Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is Thursday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rises to fourth place in rankings.
Skaggs pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 1-0, 13-inning win over the Orioles. Skaggs left in the fifth inning with a left forearm strain and picked up a no-decision.
Kershaw extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (CG R 9K W in the 2-1 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.1 for the season. Last season, he led all players with 21.7 Box-Toppers points.
Cueto, National League Player of the Day, rises from eighth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Marlins. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him 15.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers. This is his highest Box-Toppers point total for any season, beating his previous high, 14.4 in 2012.
Andy Marte of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Marte hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the 7-4 win over the Pirates. This was Marte’s first Major League at bat since 2010. He last earned Box-Toppers points when he was AL Batter of the Day on Aug. 4, 2010, with the Indians.
Adam Eaton of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Eaton went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Tigers.
Skaggs receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cueto receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Marte and Eaton each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 731 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.2 | `Angels | Tyler Skaggs | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| NL | 9.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 12-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 13-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 7.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W, 6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Shelby Miller (W, 8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Diamondbacks | Andy Marte PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Yordano Ventura (W, 8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Aaron Sanchez (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Grady Sizemore LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | White Sox | Adam Eaton CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Mariners | Fernando Rodney (S, 30) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.