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

[StarDust Bum]

The Dogs didn't bark at all yesterday......1 - 6 ..... Looking for a better day.......

Wednesday, June 26

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Toronto - 12:10 PM ET Tampa Bay +100 500 POD # 3
Tampa Bay - Under 8.5 500

Minnesota - 12:40 PM ET Minnesota -106 500
Miami - Over 8 500

Cincinnati - 3:35 PM ET Cincinnati +115 500 POD # 1
Oakland - Over 7.5 500 POD # 2

Pittsburgh - 3:40 PM ET Pittsburgh +147 500 POD # 4
Seattle - Under 6.5 500

Colorado - 4:05 PM ET Boston -175 500
Boston - Over 10 500 POD # 5

[StarDust Bum]

Evening POD'S:


Cleveland - 7:05 PM ET Baltimore -146 500
Baltimore - Over 9.5 500

Arizona - 7:05 PM ET Washington -148 500
Washington - Under 7.5 500

Texas - 7:05 PM ET Texas +118 500 POD # 2
NY Yankees - Over 9 500

LA Angels - 7:08 PM ET LA Angels +131 500 POD # 1
Detroit - Under 10 500

Atlanta - 8:10 PM ET Atlanta -125 500
Kansas City - Over 8.5 500

NY Mets - 8:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -130 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 8.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 8:10 PM ET Milwaukee -139 500
Milwaukee - Over 8.5 500

St. Louis - 8:10 PM ET St. Louis -160 500
Houston - Over 8.5 500

San Francisco - 10:10 PM ET LA Dodgers -175 500
LA Dodgers - Under 6.5 500

Philadelphia - 10:10 PM ET Philadelphia -113 500
San Diego - Under 7.5 500

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, June 26

National League

Arizona at Washington, 7:05 ET
Miley: Arizona 9-19 SU after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6
Zimmermann: 25-7 TSR as a favorite of -110 or higher

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee, 8:10 ET WGN
Feldman: Chicago Cubs 2-11 SU when the total is 8 to 8.5
Gallardo: 22-6 TSR as a home favorite of -125 to -175

Philadelphia at San Diego, 10:10 ET
Hamels: 2-12 TSR when the total is 7 to 8.5
Erlin: San Diego 31-25 SU after 2 or more consecutive overs

San Francisco at LA Dodgers, 10:10 ET
Lincecum: San Francisco 11-0 SU after having lost 5 or 6 of their last 7
Kershaw: LA Dodgers 3-11 SU after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6


American League

Cleveland at Baltimore, 7:05 ET
Kazmir: Cleveland 21-40 SU against AL East opponents
Hammel: Baltimore 40-28 SU against left-handed starters

LA Angels at Detroit, 7:05 ET
Hanson: 10-2 TSR as an underdog of +100 or higher
Alvarez: Detroit 3-9 SU when playing on Wednesday

Texas at NY Yankees, 7:05 ET ESPN2
Grimm: Texas 8-0 SU revenging a one run loss to opponent
Pettitte: NY Yankees 8-13 SU in home games after a one run win


Interleague

St. Louis at Houston, 8:10 ET
Lynn: 12-2 TSR when the total is 7 to 8.5
Bedard: Houston 32-61 SU at home when the total is 8.5 to 10

NY Mets at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 ET
Marcum: NY Mets 10-4 SU in road games against left-handed starters
Danks: White Sox 0-7 SU with a hot bullpen whose ERA is under 1.50 the last 5 games

Atlanta at Kansas City, 8:10 ET
Minor: Atlanta 29-9 SU after a one run win
Mendoza: Kansas City 1-7 SU in home games after having lost 4 of their last 5
Reply With Quote

[StarDust Bum]

Around the Horn - Thursday

June 27, 2013



NATIONAL LEAGUE

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Chicago Cubs Garza (2-1, 4.25 ERA) 32-44 3-6 L9 away Game 3's

Milwaukee Brewers Peralta (5-8, 5.59 ERA) 32-44 9-3 L12 vs. CHC

-- Brewers beat Cubs, 9-3 on Tuesday
-- Cubs beat Brewers, 5-4 on Wednesday



Arizona at Washington - 4:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Arizona Diamondbacks Corbin (9-0, 2.19 ERA) 41-36 1-6 L7 away

Washington Nationals Strasburg (4-6, 2.40 ERA) 39-38 5-2 L7 vs. LHP

-- Nationals beat Diamondbacks, 7-5 on Tuesday
-- Nationals beat Diamondbacks, 3-2 on Wednesday

N.Y. Mets at Colorado - 6:10 PM EST (Make-up game)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

New York Mets Hefner (2-6, 3.89 ERA) 31-43 2-7 L9 off win

Colorado Rockies Chatwood (4-1, 2.22 ERA) 39-40 7-0 L7 vs. NYM

-- Mets beat White Sox, 3-0 on Wednesday
-- Rockies lost to Red Sox, 5-3 on Wednesday



Philadelphia at L.A. Dodgers - 10:10 PM EST (Game 1/4)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Philadelphia Phillies Pettibone (3-3, 4.14 ERA) 38-41 2-6 L8 away Game 1's

Los Angeles Dodgers Greinke (4-2, 3.79 ERA) 35-42 9-5 L14 home vs. non-division

-- Phillies beat Padres, 7-5 on Wednesday
-- Dodgers beat Giants, 4-2 on Wednesday



AMERICAN LEAGUE

Texas at N.Y. Yankees - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Texas Rangers Holland (5-4, 3.43 ERA) 45-33 5-2 L7 as away underdog

New York Yankees Hughes (3-6, 5.09 ERA) 42-35 2-6 L8 vs. AL West

-- Yankees beat Rangers, 4-3 on Tuesday
-- Rangers beat Yankees, 8-5 on Wednesday



L.A. Angels at Detroit - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Los Angeles Angels Weaver (1-4, 4.65 ERA) 35-43 8-0 L8 vs. DET

Detroit Tigers Fister (6-5, 3.66 ERA) 42-34 3-5 L8 home Game 3's

-- Angels beat Tigers, 14-8 on Tuesday
-- Angels beat Tigers, 7-4 on Wednesday



Cleveland at Baltimore - 7:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know

Cleveland Indians Kluber (6-4, 3.68 ERA) 39-36 UNDER 7-0 L7 away

Baltimore Orioles Gonzalez (5-3, 3.75 ERA) 42-35 5-0 L5 off home loss

-- Indians beat Orioles, 5-2 on Monday
-- Orioles beat Indians, 6-3 on Tuesday
-- Indians beat Orioles, 4-3 on Wednesday



Toronto at Boston - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/4)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record (IL) Betcha Didn't Know

Toronto Blue Jays Wang (1-0, 2.18 ERA) 40-38 UNDER 7-0 L7 away

Boston Red Sox Lester (7-4, 4.57 ERA) 47-33 6-1 L7 home

-- Blue Jays beat Rays, 3-0 on Wednesday
-- Red Sox beat Rockies, 6-3 on Wednesday



Kansas City at Minnesota - 8:10 PM EST (Game 1/4)

Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record (IL) Betcha Didn't Know

Kansas City Royals Guthrie (7-5, 4.20 ERA) 36-39 5-1 L6 vs. MIN

Minnesota Twins Deduno (3-2, 3.72 ERA) 34-40 OVER 4-1 L5 home

-- Royals beat Braves, 4-3 on Wednesday
-- Twins lost to Marlins, 5-3 on Wednesday

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Angels (35-43) at Tigers (42-34)
Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: June 27, 2013 1:08 PM EDT


Three-time All-Star Jered Weaver hasn't looked anything like one of the game's best pitchers over the last two weeks.

The Detroit Tigers' Doug Fister is coming off a rough outing of his own.

Weaver and Fister try to get on track as the visiting Los Angeles Angels go for a ninth consecutive win over the Tigers in Thursday's series finale.

After going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his first two outings since coming off the disabled list May 29, Weaver (1-4, 4.65) hasn't looked right. The right-hander has compiled a 6.62 ERA during a three-start losing streak, his longest such stretch since dropping a career worst-tying four straight May 2-18, 2011.

"The last three starts it just kind of seems like there's one inning that's a blow-up inning, and I've just got to learn to stay away from that," he said. "It's frustrating. I'm not doing a whole lot to help the team right now. I just have to keep battling, and hopefully things will turn around."

Weaver was taken deep twice in Friday's 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh, allowing four runs and a season-high nine hits in six innings.

"I think right now it's just command. His velocity isn't any different than it was last year," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB's official website. "Once he starts commanding counts a little bit better and being able to really open up counts for his secondary pitches, he's going to be fine."

Regrouping in this game could prove difficult for Weaver, who's 3-4 in nine starts against the Tigers with a 5.47 ERA - his highest mark against any AL club. Jhonny Peralta is 9 for 25 with a homer and five doubles in their matchups and Torii Hunter is 3 for 9 with two home runs.

Fister (6-5, 3.66), meanwhile, surrendered season highs of six runs and 11 hits in 3 1-3 innings Friday in a 10-6 loss to Boston. The right-hander failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 15 starts this year.

"It was pretty simple to sum it up: I think he wasn't at his best. However, he also didn't pitch into very good luck," manager Jim Leyland said. "If they hit it hard, they got a hit. And if they didn't hit it hard, they got a hit. It was one of those nights."

Unlike Weaver, Fister has thrived in the series, going 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last two starts against the Angels. He allowed three unearned runs and five hits in seven innings in a 4-3, 13-inning defeat at Los Angeles on April 21.

The Angels (35-43) continued their recent mastery of Detroit (42-34) with Wednesday's 7-4 victory. Mike Trout and Erick Aybar both hit two-run homers for Los Angeles, which has outscored the Tigers 55-21 during its eight-game run in the series.

"If we knew what we were doing differently (against Detroit), we'd probably try to do it against everybody else," catcher Chris Iannetta said.

Trout has six homers, 16 RBIs and 17 runs in his last 14 games against the Tigers. He's batting .345 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 27 runs in his last 34 contests overall.

The Angels have won eight of 13 while hitting .309.

'It's another team that's a good team, and they've been swinging the bats very well lately" Leyland said. "They're like everybody else."

Detroit is hoping to avoid its first three-game home sweep since April 24-26, 2012, versus Seattle.

Miguel Cabrera, who went 2 for 4 with his 22nd homer Wednesday, is batting .465 with four homers and nine RBIs during an 11-game hitting streak.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Angels at Tigers
Tue, Jun 25 Final 14 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Angels at Tigers
Wed, Jun 26 Final 7 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Angels at Tigers
Thu, Jun 27 - 1:08PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rangers (45-33) at Yankees (42-35)
Game: 3
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 27, 2013 1:05 PM EDT


Phil Hughes is enduring major problems at home for the New York Yankees.

The Texas Rangers' Derek Holland has been horrendous while never beating New York.

Both starters Thursday will be aiming to turn around some significant woes when the Yankees and Rangers complete this three-game set.

Hughes (3-6, 5.09 ERA) has posted a 13.91 ERA in losing three straight starts at Yankee Stadium for the first time. He surrendered five runs over six innings in last Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Dodgers in the second game of a doubleheader.

With Ivan Nova turning in a solid effort Sunday in his return for New York (42-35), there could be more pressure on Hughes to remain in the rotation although manager Joe Girardi hasn't indicated that he will make such a decision yet.

"My only concern is pitching well," Hughes told the Yankees' official website. "Things that I can't control, I don't really concern myself with."

Hughes is 0-3 with a 11.91 ERA in his last three starts against the Rangers, including two in the 2010 postseason. He has never started against Texas at home.

It's hard to give either team an edge in the mound matchup Thursday, however, since Holland (5-4, 3.43) is 0-5 with an 8.69 ERA in seven career starts against the Yankees, including 0-3 with a 7.77 ERA in four in the Bronx.

"I know New York has been pretty tough (for me), but my job is not to worry about that," Holland told the Rangers' official website. "I need to turn the page and make something else happen."

Making matters worse for Texas (45-33) is that New York is 15-9 against left-handed starters for baseball's second-best mark behind the Rangers' 16-9 record.

Holland is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his last four starts, yielding four runs and four hits in seven innings in a 6-4 victory at St. Louis.

The Yankees hitter he has faced the most is Ichiro Suzuki, who is 9 for 33 against him and has homered in each of the first two games of this series while going 5 for 9.

Texas won for just the third time in its last 15 regular-season games at New York with Wednesday's 8-5 victory. Nelson Cruz homered and Adrian Beltre and A.J. Pierzynski had consecutive two-run doubles.

"What was nice was to see the middle of my order come up big," manager Ron Washington said. "We need that. Without those guys doing what they did and what they are capable of doing, it would be a long year. They pulled it out for us tonight."

The defeat capped a difficult day for the Yankees, who announced that Mark Teixeira would be lost to season-ending wrist surgery. Lyle Overbay, hitting .239 with eight homers, figures to continue to fill in at first base.

"It doesn't really change what we're trying to accomplish, it just makes it a little bit different in how you accomplish it," Girardi said.

More pressure will be placed on Robinson Cano, who has six singles in 22 at_bats along with eight walks on this homestand while enduring a season-high 11-game homerless drought.


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rangers at Yankees
Tue, Jun 25 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rangers at Yankees
Wed, Jun 26 Final 8 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Rangers at Yankees
Thu, Jun 27 - 1:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Cubs (32-44) at Brewers (32-44)
Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 27, 2013 2:10 PM EDT


While he struggled after returning from injury, Matt Garza appears to have found his groove.

The Milwaukee Brewers' Wily Peralta was plenty sharp last week, too.

Garza takes the mound opposite Peralta as the Chicago Cubs go for another rare win in Milwaukee in Thursday's series finale.

After missing the second half of last season with an elbow injury, Garza (2-1, 4.25 ERA) didn't debut until May 21 this year due to a left lat injury suffered during spring training. The right-hander compiled a 6.26 ERA over his first five starts but has since allowed one run in his last two spanning 15 innings.

"Ten months off is a long time," he told the team's official website. "No excuses for the first five (outings). It was just kind of finding my way again. Stuff's getting more fluid and free and easy, and I'm not forcing a lot of stuff."

Garza was at his best in Friday's 3-1 win over Houston, allowing one run and four hits in a season-high eight-plus innings. He also struck out a season-best eight.

"His last couple starts, his fastball command has been off the charts, and that's the key for anybody," catcher Dioner Navarro said.

While Garza is a candidate to be traded before next month's deadline, he's focused on the task at hand.

"I'm looking forward to the next five days," Garza said after Friday's win. "That day I face Milwaukee in Milwaukee and I'll be ready."

Garza has gone 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last five starts against the Brewers (32-44), allowing two runs or fewer in four straight. Rickie Weeks is 2 for 17 with eight strikeouts in their matchups.

Peralta (5-8, 5.59), meanwhile, delivered his sharpest performance of the season Friday in a 2-0 win over Atlanta. The highly-touted 24-year-old struck out four and walked four over seven innings of two-hit ball, earning just his second victory in six weeks.

"This is the guy that we hope we see," manager Ron Roenicke said of Peralta, who had posted a 9.26 ERA in losing his previous three home starts. "With having great stuff, if you're throwing it over the plate, you've got a really good chance. He made some really big pitches."

Peralta also fared well in two outings versus Chicago in April, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Nate Schierholtz and Alfonso Soriano are a combined 0 for 11 against him.

The Cubs (32-44) had dropped nine straight and 19 of their previous 21 at Miller Park before hanging on for a 5-4 win Wednesday. Ryan Sweeney homered and Anthony Rizzo added two hits and two RBIs.

"The bottom line is if we win by one, great," said closer Kevin Gregg, who surrendered a homer to Juan Francisco before recording his 12th save in as many chances. "You don't want to give up any runs but you want to win, that is the first and foremost thing as you go out there.'

Former Cubs slugger Aramis Ramirez recorded his 2,000th career hit with a solo homer in the second inning for Milwaukee. Ramirez, who ranks 15th in hits among active players, added an RBI single in the sixth.

Weeks is hitting .444 with five homers, 10 runs and nine RBIs in his last 15 contests.

Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez could return after missing the last two games due to a sprained left shoulder. He leads the team with 12 homers.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Cubs at Brewers
Tue, Jun 25 Final 3 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Cubs at Brewers
Wed, Jun 26 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Cubs at Brewers
Thu, Jun 27 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Diamondbacks (41-36) at Nationals (39-38)
Game: 3
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: June 27, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


Though Stephen Strasburg has more losses than wins, he figures to even things out sooner than later if his recent efforts are any indication.

Patrick Corbin's undefeated record continues to speak for itself.

In what sets up as a pitchers' duel, Strasburg takes the mound opposite Corbin as the Washington Nationals go for a three-game sweep of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

After enduring some bad luck earlier in the year, Strasburg (4-6, 2.40 ERA) has taken matters into his own hands lately with a 3-1 record and a 1.46 ERA over his last six outings.

The hard-throwing right-hander delivered another superb performance Friday in a 2-1 win over Colorado, scattering five hits and striking out a season high-tying nine in seven innings.

"He threw great," manager Davey Johnson said of Strasburg, who's received less than three runs of support in 10 of his 14 starts. "We've been scoring practically nothing (for him). ... It was a big win for him."

Strasburg is just 3-3 at home despite a 1.13 ERA - baseball's second-lowest mark behind only teammate Jordan Zimmermann (1.09).

"As a competitor, you want to go out there and win every time," Strasburg told MLB's official website. "Sometimes, it's not going to work out that way, but the big thing is that you have to go out there with the same mentality every time out, regardless of what's happened in the past."

Strasburg is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two matchups versus Arizona (41-36), which appears to have its own ace in the making in Corbin (9-0, 2.19). Among the major league leaders in ERA, Corbin allowed three hits over eight innings of one-run ball Saturday and was in line for the win before Heath Bell blew the save in a back-and-forth 4-3 walkoff victory over Cincinnati. The Diamondbacks improved to 14-1 when giving the ball to Corbin, who's gone without a decision in his last four outings.

"Honestly I don't really look at it too much," the 23-year-old left-hander said of his record. "Everybody keeps saying, 'Get the 10th win,' but I'm trying to get every win, no matter what win it is."

In his only appearance versus Washington (39-38), Corbin surrendered two runs, four hits and struck out seven in seven innings of a 7-4 victory Aug. 12.

Corbin now tries to help the slumping Diamondbacks get back on track. Arizona was limited to four hits in suffering a season-worst fifth consecutive road loss, 3-2 on Wednesday.

Zimmermann, meanwhile, threw seven strong innings for Washington, which has taken six of seven in the series.

"He made some good pitches and we weren't able to get anything going," said Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, whose team has dropped seven of 11 overall while hitting .226.

Nationals rookie Anthony Rendon, who went 3 for 4 with a double and a run, has 12 hits in 26 at_bats during a six-game hitting streak. He's hit safely in all but two of 18 games since getting recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on June 4, going 29 for 74 (.392) with a homer and 10 runs.

"That's what I've been doing my whole life," he said. "I like to hit."

Washington has posted a .298 average in taking six of eight at home.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Tue, Jun 25 Final 5 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Wed, Jun 26 Final 2 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Diamondbacks at Nationals
Thu, Jun 27 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (31-43) at Rockies (39-40)
Game: 3
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: June 27, 2013 6:10 PM EDT


Very little went right for the Colorado Rockies over their nine-game road trip.

Michael Cuddyer, however, managed to get a hit in each of those contests.

Cuddyer will try to establish a franchise record by hitting safely in 24 consecutive games Thursday when the Rockies host the New York Mets in a makeup game.

The Rockies (39-40) are back home after a 2-7 trip that dropped them from one-half game out of first place in the NL West to three games back of division-leading Arizona.

"We're not going to sit and think about this road trip,' manager Walt Weiss said after Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Boston. "We'll show up at Coors (Field) and try to win that game, and the next day we'll do the same thing. We'll just keep grinding along.'

Cuddyer supplied almost all of Colorado's offense Wednesday with a pair of solo homers to extend his hitting streak to 23 games - matching Dante Bichette's club record set in 1995. Cuddyer is batting .375 with five homers and 16 RBIs during his run, which is also the longest in the majors this year.

"Nothing really that he does surprises me,' Weiss said. "He does everything right and it's good to see him playing like he is.'

Cuddyer is 4 for 7 in two games against the Mets this year, but has never faced scheduled starter Jeremy Hefner (2-6, 3.89 ERA).

Colorado won each of those earlier matchups - running its win streak in the series to seven - and this is a makeup of the teams' April 17 snowed-out game.

The Mets (31-43) arrive in Denver to conclude an 11-game trip after going 6-4 with stops in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Chicago. With the heavy travel, manager Terry Collins is expected to rest David Wright, holding him out of the starting lineup for just the second time.

Leadoff hitter Eric Young had three hits and drove in a run in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the White Sox. Acquired from the Rockies on June 18, Young has been locked in lately, going 11 for 21 with four doubles and six RBIs during a five-game hitting streak.

"I think he should be really proud of what he's done here,' Collins said. "He's ignited our offense a little bit, I think. He's been getting on and getting in scoring position. I think he's made a big difference for us.

Young will get his first look at former teammate Tyler Chatwood (4-1, 2.22), who is 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in six starts since being recalled from the minors. The right-hander gave up one run and four hits in six innings in a 2-1 loss to Washington on Friday, but didn't get a decision.

In two career starts against the Mets, Chatwood has allowed seven hits and seven walks over 10 scoreless innings, going 1-0.

Hefner permitted a season-high 10 hits Friday, but limited Philadelphia to three runs over six innings in a 4-3 victory. The right-hander has a 2.50 ERA over his last six starts.

His only career outing against the Rockies was April 18, when he surrendered solo homers to Dexter Fowler and Troy Tulowitzki in one inning of relief. He won't have to worry about facing Tulowitzki, who is on the disabled list, and Fowler is listed as day-to-day with a hand injury.

Chatwood, meanwhile, has yet to serve up a homer in 44 2-3 innings this season - the only pitcher not to allow a home run with at least 40 innings.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rockies at Red Sox
Tue, Jun 25 Final 4 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rockies at Red Sox
Wed, Jun 26 Final 3 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Mets at Rockies
Thu, Jun 27 - 6:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Indians (40-37) at Orioles (43-36)
Game: 4
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: June 27, 2013 7:05 PM EDT


Barring a trade, the Baltimore Orioles will attempt to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season without a true ace at the top of their rotation.

Judging by his recent performances, Miguel Gonzalez may be their best option to fill that role.

Gonzalez will try to contain the red-hot Jason Kipnis and help the Orioles salvage a split of their four-game series with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.

Despite one of the worst ERAs in the majors and 11 different starting pitchers, Baltimore (43-36) is within 3 1/2 games of AL East-leading Boston. While Chris Tillman leads the team with nine wins, Gonzalez (5-3, 3.75 ERA) has been the Orioles' most reliable starter.

He has allowed three runs or fewer in four straight and seven of his last eight outings, lasting at least six innings seven times during that span. Gonzalez pitched well enough to win his fourth consecutive start Saturday at Toronto but was a tough-luck 4-2 loser after allowing three runs and three hits in 7 1-3 innings.

"He was outstanding,' manager Buck Showalter said. "He pitched really well. I was really proud of him.'

The right-hander won his only career start against the Indians (40-37) on July 20, yielding two runs over 6 2-3 innings in a 10-2 victory.

Nick Swisher - mired in a 2-for-16 skid - is 0 for 6 with five strikeouts against Gonzalez, but Kipnis is a much bigger concern. The Indians second baseman has hit two-run homers each of the last two days and is batting .405 with 19 RBIs in June. He's reached base safely in 28 straight games.

Kipnis' 11th homer opened the scoring Wednesday and the Indians pushed across two runs in the ninth off Baltimore closer Jim Johnson for a 4-3 victory, their 10th in 14 tries after an eight-game skid.

"I was happy the way our offense came out versus Johnson,' Kipnis said. "We knew it was his third day in a row; he wasn't going to have his best stuff, hopefully.'

The loss was the fifth in six games for the Orioles, who were limited to four hits and failed to homer for the first time in 14 contests. Manny Machado had two hits, including his major league-leading 36th double. That is the most in the majors before the All-Star break since 1997.

Cleveland tries to continue its strong play behind Corey Kluber (6-4, 3.68), who is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his last three starts. He's walked four and struck out 15 over 21 2-3 innings during that span.

After pitching eight shutout innings in his previous start, the right-hander wasn't as effective in an 8-7 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Kluber gave up three runs - including two homers - and needed 100 pitches to complete 5 2-3 innings.

"I wasn't as sharp as I'd like to be, but there are games when you go out there and hopefully get through it and give your team a chance to win,' he said.

Indians closer Chris Perez is expected to be activated from the disabled list Thursday after missing a month with a right shoulder injury.


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Indians at Orioles
Mon, Jun 24 Final 5 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Indians at Orioles
Tue, Jun 25 Final 3 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Indians at Orioles
Wed, Jun 26 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Indians at Orioles
Thu, Jun 27 - 7:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jays (39-38) at Red Sox (47-33)
Game: 1
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: June 27, 2013 7:10 PM EDT


Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell isn't surprised that his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, are working their way back into contention in the AL East.

Farrell will also be hoping that Jon Lester can return to the form he has displayed against Toronto this year in Thursday night's opener of a four-game set at Fenway Park.

Although Toronto (39-38) is still in last place, its deficit behind first-place Boston (47-33) is down to 6 1/2 games with the Blue Jays winning 12 of 14.

Farrell, who managed the Blue Jays for two years before taking over the Red Sox this season, never thought Toronto would continue to flounder after a rough start.

"Not surprised at all. They're pitching much more consistently of late over the last month," Farrell told the Red Sox's official website. "Their bullpen has been outstanding, and they're getting more consistent starting pitching. I think everyone fully anticipated them scoring a lot of runs, but over the stretch that they're on, you can point to their pitching as being much improved."

Toronto's bullpen owns a 0.80 ERA over the last 14 games and its starters have one of the best ERAs in baseball over that stretch at 2.86.

Lester (7-4, 4.57 ERA), meanwhile, threw a one-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Blue Jays on May 10. He is 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA in three 2013 outings against Toronto, but he's 1-4 with a 7.30 ERA in his last seven.

The victory in that span came last Friday at Detroit even though the left-hander gave up five runs over 5 2-3 innings in a 10-6 win.

"I don't think (the) stretch he's on will continue," Farrell said. "He's too talented of a pitcher."

Toronto's Melky Cabrera, J.P. Arencibia and Edwin Encarnacion have combined to go 3 for 27 with just one homer against Lester this year.

Jose Reyes is 1 for 6 lifetime against Lester, and the Toronto shortstop will hope to fare better than his 0-for-4 effort in Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Tampa Bay. It was Reyes' first action since April 12 due to a left ankle sprain.

"Everything felt the way that I expected,' said Reyes, 8 for 12 against the Red Sox this year. "I enjoyed being out there because I missed that for a long time."

The Blue Jays are hoping starter Chien-Ming Wang (1-0, 2.18) can extend his streak of 16 2-3 innings without allowing an earned run. Toronto is 3-0 when he pitches, and he yielded an unearned run over 6 1-3 innings Saturday although he did not get a decision in a 4-2 home victory over Baltimore.

Wang is 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA in eight starts at Fenway.

He will probably be most concerned about David Ortiz, who is 16 for 37 with two homers against the right-hander.

Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each went 5 for 9 as the Red Sox swept a two-game set from Colorado this week to begin a nine-game homestand.

Pedroia is hitting .385 against Toronto while Mike Napoli has five homers and 12 RBIs in the season series.

Encarnacion homered for the fourth time in eight games Wednesday, but he's 6 for 36 against Boston this year as Toronto has dropped five of nine meetings.


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Thu, Jun 27 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Fri, Jun 28 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Sat, Jun 29 - 4:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Blue Jays at Red Sox
Sun, Jun 30 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Royals (36-39) at Twins (34-40)
Game: 1
Venue: Target Field
Date: June 27, 2013 8:10 PM EDT


Jeremy Guthrie may have an excellent chance to bounce back from his shortest start in nearly four years.

The Kansas City Royals starter has already beaten the Minnesota Twins twice this season and has never lost in Minnesota heading into Thursday night's opener of a four-game set.

Guthrie (7-4, 4.20 ERA) surrendered six runs over 2 1-3 innings in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. It was his shortest start since he lasted the same amount of innings July 7, 2009, with Baltimore.

"It was one of those nights when he didn't have much going for him," said manager Ned Yost about last week's poor effort.

Guthrie is 6-2 with a 3.36 ERA in nine career starts against the Twins, going 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two this year. The right-hander has posted a 2.18 ERA in winning all three road starts against them, including two at Target Field.

Joe Mauer is 6 for 16 against Guthrie and Justin Morneau 6 for 19, but both of them are hitting .250 this season against Kansas City (36-39). The Royals are 5-1 in the season series.

The lone victory for Minnesota (34-40) came when promising Samuel Deduno (3-2, 3.72) pitched six-plus effective innings June 4 in a 3-0 win. He improved to 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA in two career starts against the Royals.

The right-hander will return to the mound after his three-game win streak ended in Cleveland last Friday. He allowed four runs over six-plus innings in a 5-1 defeat.

The Twins will be happy to return home after a 1-4 trip in which they scored first in each of the last four games only to lose three times. They scored three runs in the first inning of Wednesday's 5-3 defeat to Miami.

"You jump out like that with three runs quick and you think, 'Oh, here we go,' and nothing happened after that,' manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We couldn't put them away. We had men out there. We needed another big hit early to put them away at least open the lead up and maybe have one of those kind of games, but to their credit they kept battling back.'

Kansas City won 4-3 in 10 innings on Wednesday over Atlanta in its fourth straight one-run game. Alex Gordon singled in the winning run after homering to lead off the first inning as the Royals improved to 6-1 in extra-inning contests.

"These kids are getting better," Yost said. "I think throughout the second half they will continue to that.'

Salvador Perez went 3 for 4 with two doubles, and the catcher is 9 for 22 against Minnesota in 2013. That's still not as good as Billy Butler, who is 10 for 20 in the season series and batting .455 during a 14-game hitting streak against the Twins.

Mauer is surging with 16 hits in 36 at_bats over his last eight games. Morneau, however, is 6 for 27 in the same span.

Mauer's .365 home average is second in the AL to Miguel Cabrera's major league-best .389 mark for Detroit.


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Royals at Twins
Thu, Jun 27 - 8:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Royals at Twins
Fri, Jun 28 - 8:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Royals at Twins
Sat, Jun 29 - 4:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Royals at Twins
Sun, Jun 30 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Phillies (38-41) at Dodgers (35-42)
Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: June 27, 2013 10:10 PM EDT


The Los Angeles Dodgers have to like their chances of extending their longest win streak of the season with Zack Greinke on the mound.

The Dodgers, who are 5-0 when Greinke starts at home, expect to have Matt Kemp back in the lineup for Thursday night's opener of a four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Los Angeles starters have posted a 1.83 ERA during a five-game win streak that began when Greinke (4-2, 3.79 ERA) yielded one run over eight innings with eight strikeouts in Saturday's 6-1 victory at San Diego.

"When he's spot on with command, Zack is a fun pitcher to watch," manager Don Mattingly said.

Greinke is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in five home starts, and the Dodgers (35-42) have won all of them even though they've given him 10 total runs of support.

The right-hander made his second career start against Philadelphia (38-41) last season, allowing one run over seven innings. He owns plenty of experience against Michael Young (9 for 36) and Delmon Young (7 for 28).

Mattingly said that Kemp will likely start every contest of this series after the center fielder came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 4-2 home win over San Francisco. Kemp returned in Tuesday's 6-5 victory after missing nearly a month with a right hamstring strain.

"We're going to keep an eye on him and see how he's doing body-wise," Mattingly told the Dodgers' official website.

Of course, Mattingly has the luxury of penciling in Cuban sensation Yasiel Puig into his lineup day after day now. Puig had three hits Wednesday and is leading the majors with his .435 average in June.

While Puig's astounding month has drawn him plenty of attention in the Los Angeles area, the fellow rookie he will be facing Thursday will also likely have a cheering section at Dodger Stadium.

Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.14) grew up in the area in the northern part of Orange County, and any support he gets from family and friends could only help him turn around his road woes. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA in his last four road starts.

Pettibone is also 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA in seven outings since beating Cleveland on May 14. He exited his last start Saturday against the New York Mets with lower back tightness after yielding one run in six innings in an 8-7 victory, but should be OK after having no setbacks in a bullpen session Monday in San Diego.

The Phillies head north after taking two of three from the Padres, winning 7-5 in 13 innings Wednesday. They scored two unearned runs in the 13th after Delmon Young hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth.

Ryan Howard went 0 for 10 in the series, and is a .204 hitter against the Dodgers for his lowest mark against any NL team.

Los Angeles won five of seven meetings last year.


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Phillies at Dodgers
Thu, Jun 27 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 2
Phillies at Dodgers
Fri, Jun 28 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Phillies at Dodgers
Sat, Jun 29 - 10:10PM EDT

GAME 4
Phillies at Dodgers
Sun, Jun 30 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as team president, good news for the Pacers, especially since Donnie Walsh is staying on as a consultant.

-- Mark Teixeira is having wrist surgery, is out for the season.

-- Dodgers won their last five games, are only six games out of first place.

-- Angels won their last eight games against Detroit.

-- Bruins' Patrice Bergeron has been in the hospital since Game 6; he has a punctured lung, in addition to his shoulder/rib injuries.

-- Pirates/Cardinals are both 48-30, the best record in baseball.


*****

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a summer day...........

13) Oregon Ducks pretty much got slapped on the wrist for NCAA violations, losing only one scholarship over the next three years; they had official visits reduced from 56 to 37, which would be somewhat significant if people followed the rules, but there are ways to get around that one—just have runners pay for kids’ “unofficial” visits. Has to be mostly a happy day in Eugene- they didn’t lose any bowl eligibility.

12) Stupid Ruling of the Day: NCAA gave Chip Kelly an 18-month show-cause order, meaning he can’t coach in college for the next two seasons. He just signed on with the Philly Eagles for $6.5M a year; don’t think he’ll be looking for a college job anytime soon, no matter what.

Much like Pete Carroll at USC, Kelly got out of the town just before the NCAA’s posse came looking for him.

11) I like to use W-L record in games decided by 3+ runs as a measure of a baseball team’s power- sometimes teams get a lot of breaks, and those teams generally have great records in close (1-2 run) games, but seldom dominate opponents. This year, LA Dodgers are just 13-23 in games decided by 3+ runs; the Cardinals are 31-11.

11) Arizona (27-21) has played the most games decided by 1-2 runs.

10) Red Sox are 4-6 in Ryan Dempster’s last ten starts; in the four wins, they scored 12-17-10-11 runs. Boston is 2-9 in Dempster's starts when they score less than seven runs.

9) Jim Boeheim got hired as head coach at Syracuse in 1976, making him the only active D-I coach in the country who was hired at his current job before 1980.

8) Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer is the only D-I football coach who was hired at his current job before 1990; only five of the 125 active D-I coaches were hired at their current job before 2000.

7) JR Smith opted out of his contract, am curious to see where he lands; whoever his new coach is better be tolerant of a player who can score, but takes very difficult shots.

6) If you have Aaron Hernandez on your fantasy football team, feel free to release him now. Sounds like he ain’t going anywhere for a while.

5) The jersey Lebron James wore in Game 2 of the Finals this month went for $37,470 at an NBA auction for charity.

4) From 2003-2006, front-row tickets for Boston Bruin games jumped from $73 a game to $150; so if you have two season tickets for an 80-game season (40 home games), that’s $12,000 a pop, not counting playoffs, and Bruins make the playoffs every year (its not that hard).

Pretty good chunk of change, $12,000+ a year for hockey tickets.

3) From 2005-12, Bronx Bombers were 464-262 (.639) in games decided by 3+ runs, they were a dominant/bully team- they were 281-263 (.526) in games decided by 1-2 runs.

Their fans are entitled, spoiled humans who expect to show up and see their team roll over opponents with mostly far less resources.

2) This year, with many of their aging stars injured, Bronx is 25-13 (.658) in close games, just 18-21 (.462) in games decided by 3+ runs; they’re a spunkier team that’s had to fight for most every win, but for some reason, their TV ratings are down 38%.

Guess their entitled, spoiled fans don’t appreciate a gritty team that has to work for wins, instead of just buying them.

1) Will watch draft tonight rooting hard for Dwayne Davis of Southern Miss to get picked up by an NBA team; he played AAU ball for a friend of mine in Philadelphia and has more overcome adversity in his life than many of us have ever known.

He had a terrific senior year in Hattiesburg; we wish him well. Some NBA team is going to be very glad they picked him up.
Reply With Quote

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Toronto at Boston
The Blue Jays look to build on their 9-2 record in their last 11 games as underdogs. Toronto is the pick (+145) according to Dunkel, which has the Blue Jays favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+145). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

Game 951-952: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Garza) 15.782; Milwaukee (Peralta) 14.370
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-115); Under

Game 953-954: Arizona at Washington (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Corbin) 14.587; Washington (Strasburg) 15.977
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-150); Over

Game 955-956: Philadelphia at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Pettibone) 14.642; LA Dodgers (Greinke) 16.838
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-200); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-200); Over

Game 957-958: Texas at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Holland) 16.294; NY Yankees (Hughes) 14.417
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-125); Under

Game 959-960: LA Angels at Detroit (1:08 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 15.822; Detroit (Fister) 14.409
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+130); Over

Game 961-962: Cleveland at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Kluber) 15.144; Baltimore (Gonzalez) 16.881
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-140); Under

Game 963-964: Toronto at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Wang) 17.024; Boston (Lester) 15.702
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Boston (-165); 10
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+145); Over

Game 965-966: Kansas City at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Guthrie) 15.084; Minnesota (Deduno) 16.340
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-130); Under

Game 967-968: NY Mets at Colorado (6:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Hefner) 15.563; Colorado (Chatwood) 14.572
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Colorado (-165); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+145); Over