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Preview: Blue Jays (38-36) at Rays (39-37)
Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: June 24, 2013 7:10 PM EDT
Considering the way their pitchers have struggled against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays hope to continue the outstanding hitting that's aided their historic streak.
The Blue Jays will try to keep swinging hot bats as they seek a franchise-record 12th straight win Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
Edwin Encarnacion homered and had four RBIs as Toronto (38-36) scored a season high in runs in its 13-5 win over Baltimore on Sunday. The Blue Jays' 11-game win streak matches the team record set in 1987 and equaled in 1998.
Toronto has consistently produced at the plate during its run, averaging 6.4 runs while hitting 20 homers and batting .343 with runners in scoring position.
Encarnacion is hitting .350 with four homers and 12 RBIs over that span, while Adam Lind is batting .341 - also with four homers and 12 RBIs.
"A lot of guys have been in a good rhythm at the same time, which is kind of what we didn't have to start the season,' said catcher J.P. Arencibia, who had three hits Sunday.
The Blue Jays' rotation has yet to find a rhythm versus the Rays (39-37) this season, though, compiling a 6.97 ERA in seven games. Third baseman Evan Longoria has done the most damage, going 14 for 28 with two homers, seven doubles and 10 RBIs.
Tampa Bay looks to win consecutive games for only the third time this month after splitting a four-game series at Yankee Stadium with a 3-1 win Sunday.
Scheduled starter Jeremy Hellickson (5-3, 5.50 ERA) will attempt to cool off the Blue Jays and lead the Rays to their third win in nine home games. Hellickson has won three of his last four outings while posting a 2.65 ERA in those victories, and the right-hander bounced back from one of his worst outings of the season by giving up two runs over six innings in a 6-2 victory at Boston on Wednesday.
"I'm right where I want to be," said Hellickson, who is 3-2 with a 3.04 ERA lifetime against Toronto. "I just want to eliminate the big inning that I've been giving up.'
Hellickson has yielded five runs and 10 hits in 13 innings in two starts - both Tampa Bay losses after its bullpen blew leads - against the Blue Jays this season.
Slugger Jose Bautista has gone 3 for 4 with a homer in those meetings, improving to 7 for 15 with two homers, one double and one triple lifetime versus Hellickson. He's also batting .440 (11 for 25) with two homers, three doubles and nine RBIs against Tampa Bay this season.
The Blue Jays, who split a four-game series at Tropicana Field in early May, counter with right-hander Esmil Rogers (3-2, 3.14) as they seek their first six-game road win streak since April 7-23, 2010.
Rogers, who also has 23 appearances as a reliever, is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts. He'll try to win his third straight outing after giving up two earned runs over 6 2-3 innings in an 8-3 win over Colorado on Tuesday.
"I've got unbelievable confidence right now,' said Rogers, who makes his first career start against the Rays. "I can throw any pitch in any count.'
He has yielded two runs in three relief appearances spanning 5 2-3 innings versus Tampa Bay in 2013.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Blue Jays at Rays
Mon, Jun 24 - 7:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Blue Jays at Rays
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Blue Jays at Rays
Wed, Jun 26 - 12:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-24-13 10:55 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Giants (38-37) at Dodgers (32-42)
Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: June 24, 2013 10:10 PM EDT
In danger of falling back to .500 for the first time in nearly three months, the San Francisco Giants are looking for any kind of a spark. They might get one with a return of one of their top hitters.
Pablo Sandoval is expected to be activated from the disabled list in time to help the Giants try to add to their recent dominance over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
San Francisco (38-37) has kept its head above water for much of this season but six losses in nine games have put the Giants on the verge of dropping to .500 for the first time since they were 3-3 on April 7.
They also dropped three of four to major league-worst Miami in their most recent series and had an eight-game homerless drought until Hunter Pence's solo shot in a 7-2 loss Sunday.
"We need a lift right now," manager Bruce Bochy said.
Bochy's club might get just the boost it needs with Sandoval set to come back from a foot injury. Despite not playing since June 8, the third baseman is tied for second on the team with eight homers and his 37 RBIs are third-most.
Sandoval also homered in each of the final two days on his rehab assignment at Class-A San Jose.
"He's a big bat, presence in the lineup. Hopefully he'll take a little pressure off the other guys trying to do too much," Bochy said. "Any time you're missing a guy that's hitting in the heart of the order it does make it a little tougher. Hopefully he will spark this lineup."
In his return, Sandoval will try to help deny the Dodgers (32-42) their first three-game win streak since a home sweep of Pittsburgh from April 5-7 and lead his team to a sixth consecutive victory in the series.
The Giants will have the right pitcher on the mound in Madison Bumgarner (7-4, 3.25 ERA), who is 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his last three starts and hasn't allowed a run in each of his past two against the Dodgers.
He's given up six hits, struck out a combined 16 and walked none during that 16-inning streak, which includes a 3-0 win at Dodger Stadium on April 2.
Bumgarner outdueled Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3, 2.96) in that game and the rookie left-hander is 0-2 with a 3.65 ERA in his two starts against the Giants. Even stellar performances wouldn't have earned him wins as he was given zero runs of support in both games.
Ryu heads into this start having given up three runs or fewer in seven consecutive outings but had a three-game win streak snapped with a 6-4 defeat at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
Hanley Ramirez will try to aid Ryu by adding to a torrid stretch. The shortstop is 11 for 22 with three homers and seven RBIs in his last six games and hit a solo shot in Sunday's 3-1 win over San Diego.
"This win was a big one for us. We needed to split the series and build some positive momentum. I'm glad we were able to do that," first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said.
Ramirez, though, is a career .219 hitter against San Francisco - his worst showing against any NL team - and is 1 for 11 all-time versus Bumgarner. Gonzalez, who has homered in back-to-back games, is 2 for 14 against the left-hander.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Giants at Dodgers
Mon, Jun 24 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Giants at Dodgers
Tue, Jun 25 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Giants at Dodgers
Wed, Jun 26 - 10:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-24-13 10:57 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Phillies (36-40) at Padres (38-38)
Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: June 24, 2013 10:10 PM EDT
While their teams own lackluster records, the Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee and the San Diego Padres' Eric Stults have both shined lately.
Lee will pursue an eighth consecutive win when the Phillies visit San Diego on Monday night while Stults goes for his third straight victory.
Philadelphia (36-40) has dropped 10 of 15 since moving above .500 for the only time this season June 6, and a controversial call didn't help in an 8-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday. Umpires ruled that Ben Revere committed a three-run error in the fifth inning when he fumbled the ball from his glove to his hand and that opened the door for the Mets to score three runs in the frame.
"We were 3-3 on the homestand, and it feels to me kind of like the way we play," manager Charlie Manuel told the team's website. "If you've watched us all year long, you've seen the inconsistent part of it."
Lee, though, has been a steady performer for his club with a 1.97 ERA and 64 strikeouts to 10 walks during his win streak, which has spanned nine starts. He gave up two solo homers and struck out nine in a 4-2 win over Washington on Tuesday.
While his name has been tossed around in preliminary trade rumors ahead of the July 31 deadline, Lee said he's focused on helping the Phillies break out of their funk. After a 3-2 win in Minnesota on June 13, he was noncommittal about remaining in Philadelphia.
"I want to win. I signed here to win. I think that was misconstrued into thinking I want to play somewhere else, and that's not the case," he told the team's website.
While he's still with the Phillies, Lee will try to record his first eight-game win streak since July 16-Aug. 24, 2009, and earn his sixth in a row on the road.
That eight-game run was the third-longest in his career, and he'll try to match that against a San Diego team that's dropped four of six since winning a season-high seven in a row.
The Padres (38-38) missed their chance to win a four-game series over the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. They produced just two runs in back-to-back losses to their NL West rivals, including a 3-1 defeat Sunday.
Closer Huston Street gave up back-to-back homers in the ninth inning of that loss.
"(Street) has impeccable control. This year, at times, it's been spotty. We have to get him to the point where he's consistently hitting his spots and making his pitches," manager Bud Black said.
Black's club will try to get back on track behind another strong performance from Stults (6-5, 3.25), who has allowed two runs or fewer and pitched at least seven innings in each of his last five outings. He's also 3-0 in his past four home starts, allowing one run in each.
The left-hander, though, didn't get enough run support or help from the Padres' bullpen to extend his win streak Wednesday in San Francisco. San Diego couldn't hold on to a one-run lead in a 4-2 defeat.
Stults will make his first start against Philadelphia while Lee will make his first versus the Padres since July 25, 2011. He's 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA in five career matchups.
The Phillies had won 13 straight in San Diego before dropping their final two games there in 2012 from April 21-22.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Phillies at Padres
Mon, Jun 24 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Phillies at Padres
Tue, Jun 25 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Phillies at Padres
Wed, Jun 26 - 10:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-24-13 10:59 PM |
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CNOTES
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Armadillo: Monday's six-pack
College football expert Phil Steele's top 6 teams this season:
6) USC-- Scholarship limitations have hurt their depth.
5) Oregon-- Finished in top 4 in country last three years, but not #1.
4) Texas-- Have tricky road games at TCU and Baylor.
3) Florida State-- Were favored by 7+ in every '12 game, still lost twice.
2) Ohio State-- Meyer coaches other coaches' recruits really well.
1) Alabama-- Tide is supposedly better than LY's national champs.
*****
Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend..........
13) Doc Rivers and his $7M a year contract go the Clippers for a future #1 draft pick; now Rivers has to convince free agent Chris Paul to stay in LA.
12) Toronto Blue Jays won their 11th straight game Sunday; during the streak, they've dropped from 100-1 to 12-1 to win the World Series.
11) Jays' manager John Gibbons isn't messing around; in first inning Sunday, Orioles had men on second/third, two out amd Toronto walked Chris Davis intentionally. You don't see that a lot in the first inning.
10) Baltimore's Buck Showalter got tossed in second inning Friday for arguing balls and strikes with Angel Hernandez; funny how some umpires are always getting in arguments-- maybe because they're not as respected?
9) Over last decade, Boston Bruins have been down 3-2 in a playoff series four times; they won Game 6 in all four series. They need to win Monday to force Game 7 in Chicago Wednesday.
8) Atlanta Braves are in first place, despite being shut out in 11 of their first 77 games this season.
7) Colorado Rockies snapped their losing streak Saturday against the Nationals in Washington, in a game where they wore their batting practice jerseys to change their luck. It worked, but they went back to their regular gray road jerseys in Sunday's win at Washington.
6) 19 of the 25 guys on the Cardinals' active roster have never played for another major league team. In this day and age, thats a lot.
5) I stopped playing Words with Friends on my phone earlier this year because I was spending way too much time doing that; this weekend I noticed that I've sent out 8,845 tweets since joining Twitter, and I spend lot more time reading it than I do sending tweets. Good educational tool, though.
4) Twinkies are coming back on grocery store shelves July 15, which prompted one wise guy on Twitter to note that Twinkies came back before Derrick Rose came back from his injury with the Bulls. Cynical human.
3) I had no idea that stock cars in NASCAR use smaller steering wheels for the road course races than they do for the races on regular oval tracks.
2) LA Kings sent backup goalie Jonathan Bernier to Toronto this weekend, getting two players and a 2nd-round draft pick in return. Bernier has been the backup with LA over the past four years after being the Kings' first-round selection in 2006. He played in 62 career regular-season games with the Kings as well as one playoff game and had a 29-20-6 record, a .912 save percentage, a 2.36 goals-against-average and six shutouts.
1) Odd Stat of the Day: Not only is Philly's Ryan Howard 7-15 in his career against Dillon Gee of the Mets, six of the seven hits are HR's. Yikes.
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-24-13 11:00 PM |
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CNOTES
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MLB
Dunkel
Toronto at Tampa Bay
The Rays look to build on their 5-0 record in Jeremy Hellickson's last 5 home starts against a team with a winning record. Tampa Bay is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Rays favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120). Here are all of today's picks.
MONDAY, JUNE 24
Game 901-902: San Francisco at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 15.568; LA Dodgers (Ryu) 14.712
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 7
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-115); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-105); Over
Game 903-904: Philadelphia at San Diego (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lee) 13.513; San Diego (Stults) 15.226
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-120); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+100); Under
Game 905-906: Cleveland at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Jimenez) 16.972; Baltimore (Britton) 16.053
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+110); Over
Game 907-908: Toronto at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Rogers) 14.864; Tampa Bay (Hellickson) 16.226
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Under
MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Monday, June 24
Hot pitchers
-- Ryu is 3-0, 1.78 in his last five home starts. Bumgarner is 3-0, 2.37 in his last three starts.
-- Lee is 5-0, 2.31 in his last six starts. Stults is 4-1, 1.58 in his last seven.
-- Jimenez is 1-0, 2.53 in his last couple starts.
-- Rogers is 2-0, 2.11 in four starts this season.
Cold pitchers
-- Britton is 1-1, 5.56 in two starts this season.
-- Hellickson has a 7.43 RA in his last four home 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........
-- Bumgarner 0-15; Ryu 3-14 (0 of last 7)
-- Lee 1-15; Stults 4-15 (3 of last 4)
-- Jimenez 4-14 (0 of last 4); Britton 1-2
-- Rogers 1-4; Hellickson 7-15 (0 of last 5)
Totals
-- Over is 11-5-2 in last eighteen San Diego games.
-- Last four Dodger home games went over the total.
-- Seven of last ten Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last ten Toronto games stayed under the total.
Hot teams
-- Cleveland won four of its last five games.
-- Blue Jays won their last eleven games, scoring 70 runs.
Cold teams
-- San Diego lost four of its last six games. Phillies lost three of last four.
-- Giants lost six of their last nine games. Dodgers lost four of their last five home games.
-- Orioles lost their last three games, allowing 24 runs.
-- Tampa Bay lost eight of its last twelve games.
MLB
Monday, June 24
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Trend Report
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7:05 PM
CLEVELAND vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Cleveland's last 13 games
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Baltimore's last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland
7:10 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games at home
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
10:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN DIEGO
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 12 games when playing on the road against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Philadelphia's last 19 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of San Diego's last 12 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
San Diego is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games when playing Philadelphia
10:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. LA DODGERS
San Francisco is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games on the road
San Francisco is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco
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MLB
Monday, June 24
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Rounding the bases: The best bets in the bigs
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Every week we take a look at the hottest and coldest teams as well as the best over and under bets in Major League Baseball.
For the week of June 17-23.
Hot team: Toronto Blue Jays
Last week: 6-0
Season: 38-36
Upcoming schedule: at Rays, at Red Sox
Skinny: The Blue Jays have won a franchise record-tying 11 consecutive games heading into a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Cold team: Kansas City Royals
Last week: 2-4
Season: 35-38
Upcoming schedule: vs. Braves, at Twins
Skinny: The Royals halted a four-game slide with a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox Sunday. They were only able to conjure up two wins behind James Shields last week. Kansas City’s other four starters went 0-4.
Over team: Oakland Athletics
Last week: 5-1-1 over/under
Season: 43-34-1
Upcoming schedule: vs. Reds, vs. Cardinals
Skinny: The A’s averaged 5.3 runs per game and allowed 5.1 in seven games last week .
Under team: St. Louis Cardinals
Last week: 1-5 over/under (not including Sunday night game)
Season: 38-34-3 over/under
Upcoming schedule: at Astros, at A’s
Skinny: Cardinals pitchers held the opposition to an average of three runs per game last week.
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MLB
Monday, June 24
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NL Central teams a great under play last week
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National League Central teams were an awesome under play last week.
The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers had a combined 7-24-2 over/under record (not including the Cardinals' Sunday night game).
Here is a breakdown of how each team fared:
Chicago Cubs: 1-6 over/under
Profit for $100 under bettor on each game: $441.81
Pittsburgh Pirates: 1-5-1 over/under
Profit for $100 under bettor on each game: $394.74
Cincinnati Reds: 1-5-1 over/under
Profit for $100 under bettor on each game: $359.20
St. Louis Cardinals: 1-5 over/under (not including results from Sunday nighter)
Profit for $100 under bettor on each game: $342.65
Milwaukee Brewers: 3-3 over/under
Profit for $100 under bettor on each game: -$20.12
Every team in the division has Monday off and all five teams will be back in action Tuesday.
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-24-13 11:02 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Indians (39-36) at Orioles (42-35)
Game: 2
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: June 25, 2013 7:05 PM EDT
As Baltimore's Chris Tillman tries to continue his undefeated run, Cleveland's Justin Masterson hopes his recent success at home finally carries over to the road.
While Tillman looks to win a career-high fifth straight start and help the Orioles avoid a fifth consecutive loss, Masterson hopes to end his personal four-game road skid for the Indians on Tuesday night.
Tillman (8-2, 3.71 ERA) is 5-0 in his last six starts and has won the last four, recording a 2.25 ERA. The least impressive outing of that stretch came Wednesday, when he allowed three runs, seven hits and three walks in five innings of a 13-3 win at Detroit.
"Results-wise, at the end of the day, a win is a win," Tillman told the Orioles' official website. "I should have been better."
The right-hander also won four consecutive starts last season from July 21-Aug. 6. That run began the last time he faced Cleveland, allowing a run in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-1 win. He's 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA in three starts against the Indians (39-36).
Masterson (9-5, 3.48), meanwhile, has a 2.30 ERA while winning four straight starts against Baltimore (42-35).
He's been similarly effective at home, where he's gone 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA in his last six outings. It's been a different story for Masterson on the road, dropping four in a row while posting an 8.06 ERA.
The right-hander was at home for his last two outings, giving up three runs and striking out 18 in 13 1-3 innings. He got his first victory in four starts Wednesday with 6 1-3 solid innings in a 6-3 win over Kansas City.
"On the day he pitches, we feel pretty good," manager Terry Francona said. "He's earned that, for us to feel that way. We always know about his willingness to compete. It's fun to watch."
Francona's club won Monday's series opener 5-2 for its ninth victory in 12 games since a season-high eight-game slide.
Michael Brantley went 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs. A lifetime .400 hitter at Camden Yards, Brantley is batting .353 with three homers and seven RBIs in his last five games overall. His two-run homer Monday broke open a one-run game in the eighth inning.
"I was able to get a good swing on it," he said. "I just stayed through it the best I could. At the time, it was a big swing."
Teammate Jason Kipnis is hitting .351 while reaching base in 26 straight contests.
Orioles slugger Chris Davis is 2 for 9 with two doubles against Masterson, and he's 1 for 14 with six strikeouts in his last four games versus Cleveland.
Adam Jones had two hits Monday for Baltimore, which lost for the fourth time in 15 home games. He's 8 for 17 in his last four against the Indians at Camden Yards.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Indians at Orioles
Mon, Jun 24 Final 5 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Indians at Orioles
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 3
Indians at Orioles
Wed, Jun 26 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 4
Indians at Orioles
Thu, Jun 27 - 7:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:17 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Angels (33-43) at Tigers (42-32)
Game: 1
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: June 25, 2013 7:08 PM EDT
Though the Detroit Tigers have struggled versus the Los Angeles Angels on the road of late, they've fared much better against them at Comerica Park.
The AL Central-leading Tigers look to continue that home success by handing the Angels a fourth straight defeat Tuesday night.
Detroit (42-32) has been outscored 34-9 while dropping six straight to the Angels, all at Anaheim. The Tigers were held to four runs in a three-game series there April 19-21.
However, Detroit has averaged 5.0 runs while winning 13 of 19 at home against the Angels (33-43), including six of eight.
The Tigers are 4-3 on a 10-day homestand and looking for a third consecutive victory after totaling 27 runs to take three of four from AL East-leading Boston. They were the recipient of a questionable non-catch call on a fly ball to Boston outfielder Daniel Nava that opened the door for a three-run eighth inning in Sunday's 7-5 victory.
"Sometimes it's your day, sometimes it isn't," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
Detroit center fielder Austin Jackson went 6 for 11 in the series. He's hitting .457 (16 for 35) in nine games since he returned from missing a little more than a month with a strained right hamstring.
Jackson, though, is 2 for 39 (.051) in his last nine games against Los Angeles.
Teammate Miguel Cabrera has hit .486 (17 for 35) with two homers and six RBIs in his last nine games overall. He went 6 for 11 against Los Angeles in April and is 5 for 15 with two doubles versus scheduled starter C.J. Wilson (6-5, 3.61 ERA).
The left-hander tries to end his recent road struggles while looking for a third consecutive winning start. He allowed two runs and seven hits in 14 innings over the last two - both at home - following a three-game stretch where he went 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA.
Wilson gave up two hits in seven innings of a 1-0 win over Seattle on Wednesday.
"You never want to lose 1-0; you always want to win," he said. "I've lost a lot of those games this year already."
Wilson is 0-3 with a 5.56 ERA in his last four road outings and 0-2 with an 8.20 ERA in three starts at Comerica Park, including the postseason. His last start against the Tigers came at home April 21, when he gave up three runs and walked four in six innings of a 4-3, 13-inning win.
Albert Pujols went 1 for 12 while the Angels were swept at home by Pittsburgh over the weekend, but he's batting .548 (23 for 42) with five homers and nine RBIs in 11 regular-season games at Detroit.
Angels star Mike Trout went 5 for 15 against the Tigers in April and hit a grand slam off scheduled starter Rick Porcello (4-4, 4.74) during a 10-0 win April 20.
Porcello allowed nine runs and nine hits while facing 11 batters in two-thirds of an inning to fall to 3-3 with a 7.68 ERA in eighth starts against Los Angeles.
Since that outing, Porcello is 4-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 10 starts. However, he gave up six runs in six innings of a 13-3 loss to Baltimore on Wednesday.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Angels at Tigers
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:08PM EDT
GAME 2
Angels at Tigers
Wed, Jun 26 - 7:08PM EDT
GAME 3
Angels at Tigers
Thu, Jun 27 - 1:08PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:19 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Rangers (44-32) at Yankees (41-34)
Game: 1
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 25, 2013 7:05 PM EDT
Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers won a memorable duel when he squared off with Hiroki Kuroda and the New York Yankees for the first time.
More than a year later in the rematch - the 11th matchup between Japanese starting pitchers in major league history - it's Darvish trying to put the brakes on the longest winless stretch of his career Tuesday night in New York.
The meeting April 24, 2012, was only the fourth career big league start for Darvish and captivated Japan as it was broadcast live across the country. Darvish struck out 10 while throwing 8 1-3 innings in a 2-0 victory in Texas. Kuroda yielded two runs in 6 2-3 innings.
But Darvish (7-3, 2.84 ERA) is 0-2 in six starts since May 16 despite a 2.66 ERA. Texas (44-32) has supplied him with an average of 1.99 runs of support in those outings.
He struck out 10 against Oakland last Tuesday, increasing his baseball-leading total to 137, but also allowed a season-high five runs over six innings in a 6-2 defeat.
"I didn't feel that I pitched badly but I think I gave up runs too easily," said Darvish, who never went more than six straight starts without a win during seven seasons in Japan. He hadn't gone more than three in a row in the majors without winning.
Kuroda (7-5, 2.78) also saw a dearth of run support during a five-start winless streak from May 22-June 13, receiving five runs over 28 2-3 innings. He put the skid to an end Wednesday with 6 2-3 innings of two-run ball in a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers.
Last April's meeting was Kuroda's second loss in as many career starts versus Texas before a two-hit shutout in a 3-0 win for the Yankees (41-34) in the Bronx on Aug. 14.
Compatriot Ichiro Suzuki, who has one hit in four straight games, went 6 for 11 against Darvish last season with a double and a triple.
Darvish, originally slated to start Sunday, will be pitching on six days' rest. He's 6-1 with a 3.04 ERA with that much time off, including wins in two such outings this season while throwing 15 2-3 scoreless innings.
Texas didn't miss him Sunday, completing a three-game sweep with a 2-1 win in its first visit to St. Louis since losing Game 7 of the 2011 World Series. It was the club's fifth consecutive victory after losing seven of eight and the first time the Cardinals have been swept this season.
"It says a lot when you sweep a team that's that talented, so I think that's definitely a boost," said Daniel Murphy, who went 2 for 4 with a double. "We had a lot of fun, we played with energy and we did exactly what we wanted to."
After totaling 13 runs in back-to-back wins over Tampa Bay, the Yankees were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position in a 3-1 defeat to the Rays on Sunday.
Rookie Zoilo Almonte remained hot with two doubles in four at_bats, improving to 7 for 12 with four RBIs in five major league games.
Ian Kinsler is 11 for 27 with six RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak but went hitless in 11 at_bats in the teams' series in New York last season. Nelson Cruz has hit .379 with 11 RBIs over his last seven games but is batting .191 in 34 games against the Yankees.
New York has won 11 of 13 against Texas at Yankee Stadium.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Rangers at Yankees
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 2
Rangers at Yankees
Wed, Jun 26 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 3
Rangers at Yankees
Thu, Jun 27 - 1:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:23 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Diamondbacks (41-34) at Nationals (37-38)
Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: June 25, 2013 7:05 PM EDT
Though his win-loss record doesn't show it, Gio Gonzalez has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball for the past six weeks.
The Washington Nationals hope to provide enough run support for Gonzalez to earn his first victory in that span as they host the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
Gonzalez (3-3, 3.34 ERA) has a 2.18 ERA over his last eight starts, though he's 0-1 in that stretch. He allowed two runs and struck out a season-high 11 through seven innings of Wednesday's 6-2, 11-inning win over Philadelphia.
The left-hander, who has pitched at least six innings while giving up two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts, received only one run of support Wednesday and has a 2.18 run-support average since beating Pittsburgh on May 5.
The Nationals put up plenty of runs for Gonzalez in his only start versus the Diamondbacks as he allowed one run in seven innings of a 7-2 win July 3, 2011.
This time Gonzalez will oppose former teammate Trevor Cahill, who pitched in Oakland's starting rotation with Gonzalez from 2009-11.
Cahill (3-8, 3.92) also has been a victim of a lack of run support, though he hasn't helped himself much lately, either. He has received only seven runs of support over his last six starts, but he's 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in that stretch.
The right-hander was struck in the right hip by a line drive in the first inning of Wednesday's start versus Miami and left following the inning.
"They just didn't want to risk anything," Cahill said. "It was sore, but I felt like I could have made an adjustment and pitched through it."
Cahill went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA last season in his only two career starts versus the Nationals, who will send Jordan Zimmermann to the mound Wednesday and Stephen Strasburg on Thursday.
"Gonzalez, Strasburg and Zimmermann, they're bringing their 'A' game," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson told the team's official website. "We'll approach them just like we do every pitcher. We'll study them all the way out there and try to execute against them."
Arizona (41-34) had its four-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, though Gerardo Parra went 2 for 4 to extend his hitting steak to six.
The Diamondbacks are expecting second baseman Aaron Hill to return to the lineup after being on the disabled list since April 14 with a broken hand.
Washington (37-38), though, may not have Jayson Werth after he left Sunday's 7-6 loss to Colorado early because of a left groin pull. He missed Saturday's contest with flu-like symptoms.
``I think I'll be all right. Groins are pretty straight forward," Werth said. "I've had a couple of them in the past, but never missed any time so I'm hoping that will be the case.'
Sunday's loss was the Nationals' second straight following a three-game winning streak.
``Lately we've played two or three good games in a row and then gone right back to where we were,' said Ryan Zimmerman, who drove in a run for the third straight game. ``Long way to go still. Just got to keep taking the positives and go with that.'
Zimmerman has six homers and 12 RBIs in his last 13 games versus Arizona.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 2
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Wed, Jun 26 - 7:05PM EDT
GAME 3
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Thu, Jun 27 - 4:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:25 PM |
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Preview: Rockies (39-38) at Red Sox (45-33)
Game: 1
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: June 25, 2013 7:10 PM EDT
Run support continues to come at a premium for Ryan Dempster, and it's not helping his record.
He could especially use some offense from his Boston Red Sox teammates Tuesday night when they face the red-hot Michael Cuddyer and Colorado Rockies in the teams' first meeting at Fenway Park since Boston swept the 2007 World Series.
Dempster (4-8, 4.23 ERA) has lost three of five outings despite a 3.48 ERA, and he's recorded quality starts in each of his last four games in Boston. The most recent was a 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay on Wednesday as he gave up three runs over six innings.
"I just wish we were winning more of the games that I'm starting," Dempster said after Boston fell to 6-9 in his starts.
He's surrendered three or fewer earned runs in five of his eight losses, with the Red Sox providing him two runs or fewer in seven of those games. His run-support average of 5.44 is inflated by a 17-5 win over Texas on June 4. Excluding that game, his average would dip to 2.64.
The major-league low is 2.69 for Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.
"Seemingly, there's a guy on each staff that might be pitching on the wrong day, and that's probably the case with Ryan on a few occasions," manager John Farrell said. "That's something completely out of his control, but yet at the same time, we're in position to win almost every time he walks to the mound."
Dempster is 5-4 with a 7.83 ERA in 11 starts against Colorado.
The Rockies (39-38) scored 14 runs in back-to-back wins at Washington while totaling 25 hits, including a 7-6 victory Sunday. They scored seven runs during a five-game losing streak prior to those victories.
Cuddyer went 3 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs on Sunday to extend baseball's longest hitting streak this season to 21 games. He's two games shy of hitting coach Dante Bichette's franchise record set in 1995.
Cuddyer already owns the club record for consecutive games on base with 40. The 34-year-old Cuddyer and 36-year-old Dempster have never faced off despite their careers spanning a combined 29 years.
Carlos Gonzalez, who left in the eighth inning Sunday due to a leg cramp but should be able to play Tuesday, is 5 for 9 with a homer and two doubles off Dempster. Todd Helton is 10 for 24 with three home runs.
Boston (45-33) has lost four of five after a 7-5 defeat at Detroit on Sunday. The Red Sox made two errors in the eighth inning, including a controversial one charged to Daniel Nava in right field. The second base umpire ruled that Nava dropped a fly ball, possibly while transferring it from his glove to his other hand.
Right-hander Juan Nicasio (4-3, 4.78) makes his first career start against the Red Sox looking to end a six-start slide without a victory. He's 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA during that stretch and gave up four runs - two earned - in five innings of a 5-2 loss at Toronto on Wednesday.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Rockies at Red Sox
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Rockies at Red Sox
Wed, Jun 26 - 4:05PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:26 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Twins (34-38) at Marlins (25-50)
Game: 1
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: June 25, 2013 7:10 PM EDT
The Miami Marlins own the majors' worst record, but they've been playing much better lately.
Giving the ball to rookie Jose Fernandez could help the club continue its strong play Tuesday night when it opens a two-game series with the Minnesota Twins in Miami.
The Marlins are 25-50, but manager Mike Redmond's club has won 12 of 21 after taking three of four in San Francisco over the weekend.
"Awesome road trip,' Justin Ruggiano said after Sunday's 7-2 victory. "We played some tough teams (Giants and NL West-leading Arizona). To come out with a winning record (4-3), first time this year, you can see things turn around a little bit."
The pitching staff carried the club on the trip - posting a 2.31 ERA to overcome the team batting .211 - but Miami has been better at the plate over the last 21 games, averaging 4.2 runs and hitting .254. The Marlins score a MLB-low 3.1 runs per game and are 29th in batting at .230.
"Getting (Giancarlo) Stanton back and (Logan) Morrison back, it's a big boost to our ball club," Redmond told the Marlins' official website.
Stanton is batting .288 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 13 games since returning from hamstring injury, while Morrison has a .286 batting average since his season debut earlier this month following knee surgery.
The Marlins open their six-game homestand with Fernandez (4-4, 3.05 ERA) coming off a fourth straight quality start. The 20-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.65 ERA during that stretch after giving up two runs in a season-high 7 1-3 innings of Wednesday's 3-1 loss at Arizona.
"I see him as a Cy Young (winner) in the near future because he's got all his pitches," Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero said. "He's that good.'
Fernandez wasn't as good in a 4-3 loss at the Twins (34-38) on April 23, surrendering four runs in five innings, three coming on a homer by rookie Oswaldo Arcia.
Kevin Correia (6-4, 3.87) allowed two runs in seven innings in beating Fernandez, yet his 6.52 ERA in 16 appearances versus Miami - which includes nine starts - is his worst against any team he's faced more than 12 times.
The veteran right-hander, though, has struck out 19 with one walk in his last three outings. Correia fanned six and issued no free passes in Wednesday's 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
"It was a rough start, giving up the (Alejandro De Aza) home run to start the game, but I was pretty good after that," Correia told the Twins' official website.
There's a chance Correia will face Ruggiano, Florida's leader with 11 homers and 28 RBIs, to start Tuesday's game after the center fielder led off Sunday's contest with a homer and added a two-run shot in the ninth.
"We just led him off in hopes he'd put together some good at_bats and it happened, he hit a couple of big home runs," Redmond said following Ruggiano's third career start as a leadoff hitter.
Since capping off the April 23 doubleheader with an 8-5 victory, the Marlins have dropped seven straight to AL opponents.
Minnesota is 7-3 in interleague play since opening 1-6 against the NL this season.
The Twins took two of three in their only previous visit to Miami in 2007. Josh Willingham, Minnesota's leader with 10 homers, was hitless in nine at_bats for the Marlins in that series.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Twins at Marlins
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Twins at Marlins
Wed, Jun 26 - 12:40PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:28 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Blue Jays (38-37) at Rays (40-37)
Game: 2
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: June 25, 2013 7:10 PM EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays failed to record the longest winning streak in team history, but they're plenty confident going forward, especially knowing Jose Reyes is about to come back.
A day before the possible return of their star shortstop, the visiting Blue Jays try to bounce back from their first defeat in two weeks as they face Matt Moore and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
Riding the majors' longest winning streak since Detroit won 12 straight in 2011, Toronto (38-37) was held to four hits in 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday.
The Blue Jays could only match the club record of 11 consecutive victories, previously achieved in 1987 and 1998.
"I think that, to go on that streak, we had to believe that we were able to do that," catcher J.P. Arencibia said. "I don't think the belief has changed at all. We had a good run, game over, and come back (Tuesday)."
Jose Bautista drove home the lone run for the Blue Jays, who hadn't lost since June 10 to the Chicago White Sox. Toronto's confidence should grow with Reyes set to return to the mix.
The Blue Jays said they plan to activate him from the disabled list on Wednesday. Hitting .395 when he suffered a sprained ankle April 12, Reyes made a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Monday and is scheduled to appear in a Double-A game Tuesday.
"He's playing pretty good and he's feeling pretty good," manager John Gibbons told the Blue Jays' official website.
Bautista, meanwhile, is batting .143 in his last 11 games but has six RBIs over the past three.
He's 2 for 6 against Moore (9-3, 4.13 ERA), who allowed 20 runs and 26 hits in 12 1-3 innings to lose three straight starts before ending that skid Thursday. He gave up three runs and four hits over 6 1-3 innings of an 8-3 win at Yankee Stadium.
"When he's able to command his pitches and throw strikes, he's as good as it gets," New York's Brett Gardner told the Yankees' official website.
The left-hander, who turned 24 last Tuesday, is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA in five starts against the Blue Jays. Moore beat them on May 8, when the only runs he allowed in five innings of a 10-4 victory came on Edwin Encarnacion's two-run homer.
Encarnacion was hitless Monday after batting .400 in the previous five games with three homers, three doubles and eight RBIs. He's walked in half of his 14 plate appearances against Moore.
Toronto counters with Mark Buehrle (4-4, 4.60), 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his last three starts.
The left-hander overcame eight hits to allow two runs in five innings of a 5-2 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.
"There were just a lot of pitches I got away with," he said. "Earlier in the season that wasn't happening. Those pitches were getting hit for home runs and getting us down in a hole early."
Buehrle, who threw a perfect game against the Rays (40-37) in 2009 for the White Sox, has a 6.23 ERA without a decision in two starts versus Tampa Bay this season.
Rays rookie Wil Myers had two hits Monday, including one of his team's three homers. The highly touted prospect, who came over from Kansas City in the James Shields deal, is batting .294 with two home runs and seven RBIs in eight games since making his major league debut last Tuesday.
"He's very comfortable," manager Joe Maddon said. "He's not overwhelmed whatsoever."
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Blue Jays at Rays
Mon, Jun 24 Final 1 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Blue Jays at Rays
Tue, Jun 25 - 7:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Blue Jays at Rays
Wed, Jun 26 - 12:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:30 PM |
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Preview: Mets (30-42) at White Sox (31-42)
Game: 1
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 25, 2013 8:10 PM EDT
After an impressive big league debut last week, Zack Wheeler surely has New York Mets looking forward to his encore performance.
The visiting Mets send Wheeler to the mound opposite the Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale, who tries to snap a career-worst four-start losing streak Tuesday night.
Considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Wheeler (1-0, 0.00 ERA) lived up to the hype in the back end of last Tuesday's doubleheader at Atlanta. After watching Matt Harvey strike out 13 while winning the first game, Wheeler scattered four hits and fanned seven over six scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory.
"I hope people saw this," manager Terry Collins said of Harvey and Wheeler. "Certainly they're going to enjoy watching these two guys for a long time. They're going to be around. ... You got two guys that can win some baseball games for you."
It wasn't all smooth sailing for the 23-year-old Wheeler, who issued five walks. The right-hander threw just 55 of his 102 pitches for strikes.
"I had some jitters going at first," he said. "I settled down a little bit, probably the fourth or fifth inning I think it was, found a rhythm, settled down, and I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes."
Another solid outing from Wheeler could put even more pressure on Sale (5-6, 2.69), whose run support average of 2.69 is the lowest in the majors. Chicago (31-42), last in the AL with 272 runs, backed Sale with a combined five in his last four starts and he lost them all. The left-hander had never previously lost more than two straight decisions.
"It's tough, even for (Sale)," manager Robin Ventura told MLB's official website. "You feel like you have to throw up a one or two to be able to survive in that. That's not good for any pitcher to go out there and think that they have to do that."
Sale had his own problems Wednesday, though, allowing four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 7-4 defeat at Minnesota.
"I didn't have good command," said Sale, who had a 1.18 ERA in his previous five starts. "I was coming out of myself. I just kind of need to gather myself and get the flow again and regroup next time out."
Sale is making his first appearance against the Mets (30-42), who enter this two-game set having won six of nine. They were off Monday after an 8-0 victory at Philadelphia on Sunday, when Harvey threw six strong innings and David Wright went 4 for 5 with a homer, a triple and two doubles.
Wright is batting .405 with 14 extra-base hits in his last 17 games, including 9 for 19 with three homers and five RBIs over the past four.
"This guy is tired, beat up, yet he rides it when you need him," Collins said. "I've been around stars, and this guy's as good as any of them."
While Wright is a career .322 hitter in interleague play, he went 0 for 5 with three walks as the Mets split a two-game home series with Chicago from May 7-8.
The White Sox return home following a 3-7 road trip. Chicago appeared headed for a three-game sweep of Kansas City before Jesse Crain allowed three unearned runs in the eighth inning of Sunday's 7-6 loss.
"It's a tough way to lose a game," said Crain, who had made a franchise-record 29 consecutive scoreless appearances. "We had a chance to sweep the series, which we needed. We just have to look forward to the next game."
While Adam Dunn has hit .340 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in his last 14 games, Paul Konerko is batting .407 with a homer and five RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Mets at White Sox
Tue, Jun 25 - 8:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Mets at White Sox
Wed, Jun 26 - 8:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:32 PM |
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Preview: Braves (44-33) at Royals (35-38)
Game: 1
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 25, 2013 8:10 PM EDT
The Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals are hoping they've put an end to their respective scoring slumps.
That doesn't mean runs will be easy to come by Tuesday night.
Ervin Santana looks to continue his outstanding stretch on the mound and provide a rude welcome to the Braves, who counter with Kris Medlen in the franchise's first visit to Kansas City.
After consecutive 2-0 losses to open a weekend series in Milwaukee, Atlanta (44-33) salvaged the finale with Sunday's 7-4 victory. Chris Johnson and Jordan Schafer hit solo homers after Brian McCann's first-inning grand slam ended the Braves' 24-inning scoreless stretch.
"Games like this, they say hitting is contagious," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Hopefully, it catches a couple of guys and keeps going.'
Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman need to get going, as they're a combined 9 for 50 in the last seven games.
Justin Upton, the team leader with 15 home runs, has two hits in his last 15 at_bats, but he's questionable after missing two games with a sore hand.
"If we don't have to use him, we won't use him," Gonzalez told the Braves' official website.
With Santana (5-5, 2.64 ERA) on the hill, Upton might benefit from getting another day off. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.94 ERA in four June starts after throwing seven innings of one-run ball in last Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Cleveland.
It was Santana's seventh consecutive start in which he's pitched at least seven innings. However, he's 2-3 during that stretch as Kansas City (35-38) has plated three runs or fewer four times.
"We don't have to think about that," Santana told the Royals' official website. "Every time we take the mound, we have to do our best and trust our bats. You just try to make it simple. Trust our teammates, try to play hard and know that things aren't going our way right now, but it's going to turn around."
The Royals are hoping that's the case after back-to-back homers by George Kottaras and Jarrod Dyson in the fifth inning led the way in Sunday's 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Kansas City had nine total runs while losing its previous four.
"For us to pull out that victory later in the game shows our resiliency," said right fielder David Lough, who went 3 for 4.
The Royals, though, need more from their top four run producers. In the last five games, Billy Butler is 2 for 14, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez are 2 for 15 and Lorenzo Cain is 1 for 15.
Butler didn't face Medlen (4-7, 2.96) in a 6-3 loss to Atlanta on April 16 - the Braves' 10th consecutive victory - while Gordon, Perez and Cain went a combined 2 for 10 off the right-hander. Medlen gave up a solo homer to Chris Getz and one unearned run over seven innings before Atlanta scored four in the eighth.
Medlen improved to 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in four outings this month with seven-plus innings in Wednesday's 5-3 home win over the New York Mets. He allowed three runs, but just one was earned due to his throwing error.
"Other than that play, I felt like I was in control," Medlen told the Braves' official website.
Atlanta will become the final NL team to play in Kansas City, where the Royals have won eight of 11 after a franchise-record 11-game skid.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Braves at Royals
Tue, Jun 25 - 8:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Braves at Royals
Wed, Jun 26 - 8:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:34 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Cubs (31-43) at Brewers (31-43)
Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 25, 2013 8:10 PM EDT
The Chicago Cubs have long known Starlin Castro could be a defensive liability, but his offensive struggles have been a bit more perplexing.
He'll look to get back on track in both facets while extending his hitting streak against the Milwaukee Brewers to 11 games Tuesday night as Chicago tries to end an eight-game skid at Miller Park.
The 23-year-old Castro didn't become the first player born in the 1990s to make it to the majors three years ago because of his defense, but more for a solid bat that helped him rank among the league leaders in hits the past two seasons.
Castro hasn't been very good in the field or at the plate lately, committing two errors in Sunday's 14-6 win over Houston to bring his major league worst-tying total to 14 while also going hitless.
He's 2 for 25 over his last six games and is hitting just .228 on the year.
"The whole thing is not going real well right now so hopefully (Monday's off day) can recharge him and get things going in Milwaukee,' manager Dale Sveum said.
Castro is a .294 career hitter and has a 10-game hitting streak versus Milwaukee, though the Cubs (31-43) have lost 12 of the last 14 meetings overall versus their NL Central rivals.
After setting season bests in runs and hits (16) in Sunday's victory, Chicago is hoping its bats stay hot against the Brewers.
Ryan Sweeney, starting for injured center fielder David DeJesus, hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high six runs. Anthony Rizzo scored four times and hit a two-run homer.
"Anytime you're scoring 14 runs with 16 hits, it's contagious,' Sweeney said
The Cubs will send Edwin Jackson (3-9, 5.49 ERA) to the mound as they return to the park where they were swept April 19-21.
Jackson, who went 1-8 with a 6.29 ERA over his first 11 outings, seemed to be getting back on track after two solid starts, holding Pittsburgh and the Mets to a combined two runs over 13 innings in wins earlier this month.
He was much less effective Wednesday, though, giving up four runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 4-1 loss to St. Louis.
"Earlier (in the season), I felt like I was kind of mechanical,' Jackson said. "You have to go back to having fun.'
Despite Jackson's latest defeat, Sveum believes he has started to find his groove.
"He's pitching with more conviction,' Sveum said. "Everything is going a heck of a lot better than the first half of his starts.'
The right-hander lost to Milwaukee on April 8 and April 20, giving up five runs over six innings in each, though only one was earned in the second outing.
Milwaukee (31-43), which is coming off a 7-4 loss to Atlanta on Sunday, will counter with Kyle Lohse, who hasn't had much help from his offense.
Lohse (2-6, 3.68) has allowed one earned run in each of his last three starts, but only one victory to show for it. His 2.94 run-support average is among the worst in baseball after he got no help for the sixth time Wednesday, pitching six innings before Milwaukee's offense got going in a 3-1 win at Houston.
He refuses to let the lack of run support bother him, though.
"I'm not going to be selfish about it," Lohse said. "I want this team to get going in the right direction."
The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last five starts versus the Cubs, though he's yet to face them in his first season with the Brewers.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Cubs at Brewers
Tue, Jun 25 - 8:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Cubs at Brewers
Wed, Jun 26 - 8:10PM EDT
GAME 3
Cubs at Brewers
Thu, Jun 27 - 2:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:35 PM |
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CNOTES
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Preview: Cardinals (47-29) at Astros (29-48)
Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: June 25, 2013 8:10 PM EDT
After struggling in his first game back from the disabled list, the St. Louis Cardinals' Jake Westbrook returned to his dominant form last time out.
The Cardinals could use another strong outing from the right-hander after getting swept over the weekend, and he'll try to provide that in the club's first interleague matchup with the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Westbrook (3-2, 1.76 ERA) gave up five runs over five innings in a 5-4 loss in Miami on June 14 in his first start since dealing with inflammation in his elbow. He bounced back Wednesday by yielding an unearned run and two hits in seven innings of a 4-1 victory against the Chicago Cubs.
"I felt good," Westbrook said. "I was throwing a really good sinker, tonight. I was locating it a lot better than the last start."
St. Louis (47-29) is hoping that Westbrook can continue to pitch well after it lost three games against Texas in a rematch of the 2011 World Series. While they own the best record in the majors, the Cardinals are one game ahead of Pittsburgh in the NL Central.
They'll try to avoid a season-high fourth consecutive loss in a matchup against the Astros, who own the AL's worst record at 29-48.
Houston has won seven of 11 but dropped two of three to the Cubs this past weekend, falling 14-6 on Sunday.
Lucas Harrell (5-7, 4.32) will try to help his club bounce back and earn its seventh win in 10 home games by adding to his solid month. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA in four June starts after going 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA in May.
Harrell has issued four walks in 26 innings this month and had none Thursday against Milwaukee. He walked 21 in six starts in May.
"I'm back to getting my mechanics like they were last year (when he won a team-best 11 games)," Harrell told the Astros' official website. "I was inconsistent early in the year, but now I haven't been walking anybody."
Harrell gave up four runs - one earned - over 5 1-3 innings against the Brewers as Houston rallied for a 7-4 victory in 10 innings.
Harrell has lost his last three starts against St. Louis but has received zero runs of support. He's given up three runs or fewer in each of his last two matchups and allowed two in the most recent one Sept. 25 in Houston.
Harrell, though, didn't help himself by walking six in a 4-0 defeat.
Westbrook has won three straight decisions against Houston despite giving up five runs in each of his last two meetings.
St. Louis produced a 10-game win streak against the 107-loss Astros in 2012 that was snapped with a 2-0 defeat in Houston on Sept. 26, the most recent meeting between the clubs.
Yadier Molina batted .469 (15 for 32) with two homers and seven RBIs in his final 10 games against Houston last season. The catcher is 7 for 12 with a home run versus Harrell.
Jose Altuve, batting .376 against St. Louis, is 3 for 7 when facing Westbrook.
The Cardinals haven't dropped four in a row since Aug. 28-31.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Cardinals at Astros
Tue, Jun 25 - 8:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Cardinals at Astros
Wed, Jun 26 - 8:10PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:37 PM |
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CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
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Preview: Reds (45-32) at Athletics (44-34)
Game: 1
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: June 25, 2013 10:05 PM EDT
While the Oakland Athletics have stumbled of late, manager Bob Melvin is hoping a much-needed day off will help them regroup.
The Athletics try to avoid losing three straight for the first time in six weeks Tuesday night when they open a two-game set against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.
After compiling a 2.53 ERA in winning 21 of 26, Oakland (44-34) has recorded a 5.00 ERA while dropping seven of 10. The A's saw their woes continue Sunday in the finale of a 2-5 road trip, losing 6-3 in 10 innings to Seattle after closer Grant Balfour gave up a game-ending three-run homer.
"We had a couple guys who weren't available and he's our best pitcher," Melvin said of Balfour, who suffered his first loss in nearly a year. "We were going to go with our best guy going into the day off (Monday)."
Oakland, which fell 7-5 the previous day, hasn't dropped three in a row since a season-worst five-game skid May 6-10.
Melvin's club just completed a stretch of 30 games in 31 days, having played on 13 straight before Monday.
"I think they might be a little bit tired right now, which probably is natural," Melvin told MLB's official website. "We've had some close games, and these guys have been in a lot of games. It taxes you. So this is going to be a good little opportunity to get some rest."
Winners in 14 of 19 against the NL dating to last year, the A's now turn their attention to the Reds (45-32). After Aroldis Chapman blew the save in Saturday's 4-3 walkoff loss at Arizona, Cincinnati snapped a three-game skid with Sunday's 4-2 victory as Shin-Soo Choo and Brandon Phillips both went deep.
"It was very important," Phillips said. "You never want to get swept. Just getting that win, we showed that we're still here. I felt like we should have won (Saturday). All you can do is learn from your mistakes and stay hungry. I'm glad we got the job done."
The Reds give the ball to Bronson Arroyo (6-5, 3.13 ERA), who is 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA over his last eight starts. The right-hander allowed one run in seven innings Wednesday in a 2-1, 13-inning victory over Pittsburgh.
Arroyo is 1-4 with a 6.94 ERA over his last six interleague outings, including a 1-1 record this year. He's 3-0 with a 2.80 ERA in his last five matchups against the A's, most recently yielding two runs in eight innings in a 4-2 victory by the Bay on June 22, 2010.
Chris Young is 4 for 21 in their matchups.
Oakland counters with Tommy Milone (6-7, 3.98), who gave up a season-worst six earned runs in 5 1-3 innings during Wednesday's 9-4 loss at Texas.
"It is really important you go out there and shut it down. Now Tommy has done that many times for us this year," Melvin said. "It just didn't happen."
Milone could benefit from getting back home, where he has a 2.48 ERA compared to 5.07 on the road. He'll need to be wary of Jay Bruce, who has hit an NL-leading 17 homers since May 8, including eight in his last 10 games.
Mired in an 8-for-53 slump, A's outfielder Yoenis Cespedes could find himself facing Chapman - a fellow Cuban defector - for the first time. The two were teammates during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The A's won these teams' first seven interleague meetings before losing four of the last five, most recently dropping all three in Oakland in 2010.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Reds at Athletics
Tue, Jun 25 - 10:05PM EDT
GAME 2
Reds at Athletics
Wed, Jun 26 - 3:35PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:40 PM |
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CNOTES
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Feb 2006
Posts: 10543
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Preview: Pirates (46-30) at Mariners (34-43)
Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 25, 2013 10:10 PM EDT
With Pedro Alvarez locked in, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to roll. Giving the ball to Jeff Locke could help them keep things going.
Locke tries to lead the visiting Pirates to a season-high fifth consecutive win Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game set against the Seattle Mariners.
Alvarez homered for the fourth straight game before Pittsburgh (46-30) scored a combined seven runs in the ninth and 10th innings during Sunday's 10-9 road win over the Los Angeles Angels.
"I got to hang out in the air conditioning in here for about six innings, so I felt fresh when I got out there," said Russell Martin, who went 2 for 2 with two RBIs after coming on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. "But our guys battled back and had great ABs collectively, top to bottom, and it was fun to be a part of. We have no quit, that's for sure."
The Pirates, averaging 6.5 runs during the win streak, went 6 for 16 with runners in scoring position Sunday. Pittsburgh has won four straight three times but hasn't posted five consecutive victories since July 17-22.
"When those guys get guys on base, they take advantage," Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen said. "That's why they're playing as well as they are."
Much of the Pirates' recent success can be attributed to Alvarez. The slugging third baseman has raised his average 25 points to .237 while going 13 for 33 with five homers and 13 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.
Alvarez, whose nine home runs since June 2 rank second in the majors, will try to become the first Pirate to homer in five straight games since Jose Castillo from May 26-31, 2006.
Locke (6-1, 2.01 ERA), meanwhile, has shined on the mound. The NL leader in ERA is 6-0 with a 1.73 ERA over 14 starts since taking the loss in his season debut April 7, giving up one or zero runs in six of his last seven outings.
Locke yielded four hits over seven scoreless innings Wednesday in a 2-1, 13-inning loss at Cincinnati. The left-hander has received an average of 2.59 runs of support in his last nine starts.
"I know that I've got guys here I got to do my best to take care of, because they're taking care of me," he told MLB's official website.
Locke will try to quiet a Mariners team coming off a thrilling victory of its own, 6-3 over Oakland on Sunday. Raul Ibanez hit a pair of homers before Kendrys Morales delivered a pinch-hit game-winning three-run shot in the 10th inning.
Ibanez is hitting .288 with six homers and 12 RBIs in his last 13 games.
"I'm just trying to hit the ball on the barrel and things are working out," he said.
The Mariners (34-43) now turn to Joe Saunders (5-7, 4.48), who dropped to 2-2 with a 1.82 ERA over a five-start stretch after going the distance in Wednesday's 1-0 loss at Los Angeles.
"Joe was good," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "His fastball had a little more life than a couple years ago, so he's feeling pretty good right now and he pitched a strong game for those guys."
Saunders also thrived in two starts against the Pirates while with Arizona last year, winning both while compiling a 1.93 ERA. He'll need to be careful against Gaby Sanchez, who is 6 for 12 with a homer in their matchups.
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SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Pirates at Mariners
Tue, Jun 25 - 10:10PM EDT
GAME 2
Pirates at Mariners
Wed, Jun 26 - 3:40PM EDT
Believe in the 3 G's
GIRLS, GOLF,GAMBLING not in any particular order.
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06-25-13 02:42 PM |
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