The Bum's Aug. MLB Best Bets + Pod's !

[StarDust Bum]

Early Day Pod's:

Wednesday, August 14

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Cleveland - 1:10 PM ET Cleveland -104 500
Minnesota - Over 9 500

Detroit - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox +143 500 POD # 3
Chi. White Sox - Under 9 500

Miami -2:10 PM ET Miami +204 500 POD # 1
Kansas City - Under 7.5 500 POD # 5

Cincinnati - 2:20 PM ET Chi. Cubs +119 500 POD # 2
Chi. Cubs - Under 7.5 500

San Diego - 3:10 PM ET San Diego +126 500 POD # 4
Colorado - Under 9.5 500

Baltimore - 3:40 PM ET Arizona -127 500
Arizona - Under 8 500

[WThotrod]

Indeed they did. That stinks about the parlay! Let's do some damage this afternoon! I am hoing heavy again. BOL!

[WThotrod]

*going

[StarDust Bum]

Wham......Miami Marlins and the under....how big was that.........

[StarDust Bum]

Evening Pod's:


LA Angels - 7:05 PM ET LA Angels +118 500 POD # 1
NY Yankees - Over 7.5 500

San Francisco - 7:05 PM ET Washington -145 500
Washington - Under 7 500

Boston - 7:07 PM ET Boston -144 500
Toronto - Under 9.5 500

Philadelphia - 7:10 PM ET Philadelphia +201 500 POD # 5
Atlanta - Under 8 500

Seattle - 7:10 PM ET Seattle +245 500 POD # 3
Tampa Bay - Under 7 500

Milwaukee - 8:05 PM ET Milwaukee +215 500 POD # 4
Texas - Under 8.5 500

Pittsburgh - 8:15 PM ET Pittsburgh +108 500 POD # 2
St. Louis - Over 7 500

Houston - 10:05 PM ET Houston +228 500 POD # 6
Oakland - Over 7.5 500

NY Mets - 10:10 PM ET LA Dodgers -185 500
LA Dodgers - Under 7 500


Dogs will be barking this evening ....Am hoping so anyways....

[WThotrod]

Yeah, the Marlins and the under definitely saved the afternoon. Tonight, i am swinging hard again with the evening POD's. Best of luck!!

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's American League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Thursday's American League games:

Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees

Cold pitching stat: Yankees starter Phil Hughes hasn't won since July 2, and is 0-2 with an 11.45 ERA over his last three starts.

Hot batting stat: New York 2B Robinson Cano is 9-for-26 in his career against Angels starter C.J. Wilson.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out of the northwest at 12 mph.

Key betting note: The Yankees are 3-9 in Hughes' home starts.


Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics

Cold pitching stat: Astros starter Erik Bedard is 0-5 over his last seven starts and is 1-6 with a 5.65 ERA in 12 road appearances.

Cold batting stat: Athletics 3B Josh Donaldson is hitting .244 with one home run in 82 at-bats since the All-Star break. Donaldson batted .310 with 16 homers in the first half.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out of the southwest at 12 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 10-4-1 in Bedard's last 15 starts.


Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays

Cold pitching stat: Red Sox starter Jake Peavy is 0-3 with an 11.42 ERA over his last four road starts.

Cold batting stat: Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista is 2-for-14 with four strikeouts lifetime against Peavy.

Weather: With partly cloudy skies and temperatures expected to be in the high-60s, the roof should be open at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Key betting note: The under is 1-6-1 in Buehrle's last eight home starts.


Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers

Hot pitching stat: Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez has been sensational of late, allowing six runs over his last five starts. He has surrendered just one home run in that span.

Hot batting stat: Detroit 3B Miguel Cabrera is 11-for-32 with three home runs in his career versus Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out of the southwest at 11 mph.

Key betting note: Tigers pitchers have allowed an American League-low 41 home runs at home; the Royals have hit an AL-low 39 road homers.


Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays

Hot pitching stat: Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb is 4-0 with a 3.02 ERA in eight home starts.

Cold batting stat: Rays 3B Evan Longoria has just three multi-hit games since June 23.

Weather: Dome.

Key betting note: The over is 6-2-1 in Seattle starter Joe Saunders' last nine outings.


Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins

Cold pitching stat: Minnesota starter Mike Pelfrey is 1-5 with a 6.52 ERA in nine night starts.

Hot batting stat: White Sox 1B/DH Adam Dunn has six home runs and 12 RBIs in 11 games against the Twins in 2013.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with partly cloudy skies. Winds will be out of the south at 8 mph.

Key betting note: Chicago has averaged just 2.1 runs per game during its nine-game road losing streak.


** Probable starters and weather forecast as of 12:05 p.m. ET.

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


Thursday's National League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Thursday's National League games:

Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals

Hot pitching stat: Cardinals starter Lance Lynn has thrown four consecutive quality starts, going 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA in that span.

Hot batting stat: St. Louis CF Carlos Beltran is a .282 career hitter with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 39 at-bats against Pirates starter A.J. Burnett.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out of the east at 4 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 8-2 in Lynn's last 10 starts.


San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals

Hot pitching stat: Nationals starter Dan Haren has allowed just three runs on 11 hits over his previous three starts, spanning 21 innings.

Cold batting stat: Giants OF Hunter Pence has just one hit in 13 career at-bats against Haren.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out of the south at 3 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 7-1-2 in San Francisco right-hander Ryan Vogelsong's 10 starts in 2013.


Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers

Hot pitching stat: Milwaukee right-hander Kyle Lohse is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and one home run allowed over his last five starts.

Hot batting stat: Reds OF Jay Bruce is batting .343 with three home runs and nine RBIs in nine games against Milwaukee.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out of the south at 5 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 17-7 in Lohse's 24 starts this season.


New York Mets at San Diego Padres

Hot pitching stat: Mets starter Zach Wheeler is 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA and a .206 opposition batting average in six road starts.

Cold pitching stat: New York C John Buck is homerless since the All-Star break after going deep 14 times in the first half.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out of the southwest at 4 mph.

Key betting note: The Padres are just 8-21 in their last 29 games against a right-handed starter.

** Probable starters, stats and weather forecast as of 1:07 p.m. ET.

[StarDust Bum]

Three Thursday pitchers who are hot on the road

Looking for some strong road action? Thursday's Major League Baseball schedule features several starters who have been sensational away from their home parks.

Here are three pitchers who don't mind the heat in enemy territory.


Tony Cingrani, Cincinnati Reds (5-2, 2.87 ERA)

The hard-throwing left-hander has been virtually automatic away from Great American Ball Park, posting a 3-1 mark with a 3.02 ERA and a .177 opposition batting average in 10 appearances. Five of his six quality starts on the season have come on the road - including a seven-inning, one-hit gem in his previous road start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds open a four-game set in Milwaukee on Thursday.


Zach Wheeler, New York Mets (5-2, 3.63 ERA)

Wheeler has been good just about everywhere, but the road has been especially kind to the 23-year-old (4-0, 2.21 ERA). He has surrendered more than one earned run in just one of his six road starts so far in 2013, and limited host Arizona to a run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings last time out.

The Mets kick off a four-game series in San Diego on Thursday.


Anthony Rienzo, Chicago White Sox (0-0, 2.95 ERA)

The 25-year-old Brazilian is only three starts into his major-league career, but two of those have come on the road - and they've been spectacular. Rienzo has surrendered just two earned runs in 13 innings away from the Windy City - and his opponents (Detroit, Cleveland) were no slouches at the plate.

The White Sox begin a four-game series in Minnesota on Thursday.

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Thursday

August 15, 2013


SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Red Sox are 12-0 since June 17, 2012 as a road favorite it is the last game of the series for a net profit of $1200.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Rays are 0-11-1 OU since May 19, 2013 when they are off a win in which they came back from a deficit and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1100 when playing the under.

PITCHER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- When Jeremy Guthrie starts the Royals are 14-0 since August 08, 2012 after going at least 6 innings and giving up no home runs last start, where he did not lead by more than 5 or trail by more than 2 after 3 innings,for a net profit of $1599.

MLB BIBLE ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Rays are 2-29 OU since August 2010 as a favorite with a total between 7.5-8.5 off a one run win in a night game. 2-7 OU this season with seven straight unders.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The White Sox are 0-10 since May 30, 2013 on the road when they are off a loss in which they had at least three times as many hits as runs for a net profit of $1021 when playing against.

-- The Rays are 10-0 since July 29, 2010 as a home 200+ favorite after a win in which they left 18+ men on base for a net profit of $1000.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Afternoon Action

August 15, 2013

Angels at Yankees - 1:05 PM EST

Probables: C.J. Wilson (12-6, 3.49 ERA) vs. P. Hughes (4-11, 4.99 ERA)

Series recap: New York is starting to resemble its old offensive ways after beating down Los Angeles for a third straight night, 11-3. The Yankees have plated 25 runs in the last two games after scoring just two runs in the series opening victory, while New York has won five of its last six games.

Pitching notes: The Angels have won seven of C.J. Wilson's last 10 starts, including a road victory at Cleveland in his previous outing. Los Angeles is riding a four-game 'over' streak with the southpaw on the mound, while Wilson is 4-1 in day starts. Phil Hughes has allowed 14 earned runs in his last three outings, while New York is 1-5 in his past six outings.

Pirates at Cardinals - 1:45 PM EST

Probables: A.J. Burnett (5-8, 2.95 ERA) vs. L. Lynn (13-6, 3.79 ERA)

Series recap: The Pirates rebounded from Tuesday's disappointing extra-innings loss by dumping the Cardinals last night, 5-1 as road underdogs. Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak, while the Bucs beat the Cards for the seventh time in the last nine meetings. The Pirates enter Thursday's action with a three-game advantage over the Redbirds in the NL Central race, while facing St. Louis six more times following this series.

Pitching notes: The Cardinals have won two of three starts made by Lance Lynn against the Pirates, with the lone loss coming at PNC Park in late July. In Lynn's past 10 trips to the mound, St. Louis has drilled the 'under' eight times, including five straight 'unders' at Busch Stadium. The Pirates are 3-4 in A.J. Burnett's seven starts since returning from the DL, while Pittsburgh is 0-4 in Burnett's last five road outings.

Astros at Athletics - 3:35 PM EST

Probables: E. Bedard (3-8, 4.28 ERA) vs. S. Gray (0-1, 1.80 ERA)

Series recap: Houston is finally figuring out how to beat Oakland after losing 11 of the first 12 meetings with the A's this season. The Astros shocked the A's as huge underdogs for the second straight night on Wednesday, 2-1 in 11 innings. Houston profited 4.8 units the last two games alone, while seeking its first road sweep since early June against the Angels.

Pitching notes: The Astros have lost seven straight starts made by Erik Bedard, including five consecutive road setbacks. Oakland has beaten Bedard twice this season, while racking the southpaw for six earned runs in the first inning of an 11-2 rout back in April. Sonny Gray makes his second start for Oakland after turning in a quality outing in a 5-4 loss at Toronto last Saturday.

Giants at Nationals - 4:05 PM EST

Probables: R. Vogelsong (2-4, 6.71 ERA) vs. D. Haren (7-11, 4.99 ERA)

Series recap: Washington continues to creep back to the .500 mark after its fifth straight win on Wednesday. The Nationals edged the Giants, 6-5, thanks to Denard Span's impressive catch in center field to save at least two runs and end the ballgame. Washington has won seven consecutive home meetings against San Francisco dating back to 2011, while San Francisco has lost eight of its past 11 games overall.

Pitching notes: Following a horrible stretch of 11 consecutive starts without a win, Dan Haren has picked up three straight victories in his last three outings. Haren allowed four hits or less each time, while tossing seven innings in wins over the Mets, Brewers, and Phillies. Ryan Vogelsong makes his second start after a long DL stint, as the right-hander looks to beat Washington for the second time this season.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Angels (53-66) at Yankees (62-57)
Game: 4
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: August 15, 2013 1:05 PM EDT


The return of Alex Rodriguez might be dominating the headlines in New York, but Alfonso Soriano's bat is the biggest reason the Yankees have played well of late.

Soriano looks to continue his tear while trying to help the Yankees to a fifth consecutive victory and four-game sweep of the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

One night after Soriano homered twice and drove in six runs during New York's 14-7 win over Los Angeles (53-66), he hit two more and had a career-high seven RBIs in Wednesday's 11-3 victory.

Prior to going 6 for 9 in the last two contests, Soriano hit .193 (11 for 57) with three homers and eight RBIs in his first 15 games since the Yankees (62-57) reacquired him from the Chicago Cubs last month.

The 37-year-old Soriano, who hit a first-inning grand slam off Jered Weaver on Wednesday, joins Texas' Rusty Greer (1997) and Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins (2001) as the only players with at least six RBIs in back-to-back games since 1920.

"He's just kind of bringing life into this whole offense," teammate Chris Stewart said. "It seems like when he gets going everybody else kind of ignites, too, and our whole offense clicks.

"It's nice having him in there.'

Soriano has helped the Yankees build some confidence as they try to make a serious push for the playoffs. New York has won five of six after losing 17 of 26.

He's 2 for 5 with a homer against scheduled Los Angeles starter C.J. Wilson (12-6, 3.49 ERA), who is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last four starts versus New York. The left-hander allowed two runs in seven innings of a 5-2 victory over the Yankees on June 14.

Wilson improved to 4-0 with a 3.46 ERA in his last six starts overall after he grinded through 5 1-3 innings to allow seven hits and four walks but two runs in a 7-2 win at Cleveland on Saturday.

"I felt I pitched pretty well,' Wilson said. "It was a battle to get ahead of guys. There's no other way to characterize it.'

Losers in four straight since opening their seven-game trip with two straight wins at Cleveland, the Angels have dropped 20 of 26 in the Bronx - including the postseason.

Mike Trout has been one of the few consistent bright spots for the underachieving Angels, recording five RBIs in the series and batting .382 with 25 RBIs while reaching base safely in 36 consecutive contests.

The New Jersey native is 11 for 25 with six RBIs in six games at Yankee Stadium. He's 2 for 3 with a homer against scheduled starter Phil Hughes (4-11, 4.99).

The right-hander, 0-4 with a 6.43 ERA in his last six starts, allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings of a 9-3 loss to Detroit on Saturday. It was the third straight start and fourth in six that Hughes failed to complete at least five innings.

"It's just consistency, that's the biggest difference for him,' said manager Joe Girardi, who doesn't appear to have any worthy options to replace Hughes in the rotation. "He works hard in between starts to try and fix things but it hasn't shown up in games.'

Hughes has been consistently ineffective while yielding 19 runs, 28 hits - including five homers - in 13 2-3 innings to go 0-2 in his last three starts versus Los Angeles.

Teammate Robinson Cano is batting .419 the last nine games after going 4 for 4 Wednesday.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Angels at Yankees
Mon, Aug 12 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Angels at Yankees
Tue, Aug 13 Final 7 to 14
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Angels at Yankees
Wed, Aug 14 Final 3 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Angels at Yankees
Thu, Aug 15 - 1:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Pirates (71-48) at Cardinals (68-51)
Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: August 15, 2013 1:45 PM EDT


After being stymied at the plate in their last contest, the St. Louis Cardinals should be eager to welcome one of the majors' top hitters back to the lineup.

Expected to return from the disabled list, Yadier Molina tries to help the Cardinals move closer to the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates in Thursday's series finale at Busch Stadium.

Out since July 30 with a sprained right knee, the All-Star catcher appears ready to return the first day he's eligible to do so. Though Molina was mired in a 3-for-19 slump at the time of his injury, he's second in the NL with a .330 average.

Molina hopes to get back on track and help St. Louis (68-51) cut into Pittsburgh's three-game lead in the Central.

"You have to give it your all every time because it's only a month and a half left,' he said. "Every time you get a day off it's beautiful for your body but right now my team needs me and I'll be ready to go.'

Though manager Mike Matheny is glad to have one of his stars back, he plans to be cautious with Molina.

"We're going to be careful,' Matheny said. "You just have to try to do the right thing.'

St. Louis pounded out 27 hits and scored 12 runs to win two straight before being held to four hits by Pittsburgh's Francisco Liriano in a 5-1 loss Wednesday.

The victory snapped a season high-tying four-game skid for the Pirates (71-48), who won for the second time in nine road contests.

"It was important because every game counts, especially after (Tuesday's 4-3, 14-inning loss),' Liriano said. "It was a tough game last night and we had to put that one behind us and come ready to play.'

Even with Molina in the lineup, Pittsburgh could be in a good position to win behind A.J. Burnett (5-8, 2.95 ERA). The right-hander has allowed three runs, nine hits and struck out 23 in 20 innings while going 2-0 in three starts against the Cardinals this season.

He yielded one of those runs and three hits while fanning nine in seven innings of a 2-1, 11-inning victory July 30.

Burnett, however, has received an average 3.60 runs of support while he's 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA in his last seven starts overall. The Pirates scored three runs with him on the mound Saturday but he gave up five of his six in the sixth inning of a 6-4 loss at Colorado.

Scheduled St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn (13-6, 3.79) gave up a run and three hits while striking out seven in six innings in the one-run loss to Burnett and the Pirates last month.

After yielding four runs and seven hits in five innings to still earn the win in a 10-6 victory at Pittsburgh on April 15, Lynn has allowed two and five hits over 13 innings to go 1-0 the next two against the Pirates.

The right-hander was cruising until he gave up three runs in the seventh inning of a 3-0 home loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Batting .459 during an 11-game hitting streak, St. Louis' Matt Holliday is 5 for his last 16 with a homer against Burnett.

Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez is one shy of matching his career-high home run total after hitting his 29th on Wednesday. He's homered in two of the last three games overall, and has 11 in 46 career contests versus St. Louis.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Cardinals
Tue, Aug 13 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Cardinals
Wed, Aug 14 Final 5 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Pirates at Cardinals
Thu, Aug 15 - 1:45PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (39-80) at Athletics (67-52)
Game: 3
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: August 15, 2013 3:35 PM EDT


The lowly Houston Astros are making it tough for the Oakland Athletics to catch the leader in the AL West.

Having already clinched their first winning series in almost two months, the visiting Astros look to record their first-ever sweep of the struggling A's on Thursday.

Since the teams first met during interleague play in 2002, Houston (39-80) dropped 16 of 18 against the A's and went 0-6 in Oakland before pulling out the first two of this set. One night after holding on for a 5-4 win, the Astros won 2-1 in 11 innings to record their first winning series since taking two of three against Milwaukee from June 18-20.

"We're sticking together," said backup catcher Carlos Corporan, who delivered the go-ahead double to send the Astros to consecutive wins for the first time since a four-game run June 12-16.

"We're having a really good time right now."

Oakland (67-52), meanwhile, has lost nine of 13. The A's, who held a six-game lead over Texas in the West on July 29, trail the surging Rangers by two.

They went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position Wednesday and had a potential game-winning homer in the 10th taken away when Robbie Grossman made a leaping grab of Chris Young's deep fly at the fence. Young barely missed homering in the ninth Tuesday on a foul ball that was reviewed.

"It just seemed like it was frustrating from the beginning and got more frustrating as the game went on,' said manager Bob Melvin, who was ejected in the eighth for arguing a call at third base.

Last swept at home by the Los Angeles Angels from Sept. 3-5, the A's hope to continue their recent success against scheduled Astros starter Erik Bedard (3-8, 4.28 ERA).

The left-hander has allowed eight runs and walked nine over 5 1-3 innings while going 0-1 in two starts against the A's this season. He gave up six of those runs in one-third of an inning during an 11-2 loss at Oakland on April 15.

Bedard is 0-5 with a 3.98 ERA in his last seven starts, but the Astros have been shut out three times and lost each during the stretch. He gave up three runs in 6 2-3 innings but did not factor in the decision of a 9-5 loss to Texas on Friday.

A bullpen that ranks last in the majors with a 5.32 ERA has blown one-run leads in each of Bedard's last two starts.

Philip Humber allowed the tying run in the seventh Wednesday after rookie Jarred Cosart threw six strong innings, but the next three Houston relievers yielded one hit and no walks over 3 2-3 innings.

Houston All-Star catcher and Bay Area native Jason Castro is batting .370 with 10 RBIs during a hitting streak that reached 12 games with a single Wednesday.

Brandon Moss drove in Oakland's lone run, but he is 5 for 27 in his last eight contests.

Making his home debut in the finale, Sonny Gray (0-1, 1.80) allowed four runs - two earned - with four hits and three walks in six innings of a 5-4 loss at Toronto on Saturday in his first career start.

"The longer the game went, the more comfortable I started becoming,' said the right-hander, who opened his career with two scoreless relief appearances last month.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Astros at Athletics
Tue, Aug 13 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Astros at Athletics
Wed, Aug 14 Final 2 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Astros at Athletics
Thu, Aug 15 - 3:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Giants (52-67) at Nationals (59-60)
Game: 3
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: August 15, 2013 4:05 PM EDT


The Washington Nationals have a lot of work to do to become a factor in the NL postseason race, but they're on the brink of their best stretch of the season.

Ian Desmond is a key reason why.

Desmond looks to continue his offensive barrage in order to help the Nationals record their longest winning streak in over a year Thursday against the San Francisco Giants.

Washington (59-60) is the reigning NL East champion, but 14 games back of first-place Atlanta. The team is also 8 1/2 games behind Cincinnati for the league's second wild-card spot.

The Nationals are showing signs of potentially closing the gap on the Reds, winning five games in a row behind a .325 average and 33 runs.

They haven't put together a longer run since reeling off eight straight victories from Aug. 4-11, 2012.

Desmond has been vital to the recent surge, going 10 for 19 (.526) with four doubles and seven runs over the past five games. The shortstop hit a solo homer in Wednesday's 6-5 win over San Francisco (52-67) after collecting three hits and two runs Tuesday to open this three-game set.

Another big offensive effort seems likely since Desmond owns a .441 average with three doubles, three homers, six RBIs and 11 runs over his last 10 home meetings with the Giants.

Desmond and the Nationals haven't needed to do much offensively with Dan Haren (7-11, 4.99 ERA) on the mound.

The right-hander has won his last three starts behind a 1.29 ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .157 average. He had been 0-8 with a 6.18 ERA over his previous 11 starts, a stretch that included a stint on the disabled list for right shoulder inflammation.

Haren continued to put that injury - and poor stretch - behind him, yielding two runs and four hits in seven innings of a 9-2 win over Philadelphia on Friday.

"Physically, I was fine. Mentally, I was pretty messed up," Haren told the team's official website. "But baseball is an incredibly humbling game. When you're up, it'll just knock you right down. I couldn't have really gotten much lower than I did when I was on the DL. I mean, I was a bad start or two away from getting released, probably.

"That's just the truth of it, I think. I definitely feel way better the way I'm pitching now, and this is more me."

Haren is facing the Giants for the first time since a loss with Arizona in 2009.

San Francisco has lost three in a row, going 5 for 26 with runners in scoring position.

Ryan Vogelsong (2-4, 6.71) will make his second start since breaking his hand in an 8-0 win against the Nationals on May 20. The right-hander fouled a ball off his hand in the fifth inning, and was sidelined for nearly 12 weeks.

Before the injury, Vogelsong earned the win by allowing three hits in five innings.

He labored through six innings and 103 pitches in his return Friday, giving up two runs and issuing three walks in six innings of a 5-2 loss in 10 to Baltimore.

"I missed it. It felt great to get back out there and pitch again," Vogelsong said. "I just tried to think about the stuff I need to do to make pitches."

Vogelsong is making his first start in the nation's capital, and he's 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA in three road outings.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Nationals
Tue, Aug 13 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Giants at Nationals
Wed, Aug 14 Final 5 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Giants at Nationals
Thu, Aug 15 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Royals (62-56) at Tigers (70-49)
Game: 1
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 15, 2013 7:08 PM EDT


While the Detroit Tigers own a comfortable lead in the AL Central, they have a chance to really distance themselves from one of the teams in pursuit.

Detroit tries to extend its season-high home winning streak to 10 on Thursday night when it opens a five-game set against the Kansas City Royals.

The Tigers (70-49) had dropped three straight and four of five before bouncing back with Wednesday's 6-4 road win over the Chicago White Sox. Miguel Cabrera, who has six homers and 14 RBIs over the last eight days, stayed hot with a three-run shot to help Detroit conclude a 6-4 trip.

"It was a tough road trip, a battle," Torii Hunter told the Tigers' official website. "We enjoy this day and we've got five with a team that's behind us, chasing us."

The Tigers remained six games ahead of Cleveland but moved 7 1/2 games in front of the third-place Royals (62-56), who had won 17 of 20 before suffering back-to-back losses to Miami. Kansas City took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning Wednesday, but Elliot Johnson's error proved costly in a 5-2 defeat.

"It's a tough one to swallow, but at the same time, we've got to look ahead,' Eric Hosmer said. "We've got five games in Detroit. We can make up some serious ground. There's a lot of time. We've got to forget about this one and be ready to go tomorrow.'

The Royals have taken five of eight in the series this year, but they could have their hands full at Comerica Park, where the Tigers have outscored opponents 53-10 during their winning streak.

Detroit will try to keep things going behind Anibal Sanchez (10-7, 2.58 ERA), who is 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA and 70 strikeouts in eight home starts spanning 56 1-3 innings.

Sanchez has posted a 1.63 ERA during a season-high three-game winning streak, and he had everything working again Saturday in a 9-3 road win over the New York Yankees. He yielded four hits and struck out eight over seven innings of two-run ball.

Sanchez allowed the game's only run and a season-high five walks in six innings in a hard-luck 1-0 loss at Kansas City on July 19. He is 1-2 in the series despite a 0.82 ERA.

Hosmer is 1 for 9 in their matchups, and Mike Moustakas is 1 for 7. Moustakas, though, is uncertain to play after missing the last two games with a strained left calf.

With Moustakas banged up and fellow infielder Miguel Tejada on the disabled list, Kansas City acquired Emilio Bonifacio from Toronto in exchange for cash or a player to be named later Wednesday. The switch-hitting Bonifacio was batting .218 with three homers and 12 stolen bases in 94 games, but he provides plenty of versatility in the field.

The Royals give the ball to Jeremy Guthrie (12-8, 4.10), who had won a season-high four consecutive starts before yielding five runs and 10 hits in six innings in a 5-3 loss to Boston on Saturday. The right-hander dropped to 2-5 with a 4.76 ERA over his last eight road starts.

Guthrie was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in six innings but earned the victory in a 6-5 win over the Tigers on July 20, improving to 4-0 with a 3.86 ERA in his last five outings in the series. Guthrie, though, is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in his last three appearances in Detroit.

Cabrera is 10 for 25 with three homers versus Guthrie since 2010, and Prince Fielder is 7 for 15 with two doubles. Austin Jackson, however, is 4 for 23 with eight strikeouts.

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Royals at Tigers
Thu, Aug 15 - 7:08PM EDT

GAME 2
Royals at Tigers
Fri, Aug 16 - 1:08PM EDT

GAME 3
Royals at Tigers
Sat, Aug 17 - 7:08PM EDT

GAME 4
Royals at Tigers
Sun, Aug 18 - 1:08PM EDT