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The Los Angeles Dodgers maintain the lead in Box-Toppers team rankings for the fourth week.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros regain the lead among American League teams and the Oakland Athletics are the week’s hottest team since the All-Star break.
Read MoreOrioles pitcher Andrew Cashner is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. He also becomes the fifth player to reach 200 career Box-Toppers points since player tracking began in 1995.
Read MoreRays pitcher Blake Snell is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors for the third time already in the first week of the season.
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Marlins pitcher Andrew Cashner is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 18.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
Also Wednesday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Cashner pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 6-0 win over the Phillies.
American League Player of the Day—Adam Lind of the Mariners hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 8-3 win over the Rangers. Lind went 2-for-3, driving in five runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Jung Ho Kang of the Pirates homered and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Adam Lind.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday, despite leaving the game early with an injury.
Strasburg (2.1IP 2H R 0BB 4K ND in the 5-4, 11-inning win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.1 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.
Strasburg left the game in the third inning after experiencing elbow pain. He had been on the disabled list prior to his start Wednesday. He will undergo further testing today (Thursday).
It is rare for starting pitchers to earn Player of the Game honors pitching fewer than three innings, but Wednesday’s game presented those rare circumstances, helped by the fact that the Nationals used nine pitchers and the highest Box-Toppers game score achieved by a batter was +1.0. Strasburg won Player of the Game honors because he had a higher Box-Toppers game score and more innings pitched than the pitcher who otherwise would have won. Mat Latos, who served as closer, had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.1 (0.1IP 0H 0R 0BB K W) and would have been Player of the Game, but Strasburg had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+2.1) and more innings pitched (2.1).
Notable—Red Sox pitcher David Price becomes the 35th player in 2016 with 10 or more season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Price (7IP 6H 2R 0BB 8K W in the 7-2 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 33rd among all players and 13th among AL pitchers. This is his sixth 10-point season in the past seven years.
Price now has 104.2 career Box-Toppers points, 64th-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He passes Jamie Moyer (104.0) on the “all-time” list and now trails 63rd-ranked player Carlos Beltran of the Rangers (104.9).
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Cashner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lind earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kang earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/7 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.1 | MIA 6, PHI 0 | Andrew Cashner (W,5-11) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| AL | 6.0 | SEA 8, TEX 3 | Adam Lind, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | BOS 7, SD 2 | David Price (W,15-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 4.0 | `MIL 2, CHC 1 | Matt Garza | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | `NYY 2, TOR 0 | Luis Severino (H,1) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | OAK 4, LAA 1 | Jharel Cotton (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | TB 7, BAL 6 | Kevin Kiermaier, CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CLE 6, HOU 5 | Cody Allen (S,25) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.1 | `WSH 5, ATL 4 (11) | Stephen Strasburg | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | PIT 4, STL 3 | Jung Ho Kang, 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | MIN 6, KC 5 | Robbie Grossman, LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYM 6, CIN 3 | Wilmer Flores, PH-2B-1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 3, ARI 1 | Yasiel Puig, RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | COL 6, SF 5 | Cristhian Adames, PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | CHW 7, DET 4 | Chris Beck (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 | 29.1 | 75.2 | 82.9 | 1.1 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 10.4 | 31.5 | 87.5 | 104.2 | -10.7 |
| Allen, Cody 3265 | pi mr cp | cle al | 6.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 2.0 |
| Lind, Adam 2238 | 1b ph | sea al | 5.4 | 11.9 | 31.9 | 59.5 | -1.1 |
| Cashner, Andrew 2807 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.7 | 7.7 | 27.4 | 30.4 | 1.7 |
| Flores, Wilmer 3345 | 3b 1b 2b ph | nym nl | 4.5 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 2.0 |
| Garza, Matt 2343 | pi sp | mil nl | 3.7 | 5.4 | 35.1 | 71.8 | 2.0 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 3.5 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Kang, Jung-Ho 3464 | ss 3b | pit nl | 2.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -0.5 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi mr sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Kiermaier, Kevin 3373 | cf | tb al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| Grossman, Robbie 3267 | lf | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| Beck, Chris 3708 | pi mr | chi al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Adames, Cristhian 3734 | ph | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Cotton, Jharel 3733 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Angels pitcher Hector Santiago is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 14.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 13.4 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 6 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 11.4 |
| 7 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 8 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 9 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 10 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
Also Friday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to sixth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Santiago pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and no walks, in the 7-0 win over the White Sox.
Santiago earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day giving him 10.4 for the season. He becomes the 14th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and ranks 12th in season player rankings, fifth among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run, four hits and two walks, in the 4-1 win over the Giants.
Both Cashner and Santiago had Box-Toppers game scores Friday of +9.0, but Santiago edged out Cashner for overall Player of the Day because he had more innings pitched—7 vs. 6.
National League Batter of the Day—Chris Taylor of the Dodgers hit a grand slam, tripled, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 13-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
This was Taylor’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Taylor made his Major League debut July 24, 2014, and was playing in his 97th career game. He is the 3,684th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Reddick of the Athletics homered and went 2-for-2, scoring four times and driving in one run, in the 8-7 win over the Blue Jays.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to sixth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Strasburg (8IP 3H R 2BB 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rises to 30th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Verlander (7IP 4H 2R 2BB 10K W in the 4-2 win over the Royals) now has 129.6 career Box-Toppers points. He passes Trevor Hoffman (129.4) on the “all-time” list. He trails 29th-ranked player, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (130.8). Verlander has 5.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 26th among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Santiago earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cashner earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Taylor and Reddick each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/15 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | LAA 7/CHW 0 | Hector Santiago (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | 9.0 | SD 4/SF 1 | Andrew Cashner (W,4-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 8.0 | DET 4/KC 2 | Justin Verlander (W,9-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | LAD 13/ARI 7 | Chris Taylor, 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | DC 5/PIT 1 | Stephen Strasburg (W,13-0) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | OAK 8/TOR 7 | Josh Reddick, RF | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | COL 11/ATL 2 | Ryan Raburn, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CHC 6/TEX 0 | Kyle Hendricks (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | CLE 5/MIN 2 | Mike Napoli, 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 5/PHI 3 | Jeurys Familia (S,32) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 5/MIL 4 | Anthony DeSclafani (W,4-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2.0 | MIA 7/STL 6 | A.J. Ramos (S,28) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 5/NYY 3 | Koji Uehara (S,5) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | BAL 4/TB 3 | Pedro Alvarez, DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | HOU 7/SEA 3 | Carlos Correa, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 11.4 | 25.4 | 71.5 | 79.2 | -2.6 |
| Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | ana al | 10.4 | 18.4 | 30.8 | 30.8 | 2.4 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 7.7 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 0.5 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 | 15.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | -3.7 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 5.0 | 11.4 | 74.6 | 129.6 | -1.4 |
| Familia, Jeurys 3446 | pi cp | nym nl | 4.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -4.0 |
| Uehara, Koji 2802 | pi cp | bos al | 4.0 | 9.0 | 26.0 | 30.0 | -1.0 |
| Cashner, Andrew 2807 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.7 | 5.7 | 25.4 | 28.4 | -0.3 |
| Reddick, Josh 2936 | rf | oak al | 2.5 | 10.7 | 23.4 | 23.4 | -5.7 |
| DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -5.7 |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | cle al | 2.0 | 6.5 | 34.2 | 53.2 | -2.5 |
| Raburn, Ryan 2340 | dh rf ph | col nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 19.7 | 37.7 | 0.0 |
| Taylor, Chris 3684 | 2b | lad nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Ramos, A.J. 3210 | pi cp | fla nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -4.0 |
| Alvarez, Pedro 2817 | dh 1b | bal al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 21.7 | 22.7 | -2.0 |
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.
Cashner pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out five, in the 6-3 win over the Indians. Cashner started the game but did not pick up the win. In 2015, Cashner had 3.0 Box-Toppers points.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer pitched two scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out five and earned the save, in the 3-0 win over the Pirates. Farmer has appeared in 18 regular season Major League games since 2014, but has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers point by earning Player of the Game honors during the regular season.
National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four, in the 14-9 win over the Mets. Grichuk had 9.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, fifth among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 14-5 win over the Athletics. Beltre led AL batters in 2015 with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. He also led AL batters in 2012 with 13.0 points.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Cashner would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Farmer would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Beltre would earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/12 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | `Padres | Andrew Cashner | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Cardinals | Randal Grichuk CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Cubs | Jason Hammel (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 6.0 | `Rockies | Taylor Jungmann | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Dbacks | Rubby De La Rosa (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| AL | 5.0 | Tigers | Buck Farmer (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4.2 | `Rays | Matt Moore | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Phillies | Nick Williams RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mariners | Tyler O'Neill PR-LF-RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Michael A. Taylor CF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Todd Cunningham PH-CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Steve Tolleson 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Derek Dietrich 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Daniel Poncedeleon (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Elian Herrera 2B | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Austin Barnes C | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Michael Freeman LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner, who pitched a two-hit shutout, is Monday’s Player of the Day. Cashner also walked one and struck out seven in the 1-0 win over the Phillies.
Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is American League Player of the Day. McHugh struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Indians. McHugh earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.8 for the season. He ranks 30th among all players and 17th among AL pitchers.
Mark Trumbo of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Trumbo hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 6-2 win over the Giants.
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Cabrera homered and doubled, going 3-for-5 with three runs in the 8-6 win over the Twins. Cabrera earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He ranks 23rd among all players and second among AL batters, behind Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points).
Notables: Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rose to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Strasburg (7IP 0R 7K W in the 4-2 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker rose to 33rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Shoemaker (7.2IP R 5K W in the 8-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks 19th among AL pitchers.
Adam Jones of the Orioles becomes the 49th player (and only the fifth batter) with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Jones (3-4 R BI in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.5 for the season. He ranks 46th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Cashner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McHugh receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Trumbo and Cabrera each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday’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, 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 915 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | Padres | Andrew Cashner (W, 4-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | Nationals | Stephen Strasburg (W, 12-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| AL | 7.2 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 10-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 5.2 | Angels | Matt Shoemaker (W, 16-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Dbacks | Mark Trumbo 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | `Cubs | Travis Wood | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3.2 | `Rays | Alex Colome | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Justin Turner PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Marlins | Chris Hatcher (H, 5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Orioles | Adam Jones CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Friday’s Player of the Day. Cashner pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out 11, in the 6-0 win over the Tigers.
Cashner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, moving him into third place among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is American League Player of the Day. Darvish pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out nine, in the 1-0, 12-inning win over the Astros. Darvish earned a no-decision and did not pick up the win because he left when the game was in a scoreless tie.
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is National League Batter of the Day. Bumgarner hit a grand slam and a sacrifice fly, driving in five runs and going 1-1 in the 6-5 win over the Rockies. Bumgarner also picked up the win as pitcher, though his Box-Toppers game score as pitcher was −6, while his Box-Toppers game score as batter of +6 topped all players for the Giants. He is the first pitcher to earn Player of the Game honors for batting in 2014. In 2013, six pitchers won Player of the Game honors for batting.
Connor Gillaspie of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Gillaspie drove in four runs and went 2-3 in the 9-6 win over the Indians.
Notable: Box-Toppers points leader for 2014 Felix Hernandez scored again to maintain his lead. The Mariners pitcher was Player of the Game in the 6-4 win over the Athletics. Hernandez (7IP 2R 11K W) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.4 for the season, in first place among all players.
Hernandez now has 126.9 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 25th on the all-time list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). With Friday's point, Hernandez passed both David Ortiz and Mariano Rivera on the list, both of whom have 126.4 career Box-Toppers points.
Chris Colabello of the Twins maintained his hold on second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors in the 10-1 win over the Royals. Colabello (2-3 3RBI R) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.2 for the season.
Cashner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Darvish receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Bumgarner and Gillaspie each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 411 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 17.0 | Padres | Andrew Cashner (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | |
| AL | 15.0 | `Rangers | Yu Darvish | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 12.0 | Dodgers | Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 11.1 | Rays | David Price (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 10.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner P | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.2 | `Blue Jays | Brett Cecil (H, 3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Braves | Justin Upton LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Brewers | Francisco Rodriguez (S, 3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | White Sox | Conor Gillaspie 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Twins | Chris Colabello RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Cubs | Jeff Samardzija | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `Angels | Ernesto Frieri | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | Phillies | Jake Diekman (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Grady Sizemore LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Sunday’s Player of the Day in baseball’s opening night.
Cashner struck out five over six innings and gave up one run in the 3-1 win over the Dodgers. Cashner did not earn the win because when he left after six innings, the Padres trailed 1-0.
Cashner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day in the only regular season game on Sunday’s schedule.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 330 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 3.0 | `Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Cashner | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Monday's Player of the Day. Cashner pitched a one-hit, complete game shutout, striking out seven in the 2-0 win over the Pirates. He gave up the one hit in the seventh inning.
White Sox pitcher Erik Johnson is American League Player of the Day. Johnson pitched six shutout innings and struck out eight in the 12-1 win over the Twins. This was Johnson's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,284th player to make his Box-Toppers debut since record keeping began in 1995.
Caleb Gindl of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Gindl homered, drove in three runs, scored three runs and went 3-for-3 in the 6-1 win over the Cubs. This was Gindl's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,285th player to make his Box-Toppers debut since record keeping began in 1995.
No American League batters earned Player of the Game honors Monday, so there is no AL Batter of the Day.
Notable: Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee rises to 20th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Lee (8IP 14K W in 12-2 win vs. Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season.
Coming Tuesday: Two of Box-Toppers top 10 pitchers face off. Zack Greinke of the Dodgers faces Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks. Greinke has 18.4 Box-Toppers points and is in third place in Box-Toppers standings (see the top 10 list on the home page), while Corbin has 17.4 and is in fifth. Both trail points leader Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0) and either could pass him to take the points lead after Tuesday's game.
Cashner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Johnson receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gindl receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Monday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 916 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Cashner (W, 10-8) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 10.0 | Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cliff Lee (W, 14-6) | 8.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | |||
| AL | 8.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Erik Johnson (W, 1-2) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Alex Cobb (W, 9-3) | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |||
| 7.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rick Porcello (W, 13-8) | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |||
| BAT | 6.0 | Brewers | Caleb Gindl LF | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | James Shields (W, 12-9) | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 4.0 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | C.J. Wilson (W, 17-6) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 4.0 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Johnny Cueto (W, 5-2) | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Charlie Blackmon CF, LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.1 | Diamondbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Trevor Cahill (W, 7-10) | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Mark Trumbo of the Angels is Tuesday's Player of the Day. Trumbo homered and went 5-for-5 in the 12-6 win over the Blue Jays.
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is National League Player of the Day. Cashner allowed two runs and struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings in the 8-2 win over the Phillies.
Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Cuddyer hit two homers, including a three-run shot, went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs in the 9-8 win over the Giants. Cuddyer rises to 31st in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.5 for the season.
Notables: Four other Players of the Games from Tuesday are among the top 40 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season:
Trumbo receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cashner receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cuddyer receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 910 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.0 | Angels | Mark Trumbo 1B | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Clay Buchholz (W, 10-0) | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 6.2 | `Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Luke Hochevar (H, 6) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||
| NL | 5.2 | Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Cashner (W, 9-8) | 7.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rockies | Michael Cuddyer RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Tigers | Alex Avila C | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4.0 | Twins | Josh Willingham LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.2 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Shelby Miller (W, 13-9) | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 3.0 | Astros | Jose Altuve 2B | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Cubs | Welington Castillo C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Scott Van Slyke PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen CF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Alfonso Soriano LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Craig Kimbrel (S, 46) | 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.
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.