Preview: Blue Jays (9-16) at Yankees (14-9)

Game: 4
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 28, 2013 1:05 PM EDT


Toronto Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey admits he's not feeling his best. There are quite a few New York Yankees who could say the same thing.

Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner with the Mets, makes his return to the Big Apple on Sunday when the Yankees go for the four-game sweep.

After leaving his previous start on April 18 with tightness in his neck and back, Dickey (2-3, 4.66 ERA) went six innings in Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Baltimore, yielding four runs and walking a season-high five.

The right-hander never issued more than four free passes last season when he went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts with the Mets.

"I'm definitely not 100 percent,' Dickey said. "I'm giving everything I can possibly give but it feels like going to battle with a three-shooter instead of a six-shooter. You just don't have what you normally have. You feel like what you have is good enough to keep your team in it. But it's frustrating because you want to give more.'

The Blue Jays (9-16) need all they can get from Dickey as they try to finish their seven-game trip with two wins. Toronto has dropped six straight and 17 of 20 in the Bronx following Saturday's 5-4 defeat.

"You know what, right now we're not good enough. It's that simple,' said manager John Gibbons, whose team has lost a season-high three in a row.

The Yankees (14-9), meanwhile, can win a season high-tying fourth straight, a day removed from putting two more players on the disabled list. Catcher Francisco Cervelli, who broke his right hand in Friday's 6-4 win, and Ivan Nova (right triceps) were the latest additions, joining Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixiera.

The Yankees, though, did get Kevin Youkilis (lower back) back following a six-game absence. He went 0 for 3 with a walk.

"There's an expectation here, and I think a lot of guys feed off of that," said manager Joe Girardi, whose team rallied from a pair of deficits to improve to 5-1 against Toronto this season.

Newcomers Travis Hafner and former Blue Jay Vernon Wells are doing just that. Hafner had a three-run homer - his sixth - and a run-scoring triple on Saturday, while Wells knocked in a run for the fourth consecutive game.

"It seems like a different group of guys are stepping up every night," Hafner said.

The Yankees would like to see Phil Hughes (0-2, 5.14) do that Sunday. The right-hander has settled down nicely following two rough outings to open the season, throwing seven innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts in each of his last two appearances, most recently a 4-3 loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Hughes, though, did not earn a decision in either of those outings.

He went 2-2 with a 5.73 ERA in six starts against Toronto last season.

Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, who have hit five of the Blue Jays' seven homers this series, have both gone deep off Hughes once. First baseman Adam Lind, who has two home runs against the right-hander to lead active Blue Jays, is expected to return from the paternity list on Sunday.

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, who's batting .476 (20 for 42) during a 10-game hitting streak against Toronto, is 3 for 10 off Dickey.

Wells is 7 for 13 with two doubles against the knuckleballer.

Preview: Cubs (9-14) at Marlins (5-19)

Game: 4
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: April 28, 2013 1:10 PM EDT


Based on the way Carlos Villanueva has thrown the ball for the Chicago Cubs, they would appear to have a good chance to complete their first four-game series sweep in almost two years.

The veteran right-hander looks to continue his strong start while trying to help the visiting Cubs sweep the lowly Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Originally expected to be a stop-gap while starters Matt Garza and Scott Baker recovered from injuries, Villanueva (1-0, 1.53 ERA) has likely found a permanent home in Chicago's rotation. He's allowed five runs - four off solo homers - and struck out 21 with six walks in 29 1-3 innings over four starts.

However, he's been let down by a bullpen that failed to hold leads in three of those outings. That was the case in Tuesday's 4-2, 10-inning win at Cincinnati when Villanueva left with one out in the ninth but was charged with the tying run after Carlos Marmol allowed an RBI single.

"He's been outstanding," manager Dale Sveum told the Cubs' official website. "To stick with a game plan is the ultimate dream for a pitching coach and a manager to be able to say, 'Just do this and you'll get these guys out,' and he's able to pull it off."

Villanueva last faced the Marlins (5-19) out of the bullpen in 2010, but his last start against them came in 2008. He's 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in two starts versus Miami.

He will try to help the Cubs (9-14) complete their first four-game sweep since Aug. 1-4, 2011, at Pittsburgh. Chicago has scored 11 runs in the first three of the set but allowed seven and won two by one run, including 3-2 on Saturday.

The Cubs have yielded 10 runs while winning four of five. That suspect bullpen has not been charged with a run over 12 innings during that stretch.

"The bullpen's been unbelievable this entire road trip,' said Sveum, whose club is 4-5 on a 10-game trek.

David DeJesus had two hits, including a tiebreaking single in the seventh, to help Chicago to a fifth straight win over Miami. DeJesus is batting .324 (11 for 34) with four RBIs in his last 11 games.

Giancarlo Stanton hit an estimated 472-foot homer, his first of the season, for Miami.

The Marlins were last swept in a four-game home set by St. Louis from Aug. 4-7, 2011.

"We did some good things,' manager Mike Redmond said, "but I feel like I'm saying the same thing every single night, and I really am, we're right there.'

Stanton, who hit 71 homers the last two seasons, is batting .209, but has recorded all five of his RBIs in the last six contests.

Former Cubs prospect and scheduled Miami starter Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 3.81) is 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA in seven starts against the team that drafted him in 2001, then traded him in a deal for Juan Pierre in 2005.

The right-hander yielded three runs in five innings of an 8-5 victory in the nightcap of a doubleheader on a chilly night at Minnesota on Tuesday for Miami's most recent victory.

Preview: Phillies (11-14) at Mets (10-12)

Game: 3
Venue: Citi Field
Date: April 28, 2013 1:10 PM EDT


A matchup with the struggling New York Mets may provide Cole Hamels with the perfect opportunity to earn his elusive first win.

Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies will try for their sixth straight victory at Citi Field and ninth win in 10 games overall against the Mets on Sunday.

The Phillies (11-14) continued their recent dominance in this series Saturday as Domonic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. hit consecutive home runs in the fifth inning en route to a 9-4 victory.

Philadelphia has finally come through with some timely hitting this weekend. After scoring three or fewer runs in 11 of their previous 14 games, the Phillies have totaled 13 in the past two victories.

"That's definitely good. It's what we've been waiting for. We've got to make it more often,' manager Charlie Manuel said. "We haven't been hitting in those right situations to knock those runs in, and today we did.'

Following a three-game skid, Manuel's club looks for its third straight win behind Hamels (0-3, 5.40), who has started to show signs of returning to form.

Since allowing 13 runs over 10 2-3 innings in his first two starts, the left-hander has posted a 2.57 ERA in his last three with 19 strikeouts in 21 innings. He surrendered two runs and struck out six with one walk over eight innings of a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

"Just being able to really get in a groove and go deep in the ballgame was something I was pleased with,' said Hamels, who has received three runs of support over his last three starts.

Hamels is 5-10 with a 4.33 ERA in 21 starts against the Mets, but went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four outings against them last season. He'll be facing a New York team that's managed 17 runs and batted .186 over its last six games.

After scoring three times in five innings off rookie Jonathan Pettibone on Saturday, the Mets (10-12) have totaled 23 runs in their last nine against the Phillies.

David Wright, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI on Saturday, is batting .327 with four home runs and three doubles in his career against Hamels.

Catcher John Buck hit his eighth home run Saturday, but he's 2 for 22 with eight strikeouts versus Hamels.

The Mets, looking to snap a three-game skid, will send Jonathon Niese (2-1, 3.81) to the mound. The left-hander will make his first start since departing after 2 1-3 innings when he was hit by a ball on his right leg against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Niese has posted a 3.38 ERA while winning five of his last six decisions. He's gone 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in his past four home starts against the Phillies.

Michael Young has six hits in his last eight at_bats in this series, giving him a .439 average with five homers and 12 RBIs in 14 career meetings with the Mets.

Ryan Howard knocked in two runs Saturday and has 21 RBIs in his last 12 games in this series. He's batting .343 during a nine-game hitting streak, but is 1 for 15 with seven strikeouts against Niese.

Philadelphia has outscored New York 29-5 in the last three matchups at Citi Field.

Preview: Astros (7-17) at Red Sox (17-7)

Game: 4
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: April 28, 2013 1:35 PM EDT


The Boston Red Sox believe John Lackey is ready to put his recent physical problems behind him.

Lackey will return after being out with a right biceps strain as he tries to help the Red Sox complete a four-game home sweep of the Houston Astros with a fifth straight win Sunday.

Lackey (0-1, 4.15 ERA) suffered the injury in his season debut April 6 against Toronto in his first outing in two years after Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander threw 67 pitches over 3 2-3 innings Monday for Double-A Portland, and the Red Sox (17-7) feel he will be fine Sunday.

"Based on the game pitched, and the bullpen that followed, there's been no symptoms that have reoccurred," manager John Farrell told the Red Sox's official website. "The fact is, when he felt it up in Toronto, I think it was just getting to an arm speed and a velocity that he hasn't experienced in probably two years."

Farrell said that Lackey will be on a pitch count, and the starter probably isn't expected to go past five innings at the most.

"The stress of each of the pitches thrown are going to have some impact on the decision of how deep he can go into tomorrow's game," Farrell said.

Lackey's lone start against Houston (7-17) came in 2007. Only one current Astros hitter has more than one at-bat against him - Carlos Pena, who is 8 for 30 with three homers and nine walks.

David Ortiz is hitting .519 with two homers nine RBIs in seven games since returning last Saturday from a heel injury. He owns a 19-game hit streak dating to 2012, after finishing with two hits and three RBIs in Saturday's 8-4 victory.

"He's doing things that look to him to be very easy, but its hard to imagine or even script out that he'd have this kind of performance considering the layoff,' Farrell said.

Ortiz has never faced Astros starter Bud Norris (3-2, 4.13), who takes the mound Sunday to try to improve on his poor road record. Norris has the most road defeats in the majors since the start of 2012 with a 4-13 mark and a road ERA of 6.95 compared to 1.90 at home in that span.

Norris allowed one run in five innings Tuesday to earn a 3-2 home win over Seattle.

The Red Sox hitter with the most experience against the right-hander is Stephen Drew, who is 5 for 9. Drew is hitting just .136 this year.

Boston, which can match the club record for April victories from 1998 and 2003, is batting .355 with five homers among 23 extra-base hits in this win streak. The Red Sox are off to their best start since 2002.

Dustin Pedroia is 8 for 16 over the last four games for Boston. Fellow second baseman Jose Altuve of the Astros is 5 for 24 in his last six games with his average dropping to .340.

Only Miami has a worse record than Houston, which has lost eight straight on the road.

"I don't get caught up in the record,' manager Bo Porter said. "I deal with each day, each game, one game at a time."

Preview: Reds (13-12) at Nationals (13-11)

Game: 4
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: April 28, 2013 1:35 PM EDT


It's been feast or famine at home for the Washington Nationals throughout April, and they have the chance to post their third sweep at Nationals Park on Sunday as they close out a four-game series versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Each of Washington's previous four series at home have resulted in sweeps. The Nationals (13-11) took three games from both Miami and the Chicago White Sox in their first six home games before dropping three-game sets to Atlanta and St. Louis.

Washington has reversed its fortunes at the Reds' expense in the first three games, outscoring them 15-4 in those wins following Saturday's 6-3 victory. Dan Haren pitched six solid innings and Bryce Harper went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer.

Harper has been a fairly accurate bell weather of Washington's success at home. In the nine wins, he is batting .531 (17 for 32) with five homers, but just .158 (3 for 19) in the six losses. He is 5 for 9 with two homers, a triple and a double in this series and his 18 RBIs this month has set a team record.

``And if you know him, he probably (thinks) he's having an off-year right now,' manager Davey Johnson said of Harper. ``He expects lot of himself and that's a good trait.'

Tony Cingrani (1-0, 2.25) looks to slow down Harper and continue his impressive start since being called up from Triple-A earlier this month. The 23-year-old rookie has struck out 17 in 12 innings in his first two starts, including nine Tuesday over seven innings before Cincinnati eventually lost 4-2 in 10 innings.

"I was a lot more comfortable," Cingrani told the team's official website after not walking a batter in his last outing. "The tempo was a little bit slower to me, so it was good. I was trying to make first pitches and make sure I was getting ahead of people. I was just trying to give them a good quality start."

The left-hander has never faced the Nationals.

Cincinnati (13-12) has dropped eight straight on the road and is trying to avoid its worst skid there since losing nine in a row from June 7-19, 2004. The Reds have been shut out twice during these struggles and held to one run on three other occasions in that span, batting .187 and scoring 18 runs.

Nationals scheduled starter Ross Detwiler (1-1, 1.38) will try to extend those struggles while hoping for better offensive support. He has given up two or fewer runs in each of his four starts but was on the short end of a 2-0 defeat to St. Louis on Tuesday after giving up two runs in six innings.

The left-hander saw his bullpen blow a 5-1 lead versus Cincinnati on April 6 after he limited the Reds to an unearned run and six hits over six innings of 7-6, 11-inning victory. Detwiler is 0-3 in five lifetime starts versus the Reds despite a 2.48 ERA.

Joey Votto, who has scored two of Cincinnati's runs in this series and homered in Thursday's loss, is 1 for 8 with a solo homer lifetime against Detwiler.

Washington's last four-game sweep at home came against the Chicago Cubs from Sept. 3-6, and the Reds have not been swept in a four-game road series since Philadelphia accomplished the feat July 8-11, 2010.

Preview: Rays (11-13) at White Sox (10-13)

Game: 4
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: April 28, 2013 2:10 PM EDT


David Price capped his AL Cy Young Award-winning 2012 season by defeating the Chicago White Sox, but that remains the Tampa Bay Rays left-hander's last victory.

Price will try to end that drought with another strong performance against the host White Sox in Sunday's series finale in Chicago.

Price became Tampa Bay's first 20-game winner with a 6-2 victory at U.S. Cellular Field on Sept. 30, but he'll likely have a very tough time reaching that mark this season. A combination of lack of run support and subpar pitching has resulted in the left-hander finding himself on the verge of failing to win in April.

Price (0-2, 5.52 ERA) gave up three runs over eight-plus innings against the New York Yankees on Tuesday but suffered a 4-3 defeat.

"If he throws the ball like that and we had scored four runs tonight, he walks away and feels like he was fantastic. But we don't score enough runs and he doesn't feel as good about himself," manager Joe Maddon said. "That's just how this baseball thing works."

The Rays (11-13) have lost in five straight starts by Price for the first time and are the second team to lose in the first five starts by a reigning Cy Young winner. The Minnesota Twins lost in Frank Viola's first seven games in 1989.

Price might have a good chance to end that skid Sunday as he's posted a 1.20 ERA in back-to-back wins over the White Sox (10-12).

Price will also try to help his team earn a four-game split of this series. Tampa Bay ended the White Sox's season-high three-game win streak with a 10-4 victory Saturday.

The Rays had a season-best 19 hits, including four apiece from Evan Longoria and Kelly Johnson. Desmond Jennings and Ben Zobrist homered, giving Tampa Bay at least one home run in 13 straight games.

That's tied for the second-longest such streak in club history and two shy of the team record set July 25-Aug. 10, 2009.

"Offensively it was a pretty good night up and down," Maddon said. "A lot of guys had great nights. ... It was a really interesting offensive night and hopefully we're going to gain some confidence from it."

Dylan Axelrod (0-1, 3.80) will try to help the White Sox bounce back with another strong start at U.S. Cellular Field. The right-hander is among the major league leaders with a 0.77 home ERA in his two outings there.

Axelrod, who has never started versus Tampa Bay, gave up one run and three hits over six innings against visiting Cleveland on Monday but the White Sox lost 3-2.

"I can't ask myself to do anything else but keep us in it and be ahead coming out of the game,' he said.

Paul Konerko and Alex Rios will try to continue their success versus Price. Konerko is 9 for 18 against him while Rios is 8 for 16 with five extra-base hits, including a pair of homers.

Preview: Indians (8-12) at Royals (12-8)

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: April 28, 2013 2:10 PM EDT


The starting pitchers who will begin the first day-night doubleheader in Kauffman Stadium history will be chasing some of their own.

Jeremy Guthrie will try to tie a Kansas City Royals record with his 16th consecutive start without a loss, while Justin Masterson can become the first Cleveland Indians pitcher to earn five wins in April for a second time.

Kauffman has never hosted a day-night twinbill since opening in 1973, and Masterson (4-1, 1.85 ERA) and Guthrie (2-0, 3.86) will help kick it off as their teams continue a four-game series Sunday.

Guthrie hasn't lost since Aug. 3 and is 7-0 with a 2.60 ERA over his last 15 starts. By avoiding a defeat in this game, the right-hander would match Paul Splittorff's team record set Aug. 13, 1977-Aug. 22, 1978.

Guthrie nearly had his streak snapped in his most recent outing last Sunday, but Kansas City scored a run in the eighth inning in Boston and won 5-4 in 10. He gave up four runs over six innings.

"Guthrie wasn't his sharpest, but he did a great job of keeping us in the game," manager Ned Yost told the team's website.

Guthrie has gone 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in his last two starts against Cleveland, his former team.

Masterson became the fourth Indians pitcher to win at least five games in April in 2011, and put himself on the verge of an unprecedented feat with a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday. No Cleveland pitcher has accomplished the feat twice, and only seven pitchers have reached five wins in April since 1969.

"He's good, and he's backing it up," manager Terry Francona told the team's website. "That's the biggest thing in our game, is being consistent and he's backing it up at a pretty high rate."

Masterson will try to deny the Royals their fifth win in six games, although he went 0-2 with an 8.25 ERA in two starts against them last season.

After Friday's series opener was washed out, Kansas City held on for a 3-2 victory Saturday. Cleveland's Michael Brantley hit a two-run triple with two outs in the ninth but Greg Holland struck out Jason Kipnis to end the game.

Salvador Perez hit his first home run of the season for the Royals (12-8), a two-run shot in the second.

The Indians (8-12) will give Corey Kluber (1-0, 1.80) his first start of the season in the nightcap. The right-hander gave up six runs over 4 1-3 innings in his only start against the Royals on Aug. 2, not getting a decision in a 7-6 loss.

Kansas City is expected to call up Will Smith from Triple-A Omaha to make his season debut Sunday. The left-hander was 6-9 with a 5.32 ERA in 16 starts for the Royals in 2012 and went 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in his three against Cleveland.

The Indians' Nick Swisher is 13 for 29 with two home runs and five doubles against Guthrie.

Kansas City's Alex Gordon is batting .407 (11 for 27) with three doubles, a homer and a triple off Masterson. Gordon has gone 8 for 18 with two home runs during a four-game hitting streak.

Preview: Rangers (16-8) at Twins (10-10)

Game: 4
Venue: Target Field
Date: April 28, 2013 2:10 PM EDT


The Texas Rangers have yet to lose two straight this season, and they'll try to keep it that way when they close out a four-game series with the host Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Winners of seven of eight after taking a pair of one-run games to open this set, the Rangers (16-8) are looking to get back on track following a 7-2 defeat Saturday. Texas had won five in a row at Minnesota.

"We got hits, but we didn't swing the bat the way we're capable of,' said manager Ron Washington, whose team avoided getting shut out for the second time this season with Mitch Moreland's two-run double in the ninth inning.

The Rangers will try to end their seven-game trip on a better note with Alexi Ogando (2-1, 3.12 ERA) making his first start versus Minnesota. The converted reliever has faced the Twins seven times, posting a 1.50 ERA over a six-inning span.

The right-hander had his longest outing of the season Tuesday, going seven-plus innings and giving up four runs - two earned - in a 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Ogando has gone 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in his last two starts.

The Twins, who ended a three-game losing streak Saturday, will send Kevin Correia (2-1, 2.86 ERA) to the mound. The right-hander has given his team length in his four starts this season after joining the Twins on a two-year deal in the offseason.

The right-hander has pitched at least seven innings in each game, allowing three or fewer runs in all of them.

"It's nice to get off to a good start," Correia told the Twins' official website. "I'm sure I'm going to have some outings where I don't get through seven so it's nice to get off to a good start and get those innings piled up. That's kind of the goal for me."

If he goes at least seven Sunday, he'll be the first Twin to reach that mark in his first five appearances since Carlos Silva did it in his first 10 in 2005.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus should return to the lineup after rookie Leury Garcia replaced him Saturday. Andrus has gone 10 for 28 during a six-game hitting streak.

Adrian Beltre, who homered in a 4-3 victory Friday, should be back at third base after taking over for Lance Berkman at designated hitter Saturday. Beltre has four hits, including two homers and a double, in 10 at_bats off Correia.

"I've been hitting the ball hard, but this last week or so I haven't been getting a lot of luck," Beltre told the team's official site. "That's what I want to do. I want to keep hitting the ball hard and it'll start falling. I don't want to change anything right now."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire could also tweak his lineup after sitting Trevor Plouffe, Chris Parmelee and Justin Morneau on Saturday. It was Morneau's first off day of the season.

"He could've played," Gardenhire said. "But it's one of those things where we wanted to mix things around here."

Joe Mauer needs to change something, as the three-time AL batting champ has no hits in three games and is 2 for 21 in the last six. Mauer has never faced Ogando.

Preview: Pirates (14-10) at Cardinals (14-9)

Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: April 28, 2013 2:15 PM EDT


Shelby Miller is a big reason why St. Louis Cardinals starters own the best ERA in baseball.

The rookie will look to gain a measure of revenge against the only team to ever beat him Sunday when the Cardinals and visiting Pittsburgh Pirates complete this three-game set.

St. Louis starters have a 2.06 ERA, with the entire rotation allowing two earned runs over 33 2-3 innings in the last five games. Jake Westbrook completed that run with six scoreless innings Saturday, but the Cardinals' bullpen couldn't hold a two-run lead in a 5-3 defeat that ended a four-game win streak.

"Any time you lose a game in the last third, it can be extremely frustrating," manager Mike Matheny said. "When the starter gives you a great chance like that, you hate to see it slip away.'

Now it's Miller's turn to help St. Louis (14-9) bounce back. He's struck out 19 and yielded three hits over 15 career scoreless innings at home, and yielded two unearned runs over 6 2-3 innings Monday to earn a 3-2 victory at Washington his last time out.

"He's got a different look than the majority of the guys we have on our staff, and a lot of other guys in the league," Matheny said. "He's keeping people off balance with that."

Pittsburgh (14-10) has the advantage of seeing Miller (3-1, 1.44 ERA) before. The right-hander allowed two runs over six innings April 17 in a 5-0 road loss to the Pirates.

Neil Walker went 2 for 3 against Miller in that contest, but the second baseman is out with a hand injury. Right fielder Travis Snider is day to day after being scratched Saturday with discomfort on his left side.

The Pirates scored one run through their first 15 innings in this series before using a four-run rally in the seventh Saturday in their fourth win in five games. Russell Martin hit a two-run homer in that frame and scored Pittsburgh's final run in the eighth on Gaby Sanchez's sacrifice fly.

Outfielder Jose Tabata has hit safely in 20 of his 22 career games at Busch Stadium, batting .308 in those contests with hits in the last seven.

The Cardinals look to improve to 5-1 when opponents start left-handers as they face Jeff Locke (2-1, 3.74) for the first time. Locke enters off his best 2013 effort, yielding two hits over six innings Tuesday to gain a 2-0 victory at Philadelphia.

"The big thing is I was able to get ahead, something I've stressed the last few starts," said Locke, who was the Pirates' Minor League pitcher of the year in 2012. "It's great to compete and get through it and know that you can do it."

He'll face challenges against Yadier Molina, who is hitting .438 against left-handers, and Allen Craig, who is batting .389 against southpaws and is a career .358 hitter versus Pittsburgh.

David Freese, who is hitting .190, will likely return to the Cardinals lineup. Matheny rested the third baseman Saturday, saying that Freese was pressing.

Preview: Orioles (15-9) at Athletics (13-12)

Game: 4
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: April 28, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


The Baltimore Orioles haven't swept a four-game series visiting the Oakland Athletics in 26 years. If that's going to change on Sunday, they'll have to get past veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon, and possibly slugger Yoenis Cespedes.

The Orioles (15-9) earned their first set of back-to-back wins at Oakland since 2005 on Thursday and Friday, and a 7-3 victory on Saturday puts them in position for their first four-game sweep at Oakland since May 22-25, 1987.

"We have struggled and our record has not been very good here, but winning the first three is a good way to start the (11-game) road trip,' said Nick Markakis, who hit one of the team's three homers Saturday. "We've got a good lineup, and when we're going good we're as good as anybody.'

The A's (13-12), losers of four straight and eight of nine, are lacking that confidence.

"We are just pressing right now and trying to do too much,' manager Bob Melvin said.

Oakland is on the verge of getting swept at home in a four-game set for the first time since April 26-29, 1999, versus Cleveland.

Colon (3-0, 2.42 ERA), who was on that Indians team, could help the A's get back on track as he's enjoying one of his best starts in years. The 39-year-old right-hander struck out a season-high seven and walked his first batter of the season on Tuesday, a 13-0, rain-shortened seven-inning complete game victory at Boston.

"That's the perfect guy to have on the mound in games like that,' Melvin said, "a guy who's going to throw strikes, doesn't let the conditions affect him and keeps everybody on their toes because they know, potentially, the ball's going to be in play very quickly.

"He was the right man for the job.'

Colon has done the job in his last five starts versus Baltimore, going 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA.

The A's might need a similar effort from the right-hander the way they've been struggling at the plate. Over the last nine games, they're batting .218 with four homers, none in this series.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson has been one of the few bright spots. He's batting .579 (11 for 19) with eight RBIs over the last six games after matching a career high with four hits and driving in two on Saturday.

The possible return of Cespedes from a strained left thumb could add some much-needed pop to an A's lineup that hit a major league-best 19 homers during its 9-2 start. He's been rehabbing at Triple-A Sacramento and could be activated on Sunday.

Sunday's scheduled starter Miguel Gonzalez (2-1, 4.13) has never faced Cespedes or anyone else on the Athletics. He'll take the mound for the first time since going six innings in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over Toronto. The right-hander picked up the win after allowing just three hits and no runs until his final frame.

Gonzalez will likely be throwing to Matt Wieters after Taylor Teagarden dislocated his left thumb on Saturday. Manager Buck Showalter expects Teagarden to be placed on the DL.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who homered on Saturday - his first in Oakland - will try to extend his team-best hitting streak to nine and hit safely in his 10th straight road game against the A's.

Jones is 6 for 23 off Colon. Markakis is 7 for 26 with four doubles against the right-hander.

Preview: Angels (9-14) at Mariners (10-16)

Game: 4
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: April 28, 2013 4:10 PM EDT


Albert Pujols and Mike Trout have been fairly quiet for the Los Angeles Angels in this four-game series against the Seattle Mariners, and it doesn't figure to get any easier against Hisashi Iwakuma in the finale.

Iwakuma went 4-0 against the Angels last season and has baffled hitters in 2013 heading into Sunday's contest, which also features Jason Vargas' return to Safeco Field to face his former team.

The lack of production from Pujols and Trout has been a theme in the first month for Los Angeles (9-14). Pujols is hitting .256, Trout is at .274 and they are being pitched to very carefully, combining for as many walks (25) as RBIs.

Seattle (10-16) has taken two of three in this series, with Pujols going 2 for 11 with two RBIs and no walks while Trout is 3 for 10 with no runs scored and one RBI. Trout led the majors with 129 runs in 2012.

Neither has fared well against Iwakuma (2-1, 1.99 ERA). Pujols has two doubles and no walks in 13 at_bats and Trout is 2 for 12 with one walk and three strikeouts.

Iwakuma posted a 1.37 ERA in winning all four starts against the Angels last season, with 13 1-3 scoreless innings in two at home. Los Angeles batted .227 with one homer, 22 strikeouts and three walks against him in 2012.

The Japanese right-hander struck out a season-high 11 and allowed three runs in Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at Houston - his first loss in eight outings. He has been bothered by a blister on his throwing hand, although opponents are batting .164 against him.

"It's still an issue," manager Eric Wedge told the Mariners' official website. "We'll have to make his next start on regular rest, then after that we'll have an opportunity to maybe give him a couple days, working with the off days."

Vargas (0-2, 5.82) was traded from Seattle to Los Angeles in the deal for Kendrys Morales as he makes his first start against the Mariners - the only team he has never faced. He went 36-42 with a 4.09 ERA over his last four seasons for Seattle, going 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA in 2012.

The left-hander said he was surprised to be dealt.

"I thought that I was going to be a part of it, but they had other plans," he told the Angels' official website. "And baseball changes quick, man. To be able to be a part of this (with Los Angeles), you couldn't ask for a better situation. Things happen the way they happen."

Vargas turned in his longest outing of the season Tuesday, giving up three runs over seven innings in a 5-4, 11-inning victory over Texas.

It's not surprising that the Seattle hitter he has faced the most is Morales, who is 5 for 12 with two homers against him.

Morales started the first two games of this series before delivering a go-ahead, pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning of Saturday's 3-2 victory.

"It was a matter of having Kendrys Morales on the bench," Wedge said.

The Mariners are trying to capture a series for the first time in 2013.

Preview: Brewers (12-10) at Dodgers (11-12)

Game: 3
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: April 28, 2013 4:10 PM EDT


While he's often shined at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw has also struggled in recent games there against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The left-hander will try to end those woes while Milwaukee's ailing Kyle Lohse is hoping to continue his success in Los Angeles in Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers.

Kershaw (2-2, 2.14 ERA) is 36-18 with a 2.32 ERA in 82 starts in his home stadium, but he's 0-3 with an 8.47 ERA in four all-time matchups there against the Brewers and 0-2 with a 15.43 ERA in his last two.

In his only game against Milwaukee last season, he gave up five runs, eight hits and four walks over 5 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss in Los Angeles on May 30.

Kershaw allowed two runs and three hits to the New York Mets on Tuesday but he also matched a season high with four walks and needed 111 pitches to get through five innings in a 7-2 victory. Kershaw, who did not get a decision, has received a combined four runs of support from the Dodgers (11-12) in his last four outings but put the blame squarely on himself.

"I just beat myself. I was awful," Kershaw said. "The team won in spite of me, not because of me. I did everything wrong, just a lot of cardinal sins."

Lohse (1-1, 2.52) has done quite a bit right in his last three starts at Dodger Stadium, going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA. He gave up three runs over 5 2-3 innings in his only visit there in 2012 while with St. Louis, but the Cardinals fell 6-5 on May 20.

Lohse allowed two runs over seven innings to Los Angeles on July 25 but did not get a decision in a 3-2 win.

Lohse, signed to a three-year deal by Milwaukee on March 26, has given up two runs or fewer in three of his first four starts with the Brewers. He allowed one run over five innings in San Diego on Monday before having to leave a 7-1 win with a dislocated left pinky.

The right-hander suffered the injury while running to first base in the sixth but earned his first victory for Milwaukee (12-10).

"You never feel really 100 percent out there, anyway," Lohse told the team's website about his upcoming start. "If someone says they do, they're lying."

After having a four-game win streak at Dodger Stadium snapped in the series opener, the Brewers bounced back for a 6-4 victory Saturday. Carlos Gomez hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh, and Jim Henderson earned his sixth save in as many chances by getting A.J. Ellis to ground out with runners on second and third in the ninth.

"It was a really good game for Gomey," manager Ron Roenicke said. "He's been really hot. I think what I like also is he's not out there just swinging at everything like he does at times. There are times when he'll have a great at-bat."

Gomez, batting .500 (20 for 40) with three home runs over his last 12 games, is 3 for 4 all-time against Kershaw and Rickie Weeks is 3 for 6 with two doubles.

Adrian Gonzalez, limited to a backup role Saturday due to a skin infection on his leg, is 8 for 21 (.381) with four doubles and a home run lifetime against Lohse. Andre Ethier is 6 for 17 (.353).

Preview: Giants (13-11) at Padres (8-15)

Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: April 28, 2013 4:10 PM EDT


The San Diego Padres are in position to sweep a series from the San Francisco Giants for the first time in three seasons.

Looking for a season-high fourth straight victory, the Padres can accomplish that feat by handing the visiting Giants a fifth consecutive loss Sunday.

San Diego (8-15) totaled two runs and was shut out twice while being swept at San Francisco (13-11) last weekend, but has scored 10 in the first two games of this set and rallied from a 5-0 deficit to win 8-7 in 12 innings Saturday. Yonder Alonso scored the winning run when San Francisco second baseman Marco Scutaro couldn't come up with Nick Hundley's grounder.

"It gives us great momentum, a chance to sweep," said Hundley, who is batting .342 in 10 homes games this season. "We've got to get another one (Sunday)."

The Padres, who last swept the Giants both home and away in 2010, have scored 12 runs during a three-game winning streak that followed a five-game slide where it totaled six runs.

Alonso and Kyle Blanks each had three hits and combined to drive in three runs Saturday for the Padres, who scored six times in the fourth inning and tied the game with a run in the seventh.

"Wins like this give you life," said Alonso, who had three doubles. "They give you an opportunity to build some momentum and create a string of positive results.'

Alonso is 7 for 19 (.368) with four RBIs in five games.

The Padres hope scheduled starter Jason Marquis (1-2, 4.63 ERA) can bounce back after he allowed seven runs and walked four in 4 2-3 innings of a 7-1 loss to Milwaukee on Monday. Seven of the 15 runs the right-hander has yielded this season have come in the first inning.

"I've been battling for a while," Marquis told the Padres' official website. "When you throw balls out over the middle of the plate with not much on them, that's obviously what happens. I've just got to focus on getting better.

"I just don't feel comfortable on the mound."

Marquis, however, is 6-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 14 starts versus San Francisco.

Pablo Sandoval is batting .353 (6 for 17) with two home runs against Marquis. The slugger had three hits Saturday after he went 0 for 9 in the previous two contests for the Giants, who have dropped three straight one-run games.

San Francisco's Barry Zito was charged with five unearned runs in the San Diego fourth.

"He just couldn't get the last out in the fourth,' manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's what killed us."

Scheduled San Francisco starter Ryan Vogelsong (1-1, 5.68) went 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA against the Padres last season. He's yielded a run and five hits over six innings in each of his last two outings versus San Diego.

The right-hander allowed one home run against the Padres in 2012, but has served up four in his last three starts overall. He gave up two solo shots and two other runs in seven innings while not factoring in the decision of a 5-4 win over Arizona on Monday.

San Diego's Will Venable is 0 for 9 in the last three games but 6 for 10 against Vogelsong.

Preview: Rockies (15-9) at Diamondbacks (14-10)

Game: 4
Venue: Chase Field
Date: April 28, 2013 4:10 PM EDT


Though the Arizona Diamondbacks have thrived in games decided in extra innings, they've also failed to preserve a lead for Patrick Corbin in two of those contests.

Looking to build on their latest extra-inning victory, the Diamondbacks hope to do a better job behind Corbin in Sunday's series finale against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

Cody Ross delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th to help Arizona (14-10) improve to 6-0 in extra-inning games with a 3-2 win over Colorado on Saturday. The Diamondbacks have won four of five, with the last three victories by 3-2 margins.

Arizona needed extras to win the last two starts by Corbin (2-0, 1.71 ERA), who has given up five runs and struck out 20 in 26 1-3 innings in 2013.

The left-hander allowed a run in seven innings and left with a one-run lead that the bullpen blew in the ninth of a 6-2, 12-inning win at Yankee Stadium on April 18. On Tuesday at San Francisco, he yielded two runs in 7 1-3, but his teammates could not hold a two-run cushion before the Diamondbacks won 6-4 in 11.

"It's a shame Patrick didn't get that win," manager Kirk Gibson told the Diamondbacks' official website. "We've got to clean that up."

Ross had two RBIs and A.J. Pollock added three hits, including his third homer, Saturday as Arizona won despite giving up an early 2-0 lead. Pollock went 0 for 8 in the first two games of the set, but is batting .348 (8 for 23) against the Rockies this season.

Corbin was 0-1 with an 11.00 ERA in two starts at Coors Field last year, but gave up a run in seven innings of 5-3 home win over the Rockies on Oct. 2.

Wilin Rosario homered for one of his three hits and Troy Tulowitzki added two with an RBI for Colorado (15-9), which has dropped five of seven since winning eight straight. The Rockies went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and failed to take full advantage of seven walks from Arizona's Wade Miley.

"You miss that many opportunities, it's going to come back to haunt you,' manager Walt Weiss said.

Tulowitzki is batting .400 (12 for 30) with 12 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak against the Diamondbacks.

Colorado's Jon Garland (2-1, 4.68) takes the mound looking to bounce back after he allowed six runs, three homers and walked four in six innings of a 10-2 loss to Atlanta in the finale of a doubleheader Tuesday.

"I've maintained this whole time, if you don't make pitches, you're going to get hit," the right-hander told the Rockies' official website. "A lot of those pitches were up, didn't move. I was walking guys, putting guys on in front of hits. It was just a bad night overall."

Garland, who spent part of 2009 with Arizona, is 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA in eight starts against the Diamondbacks. He has not faced them since 2010.

The veteran won't have to face Arizona shortstop Didi Gregorius, who will miss a second straight game after he was hit on the helmet by a pitch in Friday's 6-3 loss. The rookie, who began the season on the disabled list with an elbow injury, is batting .407 (11 for 27) in seven games.

Preview: Braves (15-8) at Tigers (12-10)

Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: April 28, 2013 8:05 PM EDT


The Detroit Tigers have moved past their slump, and will look to get on an extended run with Doug Fister on the mound against the road-weary Atlanta Braves.

The unbeaten right-hander will try to lead the Tigers to a three-game sweep when they take on the Braves in the finale of Atlanta's 10-game trip.

Following a season-worst four-game skid, Detroit (12-10) has won three of four after Omar Infante and Jhonny Peralta hit two-run homers in a 7-4 victory Saturday.

Infante's home run came off former Braves teammate Kris Medlen.

"I stayed back and waited for a slider or changeup,' said Infante, who had three hits and is 10 for 21 over his last five games. "He threw a fastball and I made a good reaction.'

Now the Tigers will send Fister (3-0, 2.00 ERA) to the mound as he looks to keep the Braves' bats quiet and pitch the Tigers to their first three-game sweep of the season.

Fister has posted a 1.23 ERA in his last three outings. He gave up no earned runs in seven innings of a 4-3, 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels last Sunday.

Fister faces an Atlanta lineup that has totaled 12 runs in the six losses on this trip.

The Braves (15-8) have lost seven of 10 since their red-hot start to the season, and they'll be trying to avoid their season-worst fourth straight defeat.

Justin Upton provided one of the bright spots Saturday with his league-leading 12th home run. Upton, though, has batted .250 on the trip after hitting .333 in the first 14 games.

B.J. Upton has continued to struggle, batting .125 in his last eight games to drop his average to .146. He's gone hitless in five career at_bats against Fister.

Minor (3-1, 1.80) gave up more than one earned run for the first time in four starts this year Tuesday, allowing three in six innings of a 4-3 victory at Colorado on Tuesday.

Making his first appearance against the Tigers, the left-hander has dropped his last three outings against AL opponents with a 4.96 ERA.

He'll try to cool off Miguel Cabrera, batting .413 with a homer and 12 RBIs during an 11-game hitting streak.

Prince Fielder, who has one hit and six strikeouts in 13 at_bats on the homestand, has three singles in as many career at_bats against Minor.

After scoring 16 times in their previous seven games, the Tigers have totaled 17 runs in the first two against the Braves.

Detroit has won eight of 10 versus Atlanta, including four straight at home.

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Mel Kiper Jr's top eight draft grades for weekend (comments are mine).

A- Baltimore-- First two picks: safety/LB, they've got big shoes to fill.

A- Cincinnati-- TE Tyler Eifert should help in the red zone.

A- Rams-- Loved the Barrett Jones pick; 4.0 student who got into it with McCarron on field when Bama was up three TDs in national title game. Its that kind of perfectionist attitude that wins championships.

B+ San Diego-- Drafted QB from Southern Utah in 7th round instead of Tyler Bray from Tennessee, who got horrendous advice to leave school.

B+ Tennessee-- Coach Munchak was a great lineman when he played and is trying to build a great offensive line for these Titans.

B+ Green Bay-- Drafted guys from Cornell and Grand Valley State.

B+ Jacksonville-- Five of their eight picks are defensive backs.

B+ Philadelphia-- When Lane Johnson was a QB in JC ball four years ago, who thought he'd ever be drafted three rounds ahead of Matt Barkley?


*****

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.........

13) Bulls 142, Nets 134, triple OT-- Just 8th triple OT game in playoff history; Nets led by 14 with 3:00 left, got beat by Nate Robinson, who scored 29 points in last 27:00 of play. I'm seriously not sure how Derrick Rose sits there and watches these games and doesn't at least try to play.

12) They had Reggie Jackson Bobblehead Day in Oakland Saturday, the same day that a different Reggie Jackson took Russell Westbrook's place starting at guard for the Thunder, who won 104-101 at Houston behind Kevin Durant 41 points, 14 rebounds. Looking at the boxscore: Oklahoma City ain't winning the NBA title. This is where they'll regret trading James Harden.

11) Tennessee was 5-7 LY, but had two WRs picked in the top 40 of the draft; QB Tyler Bray wasn't picked, though reports late Saturday night have him signing with the Chiefs as a free agent. Bray got horrendous advice to leave school early; now he'll have to make an NFL roster the hard way.

This is how much teams don't trust Bray as a team leader; the Chargers took a QB from Southern freakin' Utah in the 7th round, over a kid who started 2.5 years in the SEC. Who advised Bray to leave school early? Anyone?

10) SEC had 63 players drafted, with Ole Miss only one of the 14 schools without a player picked; ACC and Pac-12 combined had 59 kids taken.

9) Florida State (11) of the ACC had the most players drafted.

8) 58% of Tom Brady's completions LY went to players who are no longer Patriots; they drafted WRs from Marshall/TCU. Think they're going to regret letting Wes Welker get out of town.

7) Interesting article in the New York Post late last week about New Jersey Giants wanting their offensive tackles to have an arm length of at least 33 inches, to ward off opposing pass rushers.

Kid they drafted from Syracuse, OT Justin Pugh, has arms that are only 32 inches long, so they made an exception for him- they also drafted the QB from Syracuse, which coincidentally is coach Tom Coughlin's alma mater.

6) I'm a firm believer that the NFL should team up with Arena Football and use the AFL as a development ground for young QB's; the quick decisions and smaller playing field help develop a QB, I am totally convinced of it.

5) In his last 12 years as a college coach, Nick Saban has had 22 players picked in the first round of the draft; think that comes up during his recruiting home visits?

4) It is still odd hearing, "and the new coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid." Really think the Philly fans are going to miss Reid.

3) Odd Fact of the Draft: the 173rd pick in the draft, which wound up being , Denver taking OT Vinston Painter of Virginia Tech, was at one time owned by five different teams before the pick was actually made.

2) If every American did his job as well as Mel Kiper Jr does his, this would be a better country; the man is an information machine.

1) Lets be honest; many of the attributes that make a great NFL QB are not measureable, which is why Tom Brady got drafted in the 6th round, Ryan Leaf with the 2nd pick, while Kurt Warner never got drafted. Scouts have to use measureables to explain their suggestions/ratings, but there is still no way to measure a man's heart, or to determine whether teammates will follow him when he tries to lead them. It is why the draft is so interesting.
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MLB
Dunkel

Cincinnati at Washington
The Reds look to salvage a game in the series and build on their 4-1 record against the Nationals in Ross Detwiler's last 5 starts. Cincinnati is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Reds favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28

Game 951-952: Philadelphia at NY Mets (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 14.238; NY Mets (Niese) 14.779
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-105); Over

Game 953-954: Chicago Cubs at Miami (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Villanueva) 15.020; Miami (Nolasco) 14.057
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-135); 7
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-135); Under

Game 955-956: Cincinnati at Washington (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cingrani) 15.135; Washington (Detwiler) 14.288
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Washington (-130); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110); Over

Game 957-958: Pittsburgh at St. Louis (2:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Locke) 15.236; St. Louis (Miller) 17.893
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-185); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-185); Under

Game 959-960: Milwaukee at LA Dodgers (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Lohse) 14.864; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.981
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-170); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-170); Over

Game 961-962: San Francisco at San Diego (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Vogelsong) 15.376; San Diego (Marquis) 16.203
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+100); Under

Game 963-964: Colorado at Arizona (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Garland) 17.161; Arizona (Corbin) 16.643
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Arizona (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+130); Over

Game 965-966: Toronto at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Dickey) 14.504; NY Yankees (Hughes) 15.511
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-110); Under

Game 967-968: Houston at Boston (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Norris) 14.569; Boston (Lackey) 14.003
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-180); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+160); Under

Game 969-970: Texas at Minnesota (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Ogando) 15.405; Minnesota (Correia) 15.176
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-140); Over

Game 971-972: Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 16.073; White Sox (Axelrod) 14.831
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-140); Over

Game 973-974: Cleveland at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Masterson) 15.527; Kansas City (Guthrie) 14.475
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-105); Under

Game 975-976: Baltimore at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Gonzalez) 15.182; Oakland (Colon) 15.506
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-135); Under

Game 977-978: LA Angels at Seattle (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Vargas) 14.083; Seattle (Iwakuma) 13.668
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Seattle (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+100); Over

Game 979-980: Atlanta at Detroit (8:08 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Minor) 15.448; Detroit (Fister) 16.072
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-135); Over

Game 981-982: Cleveland at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Kluber) 15.305; Kansas City (Smith) 14.822
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, April 28

Hot pitchers
-- Hamels is 0-1, 2.57 in his last three starts.
-- Villanueva is 1-0, 1.53 in four starts this season.
-- Detwiler is 1-1, 1.73 in four starts this season. Cingrani is 1-0, 2.25 in his first two MLB starts.
-- Locke is 2-0, 2.87 in his last three starts. Miller is 2-1, 1.83 in his last three outings.
-- Arizona won all four Corbin starts (2-0, 1.69).
-- Lohse is 1-2, 2.52 in his first four starts this season.

-- Fister is 2-0, 2.45 in his last three starts. Minor is 3-1, 1.04 in four starts this season.

-- Dickey is 2-1, 2.45 in his last three starts. Hughes is 0-0, 2.57 in his last couple starts.
-- Axelrod has a 2.25 RA in his last two starts.
-- Masterson is 4-1, 1.91 in his last five starts. Guthrie is 2-0, 3.86 in his four starts this season.
-- Correia is 2-0, 2.57 in his last couple starts.
-- Oakland is 4-0 when Colon starts (3-0, 2.42).
-- Iwakuma is 3-1, 2.27 in five starts this season.

Cold pitchers
-- Niese is 1-1, 6.08 in his last three starts.
-- Nolasco is 1-1, 4.43 in his last four starts.
-- Garland is 1-1, 4.50 in his last three starts.
-- Kershaw is 0-2, 5.09 in his last three starts.
-- Marquis is 1-2, 5.79 in four starts this season. Vogelsong is 1-1, 6.04 in his four starts this year.

-- Norris is 2-2, 5.89 in his last four starts. Lackey is 0-4, 8.28 in his last seven starts.
-- Tampa Bay is 0-5 in Price starts (0-0, 4.05 in his last three).
-- Ogando is 0-1, 8.68 in his last couple starts.
-- Kluber is 1-2, 5.93 in his last five starts. Smith was 6-9, 5.32 in 16 starts for the Royals LY.
-- MGonzalez is 1-1, 5.63 in his last three starts.
-- Forner Mariner Vargas is 0-2, 7.31 in his last three starts.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Washington games stayed under the total.
-- Eleven of last fourteen Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Eleven of last fifteen Met games went over the total.
-- Last four Pittsburgh games went over the total.
-- Eleven of last thirteen Arizona games stayed under the total.
-- Last six games at Dodger Stadium went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Vogelsong starts went over the total.

-- Nine of last twelve Detroit games went over the total.

-- 10 of last 15 Toronto games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 9-2-1 in last twelve Boston games.
-- Under is 11-5-1 in last seventeen Texas games.
-- Under is 7-2-2 in last eleven White Sox games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Cleveland games.
-- 20 of last 24 Oakland games went over the total.
-- 14 of last 18 Angel games went over the total.

Hot teams
-- Phillies won their last two games, allowing four runs.
-- Cubs won their last three games, allowing seven runs.
-- Pirates won 13 of their last 18 games. St Louis won five of last seven.
-- Washington won its last three games; they've allowed 15 runs in last seven.
-- Arizona won five of its last seven games.
-- Brewers won ten of their last twelve games.

-- Detroit won three of its last four games.

-- Red Sox won 12 of their last 15 games.
-- Bronx won 13 of its last 18 games.
-- Texas won eight of its last eleven games.
-- Rays won six of last nine games. White Sox won three of their last four.
-- Royals won five of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won eight of their last ten games.

Cold teams
-- Mets lost eight of their last eleven games.
-- Dodgers lost eight of their last twelve games.
-- Reds lost their last three games, scoring five runs.
-- Miami lost ten of its first twelve home games.
-- Colorado lost five of its last seven games.
-- Padres lost seven of their 11 home games. San Francisco lost their last five games on foreign soil.

-- Atlanta lost six of its last eight games.

-- Houston lost ten of its last thirteen games.
-- Blue Jays lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Twins lost three of their last four games.
-- Indians lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Oakland lost eight of its last nine games.
-- Angels lost five of last six on road. Mariners lost 12 of their last 18 games.

Umpires
-- Phil-NY-- Seven of last ten BWelke games went over the total.
-- Cin-Wsh-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Holbrook games.
-- Pitt-StL-- Over is 12-4-1 in last seventeen Wegner games.
-- Chi-Mia-- Five of last six Joyce games stayed under the total.
-- Col-Az-- Home team won 13 of last 18 Barksdale games.
-- SF-SD-- Favorites won eight of last nine Estabrook games.
-- Mil-LA-- Favorites won seven of last eight Tumpane games, with six of the eight going over the total.

-- Atl-Det-- Four of last five Iassogna games went over the total.

-- Hst-Bos-- Four of last five Baker games went over the total.
-- Tor-NY-- Five of last seven Conroy games stayed under total.
-- Tex-Min-- Over is 9-5 in last fourteen Dimuro games.
-- Cle-KC-- Last four Dreckman games stayed under total. Underdogs are 6-6 in last twelve Darling games.
-- TB-Chi-- Home side won four of last five Hallion games.
-- Blt-A's-- Favorites won last five Hirschbeck games.
-- LA-Sea-- Last four Everitt games went over the total.
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MLB

Sunday, April 28

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
TORONTO vs. NY YANKEES
Toronto is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
Toronto is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Toronto
NY Yankees are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games at home

1:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. NY METS
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Philadelphia's last 18 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Philadelphia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets are 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 14 of NY Mets's last 18 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

1:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. MIAMI
Chi Cubs are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing on the road against Miami
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Miami is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games

1:35 PM
CINCINNATI vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Cincinnati's last 17 games when playing on the road against Washington
Cincinnati is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games at home
Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Cincinnati

1:35 PM
HOUSTON vs. BOSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Houston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

2:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Cleveland is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Kansas City
Cleveland is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Kansas City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Cleveland

2:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chi White Sox's last 12 games

2:10 PM
TEXAS vs. MINNESOTA
Texas is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas's last 15 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Minnesota's last 15 games when playing Texas
Minnesota is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing Texas

2:15 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of St. Louis's last 12 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

4:05 PM
BALTIMORE vs. OAKLAND
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oakland's last 8 games at home
Oakland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore

4:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. SAN DIEGO
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games on the road
San Diego is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home
San Diego is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing San Francisco

4:10 PM
COLORADO vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Colorado is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Arizona's last 8 games when playing Colorado
Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

4:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. SEATTLE
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
LA Angels are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Seattle's last 15 games
Seattle is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Angels

4:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Milwaukee's last 16 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games at home

8:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. DETROIT
Atlanta is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Cleveland is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games ,
Cleveland is 1-6-1 SU in its last 8 games ,when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City6-1-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,when playing Cleveland

MLB

Sunday, April 28

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Three big-name pitchers vying for first wins Sunday
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Here is a look at three starting pitchers that are trying to notch their first wins of the season on Sunday.

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (0-3, 5.40 ERA)

Hamels is off to an especially slow start. He yielded 13 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings pitched in his first two starts. Things have gotten significantly better for the southpaw, however. Over his last three starts, he has gone 21 innings and given up just six earned runs. In his last outing versus the Pirates on April 23, Hamels went eight innings in a tough 2-0 loss. The Phillies are in New York to finish their series with the New York Mets on Sunday. Hamels was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts against the Mets in 2012.

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays (0-2, 5.52 ERA)

The 2012 American League Cy Young winner is coming off of his deepest start of the young season. Price went eight innings in a 4-3 loss against the New York Yankees on April 23. He has started five games and the Rays have lost all of them. The velocity on his fastball is down three mph to 92.5 compared to last season. The Rays close out their series with the Chicago White Sox Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field. Price went seven strong innings in his lone start versus the Sox in 2012. He gave up two earned runs en route to the victory.

Phil Hughes, New York Yankees (0-2, 5.14 ERA)

Hughes is another starter is slow of the gate in 2013. He lasted just seven innings in first two starts this season, but is looking to build on a pair of good outings. Hughes is coming off two no-decisions where he went seven innings. He surrendered two earned runs and six hits on 109 pitches in both starts. Hughes will go up against R.A. Dickey on Sunday as they close out their series versus the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Hughes was 2-2 with a 5.73 ERA versus the Jays in 2012.

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MLB

Sunday, April 28

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MLB weather watch: Chance of rain in Detroit
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There is rain in the forecast for Minnesota but temperatures should be pleasant in most MLB parks Sunday.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets (+100, 7)
Site: Citi Field

Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with partly cloudy skies. Winds will blow out to left field at 10 mph. The Mets were 8-21 SU (straight up) when wind blew out to left field in 2012.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals (-119, 7.5)
Site: Nationals Park

Skies will be mostly cloudy and temperatures will be in the high-60s. Winds will blow out to left field at 11 mph. The over was 8-4 in 2012 when wind blew out to left field.

Texas Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins (+127, 8)
Site: Target Field

There is a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast and temperatures will be in the mid-70s. Winds will blow in from right field at 14 mph. The under was 3-0 in 2012 when wind blew in from right field.

Atlanta Braves at Detroit Tigers (-135, 7.5)
Site: Comerica Park

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the low-50s with a 50 percent chance of rain. Winds will blow in from left field at 6 mph.