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**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:45 AM

MLB RUNLINE

MLB > (911) DETROIT@ (912) KANSAS CITY | 2015-09-03 20:10:00 - 2015-09-03 20:10:00
Play ON KANSAS CITY using the in All games when playing with a day off
The record is 29 Wins and 9 Losses for the last two seasons (+26.7 units)

MLB > (905) SAN FRANCISCO@ (906) COLORADO | 2015-09-03 20:40:00 - 2015-09-03 20:40:00
Play AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO using the in Road games when playing with a day off
The record is 9 Wins and 20 Losses for the last three seasons (-21.6 units)

MLB > (907) LA DODGERS@ (908) SAN DIEGO | 2015-09-03 22:10:00 - 2015-09-03 22:10:00
Play AGAINST LA DODGERS using the in Road games vs. right-handed starters
The record is 16 Wins and 33 Losses for the this season (-21.15 units)

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:46 AM

MLB TOTALS

MLB > (905) SAN FRANCISCO@ (906) COLORADO | 2015-09-03 20:40:00 - 2015-09-03 20:40:00
Play OVER SAN FRANCISCO on the total in All games as a road favorite of -125 to -150
The record is 10 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+10.25 units)

MLB > (901) ATLANTA@ (902) WASHINGTON | 2015-09-03 19:05:00 - 2015-09-03 19:05:00
Play UNDER ATLANTA on the total in All games when the total is 8 to 8.5
The record is 6 Overs and 22 Unders for the last two seasons (+15.45 units)

MLB > (909) CHI WHITE SOX@ (910) MINNESOTA | 2015-09-03 13:10:00 - 2015-09-03 13:10:00
Play OVER MINNESOTA on the total in Home games in September games
The record is 13 Overs and 2 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.15 units)

MLB > (907) LA DODGERS@ (908) SAN DIEGO | 2015-09-03 22:10:00 - 2015-09-03 22:10:00
Play OVER SAN DIEGO on the total in All games against right-handed starters
The record is 60 Overs and 38 Unders for the this season (+21.6 units)

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:48 AM

MLB TOP POWERLINES

MLB > (909) CHI WHITE SOX @ (910) MINNESOTA | 2015-09-03 13:10:00 - 2015-09-03 13:10:00
Line: CHI WHITE SOX BTB PowerLine: CHI WHITE SOX-127
Edge On: CHI WHITE SOX (18)

MLB > (901) ATLANTA @ (902) WASHINGTON | 2015-09-03 19:05:00 - 2015-09-03 19:05:00
Line: WASHINGTON-250 BTB PowerLine: WASHINGTON-267
Edge On: WASHINGTON (17)

MLB > (903) PITTSBURGH @ (904) MILWAUKEE | 2015-09-03 19:20:00 - 2015-09-03 19:20:00
Line: MILWAUKEE+130 BTB PowerLine: MILWAUKEE-131
Edge On: MILWAUKEE (61)

MLB > (911) DETROIT @ (912) KANSAS CITY | 2015-09-03 20:10:00 - 2015-09-03 20:10:00
Line: KANSAS CITY-200 BTB PowerLine: KANSAS CITY-239
Edge On: KANSAS CITY (39)

MLB > (905) SAN FRANCISCO @ (906) COLORADO | 2015-09-03 20:40:00 - 2015-09-03 20:40:00
Line: SAN FRANCISCO BTB PowerLine: SAN FRANCISCO147
Edge On: SAN FRANCISCO (12)

MLB > (907) LA DODGERS @ (908) SAN DIEGO | 2015-09-03 22:10:00 - 2015-09-03 22:10:00
Line: LA DODGERS BTB PowerLine: LA DODGERS136
Edge On: LA DODGERS (4)

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:52 AM

Baseball Capsules

September 3, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) Clayton Kershaw struck out 15 to set a season career high with 251, Chase Utley hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Wednesday night for a series sweep that increased their NL West lead to 6 1/2 games.

The second-place Giants' fifth straight loss left them facing their largest division deficit of the season. All three defeats to the Dodgers were by a run and they have just 11 runs during their skid.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy was ejected for the second straight game.

Kershaw (12-6) beat the Giants for the first time in four starts this season. He allowed one run and six hits and walked one on a career high-tying 132 pitches for his third complete game of the season.

The left-hander leads the National League in strikeouts, surpassing his career best of 248 set in 2011. He tied a career high with the 15 strikeouts after having 14 against the Chicago Cubs in his previous start. Kershaw became the first NL pitcher to strike out 250 in a season since the Giants' Tim Lincecum had 261 in 2009.

Mike Leake (9-7) was the loser. He's winless in five starts since the Giants acquired him from Cincinnati on July 30.

BLUE JAYS 5, INDIANS 1

TORONTO (AP) - R.A. Dickey pitched a four-hitter to win his seventh straight decision, Josh Donaldson had three hits and Toronto beat Cleveland.

Toronto won for the fifth time in six games and maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Dickey (10-10) threw 92 pitches, including 68 strikes, in his second complete game of the season and 15th of his career. He's unbeaten in 10 starts, dating to a July 9 road loss against the White Sox.

Dickey set down 14 straight before Jason Kipnis hit a one-out single in the ninth. Francisco Lindor ended it by grounding into a double play.

Donaldson went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, raising his ML-leading total to 111.

Cleveland right-hander Trevor Bauer (10-11) gave up five runs and six hits in 1 1-3 innings. Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki each had RBI singles in the first and Donaldson chased Bauer with a two-run double in the second.

YANKEES 13, RED SOX 8

BOSTON (AP) - Greg Bird, John Ryan Murphy and Carlos Beltran homered during an eight-run second inning and New York beat Boston.

Stephen Drew doubled during New York's big inning and added a three-run homer in the third. Didi Gregorius later homered for the Yankees.

Masahiro Tanaka (11-6) pitched into the seventh inning to help the Yankees won for the fifth time in six games. New York improved to 7-2 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park this season and 10-5 overall this season against their longtime rivals.

The win was the 800th of Yankees manager Joe Girardi's career. He guided the Marlins for one year and is in eighth season with New York.

Red Sox rookie Henry Owens (2-2) retired the first four batters in order but the next eight Yankees reached base safely, with one out coming on the basepaths.

REDS 7, CUBS 4

CHICAGO (AP) - Joey Votto hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning that was set up by third baseman Kris Bryant's two-out error, and Cincinnati beat Chicago.

Bryant hit a two-run homer in the eighth that made it 4-all. The rookie has 22 home runs and 84 RBIs.

Cubs closer Hector Rondon (5-3) retired the first two batters in the ninth. Jason Bourgeois, who homered earlier, followed with a single. Jay Bruce then hit a hard grounder that went through Bryant's legs for an error, and Votto connected for his 27th home run.

J.J. Hoover (7-0) got the win despite allowing Bryant's homer. Aroldis Chapman closed for his 27th save.

Tommy La Stella and Anthony Rizzo hit solo home runs for the Cubs.

ANGELS 9, ATHLETICS 4

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Albert Pujols hit a two-run drive to make him one of four players with 10 career 35-home run seasons, and Los Angeles jumped on Oakland ace Sonny Gray.

Pujols had an RBI single in the first inning, then hit his 555th career homer in the second. He joined Hall of Famers Willie Mays (10) and Mike Schmidt (11) and Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez (12) to have reached 35 home runs in 10 or more years.

Andrew Heaney (6-2) struck out six and didn't walk a batter in seven innings to end a six-start winless stretch. He had gone 0-2 since a victory against Texas on July 26.

Gray (12-7) lost his third straight decision, matching his career high with six earned runs for the first time since exactly a year earlier on Sept. 2, 2014, at Seattle.

METS 9, PHILLIES 4

NEW YORK (AP) - Ruben Tejada hit an inside-the-park homer and drove in four runs to back Matt Harvey as New York returned to its winning ways against Philadelphia.

Yoenis Cespedes and rookie Michael Conforto had conventional home runs for the NL East leaders. They won for the 14th time in 16 games against the last-place Phillies this season. Philadelphia snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Mets with a 14-8 rout Tuesday.

Travis d'Arnaud doubled twice and singled and Cespedes had three hits as well, one night after he homered to stop an 0-for-16 slide. Handed a 6-0 lead, Harvey (12-7) pitched into the seventh inning and won his fourth straight decision.

Prized rookie Aaron Nola (5-2) was the loser.

ORIOLES 7, RAYS 6, 11 INNINGS

BALTIMORE (AP) - Chris Davis homered on a 3-0 pitch from Matt Andriese leading off the 11th inning, and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay to snap a six-game losing streak.

It was the second homer of the game for Davis, who has 38 for the season.

Down 6-4 in the ninth, Baltimore appeared doomed to its 13th loss in 14 games. Looking for his 34th save, Brad Boxberger walked Matt Wieters before Jonathan Schoop hit a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left.

Baltimore was 0-61 when trailing after eight innings.

In the 11th, Andriese (3-5) missed on three straight pitches before throwing one down the middle that Davis hit deep into center field. Brad Brach (5-2) pitched two hitless innings for the Orioles.

NATIONALS 4, CARDINALS 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Ryan Zimmerman homered twice, then doubled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and Washington beat St. Louis to end a nine-game losing streak.

Zimmerman reached 200 career home runs with his second shot. Jayson Werth also homered for the Nationals.

Nationals starter Max Scherzer struck out 11, gave up 11 hits and left with a 3-2 lead after the sixth. Johnathon Papelbon earned his 23rd save in 23 chances, escaping a first-and-third, one-out jam in the ninth. Rafael Martin (1-0) got one out for his first career victory

Johnathan Broxton (1-4) took the loss.

Brandon Moss hit a 454-foot homer for St. Louis.

BREWERS 9, PIRATES 4

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Jonathan Lucroy drove in three runs and extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 10 games to help Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh for the fifth straight time.

The Brewers have won seven of their last eight against Pittsburgh.

Adam Lind homered, singled and drove in two runs for Milwaukee.

Reliever Jeremy Jeffress (4-0) picked up the win after tossing a perfect seventh and eighth innings. He came in with a 6-4 lead and was awarded the victory - starter Zach Davies lasted only 4 1-3 innings in his big league debut. Jeff Locke (7-9) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings.

Former Brewers star Aramis Ramirez drove in all four runs for the Pirates, including a three-run homer in the fourth. Ramirez added an RBI double in the fifth in his first series at Miller Park since being dealt to Pittsburgh in late July.

ROYALS 12, TIGERS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Yordano Ventura struck out 11 over seven sharp innings, and Kansas City hit four home runs to rout Detroit.

Kendrys Morales hit a three-run shot, Cheslor Cuthbert added his first career homer, and Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain also went deep as the AL Central leaders cranked out 14 hits.

Ventura (10-7) walked one and hit one while matching a career high for strikeouts set in his last start. The 24-year-old with the 100 mph fastball has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last five outings, and is 6-0 since his last loss July 20 against Pittsburgh.

Randy Wolf (0-3) gave up eight runs in 3 2-3 innings for Detroit, though he did last longer than Miguel Cabrera. The slugger was tossed by third base umpire Gary Cederstrom after fanning in the third inning, and after a quarrel with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott proved fruitless.

MARINERS 8, ASTROS 3

HOUSTON (AP) - Rookie Shawn O'Malley had three hits, including a tiebreaking RBI single in a two-run eighth inning, and Logan Morrison padded Seattle's lead with a three-run shot in the ninth.

It was the season debut for O'Malley, who appeared in 11 games for the Los Angeles Angels last season, but spent all year in Triple-A before being called up Tuesday. He had a run-scoring single in the second.

The Mariners had runners at second and third with no outs in the eighth inning after an error by Pat Neshek (3-5). The miscue came when he fielded a sacrifice bunt by Jesus Sucre but his throw sailed over the head of 5-foot-5 Jose Altuve, who was covering first base.

O'Malley's line drive to right field scored Logan Morrison to put Seattle on top 4-3.

Carson Smith (2-5) got the last out of the seventh inning for the win and Tom Wilhelmsen got the final five outs for his eighth save.

TWINS 3, WHITE SOX 0

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Tommy Milone struck out seven in seven innings and Miguel Sano hit another monster home run to help Minnesota beat Chicago.

Milone (7-4) gave up three hits and finished seven innings for the first time since July 8. Trevor Plouffe added two hits and two RBIs and Kevin Jepsen picked up his 10th save for the Twins.

Carlos Rodon (6-6) gave up two runs and five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings for the White Sox.

MARLINS 7, BRAVES 3

ATLANTA (AP) - Marcell Ozuna hit a two-run homer, Martin Prado and Jeff Mathis each had two RBIs and Miami beat reeling Atlanta to complete a three-game sweep.

Moving past the Braves and into third place in the NL East for the first time since May 14, the Marlins earned their second three-game sweep in Atlanta and first since April 2009.

The Braves have lost eight straight at home for the first time since beginning the 1988 season 0-9. Atlanta has dropped 19 of 22 overall and is 12-37 since July 8, worst in the majors.

Hector Olivera drove in two runs for the Braves with his first career hit.

Adam Conley (3-1) won his second straight start, allowing four hits, three runs and three walks with four strikeouts in five innings. Williams Perez (4-6) was the loser.

ROCKIES 9, DIAMONDBACKS 4

DENVER (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez homered twice, including a grand slam, and finished with a career-high seven RBIs in Colorado's victory over Arizona.

Gonzalez had his 15th career multi-homer game, is tied with Nolan Arenado for the team lead with 33 home runs. Arenado also homered.

Brooks Brown (1-2) was the winner, and Justin Miller got five outs for his first career save.

Trailing 4-3 in seventh, the Rockies loaded the bases with two hits and a walk against Randall Delgado (5-4). Keith Hessler, recalled before the game, came on and Gonzalez hit a 1-1 slider off the facing of the second deck to put Colorado ahead 7-4. It was his second grand slam of the season and fourth overall.

Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off Matt Stites in the ninth.

RANGERS 4, PADRES 3, 10 innings

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Mitch Moreland doubled in the go-ahead run in the 10th to give Texas the victory.

Moreland's line drive down the right-field line off Bud Norris (1-1) scored Elvis Andrus, who had reached on a one-out single.

The Rangers cut first-place Houston's lead in the AL West to two games. Texas, which has won nine of 12 games, retained its one-game lead over Minnesota for the second AL wild-card berth.

Sam Dyson (2-1) pitched two innings as the Rangers (70-62) went a season-high eight games over .500.

San Diego's Craig Kimbrel escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth by striking out pinch-hitter Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre.

Beltre tied the game at 3-all with a sacrifice fly off reliever Joaquin Benoit in the eighth.

The Padres have lost seven of 10 games.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:53 AM

LEADING OFF: Latos tries again for Dodgers, Braves skidding

September 2, 2015

A look at what's happening all around the major leagues Thursday:

TRY AGAIN

Mat Latos makes his fifth start for the Dodgers, still aiming for his first win with the NL West leaders. He is 0-2 with a 6.05 ERA in those four outings since being traded from Miami to LA. He starts on the road against San Diego.

SKIDDING

The Braves will try to end their eight-game losing streak when they visit Washington. Rookie Matt Wisler starts against Nats righty Jordan Zimmermann. Atlanta has dropped 19 of 22 overall and is 25 games under .500 for first time in 25 years.

PACKING UP

Kyle Gibson and the Twins host the White Sox in their finale at Target Field before a nine-game road trip. Competing for the second AL wild-card spot, Minnesota is set to visit division leaders Houston and Kansas City and then the Chisox.

CHECK HIM

The Cubs might find out more about rookie Kyle Schwarber's right rib soreness. The outfielder was scratched from Wednesday's game and sent for more tests. Chicago holds the second spot in the NL wild-card race and has a day off.

SIDE WORK

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will throw an extended bullpen session, and will skip his scheduled start Friday at home against Atlanta. He was limited to four innings by upper back tightness his last outing. There's no set date when Strasburg, 8-6 with a 4.35 ERA, will start again.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:57 AM

Standings

Regular Season Standings

AMERICAN - EAST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Toronto Blue Jays 76 57 .571 0 45-24 31-33 8-2 W-2
New York Yankees 74 58 .561 1 37-26 37-32 6-4 W-2
Tampa Bay Rays 66 67 .496 10 33-35 33-32 4-6 L-1
Baltimore Orioles 64 69 .481 12 38-27 26-42 2-8 W-1
Boston Red Sox 61 72 .459 15 34-34 27-38 5-5 L-2

AMERICAN - CENTRAL
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Kansas City Royals 81 51 .614 0 46-22 35-29 7-3 W-1
Minnesota Twins 69 63 .523 12 42-25 27-38 8-2 W-3
Cleveland Indians 64 68 .485 17 29-34 35-34 7-3 L-2
Chicago White Sox 61 70 .466 19 33-32 28-38 3-7 L-2
Detroit Tigers 61 71 .462 20 30-35 31-36 2-8 L-1

AMERICAN - WEST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Houston Astros 73 61 .545 0 46-23 27-38 5-5 L-2
Texas Rangers 70 62 .530 2 32-32 38-30 7-3 W-2
Los Angeles Angels 67 66 .504 5 39-27 28-39 4-6 W-2
Seattle Mariners 63 71 .470 10 29-36 34-35 6-4 W-2
Oakland Athletics 58 76 .433 15 31-38 27-38 5-5 L-2

NATIONAL - EAST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
New York Mets 74 59 .556 0 45-24 29-35 7-3 W-1
Washington Nationals 67 65 .508 6 37-26 30-39 6-4 W-1
Miami Marlins 55 79 .410 19 30-36 25-43 5-5 W-3
Atlanta Braves 54 79 .406 20 33-32 21-47 1-9 L-8
Philadelphia Phillies 53 81 .396 21 30-35 23-46 3-7 L-1

NATIONAL - CENTRAL
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
St. Louis Cardinals 86 47 .647 0 48-20 38-27 8-2 L-1
Pittsburgh Pirates 79 52 .603 6 46-21 33-31 6-4 L-3
Chicago Cubs 75 57 .568 10 40-28 35-29 4-6 L-1
Milwaukee Brewers 57 75 .432 28 32-39 25-36 5-5 W-3
Cincinnati Reds 55 77 .417 30 29-35 26-42 4-6 W-1

NATIONAL - WEST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Los Angeles Dodgers 75 57 .568 0 47-21 28-36 8-2 W-3
San Francisco Giants 69 64 .519 6 38-27 31-37 3-7 L-5
Arizona Diamondbacks 65 69 .485 11 31-35 34-34 3-7 L-1
San Diego Padres 64 69 .481 11 32-32 32-37 3-7 L-2
Colorado Rockies 54 78 .409 21 29-38 25-40 5-5 W-1

Updated Thu Sep 3 2:34 AM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 03:59 AM

Standings

Wild Card Standings

AMERICAN

Team Win Loss Percent GB

New York Yankees 74 58 0.561 +4

Texas Rangers 70 62 0.530 0.0

Minnesota Twins 69 63 0.523 1.0

Los Angeles Angels 67 66 0.504 3.5

Tampa Bay Rays 66 67 0.496 4.5

Cleveland Indians 64 68 0.485 6.0

Baltimore Orioles 64 69 0.481 6.5

Seattle Mariners 63 71 0.470 8.0

Chicago White Sox 61 70 0.466 8.5

Detroit Tigers 61 71 0.462 9.0

Boston Red Sox 61 72 0.459 9.5

Oakland Athletics 58 76 0.433 13.0

NATIONAL

Team Win Loss Percent GB

Pittsburgh Pirates 79 52 0.603 +4.5

Chicago Cubs 75 57 0.568 0.0

San Francisco Giants 69 64 0.519 6.5

Washington Nationals 67 65 0.508 8.0

Arizona Diamondbacks 65 69 0.485 11.0

San Diego Padres 64 69 0.481 11.5

Milwaukee Brewers 57 75 0.432 18.0

Cincinnati Reds 55 77 0.417 20.0

Miami Marlins 55 79 0.410 21.0

Colorado Rockies 54 78 0.409 21.0

Atlanta Braves 54 79 0.406 21.5

Philadelphia Phillies 53 81 0.396 23.0

Updated Thu Sep 3 2:34 AM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 04:11 AM

Preview: White Sox (61-70) at Twins (69-63)
Game: 3
Venue: Target Field
Date: September 03, 2015 1:10 PM EDT

Before the Minnesota Twins shift their attention to a challenging trip that begins with consecutive series against AL division leaders, they have one more opportunity to continue their home dominance of the Chicago White Sox.

Trying to extend Jeff Samardzija's recent misery, the Twins look to complete a three-game sweep of the White Sox on Thursday.

A winner in 10 of the last 12, Minnesota (69-63) continues to make a serious push for its first postseason appearance since 2010. The Twins would get an even better feel for how far they've come by finding success on a nine-game trek that opens Friday at Houston then moves to Kansas City before finishing with the White Sox (61-70).

'It's fun to pitch in meaningful games in September,' Tommy Milone said after tossing seven innings in Wednesday's 3-0 victory. 'We're going through that right now ... and continue to build off of it.'

First, Minnesota tries for a fourth consecutive win overall and against Chicago, which has been outscored 63-23 while going 1-8 at Target Field this season.

That lone triumph at Minnesota came June 23 when Samardzija (8-11, 4.85 ERA) allowed two runs and struck out seven in seven innings of a 6-2 win. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in three starts against the Twins in 2015, but had an 8.82 ERA while losing all six starts in August.

"It's not an easy game,' said Samardzija, who had not dropped more than four straight starts prior to this slide. 'You learn a lot about yourself during stretches like this.'

Samardzija has yielded a major league-high 98 earned runs. His 25 runs allowed in the first inning also are the most in baseball.

He'll try to avoid becoming the first White Sox pitcher to lose seven consecutive starts since Jose Contreras in 2007.

'As far as being prepared, competitiveness, all that stuff, it is as good as it's going to get,' White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Samardzija. 'He's probably scratching his head as to of how it's ended up like this.'

Kyle Gibson (9-9, 3.82), meanwhile, has allowed only a solo homer to Jose Abreu in 16 innings while going 2-0 against the White Sox this year.

Though he walked three and needed 111 pitches to get through 5 2-3 innings Friday, the right-hander improved to 6-4 and lowered his ERA to 2.92 in 14 home starts with a 3-0 victory over Houston.

"I probably should've gone seven or eight (Friday), so that's the only frustrating part about it," Gibson, who went 0-3 with a 7.22 ERA in his previous seven starts, told MLB's official website.

"But any time you can leave an outing healthy without giving up any runs is a good thing."

Milone surrendered Chicago's only three hits Wednesday. Miguel Sano homered for a third straight game and Trevor Plouffe added a two-run double as the Twins improved to 11-4 against the White Sox in 2015

Sano can become the first Minnesota rookie to homer in four consecutive contests since Marty Cordova in 1995, but it's uncertain how much an ailing hamstring will limit his effort.

"It hasn't bothered him to swing, so he's a tough guy to take out of there," manager Paul Molitor said of Sano, who has 15 homers and 42 RBIs in 51 games since debuting July 2.

Abreu's homer is his only hit in nine at-bats against Gibson.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
White Sox at Twins
Tue, Sep 1 Final 6 to 8

Boxscores
GAME 2
White Sox at Twins
Wed, Sep 2 Final 0 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
White Sox at Twins
Thu, Sep 3 - 1:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 04:13 AM

Preview: Braves (54-79) at Nationals (67-65)
Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: September 03, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

In dire need of momentum to become a factor in the NL East, the Washington Nationals' remaining schedule presents that opportunity.

Losing Bryce Harper, however, would make that very difficult.

After avoiding being swept by the best team in baseball, the Nationals may be without their best hitter as they try to capitalize on a four-game series with the spiraling Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.

Washington (67-65) got two homers and three RBIs from Ryan Zimmerman in a 4-3 victory over St. Louis on Wednesday but remained 6 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the division.

If the Nationals are going to eventually catch the Mets, they'll need to take advantage of a favorable schedule. Of their remaining 30 games, 24 are against five teams out of postseason contention while the other six are against New York - including a crucial three-game home set that starts Monday.

Before that, Washington will play the first of seven remaining games with the Braves (54-79), who have lost 19 of their last 22 games and nine straight on the road for their longest such slide since dropping 10 in a row in 1996.

The Nationals may be without Harper after he was removed in the fourth inning Wednesday with tightness in his left glute. The right fielder is having a career year, batting a league-leading .331 with 31 homers and 78 RBIs.

He's hitting .372 with three homers and 10 RBIs in his last 11 games against Atlanta.

Zimmerman appears very capable of picking up the slack. He's batting .359 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in the last 10 games and has gone deep four times while going 7 for 14 with eight RBIs in his past three.

Jordan Zimmermann (11-8, 3.45 ERA) takes the ball in search of a fourth straight winning start for the first time since last September. The right-hander's current streak has been aided by 21 runs of support while he's compiled a 4.34 ERA.

He turned in his best performance of that stretch Saturday, yielding one run in seven innings of a 5-1 win over Miami.

"Fastball was a lot better and slider was pretty good," Zimmermann said. "Still not where I want it, but better than the last start."

Zimmermann is 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA in his last nine starts against the Braves, tossing 18 2-3 scoreless innings over the past three. He shut out Atlanta for 7 2-3 in a 6-1 victory June 30.

The Braves are 25 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 65-97 in 1990. They've also been outscored 67-19 during an eight-game slide after losing 7-3 to Miami on Wednesday.

"We're in some kind of a perfect storm right now not scoring very many runs and allowing the other team to score a lot," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It's a tough combination."

Matt Wisler (5-5, 5.22) seeks his first win since July 26 after going 0-4 with a 7.85 ERA in his last six starts. The rookie right-hander was 4-0 with a 3.30 ERA in his previous five outings.

He's 0-3 with a 9.35 ERA in his last four road starts but was effective at Turner Field in his most recent outing Saturday, limiting the New York Yankees to two runs over six-plus innings of a 3-1 loss.

Wisler has split two starts against Washington, giving up six runs over four innings in a 7-0 loss in the nation's capital on June 25 before tossing 5 1-3 scoreless in a 4-1 home victory seven days later.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Braves at Nationals
Thu, Sep 3 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 2
Braves at Nationals
Fri, Sep 4 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Braves at Nationals
Sat, Sep 5 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Braves at Nationals
Sun, Sep 6 - 1:35PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 04:15 AM

Preview: Pirates (79-52) at Brewers (57-75)
Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: September 03, 2015 7:20 PM EDT

Francisco Liriano carries his unbeaten streak into a place he and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been beaten badly in the last decade.

Liriano hopes his current roll offsets his team's struggles at Miller Park in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.

The Pirates (79-52) have won each of Liriano's last 11 starts but have dropped three straight, including the first two of this series. Wednesday's 9-4 loss moved their record to 19-64 at Miller Park since the start of 2006, and it put them on the cusp of their 16th sweep there during that span - which includes an MLB-worst .229 winning percentage.

The most recent loss held Pittsburgh six games behind NL Central-leading St. Louis and kept its wild-card lead at 4 1/2 over Chicago.

The Pirates are 7-20 on the road against NL Central teams. They head to St. Louis and Cincinnati following this series and visit the Cubs from Sept 25-27.

"We're looking forward to it because it's the one area that we haven't done as well as we believe we should," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "But the numbers are what they are."

Liriano (9-6, 3.28 ERA) has had about as much luck winning at Miller Park as the Pirates the last five years. He won his first two starts there in 2006 and 2009 before going 0-4 with a 7.61 ERA in his last five.

But Pittsburgh has won all 11 Liriano starts since June 26, the longest streak by a Pirate lefty since Emil Yde's 11-start run in 1925. The last Pittsburgh right-hander to reach double digits was A.J. Burnett with a streak of 12 in 2012.

Liriano is 5-0 with a 3.31 ERA during the stretch, benefiting from an NL-leading 6.89 run support average. Pittsburgh, though, has 18 hits and eight runs on its three-game skid.

Liriano is 6-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 13 starts against Milwaukee (57-75). He has lost three of his last four, the latest a 4-1 defeat June 9 in Pittsburgh in which he tossed a season high-tying eight innings and allowed three runs and five hits.

His Thursday counterpart won his major league debut in that game. Taylor Jungmann (8-5, 2.48) will try for Milwaukee's fourth straight victory and his third win in as many tries against the Pirates.

The right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed one run to beat Liriano on June 9, and he finished with the same numbers in a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh on July 19 at Miller Park. The Pirates have eight hits against him and have struck out 10 times.

Jungmann wrapped two scoreless performances around a rough outing in his last three starts. After going 6 1-3 innings and striking out a season-best nine during a 6-1 win over Philadelphia on Aug. 16, he coughed up a season-high five runs in four innings in a 6-1 loss at Washington six days later.

He regrouped, though, by allowing three hits in six innings during a 5-0 win over the Reds on Friday.

'I think a bounce-back start is always big,' Jungmann said. 'It's good for the psyche.'

Jungmann will face a red-hot Aramis Ramirez, who was traded from the Brewers to the Pirates on July 23. Ramirez homered in each of the series' first two games and added an RBI double Wednesday. Ramirez, hitting .310 in his last 24 games, started his career with Pittsburgh in 1998 and will retire at the end of the season.

Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 10 games with two hits and three RBIs on Wednesday.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Brewers
Tue, Sep 1 Final 4 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Brewers
Wed, Sep 2 Final 4 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Pirates at Brewers
Thu, Sep 3 - 7:20PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 04:17 AM

Preview: Tigers (61-71) at Royals (81-51)
Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: September 03, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

Lorenzo Cain won't allow a sore calf to hinder the most productive season of his career.

The All-Star center fielder expects to be available for Thursday night's decisive series finale against the visiting Detroit Tigers.

Cain has set career highs with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs during his stellar season and is batting .385 during a 10-game hitting streak. He homered and went 2 for 3 in Wednesday's 12-1 rout of Detroit (61-71) but left after fouling a ball off of his calf.

Cain and the team said the exit was purely for precautionary reasons.

"Kind of hurts to walk but I'll be OK," he said after the AL-leading Royals won for the 18th time in 25 games. "It's a little sore but I'll be ready to go (Thursday)."

Running away with the Central Division, Kansas City (81-51) is in a good position to rest its regulars from time to time down the stretch.

If Cain does sit, Kendrys Morales could pick up the offensive slack after clubbing a three-run shot for his second homer in as many games. Batting .379 with four home runs and nine RBIs in his last eight, the 32-year-old Morales has never homered in three consecutive games.

He's never homered off Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.12 ERA) but is 4 for 6 with a double and triple against him this season.

Set to make his eighth career start, the left-hander gave up a run in seven innings to beat the visiting Royals 2-1 on Aug. 5 for his first major league victory. Five days later, Boyd yielded three runs and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings of a 4-0 loss at Kansas City.

Boyd also struggled Friday when he gave up three solo homers and two other runs while walking three in six innings of a 5-3 defeat at Toronto. Despite that outing and the fact he's allowed six home runs in his last three starts, manager Brad Ausmus has been pleased with Boyd since he came over in the deal that sent David Price to the Blue Jays on July 30.

'I think he's got a chance to be a good major league pitcher,' Ausmus said.

Kansas City has won the last three starts made by Edinson Volquez (12-7, 3.27), but he dropped to 0-2 and saw his ERA rise to 4.85 against Detroit this season after allowing six runs in seven-plus innings of a 7-4 defeat Aug. 12.

That effort began a four-start stretch where the right-hander has alternated poor and solid outings to go 1-1 with a 4.10 ERA. If that trend continues, Volquez might be in for a rough night even though he gave up an earned run in 6 2-3 innings of Friday's 3-2 victory at Tampa Bay.

Ian Kinsler and Anthony Gose are a combined 6 for 13 against Volquez this season. Kinsler drove home Gose on Wednesday as Detroit lost for the 10th time in 12 contests.

Tiger relievers have a 9.72 ERA while issuing 16 walks in the last eight games.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Tigers at Royals
Tue, Sep 1 Final 6 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Tigers at Royals
Wed, Sep 2 Final 1 to 12
Boxscores

GAME 3
Tigers at Royals
Thu, Sep 3 - 8:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 04:19 AM

Preview: Giants (69-64) at Rockies (54-78)
Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: September 03, 2015 8:40 PM EDT

Ryan Vogelsong should probably look at his last start at Coors Field rather than his first five if he is looking for comfort entering his latest trip to Denver.

San Francisco's right-hander hasn't enjoyed much success at the hitter's paradise, but the Giants need him to snap their own skid in Thursday night's series opener against the Colorado Rockies.

San Francisco (69-64) has squandered opportunity to make up ground in the NL wild card, dropping five straight to remain 6 1/2 games back of a Chicago team that's lost six of eight.

Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers was the Giants' third straight by one run and knocked them 6 1/2 back of the NL West leaders, their largest deficit this season.

The Giants have 11 runs during the five-game slide, and manager Bruce Bochy was ejected for the second consecutive game Wednesday.

'Stranger things have happened,' Bochy said. 'Trust me. There's a lot of baseball left.'

After falling flat to the top team in the division, the Giants have three straight series against teams at the bottom - last-place Colorado (54-78), Arizona and San Diego.

Vogelsong (9-10, 4.19 ERA) holds a 3-3 record and 7.14 ERA in six starts at Coors Field, but he enjoyed his best start there May 22, picking up his first win at the park since 2012 with six scoreless innings in an 11-8 victory. He surrendered two hits while walking three and striking out five.

Vogelsong moved his ERA below 4.00 for the first time all season after a 2-0 win over St. Louis on Aug. 18, but he lost his last two starts. The 38-year-old combined to give up seven runs and 14 hits in eight innings between a 5-2 defeat at Pittsburgh on Aug. 23 and a 6-0 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

Carlos Gonzalez hit a grand slam and two-run homer during Colorado's 9-4 win Wednesday over the Diamondbacks, but he's 1 for 17 against Vogelsong. Wilin Rosario was one of four September callups for the Rockies, and he is 5 for 14 with three home runs when facing Vogelsong.

Gonzalez had a career-high seven RBIs on Wednesday and is hitting .319 with 23 home runs and 52 RBIs in his last 49 games.

'He's been pretty locked in for a while now,' manager Walt Weiss said. 'He can change the game at any time. ... He's one of those guys, one of the freaks in the league that can do something to wow you on any given night.'

The Rockies will send Chris Rusin (4-7, 4.94) to the mound as they try to win for the fourth time in six games.

Rusin had good numbers last month outside of a career-high 11 runs given up in two innings during a 14-9 loss to the New York Mets on Aug. 22 - tied with Arizona's David Buchanan and Kansas City's Jeremy Guthrie for the most runs allowed in a start this season.

Rusin rebounded to allow three runs in six innings during Saturday's 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh, his third quality start of the month.

The left-hander is 1-5 with a 5.05 ERA in his last 11 starts, the only victory coming from his first career complete game in a 5-0 win over San Diego on Aug. 16.

Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau has been out since May with concussion symptoms but rejoined the team this week. He has not been activated, and Weiss said Morneau has not been cleared to play despite hitting .500 on a five-game rehab assignment with Double-A New Britain.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Rockies
Thu, Sep 3 - 8:40PM EDT

GAME 2
Giants at Rockies
Fri, Sep 4 - 8:40PM EDT

GAME 3
Giants at Rockies
Sat, Sep 5 - 8:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Giants at Rockies
Sun, Sep 6 - 4:10PM EDT

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 11:28 AM

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, September 3

National League
Braves @ Nationals
Wisler is 0-3, 7.24 in his last three starts; five of his last six went over.

Zimmerman is 3-0, 5.30 in his last three starts; Nationals scored 29 runs in the three games-- four of his last six went over.

Braves were outscored 67-19 in losing their last eight games (over 7-3-1 last 11); they're 2-8 in last ten games with Washington-- five of last six in series stayed under. Nationals are 7-4 in lst 11 games (over 3-1 last four).

Pirates @ Brewers
Pirates won last 11 Liriano starts, scoring 58 runs in his last eight (over 7-0-1 in those eight games).

Jungmann is 2-1, 2.76 in his last three starts (under 5-2-1 in his last eight).

Pittsburgh lost last three games (under 5-4 in last nine). Pirates lost seven of last eight games with Milwaukee (over 3-1 in last four). Brewers won four of last five games; over is 9-2-1 in their last twelve.

Giants @ Rockies
Vogelsong is 0-2, 7.88 in his last two starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Rusin is 1-4, 6.87 in his last seven starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Giants are 5-3 in last eight games with Colorado; six of last seven series tilts went over total. Rockies are 5-4 in last nine games; five of last six stayed under. Giants are 4-10 in last 14 games overall; under is 3-1-1 in their last five road games.

Dodgers @ Padres
Latos is 0-3, 6.04 in his last five starts (over 3-1 in last four).

Rea is 0-2, 9.00 in his last two starts; over 3-1 in his '15 starts.

Dodgers just swept the Giants, are sitting pretty in NL West; they won seven of last eight games, allowing 15 runs; under is 8-2-1 in their last eleven. LA is 7-3 in last ten games with San Diego (under 5-2 in last seven). Padres lost five of last seven games (over 3-0-1 in last four).

American League
White Sox @ Twins
Samardzija is 0-6, 8.82 in his last six starts (over 7-1 in last eight).

Gibson is 1-0, 1.59 in his last two starts (under 3-1 in last four).

White Sox lost ten of last 12 games with Minnesota (over 3-1-2 in last six) Chicago is 3-7 in last ten games (over 8-4 in last 12). Twins won 10 of last 12 games; five of last eight went over.

Tigers @ Royals
Boyd is 0-3, 6.45 in his last four starts (under 4-1 in last five).

Volquez is 1-0, 4.19 in his last three starts; six of his last nine went under.

Detroit is 4-3 in last seven games with Kansas City (under 6-4). Tigers lost five of last six games, outscored 48-13 (last four over). Royals won eight of their last eleven games.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Atl-Wsh-- Wisler 6-7 (0-4 last 4); Zimmerman 16-11
Pitt-Mil-- Liriano 15-10 (11-0 last 11); Jungmann 9-6
SF-Col-- Vogelsong 11-10; Rusin 4-11
LA-SD-- Latos 8-12/2-2; Rea 2-2

Chi-Min-- Samardzija 11-16 (0-6 last 6); Gibson 14-12
Det-KC-- Boyd 1-6/1-4; Volquez 19-8

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Atl-Wsh-- Wisler 7-13; Zimmerman 9-27
Pitt-Mil-- Liriano 5-26; Jungmann 2-15
SF-Col-- Vogelsong 6-21; Rusin 5-15
LA-SD-- Latos 7-20; Rea 1-4

Chi-Min-- Samardzija 13-27; Gibson 6-26
Det-KC-- Boyd 3-7; Volquez 6-27

**StarDust Bum** · 09-03-2015, 11:29 AM

MLB

Thursday, September 3

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Trend Report
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1:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTA
Chi White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games at home

7:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:20 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. MILWAUKEE
Pittsburgh is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
Pittsburgh is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 8 games
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

8:10 PM
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Kansas City
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Kansas City is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit

8:40 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing San Francisco
Colorado is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games

10:10 PM
LA DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games on the road
San Diego is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of San Diego's last 20 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers

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