Preview: Blue Jays at Mariners
Gracenote
Aug 5, 2018
The Toronto Blue Jays attempt to conclude their 10-game road trip with a four-game sweep as they visit the Seattle Mariners on Sunday for the finale of their series. Toronto improved to 5-4 on its trek with a 5-1 triumph Saturday in which five players each recorded two hits - including Aledmys Diaz, who homered for the fourth time in seven contests.
Devon Travis has had a strong series for the Blue Jays, going 5-for-12 with a homer and seven RBIs as he enters the finale. Seattle's seven-game homestand started well as it blanked Houston, but the club has followed with five consecutive losses and managed only three hits in Saturday's setback. Mitch Haniger registered one of them to improve to 7-for-19 during his five-game hitting streak. The Mariners hope for a better effort from their pitching staff as it has surrendered 32 runs during its five-game slide.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVA (Toronto), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Sam Gaviglio (2-4, 5.10 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Mike Leake (8-7, 4.16)
Gaviglio's winless streak reached 12 starts on Tuesday as he surrendered five runs and eight hits over 2 2/3 innings at Oakland en route to his fourth loss during the drought. The 28-year-old native of Oregon last was victorious on May 25 at Philadelphia, where he gave up three runs over six frames in his second turn of the season. Gaviglio will be facing Seattle for the first time in his brief career.
Leake is coming off his third consecutive loss, a setback against Houston on Tuesday in which he yielded three runs and eight hits over six innings. The 30-year-old Californian, whose last victory came at Boston on June 23, has gone two straight starts - and seven overall this season - without issuing a walk. Leake improved to 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in three career turns against the Blue Jays, including a triumph at Toronto on May 10 in which he allowed two runs over seven innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners 2B Dee Gordon, who shares the lead in the American League with 26 stolen bases, was kept out of the lineup Saturday because of a sore right ankle.
2. Toronto traded 2B Gio Urshela, who went 10-for-43 with a homer and three RBIs in 19 games this season, to the New York Yankees on Saturday for cash considerations.
3. Seattle RHP Erasmo Ramirez (shoulder) is expected to make his final rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Mariners 7, Blue Jays 2
__________________
Preview: Astros at Dodgers
Gracenote
Aug 5, 2018
Los Angeles set Dodger Stadium records for runs scored and homers (seven) in Thursday’s 21-5 win over Milwaukee but has gone ice cold in its last two games. The Dodgers have struck out a total of 28 times in back-to-back losses to the visiting Houston Astros and look to avoid being the victims of a three-game sweep on Sunday.
Josh Reddick belted a three-run homer and Martin Maldonado snapped an 0-for-34 slump with two hits and three RBIs on Saturday as Houston scored seven runs in the eighth inning en route to a 14-0 victory. The Astros won their fourth in a row following a five-game losing streak but will be monitoring the status of Lance McCullers Jr., who started Saturday’s contest but left after 60 pitches because of right elbow discomfort. Los Angeles has dropped five of its last seven to fall one game behind Arizona for first place in the National League West and has registered one run and seven hits over the first two games of this rematch of last season’s World Series. Brian Dozier has gone 5-for-11 with two homers and five RBIs in his first four games with his new club, but Matt Kemp went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Saturday and has notched just one hit over his last 34 at-bats.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Gerrit Cole (10-3, 2.55 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Walker Buehler (4-4, 3.65)
Cole suffered his third loss of the season on Monday despite limiting Seattle to two runs and four hits over 6 2/3 innings. The two-time All-Star began the weekend ranked fifth in the majors with 194 strikeouts, including 36 over his last four starts. Yasiel Puig is 5-for-11 with a home run against Cole, who is 3-1 with a 5.55 ERA in six career starts versus the Dodgers.
Buehler was a hard-luck loser against Milwaukee on Tuesday, when he allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven over seven innings. The 24-year-old rookie was winless in three starts last month but posted a 17-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 16 2/3 frames. Buehler, who is facing Houston for the first time, owns a 5.40 ERA in 10 career road games (five starts) compared to a 3.28 mark in 11 contests (seven starts) at Dodger Stadium.
WALK-OFFS
1. Houston RHP Roberto Osuna (suspension) is expected to be activated prior to Sunday’s contest.
2. The Dodgers placed LHP Alex Wood on the 10-day disabled list with left adductor tendinitis.
3. Astros OF Tony Kemp left Saturday’s game after being hit in the foot by a pitch and is listed as day-to-day.
PREDICTION: Dodgers 3, Astros 1
__________________
Preview: Yankees at Red Sox
Gracenote
Aug 4, 2018
The Boston Red Sox have all but extinguished their chief rival’s chances at an American League East title this weekend and look to finish off a four-game home sweep of the slumping New York Yankees on Sunday night. The Red Sox pushed their lead over the second-place Yankees to 8 1/2 games by outscoring them 23-9 in the first three contests of the series after posting a 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
J.D. Martinez launched his team-high 33rd homer of the season in the last win and is 6-for-15 with four homers during a four-game hitting streak for Boston, which won seven of its last eight contests and is 7-5 against New York in 2018. David Price will try to wipe away his two appearances against the Yankees this season (0-2, 12 runs and six homers allowed in 4 1/3 innings) when he faces red-hot Masahiro Tanaka in the series finale. New York still holds down the first wild-card spot in the AL, but has lost a season-high four games in a row and is just 7-10 in its past 17 contests. Giancarlo Stanton is 4-for-11 with two doubles and a homer while teammate Didi Gregorius boasts five RBIs in the series for the Yankees, who left the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (9-2, 3.84 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH David Price (11-6, 3.97)
Tanaka was outstanding in his last two starts, allowing six hits over 15 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts, to stretch his unbeaten streak to 13 outings. The 29-year-old Japan native, who posted a 1.75 ERA in four July starts, is 6-0 with a 4.00 mark in 11 road outings this season. Martinez is 7-for-14 with three homers versus Tanaka, who is 8-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 16 career starts against Boston - 1-0 with an 8.71 mark in 2018.
Price strung together three straight quality starts to end July - a month that started at Yankee Stadium when he served up five home runs in a loss. The 32-year-old Vanderbilt product, who is 22-7 all time at Fenway Park, limited Philadelphia to one run and eight hits with five strikeouts across eight innings of a no-decision Monday. Gregorius is 13-for-30 with a homer against Price, who is 15-13 with a 4.90 ERA in his career versus the Yankees.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York RHP Dellin Betances has at least one strikeout in his last 24 relief appearances, the second longest streak in club history.
2. The Red Sox placed recently acquired 2B Ian Kinsler (hamstring) on the 10-day disabled list Saturday and recalled UTIL Tony Renda.
3. The Yankees acquired INF Giovanny Urshela from Toronto for cash considerations and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.
PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
__________________