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**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 01:28 AM

NBA MONEYLINE

NBA > (741) CLEVELAND@ (742) CHICAGO | 05/14/2015 - 08:05 PM
Play ON CHICAGO using the money line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 74 Wins and 43 Losses for the last three seasons (+43.55 units)

NBA > (743) HOUSTON@ (744) LA CLIPPERS | 05/14/2015 - 10:35 PM
Play ON LA CLIPPERS using the money line in All games revenging a loss vs opponent
The record is 21 Wins and 10 Losses for the this season (+13.05 units)

NBA FIRST HALF

NBA > (741) CLEVELAND@ (742) CHICAGO | 05/14/2015 - 08:05 PM
Play ON CLEVELAND in the first half in All games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+12.2 units)

NBA TOP POWERLINE

NBA > (741) CLEVELAND @ (742) CHICAGO | 05/14/2015 - 08:05 PM
Line: CHICAGO -2 BTB PowerLine: CHICAGO -1
Edge On: CHICAGO (1)

NBA > (743) HOUSTON @ (744) LA CLIPPERS | 05/14/2015 - 10:35 PM
Line: LA CLIPPERS -8 BTB PowerLine: LA CLIPPERS -10
Edge On: LA CLIPPERS (2)

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:42 AM

Preview: Cardinals (23-9) at Indians (11-20)
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 14, 2015 12:10 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals are unbeaten when Michael Wacha starts this year, though they are winless in his career in interleague games.

One of those trends will change Thursday when Wacha looks to improve to 6-0 in the finale of this three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

Wacha (5-0, 2.09 ERA) won his first four starts before he tossed 6 2-3 scoreless innings in a 3-2, 14-inning win over Pittsburgh on May 3. He got back into the win column by giving up three runs in six innings in Friday's 8-5 road win over the Pirates.

The right-hander is only averaging 4.42 strikeouts per nine innings to rank last on the Cardinals. That figure continues a downward trend from 9.05 in his rookie year in 2013 and 7.91 last year.

"He's got the ability to strike somebody out (but) I think he's getting quicker outs, too," manager Mike Matheny said. "I think he's a better pitcher when he's using everything. Strikeouts are going to be there I just think it's really early and I don't want to change a thing for him."

St. Louis (23-10) is 0-5 in his interleague starts, with Wacha going 0-3 with a 3.90 ERA. He has never faced Cleveland (12-20) and none of the Indians regulars have faced him.

The Indians, meanwhile, are 4-1 when Trevor Bauer (2-1, 4.19) starts versus the NL. He is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA in those games heading into his first outing against the Cardinals.

The only St. Louis hitter Bauer has faced is Jason Heyward, who is 0 for 3.

The right-hander struggled for the second consecutive start, giving up five runs and nine hits over five-plus innings in Friday's 9-3 loss to Miami. His home ERA rose to 6.75 in comparison to his 13 scoreless road innings.

Bauer's job will be easier if Matt Holliday isn't available. The Cardinals slugger was nailed on his left elbow by a 94 mph fastball by Corey Kluber in the first inning and left Tuesday's 2-0 loss.

X-rays taken on Holliday were negative and Matheny said the slugger is day to day.

Holliday's plunking touched off a back-and-forth of tight pitches between the teams. After Cardinals starter John Lackey retaliated for Holliday and hit Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis in the fourth, plate umpire Mike Everitt issued warnings to both dugouts, prompting manager Terry Francona to argue and resulting in Francona's ejection.

"I knew if I went out there, he was going to throw me out," Francona said. "I just wanted him to tell me that he (Lackey) wasn't throwing at Kip. I said, "Just tell me," and he wouldn't and that's when I probably said some things that I shouldn't have."

St. Louis will be happy to see Bauer after striking out 19 times Wednesday, including 18 by Kluber. Kluber had a no-hitter going until Jhonny Peralta's two-out single in the seventh inning.

Cardinals designated hitters are batting .306 in interleague play since it began in 1997 to top all NL clubs. Mark Reynolds is serving as their DH in this series, going 3 for 4 in Tuesday's 8-3 victory before striking out in all three at_bats Wednesday.

St. Louis is seeking to avoid dropping a second straight series after going 8-0-1 in its first nine.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Cardinals at Indians
Tue, May 12 Final 8 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Cardinals at Indians
Wed, May 13 Final 0 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Cardinals at Indians
Thu, May 14 - 12:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:45 AM

Preview: Twins (18-15) at Tigers (20-13)
Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: May 14, 2015 1:08 PM EDT

After Minnesota struggled in its first two series against the Detroit Tigers, the Twins have a chance to take this one and maintain their solid overall play.

Mike Pelfrey can help by continuing his recent success against the Tigers on Thursday.

Minnesota (19-15) used a five-run third inning to snap a five-game skid at Detroit with Wednesday's 6-2 victory. The Twins have won 10 of 13 since dropping two of three to the Tigers (20-14) from April 27-29.

The Twins had lost six of the first seven meetings with their AL Central foe and were outscored 24-2 in the first four at Comerica Park before breaking out to even this three-game set.

'It was good to get a win here,' manager Paul Molitor said. 'That's a tough team to beat, especially in Detroit.'

Pelfrey (3-0, 2.62 ERA) allowed two runs, three hits and struck out seven in seven innings of a 3-2 home victory over Detroit on April 28. He went 1-3 with a 5.57 ERA in his first four starts against the Tigers, but is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in the last three.

The right-hander is 1-3 with a 6.45 ERA at Comerica Park, last pitching there in 2013.

Pelfrey, who last opened 4-0 in 2009 with the New York Mets, completed seven innings for the third time in his last four starts while giving up two runs during Friday's 9-3 victory at Cleveland. He was able to rebound after control issues forced him to leave after 3 1-3 innings of a 13-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in his previous outing.

"I think he's kind of figuring it out for himself a little bit as he goes, how to go about getting through innings with the stuff that he's using," Molitor told MLB's official website. "It was good to see."

Pelfrey will again oppose Anibal Sanchez (2-4, 5.44), who gave up three runs and nine hits when the two squared off April 28.

'Overall, (Sanchez) did an excellent job,' Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said after that outing. 'He certainly put us in position to win, we just couldn't do anything against Pelfrey.'

Sanchez allowed three hits in 6 2-3 innings of an 11-0 rout April 8 to improve to 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts against the Twins at Comerica.

However, the right-hander must bounce back from yielding six runs, nine hits and three walks in six innings of a 6-2 home defeat to Kansas City on Saturday.

Though Joe Mauer is 2 for his last 18 against Sanchez, he's batting .323 with nine RBIs in his last seven road contests and delivered a bases-loaded triple Tuesday.

Ex-Tiger Torii Hunter homered for the third time in five games but is 0 for 7 with two strikeouts versus Sanchez this season.

Detroit's J.D. Martinez had two hits Tuesday, but could miss the finale after leaving with a back injury. He's hitting .360 in his last 22 games against the Twins.

'I don't know how serious it is,' Ausmus said. 'He took some swings in the cage and said it didn't bother him too much.'

Teammate Victor Martinez is 3 for 30 versus Minnesota in 2015, including 0 for 17 in the last four contests. He's 4 for his last 18 against Pelfrey.

Things might not get any easier for the switch-hitting Martinez, who is batting .462 against left-handers but .150 while facing right-handers.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Twins at Tigers
Tue, May 12 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Twins at Tigers
Wed, May 13 Final 6 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Twins at Tigers
Thu, May 14 - 1:08PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:46 AM

Preview: Pirates (17-16) at Phillies (11-23)
Game: 4
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: May 14, 2015 1:05 PM EDT

The Pirates' underwhelming offense has shown signs of life over the past week, but languished again Wednesday.

Pittsburgh looks to bounce back behind Vance Worley, who tries to knock off his former club in Thursday's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Pirates (17-17) ranked 28th hitting .226 and averaged 3.5 runs during a 12-15 start, bottoming out with just five runs during a five-game losing streak at the end of that stretch. They scored seven runs three times while winning five of six, including 4-3 and 7-2 victories in the first two games of this series in Philadelphia.

The offense crawled back into its shell in a 3-2 loss Wednesday, however, with Pittsburgh recording six hits, striking out 11 times and going 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Pinch-runner Steve Lombardozzi tried to tag up from third on Jordy Mercer's flyout, but was thrown out at home on a flawless throw by Jeff Francoeur for the final out.

Another effective performance by Andrew McCutchen should be encouraging for the Pirates moving forward, though. He had a two-run single and is 10 for 25 with six RBIs, a homer and four doubles over his last seven games.

Philadelphia (12-23), now tied with Milwaukee for the majors' worst record, had lost four in a row and eight of nine in the series. The Phillies are still hitting just .185 with 2.6 runs per game over the last 10 meetings.

Worley (2-2, 4.63 ERA) pitched a season-low five innings while allowing five runs and nine hits in Pittsburgh's 7-5 win over St. Louis on Saturday. Walks continue to be an uncharacteristic problem, as his 3.3 per nine innings are a career high. His 13 bases on balls are eight more than he issued through his first six starts last year.

The right-hander won his only previous outing against his original team, giving up three runs over five innings in a 6-3 road victory on Sept. 10. He was 18-13 in three seasons for the Phillies before being traded to Minnesota after the 2012 season.

Ben Revere, who came to Philadelphia in exchange for Worley, singled and drove in a run Wednesday.

The Phillies hope Aaron Harang's pattern of alternating wins and losses continues, at least for this start, since he'd be due for a victory. Harang (3-3, 2.38) was solid in a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, giving up two earned runs in seven innings. Those earned runs, coming on a Juan Lagares homer, were the first he has allowed at home.

"Harang was outstanding (except for) one high fastball he'd like to have back," manager Ryan Sandberg said.

He's 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA in three outings at Citizens Bank Park, limiting the opposition to 12 hits in 21 1-3 innings.

Harang's 29th career start against Pittsburgh will mark his most against one team. He's 16-8 against the Pirates, splitting the last six.

Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 113th save with the Phillies, eclipsing Jose Mesa as the club's all-time leader. Papelbon also owns Boston's record, and he and Robb Nen are the only players to hold save records for multiple franchises.

"I've always said a closer is nobody without the teammates in front of him," Papelbon said. "It's ironic because tonight I couldn't get that opportunity if my teammates don't pick me up."

Starling Marte, batting .341 over his last 11 games, is 5 for 12 off Harang.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Phillies
Mon, May 11 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Phillies
Tue, May 12 Final 7 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Pirates at Phillies
Wed, May 13 Final 2 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Pirates at Phillies
Thu, May 14 - 1:05PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:48 AM

Preview: Royals (21-12) at Rangers (14-19)
Game: 4
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 14, 2015 2:05 PM EDT

The Kansas City Royals have hit left-handers well and they're up against a struggling Texas Rangers southpaw.

The visiting Royals can gain a four-game series split Thursday if they can add to winless Rangers starter Ross Detwiler's woes.

Kansas City (21-13) is batting .304 against left-handers for baseball's second-best mark heading into its first look at Detwiler.

The left-hander spent last season as a reliever with Washington, and his adjustment to starting again hasn't gone smoothly. His latest poor effort was Saturday's 7-2 loss at Tampa Bay in which he was charged with four runs over four-plus innings.

Detwiler (0-4, 7.22 ERA) has allowed seven homers - the most by a Rangers pitcher. Opponents are batting .322 against him.

The only Royals hitters he has faced that he could see Thursday are Omar Infante (1 for 5), Alcides Escobar (0 for 2) and backup catcher Drew Butera - who homered in his only at-bat.

Butera could be behind the plate in this day game in place of Salvador Perez, who is 2 for 12 in this series after catching the first three.

Kansas City isn't exactly sending a Cy Young Award candidate to the mound, either. Journeyman Jeremy Guthrie (2-2, 5.70) seeks his first set of consecutive wins after giving up two runs over 7 1-3 innings in Saturday's 6-2 victory at Detroit.

The right-hander is allowing opponents to bat .308 and his 3.47 strikeouts per nine innings ratio is the majors' lowest mark. He is, however, 8-1 with a 3.47 ERA in his last 10 overall road starts, including a win in last year's World Series.

Guthrie went 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in two outings against Texas last year, with Adrian Beltre and Leonys Martin each going 2 for 6 against him.

He's had plenty of trouble versus Prince Fielder, who is 11 for 23 against him, and Elvis Andrus, who is 9 for 25.

The starter will seek to avoid allowing Shin-Soo Choo to hit a leadoff home run for the third straight game, which would make him the first to accomplish the feat since Brady Anderson did so over four consecutive games from April 18-21, 1996. Choo connected in a two-run first inning and Fielder added a two-run blast in the second as Texas (15-19) built an early four-run lead in Wednesday's 5-2 victory.

Fielder is 6 for 13 with two homers and five RBIs in this series.

'He smells the RBI," manager Jeff Banister said. "He smells what pitchers are trying to do. It's a quality, veteran hitter."

Choo is batting .345 during a 13-game hitting streak. Beltre is 5 for 13 in this series as he seeks his 400th homer.

Martin was out of the starting lineup with a sore left hand for the second straight game and the sixth time since spraining his left wrist May 3 against Oakland.

Kansas City, which leads the majors with a .285 average, has been held in check at .225 in this series. Eric Hosmer is batting .341 during a 10-game hitting streak.

These teams lead the majors in getting hit by pitches, with the Royals at 26 and the Rangers at 23. Nobody was hit Wednesday after Escobar was plunked in each of the first two games.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Royals at Rangers
Mon, May 11 Final 2 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Royals at Rangers
Tue, May 12 Final 7 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Royals at Rangers
Wed, May 13 Final 2 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Royals at Rangers
Thu, May 14 - 2:05PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:50 AM

Preview: Mets (20-13) at Cubs (17-15)
Game: 4
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 14, 2015 2:20 PM EDT

Strong pitching and just enough offense has put the Chicago Cubs in position to sweep their four-game series from the New York Mets.

The Cubs can do so by recording a seventh consecutive home victory over the NL East leaders Thursday.

Chicago (18-15) hasn't been potent while totaling 12 runs and recording two one-run victories in the first three of this set, but it's posted a 1.67 ERA and received 22 innings from starters Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel. That trio's held the offensively challenged Mets (20-14) to five runs and collectively outpitched Jacob deGrom, rookie Noah Syndergaard and ace Matt Harvey, who combined for a 3.63 ERA in the set.

A Chicago bullpen that posted an 8.72 ERA during last week's 2-5 road trip, has recorded five scoreless innings in the three games.

The Mets are batting .191 in this series, going 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position.

'We're gonna put up runs,' Harvey said after Wednesday's 2-1 loss. 'We're in a little bit of a rut right now, but, obviously, everybody goes through that. (Thursday's) the first day to come out of it.'

Hammel and two relievers kept things close for the Cubs, who managed three hits over seven innings against Harvey on Wednesday before Dexter Fowler delivered a tying single off Carlos Torres in the eighth and closer Jeurys Familia walked home the winner in the ninth.

'When you're able to win games late on a consistent basis, it becomes part of the fabric,' Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

Looking for a sixth straight overall victory against the Mets and first four-game home sweep of them since Aug. 6-9, 1992, Chicago must clear one more difficult hurdle in Jonathon Niese (3-2, 1.95 ERA).

After landing on the disabled list three times in the past two seasons, the left-hander has looked very strong while allowing more than one earned run once in six starts.

"This is the best I've felt in years," he told MLB's official website. "It's good knowing that I can get deep in games. That has a lot to do with my offseason workouts and my arm feels great and hopefully I can keep it going."

He yielded two unearned runs in seven innings of a 3-2 win at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Niese, though, is 3-4 with a 5.16 ERA in eight starts against the Cubs.

Anthony Rizzo is 1 for 11 against him, but is batting .346 while hitting safely in 13 of the last 14 contests.

While Chicago's offense faces another challenge, Travis Wood (2-2, 4.96) looks to get back on track and continue his early home success. The left-hander went 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA in four April starts but has allowed 12 total runs over nine innings to go 0-1 in two May outings.

The long ball continues to plague Wood, who has given up six homers in his last four starts. Two of them came over four innings in a 12-4 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday.

The good news for Wood is that he returns to Wrigley Field, where he's 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA compared to 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in four road starts. He's 1-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts against the Mets at Wrigley.

Center fielder Juan Lagares is 3 for 5 with a double and a home runs versus Wood, but he could miss a third straight contest with a slight strain on his upper right side.

'We've got to make sure this thing goes away,' manager Terry Collins said. "If this thing continues to get worse, it's going to lead to a longer period of time."

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Mets at Cubs
Mon, May 11 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Mets at Cubs
Tue, May 12 Final 1 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Mets at Cubs
Wed, May 13 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores

GAME 4
Mets at Cubs
Thu, May 14 - 2:20PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:54 AM

Preview: Giants (17-16) at Reds (16-17)
Game: 1
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: May 14, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The Cincinnati Reds may have added another impressive arm to their rotation, but Johnny Cueto continues to be the most reliable.

Cueto tries to put the Reds back above .500 Thursday night in the opener of this four-game series with the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Cincinnati's starting pitchers rank fourth in the majors with a 3.34 ERA and are first with 218 1-3 innings.

The Reds (17-17) may have found a way to further bolster their rotation after Raisel Iglesias allowed one run and two hits in eight innings of a 5-1 win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

"There is a scenario that he can stay with us," manager Bryan Price said of the highly touted Cuban defector, who was making just his second career start. "He has a better understanding of where he needs to go with his pitches than most pitchers his age."

Cueto (3-3, 2.98 ERA) is again the anchor of Cincinnati's staff, leading the NL with 51 1-3 innings.

The right-hander has logged at least seven in each of his three home starts, going 1-1 with a 1.23 ERA. He's completed at least eight in three of his last four starts overall, winning each time he did.

Cueto gave up three of the four runs he allowed in the ninth, and was pulled with one out in a 10-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Cueto, who threw 123 pitches, attributed the late struggles to waiting around for the Reds to conclude a seven-run ninth.

"I felt great," Cueto told MLB's official website through a translator. "It felt good all the way until I sat down a long time. I was waiting. That's part of the game."

Cueto is 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five career regular season starts against San Francisco (17-17).

The Giants will counter with Tim Lincecum (3-2, 2.00), who's allowed six hits over 14 scoreless innings to win his last two starts.

The right-hander struck out a season-high eight over six innings of a 6-0 win over Miami on Friday. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by striking out Giancarlo Stanton, eliciting some emotion out of the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner.

"It was just a big situation," Lincecum said. "I was pretty excited. It's just an emotional setting."

Lincecum has received five runs of support in each of his last two starts, improving to 45-0 in 59 games when being backed by at least five runs.

Offensive support may be necessary again since he's 0-4 with a 9.79 ERA in six starts against the Reds, the only NL team he hasn't beaten.

San Francisco lost for the seventh time in 10 road games, 4-3 to Houston on Wednesday.

Buster Posey went 3 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs as the designated hitter and is batting .358 over his last 15 games.

He should be back behind the plate in Cincinnati, but he's 3 for 25 in his last seven regular season games there. Posey, though, is 3 for 7 with two walks against Cueto while Angel Pagan is 4 for 7 with a triple.

Pagan has five hits in two games and is a career .328 hitter at Cincinnati.

The Reds have won four straight and 11 of 14 against the Giants.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Reds
Thu, May 14 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Giants at Reds
Fri, May 15 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Giants at Reds
Sat, May 16 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Giants at Reds
Sun, May 17 - 1:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:56 AM

Preview: Yankees (21-13) at Rays (18-16)
Game: 4
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: May 14, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The New York Yankees have taken first-inning leads in the first three games of this series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It hasn't resulted in victories the last two nights.

New York will try to split this series Thursday night at Tropicana Field as it faces Erasmo Ramirez, who is winless in his last 15 starts.

The Yankees (21-14) opened this series by scoring a run in the first of Monday's 11-5 rout. The problem the next two nights was failing to add onto two-run, first-inning leads, falling 4-2 on Tuesday and 3-2 on Wednesday.

'Deja vu,' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. 'Don't know if many people would have predicted it.'

New York had four hits over the final eight innings Tuesday and didn't capitalize on eight over the final eight Wednesday. The Yankees had at least one extra-base hit in every game before the last two.

This is the first stop of a nine-game road trip for New York, which is trying to avoid its second three-game slide.

"We're in the midst of a long road trip and we need to respond tomorrow," manager Joe Girardi said.

The Yankees hope to get off to another fast start as they take on Ramirez (0-1, 8.38 ERA), who makes his third start after going 0-1 with an 11.05 ERA in his first two in April against Toronto.

"In the first game I tried to be perfect, and in the second one I was fighting with my mechanics, and now I'm relaxed and focused on throwing strikes because that is all I want, and that is what I want to show to everyone," Ramirez told MLB's official site. "Not even just the team, but the fans and everyone who is looking at the game."

The right-hander last won a start April 1, 2014, with Seattle. He has gone 0-7 with a 6.12 ERA as a starter since.

Ramirez has never started against New York, allowing two runs over four innings in three relief appearances this year.

It could be an inopportune time for Chase Headley to return to the starting lineup after the third baseman sat out Wednesday since he is 0 for 9 off Ramirez.

"Head's kind of beat up, he needs a day off," Girardi said.

Tampa Bay (19-16) didn't take long to rally Wednesday, scoring once in the first inning and twice in the second. Asdrubal Cabrera got his 1,000th hit in the second.

'It's kind of special,' Cabrera said. 'The big thing for me, we get a win, too.'

The Rays have held opponents to two or fewer runs in 18 games, most in the majors.

The Yankees scored two runs in the first inning when Chase Whitley (1-1, 3.06) earned a 4-2 home victory over the Rays on April 28, as he allowed one run in five innings in his season debut.

The right-hander also pitched well his next time out with seven scoreless innings in a 3-1 loss at Toronto on May 4 before he gave up five runs in 5 2-3 innings in Saturday's 6-2 defeat to Baltimore.

Cabrera is 3 for 4 against him, but Evan Longoria is 0 for 5.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Yankees at Rays
Mon, May 11 Final 11 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Yankees at Rays
Tue, May 12 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Yankees at Rays
Wed, May 13 Final 2 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Yankees at Rays
Thu, May 14 - 7:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 02:58 AM

Preview: Blue Jays (17-17) at Astros (20-13)
Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 14, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

The Houston Astros may be tied for the best record in the AL, but they're merely .500 at home.

After ending a four-game skid there, the Astros will try to continue their success against the Toronto Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park in the opener of this four-game set Thursday night.

Houston (21-13) is tied with Kansas City for the league's best record. However, the Astros have split 18 games at home while batting .198 and averaging 3.1 runs compared to hitting .251 and scoring 5.6 per game on the road.

They got back to the break-even point at home Wednesday, beating San Francisco 4-3 after George Springer's go-ahead solo homer in the eighth, hours after coming off the seven-day concussion disabled list.

"Happy to have George back ...," manager A.J. Hinch said. "For more than his energy - his swing."

Houston has won eight of 10 all-time meetings with Toronto (17-18) at Minute Maid, including three of four from July 31-Aug. 3.

Jason Castro is 8 for 19 (.421) with three homers, two doubles, one triple and seven RBIs in six home matchups with the Blue Jays. The catcher has hit safely in his last nine games there, connecting for solo homers in the last two.

Chris Carter went 6 for 17 (.353) with four RBIs at home against Toronto last year, but has only an .086 average with 27 strikeouts in 58 at_bats there in 2015.

The Astros are turning to Roberto Hernandez (1-3, 3.86 ERA), who has surrendered eight runs in 12 innings while not figuring in either decision of his two home starts.

The right-hander is coming off his best performance of the season, yielding two runs before leaving with two outs in the eighth inning while Houston was six-hit by Jered Weaver in Friday's 2-0 road defeat to the Los Angeles Angels.

Hernandez is 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA in his last five games - four starts - against the Blue Jays, losing the most recent start with Tampa Bay on Aug. 17, 2013.

Toronto has dropped nine of 13 on the road after falling 6-1 at Baltimore on Wednesday.

Drew Hutchison (3-0, 6.69) gets the ball, and he has no record with a 13.50 ERA over his last three starts away from home, failing to complete the fifth inning each time.

The right-hander, however, battled through a season-high 106 pitches Saturday, yielding one run and seven hits with six strikeouts in five innings of a 7-1 win over Boston. The right-hander got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth after giving up 10 runs over the past five starts in that inning.

"For his year, where he's at, I thought it was huge that he gets over that hump," manager John Gibbons told MLB's official website. "There's absolutely nothing physical. I thought it might have been a mental thing, which is natural for a young guy like that. I thought it was very important and hopefully that can carry him on."

Hutchison, however, hasn't won consecutive starts since winning three in a row from May 16-26. He's followed his previous two wins this year with wretched performances, giving up 13 runs and 16 hits in 8 1-3 innings.

He allowed four runs and six hits in three innings of a 6-5 win at Houston on July 31.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blue Jays at Astros
Thu, May 14 - 8:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Blue Jays at Astros
Fri, May 15 - 8:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Blue Jays at Astros
Sat, May 16 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Blue Jays at Astros
Sun, May 17 - 2:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 03:00 AM

Preview: Nationals (18-16) at Padres (17-17)
Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: May 14, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

No matter how the Washington Nationals are getting it done, they continue to surge.

Following a comeback victory to take their fifth straight series, the Nationals open a four-game road set with the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.

Replacing Bryce Harper following the star's ejection, reserve outfielder Michael Taylor hit his first grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to give Washington (19-16) a 9-6 victory at Arizona on Wednesday.

'I always like our chances,' outfielder Jayson Werth said. 'I don't feel like we're ever out of it.'

The win was the 12th in the last 15 games for the Nationals, who have averaged 6.5 runs during a stretch that began by overcoming an early 9-1 deficit at Atlanta on April 28 and included back-to-back 1-0 victories against the New York Mets.

Harper, 14 for 26 with seven homers, 11 runs and 16 RBIs in the last seven games, was tossed along with manager Matt Williams for arguing a checked-swing call in the seventh. Taylor, who was 2 for 11 in his previous seven games, came through to help Washington overcome deficits of 5-3 and 6-5.

'Let's give that team credit. They battled,' Arizona manager Chip Hale said of the Nationals. 'A guy off the bench comes up with a big home run. That's pretty impressive.'

Washington hopes Doug Fister (2-1, 2.87 ERA) can record another strong road outing Thursday. The right-hander has not allowed a run in two of his three road starts while going 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA.

His last outing came at home Saturday, when he gave up three runs in 6 2-3 innings while not factoring in the decision of an 8-6 victory over the Braves.

In his only appearance versus San Diego in 2011, Fister threw a six-hitter and struck out seven in a 1-0 defeat with Seattle.

After concluding a 4-5 trip with a 4-2 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday, the Padres (18-17) try for a fourth consecutive victory at Petco Park.

"Where we are now, one game over .500 and we haven't hit our stride, that's something we can look forward to," San Diego manager Bud Black said.

However, it's expected that center fielder Wil Myers won't be available after he missed both games at Seattle with a wrist injury. Myers is hitting .291 with five homers, 19 RBIs and leads the club with 39 hits and 28 runs.

"I'm hoping for only a few days," Black told MLB's official website. "I want to be encouraged, I really do."

Though San Diego's Tyson Ross (1-3, 3.98) is 0-3 in his last five starts, he has allowed two runs in each of the last two. He lasted six innings during a 6-4, 12-inning victory at Arizona on Saturday.

In his only start against the Nationals, Ross gave up six runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 6-0 home loss June 6.

Harper is 2 for 2 with a home run against the right-hander.

Teammate Denard Span went 6 for 12 at Arizona, and is 3 for 9 with a double versus Ross.

After going hitless in 20 at_bats over his previous 11 games, San Diego's Will Middlebrooks went 2 for 7 with a homer at Seattle. He's 2 for 5 during the regular season versus Fister.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Nationals at Padres
Thu, May 14 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Nationals at Padres
Fri, May 15 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Nationals at Padres
Sat, May 16 - 8:40PM EDT

GAME 4
Nationals at Padres
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 10:56 AM

Preview: Rockies (11-19) at Dodgers (22-11)
Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: May 14, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

The Colorado Rockies are approaching the longest losing streak in franchise history, but they're more concerned with manager Walt Weiss.

With Weiss recovering from surgery, the Rockies will try to snap their 11-game slide Thursday night when they open a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Colorado (11-19) has the fewest wins in the majors, but concern has shifted to Weiss, who underwent an appendectomy Wednesday following two days of stomach discomfort.

Bench coach Tom Runnells will guide the team in his absence, and the Rockies are facing the possibility of a 12th straight loss, one shy of the record set as an expansion team in 1993.

Their latest defeat was perhaps the toughest of the current skid, giving up a walkoff sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to fall 2-1 to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. That came after Carlos Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run in the ninth, only for it to be overturned after replay showed he was tagged out.

"It's par for the course, the way things are going right now," Runnells said. "You don't like to joke about things like that, and it's going to be a long, long road. But you know what? We're really proud of the way the guys battled. And if we keep battling like this, we're going to be fine."

It won't get any easier at Dodger Stadium where Colorado has averaged 2.6 runs during a nine-game losing streak. The venue hasn't really mattered much against the Dodgers (22-11), however, with the Rockies dropping eight straight meetings after being swept in a two-game, rain-shortened set at home last weekend.

The gloomy weather at Colorado proved helpful to Los Angeles' Brett Anderson (2-1, 3.52 ERA), who allowed one unearned run and six hits in a 2-1 win that was called in the top of the sixth due to rain on Friday. It was the first time he faced the Rockies after going 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA in eight starts with them last year.

"I just got to go out there and try and get people out and do my best," said Anderson, who hasn't allowed an earned run in 11 innings over two starts. "And fortunately in weird circumstances, I was able to pitch pretty good and get us a win."

The left-hander is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three home starts.

The Dodgers had a five-game win streak snapped Wednesday, falling 5-4 to Miami for just their third loss in 18 games at Chavez Ravine.

Howie Kendrick is 10 for 22 (.455) in his last five games overall, and he's 8 for 16 with two homers, three double and six RBIs in four games against Colorado this season.

This also has been a good matchup for Adrian Gonzalez, who is 8 for 20 with five doubles and 10 RBIs in five meetings.

The Rockies are expected to recall Chad Bettis from Triple-A Albuquerque for his season debut and his first start since Sept. 8, 2013. The right-hander went 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in six starts in the minors after all 21 of his appearances for Colorado last year were in relief, going 0-2 with a 9.12 ERA.

"I feel like starting suits me best, from the routine standpoint, and being able to set up hitters down the line in the game," Bettis told MLB's official website

He has posted a 5.19 ERA in four appearances - including one start - against the Dodgers.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rockies at Dodgers
Thu, May 14 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Rockies at Dodgers
Fri, May 15 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Rockies at Dodgers
Sat, May 16 - 9:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Rockies at Dodgers
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 10:58 AM

Preview: Red Sox (16-18) at Mariners (15-18)
Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 14, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

Seattle's lineup was kept in check while having its longest winning streak of the season snapped.

If history is any indication, Kyle Seager and Logan Morrison should be able to re-ignite the Mariners' offense Thursday night against the visiting Boston Red Sox, who hope to end their struggles against left-handed pitching.

The Mariners (15-18) scored 26 runs while winning four in a row before Wednesday's 4-2 loss to San Diego. Brad Miller drove in Seattle's only runs a night after the club hit six homers, and the Mariners were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. 'I thought we had good at_bats, really grind it out, got his pitch count up, had him on the brink a few times and just couldn't get the big hit," manager Lloyd McClendon said.

Seager went 0 for 3 to drop his OPS to .695 a season after a personal-best .788 mark. Morrison was 2 for 3 and is batting .375 over his last 13 games. Both could be poised for a big series.

Seattle took five of six meetings last year, outscoring Boston 44-22 with a .500 slugging percentage. Seager was 12 for 23 with two doubles, two homers and nine RBIs, while Morrison went 9 for 18 with six RBIs.

Seager has hit .453 with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBIs in his last 16 meetings, including three home runs in the last four at Safeco Field. Morrison is 16 for 37 with five homers and 13 RBIs in 11 career matchups.

The Red Sox (16-18) have won three of four, taking two of three in Oakland after Wednesday's 2-0 victory. Wade Miley got himself into plenty of trouble but didn't allow a hit in 13 at_bats with runners in scoring position while logging 6 2-3 innings. He worked around five hits and four walks.

Daniel Nava snapped an 0-for-20 slump with a second-inning bloop single, while David Ortiz fell to 3 for 23 over his last six games after going 0 for 4. Ortiz, batting .143 against lefties, could be in for a tough series. Three of Seattle's four scheduled starters are left-handers, with Roenis Elias (0-1, 3.86 ERA) going Thursday, J.A. Happ on Friday and James Paxton for Sunday's finale.

Hanley Ramirez said he's "working on my timing," after going 2 for 11 as he continues to work his way back from a sprained left shoulder.

Elias hasn't pitched since May 6 after swapping spots in the rotation with Tijuan Walker, who gave up two runs over six innings Wednesday. That decision looks shrewd given the Red Sox's troubles with southpaws. They're hitting a major league-worst .188 against them and are 12 for 85 (.141) over the last nine games. Pablo Sandoval, 6 for 34 in his last nine overall, is 2 for 34 against left-handers.

Elias has performed well as a fill-in for the injured Hisashi Iwakuma, though five of the six runs in his last two starts have come on three homers. He has never faced the Red Sox.

Boston's Joe Kelly (1-2, 6.35) hasn't won since his season debut, posting a 7.67 ERA in five outings and giving up five-plus runs in four straight. He walked a career-high seven while yielding six runs in 5 2-3 innings of a 7-1 loss at Toronto on Saturday.

Kelly seemingly hasn't been right since a strained hamstring last year with a 5.32 ERA over his last 20 outings. He had a 2.92 mark for his career prior to that injury July 11.

Kelly limited Seattle to one hit and three walks over five shutout innings in a 5-3 loss Aug. 22.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Mariners
Thu, May 14 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Red Sox at Mariners
Fri, May 15 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Red Sox at Mariners
Sat, May 16 - 9:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Red Sox at Mariners
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 11:00 AM

Cubs go for sweep

May 14, 2015

NEW YORK METS (20-14) at CHICAGO CUBS (18-15)

First pitch: Thursday, 2:20 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: Chicago -130, New York +120, Total: 7.5

The Chicago Cubs look to complete a sweep of the New York Mets when they meet at Wrigley Field this Thursday afternoon.

New York was the hottest team in baseball to start the season, winning 13 of its first 16 games, but has fallen off in dramatic fashion since and is in the middle of hitting a real rut as it faces a four-game sweep by Chicago. The games haven’t all been blowouts in the first three games of this set, with two of them being a mere one run difference, but the Mets offense has been in neutral with a meager five runs in the contests. They received a nearly flawless effort (7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 9 K) from Matt Harvey on Wednesday night, but only spotted him one run and the bullpen gave up the game with a the Cubs scoring a run in both the eighth and ninth innings.

One player that does continue to hit for New York is 2B Daniel Murphy (.244) who has raised his average more than 30 points in the last 10 games, going 12-for-38 (.316) during the stretch. As the Mets begin to falter, the Cubs begin to heat up and the young core of superstars they have brewing in the clubhouse have earned them victories in five of their last eight outings. Their offense has scored four runs per game over the first three wins of this series as the pitching continues to be phenomenal with a mere five runs allowed. They couldn’t get anything going against Harvey, but their starter, Jason Hammel, kept them in the game (8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 6 K) and the offense was able to get to New York’s bullpen; eventually winning with a bases-loaded walk. Phenom 3B Kris Bryant (.275) has been the talk of baseball and for good reason as he has a hit in eight of his last 10 games, going 11-for-37 (.297) with three homers, nine RBI and eight runs.

Toeing the rubber and attempting to put a halt this losing skid for the Mets will be LHP Jonathan Niese (3-2, 1.95 ERA) as he faces fellow LHP Travis Wood (2-2, 4.96 ERA) for the host Chicago team. The road has not brought any success to New York as the loss on Wednesday dropped their record away from home to 7-11 and it could get worse as the Cubs are now 10-7 when at Wrigley Field. Chicago has had no issues getting the best of the Mets since the start of the 2013 campaign, going 11-5 in that time and taking 7-of-9 games at home. Trends show that New York has gone 39-23 (.629) in day games since the start of last year as the Cubs are 12-8 (.600) as a favorite of -100 to -150 this season. Still missing for the Mets is 3B David Wright (Hamstring) while OF Juan Lagares (Ribs) is questionable as Chicago is just missing two role players; 3B Mike Olt (Wrist) and 2B Tommy La Stella (Ribs).

Niese does not have the flash like some of the other starters in the Mets’ rotation, but he has been phenomenal in the early going as he’s given up one or fewer runs in five of his six outings. He doesn’t rely on the strikeout pitch much (6.1 K/9), but gets batters to hit it on the ground 60.2% of the time and has left 80.3% of runners on base. Over his last three starts, Niese has given up a mere three walks and has pitched seven innings in each of his last two performances.

His career has not been great against the Cubs, though, going 3-4 (4-4 team record) with a 5.16 ERA (1.68 WHIP) as he did manage to get a quality start (6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 6 K) and a win when they met last year. C David Ross (6-for-18, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 8 RBI) could see some playing time with his solid past against Niese as SS Starlin Castro (5-for-19, 1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI) has also been productive. On the other side of things, OFs Dexter Fowler and Chris Coughlan are a combined 6-for-21 in the matchup. Although they failed to maintain the lead on Wednesday, New York’s bullpen has been great, going 3-2 with a 2.67 ERA (1.02 WHIP) and are 15-for-16 in save chances. Jeurys Familia (1.56 ERA, 13 saves) is first in the National League in saves and has a 21:4 K/BB ratio with a miniscule eight hits allowed over 17.1 innings.

Wood continues to pitch rather poorly as he comes off a 2014 campaign in which he had greater than a 5.00 ERA for the first time in his career. He’s gone five or fewer innings in four of his six starts and has given up 12 runs (10 ER) in his last two showings. Both his strikeouts (9.4 K/9) and walks (2.5 BB/9) are on pace to be the best of his career, but he can’t keep the ball in the park with six home runs allowed in 32.2 IP (1.65 HR/9). He will get this struggling Mets offense on Thursday and in the past against this team he is 2-1 (4-2 team record) with a 3.34 ERA (1.34 WHIP) while getting more walks (9) than strikeouts (8) over 10.1 frames in his last two outings against them.

OF Juan Lagares (3-for-5, 1 double, 1 HR, 2 RBI) has done well in limited time against the lefty while 1B Lucas Duda (2-for-11) and OF Curtis Granderson (0-for-7) have struggled in their at-bats. The bullpen for Chicago has pitched to a 5-6 record with a 4.38 ERA (1.33 WHIP) as they’ve been successful in a meager 7-of-13 save opportunities. Hector Rondon (3.00 ERA, 7 saves) has one blown save on the year and earned the win on Wednesday with a perfect ninth inning.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-14-2015, 11:04 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Phillies 3, Pirates 2-- Jeff Francoeur threw tying run out at the plate to end game, the rare walk-off outfield assist.

-- Rangers 2, Caps 1 OT-- Rangers won last ten home games when they were faced with playoff elimination- they're 7-0 at home in Game 7's.

-- Giants' instant replay guru is former big league SS Shawon Dunston.

-- Turner Sports gave Charles Barkley a 10-year contract extension.

-- Deshaun Morman transfers from Cincinnati to Towson State, instance of a kid who made a lousy decision coming out of high school. He'll play at Towson.

-- Colorado State is using the $7M from ex-football coach Jim McElwain's buyout to fund cost-of-attendance scholarships; good move by them.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud........

13) Cory Kluber won the AL Cy Young Award last year, but Cleveland lost his first seven starts this year; Wednesday, Kluber took advantage of a 6pm start to strike out 18 Cardinals in a 2-0 Indian win. St Louis batters swung at 44 of Kluber's pitches, missed 24 times, with only seven balls in play.

12) In same game, Cleveland batters swung at 43 of John Lackey's pitches and only missed one of them. Go figure.

11) As if things weren't bad enough for the Colorado Rockies, yesterday was even a worse day; Rockies lost their 11th game in a row, 2-1 in 11 innings to the Angels in Anaheim, after skipper Walt Weiss had an appendectomy earlier in the day. Mike Trout played a great defensive game in CF last night, robbing Tulowitzki of extra bases, then throwing out the go-ahead run an inning later.

10) Professional nitwit Stephen A Smith had the onions to go on national TV Wednesday and infer (basically he said it) that NBA teams use analytics as an excuse to fire/not hire African-American coaches. What a fool, but ESPN pays him over $3M a year, so who is the fool?

This is the same jackass who once said the Chargers should've tried an OT field goal on third down "....because if they missed on third down, they could try again on fourth down." But he cries racism on slow news days. Oy.

9) The reason for Smith's rant was New Orleans firing Monty Williams after the Pelicans went 45-37 and made the playoffs for the first time in five years. what Smith didn't say that Williams isn't the only successful coach to get fired in the last 2-3 seasons........

Monty Williams, Scott Brooks, George Karl, Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollins; all fired by their employers after winning seasons in the last two years. Hell, Del Negro, Hollins and Karl all got fired after winning 56+ games.

8) Albany Great Danes start basketball season November 13 with a game at Kentucky; my alma mater has been in NCAAs the last three years, which is more than Big Blue Nation can say. Kentucky lost to Robert Morris in the 2013 NIT. Still expect the Wildcats to be a slight favorite :-)

7) Speaking of Robert Morris, NEC Freshman of the Year Marcquise Reed has left the Colonials and will play for Clemson next season, as a lower-rung ACC team poaches a low-major squad.

6) Former Washington Huskies big man Robert Upshaw stood out at the NBA Combine with a 9-foot-5 standing reach and a 7-5.5 wing span; problem is, he also has a substace abuse problem, which is why he got booted off the team at Washington last winter. Will be interesting to see who drafts him.

5) Golden State Warriors had their 128th consecutive sellout last night. I go to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas most years- the Warriors are always the team with the most fans. If you didn't know, you'd just assume they were the best team with a large bandwagon following and this was before they actually were the best team.

4) Not only did Aaron Rodgers win on Celebrity Jeopardy the other night, he beat an astronaut. Astronauts are real smart, aren't they? Hell, Rodgers went to a junior college out of high school-- good for him!!!

3) Minor league 1B/Astros farmhand Jon Singleton had 10 RBI in a AAA game last night in Albuquerque. Two homers, two singles in thin air.

2) If I owned an NBA team that had Lebron James on it, that means I had a real shot to win the NBA title and I wouldn't have a rookie coach in charge. Hell, I would make Lebron coach and hire veteran assistants to do scouting before I would let a neophyte coach my team. But thats just me.

1) Jimmy Garropolo looks like he will start at QB for the first four games this fall in Foxboro, but who will his backup be? Rosterresource.com says that as of right now, the Patriots' #3 QB is Garrett Gilbert, who is so dismal he got cut by the Rams last year. If you're a QB who got cut by the Rams LY, could be time to look for a new line of work.

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The Bum's Best Bets For Thursday May 14th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

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