Players of the Day for Saturday, August 10, 2019
American League
Recently, the Houston Astros had been bolstering its pitching staff, adding Zack Greinke, Aaron Sanchez, and others, comfortable in the belief that they needed no extra bats.
That concept was verified on Saturday, when the Astros teed off on Baltimore pitchers for 25 hits in a 23-2 wipeout.
Sanchez picked up his second win in a Houston uniform, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. Meanwhile, the Astros' regulars were building a ridiculous lead, scoring nine times in the first three innings, eventually scoring in every inning except the fourth and eighth.
At the peak of Houston's batting barrage was rookie first baseman, Yordan Alvarez, who socked a trio of home runs, including a seventh inning grand slam.
Alvarez totaled seven RBI for the game with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run blast in the ninth. He also walked and scored in the fifth.
This offensive explosion by the 22-year-old was not exactly unexpected. Alvarez has been a hitting machine since being called up in early June. In just 167 at-bats, Alvarez has socked 17 home runs and driven in 51 runs. His batting average is a stratospheric .353. 31 of his 59 hits have been for extra bases.
Houston, winners of eight straight, will be seeking a sweep of the Orioles when they take the field Sunday, 1:05 pm ET. At 77-40, the Astros have the best record in the majors and lead the AL West by 11 games over Oakland.
National League
Cincinnati has been a second-tier team nearly all season, hanging at or near the bottom of the NL Central.
Recently, however, the Reds have caught a little fire, going 10-4, including two straight over the division-leading Cubs.
Opening the home series with a 12-5 loss, the Reds battled to a 5-2 win on Friday and dominated Chicago, 10-1, on Saturday.
Although their record is 56-59, the Reds find themselves just six games back in the division, which is certainly the most competitive in the majors.
Saturday's win was fueled by Aristides Aquino's personal home run derby, as the rookie outfielder swatted three solo home runs, one each in the second, third and fourth innings.
The first two belts were laser shots to left - 344 and 385 feet, respectively - but his fourth inning rip was a no-doubter, measuring 452 feet over the center field wall at Great American Ball Park.
Aquino became just the second player in MLB history to homer seven times in his first ten games, tying Trevor Story's record with the Rockies in 2016.
Aquino also joined Eric Davis as the only Cincinnati rookie to homer in four straight games. Davis did it in 1984. Aquino wears the same number as Davis, 44. At 6'4, 220, Aquino is an imposing figure at the plate. He's batting .464 (10-for-28), with 13 RBI.
The Reds will try to maintain their momentum when the wrap up the four-game series with the Cubs on Sunday. Game time is 1:10 pm ET.
American League
 |
| Aquino: 3-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI |
That concept was verified on Saturday, when the Astros teed off on Baltimore pitchers for 25 hits in a 23-2 wipeout.
Sanchez picked up his second win in a Houston uniform, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. Meanwhile, the Astros' regulars were building a ridiculous lead, scoring nine times in the first three innings, eventually scoring in every inning except the fourth and eighth.
At the peak of Houston's batting barrage was rookie first baseman, Yordan Alvarez, who socked a trio of home runs, including a seventh inning grand slam.
Alvarez totaled seven RBI for the game with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run blast in the ninth. He also walked and scored in the fifth.
This offensive explosion by the 22-year-old was not exactly unexpected. Alvarez has been a hitting machine since being called up in early June. In just 167 at-bats, Alvarez has socked 17 home runs and driven in 51 runs. His batting average is a stratospheric .353. 31 of his 59 hits have been for extra bases.
Houston, winners of eight straight, will be seeking a sweep of the Orioles when they take the field Sunday, 1:05 pm ET. At 77-40, the Astros have the best record in the majors and lead the AL West by 11 games over Oakland.
National League
 |
| Aquino: record-setting start |
Recently, however, the Reds have caught a little fire, going 10-4, including two straight over the division-leading Cubs.
Opening the home series with a 12-5 loss, the Reds battled to a 5-2 win on Friday and dominated Chicago, 10-1, on Saturday.
Although their record is 56-59, the Reds find themselves just six games back in the division, which is certainly the most competitive in the majors.
Saturday's win was fueled by Aristides Aquino's personal home run derby, as the rookie outfielder swatted three solo home runs, one each in the second, third and fourth innings.
The first two belts were laser shots to left - 344 and 385 feet, respectively - but his fourth inning rip was a no-doubter, measuring 452 feet over the center field wall at Great American Ball Park.
Aquino became just the second player in MLB history to homer seven times in his first ten games, tying Trevor Story's record with the Rockies in 2016.
Aquino also joined Eric Davis as the only Cincinnati rookie to homer in four straight games. Davis did it in 1984. Aquino wears the same number as Davis, 44. At 6'4, 220, Aquino is an imposing figure at the plate. He's batting .464 (10-for-28), with 13 RBI.
The Reds will try to maintain their momentum when the wrap up the four-game series with the Cubs on Sunday. Game time is 1:10 pm ET.
