Bruce Chen Blanks Rays; Idle Yanks Take Lead; Padres Stay Alive

Players of the Day for Friday, October 1, 2010

American League

In Kansas City, nothing was conceded as the Royals took their second straight game from the Tampa Bay Rays, sending them to their third straight loss and vaulting the Yankees into first place in the AL East.

Bruce Chen twirled a dazzling two-hitter against the feckless Rays, who never threatened to score, getting only a double from B.J. Upton and a bunt single by Sean Rodriguez as the Royals cruised to the 7-0 win.

Chen, who didn't allow a hit until Rodriguez's bunt single in the third inning, fanned five of the first eight batters he faced, walked two overall and retired the final six batters in order.

Nibbling at the corners, Chen threw just 67 of his 104 pitches for strikes, improving to 12-7 for the last place Royals.

The standings obviously don't matter to the Royals, as they play out the string against the Rays, already qualified for the playoffs, but still battling with the Yankees for the choice between winning the AL East and going to the post-season as the wild card.

Boston was deluged with rain, forcing Friday's contest with the Yankees into postponement. The two will play a day-night double-header at Fenway on Saturday, the first game at 4:10, the second scheduled to start at the unusual time of 9:05 pm.

New York leads Tampa in the standings by 1/2 game, with three left to play. Tampa Bay has one more loss than the Yankees, but only two games remaining.

National League

San Diego lives to play another day.

Adrian Gonzalez clubbed a three-run homer in the top of the 3rd inning off Giants' starter Matt Cain, and the Padres used five relievers to hold off San Francisco for a season-extending, 6-4 win.

The home run was Gonzalez's 31st of the season and his 3 ribbies gave him 101 for the year, the third time in the last four seasons in which he's topped 100 RBI. Last year, the Padres' first baseman finished with 99. He's hit 30 or more homers in four consecutive seasons.

Winning the opener of their three-game series in San Francisco kept the Padres alive in the division. The Giants need to win either Saturday or Sunday to clinch the division, but the Padres plan to win all three games and force a playoff.

San Diego also clawed closer to Atlanta in the wild card race, as the Braves were pummeled by the Phillies, 11-5, and hold a slim, one-game lead over San Diego.

Bautista Making MVP Case; Phillips, Reds Ready to Roll into Playoffs

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 30, 2010

American League

As a team, the Toronto Blue Jays have hit 253 home runs, the fourth-highest total by a team in major league history, and still have a shot to tie or break the record set by the 1997 Seatle Mariners of 264.

The trouble is, their remaining games are being played at spacious Target Field in Minnesota, which has quickly become known as the place where long fly balls go to die. That didn't seem to have an effect on the thundering Blue Jays Thursday night, when they sent six balls out of the park, including two by AL and major league home run leader, Jose Bautista.

Bautista may have cemented himself a 2010 MVP award with a 7th inning grand slam and a 9th inning solo shot to right field, the first opposite field home run of his career. That gave Bautista 54 on the year, quite an accomplishment in the post-steroid era, and 124 RBI, second only to Miguel Cabrera's 126 in the AL.

The Jays pounded the Twins, 13-2, in the first of four games which will conclude the season. The fact that the Twins have already secured the AL Central crown could work to Toronto's advantage as Minnesota will probably empty their bullpen in the remaining three games, meaning that Toronto batters should be swinging for the fences this weekend.

National League

The Cincinnati Reds have a few more days in which to loosen up and get their players ready for the post season.

From all appearances, they're loose and ready, after knocking off the Astros, 9-1, on Thursday night.

Brandon Phillips is surely showing signs that he's geared up for the post-season, as the spunky second baseman slugged a two-run homer, singled in another run and stole a base in the Reds' win.

The home run was Phillips' 18th of the year, to go with 16 steals. He finished the night, 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and scored a run.

PENNANT NOTES: San Francisco took another step closer to winning the NL West with a 4-1 win over Arizona, while the Padres took a heart-breaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Cubs, falling three games behind the Giants and ensuring the best they could do is tie for the division lead.

To do so, they'll have to win all of their remaining games, which just happen to be the three they're playing in San Francisco this weekend. The Giants can clinch the division by winning any one of the game, beginning Friday night.

The Padres risk missing the playoffs altogether, as they are two games behind the Braves in the wild card race. Atlanta hosts Philadephia in a three-game, regular season-ending series starting Friday.

A-Rod Gets His 30; Lincecum Brilliant as Giants Approach Pennant

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 29, 2010

American League

The Yankees lost, 8-4, at Toronto, and Alex Rodriguez only had one hit in five at-bats, but it was the accomplishment that mattered. The lone hit by A-Rod happened to be his 30th home run of the season, a 6th-inning solo blast to left, making him the only player ever to hit at least 30 homers and drive in at least 100 runs for 13 consecutive seasons.

He also tied Barry Bonds for the most seasons with 30 homers at 14. The pair are right behind Hammerin' Hank Aaron, who holds the all-time record with 15 seasons with 30 or more dingers.

The accomplishment was somewhat in doubt just a week ago, when Rodriguez was stock on 25, but he smacked five in his last six games to reach the historic milestone. His 123 RBI are second-most in the American League, behind Detroit's Miguel Cabrera's 126.

The Yankees' loss was somewhat inconsequential, as they remained 1/2 game behind the Rays, 2-0 losers to Baltimore, though the Yankees would certainly like to take the division, ensuring home field for at least the first playoff round.

Both the Yankees and Rays have already qualified for the playoffs. The only thing left to determine is which team takes the division and which will be the wild card. They are currently locked in a battle for the best record in the league with Minnesota. The Rays are 94-64; the Yankees, 94-65; Minnesota's record is 93-65. One game separates all three.

National League

Tim Lincecum struck out 11 Diamondback batters, crafting a 3-1 win for the Giants as he improved to 16-10 on the season. The win kept the Giants two games in front of the Padres, 3-0 winners over the Cubs.

After giving up a first-inning run on steven Drew's leadoff homer, Lincecum kept Arizona off the scoreboard the rest of the night, allowing six hits and four walks in seven innings. Brian Wilson worked the 9th, giving up one hit, for his 47th save, tops in the majors. San Diego's Heath Bell is second with 45.

With just four games left to be played, the Giants are in the driver's seat for the NL West crown. San Diego trails Atlanta in the wild card by 1 1/2 games. Atlanta, winners of three straight, has only three games left, but they are all with the Phillies, who have already clinched the East.

Should the Padres miss the playoffs, it will be a monumental collapse for the team that led the NL west for most of the season, but fell apart in late August, embarking on a ten-game losing streak that extended into the first week of September and allowed the Giants to gain.

The Padres and Giants exchanged the lead a number of times down the stretch, but the Giants have wrested control with outstanding pitching and timely hitting.

The Giants play Arizona again on Thursday while the Padres host the Cubs in their series finale. The two teams will decide the NL West in a 3-game series beginning Friday in San Francisco.

Price Blanks Baltimore, Rays, Yanks Clinch; Bruce Walks-off Astros, Igniting Celebration in Cincy

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 28, 2010

American League

David Price hurled eight innings of shutout ball at the Baltimore Orioles, assuring the Tampa Bay Rays of a spot in the 2010 playoffs with a 5-0 win at Tropicana Field.

Scattering six hits, Price fanned eight while his teammates scored single runs in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, and two in the 5th. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena hit solo homers for the Rays who will be making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2008, when they won the AL East by two games over Boston and advanced to the first World Series in the history of the franchise, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

The win was the 19th for Price, against 6 losses. He threw 113 pitches, 81 of them for strikes.

In Toronto, the Yankees also clinched a playoff berth, as C.C. Sabathia worked a three-hitter for 8 1/3 innings in New York's 6-1 win over the Blue Jays. Sabathia fanned eight and allowed one earned run, improving his record to 21-7.

The Yankees trail Tampa Bay by 1/2 game in the division. New York has four games left to play while the Rays have five remaining. The wins by the top two teams in the division eliminated the Red Sox from post-season contention. Boston lost to the White Sox, 5-4, finally giving up on their slight chances.

National League

Jay Bruce's 9th inning, leadoff home run sparked a celebration in Cincinnati as the Reds downed the Houston Astros, 3-2, clinching the NL Central for the Reds.

Brandon Phillips singled in Orlando Cabrera to tie the game at two in the 6th inning. The two teams battled scorelessly into the 9th until Bruce's heroic shot over the center field wall.

It's the first time the Reds have reached the playoffs since 1995, when Marge Schott owned and badly mismanaged the team. The futility of fifteen years were suddenly wiped away with one swing of Bruce's bat.

Who the Reds will play in the opening round of the playoffs is still up in the air. The Giants took a two-game lead in the NL West with a 4-2 win over Arizona, while the Cubs dropped the Padres, 5-2 in San Diego.

Atlanta holds a 1 1/2 game lead over the Padres in the wild card chase. The Braves have four more games to play, three of them hosting the Phillies - who've already clinched the NL East with the best record in the league - this weekend. The final series of the regular season opens Friday night. Atlanta has one more game with Florida on Wednesday and a day off Thursday.

The Padres face the Cubs twice more at Petco Park before heading up the coast to play the Giants in a final, three-game series that will decide the champion of the NL West. The Giants play Arizona Wednesday and Thursday prior to the climactic showdown.