Gio Gonzalez Wins 19th as Nats Close in on NL East Crown; Alex Rios leads White Sox over Tigers

Players of the Day for Monday, September 10, 2012

American League

While the Orioles, Rays and Yankees took a day off from the torrid AL East race, the two leaders in the Central opened a head-to-head series in Chicago, with the White Sox taking game one of the critical four-game set by a 6-1 score.

Alex Rios

Starting pitcher Jose Quintana scattered seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, allowing the Tigers their only run of the game in the second inning and Alex Rios continued his outstanding season, driving in three runs with his 23rd homer as the White Sox exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Rios added a double and finished the game 2-for-4, upping his average to a solid .294. He's also closing in on his personal best for RBI with 85. He drove in 88 for the Sox in 2010.

The win increased Chicago's lead to three games over Detroit in the division. The Tigers are in danger of missing the playoffs completely, as they trail the A's, O's, Rays and Angels in the wild card race. They are a full seven games behind the A's, who lead all wild card hopefuls, and five behind the Orioles for the second spot.

he series resumes Tuesday night in Chicago at 8:10 pm EDT.

Gonzalez: 19-7

National League

Gio Gonzalez became the first pitcher to reach 19 wins, allowing just three hits over six innings as the Nationals defeated the Mets, 5-1, at Citi Field in New York.

Crafty as ever, Gonzalez surrendered five walks and worked out out of situations with men aboard in four of his six innings, the only Mets' run coming on a leadoff homer by Scott Hairston in the fourth, though by then, the Nats had already put five runs on the board.

Gonzalez fanned six as he improved to 19-7 with a 2.93 ERA, making a strong bid for the Cy Young award in the National League.

Coupled with Atlanta's 4-1 loss in Milwaukee, the Washington lead in the East is back to 6 1/2 games over the Braves. With 20 games left on their schedule, the Nationals' magic number is 15.

Curtis Granderson Puts Yankees Back on Top; B.J. Upton, James Shields Help Rays Keep Pace; Ricky Nolasco Blanks Nationals

Players of the Day for Sunday, September 9, 2012

American League

Curtis Granderson

The concluding game of the four game Yankees-Orioles series went all one way - to the Yankees - courtesy of Curtis Granderson, who entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter for Andruw Jones and promptly delivered a solo homer, upping the New York lead from 5-3 to 6-3.

After belting his 35th home run of the season, Granderson singled home a pair in the seventh and doubled in two more, helping the Yanks to a 13-3 win and a one game lead over the Orioles in the AL East, going 3-for-3 with five RBI.

Upton: 3HR

As the Yanks and O's were beating each others brains in, splitting the four games, Tampa Bay was keeping up, taking two of three from the Rangers, culminating in a complete game shutout by James Shields, who had complete control over one of the best-hitting teams in the majors, blanking Texas on two hits.

Shields: 2-hit shutout

Shields (14-8) fanned eight and didn't issue any walks, needing just 101 pitches (71 strikes) to put down the Rangers.

B.J. Upton provided half of the Rays' offense in the 6-0 win, belting a trio of solo home runs, with one each in the first, fourth and sixth innings. Upton has 21 homers on the season.

The result left the Rays very much in the hunt for both the wild card and the AL East pennant, two back of the Yankees and one behind the Orioles in the division. The wild card has evolved into a four-team scramble for the two spots, with Oakland leading the chase and Baltimore, Tampa Bay and the LA Angeles all within 2 1/2 games, setting up what should prove to be an epic struggle through the final three weeks of the regular season. Texas leads the A's by just 3 1/2 in the West, while the White Sox hold a two game bulge over the Tigers in the Central.

National League

Washington's gallop to the NL East pennant was slowed over the weekend by the Miami Marlins, who took two of three from the Nats in the nation's capitol.

Ricky Nolasco

The rubber game of the series was all Miami, as Ricky Nolasco evened his record at 12-12 with a four-hit shutout, the Marlins getting some spoiler revenge in an 8-0 whitewash.

Nibbling at the corners throughout the game, Nolasco threw 82 of 101 pitches for strikes, struck out six and issued one walk. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. No Washington runner made it past second base.

The Nationals' loss was offset by Atlanta's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Mets, Brian McCann's sac fly in the top of the 10th providing the difference as the Braves swept three from the Nets in New York and extended Atlanta's win streak to five.

That left the Braves just 5 1/2 behind Washington in the East division, and the clear leader - by 5 1/2 over St. Louis - for the first wild card spot.

Lew Ford, J.J. Hardy Pace Orioles; Atlanta Wins 4th Straight on Brian McCann's 4 RBI

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 8, 2012

American League

The huge weekend series between the Orioles and Yankees has taken on epic proportions, as the New Yorkers try desperately to stave off the late-season charge of Baltimore.

Lew Ford

After the O's tied New York for the AL East lead on Thursday, the Yankees forged a one-game edge with an 8-5 win on Friday.

Saturday's game went to the Orioles, by a 5-4 score as J.J. Hardy and Lew Ford both homered and went 2-for-4 with two RBI, as the O;s turned back Yankee ace, C.C. Sabathia.

Ford was in to replace Nick Markakis, who left in the fifth inning with a broken thumb after being hit by a Sabathia pitch. He is expected to miss six weeks.

The win put the O's and Yanks back into a flat-footed tie for first place in the division. The fourth and final game of the series is slated for Saturday afternoon at 1:35 pm at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Brian McCann

National League

Atlanta continues to win, and, with their 11-3 victory over the Mets at Citi Field in New York, hold a 5 1/2 game lead over St. Louis for the #1 wild card spot.

Catcher Brian McCann, a key cog in the Atlanta machinery, went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, two singles, three runs and four RBI to pace the Braves.

The homer, a two-run, fifth inning blast, was McCann's 18th on the year.

Winners of four straight, the Braes will be looking for the sweep of their three game series with the Mets, sunday afternoon.

Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds Bomb Yanks, Baltimore Ties for AL East Lead; Kurt Suzuki Leads Nats to 5th Straight Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 6, 2012

American League

The Yankees are stumbling. The Orioles are soaring.

Since August 24, the O's have put together a 10-4 record. The Yankees have been not so hot, going 5-8 over the same period, right after being swept by the White Sox in a three-game series at Chicago.

Beginning a four-game series in Baltimore with a slim, one game lead in the AL East, the Yankees were trying desperately to hold off the charging Orioles and retain their edge, which back on July 18 was a ten game bulge.

It didn't happen. Before a sellout crowd at Camden Yards, on a night honoring hall of famer Cal Ripken Jr., the Orioles smashed six homers in a 10-6 win to tie the Yankees for first place in the division.

Adam Jones

Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds, who has been on a breathtaking tear of late, were the chief antagonists. Weiters got the Orioles on the board quickly, socking a three-run blast in the first inning as Baltimore put up a four-spot after Jones had singled home J.J. Hardy.

Mark Reynolds

In the sixth, Reynolds hit the first of two homers, putting the O's up, 6-1, but the Yanks rallied to tie the game with five runs in the top of the eighth.

Responding in the bottom of the frame, Jones belted a solo shot, Wieters singled and came home on Reynolds' two-run blast and Chris Davis completed the scoring with a solo bomb to right.

Reynolds has hit eight homers in his last seven games and driven in 16 runs as the O's have run down the Yanks.

Matt Wieters

Baltimore has taken three of the last four head-to-head with the Yankees, taking two of three last weekend in New York and there are three games at Camden Yards yet to play this weekend.

The Yankees are walking wounded. Mark Teixeira has been out of the lineup since August 27, nursing a sore left calf, though not on the disabled list. He could return this weekend. Starting pitchers Ivan Nova and Andy Pettitte are also currently out with injuries. Regular outfielder Brett Gardner was lost for the season since April, as was closer Mariano Rivera.

Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup September 3rd after missing 45 games with a broken wrist. He's gone 4-for-16, but has only driven in one run.

Age and injuries are catching up to the Yankees, and the youthful Orioles - and Tampa Bay, just two games back - are taking full advantage.


National League

On Thursday, Atlanta took its second straight 1-0 game from Colorado, winning three of four in the series, but they can't make up any ground on the Nationals, as Washington took four straight from the Cubs, completing the series sweep with a 9-2 victory that left them up 7 1/2 up on the Braves in the NL East.

Kurt Suzuki

The Nats outscored the Cubs, 31-9, over the four games, getting a boost from catcher Kurt Suzuki in the finale. Suzuki went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, two singles and scored twice.

It was the fifth straight win for Washington, which continues with the best record in the majors, at 85-52, 2 1/2 games better than Central division leader, Cincinnati. If the Nats and Reds finish in that order, the result could mean home field advantage should the top two teams meet in the NL Championship series.

The Nationals open a three-game series with the Marlins on Friday. 15-6 Stephen Strasburg has been penciled in as the starter for Washington, in what could be his final start of the season. The controversial plan to sit the young ace after 160 to 170 innings is on the cusp of completion. Strasburg enters Friday's contest having thrown 156 1/3 innings.

Nationals' management has maintained all along that Strasburg would be shut down for the season at some point whether the team was in a pennant race or not, but has not disclosed exactly when the star would see the mound for the last time.

There is speculation that the Nationals, with their commanding lead in the division, might hedge their position a bit, having Strasburg skip a start or two down the stretch, saving him for the post-season. Players, fans, broadcasters and other managers have been critical of the innings limit, but the Washington front office has been steadfast in their commitment to shut the hurler down at some point.

The situation could become a lot more interesting Friday night, especially if Strasburg goes six innings or more.