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**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:30 AM

Blue Jays-Tigers Preview

(AP) -- Strong starting pitching has put the Detroit Tigers on the verge of a weekend sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now it's time to see whether Justin Verlander can complete the effort.

Verlander makes his fourth start still in search of his first victory Sunday as the Tigers, without Miguel Cabrera for an extended period, seek their second home sweep of the season.

Detroit (41-39) won 8-6 in Friday's opener after Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and ended up being charged with four runs in 7 1-3. The Tigers cruised to an 8-3 victory one day later behind David Price, who yielded one run in seven innings.

Verlander (0-1, 5.09 ERA) is up next after giving up three runs over six-plus innings of a 5-4, 14-inning loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He did not allow a run after the third.

"I thought he was much better in the last three innings," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He was too fine early, then started attacking hitters."

The right-hander, limited by injuries all season, has been vulnerable against left-handed hitters, who are batting .317 against him. He's gone 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA in nine career starts against the Blue Jays.

Jose Reyes is 5 for 11 off Verlander, Russell Martin is 6 for 15 with a homer and Jose Bautista 5 for 17 with one home run in the matchup. Toronto (42-41) could start switch-hitting Justin Smoak, who is 4 for 12 with two homers against Verlander.

Detroit learned Saturday that Cabrera will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a calf injury suffered Friday. Ausmus plans to rotate players into Cabrera's spot while team president Dave Dombrowski seeks a longer-term solution. Alex Avila went 1 for 3 in his first career start at first base Saturday.

"It's going to be tough without him, for sure," Avila said. "With him being out an extended period of time, we just need to keep it as close as possible to be able to make a run when he gets back."

The absence of Cabrera makes this an easier assignment for Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada (5-4, 3.58), who has never faced the Tigers. Estrada is suffering through some control issues, issuing four walks and allowing four runs in 2 1-3 innings of Tuesday's 4-3 home defeat to Boston.

The right-hander has walked 11 over his last 23 innings, though he took no-hitters into the eighth in back-to-back starts before Tuesday. He said his changeup wasn't working against the Red Sox.

The Detroit hitter with the most experience against Estrada is J.D. Martinez, who has a double in six at-bats. The burden to produce will increase for Martinez, who has 20 of his team-high 55 RBIs in his last 11 games and has gone 10 for 21 with three homers and nine RBIs in his last five.

Leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler has batted .351 in his last eight games, going 4 for 8 in this series. Yoenis Cespedes is 4 for 9 in the two games.

Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion is 1 for 7 in the series as part of a 3-for-24 slump, and he's 3 for 18 against Verlander. Encarnacion and Bautista have no RBIs in the first two of the set.

Toronto lost the final game of a four-game series against the Red Sox, 12-6, in Toronto on Thursday, losing the series, 3-1, in the process. The Blue Jays begin a 10-game road trip on Friday and have scored 5.19 runs per game on the road this season, the most by any team in baseball.

Detroit moved back to .500 on Thursday (39-39) after losing its third game in a row to Pittsburgh, 8-4. The Tigers hit a home run in the loss and have hit at least one home run in each of their last 10 games -- the longest active streak in baseball and tied for the second-longest streak in the American League this year (Texas, 12, May 15-27).

This is the first meeting between the Blue Jays and the Tigers in 2015. Toronto scored 5.5 runs per game against Detroit in 2014 and won five of the six meetings, including a three-game sweep in Detroit.

Drew Hutchison won his last start (last Sunday against the Rangers), giving up no earned runs and striking out eight in 5.2 innings. Hutchison is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 19 strikeouts over his last three starts.

Anibal Sanchez did not earn a decision last Saturday against the White Sox, giving up four earned runs and striking out seven over 7.0 innings. Sanchez is 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 26 strikeouts in his last four starts.

Over his last nine games, J.D. Martinez is hitting .359 (14-for-39) with eight home runs, 16 RBI and a 1.349 OPS. Martinez hit 11 home runs in June, the second-most home runs hit in the month in the American League (Albert Pujols, 13).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:32 AM

Brewers-Reds Preview

(AP) -- The Milwaukee Brewers' outstanding surge at the plate has them on the verge of accomplishing something they've done only once in franchise history.

That certainly doesn't bode well for Mike Leake as he looks to recover from one of his worst outings.

The NL Central-worst Brewers will try to stay hot Sunday when they go after their eighth consecutive victory in the finale of a three-game road series against the reeling Cincinnati Reds.

Jean Segura had three hits and Adam Lind went 2 for 3 with his 13th home run as Milwaukee extended its run with Saturday's 7-3 victory. Gerardo Parra and Aramis Ramirez added two hits apiece.

Segura is 7 for 12 over his last three games, Lind is batting .395 with 14 RBIs over his past 14, Parra has gone 9 for 17 in his last four and Ramirez is 11 for 21 over his past seven.

"We had a lot of positive two-out at-bats (in a six-run fifth inning)," manager Craig Counsell told MLB's official website. "We had a lot of base hits, walks and everything."

Milwaukee has batted .363 and averaged 7.8 runs while going 6-0 on this road trip. The only time the Brewers swept a road swing of at least seven games was July 18-24, 2008 (7-0).

Resurgent Milwaukee (35-48) now hopes to close within two games of the fourth-place Reds by extending its longest winning streak since a nine-game run in April 2014.

Cincinnati starters have struggled with a 7.33 ERA over the past five games. The Reds will try to avoid their seventh loss in nine games and first home sweep at the hands of the Brewers since September 2011.

Leake (5-4, 4.38 ERA) certainly doesn't appear to have a soft landing spot as he tries to regroup after allowing seven runs and nine hits over season low-tying four innings in Monday's 11-7 home win over Minnesota.

The right-hander had been 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA over his previous five starts,

"There's nothing you can do about it. It happens so all you can do is move on," he said.

Leake has been inconsistent at home all season, posting a 6.11 ERA in eight starts there compared to 2.95 in eight on the road. He's 2-3 with a 4.61 ERA in nine career outings versus Milwaukee, going 0-1 with a 3.21 mark in two meetings at Great American Ballpark.

Lucroy went 9 for 14 with a home run versus Leake last season, while Carlos Gomez was 6 for 13. Gomez is day-to-day after leaving Saturday's game with a left wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch.

Taylor Jungmann (2-1, 2.79) is making the most of his opportunity in the Milwaukee rotation, allowing two earned runs or less in four of his five starts. He gave up three runs - two earned - over six innings but did not get a decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win at Philadelphia.

The rookie right-hander will get his first look at the Reds (36-43), who have totaled six runs in their last three games and have scored three or less in six of eight. Star slugger Joey Votto has gone 3 for 28 over his past eight games after going 1 for 5 Saturday.

Todd Frazier, however, matched a career high with four hits to snap a 5-for-31 slump over his previous seven games. Marlon Byrd and Ivan De Jesus each went 2 for 4 with a home run.

The Brewers are riding a season-high five-game win streak. Milwaukee's previous high win streak this season was three. The Brewers have not won six-plus games in a row since winning nine straight from April 4-13, 2014.

Since May 29, the Cincinnati Reds are 12-4 at home. That .750 winning percentage is the best in baseball in that time frame. The Brewers and Reds have played seven times this season, and despite the fact that Milwaukee has outhit Cincinnati, 56-53, the Reds have won five of the seven meetings. The Reds have won nine of the last 13 meetings against the Brewers in Cincinnati.

Adam Lind is hitting .405 (17-for-42) with three home runs and 13 runs batted in in his last 12 games. Lind has driven in at least one run in a career-high six consecutive games. The last Brewers' player to drive in a run in seven-plus consecutive games was Prince Fielder -- seven straight from April 6-14, 2011. The club record for consecutive games with an RBI is nine done three times: George Scott in 1975, Cecil Cooper in 1982 and Carlos Lee in 2005.

Todd Frazier is one of three MLB players leading his team in runs (54), hits (87), doubles (22), home runs (25) and runs batted in (54). The other two are Nolan Arenado, Colorado and Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona. Frazier has homered in four straight series versus Milwaukee.

Mike Fiers has gotten a little better each month this season: April 0-3, 5.79 ERA, .358 OppBA; May 1-2, 3.82 ERA, .260 OppBA; June 2-2, 3.57 ERA, .248 OppBA. The Brewers have won three of Fier's last four starts, and this season on the road against NL Central opponents Fiers is 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA in three starts (2 of the 3 at St. Louis).

Michael Lorenzen made his major-league debut at Great American Ball Park against the Brewers on April 29 and took the loss after allowing three runs (in 5.0 innings) on three solo home runs by Adam Lind, Khris Davis and Ryan Braun. Since then, Lorenzen has had four starts at home and is 1-0 with a 2.73 ERA in four consecutive quality starts.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:34 AM

Phillies-Braves Preview

(AP) -- While Shelby Miller seems to have found a place atop the Atlanta Braves' rotation, Cole Hamels could be nearing the end of his illustrious tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Miller looks to bounce back from a rare rough outing for the surging Braves on Sunday at Turner Field, where Hamels will try to help the MLB-worst Phillies avoid their seventh straight defeat.

After limiting opponents to one run in each of the first three games of its winning streak, Atlanta's offense carried the load with its highest-scoring effort since May 21 in Saturday's 9-5 win.

Cameron Maybin finished with three hits, including his seventh home run, and Kelly Johnson added two hits and three RBIs as the Braves (40-41) moved within a half-game of the second-place New York Mets in the NL East with their seventh win in eight home games.

They'll try to win five straight for the first time since a 5-0 start by giving the ball to Miller (5-4, 2.20 ERA). In his first season with Atlanta after coming over in an offseason trade with St. Louis, the right-hander ranks in the top five in the NL in ERA and opponent batting average (.209).

Miller entered his last start with a 1.94 ERA before allowing a season-worst five runs - four earned - and a season high-tying eight hits over five innings in Tuesday's 6-1 home loss to Washington.

"It just wasn't a normal Shelby Miller outing," manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB's official website. "He's allowed to have that every once in a while given how good he has been."

Miller, however, hasn't picked up a victory in his last eight starts despite posting a 3.17 ERA. He's received just seven total runs of support over that span and hasn't gotten any in his past three outings.

The 24-year-old has pitched well against the Phillies, going 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in five starts. He tossed a three-hitter while striking out eight in a 9-0 home win in the most recent meeting May 5.

Ryan Howard, though, should be happy to see Miller again since he's 5 for 11 with three home runs and a double off him. Ben Revere, Freddy Galvis and Cody Asche are a combined 0 for 22 in the matchup.

Galvis is 11 for 22 over a six-game hitting streak, while Cesar Hernandez is 17 for 38 in a nine-game run.

Hamels continues to be the subject of trade rumors with the Phillies (27-56) looking to rebuild and the non-waiver trade deadline coming at the end of this month. Philadelphia has dropped nine of 10 and six in a row.

The veteran left-hander has a six-start win drought of his own while receiving just six runs of support. He allowed two runs and five hits while striking out seven over seven innings Tuesday but did not factor into the decision in a 4-3 home loss to Milwaukee.

"It's something I've learned to control and learned to get over," said Hamels, who was the 2008 World Series MVP. "Just try to focus and be positive for the guys."

Hamels (5-6, 3.22) has gone 4-1 with a 1.20 mark in his last six meetings with the Braves. The only loss in that stretch came when he gave up two runs over eight innings in a 2-1 home defeat last September.

Maybin is 12 for 32 (.375) when facing Hamels, though Johnson has gone just 4 for 26.

The only time the Phillies have faced the Braves in Atlanta this season (May 4-6), the Braves won two of the three games and scored almost double the amount of runs Philadelphia did (18-10). Atlanta recorded a .323 team batting average in the series, its second-highest batting average in a single series this season (.365 batting average in a three-game series versus the Nationals from April 27-29).

The Phillies lost to the Brewers, 8-7, in 11 innings on Thursday, Philadelphia's 54th loss of the season. Prior to this season, the last time the Phillies lost 54 or more games prior to the All-Star break was when they lost 61 games in 1997 (their most losses prior to the All-Star break in a single season since the All-Star Game was established in 1933).

The Braves beat the Nationals, 2-1, on a walkoff hit by Cameron Maybin on Thursday, his second career walkoff (also June 7, 2014 for the Padres versus the Nationals). Atlanta totaled just five hits in the win, its fourth win with five or fewer hits this season after totaling five such wins in all of 2014.

Ryan Howard has hit three home runs versus the Braves this season (all three of the home runs the Phillies have hit against Atlanta). Howard's 50 career home runs versus the Braves are the second most by any player versus any team since Howard entered the league in 2004 (David Ortiz has hit 53 home runs versus the Blue Jays over that span).

Adam Morgan got the start, pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just one run while striking out six in his MLB debut versus the Cardinals on June 21. Prior to Morgan, the last Phillies pitcher to get the start, pitch at least five innings and allow one or fewer runs while striking out six or more in his MLB debut was Cole Hamels at Cincinnati on May 12, 2006 (five innings, zero runs allowed and seven strikeouts).

Julio Teheran gave up a home run in each of his first four career appearances versus the Phillies, posting a 5.79 ERA in 18.2 innings versus Philadelphia over that span. Since then, Teheran has allowed just one home run in 30.2 innings versus Philadelphia, posting a 1.17 ERA in his four starts versus the Phillies over that span (since April 16, 2014).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:36 AM

Astros-Red Sox Preview

(AP) -- Fenway Park may be baseball's oldest stadium, but it will provide a possible glimpse into the future Sunday.

This series finale between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros features promising young rookie starters in 22-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez and 21-year-old Lance McCullers.

These pitchers were born six months apart in 1993, made their big-league debuts in May and are sporting 4-2 records. Boston's Rodriguez (3.92 ERA) is limiting opponents to a .216 average while Houston's McCullers (2.19) is holding foes to .187.

Sunday's edge could go to Houston (48-35) since Rodriguez has been tagged for 15 runs over 8 1-3 innings in dropping consecutive home outings. The left-hander was sharp Tuesday as he gave up one run in six innings to earn a 4-3 victory over Toronto.

That marked the fourth time in six starts he yielded one or no runs since making his debut May 28. The Red Sox (38-45) said he corrected a flaw from his previous outing in which he tipped his pitches.

"Working on it all those four days, on not tipping pitches to the hitters, working on it in my bullpen every time I throw the ball, that's why I did it better (Tuesday)," Rodriguez told MLB's official website.

McCullers is averaging 9.79 strikeouts per nine innings since he debuted May 18. He struck out six for the third straight outing Monday, allowing one run in seven innings to earn a 6-1 home win over Kansas City.

The right-hander, who posted a 2.11 ERA in June for the lowest by a Houston rookie in that month since Darryl Kile's 1.80 mark in 1991, credits a simple approach for his success.

"Attack the zone, pound the zone," McCullers said. "I stick with my game plan. Those guys are going to make adjustments, I'm going to make adjustments, but at the end of the day, I have to do what I'm going to do best."

Houston is playing without injured New England native George Springer and will receive a boost Sunday since outfielder Jake Marisnick will be activated after being out since June 18 with a left hamstring strain. Marisnick is hitting .245 with five homers, 20 RBIs and 11 steals.

Colby Rasmus struck out in all three at-bats in Saturday's 6-1 defeat in his return after missing six games due to a skin infection on his left wrist. He is expected to rest Sunday.

The Astros had a five-game win streak snapped as they managed six hits off Clay Buchholz, who pitched his first 2015 complete game.

Mookie Betts doubled twice and had three RBIs Saturday, making the Boston leadoff hitter 12 for 28 with seven RBIs during a six-game hitting streak. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 to improve to .383 in his last 11 games and 8 for 14 in his last three.

"Mookie and Xander, particularly with men in scoring position, they're taking what the opposing pitcher is giving them," manager John Farrell said. "They're putting good swings on balls, using the whole field."

Shane Victorino went 2 for 4 in his first action since May 23 after being out with a strained left calf.

Houston won its fourth game in a row on Wednesday, beating Kansas City, 6-5. The Astros are now 28-16 at home -- their .636 home winning percentage is the highest in the American League this season.

The Red Sox's first eight batters reached base safely on their way to an eight-run first inning and a 12-6 win over the Blue Jays on Thursday. The last team in the American League to score eight runs in the first inning was the Astros on June 12, 2015 (in Houston, all eight runs scored versus Felix Hernandez).

The Astros and the Red Sox last played at Fenway in August 2014 and split their four-game series. Since 2003, Boston is 9-2 with a 3.34 ERA when Houston travels to Boston.
Dan Straily is making his first start of the season and his first start as a member of the Houston Astros. Straily was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his last three minor league starts for AAA Fresno.

Justin Masterson is making his second start since returning from the DL. Last Sunday, Masterson gave up no earned runs and struck out six in 5.0 innings at Tampa Bay.
Jose Altuve is batting .368 (14-for-38) with two home runs, 10 runs scored and six stolen bases over his 10-game hitting streak. This is Altuve's sixth hitting streak of 10 games or more since 2013.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:37 AM

Orioles-White Sox Preview

(AP) -- Stellar pitching has paced the Chicago White Sox during a much-needed surge.

Carlos Rodon looks to continue that trend Sunday when the White Sox try for a fifth straight victory and series sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

Though one of the majors' least-potent offenses has scored more than three runs once during this winning streak, Chicago pitchers have yielded four runs over 38 innings while striking out 43 and walking seven. The White Sox (36-42) have held Baltimore to nine hits and recorded 19 of those strikeouts in the last two.

"They've got a good staff over there, and they're doing what they've got to do," said Manny Machado, whose tying two-run homer in the eighth Saturday is responsible for all of Baltimore's runs over the last three contests.

Jeff Samardzija was charged with a run, three hits and struck out nine over 7 2-3 innings and Avisail Garcia robbed Chris Davis of a tying homer in the ninth of Saturday's 3-2 victory, Chicago's eighth in 12 games since losing eight in a row.

"We've had some things go our way. We've had a few breaks gone on our side of the game," closer David Robertson told MLB's official website. "We've picked up a few wins because of it. Guys are battling hard and playing hard every day. It's nice to pick up some wins in a row."

Rodon (3-1, 4.07 ERA) is 1-1 in his last three starts but has a 7.98 ERA during that stretch. He allowed a pair of two-run homers, six other hits and walked three in five-plus innings of an 8-7, 10-inning victory at Detroit on June 25, then had his next start skipped to keep his workload down.

"He gave up a couple of homers but I thought he really showed some stuff getting back in there," manager Robin Ventura said. "He just continues to impress."

The left-hander pitched a scoreless inning of relief in an 8-2 loss at Baltimore on April 29 in his second career outing.

The Orioles (42-39) have batted .195 and struck out 50 times while losing five of six.

"We've got to clean our stuff up and go out there (Sunday) and start swinging," said Machado, who is batting .364 with 13 RBIs in his last 16 games.

Adam Jones, however, is 4 for 30 in his last eight contests.

With Bud Norris moved to the bullpen, Miguel Gonzalez (6-5, 4.04) will pitch on regular rest.

The right-hander had a 1.89 ERA in the three starts right before he landed on the disabled list June 11 with a groin strain. Since returning, Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 9.64 ERA. He allowed six runs, three homers and walked three in 4 1-3 innings of an 8-6 loss to Texas on Tuesday.

"He just had a little bit of mechanical flaws that were keeping him from throwing strikes like Miggy normally does," catcher Matt Wieters said. "That's the big thing. When he doesn't have his fastball command, you know something is just quite not right with him, but he'll get after it in his bullpen session and try to get back on line and he'll be ready to go his next start."

Gonzalez has a 7.78 ERA while losing three of his last four starts on the road, where he will face the White Sox for the first time.

Melky Cabrera is 1 for 10 against Gonzalez, but is batting .370 with five RBIs in his last seven games.

Baltimore has won six of its last seven meetings with the White Sox, including two out of three this year. Chicago hasn't scored more than four runs in any of its last 15 games in the series (2.6 runs per game), with Baltimore winning 11 of those contests.

Baltimore dropped three out of four games versus the Rangers at home this week, its first series loss in nearly a month (June 1-3 at Astros). The Orioles are still an MLB-best 19-8 (.704) since June 4.

The White Sox wrapped up an eight-game road trip with a two-game sweep of the Cardinals on Tuesday (2-1) and Wednesday (7-1). It was just the second time the Cardinals -- who have the majors' best record at 51-27 -- have been swept in a series this season, and first at home.

Melky Cabrera has homered twice in his last three games, after hitting just one home run in his first 72 games played this season. He's batting .361 (13/36) over his last nine games, with five RBI and a 1.064 OPS.

Adam Jones is hitting .391 in day games this year (36/92) but just .238 at night (41/187). That's the largest batting average difference in the majors between day and night, where day is better (+.153; min. 3.1 PA/Team G).

Ubaldo Jimenez averaged an MLB-high 5.5 walks per nine innings last season (min. 100 IP), but has lowered that rate to 2.8 per nine this season. That improvement (-2.7) ranks as the largest in the majors from one season to the next by any pitcher since Brandon Webb from 2004 to 2005 (-2.8; min. 100 IP first season and 50 IP the next).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:39 AM

Twins-Royals Preview

(AP) - The surprising Minnesota Twins, who are in second place in the AL Central, have added a front-line starter for the second half of the season.

Right-hander Ervin Santana has been reinstated after an 80-game drug suspension and is scheduled to start Sunday against the Kansas City Royals and try to give Minnesota a split of its 10-game road swing.

"It's a little different than making a trade, I think," manager Paul Molitor said Saturday. "Obviously, you're adding a good player to a club that you didn't have previous. We all knew this one was coming. It was just a matter of riding out the storm.

"The impact might be similar, but the mental part is different. It's not all of a sudden, hey, we traded for this guy. You just know you're going to have this guy available to you at some point."

Santana signed a $55 million, four-year contract with the Twins (43-38) in December after going 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA last season for Atlanta. The 32-year-old tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and sat out the first 80 games of this season.

He went 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA in spring training and was penciled in to be the Twins' No. 2 starter when MLB announced the suspension April 3 after he tested positive for the substance Stanovlol.

"It was tough you know like any other bad news people get," Santana said. "Everything has been very good especially with the way we've been playing right now. We just have to keep it up and keep going."

He said he got to spend more productive time with his family during the time off. How did Santana explain his suspension to his children?

"Like every other parent would say, `Don't do bad things' and that's it," he said.

Does Santana feel like he did a bad thing?

"What do you think?" he replied. "Let's leave it right there. It's in the past and I'm just moving forward. And I'm happy to be back."

Santana said "not at all" on regrets.

He went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in three rehab starts with Triple-A Rochester, striking out 11 in 20 2-3 innings. Santana pitched eight scoreless innings with no walks against Pawtucket on Tuesday.

"All I know, I'm ready," Santana said of his Sunday start. "I don't know if I'm going to be midseason form or full-season.

Santana spent his first eight seasons with the Angels and was an All-Star in 2008. He went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA for the Royals in 2013.

Molitor said Trevor May, who went 4-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 15 starts, would be assigned to the bullpen with Santana now starting.

The Twins might be counting on Santana to go deep in his debut after six relievers combined to get 15 outs in Saturday night's 5-3 win after Mike Pelfrey gave up three runs without retiring a batter in the fifth.

The Royals (45-33) turn to Danny Duffy (2-4, 5.44 ERA) in their bid to split this four-game series. The left-hander is 0-4 with an 8.14 ERA in his last five starts, but he's also gotten two combined runs of support in his four losses.

Duffy was reached for four runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 4-0 defeat at Houston on Tuesday. He's 0-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts and five lifetime appearances versus the Twins, limiting Joe Mauer to two hits in 13 at-bats and getting the best of Trevor Plouffe (3 for 19, seven strikeouts).

Mauer, though, homered in a three-run first Saturday and went 4 for 5 to improve to .337 with 51 RBIs in 76 games at Kansas City.

The Royals have dropped five of six while scoring 12 runs in that span. They're batting .152 (7 for 46) with runners in scoring position during this funk, well off their .279 season average.

The Royals are 15-6 against the Twins at Kauffman Stadium since the beginning of the 2013 season -- the third-best home record by an AL team against another (minimum 15 games) over that span.

Only three of the Twins' last 16 games have been against American League opponents (2-1 vs. White Sox and 5-8 vs. National league over stretch).

Kansas City's 94 straight wins when leading after seven innings is the longest active streak in the majors and the longest streak in franchise history.

The top two spots in the Twins' lineup have hit 26 home runs this season, which matches the home run output from their #3-6 hitters.

Phil Hughes has walked just six batters over his last 10 starts, while receiving at least six runs of support on five occasions during the 10-start stretch.

Brian Dozier leads all MLB second basemen with 156 extra-base hits since the beginning of the 2013 season. Dozier's 14 home runs from the first batting slot in 2015 are tied with Kirby Puckett in 1986 for the most by a Twin from the leadoff spot prior to the All-Star break.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:41 AM

Padres-Cardinals Preview

(AP) -- Though runs remain hard to come by for the St. Louis Cardinals, they are no longer mired in their longest losing stretch of the season.

They'll have the chance to salvage a series split with the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday.

St. Louis (52-28) has scored eight runs and gone 2 for 39 with runners in scoring position over the last five contests, but the MLB leaders managed to snap a four-game skid with Saturday's 2-1 victory. Jhonny Peralta broke an eighth-inning tie with a sacrifice fly to help the Cardinals finally prevail despite recording four hits for a second consecutive game.

"It's a matter of time until we start putting up the big offensive numbers that we know we can," manager Mike Matheny said.

Peralta, who has two of those eight hits over the last two days, is batting .310 in the seven games.

He drove home outfielder Tommy Pham, who went 0 for 3 in his season debut Friday but had two hits and scored twice a day later.

"It means a whole lot, just to be up here and contributing," Pham said after his eighth career contest.

The Cardinals have scored 26 runs in 14 starts with Lance Lynn (5-4, 2.74 ERA) on the mound. The only run the right-hander has yielded over 12 innings of his last two outings came in the third of Tuesday's 2-1, 11-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox.

"A lot of deep counts and a lot of balls that found holes and things like that," a hardly satisfied Lynn told MLB's official website. "That'll happen, but I was able to get through six and only give up one run.

"So when you're having what you would call a bad night and that's the end result, you'll take it."

Lynn is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last five starts but 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in day games this season. He's 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA against the Padres (39-44), who scored two or fewer for the fourth time in five games but were feeling good after taking the first two in St. Louis.

"This is a tough loss when you've got a little momentum going," manager Pat Murphy said.

Will Venable, whose two-run homer in the 11th gave San Diego a 5-3 win in Thursday's opener, is 5 for 13 with two doubles and a home run against Lynn.

Yangervis Solarte is 0 for 6 off Lynn, but is batting .357 in his last eight games and has homered twice in the series.

Ian Kennedy (4-7, 4.86) has allowed 10 runs over 11 innings of his last two starts, but only two were earned while the Padres have committed three errors and failed to score. He gave up three unearned and two homers over five innings of a 5-0 loss to Seattle on Tuesday.

San Diego has totaled five runs while the right-hander has gone 1-2 with a 1.50 ERA in his last four outings.

Kennedy is 2-4 with a 9.00 ERA in six starts against the Cardinals, but last faced them in 2013.

The Padres were shut out, 7-0, by the Mariners at home yesterday, getting blanked for the second straight game, and losing their third consecutive contest overall. San Diego has been shut out 13 times in 2015 -- most of any MLB club.

St. Louis lost, 7-1, to the White Sox at Busch Stadium last night, and has now dropped back-to-back home games for just the second time this season (also May 15-16 vs. Tigers). The last time the Cards lost more consecutive games at Busch Stadium was nearly a year ago during a four-game losing streak, July 20-August 1.

Tonight marks the first meeting of the season between San Diego and St. Louis. Including taking three of four from the Friars at Busch Stadium in 2014, the Cardinals are 8-2 at home vs. the Padres since the beginning of 2012.

Tyson Ross went 6.0 innings and allowed just two runs (both earned) last Friday vs. the D-backs, earning the victory, and recording back-to-back wins for the first time of the season. Ross is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals.

Tim Cooney is making his second career MLB start tonight after lasting just 2.1 innings and allowing three runs (all earned) in his first outing earlier this season on April 30 vs. the Phillies. Cooney is the only St. Louis rookie pitcher who has made a start in 2015.

Matt Carpenter went 0-for-4 last night, and is now hitting just .100 (3-for-30) in his last nine games. Carpenter has a .386 career batting average vs. the Padres -- second best of any MLB player since he joined the league in 2012 (minimum 50 AB).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:42 AM

Marlins-Cubs Preview

(AP) -- The Chicago Cubs' run production is trending toward an alarming dependency on the home run, and that's usually not such a good thing against Mat Latos.

The Miami Marlins right-hander typically does a good job keeping the ball in the park, though that hasn't been the case in three starts leading into Sunday's decisive series finale at Wrigley Field.

After Saturday's 7-2 win, the Cubs (43-36) have a shot at salvaging a split in the six-game season series, which could be difficult without providing any bleacher souvenirs.

Kris Bryant had a grand slam and a two-run homer to match the Cubs' home run total from the previous 10 games. They also hit two home runs in Thursday's 6-1 win at the New York Mets, and those are the only two times in their last 11 games that they've managed more than two runs. Ten of their 14 runs in the last three have come via the long ball.

Chicago had only two other hits Saturday and is batting .211 in 12 games with Anthony Rizzo in a 3-for-28 slump.

"It was pretty much (Bryant), that was our offense," manager Joe Maddon said.

Miami (35-47) saw its four-game winning streak end, though Christian Yelich had two hits, improving to 12 for 23 in seven games and 15 for 37 lifetime at Wrigley.

Latos (3-5, 5.27 ERA), who has surrendered four home runs in three starts after giving up three in his first 10, ranks among the top quarter of starters since the start of 2013 with a rate of 0.71 homers per nine innings.

He hasn't been able to string together strong outings over a six-start span while going 2-2 with a 5.82 ERA, though he did enough for a win in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over San Francisco. The 27-year-old gave up three runs - two earned - and six hits in six innings, and with the calendar flipped to July, trade speculation is beginning with the Marlins sitting 12 games under .500.

"I'm not worried about it," Latos said. "I'm still here. Until they tell me they're going to throw me out of the clubhouse, I'm going to fight for this team."

He's 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts at Wrigley, and his seven overall wins against the Cubs is his top total against any team. Rizzo is 2 for 15 against Latos.

Chicago counters with Kyle Hendricks (3-4, 4.15), who allowed three hits in six innings of Tuesday's 1-0 win against the Mets to earn the decision. That followed consecutive losses in which the right-hander gave up 10 earned runs in 10 innings. Good or bad, Maddon isn't overloading the second-year pitcher with pressure or expectations.

"When I see him, he just tells me to be myself. Every day he sees me, 'Hey, just be yourself.' And that's been a thing for me," Hendricks told MLB's official website.

"At times I've tried to do too much mentally. Sometimes physically, too, with my mechanics. At the end of the day I need to be myself and just go out there and pitch my game. This was much better. I just focused mentally on every pitch, to make a good pitch. That was the only thought I had."

The 25-year-old is still looking for his first home win of the season, but he's 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 13 career starts at Wrigley.

His only start against the Marlins came in a 5-2 loss in Miami on June 2 while surrendering four runs and seven hits in six innings.

Miami is coming off a home, three-game sweep of the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants. The Marlins won the three games against the Giants by a total of four runs. It was the fourth time in franchise history that the Marlins have swept a series from the defending World Series champion: also September 24-26, 1996 vs. Atlanta (3 games), August 7-9, 2009 at Philadelphia (3 games) and May 24-26, 2011 at San Francisco (3 games).

The Cubs are coming off a three-game sweep at Citi Field against the New York Mets. It was Chicago's second three-plus game series sweep of the season, and both have come against the Mets. The Cubs won four straight versus New York at Wrigley Field from May 11-14. Miami has now won five straight games against NL East teams, and is 12-5 on the season against the NL East despite not scoring more than six runs in any of the 17 games.

Christian Yelich has at least one hit in all six career games at Wrigley Field, and is hitting .429 (12-for-28) with two home runs and four stolen bases in six career games on the Northside of Chicago.

Anthony Rizzo leads the Cubs in batting average (.297), doubles (24), home runs (15), runs batted in (45) and stolen bases (12). He is the only player in the majors leading his team in these five categories. In the live-ball era (since 1920), only three Cubs have led the team in these five categories over an entire season: Babe Herman -- 1933, Ernie Banks -- 1955 and Derrek Lee -- 2005.

Tom Koehler was 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in June with a 23 strikeouts against only five walks. Koehler went at least 6.2 innings in all four June starts. Six of the 10 runs Koehler allowed in June came via five home run balls.

Jason Hammel's 2.92 ERA is a career best 15 starts into a season. His previous low ERA through 15 starts was last season with the Cubs when he had a 2.99 ERA through 15 starts. In 32 career starts with the Cubs, Hammel is 13-8 with a 2.95 ERA; In 170 other MLB starts, Hammel is 48-62 with a 4.85 ERA with Tampa Bay, Colorado, Baltimore and Oakland.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:45 AM

Mets-Dodgers Preview

(AP) -- Sunday's pitching matchup between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers might not measure up to the name recognition of the first two games, but Steven Matz and Mike Bolsinger aren't exactly weighing down their respective staffs.

Two of the lesser-known arms on two of the better pitching clubs in the majors square off with the three-game series on the line.

The Dodgers (46-36) evened the series with Saturday's 4-3 win as Zack Greinke got the better of Matt Harvey, which came a night after Noah Syndergaard and Clayton Kershaw deferred to the bullpens.

Los Angeles got a home run from Adrian Gonzalez for a second straight game and third straight at home, while Howie Kendrick added two hits and is batting .455 in his last eight.

Yasiel Puig doubled, but he's 4 for 23 in eight games and hasn't homered in 20. Dating to May 29, 2014, he's hit eight in 571 plate appearances over 135 games, though his manager isn't concerned.

"Home runs are not something I really worry about with him," Don Mattingly told MLB's official website. "I think he's more of a center field, right-center kind of hitter which fits more into his strengths. Him trying to pull home runs doesn't really fit into his strengths. I think they'll happen over time."

The Mets (41-41) got three late runs off the Los Angeles bullpen, but they've scored six in five games while hitting .185. Over a 5-11 span, they're averaging 1.8 runs and batting .183.

Wilmer Flores is 6 for 8 in the series and a .452 hitter in 10 career games against the Dodgers, but many of his teammates remain in funks.

Michael Cuddyer is 2 for 31 in 11 contests, Juan Lagares is 4 for 41 in 13, Ruben Tejada is 4 for 41 in 11 and Lucas Duda is 9 for 60 in 16. Cuddyer has been out of the starting lineup for four games because of a knee injury, though he's appeared off the bench in the last two.

The last time they cracked three runs six games ago, it was because Matz did most of the offensive damage.

Matz (1-0, 2.35 ERA) won his major league debut in last Sunday's 7-2 home victory over Cincinnati. The left-hander gave up two solo homers and three other hits while walking three in 7 2-3 innings, thus far living up to his billing as one of the organization's top prospects.

"He's as advertised," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "You all witnessed it."

The 24-year-old also went 3 for 3 with four RBIs, making him the first pitcher ever with three hits and four RBIs in his debut and only the 11th player of any position.

Bolsinger (4-2, 2.76) has only made it through at least five innings once in his last three starts, though the latest outing wasn't shortened because of his pitching. The right-hander gave up three hits in four scoreless innings of Monday's 10-6 loss in Arizona before leaving with food poisoning.

The 27-year-old didn't walk anyone for the second time this season, but he's walked at least two in his other nine starts. Even with occasional command issues, Bolsinger's ERA has yet to touch 3.00 this year and is providing the Dodgers with strong - if limited - innings to complement Greinke and Kershaw.

Bolsinger faced the Mets once last year with Arizona and gave up two runs, six hits and two walks in three innings of relief. Duda was 2 for 2.

Los Angeles has taken 14 of 18 from the Mets.

On the road, New York is 5-19 since winning their last away series in Philadelphia from May 8-10.

The Dodgers are 13-3 (.813) versus the Mets since July 1, 2012, the highest win percentage by any team versus any opponent over that span (minimum 15 games).

The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, 4-3, on Wednesday, outscoring Arizona 4-0 in the first three innings of the game. Los Angeles has outscored its opponents by 30 runs (113-83) in the first three innings this season, the second-best differential in MLB (Toronto is +32). The 83 runs the Dodgers have allowed in the first three innings are the fewest allowed by any team this season.

The Mets were swept by the Cubs earlier this week, scoring just one run over the three games. Prior to that series versus the Cubs, the last time the Mets scored one or fewer runs over a three-game span was when they scored one run over a three-game span from July 4-7, 2009 (first two games at Philadelphia and third game versus the Dodgers).
Kike Hernandez had three hits on Wednesday, falling a home run shy of the cycle in the process. In his previous 28 at-bats, Hernandez totaled just four hits (.143 batting average over that span).

Rookie Noah Syndergaard has struggled versus NL West teams, going 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA and .426 opponent batting average against NL West opponents compared to a 3-2 record with a 2.11 ERA and .215 opponent batting average versus all other teams.

Clayton Kershaw took the loss in his last start (June 27 at Miami), his third straight start with a loss (the longest streak of his career). Kershaw allowed three runs in the loss and has now allowed 44 runs in 16 starts and 107 innings pitched this season after allowing just 42 runs in 27 starts and 198.1 innings pitched in 2014.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:46 AM

Mariners-Athletics Preview

(AP) -- It took some time, but Mike Montgomery probably couldn't have asked for a better start to his major league career with the Seattle Mariners.

After becoming the 12th rookie since 1980 to record back-to-back shutouts, Montgomery looks to continue his recent dominance Sunday against the host Oakland Athletics.

A 2008 first-round pick of Kansas City who was dealt to Tampa Bay in 2012 then to Seattle (37-44) in March, Montgomery (3-2, 1.62 ERA) has shined in six starts since making his major league debut June 2.

The left-hander tossed a five-hitter and struck out 10 without a walk in a 7-0 victory over the Royals on June 23, then yielded his only hit in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 5-0 win at San Diego.

"He's been outstanding," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's shown a lot of poise. I had no idea what to expect when we first got him. Each and every outing he impresses me even more."

Montgomery has a chance to become the first rookie to record three straight shutouts since Orel Hershiser for the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 1984. Randy Johnson was the last Mariners pitcher of any tenure to achieve such a feat in '94.

As Montgomery absorbs his early success and his place in baseball history, he's remained humble and focused.

"I'm just trying to get on top of my game and control what I can control," the 26-year-old, who never recorded a shutout over 168 innings in eight minor league seasons, told MLB's official website.

"I just try to make good pitches and I don't think about any of that stuff. "I'm working with the team ... just having some fun with it because it is fun."

Montgomery hopes the fun continues while trying to help Seattle bounce back from its second shutout in this three-game set, 2-0 on Saturday. The club pounded out 13 hits and four homers in Friday's 9-5 victory, but has been held to eight hits in the two losses.

Kendall Graveman threw seven strong innings to outduel Felix Hernandez and Ben Zobrist drove in both runs to help the A's (38-46) win for the fourth time in six games.

"It feels good," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "It's not like (Hernandez) pitched poorly."

Batting a team-leading .320, leadoff hitter Billy Burns had two hits for a second consecutive game and scored both runs.

Chris Bassitt (0-1, 2.87) makes his second straight start in place of ailing Sonny Gray after allowing a run and five hits in five innings of a 2-1 loss to Colorado on Tuesday. Despite the defeat, Bassitt did not give up a walk after yielding nine in his first five appearances.

"No walks," Melvin said. "That's something that we asked him to go down (to Triple-A Nashville) and work on, because he has really good stuff."

In his last outing before being sent to the minors, the right-hander walked a pair while yielding a run in 1 1-3 innings of a 7-2 loss at Seattle on May 9.

He retired Robinson Cano, who is 4 for 8 in the last two games after going 4 for 28 with six strikeouts in the previous seven against the A's.

The Mariners beat the Padres, 7-0, at Petco Park yesterday, recording their second straight whitewash, and their fourth in the last 14 games overall -- second most of any MLB club since June 17 (Cubs -- 5). Seattle has never posted shutouts in three straight games.

Oakland beat Colorado, 4-1, at O.co Coliseum on Wednesday, taking two of three from the Rockies and improving to 19-13 in its last 32 games -- third best in the AL since games of May 28. The A's have allowed one or fewer runs 12 times in their last 37 contests.

The M's have defeated the A's five straight times, with four of those wins decided by a single run. Dating to May 5 last season, Seattle has won seven of its last 10 contests in Oakland.

Roenis Elias allowed a career-high seven earned runs in 3.2 innings eight days ago vs. Kansas City, taking the loss, and falling to 2-4 with a 6.21 ERA in his last six outings. Elias is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in two career starts vs. the A's (both at O.co Coliseum).

Scott Kazmir went 7.0 innings and allowed three runs (all earned) last Saturday vs. the Royals, and including that setback, is 2-5 with a 3.47 ERA in his last 10 starts overall. Kazmir (4-4, 3.35 ERA in 13 career starts vs. Seattle) has a 1.63 ERA at O.co Coliseum this season -- second lowest of any qualifying AL starter at home this season (Dallas Keuchel -- 1.24).

Billy Burns had a double and a triple in the same game for the first time in his career yesterday, giving him 22 multi-hit contests since being called up May 2 -- tied for second most in MLB (Jason Kipnis -- 23). Burns is 3-for-10 (all singles) in four career games vs. the M's.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 01:47 AM

Indians-Pirates Preview

(AP) -- The Cleveland Indians' outstanding stretch of starting pitching is still going, but their winning streak isn't thanks to a fantastic performance from perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates' worst starter.

Now they'll take their swings against one of baseball's best.

The majors' first 11-game winner tries again to make it a career-high 12 on Sunday against the Indians, who hope Danny Salazar can match Gerrit Cole and send Cleveland home from its 10-game trip with a sixth victory.

The last six Indians starters have all pitched into the seventh inning - four completed eight - and have combined to post a 1.74 ERA. Cody Anderson gave Cleveland (38-42) an excellent chance at a sixth straight victory Saturday in his eight innings, but Neil Walker's RBI single in the sixth was all Pittsburgh (46-34) needed in its 1-0 win.

"Their guy did a good job of pounding the strike zone today and we weren't able to take advantage that much," said Walker, who's 16 for 34 during an eight-game hitting streak. "Fortunately one run was enough."

Walker's RBI held up behind a career-best start from Jeff Locke, who held the Indians to two hits over eight innings to drop his ERA from a rotation-worst 4.55 to 4.15. Pirates starters have a 1.82 ERA over the last six games and a 3.08 ERA on the season, third best in baseball.

"I'm very proud of the effort and execution (of the starting staff)," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It has been very, very good. These guys have all taken it personally upon themselves to own the game they get."

Cole (11-3, 2.20 ERA) has the NL's fourth-best ERA, but he's second in his own rotation behind A.J. Burnett's 2.05.

Matching Locke's eight scoreless innings Sunday would drop his ERA under Burnett's - and perhaps allow him to surpass his 2014 win total - but Cole has labored somewhat in his last two outings. After allowing a season-high five runs in 4 2-3 innings of a 5-2 loss June 24 against Cincinnati, the right-hander gave up a season-high nine hits and two runs in 6 2-3 of Tuesday's 5-4 win at Detroit.

The Pirates have won seven straight Cole starts against the AL dating to September 2013 as he's posted a 2.82 ERA. They've also won five of his six starts during the day in 2015 behind a 1.66 ERA.

Salazar (7-3, 3.80) is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA and .193 opponents' batting average in matinées, but he was excellent Tuesday night. The right-hander held Tampa Bay to two hits and two runs - one earned - over seven innings.

Using his fastball almost exclusively, Salazar retired the first 15 batters he faced - and drew some high praise from the Rays.

"That guy Salazar, his stuff is as good as anybody in baseball," manager Kevin Cash said. "He throws 97 miles an hour, looks like it's coming in just effortlessly."

Neither Cole nor Salazar has faced their Sunday opponent previously, and they'll both face some struggling hitters.

Cleveland's Michael Brantley is 0 for 7 in this series and 3 for 20 in his last five games. Carlos Santana is 4 for 30 on the Indians' seven-game trip and Brandon Moss is 4 for 29 since last Sunday - though half of those hits left the park.

The Pirates have nine hits in this series after piling up 48 in a 3-game sweep at Detroit. Pedro Alvarez, Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte are a combined 0 for 20 against Indians pitching the past two days.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 11:04 AM

Rockies-Diamondbacks Preview

(AP) -- The De La Rosas aren't related, don't throw with the same arm and hail from different countries, but they're similarly looking to extend recent success on the mound.

Jorge De La Rosa will try to do something few Colorado Rockies pitchers have by holding down the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are going after a four-game home sweep Sunday behind Rubby De La Rosa.

While Jorge De La Rosa is a left-hander from Mexico in his eighth season, Rubby De La Rosa is a Dominican right-hander in his fifth year - first with the Diamondbacks (40-41).

Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 4.59 ERA) has gone 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA over his last eight starts after scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Oakland.

The 34-year-old has yielded one run over 21 1-3 innings while winning his last three away starts.

Jorge De La Rosa, who hasn't won four straight on the road since 2009, hopes to have recovered from a cut on his middle finger that caused swelling and numbness against the Athletics.

"It felt like I was grabbing an egg with my finger, but I was able to keep pitching," he told MLB's official website.

Jorge De La Rosa is 0-4 with a 4.81 ERA in his last six starts versus Arizona. He also opposed Rubby De La Rosa on June 25, allowing one run over five innings but did not get a decision in Colorado's 6-4 home win.

Chris Owings is 4 for 7 with a home run and a triple when facing Jorge De La Rosa, while star slugger Paul Goldschmidt is 4 for 14 with a home run.

Goldschmidt has reached safely in 28 straight games against the Rockies after going 0 for 4 with a walk Saturday when Arizona took its third straight in the series with a 7-3 victory.

The Diamondbacks, who trail slumping San Francisco by 1 1/2 games for second in the NL West, haven't swept a four-game series from the Rockies since September 2002.

Arizona has batted .336 with 11 home runs and scored 7.2 runs per game while winning eight of 11 in this season series. Goldschmidt is batting .390 and A.J. Pollock is hitting .370 against the Rockies.

The last-place Rockies (34-47) will try to avoid their fifth straight loss and eighth in nine games as they close out a 10-game road swing. They've hit .194 while totaling 11 runs over their last six and defense was in issue Saturday as Colorado allowed three unearned runs.

"We didn't defend the bunt the last couple of nights," manager Walt Weiss said. "Our guys know how to defend bunts, just didn't do it the last couple of nights, nothing more than that."

Carlos Gonzalez was relegated to pinch-hit duty Saturday while in the midst of a 3-for-29 slump.

Colorado may have a tough time turning things around against Rubby De La Rosa (6-3, 4.60), who has gone 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA over his last four starts. He yielded two runs over 5 2-3 innings in Tuesday's 6-4, 10-inning home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I try to get better and try to keep the ball down and try to make my slider a little bit better and get comfortable and confident," Rubby De La Rosa said.

The 26-year-old gave up one run over seven innings and did not get a decision in last month's meeting. He's gone 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three career starts versus Colorado.

Nolan Arenado homered off De La Rosa at Coors Field, while Wilin Rosario went 2 for 3. DJ LeMahieu led the club with three hits Saturday after going 0 for 14 over his previous four games.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 11:05 AM

Giants-Nationals Preview

(AP) -- The San Francisco Giants won last year's World Series behind excellent starting pitching and a stingy bullpen.

Lately, most everyone who takes the mound for them has struggled.

Jordan Zimmermann hasn't had any issues recently - or many at all against San Francisco - and he'll look to lead the Washington Nationals to a ninth straight home win and three-game sweep of the slumping Giants on Sunday night.

San Francisco (42-20) has a 6.08 ERA during a five-game losing streak after World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner gave up three runs on the first five pitches and six over five innings of Saturday's 9-3 defeat.

Michael Taylor homered on the first pitch, Yunel Escobar hit a home run on the second and Bryce Harper followed with his 25th homer to help deal the Giants a sixth consecutive road loss, a stretch in which they've been outscored 37-18.

San Francisco's overall losing streak began Tuesday, when Ryan Vogelsong allowed four runs in six innings of a 5-3 defeat at Miami after pitching 12 2-3 scoreless to win his previous two outings.

Vogelsong (6-6, 4.19 ERA) gave up two homers, matching the amount he surrendered over his previous 10 starts.

"It's tough to take," Vogelsong said. "How many pitches did I throw? And you think about two. I just left the ball up a little bit."

The right-hander has allowed one home run in six career starts against the Nationals, but he's gone 1-2 with a 6.67 ERA in those outings. That stretch, however, includes Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS in which he allowed one run and two hits in 5 2-3 innings of San Francisco's series-clinching 3-2 victory.

Zimmermann (6-5, 3.16) tossed a gem in Game 2 of that series, holding the Giants scoreless for 8 2-3 innings before exiting after walking Joe Panik. He was charged with a run after Panik came around to score to tie the game, which San Francisco won 2-1 in 18 innings.

Despite not earning the victory, the outing gave Zimmermann a 1.99 ERA in his last eight starts against the Giants. The right-hander has put up even better numbers over his last two outings, allowing six hits in eight scoreless innings of a 2-1, 11-inning win over Atlanta on June 24 and pitching 7 2-3 scoreless in Tuesday's 6-1 victory over the Braves.

"His past couple of starts his breaking ball has been really, really good," first baseman Clint Robinson sad. "He's been able to get that in there first pitch, get ahead of the hitters and then put hitters away."

Washington won Friday's series opener by a 2-1 score after Robinson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh. Robinson had another solid day Saturday, going 2 for 3 and scoring twice.

Harper has homered in five of his last seven against the Giants, including playoffs, and finished a triple short of the cycle Saturday for the Nationals (45-36), winners of 11 of 14.

Giants outfielder Angel Pagan didn't start for the second straight contest because of a swollen left knee. His status for Sunday is uncertain.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2015, 11:07 AM

Diamond Trends - Sunday

July 5, 2015

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pirates are 16-0 SU since Aug 06, 2012 at home after a game in which their starter pitched at least 8 innings.

PITCHER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- When Jordan Zimmermann starts the Nationals are 11-0 since June 30, 2014 when he is coming off a quality start on the road.

MLB BIBLE ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Mets are 0-9 (+$900) since September 2013 as an underdog of more than +110 after a win where they scored no more than three runs and it is not the last game of the series.

CHOICE TREND:

-- The Indians are 0-13 SU since Jun 10, 2011 on the road as a dog after a game in which they did not walk the opponent.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Rays are 0-10-1 OU against (-3.73 ppg) since Apr 14, 2013 and as a dog and when the are off a walk off loss.

Announcement

The Bum's Sports Page For Sunday July 5th Best Bets-Trends-News !

The Bum's Sports Page For Sunday July 5th Best Bets-Trends-News !

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