Friday, June 15th (All times eastern)
ATLANTA BRAVES (35-32) AT CLEVELAND INDIANS (39-26), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Atlanta - Buddy Carlyle (1-1, 4.91) Cleveland - C.C. Sabathia (9-1, 3.09)
Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia will try to give his team some more breathing room in the American League Central division when he takes the mound tonight in the opener of a three-game interleague series against the Atlanta Braves at Jacobs Field.
The Indians have won two straight after a three-game slide and own a two-game lead over the defending AL champion Detroit Tigers in the division.
Sabathia, who has a 9-1 mark with a 3.09 ERA in 14 trips to the hill this season, is unbeaten over his last six starts (4-0) and did not factor in the outcome the last time out on Sunday against Cincinnati. Sabathia went nine innings and allowed three hits with six K’s and one walk in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to the Reds. He pitched a five-hit shutout five days earlier in a 1-0 victory against the Kansas City Royals.
The portly left-hander has never pitched against Atlanta in his career.
In last night’s 3-2 win over the Florida Marlins in the finale of a three-game series from Dolphin Stadium, Jason Stanford pitched six solid innings after having his contract purchased from Triple-A Buffalo. He was charged with just one run on six hits with a career-high seven strikeouts for his first win since the 2003 season.
Victor Martinez hit a solo home run and scored twice, while Franklin Gutierrez added two hits and an RBI for the Tribe.
The struggling Braves will hand the ball to Buddy Carlyle this evening and he is 1-1 with a 4.91 earned run average in four games (3 starts) this season.
Carlyle did not factor in the decision his last time out on June 10 against Chicago, allowing four runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 win over the Cubs at Turner Field.
The right-hander, who was recalled from Triple-A Richmond to replace the injured John Smoltz in the rotation, will make his first-ever appearance against the Indians.
Atlanta has lost three straight and seven of its last nine games. It was just swept in three games by the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome and fell 2 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets. The Philadelphia Phillies are now just two games off the pace.
Last night starting pitcher Tim Hudson was touched for just two hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings for the Braves. Matt Diaz and Brian McCann each drove in a run and relief pitcher Bob Wickman was dealt the loss after giving up Mike Redmond’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Atlanta and Cleveland are meeting for the first time since the Indians won two of three games against the Braves at Turner Field in 2004. The Tribe is 98-86 all-time in interleague play, while Atlanta owns a 92-80 mark against the American League.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (27-35) AT PITTSBURGH PIRATES (28-38), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Jon Garland (4-3, 3.42) Pittsburgh - Paul Maholm (2-9, 5.33)
The Chicago White Sox have hit rock bottom lately will try to find some answers to their woes when they open a three-game interleague series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Chicago was just swept in three games by the Philadelphia Phillies and has lost eight of nine and 15 of its last 18 games. In Wednesday’s 8-4 loss in the series finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski and Josh Fields each drove in a run for the White Sox, who are now 10 1/2 games off the lead in the American League Central standings.
John Danks started for Chicago and permitted two runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings of work. Relief pitcher Matt Thornton was rocked for just five runs in 1 1/3 frames for the loss. Thornton also gave up a grand slam to former White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand in his brief outing.
Jon Garland gets the ball for the struggling White Sox and is 4-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Garland is a solid 4-1 over his last seven outings, but did not post a decision his last time out on June 9 against Houston. Garland pitched seven strong innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 setback to the Astros.
The right-hander, who is 1-0 in four road starts this season, made a relief appearance against Pittsburgh back on July 6, 2001 and hurled one scoreless inning with a walk during a 10-6 loss.
Pittsburgh will hand the ball to the struggling Paul Maholm, who is 2-9 with a 5.33 earned run average in 13 starts this season.
Maholm is 0-5 in his last six starts, including a personal three-game losing streak. In his previous outing on June 9 against the New York Yankees, Maholm gave up five runs — three earned — over 5 1/3 innings of a 9-3 setback.
The left-hander, who is 1-5 in seven home starts in 2007, made one appearance against the White Sox on June 28 last season and was dealt the loss. Maholm was reached for four runs in six innings during a 4-3 decision at PNC Park.
The Pirates had a two-game winning streak halted in Thursday’s 6-0 setback in the finale of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Starter Tom Gorzelanny was saddled with the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in seven innings.
Chris Duffy and Ryan Doumit each had two hits for the Pirates, who lost for the fourth time in six tries. The Bucos are eight games off the lead in the NL Central division.
Friday’s matchup between the White Sox and Pirates is the first of the 2007 season. Chicago won two of three games against Pittsburgh at PNC Park in 2006.
The White Sox are 102-82 all-time against the National League, while the Pirates own a 54-88 record in interleague play.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (30-35) AT BOSTON RED SOX (41-24), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Francisco - Barry Zito (6-6, 4.02) Boston - Julian Tavarez (3-4, 5.25)
Barry Bonds is set for his first career appearance in Boston tonight, when the San Francisco Giants open a three-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
In fact, it will be the Giants’ first appearance as a team in Boston against the Red Sox since the 1912 World Series. The club was stationed in New York at the time and lost to the Red Sox in seven games. Game Two of that series in Boston was called after 11 innings with the game tied 6-6 on account of darkness.
These two clubs did meet in interleague play in 2004, with the Giants taking two of three games at home.
Bonds comes into historic Fenway Park, which opened in 1912, eight home runs shy of tying Hank Aaron’s all-time mark of 755. Bonds hit the 747th homer of his career on Monday against Toronto.
The left-handed slugger is hitless in four career at-bats against Boston starter Julian Tavarez with one strikeout and no walks.
Tavarez will start tonight, and after reeling off back-to-back victories on May 17 and 22, the right-hander has gotten a no decision in each of his last three outings. Tavarez was last in action on Saturday against Arizona and allowed three runs and six hits in six innings of his club’s 4-3 win.
The righty, who spent nine years in the National League and is 3-4 with a 5.25 earned run average this year, has faced the Giants 13 times in his career. Only two of those games came as a starter, and he is 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA lifetime against San Francisco.
The Red Sox have lost two in a row and three of four overall and have watched their lead in the American League East dip to 7 1/2 games over the Yankees, who have won nine in a row.
In their series finale with Colorado on Thursday, Mike Lowell collected a pair of hits and drove in a run in Boston’s 7-1 setback. Manny Ramirez had two hits and scored a run in defeat.
Josh Beckett (9-1) was rocked for 10 hits and six runs over five innings, allowing a pair of home runs for his first loss of the season. He failed to become the first Sox starting pitcher to begin a season with 10 straight wins since Roger Clemens went 14-0 in 1986, as well as the first AL hurler to do so since Clemens began the 1997 season in Toronto at 11-0.
The Giants, meanwhile, won the first two games of their series with Toronto before dropping the series finale on Wednesday. Bonds struck out as a pinch- hitter for the final out of the game in the Giants’ 7-4 setback.
Guillermo Rodriguez got his first major league hit and knocked in two runs for the Giants, who have lost four of six and are last in the NL West, eight games off the lead.
Tim Lincecum (2-1) suffered the first loss of his young career after yielding seven runs on seven hits through 3 2/3 innings.
San Francisco will turn from an emerging ace to an established one tonight in Barry Zito, who will hopefully try to show Lincecum how to bounce back from a rough start.
Zito had a three-game winning streak halted on Saturday, as the left-hander faced off against his former club, the Oakland Athletics, for the second time this season. For the second time, Zito was handed a defeat by his ex-mates.
Last weekend, Zito was tagged for four runs — three earned — on nine hits in just four innings of work to fall to 6-6 with a 4.02 ERA on the year.
The left-hander has battled Boston 13 times in his career and is an even 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA. DETROIT TIGERS (37-28) AT PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (35-31), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Jeremy Bonderman (6-0, 3.63) Philadelphia - Jon Lieber (3-4, 3.72)
Jeremy Bonderman shoots for his seventh straight winning start for Detroit when the Tigers head to Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park tonight for the opener of a three-game series with the Phillies.
Bonderman began the season with five straight no decisions before his current winning streak. The right-hander got the win against the Mets on Saturday despite giving up six runs — five earned — on eight hits over six innings.
In fact, the former first-round pick hasn’t posted a loss since September 10 against Minnesota. He closed out the 2006 season with three more wins in four starts, then went 1-0 in three playoff outings.
Bonderman, who has a 3.63 earned run average this season, is 2-0 in five road starts this year and will face the Phillies for the second time in his career. He picked up the win in his lone start against them on June 15, 2004 after throwing seven innings of one-run, one-hit ball with eight strikeouts.
Detroit kicks off a nine-game road trip with tonight’s game, but has lost two straight games to fall two back of Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.
The Tigers opened up their set against the Brewers with Justin Verlander’s no- hitter, but went on to lose the next two tests. That includes a 6-5 setback on Thursday.
Chad Durbin (5-3) allowed two runs on eight hits and walked a pair in just 3 2/3 innings in the loss. Gary Sheffield went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Magglio Ordonez chipped in two hits and three RBI for Detroit.
Curtis Granderson went 0-for-4 to end his career-high 13-game hitting streak and Craig Monroe struck out five times to tie a Tigers franchise record.
The Phillies are coming off a three-game sweep of another AL Central resident, the Chicago White Sox. The series marked the return of Jim Thome to Philadelphia, but it was one of the players he was traded for that stole the show in the series finale on Wednesday.
Former Chicago center fielder Aaron Rowand cracked a grand slam in the seventh inning in an 8-4 Philadelphia victory. Wes Helms also homered for the Phillies, who have won four of five and seven of their last nine games to surge into second place in the NL East, two games back of the first-place New York Mets.
Chase Utley finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run in the win.
With veteran Freddy Garcia currently on the disabled list with an injured right shoulder, Kyle Kendrick was sent to the mound for his major league debut. Kendrick, who was recalled from Double-A, allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings before Ryan Madson (1-2) tossed the seventh for the win.
Tonight’s starter for the Phillies, Jon Lieber, is coming off his first shutout of the season last time out on Saturday against Kansas City. The right-hander scattered three hits without a walk and struck out a season-high 11 batters. Lieber’s fifth career shutout improved his record to 3-4 with a 3.72 ERA on the season.
Lieber is 2-2 with a 4.11 ERA in five career starts against Detroit. He last faced the Tigers on July 18, 2004 as a member of the New York Yankees and took the loss after yielding four runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The Tigers took two of three against the Phillies in 2004, with Bonderman winning the opener of that set. Philadelphia, though, swept a three-game series in Detroit in 2002.
The Phillies are 84-94 all-time in interleague play, while the Tigers have dipped to an even 92-92 versus the NL. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (37-30) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (29-37), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Arizona - Micah Owings (4-1, 3.76) Baltimore - Erik Bedard (4-4, 3.72)
The Arizona Diamondbacks will go from playing the best of the American League East to the worst tonight, when they begin a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Beginning with a loss to the Giants in a series finale on June 7, the Diamondbacks have dropped six of their last seven. They lost two of three to the AL East-leading Red Sox before getting swept by the second-place Yankees in three games at the Bronx.
The Yankees trail Boston by 7 1/2 games in the standings, but the Diamondbacks ran into the surging club at the wrong time, as New York’s sweep of Arizona pushed its winning streak to nine games.
Now the Diamondbacks get to head to Baltimore to face a club that is dead last in the AL East, 12 1/2 games behind Boston.
New York completed the sweep on Thursday with a 7-1 victory at Yankee Stadium, outscoring Arizona by a margin of 18-4 in the set. Scott Hairston drove in the only run for the Diamondbacks, who have fallen two games behind first-place San Diego in the NL West.
Doug Davis (4-8) surrendered four runs on six hits in five innings of work en route to the loss. The veteran walked five and fanned five in the game.
The Diamondbacks also lost slick-fielding second baseman Orlando Hudson with an apparent left ankle injury on Thursday. Hudson lined a two-out single to right off Andy Pettitte in the sixth inning, but began to limp as he headed down the first base line. After trainers took a look at him, Hudson limped off the field and was replaced by Alberto Callaspo. He is listed as day-to-day.
Micah Owings will start for Arizona and aims to turn in his fourth straight solid outing. Owings, who is undefeated over his last eight starts (3-0), has allowed four runs over his last three games while lowering his earned run average to 3.76 on the season.
The right-hander turned in consecutive one-run starts — both wins — before getting a no decision on Saturday versus Boston. Owings yielded two runs on seven hits over six innings, but saw his club eventually fall by a 4-3 score.
Owings is 4-1 overall on the season and the rookie will make his first career start against Baltimore.
The Orioles come into tonight’s game on a five-game losing streak. The club lost the final two tests of its three-game series against Colorado before getting swept by the Washington Nationals in three games.
Washington completed the sweep with a 4-1 win yesterday. The loss wasted a solid outing by Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie, who tossed seven innings and gave up just one run on four hits with five strikeouts. He left with the game tied, giving way to Chad Bradford (0-3), who served up the go-ahead runs.
Jay Gibbons knocked in the lone run for the Orioles, who stranded 11 runners on base and fell to 1-5 on a nine-game homestand.
Left-hander Erik Bedard will try to rebound from a loss last time out versus Colorado with tonight’s start. Bedard lasted only five innings against the Rockies on Sunday and allowed three runs — two earned — on nine hits and three walks. The lefty also fanned eight to give him 103 strikeouts on the season, the second most in the American League.
Bedard is 4-4 with a 3.72 ERA on the season and has never faced Arizona in his career.
These clubs last met in 2004 in Baltimore, with Arizona winning two of three. The Diamondbacks also won two of three at home versus the Orioles in 2002.
Arizona is 66-82 all-time in interleague play, while Baltimore is 76-108.
NEW YORK METS (36-28) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (33-31), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: NY Mets - Oliver Perez (6-5, 3.21) NY Yankees - Roger Clemens (1-0, 4.50)
The latest edition of the Subway Series features a bit of role reversal from the previous matchup between the New York clubs. Tonight the red-hot Yankees shoot for a 10th consecutive victory when they host the reeling Mets in the opener of a three-game set from the Bronx.
When these crosstown rivals met at Shea Stadium last month, the Mets came in having won 11 of 15 and were 12 games over .500. The National League East leaders are currently enduring a miserable stretch this time around, however, having suffered losses in five straight games and nine of their last 10 contests.
The spell has shortened the Mets’ lead atop the division to just two games over second-place Philadelphia.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are on their best tear since they ripped off 10 wins in a row from May 7-17, 2005. The team stood 14 1/2 games behind division- leading Boston at the end of May, but has since trimmed seven games off that deficit.
The Bronx Bombers maintained their excellent recent form on Thursday, as Andy Pettitte allowed just one run and four hits over eight outstanding innings to lead the Yanks to a 7-1 victory over Arizona and a sweep of the three-game interleague set.
Alex Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored for the streaking Yankees. The star third baseman extended his major-league leading RBI total to 68.
Hideki Matsui finished 3-for-4 with three RBI for the Yankees, while Bobby Abreu was 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Yankee pitchers held the Diamondbacks to a mere four runs during the sweep. Roger Clemens will attempt to continue that outstanding stretch when the legendary hurler makes his second start of his latest comeback tonight.
Clemens’ much ballyhooed return on Saturday was a successful one, as the 44- year-old held Pittsburgh to three runs over six innings to earn the 349th victory of his lengthy career. The future Hall of Famer yielded just five hits and struck out seven while walking two.
The seven-time Cy Young winner has historically struggled when facing the Mets, however. In 10 previous regular-season starts against his Flushing neighbors, Clemens is just 3-5 with a 5.09 ERA.
He will be opposed tonight by the erratic Oliver Perez, who has suffered back- to-back losses over his last two starts following a string of three straight winning decisions.
Perez did pitch pretty well in the first defeat of his current streak, as he held Arizona to three runs and four hits over seven innings of a 4-1 setback on June 3. The left-hander was roughed up for five runs in five innings at Detroit last Saturday, however, and issued five walks as well in that loss.
The talented 25-year-old did defeat the Yankees at Shea Stadium last month by yielding only two runs and five hits over 7 2/3 innings. Perez is 2-1 with a 4.19 ERA in three lifetime starts against tonight’s opponent.
The Mets are just 1-5 so far on a nine-game road trip and just suffered a humbling three-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. In Wednesday’s finale, Brad Penny fired seven innings of one-run ball to lead Los Angeles to a 9-1 rout.
Mets third baseman David Wright went 2-for-4 with an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. However, starting pitcher Jorge Sosa (6-2) had a string of three straight winning starts broken with the righty allowed eight hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The Mets won two of three from the Yanks in the first edition of this year’s Subway Series. The clubs have split six meetings in each of the two previous years.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS (28-37) AT TORONTO BLUE JAYS (31-34), 7:07 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Washington - Mike Bacsik (1-3, 4.34) Toronto - Roy Halladay (6-2, 4.56)
The Washington Nationals haven’t been successful in Canada since the franchise left Montreal, but they have played quite well away from home as of late. Tonight the club shoots for an 11th victory in 13 road games when it starts up a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Washington is 5-1 so far on a current nine-game trek and heads into this set fresh off a three-game Beltway Series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. In Thursday’s finale, Ryan Zimmerman hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning as the Nats posted a 3-1 triumph.
Zimmerman finished 2-for-4 for Washington, which improved to 15-18 on the road for the season.
Jason Simontacchi (4-4) threw seven-plus effective innings, allowing just one run and scattering nine hits. Chad Cordero earned his 10th save by shutting out the Orioles in the ninth.
Since the Expos relocated from Montreal to Washington following the 2004 campaign, the Nationals have dropped five of six games played in Toronto. Washington lost all three matchups with the Jays at the Rogers Centre last summer and were outscored by a whopping 20-5 margin.
The Nats don’t figure to have an easy task tonight, either, as the Blue Jays will send out ace Roy Halladay in the opener.
Halladay is 2-0 in three starts since returning from a three-week stint on the disabled list due to appendicitis. The 2003 AL Cy Young winner ran his season record to 6-2 Sunday in Los Angeles, where he held the Dodgers to three runs and five hits over seven innings in Toronto’s 11-5 win.
The standout right-hander has had very good career success when facing the Washington/Montreal franchise. Halladay owns a 4-1 record and a 2.58 earned run average in eight appearances (seven starts) against tonight’s opponent and has won four straight decisions over the Nationals/Expos.
Toronto returns home after splitting six interleague games at Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Jays dropped the first two tests to the Giants earlier this week before rebounding for a 7-4 win in Wednesday’s finale.
The Blue Jays built a 7-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings to back a solid performance from starter Dustin McGowan (3-2). The young right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out six over six innings of work.
Aaron Hill and Matt Stairs each knocked in two runs for Toronto, while Howie Clark finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
The Blue Jays will be taking their swings tonight against Mike Bacsik, who will be trying to end a personal three-start losing streak for Washington.
After yielding just three runs over 13 2/3 innings over his first two outings since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus in mid-May, Bacsik has gone 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA over his three most recent starts. The left-hander took another loss Sunday in Minnesota after surrendering four runs (three earned) and nine hits in five innings.
Bacsik has made just one previous appearance against Toronto, a 1 2/3 scoreless inning relief stint while with Cleveland in 2001.
These teams split six encounters with one another during the 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns before Toronto took all three matchups last year.
TEXAS RANGERS (22-42) AT CINCINNATI REDS (26-41), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Vicente Padilla (2-8, 6.28) Cincinnati - Matt Belisle (5-4, 4.48)
The teams with the two worst records in baseball get together for the first of three straight meetings tonight at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, where the Reds will host the Texas Rangers.
Texas comes in with the majors’ lowest win percentage at 22-42 and its 10-24 season road record is also the worst overall mark in the league. The Reds rank at the bottom of the National League with a 26-41 record.
Since May 22, the Rangers have won just six of 21 games, while Cincinnati is only 8-14 over that span.
Texas does enter this series on a high note, however. After dropping the first two tests of a three-game set at Pittsburgh, the Rangers got a lift from recently-recalled pitcher Kameron Loe in Thursday’s 6-0 victory over the Pirates.
Loe (2-6), who was filling in for the injured Brandon McCarthy, allowed five hits and three walks over eight shutout innings to pick up his first win since April 21.
He got offensive help in the form of home runs by Jerry Hairston, Travis Metcalf and Gerald Laird. Laird’s blast was a three-run shot in the seventh inning which extended the Rangers’ lead to 6-0.
Vicente Padilla will attempt to duplicate Loe’s outstanding performance when the struggling right-hander takes the mound tonight. Padilla will also be trying to end a season-long stretch of road futility, as the native Nicaraguan is 0-5 with an 8.74 earned run average in seven starts away from home.
Padilla has lasted less than five innings in three of his last five outings and was struck for 11 hits over 4 2/3 frames against Milwaukee on Sunday. He did yield only two runs, however, and did not factor in the decision of his team’s 9-6 loss.
The 29-year-old does own a 3-2 record and 3.43 ERA in 13 career appearances against Cincinnati, five of which have been starts.
Padilla will be facing a Reds squad that just dropped two of three games at home to the Angels, including a 9-7 setback in Thursday’s rubber match. Anaheim erupted for six runs in the seventh inning to rally from a 5-3 deficit.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Gonzalez each homered for the Reds, while Scott Hatteberg finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and scored a run in the loss.
Heralded prospect Homer Bailey, a 21-year-old who was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft, allowed five runs on seven hits with a strikeout and three walks over six-plus innings in his second major league start. Gary Majewski was hit with the loss after surrendering three runs and failing to record an out in relief of Bailey.
Matt Belisle makes his first career appearance against Texas for the Reds this evening. The converted reliever has recorded no decisions in each of his last two starts and allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work against in-state rival Cleveland last Saturday.
Belisle will be aiming for his first victory at Great American Ball Park since he beat Pittsburgh with six innings of one-run ball in his season debut on April 6. In six home starts following that win, he has gone 0-3 with a 5.20 ERA.
These teams will be meeting for the first time since 2004, when the Reds swept a three-game series from the Rangers at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati has won four of six lifetime encounters against Texas.
SEATTLE MARINERS (35-28) AT HOUSTON ASTROS (27-39), 8:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Seattle - Felix Hernandez (3-3, 4.41) Houston - Wandy Rodriguez (3-6, 4.52)
Right-handed phenom Felix Hernandez looks to snap a three- start skid tonight when the Seattle Mariners visit the Houston Astros for the opener of a three-game interleague series at Minute Maid Park.
A 21-year-old Venezuelan, Hernandez has been touched for 27 hits and 14 runs in 17 2/3 innings since his last win on May 25, dropping an 8-6 verdict to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and getting no-decisions against Baltimore and San Diego.
He was 12-14 in his first full season of 2006, posting a 4.52 earned run average.
Hernandez has never faced the Astros.
Dominican southpaw Wandy Rodriguez counters for Houston while looking to end a slide that’s resulted in three losses in four starts.
The 28-year-old lost a 6-3 nod to the Chicago White Sox on June 10, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in five innings.
His last win came June 5 in Colorado, when he gave up five hits and a run in five innings at Coors Field.
He has never faced the Mariners.
On Thursday in Chicago, Cesar Izturis’ two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference as Chicago rallied to edge Seattle, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at Wrigley Field.
Down 4-3, the Cubs rallied off the Seattle bullpen. Brandon Morrow (3-1) issued consecutive walks to Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot before Koyie Hill moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Izturis then came through with a two-run double to left to vault Chicago back on top.
Bob Howry (3-3) finished the games with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win for the Cubs.
Cliff Floyd was 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Chicago, which won for the fifth time in eight games. Felix Pie and Fontenot each added a run-scoring triple for the Cubs.
In Houston, Jason Kendall singled home the winning run in the 11th inning, as the Oakland Athletics concluded their three-game series against the Astros at Minute Maid Park with a 6-5 victory.
With the score knotted at five, Oakland got the winning run in the 11th off reliever Brian Moehler (0-2). Bobby Crosby and pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki both singled before Kendall lined the game-winning base hit to left field on a 0-1 pitch. Suzuki, who got called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, got his first major league hit.
Eric Chavez and Marco Scutaro both homered for the Athletics, who won their second straight. Mark Ellis finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice in the win.
Chad Gaudin allowed five runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and four walks over 4 1/3 innings for Oakland. Alan Embree (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win, and Santiago Casilla got the final two outs for his second save of the season.
Mike Lamb ended 3-for-5 with two RBI and scored once for the Astros, who lost their second straight. Carlos Lee ended 2-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Astros took two of three from the Mariners back in 2004, but Seattle won two of three in Houston back in 2002.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (36-30) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (32-31), 8:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Milwaukee - Claudio Vargas (4-1, 3.94) Minnesota - Scott Baker (1-1, 6.45)
Versatile Dominican right-hander Claudio Vargas continues a jack-of-all-trades role for the Milwaukee Brewers tonight when they open a three-game interleague series with the Minnesota Twins.
Vargas, who’ll turn 29 on Tuesday, threw an inning of one-hit ball against Texas on June 10, picking up the first save of his major-league career. The outing followed a defeat of the Chicago Cubs five days earlier, in which he allowed seven hits and three runs in a 7-5 victory.
The save came in Vargas’ 137th career major-league appearance.
He was touched for six hits and five runs over four innings against Minnesota on May 20, getting a no-decision in a 6-5 Brewers win. Overall, he’s 0-1 with a 7.82 earned run average in three career starts against the Twins.
Louisiana native Scott Baker makes his fifth start of the season for Minnesota and enters on a three-start winless streak.
His only “W” of 2007 came on May 19 against the Brewers, in which he allowed six hits and two runs in 8 1/3 innings en route to a 5-2 triumph.
He’s 2-0 lifetime against Milwaukee with a 4.05 ERA.
On Thursday in Detroit, Ben Sheets pitched into the sixth inning, recording his 1,000th career strikeout along the way, as the Brewers edged the Tigers, 6-5, in the final installment of a three-game interleague series at Comerica Park.
Sheets (7-3) yielded three runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out seven. He reached the milestone of 1,000 strikeouts in the fourth inning when he fanned Mike Rabelo to end the frame. Sheets now has 61 strikeouts on the season and 1,003 since making his major league debut with the Brewers in 2001.
Johnny Estrada had three hits, while Corey Hart hit a solo homer for the Brewers, who have won two straight since they were no-hit on Tuesday.
Chad Durbin (5-3) allowed two runs on eight hits and walked a pair in just 3 2/3 innings in the loss. Gary Sheffield went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored as the Tigers dropped their second straight following a three-game winning streak. Magglio Ordonez chipped in with two hits and three RBI.
Minnesota took two of three from the Brewers earlier in the season and has won seven of the last nine meetings played between them, including five of the last six at the Metrodome.
FLORIDA MARLINS (32-34) AT KANSAS CITY ROYALS (25-41), 8:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Florida - Sergio Mitre (2-2, 1.59) Kansas City - Gil Meche (3-6, 3.16)
Right-hander Gil Meche looks to snap a five-start losing streak tonight when the Kansas City Royals host the Florida Marlins in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Kauffman Stadium.
Meche, who came over from Seattle as a free agent in the off-season, began the season with wins in three of his first three decisions, but has since gone 0-5 with a pair of no-decisions since beating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 5-2, on May 3.
In his last start, on June 9, he gave up eight hits and four runs in seven innings of a 4-0 loss to Philadelphia. It was the second time in the five-game streak in which the Royals were shut out. Overall, they’ve scored just eight runs in the five losses.
Meche has never faced the Marlins.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who’s not lost since April 11, makes his 11th start for Florida.
The 26-year-old Californian has allowed no earned runs in his last three outings, but has received no-decisions against the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta. Overall, he’s surrendered 15 hits and a single unearned run in 16 2/3 innings.
Mitre has never faced the Royals.
On Thursday in Miami, Florida was upended by the Cleveland Indians, 3-2, at Dolphin Stadium.
Dontrelle Willis (7-6) got the loss as he gave up three runs — two earned — on eight hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work for the Marlins, who have dropped two straight and four of five.
In Kansas City, Mark Teahen went 3-for-5 with a pair of triples and five runs driven in as the Royals pounded the St. Louis Cardinals, 17-8, in the finale of their three-game set. Emil Brown went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven in and David DeJesus added three RBI for the host Kansas City, which has won three of four.
Zack Greinke (4-4) got the win as he pitched four innings and gave up one run on four hits. Scott Elarton started on the mound but was pounded for six runs on five hits with three walks in two-plus innings.
Florida took two of three from the Royals in Kansas City back in 2002.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (29-35) AT COLORADO ROCKIES (33-33), 9:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Tampa Bay - James Shields (6-0, 3.04) Colorado - Rodrigo Lopez (2-0, 2.88)
James Shields tries to tie a club record by winning his seventh straight decision this evening when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays start a three-game interleague set with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Shields has been a pleasant surprise for the Devil Rays this season, going 6-0 with a 3.04 earned run average. Shields moved within one win of matching Mark Hendrickson’s team record for consecutive wins on Saturday, as he held the Florida Marlins to two runs and six hits in seven innings.
The 25-year-old right-hander, who has never faced the Rockies, has allowed more than three runs in just two of his 13 starts this season and has left with the lead in every outing.
Colorado will counter with veteran right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who is 2-0 with a 2.88 ERA. Lopez picked up a no-decision on Saturday against his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, as he yielded two runs and six hits in seven frames.
Lopez is 10-6 lifetime against the Devil Rays with a 4.37 ERA in 19 games, 14 of which have been starts.
Colorado got back to the .500 mark last night, as Garrett Atkins went 3-for-5 with a double and a grand slam to lead the Rockies past the Boston Red Sox, 7-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
Jeff Francis (6-5) scattered seven hits over five-plus innings, striking out six to move above the .500 mark on the year.
Matt Holliday added a solo home run, his 11th of the season for the Rockies, who have won four of their last five overall. Todd Helton contributed a run- scoring single and Willy Taveras added an RBI.
The Rockies have won 15 of their last 21 games, and are 6-0-1 in their last seven series.
Tampa, meanwhile, dropped the final two games of its three-game interleague series with the San Diego Padres, including a 7-1 setback in Thursday’s finale at Tropicana Field.
J.P. Howell (1-1) allowed two runs — one earned — on four hits in seven-plus innings of work. He walked three and fanned two as Tampa Bay dropped its second straight game but lost for just the fourth time in the last 11. Jonny Gomes hit a solo homer to account for the team’s only run.
Colorado swept the Devil Rays in three games at Coors Field back in 2002, but Tampa returned the favor in 2004, sweeping the Rockies in a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (28-35) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (36-29), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Braden Looper (6-5, 4.12) Oakland - Dan Haren (7-2, 1.58)
Tony La Russa returns to Oakland for the first time since leaving for St. Louis in 1996 when the Cardinals and Athletics kick off a three-game series at McAfee Coliseum.
With La Russa at the helm Oakland won four division titles, three pennants and the 1989 World Series, while posting a 798-673 record in his 10 years there. La Russa, who of course guided the Cardinals to a World Series title last season as well, ranks second on the A’s all-time wins list behind Connie Mack.
Hoping to spoil La Russa’s return will be 26-year-old Dan Haren, who was a second round pick of the Cardinals in 2001 and was dealt to Oakland as part of the Mark Mulder deal in 2004.
With Barry Zito gone and Rich Harden on the shelf, Haren has emerged as the staff ace for the A’s. The right-hander was again brilliant on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, as he scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings to improve his record to 7-2, while lowering his league- leading earned run average to a miniscule 1.58.
Haren, who has won his last seven decisions, has not surrendered more than two earned runs in any of his last 11 starts. In fact he has given up just three earned runs once this season.
St. Louis will pin its hopes on right-hander Braden Looper, who is 6-5 with a 4.12 ERA. Lopper dropped his second straight decision on Saturday to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as he allowed six runs and 11 hits in six innings.
Looper has faced the A’s twice, recording a save in both outings.
St. Louis comes into this series after dropping two of three to the Kansas City Royals, including an embarrassing 17-8 setback in Thursday’s rubber match at Kauffman Stadium.
Chris Duncan hit a three-run home run and drove in four while Kip Wells (2-11) was handed the loss for giving up six runs on three hits with four walks in just 1 1/3 innings of work for the Cardinals, who have dropped five of their last seven.
Oakland, meanwhile, won in thrilling fashion on Thursday, as Jason Kendall singled home the winning run in the 11th inning to lead the A’s to a 6-5 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
With the score knotted at five, Oakland got the winning run off reliever Brian Moehler (0-2). Bobby Crosby and pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki both singled before Kendall lined the game-winning base hit to left field on a 0-1 pitch.
Eric Chavez and Marco Scutaro both homered for the Athletics, who won their second straight. Mark Ellis finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice in the win.
Chad Gaudin allowed five runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and four walks over 4 1/3 innings for Oakland. Alan Embree (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win, and Santiago Casilla got the final two outs for his second save of the season.
St. Louis swept the A’s in a three-game set at Busch Stadium in 2004.
LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (42-25) AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS (38-28), 10:40 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Ervin Santana (5-6, 5.26) LA Dodgers - Derek Lowe (6-6, 3.21)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim try to beat the Dodgers for the fifth straight time this evening, when the latest edition of the Freeway Series gets underway from Dodgers Stadium.
After winning the final two contests of the 2006 campaign, the Angels swept the Dodgers in a three-game set in Anaheim last month, outscoring their crosstown rivals 19-4 in the process.
The Dodgers, though, enter this matchup red-hot after taking all three games of their series with the New York Mets, including a 9-1 rout to complete the sweep on Wednesday.
Los Angeles, which had lost five of six coming into the series with the Mets, sill trails the San Diego Padres by a half-game in the National League West.
Getting the ball for the Dodgers tonight will be right-hander Derek Lowe, who is coming off a hard-luck loss in his last trip to the hill. Against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, Lowe surrendered a run on four hits in nine innings, but was tagged with the loss in his team’s 1-0 setback.
He slipped to 6-6 on the season to go along with a 3.21 earned run average.
Lowe, who spent the first eight years of his career in the American League, is no stranger to the Angels. He is 5-5 lifetime against them with six saves and a 2.97 ERA in 26 games, 10 of which have been starts.
The Angels will counter with Ervin Santana, who is coming off his first road win of the season in his last start. Santana held the St. Louis Cardinals to three runs and six hits in six innings on Saturday, as he improved to 5-6 on the season and lowered his ERA to 5.26.
Santana, who is a dismal 1-5 with an 8.50 ERA on the road this season, defeated the Dodgers earlier in the year and is 2-1 in his career against them in three starts.
The Angels continued to improve upon their best start in team history on Thursday, rallying past the hapless Cincinnati Reds, 9-7, at Great American Ball Park. Vladimir Guerrero singled in the go-ahead runs in a six-run seventh inning which propelled the Angels to victory.
Casey Kotchman finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored a run for the Angels, who are a a major league-best 25-9 since May 9.
SAN DIEGO PADRES (38-27) AT CHICAGO CUBS (30-35), 2:20 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Diego - David Wells (3-3, 4.76) Chicago - Ted Lilly (4-4, 3.96)
The National League West-leading San Diego Padres will shoot for their third straight win when they open a three-game series this afternoon against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
San Diego, which is a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division, has won two in a row following a four-game losing streak. After dropping the opener of a three-game interleague set with Tampa Bay, the Padres bounced back with two straight wins, including Thursday’s 7-1 triumph over the Devil Rays in the series finale.
Justin Germano pitched six scoreless innings and scattered three hits, walked one and fanned four batters to lower his ERA to 2.36 since being recalled from Triple-A Portland. He entered the season with just one major league win in nine career appearances and now has five victories over his last six starts.
Rob Bowen had three hits and Adrian Gonzalez contributed two doubles, knocked in a run and scored once in the winning effort.
Veteran left-hander David Wells gets the nod for the Padres tonight and is 3-3 with a 4.76 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Wells is 2-1 over his previous four outings and did not factor in the decision his last time out on June 9 against Seattle. He allowed three runs in six innings of a 6-5 loss to the Mariners.
The southpaw will take on the Cubs for the second time this season after recording a victory on May 23 at Petco Park. Wells hurled seven strong innings of one-run ball during a 2-1 triumph over Chicago.
In four career starts against the Cubs, Wells owns a 2-1 record with a 3.48 earned run average.
Chicago starter Ted Lilly, who is 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 13 starts this season, will try not to get ejected this time out against San Diego. In his last start on June 10 against Atlanta, Lilly was tossed for hitting Braves shortstop Edgar Renteria in the left hand. Home plate umpire Jim Wolf felt that Lilly did it on purpose and sent the Chicago hurler to the showers early after just two-thirds of an inning.
Lilly, who had two strikeouts before his ejection, is now 0-2 with a pair of no decisions over his last four starts. He did not factor in the outcome during a 5-4 loss at Atlanta’s Turner Field.
The left-hander hasn’t faced the Padres this season, but is 2-0 with a shutout and a 2.70 ERA in three career games (2 starts) against them.
The Cubs will also try for a third consecutive win when they host San Diego this afternoon. Chicago lost the opener of a three-game interleague series with Seattle, but rebounded with two wins in a row and posted a 5-4 triumph on Thursday at Wrigley Field.
Cesar Izturis provided the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning with a two-run double, while Cliff Floyd was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Chicago, which won for the fifth time in eight games.
Reliever Bob Howry got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings and starter Jason Marquis allowed four runs on just two hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Cubs are now 5 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division.
San Diego is 3-2 against the Cubs this season, including a 1-1 mark at Wrigley Field. The Padres went 7-0 in the 2006 season series with the Cubs.
