Blue Jays' Hutchison tops players for Saturday, Aug. 30; White Sox' Sale rises to 8th in Box-Toppers rankings

Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Hutchison pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine, in the 2-0 win over the Yankees. Hutchison earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.0 for the season. He ranks 18th among all players and 10th among American League pitchers.

Sale rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Sale (7IP 13K W in the 6-3 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers.

Giants pitcher Jake Peavy is National League Player of the Day. Peavy took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before giving up a one-out single. He pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just the one hit and striking out eight, in the 3-1 win over the Brewers.

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is NL Batter of the Day. Holliday hit two home runs and drove in five runs in the 13-2 win over the Cubs.

Ian Kinsler of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Kinsler went 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the White Sox.

Notable: Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rose to 15th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Strasburg (7.2IP R 8K W in the 3-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.7 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

Hutchison receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Peavy receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Holliday and Kinsler each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

830 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 13.0 Blue Jays Drew Hutchison (W, 9-11) - - - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 2 9
NL 11.2 Giants Jake Peavy (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 7.2 1 0 0 3 8
10.0 Astros Scott Feldman (W, 8-10) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 1 5
10.0 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 10-11) - - - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 3 7
8.0 `Angels Cory Rasmus - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 6
7.2 Nationals Stephen Strasburg (W, 11-10) - - - - - - 7.2 6 1 1 0 8
BAT 6.0 Cardinals Matt Holliday LF 3 2 2 5 1 0 - - - - - -
6.0 White Sox Chris Sale (W, 11-3) - - - - - - 7.0 6 3 3 2 13
6.0 `Padres Ian Kennedy - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 3 8
5.0 Rockies Tyler Matzek (W, 4-9) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 3 4
4.0 Marlins Jarred Cosart (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 7 0 0 1 5
3.0 Orioles Zach Britton (S, 30) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.2 `Indians Trevor Bauer - - - - - - 5.2 4 0 0 5 6
2.1 `Pirates Vance Worley (W, 6-4) - - - - - - 6.1 3 2 1 2 4
BAT 2.0 Tigers Ian Kinsler 2B 5 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cubs Logan Watkins RF 3 2 2 1 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Phillies Ryan Howard 1B 4 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

 

Astros' McHugh, Giants' Hudson top players for Tuesday, May 27; Tigers' Cabrera leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. McHugh pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 3-0 win over the Royals.

Giants pitcher Tim Hudson is National League Player of the Day. Hudson pitched seven scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.

Hudson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season and 149.0 for his career (1999-present). He moves into 15th place on the all-time list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995), passing Chipper Jones (149.0) and Javier Vazquez (148.3) and just behind Greg Maddux (151.7).

Hudson is in fifth place among active players, behind CC Sabathia (179.3), Manny Ramirez (167.2), Johan Santana (166.6) and Albert Pujols (161.3).

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is NL Batter of the Day. Holliday homered and went 3-for-3 in the 6-0 win over the Yankees. Holliday beat out teammate and pitcher Lance Lynn, who pitched a complete game shutout, for Player of the Game. Both Holliday and Lynn had Box-Toppers game scores of +3.0, but in case of game score ties, batters beat pitchers, giving Holliday the edge.

Adam Lind of the Blue Jays is American League Batter of the Day. Lind homered, went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs in the 9-6 win over the Rays.

Notables: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. Greinke (7.2IP 3R 11K W in the 6-3 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 7.4 for the season. He is in fourth place among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)

Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers rises to first place among AL batters in Box-Toppers points. Cabrera (HR 2-4 2R 2RBI in the 6-5 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.5 for the season. He passes previous AL batting leader Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox—both Ramirez and Cabrera have 5.5 Box-Toppers points but Cabrera has the edge because he has more combined points over 2013-14 (22.4 vs. 6.5). Cabrera now ranks 19th among all players in Box-Toppers points. Cabrera led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2013 with 16.9.

McHugh receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hudson receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Holliday and Lind each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

527ScoreTeamPlayerABRHBIBBKIPHRERBBK
MLB11.0AstrosCollin McHugh (W, 3-3)------7.050009
NL6.0GiantsTim Hudson (W, 5-2)------7.060005
6.0`White SoxChris Sale------3.000014
4.2DodgersZack Greinke (W, 8-1)------7.2833011
BAT3.0CardinalsMatt Holliday LF323110------
3.0Red SoxKoji Uehara (S, 11)------1.000002
BAT2.0Blue JaysAdam Lind 1B523200------
2.0PadresTommy Medica 1B413201------
2.0TigersMiguel Cabrera 1B422201------
2.0AngelsC.J. Cron DH422202------
2.0MetsRuben Tejada SS222020------
1.0TwinsOswaldo Arcia RF422101------
1.0BrewersMark Reynolds 3B, 1B422110------
1.0RockiesWilin Rosario C411300------

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

 

Red Sox' Lackey, Cards' Holliday top players in LCS games for Tuesday, Oct. 15

Box-Toppers Daily Postseason.png

John Lackey, who threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and struck out eight, leading the Red Sox to win Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, is Tuesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

The Red Sox won 1-0 to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven ALCS series. 

Lackey had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 148th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 4. Holliday hit a two-run home run and went 2-for-4 in the Cardinals 4-2 win over the Dodgers. The Cardinals take a three-games-to-one lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Holliday had 6.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 121st among all players. 

Coming Wednesday: Both League Championship Series continue Wednesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:

NLCS Game 5, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-1

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

While the pitching match-up in the game favors Greinke, the best pitcher hasn't always guaranteed a team's victory in this series. In fact, in the first three games of the series, the top three pitchers in Box-Toppers Player Rankings started games and in each game, his team lost:

  • Greinke picked up a no-decision in the Dodgers' Game 1 loss.
  • Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) picked up the loss in Game 2.
  • Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second) picked up the loss in Game 3.

ALCS Game 4, Red Sox lead Tigers 2-1

Red Sox: Jake Peavy, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 84th overall

Tigers: Doug Fister, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1015ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB10.2Red Sox  000000  John Lackey (W, 2-0)6.240008
NL1.0CardinalsMatt Holliday LF412200   0.000000

Nats' Roark tops players for Tuesday, Sept. 17, Tigers' Sanchez rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark is Tuesday's Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Roark pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up only two hits in the 4-0 win over the Braves.

Sanchez rises to seventh in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Sanchez (6.1IP 10K ND in 6-2 win vs. Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.1 for the season. He and teammate Max Scherzer both have 17.1 Box-Toppers points, but Scherzer holds the lead among AL players since he has more Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons (34.1 vs. 23.8).

Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey is American League Player of the Day. Dickey pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Yankees. 

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Holliday homered, drove in three runs and went 4-for-4 in the 11-4 win over the Rockies. 

Alexi Casilla of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Casilla scored the go-ahead run as a pinch runner in the ninth inning in the 3-2 win over the Red Sox. 

Notable: Two top pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings were pitted against each other Tuesday, but neither picked up Box-Toppers points. Zack Greinke of the Dodgers and Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks, both in Box-Toppers player rankings top 10, were both in position to take over the points lead, but neither earned Player of the Game honors. Corbin (17.4 Box-Toppers points) left the game in the third inning after giving up six runs. His team lost. Greinke (18.4 Box-Toppers points), though he pitched six innings and struck out five, had a lower Box-Toppers game score than eventual Player of the Game Matt Kemp (4.0 vs. 0.0). Greinke remains in third place in Box-Toppers player rankings and Corbin remains in fifth.

Coming Wednesday: Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has a chance to take the lead in Box-Toppers points. Wainwright is starting pitcher against the Rockies Wednesday. Wainwright has 17.7 Box-Toppers points and is in fourth place in player rankings. He trails points leader Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0) by 1.3 Box-Toppers points. If he earns Player of the Day or NL Player of the Day honors, he would pass Fernandez. 

Roark receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Dickey receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Holliday and Casilla each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

 

917ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB10.0Nationals 0000000  Tanner Roark (W, 7-0)7.020016
AL9.0Blue Jays 0000000  R.A. Dickey (W, 13-12)7.040028
 7.0Reds 0000000  Mike Leake (W, 14-6)8.050026
BAT5.0Cardinals Matt Holliday LF424310  00.000000
 5.0Phillies Chase Utley 2B423400  00.000000
 5.0Giants Angel Pagan CF323320  00.000000
 4.1`Tigers 0000000  Anibal Sanchez 6.1622210
 4.0Dodgers Matt Kemp CF414300  00.000000
 4.0Rangers 0000000  Alexi Ogando (W, 7-4)5.021114
 4.0Athletics 0000000  Grant Balfour (W, 1-3)1.000003
 3.0Padres Jedd Gyorko 2B523301  00.000000
 3.0Brewers Carlos Gomez CF312301  00.000000
 3.0`Nationals 0000000  Dan Haren 6.031124
 3.0`White Sox 0000000  Nate Jones (H, 13)1.000002
 3.0Indians 0000000  Chris Perez (S, 25)1.000002
BAT1.0Orioles Alexi Casilla PR, DH010000  00.000000

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

 

Derek Holland, A.J. Burnett top players for Friday, May 3

Rangers pitcher Derek Holland is Friday's Player of the Day. Holland threw eight shutout innings and struck out nine in the 7-0 win over the Red Sox.

Holland and Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez had identical 10.0 Box-Toppers game scores, but Holland was given the nod as Player of the Day by the strikeout tie-breaker—he had nine and Hernandez had seven.​

Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett is National League Player of the Day. Burnett gave up only one run over seven innings and struck out nine in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.​

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is NL Batter of the Day. Holliday homered and went 3-for-4 in the 6-1 win over the Brewers.​

Drew Stubbs of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Stubbs hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning and went 4-for-5 in the 7-6 win over the Twins.​

Holland receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Burnett receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Holliday and Stubbs receive 1.5 each 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:

503ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB10.0Rangers 0000000  Derek Holland (W, 2-2)8.060019
 10.0Mariners 0000000  Felix Hernandez (W, 4-2)8.050007
NL8.0Pirates 0000000  A.J. Burnett (W, 3-2)7.051119
 7.0Angels 0000000  Jason Vargas (W, 1-3)9.030023
BAT4.0Cardinals Matt Holliday LF433210  00.000000
 4.0Athletics 0000000  A.J. Griffin (W, 3-2)7.060014
 3.0Tigers 0000000  Drew Smyly (W, 2-0)2.000001
 3.0`Rays 0000000  Joel Peralta 1.000002
 2.2`Mets 0000000  LaTroy Hawkins 1.210002
 2.1Phillies 0000000  Jonathan Pettibone (W, 2-0)6.151103
 2.0Giants Buster Posey C312210  00.000000
 1.1Reds 0000000  J.J. Hoover (S, 1)0.100001
BAT1.0Indians Drew Stubbs CF514100  00.000000
 1.0Padres Yonder Alonso 1B412200  00.000000

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.