MLB Game Previews & Matchups
Thursday, August 2nd (All times eastern)
TEXAS RANGERS (48-59) AT CLEVELAND INDIANS (60-47), 12:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Kason Gabbard (4-0, 3.73) Cleveland - Jake Westbrook (1-6, 5.85)
The Cleveland Indians hope to end a discouraging homestand on a positive note this afternoon, when the struggling club attempts to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the revamped Texas Rangers.
Although the Indians have been one of the best home teams this season, the team has not played well during its current 10-game residency. The Tribe has won just two of nine games so far on the homestand and has now dropped a season-high four consecutive contests following Wednesday’s extra-inning defeat to the Rangers.
Texas scored three times in the top of the 10th inning, taking advantage of two misplays by Cleveland pitcher Jensen Lewis, to come through with a 9-6 victory.
After Ramon Vazquez opened the frame with a single, Frank Catalanotto laid down a bunt and Lewis fired late to second in an attempt to force out Vazquez. Ian Kinsler then tried to bunt over both runners and Lewis threw wildly to first, with the error allowing Vazquez to score the go-ahead run.
Jason Botts later sent home Catalanotto with a sacrifice fly and Marlon Byrd capped the scoring with an RBI single.
Vazquez finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored while Catalanotto collected two hits and a pair of RBI to help Texas to its sixth win in nine games.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the centerpiece of Tuesday’s seven-player trade with Atlanta that sent star first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Braves, also drove in a pair of runs in his Rangers debut.
Joaquin Benoit (5-3) threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory, with C.J. Wilson recording the game’s final out to notch his second save in as many days.
Casey Blake had a two-run homer and Jason Michaels added a solo shot for Cleveland, which remained one game behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central standings despite the loss. The Indians saw their advantage in the wild card race trimmed to only a half-game over Seattle, however, with the surging New York Yankees now lurking only two back of the Tribe.
Jake Westbrook will not only be attempting to get his team back on track when he takes the mound tonight, but the Cleveland right-hander aims to halt a lengthy personal winless streak as well. Westbrook has not recorded a win since April 27 and has posted a disappointing 1-6 record with a 5.85 earned run average over 13 starts in 2007.
Westbrook had a very encouraging outing on Saturday, however. The sinker specialist limited Minnesota to two runs on just four hits over seven innings, but did not receive a decision in an eventual 3-2 Cleveland loss.
The 29-year-old does sport a 4-1 record in nine career starts against Texas, although he has posted a 5.30 ERA over those games.
Kason Gabbard makes his first appearance in a Rangers uniform in today’s finale. The well-regarded lefty was acquired from Boston on Tuesday as part of the deal that landed closer Eric Gagne in Beantown.
Gabbard, who went 4-0 with a solid 3.73 ERA in seven starts with the Red Sox this season, will be facing Cleveland for the second time in a week. He pitched in Jacobs Field on July 26 and was tagged for five runs in a 4 2/3- inning no decision.
It was Gabbard’s first lifetime start against the Indians.
The 25-year-old had yielded only one run and six over 16 combined innings during back-to-back wins over Chicago and Kansas City prior to last Thursday’s game.
The Indians have won seven of the last 10 meetings in this series, including five of eight matchups this year. Cleveland swept a two-game set from the Rangers at Jacobs Field back in April.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (48-59) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (58-49), 1:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Jon Garland (8-7, 4.12) New York - Roger Clemens (3-5, 3.92)
The New York Yankees are still rolling despite the recent woes of Alex Rodriguez and will shoot for a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox this afternoon in the finale of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
New York has won three straight and 14 of its last 19 games, including Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over the White Sox in the second test of this series. Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 and is hitless in his last 21 at-bats since belting career homer No. 499 at Kansas City on July 25.
Perhaps the pressure of becoming the youngest player to reach 500 career home runs has distracted the 32-year-old Rodriguez, who can become the 22nd player in major league history to reach the illustrious mark.
Jorge Posada hit two of five New York home runs last night, just one day after the Yankees belted a franchise-tying eight long balls in a 16-3 bashing of the White Sox. Shelley Duncan clubbed a two-run homer, while Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter added solo shots last night.
The Yankees, who have scored 34 runs during their three-game win streak, equaled a club record with the 13 combined homers in back-to-back contests. They are two games off the American League wild card chase and seven games behind Boston for the top spot in the AL East.
Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte earned the win by limiting the White Sox to six hits and a run over seven innings, walking two and fanning six.
New York will send future Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens to the mound on Thursday, and he is 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) this season.
Clemens is 1-2 over his last five starts and was handed the loss on Saturday against Baltimore, allowing four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.
He isn’t having the type of return to the Yankees he once imagined, but will have the home crowd in his corner today. Clemens is 2-1 with a 2.10 earned run average at Yankee Stadium this season.
The right-hander will take on the White Sox for the first time this season. In 33 career starts against Chicago, Clemens is 17-8 with seven complete games (three shutouts) and a 3.34 ERA.
White Sox starter Jon Garland avoided being traded on Tuesday and will take the hill this afternoon against the Yankees.
Garland, who owns an 8-7 mark with a 4.12 ERA in 21 starts this season, is 4-2 over his past seven trips to the mound. In his previous outing on Friday against Toronto, Garland lasted 7 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and 10 hits during a 4-3 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.
The young righty is 4-2 in 10 road starts this season and will try to stifle the Yankees again. Garland defeated New York in Chicago on May 17, when he yielded just one run in seven innings of work.
In eight career starts against the Bronx Bombers, Garland is 3-5 with a 3.07 earned run average.
Chicago has lost three in a row and eight of its last 13 games. Starting pitcher John Danks was throttled for six hits, including three homers, and six runs — five earned — over four innings for the loss.
Scott Podsednik tripled in Jermaine Dye in the second inning and the White Sox never reached home plate again. Chicago is 12 games off the AL wild card lead and 13 games behind Detroit in the Central standings.
New York is 6-3 against the White Sox this season and 10-5 over the previous 15 encounters between the teams.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (50-56) AT BOSTON RED SOX (65-42), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Baltimore - Jermy Guthrie (7-3, 2.89) Boston - Tim Wakefield (12-9, 4.59)
Road warrior Jeremy Guthrie will try to stay unbeaten away from Camden Yards tonight when the Baltimore Orioles visit Fenway Park to close out a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.
Guthrie, a first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2002, is 5-0 in 13 appearances - eight starts - away from home this season, posting a stingy 2.51 earned run average in 64 2/3 innings.
In his last two road starts, on July 17 in Seattle and July 22 in Oakland, the Oregon native combined to allow just eight hits and two runs in 13 innings while recording two victories.
He’s 3-0 in his last three starts, having added a 4-2 home defeat of the New York Yankees on July 27 after allowing six hits and two runs in six innings.
Guthrie has made two appearances - one start - against the Red Sox in his career, posting a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings.
Ageless knuckleballer Tim Wakefield tries to un-even his career mark against the Orioles.
Wakefield, who turns 41 today, is 13-13 with four saves in 42 lifetime games against Baltimore with a 4.07 ERA.
He’s been red hot against everyone else as of late, winning two straight, five of six and seven of nine since starting the season at 5-7.
In fact, Wakefield has earned a decision in each of his 21 starts this season, lasting into the sixth inning in all but one.
He defeated Tampa Bay, 7-1, on July 27, allowing six hits and a run and striking out seven in six innings of work.
On Wednesday, Kevin Youkilis’ two-run double highlighted a four-run seventh inning, as the Red Sox rallied to beat the Orioles, 5-4.
Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Jason Varitek went 2-for-4 and also knocked in a run for Boston, which snapped a two-game skid.
With the win, the Red Sox also stayed seven games ahead of New York in the American League East. The Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-1, on Wednesday night.
Nick Markakis and Miguel Tejeda homered for Baltimore, which has dropped two of three.
Boston has won five of seven from the Orioles this season and is 30-13 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Orioles have also struggled in Beantown, where they have posted just three wins in their last 14 visits. LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (62-44) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (51-57), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Joe Saunders (4-0, 3.16) Oakland - Chad Gaudin (8-6, 3.71)
The Oakland Athletics will attempt to win a second straight home series against a division front-runner this weekend, as the American League West-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim invade McAfee Coliseum tonight for the first of four consecutive meetings.
Oakland ended a disappointing month of July with a 7-3 victory over the first- place Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, then took the finale of the three-game set yesterday afternoon. Mark Ellis hit a tie-breaking home run in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Athletics dealt the AL Central favorites a 3-2 defeat.
Ellis and Mike Piazza each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for Oakland, which had lost four in a row prior to Tuesday’s triumph.
Andrew Brown picked up his first major league victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of A’s starter Dallas Braden, who allowed two runs and four hits over the first 5 1/3 frames. Alan Embree retired the final five Detroit hitters to notch his 12th save of the year.
The Angels come in with a three-game lead on Seattle in the AL West standings, a margin that was trimmed when the Mariners came through with a 12-inning victory over Anaheim on Wednesday. Yuniesky Betancourt’s one-out single plated Adrian Beltre with the winning run as Seattle pulled out an 8-7 decision.
Los Angeles sent the contest into extra frames by scoring three times in the top of the ninth inning, with Gary Matthews Jr. belting a game-tying two-run homer off All-Star closer J.J. Putz with the Angels down to their final out.
Garret Anderson also homered for Anaheim and finished with three RBI, while Vladimir Guerrero went 4-for-6 and drove in a pair of runs.
Justin Speier (0-2) took the loss after yielding three hits and recording only one out in the 12th. The Angels had won five of six games prior to the defeat.
Undefeated left-hander Joe Saunders gets the call for Anaheim in tonight’s opener. The former first-round draft pick has impressed in limited action this season, having posted a 4-0 record and a 3.16 earned run average through seven major-league starts.
Saunders returned from the minors on July 22 and delivered seven innings of two-run ball to defeat Minnesota. He wasn’t as sharp in his most recent start, allowing three runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 frames in Saturday’s no decision against Detroit.
The 26-year-old faced Oakland for the first time in his young career on April 5 and did not factor in the outcome of a 4-3 Angels’ loss. In that game Saunders gave up three runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Since that game, the Angels have emerged victorious in all six of Saunders’ starts.
Oakland counters with the badly-struggling Chad Gaudin. The converted reliever is 0-3 with a 7.89 ERA over his last four starts and issued 18 walks in 21 2/3 innings over that span. That rough stretch has raised his season ERA from 2.88 to 3.71.
Gaudin did show marked improvement in his most recent outing. The right-hander worked eight innings and allowed just four hits while walking only one. He was touched for four runs, however, and was saddled with the loss in Saturday’s 4-3 setback at Seattle.
The 24-year-old pitched against the Angels on July 23 and was rocked for five runs and walked six before departing after just 3 2/3 innings. Gaudin did not record a decision in that contest.
For his career Gaudin is 2-0 with a 4.84 ERA in 10 appearances against Los Angeles, three of which have been starts.
Oakland has had the upper hand thus far in the 2007 season series, having taken six of nine meetings with the Angels and sweeping a two-game set between the rivals at the Coliseum in mid-April. Anaheim won seven of 10 games in Oakland last season, however. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (50-54) AT PITTSBURGH PIRATES (43-62), 12:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Anthony Reyes (1-10, 6.11) Pittsburgh - Shane Youman (2-3, 4.66)
The Pittsburgh Pirates will try for consecutive wins for the first time in almost a month when they wrap up a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at PNC Park.
The Pirates ended a four-game losing streak with Wednesday’s 15-1 pounding of the Cardinals in the second installment of this series. Ronny Paulino hit a grand slam while Adam LaRoche and Jack Wilson also homered for Pittsburgh, which posted 20 hits and is shooting for back-to-back triumphs for the first time since a four-game win streak from July 3-6.
Freddy Sanchez had four hits as the Pirates won for just the third time in 17 games since the All-Star break. Starter Tony Armas pitched 6 1/3 innings for the win, allowing one run on four hits with five K’s and one walk.
Looking to snap a three-start losing streak today is Pirates pitcher Shane Youman, who is 2-3 with a 4.66 earned run average in five starts this season.
Youman has lost his last three outings with a 5.82 ERA to go along with the slide. He last toed the rubber on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies and was saddled with the loss, yielding seven runs — six earned — in just four innings of work at Citizens Bank Park.
The left-hander has never faced the Cardinals in his career.
Anthony Reyes will get the nod this afternoon for St. Louis and is in search of his second win of the season. Reyes is having a horrible 2007 campaign, with a 1-10 mark and a 6.11 ERA in 13 starts this season.
Reyes had been 0-10 in 12 starts before earning his first win of the season on Saturday against Milwaukee. He allowed two runs in six innings of a 5-2 victory at Busch Stadium.
The right-hander, who is 0-6 in seven road starts this season, owns a 1-1 mark with a 2.38 ERA in two career starts against Pittsburgh. Reyes was beaten by the Pirates on April 16 after he gave up three runs in five frames of a 3-2 setback in St. Louis.
St. Louis was aiming for a season-high five straight wins last night, but the defending champions were pummeled in their attempt. Aaron Miles homered for the Cardinals, who fell to six games off the lead in the National League Central division. They are also 6 1/2 games behind in the NL wild card race.
Cardinals starter Braden Looper was tagged for seven runs on eight hits with one walk and no strikeouts for the loss.
St. Louis is 7-3 against Pittsburgh this season, including a three-game sweep in the Steel City from April 9-11. The Cardinals are 40-18 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. NEW YORK METS (60-47) AT MILWAUKEE BREWERS (58-50), 2:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Brian Lawrence (0-0, 0.00) Milwaukee - Chris Capuano (5-7, 4.70)
The Milwaukee Brewers try and get back on top in the NL Central this afternoon when they play the rubber match of their three-game series with the New York Mets at Miller Park.
Milwaukee fell a percentage point behind Chicago in the division last night after dropping an 8-5 decision to the Mets, while the Cubs defeated Philadelphia to move into a virtual tie.
The Brewers had been in first since April 21 and led by 8 1/2 games as recently as June 23.
Marlon Anderson homered and finished with four RBI, while Ramon Castro added a three-run home run in the win for the Mets, who have won six of 10. Oliver Perez (10-7) allowed five runs — four earned — over six innings with 11 strikeouts and three walks to take the win.
Opponent Claudio Vargas (9-3), meanwhile, was lit up for seven runs in just 2 2/3 innings for Milwaukee, which has dropped six of eight. Prince Fielder ended his home run drought with a three-run blast, while Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy added an RBI apiece.
Fielder, who leads the NL with 31 home runs, had not left the yard since a first inning shot back on July 13 against Colorado. The 67 at-bats was a career high.
Hoping to get the Brewers back on track today will be left-hander Chris Capuano, who is 0-7 with a 6.16 earned run average in 12 starts since defeating Washington back on May 7. Capuano’s latest setback came on Saturday against St. Louis, as he allowed four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to fall to 5-7 on the year, while raising his ERA to 4.70.
Capuano is 0-3 lifetime against the Mets with a 6.04 ERA in four starts.
New York will pin its hopes on Brian Lawrence, who will be making his Mets’ debut and will also be making his first big league appearance since pitching with the San Diego Padres in 2005.
Lawrence missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. The Mets, though, signed him to a minor league contract in May after he was released by the Rockies. He was 8-2 with a 3.87 ERA in 12 starts for the Mets’ Triple-A team in New Orleans.
The 31-year-old has faced the Brewers five times and is 1-3 against them with a 5.04 ERA.
The Mets have won three of five from the Brewers this season after the teams split the season series the last two years. The Mets, though, have won in seven of their last 11 visits to Milwaukee.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (56-51) AT CHICAGO CUBS (57-49), 2:20 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Philadelphia - Kyle Lohse (6-12, 4.58) Chicago - Sean Marshall (5-4, 3.10)
Kyle Lohse will make his Philadelphia Phillies debut tonight, as the club wraps up its four-game set with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Lohse was acquired by the Phillies from Cincinnati on Monday in exchange for 23-year-old minor league pitcher Matt Maloney. Lohse will take the spot of J.D. Durbin in the rotation, with Durbin heading to the bullpen.
The 29-year-old Lohse should welcome the change of scenery, as he went 6-12 with a 4.58 earned run average with the Reds. However, at the time of his trade, Lohse also had the fifth-worst run support in the NL at 3.69 runs per game.
The right-hander has been better over his last five starts, going 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA. In his three wins, which included a complete game on July 6, Lohse allowed just one earned run per outing. In his final start with the Reds on July 25, he allowed two runs (one earned) and five hits in a victory over Milwaukee.
Lohse is 1-1 in three career starts versus the Cubs with a 3.63 ERA.
Chicago starter Sean Marshall is 1-1 over his last four starts despite pitching to a 2.31 ERA in that span. After a tough-luck loss to Arizona that saw Marshall allow just one run in six innings, he battled back with a win at Cincinnati on Saturday behind another six frames of one-run ball.
The left-hander, who is 5-4 with a 3.10 ERA this year, faced the Phillies for the first time in his young career on September 18 of last season, with the 24-year-old getting a no-decision despite allowing six runs in just 3 1/3 innings.
Marshall will take the task tonight of keeping the Cubs in first place, a position the club acquired with Wednesday’s 5-4 victory after Matt Murton scored the winning run on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth.
The one-run victory for the Cubs vaulted them past the Milwaukee Brewers by a percentage point in the National League Central. The Brewers lost to the New York Mets yesterday.
The Cubs are an MLB-best 35-18 since June 3. A month ago, they trailed the Brewers by 6 1/2 games in the standings.
Derrek Lee doubled twice and scored a pair of runs, while Murton also drove in a run for the Cubs, who have won two straight over the Phillies after losing the opener of this set on Monday.
Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Aaron Rowand homered for the injury-riddled Phils, who have dropped consecutive games following a four-game winning streak.
Brett Myers (1-3) uncorked the wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth as the Phils fell into third place in the NL East, a half-game behind the Braves and four contests back of the first-place Mets.
Philadelphia is also two games back of the Dodgers in the NL wild card race.
The Phillies took two of three against the Cubs when the two squads clashed from May 11-13.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (60-49) AT SAN DIEGO PADRES (56-50), 3:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Arizona - Yusmeiro Petit (2-2, 3.44) San Diego - Jake Peavy (10-5, 2.41)
Jake Peavy will try to improve on the majors’ second best earned run average this afternoon when the San Diego Padres wrap up a key three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
Peavy comes into the outing with a 2.41 ERA, which trails only injured teammate Chris Young’s 1.82 earned run average. The right-hander halted a four-decision losing streak on Friday at Houston by yielding just one run on four hits over seven innings. Peavy also struck out eight to only two walks to improve to 10-5 on the season. He leads the NL with 144 strikeouts.
Peavy’s 5.20 ERA lifetime against the Diamondbacks needs some work, however. The 26-year-old is 8-8 in 19 careers starts against them, and defeated Arizona on April 19 despite allowing five runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings.
He then got a no-decision at Arizona six days later even though he threw seven shutout innings, scattering two hits while striking out 16 batters.
Yusmeiro Petit will start against the Padres for the first time in his career this afternoon. The 22-year-old will also be trying to rebound from a rough outing on Friday against Atlanta that saw him get tagged for five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Petit’s offense took him off the hook, however, as the right-hander got a no-decision in the 8-7 victory.
The outing lifted Petit’s earned run average almost a point from 2.54 to 3.44. He had bested Chicago on Sunday behind six shutout innings to move to 2-2 on the year.
Petit and the Diamondbacks will be going for a sweep this afternoon after taking the first two games of this series. Arizona swept the Padres in San Diego on April 24-26 of last season.
The Diamondbacks blew a 5-1 lead in the ninth inning before Eric Byrnes put Arizona ahead in the 11th frame with a run-scoring infield single. Chad Tracy then put the game away in the frame with a three-run homer, guiding the D- backs to a 9-5 victory.
Micah Owings tossed six quality innings and had an RBI and a run scored at the plate for NL West-leading Arizona, which has won 10 of their last 11. Owings allowed one run on four hits while striking out four. Chris Snyder went 2- for-5 with two RBI in a winning effort.
The victory helped the Diamondbacks maintain their one-game lead over second- place Los Angeles in the standings, while the Padres fell 2 1/2 games off the pace. The Dodgers will host Arizona this weekend.
San Diego is also 1 1/2 games back of the wild-card leading Dodgers.
Geoff Blum plated a run with a double in the ninth and Mike Cameron added a run-scoring single in the frame for San Diego, while Milton Bradley sent the game into extra innings with a two-run homer off Arizona closer Jose Valverde.
Padres outfielder Brian Giles exited in the fifth inning with a sprained right ankle after hitting his foot hard against the wall in right. He remained in the game for another half-inning before being lifted in favor of Scott Hairston.
For Arizona, Carlos Quentin left with an apparent left hamstring injury.
The Padres and Diamondbacks split a brief two-game set in San Diego on April 18-19. Arizona owns a 7-3 edge in the season series.
CINCINNATI REDS (45-63) AT WASHINGTON NATIONALS (47-60), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Elizardo Ramirez (0-0, 0.00) Washington - Mike Bacsik (4-6, 4.22)
Dominican right-hander Elizardo Ramirez gets his third shot at the big leagues with Cincinnati tonight when the Reds visit RFK Stadium to close out a three-game series with the Washington Nationals.
Ramirez, a 24-year-old who first reached the majors with Philadelphia in 2004, was with the Reds for six games in 2005 and 21 games last season, making a combined 23 starts and going 4-12 overall in 126 1/3 innings.
He arrives this year following the trade of right-handed starter Kyle Lohse earlier this week and the subsequent staff juggling that saw lefty Bobby Livingston move up to take Lohse’s scheduled start on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder allowed 123 hits and 62 earned runs in 104 innings last season, striking out 69 while walking 29.
He’s made one career start against the Nationals, earning a victory after allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings.
Lefty Mike Bacsik goes for his third straight win and fourth in five decisions for the Nationals.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Texan allowed eight hits and two runs over seven innings in his last start, earning a 6-2 victory over the New York Mets on July 27 at Shea Stadium.
One start earlier, he’d pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings en route to a 3-0 defeat of Colorado on July 21.
A veteran of 35 major-league appearances - 28 starts - Bacsik is 1-0 in two outings against the Reds, surrendering 16 hits and nine runs in 12 innings.
On Wednesday, Austin Kearns homered and drove in three runs to lead the Nationals over the Reds, 7-2.
Kearns went 2-for-4 and Ryan Church had two hits and two RBI for the Nationals, who have won five of seven, including the first two of this three- game set. Dmitri Young added two hits and drove in a run and Felipe Lopez scored a pair runs for Washington, which has won nine of its last 14 contests.
Washington starter John Lannan (1-0) picked up his first major league win in just his second career start. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits, striking out one and walking two, in 5 2/3 innings.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn each drove in a run for the Reds, who have dropped four straight.
Cincinnati starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo (4-12) suffered through his worst start of the season. The right-hander lasted a season-low 1 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out one. He has lost two straight and three of four decisions.
Washington won three of four earlier in the season from the Reds, but is just 9-15 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. COLORADO ROCKIES (54-52) AT FLORIDA MARLINS (50-58), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Colorado - Jason Hirsh (4-7, 4.90) Florida - Rick Vanden Hurk (3-2, 7.00)
Young Dutch right-hander Rick Vanden Hurk looks for his third consecutive victory tonight at Dolphin Stadium when the Florida Marlins host the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game series.
Vanden Hurk, who turned 22 in May, made his major-league debut a month earlier when he pitched 4 2/3 innings of five-hit, one-run ball against the Milwaukee Brewers en route to a no-decision.
He’s made nine appearances - eight starts - since and hasn’t lost in four outings following a 9-4 beating by Tampa Bay on June 10.
In those subsequent outings, the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder is 2-0 with two no- decisions, having surrendered 27 hits and 13 earned runs over 22 innings.
Vanden Hurk, who’s 1-2 in six home starts, has never faced the Rockies.
Second-year right-hander Jason Hirsh looks for a second straight strong outing for Colorado. In his last start, on July 2 against the New York Mets, Hirsh allowed three hits over six scoreless innings in a 6-2 victory.
However, he went on the disabled list a day later with a sprained right ankle and will now be taking the turn of injured teammate Rodrigo Lopez.
Hirsh, who began his career with nine starts last season for Houston, has never faced the Marlins.
On Wednesday, Miguel Cabrera homered in the fifth inning, becoming second on the all-time Florida home-run list, and the Marlins held on to edge the Rockies, 4-3. Josh Willingham ended 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored once for the Marlins, who had lost seven of their last eight.
Korean veteran Byung-Hyun Kim (6-5), facing one of his former teams, allowed two runs on five hits with a career-high 10 strikeouts and six walks over 5 1/3 innings for his 100th career win.
Kaz Matsui finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored twice for the Rockies, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Willy Taveras went 2-for-3 and scored a run in the loss.
Right-hander Josh Fogg (5-7), who had won two straight and four of his last five decisions, allowed four runs - three earned - on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout over five-plus frames for Colorado. The 30-year-old Massachusetts native was unbeaten since a June 24 loss at Toronto.
Florida is playing is first series with the Rockies this season, but is 12-7 in the matchup since the start of the 2004 campaign.
HOUSTON ASTROS (46-61) AT ATLANTA BRAVES (57-51), 7:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Houston - Woody Williams (5-12, 5.14) Atlanta - Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 8.20)
Mark Teixeira had an impressive debut for the Atlanta Braves and will try to duplicate his success in this evening’s finale of a three-game series with the Houston Astros at Turner Field.
Acquired from the Texas Rangers by Tuesday’s trade deadline, Teixeira cracked a three-run homer and finished with four RBI in last night’s 12-3 demolition of the Astros. Teixeira became the first Atlanta player to homer in his debut since Jeff Francoeur went deep in his first game on July 7, 2005.
Edgar Renteria also homered for the Braves, who are 1 1/2 games off the NL wild card chase and 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East standings. Yunel Escobar finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in the rout.
Atlanta starting pitcher Buddy Carlyle left the game after the fifth inning with a hyperextended right elbow. He allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts to record the victory.
Rookie Jo-Jo Reyes will take the mound tonight for the Braves and is 0-1 with an 8.20 ERA in four starts this season.
Reyes has posted back-to-back no decisions, including Friday’s performance against Arizona in which he surrendered seven runs in four innings of an 8-7 setback at Chase Field.
The lefty will take on Houston for the first time in his career.
Taking the ball for the Astros tonight will be Woody Williams, who is 5-12 with a 5.14 ERA in 22 starts this season.
Williams has alternated wins and losses over his last seven decisions. On Friday against the San Diego Padres, Williams suffered the loss after permitting five runs and eight hits over six innings of work. He has now lasted at least six innings in six straight starts.
The veteran right-hander, who is 2-8 in 13 road starts this season, has enjoyed success in his career against Atlanta. Williams is 4-1 with a 2.21 earned run average in eight starts versus the Braves.
Houston has dropped four of its last five games, including last night’s dreadful performance. Lance Berkman homered for Houston, which is 11 1/2 games off the lead in the NL Central and 12 games back in the wild card hunt.
Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez was dealt the loss, yielding eight runs on six hits with five walks and four strikeouts over four innings of work.
Atlanta and Houston are wrapping up their first series against one another this season. The Astros went 4-3 against the Braves in the 2006 season. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (46-59) AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS (58-49), 10:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Francisco - Barry Zito (7-10, 5.28) Los Angeles - Brett Tomko (2-8, 5.57)
Barry Bonds’ recent long ball drought even has commissioner Bud Selig frustrated. Bonds will again try to match Hank Aaron’s all-time home run mark tonight when the San Francisco Giants play the finale of a three-game set with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Bonds went 0-for-3 with an intentional walk in Wednesday’s 6-4 setback to the Dodgers. He is just 1-for-12 since hitting home run No. 754 on Friday against Florida, but should be in the lineup tonight.
Selig, who recently decided he will try to be in attendance when Bonds ties and then breaks Aaron’s record, was originally slated to head to Minneapolis on Thursday for the groundbreaking of the Twins’ new ballpark. However, that event has been postponed due to the collapsing of an interstate highway in Minnesota.
Instead, Selig will return home to Milwaukee and will be replaced by MLB consultant Frank Robinson in Los Angeles tonight. The commissioner will then head to San Diego for the Giants’ weekend series with the Padres, but hasn’t committed to attending San Francisco’s upcoming seven-game homestand that kicks off on Monday.
Lost in the Bonds frenzy on Wednesday was a four-run eighth inning by the Dodgers that helped them capture their 6-4 victory. Nomar Garciaparra highlighted the frame with a go-ahead two-run homer.
The victory snapped a four-game home losing streak to the Giants, though LA leads the season series 7-4. The Dodgers went 13-6 against San Francisco last season, winning six of 10 at home.
Mark Hendrickson was strong over 6 2/3 innings, as he was charged with six hits and three runs. Jonathan Broxton (4-2) threw the eighth inning to get the win, and Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 27th save.
Tim Lincecum was in line to win after surrendering two hits and two runs with five walks over six innings, but the combination of Vinnie Chulk, Steve Kline and Randy Messenger (1-3) blew the lead.
Omar Vizquel had three hits and two RBI for the Giants, losers in two of three after winning four straight.
Tonight’s starter for the Giants, Barry Zito, has put his second-half success on hold in his last two starts. Zito, who is 60-28 in his career after the All-Star break, is 0-1 over his last two outings while allowing 13 runs over just 9 1/3 total innings.
After taking a loss at Milwaukee on July 22, Zito was tagged for six runs on eight hits and four walks over four innings in a no-decision against Florida, a game the Giants eventually won 12-10.
The left-hander, who is 7-10 with a 5.28 earned run average this season, faced the Dodgers on April 8 and was blitzed for eight runs and nine hits over six frames. Lifetime, Zito is 1-1 in three career starts against LA with a 5.57 earned run average.
Brett Tomko will draw another start tonight for the Dodgers’ injury-riddled rotation. He drew a starting assignment on Saturday against Colorado and took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Tomko is 2-8 with a 5.57 ERA in 29 games (11 starts) this season.
The right-hander is 4-4 with a 4.93 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) lifetime versus the Giants, who he beat him in San Francisco on July 15.
Bonds is 6-for-22 in his career against Tomko with a home run, four RBI and 13 walks.
