The Bum's June MLB POD'S and Stats,News !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (28-41) at Phillies (35-38)
Game: 2
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: June 22, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


Though his win streak came to an end his last time out, Dillon Gee has settled into a rhythm after an inconsistent first two months of the season.

Now he returns to Citizens Bank Park, the site of one of his worst career starts from earlier this season.

Gee will try to banish those memories Saturday as he gets the ball for the New York Mets against the Philadelphia Phillies.

After going 2-6 with a 6.34 ERA over his first 10 starts, Gee (5-7, 4.56 ERA) has since gone 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA in four outings. The right-hander was two outs shy of recording his first career shutout Monday in Atlanta before serving up a game-ending two-run homer to Freddie Freeman. He allowed four hits and walked one batter prior to the home run.

"It's tough after something like this to be pleased," he told the team's official website. "To go out there and have an opportunity to throw a complete game and get a win for the team, it's tough to be pleased if we lose. And we lost. That's the bottom line."

Included in Gee's rocky start to the year was an atrocious outing at Philadelphia on April 9. He served up solo homers to Ryan Howard, Michael Young and John Mayberry in the third - the final inning in the shortest start of his career - and was charged with seven runs and 10 hits in an 8-3 loss.

Gee had given up as many home runs combined over his first five career starts against the Phillies (35-39).

"He'd miss his target by two feet," manager Terry Collins said. "It was just one of those nights for him."

Gee was marginally better in a 4-0 home loss to Philadelphia on April 26, yielding four runs and seven hits over six innings. In eight games - seven starts - versus Philadelphia, Gee is 2-3 with a 7.49 ERA - his worst ERA against any team's he's faced more than once.

Jimmy Rollins, who owns an 12-game hitting streak versus the Mets (29-41) after going 2 for 5 in Friday's 4-3 loss, is 8 for 13 versus Gee. Young is 6 for 8 with two homers against him and all four of Howard's hits off Gee in 12 at_bats are home runs.

Howard doubled twice Friday while Young went 0 for 5.

Phillies rookie Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.40) comes off his worst start of the season as he was charged with seven runs and 10 hits in three innings in a 10-5 loss at Colorado last Saturday. All three of the right-hander's losses have come in his last four starts, over which he's posted a 6.98 ERA.

Pettibone earned his first win at New York on April 27, when he gave up three runs over five innings in a 9-4 final.

Chase Utley wasn't much help in Friday's defeat, going hitless in five at_bats while playing for the first time since May 20 after missing 28 games with a strained oblique. Utley, who stranded five men on base, is 3 for 13 off Gee.

The Mets had dropped five straight and nine of 10 to the Phillies prior to Friday's victory.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Mets at Phillies
Fri, Jun 21 Final 4 to 3

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Mets at Phillies
Sat, Jun 22 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Mets at Phillies
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (28-46) at Cubs (29-42)
Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: June 22, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


The good news for Bud Norris and Travis Wood on Saturday is that they both can't lose.

The Houston Astros will try to at long last pick up a decent amount of runs for Norris and the Chicago Cubs hope to do the same for Wood as these clubs square off at Wrigley Field.

Both beleaguered starters enter having lost three straight starts despite pitching fairly well.

Houston's offense has simply been inconsistent. The Astros (28-47) entered this week on a four-game winning streak but have since alternated wins and losses, with four runs over three defeats and 17 runs in two victories. The one thing that has been steady during that nine-game span is superb pitching, recording a 2.11 ERA with 77 strikeouts compared to 19 walks.

Norris (5-7, 3.64 ERA) has not benefited from the explosive side of Houston's offense virtually all season, receiving 35 runs of support in 15 starts. The right-hander has only one win in his last six starts despite a 2.27 ERA.

A big reason Norris has lost his last three outings is the Astros scoring a combined three runs in those games. He held the Chicago White Sox scoreless until surrendering four runs in his sixth and final inning Monday in a 4-2 loss.

"I felt a lot of those balls could have gone my way," Norris said. "I was in a groove, and that sixth inning was very frustrating."

Wood (5-6, 2.74) certainly has reason to feel frustrated this month, losing all three of his starts while getting a combined two runs of support. He has a 2.70 ERA in June - the Cubs (30-42) have scored a major league-low 61 runs for the month - and has held opponents to a .205 batting average.

The left-hander surrendered four runs - three earned - in seven innings of a 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Monday.

"Just wasn't enough really," Wood said. "I felt like I was making pitches and keeping them off balance pretty good. ... They hit some good pitches and they did what they did."

Facing the Astros and being at home certainly could benefit Wood. He has a 0.92 ERA in his last six starts against Houston while going 3-1, and opponents are hitting .194 off him at Wrigley this year.

The matchup doesn't appear as favorable for Norris, who is 1-4 with a 6.93 ERA in his last five road starts and 0-3 with a 6.10 ERA in day games. He's lost three of four career starts at Wrigley.

While left-handed batters are batting .317 off Norris, they're hitting .143 against Wood.

Carlos Pena has never faced Wood, and the lefty-hitting first baseman is batting .123 over his last 17 games with 20 strikeouts.

His .219 batting average is now the lowest among Houston's regulars after Chris Carter reached .221 with his third two-hit effort in five games Friday in a 3-1 loss to the Cubs.

Carter delivered his team-leading 15th home run but also struck out with a man on base in the ninth inning for his major league-high 105th strikeout.

"That's what makes you stick with him because we see the power potential and we understand that when it clicks and it all comes together we have something that is really special," manager Bo Porter said.

That's what the Cubs feel they have in Anthony Rizzo, who broke a 4-for-40 slump with two hits Friday and notched his first home run since May 18.

Rizzo is batting .378 with 13 RBIs in interleague play this season as the Cubs have gone 7-2. They've batted .299 with 14 home runs in those matchups.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Astros at Cubs
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 3

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Astros at Cubs
Sat, Jun 22 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Astros at Cubs
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:20PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Braves (43-31) at Brewers (29-42)
Game: 2
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 22, 2013 4:10 PM EDT


Though it's been seven weeks since Tim Hudson last earned a victory, he's often been deserving of a better outcome.

The 15-year veteran tries to avoid the longest winless stretch of his career as the Atlanta Braves look to halt a seven-game road losing streak to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Hudson (4-6, 4.17 ERA) has had a rough go of late, compiling an 0-5 record and a 4.47 ERA over his last eight outings while receiving just 10 runs of support. The right-hander, whose only other winless streak to last this long was an eight-start stretch in 2002, owns a 1.57 ERA in four outings this month.

"I feel good about how I'm throwing the ball," Hudson told MLB's official website. "If I keep throwing it the way I'm throwing, the wins will come."

He allowed one run over seven innings Monday in a 2-1 walkoff victory over the New York Mets.

"Hudson did his job, he really did," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We can't ask any more from him."

Hudson is 4-4 with a 3.30 ERA over 10 career matchups versus Milwaukee. He gave up four runs over 6 2-3 innings in his only start against the Brewers last year, a 5-0 road loss Sept. 11.

Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt are a combined 0 for 11 versus Hudson, but Rickie Weeks has a homer, a triple and a double in his last six at_bats against him.

The Brewers (30-42) took Friday's series opener 2-0 behind seven strong innings from Wily Peralta and Jean Segura's three hits, including his 11th homer. Milwaukee has outscored the Braves 29-9 during a seven-game winning streak at Miller Park.

Loser in four of five overall, Atlanta (43-32) was limited to two singles en route to being shut out for a major league-high 10th time. The Braves are hitting .172 with runners in scoring position in June, including 1 for 8 on Friday.

"A couple of times tonight we could have used that one hit," second baseman Dan Uggla said. "We had a couple of opportunities here and there. We need to start taking advantage of those."

The Braves have dropped a season worst-tying four straight on the road, where they are 11-21 since April 19.

"It's just part of the game," said B.J. Upton, hitting a major league-low .171. "You play long enough you are going to get in stretches like this. Just got to find a way. We are a good enough ballclub. We'll be fine."

With Marco Estrada and Hiram Burgos still sidelined, the Brewers give the ball to rookie Donovan Hand (0-0, 3.38) for his first big league start. The right-hander has allowed six runs over eight relief appearances spanning 13 1-3 innings.

"I'm going to go out like I'm the long guy in the bullpen, which I've done. I'll go out until they tell me to stop," he said. "It's an opportunity, if nothing else to go out and work on some pitches. Get off to a good start with two good innings, three good innings and see what happens after that."

Betancourt, held out of Friday's starting lineup before flying out as a pinch hitter, is 6 for his last 49 with 13 strikeouts. Weeks is batting .352 with three homers while hitting safely in 15 consecutive starts, but he's sat out the last two games.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Braves at Brewers
Fri, Jun 21 Final 0 - 2

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Braves at Brewers
Sat, Jun 22 - 4:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Braves at Brewers
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (44-31) at Tigers (40-31)
Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: June 22, 2013 7:15 PM EDT


The Detroit Tigers' Max Scherzer joined some elite company following another superb performance his last time out.

He could, however, have his hands full against a Boston Red Sox team that's given him trouble over the years.

Scherzer tries to stay unbeaten as the Tigers continue a four-game set against the visiting Red Sox on Saturday night.

Second in the AL in opponents' batting average (.189) and strikeouts (116), Scherzer (10-0, 3.08 ERA) had everything working again Monday. The right-hander allowed one run and struck out 10 over six innings in a 5-1 win over Baltimore.

"He's at the top of his game pretty much," manager Jim Leyland said.

Scherzer became the first starter to win his first 10 decisions since Roger Clemens went 11-0 with Toronto in 1997. He's also the first to record at least six strikeouts in each of his first 14 outings since Pedro Martinez did so with Boston in 2001.

"That tickles me when you say those type of names," he said.

Scherzer wrote his name into the team record books, too, becoming the second Tigers starter to go 10-0. George Mullin opened a franchise-best 11-0 in 1909.

"You have to savor this a little bit because of the history of this organization," Scherzer, who's posted a 1.93 ERA over his last six outings, told MLB's official website. "It's special to be 10-0. But at the end of the day, I don't measure my success on being 10-0. I measure my success on everything else I do on the mound."

Though he isn't showing any signs of slowing down, Scherzer could run into trouble against the Red Sox (45-31). He's 1-3 over six starts versus Boston while compiling a 9.21 ERA, by far his highest against any team he's faced more than once.

David Ortiz is 6 for 10 with two homers against Scherzer, and Dustin Pedroia has also taken him deep twice. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury are a combined 8 for 15 with two home runs.

The Red Sox had a big day at the plate Friday, winning 10-6 behind 17 hits. Shane Victorino, who went 4 for 5 with a homer and tied a career high with five RBIs, is 11 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs in five career games against the Tigers (40-32).

"They're a good lineup - put the ball in play and did what they needed to do to put up runs," losing pitcher Doug Fister said.

Miguel Cabrera went 4 for 4 with a three-run homer for Detroit, which has dropped three of four while surrendering 50 hits and 31 runs. Cabrera is 14 for 28 with two homers during a seven-game hitting streak.

The Tigers try to bounce back against Allen Webster (0-1, 11.74), who's expected to be recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. He gave up eight runs in 1 2-3 innings during his second big league outing, a 15-8 loss to Minnesota on May 8.

"He got predictable against a good fastball-hitting team," manager John Farrell said. "I think he learned an important lesson, or at least one challenging experience, that I'm sure served him well as he continues to develop."

The right-hander went 4-1 with a 3.16 ERA over his last six starts with Pawtucket.

"Much better command (of late)," Farrell added. "And particularly to his fastball. He's worked deeper into games. He's been a little bit more efficient. ... We're looking forward to seeing him here Saturday."

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Tigers
Thu, Jun 20 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Red Sox at Tigers
Fri, Jun 21 Final 10 to 6

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 3
Red Sox at Tigers
Sat, Jun 22 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 4
Red Sox at Tigers
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:08PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rangers (41-32) at Cardinals (47-26)
Game: 2
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: June 22, 2013 7:15 PM EDT


The St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers will both send rookie hurlers to the mound on Saturday night at Busch Stadium, though each has followed a very different path.

St. Louis' Shelby Miller has firmly entrenched himself in the Cardinals' rotation as he ranks among baseball's best pitchers this year. Texas' Martin Perez likely needs to impress in his second start of the season to gain some staying power with his club.

Friday marked these teams' first meeting since St. Louis' seven-game victory in the 2011 World Series. While the stakes were much lower, this time it was the Rangers (42-32) using some late-game heroics to upend the Cardinals (47-27), with Nelson Cruz's two-run single in the ninth inning proving to be the difference in a 6-4 victory.

"Obviously, there are memories of the stadium and memories of the field and stuff like that, but this is a different year and we're trying to win a series and continue to play good baseball," Texas' Ian Kinsler said of the team's first trip back to St. Louis.

The Rangers, who trailed 3-0 before recording an out, chased Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons after 1 2-3 innings. Similar success against Miller (8-4, 2.08 ERA) should prove to be much more difficult, as he leads all rookies in wins and owns one of baseball's best ERAs.

Though Saturday marks his first outing against an AL opponent, Miller has been especially reliable in Busch Stadium, going 5-1 in seven starts with a 0.99 ERA - one of the top three home marks among all qualifying starting pitchers.

He was on his way to another strong showing Monday, yielding two hits through five scoreless innings against the Cubs. Miller then left due to cramps in his right leg, though he earned the victory in St. Louis' 5-2 win.

"He did a great job," manager Mike Matheny said of Miller's shortened outing, the fifth time this season he didn't surrender a run. "Had a little warning there that his calf had tightened up (and) we didn't know exactly what we were dealing with. We found out it's just a cramp. He should be fine."

Miller, whose 10.01 strikeouts per nine innings rank among baseball's elite, appeared to have learned his lesson immediately after the game.

"I know I wasn't taking care of myself fluid-wise, drinking enough electrolytes," he told the team's official website. "It's something I need to start staying on top of and making it part of my routine."

Perez (0-1, 5.06) will be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to make his eighth major league start. Touted as one of the organization's best young arms, the left-hander was 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA in 12 games - six starts - last season.

He vied for a spot in Texas' rotation out of spring training but a broken arm suffered March 4 sidelined him for nearly two months. Perez wasn't sharp in his first start for the Rangers this year, giving up four runs - three earned - and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings in a 5-3 loss at Arizona on May 27.

Manager Ron Washington said he preferred for Perez to focus on Saturday, while the 22-year-old Venezuelan sounded ready for that and more.

"I think this is my time," Perez told the team's official website. "I just need the opportunity to do the job, and I think people will see what I can do to help this team."

The Cardinals are 4-2 this season in games against rookie starters while the Rangers are 4-5.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rangers at Cardinals
Fri, Jun 21 Final 6 to 4

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Rangers at Cardinals
Sat, Jun 22 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 3
Rangers at Cardinals
Sun, Jun 23 - 8:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Twins (33-36) at Indians (36-35)
Game: 2
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: June 22, 2013 7:15 PM EDT


Following an abysmal stretch from their starting pitchers, the Cleveland Indians' rotation has been superb over the past week.

Corey Kluber has been instrumental to the turnaround.

Kluber looks to win three consecutive starts for the first time in his career and lead the Indians to a fourth straight win Saturday night against the visiting Minnesota Twins.

After their starters posted a 7.59 ERA during an eight-game losing streak, the Indians (37-35) have won seven of nine behind a starting staff that has accumulated a 2.21 ERA. Scott Kazmir went seven innings Friday and Cleveland held a Minnesota team that entered having amassed 22 runs over a three-game winning streak to five hits in a 5-1 victory.

"You can look at it one of two ways,' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We wasted an opportunity or he made pitches when he had to. By the look of the whole work tonight, he made pitches when he had to.'

Perhaps no Indians pitcher has been hotter than Kluber (5-4, 3.58 ERA), who helped the Indians snap their losing streak by allowing one run over eight innings in a 5-2 victory over Texas on June 11. Five days later, the right-hander allowed seven hits without a walk over eight innings in a 2-0 victory over Washington.

"You just have to stay in the moment, so I take it pitch by pitch,' said Kluber, who has issued six base on balls over his last seven starts. "I'm not thinking too far ahead. I'm not thinking if I can get a double play here or a strikeout there. Those things happen as a result of making good pitches.'

Although Kluber has an exceptional rate of 1.65 walks per nine innings pitched, he issued a season-high four base on balls and three runs over 5 2-3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Twins (33-37) on May 5. He walked Joe Mauer twice and Trevor Plouffe connected off him for a two-run homer.

Plouffe had two hits Friday, and is batting .364 (8 for 22) with six RBIs in six games since coming off the disabled list with a strained left calf.

Jason Kipnis led Cleveland in the series opener with three RBIs, and is batting .355 with 12 RBIs in 18 games this month. He is also 3 for 6 lifetime against scheduled starter P.J. Walters (2-2, 3.23).

After posting a 0.68 ERA in his first two June starts, Walters permitted four runs and nine hits - including two homers - in 5 1-3 innings in Sunday's 5-2 loss at Detroit.

"I'd make a good pitch, then back it up with two bad ones. It was just all day long. Not locating the ball,' the right-hander said.

In two career starts against the Indians - both in Cleveland - Walters has a 5.79 ERA without a decision.

Kluber's victory over the Nationals on Sunday marked his first career win in Cleveland, despite a 2.74 ERA at Progressive Field this season. He has received four total runs of support in four home starts this year.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Twins at Indians
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 5

Boxscores • Recaps
GAME 2
Twins at Indians
Sat, Jun 22 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 3
Twins at Indians
Sun, Jun 23 - 1:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Marlins (24-49) at Giants (37-36)
Game: 3
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: June 22, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


Three days after the death of his father, Barry Zito will take the mound as scheduled for the struggling San Francisco Giants.

The left-hander looks to help the Giants avoid a 10th consecutive home loss to the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

Grieving for his 84-year-old father, Joseph, who passed away in California on Wednesday, Zito (4-5, 4.67 ERA) won't veer from his schedule and remains in position to make this start.

"His routine will remain the same," manager Bruce Bochy told the Giants' official website. "There's nothing that's going to change, right now. He's scheduled to go."

Zito is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA in eight starts against the Marlins.

However, he's 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA in his last four home starts after going 3-0 with an 0.55 ERA in his first five. He allowed two runs and struck out eight in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-3, 13-inning home loss to San Diego on Monday.

San Francisco (37-36) has lost 21 of 35 and fell for the fifth time in seven games, 6-3 to Miami on Friday.

Though the Marlins (24-49) own the majors' worst record, they've won eight of 13 overall and have outscored the Giants 34-16 during their remarkable nine-game winning streak at AT&T Park.

The Marlins can't put a finger on the reason for their success at San Francisco.

"I don't know, I'm a baseball player not a sociologist,' Miami's Logan Morrison said.

Rookie outfielder Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead single in the eighth after tying it with a run-scoring single in the sixth Friday. He also threw out San Francisco's Andres Torres trying to stretch a sixth-inning double into a triple.

Morrison homered for the first time this season. He's batting .333 (9 for 27) with three RBIs in eight games since making his season debut June 9 from knee surgery.

Scheduled Miami starter Jacob Turner (1-0, 2.16) overcame six hits and three walks by yielding two runs on 96 pitches over five innings while not factoring in the decision of a 3-2 win at Arizona on Monday.

"Unfortunately, my pitch count was elevated quickly, but being able to limit them to two runs with all the baserunners they had was key for us," Turner told the Marlins' official website after making his fourth start since being called up May 31.

The right-hander is making his first appearance against the Giants, but likely won't face Torres after he injured his knee Friday.

San Francisco is already without third baseman Pablo Sandoval (foot) and outfielder Angel Pagan (hamstring), but hopes to have shortstop Brandon Crawford back after he missed the first two games of this set with two sprained fingers.

"It feels a little better, but not quite where I want it to be," Crawford said.

"It still doesn't feel good when I'm throwing,' he said. 'I don't have much behind it.'

With three hits Friday, San Francisco's Gregor Blanco is batting .400 (22 for 55) in his last 16 games. He hitting .477 (21 for 44) in his last 12 against the Marlins.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Marlins at Giants
Thu, Jun 20 Final 2 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Marlins at Giants
Fri, Jun 21 Final 6 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Marlins at Giants
Sat, Jun 22 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Marlins at Giants
Sun, Jun 23 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rays (38-36) at Yankees (40-33)
Game: 3
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 22, 2013 1:05 PM EDT


Alex Colome may have been fortunate to face baseball's lowest-scoring team in his first major league start.

Now, more than three weeks later, the Tampa Bay Rays rookie takes on another slumping lineup but also the sport's most storied franchise as he pitches against the New York Yankees on Saturday in the Bronx.

Colome (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is being brought back up from Triple-A Durham to fill in for Alex Cobb, who remains sidelined due to a concussion.

In his big league debut, Colome held Miami, which has scored a big league-low 3.1 runs per game, to an unearned run in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 road victory May 30. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out seven, walked two and allowed five hits.

"I was most impressed with his ability to stay calm throughout the whole thing, but his stuff is a little bit overwhelming. It's really good," manager Joe Maddon said.

In his second start, Colome will look to do the same against a Yankees squad that has scored 63 runs in June, tied for third-fewest in baseball. They've hit .209 with four homers in the last 13 games.

Still, New York (40-33) showed signs of breaking out in Friday's 6-2 victory over the Rays. In just his third major league game and his first start, left fielder Zoilo Almonte went 3 for 4 with a homer.

"It was a sign that things are starting to be where they should be," Almonte said through a translator.

Lyle Overbay, meanwhile, had his first multihit game of the month and has hit safely in five straight games following a 9-for-52 slump. After going 10 contests without an RBI, Overbay has four in his last five games.

While Colome seeks his second major league win, Yankees starter CC Sabathia (7-5, 3.93) is two shy of 200. He picked up his 198th victory Sunday as he gave up five hits and two runs in eight innings of a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Sabathia has been particularly good at Yankee Stadium, going 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his last seven starts there. New York has won his past three home starts as he's recorded nine-plus strikeouts in each, most recently throwing a complete game against Cleveland on June 5. He has 59 strikeouts in 57 2-3 innings at home, compared to 30 in 45 1-3 frames elsewhere.

The left-hander was on the road for both of his matchups with the Rays (38-36) this season and lost both. He's dropped three consecutive starts against them, posting a 6.97 ERA, and is winless in five straight versus Tampa Bay.

Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist has had plenty of trouble with Sabathia since the start of 2010, striking out 20 times in 52 at_bats and managing only nine singles for a .173 average. Zobrist enters with three multihit games in a row and a .338 average in June.

Sabathia has had less success when facing Evan Longoria, who has a .491 on-base percentage against him with five home runs and three doubles in 45 career at_bats. Longoria had two home runs in the series opener before going 0 for 4 on Friday.

If Sabathia doesn't go the distance, the Yankees will look for their bullpen to build off 3 1-3 scoreless innings Friday after having surrendered runs in eight straight appearances. During that stretch, New York's relievers posted a 5.47 ERA with 18 walks in 24 2-3 innings while surrendering a .305 batting average.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rays at Yankees
Thu, Jun 20 Final 8 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rays at Yankees
Fri, Jun 21 Final 2 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Rays at Yankees
Sat, Jun 22 - 1:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Rays at Yankees
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (28-47) at Cubs (30-42)
Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: June 22, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


The good news for Bud Norris and Travis Wood on Saturday is that they both can't lose.

The Houston Astros will try to at long last pick up a decent amount of runs for Norris and the Chicago Cubs hope to do the same for Wood as these clubs square off at Wrigley Field.

Both beleaguered starters enter having lost three straight starts despite pitching fairly well.

Houston's offense has simply been inconsistent. The Astros (28-47) entered this week on a four-game winning streak but have since alternated wins and losses, with four runs over three defeats and 17 runs in two victories. The one thing that has been steady during that nine-game span is superb pitching, recording a 2.11 ERA with 77 strikeouts compared to 19 walks.

Norris (5-7, 3.64 ERA) has not benefited from the explosive side of Houston's offense virtually all season, receiving 35 runs of support in 15 starts. The right-hander has only one win in his last six starts despite a 2.27 ERA.

A big reason Norris has lost his last three outings is the Astros scoring a combined three runs in those games. He held the Chicago White Sox scoreless until surrendering four runs in his sixth and final inning Monday in a 4-2 loss.

"I felt a lot of those balls could have gone my way," Norris said. "I was in a groove, and that sixth inning was very frustrating."

Wood (5-6, 2.74) certainly has reason to feel frustrated this month, losing all three of his starts while getting a combined two runs of support. He has a 2.70 ERA in June - the Cubs (30-42) have scored a major league-low 61 runs for the month - and has held opponents to a .205 batting average.

The left-hander surrendered four runs - three earned - in seven innings of a 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Monday.

"Just wasn't enough really," Wood said. "I felt like I was making pitches and keeping them off balance pretty good. ... They hit some good pitches and they did what they did."

Facing the Astros and being at home certainly could benefit Wood. He has a 0.92 ERA in his last six starts against Houston while going 3-1, and opponents are hitting .194 off him at Wrigley this year.

The matchup doesn't appear as favorable for Norris, who is 1-4 with a 6.93 ERA in his last five road starts and 0-3 with a 6.10 ERA in day games. He's lost three of four career starts at Wrigley.

While left-handed batters are batting .317 off Norris, they're hitting .143 against Wood.

Carlos Pena has never faced Wood, and the lefty-hitting first baseman is batting .123 over his last 17 games with 20 strikeouts.

His .219 batting average is now the lowest among Houston's regulars after Chris Carter reached .221 with his third two-hit effort in five games Friday in a 3-1 loss to the Cubs.

Carter delivered his team-leading 15th home run but also struck out with a man on base in the ninth inning for his major league-high 105th strikeout.

"That's what makes you stick with him because we see the power potential and we understand that when it clicks and it all comes together we have something that is really special," manager Bo Porter said.

That's what the Cubs feel they have in Anthony Rizzo, who broke a 4-for-40 slump with two hits Friday and notched his first home run since May 18.

Rizzo is batting .378 with 13 RBIs in interleague play this season as the Cubs have gone 7-2. They've batted .299 with 14 home runs in those matchups.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Astros at Cubs
Fri, Jun 21 Final 1 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Astros at Cubs
Sat, Jun 22 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Astros at Cubs
Sun, Jun 23 - 2:20PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Reds (44-31) at Diamondbacks (40-33)
Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: June 22, 2013 7:15 PM EDT


While Patrick Corbin tries a fourth time to make history for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati's Mike Leake looks to continue his road success.

Two the NL's top young pitchers square off when the NL West-leading Diamondbacks try for a fourth consecutive victory Saturday night against the visiting Reds.

Corbin (9-0, 2.28 ERA) again has a chance to become the first Arizona pitcher to go 10-0 and first left-handed starter to accomplish such feat since Ron Guidry went 13-0 for the New York Yankees in 1978. He's posted a 3.10 ERA while not factoring in the decision of three straight starts since winning seven in a row.

The Diamondbacks (40-33) were 13-0 with Corbin on the mound before they fell 3-2 to Miami on Monday. One of the two hits Corbin yielded over eight innings was a game-tying two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton.

"He's really good. He's got some stuff,' Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "He was tough. He was aggressive, threw strikes. He made the mistake to Stanton and that was it. Other than that he was lights out. That was impressive.'

Corbin, who turns 24 next month, allowed three runs on two homers and struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-2 loss in his only appearance versus Cincinnati (44-31) last season.

Leake (7-3, 2.64), who starred at Arizona State, is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in seven road starts this season. He's allowed only a solo homer over 27 2-3 innings while winning four straight away from home.

The right-hander's most recent outing came at home Monday when he gave up a run in seven innings of a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh to improve to 5-1 with a 1.15 ERA in his last seven overall.

"He's pitching with confidence and pitching a little harder,' manager Dusty Baker said. "He just goes about his business with no fanfare. There's no difference in his personality.'

The 25-year-old Leake is 1-0 in three starts against the Diamondbacks, but has posted a 7.94 ERA. His only previous major league appearance at Chase Field came April 10, 2011, when he gave up six runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 10-8 loss.

Paul Goldschmidt and Jason Kubel are each 1 for 3 against Leake, and combined to go 7 for 10 with four RBIs in Arizona's 11-5 win over the Reds on Friday. Goldschmidt homered twice and Kubel added four hits as the Diamondbacks snapped a four-game slide to Cincinnati.

"That was a great job (Friday) up and down the lineup,' Goldschmidt said after Arizona scored its second-most runs of the season. "We've got the talent to do it, and I think we're going to do it."

Goldschmidt is 6 for 15 with four homers and six RBIs in four games since he went 3 for 33 with no home runs in his previous eight.

Cincinnati's Joey Votto homered for one of his three hits Friday, and is 12 for 25 (.480) in six contests. He's batting .545 (12 for 22) with two home runs and six RBIs in his last six at Chase Field.

Teammate Jay Bruce hit his 150th career homer and third in as many games. All five of the hits in his last 26 at_bats have left the park.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Reds at Diamondbacks
Fri, Jun 21 Final 5 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sat, Jun 22 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 3
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sun, Jun 23 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Pirates (44-30) at Angels (33-41)
Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: June 22, 2013 10:05 PM EDT


After a frustrating start to the year, Pedro Alvarez is starting to carry the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Alvarez looks to stay hot at the plate Saturday night when the visiting Pirates continue a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.

Though he collected just three hits in his first 41 at_bats and posted a .168 average through May 8, Alvarez has quickly become one of Pittsburgh's most dangerous hitters. Hitting .333 over his last 14 games, the slugging third baseman leads the team with 17 homers - 10 more than the next guy - and 49 RBIs.

One day after going 3 for 4 with a homer and season-high five RBIs in a 5-3 win at Cincinnati, Alvarez collected two more hits and went deep again in Friday's 5-2 victory. The Pirates (44-30) improved to 12-4 when Alvarez homers and 21-7 when he drives in at least one run.

"Pedro has the ability to shrink any park we play in," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "The ability to drive in runs and be a run producer is quite evident. We knew it was a special talent when we drafted him. ... He has shown the ability to rise to the occasion."

Now in his fourth year in the majors, Alvarez is 9 for 24 with three home runs and 11 RBIs during a season-best six-game hitting streak. He's batting .373 with eight homers, 16 RBIs and 14 runs scored in his last 16 interleague contests.

Los Angeles (33-41) had won six of eight before dropping Friday's opener. The Angels failed to get much going aside from Albert Pujols' 13th homer, dropping to 1-18 when scoring two runs or fewer.

Pujols is batting .338 with five homers and 15 RBIs in his last 16 games, but he's 1 for 13 against scheduled starter Francisco Liriano (5-3, 2.44 ERA). The left-hander allowed two solo homers over six innings Monday in a 4-1 loss at Cincinnati.

"I made two mistakes, a hanging slider and a fastball right down the middle," said Liriano, who hadn't previously been taken deep. "You can't make those mistakes at this level."

Liriano, who's struck out 55 in 48 innings, has received one or zero runs of support in five of his last six outings.

Liriano has gone 1-4 over eight games - seven starts - against the Angels while posting a 6.69 ERA - his second-highest mark against any team.

Howie Kendrick is 7 for 14 with a homer, a triple and a double against Liriano, and Mark Trumbo has taken him deep twice in 11 at_bats.

Originally slated to start Saturday, Jason Vargas was placed on the disabled list due to a blood clot in his armpit. Los Angeles will instead go with Jerome Williams (5-2, 3.14), who's 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA in seven starts this year, including 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last three at home.

The right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, but he hasn't faced them since 2006.

Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton didn't play Friday due to a sore right wrist and is expected to remain out of the starting lineup through the weekend. The former MVP, hitless in his last 12 at_bats, is batting just .207 on the season.

-----------------------------------------------------------

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Angels
Fri, Jun 21 Final 5 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Angels
Sat, Jun 22 - 10:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Pirates at Angels
Sun, Jun 23 - 3:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Athletics (44-32) at Mariners (32-43)
Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 22, 2013 10:10 PM EDT


Getting back in the outfield might have been just the spark the Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes needed to get back in the groove at the plate.

After a superb series opener, Cespedes will try to help the A's top the Seattle Mariners again Saturday night while maintaining sole possession of the AL West lead.

A sore left hamstring kept Cespedes as Oakland's designated hitter for seven straight games, and he was 4 for 28 (.143) with 10 strikeouts and one RBI. While getting the chance to return to left field Friday, the Cuban slugger ended an 11-game homerless drought as he went deep twice in a 6-3 win.

Before hurting his hamstring June 11, Cespedes was batting .297 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in his previous 22 games.

"It feels great to play in the outfield," Cespedes said through an interpreter. "When I'm in the outfield, my body's completely up, my body's on fire. The difference is when I'm a DH and I sit down in the dugout and I'm doing nothing, I feel like I'm going down a little bit."

Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie also homered as the A's (44-32) stayed one game in front of Texas in the division. Oakland lost three of four to the Rangers earlier this week after dropping two of three to the visiting Mariners.

Dan Straily (4-2, 4.97 ERA) is certainly hoping to perform better against Seattle (32-43). The right-hander is 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA in two career matchups and gave up six runs over five innings in a 6-3 defeat at Safeco Field on May 10.

Straily has won three straight decisions but allowed six runs in 4 2-3 innings in his latest start Monday, an 8-7 defeat in Texas. He gave up two home runs after allowing none in his prior six outings.

"I was up in the strike zone. They were aggressive and I just got beat, plain and simple," Straily said.

Aaron Harang (3-7, 5.28), meanwhile, will seek to return to the form he showed in a pair of recent shutouts. The right-hander recorded the second of those June 11 against visiting Houston - a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts - but he struggled in an 11-3 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

Three of the four runs Harang allowed were unearned, but he gave up a season-high 11 hits in five innings.

"They had quite a few hits in a short period of time, and (Harang) was fortunate to get out of there with just four runs," manager Eric Wedge said.

Harang walked a career-high eight batters and lasted only 3 2-3 innings in his only start against Oakland, a 3-0 loss June 19, 2012, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cespedes is 5 for 13 (.385) in his last three games against Seattle but has never faced Harang.

Kendrys Morales is 4 for 8 with two homers and a double against Straily, but he's batted .128 with no extra-base hits in his last 12 games.

It's unknown if Oakland's John Jaso will return from an abrasion on his left hand. The catcher was batting .366 in his past 12 games before sitting out Friday.

-------------------------------------------------------

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Athletics at Mariners
Fri, Jun 21 Final 6 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Athletics at Mariners
Sat, Jun 22 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Athletics at Mariners
Sun, Jun 23 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Pirate rookie Gerrit Cole is now 3-0, 3.44 after beating the Angels-- he allowed two runs in 6.2 IP in Anaheim, in his third big league start.

-- Rough year so far for Cole Hamels (2-11, 4.50); he lost 4-3 to the Mets Friday night in Philadelphia.

-- Toronto won its ninth game in row, 7-6 over Baltimore, rallying back from down 6-4 in 7th inning. Jays get Jose Reyes back next week.

-- Bartolo Colon won his 7th consecutive start, beating Seattle for second time in six days, 6-3 at Safeco Park.

-- Yoenis Cespedes homered twice Friday; he has 15 HRs in 48 games as an outfielder, one homer in 14 games as the DH. Get that man his glove!!!

-- Southwest Airlines grounded flights late Friday night because of a glitch in their computer system; hope they have it fixed by July 11.


*****

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but............

13) According to footballguys.com, 27 of the 64 NFL coordinators this season (42.2%) will be in their first year in that job this season; only 13 of 32 teams have the same head coach and both coordinators as last season.

12) Was new Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema born to be coach of the Razorbacks? He grew up on a pig farm in Illinois, after all.

11) Buffalo Bills are going into this season with Kevin Kolb and EJ Manuel as their QBs? Kolb always gets hurt; Manuel wasn’t that great in college. Buffalo fans might be clamoring for Tarvaris Jackson to come back by Columbus Day.

10) I haven’t played a round of golf in 15 years, but from watching golf on TV, it sounds like slow play on public courses has become an issue. I was an awful golfer, but I played fast!!!!

9) Not to kick someone when they’re down, but the numbers are staggering: in Games 1-5 of the NBA Finals, Danny Green made 35-53 from the floor, an amazing 25-38 behind the arc. He might’ve been the MVP had the series ended after five games.

In games 6-7, Green was 2-19 from the floor, 0-8 inside the arc, 2-11 outside it. Yikes.

8) How many times have the Mariners led 8-1 with Felix Hernandez on the mound and lost? Happened to them Thursday night. King Felix gave up 12 hits on 24 balls in play, only six misses on 45 swings; not good.

7) Coming into Friday’s action, Oakland SS Jed Lowrie was batting .125 his first time up, .283 his second time, .358 his third time; American League average for those scenarios are .253/.259/.270.

6) Along those lines, AL hitters are batting just .242 against relief pitchers so far this season, as they only see those guys one time per night.

5) Flipping thru the movie channels late one night this week, I stumbled across that horrible Adam Sandler movie where Rex Ryan has a cameo role. You know what? Rex isn’t a bad actor!!!

I thank the Lord he isn’t the Rams’ coach (he has a brother who lives in St Louis) but the man does have a sense of humor.

4) Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals will be the first summer NHL game since the ’75 Finals, where it was so warm inside the building, players on Sabres, Flyers had to skate around the ice carrying sheets, trying to get the fog above the ice to go away.

You think I’m making this up, but I’m not—that happened.

3) Mississippi State-UCLA will play best-of-3 for the college baseball national title starting Monday in Omaha.

2) So I’m reading these people tweet Thursday about Aaron Hernandez and how his absence would hurt their fantasy football team and I’m thinking, “People, this is a murder investigation; someone freakin’ died!!! Lets worry about football in September.” Good grief.

1) Our thoughts, prayers to people in Calgary, where floods have forced 75,000 people to leave their homes. Mother Nature is in a bad mood.
Reply With Quote

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Cincinnati at Arizona
The Diamondbacks look to build on their 10-1 record in Patrick Corbin's last 11 starts as a favorite of -110 to -150. Arizona is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Diamondbacks favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Game 901-902: Colorado at Washington (12:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Chacin) 15.470; Washington (Haren) 14.461
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Washington (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+105); Over

Game 903-904: NY Mets at Philadelphia (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Gee) 13.356; Philadelphia (Pettibone) 14.778
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-115); Under

Game 905-906: Miami at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Turner) 15.354; San Francisco (Zito) 14.628
Dunkel Line: Miami by 1; 9
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (+120); Over

Game 907-908: Atlanta at Milwaukee (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 14.465; Milwaukee (Hand) 15.956
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+120); Under

Game 909-910: Cincinnati at Arizona (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Leake) 14.325; Arizona (Corbin) 16.445
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 2; 7
Vegas Line: Arizona (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-120); Under

Game 911-912: LA Dodgers at San Diego (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Greinke) 15.659; San Diego (Volquez) 14.507
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 8
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-115); Over

Game 913-914: Baltimore at Toronto (1:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Gonzalez) 16.702; Toronto (Wang) 18.216
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+100); Under

Game 915-916: Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Colome) 15.777; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 14.238
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-165); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+145); Over

Game 917-918: Chicago White Sox at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Quintana) 14.688; Kansas City (Davis) 16.180
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-135); Under

Game 919-920: Minnesota at Cleveland (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Walters) 16.068; Cleveland (Kluber) 15.102
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+140); Over

Game 921-922: Boston at Detroit (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Webster) 14.179; Detroit (Scherzer) 15.615
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-200); Under

Game 923-924: Oakland at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Straily) 15.502; Seattle (Harang) 14.021
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Oakland (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-140); Over

Game 925-926: Houston at Chicago Cubs (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Norris) 14.957; Cubs (Wood) 15.577
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-160); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-160); N/A

Game 927-928: Texas at St. Louis (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Perez) 15.833; St. Louis (Miller) 15.223
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-200); 8
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+170); Over

Game 929-930: Pittsburgh at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Lirano) 16.957; LA Angels (Williams) 15.152
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+115); Over

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, June 22

Hot pitchers
-- Chacin is 2-0, 2.70 in his last couple starts.
-- Gee is 3-1, 1.53 in his last four starts.
-- Turner is 1-0, 2.52 in four starts this season.
-- Hudson has a 2.88 RA in his last four starts.
-- Leake is 3-1, 1.73 in his last four starts. Arizona won 13 of 14 Corbin starts (0-1, 3.10 last three).

-- Miller is 3-1, 2.25 in his last four starts.
-- Liriano is 2-2, 2.52 in his last four starts. Williams is 3-1, 2.67 in his last four starts.

-- MGonzalez is 3-0, 2.21 in his last three starts. Wang is 1-0, 3.14 in his first two starts for Toronto.
-- Sabathia is 2-1, 3.04 in his last four home starts. Colome allowed one run in 5.2 IP in his only '13 start (4-6, 3.07 in 14 AAA starts)./
-- Kluber won his last two starts, allowing one run in 16 IP.
-- Davis is 1-0, 2.84 in his last two starts.
-- Scherzer is 5-0, 1.93 in his last six starts.
-- Harang is 1-1, 2.57 in his last two starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Washington lost last seven Haren starts (0-5, 6.25).
-- Pettibone is 0-3, 8.84 in his last four starts.
-- Zito is 0-2, 7.71 in his last three starts.
-- Hand is a reliever, going 2-1, 3.18 in 28.1 IP in 16 AAA games-- he's allowed six runs in 13.1 IP in eight big league games this year.
-- Greinke is 0-2, 5.92 in his four road starts this season. Volquez is 2-2, 6.63 in his last seven starts.

-- Norris is 0-3, 4.50 in his last three starts. Wood is 0-3, 3.15 in his last three.
-- Perez allowed four runs in 5.1 IP in his only '13 start (5-1, 1.75 in six AAA starts this season).

-- Walters is 0-2, 4.34 in his last three starts.
-- Webster allowed 11 runs in 7.2 IP in two starts this season.
-- Quintana is 0-1, 5.10 in his last five starts.
-- Straily has a 5.89 RA in his last three starts.

Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in the first inning. You're reading ***************.com. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Chacin 2-13; Haren 1-14
-- Gee 3-14; Pettibone 2-11
-- Turner 0-4; Zito 4-14
-- Hudson 3-15; Hand 0-0
-- Leake 2-14; Corbin 3-14
-- Greinke 3-9; Volquez 4-15

-- Norris 4-15 (0 of last 4); Wood 1-14
-- Perez 1-1; Miller 5-13
-- Liriano 2-8; Williams 2-7

-- Gonzalez 4-12; Wang 0-2
-- Colome 1-1; Sabathia 5-15
-- Quintana 5-14 (3 of last 5); Davis 4-14
-- Walters 2-5; Kluber 1-10
-- Webster 2-2; Scherzer 3-14 (0 of last 5)
-- Straily 2-11; Harang 4-11 (0 of last 5)

Totals
-- Five of last six Colorado games stayed under total.
-- Under is 7-2-2 in Mets' last eleven games.
-- Five of last seven Milwaukee games stayed under.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Cincinnati games.
-- Over is 11-4-1 in last sixteen San Diego games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five San Francisco games.

-- 12 of last 16 Houston games stayed under the total; last six Cub games also stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five St Louis games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in Pittsburgh's last six games.

-- Under is 9-4-1 in last fourteen Bronx games.
-- Six of last eight Toronto games stayed under.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten Boston games.
-- Four of last six Minnesota games went over total.
-- Five of last six White Sox games went over the total.
-- 11 of last 15 Seattle games stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Washington won its last four home games, allowing six runs.
-- Phillies won six of their last eight home games. Mets won five of their last seven games overall.
-- Milwaukee won its last four home games.
-- Arizona won its last three games, allowing total of eight runs.
-- Padres won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Marlins are 6-4 in their last ten games.

-- Cardinals are 14-1 in game following their last 15 losses. Texas won four of its last five games.
-- Astros won six of their last nine games.
-- Pittsburgh won three of last four games. Angels won six of their last nine.

-- Blue Jays won their last nine games, scoring 53 runs.
-- Detroit won six of its last nine home games.
-- Cleveland won seven of last nine games. Twins won four of their last six.
-- Royals won seven of their last nine home games.

Cold teams
-- Colorado is 3-9 in its last twelve road games.
-- Braves lost four of their last five games.
-- Cincinnati lost three of its last four games.
-- Dodgers lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Giants lost five of their last seven games.

-- Cubs lost four of their last six games.

-- Baltimore is 6-7 in its last thirteen road games.
-- White Sox lost 14 of their last 17 road games.
-- Red Sox lost four of their last six road games.
-- Tampa Bay, Bronx both lost seven of its last ten games.
-- A's lost five of their last eight road games. Seattle lost five of its last six games overall.

Umpires
-- Col-Wsh-- Last four Fletcher games went over the total.
-- NY-Phil-- Six of last seven TWelke games stayed under total.
-- Mia-SF-- Underdogs are 6-6 (+$217) in last 12 Winters games.
-- Atl-Mil-- Underdogs won five of last six Tumpane games.
-- Cin-Az-- Last five Schrieber games stayed under the total.
-- LA-SD-- Six of last eight Muchlinski games stayed under total.

-- Hst-Chi-- Home teams won four of last five Kulpa games.
-- Tex-StL-- Underdogs won six of last seven Darling games.
-- Pitt-LA-- Nine of last twelve Joyce games stayed under.

-- Blt-Tor- Over is 5-2-2 in last nine Nauert games, with underdogs winning his last four games behind the plate.
-- TB-NY-- Last four Wendelstedt games stayed under the total.
-- Chi-KC-- Three of last four Everitt games went over the total.
-- Minn-Cle-- Four of last five Hoye games stayed under total.
-- Bos-Det-- Underdogs are 4-3 in last seven TBarrett games.
-- A's-Sea-- Favorites won last four Davis games.