Thursday, July 12th (All times eastern)
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (43-44) AT BOSTON RED SOX (53-34), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Toronto - Roy Halladay (10-3, 4.46) Boston - Tim Wakefield (9-8, 4.39)
Toronto’s Alex Rios put on a surprising power display in the Home Run Derby. The Blue Jays will now try to surprise the rest of the American League East when they begin a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park.
Rios reached the final of Monday’s Derby behind 12 second-round homers, a high for that stage, but fell to Vladimir Guerrero in the final. Toronto’s lone All-Star representative then made a brief appearance in the field in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game, but never got to the plate.
The Blue Jays will begin an eight-game road trip with four games against Boston and another four against the New York Yankees, who are tied with Toronto for second in the AL East. Both clubs trail the first-place Red Sox by 10 games.
Toronto comes into this set off a series win over Cleveland, with Rios’ RBI single in the bottom of the ninth lifting his club to a 1-0 victory in Sunday’s rubber match.
Blue Jays starter Josh Towers was perfect through 5 2/3 frames, setting down the first 17 batters he faced before Josh Barfield’s two-out single in the sixth inning. In all, Towers lasted eight innings and yielded just three hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Roy Halladay goes for his 11th win of the season when he takes the mound for the Blue Jays tonight. Halladay hasn’t been effective as of late, though, having allowed 13 runs over his last three outings. However, he is 2-1 over that span.
The right-hander, who is 6-1 over his last eight starts, escaped with a win last time out despite allowing five runs over 5 2/3 frames of Toronto’s 8-6 victory over Cleveland on Friday. The outing lifted his earned run average to 4.46.
Halladay is 9-8 with a 4.67 ERA over 30 lifetime games (27 starts) against Boston, and has faced them three times already this year, going 1-1 with a 5.31 ERA. He last faced the Red Sox on May 10 and was hammered for eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits over just five innings.
He landed on the disabled list the following day due to acute appendicitis.
Boston, meanwhile, lost three straight games to Detroit before the break. The Tigers completed the sweep with a 6-5 victory on Sunday.
Julio Lugo went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for the Red Sox, who have now dropped six in a row and seven out of their last eight on the road. Luckily, the club will begin the second half of the season with an 11-game homestand.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (10-6) struggled in the loss, surrendering six runs on 10 hits over five innings. The Red Sox right-hander struck out four and walked one.
Boston was well represented in San Francisco on Tuesday, placing six players on the AL roster. Starting first baseman David Ortiz was hitless in two at- bats, while outfielder Manny Ramirez went 0-for-1. Third baseman Mike Lowell had a hit and scored a run in the AL’s 5-4 victory.
On the pitching front, Josh Beckett tossed two innings of one-hit ball and Jonathan Papelbon struck out two and gave up one hit over an inning of work. Hideki Okajima, who won the Final Vote competition to get on the roster, did not pitch.
Boston, meanwhile, will send Tim Wakefield to the hill tonight. Wakefield has won his last two starts to improve to 9-8 with a 4.39 ERA on the season. The right-hander bested Tampa Bay on July 4 in his last start before the All-Star break, allowing four runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Wakefield is 14-9 with one save and a 3.75 ERA in 43 lifetime games (33 starts) versus the Blue Jays. The knuckleballer is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts against Toronto this year. He last faced them on May 10, tossing seven shutout innings.
Boston has won five of its eight meetings with Toronto this season but was swept by the Blue Jays in two games at Fenway in late April.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (39-47) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (38-49), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Jon Garland (6-6, 3.92) Baltimore - Jeremy Guthrie (4-2, 2.74)
With one distraction now behind them, the Chicago White Sox will begin the second half of the season with an 11-game road trip that starts tonight with the first of four games against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
The White Sox went into the All-Star break having split a four-game series with Minnesota. The club was pounded over the first two games of the set by a total score of 32-14, but rebounded to win the next two contests, including a 6-3 victory in the finale on Sunday.
However, the more significant event to take place on Sunday was the club’s agreement with left-hander Mark Buehrle on a four-year extension worth $14 million a year.
Buehrle, who was set to become a free agent at season’s end, had been pitching the last few weeks amid much rumored trade discussion. The lefty, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, had talks with the White Sox pick up again shortly after it was recently reported that negotiations regarding an extension had broken down.
Now the White Sox and Buehrle can just concentrate on turning around a Chicago club that is 13 games out of first place in the AL Central.
On Sunday, Jim Thome went 3-for-4 with a home run for Chicago, while Javier Vazquez pitched his second straight complete game. Vazquez allowed three runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Jon Garland will aim to recover from a horrid outing before the break when he starts tonight for the White Sox. On Friday against Minnesota, Garland lasted just 3 1/3 frames and was shelled for 12 runs (11 earned) on 11 hits and three walks. The outing lifted the right-hander?s earned run average almost a point — from 3.15 to 3.92 — and dropped his record to 6-6 on the season.
Garland, who had allowed only three earned runs in his previous three outings before facing the Twins, is 4-2 with a 4.85 ERA in eight games (six starts) lifetime against Baltimore. He won both of his starts against them last year, despite pitching to a 5.11 ERA.
Jeremy Guthrie will start for the Orioles and brings a 4-2 mark with a solid 2.74 ERA into the outing. Guthrie, hasn’t posted a victory since June 20, though, going 0-1 over his previous three starts.
In his final outing before the All-Star break, the right-hander allowed three runs and five hits over six innings of a no decision at Texas on Friday.
Guthrie has faced the White Sox twice before out of the bullpen and has scattered one hit and four walks over 3 1/3 total scoreless innings.
Baltimore enters the second half having lost three of its last four games, including a 2-1 setback on Sunday to Texas.
Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (6-10) absorbed the loss after allowing two runs on six hits while fanning eight and walking five. Chris Gomez went 3- for-4 with a double, while Nick Markakis knocked in the lone run of the game for Baltimore.
Brian Roberts went 2-for-4 with a run scored before serving as Baltimore’s lone All-Star representative on Tuesday. It was an exciting day, to say the least, for Roberts.
Roberts went 0-for-2 with a walk in San Francisco, but was also a small part of history. He was on base and scored on Ichiro Suzuki’s inside-the-park home run, the first in All-Star Game history.
The second baseman almost ended the day as the goat, though. With the AL holding a 5-2 lead, Roberts failed to secure Dmitri Young’s two-out grounder in the ninth inning. That allowed Alfonso Soriano to the plate, and the Cubs’ slugger hit a two-run homer to make it a one-run game.
Luckily for Roberts, the AL held on to win the game.
Bobby Jenks was Chicago’s only player on the AL roster, but the closer didn’t get into the game.
The Orioles and White Sox split a four-game set at Chicago from July 2-5. The White Sox, though, have won seven of their last 10 meetings with Baltimore.
NEW YORK YANKEES (42-43) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (34-53), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Andy Pettitte (4-6, 4.25) Tampa Bay - James Shields (7-4, 3.82)
The New York Yankees will attempt to improve their odds of making another postseason appearance when the Bronx Bombers begin their second half with the first of four straight games against baseball’s current worst team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, from Tropicana Field.
New York’s string of 12 consecutive playoff berths is presently in jeopardy due to a sluggish first half in which the club compiled a disappointing 42-43 record. The Yankees trail rival Boston by 10 games for first place in the American League East standings and are 8 1/2 back of Cleveland in the wild card race.
The Yankees are under .500 at the All-Star break for the first time since 1995, when they went an impressive 49-29 in the second half to reach the postseason as a wild card that year.
New York is hoping history can repeat itself. The recent schedule appears to be in the team’s favor, as the Yankees will not play a team with a current winning record until they visit the Indians on August 10.
The Yanks did close out the first half strong by posting victories in five of their final seven contests. New York easily handled the AL-West leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday, as Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all belted three-run homers in a 12-0 rout.
Rodriguez ended 2-for-5 with four runs batted in and smacked his major-league leading 30th homer of the season during a six-run fourth inning. The All-Star third baseman also tops the majors with 86 RBI.
New York also received a strong performance on the mound from Chien-Ming Wang (9-4), who yielded five hits and a pair of walks over 6 1/3 innings to record his sixth straight winning decision.
While Wang has been sensational as of late, teammate Andy Pettitte is enduring a rough recent stretch. The veteran left-hander, who gets the call for the Yankees this evening, has been rocked in back-to-back starts and is 0-2 with an ugly 10.18 earned run average in four outings since his last victory, a June 14 decision over Arizona.
Pettitte was lit up for eight runs on 10 hits over five innings in a no decision against the Angels last Friday. That was actually a great improvement over his previous start, when he surrendered eight runs (seven earned) and nine hits while lasting only 1 2/3 innings in a July 1 loss to Oakland.
The 35-year-old has dominated the Devil Rays over the course of his career, however. In 18 lifetime games (17 starts) against Tampa Bay, Pettitte is 11-1 with a 3.19 ERA.
The Devil Rays will send out their most consistent pitcher of the first half, James Shields, in tonight’s opener. The second-year hurler leads Tampa Bay with seven victories and owns a solid 3.82 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 18 starts.
Shields won his first six decisions of 2007 before dropping four straight starts from June 15-July 1. The right-hander was able to get back on track in his final appearance before the All-Star break, as he defeated Kansas City on Friday after giving up four runs over 7 2/3 innings.
The 25-year-old faced the Yankees three times as a rookie last season and went 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in those games.
Shields’ latest win has been Tampa Bay’s only triumph over its last 13 games. The Devil Rays are 5-20 since June 13 and bring a major-league worst 34-53 overall mark into tonight’s tilt.
In its final game prior to the break, Tampa was routed by the Royals by a 12-4 count on Sunday. Jonny Gomes was the lone bright spot for the Rays, as the outfielder went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI at the plate.
Scott Kazmir (5-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits through five- plus innings to suffer the loss.
The Devil Rays have taken three of their four 2007 meetings with New York and swept the Yankees in a two-game set at Tropicana Field in late April. The Bronx Bombers won six of nine matchups between the teams in St. Petersburg last season.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS (44-44) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (45-43), 8:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Oakland - Chad Gaudin (8-3, 2.88) Minnesota - Scott Baker (3-3, 5.71)
Both the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics made last year’s playoffs on the strength of second-half surges. The clubs are hoping for similar success when they start their post-All Star Game schedules with tonight’s opener of a four-game series at the Metrodome.
Oakland compiled the best winning percentage in the majors during the 2006 second half, as the A’s went 48-26 following the break to capture the American League West division. Minnesota was just as good, posting a 49-27 ledger to edge Detroit for first place in the AL Central.
Each team has significant ground to make up at the moment, however. The Twins currently sit eight games behind the first-place Tigers in the Central standings and Oakland is nine games in back of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the top spot in the West.
The Athletics will try to close the gap behind Chad Gaudin, one of the game’s biggest first-half surprises who takes aim at his ninth victory of the season tonight.
Gaudin has picked up wins in each of his last two starts and defeated rival Seattle on June 5 by allowing just two runs over 7 2/3 innings. In his previous outing, the converted reliever yielded only one hit over seven shutout frames to beat the New York Yankees on June 30.
The right-hander enters this evening’s matchup ranked fourth among AL hurlers with a 2.88 earned run average.
Gaudin defeated Minnesota with five innings of two-run ball on June 3, his only previous start against the Twins. He has also faced the club twice in relief and has given up three runs over 6 2/3 total innings versus tonight’s opponent.
Minnesota’s Scott Baker was also a winner last time out, benefiting from an offensive eruption by his teammates in a 20-14 triumph over the White Sox last Friday. The young righty did surrender seven runs and nine hits in just five innings of that game, and looks to improve on that performance when he takes the mound tonight.
Baker put together three straight strong starts before Friday’s contest, including a stellar eight-inning effort against rival Detroit on July 1. He held the Tigers scoreless over the first seven frames before yielding a solo homer to Marcus Thames that accounted for the game’s only run.
The 25-year-old has only faced Oakland one time previously. That came back on September 21, 2005, when Baker allowed three runs in five innings to earn the victory in a 10-4 Minnesota decision.
The Twins begin their second half with a 10-game homestand after playing their final 11 tests prior to the break on the road. Minnesota went 5-6 on the trek which concluded with two straight losses to the White Sox.
In Sunday’s finale in Chicago, Jim Thome went 3-for-4 with a home run and Javier Vazquez went the distance on an eight-hitter to lead the Sox to a 6-3 win.
Twins starter Carlos Silva (6-10) allowed six runs — five earned — over five innings to receive the loss. All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau paced Minnesota’s offense with two hits, a home run and a pair of RBI.
Oakland dropped its final three contests of the first half, all to division- rival Seattle. The Mariners scored four times in the seventh inning to rally for a 7-3 victory in Sunday’s finale of a four-game set.
Joe Blanton (8-5) was charged with six runs (five earned) on 12 hits through six-plus innings of work for the Athletics, who were handed their fifth defeat in seven games.
Oakland took two of three games from the Twins at McAfee Coliseum last month and swept the best-of-five American League Division Series between the teams last October.
DETROIT TIGERS (52-34) AT SEATTLE MARINERS (49-36), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Andrew Miller (4-2, 3.31) Seattle - Felix Hernandez (5-4, 3.72)
The Detroit Tigers hope to begin their second half the way they ended the first, as the defending American League champions start up a four-game series with the surprising Seattle Mariners tonight at Safeco Field.
Detroit won its final five games before the All-Star break to move one game ahead of Cleveland for first place in the AL Central standings. The Tigers took the last two tests of a key three-game set with the rival Indians before recording an impressive three-game sweep of AL East leader Boston last weekend.
In Sunday’s finale with the Red Sox, Gary Sheffield went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI and Detroit withstood a late Boston charge to hold on for a 6-5 win.
Sheffield also had a pair of doubles and scored two runs, while Carlos Guillen also finished with two RBI for the Tigers.
Detroit starter Nate Robertson (5-6) worked the first 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Todd Jones pitched out of a ninth-inning jam to earn his 22nd save of the campaign.
Sheffield’s homer was his third in six games and the slugger is batting .458 (11-for-24) with nine runs scored and six RBI over that span.
The Mariners also closed out their first half in fine fashion, as the club won their final three encounters of a four-game series at Oakland. In Sunday’s finale, Seattle rallied for four seventh-inning runs to come through with a 7-3 victory.
Trailing 3-2, the Mariners loaded the bases on three straight singles by Jason Ellison, Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Lopez. Raul Ibanez then brought all three runners home with a double to deep center field.
Lopez went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for the Mariners, who improved to 49-36 overall and moved within 2 1/2 games of the Angels’ lead atop the AL West. Seattle also trails Cleveland by only 1 1/2 games in the wild card race.
Sean Green (2-1) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win before All-Star closer J.J. Putz preserved the win with a shutout ninth.
Another Mariners’ All-Star, Ichiro, was named MVP of Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. The Japanese superstar went 3-for-3 and smacked a go-ahead two-run, inside-the-park homer to help the American League post a 5-4 win.
The Mariners enter tonight’s showdown with an eight-game home win streak and own an impressive 27-15 record at Safeco Field this season. However, Detroit comes in with a major league-best 27-15 mark on the road.
A pair of emerging young star pitchers will take place in tonight’s opener, as Seattle phenom Felix Hernandez opposes Tigers rookie Andrew Miller.
Hernandez dominated Oakland in his last mound appearance, limiting the Athletics to a mere two hits and no runs over eight innings to lead the Mariners to a 4-0 triumph last Saturday. It was the third time in his last four starts that Hernandez has yielded two or less runs and pitched at least eight innings, and he is 2-0 with a 2.12 earned run average over that span.
The 21-year-old has lost both of his previous career starts against the Tigers despite having surrendered only two earned runs and nine hits over a combined 13 innings in those games.
Miller also turned in an excellent effort his last time out, as the talented southpaw held Boston to a run and three hits over seven innings to earn a victory last Friday. The 22-year-old also matched a career high with six strikeouts.
The 2006 first-round draft choice is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in his six starts with the Tigers this season. He faced Seattle in relief last September and was hung with a loss after giving up a run in two innings of work.
Detroit took two of three from the Mariners back in May and is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings between the teams. The Tigers won five of six games against Seattle in Safeco Field a year ago.
CINCINNATI REDS (36-52) AT NEW YORK METS (48-39), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Bronson Arroyo (3-9, 4.84) New York - Orlando Hernandez (4-4, 3.22)
The Cincinnati Reds aim to extend their season-high four- game winning streak this evening, when they kick off an 11-game road trip in New York against the Mets at Shea Stadium.
The Reds have been clicking since ownership dismissed manager Jerry Narron on July 1. Since then, Cincinnati has gone 5-1 under interim manager Pete Mackanin.
The club extended its winning streak with a three-game sweep of Arizona, including Sunday’s 4-3 extra-inning victory. Scott Hatteberg played the hero, smacking a run-scoring single in the 11th frame.
Hatteberg and David Ross each hit home runs for the Reds, who will now play 11 straight road games against National League East opponents. Aaron Harang started for Cincinnati and scattered just six hits and one run through eight innings, striking out eight and walking one. The victory went to Kirk Saarloos (1-4).
Ken Griffey Jr. was the Reds’ lone All-Star representative this season and started in the outfield in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. He went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI, singling home a run in the first inning before lifting a sac fly in the sixth.
Griffey’s next home run will be the 587th of his career, which would move him past Frank Robinson for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list.
Bronson Arroyo halted a 10-game winless streak (0-7) in his last start before the All-Star break and will shoot for back-to-back wins with tonight’s outing. Arroyo hadn’t posted a victory since May 6 against Colorado before besting San Francisco on July 5 behind 6 2/3 innings of three-run, seven-hit ball. He also struck out four and walked two in the 6-3 win.
The right-hander, who is just 3-9 with a 4.84 earned run average this season, has made four career starts against the Mets and is 2-1 with a 4.40 ERA and two complete games versus New York.
Orlando Hernandez starts tonight for the Mets and is coming off a poor outing on July 4 in Colorado. Against the Rockies, Hernandez was touched for six runs (five earned) on six hits and six walks over just four innings of a 17-7 pounding. The outing dropped the right-hander to 4-4 on the season while lifting his ERA to 3.22.
Hernandez has lost both his career starts against the Reds while pitching to a 7.11 ERA over those outings. Both of those defeats came last year, including a May 7 setback that saw the righty allow eight runs in 5 2/3 innings.
New York entered the break having split a four-game series with Houston. After a 17-inning marathon on Saturday that saw the Mets emerge as 5-3 winners, the club settled for the split with an 8-3 setback on Sunday.
All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes had solid games against the Astros. Beltran clubbed a two-run homer and Reyes had a pair of hits, an RBI and two stolen bases. He has now swiped 46 bases on the season for the Mets, who own the top spot in the NL East by two games over the Braves.
Reyes then shined at the All-Star Game, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Fellow starters Beltran and David Wright both went 1-for-3, with Beltran also scoring a run.
Those three were joined in San Francisco by closer Billy Wagner, who had a forgettable day. The left-hander was tagged for two runs in the eighth inning of the NL’s 5-4 setback.
The Mets and Reds are meeting for the first time this season. New York held a slim 4-3 edge in the 2006 season series and split four games with the Reds at home. The Mets have won three of their last four games against Cincinnati.
