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Baseball Capsules
May 29, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) An enraged Bryce Harper charged the mound, fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland after getting hit by a fastball, setting off a wild brawl Monday during the Washington Nationals' 3-0 win over the Giants.

Drilled in the right hip by a 98 mph heater on Strickland's first pitch in the eighth inning with two outs, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Harper didn't hesitate. The slugger pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off.

No one got in Harper's way as he rushed the mound. His eyes were wide as he flung his helmet - it sailed wide of Strickland, it might've slipped - and they started swinging away. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied.

Harper and Strickland were both ejected. They have some history between them - in the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland, and the All-Star outfielder glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases.

Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. The NL East leaders opened a nine-game West Coast trip with their sixth win in eight games.

Koda Glover pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his sixth save in seven tries.

Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6) in the second.

ASTROS 16, TWINS 8

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Carlos Beltran homered and singled during an 11-run burst in the eighth inning against Minnesota's beleaguered bullpen, and Houston overwhelmed the Twins in a matchup of AL division leaders.

The Astros combined for eight hits, two walks, a hitter batter and a balk in the eighth to rally from an 8-2 deficit. The Twins tried three pitchers in the inning, a day after they used eight relievers in a 15-inning loss to Tampa Bay.

Beltran finished with four hits and Carlos Correa had three, including a home run. Alex Bregman also homered for Houston, which had a season-high 18 hits, 13 of them in the last two innings.

Jordan Jankowski (1-0) got his first major league win with 2 1/3 innings in relief of starter Brad Peacock. He allowed four earned runs and gave up home runs to Miguel Sano and Robbie Grossman but he benefited from the Houston hit parade.

Craig Breslow (1-1) took the loss.

PIRATES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Andrew McCutchen hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning, lifting Pittsburgh over Arizona in a wild ending.

McCutchen sent a 1-1 pitch from Archie Bradley (1-1) over the right field wall to cap off a back-and-forth ninth. It was the eighth homer this season for McCutchen, who was recently dropped to sixth in the batting order for the first time in his career.

Diamondbacks pinch hitter Chris Iannetta tied the game moments earlier with a two-run homer to left field off closer Tony Watson. Watson (4-1) was credited with the win after blowing his third save in 13 opportunities.

It was a costly victory for the Pirates, as starting right fielder Gregory Polanco left the game with an injury. Polanco got his right ankle caught awkwardly in the railing separating the stands from the playing field while chasing down a foul ball in the sixth inning.

INDIANS 5, ATHLETICS 3

CLEVELAND (AP) - Carlos Carrasco won his third straight decision and Edwin Encarnacion hit one of Cleveland's three solo home runs.

Carrasco (5-2) pitched six shutout innings before allowing back-to-back homers to Yonder Alonso and Ryon Healy in the seventh. The right-hander, who hasn't lost since April 28, allowed four hits and struck out seven.

Andrew Miller struck out the side in the eighth. Cody Allen gave up Khris Davis' solo homer and two singles in the ninth, but struck out Trevor Plouffe and recorded his 14th save.

Daniel Mengden (0-1), recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make his first start of the season, allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings.

WHITE SOX 5, RED SOX 4

CHICAGO (AP) - Boston lefty David Price had an uneven season debut while Melky Cabrera homered and drove in four runs, helping Chicago rally.

Price, who missed the first part of the year with a left elbow strain, threw 88 pitches in five innings. The former AL Cy Young Award winner gave up two hits, including Cabrera's three-run homer, walked two and hit two batters. He also struck out four.

Price was in line for the win before Kevan Smith hit an RBI double off Matt Barnes (3-2) in the seventh, tying it at 4. Cabrera had an RBI single with two outs.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia injured his wrist in the first inning and exited in the second. He was hurt trying to beat out a hit when first baseman Jose Abreu slid into the bag and Pedroia fell over him.

Juan Minaya (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning and David Robertson closed for his eighth save in nine chances.

ORIOLES 3, YANKEES 2

BALTIMORE (AP) - Dylan Bundy allowed two runs over seven innings in another strong start at Camden Yards, and Baltimore beat New York to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Jonathan Schoop had two RBIs to help the Orioles end their longest skid since a nine-game drought in 2011.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 17th home run for the first-place Yankees in this AL East matchup.

Bundy (6-3) gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked one. Brad Brach got three straight outs for his 10th save in 13 tries.

Yankees rookie Jordan Montgomery (2-4) allowed three runs, one earned, in 4 1/3 innings.

DODGERS 5, CARDINALS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger and Logan Forsythe hit solo home runs, leading Rich Hill and Los Angeles over St. Louis for its fifth straight victory.

Hill (2-2) recovered from a bout of wildness in his last start to pitch five innings, giving up one run and two hits. In his previous outing, also against the Cardinals, he permitted five runs on four hits and seven walks in four innings.

Mike Leake (5-3) entered the game leading the majors with a 1.91 ERA, but allowed a season-high four runs in 6 2/3 innings.

PADRES 5, CUBS 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Rookie Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam off Kyle Hendricks and San Diego handed Chicago its fourth straight loss.

The defending World Series champion Cubs have lost six straight road games. They were coming off a three-game sweep at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cubs had only three hits. They drew 10 walks and two batters were hit by pitches.

Hendricks (4-3) retired his first 10 batters before allowing seven of his final 11 to reach.

Jose Torres (3-2) pitched two scoreless, hitless innings for the win. He walked two and struck out one. Brandon Maurer pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

MARINERS 6, ROCKIES 5

DENVER (AP) - Sam Gaviglio pitched into the sixth inning to get his first career victory, and Seattle used six relievers to beat Colorado.

Danny Valencia had three hits and Kyle Seager had a key double to help Gaviglio (1-1) get the milestone in his fourth appearance and third start.

The Mariners had given Gaviglio a 6-2 lead with three runs in the third on just one hit, and three more in the fifth on three walks, three singles and a two-run double by Seager off starter Tyler Chatwood (4-7).

Edwin Diaz worked the ninth for his ninth save.

METS 4, BREWERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) - Hours after the Mets ticketed him for the bullpen, rookie Robert Gsellman pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and had two RBIs to lead New York past Milwaukee.

Rene Rivera and Michael Conforto each hit an RBI double during a three-run fifth against starter Matt Garza (2-2). Sandwiched in between, Gsellman drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.

Before the game, general manager Sandy Alderson said Gsellman (3-3) probably is headed back into a struggling bullpen when injured starters Steven Matz and Seth Lugo come off the disabled list. Addison Reed got three outs for his seventh save.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s six-pack

Updated odds to win the World Series:

5-1- Houston Astros

6-1— Chicago Cubs

7-1— San Francisco Giants

15-2— Boston Red Sox

8-1— Cleveland Indians

17-2— Los Angeles Dodgers

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Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but…….

13) I’m not real interested in how long baseball games last; I enjoy watching the game, but some people are bent out of shape because games are longer now. One easy way to shorten games; eliminate coaches’ visits to the mound. There’s your 5-7 minutes a game right there.

12) Last week, Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly put Giancarlo Stanton in the #2 spot in the order, which was surprising, but since then, Stanton is 11-26 with two walks, so he has gotten better pitches to hit in that spot. The two walks were last night; one was intentional.

11) Underrated: Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls coaching the Redskins; now he owns NASCAR teams and is a giant in that sport. Not many people have been so prominent in two different sports.

10) Mets’ OF Michael Conforto has impressive bloodlines; his mother won two gold medals in the Olympics in synchronized swimming. His dad played football at Penn State.

9) Was reading on SI.com where the Falcons’ new domed stadium will have 1,264 beer taps in it. The GeorgiaDome had 30 beer taps.

8) Miami Hurricanes missed out on the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time in 45 years; losing a series to Dartmouth isn’t good for your tournament resume.

7) Only four of the Braves’ first 49 games (2-2) have come against lefty starting pitchers.

6) In college basketball, Belmont has finished #1 in whole country in 2-point FG% four of the last five years; thats hard to believe, but they run lot of backdoor plays and get lot of layups. Still, with 351 teams in the country. to be #1 four out of five years is really impressive.

5) Astros (10 games), Nationals (8.5 games) have huge divisional leads; 2nd place in the NL East is 21-27, so thats a terrible division. 2nd place in AL West is 26-27. Those two teams will basically coast from here into the playoffs.

4) Second Wild Card in NL is 10 games over .500, so going to be hard to make the playoffs there. In AL, second Wild Card is only two games over .500, so a straggler now can get hot and become a contender.

This stuff will influence who is a seller when the trade deadline rolls around. Lesser teams in the National League are more likely to sell off veteran players than American League teams.

3) Astros 16, Twins 8— Minnesota led this game 8-2 after seven innings behind Ervin Santana, who has a 1.75 ERA. Twins’ bullpen then allowed 11 runs in the 8th inning, three more in the 9th- they faced 22 hitters- 16 of them reached base, 14 scored. Yikes.

Houston has a team like the Red Sox teams when they had Butch Hobson batting 9th when he knocked in 100 runs. You cannot outslug the Astros; very impressive lineup.

Elias Sports says that before Monday, Astros were 0-659 in franchise history when trailing by 6+ runs in the 8th inning. Now they’re 1-659.

2) Nationals 3, Giants 0— In the top of the 8th, reliever Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper in the hip and a hockey fight broke out— a real donnybrook, a Pier 6 brawl. Harper got a couple shots in before both benches converged on the mound.

Seemed like there was some history there- they seemed to actually dislike each other— turns out Harper homered twice off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs; one ball went in the upper deck at Nationals Park, the other one landed in McCovey Cove. Only times they’ve faced each other, until Monday.

1) Mike Trout has a torn ligament in his left thumb, will miss a couple weeks unless surgery is needed, then it’ll be a lot more than that.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s games
National League

Phillies @ Marlins
Velasquez is 0-2, 6.05 in his last four starts (over 7-2).

Nicolino is 0-1, 5.40 in his last two starts (over 1-1).

Phillies lost eight of last ten games; four of their last five games stayed under. Miami won three of last four games; over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

Dodgers @ Cardinals
Maeda is 3-0, 3.20 in his last four starts; over is 5-1-1 in his last seven.

Wacha is 0-1, 4.50 in his last five starts, all of which went over.

Dodgers won six of last seven games; under is 5-2 in their last seven games. St Louis lost eight of last 11 games; five of their last seven games stayed under.

Nationals @ Giants
Gonzalez is 0-1, 4.40 in his last five starts; over is 3-1 in his road starts,

Samardzija is 1-1, 2.49 in his last three starts (under 8-2).

Nationals won six of last eight games; last six Washington games stayed under. San Francisco won seven of last ten home games; under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Diamondbacks @ Pirates
Ray is 2-0, 0.00 (14.2 IP) in his last two starts; three of his last four starts went over.

Nola is 0-2, 4.15 in his last two starts (under 3-2).

Arizona is 7-10 in last 17 road games; under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Pittsburgh lost three of last five games; six of last seven Pirate games went over the total.

Brewers @ Mets
Davies is 4-1, 3.55 in his last six starts; under is 3-1 in his last four.

Pill is making his first MLB start; he faced three batters in relief in his MLB debut Saturday. He is 4-1, 1.60 in nine AAA starts this season.

Brewers lost six of last eight games; under is 6-4 in their last ten road games. Mets are 7-5 in last 12 home games; over is 7-2 in their last nine games.

Cubs @ Padres
Butler is 2-0, 1.93 in three starts this year (under 2-1).

LaMet allowed one run in five IP (91 PT) in his first MLB start, in Queens against the Mets.

Cubs lost their last six road games; under is 7-2 in their last nine road tilts. San Diego lost five of last seven home games; last fiver Padre games stayed under the total.

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American League
A’s @ Indians
Gray is 0-0, 3.66 in his last three starts (under 5-3).

Bauer is 2-0, 4.32 in his last three starts; under is 4-1 in his last five.

A’s lost five of last seven games; four of their last five games stayed under. Cleveland lost five of last seven home games; over is 6-3 in their last nine home games.

Red Sox @ White Sox
Ex-White Sox Sale is 4-0, 3.82 in his last five starts; under is 7-2 in his last nine.

Quintana is 0-2, 5.92 in his last four starts; under is 7-2 in his last nine.

Boston won six of last eight games; under is 4-0-1 in last five Red Sox games. Chicago won six of last seven home games; over is 8-3-2 in their last 13 home games.

New York @ Baltimore
Severino is 1-0, 2.01 in his last four starts; over is 4-1 in his last five.

Tillman is 0-1, 5.87 in his last three starts (under 4-0).

New York is 5-3 in its last eight games; under is 7-1 in last eight Bronx games. Baltimore lost seven of its last eight games; five of last six Oriole games stayed under.

Rays @ Rangers
Andriese is 4-0, 2.97 in his last five starts; over is 3-1 in his last four.

Martinez is 1-3, 6.26 in his last five starts (under 5-2).

Tampa Bay won five of last six games; over is 7-2 in their last nine road games. Texas lost six of last seven games; four of Rangers’ last six home games stayed under.

Tigers @ Royals
Verlander is 1-1, 6.27 in his last three starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight starts.

Almonte is making his first MLB start; he is 1-0, 1.86 in six AA starts this season. He allowed three runs in one inning of relief in the majors this year.

Detroit lost seven of last ten games; under is 7-4-1 in their last 12 road games. Kansas City is 5-8 in its last 13 games; under is 10-4 in their last 14 home games.

Astros @ Twins
Fiers is 0-1, 5.51 in his last three starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.

Berrios is 3-0, 1.71 in three starts this season (under 3-0).

Astros won seven of last eight games; under is 7-4-1 in their last 12 games. Minnesota lost three of last four games; over is 4-2 in their last six home games.

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Interleague

Mariners @ Rockies
Miranda is 1-0, 2.12 in his last three starts; under is 6-2 in his last eight.

Anderson is 2-1, 2.55 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.

Seattle lost seven of last ten games; under is 5-0-1 in last six Mariner games. Colorado won six of last nine games; under is 9-4-1 in last 14 games at Coors Field.

Reds @ Blue Jays
Wojciehowski is making his first ’17 start; he is 1-1, 6.20 in seven career MLB games (3 starts). He is 1-0, 1.40 in five AAA starts this season.

Happ is 0-3, 4.50 in three starts this year, last of which was April 16 (under 2-1).

Reds won three of last five games; three of their last five games stayed under. Toronto won six of last seven games; over is 4-2 in their last six home games.

Braves @ Angels
Colon is 1-2, 9.00 in his last four starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine.

Bridwell is making his first MLB start; he is

Atlanta lost four of last six games; over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. Angels lost five of last six games; under is 5-3 in their last eight games.

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Record with this pitcher starting:
National League
Phil-Mia: Velasquez 3-6; Nicolino 1-1
LA-StL: Maeda 6-2; Wacha 3-5
Wsh-SF: Gonzalez 5-5; Samardzija 4-6
Az-Pitt: Ray 6-4; Nova 6-4
Mil-NY: Davies 6-4; Pill 0-0
Chi-SD: Butler 2-1; Lamet 1-0

American League
A’s-Clev: Gray 3-2; Bauer 4-5
Bos-Chi: Sale 7-3; Quintana 4-6
NY-Balt: Severino 5-4; Tillman 2-2
TB-Tex: Andriese 6-4; Martinez 3-4
Det-KC: Verlander 5-5; Almonte 0-0
Hst-Minn: Fiers 5-4; Berrios 3-0

Interleague
Sea-Colo: Miranda 6-4; Anderson 5-5
Cin-Tor: Wojciehowski 0-0; Happ 0-3
Atl-LAA: Colon 5-5; Bridwell 0-0

Pitchers allowing a run in first inning:
National League
Phil-Mia: Velasquez 3-9; Nicolino 1-2
LA-StL: Maeda 3-8; Wacha 1-8
Wsh-SF: Gonzalez 5-10; Samardzija 4-10
Az-Pitt: Ray 4-10; Nova 2-10
Mil-NY: Davies 2-10; Pill 0-0
Chi-SD: Butler 2-3; Lamet 0-1

American League
A’s-Clev: Gray 1-5; Bauer 2-9
Bos-Chi: Sale 0-10; Quintana 2-10
NY-Balt: Severino 2-9; Tillman 1-4
TB-Tex: Andriese 5-10; Martinez 2-7
Det-KC: Verlander 4-10; Almonte 0-0
Hst-Minn: Fiers 5-9; Berrios 0-3

Interleague
Sea-Colo: Miranda 4-10; Anderson 1-10
Cin-Tor: Wojciehowski 0-0; Happ 1-3
Atl-LAA: Colon 3-10; Bridwell 0-0

_________________________

Umpires
National League
Phil-Mia: Over is 7-1 in last eight Eddings games.
LA-StL: Favorites are 9-2 in Wegner games this year.
Wsh-SF: Home side won six of last seven Dimuro games.
Az-Pitt: Six of eight Cooper games stayed under total.
Mil-NY: Over is 6-0-1 in last seven Gonzalez games.
Chi-SD: Under is 7-2 in Barksdale games this season.

American League
A’s-Clev: Home side won three of four Lentz games (over 2-2).
Bos-Chi: Under is 7-2 in last nine Reynolds games.
NY-Balt: Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Miller games.
TB-Tex: Three of last four Meals games went over total.
Det-KC: Underdogs won seven of last nine Timmons games.
Hst-Minn: Over is 5-2 in last seven Holbrook games.

Interleague
Sea-Colo: Over is 5-2 in Wolcott games this season.
Cin-Tor: Four of last five Guccione games stayed under.
Atl-LAA: Under is 4-1-1 in last six Tumpane games.

Interleague play
NL @ AL– 25-12 AL, favorites -$92
AL @ NL– 27-25 AL, favorites +$327
Total: 52-37 AL, favorites +$235

Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Over 20-20-1
AL @ NL: Over 30-19-1
Total: Over 50-39-2

Teams’ records in first five innings:
Team (road-home-total)- thru 5/29/17
Ariz 9-11-4……17-8–4…….26-19–8
Atl 10-13-4……8-12-2……..18-25–5
Cubs 9-15………..13-9-3……..22-24-3
Reds 6-15-2……12-12–2……18-27-4
Colo 18-6-2…..13-12-2……….31-18–5
LA 10-11-2……20-7-2……….30-18-4
Miami 8-16-1…….11-10-3……..19-26-4
Milw 12-6-4…….13-14-2…….25-20-6
Mets 11-10-1……..12-13-2……23-23-3
Philly 7-13-5………8-13-2……15-26-7
Pitt 10-15-2…..10-11-4…….20-26-6
St. Louis 9-9-2……..14-7-5……..23-16-7
SD 7-18-4…….11-11–2…….18-29-6
SF 5-18-5……..13-8-4……..21-26-8
Wash 16-7-2……14-9-2………30-16-4

Orioles 10-14-2……..12-10-1………22-24-3
Boston 9-12-2………13-12-2…….22-24-4
White Sox 8-16-5……..11-9–1……..19-25-6
Cleveland 12-12-2……..10-11-2……..22-23-4
Detroit 11-15-3…….12-8-2……..23-23-5
Astros 8-9-5……..17-11-2……..25-20-7
KC 6-15-4…….14-9-2……..20-24-6
Angels 8-16-6……12-7-5………20-23-11
Twins 11-5-3………11-11-6……22-16-8
NYY 11-11-1……….16-8…..……27-19-1
A’s 7-14-3……..10-10-5……..17-24-8
Seattle 8-17-5……..12-6-4…….20-23-9
TB 13-7-5……..19-7-3……..32-14-8
Texas 14-8-4……..11-8-6…….25-16-10
Toronto 9-16-1……..8-10-5……..17-26-6

%age of times teams score in first inning (road/home/total- 5/29/17)
Ariz 8-24……..11-29……….19
Atl 5-27……..5-22………..10
Cubs 5-25……..11-25………..16
Reds 8-23……..13-27………21
Colo 8-26……..8-27……….16
LA 7-23……..11-28..…….18
Miami 8-25……..10-24……….18
Milw 8-22……..12-29………20
Mets 9-22……..13-27……….22
Philly 9-26……..5-23…………14
Pitt 7-27……..8-25…………15
StL 6-21……..7-26………..13
SD 13-29……6-24………..19
SF 5-31……..7-25………….12
Wash 8-25……..10-25……….18

Orioles 3-26……..7-23………..10
Boston 8-23……..6-27………..14
White Sox 7-29…….8-21………..15
Clev 7-26……..9-23……….16
Detroit 5-29……11-22………..16
Astros 7-22……..13-30……….20
KC 4-26……..4-24…………8
Angels 12-31…….5-24……….17
Twins 4-19……..7-28……….11
NYY 6-23……..10-25……….16
A’s 3-25……..6-25……….9
Seattle 10-30…….10-22…….20
TB 8-25……..15-29………23
Texas 9-27……..9-25………18
Toronto 8-26……..5-25………13

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Discipline on deck for Harper-Strickland brawl
May 29, 2017

A look at what's happening all around the majors Tuesday:

BASEBRAWL

Nationals slugger Bryce Harper and Giants reliever Hunter Strickland are certain to soon get penalized by Major League Baseball after their fight in San Francisco. Hit in the hip by a 98 mph heater, Harper charged the mound, flung his helmet and traded punches to the head with Strickland. They both were ejected, but no injuries were reported after the benches and bullpens emptied. They had not faced each other since Harper hit two home runs off Strickland in the 2014 NL playoffs. ''You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can't hesitate,'' Harper said. ''You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.''

TROUT DOUBT

Angels star Mike Trout has opted to have surgery for a torn ligament in his left thumb. The two-time AL MVP was hurt Sunday making a headfirst slide on a stolen base in Miami. Trout has been put on the disabled list for the first time in his career, and surgery Wednesday will sideline him for six to eight weeks. The 25-year-old outfielder is hitting .337 with 16 home runs.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Dustin Pedroia is heading back to Boston to get tests after the second baseman injured his left wrist stopping a fall on a close play. He tumbled over White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who lunged to tag the bag on Pedroia's grounder. The Red Sox are calling it a sprain, but manager John Farrell was uncertain about the severity. ''It's hard to say right now, and I think until we get the information, we'll know more then,'' Farrell said. ''But I think anytime you're dealing with a position player's wrist, a hitter's wrist, that's always cause for concern.''

SOX SALUTE

A day after receiving a warm welcome back in his old home, Red Sox ace Chris Sale will make his first start against the Chicago White Sox since being traded away over the offseason. The White Sox saluted Sale with a highlight video during the first inning Monday, and the pitcher waved to the cheering crowd, pointed to the home dugout and patted his heart. ''I had a lot of good times here - a lot of friends still over there,'' Sale said. Sale (5-2, 2.34) will square off with Jose Quintana (2-6, 4.82), who has struggled atop Chicago's rotation in Sale's absence.

GOING PLACES

The Astros have baseball's best record, and that's no surprise to manager A.J. Hinch. ''I didn't put any limitations on this team,'' Hinch said. ''So I don't really have a baseline of how many games I expected to win.'' Houston won its fifth in a row and improved to 36-16 by overcoming a six-run deficit with an 11-run eighth inning Monday, beating Minnesota 16-8. This, star shortstop Carlos Correa says, is exactly what he envisioned entering the year. ''We've got a lot of talent in this room,'' he said. ''I feel like everywhere you look in the lineup there's talent, there's potential and we've got leadership now in this clubhouse. So we're heading somewhere.''

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A day after turning 27, right-hander Tyler Pill makes his first major league start for the Mets, at home against the surprising NL Central-leading Brewers. ''It will definitely be exciting,'' he said. ''I'm really looking forward to it.'' Pill was called up from the minors Friday and lost in relief during his big league debut the following night at Pittsburgh when he gave up the winning run in the 10th inning. He was a combined 4-1 with a 1.60 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A and Double-A.

[StarDust Bum]

Posey avoids "big guys tumbling" in Nats-Giants brawl
May 29, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) As an irate Bryce Harper charged toward the mound , Buster Posey just stood and watched from behind home plate.

And when the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants cleared their benches Monday and punches flew both ways, the All-Star catcher did his best to remain just outside the fray.

Not where some expected to find the Giants team leader with his pitcher, Hunter Strickland, exchanging head shots with Harper.

''Posey did NOTHING to stop Harper from getting to his pitcher,'' former major league pitcher Dontrelle Willis wrote on Twitter. ''I've never seen that before in my life.''

Posey declined to enter the fracas, instead remaining around its edges and watching as the players scuffled in ''a pretty good pile,'' as Giants manager Bruce Bochy called it.

Posey dealt with a concussion in April after being struck in the head by a pitch, but did not say he held back because of concerns related to that. He did say he was wary about the risk of injury.

''There were some big guys tumbling around out there,'' Posey said. ''You see Mike Morse and Jeff Samardzija are about as big as they come and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. So it was a little dangerous to get in there.''

Still, social media was abuzz at the sight of Posey not sticking up for his teammate.

''Strickland must have told (at)BusterPosey he was hitting him and let him come cause he didn't even give a soft jog,'' Willis wrote.

''Says all you need to know that Buster Posey didn't bother to hold back Harper,'' tweeted Fox broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt . ''Let him go get his pitcher.''

Also absent from the fight: hard-nosed Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. As his teammates flew over the dugout railing, Bumgarner stayed put, perhaps because the left-hander is still recovering after injuring his pitching shoulder and ribs in a dirt biking accident in April.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB notebook: Royals' Duffy out 6-8 weeks
May 29, 2017

Los Angeles Angels star center fielder Mike Trout, a two-time American League MVP, will be sidelined indefinitely after a MRI on Monday confirmed he suffered a torn LCL ligament in his left thumb in Sunday's game at Miami.

Trout slid into second base headfirst on a steal attempt and jammed the thumb into the base of the bag. He came out of the game hoping it was just a strain, and X-rays taken at the time were negative.

"Surgery is one of the options," general manager Billy Eppler said. "He conceivably could be back in five to eight weeks, but that's getting way ahead of ourselves."

Trout is hitting .337 with a .461 on-base percentage, .742 slugging rate, and a 1.203 OPS. He has 16 home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 steals this season.

The Angels placed Trout on the 10-day disabled list and recalled outfielder Eric Young Jr. from Triple-A Salt Lake City. The 31-year-old Young is the son of former major league infielder Eric Young, who spent 15 years in the majors.

-- Kansas City Royals left-hander Danny Duffy will miss six to eight weeks with a strained oblique.

The Royals announced that Duffy has a Grade One strain. The injury was revealed a day after he was tagged for six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings of a 10-1 loss at Cleveland.

Duffy is 4-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts for the Royals, who are 21-28 heading into Monday's game against the Detroit Tigers.

There was no indication Duffy was injured Sunday, though he stumbled toward first base attempting to record an out. In postgame comments, Duffy and manager Ned Yost did not say anything was physically wrong.

--The Los Angeles Dodgers placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation of the SC joint in his pitching shoulder.

The move was made retroactive to May 27. The 26-year-old Wood has the longest scoreless streak in the major leagues this season at 25 1/3 innings. He is 6-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 10 games (eight starts).

In a corresponding move, the Dodgers selected the contract of right-hander Brandon Morrow from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Morrow, 32, has posted a 1.74 ERA over 10 1/3 innings in his last 10 appearances at Oklahoma City, going 0-2 with three saves since April 27. Overall, Morrow is 0-5 with six saves and a 5.71 ERA.

--The Washington Nationals reinstated infielder Stephen Drew from the 10-day disabled list after he missed 41 games with a right hamstring strain.

Drew, 34, suffered the injury while running out a ground ball on April 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals after his cleat caught in the dirt near the batter's box.

Drew appeared in eight games before the injury, going 4-for-18 (.222) with one double, three runs scored and four RBIs.

In 2016, Drew was valuable coming off the bench when he hit .324 with one double, one triple, four home runs, seven RBIs, eight runs scored and three walks. Overall, he hit .266 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 70 games.

--The Boston Red Sox officially activated left-hander David Price from the disabled list prior to his season debut in Monday afternoon's game against the Chicago White Sox.

The 31-year-old Price hasn't pitched this season because of a strained left elbow. The five-time All-Star returned from his injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket for his start at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Price allowed three runs in five innings versus Chicago in his season debut. He began the season on the disabled list , made two rehab starts with Pawtucket, allowing six earned runs on 12 hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

In his debut season with Boston in 2016, Price led the majors in starts (35) and innings pitched (230), going 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA.

--Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia left Monday afternoon's game against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning with a sprained left wrist.

Pedroia's early exit happened one inning after he collided with White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu while trying to beat out an infield hit. Pedroia fell over the top of Abreu and landed on his stomach as the burly first baseman slid feet-first into the bag.

Josh Rutledge came off the bench to replace Pedroia at second base.

Pedroia, 33, is hitting .292 with two home runs and 21 RBIs in 45 games.

--Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was removed from Monday's game against the Houston Astros with a laceration on the ring finger of his right hand.

Buxton dove for a ball in the top of the sixth inning and his hand appeared to hit left fielder Eddie Rosario, who came over and caught the ball. Buxton stayed in the game to finish the inning but was pinch hit for in the bottom of the sixth.

Buxton struck out in his two at-bats on Monday and is batting .188 this season. Earlier this month, Buxton missed two games after crashing into the fence at Target Field.

He was replaced by Ehire Adrianza, who pinch hit for Buxton and then took over in left field. Rosario slid over to play center.

[StarDust Bum]

May's MLB Picks
Overall Picks of the Day DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )
Date W-L-T % Units Record

05/29/2017........... 9-12-1........ 42.86%........... -11.25
05/28/2017......... 10-11-2........ 47.62%............ +0.35
05/27/2017.......... 11-9-0......... 55.00%.......... +11.75
05/26/2017.......... 9-11-0......... 45.00%........... -11.00
05/25/2017............ 5-9-0......... 35.71%........... -21.25
05/24/2017........... 6-15-1......... 28.57%........... -39.75
05/23/2017........... 8-16-0......... 33.33%........... -41.75
05/22/2017............. 8-5-1......... 61.54%......... +18.50
05/21/2017........... 12-8-2......... 60.00%.......... +19.50
05/20/2017........... 11-11-0........ 50.00%........... +5.00
05/19/2017........... 16-3-0......... 84.21%.......... +75.75
05/18/2017............4-11-1..........26.67%.............-37.75
05/17/2017........... 7-12-0......... 36.84%............ -28.25
05/16/2017............. 9-9-2......... 50.00%............. -1.75
05/12/2017........... 6-13-0......... 31.58%............ -38.75
05/11/2017............. 9-3-1......... 75.00%........... +29.75
05/10/2017............ 6-15-0......... 28.57%............ -45.25
05/09/2017............ 8-12-2......... 40.00%............ -19.75
05/08/2017............. 6-6-1.......... 50.00%............. -1.00
05/07/2017........... 10-10-1........ 50.00%.............. -0.75
05/06/2017........... 12-9-0.......... 57.14% ...........+13.75
05/05/2017........... 4-13-0.......... 23.53%............ -50.00
05/04/2017........... 7-11-0.......... 38.89%............ -22.50
05/03/2017.......... 11-12-0.......... 47.83%............. -5.00
05/02/2017.......... 11-11-0.......... 50.00%............. -1.50
05/01/2017.......... 9 -8 - 0.......... 52.94%........... +11.25


Totals.................222 - 265 .........45.58%.............- 190.15


Best Bets Daily: ( DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )
Sides / Totals.

05/29/2017..........3 - 4..........42.85%.........+0.55........6-8-1........42.85%.......-2.80
05/28/2017..........4 - 4..........50.00%.........+1.77........6 - 7.........46.17%.......-1.70
05/27/2017..........2 - 4..........33.33%..........-1.15........4 - 4.........50.00%.......-0.40
05/26/2017..........2 - 4..........33.33%..........-1.50........7 - 7.........50.00%........-0.70
05/25/2017..........1 - 4..........20.00%..........-2.75........3 - 5.........37.50%........-2.50
05/23/2017..........2 - 7..........22.22%..........-3.78........5 - 7.........41.66%........-2.70
05/23/2017..........2 - 5..........28.57%..........-2.55........4 - 6.........40.00%........-2.60
05/22/2017..........4 - 1..........80.00%.........+4.10........4 - 4.........50.00%........-0.40
05/21/2017..........3 - 4..........42.85%..........-0,70........9 - 4.........69.23%........+4.60
05/20/2017..........4 - 4..........50.00%.........+1.60........9 - 6.........60.00%........+2.40
05/19/2017..........7 - 1..........87.50%.........+8.35........9 - 2.........81.81%........+6.90
05/18/2017..........2 - 3..........40.00%..........-0.75........2 - 7.........22.22%.........-5.50
05/17/2017..........1 - 3..........25.00%..........-1.85........4 - 4.........50.00%.........-0.40
05/16/2017..........1 - 2..........33.00%..........-0.95........4 - 4.........50.00%.........-0.40
05/12/2017..........2 - 3..........40.00%..........-0.25........4 - 10........40.00%.........-7.20
05/11/2017..........1 - 2..........33.33%..........-0.95........4 - 1..........80.00%.........+2.90
05/10/2017..........3 - 7..........30.00%..........-3.75........3 - 8..........37.50%.........-5.80
05/09/2017..........3 - 4..........42.85%..........-0.10........8 - 6.........57.44%.........+1,40
05/08/2017..........0 - 4..........00.00%..........-4.00........6 - 2.........75.00%.........+3.28
05/07/2017..........4 - 4..........50.00%.........+0.45........7 - 6.........53.84%.........+0.40
05/06/2017..........1 - 5..........20.00%..........-3.85.......10 - 5........66.66%.........+4.50
05/05/2017..........0 - 3..........00.00%..........-3.00........4 - 9..........30.76%.........- 5.90
05/04/2017..........3 - 4..........42.85%..........-0.80........4 - 7..........36.36%.........- 3.70
05/03/2017..........3 - 5..........37.50%..........-1.40........8 - 6..........57.44%.........+2.40
05/02/2017..........2 - 5..........28.57%.........- 2.70........9 - 6..........60.00%.........+ 3.30
05/01/2017..........4 - 2..........66.66 %.......+ 3.85........5 - 5..........50.00%.........- 0.50


Totals...............64 - 98.........39.50%.........- 16.14......148 - 146.........50.34%........- 14.02

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 30


Atlanta @ LA Angels

Game 929-930
May 30, 2017 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
(Colon) 11.956
LA Angels
(Brdwell) 15.431
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Angels
by 3 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Angels
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
LA Angels
N/A

Seattle @ Colorado

Game 927-928
May 30, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
(Miranda) 14.360
Colorado
(Andrson) 16.977
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-135
11
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-135); Under

Cincinnati @ Toronto

Game 925-926
May 30, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cincinnati
(Wjcchwski) 16.009
Toronto
(Happ) 15.192
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cincinnati
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
-175
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cincinnati
(+155); Under

Houston @ Minnesota

Game 923-924
May 30, 2017 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
(Fiers) 15.465
Minnesota
(Berrios) 16.830
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-125
9
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-125); Under

Tampa Bay @ Texas

Game 917-918
May 30, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
(Andriese) 16.744
Texas
(Mrtinez) 14.291
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-120
10
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-120); Under

Detroit @ Kansas City

Game 921-922
May 30, 2017 @ 8:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
(Verlnder) 16.079
Kansas City
(Skoglnd) 14.178
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
N/A

Boston @ Chicago White Sox

Game 919-920
May 30, 2017 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
(Sale) 17.357
Chicago White Sox
(Quntana) 14.355
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 3
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-175
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-175); Over

NY Yankees @ Baltimore

Game 915-916
May 30, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Severino) 15.164
Baltimore
(Tillman) 14.307
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Yankees
by 1
11
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Yankees
-130
9
Dunkel Pick:
NY Yankees
(-130); Over

Oakland @ Cleveland

Game 913-914
May 30, 2017 @ 6:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oakland
(Gray) 16.354
Cleveland
(Bauer) 14.195
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oakland
by 2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-160
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Oakland
(+140); Over

Washington @ San Francisco

Game 911-912
May 30, 2017 @ 10:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
(Gnzalez) 13.448
San Francisco
(Smrdzja) 15.370
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Francisco
by 2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Francisco
-120
8
Dunkel Pick:
San Francisco
(-120); Over

Chicago Cubs @ San Diego

Game 909-910
May 30, 2017 @ 10:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Cubs
(Butler) 15.297
San Diego
(Lamet) 13.805
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Cubs
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-135
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Cubs
(-135); Under

Milwaukee @ NY Mets

Game 907-908
May 30, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
(Davies) 14.636
NY Mets
(Pill) 15.874
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Mets
by 1
11
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Mets
-115
9
Dunkel Pick:
NY Mets
(-115); Over

LA Dodgers @ St. Louis

Game 905-906
May 30, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Dodgers
(Maeda) 15.302
St. Louis
(Wacha) 17.061
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-120
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+100); Under

Arizona @ Pittsburgh

Game 903-904
May 30, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
(Ray) 15.710
Pittsburgh
(Nova) 14.227
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arizona
-115
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(-115); Over

Philadelphia @ Miami

Game 901-902
May 30, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
(Velsquez) 15.623
Miami
(Niclino) 13.295
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 2 1/2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
-120
9
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+100); Over

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Tuesday, May 30

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

6:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oakland's last 12 games when playing Cleveland
Oakland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Cleveland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oakland

7:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 8 games
NY Yankees are 5-16 SU in their last 21 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Baltimore is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home

7:05 PM
ARIZONA vs. PITTSBURGH
Arizona is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Arizona
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona

7:05 PM
LA DODGERS vs. ST. LOUIS
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
LA Dodgers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

7:07 PM
CINCINNATI vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Cincinnati's last 14 games
Cincinnati is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

7:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Miami is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Miami's last 18 games when playing Philadelphia

7:10 PM
SEATTLE vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 9 games when playing Seattle

7:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. NY METS
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
NY Mets are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

8:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas
Texas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Texas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay

8:10 PM
BOSTON vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 12 games on the road
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi White Sox's last 9 games when playing Boston
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games

8:10 PM
HOUSTON vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston

8:15 PM
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Detroit is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Kansas City's last 22 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing Detroit

10:07 PM
ATLANTA vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
LA Angels are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

10:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. SAN DIEGO
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
San Diego is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing Chi Cubs

10:15 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
San Francisco is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington

[StarDust Bum]

Pro Baseball Trend Report

PHILADELPHIA (17 - 32) at MIAMI (19 - 30) - 7:10 PM
VINCENT VELASQUEZ (R) vs. JUSTIN NICOLINO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 6-20 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-21 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 389-343 (+52.3 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 40-43 (+16.9 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 49-55 (-14.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 17-27 (-14.8 Units) against the money line in home games in May games over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 12-23 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MIAMI is 15-25 (-11.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against MIAMI this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)
VINCENT VELASQUEZ vs. MIAMI since 1997
VELASQUEZ is 2-0 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 1.151.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.3 units)
JUSTIN NICOLINO vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
NICOLINO is 1-0 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 2.61 and a WHIP of 0.968.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.1 units)

ARIZONA (31 - 22) at PITTSBURGH (24 - 28) - 7:05 PM
ROBBIE RAY (L) vs. IVAN NOVA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
RAY is 26-45 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
RAY is 10-24 (-15.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PITTSBURGH is 614-545 (+64.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997.
ARIZONA is 31-22 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 25-13 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ARIZONA is 23-14 (+8.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 103-71 (+26.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 20-33 (-15.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 3-2 (+1.8 Units) against ARIZONA this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)
ROBBIE RAY vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
RAY is 0-2 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 7.50 and a WHIP of 2.000.
His team's record is 0-4 (-4.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-2. (-0.4 units)
IVAN NOVA vs. ARIZONA since 1997
NOVA is 1-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 4.09 and a WHIP of 1.727.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

LA DODGERS (32 - 20) at ST LOUIS (24 - 24) - 7:05 PM
KENTA MAEDA (R) vs. MICHAEL WACHA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 222-170 (-18.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 11-23 (-12.7 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 52-58 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 17-27 (-17.5 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 88-75 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 68-73 (-29.5 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 68-58 (-10.2 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 5-16 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 50-57 (-30.6 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 4-11 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 31-39 (-24.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 41-39 (-14.9 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 20-30 (-17.8 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 3-1 (+1.5 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)
KENTA MAEDA vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
MAEDA is 2-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.22 and a WHIP of 1.312.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)
MICHAEL WACHA vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
WACHA is 3-3 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.35 and a WHIP of 1.314.
His team's record is 4-3 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-3. (+1.2 units)

WASHINGTON (31 - 19) at SAN FRANCISCO (22 - 31) - 10:15 PM
GIO GONZALEZ (L) vs. JEFF SAMARDZIJA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
GONZALEZ is 7-14 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GONZALEZ is 2-9 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 34-22 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 1147-982 (+98.6 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 274-179 (+58.5 Units) against the money line in home games against left-handed starters since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 42-20 (+18.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 111-109 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 31-39 (-17.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SAMARDZIJA is 73-101 (-34.5 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 3-9 (-10.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 11-30 (-20.8 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 36-47 (-22.0 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 30-56 (-23.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)
GIO GONZALEZ vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
GONZALEZ is 4-4 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.215.
His team's record is 6-6 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-5. (+1.6 units)
JEFF SAMARDZIJA vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
SAMARDZIJA is 2-5 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.15 and a WHIP of 1.091.
His team's record is 2-5 (-2.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-3. (+0.3 units)

OAKLAND (22 - 28) at CLEVELAND (26 - 23) - 6:10 PM
SONNY GRAY (R) vs. TREVOR BAUER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 159-215 (-49.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 121-182 (-53.6 Units) against the money line in road games in May games since 1997.
OAKLAND is 45-75 (-24.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 72-37 (+22.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 10-13 (-12.3 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
CLEVELAND is 14-17 (-11.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against OAKLAND this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)
SONNY GRAY vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
GRAY is 2-1 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 2.59 and a WHIP of 1.085.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-1. (+1.8 units)
TREVOR BAUER vs. OAKLAND since 1997
BAUER is 0-1 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 2.89 and a WHIP of 1.393.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.3 units)

NY YANKEES (29 - 19) at BALTIMORE (26 - 23) - 7:05 PM
LUIS SEVERINO (R) vs. CHRIS TILLMAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 16-34 (-16.0 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 115-97 (+16.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 60-42 (+16.1 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 66-38 (+21.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 18-10 (+8.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
BALTIMORE is 49-27 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 82-66 (+14.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 65-49 (+16.0 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
TILLMAN is 24-11 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 61-36 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 13-3 (+11.7 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 77-56 (+26.3 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 62-43 (+22.5 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 11-4 (+9.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 62-53 (+13.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 4-3 (+1.0 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.9 Units)
LUIS SEVERINO vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
SEVERINO is 0-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.200.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-2. (-0.4 units)
CHRIS TILLMAN vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
TILLMAN is 8-6 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 4.63 and a WHIP of 1.552.
His team's record is 13-6 (+10.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-9. (-1.4 units)

TAMPA BAY (28 - 26) at TEXAS (25 - 27) - 8:05 PM
MATT ANDRIESE (R) vs. NICK MARTINEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 96-120 (-27.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 60-77 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 120-97 (+24.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 33-17 (+16.7 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 69-39 (+21.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 31-24 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 35-23 (+16.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 88-67 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 92-71 (+20.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 45-35 (+14.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 9-3 (+8.7 Units) against the money line in road games in May games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-0 (+1.4 Units) against TEXAS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)
MATT ANDRIESE vs. TEXAS since 1997
ANDRIESE is 0-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 6.28 and a WHIP of 1.605.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.5 units)
NICK MARTINEZ vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
MARTINEZ is 0-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 5.06 and a WHIP of 1.312.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

BOSTON (27 - 23) at CHI WHITE SOX (24 - 26) - 8:10 PM
CHRIS SALE (L) vs. JOSE QUINTANA (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SALE is 18-30 (-17.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 11-5 (+7.7 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
SALE is 22-5 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 1-0 (+1.5 Units) against BOSTON this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)
CHRIS SALE vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
No recent starts.
JOSE QUINTANA vs. BOSTON since 1997
QUINTANA is 3-0 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 2.87 and a WHIP of 0.979.
His team's record is 5-2 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-4. (-1.4 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Diamond Notes
May 30, 2017

Hottest team: Dodgers (5-0 past five games, 10-2 past 12 overall)

The Dodgers posted a 5-1 win on Memorial Day in St. Louis, picking up where they left off at home. They posted a three-game sweep of the defending champion Cubs, including two shutouts. They kicked off the five-game winning streak with a 7-3 win against these same Cardinals on May 25. L.A. took two of three from the Cardinals at Chavez Ravine, including a victory by Kenta Maeda against Michael Wacha. Those two are the probable starters for Tuesday's outing. The Dodgers have won each of Maeda's past four outings, while the Cardinals are 1-5 in their past six home outings and 1-4 in Wacha's past five starts.

Coldest team Cubs (0-4 past four games, 9-13 past 22 overall)

The defending champs have had a difficult time on their West Coast road trip, getting swept in Los Angeles and then dropping the opening game in San Diego on Memorial Day by a 5-2 count. Chalk eaters were muttering bad words about the Cubs after laying -215. Chicago has dropped each of their past four road games against a right-handed starter while going 1-6 in their past seven outings against teams with a win percentage under .400. Monday's loss was Chicago's first loss in San Diego in the past six trips to Petco Park. Despite the win by San Diego, the Padres are still just 8-17 in their past 25 overall and 4-10 over their past 14 home games.

Hottest pitcher: Chris Sale, Red Sox (5-2, 2.34 ERA)

Sale will work against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, in Tuesday's game at U.S. Cellular Field. He enters the game with the fourth-best ERA in the majors at 2.34, posting just 14 walks with a league-high 101 strikeouts over 73 innings across 10 starts. He has held the opposition to a .177 batting average with a 0.81 WHIP. He hasn't skipped a beat since moving from the Windy City to Beantown. The Red Sox have dropped four of their past five on the road, but they're 6-2 in their past eight outings and 4-1 in Sale's past five assignments. He catches his old teammates at a good time, as the Pale Hose have won just once over the past nine against teams with a winning record.

Coldest pitcher: Bartolo Colon, Braves (2-5, 6.96 ERA)

Colon appears to have reached the end of the road in his illustrious career, as the 44-year-old hasn't shown any signs of consistency. He enters with the highest ERA in the majors at 6.96, and he is coming off an awful outing against the Pirates on May 25 when he allowed seven runs and 10 hits over five innings. Since April 21 he is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA over the past six outings. The Braves doubled up the Mike Trout-less Angels by a 6-3 count at the Big A on Monday, and they're a respectable 6-3 over their past nine road outings.

Biggest UNDER run: Orioles (6-2 past eight games overall)

The O's picked up a 3-2 victory on Monday against the Yankees, as Dylan Bundy played the role as stopper and got his team back into the win column after a seven-game losing skid. The 'under' (9.5) easily cashed in that game, and has hit in four of the past five games in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was a rather surprising low-scoring game considering the first six meetings between these American League East rivals saw the 'over' cash. The 'under' is 7-1 in New York's past eight overall and 4-1 in their past five vs. RHP. However, the over is 6-2 in Luis Severino's past eight starts against divisional foes and 5-2 in his past seven against teams with a winning overall record.

Biggest OVER run: Pirates (5-1-1 past seven games overall)

The Pirates actually saw the 'under' cash in their past 4-3 win against the Diamondbacks on Monday, but the 'over' is 5-1-1 in their past seven games overall and 5-3-2 in their past 10 games at home. While the under is 3-1-1 in Nova's past five home starts against a team with a winning record and 5-2 in his past seven against National League West foes. However, the over is 6-2 in their past eight starts against left-handed starters and 10-4-3 in their past 17 following a victory.

Matchup to watch: Giants vs. Nationals

The Giants and Nationals played a rather testy game on Memorial Day, as the visitors picked up a 3-0 win. However, that wasn't the biggest story. Bryce Harper charged the mound in the eighth inning on Monday after being clipped on the right hip by a pitch. The two had a history, as Harper took him deep twice in the 2014 playoffs. Gio Gonzalez takes the hill for the Nats in the middle game, and hopefully cooler heads prevail. Gio hasn't won in five starts since flipping the calendar to May. He is 4-4 with a 2.94 ERA across 11 career starts against the Giants. He'll be opposed by Jeff Samardzija, who has struck out at least eight batters over each of his past five starts. After a dismal start to the season he has pieced it together for a 2.89 ERA over the past six outings, chopping his ERA down from 7.40 to 4.50 since April 23.

Betcha didn’t know: The Astros entered the eighth inning in Monday's game down 8-2, but they ripped off 11 runs against the Twins bullpen in that frame before posting three more in the ninth. They finished by doubling up the Twins by a 16-8 count. The Astros were 0-659 in franchise history when trailing by six or more runs heading into the eighth inning, so perhaps this is Houston's year. They'll turn to Mike Fiers to keep it going. He is 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA over six starts and one relief appearance against the Twins in his career. If he is to be successful, though, he will need to keep the ball in the yard. He is tied for the major league lead with 18 homers allowed.

Biggest public favorite: Blue Jays (-175) vs. Reds

Biggest public underdog: Nationals (+120) at Giants

Biggest line move: Padres (+145 to +125) vs. Cubs

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Best Bet
May 30, 2017

Tuesday MLB Betting Preview
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres

Sportsbook.ag Odds: Chicago (-150), San Diego (+135); Total set at 8.5

The defending champion Chicago Cubs have not had a fun time out West so far on this road trip as they are 0-4 SU and have scored a grand total of six runs in the four contests.

It's been tough kicking that championship hangover for the Cubs in 2017, as last night's 5-2 defeat put them back down to the .500 mark on the year (25-25 SU).

Yet, there is still plenty of baseball left to go in the season for Chicago to kick it in full gear, and maybe we as bettors should excuse them a little while longer for that championship hangover; when you party like you haven't in over 100 years, it's going to take some time for the euphoria to fade away.

Odds per - Sportsbook.ag

Best Bet: Chicago Cubs ML (-150)

The Cubs are always going to be a popular money line play every time they step on the field, so looking at the betting percentages isn't going to help you much. For Cubs wagers, it's all about discrepancies in the line and situational handicapping.

Starting Eddie Butler for the fourth time this year and hoping he can help stop the Cubs four-game slide may not seem like the best situation to lay juice on the Cubs, but this is the Padres after all. Oh, and the Padres are sending out a guy for only his second career start in Dinelson Lamet who should have his hands full with this loaded Cubs roster.

Even with the .500 record on the season, Chicago has not had a losing streak of longer than four games all year. They have lost four in a row two other times prior to this current occurrence, and in each previous case the losing stopped in Game 5. It's been the Cubs offense that has been the problem of late, but those issues aren't going to last long when they do pop up throughout the year.

Chicago is so deep 1-through-8 in their order that their ability to not rely heavily on a guy or two in the middle of their order on a nightly basis is one of their greatest strengths. It's always tough to get a whole team in a slump, which is what the Cubs have to feel like they are in now, but for them all it takes is for one or two guys anywhere in the order to get things going and things tend to follow suit. They get a young pitcher who's never faced a loaded lineup like this, and if the Cubs don't get to Lamet early, it would be quite surprising.

On the other side of things is Eddie Butler and he's more than capable of halting this losing streak for Chicago. Since being inserted as the fifth starter in Chicago's rotation, Butler has actually pitched pretty well with a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings of work, and will be looking for more of the same.

His past against the Padres don't exactly spark confidence as the Padres beat up on him once last year and once in 2015 when Butler was a member of the Rockies, but he's got much more help around him now, and his teammates definitely don't want to see this stretch of futility run to five.

With a starting pitcher with a rough history against this opponent, the Cubs on the losing end of things these days, and San Diego on a winning streak, the -150 line does have 5-10 cents of value still sitting there. With that bit of value and a situation where the Cubs need to bounce back in a big way, laying this price with the defending champs shouldn't be a huge concern at all.

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Tuesday
May 30, 2017


TOP SU TREND

-- The Padres are 0-17 since Jul 05, 2014 as a home dog of less than +200 when they have won at least two straight games and their opponent has lost at least two straight games.


TOP OU TREND

-- The Rangers are 0-14 OU (-2.89 ppg) since Aug 16, 2014 as a home dog past the first game of a series where they struck out their opponent at least ten times last game.

TOP STARTER TREND

-- The Giants are 0-10 OU (-3.25 ppg) since Aug 10, 2016 when Jeff Samardzija starts after going 6+ innings and allowing 6 or fewer hits in his last start.

TOP CHOICE TREND

-- The Phillies are 0-16 since Sep 11, 2016 on the road after their opponent scored first in their last game.

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MAY 30

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

OAK at CLE 06:10 PM

OAK +155

U 9.0

LAD at STL 07:05 PM

STL +105

U 8.0

NYY at BAL 07:05 PM

U 8.5

ARI at PIT 07:05 PM

U 8.5

CIN at TOR 07:07 PM

CIN +170

MIL at NYM 07:10 PM

MIL +100

O 9.0

PHI at MIA 07:10 PM

PHI +105

U 9.0

SEA at COL 07:10 PM

U 11.0

TB at TEX 08:05 PM

U 10.0

BOS at CHW 08:10 PM

CHW +145

O 7.5

HOU at MIN 08:10 PM

O 9.0

DET at KC 08:15 PM

KC +120

U 9.0

ATL at LAA 10:07 PM

O 8.5

CHC at SD 10:10 PM

SD +120

U 8.5

WAS at SF 10:15 PM

U 8.0

[StarDust Bum]

Baseball Capsules
May 30, 2017

CHICAGO (AP) Chris Sale made a shaky return to his former home, but Deven Marrero hit two of Boston's season-high six home runs and the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 13-7 on Tuesday night.

Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland also went deep. The Red Sox won for the seventh time in nine games after an anticipated duel between aces never materialized.

Sale (6-2) got a warm reception from the crowd and a rude welcome from his old team. The five-time All-Star gave up six runs and 10 hits - both season highs - over five innings in his first appearance against the White Sox.

Chicago left-hander Jose Quintana (2-7) got pounded for seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. It was his shortest outing since he lasted one inning against the New York Yankees on Sept. 2, 2013.

DODGERS 9, CARDINALS 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Chase Utley, Logan Forsythe and Chris Taylor combined to reach base 11 times and totaled six runs, helping the Dodgers rally for their sixth straight win.

Utley finished a homer shy of the cycle. Forsythe reached five times, including three walks, and Taylor reached three times.

Adrian Gonzalez's sacrifice fly and Utley's RBI double started the Dodgers comeback in the third. Enrique Hernandez tied it at 3 with a single, and Paul DeJong's throwing error on the same play scored Utley to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.

Brandon Morrow (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Michael Wacha (2-3) needed 77 pitches to get through three innings, the shortest outing for a St. Louis starter this season. The Cardinals have dropped 10 of 13.

ANGELS 9, BRAVES 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Albert Pujols hit his 599th career homer during the Angels' nine-run third inning.

Pujols moved to the brink of his latest milestone with a three-run homer off Bartolo Colon (2-6) early in the Angels' biggest one-inning rally of the season.

The 37-year-old slugger has homered in back-to-back games for the first time this season. He will be the ninth player in baseball history, and the fourth-youngest, to reach 600 homers with his next shot.

Parker Bridwell (1-0) earned his first major league victory, pitching six-hit ball into the seventh inning.

Matt Kemp and Tyler Flowers homered for the Braves.

PADRES 6, CUBS 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Austin Hedges homered and drove in four runs, and the Padres handed the Cubs their fifth straight loss.

Hedges hit a two-run homer and a two-run double as the Padres clinched the three-game series against the struggling Cubs. Rookie Dinelson Lamet (2-0), one of San Diego's top prospects, struck out eight while pitching five innings of two-run ball.

Kyle Schwarber homered for Chicago, and Eddie Butler (2-1) allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

INDIANS 9, ATHLETICS 4

CLEVELAND (AP) - Trevor Bauer struck out an AL-best 14 in seven innings, leading Cleveland to the win.

Bauer's career-best strikeout total was one shy of this season's major league-high of 15 by Washington's Stephen Strasburg against San Diego on Saturday.

Bauer (5-4) allowed three runs and seven hits with one walk. Four Cleveland pitchers combined to strike out 19, tying a franchise record for a nine-inning game.

Rookie Bradley Zimmer had a career-high four RBIs for the Indians, hitting a two-run double in the fourth and a two-run homer in the eighth.

Sonny Gray (2-2) allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings for Oakland, which dropped a season-high seven games below .500.

YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 3

BALTIMORE (AP) - Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday each homered twice, Aaron Judge drove in two runs and the Yankees received a solid pitching performance from Luis Severino.

Gardner set the tone for the AL East leaders by connecting on the third pitch from Chris Tillman (1-2), who had not allowed a home run in his previous four starts this season.

Holliday went deep in the first inning and again in the third for his 22nd career multihomer game. Gardner's second solo shot sparked a three-run fourth that made it 8-0.

Severino (4-2) gave up one run and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Trey Mancini had three hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who have lost eight of nine and 14 of 18.

METS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGS

NEW YORK (AP) - Jay Bruce lined a game-ending single in the 12th inning and the Mets rebounded to beat the Brewers 5-4 after shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera allowed the tying runs to score in the seventh when he flubbed a bases-loaded popup with two outs.

Wily Peralta (5-4) pitched a perfect 11th in his fourth relief outing since he was dropped from Milwaukee's rotation in mid-May, but then allowed a single to pinch hitter T.J. Rivera leading off the 12th. Michael Conforto walked and Jose Reyes grounded into a forceout that left runners at the corners.

With the infield at double-play depth, Bruce singled up the middle to end a game that lasted 4 hours, 24 minutes.

Josh Smoker (1-2) pitched three scoreless innings in New York's third straight win.

The NL Central-leading Brewers lost for the seventh time in nine games.

MARLINS 7, PHILLIES 2

MIAMI (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton hit his third homer since moving into the No. 2 spot in the batting order, a change that has revived Miami, which won its third game in a row.

Marcell Ozuna also homered for the Marlins, whose modest winning streak is their longest since mid-April.

Stanton hit a two-run homer, his 14th, in a five-run third. Since he moved up to the No. 2 spot, Stanton is 12 for 29 (.414) with three homers and seven RBIs in seven games, and the Marlins are 5-2 while outscoring opponents 48-22.

Both starting pitchers departed with injuries. Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (2-5) left in the second inning because of a right elbow flexor strain, and Marlins left-hander Justin Nicolino exited after three scoreless innings due to a bruised left index finger.

Dustin McGowan (2-0) replaced Nicolino and allowed one run in three innings.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, PIRATES 0

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray pitched a four-hitter in his first career complete game.

Ray (5-3) struck out 10, walked none and threw 115 pitches. The left-hander set a career high by winning his third straight start and has pitched 23 2/3 scoreless innings during that run, all on the road, while also beating the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.

Chris Owings snapped a scoreless tie with a double in the sixth inning, and the Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak.

Ivan Nova (5-4) allowed three runs in seven innings, losing for the just the second time in nine starts.

ROYALS 1, TIGERS 0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Eric Skoglund pitched 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in his major league debut, helping the Royals beat Justin Verlander and the Tigers.

Skoglund, a 2014 third-round draft pick out of Central Florida, struck out five and walked one. The left-hander was promoted from Triple-A Omaha when the Royals placed Danny Duffy on the disabled list Monday with an oblique strain.

Verlander (4-4) left after seven innings, allowing one run and six hits. He struck out five and walked one.

Eric Hosmer hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth for Kansas City, and Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 14 opportunities.

MARINERS 10, ROCKIES 4

DENVER (AP) - Kyle Seager homered and drove in four runs for Seattle, and Robinson Cano also connected.

Jean Segura had four hits and Ariel Miranda (5-2) pitched five solid innings to help the Mariners sweep two games in Denver. It was just the Rockies' third loss in 17 series and first since April 24-27 against Washington. They also fell out of first place in the NL West, dropping a half-game behind the streaking Dodgers.

Ben Gamel, who replaced slugger Nelson Cruz in the second inning, and Guillermo Heredia each had three of Seattle's season-high 19 hits.

The Mariners jumped on Rockies lefty Tyler Anderson (3-5). Seager hit a two-run homer in a three-run second, and his two-run double in the third helped the Mariners go up 6-0.

RANGERS 9, RAYS 5

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Elvis Andrus had a career-high five RBIs for Texas, including a tying three-run homer in the seventh inning.

Andrus' two-out drive deep into the visiting bullpen ended a stretch of five scoreless innings from the Tampa Bay bullpen after Matt Andriese left in the second with a mild groin strain.

Jared Hoying's liner off the top of the wall in right came with the bases loaded and one out in a four-run eighth against Chase Whitley (1-1), breaking a 5-5 tie. After a sacrifice fly from Shin-Soo Choo, Andrus' single to left scored two more.

Keone Kela (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth, and closer Matt Bush had a perfect ninth in a non-save situation.

BLUE JAYS 6, REDS 4

TORONTO (AP) - Kendrys Morales hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning for Toronto, and Josh Donaldson belted an upper-deck drive.

All six Toronto runs came on homers. Jose Bautista and Russell Martin also connected for the Blue Jays, who have hit 47 homers in May.

Cincinnati's Zack Cozart hit two solo home runs and Joey Votto had a third.

Morales broke a 4-all tie with a two-run blast off Blake Wood (0-3), his 10th.

Joe Smith (1-0) worked one inning for the win and Roberto Osuna finished for his 10th save. Toronto has won seven of eight.

ASTROS 7, TWINS 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jose Altuve had four hits and two RBIs, Mike Fiers struck out eight over six innings in his bid to retain a spot in Houston's banged-up rotation, and the major league-leading Astros earned their sixth straight victory.

Alex Bregman homered and drove in two runs, providing further support for Fiers (2-2) in his best of 10 starts this season.

Fiers fell behind 2-0 in the first when Eddie Rosario drew a bases-loaded walk and Byron Buxton followed with an infield single, but Astros hacked their way back against Jose Berrios (3-1).

Buxton had two hits and drove in a run. Berrios gave up five hits and four walks in five innings, the shortest of his four starts this year.