Friday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By JUSTIN BANKS
Streaking
Rich Harden, Chicago Cubs (9-2, 2.00)
Harden has two losses in his last 10 and is 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA in his last three starts. He has relinquished two earned runs or less in nine of his last 10 overall.
Harden, who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in July, is 2-0 and has a 2.46 ERA at Wrigley Field. He is also 1-0 in one career start against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Cubs are 48-16 in their last 64 home games and are 23-6 in their last 29 overall.
Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins (10-8, 3.74)
Slowey, who had just two triumphs in his first eight starts, is 6-2 in his last 10 overall. He is 1-0 and has a 1.38 career-ERA against the Oakland A’s.
In his last road start, a triumph over the Kansas City Royals, he relinquished one earned run in 5.1 IP. He has 32 strikeouts against one walk in his last six overall.
The Twins are 16-5 in their last 21 Friday games and are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with the A’s.
Slumping
Vicente Padilla, Texas Rangers (12-7, 4.98)
Padilla has relinquished 14 earned runs in his last three and is winless with a lofty 8.40 ERA in that period.
Padilla is 9-3 on the road this but is just 2-2 in his last four road start. In his last road start, a loss to the Baltimore Orioles, he surrendered six earned runs in four IP. He is 1-1 and has a 5.23 ERA in his last three against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Rangers are 6-14 in their last 20 overall and are 1-6 in their last seven road games against a team with a winning home record.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, 9:40 p.m. The second-place Dodgers try to make up ground on the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.
STARS
- Cristian Guzman, Nationals, became the second player to hit for the cycle since the franchise moved to Washington, driving in three in an 11-2 rout of the slumping Dodgers.
- Jason Giambi, Yankees, came off the bench to hit a tying two-run homer in the seventh and the winning single in the ninth of a 3-2 victory over Boston.
- Ty Wigginton, Astros, hit a pair of solo homers in a 3-2 win over the Reds.
- Edwin Jackson, Rays, carried a shutout into the eighth inning and departed after allowing one run and six hits in a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
- Francisco Rodriguez, Angels, pitched a scoreless ninth in a 7-5 win over the Rangers for his 51st save in 56 chances, six short of Bobby Thigpen's major league record set in 1990.
PAGING DR. ANDREWS
Josh Beckett was scratched again from a scheduled start, and the Boston ace plans to have his ailing right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews. A serious injury to Beckett would be a major blow to Boston, trying to repeat as World Series champions. Beckett hasn't pitched since Aug. 17, when he reported numbness and tingling in his right arm.
BAMBINO TO GIAMBINO
Babe Ruth hit a home run to help the Yankees open their ballpark in the Bronx by sweeping a four-game series from Boston in April 1923. Jason Giambi homered and drove in the winning run in the ninth inning of New York's 3-2 win over Boston on Thursday, the last regular-season game between the two teams at historic Yankee Stadium.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
A gray, rectangular box on the wall of the umpires dressing room at Wrigley Field containing a phone and a high definition TV monitor ushered instant replay into major league baseball. An umpiring crew chief can pick up the phone and ask a replay center in New York to send him all available feeds so he can review boundary calls, such as if a ball was fair or foul or cleared the outfield wall. Officials hope the replays are completed in about 2 1/2 minutes.
GOING CYCLING
Cristian Guzman became the second Nationals player to hit for the cycle when he tripled in the eighth inning against the Dodgers. Guzman hit a solo homer in the first inning, was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the second, and added a run-scoring double in the sixth. Brad Wilkerson also hit for the cycle on April 6, 2005. It was the eighth cycle in franchise history, including the team's days in Montreal. Wilkerson did it twice, including once as a member of the Expos.
FLOUNDERING FISH
The Marlins dropped to 10-15 in August after a 4-2 loss to Atlanta, haven't won two games in a row this month and fell six games behind the idle New York Mets in the NL East. Florida begins a critical three-game series at home against the Mets on Friday.
LOSERS NO LONGER
The Rays (81-51) assured they will finish no worse than .500 for the first time in franchise history after a 3-2 win over Toronto. Tampa Bay improved to an AL-best 49-19 at home after taking two of three from the Blue Jays, and is 11-0-1 in series since the All-Star break. The Rays also pushed their lead to 4 1/2 games over Boston in the AL East.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki doubled in the winning run with one out in the ninth inning for a 3-2 win over Minnesota, the first time the Athletics have won back-to-back games since July 10-11. It was just the 11th win since the All-Star break for Oakland, which took two of three from the Angels to start the week for its first series in win 13 tries.
SPEAKING
"Hopefully getting past these barriers, mentally and numbers-wise, we can put that in the past and become the organization we're envisioned on becoming.'' - Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, after the Rays assured they would finish at least .500 for the first time in franchise history.
MLB Weekend Preview
A couple of possible postseason previews and a pair of divisional clashes stand out on the Major League Baseball schedule for this weekend.
In a potential future NL playoff clash the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Chicago Cubs this weekend. The Phillies/Cubs series actually got started on Thursday. In Friday's game former teammates who were acquired around the trade deadline face off: Joe Blanton (1-0, 4.03) starts for Philadelphia, and Rich Harden (4-1, 1.47) gets the ball for the Cubs. Blanton has not pitched against the Cubs this season. Harden faced Philadelphia back in June while still with Oakland, and he allowed only two hits while striking out 11 in eight shutout innings. Also in line to start in the series are Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer for Philadelphia, and Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs.
In a possible AL playoff matchup the Chicago White Sox head to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox. In Friday's series opener Javier Vazquez (10-11, 4.37) is on tap to start for Chicago, while Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-2, 2.98) will start in place of Josh Beckett for Boston. Beckett missed his last start after feeling numbness in his throwing arm and was removed from the rotation again Friday to see a specialist. Also scheduled to pitch in the series are Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd for Chicago, and likely David Pauley and Tim Wakefield for Boston.
In this weekend's divisional matchups the Mets and Marlins clash in a must-win series for Florida, while the Dodgers and Diamondbacks also meet. The Marlins have started to fade in the NL East, and if they lose any more ground they may fall out of the race altogether. The Marlins turn to Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.42) for a win on Friday, while the Mets counter with Oliver Perez (9-7, 4.00). On Saturday Mike Pelfry gets the call for the Mets, and Ricky Nolasco starts for Florida, while Sunday's scheduled matchup is Pedro Martinez versus Scott Olsen.
The Diamondbacks started to pull away from the Dodgers this week, as Los Angeles was putting together a losing streak. On Friday the Dodgers will send Hiroki Kuroda (7-9, 3.87) to the hill, and Arizona goes with Doug Davis (5-8, 4.63). Saturday's matchup should be a good one between Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren, while the Dodgers will be in tough with Derek Lowe on the mound on Sunday versus Arizona ace Brandon Webb.