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[StarDust Bum]

Ramos homers, drives in 2 as Nationals defeat Giants 3-1

WASHINGTON (AP) Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is in a groove, and he wouldn't let the San Francisco Giants get back on track.

Zimmermann pitched seven solid innings, Wilson Ramos snapped a tie with a sixth-inning homer, and the Nationals beat the struggling Giants 3-1 on Sunday night, completing a three-game sweep.

Ramos added an RBI single in the eighth and Bryce Harper, voted a starter on the National League All-Star team, had a double and single.

Zimmermann (7-5) has allowed one run over 22 2-3 innings in his last three starts.

"I just think he's got a feel for his breaking pitches that (he) didn't have necessarily early in the season," manager Matt Williams said. "It probably helps that's it's gotten warmer and more humid and can grip the ball better."

Drew Storen pitched the ninth, picking up his 25th save for Washington, which has won nine straight at home.

The last time he faced the Giants, Zimmermann held them scoreless for 8 2-3 innings in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS before exiting after walking Joe Panik. He was charged with a run after Panik later scored to tie the game, which San Francisco won 2-1 in 18 innings.

"Any time you sweep a team it's special. We're looking to win series and that's our goal," Zimmermann said. "To take three from those guys and send them back home, it's big for our ballclub."

Zimmermann allowed Brandon Crawford's 12th homer on a 3-0 pitch in the fourth inning Sunday, then retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.

The Giants, who lost manager Bruce Bochy and starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong to ejections, finished 0-6 on their road trip.

"Well, there's time (to turn things around) before the All-Star break," Bochy said. "That's how we have to look at it."

Bochy and Vogelsong were ejected by plate umpire Phil Cuzzi in the fifth inning after complaining about the strike zone.

The Giants had shown displeasure with Cuzzi's strike zone several times before Vogelsong's 1-2 pitch to Denard Span was called a ball.

Bochy appeared to say something from the dugout. Cuzzi turned toward Bochy, and Vogelsong soon began walking toward the plate. Cuzzi ejected Vogelsong.

"I'm not going to get into what the exchange was," Vogelsong said. "Obviously I was frustrated with the pitch. I guess he was frustrated with my reaction. And I got thrown out."

Bochy came out and was ejected shortly thereafter.

Vogelsong allowed a run on three hits. He struck out two and walked three.

Reliever George Kontos (2-1) allowed Ramos' homer.

Washington took a 1-0 lead on Michael A. Taylor's RBI single in the second.

DELAYED DEPARTURE

Rather than return to San Francisco after the game, Bochy and his players chose to stay overnight in Washington and fly back in the morning. Bochy said the Giants will get in around 1 p.m. local time and travel by bus to AT&T Park for Monday night's game against the Mets.

"The red-eye just seems like it flattens us," he said before the game. "Not that we don't look flat now."

SPAN STREAK STOPPED

Denard Span went 0 for 4, putting an end to his streak of reaching base safely in 23 consecutive games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants:

OF Hunter Pence (left wrist tendinitis) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the disabled list. ... LHP Jeremy Affeldt (left shoulder strain) has begun playing catch.

Nationals:

The Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled with a strained left oblique, one day after he left his start in the fourth inning. ... OF Jayson Werth (fractured left wrist) took swings with a fungo bat on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Giants:

RHP Chris Heston (8-5, 3.78) no-hit the Mets on June 9 at Citi Field. He opposes them at AT&T Park on Monday night when the Giants open a six-game homestand. Jonathan Niese (3-8, 3.90) pitches for the Mets.

Nationals:

RHP Doug Fister (3-4, 4.34) makes his third career start against the Reds on Monday night. He's 2-0 against them with 1.29 ERA. RHP Anthony DeSciafani (5-6, 3.68) pitches for the Reds.

[StarDust Bum]

Brewers extend win streak to 8 games with 6-1 victory

CINCINNATI (AP) Taylor Jungmann kept the Milwaukee Brewers rolling.

The rookie right-hander allowed one run and four hits in eight innings and the Brewers extended their winning streak to eight games with a 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

It's the Brewers' longest winning streak overall since they won nine in a row from April 4-13 of last season.

Gerardo Parra and Adam Lind hit seventh-inning home runs for the Brewers, who finished off their second undefeated road trip of at least seven games in franchise history.

Milwaukee also went 7-0 on a road trip in 2008, sweeping three in San Francisco and four in St. Louis from July 18 through July 24.

Jungmann (3-1) credited increased dependence on his changeup for his effectiveness in his sixth start after making his major league debut on June 9.

"I thought I had the changeup going," Jungmann said. "I didn't throw it as much in my first five starts. I was happy for it."

Cincinnati starter Mike Leake (5-5) lost for the first time since May 27. Leake, who was 3-0 in six June starts, allowed eight hits and three runs with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings.

"They're a hot team right now," Leake said of Milwaukee. "They're finding holes and laying off pitches. They fouled off some tough pitches and made it tough on me. They make you pay for every mistake."

Jungmann retired the first 12 batters he faced before Jay Bruce led off the fifth with a double into the right-field corner.

Jungmann lost his shutout when Skip Schumaker scored from first on Brandon Phillips' double with two outs in the eighth on a ball that left fielder Shane Peterson had in his glove before slamming into the wall

It was Milwaukee's first sweep in Cincinnati since a three-game series on Sept. 16-18, 2011. The Reds scored five runs in the series, one fewer than the Brewers scored on Sunday.

"We need to do a better job doing the little things, which is what you say when you're outplayed and you get drubbed," Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said.

Aramis Ramirez gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead and extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-out RBI single in the first inning - the sixth time the Brewers scored in the first inning on the seven-game road trip.

The Brewers had a 3-0 lead before Parra led off the seventh with his seventh homer of the season and second of the series. Lind followed with a two-run shot, his second in two days and 14th of the season, lifting his RBI total on the road trip to a team-high 12.

"It's a great stretch," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We're getting guys on base for him. Everybody's cleaning up with guys on base."

RUN OF RBIS

Milwaukee 1B Adam Lind's run-scoring single in the fifth inning on Sunday gave him at least one RBI in nine consecutive games, tying the franchise record. Lind joins George Scott (1975), Cecil Cooper (1982) and Carlos Lee (2005) in the club.

TOUGH OPPONENT

Reds' RHP Mike Leake's loss to Milwaukee on Sunday was his third in the past year to the Brewers. He also lost 9-2 on Aug. 9 and 5-1 on July 23. Leake is 0-2 against the Brewers in three starts at Great American Ball Park.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers:

CF Carlos Gomez sat out Sunday with a left wrist contusion resulting from being hit by a pitch that forced him to leave Saturday's game in the fifth inning. "I don't think he's going to miss much time," manager Craig Counsell said.

Reds:

LHP Tony Cingrani is scheduled to make the next appearance of his rehab assignment on Tuesday for Triple-A Louisville. The Reds hope to get Cingrani stretched out enough to fill a variety of roles, including possibly starting, manager Bryan Price said.

UP NEXT

Brewers:

Milwaukee returns home for a series against Atlanta. RHP Kyle Lohse (5-9, 6.24 ERA) is scheduled to start on Monday.

Reds:

The Reds begin a six-game road trip with the first of three on Monday against the Nationals, who were swept in three games at Cincinnati in May. Anthony DeSclafani (5-6, 3.63) is Monday's scheduled starter.

[StarDust Bum]

Verlander drops to 0-4 as Blue Jays beat Tigers 10-5

DETROIT (AP) The Detroit Tigers need strong performances from Justin Verlander if they are going to win their sixth straight AL Central title, and right now the former ace is far from his best.

Verlander remained winless in four starts since missing the first two months of the season because of a strained right triceps. He allowed seven runs Sunday as his ERA ballooned to 6.75 ERA during the Tigers' 10-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jose Bautista and Justin Smoak homered in a six-run fifth inning against the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP, who is 15-14 since sports-hernia surgery before the 2014 season.

Once a famed perfectionist, Verlander (0-2) gave up seven hits and two walks in five innings, striking out five. He needed 94 pitches to get 15 outs.

"You can look at this in two ways," he said. "You can look at the fifth inning and look at it negatively, or you can look at the rest of it, and look at it positively. My stuff is better than it has been in a couple years. I just need to fine-tune it."

Detroit reached the midpoint of the season at 41-40, its poorest record since a 39-42 mark for the first half in 2012. The Tigers trail first-place Kansas City by six games and are 1 1/2 games behind Minnesota.

"If you look around this clubhouse, we've got a lot of veterans who know what it takes," said J.D. Martinez, who hit his 23rd homer. "They know to lock it down. ... That's something that Kansas City struggled with last year, but they have a lot more experience this time."

Toronto stopped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven games.

"We definitely needed this one," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We've had to go against (Anibal) Sanchez and (David) Price the last two nights, and we've got (Chris) Sale tomorrow, so we needed a game where the offense could get things going."

Marco Estrada (6-4) improved to 5-1 in his last seven starts, allowing two runs and five hits in five innings. Roberto Osuna got four outs for his third save.

"It is always great to get a win, but today was even better because it is my birthday," said Estrada, who turned 32. "The guys got me a nice present by putting up 10 runs."

Toronto went ahead after seven pitches when Jose Reyes led off with a bloop double and scored on Josh Donaldson's single. Verlander's error on an errant pickoff attempt allowing Donaldson to take third, but pitched out of the jam.

Verlander didn't allow another hit until the fifth, helped by a spectacular play by Jose Iglesias that ended the fourth. The shortstop ranged into the hole and threw to second for a forceout.

"I was seeing reactions that I haven't seen for a while on my offspeed pitches, and that felt good," Verlander said. "It is a shame that I fell out of sync in the fifth, but this is only my fourth start. You have to keep that in mind."

Danny Valencia walked leading off the fifth after being down 0-2 in the count, Kevin Pillar singled and Devon Travis hit an RBI double. Reyes' groundout made it 3-0 and moved Travis to third, and Donaldson singled through a drawn-in infield. Bautista followed with a two-run homer over the Tigers bullpen in left and, four pitches later, Smoak homered to right for a 7-0 lead.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run triple in the bottom half, and Martinez hit his 10th homer in his last 12 games, a sixth-inning drive off Bo Schultz that cut the deficit to 7-3.

Making his first major league relief appearance, Drew VerHagen walked the first three batters in the seventh before Alex Wilson came in. Russell Martin and Devon Travis added RBI singles.

Detroit added two more runs against the Toronto bullpen on an Anthony Gose homer and James McCann's RBI single.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays:

LHP Felix Doubront, who spent much of the first half of the season recovering from a shoulder injury, could fill the vacant spot in Toronto's rotation Tuesday in Chicago. Doubront was called up on Friday, and came through a 2 1/3-inning relief outing that night without problems.

Tigers:

Cabrera spent some team with the team after Friday's calf injury but will not make Detroit's upcoming trip in order to stay off his leg and get treatment. Cabrera was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career Saturday, and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays:

Mark Buehrle (9-4) starts Monday at his old team, the Chicago White Sox, and faces former protege Sale (6-4). It will be the first meeting between the pair since Buehrle left Chicago after the 2011 season.

[StarDust Bum]

Pham hits 1st MLB homer and drives in 3, Cards top Padres

ST. LOUIS (AP) Rookie outfielder Tommy Pham has done almost everything right in his first three starts with the St. Louis Cardinals.

His one regret: He's fallen woefully behind in answering the congratulatory text messages from friends and family after two impressive back-to-back performances.

"Just don't have the time right now," Pham said. "Eventually, I will get back to everyone."

Pham homered, doubled and drove in three runs, leading Lance Lynn and the Cardinals over the San Diego Padres 3-1 Sunday.

The Cardinals improved to a majors-best 31-11 at home with their second successive win. San Diego has lost five of seven.

Pham was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday. He hit his first homer, a two-run drive off Ian Kennedy (4-8) in the third. Pham doubled home Lynn in the fifth.

On Saturday, Pham scored both runs in a 2-1 win.

"He's sparking us, that's exactly what we were hoping for," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "He's delivered, he's in a great spot."

Pham's homer came on a 370-foot drive that gave the Cardinals the lead for good 2-1. The drive barely cleared the wall in left center. Pham temporarily stopped at second base, thinking it was a ground-rule double.

"I didn't know that the signs are out of play," Pham said. "But I'm just trying to focus on having good at-bats, swinging at good pitches."

Pham is 3 for 11 with one home run and three RBI this season.

Lynn (6-4) gave up three hits and one unearned run in seven innings. He also doubled and singled for his first career multihit game and scored twice.

Lynn struck out eight and retired 11 in a row at one point. He has not lost in his last six starts.

"As the game went on, I was able to hit the corners like I wanted to," Lynn said.

Lynn was just as pleased with his effort at the plate.

"I might be running out of luck when it comes to hitting," he said.

The Padres went down in order five times, three times against Lynn.

"We couldn't really put anything together off of him," San Diego second baseman Jedd Gyorko said. "He had good command of his fastball. He was mixing his sinker enough to keep us off balance."

Added San Diego manager Pat Murphy, "He was a one-man show."

Kevin Siegrist recorded his fourth save in six chances. Closer Trevor Rosenthal was unavailable after pitching in three successive games.

Matt Kemp drove in the Padres' run with a single in the third.

Kennedy gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. He had allowed just one earned run in each of his previous four starts.

"Just eliminate two people in the lineup, Lynn and Pham," Kennedy said. "They hit me well. I felt like I commanded everything. They worked the counts, but overall I felt pretty good."

The Cardinals wrapped up a nine-game homestand with a 5-4 mark.

They lost four successive home games before snapping the streak with back-to-back wins over the Padres.

"You don't like to lose, especially four straight," Lynn said. "To come back, right the ship a little bit, and win two in a row, we'll take it."

San Diego has scored four runs in its last three games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals:

LHP Jaime Garcia was put on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain sustained while running the bases against Miami on June 24. LHP Tim Cooney was recalled from the minors and will start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.

UP NEXT

Padres:

RHP James Shields (7-3, 4.14) will start the first of a three-game series in Pittsburgh against RHP A. J. Burnett (7-3, 2.05).

Cardinals:

RHP John Lackey (6-5, 3.30) will start in the first of a four-game set in Chicago against the Cubs on Monday. He will be opposed by LHP Jon Lester (4-6, 3.74).

[StarDust Bum]

Ramirez stifles sloppy Yanks as Rays stop 7-game slide, 8-1

NEW YORK (AP) After a week without a win, the Tampa Bay Rays were hardly shy about describing their celebration Sunday.

James Loney got doused with an ice bucket. David DeJesus banged away on his cymbals. Loud music thumped through the clubhouse.

And it all started with Erasmo Ramirez.

The right-hander pitched out of early trouble in his latest terrific outing against the New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay took advantage of some shoddy defense for an 8-1 victory that snapped its longest losing streak of the season at seven games.

"At the plate we got going, finally," Logan Forsythe said. "It's nice to have a quality game."

Loney and Forsythe each had a two-run single for the Rays, who had dropped 11 of 13 while falling out of first place in the AL East. They salvaged the finale of a frustrating series at Yankee Stadium that included walk-off defeats in the first two games.

Alex Rodriguez hit his 670th home run, the only damage against Ramirez (7-3) in six innings. Yankees hitters entered 2 for 27 (.074) against him this year and didn't fare much better.

"They have a bunch of big left-handed hitters, lot of power, and I think his changeup really plays well for him against these hitters," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He's able to separate a lot with the fastball and the changeup combination."

It's not just the Yankees, though.

Ramirez is 5-1 with a 1.18 ERA in seven starts since May 30, yielding no more than two runs in any of them. He is 7-2 with a 2.17 ERA since joining the rotation on May 14.

"The right pitch, the right moment. Good defense behind me. Everything just came through," Ramirez said. "Just happy how everything is going right now."

The only bad news for the Rays came in a four-run eighth, when rookie outfielder Steven Souza Jr. was hit by a pitch on his right hand. He was removed in the bottom half and said X-rays were negative.

But he received stitches for a "really deep" cut that left his pinkie numb.

"I can't really bend it too well right now," said Souza, who will see a hand specialist in Kansas City and is day to day. "I'll take some more lacerations if it gets us more wins, if that's what it takes."

Ivan Nova (1-2) gave up four runs - three earned - and six hits in five innings, the shortest of his three starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. He has lost five consecutive decisions against Tampa Bay after winning six of his first seven.

The right-hander walked three and threw wildly past third base on a bunt, allowing a run to score on the error.

"I thought he did a pretty good job for not having anything," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He just had a hard time throwing strikes."

Second baseman Jose Pirela, who entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, made two errors on one play in the eighth. Forsythe knocked in two runs with a bloop single that landed on the right-field line beyond a drawn-in infield.

Loney grounded a two-run single in the first and made a nice play at first base in the bottom half to thwart a bases-loaded threat.

New York didn't get another hit until A-Rod's 16th homer of the season leading off the sixth.

"It was more of a mechanical thing," said Curt Casali, who caught Ramirez. "As soon as he figured that out, it was smooth sailing. ... I was proud of the way he battled today because we needed him bad."

Casali had a sacrifice fly in the second following Kevin Kiermaier's leadoff triple, which glanced off the glove of a rapidly retreating Brett Gardner in center field after he initially misjudged the line drive.

"We didn't play our best game today - both sides of the ball," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said. "You tip your cap to Ramirez. He kept us between speeds all day."

SHAKE IT UP

Looking for a good-luck charm, Cash sent ace pitcher Chris Archer to home plate with the lineup card.

"Let's mix it up," the manager said. "Arch will have the lineup card tomorrow."

FEELING RIGHT AT HOME

Loney has a .402 batting average (45 for 112) at the new Yankee Stadium. He is hitting .340 in 55 career games against New York.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rays:

C-DH John Jaso, sidelined since bruising his left wrist on opening day, was scheduled to be the DH for Triple-A Durham after a six-game rehab stint with Class A Charlotte. Jaso also will play at least one game in left field for Durham before coming off the disabled list. "He's getting close," Cash said, acknowledging it's possible Jaso could return during the upcoming four-game series in Kansas City.

Yankees:

Jacoby Ellsbury (sprained right knee) played seven innings in center field during his fourth rehab game for Class A Tampa.

UP NEXT

Rays:

With RHP Jake Odorizzi expected to come off the DL next weekend against Houston, RHP Alex Colome (3-4, 4.70 ERA) could be making his last bid to remain in the rotation when he starts Monday night vs. Royals RHP Edinson Volquez (8-4, 3.48). Cash said no decision had been made yet.

Yankees:

RHP Nathan Eovaldi (8-2, 4.52 ERA) faces Oakland ace Sonny Gray (9-3, 2.09) in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night.

[StarDust Bum]

Matz sharp, Mets feast on Dodgers pitching to take series

LOS ANGELES (AP) Steven Matz is having the time of his young baseball life, winning his first two career starts, including silencing the Los Angeles Dodgers' powerful lineup.

Matz scattered two hits over six scoreless innings, Wilmer Flores went 4 for 5, and the New York Mets won 8-0 Sunday to take two out of three from the NL West leaders.

"The Dodgers have a really good team," Matz said, "so it was good to win the series and I think it will definitely give us momentum going into San Francisco."

Matz (2-0) struck out eight and walked two in a strong follow-up to winning his major league debut a week ago against Cincinnati. His 14 strikeouts after two games are the second-most by any Met, trailing only Matt Harvey's 18 in 2012.

The left-hander had a run-scoring groundout in a three-run fourth that made it 4-0, giving him five RBIs in two games, tying him for the most by any Mets pitcher in a two-game span.

"It's been a lot of fun. It's been great," Matz said. "It's been a good learning experience so far, and I just want to keep learning and trying to get better. Today was a little bit different. I kind of know what it feels like now, so I just tried to relax and pitch."

Matz credited his fastball with being his best pitch.

"The curve ball was so-so, but I was able to work with the fastball late in the count, especially up, and get some swings and misses on that," he said.

Logan Verrett earned the first save of his career with three scoreless innings to end the game.

Mike Bolsinger (4-3) gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits in five innings, his fifth straight outing of less than six innings. The right-hander struck out four and walked two while throwing a career-high 101 pitches. After winning his first four starts at home, he's lost two in a row at Dodger Stadium.

"A little unlucky," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Bolsinger. "He hung in there. I didn't think it was that bad. He wasn't getting squared up all over the yard. He kind of limited the damage."

New York had 15 hits - one off its season high - against the Dodgers' struggling pitching in their worst shutout loss of the season that also equaled their largest margin of defeat.

The Mets' eight runs were their most since June 14, when they had 10, and they earned their first shutout against the Dodgers since June 30, 2012.

Flores had a career-high four hits while driving in three runs and finished the three-game series 10 for 13. His single to Kike Hernandez in the fourth resulted in the Dodgers shortstop rolling over on his head with his legs splayed in the air in a fruitless attempt to field the ball.

"Some of the guys are starting to break out," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Wilmer's really starting to swing the bat right now. He's hitting the ball to right field and he's not trying to pull things. When they're pitching him away, he's taking them the other way, and that's what good hitters have to do."

Juan Lagares had a two-run triple and Ruben Tejada added an RBI single off reliever Juan Nicasio in the seventh when the Mets led 7-0. Yasiel Puig lost Lagares' hit in the sun and then overran it, stretching himself to the limit as the ball landed behind him in right field.

Michael Cuddyer was hitless in five at-bats in his return to the Mets' starting lineup after being out four games because of a knee injury, although he came off the bench in the last two.

The Dodgers mustered just three hits. After A.J. Ellis' leadoff single in the fifth, they had just two runners reach base the rest of the game.

"Early on we kind of chased out of the zone," Mattingly said. "The ball was taking off a little bit and as the game went on his command got better."

Puig went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and rookie Joc Pederson was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout.

THROUGH THE GATES

The Dodgers became the first major league team to reach 2 million in attendance, with 2,004,009 through 43 home games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers:

1B Adrian Gonzalez left after three innings with a bruised right hand. He got hit by a pitch from Matz, although Gonzalez said he expects to play Monday. ... RHP Carlos Frias went on the 15-day DL retroactive to Wednesday with lower back tightness, a problem he had in his previous two starts, going only five innings in both. An MRI showed no structural damage in his back.

UP NEXT

Mets:

LHP Jonathon Niese (3-8, 3.90 ERA) starts in the series opener at San Francisco. He hasn't earned a win in a career-high nine straight outings and has lost a career-high-tying six consecutive decisions.

Dodgers:

They had yet to announce a starter to replace Frias in the opener of a four-game series against Philadelphia. LH Eric Surkamp was to be called up from the minors, but Mattingly refused to confirm he would start.

[StarDust Bum]

Red Sox, Buchholz shut down Astros

BOSTON (AP) Clay Buchholz knew he had it going right away.

Buchholz pitched a six-hitter to win his fourth straight start, coming within one out of a shutout as the Boston Red Sox rebounded from a tough loss with a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Mookie Betts drove in three runs and made a leaping catch in center field to help the Red Sox snap Houston's five-game winning streak.

Buchholz (7-6) struck out eight and didn't walk a batter in his ninth career complete game. He is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in four starts against the Astros.

''I could throw just about any pitch I wanted to today. It doesn't happen often like that,'' he said. ''The first inning I threw some good pitches and they don't always happen that way. After the second inning, I felt like I was going to have good command of my fastball on both sides of the plate. When you have that you can throw everything off of that, and that's what I was able to do.''

Luis Valbuena's RBI single with two outs in the ninth broke up the shutout.

''A complete game is a complete game,'' Buchholz said. ''A shutout is a little different. It's pretty hard to do.''

Betts hit two RBI doubles and a sacrifice fly. Sandy Leon had three singles for the Red Sox, and Xander Bogaerts drove in two runs.

Unlike Friday night's extra-inning game that featured three Boston comebacks before the Astros pulled out a 12-8 victory in the 10th, the Red Sox scored early and won for the fifth time in seven games.

A couple of early runs were more than enough the way Buchholz was pitching. He has a 0.87 ERA in his last four starts.

''He's been on a run,'' Red Sox manager John Farrell said. ''He's in such a good place mentally where he's completing his delivery for strikes, and he was in control again today.''

Astros manager A.J. Hinch was impressed.

''He pounded the strike zone with a couple different pitches. He had a really good changeup, a really good cutter,'' Hinch said. ''This game was almost entirely about him.''

Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead against Collin McHugh (9-4) three batters in on Bogaerts' RBI single. Betts' sacrifice fly made it 2-0 in the second.

McHugh gave up four runs - three earned - and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.

''Fastball was sporadic, especially early on,'' he said.

In the fifth, the Red Sox turned catcher Hank Conger's throwing error into an unearned run. Brock Holt hit a dribbler in front of the plate and Conger fired the ball down the right-field line. Bogaerts followed by hooking a low, outside pitch into the left-field corner for an RBI double.

Betts hit a run-scoring double just inside third base to make it 4-0 in the sixth. His second RBI double came in a two-run eighth.

Betts also made a nice grab of Jose Altuve's drive on the warning track after a long run for the first out of the game.

FLYING PANDA

Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval made a catch of a foul pop near the Astros' dugout before falling over the railing. His right cleat struck pitcher Vincent Velasquez on the left side of the head. He had a couple of scratches, but wasn't injured.

''The railing's still up,'' Farrell joked. ''He's fearless.''

Buchholz had a funny line, too.

''That's a big man going over a small railing,'' he said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros:

Colby Rasmus started in center field and went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts in his first game since June 26 due to a skin infection on his left wrist. Hinch said Rasmus will probably play every other day for the next week. ... After the game, Houston activated OF Jake Marisnick (hamstring) from the disabled list and sent OF Domingo Santana to Triple-A Fresno.

Red Sox:

2B Dustin Pedroia, on the 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring, hit in the cage after increasing his running a day earlier. Farrell said the club is still trying to decide if Pedroia will be activated for a series against the New York Yankees next weekend.

UP NEXT

Astros:

RHP Lance McCullers (4-2) is slated to start the series finale Sunday. He threw seven innings of one-run ball in a win over Kansas City on Wednesday.

Red Sox:

Rookie LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2) is scheduled to start. He's allowed one run or none in four of his six starts.

[StarDust Bum]

Twins' Santana sharp, but Royals win 3-2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Royals manager Ned Yost treats just about every game the same, especially in July, because the reality is that they all count the same at the end of the season.

So when he singles one out, it must have been important.

Eric Hosmer drove in Lorenzo Cain with nobody out in the ninth inning Sunday, helping Kansas City beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 and earn a four-game split between AL Central contenders.

''It's huge. It's as big a game as you're going to play in early July,'' Yost said, his own head drenched in sweat. ''Very seldom do you have a chance to make it a two-game swing.''

The game was knotted two-all when Cain drew a leadoff walk against Blaine Boyer (2-4), who had been summoned to relieve Ervin Santana after a masterful return from his drug suspension.

Twins manager Paul Molitor then called upon Aaron Thompson to face Hosmer, who promptly ripped a pitch down the right-field line. Cain sprinted around third base at full speed, and a throw from Torii Hunter in right field was nowhere close to getting him at the plate.

Greg Holland (2-0) earned the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

''This is a good team and they're playing well,'' said Alex Gordon, who homered along with making several stellar plays in left field. ''It's good to come out with two games, especially when I don't feel like we're playing our best baseball.''

Aaron Hicks homered and Miguel Sano drove in the other run for Minnesota.

The victory allowed the first-place Royals to salvage what had been a rough series against the Twins, who remain in second in the division. Kansas City was shut out in the opener, needed extra innings to win Friday night, then lost 5-3 on Saturday.

Santana certainly didn't look like he had missed 80 games for testing positive for Stanozolo, a performance-enhancing substance. After winning each of three rehab starts at Triple-A Rochester, he made his former team look like just another minor league club.

Santana retired the first six batters he faced before issuing a walk, and then got a double play after Butera drove in Kansas City's first run in the third inning.

Santana only allowed one more hit before Alcides Escobar's two-out knock in the eighth, though it happened to be a big one: Gordon's high fly ball that just cleared the right-field wall.

''I was laughing in between innings,'' Santana said of facing his old team, where his career experienced a resurgence. ''At the same time, I had to get them out. I know we were teammates, but when we get between those lines everything changes.''

Besides, the Royals' pitching staff was just as tough.

Danny Duffy continued his renaissance by allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings. It was his third straight solid start since returning from the disabled list.

Ryan Madson and Wade Davis got the game to Holland, who wound up with the win.

''Walk-off wins are definitely fun, especially against a team in our division,'' Hosmer said. ''We're not playing our best baseball right now and we know that. We'll take a win against those guys when we're not playing our best.''

MOOSE EXITS

Royals 3B Mike Moustakas left the game for what Yost called ''a family emergency.'' Dusty Coleman replaced him in the sixth inning and struck out in his first major league at-bat. Coleman also flied out in the eighth inning.

STILL BULLDOZING

Twins 2B Brian Dozier began the day with 44 extra-base hits, most in the American League. He added to that total with a double in the eighth, though he wound up getting stranded.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Twins: RHP Ryan Pressly had an MRI exam on his right shoulder Sunday, though results were not available. Pressly strained the shoulder during Saturday's game.

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (elbow nerve) will throw a side session Monday rather than make a rehab start, manager Ned Yost said. Ventura could return Thursday against Tampa Bay.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Phil Hughes starts in the opener of a three-game series against Baltimore.

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez takes the mound to start a four-game set against Tampa Bay.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, July 6


National League
Reds @ Nationals
DeSclafani is 0-2, 5.24 in his last four starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Fister is 1-3, 7.08 in his last four starts; six of his last nine went over.

Cincinnati won four of last five games with Washington; five of last seven in series stayed under. Reds lost seven of last nine games overall; five of their last seven went over. Nationals won last four games, allowing six runs; five of their last six games stayed under.

Padres @ Pirates
Shields is 0-3, 5.90 in his last five starts; over is 6-2-1 in his last nine.

Burnett is 1-1, 1.24 in his last four home starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight starts overall.

San Diego won four of last six games with Pittsburgh; over is 4-0-1 in last five series games. Padres lost five of last seven games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six. Pirates won five of last six games (over 4-2).

Cardinals @ Cubs
Lackey is 2-1, 2.17 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over.

Lester is 0-1, 2.22 in his last four starts; his last five stayed under- Chicago scored total of 11 runs in his last seven starts.

St Louis won six of last seven games with the Cubs; home side won eight of last ten series games- three of last four stayed under. Cardinals won five of last six on road; under is 5-2 in their last seven games overall. Chicago won five of last six games, allowing five runs; under is 5-2 in their last seven.

Braves @ Brewers
Wisler is 2-1, 3.64 in his three starts- they all stayed under.

Lohse is 2-5, 7.11 in his last eight starts, but won his last two (Brewers scored 10-9 runs); six of his last eight starts went over.

Braves won four of last five games (under 4-1). Atlanta won eight of last ten games with Milwaukee, which has won eight games in row, scoring 42 runs in its last five (over 5-1-1 in last seven).

Phillies @ Dodgers
O'Sullivan is 0-3, 7.41 in his last seven starts; four of his last six went over.

LA hasn't named a starting pitcher as I type this, but it could be Eric Stults, who was 1-4, 5.36 in seven starts for Atlanta earlier this year- five of those seven games went over.

Or it could be Surkamp, who was 2-3, 7.67 in seven starts for SF in 2012-13; he is 4-0, 2.89 in his last five AAA starts this year.

Philly lost six of last seven games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight. Phillies are 5-3 in last eight games with Dodgers; under is 7-2-1 in last 10 series games. LA is 3-5 in last eight home games; four of its last six home games went over. .

Mets @ Giants
Niese is winless in his last nine starts, but is 0-2, 2.70 in his last three, so he's gotten better-- his last three starts stayed under.

Heston is 3-1, 3.03 in his last five starts; eight of his last ten went over.

Mets are 5-20 in its last 25 road games; they've lost four of last six overall. Ten of their last 13 stayed under. Giants won eight of last ten games against Mets; over is 3-1-1 in last five series games. SF flew cross-country Monday morning after playing in Washington last night- they're off an 0-6 road trip. Eight of last ten Giant games went over.

American League
Astros @ Indians
Keuchel is 4-2, 2.09 in his last seven starts, 2-0, 0.00 in his last two (17 IP); seven of his last nine starts stayed under.

Carrasco is 3-1, 2.79 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over.

Houston lost seven of last nine games with Cleveland; last ten series games stayed under. Astros are 8-17 in last 25 road games; three of their last four overall went over. Indians won five of last seven games (over 5-2) but lost last two games, scoring three runs.

Orioles @ Twins
Chen is 3-0, 2.00 in his last four starts; his last nine all stayed under.

Hughes is 3-0, 2.38 in his last three starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

Baltimore won three of last four games with Minnesota (over 3-1); Orioles lost five of last seven games- four of their last five stayed under. Twins are 3-5 in their last eight; under is 4-0-1 in their last five games. .

Rays @ Royals
Colome is 0-2, 5.73 in his last four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.

Volquez is 4-0, 3.99 in his last five starts (over 4-0-1).

Tampa Bay lost six of last eight games with Kansas City; over is 5-3-2 in last ten series games. Rays lost seven of last eight games (over 6-1-1). Royals lost five of last seven games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six. .

Blue Jays @ White Sox
Former White Sox P Buehrle is 3-0, 1.88 in his last six starts; under is 5-3-1 in his last nine. Jays scored 23 runs in his last two starts.

Sale struck out 10+ batters his last eight starts, but is winless in his last four (0-2, 2.76). White Sox scoted five runs in his last four- under is 8-1-1 in his last ten starts.

Toronto lost five of last seven games; their last five went over total. Jays lost six of last nine games with Chicago; under is 5-3 in last eight series games. White Sox won four of last five games; over is 5-3 in their last eight.

Tigers @ Mariners
Simon is 0-1, 11.05 in his last three starts; his last five all went over.

Iwakuma is making first start since April 20 (back); he was 0-1, 7.16 in three starts before going on DL- all three went over total.

Detroit lost four of last five games with Seattle; Tigers lost four of their last six games- their last 15 games went over. Mariners won four of last six games; under is 7-1-1 in their last nine.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Cin-Wsh-- DeSclafani 8-8; Fister 4-6
SD-Pitt-- Shields 9-8; Burnett 9-7
StL-Cubs-- Lackey 9-7; Lester 9-7
Atl-Mil-- Wisler 2-1; Lohse 7-10
Phil-LA-- O'Sullivan 5-7; Stults 2-5 for Atlanta
NY-SF-- Niese 4-11; Heston 10-6

Hst-Clev-- Keuchel 12-5; Carrasco 10-6
Balt-Minn-- Chen 10-5; Hughes 8-8
TB-KC-- Colome 3-10; Volquez 11-5
Tor-Chi-- Buehrle 10-6; Sale 9-6
Det-Sea-- Simon 8-7; Iwakuma 0-3

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Cin-Wsh-- DeSclafani 3-16; Fister 3-10
SD-Pitt-- Shields 4-17; Burnett 4-16
StL-Cubs-- Lackey 3-16; Lester 6-16
Atl-Mil-- Wisler 1-3; Lohse 7-17
Phil-LA-- O'Sullivan 8-12; Stults 1-7
NY-SF-- Niese 6-15; Heston 1-16

Hst-Clev-- Keuchel 3-17; Carrasco 7-16
Balt-Minn-- Chen 3-15; Hughes 3-16
TB-KC-- Colome 2-13; Volquez 4-16
Tor-Chi-- Buehrle 9-16; Sale 5-15
Det-Sea-- Simon 3-15; Iwakuma 2-3

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Monday, July 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. WASHINGTON
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games
Washington is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games

7:05 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. PITTSBURGH
San Diego is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
San Diego is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing San Diego
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego

7:10 PM
HOUSTON vs. CLEVELAND
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Houston is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland's last 8 games when playing at home against Houston
Cleveland is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston

8:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CHI CUBS
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games

8:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. MILWAUKEE
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta

8:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. KANSAS CITY
Tampa Bay is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 12 games on the road
Kansas City is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay
Kansas City is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games

8:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games
Minnesota is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore

8:10 PM
TORONTO vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Chi White Sox's last 11 games at home
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games

10:10 PM
DETROIT vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games on the road
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

10:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 11 games when playing LA Dodgers
Philadelphia is 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 9 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

10:15 PM
NY METS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Mets's last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Mets's last 11 games on the road
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing at home against NY Mets

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Monday, July 6


Cincinnati @ Washington

Game 951-952
July 6, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cincinnati
(DeSclafani) 16.101
Washington
(Fister) 17.529
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-165
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-165); Over

San Diego @ Pittsburgh

Game 953-954
July 6, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego
(Shields) 12.734
Pittsburgh
(Burnett) 17.713
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 5
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-165
7
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-165); Over

St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs

Game 955-956
July 6, 2015 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
(Lackey) 16.586
Chicago Cubs
(Lester) 15.032
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-130
No Run Total
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+110); N/A

Atlanta @ Milwaukee

Game 957-958
July 6, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
(Wisler) 15.449
Milwaukee
(Lohse) 12.068
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 3 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
-135
8
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+115); Under

Philadelphia @ LA Dodgers

Game 959-960
July 6, 2015 @ 10:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
(O'Sullvan) 13.234
LA Dodgers
(Surkamp) 16.329
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Dodgers
by 3
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
LA Dodgers
N/A

NY Mets @ San Francisco

Game 961-962
July 6, 2015 @ 10:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Mets
(Niese) 13.701
San Francisco
(Heston) 15.204
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Francisco
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Francisco
-170
7
Dunkel Pick:
San Francisco
(-170); Under

Houston @ Cleveland

Game 963-964
July 6, 2015 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
(Keuchel) 15.521
Cleveland
(Carrasco) 14.039
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 1 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-120
7
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(+100); Over

Baltimore @ Minnesota

Game 965-966
July 6, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Baltimore
(Chen) 17.097
Minnesota
(Hughes) 13.466
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Baltimore
by 3 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-110
8
Dunkel Pick:
Baltimore
(-110); Over

Tampa Bay @ Kansas City

Game 967-968
July 6, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
(Colome) 13.512
Kansas City
(Volquez) 16.235
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas City
by 2 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City
-150
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas City
(-150); Over

Toronto @ Chicago White Sox

Game 969-970
July 6, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Buehrle) 12.544
Chicago White Sox
(Sale) 18.006
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago White Sox
by 5 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago White Sox
-160
7
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago White Sox
(-160); Over

Detroit @ Seattle

Game 971-972
July 6, 2015 @ 10:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
(Simon) 15.217
Seattle
(Iwakuma) 14.210
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
-150
7
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+130); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Tigers incredible over run continues

Jul 06, 2015

The Detroit Tigers continue to add to the majors longest total streak since 2010 thanks their 10-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday afternoon.

Sunday's defeat made it an incredible 16 consecutive overs by the Tigers, passing the mark set by the Tampa Bay Rays when they went over 14 straight games between April 26 to May 11 in 2013.

The Tigers are scoring 5.44 runs per game over the course of the streak, more than a run more than their season average of 4.43 runs per game. But what makes over bettors excited, is the fact they are allowing an even bigger 6.63 runs per game.

Over bettors riding this crazy streak hope the Tigers make it 17 in a row when they begin a seven-game road trip Monday in Seattle against the Mariners.

The Tigers will send Alfredo Simon (3.94 ERA, 8-6 O/U) to the mound to take on the Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma (6.61 ERA, 3-0 O/U), who is making his first start in more than two months due to a strained lat.

[StarDust Bum]

Padres' backers slumping in this pitcher's starts

Jul 6, 2015

The San Diego Padres have lost their last five ball games when righty James Shields takes the mound. Shields is expected to start the Friars' opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday.

Shields has lost three of those starts and took a no decision twice. The Friars have lost to the Atlanta Braves (-121), Los Angeles Dodgers (+100), Arizona Diamondbacks (-107), San Francisco Giants (+121) and Seattle Mariners (-108) over that stretch.

A.J. Burnett is expected to start for the Pirates, who are presently -139.

[StarDust Bum]

Giants stumble home after winless trip

Jul 05, 2015

WASHINGTON -- The Giants, unable to find their way on the road, are thankful to be heading back to San Francisco to try to right their season.

A 3-1 loss to the Nationals on Sunday at Washington marked the conclusion of an 0-6 road trip that featured odd starting times, poor pitching and, on Monday, an early-morning flight that will cause them to hustle into AT&T Park for their night game against the New York Mets.

In short, it was a week to forget.

"Hopefully, we'll find that mojo at home," said manager Bruce Bochy, who was ejected from Sunday's game for arguing balls and strikes. "You just try to keep marching here and put these behind you. We've been through this -- this is not the first time this year. We've had our streaks. We've had too many this year at this point. We've had good ones, too."

The Giants asked for, and received a special exemption from Major League Baseball to fly home from Washington on Monday thanks to the 8 p.m. EDT start Sunday. Pitchers Chris Heston and Matt Cain, who are starting the first two games of the series against New York, left early in order to make it back to San Francisco.

After a Thursday afternoon game in Miami, the Giants had starts of 6 p.m., 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. in D.C. over the weekend, and San Francisco seemed out of sorts throughout. The Giants are 21-21 on the road this season, and after the All-Star break, they play 16 of their first 22 games away from the Bay, including a tough 10-game swing to face the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs with no days off.

"They've been grinding hard," Bochy said of his players.

[StarDust Bum]

Sale aiming for record ninth straight game with double-digit strikeouts

Jul 06, 2015

CHICAGO -- Chris Sale has a chance to stand alone in major league history when he takes the mound for the Chicago White Sox on Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.

The ace left-hander has struck out at least 10 hitters in eight straight starts and is vying to become the only pitcher in the majors to ever do that in nine straight outings. He's currently tied with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who is the only other pitcher to accomplish that feat in the big leagues.

Regardless, Sale isn't satisfied with his ascension to star pitcher status. Asked recently if he still feels he can improve, he didn't hesitate to answer.

"I'm going to try," he said. "That's what everyone does. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're at in your career, what you've done up until then. Every time you take the ball, you try to do better than the last time out. You just try to keep getting better, however that is."

Sale will be pitching with an extra day's rest after manager Robin Ventura decided to give his scheduled start Sunday against the Orioles to left-handed rookie Carlos Rodon. Ventura said there's no health concern that drove him to make the decision, but it does set up a fun matchup for White Sox fans on Monday.

Mark Buehrle will pitch for the Blue Jays in his annual homecoming to Chicago, where he made some history of his own for the White Sox. Buehrle threw a no-hitter and a perfect game at U.S. Cellular Field as the White Sox's ace and was their No. 1 starter in 2005, when they won the World Series.

He also tutored Sale for a season, before leaving as a free agent.

"We didn't do it for this (matchup)," Ventura said of pushing Sale back. "We did it more for Chris. It ends up being a nice game that our fans should enjoy. Mark he should be celebrated for everything that he's done here. He's meant a lot to Chris and a lot of these guys that are in here in mentor fashion of the guy that can show you how to grab the ball and pitch and get it done."

Sale learned from Buehrle how working quickly on the mound can be advantageous for pitchers. Now, they each work fast and mow through their starts in record time.

"It should be fun," Ventura said. "It should be fast too."