Saturday's streaking and slumping starters
By JUSTIN BANKS
Streaking
John Maine, New York Mets (10-4, 3.79)
Maine has just two setbacks in his last 10 and is 1-0 with a solid 0.63 ERA in his last three overall. He has also relinquished more than three earned runs just once in his last 10 overall.
Maine, who has not lost a home start since June, is 2-0 in his last three at home. He is 3-0 and has a spectacular 1.57 career-ERA against the Houston Astros.
The Mets are 9-3 in Maine’s last 12 home starts and are 5-1 in their last six at home against the Astros.
Slumping
Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals (13-6, 3.94)
Lohse is winless in his last three and has relinquished 11 earned runs on 20 hits. He also has a lofty 5.71 ERA in that stretch.
Lohse is 1-1 in his last three at home and has a 4.48 ERA in that period. He has relinquished six HRs in his last five starts. Lohse also has a 5.16 career-ERA in four starts against the Atlanta Braves.
The Cardinals are 1-5 in Lohse’s last six and are 5-1 in their last six against the Braves.
Jesse Litsch, Toronto Blue Jays (8-7, 4.20)
Litsch has just one win in his last 10 and is 0-2 in his last three with a lofty 5.65 ERA. He has surrendered 15 earned runs on 26 hits in his last 18 1/2 IP.
Litsch is 1-2 in his last four home games and is 4-2 overall at the Rogers Centre. He has relinquished 11 earned runs and two homers in his last four home starts.
The Blue Jays are 0-5 in Litsch’s last five starts against the AL East and are 10-2 in their last 12 against the Red Sox.
Saturday's Tip Sheet
By Josh Jacobs
It’s been beaten like a dead horse, but as we all know the 2008 MLB season is heading down the final slope. Aside from teams either fighting for playoff positioning or others already packing it in until next year, the hope is that gamblers have banked enough money on hardball to finance the college and/or NFL gaming experience.
Either way we slice your economical stance, the fact remains that there’s still plenty of fight left in every division with exception to the AL West (the Angels have just ran away with the divisional lead, up 15 games as of Friday).
Getting right down to the bare bones of the latest happening, here’s what this weekend’s pertinent matchups will entail and which teams look to have the edge as we turn the corner of August.
Tampa Bay (Kazmir) at White Sox (Vazquez) – 3:55 p.m. EDT on FOX
The Rays have done their part at home, taking the last three games (May 30 to Jun. 1) against the White Sox by a combined score of 8-4. There’s no secret that Tampa’s weapon of choice is the pitching game.
On Saturday, the Rays will hand the ball off to lefty Scott Kazmir (9-6, 3.21 ERA) in hopes of making a mark in the Windy City. It was on May 31 that Kazmir tossed a seven-inning gem against Chicago, giving up only three hits, no runs while striking out six. In his career versus the White Sox, Tampa’s ace has done wonders with a 3-1 record and a 3.08 ERA in four outings. A .224 BAA has complemented Kazmir’s success.
The main problem that the Rays must overcome is an unbalanced .248 BA with the leagues’ 20th worst on base percentage of .320 on the road this season. But these numbers can be deceiving with the club combining for a surprising 4.5 runs per game away from home. We can’t overlook the negative impact that injured outfielder Carl Crawford and RBI generating third baseman Evan Longoria will have on Tampa Bay’s road trip to Chicago, but crossing the plate for 5.3 runs per game in the last four is indication of a resilient group.
The White Sox don’t have much room for mistake with Minnesota breathing down their backs. Offense sure isn’t a problem with Chicago bringing in 7.4 runs per game in the last 11, even if it was against teams like Kansas City, Oakland and Seattle.
As for the hurlers in the White Sox stable, August has seen this group go 13-6 with a 3.89 ERA, striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. Starters John Danks (10-5, 3.11) and Javier Vazquez (10-10, 4.34) – who will be making his 26 appearance on Saturday – have combined for a 5-2 record with a rock bottom 1.01 WHIP.
Chicago’s Vazquez has been installed as the favorite eight times in his last 10 starts, while the team is an impressive 15-6 in his last 21 trips to the slab at home.
Tampa has struggled in Chicago with a 2-8 performance in their last 10. The total has been the play however, with the ‘under’ going 23-9 in the last 32 head-to-head meetings.
Most books have opened the Sox as a $1.50 home favorite, with a total of nine runs attached.
L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw) at Philadelphia (Hamels) – 3:55 p.m. EDT on FOX
Coming into this contest, the Dodgers are a woeful 2-6 in their last eight road games, are swinging for a .258 BA, all coupled with a starting rotation tallying up a 4.91 ERA (all road stats this season).
The good news is newly acquired outfielder Manny Ramirez has worked wonders. L.A. is putting the wood on the ball for an improved .290 BA in its last 10 and a solid 7-3 record adds credence to the improved play all around.
Unproved starter Clayton Kershaw (2-3, 3.59), who takes the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday, is coming off a solid six-inning no decision outing on Aug. 17 against Milwaukee. The 20-year-old southpaw out of Dallas, Texas has certainly improved his stats since getting shelled in Colorado on Jul. 22 (three innings with 10 hits and five runs sacrificed). In five starts since, Kershaw has held opponents to an overachieving average of five hits with one run per game.
With the Dodgers taking the last six head-to-heads, the Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels (10-8, 3.22) will have plenty of weight on his shoulders. Another lefty by nature, Hamels will be facing this same L.A. team for the second time this month. In that Aug. 12 trip to L.A., the 2002 first round draft choice worked in seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits. The Phillies dropped that contest 4-3 against the Dodgers, but Hamels received a no decision.
It’s worth mentioning that the Dodgers have been installed as favorites 10 times in the last 14 matchups when pitted against the Phills and for good reason. L.A. is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Philadelphia and are a blazing 10-2 in Hamels’ last 12 Saturday starts.
Bodog.com has listed the Phillies as a chalky $1.80 home favorite.
Minnesota (Blackburn) at L.A. Angels (Garland) – 9:05 p.m. EDT
The Angels may have the AL West in their pocket, but for the Twins a Saturday evening contest means another day to fight the Chicago White Sox for top honors in the AL Central.
Minnesota is in the midst of riding the wave on an 8-2 run in the last 10 thanks to some timely hitting (.313 BA in the last 10), a starting rotation working for an impressive 2.49 ERA, supported by a relief core holding onto a seasonal 1.37 WHIP.
As my colleague Judd Hall explained on the last VI Power Hour show on Thursday, the Twins are using small ball in their favor. Producing a .350 on base percentage, manufacturing 19 steals or generating runs with a league second best 15 sacrifice flies since the All-Star break, there’s no doubting that Minnesota wins games by any means necessary.
The Twins will need to shake off the cobwebs that have dictated a 2-7 slump in the last nine meetings with the Angels. Mix in starter Nick Blackburn’s (9-7, 3.71) troubles on the road with a 3-4 record and a 4.48 ERA in 13 starts and there’s no doubt backers should be concerned about the $1.20 visiting Minnesota ‘dogs.
As we all know, or should know, the Angels are a monster at home as is indicative of their 37-24 performance (fourth best in the AL). L.A. is 15-5 in its last 20 home games, while total players should take head to a hot 9-1-1 ‘under’ record in starter Jon Garland’s (11-8, 4.33) last 11 home stands.
Even with Seattle on the schedule, the Twins next 13 games will be played away from home.
vegasinsider.com.
Baseball Today
New York Yankees at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EDT). Carl Pavano is the Yankees' scheduled starter for the first time this season. After signing a $39.95 million, four-year contract before the 2005 season, Pavano has been limited to 19 appearances and only two since June 27, 2005.
STARS
- Willie Harris, Nationals, hit a pair of homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in six runs in a 13-5 rout of the Cubs.
- Johan Santana, Mets, pitched seven innings and allowed eight hits and a walk in a 3-0 win over Houston.
- Albert Pujols, Cardinals, went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs, part of a 26-hit outburst that sent St. Louis to an 18-3 win over the Braves.
- Chris Coste, Phillies, hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs in an 8-1 win over Greg Maddux and the Dodgers.
- Bobby Abreu, Yankees, went 5-for-5 to match a career high as New York scored the final six runs in a 9-4 victory over the Orioles.
- Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, hit a pair of solo home runs in a 4-3 victory over the Royals.
- Tim Lincecum, Giants, gave up four hits over eight innings, striking out eight in a 5-0 win over the Padres.
- Glen Perkins, Twins, went eight innings and allowed five hits and two walks in a 9-0 rout of the Angels.
GASHOUSE GANG REVISITED
Albert Pujols went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and the first five hitters were a combined 10-for-12 with seven walks and a sacrifice fly the first four times through the order in the Cardinals' 18-3 romp over the Braves. The 26 hits by St. Louis were the franchise's most since another 26-hit game on Sept. 23, 1930, at Philadelphia, and the 21 singles their most in a nine-inning game since July 6, 1929, in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia.
WAKE-UP CALL
Washington certainly answered its wake-up call, getting a grand slam and six RBIs from Willie Harris in a 13-5 rout of the NL Central-leading Cubs. The Nationals' victory came less than 24 hours after they ended a 12-game losing streak in Philadelphia. And they didn't get to their Chicago hotel until 1:45 a.m., giving them little sleep before the afternoon start.
353 AND (STILL) COUNTING
Greg Maddux had a forgettable first start back with the Dodgers, getting tagged for seven runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings of an 8-1 loss to Philadelphia. Maddux is still one win shy of tying Roger Clemens for eighth on the career list.
PINSTRIPE PIONEER
Derek Jeter got his 2,500th career hit, a bloop single in the first inning of the Yankees' come-from-behind 9-4 victory over Baltimore. He joins Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only players to have 2,500 hits with New York.
ROCCO AND ROLLING
Rocco Baldelli hit his first homer in more than a year, helping the Rays rally to a 9-4 victory in the opener of a key weekend series against the White Sox. Tampa Bay has won eight of its past 11 games and maintained a 4 1/2-game lead over Boston in the AL East, even without injured stars Troy Percival, Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford.
ROYAL MELTDOWN
The Royals lost their sixth straight, 4-3 to Detroit, and appear headed for another last-place finish. They've dropped 12 of 14 overall and have been outscored 105-41 over that stretch. The Tigers have outscored the Royals 37-8 in their past four games at Kauffman Stadium.
WELCOME BACK
Brewers All-Star Ryan Braun returned to the starting lineup against the Pirates as he continues to deal with a nagging back injury. ... Ryan Church was activated from the disabled list and played right field in the Mets' win over Houston. He'd been recovering from post-concussion syndrome. ... The Rangers activated Hank Blalock from the 15-day DL after struggling through inflammation in his right shoulder.
SPEAKING
``They really believe in themselves and what they are out to accomplish. You can see it. It's been different the last couple years. You have seen them grow into a very good team with the same players every year. Other than being their opponent, it's been nice to see something we would want here.'' - Jack Wilson of the Pirates, after a 10-4 loss to the Brewers.