Sunday, June 17th (All times eastern)
ATLANTA BRAVES (37-32) AT CLEVELAND INDIANS (39-28), 1:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Atlanta - Kyle Davies (3-5, 5.70) Cleveland - Fausto Carmona (7-2, 3.17)
The Cleveland Indians will try to avoid being swept at home by the Atlanta Braves as the teams concludes their three-game interleague series today at Jacobs Field.
On Saturday, Edgar Renteria went 5-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Braves past the Indians, 6-2.
John Smoltz (8-3) made a strong return to the mound for Atlanta, pitching six solid innings. The veteran right-hander, who had missed his last start due to shoulder soreness, gave up just two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.
Willie Harris knocked in a pair of runs and Kelly Johnson went 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored for the Braves, who are one victory away from sweeping their first interleague series on the road since winning three games in a row at Boston in 2002.
Saturday’s win also moved Atlanta within 1 1/2 games of the slumping New York Mets for first place in the National League East.
Casey Blake singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 25 games for the Indians, who have lost five of seven.
Cleveland starter Paul Byrd (6-3) was tagged for five runs on 10 hits through five innings of work. The struggling veteran, who struck out seven without walking a batter, has now yielded 16 earned runs and 31 hits in 15 innings over his last three starts.
The Indians will turn to Fausto Carmona today in hopes of getting back on track. Carmona has been extremely effective for Cleveland this season, although he had a personal seven-game winning streak snapped by Florida on Tuesday.
The right-hander was effective despite the loss, as he allowed three earned runs and just five hits over seven innings of a 3-0 setback. It was his first loss since dropping a 6-4 decision against the White Sox on April 13th.
Carmona, who is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five home starts this season, has never faced the Braves in his brief major league career.
Getting the nod for Atlanta will be Kyle Davies, who has dropped two straight starts and three of his last four. On Tuesday, the right-hander was reached for five earned runs and six hits in just 3 2/3 innings of a 7-3 setback to Minnesota.
Davies, who is making his first appearance against the Indians, is 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA in six starts away from home this season.
Atlanta and Cleveland are playing their first series since the Indians won two of three games against the Braves at Turner Field in 2004. The Tribe is 98-88 all-time in interleague play, while Atlanta owns a 94-80 mark against the American League.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS (29-39) AT TORONTO BLUE JAYS (33-34), 1:07 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Washington - Micah Bowie (3-2, 3.89) Toronto - Josh Towers (2-4, 5.31)
The Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to reach the .500 mark for the first time since early May as they aim for a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals today at Rogers Centre.
Toronto hasn’t been even on the season since the club was 13-13 back on May 1. The Blue Jays then proceeded to lose their next eight games to fall well off the pace in the American League East standings.
John Gibbons’ squad has been able to right itself since that lengthy losing streak, however, and the Jays posted their fifth victory in their last seven games with yesterday’s 7-3 defeat of the Nationals.
Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBI to back seven outstanding innings from starting pitcher Shaun Marcum as Toronto won its third consecutive contest. Frank Thomas chipped in two hits and a pair of RBI, while Alex Rios went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored on the afternoon.
Marcum (4-2) allowed just a pair of runs on three hits and struck out a career-high 11 Washington hitters.
His counterpart, Nationals’ rookie Levale Speigner (2-3), wasn’t nearly as successful. The right-hander lasted just 3 1/3 innings and was rocked for seven runs on 10 hits.
Ryan Zimmerman finished 2-for-4 with a home run and Dmitri Young added a solo homer for the Nationals.
Washington had won five of the first six tests of their current nine-game road trip before dropping both games in this series. The Nationals have now lost seven of eight games in Toronto since the franchise relocated from Montreal following the 2004 campaign.
The Blue Jays swept a three-game series from Washington at Rogers Centre last season and have won the last six meetings between the teams.
Saturday’s triumph was also the Blue Jays’ 11th in their last 15 home games and improved their season record at Rogers Centre to 20-15.
A.J. Burnett was initially slated to start today’s finale for the Blue Jays, but the oft-injured hurler will skip a turn in the rotation after leaving Tuesday’s game at San Francisco in the fifth inning because of a mild shoulder strain. Josh Towers will get the nod instead for Toronto.
Towers began the season in a starting role but was demoted to the bullpen after losing three of four April starts. The soft-tossing righty was moved back into the rotation last week, but didn’t deliver particularly good results in Monday’s outing against the Giants.
The 30-year-old took the loss in that game after allowing four runs (three earned) in four innings, although he did strike out five batters. He is just 1-4 with a 5.00 ERA as a starter this year.
Towers is 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA in four career games against the Washington/Montreal franchise, but he lost both starts to the Nationals in 2005. He did not face the club last season.
He will be opposed by Micah Bowie, who has been a pleasant surprise since being forced into a starting position last month because of injuries. The journeyman lefty has posted a 3-0 record and a 4.01 ERA in his five starts and the Nationals have won in every one of those trips to the mound.
In his most recent time out, Bowie shook off a three-run homer by Baltimore’s Melvin Mora in the second inning and shut out the Orioles over the remainder of his six-frame stint. He yielded just three hits and was rewarded with a victory.
This will be the 32-year-old’s first career appearance against Toronto.
TEXAS RANGERS (25-43) AT CINCINNATI REDS (27-42), 1:15 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Kevin Millwood (2-6, 7.82) Cincinnati - Bronson Arroyo (2-7, 4.98)
A pair of right-handers going through trying seasons will face off when the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers conclude their three-game interleague series today at Great American Ball Park.
Bronson Arroyo was an All-Star for Cincinnati a year ago and finished his first season with the Reds among the National League leaders in earned run average and strikeouts, while Kevin Millwood won 16 games for the Rangers in 2006. However, both pitchers enter this afternoon’s matchup with just two victories on the season.
Millwood’s performance has been particularly disappointing. He has lost five straight decisions since an April 13 win at Seattle and missed more than two weeks with a strained hamstring. Since returning from the disabled list on June 1, the high-priced veteran has gone 0-2 with a woeful 11.08 ERA in three starts.
The 32-year-old delivered another subpar outing Tuesday in Pittsburgh, where he surrendered six runs (five earned) on eight hits — three of them home runs — over 4 1/3 innings of a 7-5 loss.
Millwood has now served up 10 homers in 48 1/3 innings on the season, and opponents are hitting a robust .341 against him.
In nine previous starts versus Cincinnati, Millwood owns a respectable 5-4 record with a 4.29. However, he is 1-2 with a 6.46 ERA in three career games at Great American Ball Park.
Arroyo has also lost five consecutive decisions and hasn’t won in seven starts since a 9-3 triumph over Colorado on May 6. The colorful righty held the Angels to three runs in a six-inning no decision on Tuesday, an improvement over his four previous appearances in which he gave up six or more runs each time.
The 30-year-old has had very good career success when facing Texas, however. Arroyo is 3-0 with a 2.54 ERA in four lifetime starts against the Rangers, all of which came during his tenure with the Red Sox from 2003-05.
Cincinnati rebounded from a 7-6 loss to the Rangers in Friday’s series opener with last night’s 8-4 victory. Ken Griffey Jr. and David Ross each belted a pair of home runs to help the Reds end a three-game losing streak.
Griffey hit a solo homer as part of a back-to-back effort with Adam Dunn in the first inning, then connected on a two-run shot in the third. It was the star slugger’s 54th career multi-homer game, tying him with Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time list.
Texas’ Sammy Sosa finished 0-for-5 one night after hitting the 599th home run of his career. The seven-time All-Star is trying to become the fifth player to reach the coveted 600-homer milestone, a feat accomplished by only Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.
Sosa has never homered in 10 career at-bats against Arroyo, but his 53 long balls against Cincinnati are his most off any single opponent.
Griffey now has 581 lifetime homers and needs just two more to match Mark McGwire for seventh place in baseball history.
Ross smashed a three-run homer in the sixth, then added a solo shot in the eighth.
Aaron Harang (7-2) yielded three runs - two earned - on six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the win. He walked three, struck out five and was aided by a bullpen which allowed just one run the rest of the way.
Texas starter Jamey Wright (0-1) was touched for four runs and nine hits over five innings. The right-hander was making his first major-league appearance since spending two-plus months on the disabled list because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
Cincinnati owns a 5-3 edge in the all-time series with Texas and swept a three-game series from the Rangers at Great American Ball Park in 2004.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (28-36) AT PITTSBURGH PIRATES (29-39), 1:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Javier Vazquez (3-5, 4.15) Pittsburgh - Zach Duke (3-6, 5.54)
The Chicago White Sox take aim at their first series win in almost a month as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates today in the final contest of a three-game interleague set at PNC Park.
On Saturday, Mark Buehrle hurled eight innings of one-run ball to lead the White Sox to a 6-1 win over the Pirates.
Buehrle (4-3) scattered nine hits, walked a batter and struck out four to earn the 101st victory of his career. The crafty left-hander threw 113 pitches - 75 for strikes - and continued to fare well in recent interleague games. Since the start of the 2005 season, Buehrle is 6-1 in nine starts against National League clubs.
Josh Fields provided the majority of the offense, clubbing a two-run homer and adding a run-scoring double for the White Sox, who snapped a six-game skid on the road and a four-game losing streak overall.
Chicago has not won a series since it took two of three games from Oakland from May 21-23. The White Sox have dropped 16 of 21 contests since that set.
John Van Benschoten (0-1), who made his first major league start in almost three years, yielded two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four over 5 2/3 innings. The oft-injured 2001 first-round draft pick was taking the spot of Shawn Chacon, who was recently moved to the bullpen.
Ryan Doumit had a pair of hits and knocked in the lone run for the Pirates, who have dropped two of three.
Zach Duke gets the nod for the Pirates today and is in search of his second straight win. The crafty left-hander picked up a 7-5 victory over Texas on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs and eight hits over six innings of work. It was the third straight game Duke has lasted six innings.
Duke has made one previous start in his career against the White Sox, surrendering four earned runs and 10 hits over six innings of work. He struck out three and didn’t earn a decision in last year’s 7-6 home loss to Chicago.
Getting the call for the White Sox today will be Javier Vazquez, who is trying to snap a personal two-game losing streak. On Tuesday, the veteran right- hander surrendered three earned runs and four hits over six innings of a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia. He gave up three solo home runs in the setback.
Vazquez has made 11 career starts versus the Pirates, going 4-3 with a 4.52 ERA and two complete games.
This series between the White Sox and Pirates are the lone 2007 meetings for the two clubs. Chicago won two of three games against Pittsburgh at PNC Park in 2006.
The White Sox are 103-83 all-time against the National League, while the Pirates own a 55-89 record in interleague play.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (39-30) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (29-39), 1:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Arizona - Brandon Webb (6-4, 3.18) Baltimore - Brian Burres (3-2, 2.80)
The struggling Baltimore Orioles try to end a season-long seven-game losing streak today, when they conclude a three-game interleague set with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camden Yards.
On Saturday, Miguel Montero singled in two insurance runs in the ninth inning, as Arizona nearly wasted a five-run early lead and beat the Orioles, 8-4.
Scott Hairston and Chad Tracy each hit two-run homers and Chris Young added a solo shot for the Diamondbacks, who have won back-to-back contests after losing six of seven.
Edgar Gonzalez (3-2), starting in place of the injured Randy Johnson, allowed two hits and a run over five innings to get the win. Gonzalez had just two days of rest after throwing three innings against the Yankees on Wednesday.
Melvin Mora homered and drove in three runs for Baltimore, which has dropped 12 of its last 14 games.
Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (5-8) sparkled late but struggled early and lost for the fifth time in seven outings. He gave up six hits and five runs over eight innings, while striking out five. All five of those runs came over his first three innings of work.
Cabrera swapped spots in the rotation with Brain Burres, Saturday’s original starter who needed an extra day of rest for his sore shoulder. Burres, who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against Washington on Tuesday, is set to make his first start since June 5.
In his last start, the left-hander allowed one earned run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings of an eventual 5-4 loss to Seattle. He walked three and earned a no decision.
Burres, who has never faced Arizona in his career, is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in seven appearances (two starts) at home this season.
Ace Brandon Webb gets the starting nod for the Diamondbacks today and is trying to rebound from a 4-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday. In that game the veteran right-hander allowed three earned runs on just five hits over seven innings. The loss snapped a personal three-game winning streak.
Opponents are batting just .240 versus Webb, who is 4-2 with a glaring 2.53 ERA in eight starts on the road this season.
Webb failed to earn a decision in his only career start versus Baltimore in 2004, allowing two runs and five hits in five innings of work.
Prior to this series these clubs last met in 2004 at Baltimore, with Arizona winning two of three games. The Diamondbacks also won two of three at home versus the Orioles in 2002.
Arizona is 68-82 all-time in interleague play, while Baltimore is 76-110.
DETROIT TIGERS (38-29) AT PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (36-32), 1:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Justin Verlander (7-2, 2.79) Philadelphia - Adam Eaton (7-4, 5.42)
Justin Verlander heads to the hill for the first time since throwing a no-hitter as the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies conclude their three-game interleague series today from Citizens Bank Park.
On Tuesday, Verlander put forth the best pitching performance of his career, as he tossed a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Milwaukee. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out 12 and surrendered four walks in becoming the first Tiger to throw a no-no since Jack Morris turned the trick in 1984.
With the win over Milwaukee, the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year improved to a perfect 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA in five career interleague starts. He is currently riding a streak of 16 consecutive scoreless innings.
Verlander has never faced the Phillies in his major league career.
Countering for Philadelphia will be Adam Eaton, who has won four of his last five starts, including two in a row. The right-hander turned in one of his best efforts of the season on Monday, as he allowed just four hits over seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory against the White Sox.
Eaton, much like Verlander, has had success in interleague play this season. He is 2-0 and allowed no runs over 13 innings against the American League.
In his career against Detroit, Eaton is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two appearances, including one start. In his lone start versus the Tigers, Eaton picked up the win by allowing one earned run in seven innings of a 5-1 triumph while with San Diego in 2003.
Eaton will try to follow up last night’s solid performance by Jamie Moyer, who pitched seven strong innings in the Phillies’ 6-3 win over Detroit.
Moyer (6-5) held the powerful Tigers lineup to four hits and two runs, both coming on solo homers, while striking out four without a walk.
Shane Victorino was 3-for-5 with a homer and Aaron Rowand had a solo home run and an RBI single for the Phils, who have won four of five and eight of 11. The surge has moved Philadelphia within two games of the first-place New York Mets in the NL East standings.
Tigers rookie Andrew Miller (2-1) was touched for seven hits and four runs — three earned — in six innings. He fanned six and walked two, while also hitting two batters.
Carlos Guillen and Curtis Granderson each had solo homers for the Tigers, who have dropped three of four and remain one game behind Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.
Philadelphia owns a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Tigers took two of three against the Phillies in 2004, while Philly swept a three-game series in Detroit in 2002.
The Phillies are 85-95 all-time in interleague play, while the Tigers stand at an even 93-93 versus the NL.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (30-37) AT BOSTON RED SOX (43-24), 2:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Francisco - Matt Morris (7-3, 2.56) Boston - Tim Wakefield (6-7, 3.92)
Faced with the possibility of a fourth consecutive loss, the San Francisco Giants will once again turn to Matt Morris in this afternoon’s finale of a three-game interleague series with the Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park.
In a San Francisco rotation that features a former Cy Young winner in Barry Zito and two rising young stars in Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, Morris has actually been the team’s most reliable starter. He leads the Giants with seven wins and ranks fourth among all National League pitchers with a 2.56 earned run average at the moment.
Morris has been at his best this month, as he’s yielded only four runs over 23 innings in three June starts. In his most recent outing, the veteran righty went the distance on a seven-hitter to help San Francisco to a 4-3 victory over Toronto on Monday.
The 32-year-old began June by throwing six shutout innings of one-hit ball to defeat Philadelphia, then backed that performance up by limiting Arizona to a run over eight frames in a tough-luck loss on June 6.
The former St. Louis standout’s only previous start at Fenway Park came with the Cardinals in Game 2 of the 2004 World Series, when he suffered the loss after permitting four runs in 4 1/3 innings. He got some revenge in a regular- season meeting at Busch Stadium the following year, firing a complete-game four-hitter in a 7-1 win over Boston.
Morris has taken the mound after a San Francisco loss in 11 of his 13 starts this season and the Giants are 7-4 in those games. He’ll be doing so again this afternoon after his team mustered just four hits in a 1-0 defeat to the Red Sox on Saturday.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-5) was terrific over the first seven innings for Boston, as the Japanese sensation yielded just three hits and three walks while striking out eight. Hideki Okajima then worked a scoreless eighth before turning things over to Jonathan Papelbon, who retired San Francisco in order in the ninth to earn his 16th save.
The game’s only run came on Manny Ramirez’s solo homer in the fourth inning of hard-luck Giants starter Cain.
Cain (2-7) allowed just three hits and a walk over seven innings in another frustrating defeat. San Francisco has provided two or less runs of support in nine of the young right-hander’s 14 starts in 2007.
Barry Bonds finished 0-for-3 with a walk for the Giants, who fell for the 10th time in their last 14 games, and remains eight homers shy of matching Aaron’s historic mark of 755.
The Giants will get a rare look at knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who hasn’t faced San Francisco since the 2004 campaign, this afternoon. The 40-year-old is just 1-3 with a 5.68 ERA in five lifetime starts against today’s foe.
Wakefield enters today’s showdown off one of his best games of the season, an eight-inning gem to defeat Colorado on Tuesday. He held the Rockies to one run on four hits and a walk to halt a personal two-start losing streak.
Bonds is hitless in eight career at-bats against Wakefield, a former teammate of his in Pittsburgh during the 1992 season.
In the only previous series between these clubs, the Giants took two of three games from the Red Sox in San Francisco in 2004.
SEATTLE MARINERS (35-30) AT HOUSTON ASTROS (29-39), 2:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Seattle - Jarrod Washburn (5-5, 3.87) Houston - Roy Oswalt (6-4, 3.44)
The Houston Astros haven’t swept a three-game series at any time this season. That could change, however, if the disappointing club manages another victory today over the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park.
Houston took its second straight contest from the slumping Mariners on Saturday, with Craig Biggio delivering a three-run homer in the second inning to propel the Astros to a 9-4 win.
Morgan Ensberg added a two-run blast and Brad Ausmus finished 3-for-4 with an RBI to help Houston win back-to-back outings for only the second time since putting together a four-game win streak from May 12-16.
Woody Williams (3-9) picked up the victory after allowing four runs on eight hits over the first 6 2/3 innings.
Jose Guillen homered for Seattle, which began this current 10-game road trip with five straight victories but has lost four in a row since. Ichiro Suzuki ended 3-for-4 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.
Mariners starter Cha Seung Baek (3-3) lasted only four-plus innings and was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on nine hits.
Houston’s only series sweeps this season were of the two-game variety. The Astros took consecutive matchups with the Cubs, Marlins and Reds back in April. The team did win the first three encounters of a four-game set at Cincinnati last month, but fell in the finale.
Biggio’s homer brought him 11 hits away to become the first player in Astros history to reach 3,000 for a career.
Roy Oswalt will attempt to end a frustrating five-start winless streak when the Astros ace takes the mound in today’s finale. The two-time All-Star was in a position to stop the slide on Tuesday, but closer Brad Lidge surrendered a game-tying home run to Oakland’s Mark Kotsay in the ninth inning of Oswalt’s last start.
Oswalt struck out a season-high 10 and held the Athletics to three runs over six innings that night. The right-hander has recorded a solid 3.73 earned run average during his winless drought, in which he’s had two losses and three no decisions. The Astros have scored two or less runs in three of those games, however.
The Mississippi native has only faced the Mariners once previously. That came at Minute Maid Park back in 2002, when Oswalt threw seven innings of two-run ball but did not receive a decision.
Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn is also searching for his first victory of June. The veteran lefty, who gets the call this afternoon, began the month with a pair of rough outings but pitched well in a no decision at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
Washburn worked six innings against the Cubs and allowed just two runs despite issuing a season-high five walks. He also added an RBI single at the plate for Seattle’s first run.
The 32-year-old has also faced Houston only one time in his career. He threw two scoreless innings at Minute Maid Park while with the Angels on June 20, 2004, but had to exit the game early because of back spasms.
Houston owns a 5-3 edge over Seattle in the all-time series. The Astros took two of three from the Mariners back in 2004, but Seattle won two of three in Houston in 2002.
FLORIDA MARLINS (33-36) AT KANSAS CITY ROYALS (27-42), 2:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Florida - Scott Olsen (5-5, 4.81) Kansas City - Brian Bannister (3-3, 2.91)
Brian Bannister puts a three-start win streak on the line when he takes the mound for the Kansas City Royals in today’s rubber match of a three-game interleague series with the Florida Marlins.
Bannister, who was acquired from the Mets during the offseason after making six starts and two relief appearances as a rookie with New York in 2006, went 0-3 with a 4.54 earned run average over his first six starts with his new club. The 26-year-old has turned things around since then, having delivered three consecutive outstanding outings in June.
The streak began when Bannister limited Tampa Bay to a run and just two hits over eight innings in a 4-1 win on June 1. Bannister backed up that performance by yielding only one unearned run over seven frames to defeat Cleveland five days later.
Bannister turned in another gem on Tuesday, as he fired seven shutout innings in an 8-1 triumph over St. Louis. The right-hander scattered seven hits and struck out six.
This will be Bannister’s first career start against the Marlins.
Florida’s Scott Olsen also came through with a dominating effort his last time out. The young lefty, who will oppose Bannister this afternoon, yielded only three hits and fanned six over seven scoreless innings to defeat Cleveland on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old is winless over his last three road starts, however, and is just 2-3 with a 5.50 ERA in seven appearances away from home this season. Olsen will also be facing Kansas City for the first time.
Florida halted a three-game losing streak by outslugging the Royals on Saturday. Miguel Cabrera homered twice and Miguel Olivo went a career best 5- for-5 with an RBI as the Marlins held on for a 9-8 triumph.
Cabrera matched a season-high with four RBI and Olivo had two doubles and three singles, tying a Marlins’ club record for hits in a single game.
Florida starter Rick Vanden Hurk (2-2) earned the win despite permitting six runs (five earned) in six innings of work. The rookie was staked to a 9-3 lead after the first 6 1/2 frames.
Kansas City scored five time over the final three innings to pull within a run, but Kevin Gregg ended the threat to pick up his 11th save in 11 chances.
John Buck belted two homers and David DeJesus and Mike Sweeney knocked in two runs apiece for the Royals, who lost for just the second time in six games. Kansas City has amassed 59 runs as a team during that stretch.
These teams had faced one another only three times before Friday’s encounter, with Florida taking two of three matchups at Kauffman Stadium in 2002.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (38-30) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (33-33), 2:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Milwaukee - Jeff Suppan (7-7, 4.04) Minnesota - Kevin Slowey (2-0, 3.71)
A refocused Milwaukee Brewers squad shoots for a fifth consecutive victory and a three-game sweep of the host Minnesota Twins when the teams play their final 2007 encounter this afternoon at the Metrodome.
The Brewers’ offense has woke up after being no-hit by Detroit’s Justin Verlander on Tuesday. Since that contest, Milwaukee has compiled 25 runs during its current four-game win streak and opened up a 6 1/2-game lead on the second-place Cubs in the National League Central.
Milwaukee erupted for 11 runs in a rout of the Twins in Friday’s opener, but starting pitcher Dave Bush was the star for the Brewers in last night’s 5-2 win. The right-hander limited Minnesota to two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings.
The Brewers’ bullpen shut the Twins out the rest of the way, with Francisco Cordero earning his major league-best 25th save with a scoreless ninth.
Corey Hart delivered a key two-run single in the seventh inning and Craig Counsell finished 2-for-4 at the plate for the Brewers, who conclude a nine- game road trip today. Milwaukee has gone 5-3 so far on the trek.
Boof Bonser (5-2) took the loss for Minnesota after allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. The defeat was the second straight for the Twins following a four-game win streak.
Milwaukee will take its swings today against rookie Kevin Slowey, who has performed well for the Twins in three starts since being recalled from Triple- A Rochester on June 1.
Slowey won his second straight game after holding Atlanta to three runs — two earned — on seven hits over six innings on Tuesday. The rookie did not walk a batter and has issued just two free passes in 17 innings since his promotion.
The Brewers will send out veteran Jeff Suppan, who will be attempting to end a string of back-to-back defeats. The right-hander opposed Verlander on Tuesday and gave up four runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in the loss.
Suppan went 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA over his first seven starts of the season, but the 32-year-old is just 2-5 over his last seven outings and yielded four or more runs in all but one of those games. Home runs have been a recent problem, as Suppan has served up nine long balls during this seven-start stretch.
In 17 career starts against Minnesota, Suppan is 5-8 with a 4.61 ERA. He has just a 1-4 lifetime record in the Metrodome despite posting a 3.14 ERA in seven games there.
Minnesota took two of three from the Brewers earlier in the season and has won seven of the last 11 meetings played between the teams, including five of the last eight at the Metrodome.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (29-37) AT COLORADO ROCKIES (35-33), 3:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Tampa Bay - Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.07) Colorado - Aaron Cook (4-3, 4.37)
The Colorado Rockies will try to complete their first home sweep of the season as they bring their three-game interleague set against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a close today at Coors Field.
On Saturday, Brad Hawpe ripped a grand slam in the first inning and the red- hot Rockies held off the Devil Rays, 10-5.
Garrett Atkins had a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Rockies, who have won four straight and 10 of 13. Willy Taveras also homered and scored twice for Colorado
Taylor Buchholz (4-3) pitched 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball for the win. Jason Hirsh started for the Rockies but was pulled after giving up six hits, five runs, and walking four in 4 1/3 innings.
Tampa starter Andy Sonnanstine (1-1) was ripped for six hits and seven runs in five innings, fanning five and walking a pair.
Brendan Harris was 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI and Carlos Pena also homered for the Devil Rays, who dropped their fourth straight.
The Devil Rays will send Scott Kazmir to the hill today in hope that he can slow down the scorching Rockies. The hard throwing left-hander didn’t receive a decision in his last start on Tuesday, allowing four earned runs and nine hits in six innings of Tampa Bay’s eventual 11-4 triumph over San Diego. He walked two and stuck out a season-high 11 batters in the contest.
Kazmir, who has never faced Colorado in his career, is 4-1 with a 4.46 ERA in six road starts this season. He is also 3-2 with a 5.36 ERA in seven career interleague starts.
Taking the hill for the Rockies today will be Aaron Cook, who was on the short end of a 2-1 decision against Boston on Tuesday. In that game the right- hander allowed two earned runs and seven hits over 7 1/3 innings of work.
Despite the loss, it was a solid performance from Cook, who had allowed 10 earned runs in 13 innings over his prior two starts.
In his only career start against the Devils Rays in 2004, Cook failed to earn a decision after yielding five earned runs and eight hits in six innings.
The home team has won all eight lifetime meetings in this series. Colorado swept the Devil Rays in three games at Coors Field back in 2002. Tampa returned the favor in 2004, sweeping the Rockies in a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (29-36) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (37-30), 4:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Anthony Reyes (0-8, 6.08) Oakland - Joe Kennedy (2-4, 3.50)
After a brief stint in the minor leagues, Anthony Reyes is back and in search of his first victory of the season. Today he leads the St. Louis Cardinals into action against the Oakland Athletics in the finale of a three-game interleague series at McAfee Coliseum.
Reyes, who won the first game of the 2006 World Series for the Cardinals as a rookie, struggled greatly through the first two months of this season and was sent down to the minors after allowing five earned runs and five walks in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-4 loss to Washington on May 25.
The right-hander was recently recalled to take the spot of Brad Thompson, who struggled greatly in his last outing. The Cardinals have dropped all nine of Reyes’ starts this season, but the offense has scored just 10 total runs in those games while he’s been on the mound.
Reyes has never faced the Athletics in his brief major league career.
Countering for Oakland will be Joe Kennedy, who allowed four earned runs and six hits in five innings against Houston on Tuesday. He struck out and walked two and didn’t earn a decision in an eventual 5-4 loss by the A’s.
Kennedy has fared well at home this season, going an even 1-1 with a solid 2.63 ERA in seven appearances, including six starts.
In three career starts versus St. Louis, the left-hander is 0-1 with a whopping 7.27 ERA.
Kennedy will surely have his work cut out for him following the Cardinals’ 15-6 trouncing of Oakland last night.
Chris Duncan’s pinch-hit grand slam capped a 10-run fifth inning for St. Louis, which was blasted 14-3 in Friday’s opener by the A’s.
So Taguchi tied a career-high with four hits and drove in three runs for the Cardinals, while Juan Encarnacion also had three RBI.
Taguchi and Scott Spiezio, the first two hitters in the lineup, combined to get on base nine times. The pair went 6-for-9 with five runs scored to help St. Louis win for just the third time in nine games.
Todd Wellemeyer, a converted reliever who began this season with Kansas City, gave up six hits and three runs — two earned — over 3 1/3 innings in the start for the Cardinals. Russ Springer (1-0) got the win by throwing a scoreless seventh inning.
Mark Ellis hit a three-run homer for the Athletics, who had a three-game win streak broken and lost for the only the third time in 14 games.
Lenny DiNardo (2-3) was tagged for seven hits and five runs over 3 2/3 innings to suffer the loss. However, it was Ruddy Lugo who was hit hard the most, as the reliever surrendered seven runs and five hits over two-thirds of an inning.
St. Louis swept the A’s in a three-game set at Busch Stadium in 2004, the only previous regular-season meetings between the squads. LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (43-26) AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS (39-29), 4:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Kelvim Escobar (7-3, 2.89) LA Dodgers - Randy Wolf (8-4, 4.06)
Kelvim Escobar will try continue his strong start to the season as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wrap up a three-game interleague set with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the latest edition of the Freeway Series from Dodger Stadium.
Escobar, who came into the 2007 campaign with a 25-28 record in three seasons as an Angel, is off to a strong start and currently ranks sixth in the AL with a 2.89 earned run average. The veteran right-hander has yielded just 10 earned runs in 38 innings over his last five starts, with five of those runs coming in a loss to Baltimore on May 31.
On Tuesday, Escobar failed to earn a decision in a 5-3 loss at Cincinnati after allowing three earned runs and five hits over six innings of work. He walked just one while striking out a career-high 14 batters. It was the most strikeouts by an Angel since Chuck Finley fanned 15 against the Yankees in 1995.
In three career starts against the Dodgers, Escobar is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. He picked up the win against the Dodgers on May 20th, allowing just three hits over eight scoreless innings of a 4-1 triumph.
Taking the hill for the Dodgers today will be Randy Wolf, who has earned victories in five of his last six decisions. On Monday, the left-hander defeated the Mets by yielding three earned runs and nine hits over six innings in a 5-3 Los Angeles triumph.
Wolf, who is 6-2 with a 3.62 ERA in nine home starts this season, has never faced the Angels in his career.
On Saturday, Jered Weaver tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings to win his fifth consecutive decision as the Angels blanked the Dodgers, 3-0.
Weaver (6-3) yielded four hits and four walks while striking out three for the Angels, who have won three of their last four and 10 of 14.
The Angels scored all of their runs in the fifth-inning, highlighted by a Reggie Willits two-RBI single and a run-scoring hit from Howie Kendrick.
After retiring the first two batters of the fifth, Dodgers starter Jason Schmidt got into trouble. He plunked Vladimir Guerrero before Gary Matthews Jr. singled to right and Casey Kotchman walked to load the bases for Willits, who singled to right to plate Guerrero and Matthews.
Schmidt (1-4) went 4 2/3 frames, allowing three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out two for the Dodgers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
The Angels swept the Dodgers in a three-game set in Anaheim last month, outscoring their area rivals 19-4 in the process. However, the Angels have lost five of the last six games as the visitor in this series.
NEW YORK METS (37-29) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (34-32), 8:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: NY Mets - Orlando Hernandez (3-2, 2.38) NY Yankees - Chien-Ming Wang (6-4, 3.49)
The New York Yankees will be seeing a familiar face on the mound in an enemy uniform when they play the final installment of this year’s Subway Series with the crosstown rival Mets tonight in the Bronx.
Orlando Hernandez was a key member of the Yankee dynasty that captured three consecutive world championships between 1998-2000. The Cuban defector spent six seasons overall in pinstripes, compiling a 61-40 regular-season record during that span, before leaving for the Chicago White Sox as a free agent following the 2004 campaign.
Hernandez has pitched the last two seasons for the Mets and has shown no signs of slowing down despite his advanced age. The battle-tested righty has amassed an impressive 2.38 earned run average in nine starts this season, despite missing a month with bursitis in his shoulder.
The 37-year-old did pitch in Yankee stadium for the Mets last season and wound up on the short end of a 2-0 decision. Hernandez limited his former team to two runs and seven hits over seven innings in that contest.
He’s never beaten the Yankees in three career starts, however, losing all three of those outings and posting a 4.26 ERA over 19 innings.
Hernandez will also be attempting to rebound from a rough start in Dodger Stadium last Monday, when “El Duque” yielded five runs (four earned) in 5 2/3 innings to suffer the loss.
In contrast, tonight’s Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang was brilliant in his most recent trip to the hill. The sinker specialist held Arizona to a run and six hits over seven frames to lead the Bronx Bombers to a 4-1 win.
Wang, who will be making his Subway Series debut tonight, has compiled a 5-1 record and an outstanding 2.30 ERA over his last six starts. Included in that stretch was a complete-game five-hitter in a 5-1 triumph over the White Sox on June 6.
The struggling Mets stopped a five-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Yanks on Friday, but the current National League East leaders’ slump continued with Saturday’s 11-8 loss in game two of this set.
Derek Jeter paced a 15-hit Yankee attack with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, including a two-run homer that gave the Bronx Bombers a 6-5 lead they would not relinquish.
Alex Rodriguez added his major league-leading 26th home run of the season, also a two-run shot, and scored three times for the red-hot Yankees, who posted their 10th victory in 11 games. Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano and Miguel Cairo all finished with two hits and two RBI in the win.
The Yankees blasted Tom Glavine (5-5) for seven runs on eight hits over the first four-plus innings. The aging left-hander has failed to record a victory in his last five starts and remains five wins away from reaching 300 for his career.
Yankees starter Tyler Clippard also struggled, as the rookie surrendered five runs on five hits before exiting after 3 1/3 innings. However, Luis Vizcaino (3-1) provided 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief to keep the Yankees in front and earned the win.
The Mets received home runs from Ramon Castro and Ruben Gotay, while Paul Lo Duca and Carlos Gomez each went 3-for-5 on the afternoon.
David Wright kept his hitting streak intact with an RBI single in the first inning. The Mets’ All-Star third baseman has now hit in a career-best 17 straight games.
Saturday’s setback was the Mets’ 10th in their last 12 games and their lead over second-place Atlanta in the NL East has dwindled to 1 1/2 games.
The Yankees can even the season series with their Gotham rivals at three games apiece with a win tonight. The clubs also split six encounters during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. SAN DIEGO PADRES (39-28) AT CHICAGO CUBS (31-36), 2:20 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Diego - Greg Maddux (5-3, 3.86) Chicago - Rich Hill (5-4, 2.81)
The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres wrap up what has been an eventful three-game series with a Sunday matinee from Wrigley Field.
Saturday’s contest featured a near no-hitter from Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano and a fight between Chicago’s Derrek Lee and Padres hurler Chris Young, but very little offense. San Diego came away with a 1-0 victory when Russell Branyan homered off Zambrano with one out in the top of the ninth inning.
Zambrano (7-6) pitched a complete game and did not surrender a hit until Marcus Giles’ infield single with one out in eighth. The excitable right- hander walked five and struck out six in a 123-pitch effort.
The Cubs have not had a pitcher throw a no-hitter since Milt Pappas blanked the Padres at Wrigley Field on September 2, 1972.
Young did not allow a hit during his time on the mound, but the towering right-hander lasted only three-plus innings. He hit Lee with a high-and-inside pitch to start the bottom of the fourth that set off a bench-clearing fracas after the Cubs’ first baseman threw a punch at Young near the baseline. Both players, along with Padres pitcher Jake Peavy and Chicago hitting coach Gerald Perry, were ejected.
Justin Hampson relieved Young and threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings before giving way to Heath Bell (1-2), who retired all five batters he faced to record the win. Trevor Hoffman preserved the lead in the ninth for his 19th save.
The victory, San Diego’s third in its last four games, moved the Padres a half-game in front of Los Angeles for first place in the NL West. The Dodgers lost to the area-rival Angels on Saturday.
Saturday’s skirmish followed a 4-1 Cubs’ victory in the series opener that was highlighted by two cases of fan interference on deep fly balls.
Greg Maddux makes his second appearance at Wrigley Field this afternoon since the future Hall of Famer was traded by the Cubs to Los Angeles during last summer’s trade deadline. He had a so-so outing in his return to Chicago back on April 17, allowing three runs on six hits in a five-inning no decision.
Maddux has been better as of late. The 41-year-old is 2-0 over his last four starts and yielded three earned runs or less in each of those games. He failed to record his 339th career win on Tuesday, however, after being charged with four runs allowed (three earned) in 6 1/3 innings of a no decision at Tampa Bay.
The four-time NL Cy Young winner spent his first seven major-league seasons in Chicago, then later returned to the Cubs for 2 1/2 more years before last year’s trade. Maddux owns an outstanding 11-3 record with a 2.48 earned run average in 21 career starts against his former club.
Chicago counters with young lefty Rich Hill, who received his third no decision in his last four starts on Tuesday. The 27-year-old worked 7 1/3 innings against Seattle that night and gave up three runs on eight hits before exiting.
Hill’s last loss came at the hands of the Padres in San Diego on May 22. He struck out eight batters over six innings in that game, but also served up four homers and surrendered five runs in a 5-1 defeat.
Since then, the University of Michigan product has gone 1-0 with an outstanding 1.63 ERA in four starts.
For his career Hill is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in two prior appearances against San Diego.
Today’s game will be the final regular-season meeting between the teams in 2007. San Diego has won four of the first seven encounters and has split four games at Wrigley Field this year.
The Padres went 7-0 in the 2006 season series with the Cubs.
