Jameson Taillon Tosses 1-Hitter As Pirates Thump Reds; Shohei Ohtani Fans 12 In Angels' Win

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 8, 2018

American League

Mike Trout and Ryan Shrimpf socked solo home runs, and Shohei Ohtani improved to 2-0, blanking the Athletics on one hit over seven full innings en route to a 6-1 win.

Ohtani: 7 IP, 1H, 0ER, 12K

Ohtani, the widely-hyped, 23-year-old rookie from Oshu, Jpana, had a perfect game going over the first six innings, but Marcus Semien’s one-out single in the seventh ended the no-hit bid. After walking the next batter, Jed Lowrie, Ohtani finished up the inning by getting Khris Davis on a comebacker to the mound and striking out Matt Olson for his 12th K of the afternoon.

Already up 6-0, manager Mike Scioscia went to his bullpen. Blake Wood tossed a scoreless eighth and Felix Pena allowed a meaningless run n the ninth.

In two starts - both against the A's - Ohtani has two wins, no losses, 18 strikeouts, and is living up to the advance billing.

The Angels kept pace with division-leading Houston, trailing the Astros by a game in the AL West at 7-3.

Hitting the road Monday, the Angels travel to Texas for a three-game series with the Rangers. Game one starts at 8:05 pm EDT.

Taillon: 1-hit Shutout

National League

Swashbuckling their way through the early schedule, the Pittsburgh Pirates finished up their four-game series with the visiting Reds on Sunday on a one-hitter by starter, Jameson Taillon, who went the distance for his first major league shutout in a 5-0 victory.

Taillon stymied the Reds throughout, the only hit an ironic third inning single by opposing starter Tyler Mahle. Otherwise, Taillon was spectacular in his second start and second win of the season, hitting a batter - Alejandro Suarez - in the fifth and walking a pair while striking out seven.

Throwing 110 pitches, Taillon had exceptional control, with 67 of his throws for strikes.

In his third season with the Pirates, the 6'5" 25-year-old has a positive career mark of 15-11 with a 3.82 ERA.

Pittsburgh continues to dazzle opponents, improving to 7-2, taking three of four from the Reds. They lead the Cubs by two games in the NL Central and will try to put some distance between themselves and the reigning division champs when they travel to Chicago for a three game series with the Cubs, starting Monday at 2:20pm EDT.

Phillies Hammer Marlins, 20-1, As Maikel Franco Drives in 6; Xander Bogaerts Leads Red Sox To 7th Straight Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 7, 2018

American League

Bogaerts: GS, 6 RBI

After the Rays scored two runs in the top of the first, the Red Sox responded with four of their own, highlighted by Xander Bogaerts two-run double to take an early lead.

In the second, Bogaerts put another ball out of reach, mashing a grand slam to left-center, putting Boston up for good in their 10-3 rout at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox won their seventh straight after opening the regular season with a loss and lead the AL East by 2 1/2 games over the Yankees and Blue Jays.

Bogaerts tally of six RBI left him one shy of the AL lead, with 10. Toronto's Justin Smoak and the Yankees' Didi Gregorius each have driven in 11 runs.

For Tampa Bay, their losing streak equals Boston's winning skein as Tampa Bay won their home opener against Boston, but has lost every game since, including two at Yankee Stadium earlier in the week.

The Rays will try to stop the rampaging Red Sox on Sunday in the finale of their three-game series. Start time is 1:05 pm EDT.

National League

Franco: GS, 6 RBI

Vince Velazquez allowed four hits and one measly run over six innings and Jake Thompson blanked the visiting Marlins on one hit over the final three innings in Philadelphia's 20-1 smackdown of Miami.

With the Phillies' pitching more than adequate, Maikel Franco led a 20-hit assault against six Miami hurlers, socking a first-inning grand slam and a two-run double in the fourth to drive in six runs.

Philadelphia scored five runs in the first, four in the third and eight in the fourth, outdistancing their opponent early in the game.

For Franco, the home run was his second in as many games, the six RBI tying him for the league lead with Atlanta's Freddie Freeman and Pittsburgh's Gregory Polanco, each with 11.

The win was the second straight for Philly over the Marlins, and they will be looking for the series sweep Sunday afternoon, at 1:35 pm EDT.

Pedro Alvarez Slams Yanks In 14th For Baltimore Win; Pirates Gash Reds, Colin Moran 4-for-5 In 13-4 Rout

Players of the Day for Friday, April 6, 2018

American League

Alvarez slam sinks Yanks

At chilly Yankee Stadium, Pedro Alvarez sat through the first nine innings of Baltimore's game with the Yankees, finally called upon to pinch hit in a 3-3 tie with two out and a man aboard in the 10th.

Alvarez came through with a single, but was left stranded as the game continued deep into the night. After walking in the 12th and again being left on base, Alvarez got another shot when he arrived at the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 14th.

This time, he got his pitch, and delivered it to the weary fans above the right-center field wall, clearing the bases with a grand slam, leading the Orioles to their second straight victory in New York, a 7-3 win that ended after 1:00 am in the Eastern time zone.

The blast was just Alvarez's second home run since 2016. After spending most of last season with Baltimore's AAA affiliate, Norfolk, in the International League, Alvarez has already equalled his production with the Orioles from 2017, when he hit one home run and drove in four runs in 14 games.

The five hour, 20-minute game featured 14 pitchers. Baltimore closer, Brad Brach, sealed the win, putting the Yankees down order in the bottom of the 14th.

It's a quick turn-around for both teams, with game three of the four-game series slated for a 1:05 pm EDT start in the Bronx.

National League

Moran: 4-for-5, 3 R, 3 RBI

This season was supposed to be one of rebuilding for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the construction appears to be proceeding ahead of schedule, because there are the Pirates atop the NL Central at 6-1, 1 1/2-games ahead of second place Milwaukee.

Pittsburgh's most recent exploit was the dismantling of visiting Cincinnati on Friday, as the Pirates banged out 15 hits to steamroll the Reds, 14-3.

Leading the hit parade was rookie third baseman, Colin Moran, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs, boosting his batting average to a solid .318.

Moran got the Pirates started with an RBI double in the second inning, then plated a pair with a bases-loaded single in the fourth, adding two more singles and scoring in the sixth and seventh.

Acquired by the Pirates from Houston in the off-season, Moran is 7-for-22 with a home run and eight RBI in six games this season. At 6'4", 205 pounds, Moran has the potential to be a solid power hitter and steady fielder at third base for some time.

Meanwhile, the Pirates are cruising along early in the season and host the Reds in game three of their four-game series at 7:05 pm EDT Saturday, seeking their third straight over their Central division rival.

Maikel Franco Homers, Drives in 4 For Phillies; Andrew Cashner Hurls Orioles to 5-2 Win Over Yankees

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 5, 2018

National League

The name Maikel Franco may not be a household word, but the 25-year-old third baseman is becoming pretty well known around Philadelphia and among National League pitchers for his power hitting prowess and obvious baseball talents.

Franco: 3-for-4, HR, 4RBI

In Thursday's 5-0 shutout over the visiting Marlins, Franco delivered all but one of the Phillies runs, singling in the first two in the first inning and knocking in the last two in the seventh with a two-run homer, his first of the year. In between, Franco tripled but was left stranded in the fifth.

While Franco was driving in runs, starting hurler, Nicholas Pivetta was mowing down Marlins, fanning nine in 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and no runs for his initial win of 2018.

Franco is in his fifth season with the Phillies, making an impact the last two, with a combined 49 homers and 164 RBI in 2016 and 2017.

The Phillies won for just the second time this season, against four losses, but for a team that was among the worst in the majors, the future looks brighter. They'll get a day off Friday and get back to action against the Marlins on Saturday at 6:05 pm EDT.

American League

Cashner: 6IP, 2H, 1R, 5K

There's been plenty written and spoken about the mighty lineup the Yankees have assembled this season, but Andrew Cashner managed to keep the "Baby Bombers" in check, earning his first win of the season as Baltimore scored five runs in the seventh for a 5-2 win in the first of a four game series at Yankee Stadium.

Cashner dueled with Yasahiro Tanaka for six full innings, finally giving up an opposite field solo home run to Aaron Judge in the sixth to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. After the O's put up a five-spot in the top of the seventh, manager Buck Schowalter went to his bullpen, as Cashner had thrown 100 pitches, allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out five.

Michael Givens allowed a run in the seventh, but Darren O'Day shut the door and Brad Brach worked a hitless ninth for his first save of the year.

Cashner is 1-1, adding a much-needed bit of depth to the Orioles' rotation. He's a veteran of eight seasons, with the Cubs, Padres, Marlins, and most recently, the Rangers, where he went 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA in 28 starts.

The Orioles won just their second game of the season, with four losses, while the Yankees dropped to 3-4. Both teams are trailing the 6-1 Red Sox.

Game two of the four-game series starts Friday at 7:05 pm EDT.