Abreu Shines in Leadoff Role; Schumaker Slams on Reds

Players of the Day for Monday, August 9, 2010 American League While it appears that the LA Angels aren't going to win their 4th straight AL West title, it doesn't mean that the players stop playing. After falling below .500 - a rare sight for the Angels so late in a season - manager Mike Scioscia juggled his lineup, putting Bobby Abreu in the leadoff spot. Abreu responded with hits in his first three at-bats in the Angels' 6-4 win at Kansas City. Leading off the game by ripping a single to right, Abreu came around to score the Angels' first run, then followed up with a two-run double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the 4th, going 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and two runs. The win got the Angels back to even, at 57-57, though they still trail the Texas Rangers by 8 1/2 games and are 1/2 game behind the A's. National League Not known for his power, Cardinals' second baseman Skip Schumaker delivered what may be the biggest blow of the season as the Reds and Cardinals met in the first of three games which may decide the outcome of the NL Central division. Schumaker arrived to the plate with the bases chock full of Cardinals in the 4th inning. With two runs already in, and Cincinnati still scoreless, the Cards were looking for more and got plenty when Schumaker launched his 4th homer of the season, a grand slam that put the Cardinals up 6-0 and essentially won the game. Albert Pujols drove in the final run of the inning and the last of the game for the Cardinals as they cruised, behind the pitching of Chris Carpenter (13-3) to a 7-3 win, pulling themselves to within one game of the division-leading Reds. Schumaker also singled, to go 2-for-4 on the night. The series resumes Tuesday in Cincinnati, where another Cardinal win would get the Cardinals back into first place by mere percentage points. Wednesday's series finale will be critical for the Reds as they send Brendan Arroyo to the mound against the Cardinals' most consistent pitcher this season, Adam Wainwright.

Brandon Morrow Fans 17 in 1-Hit Effort; Votto Clubs 28th to Lead Reds Sweep of Cubs

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 8, 2010 American League This season, the Toronto Blue Jays have been noted as the team most likely to bludgeon another into submission via the long ball, but yesterday, starting pitcher Brandon Morrow showed Blue Jay fans that there are other ways to win ball games, specifically, by throwing a no-hitter for 9 2/3 innings, striking out 17 batters and generally overpowering the opposing batters at the point of attack. Morrow was brilliant, improving his record to 9-6, but may come up a little arm-weary in his next outing, as he threw 136 pitches to record what ended up being the first shutout and complete game of his four-year major league career, though most of the first three were spent primarily as a reliever. The Jays scored a single run in the bottom of the first inning and Morrow made it stand up, fanning each of the Toronto starters at least once, most twice, and Carl Crawford three times in the 1-0 win which completed a three-game sweep of the second place Rays. With the Yankees beating Boston, 7-2, the loss dropped Tampa Bay 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees, with Boston seven back and the Jays 10 1/2 behind the front runners. Morrow's 17 Ks were the most by a pitcher this season and the most by a Blue Jays pitcher since Roger Clemons set the club record by fanning 18 Kansas City Royals on August 25, 1998. Evan Longoria broke up Morrow's no-hit biiiiiid with a ground ball up the middle which infielder Aaron Hill knocked down but could not make a play on. Unfazed, Morrow - after a short visit from Jays' manager Cito Gaston - proceeded to finish the game by striking out Dan Johnson. National League The Cincinnati Reds are just clobbering the ball. Finishing up a three-game sweep of the struggling Cubs with Sunday's 11-3 battering, the Reds have opened up a two-game lead on St. Louis in the NL Central and may prove difficult to catch down the stretch. In Sunday's game, Joey Votto was once again at the heart of the offensive attack, going 2-for-4, with a double and his 28th home run of the season, leaving him two behind NL leader Adam Dunn and tied with Albert Pujols. Votto's 4 RBI gave him 75 on the year, putting him in 4th position in that department. Pujols leads the league with 82, followed by injured Ryan Howard's 81 and the Mets' David Wright, who has 77. The Reds have won four straight and will have the opportunity to defend their division lead or expand it when they host the Cardinals in a three-game series beginning Monday night.

Arencibia Smacks Two Homers in MLB Debut; Tim Hudson Shuts Down Giants

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 7, 2010 American League Normally, the Tampa Bay Rays rely on solid starting pitching to keep games close, but they're not having much success with the normal script against the homer-happy Toronto Blue Jays. After losing the first of their three-game series, 2-1, on Friday, the Jays got back to slugging their way to wins on Saturday in a 17-11 mash-fest which saw a total of eight Blue Jay round-trippers, six of them hit off Tampa starter James Shields, who lasted just four innings. Toronto banged out 20 hits total and scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings. Jose Bautista hit his 34th of the season to lead the majors, Aaron Hill blasted two, driving in four runs, but the show belonged to rookie catcher, J.P. Arencibia, who, playing in his first major league game, went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, a single and a double, three RBI and three runs. Arencibia homered in his first at-bat in the second inning, doubled in the 3rd, singled and scored in the 5th, and capped off his debut with a solo homer in the 6th. The rookie was called up from AAA Las Vegas on Wednesday. Toronto may not make the post-season, but they're having a blast leading the majors with 175 home runs. Their second straight win over the Rays, dropped Tampa Bay 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. Toronto is 10 1/2 back. National League The Braves continue to hold onto first place in the NL East through a combination of good pitching, timely hitting and general scrappiness. Since it's manager Bobby Cox's final year, the players have a commitment to give him 100% effort and make the 2010 season a memorable one. Exemplifying the Atlanta attitude is pitcher Tim Hudson, who is having his best season since coming over to the Braves from Oakland in 2005. Hudson shut out the Giants over 8 innings Saturday on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 6, in a 3-0 win, allowing the Braves to double their precarious lead over the Phillies in the division to two games. Improving to 13-5 for the season, Hudson's ERA dipped to 2.24 and his WHIP is a very solid 1.10. Billy Wagner came on in the 9th and struck out the side for his 27th save.

Cliff Lee Drops A's; Wainwright Shuts Out Marlins on Two Hits

Players of the Day for Friday, August 6, 2010 American League When the Texas Rangers snatched up Cliff Lee from the Mariners a month ago, there was nobody who thought the move might backfire on the AL West leaders. Even when he bombed in his Texas debut - a 6-1 complete game loss to the lowly Orioles - there was nary a negative word and no skeptics to be found. That's because the Rangers did make the right move. Since his nine-inning debacle against the O's, Lee has taken the mound five more times, chewed up 42 1/3 innings, allowed 10 runs (for a 2.13 ERA), struck out 35, collecting two wins and a loss in the process. The Rangers have won three of the five games he started, including Friday's 5-1 win over the A's. Oakland has moved into second place past the sliding Angels, but they're still not making up ground on the Rangers. Lee snuffed out their post-season hopes on seven hits over eight innings, fanning eight, to take the first of the three-game series in Oakland and drop the A's 9 1/2 back. With Lee cementing an already-solid staff, the race for the AL West flag appears to be over. If Oakland can't win both of the remaining games in this series, they'll allow the Rangers to get out of town with either a 9 1/2 or 10 1/2 game lead, and, with just over 50 games left on the schedule, would have to hope for a pretty complete collapse in Texas. It's not going to happen. Crown the Rangers kings of the West. National League There are those who believe Ubaldo Jimenez is the best pitcher in the National League, but this season's Cy Young award is probably going to belong to the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright. After blowing away the Florida Marlins, 7-0, for his 5th complete game and second shutout this season, Wainwright's record stands at 16-6, as he appears to be well on his way to his first 20-win season (19-8 in 2009). Wainwright shut down the Marlins on two hits and three walks, while striking out seven, getting 11 more outs on grounders and seven on fly balls. The win kept the Cardinals a 1/2-game behind the Reds, who continue to paralyze the NL Central. As far as post-season awards are concerned, Wainwright has the credentials in all the important categories. His 2.07 is second among starters, the 1.00 WHIP is also second (by .01 to Matt Latos of the Padres), He's third in strikeouts with 154 and his 16 wins are just one behind Colorado's Jimenez. Only Philadelphia's Roy Halladay has more innings, shutouts or complete games. Wainwright's keeping good company and he's kept the Cardinals in the hunt all season.