starts this Spring, Gallardo went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 23 Ks over 18 1-3 innings. The strikeout tally is nothing new for the righty. He punched out 204 batters in 2009 and another 200 in 2010.

Pedroia Homers Three Times to Down Rockies; Gallardo Pitches Second Shutout

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 24, 2010 American League Emerging as the two best divisions in the majors, the AL East and the NL West are tough enough to have four teams each with records above the .500 mark. Two of them squared off in an interleague game Thursday with Boston looking to avoid being swept in Colorado, and they needed extra innings and a three-homer, 5-for-5 effort from Dustin Pedroia to get the job done. Pedroia, the 2008 AL MVP, spent the better part of the night running the bases. In addition to his three round-trippers, he singled and doubled and scored four times. All of his five RBI came on his homers - a solo shot in the 4th and two-run blasts in the 8th and 10th, the last of which sealed the deal for a 13-11 Red Sox win. The Red Sox maintained their position, tied for 2nd place in the division with Tampa Bay, both two games behind the idle Yankees. The Rays downed the Padres, 5-3. With the Dodgers beating the Angels, Colorado dropped into 4th place in the NL West, 4 games behind division leader, San Diego. National League The Milwaukee Brewers have mostly struggled early on, but not starter Yovani Gallardo, who notched his second complete game and second shutout of the season with a 5-hit, 12-K, no walks performance over the Minnesota Twins. Gallardo took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but surrendered a single with one out in the frame. He also aided his own cause with a single and a double in four at-bats, scoring two runs. The 5-0 win capped a three-game sweep of the AL Central front-running Twins and was the 4th straight overall for the home-standing Brewers, who are tied with the Cubs, 8 games back of St. Louis in the NL Central. The victory was Gallardo's 7th against 3 losses, lowering his ERA to a solid 2.36 and the strikeouts giving him the NL lead with 115, two better than San Fran's Tim Lincecum. Streakers: The hottest team in the majors is the Texas Rangers, who won their 11th straight - the longest win streak in MLB this season - with a 6-5 win over the Pirates. The Rangers also have the hottest hitter in either league, Josh Hamilton, who, after taking Wednesday off, returned Thursday with 3 hits, extending his career-best hitting streak to 18 games. Not far behind the Rangers are the Chicgo White Sox, winners of nine in a row, the latest a 2-0 win over NL East leader, Atlanta. Gavin Floyd dueled with the Braves' Derek Lowe for seven innings and did not receive a decision, as Paul Konekero settled matters with a two-run homer in the 8th inning, his 18th of the season.

Gallardo's Homer, Shutout Work Earns W; Hafner Goes Yard Again

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 20, 2010 American League After displaying extraordinary power in his early years, Travis Hafner was injured in 2008 and limited to just 5 home runs, had shoulder surgery prior to the 2009 season and hit just 16 homers last season, but a 3-run blast in Cleveland's 12-4 romp past Oakland raised some eyebrows and hopes that Hafner is fully recovered from shoulder surgery. It was Hafner's second homer of the Spring, and they came in successive games. The Indians sorely need Hafner's big bat. From 2004 through 2007, he averaged 31 homers and 108 RBI. National League Yovani Gallardo earned his second win of the Spring, blanking the Royals on 4 hits over 5 innings. Gallardo walked 2 and struck out three, and lowered his ERA to 2.57 over 14 innings of exhibition work. The Brewers eked out a 1-0 win thanks to Gallardo's solo homer in the 3rd inning. In 2009, Gallardo appeared on the verge of becoming a stopper for the Brewers, going 8-7 with a 3.22 ERA prior to the all star break. However, he tailed off toward the end of the season, as the Brewers fell out of contention. His second half record of 5-5 included a ballooning ERA of 4.56. Gallardo will have to prove he can remain strong for an entire season before he makes the leap to being one of the league's elite throwers.

Pavano Blanks Pale Hose; Gallardo Keeps Brew Crew on Top

Players of the Day for Friday, June 5, 2009 American League Carl Pavano threw his first complete game shutout since 2005, when he was with the NY Yankees, in Cleveland's 6-0 win over the White Sox. Pavano (6-4) allowed just three hits, walking two, while punching out 6 on strikes. The 6'5" righty was an equal-opportunity out-maker, getting 10 batters on grounders and 11 on fly balls. Despite the positive record, Pavano has benefited from teammate support in his wins. His ERA is a gaudy 4.63, and opponents are batting a healthy .276 against him this year, so the shutout effort has to be encouraging to Cleveland fans. The Indians remain in last place in the AL Central, though only 6 games out. The White Sox, who have been shut out in three of their last four games (all losses) are 3 1/2 behind Detroit and 2 back of Minnesota. National League The Milwaukee Brewers took sole possession of first place in the NL Central as the Cardinals lost while the Brewers were smoking the Braves, 4-0, in Atlanta. Yovani Gallardo tossed 8 shutout innings for the Brewers, giving up just 2 hits, walking 4 and striking out 6 for his 6th win of the season against 2 losses. Gallardo's 1.08 WHIP and 2.84 ERA are close to the tops for NL starters, and his steady work on the mound is one of the reasons the Brewers remain in the division hunt. In his last three starts, Gallardo has been special, allowing just one earned run in 21 1/3 innings, while striking out 21 batters. Having missed most of 2008 due to injury, Gallardo is on track for his best season in his short - three year - major league career.