Monday, July 30th (All times eastern)
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (52-52) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (39-65), 7:10 P.M. Probable Starting Pitchers: Toronto - Dustin McGowan (7-5, 4.45) Tampa Bay - Andy Sonnanstine (1-6, 5.57)
Dustin McGowan tries to win his third straight start this evening when the Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.
McGowan was brilliant against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, as he scattered four hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings to run his record to 7-5 on the year, while lowering his earned run average to 4.45.
The 25-year-old righty has yet to record a decision in two outings (one start) against the Rays, but has pitched to a 4.70 ERA in those contests.
Toronto enters this series on a winning note after Shaun Marcum pitched eight solid innings on Sunday to help the Blue Jays salvage the finale of their three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, winning 4-1 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Marcum and his counterpart, Javier Vazquez, allowed a combined three hits through seven innings, but the Blue Jays plated four in the eighth to go on top, and Jermaine Dye’s solo homer in the home half of the inning was not enough for the White Sox.
Marcum (7-4) allowed only two hits and one run in eight innings, fanning eight with no walks. John McDonald went 2-for-3 and scored for the Blue Jays, who have won six of eight. Jeremy Accardo pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sunday, as Dioner Navarro hit a solo home run to break a scoreless game during a five-run seventh inning in the Devil Rays’ 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
B.J. Upton hit a three-run home run and Carlos Pena added two hits with a solo shot for the Devil Rays, who won for only the second time in their last 11 tries.
Scott Kazmir, who started for the Devil Rays, was brilliant in his six innings of work. The southpaw allowed only six hits, while striking out eight and walking one. Gary Glover (4-3) got the win, though, despite surrendering two runs and two hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Getting the call for the Devil Rays this evening will be 24-year-old right- hander Andy Sonnanstine, who is a dismal 1-6 with a 5.57 ERA. Sonnanstine was tagged with the loss in his last start on Wednesday against Baltimore, as he gave up five runs and seven hits in six frames.
Sonnanstine, who did not receive a decision in his only other start against the Jays, has not won since June 10 and Tampa has dropped each of his last eight starts.
On the injury front Tampa could again be without All-Star left fielder Carl Crawford, who has missed the last two games with a sprained right wrist. He is set to undergo an MRI on Monday.
Toronto has won five of its nine matchups with the Devil Rays this season and is 28-18 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Jays have also won in 14 of their last 21 visits to St. Petersburg.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS (47-57) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (53-51), 8:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Kansas City - Gil Meche (7-7, 3.76) Minnesota - Scott Baker (4-4, 5.30)
The Kansas City Royals take aim at their fifth straight win this evening when they open a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.
Kansas City completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday, as Leo Nunez tossed six scoreless innings and David DeJesus drove in three runs to help the Royals to 10-0 win at Kauffman Stadium. Tony Pena ended 2-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored for the Royals, whose winning streak comes on the heels of a three-game slide.
Nunez (1-0) struck out one and walked one while lowering his earned run average to 0.90 for his two starts this season. Joel Peralta worked the final three innings to pick up his first save of the year and keep the shutout intact.
Hoping to keep the Royals on the winning track tonight will be right-hander Gil Meche, who is 7-7 with a 3.76 ERA. Meche lost for the first time in five decisions on Wednesday against the New York Yankees, as he allowed five runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 innings.
Meche is 5-1 lifetime against the Twins with a 4.44 ERA in nine starts.
Minnesota, meanwhile, won the final two games of its three-game series with the Cleveland Indians, culminating with a 4-1 win in Sunday’s rubber match at Jacobs Field.
Justin Morneau’s run-scoring double highlighted a three-run eighth inning in the win, while Lew Ford added a home run for the Twins, who had dropped five in a row before winning their last two.
Matt Garza allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work en route to a no-decision. Garza also had a career-high 11 strikeouts. Dennys Reyes (2-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Heading to the hill tonight for the Twins will be right-hander Scott Baker, who is 4-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Baker was saddled with the loss on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, as he surrendered four runs and six hits in seven innings.
Baker has faced the Royals three times and is 0-2 against them with a 4.26 ERA.
Kansas City has won three of five from the Twins this season, but is just 9-20 in its last 29 visits to Minnesota.
DETROIT TIGERS (60-44) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (49-56), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Jordan Tata (0-0, 0.00) Oakland - Joe Blanton (8-7, 3.69)
The Detroit Tigers will be without one of their top arms when the struggling American League Central leaders begin a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics tonight at McAfee Coliseum.
Kenny Rogers was initially slated to start this evening’s opener for Detroit, but the veteran left-hander had to be placed on the disabled list because of inflammation in his elbow. Rogers’ spot will be filled by Jordan Tata, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and makes his first major league start tonight.
Tata pitched in eight games as a reliever with the Tigers last season and allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 14 2/3 total innings of work. The 25-year-old has gone 3-3 with a 3.29 earned run average in 11 starts with Toledo so far in 2007.
Detroit hopes the young right-hander will fare better than its pitchers did this past weekend. The Tigers surrendered 34 total runs in three games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who completed the series sweep with a 13-4 rout Sunday at Angel Stadium.
Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (10-3) had his worst performance of the season, as he was pounded for 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits before exiting after 2 1/3 innings.
Detroit has lost four in a row overall and six of its last seven contests on its current 11-game road trip. The Tigers, who lead the Cleveland Indians by a mere half-game in the AL Central standings, have gone 2-6 thus far on the trek.
The Tigers hope to get back on track against an Oakland club that it swept in four games during last October’s AL Championship Series. The two teams have yet to face one another yet this season.
Detroit won five of the nine regular-season meetings with the Athletics in 2006 and split six games at McAfee Coliseum.
Oakland will be trying to snap a losing streak of its own. After winning the opener of a four-game set at Seattle, the A’s proceeded to drop the next three tests.
The Mariners came through in a slugfest during Sunday’s finale, scoring four times in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out a 14-10 win.
Nick Swisher and Mike Piazza each drove in three runs for Oakland, while Shannon Stewart homered and finished with two RBI. Piazza ended the day with three hits in five at-bats.
A’s closer Huston Street (2-2) received the loss after yielding four runs — two earned — on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning of work. Starter Lenny DiNardo didn’t fare any better, as he was tagged for seven runs and seven hits over the first three innings.
Oakland will send out the struggling Joe Blanton in tonight’s opener. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA over his last four starts and surrendered 10 or more hits in each of those outings.
Blanton received a no decision Wednesday in Anaheim, but was touched for five runs and 11 hits over six innings. He hasn’t won since tossing a complete-game four-hitter to best Toronto on July 3.
The 26-year-old is 2-1 in three career starts against Detroit but has given up 15 earned runs and 28 hits in 16 1/3 innings over those games. Blanton also threw two scoreless frames of relief versus the Tigers in last year’s ALCS. LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (61-42) AT SEATTLE MARINERS (57-46), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Kelvim Escobar (11-4, 2.91) Seattle - Miguel Batista (10-7, 4.48)
The top two teams in the American League West begin a three-game showdown tonight at Seattle’s Safeco Field, where the Mariners will attempt to gain ground on the division-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Both teams appeared to have turned themselves around from recent slides. The Angels have won four consecutive games after going through a stretch of seven losses in nine contests. Seattle had endured a season-long seven-game losing streak before taking three in a row from division-rival Oakland over the weekend.
The Angels are fresh off an impressive three-game home sweep of AL Central leader Detroit in which they outscored the Tigers by a lopsided 34-13 margin. In Sunday’s finale, Chone Figgins went 3-for-5 with three runs scored to lead a 13-hit attack as Anaheim rolled to a 13-4 victory.
Gary Matthews drove in three runs while Casey Kotchman and Garret Anderson each finished with two RBI for the Angels, who enter this key series with a four-game advantage on the second-place Mariners.
Dustin Moseley, starting in place of the injured Bartolo Colon, worked the first 4 2/3 innings for Los Angeles and allowed four runs on five hits. Chris Bootcheck (3-2) then held Detroit scoreless over the next 2 1/3 frames to pick up the win.
Seattle also put up a wealth of runs in Sunday’s 14-10 triumph over the Athletics. The Mariners scored four times in the bottom of the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Jose Guillen, to break a 10-10 tie.
Adrian Beltre homered and compiled four RBI for Seattle, while Ben Broussard went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI after replacing Richie Sexson, who was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with first base umpire Mark Carlson.
Ichiro Suzuki singled in the second inning for his 1,500th career hit, becoming the third-fastest player in major-league history to accomplish the feat. The Mariners star ended 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.
Sean Green (4-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Jarrod Washburn started for Seattle and pitched five innings, allowing five runs — three earned — on five hits while striking out two and walking three.
A pair of double-digit winners will take the mound in tonight’s opener, with the Angels set to send out Kelvim Escobar and the Mariners handing the ball to Miguel Batista.
Escobar owns an outstanding 11-4 record and ranks third in the AL with a 2.91 earned run average so far this season. The hard-throwing righty had won five consecutive decisions before suffering a tough-luck loss last Tuesday to Oakland. Escobar held the A’s to three runs and nine hits in seven innings.
The native Venezuelan is 5-1 with a 4.22 ERA on the road in 2007, but that one setback came at Safeco Field on May 15. Escobar was rocked for eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and lasted a season-low 2 1/3 innings in that matchup.
For his career Escobar is 5-8 with a 5.05 ERA and three saves in 28 lifetime games (15 starts) against Seattle.
Batista looks to rebound after a rough performance in Texas last Wednesday. The veteran righty gave up five runs and eight hits over six innings against the Rangers, although he wound up with a no decision in a 7-6 Seattle loss.
Prior to that outing, Batista went 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA over his last four starts.
The 36-year-old is 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 career games, including five starts, against the Angels. Batista has faced Anaheim twice already this season and recorded a win and a loss while allowing 10 runs over 11 1/3 total innings.
The Angels have won seven of nine matchups against Seattle so far this season and are 15-4 in the last 19 games played in this series. Los Angeles took two of three games at Safeco Field back in May. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (55-49) AT CHICAGO CUBS (55-48), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Philadelphia - Cole Hamels (11-5, 3.63) Chicago - Ted Lilly (11-4, 3.46)
The Chicago Cubs will try to jump into the National League Central lead tonight, when they open a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies in a battle of streaking teams at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs, labeled as underachievers earlier in the year, were fifth in the NL Central back on June 2 and 7 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee. However, the club has since gone 33-17 — the top record in the majors since June 3 — and now trails the Brewers by only a half-game in the standings.
Milwaukee is idle tonight, so a win by the 55-48 Cubs will move them percentage points ahead of the 57-49 Brewers.
Chicago’s recent run includes 23 wins in its last 32 games, including a 6-0 victory on Sunday in a rubber match with the Reds in Cincinnati.
Carlos Zambrano (14-7) did most of the work in the three-hit shutout, hurling 7 1/3 scoreless frames. He allowed only two hits en route to becoming the NL’s first 14-game winner.
Will Ohman finished the eighth for Chicago and Bob Howry nailed things down with a perfect ninth. Derrek Lee hit a two-run home run for Chicago, while Angel Pagan chipped in a two-run single.
Losses have been rare for both the Cubs and tonight’s starter Ted Lilly as of late. Lilly is currently riding a career-high seven-decision winning streak and has won each of his last six starts.
Lilly, who hasn’t lost since June 5 at Milwaukee, yielded only a run and six hits over seven innings at St. Louis on Wednesday to improve to 11-4 with a 3.46 earned run average on the season. He has allowed one run or fewer in five of his last eight starts.
The left-hander battled the Phillies on May 13 for the first time in his career and earned the win by limiting Philadelphia to one run and three hits over eight frames.
Like the Cubs, the Phillies are trying to close a divisional gap of their own in the NL East. The club has won eight of its last nine games to jump over the Braves and into second place, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets.
Philadelphia, which is 28-21 since June 3, has done it with both its bats and arms as of late. The Phils are averaging 7.3 runs per game over their past 12 contests and their starting pitchers have a solid 2.99 ERA over their last 10 games.
Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep of lowly Pittsburgh yesterday, as starter Kyle Kendrick (5-1) limited the Pirates to just a run on six hits over seven innings of a 5-1 victory.
Ryan Madson, Antonio Alfonseca and Jose Mesa combined for two innings of scoreless relief to finish things off. Jimmy Rollins went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Philadelphia, while Chris Coste knocked in a pair of runs in a pinch-hit appearance.
It was Rollins’ third three-hit game during his current nine-game hitting streak and second straight overall. The shortstop has his season average up to .295 with the tear.
Cole Hamels toes the rubber for the Phillies tonight and will try to perform better than the last time he graced the fields of Wrigley Field. On August 24 of 2006, the left-hander made his first career start at Wrigley and was hammered for five runs and nine hits over just two innings.
He made his second lifetime start against the Cubs on May 11 of this season, and earned the win behind seven innings of two-run ball at Citizens Bank Park.
Hamels will hope the Phillies’ recent offensive explosion carries over again tonight. He was on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss July 19 at San Diego, allowing just the one run on two hits over seven frames, then held the Nationals to two runs over seven innings on Wednesday but didn’t factor in the decision of his team’s 7-5 extra-inning victory.
The former first-round pick is 11-5 with a 3.63 ERA on the season and his 135 strikeouts are good for third in the National League.
The Phillies took two of three over the Cubs when the two squads clashed from May 11-13.
