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The Houston Astros rocketed to a huge lead in Box-Toppers team rankings this week, mainly due to acquiring Zack Greinke and other players at the July 31 trade deadline.
The Astros lead for the second week, but last week’s narrow lead has exploded to an enormous lead this week, as they gained the most Box-Toppers points of any team in the past week.
Read MoreTrevor Bauer of the Indians and Jose Altuve of the Astros are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Thursday’s pair of American League Division Series openers.
Bauer struck out eight over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Yankees. The Indians now lead the Yankees 1-0 in the best-of-five series.
Read MoreCardinals pitcher Luke Weaver is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, despite throwing a no-hitter for nine innings and having a Box-Toppers game score of +16.0, Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill did not earn Player of the Game honors Wednesday after giving up a walk-off, 10th-inning homer in the 1-0 loss to the Pirates.
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Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.7 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 6 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 6.0 |
| 7 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 8 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 10 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 6.0 |
Ray struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Brewers.
Ray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, most of any of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Thursday. Ray ranks 18th among players in 2017 Box-Toppers points, seventh among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz struck out 11 over six innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 6-2 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Francisco Cervelli of the Pirates doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-4 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros homered and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Tigers.
Debut—Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Lamet (5IP 3H R 2BB 8K W in the 4-3 win over the Mets) was also making his Major League debut Thursday. He is the 3,808th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Ray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Pomeranz earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Cervelli and Correa each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 5/25 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | ARI 4, MIL 0 | Robbie Ray (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| AL | 8.0 | BOS 6, TEX 2 | Drew Pomeranz (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | SD 4, NYM 3 | Dinelson Lamet (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | TB 4, LAA 0 | Matt Andriese (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | PIT 9, ATL 4 | Francisco Cervelli, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | LAD 7, STL 3 | Hyun-Jin Ryu (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | HOU 7, DET 6 | Carlos Correa, SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | SEA 4, WSH 2 | Nelson Cruz, RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 5, SF 1 | Mike Montgomery (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2.0 | `PHI 2, COL 1 (F/11) | Hector Neris | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.0 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -1.7 |
| Andriese, Matt 3505 | pi sp | tb al | 3.7 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 1.7 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 2.5 | 10.2 | 17.4 | 17.4 | -5.2 |
| Cruz, Nelson 2224 | dh rf | sea al | 2.0 | 8.5 | 29.5 | 55.7 | -4.5 |
| Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139 | pi sp cp | lad nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 23.1 | 23.1 | 2.0 |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 1.7 | 14.1 | 25.1 | 25.1 | -10.7 |
| Cervelli, Francisco 3387 | ca | pit nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
| Montgomery, Mike 3513 | pi cp | chi nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -4.0 |
| Neris, Hector 3553 | pi mr | phi nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| Lamet, Dinelson 3808 | pi sp | sd nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Box-Toppers projects Nationals to edge Dodgers in NL, Red Sox to beat Indians in the AL. World champion Cubs remain strong but return trip to World Series is not projected.
Read More3 of 4 major postseason award winners are among Box-Toppers top-ranked pitchers or batters on their teams. The exception: AL Cy Young Rick Porcello, who ranks 6th among Red Sox players.
Read MoreBox-Toppers points leader Max Scherzer of the Nationals wins the NL Cy Young Award. But Rick Porcello of the Red Sox, who ranked just 31st among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, win the AL Cy Young.
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Chicago Cubs topped 22 of 24 weekly team rankings reports in 2016, including this final one. Red Sox top AL teams. All top 10 teams qualified for 10 postseason spots.
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Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 22.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 |
| 7 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 |
| 8 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
Also Friday, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels maintained his spot of sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing five hits and one walk, in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals.
Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.7 for the season, rising to seventh place in season player rankings, fifth among National League pitchers.
With Arrieta rising back into Box-Toppers top 10 list, he displaces Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ (14.7 points) from the list, who falls to 11th.
Arrieta led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 29.1. This was Arrieta’s first Player of the Game honor in a month—he was Player of the Day on Aug. 23.
American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher James Paxton struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 10-1 win over the Twins.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Ramirez of the Indians homered, doubled and went 2-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-4 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—Wil Myers of the Padres hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice, in the 7-2 win over the Giants.
Myers earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL batters, 1.0 point behind leader Nolan Arenado of the Rockies (10.7).
Rankings—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels maintained his rank of sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Hamels (7IP 6H 0R 2BB 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.8 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Corey Kluber of the Indians (21.2).
Hamels now has 144.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 24th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (143.9) on the “all-time” list and now trails 23rd-ranked player David Ortiz of the Red Sox (144.9). Hamels also rises to eighth place in career points among active players.
Hamels has earned Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons and in each season has earned 10 or more points. The 17.8 points he’s earned in 2016 is his best season; his previous best was 2011 with the Phillies when he had 15.8.
Notable—Two other players who have more than 10 Box-Toppers points for the season earned Player of the Game honors Friday:
Also notable—Blue Jays pitcher Francisco Liriano now has 103.2 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Liriano (6IP 3H 0R 2BB 6K in the 9-0 win over the Yankees) rises to 66th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, passing Miguel Tejada (102.3) on the “all-time” list. He trails 65th-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Liriano has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 24th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Paxton earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Myers 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/23 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | CHC 5, STL 0 | Jake Arrieta (W,18-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| AL | 9.0 | SEA 10, MIN 1 | James Paxton (W,5-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | TOR 9, NYY 0 | Francisco Liriano (W,8-13) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | DET 8, KC 3 | Michael Fulmer (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | TEX 3, OAK 0 | Cole Hamels (W,15-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 5.2 | NYM 10, PHI 5 | Hansel Robles (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | CLE 10, CHW 4 | Jose Ramirez, 3B | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | SD 7, SF 2 | Wil Myers, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | LAA 10, HOU 6 | Rafael Ortega, PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 2, TB 1 | Drew Pomeranz (W,11-12) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 5, COL 2 | Ross Stripling (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `BAL 3, ARI 2 (12) | Mychal Givens | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 3, MIA 2 | Brandon Cunniff (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | MIL 5, CIN 4 | Chris Carter, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | PIT 6, WSH 5 (11) | Alen Hanson, 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 17.8 | 33.2 | 84.8 | 144.0 | 2.4 |
| Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 15.7 | 44.8 | 72.5 | 75.5 | -13.4 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 12.4 | 15.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 | 9.4 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 9.7 | 12.7 | 18.2 | 18.2 | 6.7 |
| Carter, Chris 2828 | 1b | mil nl | 9.5 | 10.5 | 28.4 | 29.4 | 8.5 |
| Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | tor al | 8.0 | 22.9 | 63.4 | 103.2 | -6.9 |
| Stripling, Ross 3629 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 4.4 | 5.4 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 3.4 |
| Givens, Mychal 3599 | pi mr | bal al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Cunniff, Brandon 3698 | pi mr | atl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Ramirez, Jose 3436 | 3b | cle al | 1.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Robles, Hansel 3580 | pi cp | nym nl | 1.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| Hanson, Alen 3747 | 2b | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Ortega, Rafael 3746 | ph | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello has been beaten by teammates for Player of the Game in 13 of his 20 wins. Though he leads in wins, he ranks 102nd among players with 7.0 Box-Toppers points.
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Chicago Cubs remain top-ranked team in Box-Toppers points. Red Sox continue lead among AL teams. Orioles pick up most Box-Toppers points in past week.
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Cubs remain on top in Box-Toppers team rankings, Red Sox rank first among AL teams, Mets are the week's hottest team.
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Chicago Cubs continue reign as Box-Toppers' top team. Red Sox top AL teams. Tigers are week's hottest team.
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Cubs extend lead over 2nd-place Dodgers. Red Sox, week's hottest team, continue lead of AL teams.
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Yankees pitcher Chad Green is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 16.2 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 |
| 9 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 12.5 |
Also Monday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors. Hernandez passes Johan Santana who had been among Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 players for more than six years.
Player of the Day—Green pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher David Phelps struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 6-3 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a grand slam, going 1-for-2, in the 5-2 win over the Athletics.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 109.8 for his career, rising to 53rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, Beltre passes three players on the “all-time” list—Billy Wagner (108.7), Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (109.0) and Jeff Kent (109.7). Beltre now trails 52nd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).
Beltre also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to seventh place among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks hit two doubles and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 10-6 win over the Mets.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 181.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 166.7 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Hernandez—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Hernandez (6.2IP 4H 2R 4BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 166.7 for his career. He passes Johan Santana (166.6) on the “all-time” list. Santana has been in the top 10 since July 23, 2010, when he reached 151.9 career Box-Toppers points, passing Greg Maddux (151.7). Hernandez now trails ninth-place player Manny Ramirez (167.2).
Hernandez has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 15.4 points below his 2015 total of 19.4, when he ranked eighth among all players.
Notable—Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz has the highest Box-Toppers season point total of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Pomeranz (7.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising to 15th place among all players and fourth among AL pitchers. It is the first point he has earned since being traded from the Padres to the Red Sox July 15.
Scherzer—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had the chance to take the season Box-Toppers points lead Monday, but did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 5-4 win over the Rockies.
Scherzer (4IP 7H 4R 2BB 3K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of −10, uncharacteristically low for him. Player of the Game was Jayson Werth (HR 2-4 R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has led Box-Toppers season player rankings since May 7 and continues to lead even after being on the disabled list for six weeks. Kershaw has 20.0 Box-Toppers points, Scherzer has 18.7. Had Scherzer won overall Player of the Day or NL Player of the Day honors, he would have passed Kershaw for the lead. Kershaw could return to pitch as soon as late August.
Scoring—Green earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Phelps earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Beltre and Castillo each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’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
| 8/15 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | NYY 1, TOR 0 | Chad Green (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | TB 8, SD 2 | Drew Smyly (W,5-11) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| NL | 4.1 | MIA 6, CIN 3 | David Phelps (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 5, OAK 2 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | KC 3, DET 1 | Ian Kennedy (W,7-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 10, NYM 6 | Welington Castillo, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | PIT 8, SF 5 | Gregory Polanco, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 3, CLE 2 | Drew Pomeranz (W,9-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | SEA 3, LAA 2 | Felix Hernandez (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1.0 | WSH 5, COL 4 | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 11.4 | 14.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 8.4 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 8.0 | 20.5 | 46.4 | 109.8 | -4.5 |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 | 14.7 | 58.5 | 64.5 | 1.3 |
| Smyly, Drew 3009 | pi sp | tb al | 7.4 | 13.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 | 1.4 |
| Phelps, David 2994 | pi mr sp | fla nl | 5.7 | 9.1 | 22.5 | 22.5 | 2.3 |
| Polanco, Gregory 3361 | rf | pit nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.5 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 21.5 | 48.7 | 1.5 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 23.4 | 89.4 | 166.7 | -15.4 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -0.5 |
| Green, Chad 3675 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Cubs expand narrow lead over 2nd-place Dodgers. Red Sox top AL teams.
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With trade deadline acquisitions, Dodgers are hottest team of the week. Other teams strengthened by trades include Mets, Blue Jays, Rangers, Giants, Twins, Orioles.
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Cubs, week's hottest team, thanks to Chapman trade, regain lead after Red Sox hold it for one week. Red Sox, despite down week, still lead AL teams.
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Red Sox rise largely on the strength of acquiring Drew Pomeranz from the Padres. Cubs fall after three-month reign atop team rankings, but still lead NL teams.
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Angels pitcher Hector Santiago is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 13.4 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 13.4 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.0 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 10.8 |
| 6 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 10.4 |
| 10 | Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | sd nl | 10.4 |
Also Thursday, Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Santiago pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing three hits and four walks, in the 5-1 win over the Rays.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, striking out six, in the 6-0 win over the Dodgers.
Pomeranz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, rising to 10th place among all players. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers. Pomeranz also becomes the 11th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.
Four pitchers among Thursday’s Players of the Game were tied for highest Box-Toppers game score of the day (+9.0)—Santiago, Pomeranz, plus Athletics pitcher Rich Hill and Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey. Santiago and Pomeranz ranked ahead of Hill and Duffey because they had more innings pitched (7 vs. 6). Santiago ranked ahead of Pomeranz to earn overall Player of the Day honors because he had more strikeouts (9 vs. 6).
National League Batter of the Day—Trevor Story of the Rockies hit two homers and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Salvador Perez of the Royals hit a ninth-inning, walk-off, two-run double in the 4-3 win over the Mariners. Perez went 3-for-4, scoring once.
Notable—Wilmer Flores of the Mets has earned Box-Toppers points two days in a row and three times in the past five days after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Flores (HR 1-2 R 3BI in the 9-7 win Thursday over the Nationals) was also Player of the Game Wednesday and was NL Batter of the Day in the Mets’ win Sunday, July 3. Flores has 3.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, all earned in the past five days.
Also notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 107.3 career Box-Toppers points—57th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began—after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Wainwright (7IP 5H R BB 9K W in the 5-1 win over the Pirates) now trails 56th-ranked player on the “all-time” list, Lance Berkman (108.1). Wainwright has 5.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, 25th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Santiago earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Pomeranz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Story and Perez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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.
Note—Friday’s usual Box-Toppers team power rankings report and player rankings report will be delayed until the All-Star break on Monday.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/7 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | LAA 5/TB 1 | Hector Santiago (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | |
| NL | 9.0 | SD 6/LAD 0 | Drew Pomeranz (W,8-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 9.0 | OAK 3/HOU 1 | Rich Hill (W,9-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 9.0 | MIN 10/TEX 1 | Tyler Duffey (W,5-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 8.0 | STL 5/PIT 1 | Adam Wainwright (W,8-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | COL 11/PHI 2 | Trevor Story, SS | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.2 | `ATL 4/CHC 3 | Lucas Harrell | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 9/DC 7 | Wilmer Flores, 1B-3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | KC 4/SEA 3 | Salvador Perez, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | TOR 5/DET 4 | Michael Saunders, LF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYY 5/CLE 4 | Chase Headley, 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 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 | +/- |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | sd nl | 10.4 | 13.4 | 21.4 | 21.4 | 7.4 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 9.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 33.1 | 5.4 |
| Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | ana al | 8.4 | 16.4 | 28.8 | 28.8 | 0.4 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 56.6 | 107.3 | 2.5 |
| Saunders, Michael 2768 | lf | tor al | 4.2 | 4.2 | 13.9 | 14.9 | 4.2 |
| Perez, Salvador 2972 | ca | kc al | 4.0 | 8.5 | 21.7 | 21.7 | -0.5 |
| Duffey, Tyler 3558 | pi sp | min al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| Story, Trevor 3607 | ss | col nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Flores, Wilmer 3345 | 3b 1b | nym nl | 3.5 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 1.0 |
| Headley, Chase 2552 | 3b | nyy al | 3.5 | 5.5 | 17.0 | 27.5 | 1.5 |
| Harrell, Lucas 2988 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 2.0 |
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.