 |
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Reds (44-31) at Diamondbacks (40-33)
Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: June 22, 2013 7:15 PM EDT
While Patrick Corbin tries a fourth time to make history for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati's Mike Leake looks to continue his road success.
Two the NL's top young pitchers square off when the NL West-leading Diamondbacks try for a fourth consecutive victory Saturday night against the visiting Reds.
Corbin (9-0, 2.28 ERA) again has a chance to become the first Arizona pitcher to go 10-0 and first left-handed starter to accomplish such feat since Ron Guidry went 13-0 for the New York Yankees in 1978. He's posted a 3.10 ERA while not factoring in the decision of three straight starts since winning seven in a row.
The Diamondbacks (40-33) were 13-0 with Corbin on the mound before they fell 3-2 to Miami on Monday. One of the two hits Corbin yielded over eight innings was a game-tying two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton.
"He's really good. He's got some stuff,' Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "He was tough. He was aggressive, threw strikes. He made the mistake to Stanton and that was it. Other than that he was lights out. That was impressive.'
Corbin, who turns 24 next month, allowed three runs on two homers and struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-2 loss in his only appearance versus Cincinnati (44-31) last season.
Leake (7-3, 2.64), who starred at Arizona State, is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in seven road starts this season. He's allowed only a solo homer over 27 2-3 innings while winning four straight away from home.
The right-hander's most recent outing came at home Monday when he gave up a run in seven innings of a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh to improve to 5-1 with a 1.15 ERA in his last seven overall.
"He's pitching with confidence and pitching a little harder,' manager Dusty Baker said. "He just goes about his business with no fanfare. There's no difference in his personality.'
The 25-year-old Leake is 1-0 in three starts against the Diamondbacks, but has posted a 7.94 ERA. His only previous major league appearance at Chase Field came April 10, 2011, when he gave up six runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 10-8 loss.
Paul Goldschmidt and Jason Kubel are each 1 for 3 against Leake, and combined to go 7 for 10 with four RBIs in Arizona's 11-5 win over the Reds on Friday. Goldschmidt homered twice and Kubel added four hits as the Diamondbacks snapped a four-game slide to Cincinnati.
"That was a great job (Friday) up and down the lineup,' Goldschmidt said after Arizona scored its second-most runs of the season. "We've got the talent to do it, and I think we're going to do it."
Goldschmidt is 6 for 15 with four homers and six RBIs in four games since he went 3 for 33 with no home runs in his previous eight.
Cincinnati's Joey Votto homered for one of his three hits Friday, and is 12 for 25 (.480) in six contests. He's batting .545 (12 for 22) with two home runs and six RBIs in his last six at Chase Field.
Teammate Jay Bruce hit his 150th career homer and third in as many games. All five of the hits in his last 26 at_bats have left the park.
-------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Reds at Diamondbacks
Fri, Jun 21 Final 5 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sat, Jun 22 - 7:15PM EDT
GAME 3
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sun, Jun 23 - 4:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
06-22-13 03:19 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Pirates (44-30) at Angels (33-41)
Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: June 22, 2013 10:05 PM EDT
After a frustrating start to the year, Pedro Alvarez is starting to carry the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Alvarez looks to stay hot at the plate Saturday night when the visiting Pirates continue a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.
Though he collected just three hits in his first 41 at_bats and posted a .168 average through May 8, Alvarez has quickly become one of Pittsburgh's most dangerous hitters. Hitting .333 over his last 14 games, the slugging third baseman leads the team with 17 homers - 10 more than the next guy - and 49 RBIs.
One day after going 3 for 4 with a homer and season-high five RBIs in a 5-3 win at Cincinnati, Alvarez collected two more hits and went deep again in Friday's 5-2 victory. The Pirates (44-30) improved to 12-4 when Alvarez homers and 21-7 when he drives in at least one run.
"Pedro has the ability to shrink any park we play in," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "The ability to drive in runs and be a run producer is quite evident. We knew it was a special talent when we drafted him. ... He has shown the ability to rise to the occasion."
Now in his fourth year in the majors, Alvarez is 9 for 24 with three home runs and 11 RBIs during a season-best six-game hitting streak. He's batting .373 with eight homers, 16 RBIs and 14 runs scored in his last 16 interleague contests.
Los Angeles (33-41) had won six of eight before dropping Friday's opener. The Angels failed to get much going aside from Albert Pujols' 13th homer, dropping to 1-18 when scoring two runs or fewer.
Pujols is batting .338 with five homers and 15 RBIs in his last 16 games, but he's 1 for 13 against scheduled starter Francisco Liriano (5-3, 2.44 ERA). The left-hander allowed two solo homers over six innings Monday in a 4-1 loss at Cincinnati.
"I made two mistakes, a hanging slider and a fastball right down the middle," said Liriano, who hadn't previously been taken deep. "You can't make those mistakes at this level."
Liriano, who's struck out 55 in 48 innings, has received one or zero runs of support in five of his last six outings.
Liriano has gone 1-4 over eight games - seven starts - against the Angels while posting a 6.69 ERA - his second-highest mark against any team.
Howie Kendrick is 7 for 14 with a homer, a triple and a double against Liriano, and Mark Trumbo has taken him deep twice in 11 at_bats.
Originally slated to start Saturday, Jason Vargas was placed on the disabled list due to a blood clot in his armpit. Los Angeles will instead go with Jerome Williams (5-2, 3.14), who's 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA in seven starts this year, including 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last three at home.
The right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, but he hasn't faced them since 2006.
Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton didn't play Friday due to a sore right wrist and is expected to remain out of the starting lineup through the weekend. The former MVP, hitless in his last 12 at_bats, is batting just .207 on the season.
-----------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Pirates at Angels
Fri, Jun 21 Final 5 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Pirates at Angels
Sat, Jun 22 - 10:05PM EDT
GAME 3
Pirates at Angels
Sun, Jun 23 - 3:35PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-22-13 03:21 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Athletics (44-32) at Mariners (32-43)
Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 22, 2013 10:10 PM EDT
Getting back in the outfield might have been just the spark the Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes needed to get back in the groove at the plate.
After a superb series opener, Cespedes will try to help the A's top the Seattle Mariners again Saturday night while maintaining sole possession of the AL West lead.
A sore left hamstring kept Cespedes as Oakland's designated hitter for seven straight games, and he was 4 for 28 (.143) with 10 strikeouts and one RBI. While getting the chance to return to left field Friday, the Cuban slugger ended an 11-game homerless drought as he went deep twice in a 6-3 win.
Before hurting his hamstring June 11, Cespedes was batting .297 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in his previous 22 games.
"It feels great to play in the outfield," Cespedes said through an interpreter. "When I'm in the outfield, my body's completely up, my body's on fire. The difference is when I'm a DH and I sit down in the dugout and I'm doing nothing, I feel like I'm going down a little bit."
Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie also homered as the A's (44-32) stayed one game in front of Texas in the division. Oakland lost three of four to the Rangers earlier this week after dropping two of three to the visiting Mariners.
Dan Straily (4-2, 4.97 ERA) is certainly hoping to perform better against Seattle (32-43). The right-hander is 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA in two career matchups and gave up six runs over five innings in a 6-3 defeat at Safeco Field on May 10.
Straily has won three straight decisions but allowed six runs in 4 2-3 innings in his latest start Monday, an 8-7 defeat in Texas. He gave up two home runs after allowing none in his prior six outings.
"I was up in the strike zone. They were aggressive and I just got beat, plain and simple," Straily said.
Aaron Harang (3-7, 5.28), meanwhile, will seek to return to the form he showed in a pair of recent shutouts. The right-hander recorded the second of those June 11 against visiting Houston - a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts - but he struggled in an 11-3 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Three of the four runs Harang allowed were unearned, but he gave up a season-high 11 hits in five innings.
"They had quite a few hits in a short period of time, and (Harang) was fortunate to get out of there with just four runs," manager Eric Wedge said.
Harang walked a career-high eight batters and lasted only 3 2-3 innings in his only start against Oakland, a 3-0 loss June 19, 2012, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cespedes is 5 for 13 (.385) in his last three games against Seattle but has never faced Harang.
Kendrys Morales is 4 for 8 with two homers and a double against Straily, but he's batted .128 with no extra-base hits in his last 12 games.
It's unknown if Oakland's John Jaso will return from an abrasion on his left hand. The catcher was batting .366 in his past 12 games before sitting out Friday.
-------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Athletics at Mariners
Fri, Jun 21 Final 6 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Athletics at Mariners
Sat, Jun 22 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Athletics at Mariners
Sun, Jun 23 - 4:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-22-13 03:23 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack
-- Pirate rookie Gerrit Cole is now 3-0, 3.44 after beating the Angels-- he allowed two runs in 6.2 IP in Anaheim, in his third big league start.
-- Rough year so far for Cole Hamels (2-11, 4.50); he lost 4-3 to the Mets Friday night in Philadelphia.
-- Toronto won its ninth game in row, 7-6 over Baltimore, rallying back from down 6-4 in 7th inning. Jays get Jose Reyes back next week.
-- Bartolo Colon won his 7th consecutive start, beating Seattle for second time in six days, 6-3 at Safeco Park.
-- Yoenis Cespedes homered twice Friday; he has 15 HRs in 48 games as an outfielder, one homer in 14 games as the DH. Get that man his glove!!!
-- Southwest Airlines grounded flights late Friday night because of a glitch in their computer system; hope they have it fixed by July 11.
*****
Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but............
13) According to footballguys.com, 27 of the 64 NFL coordinators this season (42.2%) will be in their first year in that job this season; only 13 of 32 teams have the same head coach and both coordinators as last season.
12) Was new Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema born to be coach of the Razorbacks? He grew up on a pig farm in Illinois, after all.
11) Buffalo Bills are going into this season with Kevin Kolb and EJ Manuel as their QBs? Kolb always gets hurt; Manuel wasn’t that great in college. Buffalo fans might be clamoring for Tarvaris Jackson to come back by Columbus Day.
10) I haven’t played a round of golf in 15 years, but from watching golf on TV, it sounds like slow play on public courses has become an issue. I was an awful golfer, but I played fast!!!!
9) Not to kick someone when they’re down, but the numbers are staggering: in Games 1-5 of the NBA Finals, Danny Green made 35-53 from the floor, an amazing 25-38 behind the arc. He might’ve been the MVP had the series ended after five games.
In games 6-7, Green was 2-19 from the floor, 0-8 inside the arc, 2-11 outside it. Yikes.
8) How many times have the Mariners led 8-1 with Felix Hernandez on the mound and lost? Happened to them Thursday night. King Felix gave up 12 hits on 24 balls in play, only six misses on 45 swings; not good.
7) Coming into Friday’s action, Oakland SS Jed Lowrie was batting .125 his first time up, .283 his second time, .358 his third time; American League average for those scenarios are .253/.259/.270.
6) Along those lines, AL hitters are batting just .242 against relief pitchers so far this season, as they only see those guys one time per night.
5) Flipping thru the movie channels late one night this week, I stumbled across that horrible Adam Sandler movie where Rex Ryan has a cameo role. You know what? Rex isn’t a bad actor!!!
I thank the Lord he isn’t the Rams’ coach (he has a brother who lives in St Louis) but the man does have a sense of humor.
4) Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals will be the first summer NHL game since the ’75 Finals, where it was so warm inside the building, players on Sabres, Flyers had to skate around the ice carrying sheets, trying to get the fog above the ice to go away.
You think I’m making this up, but I’m not—that happened.
3) Mississippi State-UCLA will play best-of-3 for the college baseball national title starting Monday in Omaha.
2) So I’m reading these people tweet Thursday about Aaron Hernandez and how his absence would hurt their fantasy football team and I’m thinking, “People, this is a murder investigation; someone freakin’ died!!! Lets worry about football in September.” Good grief.
1) Our thoughts, prayers to people in Calgary, where floods have forced 75,000 people to leave their homes. Mother Nature is in a bad mood.
Reply With Quote
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-22-13 03:26 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Saturday, June 22
Hot pitchers
-- Chacin is 2-0, 2.70 in his last couple starts.
-- Gee is 3-1, 1.53 in his last four starts.
-- Turner is 1-0, 2.52 in four starts this season.
-- Hudson has a 2.88 RA in his last four starts.
-- Leake is 3-1, 1.73 in his last four starts. Arizona won 13 of 14 Corbin starts (0-1, 3.10 last three).
-- Miller is 3-1, 2.25 in his last four starts.
-- Liriano is 2-2, 2.52 in his last four starts. Williams is 3-1, 2.67 in his last four starts.
-- MGonzalez is 3-0, 2.21 in his last three starts. Wang is 1-0, 3.14 in his first two starts for Toronto.
-- Sabathia is 2-1, 3.04 in his last four home starts. Colome allowed one run in 5.2 IP in his only '13 start (4-6, 3.07 in 14 AAA starts)./
-- Kluber won his last two starts, allowing one run in 16 IP.
-- Davis is 1-0, 2.84 in his last two starts.
-- Scherzer is 5-0, 1.93 in his last six starts.
-- Harang is 1-1, 2.57 in his last two starts.
Cold pitchers
-- Washington lost last seven Haren starts (0-5, 6.25).
-- Pettibone is 0-3, 8.84 in his last four starts.
-- Zito is 0-2, 7.71 in his last three starts.
-- Hand is a reliever, going 2-1, 3.18 in 28.1 IP in 16 AAA games-- he's allowed six runs in 13.1 IP in eight big league games this year.
-- Greinke is 0-2, 5.92 in his four road starts this season. Volquez is 2-2, 6.63 in his last seven starts.
-- Norris is 0-3, 4.50 in his last three starts. Wood is 0-3, 3.15 in his last three.
-- Perez allowed four runs in 5.1 IP in his only '13 start (5-1, 1.75 in six AAA starts this season).
-- Walters is 0-2, 4.34 in his last three starts.
-- Webster allowed 11 runs in 7.2 IP in two starts this season.
-- Quintana is 0-1, 5.10 in his last five starts.
-- Straily has a 5.89 RA in his last three starts.
Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in the first inning. You're reading ***************.com. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Chacin 2-13; Haren 1-14
-- Gee 3-14; Pettibone 2-11
-- Turner 0-4; Zito 4-14
-- Hudson 3-15; Hand 0-0
-- Leake 2-14; Corbin 3-14
-- Greinke 3-9; Volquez 4-15
-- Norris 4-15 (0 of last 4); Wood 1-14
-- Perez 1-1; Miller 5-13
-- Liriano 2-8; Williams 2-7
-- Gonzalez 4-12; Wang 0-2
-- Colome 1-1; Sabathia 5-15
-- Quintana 5-14 (3 of last 5); Davis 4-14
-- Walters 2-5; Kluber 1-10
-- Webster 2-2; Scherzer 3-14 (0 of last 5)
-- Straily 2-11; Harang 4-11 (0 of last 5)
Totals
-- Five of last six Colorado games stayed under total.
-- Under is 7-2-2 in Mets' last eleven games.
-- Five of last seven Milwaukee games stayed under.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Cincinnati games.
-- Over is 11-4-1 in last sixteen San Diego games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five San Francisco games.
-- 12 of last 16 Houston games stayed under the total; last six Cub games also stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five St Louis games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in Pittsburgh's last six games.
-- Under is 9-4-1 in last fourteen Bronx games.
-- Six of last eight Toronto games stayed under.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten Boston games.
-- Four of last six Minnesota games went over total.
-- Five of last six White Sox games went over the total.
-- 11 of last 15 Seattle games stayed under the total.
Hot teams
-- Washington won its last four home games, allowing six runs.
-- Phillies won six of their last eight home games. Mets won five of their last seven games overall.
-- Milwaukee won its last four home games.
-- Arizona won its last three games, allowing total of eight runs.
-- Padres won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Marlins are 6-4 in their last ten games.
-- Cardinals are 14-1 in game following their last 15 losses. Texas won four of its last five games.
-- Astros won six of their last nine games.
-- Pittsburgh won three of last four games. Angels won six of their last nine.
-- Blue Jays won their last nine games, scoring 53 runs.
-- Detroit won six of its last nine home games.
-- Cleveland won seven of last nine games. Twins won four of their last six.
-- Royals won seven of their last nine home games.
Cold teams
-- Colorado is 3-9 in its last twelve road games.
-- Braves lost four of their last five games.
-- Cincinnati lost three of its last four games.
-- Dodgers lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Giants lost five of their last seven games.
-- Cubs lost four of their last six games.
-- Baltimore is 6-7 in its last thirteen road games.
-- White Sox lost 14 of their last 17 road games.
-- Red Sox lost four of their last six road games.
-- Tampa Bay, Bronx both lost seven of its last ten games.
-- A's lost five of their last eight road games. Seattle lost five of its last six games overall.
Umpires
-- Col-Wsh-- Last four Fletcher games went over the total.
-- NY-Phil-- Six of last seven TWelke games stayed under total.
-- Mia-SF-- Underdogs are 6-6 (+$217) in last 12 Winters games.
-- Atl-Mil-- Underdogs won five of last six Tumpane games.
-- Cin-Az-- Last five Schrieber games stayed under the total.
-- LA-SD-- Six of last eight Muchlinski games stayed under total.
-- Hst-Chi-- Home teams won four of last five Kulpa games.
-- Tex-StL-- Underdogs won six of last seven Darling games.
-- Pitt-LA-- Nine of last twelve Joyce games stayed under.
-- Blt-Tor- Over is 5-2-2 in last nine Nauert games, with underdogs winning his last four games behind the plate.
-- TB-NY-- Last four Wendelstedt games stayed under the total.
-- Chi-KC-- Three of last four Everitt games went over the total.
-- Minn-Cle-- Four of last five Hoye games stayed under total.
-- Bos-Det-- Underdogs are 4-3 in last seven TBarrett games.
-- A's-Sea-- Favorites won last four Davis games.
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-22-13 03:27 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
MLB
Saturday, June 22
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life after hoops: Catch up on MLB's best/worst bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The NBA season is over and NHL is soon to follow. Now what are you betting on?
If you’ve been ignoring baseball for hoops and hockey, let us get you caught up on what you missed through the first three months of the MLB season.
Bucs bets are the best
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been in this position the past few seasons, stringing together a nice stretch of games at discount moneylines and jumping to the top of the MLB breadwinners. However, there is usually a tipping point for the Bucs. Last year it was September, when the Pirates went 7-21.
Pittsburgh has won +17.67 units on the moneyline and +17.35 units on the runline (baseball’s version of the spread), but bettors are waiting for the other shoe to drop. The All-Star break has been a reliable yield sign for Bucs backers, with the club going 87-140 following the Mid-Summer Classic over the past three seasons.
Live and Die in L.A.
Despite having massive payrolls, rosters packed with All-Star talent and some of the best baseball weather in the world, Los Angeles’ MLB clubs just plain stink. And if you’ve been betting either the Angles or the Dodgers, that’s the smell of money burning.
Los Angeles’ two teams are currently ranked as the two worst bets in the majors, with the Dodgers eating up -19.55 units and the Halos wasting -19.34 units heading into Friday. The pair are a combined 63-81 and still command hefty price tags on the moneyline based on name alone.
AL West totally awesome
The American League West is home to the best over and under teams in the big leagues.
While the Angels are draining bankrolls on the moneyline, they’re making a mint for over backers with a 42-30-1 over/under mark heading into Friday. The Halos rank 10th in scoring (4.55 runs per game) but allow 4.30 runs against (26th) an outing.
On the other end of the scale, the Texas Rangers have become the best under play in baseball with a 26-43-4 over/under count. The Rangers have actually leaned toward the over versus AL West rivals, going 15-14-3 O/U, but are 11-29-1 over/under (72 percent under) against the rest of the majors.
Brewers bust on runline
Good thing there’s plenty of beer in Miller Park. The Brewers are one of the worst bets in baseball, burning through more than 15 units on the moneyline but doing real damage to runline fans. Milwaukee is a costly -20.23 units against MLB’s version of the spread with a 27-44 ATS record.
Things aren’t getting any better for the Brew Crew either. Milwaukee just dropped a series to the lowly Houston Astros and could be without slugger Ryan Braun for longer than expected after injuring his thumb. The Brewers welcome the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves this weekend.
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-22-13 03:29 PM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Around the Horn - Sunday
June 22, 2013
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado at Washington - 1:35 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Colorado Rockies De La Rosa (7-4, 3.21 ERA) 37-38 1-5 L6 away
Washington Nationals Detwiler (2-5, 3.34 ERA) 37-36 4-1 L5 off home loss
-- Nationals beat Rockies, 5-1 on Thursday
-- Nationals beat Rockies, 2-1 on Friday
-- Rockies beat Nationals, 7-1 on Saturday
N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia - 1:35 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
New York Mets Harvey (6-1, 2.16 ERA) 29-42 2-5 L7 as away favorite
Philadelphia Phillies Lannan (0-1, 5.49 ERA) 36-39 7-2 L9 home
-- Mets beat Phillies, 4-3 on Friday
-- Phillies beat Mets, 8-7 on Saturday
Atlanta at Milwaukee - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Atlanta Braves Maholm (7-6, 3.57 ERA) 43-33 1-5 L6 as favorite
Milwaukee Brewers Figaro (1-1, 3.88 ERA) 31-42 5-0 L5 home vs. ATL
-- Brewers beat Braves, 2-0 on Friday
-- Brewers beat Braves, 2-0 on Saturday
Miami at San Francisco - 4:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Miami Marlins Eovaldi (0-0, 3.00 ERA) 24-50 UNDER 7-2 L9 away
San Francisco Giants Cain (5-3, 4.55 ERA) 38-36 UNDER 5-1 L6 on Sundays
-- Marlins beat Giants, 2-1 on Thursday
-- Marlins beat Giants, 6-3 on Friday
-- Giants beat Marlins, 2-1 on Sunday
Cincinnati at Arizona - 4:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Cincinnati Reds Latos (6-1, 3.20 ERA) 44-32 OVER 5-2 L7 away
Arizona Diamondbacks Delgado (0-0, 4.00 ERA) 41-33 8-3 L11 home
-- Diamondbacks beat Reds, 11-5 on Friday
-- Diamondbacks beat Reds, 4-3 on Saturdday
Los Angeles at San Diego - 4:10 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Los Angeles Dodgers Capuano (2-4, 4.62 ERA) 31-42 0-5 L5 off road win
San Diego Padres Cashner (5-3, 3.56 ERA) 38-37 5-1 L6 vs. LHP
-- Padres beat Dodgers, 6-3 on Thursday
-- Padres beat Dodgers, 5-2 on Friday
-- Dodgers beat Padres, 6-1 on Saturday
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota at Cleveland - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Minnesota Twins Pelfrey (3-6, 6.11 ERA) 33-38 4-11 L15 away vs. division
Cleveland Indians Carrasco (0-2, 8.40 ERA) 38-35 4-1 L5 home Game 3's
-- Indians beat Twins, 5-1 on Friday
-- Indians beat Twins, 8-7 on Saturday
Baltimore at Toronto - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Baltimore Orioles Garcia (3-4, 4.80 ERA) 42-33 UNDER 6-3 L9 away
Toronto Blue Jays Johnson (0-2, 4.38 ERA) 37-36 9-2 L11 home
-- Blue Jays beat Orioles, 7-6 on Friday
-- Blue Jays beat Orioles, 4-2 on Saturday
Boston at Detroit - 1:10 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Boston Red Sox Doubront (4-3, 4.38 ERA) 45-32 8-2 L10 off loss
Detroit Tigers Verlander (8-5, 3.72 ERA) 41-32 1-5 L6 off win
-- Tigers beat Red Sox, 4-3 on Thursday
-- Red Sox beat Tigers, 10-6 on Friday
-- Tigers beat Red Sox, 10-3 on Saturday
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees - 2:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Tampa Bay Rays Archer (1-3, 5.03 ERA) 38-37 3-6 L9 away vs. division
New York Yankees Nova (2-1, 5.16 ERA) 41-33 6-2 L8 home
-- Rays beat Yankees, 8-3 on Thursday
-- Yankees beat Rays, 6-2 on Friday
-- Yankees beat Rays, 7-5 on Saturday
Chicago at Kansas City - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Chicago White Sox Axelrod (3-4, 4.39 ERA) 31-41 1-4 L5 away Game 3's
Kansas City Royals Shields (2-6, 2.72 ERA) 34-38 1-6 L7 vs. division
-- White Sox beat Royals, 9-1 on Friday
-- White Sox beat Royals, 3-2 on Saturday
Oakland at Seattle - 4:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Oakland Athletics Parker (6-6, 4.30 ERA) 44-31 2-5 L7 away Game 3's
Seattle Mariners Bonderman (1-1, 3.28 ERA) 32-43 UNDER 6-2-1 L9 home Game 3's
-- Athletics beat Mariners, 6-3 on Friday
INTERLEAGUE
Houston at Chicago (N) - 2:20 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Houston Astros Lyles (4-1, 3.22 ERA) 29-47 5-2 L7 vs. NL
Chicago Cubs Samardjiza (4-7, 3.35 ERA) 30-43 UNDER 7-0 L7 overall
-- Cubs beat Astros, 3-1 on Friday
-- Astros beat Cubs, 4-3 on Thursday
Pittsburgh at Los Angeles (A) - 3:35 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Pittsburgh Pirates Morton (1-1, 1.74 ERA) 44-30 5-0 L5 vs. AL
Los Angeles Angels Blanton (1-10, 5.62 ERA) 33-41 OVER 4-1 L5 home Game 3's
-- Pirates beat Angels, 5-2 on Friday
Texas at St. Louis - 8:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Texas Rangers Tepesch (3-6, 4.84 ERA) 43-32 3-6 L9 vs. RHP
St. Louis Cardinals Wainwright (10-4, 2.37 ERA) 47-28 UNDER 5-1 L6 home
-- Rangers beat Cardinals, 6-4 on Friday
-- Rangers beat Cardinals, 4-2 on Saturday
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:30 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Red Sox (45-31) at Tigers (40-32)
Game: 4
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: June 23, 2013 1:08 PM EDT
Justin Verlander was hardly at his best last time out and a matchup with the Boston Red Sox wouldn't appear to give him the best chance to bounce back.
The Detroit Tigers ace hasn't been sharp in his last two games against Boston, but he has been nearly flawless in his past two home starts versus the Red Sox. He'll try to produce another such outing at Comerica Park in Sunday's series finale.
After winning four straight starts, Verlander (8-5, 3.72 ERA) suffered a 5-2 loss to Baltimore on Tuesday. The right-hander gave up five runs - on a pair of homers - and walked four while needing 102 pitches to get through five innings.
"There's ups and downs, peaks and valleys," he told the team's website. "Tonight was just one of those nights where two long balls hurt me. Who knows what happens if I'm able to execute those (home run) pitches a little bit better? I'm not saying that I regressed. It's just one of those games."
In his attempt to get back on track, Verlander will face one of two teams he's gone 0-2 or worse against over the past two seasons. He's also 0-2 against Tampa Bay in that stretch.
He has posted a 6.55 ERA in his back-to-back defeats to Boston but hasn't given up a run in his last 16 2-3 innings at Comerica against the Red Sox.
In his only home matchup with Boston last season, he gave up two hits and one walk over eight innings while striking out seven in a 3-2 victory April 5.
Verlander would like to get some help from an offense that scored its most runs in 17 games Saturday. Victor Martinez kicked off a 10-3 rout of Boston with a first-inning grand slam, and Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter and Andy Dirks combined for nine of their team's 15 hits.
"The four runs given back in the first set the tone for the entire evening," Boston manager John Farrell said.
Felix Doubront (4-3, 4.38) will try to limit the Tigers on Sunday and help his team improve on a 2-5 road record since June 12. The Red Sox (45-32) have a 5.17 ERA in those games but Doubront will head into this start after throwing eight scoreless innings Tuesday.
The left-hander did not get a decision in Boston's 3-1 win over Tampa Bay but said he picked up some confidence.
"I needed this. I needed this to get more confident, trust more in my pitches," he told the team's website. "I'll go the next game and try to do the same and stay on one page, this page. And stay like that. I'm going to get better results and win games and help the team to win."
Doubront won his only start against Detroit on May 28, 2012, allowing two solo homers and two other hits in six innings of a 7-4 victory. Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts versus Doubront in that game.
Boston's David Ortiz has three doubles, a home run and a single in his last 12 at_bats against Verlander. Ortiz has homered twice in this series and his 18 at Comerica Park are the most by an opposing player.
--------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Red Sox at Tigers
Thu, Jun 20 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Red Sox at Tigers
Fri, Jun 21 Final 10 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Red Sox at Tigers
Sat, Jun 22 Final 3 to 10
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 4
Red Sox at Tigers
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:08PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:37 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Orioles (42-33) at Blue Jays (37-36)
Game: 3
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: June 23, 2013 1:07 PM EDT
With his triceps and blister issues seemingly behind him, Josh Johnson will try to help the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays continue their stunning turnaround.
The Blue Jays look to match a franchise record with their 11th straight victory Sunday when they host the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of this three-game series.
Toronto (37-36) rallied late for the second straight day as Jose Bautista's two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Blue Jays to Saturday's 4-2 victory.
Rajai Davis singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a 7-6 win Friday.
"It's been a great run and hopefully we can continue,' said Bautista, whose team moved out of sole possession of last place in the AL East for the first time since late April.
The Blue Jays, above .500 for the first time since July 29, now turn to Johnson (0-2, 4.38 ERA) as they look to equal their franchise-best streak set in 1987 and matched in 1998.
The right-hander took two extra days off to let a bothersome blister heal before striking out a season-high 10 over 7 1-3 innings in a 2-0 win over Colorado on Monday.
"Definitely the most comfortable I've been,' said Johnson, who also missed 31 games with a sore right triceps. "Just being able to get extension on all my pitches, not have to worry about the triceps or anything like that.'
Johnson, who has never faced the Orioles (42-33), is 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 19 1-3 innings in three starts since returning from the disabled list.
However, he remains winless in seven starts with Toronto, having received only 13 runs of support.
The Blue Jays have been outstanding offensively during the winning streak, averaging 5.7 runs per game while hitting 18 homers and batting .333 with runners in scoring position.
They'll try to continue that production against scheduled starter Freddy Garcia (3-4, 4.80), who hopes to prevent Baltimore's first three-game losing streak since a season-high six-game slide May 14-20.
After going 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA in his last three starts, Garcia allowed two hits in one inning of scoreless relief in Wednesday's 13-3 win at Detroit.
Garcia has won his last two starts in Toronto, giving up four earned runs and 14 hits over 11 innings. He went five innings and yielded two earned runs and nine hits in Baltimore's 6-5 win there May 25.
Emilio Bonifacio homered off the right-hander in that contest, but enters this meeting in a 1-for-17 slump overall.
Adam Lind is 7 for 11 with two homers off Garcia and 20 for 40 with two home runs in his last 11 games against Baltimore.
Munenori Kawasaki, who provided a game-tying home run in the seventh inning Friday, is 9 for 19 with eight RBIs in his last five games versus the Orioles.
Baltimore slugger Chris Davis, the major league leader with 27 home runs, is 2 for 7 with a three-run homer in this series. He's never faced Johnson.
Teammate Nate McLouth is batting .419 during an eight-game hit streak versus Toronto, but is 1 for 11 with five strikeouts against Johnson.
-------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Orioles at Blue Jays
Fri, Jun 21 Final 6 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Orioles at Blue Jays
Sat, Jun 22 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Orioles at Blue Jays
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:07PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:39 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Twins (33-37) at Indians (37-35)
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: June 23, 2013 1:05 PM EDT
It hasn't always been easy, but the Cleveland Indians have managed to find ways to win of late.
Trying for a fifth consecutive victory, the Indians look to complete a sweep of the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Michael Bourn had three hits with three RBIs as Cleveland (38-35) took advantage of five walks to score six times in the first inning, then hung on for an 8-7 win over Minnesota on Saturday.
Though the Indians have won eight of 10 since a season-high eight-game slide, it's been a challenge to succeed at times during the stretch.
They scored in bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 win over Washington on June 14; rallied from a pair of two-run deficits to beat Kansas City 4-3 on Tuesday and came back from two down to beat the Royals 6-3 the next game. Cleveland had to sweat out Saturday's contest which it led 8-3 after five innings.
"We won the game,' Vinnie Pestano said after he converted his third straight save opportunity despite allowing two ninth-inning runs.
"That's the bottom line. If I go out there and give up five runs and we win by one, we win by one.'
Bourn is batting .429 (9 for 21) in six games, including 5 for 8 in this series.
Making his return from serving a seven-game suspension for throwing at the New York Yankees' Kevin Youkilis earlier this season, scheduled Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 8.40 ERA) allowed a run and four hits in 7 1-3 innings but did not factor in the decision of a 2-1 loss to Kansas City on Monday.
Carrasco, who missed all last season while recovering from elbow surgery, is 0-7 with an 8.08 ERA in nine starts since his last win June 29, 2011. However, his latest performance provides a reason to believe that drought could soon end.
"That was what we were hoping for,' manager Terry Francona said. "That kind of performance.'
The right-hander has posted a 1.82 ERA while going 1-1 in four starts versus Minnesota (33-38), which looks to avoid a fifth straight road loss and first sweep of at least three games at Cleveland since Sept. 15-17, 2008.
Chris Parmelee had three hits, including two solo homers, Joe Mauer hit his eighth and Justin Morneau added two hits Saturday for a Twins team that swept the Chicago White Sox prior to this set.
"Nobody should be hanging their heads,' said Parmelee, who had four hits in his previous 27 at_bats before Saturday. "Our pitching wasn't there at the beginning, but we went out and played extremely well.
"We've got a day game coming up, and we'll come back and get them (Sunday).'
Mauer is batting .391 with two homers and four RBIs in five games.
Scheduled Minnesota starter Mike Pelfrey (3-6, 6.11) is 0-3 with a 5.95 ERA in eight starts since he allowed a run and four hits while striking out seven in six innings of a 4-2 victory at Cleveland on May 5.
The right-hander has not factored in his last three decisions, though the Twins won the last two. He gave up four runs and a season-high 10 hits over six-plus innings during Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Pelfrey has a 4.66 ERA in those three June starts after he posted a 6.66 ERA over his first 11.
---------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Twins at Indians
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Twins at Indians
Sat, Jun 22 Final 7 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Twins at Indians
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:41 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Rockies (38-38) at Nationals (37-37)
Game: 4
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: June 23, 2013 1:35 PM EDT
His record certainly doesn't reflect it, but Jorge De La Rosa has been a better pitcher on the road in his six years with the Colorado Rockies.
Never has that been more true than in his past three starts away from Denver.
De La Rosa has given up a grand total of one run in a fantastic stretch he'd love to continue Sunday as the visiting Rockies try to salvage a split of this four-game set with the Washington Nationals.
De La Rosa (7-4, 3.21 ERA) is 30-12 at home since arriving in Colorado in 2008, while he's 16-20 away from Coors Field.
At home, though, he's had the highest run-support average in the majors in that span (7.26 per nine innings). That's three runs more than he's received on the road (4.24), the big reason for a record that doesn't reflect his ERA (4.05) and opponents' OPS (.718) being considerably lower outside of Denver.
The left-hander has never had a better road stretch than this that began May 12, yet he has only one win to show for it. De La Rosa has pitched exactly seven innings in his past three starts away from home, giving up a total of eight hits and one run.
He only gave up one hit Monday in Toronto, a sixth-inning single, before being forced to exit after seven with a bruise on the tip of his thumb. The Blue Jays scored the game's only two runs in the eighth, but De La Rosa expects to be fine.
His sense of humor certainly is. De La Rosa, who had been bothered by a cut on his hand in his previous two starts, joked "my hand hates me."
"It's not anything that's going to be an issue with his next start,' manager Walt Weiss said of the bruise. "It just made him uncomfortable (Monday).'
De La Rosa didn't make the Nationals (37-37) particularly uncomfortable at Coors Field on June 12, giving up three runs and four hits over 5 1-3 innings. But aside from being on the road Sunday, he has something else going for him. At 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in five starts, De La Rosa has been brilliant during daytime outings.
Colorado (38-38) finally got its dormant offense going in Saturday's matinee. After totaling seven runs during a five-game skid to begin this road trip, the Rockies broke out with three in the first inning en route to a 7-1 victory.
"It's all about winning games," Weiss said. "You don't want to dwell too much on what's happened the previous four or five days or the previous week. You show up the next day and try to win a ballgame."
Colorado wore its batting practice jerseys at starter Jhoulys Chacin's request Saturday to try to emerge from its hitting slump, and Weiss said the attire likely won't change in the finale.
One player who certainly isn't slumping is Michael Cuddyer, who singled in his first at-bat Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 20 games - tied for the majors' longest this season. Cuddyer has reached base safely in 39 straight games, breaking the Rockies record set by Matt Holliday in 2007.
"Balls are just falling in,' said Cuddyer, batting .349 since the streak began May 28. "That's just the way the game is going for me. At least once a day, it's finding the outfield grass.'
Cuddyer has a double in two at_bats against Ross Detwiler (2-5, 3.34), who will take the ball for Washington. The left-hander gave up three runs over five innings June 13 at Colorado as the Nationals rallied for a 5-4 win.
Detwiler, 6-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 home starts since the 2012 All-Star break, allowed four runs over six in a 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday.
----------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Rockies at Nationals
Thu, Jun 20 Final 1 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Rockies at Nationals
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Rockies at Nationals
Sat, Jun 22 Final 7 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 4
Rockies at Nationals
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:35PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:43 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Mets (29-41) at Phillies (35-39)
Game: 3
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: June 23, 2013 1:35 PM EDT
Though the Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a big day at the plate, a repeat performance seems unlikely against the New York Mets' Matt Harvey.
Harvey tries to quiet the Phillies in the conclusion of a three-game set Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
After dropping Friday's opener 4-3, Philadelphia (36-39) bounced back with Saturday's 8-7 victory. The Phillies, who blew a six-run lead before Kevin Frandsen led off the ninth inning with a pinch-hit walkoff homer, also got two home runs from Ryan Howard and one from Michael Young.
"He's ready to go when his number is called," Howard said of Frandsen. "He's been that guy that wants to step up. It's no surprise."
Howard drove in a season-high four runs Saturday and is batting .471 with three homers and 10 RBIs during a nine-game stretch. Young is hitting .382 with two home runs in his last 13 contests.
While Philadelphia has hit .320 with runners in scoring position during a 7-2 run at home, Charlie Manuel's club hasn't had any success against Harvey (6-1, 2.16 ERA). The hard-throwing right-hander allowed three hits and struck out nine over seven innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 road win over the Phillies on April 8, improving to 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts in the series.
"When you come to Philly, you're usually (fired up) higher than usual," Harvey said afterward.
Harvey has shut down Howard (0 for 7 with five strikeouts), Domonic Brown (0 for 5), John Mayberry (0 for 5) and Young (0 for 3), but Jimmy Rollins is 3 for 8 with a homer and two doubles in their matchups.
Having received an average of just 2.64 runs of support in his last 11 starts, Harvey earned his first win in over a month Tuesday in a 4-3 victory at Atlanta. The emerging ace, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Jason Heyward led off the inning with a fluky infield single, gave up three runs and three hits in seven innings while striking out a career-high 13.
"It's definitely one of those games where I thought (a no-hitter) was possible a little bit more than the other ones," Harvey told MLB's official website. "I was striking out a lot of guys, and they weren't putting the ball in the outfield too often. Anytime that's going on, you think in the back of your mind that this is possible."
Harvey has now taken three no-hit bids into the seventh this year.
"Guys like that, with that kind of stuff, they're going to flirt with no-hitters from time to time," Heyward said. "It's not going to be a surprise to anybody."
The Phillies counter with John Lannan (0-1, 5.49). The left-hander yielded two runs and six hits over five innings during Monday's 5-4 walkoff win over Washington, his first start back after missing two months due to a strained quadriceps tendon.
"Just getting back in the swing of things. It felt awesome," he said. "It's been a lot of time and a lot of hard work. I'm happy to be back."
Lannan has been outstanding in his last six outings against the Mets (29-42), going 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA. However, he's only faced them once since 2010, throwing 5 2-3 innings of five-hit ball in a 2-0 road win Sept. 12, while with Washington.
The Phillies have taken 10 of 12 from New York, including six of the last seven by a 44-22 margin. Howard is hitting .350 with six homers, 20 RBIs and 11 runs in his last 10 games in the series.
---------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Mets at Phillies
Fri, Jun 21 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Mets at Phillies
Sat, Jun 22 Final 7 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Mets at Phillies
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:35PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:45 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Rays (38-37) at Yankees (41-33)
Game: 4
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 23, 2013 2:05 PM EDT
With the New York Yankees showing signs of breaking out of their monthlong offensive slump, Ivan Nova might be making his return at an opportune time.
The right-hander will try to remain unbeaten against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Sunday when New York looks to finish this four-game series with a third straight win.
While they rank near the bottom of the major leagues with a .219 batting average and 70 runs scored in June, the Yankees (41-33) have started to heat up with 13 runs and 18 hits in their last two victories.
Vernon Wells, batting .118 over his previous 30 games, came off the bench to hit a three-run double that keyed a four-run seventh inning as New York rallied for a 7-5 win Saturday
"It was good to hit a ball and it not land in somebody's glove,' Wells said. "And it came at a great time.'
Rookie Zoilo Almonte, called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, has sparked the team's scoring surge, going 5 for 7 with a homer and four RBIs in this series.
The Yankees now look to win three straight for the first time since a four-game run June 3-6.
Since a rainout against the Los Angeles Dodgers forced Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes to pitch in Wednesday's doubleheader, Nova (2-1, 5.16 ERA) is expected to make his first start for the Yankees since April 26.
Nova had a 2.04 ERA over three starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA in four starts with New York.
Nova, though, has been tough on the Rays (38-37), going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in five career home starts.
He's done a particularly nice job against Ben Zobrist (2 for 18), Matt Joyce (2 for 17), Jose Molina (2 for 15) and Yunel Escobar (2 for 13).
Sean Rodriguez has had the most success when facing Nova with five hits - including a homer and two doubles - in 12 career at_bats, while Desmond Jennings was 4 for 9 with a double and triple last season.
Nova will get his first look at Rays rookie Wil Myers, who had three hits and a sixth-inning grand slam that gave Tampa Bay a brief 5-3 lead Saturday.
"It was just awesome to be down two strikes and the crowd cheering and to be able to put a swing like that on it,' Myers said. "Just a cool experience.'
Evan Longoria has also done some damage in this series, going 4 for 10 with three homers.
The Rays have dropped 10 of 14, largely due to a starting rotation that has a 6.24 ERA during that span. They're hoping to earn a series split with Chris Archer (1-3, 5.03) taking the ball.
The Yankees have never faced Archer, though a patient approach likely would serve them well. Archer has worked into the sixth inning only once in his four starts due to high pitch counts and 14 walks in 19 2-3 innings.
The right-hander threw a career-high 109 pitches in 4 2-3 on Tuesday, allowing five free passes and four runs, in a 5-1 loss at Boston.
He's 0-5 with a 6.23 ERA on the road in his career.
------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Rays at Yankees
Thu, Jun 20 Final 8 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Rays at Yankees
Fri, Jun 21 Final 2 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Rays at Yankees
Sat, Jun 22 Final 5 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 4
Rays at Yankees
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:52 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: White Sox (30-41) at Royals (34-37)
Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 23, 2013 2:10 PM EDT
Runs have been tough to come by for the Kansas City Royals, and they've been almost nonexistent whenever they've had James Shields on the mound.
The Royals will attempt to turn things around at the plate and avoid a fifth straight loss Sunday against a Chicago White Sox team hoping to end a disappointing road trip on a positive note.
After Kansas City (34-38) failed to come through with the go-ahead run on third and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday, Alejandro De Aza drove in Jordan Danks with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to give Chicago (31-41) a 3-2 victory.
"It seems like we're always on the losing end of one-run games, so fundamentally to get a sac fly to get the winning run, it's a good feeling,' said Jeff Keppinger, who had three hits. "Hopefully we can build off it.'
The Royals haven't been feeling good offensively. They've totaled nine runs while hitting .207 with runners in scoring position over their four-game losing streak.
Lorenzo Cain (1 for 15), Salvador Perez (2 for 15), Alex Gordon (0 for 11) and Billy Butler (1 for 10) have fallen on difficult times during the skid.
"We're all scratching our heads,' manager Ned Yost said. "The consistency of our offense has been a little bit mind-boggling.'
Shields (2-6, 2.72 ERA) has certainly been haunted by the lack of scoring, getting none over his last two starts. His 2.80 run-support average is among the lowest in the major leagues, and he's received 11 total runs of support over a nine-start winless stretch since beating Tampa Bay on April 30.
Despite struggling to score, the Royals have actually won each of Shields' last four starts. The right-hander has allowed two runs or less in each, and has pitched at least six innings in 29 straight starts. He yielded one run in six innings in Kansas City's 2-1 comeback win over Cleveland on Monday.
Although he's 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 13 career starts against the White Sox, Shields has struck out 15 and allowed one run over 14 innings in two meetings this season. He's 0-1, though, thanks to a Kansas City offense that has given him one run.
The AL Central-worst White Sox look to avoid their seventh loss on a 10-game swing by earning their first road sweep since Sept. 14-16 at Minnesota.
Dayan Viciedo is batting .310 during a seven-game hit streak and 4 for 8 all-time when facing Shields, while Alexei Ramirez has a .379 average and two homers in 29 career at_bats in this matchup.
Sluggers Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn haven't been able to figure out Shields, going a combined 5 for 46 with 17 strikeouts lifetime against him.
Chicago hopes right-hander Dylan Axelrod (3-4, 4.39) can regroup after getting tagged for 11 runs and 18 hits - four homers - over 10-plus innings in his last two outings. He threw a season-high 114 pitches while allowing a career-worst 10 hits and five runs before leaving without a decision in a 7-5 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday.
Axelrod, though, pitched well in his only career start against the Royals on May 4, yielding two runs in a season-high 7 2-3 innings in a 2-0 road loss.
Eric Hosmer, who had three hits off Axelrod last month, and Mike Moustakas have been bright spots for the Royals, going a combined 13 for 29 during the losing streak.
------------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
White Sox at Royals
Fri, Jun 21 Final 9 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
White Sox at Royals
Sat, Jun 22 Final 3 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
White Sox at Royals
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:54 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Braves (43-32) at Brewers (30-42)
Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 23, 2013 2:10 PM EDT
Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez believes it's only a matter of time until his club breaks out of its offensive slump, but the most recent results haven't been encouraging.
The Braves will try to avoid a third straight shutout and their ninth consecutive loss at Miller Park on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
After consecutive 2-0 losses in the series' first two games - Saturday marking the major league-leading 11th time the Braves (43-33) have been shut out - they haven't scored since the third inning of Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mets. They've produced only 28 runs through a 4-8 stretch.
Saturday's defeat was Atlanta's fifth in six games and it was the eighth time in the last 12 contests the club failed to hit a home run. The Braves' 93 homers are among the most in baseball and they've proven to rely heavily on that power.
They're 4-24 in games in which they don't homer compared to 39-9 when hitting at least one.
Numerous players are dealing with individual struggles, with Jason Heyward 5 for 28, Freddie Freeman 2 for 20, Brian McCann 1 for 16 and Justin Upton - who got an off-day Saturday - 4 for his last 30. All four, who have 34 home runs on the season, are homerless during those respective slumps.
"We're getting on base, but when we do hit the ball hard, it's at somebody or somebody makes a good play," Gonzalez said. "I feel like, at any moment, some of the at_bats that you're seeing, at any moment you're going to turn that around."
Facing Milwaukee starter Donovan Hand - who was making his first big league start Saturday - didn't provide an antidote, as Atlanta managed two hits off the rookie in 4 2-3 innings and four total.
Sunday will be the second straight game in which the Braves face a starter they haven't seen before as Alfredo Figaro (1-1, 3.88 ERA) gets the nod for Milwaukee (31-42). Perhaps Gonzalez's club can rediscover its power as Figaro has surrendered five home runs in four starts spanning 21 2-3 innings and allows 1.52 homers per nine innings for his career.
A three-run shot from Carlos Pena chased Figaro from his start at Houston on Tuesday after 4 1-3 innings, which he needed 94 pitches to get through. He was charged with five runs in the 10-1 defeat.
Figaro needed 88 pitches to throw seven shutout innings in his previous outing at Miami.
"Maybe it was the day off yesterday; I didn't do anything. Maybe that's why," said Figaro, normally a long reliever, but has taken over a spot in the rotation after Mike Fiers was demoted to Triple-A earlier this month. "But you have to compete. It's no excuse to say I didn't have energy; I have to compete and try to do my job."
Paul Maholm (7-6, 3.57) tries to end a six-game losing streak against the Brewers as he starts for Atlanta, which has been a bad omen for team's offense lately. The left-hander has received three runs of support over his last three outings, going 0-2 despite a 3.15 ERA. Atlanta supported him with an average of 6.14 runs through his first 12 starts as he went 7-4.
He's 3-11 with a 5.12 ERA in 22 starts against Milwaukee, which he hasn't beaten since Aug. 19, 2009, while with Pittsburgh. Maholm owns a 6.34 ERA while losing six of his last seven starts versus the Brewers.
Carlos Gomez is 8 for 18 off Maholm with a .722 slugging percentage.
--------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Braves at Brewers
Fri, Jun 21 Final 0 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Braves at Brewers
Sat, Jun 22 Final 0 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Braves at Brewers
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:56 AM |
|
|
| |
|
CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
|
Preview: Astros (28-47) at Cubs (30-42)
Game: 3
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: June 23, 2013 2:20 PM EDT
Some strong pitching performances have carried the lowly Houston Astros on one of their best stretches of the season.
Jordan Lyles will try to provide another in Sunday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs while extending his career-best win streak to four games.
Houston (29-47) has registered a 2.10 team ERA with a 1.37 bullpen ERA while winning seven of 10 games. The Astros had a major league-worst 4.93 ERA in their first 66 games.
Houston's pitchers kept the game close enough Saturday for a 4-3 comeback win in Chicago. J.D. Martinez got the rally started with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and former Cub Ronny Cedeno's squeeze bunt in the final frame brought home Justin Maxwell with the winning run.
"In order to play these types of close games, you have to play good baseball," manager Bo Porter said. "What I love about our ballclub is even though we make some mistakes, they don't hang their head. They keep battling, they keep fighting and we find a way to either get ourselves back into the game or make it a ballgame every night."
Lyles (4-1, 3.22 ERA) will try to help Houston win the series between last-place clubs by improving on his 3-0 record and 1.61 ERA in his last seven starts. He might have a good chance at accomplishing that task as the Cubs (30-43) are batting .201 during a 2-5 stretch and are 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position in their last four games.
They went 1 for 7 in such situations Saturday and failed to score in the eighth despite having three players in scoring position. Alfonso Soriano was picked off after a one-out double, and Darwin Barney flied out with the bases loaded.
"It's a broken record. We just can't seem to get that hit to break the game open in those situations. We get guys on and we just can't get them in," manager Dale Sveum said.
Sveum gives the ball to Jeff Samardzija (4-7, 3.35), who is trying to build on his best start of the month.
He allowed two runs over 8 1-3 innings in a 4-2 win in St. Louis on Tuesday after going 0-1 with a 5.89 ERA in his first three June starts. Prior to Tuesday, Samardzija was 0-5 with an 8.49 ERA in eight June starts dating back to last season.
"I really want to knock this June bugaboo," the right-hander said. "I've been working really hard and I like where I am today."
Samardzija, who is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two home starts this month, is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. The Cubs are 3-8 at Wrigley Field in June after winning eight of their previous 12 there.
Lyles, who is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs, has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts and gave up one run to Milwaukee in Tuesday's 10-1 home win.
Starlin Castro, who is 1 for 8 lifetime against Lyles, is batting .138 in June.
--------------------------------------------------------
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Astros at Cubs
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Astros at Cubs
Sat, Jun 22 Final 4 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Astros at Cubs
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:20PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
|
|
06-23-13 07:58 AM |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
