The Bum's Sports Page For Friday July 25th Best Bets-Trends-News !

[StarDust Bum]

Verlander on a career worst losing streak

In light of Friday's 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers have lost seven straight Justin Verlander starts - the first time that's happened in his career.

The loss certainly can't be pinned on the righty, however, as the 32-year-old allowed one run on seven hits with no walks over eight innings to go along with three strikeouts.

Verlander is 0-3 with a 5.57 ERA on the season.

[StarDust Bum]

Hamels not relishing underdog role

The Philadelphia Phillies in 0-4 in Cole Hamels' last four outings as underdogs.

Philly finds themselves in that position (+168) once again Saturday when they take on the Chicago Cubs in the Windy City. Jake Arrieta is slated to get the nod for the Cubbies.

The total for the game is currently off the board.

[StarDust Bum]

Simon, Tigers soaring above totals lately

In Detroit Tigers starter Alfredo Simon's last eight outings, the Over is 7-1.

Over bettors will be hoping that trend continues Saturday when the Tigers take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

As of this writing, the total for the game was off the board.

[StarDust Bum]

Wins have been rare for Mariners behind Happ

The Seattle Mariners haven't been getting the job done behind J.A. Happ lately, evidenced by the team going 1-8 in his previous nine starts.

Happ's Mariners will get another shot to right the ship when they welcome Marco Estrada and the Toronto Blue Jays to town Saturday.

Sportsbooks currently list the M's as +107 moneyline pups for the tilt.

[StarDust Bum]

Trade catches Johnson, Uribe by surprise

Jul 25, 2015

ST. LOUIS -- Atlanta infielder Kelly Johnson and third baseman Juan Uribe are the kind of sage veterans any clubhouse can use. They are good for morale, have been part of championship teams and can still hit.

While they knew they might be on the move this July, Friday's trade of Johnson and Uribe to the New York Mets for pitching prospects John Gant and Rob Whalen still left the duo surprised.

"It's my fourth time being traded," Johnson said. "But I'm more shocked that I was traded in the division, and this early. It's tough because this is a good group of guys in the clubhouse. I'll have to find a good routine (in New York) in some form."

Uribe is on the move for the second time in less than two months. The Braves acquired him from the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 27, then flipped him 57 days later after Uribe batted .287 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 150 at-bats, proving he could still produce as an everyday player.

Brandishing a large cigar as he talked to reporters through an interpreter after Atlanta's 4-2 loss to St. Louis, Uribe said he didn't expect to go to a division opponent.

"I have no control over it," he said. "But it feels very good that I was traded to another team which is a contender."

[StarDust Bum]

Orioles' offensive problems continue

Jul 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Baltimore Orioles dropped their fourth straight game on Friday night, losing 3-1 at the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Orioles scored three or fewer runs in all five of their losses since the All-Star break.

"Clubhouse is fine. Win or lose, rain or shine, it's always the same," said starter Chris Tillman, who took his third no-decision in five games despite allowing a total of five runs in those starts. "We're not playing bad baseball. We're playing good baseball, we just have to get the timely hits and timely pitches."

For the first time this season, Baltimore lost a game after leading after seven innings -- they had been 39-0 -- with reliever Darren O'Day giving up two runs after not allowing the Rays to score in his previous 10 appearances against them.

Manager Buck Showalter said he couldn't critique his pitching after a game in which his team mustered only one run, even against tough pitching from the Rays' Chris Archer. Baltimore went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight runners on base in a game where they had only six hits.

"The story is we just haven't scored any runs," Showalter said. "We've done a good job of competing against those guys over the years, but we've just got to give our pitchers some margin of error."

[StarDust Bum]

Strasburg inching closer to return to Nationals

Jul 25, 2015

PITTSBURGH -- Stephen Strasburg took another step toward returning to the Washington Nationals rotation Friday when he threw a 51-pitch simulated game.

The right-hander faced Nationals infielder Emmanuel Burriss and backup catcher Jose Lobaton in the afternoon before Washington lost to the Pittsburgh 7-5 later in the evening.

"He looked good," Lobaton said. "He threw all of his pitches. Hopefully a good step forward for him."

It marked the second time Strasburg threw off a mound since being placed on the disabled list July 5 with a left oblique strain. Strasburg was not available for comment but manager Matt Williams said he got through the session without issue.

"He felt good about it and could have gone further," Williams said. "Threw all of his pitches where he wanted to. Was reaching back and getting some (velocity) when he needed to get it. It was good. A good positive step.

Strasburg is expected to make a rehab start in the minor leagues next week that last four innings. He is 5-5 with a 5.16 ERA in 13 starts this season.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Tigers (47-49) at Red Sox (43-54)
Game: 2
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: July 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

The presence of their former MVP didn't help the Detroit Tigers. The Boston Red Sox haven't benefited from theirs being in the lineup.

While an injured Miguel Cabrera sits in the dugout hoping the Tigers rebound from a poor offensive showing, it's unclear if the slumping Dustin Pedroia will return to the field Saturday after watching the Red Sox halt a lengthy losing streak without him.

Cabrera has been out since July 4 with a strained calf and won't play for at least a few more weeks, but he rejoined Detroit (47-49) on Friday for the opener of a 10-game road trip and took batting practice. The Tigers fell to 7-10 since he got hurt with a 2-1 defeat in 11 innings.

"We've got to keep our heads up," said Cabrera, the major league leader with a .350 average.

That had been hard for Boston (43-54) to do, entering this 10-game homestand having dropped eight straight to take over the AL's worst record. However, Xander Bogaerts delivered the game-winning single to give the Red Sox their first victory since July 11.

"We put together a very good game coming off a road trip where it was a bad road trip," manager John Farrell said. "To come back here and get a walk-off win ... a big relief for the guys right away."

It came with Pedroia sidelined by a nagging hamstring injury which had him on the disabled list through the All-Star break. He's 1 for 22 since returning as Boston has gone 0-6 when he's played. In fact, Boston is 2-16 since June 8 when Pedroia is part of the lineup and 14-7 when he isn't.

"There's still a bit of soreness in the hamstring and we're being cautious right now," Farrell told MLB's official website.

Pedroia hasn't played at Fenway since June 24 and is batting .406 during a 17-game hitting streak there.

While Boston has averaged 1.9 runs and batted .210 since the break, the Tigers posted three consecutive games of double-digit hits before getting held to seven Friday. They failed to homer for a second straight game, losing both, and have dropped 22 of 26 when not homering.

The Tigers certainly could go deep against Steven Wright (3-3, 4.84 ERA), whose 1.68 homers allowed per nine innings are the worst of any Red Sox starter.

Wright is being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket for the second time this week for a spot start with Eduardo Rodriguez being pushed back a day. The right-hander appeared for Boston for the first time since June 20 after being called up for Monday's doubleheader in Anaheim, serving up two homers and allowing six runs in five innings of a 7-3 loss in the nightcap.

Detroit goes with Alfredo Simon (8-6, 4.63), who has been tagged for at least four runs in an AL-high six consecutive starts as he's gone 1-3 with a 10.16 ERA. The right-hander has failed to get through six innings in four straight starts.

"He's had a rough five outings, and I think he can return to form," manager Brad Ausmus said. "There's no reason to believe he can't."

Simon sported a 1.80 ERA in a six-start span prior to this slump. However, he's been consistently bad in road games, going 2-4 with a 7.68 ERA in the last seven.

Simon hasn't faced the Red Sox since 2011 and will look to cool off Bogaerts, batting .394 in his last 17 games.

Ian Kinsler has five straight multihit efforts, batting .451 in his last 12 games and .415 in his past 10 at Fenway. He had three hits Friday and drove in Detroit's only run.

The Tigers are looking to avoid going three games under .500 this late in a season for the first time since Sept. 1, 2010.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Tigers at Red Sox
Fri, Jul 24 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Tigers at Red Sox
Sat, Jul 25 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Tigers at Red Sox
Sun, Jul 26 - 8:08PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Phillies (35-63) at Cubs (51-44)
Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: July 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

Rumors have been swirling since the winter that the Chicago Cubs are interested in acquiring Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels.

With the trade deadline approaching, Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer will get an up-close look at the left-hander Saturday when he takes the mound at Wrigley Field.

Reports surfaced in the offseason that Chicago was looking to deal for Hamels, with Philadelphia rebuilding and trying to shed the remaining years on his hefty contract.

That trade never materialized, but with the Cubs (51-44) in the wild-card race and the Phillies (35-63) owning the worst record in the majors, discussions between the teams have reportedly started again.

"There's a very long week to go, and I think things will probably go up and down a few times in that stretch as far as supply and demand goes," Hoyer told MLB's official website. "There are three, four, five teams actively assessing their situation on a day-to-day basis, and that's the nature of the second wild card."

Hamels (5-7, 3.91 ERA), though, hasn't done much recently to show any contending team that he's worth a package of top prospects which the Phillies will surely want in return.

The 2008 World Series MVP is 0-4 with a 5.06 ERA in his last nine starts and has been roughed up in the past two. He gave up a career-worst nine earned runs and career high-tying 12 hits in 3 1-3 innings of a 15-2 loss at San Francisco on July 10, then allowed five runs and eight hits over three innings before Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run walk-off homer in an 8-7 win over Miami on Sunday.

Hamels refused to blame the poor performances on the trade rumors.

"If you play long enough, your name eventually is going to be involved with speculation or an actual trade," he said. "My track record speaks for itself. Sometimes you can get yourself in a rut and you have to be able to get out."

Hamels has a solid track record against the Cubs, going 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last six matchups. He last faced them in 2013, meaning Chicago's group of young hitters that includes Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler will see him for the first time.

The Cubs will counter with Jake Arrieta (11-5, 2.52), who is tied for second in the NL in wins and ranks in the top 10 in ERA, strikeouts (133), opponent batting average (.211) and WHIP (0.98). The right-hander has been nearly unhittable over the last month, going 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA in six starts as opposing batters have hit .152 with no homers.

"Nobody's ever completely locked in from start to finish," Arrieta said. "It's up to you to understand the adjustments necessary and then have the ability to make them. And that's what I've been able to do consistently over a pretty good stretch of the season."

Arrieta set a career high for wins Sunday, allowing three hits and striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings of a 4-1 victory at Atlanta.

"He's just figuring everything out right now - that's what's going on," manager Joe Maddon said. "And I hate to tell you, but there's actually some more in the tank there. There's another level of him."

Arrieta has won his last two starts against the Phillies behind a 0.66 ERA.

Francoeur was the hero again in Friday's series opener, hitting a two-run homer in the 10th as Philadelphia won 5-3 to improve to 6-1 since the All-Star break.

He also hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer in a 6-3 victory over the Marlins last Friday and is 7 for 12 since the break. Francoeur's only hit in six at-bats against Arrieta also left the park.

"Ruin other teams," Francoeur said. "That's what you want to do. At this point, that's why you want to play."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Phillies at Cubs
Fri, Jul 24 Final 5 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Phillies at Cubs
Sat, Jul 25 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Phillies at Cubs
Sun, Jul 26 - 2:20PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Athletics (44-54) at Giants (52-44)
Game: 2
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: July 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

The San Francisco Giants' hitters and relievers are leading the way during a red-hot stretch.

The beneficiary of both the bats and the bullpen in his past two starts, Madison Bumgarner will try to lead the Giants to a 10th win in 11 games Saturday against the Oakland Athletics.

San Francisco (52-44) is batting .339 and averaging 7.0 runs in its last 10 contests, and had 17 hits in a 9-3 win in Friday's series opener. Buster Posey went 3 for 4 and is batting .432 with 26 RBIs in his last 21 games.

Hunter Pence was 4 for 5 with two RBIs and is batting .515 with three homers in his last eight contests against Oakland. He is hitting .412 in his past eight games overall, helping the Giants overtake the second wild-card spot from the Chicago Cubs.

"It's a good feeling this time of the year to be involved in a race to play some playoff games," Pence said. "We're just trying to put up good at bats. It's really just, keep grinding."

The Giants' bullpen contributed three scoreless innings and has a 1.05 ERA in the 9-1 stretch. Bumgarner (10-5, 3.27 ERA) profited from four scoreless innings in a 2-1 win in Arizona on Sunday.

The left-hander yielded one run in five innings and hasn't pitched past the sixth in any of his last three starts. He had gone at least six innings in 30 of his previous 32 starts dating back to the beginning of August, including all six in last year's postseason.

"We've got guys in the bullpen that are obviously capable of coming in and shutting the door, which they did," Bumgarner said. "It worked out great for us. They've been unbelievable."

Bumgarner went 5 2-3 innings July 10 against Philadelphia and got 10 runs of support in a 15-2 victory. He's needed that kind of help but hasn't gotten it in his past two starts against Oakland (44-54).

Bumgarner was charged with six runs and 10 hits in his lone matchup last season, a 6-1 loss July 8, and is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA in three career starts against the A's. That's his second-worst ERA versus any opponent behind an 11.05 mark in two starts against Minnesota.

Oakland is expected to bring up Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.93) from the minors for the fourth time this season Saturday. The right-hander will likely take a permanent spot in the rotation because Scott Kazmir was traded to Houston on Thursday and Jesse Hahn was placed on the disabled list before the All-Star break.

Bassitt logged a 2.65 ERA in three starts for the A's and gave up two runs in 6 1-3 innings in his most recent July 11, a 5-4 win in Cleveland.

"It's a chance for him to get settled in," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's done all he can and it looks like he'll be here for a while."

Bassitt, 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA in eight major league starts, will make his first appearance against San Francisco.

Billy Burns is doubtful to play after suffering a testicular contusion Friday. LOL


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Athletics at Giants
Fri, Jul 24 Final 3 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Athletics at Giants
Sat, Jul 25 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Athletics at Giants
Sun, Jul 26 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jays (49-49) at Mariners (45-52)
Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: July 25, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

J.A. Happ flirted with mediocrity in two-plus seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since they dealt him to Seattle in December, he's done about the same.

In his initial meeting since the trade, Happ looks to help the underachieving Mariners win three in a row for the first time in nearly two months Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Happ (4-5, 4.12 ERA) went 19-20 with a 4.32 ERA in 50 starts for Toronto before he was sent west for outfielder Michael Saunders. While knee problems have limited Saunders to nine games with the Blue Jays (49-49), Happ is trying to find the successful form that opened his Mariners' tenure.

The left-hander went 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA in his first seven starts but is 1-4 with a 5.02 ERA in the last 11. However, he's 1-0 in his last three outings and pitched well on 11 days' rest Monday, allowing three runs in seven innings of a 5-4 loss at Detroit.

"I'm definitely trying to get back to keeping that aggressive attitude out there and trust that good things will happen," Happ told MLB's official website.

Happ has been significantly better at home, posting a 2.66 ERA in eight starts, but the worst one was his most recent. He gave up four runs, seven hits and three walks in four-plus innings while not factoring in the decision of another 5-4 loss to the Tigers on July 8.

He'll try to lead the Mariners (45-52) to a sixth consecutive home victory over Toronto after Friday's 5-2 win. Felix Hernandez threw seven solid innings, Nelson Cruz recorded his second three-hit game in three days and Mark Trumbo had a two-run homer to help Seattle win back-to-back contests for the first time since June 30-July 1.

The Mariners haven't won three straight - one shy of a season high - since May 25-27. They're also seeking back-to-back wins at Safeco Field for just the second time since May 12, having gone a major league-worst 12-20 at home.

One reason why is that Cruz has one homer and eight RBIs in those 32 games even though he's among the AL leaders in both categories. He's 3 for 18 with no homers and seven strikeouts against Blue Jays scheduled starter Drew Hutchison (9-2, 5.19).

The right-hander was scratched each of the last two days because of the flu, and if he's still unable to pitch, Toronto likely would need to make a roster move rather than start Mark Buehrle on three days' rest.

"We talked to him (Thursday) night and we thought he was going to be good," manager John Gibbons said. "He felt much better and then he got up, moving around feeling good, got to the ballpark a couple of hours before we got here (Friday) and was just really weak."

Hutchison gave up two runs in six innings of a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay last Friday to improve to 7-1 with a 2.21 ERA in nine home starts. Though he has an 8.81 ERA in 10 road starts, Hutchison is 2-1 while receiving a major league-high average of 9.77 runs of support.

His only appearance against the Mariners came last season at Safeco when he gave up six runs in 5 2-3 innings of an 11-1 defeat.

Robinson Cano homered off him that day and is batting .444 with eight RBIs over Seattle's last seven games.

Toronto's Jose Bautista has hit four of his 21 homers in the last six games. A sixth-inning home run Friday is Bautista's lone hit in eight at-bats against the Mariners this season.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blue Jays at Mariners
Fri, Jul 24 Final 2 to 5
Boxscores

GAME 2
Blue Jays at Mariners
Sat, Jul 25 - 4:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Blue Jays at Mariners
Sun, Jul 26 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Orioles (46-49) at Rays (49-49)
Game: 2
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: July 25, 2015 6:10 PM EDT

It's not a surprise the Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation ranks second in the AL in ERA. What is unexpected is just how much Erasmo Ramirez has contributed to that.

Ramirez looks to continue his impressive run of pitching and help the Rays win their fifth straight at home Saturday night against the reeling Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa Bay's rotation has been decimated by injuries, with Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly currently on the disabled list while Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore have also missed time. Despite those absences, the Rays' starters have a 3.37 ERA thanks largely to ace Chris Archer, rookie Nathan Karns and Ramirez.

Acquired from Seattle just before the season, Ramirez allowed 16 runs over 5 1-3 innings in his first two appearances - both in relief. He's been a revelation since moving into the rotation for good on May 14, however, going 8-2 with a 2.09 ERA, tied for the most wins in the majors during that span.

Ramirez (8-2, 3.54 ERA) has allowed two runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts, tying him with Smyly for the second-longest streak in franchise history behind Cobb's 12.

"It's been the best season of my career so far," Ramirez told MLB's official website. "To get to this point, I feel like I don't have to stop. I just have to continue doing what I've been doing, no matter what happens."

He is 6-1 in those nine outings with a 1.29 ERA, which would be the best in the AL with enough innings to qualify. Ramirez, though, has pitched past the sixth inning only once in those nine games - a 3-0 victory May 30 at Baltimore. He limited the Orioles to three hits over seven innings and matched a season high with seven strikeouts.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three career starts against Baltimore.

Ramirez has shut down Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy, holding them to 2 for 24.

Those hitters haven't done much of anything lately, much like the rest of Baltimore's lineup. The Orioles (46-49) have scored nine runs during a four-game losing streak and have hit .135 with runners in scoring position while losing 15 of 20.

Baltimore scored in the fourth inning Friday before Tampa Bay (49-49) pushed across three in the eighth en route to a 3-1 victory.

'One run doesn't do it very often,' Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. 'It's very easy to sit in an ivory tower and critique (the pitching), but the bottom line is we need to score runs.'

Tampa Bay's Tim Beckham snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-out, bases-loaded single off Darren O'Day.

'We pieced together (a rally) to get a win off an extremely good reliever, arguably one of the better ones in the American League,' manager Kevin Cash said after the Rays won for just the ninth time in 28 games. 'That's a credit to the guys. They've been scuffling.'

Miguel Gonzalez (8-6, 4.21) will try to help prevent Baltimore from matching its longest skid of the season as he faces the Rays for the fourth time in 2015.

He's had little trouble with them so far, going 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA while receiving only five runs of support. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts at Tropicana Field and pitched four-hit ball over 7 2-3 innings in a 4-0 victory there May 2.

Gonzalez won his third straight road start Sunday at Detroit, allowing two runs and six hits over five innings in a 9-3 victory.

Evan Longoria (7 for 30), James Loney (4 for 23) and Kevin Kiermaier (2 for 11) have all struggled in this matchup.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Orioles at Rays
Fri, Jul 24 Final 1 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Orioles at Rays
Sat, Jul 25 - 6:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Orioles at Rays
Sun, Jul 26 - 1:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Nationals (51-44) at Pirates (56-40)
Game: 3
Venue: PNC Park
Date: July 25, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

Gio Gonzalez's teams are 6-0 when he faces the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Washington Nationals left-hander seeks his fourth straight win Saturday night in Pittsburgh, where Aramis Ramirez is expected to begin his second stint with the Pirates.

Gonzalez (7-4, 3.93 ERA) is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his last four outings after yielding two runs in six innings in Monday's 7-2 win over the New York Mets.

He is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA versus Pittsburgh (56-40) in six starts - five with the Nationals. He pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball in a 9-2 rout of the Pirates on June 21.

Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte are both 3 for 12 versus Gonzalez, and Pedro Alvarez is 0 for 6 with four strikeouts but has homered twice in this series.

Ramirez is hitless in five at-bats with three walks against Gonzalez and batting .170 against southpaws. He was acquired from Milwaukee on Friday and will rejoin the club with which he spent his first five-plus seasons.

Injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer necessitated the deal for Ramirez, who batted .247 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs for the Brewers.

"We felt this was a legitimate major league bat that wherever (manager) Clint (Hurdle) wants to put him in the lineup, he can do some damage for us," general manager Neal Huntington said. "He can be a threat and provide some protection. That was important for us."

Pittsburgh scored one run four times in a 1-5 trip after the All-Star break before scoring seven runs in each of the first two games of this set, totaling 25 hits. Jung Ho Kang and Francisco Cervelli are each 4 for 8 in this series, and Kang has gone 12 for 24 over a span of six straight multihit efforts.

The Pirates won 7-5 on Friday for their 10th win in 11 at home, where they are 13-1 against the NL East. Gregory Polanco, Neil Walker and Alvarez all homered off Max Scherzer.

"That's kind of what we're known for, just battling and grinding it out," Walker said. "Games like tonight are pretty impressive given that's one of the best pitchers in the league."

All-Star Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett (8-3, 2.44) has a 1.58 home ERA for baseball's fourth-best mark. The Pirates have won the last four starts by the veteran right-hander, but he was fortunate to win Monday at Kansas City following arguably his worst effort of the year. He gave up a season-high six runs, 11 hits and two homers over six-plus innings in a 10-7 victory.

Burnett allowed four runs and a career-high 14 hits in a 4-1 loss at Washington (51-44) on June 19 to fall to 5-3 with a 2.95 ERA in his last 10 starts against the club. Bryce Harper is 5 for 19 with a homer against him while Ian Desmond is 3 for 21 with eight strikeouts.

Harper doubled Friday and is 6 for 28 at PNC Park - the only NL stadium in which he has yet to homer.

Desmond is 8 for 16 in his last five games with three homers - two in this series.

"He's swinging it good, he's seeing it good," manager Matt Williams said. "We just didn't have enough for them tonight. But another one tomorrow. Go get 'em."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Nationals at Pirates
Thu, Jul 23 Final 3 to 7
Boxscores

GAME 2
Nationals at Pirates
Fri, Jul 24 Final 5 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Nationals at Pirates
Sat, Jul 25 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Nationals at Pirates
Sun, Jul 26 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: White Sox (44-50) at Indians (45-50)
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: July 25, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The Chicago White Sox have no real intentions of dealing ace Chris Sale.

It also appears the Cleveland Indians aren't ready to trade members of their starting rotation, even Carlos Carrasco.

Both will be on the mound Saturday night when the White Sox try to hand the Indians a season-high fifth consecutive home defeat.

Though it's been reported that Chicago (44-50) has received calls regarding Sale (8-5, 2.86 ERA), it would take an awful lot in return for the underachieving South Siders to trade one of baseball's best arms. The left-hander also seems content to stay put.

"There's something to be said for being with a team your whole career and going through the ups and downs," he told MLB's official website. "I've been up, I've been down, and I think for me, I would love to win.

"I don't want to go anywhere else."

Sale experienced one of those down moments Sunday while allowing four runs and a season-high 11 hits, including two homers, in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-1 loss to Kansas City.

"Probably not his best fastball command," manager Robin Ventura said of Sale, who went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his final three starts before the All-Star break. 'He still has good stuff but it just wasn't good enough."

After recording six of his 163 strikeouts, Sale failed to fan at least 10 for the second time in three outings since striking out 10 or more in eight straight. He's also yielded five home runs in his last four starts after giving up one in the previous six.

Sale's only run allowed in eight innings of a 2-1, 10-inning home win over the Indians (45-50) on May 18 did not leave the park.

The White Sox made a minor trade prior to Friday's 6-0 victory, sending Conor Gillaspie to the Los Angeles Angels for cash.

Cleveland has heard from at least one team interested in Carrasco (10-7, 3.94), who leads the team in victories and is 2-1 with a 2.94 ERA in his last five starts. However, general manager Chris Antonetti noted Friday that he expects the rotation to remain intact.

"We have no motivation to move any of them," he said. "It's natural at this time of year for teams to reach out and express interest in a variety of different players. That's no different."

Carrasco allowed a solo homer and struck out six in six innings of a 5-3, 11-inning victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.

Though the right-hander went 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA against Chicago in April, he's posted a 2.93 ERA while winning his last four starts opposite AL Central foes. The White Sox, though, have outscored the Indians 14-1 in the first two of this set.

Alexei Ramirez had three hits with two RBIs and Jose Abreu homered to extend his hitting streak to 12 games against Cleveland. Ramirez is 5 for 8 with five RBIs in the last two games after going 5 for 29 with three RBIs in his previous eight.

Melky Cabrera is batting .340 with 19 RBIs in his last 27 games and is 6 for 13 against Carrasco, who left in the first inning April 14 after taking a Cabrera liner to the face.

Michael Brantley had two of the seven hits for Cleveland, which has scored once in its last three home contests and is batting .171 in the last four.

Brantley is hitting .396 in his last 13 games but is 3 for 26 with 11 strikeouts against Sale.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
White Sox at Indians
Thu, Jul 23 Final 8 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
White Sox at Indians
Fri, Jul 24 Final 6 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
White Sox at Indians
Sat, Jul 25 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 4
White Sox at Indians
Sun, Jul 26 - 1:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (55-43) at Royals (57-38)
Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: July 25, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The Houston Astros got exactly what they wanted from their newest pitcher while extending a win streak, ending a lengthy road skid and moving into a virtual tie for the AL West lead.

Scott Feldman will try to follow that performance with a better showing than in his return from the disabled list last week and secure a sixth consecutive victory for the Astros on Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals.

Scott Kazmir, acquired from Oakland on Thursday, pitched seven innings in a 4-0 win in Friday's series opener and helped end Houston's six-game road losing streak. Kansas City (57-38) was held to four singles in its series-worst seventh consecutive loss to the Astros after batting .302 and averaging 5.3 runs while winning 12 of its previous 16 contests.

With the Los Angeles Angels' 4-2 loss to Texas on Friday, Houston moved within percentage points of the division lead.

Feldman (4-5, 4.93 ERA) will try to keep the Royals' bats relatively quiet again while improving on his effort in an 7-6 loss to Texas last Saturday. He yielded four runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings in his return from a torn right meniscus that had kept him out since May 26.

"I think I was mainly just pleased that I know that I'm healthy and there's no issues with my knee at all," Feldman told MLB's official website. "But we're in a pennant race, though, so it's not time for me to be pleased with an outing like that. I need to go six, seven innings and limit the damage.

"We did a good job of putting some runs across, but in the end, I gave up a few too many. Hopefully, I can do a better job next time."

Houston (55-43) will seek its first six-game win streak since a run of 10 from April 24-May 3 - its longest in 11 years - but Danny Duffy could prove an obstacle with the way he's pitched this month.

Duffy (4-4, 4.24) is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three July outings and gave up one run in eight-plus innings in a 4-1 win at the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The run he allowed came via a solo homer to Tyler Saladino, the only batter he faced in the ninth.

"I'm finally starting to learn that when you have the best defense in the league behind you, all you've got to do is execute," said Duffy, who was 0-4 with an 8.14 ERA in his five starts before July.

Duffy ended that stretch with a 4-0 loss in Houston on June 30, giving up four runs in 6 2-3 innings. The left-hander is 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in two lifetime starts against the Astros.

Feldman is 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his last four starts in Kansas City and earned a 9-2 win there in his most recent visit on May 26, 2014.

Lorenzo Cain went 3 for 3 against the right-hander in that game and is 7 for 13 lifetime. Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez have hit a combined .154 (12 for 78) against him.

Hosmer enters this meeting with Feldman batting .500 (14 for 28) with a 1.263 OPS in his last seven games.

Houston's Jose Altuve, batting .382 in an eight-game hitting streak, is 3 for 7 against Duffy in his career.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Astros at Royals
Fri, Jul 24 Final 4 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Astros at Royals
Sat, Jul 25 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Astros at Royals
Sun, Jul 26 - 2:10PM EDT