Friday, August 3rd (All times eastern)
KANSAS CITY ROYALS (48-59) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (58-50), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Kansas City - Odalis Perez (6-9, 5.73) New York - Chien-Ming Wang (12-5, 3.61)
The New York Yankees hope Chien-Ming Wang gives them a better start this evening than the one they received from Roger Clemens yesterday when they open a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.
Clemens, in his shortest outing in seven years, was ripped by the Chicago White Sox for nine hits and eight runs — only three earned — in 1 2/3 innings. The Yankees’ bats, though, bailed him out, scoring eight runs in the second to tie the game, leaving the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with a no-decision.
The Yankees eventually lost the game, 13-9, falling for the first time in four tries and for only the fifth time in their last 20, as they slipped eight games behind Boston in the American League East and three games back of Cleveland in the wild card race.
Bobby Abreu went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs in the loss for the Yankees, while Jeff Karstens (0-2) was saddled with the loss, giving up three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Alex Rodriguez, though, did break his 0-for-21 skid with two hits and an RBI, as the 32 year-old superstar tries to become the 22nd player in major league history, as well as the youngest, to reach 500 home runs.
With the bullpen spent, the Yankees will need a big effort tonight from Wang, who has won nine of his last 10 decisions. Wang picked up the win on Sunday against Baltimore, as he allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings to run his record to 12-5 to go along with a 3.61 earned run average.
Wang topped the Royals two starts ago and is a perfect 2-0 against them
Kansas City will pin its hopes on left-hander Odalis Perez, who is 6-9 with a 5.73 ERA. Perez picked up the win on Saturday against Texas, as he surrendered three runs and seven hits in six innings.
Perez lost to the Yankees earlier in the year and is 0-2 lifetime against them with a 9.26 ERA in two starts.
Kansas City had their game postponed on Thursday in Minnesota due to the tragic bridge collapse along Interstate Highway 35W over the Mississippi River on Wednesday. The bridge collapsed during the evening rush hour, shortly after 6 p.m. local time, dumping an estimated 50 vehicles into the water and onto the land below.
The bridge is approximately six blocks from the Metrodome, where the Royals won for the fifth time in seven tries on Wednesday, topping the Twins, 5-3, in 10 innings on Alex Gordon’s two-run homer.
Lost in the tragedy of the bridge collapse was the fact that Royals manager Buddy Bell announced prior to the game that he will resign after the season.
The Yankees have won three of four from the Royals this season and are 10-3 against them since the start of the last season. KC has also lost 11 of its last 12 and 24 of its last 27 in the Bronx.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (49-59) AT DETROIT TIGERS (61-46), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Mark Buehrle (8-6, 3.06) Detroit - Andrew Miller (5-3, 3.76)
The Detroit Tigers hope to put the brakes on a two-game losing streak tonight, as they start an 11-game homestand with the opener of a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
Detroit enters this series having lost two of three to Oakland and completed an 11-game road trip with just three wins after falling to the A’s 3-2 on Wednesday in the rubber match of that series at McAfee Coliseum.
Placido Polanco finished 2-for-3 and scored a run for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who have dropped four straight series and have lost six of seven overall. Their lead over Cleveland in the division is now just a half-game.
Nate Robertson (6-9) failed to rebound from an awful outing Friday in Anaheim, allowing three runs on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts over six-plus innings.
Rookie Andrew Miller will try to get the Tigers back in the win column tonight. Miller, who is 5-3 with a 3.76 earned run average, received a no- decision against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Saturday, as he allowed two runs and five hits in five innings of his team’s 10-3 setback.
Miller has yet to record a decision in two games against the White Sox, but has pitched to a 7.11 ERA in those outings. Two starts ago Miller was lit up for five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-6 win.
Chicago will hand the ball to lefty Mark Buehrle, who will try and build upon a tremendous effort in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Buehrle scattered eight hits over eight scoreless innings in that one, as he ran his record to 8-6, while lowering his ERA to 3.06.
Buehrle gave up 14 hits in losing to the Tigers two starts ago, but is 11-8 lifetime against them with a 3.22 ERA in 22 games, 21 of which have been starts.
Chicago enters this series on a winning note after salvaging the finale of its three-game series with the New York Yankees on Thursday. Jermaine Dye finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, two homers, and four RBI to help the White Sox recover from blowing an eight-run lead in the second inning to outslug their way to a 13-9 win.
Paul Konerko went 3-for-5, homered, and drove in two for the White Sox, who knocked Roger Clemens out in the second inning, and stopped a three-game losing skid. Boone Logan (2-0) got the win for two scoreless inning of relief.
Chicago has won five of its nine matchups with the Tigers this season and is 31-16 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. The White Sox have also won in 15 of their last 22 visits to the Motor City.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (50-57) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (41-66), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Baltimore - Daniel Cabrera (7-11, 5.08) Tampa Bay - James Shields (8-6, 4.47)
The Baltimore Orioles try to defeat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the eighth straight time this evening when the two AL East cellar dwellers square off in the opener of a three-game set from Tropicana Field.
Baltimore has won eight of nine from the Devil Rays this year and is 14-2 in the last 16 matchups. Since the start of the 2004 campaign the Orioles are 38-15 in the series, including a 19-13 mark at the Trop.
Continuing that trend may not be that difficult for Baltimore this evening, as it sends a pitcher to the hill in Daniel Cabrera that has never lost to the Devil Rays. Cabrera has two wins this season against Tampa and is a perfect 5-0 lifetime against the Rays with a 3.11 earned run average in nine starts.
Cabrera, though, has struggled this season, going 7-11 with a 5.08 ERA. The right-hander was tagged with the loss on Sunday against the New York Yankees, allowing four runs and six hits in six innings.
Baltimore enters this series after losing the final two contests of their three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, including a 7-4 setback in Thursday’s rubber match at Fenway Park. Corey Patterson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and Jay Payton also drove in two for the Orioles, who have dropped three of four.
Rob Bell (3-2) took the loss, tagged for four runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning. Starter Jeremy Guthrie got a no-decision, allowing nine hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and four walks.
Tampa will pin its hopes tonight on right-hander James Shields, who is 8-6 with a 4.47 ERA. Shields received a no-decision against the Red Sox on Saturday, giving up three runs and six hits in five frames of a 12-6 loss.
Shields has yet to pick up a decision against the O’s, but has pitched to a 3.95 ERA in four starts against them.
Tampa took two of three from the Blue Jays, culminating with a 6-2 win in Wednesday’s finale. The Devil Rays have now won three of four on the heels of an eight-game slide that included three losses in Baltimore.
TEXAS RANGERS (48-60) AT TORONTO BLUE JAYS (53-54), 7:07 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Kevin Millwood (7-9, 5.95) Toronto - Roy Halladay (11-5, 4.04)
Roy Halladay tries to get the Toronto Blue Jays back in the win column this evening when they kick off a six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game set against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.
Toronto was 2-4 on its six-game road swing, dropping two of three to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to close the trek, including a 6-2 setback on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
Alex Rios and Matt Stairs each drove in a run for the Blue Jays, while Josh Towers (5-8) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two, losing for the third time in four outings.
The Blue Jays now head home, where they have won 10 of their last 12 and are 31-20 this season. They have also posted shutouts in five of their last 10 north of the border.
Halladay had one of those shutouts and comes into tonight’s tilt with an 11-5 mark to go along with a 4.04 earned run average. Halladay, though, was dealt a hard-luck loss in his last trip to the hill on Saturday against Chicago, as he was outdueled by Mark Buehrle, surrendering two runs and 10 hits in eight innings of a 2-0 loss.
The 2003 Cy Young Award winner picked up a complete game win over the Rangers earlier in the year and is 5-5 lifetime against them with a 5.85 ERA in 16 games, 15 of which have been starts.
Texas will counter with a right-handed veteran of its own in Kevin Millwood, who is 7-9 with a 5.95 ERA. Millwood lost for the second time in his last three starts on Saturday against Kansas City, which battered him for six runs and nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
Millwood has faced the Blue Jays six times and is 1-3 against them with a 6.42 ERA.
Texas had a modest two-game winning streak stopped on Thursday, falling 5-0 to the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field. Brad Wilkerson and Michael Young both finished 2-for-4 for the Rangers, who have dropped four of their last six.
Kason Gabbard (4-1), who was acquired from Boston on Tuesday as part of the deal that landed closer Eric Gagne in Beantown, allowed three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and a walk over 5 2/3 innings in his first appearance in a Rangers uniform.
Texas has won five of seven from the Blue Jays this season and is 23-9 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Rangers also hold a slim 7-6 edge as the road team in that same span.
CLEVELAND INDIANS (61-47) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (55-52), 8:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cleveland - C.C. Sabathia (13-6, 3.58) Minnesota - Johan Santana (11-8, 2.92)
Baseball is set to resume once again in the tragedy- stricken Twin Cities this evening, where the Minnesota Twins will open up an important four-game series with the division-rival Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome.
Minnesota had Thursday’s scheduled contest with Kansas City postponed due to a bridge collapse on a major Minneapolis highway during Tuesday rush hour. The disaster, which occurred on Interstate 35W and was approximately six blocks from the Metrodome, has left at least five people dead and as many as 30 missing.
Tuesday’s game between the Twins and Royals did take place, as it was feared a postponement would have hindered rescue efforts by creating further traffic. Minnesota would fall in extra innings that night, with Alex Gordon’s two-out, two-run homer in the top of the 10th frame lifting Kansas City to a 5-3 triumph.
Gordon deposited Juan Rincon’s pitch over the right-field wall with Emil Brown on base to put the Royals in front. Joakim Soria then worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 10th to preserve the lead and notch his 11th save.
The loss spoiled a strong performance from Twins starter Boof Bonser, who limited the Royals to two runs over the first seven innings. He left with a 3-2 lead, but was denied a possible victory when Kansas City scored in the top of the eighth.
Jason Kubel went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI for Minnesota, which had a four- game win streak halted.
Cleveland had lost a season-high four in a row before salvaging Thursday’s finale of a three-game series with the Texas Rangers. Jake Westbrook led the way in the Tribe’s 5-0 victory, as the right-hander threw six shutout innings and teamed with two relievers on a seven-hitter.
Westbrook (2-6) yielded just five hits and a walk while striking out five batters to earn his first win since April 27.
Grady Sizemore had two hits and two RBI while Victor Martinez hit a solo homer to help the Indians pull within a half-game of Detroit’s lead atop the American League Central. Minnesota sits six games off the pace in third place.
Tonight’s matchup features two of the game’s top left-handed hurlers, as Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia opposes reigning AL Cy Young winner Johan Santana in a battle of All-Stars.
Sabathia will attempt to become the AL’s first 14-game winner of the season and reverse a recent trend of losing outings. The burly southpaw is 1-4 with a 5.12 earned run average over his last five starts, although he pitched very well in his two most recent mound trips.
The 27-year-old lost to the Twins in Cleveland on Sunday despite matching a career-high with 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings of work. Two of the three runs he allowed were unearned.
Five days earlier, Sabathia limited Boston to a run and five hits over seven innings but came out on the short end of a 1-0 decision.
Sabathia is 8-8 with a 3.47 ERA in 23 career starts against Minnesota and 6-5 with a 3.97 ERA over 14 previous appearances at the Metrodome.
Santana is also coming off a terrific last start in which he failed to receive a win. That came against the Indians on Saturday, with the star lefty yielding just two runs on four hits and racking up 12 strikeouts in a seven-inning no decision.
The native Venezuelan had lost back-to-back starts since defeating Oakland with seven scoreless innings back on July 13.
Santana is winless in three outings against Cleveland this season, having recorded a pair of losses in addition to last week’s no decision. He owns a 7-4 lifetime record with a 3.15 ERA in 27 games (17 starts) versus the Indians and has surrendered eight runs in 21 innings of work against Cleveland in 2007.
The Indians won the first six meetings between these clubs this season before Minnesota recorded back-to-back wins at Jacobs Field this past weekend. Cleveland swept a two-game set in the Metrodome back in April.
LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (63-44) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (51-58), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Dustin Moseley (4-1, 4.37) Oakland - Lenny DiNardo (5-6, 3.10)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim attempt to pad their lead atop the American League West division in tonight’s second test of a four-game series with the host Oakland Athletics from McAfee Coliseum.
The Angels extended its margin over idle Seattle to 3 1/2 games in the division standings following Thursday’s 6-4 triumph over the A’s. Vladimir Guerrero broke out of a long homerless streak with a pair of long balls to lead Anaheim to victory.
Guerrero had not gone deep in a career-long 30 consecutive games spanning 125 at-bats before smacking a solo homer in the fourth inning that broke a scoreless tie. The All-Star outfielder belted a three-run shot one frame later to give the Angels a 4-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Garret Anderson and Reggie Willits also knocked in runs to help Los Angeles post its sixth victory in its last eight games. Joe Saunders was sharp on the mound, as the young left-hander held Oakland to two runs over the first 6 2/3 innings to run his season record to 5-0.
The Athletics pulled within 6-4 on Donnie Murphy’s two-run homer off Darren Oliver in the bottom of the ninth, but Francisco Rodriguez came on to record the final out for his 26th save.
Murphy finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Oakland, which had a two-game win streak snapped, while Mark Ellis homered for a second straight game.
Athletics starter Chad Gaudin (8-7) took the loss after surrendering five runs over six-plus frames.
Oakland hopes for a better performance this evening out of Lenny DiNardo, who looks to rebound from an awful last start. The left-hander was shelled for seven runs on seven hits in just three innings Sunday in Seattle, although he did not factor in the decision of the A’s 14-10 loss.
DiNardo had been outstanding over his previous two outings, yielding only one run and six hits over 13 2/3 combined innings in back-to-back wins over the Angels and Texas Rangers. Against Anaheim on July 24, DiNardo surrendered one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.
That was the first career start versus the Angels for the former Red Sox swingman, who allowed two runs in just one-third of an inning during a relief stint against the club back in 2005.
Dustin Moseley makes his second start since joining the Los Angeles rotation as an injury fill-in tonight. The right-hander, who is replacing the disabled Bartolo Colon, failed to get a win despite receiving a wealth of offensive support this past Sunday.
Moseley left after 4 2/3 innings in the Angels’ 13-4 rout of Detroit, who scored five runs on five hits off the native Texan.
In his most recent relief appearance, Moseley took over for Colon in the second inning of a July 23 game against Oakland and allowed five runs on five hits in 2 2/3 frames. The 25-year-old is 1-0 with a 9.24 earned run average in three career games versus the Athletics, two of which have been starts.
Oakland has had the upper hand thus far in the 2007 season series, having taken six of 10 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.
BOSTON RED SOX (66-42) AT SEATTLE MARINERS (59-47), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Boston - Jon Lester (1-0, 4.26) Seattle - Horacio Ramirez (6-3, 6.52)
Jon Lester gets a chance to pitch in his native state when the Boston Red Sox hurler takes the mound for tonight’s opener of a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
Lester grew up in nearby Tacoma and will be making the second career start at Safeco Field of his young career. The first came on July 23, 2006 and wasn’t a particularly happy homecoming for the left-hander, who allowed five runs on eight hits in a five-inning no decision.
The 23-year-old has since made an impressive comeback after being diagnosed with lymphoma last summer and will be making his third major league start of this season. Lester defeated Cleveland with six innings of two-run ball in his return to the bigs on July 23, then recorded a no decision at Tampa Bay last Saturday after giving up four runs over 6 2/3 innings.
Lester will be trying to stop an eight-game losing streak for the Red Sox in Seattle. Boston was swept in a three-game set at Safeco Field in June and dropped five of six contests in the Emerald City a year ago.
The Mariners have won four of six overall meetings with the AL East-leading Red Sox this season and are 10-6 in the series since the start of the 2006 campaign.
Boston does come in having won two consecutive outings and claimed Thursday’s rubber match of a three-game series with Baltimore by a 7-4 count. Doug Mirabelli snapped a 3-3 deadlock with an RBI single in the seventh inning and finished 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs scored.
The Red Sox scored four times in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Dustin Pedroia’s two-run double. Eric Hinske added a solo homer for Boston, which owns baseball’s best overall record at 66-42.
Tim Wakefield (13-9) earned the win on his 41st birthday and recorded a decision in his 22nd consecutive start. He was charged with three runs and six hits over seven innings, fanning five and walking just one.
Eric Gagne pitched the final inning in his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform. The star reliever, who was acquired by Boston from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, gave up a run on two hits and struck out two.
Seattle has won four of its last five games and just took two of three encounters with the rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Mariners won the series with a hard-fought 8-7 victory in 12 innings on Wednesday, with Yuniesky Betancourt singling in the winning run with one out.
The Mariners overcame a rare blown save from All-Star closer J.J. Putz. The normally lights-out reliever yielded three runs in the top of the ninth inning and served up Gary Matthews’ game-tying two-run homer with Seattle one out away from victory.
Seattle finished the game with 20 hits, four of which came from Ichiro Suzuki. Betancourt ended 3-for-6 with two RBI, while Kenji Johjima had two hits and also knocked in a pair of runs.
The Mariners will send out Horacio Ramirez to oppose Lester in tonight’s opener. The fellow lefty has won two of three starts since returning from a near two-month stay on the disabled list and has been unbeatable at Safeco Field this season.
Ramirez is 6-0 with a 2.63 earned run average in six home starts in 2007. He maintained that perfect record on Saturday, when he held Oakland to three runs on six hits over six frames in Seattle’s 4-3 decision.
The former Atlanta Brave’s only career start against Boston came at Fenway Park on May 3. Ramirez was rocked for seven runs and 11 hits over four innings, although he did not receive a decision.
NEW YORK METS (62-47) AT CHICAGO CUBS (57-51), 2:20 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Orlando Hernandez (7-4, 3.02) Chicago - Carlos Zambrano (14-7, 3.47)
Red hot right-hander Carlos Zambrano goes for a fifth straight win and eighth in nine decisions today when the Chicago Cubs host the New York Mets in a battle of National League powerhouses at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano, who won 16 games last season for the Cubs, earned his league-leading 14th victory in his last start, allowing two hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings of Chicago’s 6-0 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan’s last loss came July 8 at Pittsburgh, when he gave up three runs and four hits in seven innings. Since, he’s surrendered just 12 hits and two earned runs in 25 1/3 innings, going 4-0.
He’s 3-1 in five lifetime appearances - four starts - against the Mets, posting a 3.60 earned run average in 25 innings.
Cuban veteran Orlando Hernandez has gone 3-0 with a no-decision in his last four starts. The 37-year-old’s last outing resulted in a 3-1 defeat of Washington, during which he allowed three hits and an earned run over seven innings, striking out eight and walking two.
Hernandez’s last loss came July 4 at Colorado, when he gave up six hits and five earned runs in four innings. Since, he’s allowed 15 hits and seven runs in 26 innings.
The right-hander’s lone career appearance against the Cubs ended in a no- decision for him after he allowed seven hits and five runs in just 1 2/3 innings.
On Thursday in Milwaukee, Damion Easley went 3-for-5 with a two-run inside- the-park homer and scored twice as the Mets rocked the Brewers, 12-4, in the finale of a three-game set at Miller Park.
Brian Lawrence (1-0), called up from Triple-A New Orleans prior to the game, won his first major-league game since September 29, 2005 with San Diego. He allowed three runs and eight hits with three strikeouts in five innings.
Lastings Milledge was 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored for the Mets, who have won two in a row and three of four. David Wright added four hits and scored three times, while Moises Alou finished with a pair of hits, a run scored and one driven in, and Jose Reyes hit a two-run homer.
In Chicago, Jayson Werth went 3-for-6 with four RBI as the Philadelphia Phillies held off the Cubs, 10-6, to earn a split in a four-game set.
Alfonso Soriano had three hits and scored twice for the Cubs, who have dropped four of six. Sean Marshall (5-5) was ripped for nine hits and seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.
The Mets have won three four this season from the Cubs and is 10-6 in the series since the since the start of the 2005 campaign. Last year, the Mets won two of three at Wrigley.
CINCINNATI REDS (45-64) AT PITTSBURGH PIRATES (44-62), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Matt Belisle (5-8, 5.30) Pittsburgh - Ian Snell (7-9, 3.66)
Pittsburgh lefty Ian Snell tries again to snap a post- holiday funk tonight when the Pirates open a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.
Snell, who will turn 26 in October, was 7-5 with a 2.93 earned run average after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers on the 4th of July in Pittsburgh. Since, the Delaware native has lost four straight starts, allowing 29 hits and 18 earned runs in 21 innings.
He’s split two starts against the Reds in 2007, allowing 11 hits and three runs in 14 innings while scoring a 3-1 victory and a 4-0 loss. He’s 2-2 in five lifetime starts against Cincinnati with a 3.38 ERA in 32 innings.
Right-handed Texan Matt Belisle is winless in his last 10 starts for the Reds.
The 27-year-old was beaten, 6-0, by the Chicago Cubs on July 29, allowing nine hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings.
His last win came May 29 against Houston, when he surrendered four hits and a run in 7 2/3 innings of a 2-1 win.
Belisle has won a pair of starts against the Pirates this season, allowing nine hits and two runs over 15 innings while earning a 6-1 triumph on April 6 and an 8-1 win on April 28.
On Thursday in Washington, Ryan Zimmerman drove in three runs and Mike Bacsik hurled seven solid innings as the Nationals downed Cincinnati, 7-3, in the finale of a three-game set at RFK Stadium.
Adam Dunn and Alex Gonzalez both homered for the Reds, who lost their fifth straight game.
Phil Dumatrait (0-1) was rocked in his major league debut. The former first- round pick of the Boston Red Sox allowed six runs on eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings of work.
In Pittsburgh, pinch-hitter Jose Castillo singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th inning, and the Pirates got consecutive wins for the first time in almost a month when they wrapped up a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park with a 5-4 win.
With the score deadlocked at 4, Pittsburgh got the game-winner in the 11th off Brad Thompson (6-5). Jason Bay reached on a fielding error by David Eckstein and Ryan Doumit singled. Ronny Paulino then bunted into a double play, but got Doumit to second. Castillo, who was the last available position player for the Pirates, then singled home the winning run on a line drive to center field.
Paulino homered for the Pirates, who ended a four-game losing streak with Wednesday’s 15-1 pounding of the Cardinals in the second installment of this series, and now have back-to-back triumphs for the first time since a four- game win streak from July 3-6.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have split 10 meetings so far this year with the Reds holding a 2-1 mark at PNC Park.
HOUSTON ASTROS (47-61) AT FLORIDA MARLINS (50-59), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Houston - Roy Oswalt (10-6, 3.63) Florida - Dontrelle Willis (7-10, 4.95)
Houston ace Roy Oswalt looks to get his 2007 road record a little closer to .500 when the Astros visit Dolphin Stadium tonight to open a three-game weekend series with the Florida Marlins.
The 29-year-old Mississippi native is 3-5 in 10 road appearances, including nine starts, with a 5.95 earned run average in 56 innings.
Oswalt is unbeaten in his last three overall starts, going 2-0 with a no decision while allowing 10 hits and only one earned run in 13 1/3 innings. He defeated San Diego, 3-1, on Saturday after striking out 10 and yielding just one unearned run in seven innings.
The Astros are 8-2 in Oswalt’s last 10 starts, during which he’s gone 4-2 with four no decisions.
He’ll be opposed tonight by Florida left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who is mired in the worst slump of his career. The 25-year-old is winless in 11 starts since May 29, going 0-7 with four no decisions.
He pitched well but was unrewarded in his last outing, allowing seven hits and an unearned run over seven innings in Florida’s 4-3 loss to San Francisco on Saturday.
Willis is 2-7 in 12 home starts with a 5.64 ERA in 68 2/3 innings.
On Thursday in Atlanta, pinch-hitting pitcher Jason Jennings came through with an RBI single in the 14th inning to lift the Astros over the Braves, 12-11, in a wild finale of a three-game series at Turner Field.
Mike Lamb brought the Astros back from a four-run deficit with a grand slam in the eighth inning. Jason Lane ended with four RBI for Houston, which snapped a three-game slide.
In Miami, Matt Holliday had two hits, two RBI and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Rockies beat the Marlins, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game series.
Colorado trailed 3-2 heading into the eighth but scored twice off Armando Benitez (2-7) to forge ahead. Kaz Matsui reached on a bunt single and scored on Holliday’s double to right that made it a tie game. Holliday went to third on the throw home, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Atkins that put the Rockies on top.
Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla both homered for the Marlins, who have dropped four of six.
Houston swept a two-game set from Florida at Minute Maid Park back in April and have taken eight of the last 11 matchups between the clubs.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (50-55) AT WASHINGTON NATIONALS (48-60), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Kip Wells (4-13, 5.72) Washington - Tim Redding (1-2, 2.64)
The Washington Nationals will try to stretch their winning streak to four games tonight, when they begin a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at RFK Stadium.
The Nationals come into tonight’s game off a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. They have won a season-high four straight games twice this season, first from May 11-14 and again from May 22-25, with the latter stretch also including a three-game sweep of Cincinnati.
Ryan Zimmerman had three hits and also drove in three runs in Washington’s 7-3 victory over the Reds on Thursday, while Dmitri Young had two RBI. Mike Bacsik (5-6) allowed three runs on three hits over seven innings to claim the win.
Tim Redding will make his sixth start of the season for the Nationals tonight and is coming in off two straight no decisions despite allowing just one run over that span.
He didn’t factor into the outcome of Washington’s 3-0 win over Colorado on July 22, even though he hurled 6 2/3 scoreless frames, and then allowed only one run on five hits and four walks on Saturday at the New York Mets. He also fanned eight in the six-inning stint.
The right-hander, who is 1-2 with a 2.64 earned run average this year, has made 11 appearances (10 starts) all-time against the Cardinals and is 3-5 with a 5.75 ERA against them.
Kip Wells will toe the rubber for the Cardinals tonight trying to avoid becoming the majors’ second 14-game loser, a mark the White Sox’ Jose Contreras hit on Tuesday.
Wells earned loss No. 13 on July 24 against the Cubs despite allowing three runs (two earned) over 6 2/3 innings. He was then rattled for five runs on 11 hits with seven strikeouts in five innings against Milwaukee on Sunday, but walked away with a no decision.
The right-hander, who has just four wins and a 5.72 ERA on the year, is 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA in six lifetime starts against the Washington/Montreal franchise.
The Cardinals come into tonight’s contest having lost two straight, including Thursday’s 5-4, 11-inning setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Albert Pujols homered for the Cardinals, whose skid follows a four-game winning streak. Yadier Molina ended 3-for-4 in the loss.
The Nationals took two out of three from the Cardinals in St. Louis from May 25-27.
COLORADO ROCKIES (55-52) AT ATLANTA BRAVES (57-52), 7:35 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Colorado - Jeff Francis (11-5, 4.12) Atlanta - John Smoltz (10-5, 2.84)
Colorado pitcher Jeff Francis will aim to run his unbeaten streak to 10 games when he takes the mound for the Rockies tonight in the opener of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Francis is 6-0 in his last nine outings, but has been bailed out by his offense numerous times during that stretch. In the games the left-hander has won, he has pitched to a 2.56 earned run average. However, in his three no decisions, Francis has compiled a 9.56 ERA.
Francis turned in an excellent outing on Saturday versus the Dodgers, yielding two runs on seven hits and striking out five over 7 2/3 innings to run his record to 11-5 with a 4.12 ERA. In his previous start versus San Diego, he was tagged for five runs over six innings of a no decision on July 23.
The lefty is 2-2 with an eye-popping 7.97 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta.
The Rockies are coming off a series win over Florida after taking the rubber match, 4-3, on Thursday. Matt Holliday plated Kaz Matsui with a double in the eighth to tie the game, then later scored on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Atkins to put the Rockies up for good.
Holliday finished with two RBI to lift his team-leading total to 86 on the year, while Garrett Atkins had two hits and two RBI as the Rockies won for the fourth time in five games.
LaTroy Hawkins (2-5) earned the win with an inning of scoreless relief for Colorado. Starter Jason Hirsh returned from the disabled list and allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first outing since July 2. He also tied a career high for strikeouts with eight.
The victory has Colorado 3 1/2 games behind Arizona for the lead in the National League West, while the club trails Los Angeles by 2 1/2 games in the NL wild card race.
The Braves, meanwhile, trail LA by 1 1/2 games for the wild card after yesterday’s 12-11, 14-inning setback to Houston. Atlanta fell behind by two runs in the 12th, but saw Matt Diaz extend the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame.
This came innings after the Braves blew a four-run lead in the eighth as Rafael Soriano allowed a grand slam to pinch-hitter Mike Lamb.
Andruw Jones homered for Atlanta, who had a three-game winning streak snapped and trail the first-place Mets by 4 1/2 games in the NL East. Newly-acquired Mark Teixeira continued to fit into the lineup, as he hit his second homer in as many games with the Braves.
The Braves have scored 49 runs over their last four games, reaching double figures in all four contests.
Edgar Renteria, though, left yesterday’s contest in the eighth inning with a sprained right ankle and is day-to-day.
The Braves have tabbed John Smoltz for tonight’s starting assignment. Smoltz took a no decision at Arizona on Saturday after giving up three runs and seven hits over seven innings of work.
The right-hander, who had yielded just two runs — one earned — in his previous start, also struck out six against the Diamondbacks and is 10-5 on the year with a 2.84 ERA, fourth best in the NL.
Smoltz has enjoyed a lot of success against the Rockies as both a starter and closer. In 31 games (17 starts) against them, he is 11-4 with nine saves and a 3.43 ERA.
These two clubs met in Colorado from April 27-29, with the Braves winning two of three. The franchises split six games in 2006, though Atlanta won the only two matchups at home.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (57-51) AT MILWAUKEE BREWERS (58-51), 8:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Philadelphia - Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 4.04) Milwaukee - Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 2.72)
The Milwaukee Brewers will try to take their fight onto the field tonight when the struggling club welcomes the Philadelphia Phillies to Miller Park for the opener of a three-game series.
The Brewers have lost two in a row, five of six and seven of their last nine games, with Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Mets knocking them out of first place for the first time in 102 days. The club fell a percentage point behind the now first-place Chicago Cubs.
The Brewers then failed to make up ground yesterday, as they were routed by the Mets, 12-4.
Frustration was evident, as Brewers manager Ned Yost and Johnny Estrada engaged in a confrontation in the clubhouse tunnel, with Tony Graffanino eventually getting involved as well. Numerous other players and managers stepped in to prevent things from getting worse.
Perhaps the Brewers were just trying to mimic the Cubs, whose recent tear to overcome Milwaukee in the standings began shortly after ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano and since-traded catcher Michael Barrett got in a heated argument in the club’s dugout that involved punches being thrown.
Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano (5-8) had little fight in him yesterday, as he was tagged for 10 hits and five runs despite fanning eight and walking one in six full innings. The lefty has not won a game since May 7.
Corey Hart was 3-for-5, homered twice and drove in three runs for the Brewers, while Estrada collected three hits and Graffanino knocked in the other run.
Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun was voted NL Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month, and went 2-for-5 with a double.
Fellow rookie Yovani Gallardo toes the rubber for the Brewers. Gallardo won two straight decisions before taking a no-decision on Sunday at St. Louis, and hasn’t lost since July 3 at Pittsburgh. Versus the Cardinals, the right-hander allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in five innings of work. He also fanned seven batters while watching his earned run average lift to 2.72.
Gallardo, who is 3-1 on the season, has never faced the Phillies in his career.
Philadelphia did its part of help the Brewers yesterday, knocking off the Cubs 10-6 to earn a split of their four-game series with Chicago.
Jayson Werth had three hits and plated four runs, while Pat Burrell extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 3-for-4 outing. He also hit his 15th homer of the season and is now batting .268 on the year after seeing his average fall to a season-low .201 on July 1.
Recently acquired starter Kyle Lohse made his debut with the club yesterday and allowed one run in the first frame, but was hit by a line drive on the arm in the inning. He suffered a right forearm contusion and did not come out to pitch the second inning.
J.D. Durbin (4-2), whom Lohse replaced in the starting rotation, gave up five hits and three runs in three innings of relief, but picked up the win.
Lohse is just the latest Phillie to suffer injury, joining a lengthy list that includes All-Star Chase Utley and starter Shane Victorino. Lohse’s injury, though, shouldn’t require him to miss a start.
The victory kept the Phillies four games back of the Mets for first place in the NL East and one game behind Los Angeles in the wild card race.
Kyle Kendrick will try to duplicate the success of his last outing tonight for the Phillies. The rookie held the Pirates to just one run on Sunday, scattering six hits and a walk over seven innings of a 5-1 victory. Kendrick is 5-1 on the year with a 4.04 ERA, but is just 1-1 with a 5.71 ERA in three road starts.
The 22-year-old will face the Brewers for the first time in his career.
The Phillies won three of four over the Brewers when the clubs met in Philadelphia on May 14-17. Milwaukee, however, defeated the Phillies in five of their last six meetings last year and won all three contests at home.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (47-59) AT SAN DIEGO PADRES (57-50), 10:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: San Francisco - Matt Cain (3-12, 4.02) San Diego - Greg Maddux (7-8, 4.20)
If anyone can appreciate milestones, it is 340-game winner Greg Maddux. However, the 41-year-old will try to keep Barry Bonds from reaching a historic mark tonight when the San Diego Padres host the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park.
That task may prove difficult for Maddux. The most home runs Bonds has in his career against any one pitcher is eight. He has done that off of five different hurlers with Maddux being one of them.
The left-handed hitting slugger also has 86 homers in his career against San Diego, the most against any one club. 42 of those have come as the visitor. Three of those have come at pitcher-friendly Petco Park, which opened in 2004.
The 43-year-old Bonds’ homerless drought reached five games last night, as he went 1-for-2 in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Dodgers. Bonds hasn’t homered since last Friday against Florida to remain at 754 in his career, one shy of matching Hank Aaron’s all-time mark.
Instead, Barry Zito (8-10) was the star on this night, yielding just one run on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 5 2/3 frames. Pedro Feliz drove home a pair for the Giants, who took two games in the series at Chavez Ravine. San Francisco has won six of eight overall.
Matt Cain goes for his first win in five starts (0-3) tonight for the Giants. Cain was handed three straight setbacks and then did not factor into the decision of Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Marlins. The right-hander allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings of work against Florida to go along with seven strikeouts.
Cain, who is 3-12 with a 4.02 earned run average this season, is 0-2 in three starts versus the Padres this season despite a 2.61 ERA against them. He last faced San Diego on June 27 and yielded four runs (two earned) in 7 2/3 innings, suffering the loss.
In his career, Cain is 3-2 in eight starts opposite the Padres with a 2.01 ERA.
Maddux, meanwhile, is 0-4 in his last six starts with a 5.57 ERA. He took the loss in Houston on Saturday, yielding three runs and five hits over six innings to fall to 7-8 with a 4.20 ERA this year.
Maddux, though, has bested the Giants in two starts this year, while allowing only one run over 13 innings. He threw six scoreless innings against them on April 11, then limited the Giants to one run over seven frames on June 27.
Bonds went 0-for-4 in the Giants’ April 11 loss to Maddux, and sat out the June 27 meeting and was on-deck to pinch hit when the final out was recorded.
Maddux has faced the Giants 48 times in his career and is 28-14 against them with a 2.87 ERA and five complete games.
The Padres lost the first two meetings of their three-game set with Arizona before avoiding the sweep with a big 11-0 victory yesterday. Morgan Ensberg, acquired from Houston on Tuesday, homered twice and had four RBI in his first start for the Padres.
Rob Mackowiak, also acquired three days ago, made his San Diego debut as well in place of the injured Brian Giles (sprained right ankle) and went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored.
Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Greene also homered as the Padres moved to within 1 1/2 games of San Diego for first place in the National League West.
Also, Jake Peavy (11-5) struck out 10 to pass 1,000 strikeouts for his career. Peavy, who leads the NL with 154 strikeouts, scattered three hits and a walk in the victory.
The Padres hold a 6-3 edge in their season series with the Giants and have won two of three at home this year against them. San Francisco, though, won seven of 10 at San Diego in 2006.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (60-50) AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS (58-50), 10:40 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Arizona - Doug Davis (7-10, 4.11) Los Angeles - Chad Billingsley (7-1, 3.65)
The top two teams in the competitive National League West division square off for a crucial three-game series that begins tonight in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers will host the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks.
Arizona has vaulted to the top spot in the West by winning 10 of its last 12 games and enters this weekend set with a slim one-game edge on the Dodgers. Los Angeles relinquished the division lead to the Diamondbacks with losses in six of its eight most recent contests.
However, the Dodgers have fared quite well when facing Arizona so far this season. Los Angeles has won seven of the nine encounters between the division foes and is 9-3 in its last 12 home games against the Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers will sent out impressive youngster Chad Billingsley to pitch tonight’s opener. The 23-year-old won his first seven decisions of 2007 before running into trouble Sunday at Colorado’s Coors Field.
Billingsley lasted just 4 1/3 innings in that game and allowed four runs on five hits, two of which were homers, while issuing three walks. That performance came just six days after he threw his first complete game to lead Los Angeles to a 10-2 win at Houston.
The former first-round pick does own a 3-0 record with a 3.00 earned run average in five career appearances, including three starts, against Arizona. Billingsley did struggle in his most recent outing versus the D-Backs, though, as he yielded three homers and five runs in a four-inning no decision on June 26.
Arizona counters with veteran Doug Davis, who attempts to extend his string of quality starts in tonight’s tilt. The crafty southpaw has worked at least six innings and allowed three or less runs in each of his last five games, posting a 2-1 record along the way.
Davis is coming off Saturday’s no decision against Atlanta in which he held the Braves to three runs on just five hits over seven innings.
The 31-year-old has dominated the Dodgers during his career. In three previous starts against Los Angeles, Davis has surrendered only one unearned run and 13 hits over 22 total innings. He won at Dodger Stadium on May 2 after giving up just one run and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings.
The Diamondbacks won the first two tests of this week’s road series with fellow NL West contender San Diego, but the Padres averted a potential sweep with Thursday’s 11-0 rout. Arizona managed only three hits against San Diego ace Jake Peavy and a pair of relievers.
Yusmeiro Petit (2-3) struggled on the mound for the Diamondbacks, with the rookie giving up five runs and issuing four walks in 4 1/3 innings. Stephen Drew had two of Arizona’s three hits on the evening.
The Dodgers were able to keep Barry Bonds in the ball park during their three- game set with San Francisco, but the last-place Giants won the series by posting a 4-2 decision in Thursday’s rubber match.
San Francisco scored three first-inning runs off Los Angeles starter Brett Tomko (2-9), who held the Giants scoreless over the remainder of his five- frame stint but still was saddled with the loss.
Russell Martin went 2-for-3 for the struggling Dodgers and drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk. Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Kemp also collected a pair of hits in defeat.
