MLB Betting News and Trends For Friday, April 13, 2018

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
The upstart Atlanta Braves have held their own against some of the National League's best teams, and they'll face another big test with a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs that begins Friday. Atlanta has split six games with Washington en route to a 7-5 start and now faces another of the expected contenders for the NL pennant.

The Cubs are off to a bit of a disappointing start, sitting at .500 after dropping two of three to visiting Pittsburgh to begin the week. Chicago's inconsistency at the plate continued, as it followed a season high for runs in Wednesday's 13-5 victory with a weak effort en route to a 6-1 loss in Thursday's series finale. The Braves had a much-needed day off Thursday after concluding their three-game set at Washington with a 5-3 win in 12 innings. Atlanta's bats have cooled off after a hot start, as the team has scored a total of only 12 runs over its last five games after averaging eight in its first seven contests.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS South (Atlanta), NBCS Chicago

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Yu Darvish (0-0, 5.23)

Sanchez is hoping to revive his career after a couple of rough years to end his tenure with Detroit. The 34-year-old worked three strong innings of relief in his Braves debut and was effective in his first start Saturday at Colorado, allowing two runs and seven hits with six strikeouts over five innings. Sanchez is 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA in seven career turns against the Cubs, with the last occurring in 2015.

After a lackluster debut, Darvish was dominant in his second start with the Cubs. The 31-year-old native of Japan registered nine strikeouts and allowed only two hits - including a solo homer - over six innings Saturday at Milwaukee. Darvish will be facing the Braves for the first time in his career.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-4 with a homer on Thursday and is batting .339 with 11 blasts in his last 37 home games.

2. Braves 2B Ozzie Albies has recorded five multi-hit performances in his last eight games, batting .382 with five doubles and three homers over that stretch.

3. Chicago has homered in 12 straight home games dating to last season, which matches its longest streak since a 17-game run in 2015.

PREDICTION: Cubs 6, Braves 4

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the cincinnati reds' pitching staff seemingly has gone to great lengths to make opposing offenses look good this season, and the series opener against the st. louis cardinals was no exception. after surrendering four homers and 11 walks - three with the bases loaded - en route to their fifth straight loss, the reeling reds aim to stop the bleeding friday in the second contest of their four-game set versus the visiting cardinals.

jose martinez homered to highlight his four-hit, six-rbi performance and marcell ozuna also went deep to extend his hitting streak to 11 games in thursday's 13-4 rout of cincinnati, which is saddled with the majors' worst era. st. louis gleefully accepted the offense as its season-high run total in the opener eclipsed its sum from its previous four games by one run. cincinnati's jose peraza continued his torrid display at the plate with two doubles and a single, as he has hit safely in four straight contests and seven of his last eight. peraza joined the speedy billy hamilton in scoring twice for the reds, who are in the midst of their worst start since 1955.
tv: 6:40 p.m. et, mlb network, fs midwest (st. louis), fs ohio (cincinnati)

pitching matchup: cardinals rh luke weaver (1-0, 1.59 era) vs. reds rh tyler mahle (1-1, 4.22)

weaver has recorded a pair of strong outings out of the gate this season, allowing just one run in each turn while scattering three hits and striking out seven in a no-decision versus arizona on sunday. the 24-year-old was in line for the win versus the diamondbacks before the cardinals' bullpen let a one-run lead slip away. adam duvall homered for his lone hit in career five at-bats against weaver while the right-hander has struck out tucker barnhart three times in five at-bats.

mahle's brilliant season-opening performance in which he allowed one hit over six scoreless innings against the chicago cubs was answered with a pair of homers in a 5-0 setback at pittsburgh on sunday. the 23-year-old required 29 pitches to get through the first frame and was able to work his way out of trouble until the fifth, when he yielded four of his five runs. mahle permitted four hits and overcame three walks over five scoreless innings in a 6-0 rout of st. louis on sept. 13.

walk-offs

1. st. louis cf tommy pham has scored five runs in his last four games.

2. cincinnati 2b scooter gennett is 6-for-17 with three rbis and two runs scored during his four-game hitting streak.

3. cardinals ss paul dejong, who launched a mammoth home run in the opener, went deep four times among his 17 hits in 2017 versus the reds.

prediction: cardinals 6, reds 3

Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

13th April 2018 by Gracenote
dj lemahieu looks to follow up the second multi-homer performance of his career when the colorado rockies visit the washington nationals on friday for the second contest of their four-game set. lemahieu went 4-for-5 with two blasts and four rbis in thursday's series-opening 5-1 victory and already is halfway to last season's total of eight homers.

lemahieu is 7-for-10 with three doubles over his last two games in addition to the two blasts. his hot bat again could come in handy on friday as it appears charlie blackmon (quadriceps) likely will miss his fourth consecutive contest. washington has dropped seven of its last nine games and has seen bryce harper go from lava hot to frigid cold. harper struck out in three of his four hitless at-bats in the opener and is 2-for-14 without an rbi over his last four contests after hitting six homers and driving in 12 runs over the first nine games of the year.

tv: 7:05 p.m. et, mlb network, a&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (colorado), masn2 (washington)
pitching matchup: rockies lh kyle freeland (0-2, 5.56 era) vs. nationals rh tanner roark (1-0, 4.50)

freeland has served up two homers in each of his two starts, accounting for one-third of the hits he allowed during the setbacks. the 24-year-old has lost six consecutive decisions dating back to july 30, when he defeated the nationals in washington. freeland allowed four runs - three earned - and nine hits over five innings in that outing and was taken deep by both wilmer difo and ryan zimmerman.

roark struck out nine over five innings in a no-decision against the new york mets in his last turn but allowed five runs, five hits and four walks. the 31-year-old surrendered two homers in the contest, following a trend as he gave up a career-worst 23 last season. roark is 1-1 with a 4.91 era in three career appearances (two starts) versus the rockies and has struggled against gerardo parra (5-for-14, homer).

walk-offs

1. the rockies have won five of their last six games at washington.

2. colorado ss trevor story struck out four times in five at-bats on thursday and has fanned 20 times in 52 at-bats.

3. zimmerman went 0-for-3 in the opener and is hitting a woeful .103 on the season.

prediction: nationals 5, rockies 3

Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the new york mets are off to the best start in franchise history and own the top record in the majors as they prepare to open a six-game homestand with the first of three contests against the milwaukee brewers on friday night. the red-hot mets are riding an eight-game winning streak after wrapping up a perfect road trip with a three-game sweep at the miami marlins.

new york swept a road trip of at least six games for only the second time in team history and have already registered six come-from-behind victories under rookie manager mickey callaway. "obviously people didn't believe in us going into the year, and now it's kind of changing their minds," mets first baseman adrian gonzalez said. "but we knew what we had. and we know what we have going forward." the brewers struggled in their opening homestand but they are 5-1 on the road after taking two of three at the st. louis cardinals to open their six-game trek. milwaukee has been hit-or-miss offensively, scoring at least five runs on five occasions while getting shut out three times in its past eight games.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, fs wisconsin (milwaukee), sny (new york)

pitching matchup: brewers rh zach davies (0-1, 5.40 era) vs. mets lh steven matz (0-1, 3.00)

davies rebounded nicely from a season-opening loss to st. louis by striking out eight and allowing one run on four hits in six innings versus the chicago cubs, although he had to settle for a no-decision. a 17-game winner a year ago, he was rocked for seven runs (six earned) in 5 2/3 innings by the cardinals. davies is unbeaten in four starts (2-0, 4.22 era) against new york and has limited jay bruce to going just 1-for-14.

like davies, matz struggled in his season debut -- also against the cardinals -- and lasted only four innings, giving up three runs on four hits, including a pair of homers. the long island native was strong in his last outing at washington, permitting one unearned run and three hits while striking out eight over five innings. matz is 1-1 with a 4.15 era in two starts against milwaukee, fanning 13 with zero walks over 13 innings.

walk-offs

1. mets ss asdrúbal cabrera has hit safely in 10 straight following the season opener.

2. brewers 1b eric thames, who swatted 11 homers in april last year, has gone deep in four of the past five games.

3. gonzalez has seven rbis during a three-game hitting streak.

prediction: mets 4, brewers 3

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the philadelphia phillies are venturing south to face the tampa bay rays to begin a three-game series and six-game road trip on friday, but they are hoping their fortunes don't follow suit after winning five of their last six games. philadelphia will also bid to take the first step in avenging its horrid interleague record from 2017, as its 5-15 mark matched cincinnati for the worst in the majors.

versatile infielder/outfielder scott kingery helped the phillies (6-5) bring out the brooms against the reds, as the prized prospect belted both his first homer and grand slam before his game-ending sacrifice fly in the 12th inning on wednesday helped philadelphia capture a winning record for the first time since april 28, 2017. "it's been crazy. that's the only way to put it," said the 23-year-old, who has five hits, seven rbis and four runs scored in his last five contests. the reeling rays (3-9) answered an eight-game skid with back-to-back one-run wins over the chicago white sox before dropping a 2-1 decision on wednesday heading into the opener of a nine-game homestand. tampa bay is no stranger to one-run games this season, albeit with a 2-6 mark.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, nbc10 (philadelphia), fs sun (tampa bay)

pitching matchup: phillies rh vince velasquez (1-1, 5.19 era) vs. rays rh jake faria (0-1, 14.29)

velasquez aims to match his win total from last season on friday while making his first career start versus tampa bay, although he scattered three hits over four scoreless innings against the rays during a spring training game in march. the 25-year-old sure wouldn't mind the run support he received in his last outing, as he permitted one run on four hits while striking out six in as many innings in saturday's 20-1 romp of miami. velasquez has struggled this season against left-handed batters, who have hit .400 against him.

faria fell to 0-4 with a 6.43 era in his last nine outings dating to last season after being roughed up for a career-high eight runs on five hits in personal-worst 1 2/3 innings in saturday's 10-3 setback to boston. the 24-year-old, who allowed a grand slam to xander bogaerts, did himself no favors by letting five of the first six batters reach base and walking five of the 15 batters he faced overall. "it's been a few good days leading up to this," faria said on friday. "feels like it's been forever (since i pitched). ... i'm eager to get back out there."

walk-offs

1. tampa bay rf carlos gomez is 8-for-22 with a homer, two rbis and four runs scored during his five-game hitting streak.

2. philadelphia 3b maikel franco is just 1-for-11 on the road this season.

3. rays ss adeiny hechavarria has hit safely in three straight games, but is just 3-for-20 in his last five overall.

prediction: phillies 5, rays 2

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the toronto blue jays hope to continue their strong start and begin the process of winning a fourth consecutive series when they visit the surging cleveland indians on friday to open a three-game set. toronto, which put itself in a big hole last season with nine losses in the first 10 games and a 6-17 record through april 28, has won eight of 11 since dropping the first two contests of 2018 while going 3-0-1 in series despite a 5-3 loss at baltimore on wednesday.

"i've been very impressed with how we've been able to fight to score runs late in games and how impressive our bullpen has been to keep us in games," blue jays third baseman josh donaldson told the toronto sun. "it's been a good start and something we can build on." marcus stroman will try to keep things going for toronto when he takes the mound looking for his first win and the indians counter with fellow right-hander mike clevinger on friday. cleveland has rebounded from a rough start to the season with five straight victories after completing a four-game sweep of central division-rival detroit with a 9-3 triumph on thursday night. jose ramirez, who began the season in a 2-for-33 slump after finishing third in the american league mvp voting in 2017, went 5-for-13 with a pair of homers in the last series for the indians.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, sportsnet one (toronto), sportstime ohio (cleveland)

pitching matchup: blue jays rh marcus stroman (0-1, 8.38 era) vs. indians rh mike clevinger (1-0, 0.71)

stroman struggled in his first road game of 2018 last saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and five walks over 4 2/3 innings at texas to suffer his first loss after a uneven start in his season debut. the 26-year-old duke product yielded four runs over five frames against the new york yankees on april 1 in a no-decision and has issued eight walks overall. michael brantley is 2-for-3 with a double against stroman, who is 1-0 with a 2.17 era in five lifetime appearances (four starts) versus the indians.

clevinger worked his way out of trouble last time out to give up just one run on 10 hits and two walks over 7 1/3 innings without getting a decision in the 3-1 victory over kansas city. the 27-year-old florida native won his first start of the campaign by limiting the los angeles angels to four hits across 5 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and a pair of walks. clevinger, who is 16-9 in his career, has faced the blue jays once in the regular season - allowing one hit in 1 1/3 innings to earn the win in 2016.

walk-offs

1. cleveland cf bradley zimmer had three hits in thursday's win and went 5-for-10 with a two-run homer in the series against detroit.

2. toronto inf yangervis solarte registered two hits in three of his last four games, going 6-for-14 during that stretch.

3. the indians won 12 of 18 meetings over the last two seasons, including a four games-to-one triumph in the 2016 american league championship series.

prediction: blue jays 4, indians 3

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
gregory polanco's power stroke lifted the pittsburgh pirates to another series win thursday in chicago and they will try to stay hot on the road when they open a three-game set at the miami marlins on friday. polanco went deep twice in a 6-1 win over the cubs to give the pirates a 5-1 road mark.

the blasts were the fourth and fifth of the season for polanco, who enters friday tied for second in the national league in that category and first in rbis with 15 as he seeks a bounce-back campaign following a rocky 2017. "[polanco's] swing has been so athletic and strong," pittsburgh manager clint hurdle told reporters. "he took some funny swings, but what i love is the short memory he's got going on up there. one at-bat is not leaking into the next." the marlins have lost five in a row at home after getting swept in three straight by the new york mets to begin their six-game homestand. attendance was 6,150 at marlins park for the 4-1 loss to the mets on wednesday.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, mlb network, fs florida (miami)

pitching matchup: pirates rh chad kuhl (1-0, 5.06 era) vs. marlins lh dillon peters (1-1, 9.35)

kuhl struck out seven and allowed two runs over five solid innings of a no-decision against cincinnati on saturday. the 25-year-old delaware native has 11 punchouts and three walks in his first 10 2/3 frames this season after struggling with his control through much of 2017, issuing 72 free passes in 157 1/3 innings. kuhl is 0-1 with a 3.60 era in two career starts against miami and lasted just four frames in his one appearance at marlins park.

after a stellar season debut in a win over the cubs, peters was knocked around for nine runs over 2 2/3 innings of a 20-1 loss at philadelphia on saturday. he surrendered nine hits - two home runs - and walked three in the 84-pitch effort, which left him with a 13.22 era in four career road starts. the 25-year-old, who has never faced the pirates, has been much sharper at home - going 2-1 with a 1.14 mark in four career starts in miami.

walk-offs

1. marlins cf lewis brinson is hitless in his past 25 at-bats with 12 strikeouts.

2. pirates c francisco cervelli has two homers and seven rbis over his last three games.

3. pittsburgh won four of seven meetings last season, including two of three in miami.

prediction: pirates 6, marlins 3

Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the baltimore orioles finally figured out how to get their bats going in a win on wednesday, just in time to visit the boston red sox for the opener of a four-game series on friday. sluggers chris davis and jonathan schoop each broke out of lengthy slumps in a 5-3 triumph over the toronto blue jays after the orioles managed two runs in the first two games of the series.

davis went 3-for-37 in his first 11 games but managed two hits and an rbi on wednesday while schoop, who went 1-for-23 over the previous five contests, doubled among two hits and drove in a pair of runs. "you love to see good things happen to people who work hard at it," baltimore manager buck showalter told reporters. "it's just a reminder, (davis), the number of runs he scored last year, the number of runs he drove in, what he hit, what he did for us. and jon, he wants to do it every night. he worked hard. he works hard and he never assumes everything. it's like he's playing to establish himself every night, so i'm glad to see him get something back for it." the red sox took two of three from the rival new york yankees this week and are rolling behind mookie betts, who drove in seven runs in the series. boston will try to keep rolling behind left-hander eduardo rodriguez while the orioles counter with struggling righty chris tillman.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, masn (baltimore), nesn (boston)

pitching matchup: orioles rh chris tillman (0-2, 8.68 era) vs. red sox lh eduardo rodriguez (0-0, 7.36)

tillman suffered through his worst season in 2017 and is off to another slow start after surrendering a total of nine runs on 15 hits and eight walks over 9 1/3 innings in his first two outings. the california native did not record a strikeout in his first outing at houston on april 2 but notched three in 5 1/3 frames at the new york yankees on saturday. tillman lost his only start against boston last season but is 10-4 with a 3.03 era in 21 career outings versus the red sox.

rodriguez got a late start to spring training following offseason knee surgery and made his season debut on sunday against tampa bay. the venezuela native showed sharp stuff with seven strikeouts but struggled with his command and needed 92 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings. rodriguez stuck out 20 in 18 1/3 innings against baltimore last season but was reached for 12 runs in that span and went 1-2 in the three starts.

walk-offs

1. red sox 1b hanley ramirez left thursday's game after being hit by a pitch and was diagnosed with a wrist contusion.

2. orioles rhp alex cobb, who was signed during spring training, is scheduled to make his team debut on saturday.

3. boston rhp joe kelly was suspended six games by major league baseball on thursday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl, but has appealed the ruling.

prediction: red sox 7, orioles 4

New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the detroit tigers could not find their offense while being swept in a four-game series at cleveland and will need to produce at the plate to keep up with their next opponent. the tigers return home on friday to host the powerful new york yankees in the opener of a three-game series.

detroit plated 16 runs in a three-game sweep of the chicago white sox to begin their road trip but watched their offense go ice cold while scoring a total of five times in four games at cleveland. the tigers managed two runs in the first three games and was down 9-1 on thursday before pushing a pair of runs across in the late innings and finishing with a respectable nine hits while falling to 4-8. the yankees offense boasts three of the biggest sluggers in baseball in aaron judge, giancarlo stanton and gary sanchez, but stanton and sanchez are battling through some early-season inconsistency and the team only broke out the bats once in three games this week against the rival red sox - a 10-7 win on wednesday that was sandwiched around a pair of setbacks. trying to keep that new york offense down on friday will by tigers right-hander mike fiers, who opposes yankees lefty jordan montgomery.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, yes (new york), fs detroit

pitching matchup: yankees lh jordan montgomery (0-0, 4.82 era) vs. tigers rh mike fiers (1-0, 0.00)

montgomery cruised through five innings against tampa bay in his season debut on april 3, allowing one run on two hits and four walks, but was not quite as sharp against baltimore on sunday. the 25-year-old was ripped for four runs on 10 hits and a pair of walks in 4 1/3 frames but escaped without a decision in a game new york went on to lose 8-7. montgomery did not face detroit during his 2017 rookie campaign and is 3-4 with a 4.38 era in 14 career road starts.

fiers made his tigers debut at chicago on sunday and dominated through six scoreless frames, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out six. the nova southeastern product surrendered a career-high 32 home runs in 153 1/3 innings last season but kept the ball in the park against the white sox. fiers allowed two home runs in as many starts against the yankees while with the houston astros last season and did not earn a decision in either outing.

walk-offs

1. yankees if/of tyler austin was suspended five games by major league baseball for his role in a benches-clearing brawl on wednesday, but
is appealing.

2. tigers rhp jordan zimmermann could make his next start despite getting hit in the face by a line drive clocked at 105.6 mph in the first inning on wednesday.

3. detroit pitching coach chris bosio will miss at least the next two weeks with an undisclosed medical condition.

prediction: yankees 5, tigers 2

Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
left-hander cole hamels gets a chance to avenge an opening day loss as he takes the mound for his fourth start of the season when the texas rangers visit the houston astros on friday night in the opener of a three-game set. the rangers dropped three of four versus the astros to open the season and became the first team to 10 losses after a three-game by the los angeles angels.

one day after losing second baseman rougned odor for three weeks with a hamstring injury, texas shortstop and leading hitter elvis andrus suffered a fractured elbow when he was hit by a pitch in wednesday's series finale versus the angels. "you have one of your best players with just an absolutely unfortunate injury," hamels said. "you don't want to see this type of injury to such a main part of your team, and, obviously, the heart of the order, right up the middle, a shortstop." riding a four-game slide and with injuries piling up, texas now has to face houston right-hander gerrit cole, who has made a seamless transition to the american league by winning both starts in dominating fashion. the astros are coming off a crushing loss at minnesota after erasing a seven-run deficit, but one positive sign was the re-emergence of the offense following a week-long slump.
tv: 8:10 p.m. et, fs southwest (texas), at&t sportsnet-southwest (houston)

pitching matchup: rangers lh cole hamels (1-2, 5.06 era) vs. astros rh gerrit cole (1-0, 0.64)

hamels is struggling to find consistency in the early going, surrendering five homers in his first three outings, including a pair against houston when he yielded three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. he struck out 11 over five innings in a 4-1 win at oakland before he was pounded for seven runs, including two more blasts, versus toronto last time out. evan gattis is 9-for-26 with three home runs against hamels.

cole overpowered the rangers in his american league debut with seven strong innings, striking out 11 and giving up a solo homer among two hits in an 8-2 victory. the 27-year-old followed that up with another masterpiece against san diego on saturday, scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out 11 again. cole has won both of his career starts against texas, fanning 20 over 14 innings.

walk-offs

1. astros 2b jose altuve went 9-for-16 in the season-opening series versus texas.

2. rangers inf jurickson profar, a career .227 hitter, is expected to start in place of andrus.

3. astros 1b yuli gurriel is expected to be activated off the 10-day disabled list on friday.

preview: astros 5, rangers 2

Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

13th April 2018 by Gracenote
the minnesota twins hope to have the opportunity to extend their winning streak to four games on friday, but their contest against the visiting chicago white sox is in jeopardy as rain and snow are in the forecast. minnesota recorded its third straight victory on thursday, a 4-0 triumph in the opener of its four-game series against chicago.

jose berrios and joe mauer were the stars for the twins, as the former recorded 11 strikeouts and allowed only three hits over seven innings while the latter registered three rbis on two hits - including the 2,000th of his career. mauer became the third player in minnesota history to reach the mark, joining rod carew and kirby puckett with a two-run single in the seventh inning. the white sox were limited to three singles on thursday as they suffered their sixth loss in seven games. nicky delmonico recorded one of those hits and is 7-for-19 over his last six contests while tim anderson also singled to extend his hitting streak to five games.
tv: 8:10 p.m. et, nbcs chicago, fs north plus (minnesota)

pitching matchup: white sox rh reynaldo lopez (0-1, 0.69 era) vs. tbd

lopez has been superb in the early going, allowing two runs - one earned - and four hits with 11 strikeouts over 13 innings in two starts, but has yet to record a victory. the only issue with the 24-year-old dominican has been his control, as he has walked seven batters - including five over seven frames in sunday's loss at detroit. lopez, who gave up only two hits and an unearned run in the setback, will be facing minnesota for the first time in his career.

minnesota manager paul molitor has yet to announced a starter, but he likely will choose between adalberto mejia and phil hughes. the 24-year-old mejia, who went 4-7 with a 4.50 era in 21 starts for the twins last season, was limited to only two innings in his start for triple-a rochester on tuesday in order to be available. hughes, who has been sidelined with a strained left oblique, could be activated from the disabled list to make his season debut after the 31-year-old posted a 4-3 record and 5.87 era in 14 games (nine starts) last year.

walk-offs

1. twins of byron buxton has been successful on 28 consecutive steal attempts and has recorded 45 stolen bases in his career while being caught only five times.

2. chicago transferred lhp carlos rodon (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of rhp chris volstad, who tossed a scoreless inning on thursday, from triple-a charlotte.

3. mauer has begun the season with a 10-game hitting streak, going 14-for-34.

prediction: white sox 6, twins 4

Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

13th April 2018 by Gracenote
the los angeles angels attempt to remain unbeaten on their seven-game road trip when they visit the kansas city royals on friday for the second contest of their four-game set. los angeles is 4-0 on its trek and has won seven straight on the road - and five in a row overall - after posting a 7-1 victory in thursday's series opener.

ian kinsler hit his 47th career leadoff homer and mike trout also went deep while joining justin upton with three hits for the angels, who have outscored their opponents 39-8 during their overall winning streak. japanese two-way sensation shohei ohtani continued to impress at the plate thursday, delivering a three-run triple to give him at least one hit in each of the six games in which he's been in the starting lineup (9-for-25, 11 rbis). the royals fell to 1-3 on their seven-game homestand with thursday's setback, which gave them their second three-game skid of the young season. mike moustakas is doing his part at the plate for kansas city as he has recorded five straight multi-hit performances, going 11-for-21 with two home runs and six rbis during the streak.
tv: 8:15 p.m. et, fs west (los angeles), fs kansas city

pitching matchup: angels lh andrew heaney (2017: 1-2, 7.06 era) vs. royals rh jason hammel (0-1, 4.09)

heaney is expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list in order to make his season debut after missing the first two weeks with inflammation in his left elbow. the 26-year-old native of oklahoma made one rehab start for single-a inland empire, allowing one run and two hits with six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. heaney, who has made only six starts for the angels over the last two seasons, will be facing kansas city for the first time in his career.

hammel remains in search of his first win of 2018 as he makes his third start - and first at home. the 35-year-old from south carolina yielded five runs over five innings in a loss at detroit in his season debut but bounced back to scatter three hits over six scoreless frames in a no-decision at cleveland on sunday. hammel has posted a 2-3 record and 5.30 era in six starts and one relief appearance against los angeles in his career.

walk-offs

1. angels of kole calhoun is 9-for-26 during his six-game hitting streak and has collected six rbis on his four-game run, including two in each of his last two contests.

2. kinsler is fourth on the all-time list for leadoff homers, trailing rickey henderson (81), alfonso soriano (54) and craig biggio (53).

3. los angeles ss andrelton simmons went 2-for-4 on thursday, giving him hits in 12 of his 14 games this season.

prediction: royals 7, angels 5

Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the oakland athletics are aiming to ride the momentum of an epic hitting performance when they open a three-game series on friday against the host seattle mariners. after producing a total of one run and eight hits in back-to-back defeats, the oakland bats erupted for 21 hits in a 16-6 dismantling of the los angeles dodgers on wednesday.

jed lowrie and marcus semien each had four rbis and khris davis fell a triple short of the cycle as the athletics pounded the ball all night. "it felt like a coming-out party, just knocks everywhere, a lot of momentum on our side," davis told reporters afterward. "we just gotta keep it rolling." seattle won three of its past four games as the bat of kyle seager awakened, and the 30-year-old boasts two homers and seven rbis during that stretch after having no homers and two rbis over the first six games. offseason acquisition dee gordon has began his mariners' tenure with a 10-game hitting streak and is tied for second in the majors with five steals.
tv: 10:10 p.m. et, nbcs california (oakland), root sports northwest (seattle)

pitching matchup: athletics rh andrew triggs (1-0, 2.53 era) vs. mariners rh mike leake (2-0, 3.00)

triggs has looked good while giving up just eight hits in 10 2/3 innings in his first two efforts since returning from last july's season-ending hip surgery. the 29-year-old received a no-decision against texas in his season debut and followed up by defeating the los angeles angels. triggs is 0-1 with an 8.53 era in three career appearances against the mariners, with the setback coming last season when he compiled a 5.91 era in two turns.

leake allowed just eight hits in 12 innings while beating cleveland and minnesota in his first two starts. the 30-year-old allowed two runs in seven innings in a home win over the indians to improve to 3-1 with a 2.70 era in five starts at safeco field since being acquired from the st. louis cardinals last august 30. leake is 1-1 with a 3.32 era in three career starts against the athletics, including a victory last sept. 1 when he gave up two runs and eight hits over seven innings in his seattle debut.

walk-offs

1. the mariners went 12-7 versus the athletics last season and won seven of the 10 meetings at safeco field.

2. oakland c jonathan lucroy, who went 3-for-5 and scored twice in wednesday's victory, is a blistering 19-for-38 with two homers and eight rbis against leake.

3. seattle lf ben gamel (oblique) is expected to make his season debut.

prediction: mariners 6, athletics 4

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview and Predictions 04-13-2018

12th April 2018 by Gracenote
the los angeles dodgers may have won the national league west in each of the last five seasons, but there is no question the arizona diamondbacks have enjoyed the upper hand in their divisional rivalry lately. the diamondbacks seek a 10th straight regular-season victory against the dodgers on friday when they conclude the final leg of a nine-game road trip with the first of three games in los angeles.

even though the dodgers won the nl west going away last year, arizona was able to make things a bit interesting with a 13-game winning streak from aug. 24-sept. 6 - including a pair of three-game sweeps of los angeles. the diamondbacks continued to their recent regular-season mastery of the dodgers early last week, winning in 15 innings in the opener before yielding a total of one run and five hits over the final two contests for a third straight sweep of the defending division champions. los angeles got the last laugh against arizona last year by sweeping the diamondbacks in three games during the nl division series, but the 2017 world series runner-up has yet to win more than two games in a row this season. the dodgers are licking their wounds after their pitching staff - which entered wednesday with the nl's lowest era - was pounded for 16 runs and 21 hits against oakland.
tv: 10:10 p.m. et, fs arizona, sportsnet la (los angeles)

pitching matchup: diamondbacks rh zack greinke (0-1, 5.06 era) vs. dodgers rh kenta maeda (1-0, 0.00)

greinke struggled in the sub-40 degree conditions in st. louis on saturday, surrendering five runs on nine hits while striking out five in as many frames. the former cy young award winner, who has yet to make it through six innings or throw more than 86 pitches, is still sporting a 14:0 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 10 2/3 frames. greinke went 1-2 with a 3.65 era in four starts against his former team last season and is 1-2 with a 7.56 era in three turns at dodger stadium since joining arizona in 2016.

after getting skipped in the rotation due to a rainout and pitching one inning of relief at san francisco on saturday, maeda will make his first start since march 31. the 30-year-old allowed five hits and a walk and faced at least one baserunner in each of his first four frames in his season debut, but he kept the giants off the scoreboard by striking out 10 over five innings. ketel marte is 5-for-6 against maeda, who finished 0-3 with a 7.36 era in five starts against the diamondbacks last season.

walk-offs

1. the diamondbacks are 17-8 over their last 25 road contests.

2. the dodgers are tied for first in the majors with three shutouts and have allowed a total of one run in their four wins.

3. arizona 1b paul goldschmidt, who has homered in consecutive games, is a career .306 hitter with 28 home runs and 92 rbis in 114 games versus los angeles.

prediction: diamondbacks 4, dodgers 2