Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Friday, June 5
Pittsburgh at Houston (8:05 p.m. EDT). Mike Hampton(notes) (3-4) has won his last eight decisions against Pittsburgh, including a 2-1 victory Sunday. He’s only the second pitcher since 1954 to have that much success against the Pirates.
STARS
Thursday
— Randy Johnson(notes), Giants, earned his 300th win, becoming the 24th major league pitcher to reach the milestone by leading San Francisco to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in the first game of a doubleheader.
— Melky Cabrera(notes), Yankees, hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and New York overcame yet another poor start by Chien-Ming Wang(notes) to beat the Texas Rangers 8-6.
— Cole Hamels(notes), Phillies, pitched a five-hitter for his third career shutout, and Philadelphia extended its winning streak to seven games with a 3-0 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Josh Johnson(notes), Marlins, hit a three-run shot for his first career homer and pitched into the eighth inning, leading Florida over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3.
— Jason Kubel(notes), Twins, hit a pair of three-run homers to back Scott Baker(notes), who pitched seven effective innings in Minnesota’s 11-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
— Chris Carpenter(notes) and Albert Pujols(notes), Cardinals. Carpenter pitched a three-hitter for his first complete game in more than two years and Pujols took care of the offense with a two-run homer and RBI double, leading St. Louis to a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
— Jason Giambi(notes), Athletics, hit a three-run homer, sending Oakland to a 7-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
— B.J. Upton(notes), Rays, hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth and Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep by beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2.
— Garrett Atkins(notes), Rockies, broke out of a slump with two home runs and Colorado snapped a four-game skid with a 10-3 win over the Houston Astros.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Randy Johnson got his 300th win Thursday, becoming the 24th pitcher to reach one of baseball’s most revered milestones. The Big Unit tossed two-hit ball over six innings, leading San Francisco to a 5-1 victory at the Washington Nationals. Johnson became the sixth left-hander to win 300, and the first pitcher to do it on his first try since Tom Seaver in 1985. The 45-year-old Johnson is the second-oldest pitcher to reach the milestone. Knuckleballer Phil Niekro was 46 when he won his 300th with the New York Yankees in 1985.
SIT OUT
Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett(notes) was suspended for six games for throwing high-and-tight to Texas’ Nelson Cruz(notes) earlier this week. Burnett appealed the penalty. Burnett sailed a fastball near the head of Cruz during a 12-3 win Tuesday night. Earlier in the game, Texas’ Vicente Padilla(notes) twice hit Mark Teixeira(notes) with pitches. Both Burnett and Padilla were fined by Major League Baseball.
GOOD NEWS
Colorado catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s(notes) 11-year-old son and brother-in-law were released by kidnappers a day after being abducted. The two were abducted while driving to the boy’s school along with a relative of the boy’s mother. The kidnappers demanded $466,000 in ransom, but none was paid, said Wilmer Flores Trossel, head of Venezuela’s federal police.
HOMER HAVEN—AND NOT
Through 26 games at each new ballpark, 95 homers were hit at Yankee Stadium and just 38 at the Mets’ Citi Field. The Yankee Stadium total was one shy of the record for the first 26 games at a major league venue, set at Houston’s Enron Field in 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. While at least one home run was hit each game at Yankee Stadium, there were six homerless games at Citi Field. Yankee Stadium already has set a record for most consecutive games with homers at the start of a ballpark, topping the 22 at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
DOUBLE DUTY
Albert Pujols homered and doubled in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds and has reached base at least twice in 15 consecutive games to tie Keith Hernandez’s streak in 1980. They are the longest such streaks in 50 years for the Cardinals.
20/20?
Boston designated hitter David Ortiz(notes), hitting .187 with one homer, got the day off. Ortiz told reporters before the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 that he is considering having his eyes examined.
DEBUT
White Sox top prospect Gordon Beckham(notes) made his major league debut at third base and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He hit into a fielder’s choice in his first at-bat of a 7-0 loss to Oakland. … Pittsburgh’s prized prospect Andrew McCutchen(notes) went 2 for 4 with three runs, a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in an 11-6 win over the New York Mets.
BREAKOUT HIT
B.J. Upton’s two-out, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of the Rays’ 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals was Tampa Bay’s first hit with runners in scoring position for the game. They were 0 for 13 until then.
SPEAKING
“I think it kind of hit me when I walked on the field. It’s a long-range achievement. It’s not a one-game or a one-year achievement, it’s a career achievement. Who knows how many teammates I’ve had over my 21 years, but they had a great deal to do with my success. I’m going to think about this for a long time.”—Giants starter Randy Johnson on his 300th victory, a 5-1 win over the Nationals.
MLB weekend cheat sheet
By Marc Lawrence
The MLB Cheat Sheet, a guide designed to help you isolate a few key best bets, we focus on two key series in both the American and National League this weekend. Keep in mind that all pitcher records are team starts unless noted otherwise.
Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves
Most Recent Series Result: Brewers 6-3 last nine games vs. Cubs
Most Recent Series Result: at the Site: Brewers 4-2 last six games away vs. Braves
Key Day/Month Stat: Braves 1-6 Sundays in June
Best Arm in the Series: Braves’ Vazquez 5-1, 2.45 ERA last six home starts vs. Brewers
Worst Arm in the Series: Brewers’ Suppan 1-3, 6.45 ERA away starts lifetime vs. Braves
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Most Recent Series Result: Phillies 9-3 last 13 games vs. Dodgers (1-2 this year)
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Dodgers 6-2 last eight home games vs. Phillies
Key Day/Month Stat: Phillies 19-4 on Sundays (10-2 away)
Best Arm in the Series: Dodgers’ Kuroda 2-0, 2.08 ERA home lifetime vs. Phillies
Worst Arm in the Series: Phillies’ Moyer 0-3, 18.82 ERA last three starts vs. Dodgers
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
Most Recent Series Result: Yankees are 8-5 last thirteen games vs. Rays (2-3 this year)
Most Recent Series Result: at the Site: Yankees are 6-3 last nine home games vs. Rays (2-0 this year)
Key Day/Month Stat: Yankees are 15-3 home on Sundays; Rays are 5-14 away on Sundays
Best Arm in the Series: Rays’ Sonnanstine 3-0, 2.53 ERA away lifetime vs. Yankees
Worst Arm in the Series: Rays’ Garza 0-2, 7.50 ERA away lifetime vs. Yankees
Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers
Most Recent Series Result: Angels are 11-4 last 15 games vs. Tigers (2-1 this year)
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Angels are 3-1 last four away games vs. Tigers
Key Day/Month Stat: Tigers are 8-1 on Saturdays; Angels are 2-7 on Saturdays
Best Arm in the Series: Angels’ Saunders 2-0, 2.64 ERA away lifetime vs. Tigers
Worst Arm in the Series: Tigers’ Verlander 0-3, 4.34 ERA home lifetime vs. Angels
Friday's MLB Preview
By Josh Jacobs
There’s nothing fancy or complicated in this Friday’s baseball preview. We’re bringing you the cold hard facts in several matchups slated to take place.
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees – 7:05 p.m. EDT
The Rays were 35-24 at this time last season. Now a shell of itself from just a year ago, Tampa Bay will get the opportunity to build on its 3-2 series record versus the Yankees in ’09.
Back on May 6 and 7, the Rays cornered New York on the road as $1.54 and $1.57 underdogs. In Game 1, Tampa starter Andy Sonnanstine (4-5, 7.07 ERA) held the Pinstripes at bay, tossing 7.1 innings, giving up six hits and two runs on 99 pitches. But those performances have been few and far between as Sonnanstine has found himself coughing up five or more earned runs in five of 11 starts.
But the pitcher of interest in this matchup will be left-hander, David Price (1-0, 3.00). The Rays decided that the 23-year-old was ready for the big show again, thus recalling him from Durham on May 25. Since returning to the Majors, Price has begun to ease back into the rotation. It was last Saturday against Minnesota that the southpaw went 5.2 innings, sacrificing just one run off five hits. But 11 strikeouts in that outing is one reason why Tampa has such high hopes for the future.
Vegasinsider.com professional handicapper, Brian Edwards does advise to exercise caution before deciding to make a wager on the Rays in this spot. “Bettors should keep in mind, that Joe Maddon has Price on a pitch count that he won’t stray from very often and certainly not at this early stage of the year,” he said. “In other words, you have to consider Tampa Bay’s bullpen in all plays involving Price because there’s a good chance Maddon will be turning to the ‘pen by the sixth inning in Price’s starts.”
Tampa has made some improvement in the pen as a 4.00 relief ERA ranks 11th in the league followed by a high ranking, .321 on base percentage allowed.
Offense has been the name of the game for New York. Specifically versus left-handers, the Yanks have kicked it into overdrive, battering the ball for a .310 BA and bringing in 83 RBIs. New York is now 4-0 in its last four games versus left-handed starters while a 5-1 record in the last six Game 1 appearances lends itself to more betting support.
Of course we can’t leave out C.C. Sabathia’s (5-3, 3.46) scheduled start in this one. The inning eating big man has thrown an average of 111.7 pitches his last six trips to the mound. A 4-0 record in his last five starts is exactly what the Yanks were hoping for when signing C.C. to the mega contract during the offseason.
Edwards said, “I don’t think bettors want to lay the expensive straight price (-185ish) in this spot. If you’re thinking Yankees, I think you have to go the run-line route at around even-money (or for a small ‘plus’ payout).”
Maybe the most impressive part of this matchup is Sabathia’s unconscious 7-1 record accompanied by a 2.44 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 11 career starts versus the Rays.
Sportsbook.com has opened the board by placing New York as a $1.85 home favorite. A total of 10 runs has been listed. The total storm that began brewing in Yankee Stadium to begin the season has quieted down some. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in the Yankees’ last five home games. Will it last for long?
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati – 7:10 p.m. EDT
The Reds need to make things happen down nine games in the Central. What better way to close out the week then to welcome division rival, Chicago into town? Bodog.com has opened this contest at -140 (bet $140 to make $100) in favor of the visiting Cubs.
Chicago has been on red alert when traveling these days. This is a club that’s dropped seven of its last eight road games. The offense has been putrid as a team, .234 BA away from home combined with a bullpen topping out at a 5.62 ERA is clear evidence. But could salvation be close as Ryan Dempster (4-3, 4.48) is slated to start in this one?
Dempster is coming off a solid, seven inning win against the Dodgers on Saturday (giving up just three hits in a shutout performance). But peering deeper into the stats reveals Dempster’s shortcomings. In-fact the two-time All-Star slinger has never claimed a victory at Great American Ballpark. In 23 games, 10 which have been starts, Dempster is 0-6 with a bloated, 6.53 ERA. Working for 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings is about the only hook that the Cubs’ pitcher can hang his hat on.
Great American Ballpark has facilitated a 15-10 ‘over’ record on the season. A Park Factor of 1.192 (PF = ((homeRS + homeRA)/(homeG)) / ((roadRS + roadRA)/(roadG)) ) is basically telling us that the field closely resembles the action in a pinball game. As a reference point, Coors Field has a PF of 1.401 while the most pitcher friendly park in the MLB, PERTCO Park owns a PF of 0.727. Total betters; assume the position.
Despite being swept in Milwaukee, Cinci is 2-1 versus fellow rival, St. Louis (pending the outcome of Thursday’s contest). But why the 5-2 ‘under’ run in the last seven? It’s not too hard to conceive this fact based on a batting order struggling to locate the ball for a .239 BA while bringing in 4.2 runs per game. While Brandon Philips continues to have an on par year (batting .290 with 40 RBIs), missing Joey Votto to an ear infection has been a huge loss to the entire offensive production. Votto has been red hot, hitting for a .357 BA this year with 33 RBIs.
The Reds’ starter Micah Owings (3-6, 5.10) has been disappointing to say the least. Catching criticism about being a better hitter then pitcher, Owings has been annihilated for 13 runs in the last three outings. An 0-3 record in his last four starts just adds insult to injury here. Where Owings has fallen flat on his face has been right-handed bats tagging on a .364 BA. In his 10 games this year, the righty has been installed as an underdog seven times.
The ‘over’s is 7-2 in Owning’s last nine starts.
Extra Innings
Veteran lefty Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.75) and the Phillies has been listed as $1.20 visiting underdogs. Now that the 250-win mark is in the books, Moyer can continue being scrutinized because of a 1-4 slump in his last five starts. The southpaw has been touched for a .339 BAA, a .356 BAA on the road and has coughed up at least one long ball in nine of his last 10 games. In six of his last starts, opponents have teed off with nine long balls.
Opposite side of the field will have Eric Milton (2.0, 3.14) taking the ball for the Dodgers. In just three starts, Milton has crushed fellow southpaw bats for a .077 BAA. But orthodox bats (right-handers) have been a nightmare as a .326 BAA is indicative of.
L.A.’s starting pitcher, Milton is going to have to combat a Phillies club that’s pulled off six straight wins (five as the favorite), is in the midst of using momentum from a 15-4 record in the last 19 and is playing stiff defense as an 11-3-1 ‘under’ performance in the last 15 demonstrates.
In their last 12 head-to-head meetings, Philadelphia is 9-3 versus going 2-6 in the last eight trips to Los Angeles.
Gametime is set to begin at 10:10 p.m. EDT.
vegasinsider.com
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia (32-20) at L.A. Dodgers (37-19)
The World Series champion Phillies go for their seventh straight victory when they trot out veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.75 ERA), who opposes fellow lefty Eric Milton (2-0, 3.14) as this four-game series continues at Dodger Stadium.
Behind a dominating complete-game effort from Cole Hamels, Philadelphia took Thursday’s series opener 4-0 for its sixth consecutive victory overall (fourth straight on the road). The Phillies lead the major leagues with a 20-6 road record, and they’re are on additional upswings of 56-26 overall, 37-15 on the highway, 17-6 against the N.L. West, 37-16 versus winning teams and 40-19 against left-handers.
The Dodgers are just 3-4 in their last seven games and have been held to two runs or fewer in six of their last eight contests. Despite the recent slump, Los Angeles is still on upticks of 35-17 overall, 40-15 at Dodger Stadium, 21-9 versus southpaw starters, 18-6 against lefties at home, 4-1 against the N.L. East and 8-4 versus winning teams. Also, the Dodgers’ 20-7 home record is the best in the majors, as is their 37-19 overall mark.
These teams have split their four meetings this season, three of which came in Philly, and the Phillies are 10-3 in the last 13 head-to-head battles (playoffs included). However, Philadelphia is still just 3-6 in its last nine games in Hollywood.
Moyer snapped a four-game losing streak and finally picked up his 250th career victory on Sunday against Washington, scattering a run on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts over six innings en route to the 4-2 home triumph. Moyer has a 4.00 ERA over his past three starts after posting a hefty 13.87 ERA in his previous three outings, including a 9-2 home loss to the Dodgers.
Moyer is 2-2 with a 6.64 ERA in four road starts this season. Also, including last month’s 9-2 loss to the Dodgers and a 7-2 setback in Los Angeles in last year’s NLCS, the 46-year-old lefty has faced the Dodgers three times since being traded to Philadelphia in 2007, giving up 23 runs (all earned) in 11 innings (18.82 ERA).
Milton, who hadn’t picked up a victory in the big leagues since May 2007, has earned consecutive wins in his last two outings, beating the Rockies 7-1 and the Cubs 8-2, both on the road. He gave up a combined three runs in 10 1/3 innings in those two contests, walking one and striking out seven.
Tonight marks Milton’s first appearance of the season at Dodger Stadium, but in two previous career starts there, he’s 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA. The former Phillie is 1-2 with a 5.56 ERA in four career starts against his ex-mates.
Philadelphia has won five straight Friday contests behind Moyer, but they’re 4-9 in his last 13 starts against the N.L. West.
Furthermore, the under for Philly is on streaks of 10-2-1 overall, 5-1-1 on the road and 6-0 against left-handers, but the over is 10-5-2 in the Phillies’ last 17 against the N.L. West, 8-2-1 in their last 11 on Friday and 4-1 in Moyer’s last five road outings. For the Dodgers, the “under” is on runs of 6-2 overall and 5-1-1 on Friday. Finally, even though last night’s game stayed well under the total, the over is still 10-3-2 in the last 15 series meetings in Los Angeles.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas (31-21) at Boston (31-22)
The Red Sox return to Fenway Park after a three-city, 10-game road trip, and they’ll turn to Brad Penny (5-1, 5.63) in this series opener against the first-place Rangers and Kevin Millwood (4-4, 3.23).
Boston opened its road swing by losing four of the first six games against the Twins and Blue Jays, but rebounded to win the next four in a row, including a three-game sweep of the Tigers that concluded with Thursday’s 6-3 victory. In addition to their current four-game win streak, the Red Sox are on runs of 81-35 at home, 27-11 when playing on grass, 23-9 in series openers, 52-22 versus right-handed starters and 17-6 against teams with a winning record.
Texas heads north after blowing a 5-1 lead at New York on Thursday and falling 8-6. The Rangers have followed up a three-game win streak by losing three of their last four. Still, they remain on impressive runs of 21-11 overall, 13-7 against right-handed starters, 5-0 on Friday and 10-4 in series openers.
The Red Sox dominated Texas last year, winning nine of 10 head-to-head meetings, and they’ve won eight straight against the Rangers at Fenway Park. Going back further, Boston is 25-9 in the last 34 overall against Texas and 34-9 in the last 43 clashes at Fenway.
Millwood has seven quality starts in his 11 trips to the mound this season, and he gave up two runs on five hits in six innings on Sunday against Oakland, but got a no-decision as the Rangers fell 5-4 at home. Texas has alternated wins and losses in Millwood’s last six outings, but it is 7-23 in Millwood’s last 30 road starts, 4-9 in his last 13 starts against winning teams and 1-4 in his last five on Friday.
On the highway this season, Millwood is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in five starts. The veteran right-hander is also 1-4 with a 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Red Sox (3-1, 3.38 ERA in seven starts at Fenway).
Penny has given up three earned runs or fewer in five of his last six outings, including Saturday at Toronto as he yielded three runs (two earned) on 10 hits in six innings, getting a no-decision in Boston’s 5-3 loss. Penny, who hasn’t completed seven innings in any of his 10 starts this year, has a beefy 6.14 ERA in four starts at Fenway Park, but he’s 3-0 and the Sox won all four games.
Penny’s experience against Texas is limited to two interleague starts in 2003 and 2004 with the Marlins, and he went 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
With Millwood pitching, the Rangers are on a plethora of “under” runs, including 16-5-2 overall, 4-1-1 on the road, 4-0 against A.L. East squads and 15-3-2 when pitching on grass. Conversely, the over is 6-3-1 in Penny’s 10 starts this year (3-0-1 at home).
Texas carries “under” trends of 12-5-1 overall, 9-3-1 on the road, 10-4-1 versus righty starters and 5-2 on Fridays. Similarly, the Red Sox have stayed low in seven of their last nine overall and five of seven at home, and the under is also 4-0-2 in their last six on Friday and 11-4-1 in their last 16 home games following a road trip of seven or more days. On the flip side, four of the last five Rangers-Red Sox clashes at Fenway have topped the total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON and UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Friday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)
When the Angels pounded Justin Verlander for seven runs in five innings earlier this season, the right-hander was searching for answers on the heels of a 17-loss season and a dismal start to 2009.
This time around, the Angels will be facing a pitcher who's performing like the emerging ace he was prior to last year.
Verlander tries to win his seventh straight decision and stop a three-game Detroit losing streak as the Tigers take on the Angels at Comerica Park on Friday night.
Verlander struggled to an 11-17 mark and 4.84 ERA in 2008, and didn't pitch any better early this season. His ERA swelled to 9.00 on April 22, when Detroit beat Los Angeles 12-10 but Verlander allowed the seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
Since then, Verlander (6-2, 3.63 ERA) is 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA in seven starts, striking out 65 in 48 1-3 innings.
He's been so good that his six-inning, three-run performance Saturday at Baltimore was probably his worst outing over that span. He still earned the win in Detroit's 6-3 victory.
"Not the way I would have drawn it up," Verlander said. "It wasn't easy for me out there tonight, but my guys picked me up."
Verlander has yet to have it easy when facing the Angels, as he's 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in four career starts against them.
C.C. Sabathia (New York Yankees)
Sabathia seeks to win his fifth straight decision.
Sabathia improved to 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last five starts Saturday in his return to Cleveland, where he struck out eight and gave up three runs over seven innings in a 10-5 win over the Indians.
"It starts with pitching," Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. "CC had phenomenal stuff. His velocity was up to 98 (mph) with a good changeup."
Carl Pavano (Cleveland Indians)
The White Sox will try to get their bats going against Pavano (5-4, 5.29 ERA), who picked up the win over them on May 11 in a 9-4 victory. Making his first appearance against Chicago since June 16, 2004, Pavano allowed four runs and 10 hits.
Pavano went 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA in seven May starts after going 0-3 with a 9.50 ERA in April.
The right-hander nearly became the first Cleveland pitcher to win six games in a month since Chuck Finley in September 2000. Pavano left Sunday's 5-4 win over the New York Yankees with a 4-2 lead, but the bullpen could not hold the lead after he had yielded three runs and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings.
"I left some balls up and got away with some pitches, but the defense did a great job behind me," Pavano told the Indians' official Web site.
Cleveland (23-33) has won six of Pavano's last seven starts.
Slumping
Tim Redding (New York Mets)
The Mets' Tim Redding (0-2, 9.20 ERA) will face his former team after two poor starts. The right-hander has surrendered 13 runs and 16 hits in 8 2-3 total innings.
He was pulled before getting an out in the fifth inning Saturday after giving up seven runs and eight hits in a 7-3 loss to Florida.
"Even as professionals, there are days when you go out there and you are a little intimidated, because you know you don't have your quality stuff," Redding said. "You're pitching scared in a way, just trying to do the best you can."
Redding went 13-17 with a 4.53 ERA in 48 starts over the last two seasons with Washington.
Francisco Liriano (Minnesota Twins)
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is still trying to figure out if left-hander Francisco Liriano should keep his spot in the Twins' rotation. Liriano (2-7, 6.60) has lasted just four innings in each of his last three starts - all losses. Since getting the win May 9 in a 9-6 victory over Seattle, Liriano is 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA in four starts.
"I'm definitely not ready to send (Liriano) to the minor leagues and I'm not ready to send him to the bullpen right now," Gardenhire said Sunday. "If that ends up being an option, who knows, but I'd really like to see him go back out there and we will see him go back out there the next time."
Ervin Santana (Los Angeles Angels)
Angels right-hander Ervin Santana (0-2, 9.50) started the season on the disabled list with an elbow problem, and after pitching well in his first two starts, has been ineffective in his last two.
In those outings, he's posted a 21.32 ERA as opponents have hit .528 against him.
"I'm just coming back from an injury," Santana told the Angels' official Web site. "I'm throwing 88, 90 (miles per hour). Last year, I was 95 to 97, 98 sometimes - a lot of difference."
Santana has a good history versus Detroit, winning all three of his starts against the Tigers last year with a 2.38 ERA.