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**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:42 AM

Preview: Orioles (34-32) at Blue Jays (36-32)
Game: 2
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: June 20, 2015 1:07 PM EDT

With an opportunity to match the longest home win streak in franchise history, the Toronto Blue Jays couldn't have picked a better matchup than Mark Buehrle against the Baltimore Orioles.

Buehrle looks to beat the Orioles for the fourth time in as many starts this season when the teams continue a three-game series Saturday.

Recent winners of a club record-tying 11 in a row overall, the Blue Jays (37-32) had that streak snapped with back-to-back losses to the New York Mets this week but have regrouped to win three straight at home.

Marco Estrada took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of Friday's 5-4 victory as Toronto notched the third nine-game home win streak in team history and first since 1998. The Blue Jays, who have outscored opponents 62-23 during that run, won a franchise-record 10 straight July 21-Aug. 3, 1985.

They'll try to match that behind Buehrle (7-4, 4.01 ERA), who has a 3.50 ERA against Baltimore this year and a 4-4 record and 4.14 ERA against everyone else.

He's gone 1-3 with a 4.67 ERA in day games, with the lone victory coming April 10 at Camden Yards.

Delmon Young is batting .373 with four homers in 59 at_bats against Buehrle and Adam Jones is 16 for 39 (.410) with two home runs and four doubles in the matchup.

Buehrle, though, has been on roll lately regardless of opponent, going 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his last three starts. He pitched at least seven innings for the fifth time in six outings Monday, limiting the New York Mets to one earned run and four hits over seven in a 4-3, 11-inning loss.

Toronto starters have posted 1.74 ERA in the past five games, a stretch that started with Buehrle's most recent outing. Opponents have hit one home run during that span.

There's been some bad blood between the Orioles and Blue Jays in recent seasons and Friday brought more of the same. Toronto slugger Jose Bautista was hit by a pitch in the first and manager John Gibbons was ejected for arguing after both benches were warned.

Bautista, who traded words with Baltimore's dugout after being hit, didn't bite when asked about the incident.

'I'm not going to contribute to turn this into TMZ or a gossip column,' he said.

The win was the Blue Jays' seventh in 10 meetings with Baltimore (34-33) this year. They have 43 extra-base hits in those games, including 31 doubles.

Jones had a two-run single in the ninth in his return after missing three games with a sore right shoulder, but Brett Cecil struck out Chris Davis for the final out with runners on the corners.

Baltimore tries to avoid a fifth consecutive loss at Rogers Centre as it sends Kevin Gausman (1-0, 4.50) to the mound for his first start of the season.

The right-hander was placed on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis two days after making his eighth appearance May 6. He's thrown six scoreless innings over his last four games after getting roughed up for seven runs in his first six innings.

Gausman went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three rehab starts.

He's 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in two starts and five relief appearances against the Blue Jays. Edwin Encarnacion is 0 for 8 against him.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Orioles at Blue Jays
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 4 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Orioles at Blue Jays
Sat, Jun 20 - 1:07PM EDT

GAME 3
Orioles at Blue Jays
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:07PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:44 AM

Preview: Rangers (36-31) at White Sox (28-37)
Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 20, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

The Chicago White Sox are trying to remain positive amid their longest slide in two seasons.

After wasting a gem by their ace, the White Sox look to avoid a ninth consecutive defeat Saturday against the visiting Texas Rangers.

Chris Sale allowed two hits and matched a season high with 14 strikeouts over eight innings Friday, but David Robertson loaded the bases in the ninth then yielded a two-run, go-ahead single to Mitch Moreland for a crushing 2-1 defeat.

"Anytime somebody has ever said that it can't get any worse, it can get worse," manager Robin Ventura told MLB's official website.

"You have to stay disciplined in the game and come in here with a positive attitude and ready to go," added Ventura, whose team's last three defeats came by one run. "It's easier said than done on some points, but you're pros and you come in here and you expect to turn around and have a good effort."

Chicago (28-38), which dropped nine straight from Aug. 30-Sept. 7, 2013, has hit .162 while totaling six runs in the last six contests. Tyler Flowers homered Friday, but the White Sox stranded 10 runners while falling to 5-31 when scoring three or fewer runs.

"We have a bunch of fighters in here," Sale said. "We have guys that come in here every single day and play as hard as they can, plain and simple."

Flowers is batting .210, but is 5 for 13 with a double and half of his four homers versus Texas (37-31) this season.

Perhaps facing Nick Martinez (5-2, 2.76 ERA) can halt Chicago's offensive struggles for the moment. The right-hander dropped to 0-2 and saw his ERA rise to 12.96 against the White Sox after he gave up a season-high seven runs plus nine hits in 3 1-3 innings of a 9-2 defeat June 3.

"I had a rough go of it my last time (versus Chicago)," Martinez said. "I just gotta wash it up and stick to my game plan."

Jose Abreu homered in that contest and is 4 for 6 against Martinez, who is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in six away starts. He returns to the road after yielding three runs in seven innings and not factoring in the decision of a 4-3 home loss to Minnesota on Sunday.

Moreland is batting .356 with 14 RBIs in his last 12 games for Texas, which has won 21 of 29.

"These guys believe they can win," manager Jeff Banister said.

Moreland went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts versus Carlos Rodon (2-1, 3.86) when the rookie left-hander gave up a run and struck out 10 in six innings of a 2-1 loss June 4.

That was one of the three earned runs he allowed over 24 1-3 innings to go 1-0 in four starts before giving up seven and nine hits in 3 2-3 of Monday's 11-0 loss at Pittsburgh.

"I mean it's the big leagues and everybody can hit," the left-hander said after his seventh career start.

Ventura chalked it up as a learning experience.

"For a young guy, I think everybody has those," he said.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rangers at White Sox
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 2 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rangers at White Sox
Sat, Jun 20 - 2:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Rangers at White Sox
Sun, Jun 21 - 2:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:46 AM

Preview: Cubs (35-29) at Twins (36-30)
Game: 2
Venue: Target Field
Date: June 20, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Aside from one outburst, the Chicago Cubs' offense hasn't been able to get into much of a groove lately.

The Minnesota Twins were feeling the same way until finally busting out at the plate in the series opener.

Minnesota hopes to build on that effort as it seeks a fourth consecutive victory Saturday against the visiting Cubs.

The Twins (37-30) scored more than three runs just twice in their previous 12 contests before Friday's 7-2 victory, collecting 12 hits for their most since finishing with 16 in a win over Boston on May 25.

Trevor Plouffe doubled twice and drove in four runs, while Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar also added two hits.

Minnesota entered having won the final two of a four-game series with St. Louis despite scoring a combined five runs.

'We're over struggling. We don't want to do that anymore. We want to score some runs,' Plouffe said. 'I knew that something like that was coming. (Slumps happen) during the season."

Some still are struggling, though. Top prospect Byron Buxton went hitless and is 2 for 20 in six games since being called up from the minors, and Torii Hunter is 3 for 28 over his last eight and wasn't in the lineup Friday.

Hunter, though, is 14 for 28 in his career off Jon Lester, who takes the mound for the Cubs (35-30) looking to help them avoid a fourth defeat in five games.

Lester (4-5, 3.99 ERA) allowed 11 runs and 18 hits in 9 1-3 innings over his previous two starts - both on the road - before allowing a run in seven innings Sunday as the Cubs beat visiting Cincinnati 2-1 in 11.

He's 1-2 with a 5.22 ERA away from home, and the left-hander has had his issues in Minnesota during his career. Lester is 0-3 with a 6.16 ERA in five starts there with two coming at the Metrodome prior to Target Field opening in 2010.

Lester's last three starts against the Twins have come on his team's home field, though, including Aug. 7 when he tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 3-0 victory for Oakland.

Lester shouldn't count on much run support in this outing with the Cubs having scored three runs or fewer in four of their last five. The oddity came Wednesday when they beat Cleveland 17-0 and set a season high with 18 hits.

Chicago had four Friday, and Anthony Rizzo provided half with a pair of solo homers. Despite the big night, Rizzo is 4 for 29 over his last seven with three of those hits being home runs.

Kris Bryant went 0 for 4, snapping a 14-game hitting streak during which the rookie hit .351.

'I thought we hit some balls really good and we were kind of a little bit unlucky,' manager Joe Maddon said. "It looked more awful than it actually was.'

The Cubs look to bounce back against Trevor May (4-5, 4.26), who is 1-2 with a 2.00 ERA over his last three. He wasn't at his best Monday, though, allowing three runs in five innings of a 3-2 loss at St. Louis.

May surrendered two homers after giving up four over his previous 11 outings.

"I didn't do my job as well as I should," May said. "I wish I had a couple (pitches) back, but that's how things go sometimes."

The right-hander has never faced the Cubs, who have dropped nine of 13 all-time meetings in Minnesota.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Cubs at Twins
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 2 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Cubs at Twins
Sat, Jun 20 - 2:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Cubs at Twins
Sun, Jun 21 - 2:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:49 AM

Preview: Pirates (39-27) at Nationals (34-33)
Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: June 20, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

Even without Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals showed signs of breaking out of their home slump while putting an end to their longest skid there in two years.

They aren't likely to need a major scoring outburst with Max Scherzer on the mound.

As Scherzer looks to build on a historic outing, the Nationals will try to win back-to-back games for only the second time in almost a month Saturday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Washington (35-33) batted .205 while totaling eight runs during a four-game slide at Nationals Park that marked the club's worst since a six-game skid in July 2013.

The Nationals, however, ended that losing streak while matching a season high at home with 14 hits in Friday's 4-1 victory. Still, they left runs on the field by going 4 for 17 with runners in scoring position.

Denard Span was one of five players with two hits, leaving him 15 for 39 (.385) over his last nine games.

Now the Nationals could again be without Harper, who strained his left hamstring Thursday. The star right fielder may have to go on the disabled list if he's slow to recover from the injury.

Washington, though, may not need much offense to win consecutive games for only the second time during a 8-15 stretch that dates to May 26. Scherzer (7-5, 1.93 ERA) ranks among NL ERA leaders while limiting opponents to one or no runs in nine of 13 starts.

After losing his previous two, the two-time All-Star got back on track Sunday when he allowed one hit while striking out a career-high and Nationals-record 16 in a complete-game 4-0 win at Milwaukee. Scherzer was a broken-bat single in the seventh inning and a walk in the eighth away from perfection.

"I was able to execute every pitch for the most part when I wanted to," he told MLB's official website. "When you've got a good catcher who can sequence it, and we make some good plays out there, and get some timely hits, it's a recipe for how to win ball games."

The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in six career starts versus Pittsburgh (39-28). He allowed three hits and fanned 14 over eight shutout innings in a 5-2 win last August in his only meeting since 2012.

Andrew McCutchen has gone 4 for 14 with a home run against him, but Francisco Cervelli, Pedro Alvarez and Josh Harrison are a combined 1 for 22 with 10 strikeouts.

The Pirates' eight-game winning streak ended Friday when they managed just six hits and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They've scored three runs or less in 10 of their last 12.

Gregory Polanco was 2 for 3 and drove in the only run Friday before leaving when he banged into the right field wall trying to make a catch. Manager Clint Hurdle said the move was precautionary.

Pittsburgh hopes to break out offensively for Francisco Liriano (4-5, 2.94), who has been on a roll. He allowed two hits and struck out 12 over eight innings in Monday's 11-0 home win over the White Sox.

"I wanted to make sure to go out there and make good pitches, attack the zone," said Liriano, who is 3-1 with a 1.29 ERA over his last five starts.

The veteran left-hander is 1-1 with a 2.84 mark in two career outings against the Nationals. Anthony Rendon is 2 for 4 with a triple off him, while Span is 4 for 9 with a double.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Nationals
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 1 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Nationals
Sat, Jun 20 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Pirates at Nationals
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:35PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:51 AM

Preview: Rays (38-30) at Indians (31-34)
Game: 2
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: June 20, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation by no means is made up of a cast of superstars, but rather a collection of 20-somethings looking to make names for themselves.

That group includes Erasmo Ramirez, who has helped that group rank among the best in the majors.

Ramirez opposes reigning AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber on Saturday night as the Rays face the host Cleveland Indians seeking an eighth victory in nine tries.

Tampa Bay (39-30) sits atop the AL East, in part because of the starters' 3.22 ERA. Rookie Nathan Karns pitched an effective 5 1-3 innings and Asdrubal Cabrera homered in his return to Cleveland as the Rays won 4-1 on Friday.

Joey Butler and Steven Souza Jr. also homered while Logan Forsythe added three hits for Tampa, which has won eight of nine on the road to improve to an MLB-best 20-11 away from home.

Cabrera is plenty familiar with Progressive Field having played 7 1/2 seasons with the Indians before being traded to Washington at least year's deadline and signing a one-year deal with the Rays in the offseason.

'Really happy for Asdrubal Cabrera coming back,' said manager Kevin Cash, who also made his return to Cleveland after spending the previous two seasons as the Indians' bullpen coach. 'These fans got to see him play and really play well. I know they probably didn't like the home run but it's nice to come back to your home team that you grew up in and play well, so we're happy for him.'

Ramirez (6-2, 4.45 ERA) came over in the trade that sent fellow pitcher Mike Montgomery to Seattle on March 31 and became a regular in the rotation May 14.

The 25-year-old right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA in his last seven starts, winning four straight while allowing three runs in 23 1-3 innings. Ramirez pitched six scoreless in Monday's 6-1 win over Washington.

"You don't control what is going to happen, but I'm happy for real to get those wins and get the chance to go out there and show what I got," Ramirez said. "I'm just happy for what's happening right now, and I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing."

Kluber (3-8, 3.54) has had his ups and downs this season after going 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA last year. He has a 2.25 ERA over his last seven starts but has been saddled with a loss in each of his last three despite pitching effectively.

The only time in that stretch Kluber didn't go at least seven innings was Sunday, when he went five and allowed two runs and four hits in an 8-1 loss to Detroit.

"I'm going to stick to my game plan, and it's just a matter of making a good pitch," Kluber said.

The right-hander has done his best work at home recently, going 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA in his last three starts there. Kluber been even better against Tampa Bay in his career with a 1.08 ERA in three starts, including striking out 11 in eight innings of a 1-0 win the last time he faced the Rays on Sept. 26.

The Indians (31-35), though, have been outscored 49-23 while dropping six of nine at home. Their only run Friday came when Jason Kipnis, who had three of the club's seven hits, scored on Karns' wild pitch in the first inning.

Carlos Santana went hitless for the third straight game and is 3 for 30 with 10 strikeouts over his last eight.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rays at Indians
Fri, Jun 19 -Final 4 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rays at Indians
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Rays at Indians
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:53 AM

Preview: Red Sox (29-39) at Royals (38-25)
Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 20, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

After playing a key role during a four-game winning streak, the Kansas City Royals' offense came alive much too late to make a difference in the series opener.

It might not be long until they get back into a groove with struggling Rick Porcello their next mound opponent.

The AL Central leaders will try to bounce back with their ninth win in 12 games Saturday night when Porcello looks to end a dismal stretch for the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Kansas City (38-26) has recorded double-digit hits in a season-best five consecutive games, batting .359 with 17 extra-base hits and 6.2 runs per contest.

The club, however, had just one run and four hits through six innings Friday before scoring twice with six hits in the final three innings of a 7-3 loss that ended their four-game streak.

Eric Hosmer went 2 for 4 with his eighth home run, while Kendrys Morales also had two hits. Alex Gordon extended his hitting streak to 10, though Lorenzo Cain's run was snapped at nine.

"That's a good team over there that has just been skidding," Hosmer told MLB's official website. "You know sooner or later they're going to snap out of it."

Porcello hopes to avoid losing a career high-tying sixth straight start for Boston. He has a 6.97 ERA during the skid after allowing four runs over 6 1-3 innings in Monday's 4-2 loss to Atlanta.

The right-hander hasn't dropped six consecutive starts since late in 2012, while with Detroit.

"I felt pretty good, honestly," Porcello said. "All the pitches were working."

Porcello (4-7, 5.29 ERA), a disappointment after winning a career-high 15 games for Detroit in 2014, is 8-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 19 career starts against the Royals. He allowed four runs and nine hits over 3 1-3 innings in a 5-2 loss in his most recent start at Kauffman Stadium in September.

Omar Infante has gone 5 for 10 with a triple off him, while Hosmer is 9 for 24 with two home runs. Gordon went 0 for 8 when facing Porcello last season, and Morales and Alcides Escobar are a combined 8 for 54 (.148) all-time in the matchup.

Kansas City's Edinson Volquez (6-4, 3.10) seeks his third straight victory after working out of a couple of jams and giving up two runs over five innings in an 8-5 win at Milwaukee on Monday.

The right-hander hasn't faced Boston since 2013, tossing six strong innings in that game.

Coming off their first back-to-back road wins since May 13-14, the AL East-worst Red Sox (30-39) are aiming to match a season high with their third straight win. They've done that once since April 9-11.

Pablo Sandoval has gone 6 for 13 with three doubles off Volquez, though Hanley Ramirez is just 3 for 20. Ramirez went 2 for 4 with his 14th home run Friday and Sandoval added two hits to extend his hitting streak to nine after he was benched one game for using his Instagram account during Wednesday's game.

Mookie Betts finished with a career-high four hits, leaving him 14 for 23 in his last six games. Dustin Pedroia is expected to play after missing three of the last four with knee inflammation.

The Red Sox have won seven of the past eight meetings.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Royals
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 7 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Red Sox at Royals
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Red Sox at Royals
Sun, Jun 21 - 2:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:56 AM

Preview: Mets (36-32) at Braves (32-35)
Game: 2
Venue: Citi Field
Date: June 20, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

Jace Peterson hasn't had any problems against New York Mets pitching during his hot stretch. He'll try to extend both trends in the Atlanta Braves' first matchup with Noah Syndergaard.

Peterson and the Braves will try to keep Syndergaard winless on the road Saturday night while doing the same to the Mets during their road trip.

Peterson, hitting .284 in his first season as Atlanta's everyday second baseman, has batted .367 over the past 12 games. He's 8 for 17 with a homer, six RBIs and five runs in four meetings with New York (36-33) in that span after going 1 for 16 in his first six matchups.

His second hit Friday was a two-run double in the eighth to give Matt Wisler a 2-1 win in his major league debut. Wisler went eight innings hours after being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Mets have lost the first three on this eight-game trip, totaling two runs and 15 hits.

"We've gotten some very good pitching. We just aren't scoring runs," manager Terry Collins said after Jacob deGrom tossed seven scoreless innings before being charged with the runs Peterson knocked in.

Syndergaard (2-4, 3.76 ERA) has posted a 6.46 ERA in losing all three road starts. The right-hander was hit hard in his most recent such outing June 2, giving up seven runs and 10 hits despite recording 10 strikeouts in four innings of a 7-2 loss to San Diego.

Syndergaard, though, is coming off an impressive home performance Monday, striking out a season-high 11 while allowing one run and two hits in six innings against Toronto. Wilmer Flores delivered a walkoff single in the 11th for a 4-3 win.

The Braves (33-35) will also send out a rookie in Williams Perez (3-0, 2.29), who has allowed one or no runs in five of his six starts. The right-hander has pitched 14 consecutive innings without yielding an earned run over three games - two starts.

That stretch includes a scoreless 11th for his first save in a 5-3 win over the Mets last Saturday. Perez followed that by shutting out Boston for six innings of a 4-2 road victory Monday.

"He said he likes starting more than being a reliever or a closer," bullpen coach Eddie Perez said, acting as interpreter. "But he said he'd do anything to be in the big leagues."

The Mets' .240 average and 3.7 runs per game rank among the lowest marks in baseball. They're even worse on the road, hitting .232 with an average of 3.0 runs.

Curtis Granderson has been a major culprit with a .198 average on the road. He's 0 for 10 in four games at Turner Field.

It's uncertain if Atlanta will have Freddie Freeman in the lineup after he missed a second straight game with a sprained left wrist. He was feeling "a lot better" and available as a defensive replacement Friday, according to manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Freeman has gone 5 for 29 with a home run and six RBIs in his last nine home games against New York.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Mets at Braves
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Mets at Braves
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Mets at Braves
Sun, Jun 21 - 5:05PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 02:58 AM

Preview: Marlins (29-39) at Reds (30-35)
Game: 2
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: June 20, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

Anthony DeSclafani has thus far looked like the better piece of the deal that sent him from Miami to Cincinnati in exchange for Mat Latos.

He'll get a shot at continuing to prove that point in person Saturday night at Great American Ball Park as he pitches against his former club for the first time with his current team seeking extensions of a few winning streaks.

As a rookie with the Marlins, DeSclafani (5-4, 3.36 ERA) struggled to the tune of a 2-2 record and 6.27 ERA in five starts and eight relief appearances.

The right-hander has gone 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his last five starts after beginning the season 2-4 with a 3.80 through eight outings. He gave up a run and six hits in 6 1-3 innings of Sunday's 2-1 loss at the Chicago Cubs - his fourth in five starts surrendering at most two runs.

One of the differences has been his walk rate dropping from 4.20 per nine innings to 2.48 over the last five. The other has been he hasn't allowed a home run in that span, and his 0.46 home runs per nine is near the top of the majors.

The Reds would be happier even with the less favorable stretch than with what Latos has given Miami - a 2-4 record and 5.37 ERA. Rather than facing Latos, DeSclafani is up against Tom Koehler, who like his former teammate has improved as the season has progressed.

After limiting the New York Yankees to a run and three hits in seven innings of Monday's 2-1 victory, Koehler (5-4, 3.76) is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA in seven starts and a relief appearance. He had been 2-3 with a 5.18 through his first six starts, and his manager is recognizing the emerging consistency.

"I know I say the same word every time, but he's just gritty and he's gutty and he battles through," Marlins manager Dan Jennings told MLB's official website. "He had his curveball working out there and worked both sides of the plate. He grinded through seven innings and gave us everything he had."

The more relevant splits, however, could be his 3-1 record and 1.52 ERA at home vs. 2-3 with a 6.21 on the road. DeSclafani has been the opposite though not quite as drastic, going 3-2 with a 2.58 ERA on the road and 2-2 with a 4.45 at home.

Koehler lost his only career start against Cincinnati last season, but in three games and a total of 10 1-3 innings, he's limited the Reds to two unearned runs and six hits. Marlon Byrd is 0 for 8 against him.

Byrd, who broke his right wrist on a hit-by-pitch on June 2, returned to the Cincinnati lineup in Friday's 5-0 series-opening win and contributed immediately with a solo home run.

"Extremely happy and surprised, a combination," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It just came along faster than we ever anticipated."

The Reds (31-35) also got two hits from Todd Frazier, who's batting .411 with 14 RBIs in his last 13 games. At home, the third baseman is batting .510 with six homers and 15 RBIs in his last 12 games.

The club can match its longest streak of the season while also winning a seventh straight home game for the first time since May 2011.

Cincinnati has won 11 of 15 against Miami (29-40), which has the opposite of the Reds' streaks, dropping three straight overall and six on the road. The Marlins last lost seven on the road to begin 2014.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Marlins at Reds
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 0 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Marlins at Reds
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Marlins at Reds
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 03:00 AM

Preview: Tigers (34-32) at Yankees (36-30)
Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 20, 2015 7:15 PM EDT

Now that he's achieved yet another milestone, Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees can totally focus on continuing their success in the Bronx.

The Yankees will try to win there for the 11th time in 12 games Saturday night as they continue their series against the Detroit Tigers.

Rodriguez became the 29th player to reach 3,000 hits with a first-inning homer off Justin Verlander in Friday's 7-2 win. The oft-maligned veteran is the first to hit that mark since former teammate Derek Jeter also did it with a homer in the same park in 2011.

"It's a magical number," said Rodriguez, batting .277 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs after sitting out 2014 on a drug suspension. "I'm enjoying this season as much as any."

Rodriguez has also recorded his 2,000th RBI and passed Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list - he's now at 667 - this season. He's batting .400 with two homers and nine RBIs in his last 14 at Yankee Stadium.

"It's a lot easier to deal with it when you're trying to win games, you're just trying to be productive and help the team win," he told MLB's official website.

New York (37-30) has batted .308 and averaged 6.6 runs during its 10-1 home stretch.

Rodriguez, however, is 0 for 7 versus Alfredo Simon (7-3, 2.58 ERA), who allowed a homer to Mark Teixeira but struck out seven in 7 1-3 innings of a 2-1 victory over New York on April 20.

"He's been probably our most consistent pitcher on a start-by-start basis," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus told MLB's official website.

Though Detroit starters have a 4.74 ERA during a 2-7 road stretch, Simon is 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA in his last six starts. The right-hander went five scoreless innings before a 1-hour, 51-minute rain delay ended his outing during Sunday's 8-1 victory over Cleveland.

"I just feel great," Simon said. "All my pitches work really good right now."

Nathan Eovaldi (5-2, 5.12) is 3-0 with a 3.89 ERA in six home starts but must bounce back after allowing eight runs and nine hits in a career-low two-thirds of an inning during Tuesday's 12-2 loss at Miami.

"Going out there and not making it through an inning is extremely frustrating and hurts the team," said Eovaldi, who was 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his previous four outings.

New York manager Joe Girardi appears confident his right-hander has the stuff to successfully move forward.

"I think it's a young starter still developing secondary pitches, still finding out exactly in a sense what type of a pitcher is he," Girardi said. "He knows he's got a great fastball, but he has to use his secondary stuff. His split has been working really well and he's thrown well lately."

Eovaldi proved that while yielding a run in seven-plus innings of a 5-2 victory at Detroit (34-33) on April 21.

Victor Martinez went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout versus Eovaldi in that contest. He was 1 for 4 on Friday in his first action since going on the disabled list May 19 with knee inflammation.

"You know when something's hurt, eventually it's going to get better," he said. "It's not going to stay hurt the rest of your life."

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Tigers at Yankees
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 2 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Tigers at Yankees
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 3
Tigers at Yankees
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:05PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 03:05 AM

Preview: Brewers (24-44) at Rockies (28-38)
Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: June 20, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

With a visit to Coors Field appearing to have solved Milwaukee's latest offensive woes, the Brewers may need another big display when Kyle Lohse takes the mound.

After snapping a six-game slide, the Brewers go for a fifth straight road win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday in the middle game of this series between last-place teams.

Milwaukee (25-44) is among the worst offensive teams in baseball with a .236 batting average and 3.7 runs per game. The Brewers entered this series hitting .215 while totaling 13 runs during the losing streak.

They snapped out of that funk Friday, matching a season high with 16 hits in a 9-5 win over the Rockies (28-39). Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez both homered to match Milwaukee's total over the previous nine games.

The Brewers have hit 12 home runs while winning five of six in Denver and own a .346 average during a four-game winning streak there.

Ramirez has hit .379 over his last 25 meetings with Colorado, going 20 for 41 in the last 10 on the road and homering in each of the previous three. His 3-for-5 effort Friday came after he went 2 for 20 over the previous five games.

Lohse (3-8, 6.44 ERA) owns the highest qualifying ERA in the majors. The right-hander has an 8.31 mark while losing all four of his decisions over his last five starts, a slump manager Craig Counsell is giving him a chance to figure out.

"I think right now it's Kyle. Kyle is the option," Counsell told MLB's official website. "We have to get Kyle straightened out. I don't think it's a long ways off, so he's the guy."

Lohse gave up five runs in five innings of an 8-5 loss to Kansas City on Monday.

"I'm not that far away," he said. "I know it is ugly, but it is just make a pitch here and there. That's what I've been accustomed to being able to do in my career, figuring out how to make those pitches. I have a lot of time left. I have to keep grinding out."

He's won three straight starts at Coors despite a 5.29 ERA. Lohse, though, was hammered for a season-high eight runs and 10 hits - including two homers - in 3 1-3 innings of a 10-0 home loss to Colorado on April 6.

The Rockies have dropped nine of 10 games and five in a row with the rotation posting a 10.13 ERA, and none of the starters have lasted beyond the fifth during the skid.

"We just need to get better," Carlos Gonzalez said. "We're not hitting. We're not pitching. You can't win that way."

Chad Bettis (2-2, 3.74), who is facing the Brewers for the first time, has been pulled after the fifth while losing each of his last two starts. He's surrendered a combined eight runs and 13 hits in those outings.

The right-hander gave up five runs and two homers in the first two innings before settling down to throw three scoreless in Monday's 6-3 loss at Houston.

"Once he figured it out and made some adjustments on the fly that were terrific, he ran through the lineup a couple of times," catcher Nick Hundley said. "Obviously, it wasn't a performance that he's going to look back on and say, 'I really had everything going.' But he did a real good job of keeping us in a game that could've gotten away from him."

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Brewers at Rockies
Fri, Jun 19 -Final 9 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Brewers at Rockies
Sat, Jun 20 - 4:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Brewers at Rockies
Sun, Jun 21 - 4:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 03:08 AM

Preview: Cardinals (43-23) at Phillies (23-45)
Game: 2
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: June 20, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

No matter the venue, John Lackey has been a crowd-pleaser this year. That's come at the expense of his worst beginning to a season in visiting ballparks and the threat of going 10 straight away starts without a victory for the first time in his career.

The St. Louis right-hander tries again for his first road win Saturday night as the Cardinals seek a fifth straight victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, whose own starter is also trying to avoid a career-worst stretch.

Lackey (5-4, 3.59 ERA) has been stellar at home, going 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA in seven starts. On the road he's 0-5 with a 6.23 ERA in nine outings dating to Sept. 5 to match a nine-start drought in 2003, his first full season in the majors.

He earned the decision in a 3-2 victory over Minnesota on Monday, pitching a season-high eight innings of two-run ball, but it followed his worst start of the season June 8 in which Lackey allowed eight earned runs in four innings of an 11-3 loss in Colorado.

His only home loss came against Philadelphia on April 27, allowing three runs in seven innings of a 4-1 defeat for his third straight loss in the series. Lackey has also dropped all three starts at Citizens Bank Park with a 4.34 ERA.

Ryan Howard is 3 for 13 with two home runs off him.

Howard also homered in Friday's series opener, but the three-run shot came much too late in the Cardinals' 12-4 victory. St. Louis (44-23) has won the last four of the five meetings this season, scoring 9.3 runs per game.

Kolten Wong, Randal Grichuk and Yadier Molina homered, giving Molina a .488 average in his last 12 games at Philadelphia. The Cardinals had struggled with eight runs in four games.

"We catch some heat sometimes when we can't put up the big offensive numbers," manager Mike Matheny told MLB's official website. "But you know with a lineup like this it's going to happen. Are you going to be able to throw up 12 every night? No. But it's in there."

The Phillies (23-46) haven't topped four runs in a 1-10 slump while averaging 2.2 runs. What might be most discouraging about that stretch, however, is their .240 average during it is a step up from the .223 mark in a preceding 4-12 span.

"Not much out there going right," manager Ryne Sandberg said.

That also applies to Aaron Harang, who started the season capable of making that kind of run support hold up but has since fallen off drastically with a five-start losing streak.

Harang (4-8, 3.24) posted a 1.82 ERA in his first nine starts with Philadelphia, but allowed four runs in six innings of Saturday's 4-0 loss at Baltimore to give him a 6.07 ERA in five. He's never lost six straight starts.

Harang, though, is 2-3 with a 1.98 ERA in six home starts and could be a trade target with the Phillies in last place. For the time being, he's focusing on what's in his control.

"You never know when things are going to happen," Harang said.

St. Louis hasn't been the right opponent for him when looking to end losing streaks or audition. Harang gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings of a 5-2 defeat to the Cardinals on April 29 and is 0-7 with a 3.92 ERA in his last nine starts against them.

His 16 losses in 28 career starts are nearly twice the total he has against any other team (nine versus Houston and Arizona).

Wong (4 for 8), Jason Heyward (5 for 12), Peter Bourjos (9 for 19) and Jhonny Peralta (11 for 33) have hit him well.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Cardinals at Phillies
Fri, Jun 19 - Final 12 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Cardinals at Phillies
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Cardinals at Phillies
Sun, Jun 21 - 1:35PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 11:13 AM

Preview: Giants (37-32) at Dodgers (38-30)
Game: 2
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: June 20, 2015 7:15 PM EDT

Paced by an offense that continues to produce on the road, the San Francisco Giants appear poised to maintain their season-long success against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The visiting Giants will try for a fifth straight victory over their archrivals Saturday.

The 105 runs San Francisco has totaled while going 17-18 at home are the third fewest in baseball but its 176 rank third on the road, where it's 20-14.

After opening this five-game trip with a 2-0 loss to Seattle on Wednesday, the Giants (37-32) have scored 16 runs to win the last two. Buster Posey had a grand slam among his three hits as San Francisco moved closer to the NL West-leading Dodgers (38-30) by improving to 8-2 against them with Friday's 9-5 victory.

"We're not conceding (anything)," Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said. "We've got a long way to go with a lot of baseball to be played. We've got a game (Saturday) actually and we plan on winning that game.

"Up to this point they've beat up on us pretty good."

Posey is batting .421 with three home runs and 10 RBIs against Los Angeles this year while teammate Brandon Crawford is hitting .429 with eight RBIs in the season series.

"We're just going to try to continue (that success) and try to play (the Dodgers) hard every time," Friday's winning pitcher Chris Heston said.

San Francisco managed one run in six innings against Carlos Frias (4-4, 4.14 ERA) in a 2-0 home win over Los Angeles on May 19. The right-hander earned a victory over the Giants with one scoreless inning of relief April 27.

Frias allowed a run in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-1 home victory over Arizona on June 9, then yielded four and walked three in 5 1-3 innings of Monday's 4-1 loss at Texas.

Los Angeles has dropped five of seven, though it managed to score more than four runs for the first time during that stretch while snapping a 32-inning scoreless streak against San Francisco.

"We want to have a better quality of at_bats, up and down the lineup," Mattingly told MLB's official website. "Make the guy fight for every out. It's not that complicated, more just the mentality of team baseball."

With a home run and two doubles Friday, Los Angeles' Justin Turner is batting .400 with eight RBIs in his last 14 home contests.

Turner is 2 for 12 against Tim Hudson (4-6, 4.65). Yasiel Puig has gone 2 for 21 with six strikeouts in the last five games but is 5 for 11 with a double and two home runs against the right-hander.

Hudson's only victory in 10 career starts at Chavez Ravine came in 2005, but he's posted a 2.95 ERA despite going 0-2 in his last three there. Pitching at home opposite Frias on May 19, Hudson gave up five hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Hudson has posted a 9.64 ERA in his last three road starts, going 1-1 in that span.

He's also failed to make it out of the sixth inning in his last two overall. Hudson gave up eight hits in each outing, and three runs during Monday's 5-1 home loss to Seattle. That also marked the eighth time in his 12 starts that he's received one or no runs of support.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Dodgers
Fri, Jun 19 Final 9 to 5
Boxscores

GAME 2
Giants at Dodgers
Sat, Jun 20 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 3
Giants at Dodgers
Sun, Jun 21 - 8:08PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 11:16 AM

Preview: Angels (35-33) at Athletics (29-41)
Game: 2
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: June 20, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

Jered Weaver strung together a five-start stretch in May that probably had the Los Angeles Angels thinking he'd overcome a terrible first month.

His previous three might be swinging them back toward wondering if the 32-year-old has lost a step, and Oakland doesn't seem like the ideal place right now for him to begin another reformation Saturday.

Weaver (4-7, 4.65 ERA) has lost his last three starts with a 6.64 ERA while surrendering six home runs. Two of those came in Monday's 7-3 loss to Arizona with the right-hander allowing five runs - four earned - and eight hits in seven innings.

His 16 homers allowed are tied for the second most in baseball, and his 1.58 per nine innings is 0.44 higher than his career high from last season.

"I have to figure out a way to keep the ball in the yard, man," Weaver told MLB's official website. "It's been my nemesis this year. I just have to keep working through it and try to get something going."

Weaver's three starts in Oakland since the beginning of last season have resulted in a 1-2 record with a 6.41 ERA and five home runs allowed. Josh Reddick and Brett Lawrie homered in the latest - a 6-2 win for the Athletics on April 28 - to give Lawrie two homers in 11 career at_bats against him.

There could be some wiggle room if the Angels keep scoring the way they have in the last two games and if the A's continue booting the ball.

Los Angeles (35-33) opened the three-game series with Friday's 12-7 victory after trailing 7-2 entering the seventh inning, giving it 14 wins in the last 19 meetings.

The Angels scored eight in that inning behind Oakland's fielding gaffes and a grand slam from Albert Pujols. The slugger entered play May 28 batting .235 but has since hit .354 with 12 home runs and 25 RBIs in 21 games.

His 1.269 OPS in that time trails only Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt.

"I'm just seeing the ball good and putting my best swing," Pujols said. "Same thing I've been doing all year long. I'm just getting better breaks, I guess."

The A's (29-41) made four errors for the third time this season and have six in two games for the first time since Aug. 12-13, 2011. Their 69 for the year are the most in the majors and 13 more than next-worst Texas.

Ten errors in the last six games has helped to at least partly spoil a .309 clip at the plate with 7.8 runs per game.

Oakland got homers and three-RBI nights from Stephen Vogt and Ben Zobrist - who have both gone deep against Weaver - and Zobrist has finally taken off with a 10-for-20 mark in his last six games. Billy Burns is batting .386 on a 10-game hitting streak.

Jesse Hahn hasn't required that kind of support lately, though he's gone 0-3 with a 5.12 ERA in six starts within the AL West.

Hahn (4-5, 3.62) gave up a run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings of Monday's 9-1 win in San Diego. The A's have won all three times he's pitched this month with the right-hander going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in those outings.

"He's on a pretty good stretch right now," Vogt said.

Hahn's only start against the Angels came in a 6-3 loss April 29 in which he yielded three runs and four hits in five innings while avoiding the decision. Mike Trout was 1 for 2 with a home run off him.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Angels at Athletics
Fri, Jun 19 Final 12 to 7
Boxscores

GAME 2
Angels at Athletics
Sat, Jun 20 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Angels at Athletics
Sun, Jun 21 - 4:05PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 06-20-2015, 11:19 AM

Preview: Astros (40-29) at Mariners (31-37)
Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 20, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

Dallas Keuchel had nine wins before the All-Star break last year. He's already in position to match that total, which could mean he won't have to wait around this time to find out if he'll be included in the Midsummer Classic.

With Keuchel on the mound, the Houston Astros look to bounce back from their first defeat in six games Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners.

Keuchel (8-2, 2.04 ERA) is among the AL leaders in wins, ERA and WHIP (0.95) while his 101 1-3 innings are the most in the majors. He's completed at least six innings in 25 straight games for the longest active such streak, which is also the longest by a left-hander since CC Sabathia went 28 in a row in 2011.

Adding a few more strong performances should be enough to assure Keuchel of a spot in next month's All-Star game in Cincinnati after coming up short via the "Final Vote" in 2014.

He carried a perfect game into the sixth Monday before allowing three runs and leaving with two outs in the seventh of a 6-3 win over Colorado.

"It seems like that's becoming the way that he throws," catcher Jason Castro told MLB's official website. "He's really kind of come into his own and found himself as the type of pitcher he is.

"That's the Dallas Keuchel we've come to expect."

Keuchel has lost his last two starts on the road, allowing six runs in 15 innings. However, he's won two of his three starts at Seattle with a 1.29 ERA.

He tossed a four-hitter in a 4-1 win in his most recent visit May 25, 2014.

The Astros (40-29) lost 5-2 on Friday to the Mariners (31-37), who held them to four hits after they scored 43 runs over the previous five games.

Houston has been all or nothing offensively during a 6-9 stretch, hitting 18 homers and averaging 8.8 runs in the victories compared to seven and 2.1 in the defeats.

The Astros will face a resurgent Taijuan Walker (4-6, 5.00), who's gone 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA, 27 strikeouts and three walks in 29 innings over his last four starts.

The right-hander has won back-to-back starts for the first time in his career, yielding two runs in 13 innings. He limited San Francisco to one run in seven of a 5-1 road victory Monday.

"It's all command," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "When you have command of your fastball, you can do other things, and he did that. He threw some real good changeups, some 'get-me-over' breaking balls, a couple real good sliders. But it starts with commanding the fastball."

Walker wasn't effective in an 11-4 loss at Houston on May 2, getting pulled with no outs in the fourth after surrendering eight runs and nine hits, including a career-high three homers.

He was 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA over his first five starts against the Astros.

Jose Altuve is 6 for 16 with a home run and two doubles off Walker. The All-Star second baseman, though, has missed two straight games with a sore right hamstring.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Astros at Mariners
Fri, Jun 19 Final 2 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Astros at Mariners
Sat, Jun 20 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Astros at Mariners
Sun, Jun 21 - 4:10PM EDT

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