Sunday Night Baseball
By Lee Kostroski
After the Cubs vs. White Sox on two consecutive Sundays and Yankees vs. Red Sox last week, the Sunday night game lacks some luster this weekend. The Rockies and Mets square off on Sunday night on ESPN. While this game won’t have the national luster as the big time rivalries we mentioned above, it will still be interesting how two underachieving teams respond heading into the All Star break.
Both teams had high hopes coming into the 2008 season, however each has been a disappointment to date. Colorado is coming off a World Series appearance however prior to Saturday’s game, the Rockies have the third worst record in the National League at 39-55. The Mets blew a big lead in the N.L. East over the last few weeks of the 2007 season and were left out of the playoffs. This year, they fully expected to win the N.L. East and currently sit in second place tied with Florida just 1.5 games behind the Phillies entering tonight’s action.
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On the bump for the Rockies Sunday night will be lefty Mark Redman who is 2-4 on the year with a 7.07 ERA. Opposing teams have hit Redman very well this year as both lefties and righties are hitting over .295 against him this season. Redman didn't pitch a bad game in Milwaukee his last time out as he managed to keep the game within reach for the Rockies. He allowed four runs on five hits over five innings of work, walking just one. Redman allowed three of his four earned runs in the first inning, but then settled down to allow just one over the next four. But Redman was up against new Brewers lefty CC Sabathia, who debuted for the Brew-Crew allowing just three runs. The Colorado bullpen didn’t help Redman when they gave up 3-runs in the 7th. Redman has pitched pretty well against other N.L. East teams though with two no decisions against Philly and Florida in which he allowed just 6 earned runs on 12 hits in 11 innings of work. One of his wins this season came against Atlanta 12-6 when he pitched 5 innings, allowing only 2 earned runs.
The Mets will counter with Michael Pelfrey who is 7-6 on the season with a respectable 3.93 ERA. Pelfrey hit a milestone in his last start, as he didn't walk a single batter in seven shutout innings vs. the Giants. The 6-foot-7 righty has been mixing in both a two- and four-seam fastball to complement his heavy sinker. Pelfrey got a lot of work in his last start as he threw 113 pitches (73 for strikes) which has Mets manager Jerry Manuel concerned for Sunday’s start. Manuel was quoted as saying “Pelfrey will most likely not be allowed to exceed 100 pitches in his next start”, which is this game against the Rockies. In his last outing against Colorado on June 22, Pelfrey also didn't allow a run but lasted only 5 2/3 innings. He'll come into this game having won his last five starts.
Heading into Saturday night the Mets had won seven straight games with their last two wins coming via some late heroics. Overall for the season the Mets are 26-18 in the Big Apple with a team ERA of 3.50. The Rockies played a series in Milwaukee and are now in New York with this game being their seventh straight away from home. Prior to Saturday the Rockies had won just two of their last five away and are just 14-34 when away from Coors Field.
Sunday’s streaking and slumping pitchers
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Streaking
Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (7-6, 3.93)
The Mets are on a roll and Pelfrey is partially responsible for their success. The lanky right-hander is 3-0 with a solid 2.37 ERA in his last three outings and is undefeated in his last eight overall.
Pelfrey has rattled off six straight victories, including a three-hit shutout Tuesday against the Giants. He is also 3-4 with a 2.68 ERA in New York.
The Mets are 4-0 in Pelfrey’s last four against the NL West and 23-6 in their last 29 home tilts against the Rockies.
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers (6-9, 4.24)
Verlander is turning around what seemed to be a very disappointing campaign. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his last three starts and has not surrendered more than two earned runs in each of his last seven outings.
The third-year pitcher, loser of seven of his first nine, has lost just two of his last 10 contests. Verlander is also 4-4 with a decent 3.80 ERA in the Motor City.
Detroit is 20-8 in their last 28 overall and 20-7 in its last 27 at Tigers Stadium.
Slumping
Jeremy Sowers, Cleveland Indians (0-5, 7.81)
Sowers has lost 10 consecutive starts dating back to 2007. He has surrendered 14 earned runs in his last two starts and has a lofty 9.77 ERA in his last three starts.
The left-hander is 0-3 with a 2.04 WHIP in his last three overall and is 0-1 at Progressive Field. He has also conceded at least one HR in each of his last seven outings.
The Tribe is 0-5 in Sowers’ last five starts in the Forest City and is 1-4 in Sowers’ last five starts against the AL East.
Ian Snell, Pittsburgh Pirates (3-7, 5.84)
Snell, 0-1 in his last three starts, has been tossing trash all season. He is coming off a respectable outing last week against Houston, but has conceded more than 20 hits in his last three, surrendering 12 earned runs in just 11 IP.
Snell has relinquished four earned runs or more in four of his last seven starts, including a four-inning and seven ER setback to the White Sox.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 in its last five contests as an underdog and is 18-47 in its last 65 meetings with the Cardinals in the Steel City. The Pirates are also 2-6 in Snells’ last eight overall.
Sunday's best MLB bets
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Atlanta at San Diego (-115, 7 1/2)
The Atlanta Braves know they'll need a more consistent offense if they hope to make a run at an NL East title.
The Braves will be trying to enter the All-Star break on a high note Sunday when they wrap up a three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Atlanta (44-50) won for just the fourth time in 13 games on Saturday, beating the Padres (37-57) 4-1. Jeff Francoeur, sent down to Double-A Mississippi on July 4th and recalled three days later, hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning with the bases loaded.
"I've felt very relaxed these last four games I've been up here," said Francoeur, who is batting a disappointing .234. "I've had a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun when you do stuff like that. If I have a few more games like that, things will start to turn around."
The Braves have scored 26 runs in their last four wins, but have managed one or none in each of their last five losses. Atlanta has scored at least four runs in all but five of its 44 wins this season.
In order to get their offense in gear, the Braves will have to get Chipper Jones going. Jones leads the majors with a .378 batting average, but it has dropped from .393 on July 1, when he returned after missing eight straight starts with a strained right quadriceps.
Jones went 3-for-4 on Saturday after going 1-for-14 in his previous four games. The Braves went 1-3 in that four-game span, scoring one total run in the three losses.
Jones is 15-for-43 (.349) with five doubles, three homers and eight walks all-time against Randy Wolf (6-8, 4.38 ERA), who starts the finale for the Padres.
Wolf snapped a four-start losing streak on Tuesday, allowing one run in seven innings of 10-1 win over Florida. The left-hander, who recently called himself "the worst pitcher in baseball," gave up 20 runs in 17 1-3 innings during the losing streak.
Pick: Braves
L.A. Angels at Oakland (-125, 7)
In order to take the series and increase its lead in the division, Los Angeles will have to get by Duchscherer (10-5, 1.78 ERA), the major league leader in earned run average.
The A's lone All-Star representative is coming off the best outing during his first full season as a starter after allowing two hits in a 2-0 win over Seattle on Tuesday for his first career complete game.
"He was in complete control of the strike zone,'' Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "Everything about it was efficient. He's always had innings and stretches of linking innings together where he was like that but he never really got in any trouble.''
After Rich Harden was traded to the Chicago Cubs earlier this week, Duchscherer - 7-2 with a 1.34 ERA since starting 3-3 - assumes the role of ace for a starting staff that leads the majors with a 3.42 ERA.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA against Los Angeles as a starter and allowed six runs - one earned - with six strikeouts in five innings of a 15-8 road win over the Angels on May 1.
Pick: Athletics
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Sunday, July 13
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EDT). A couple of All-Stars meet when Joe Saunders of the Angels takes on Justin Duchscherer of the A's.
STARS
Saturday
-Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks, helped secure his 290th victory with a two-run double to start an eight-run fourth inning, and Arizona beat Philadelphia 10-4.
-Jason Michaels, Pirates, hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, the Pirates' third big homer in three innings, and Pittsburgh rallied from six runs down in the eighth to beat the Cardinals 12-11.
-Edinson Volquez, Reds, struck out 10 in seven sharp innings for his 12th win as Cincinnati topped Milwaukee 8-2.
-David DeJesus, Royals, hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth and Kansas City rallied to beat Seattle 5-4. His game-ending homer was the first by a Royals player since April 19, 2005.
-Ryan Garko, Indians, hit a homer and drove in five runs in Cleveland's 8-4 win over Tampa Bay.
-Paul Konerko, White Sox, was 4-for-4 with a homer in Chicago's 9-7 win over Texas.
SAD PASSING
Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62.
The Yankees said Murcer died Saturday due to complications from a malignant brain tumor. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said.
STRONG DEBUT
Rich Harden left his Cubs debut to a standing ovation with Chicago ahead by seven runs. The game, however, was far from over. Harden struck out 10 for the Cubs, who gave up two runs in the eighth and then blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning before beating the San Francisco Giants 8-7 Saturday on Reed Johnson's single in the 11th.
SWING AND A MISS
Jack Cust struck out in his 19th consecutive game, setting an Oakland record for non-pitchers. He's fanned 114 times to date, one short of the AL mark for most strikeouts before the All-Star break. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard leads the majors with 128 strikeouts.
SENIOR STEAL
Greg Maddux became the oldest pitcher in big league history to steal a base at 42 years and 89 days when he stole a base in San Diego's loss to Atlanta on Saturday. Jim Kaat had the previous mark. It was Maddux's 11th stolen base of his career.
SIDELINED
Mets right-hander Pedro Martinez left his start against the Colorado Rockies after the fourth inning Saturday with tightness in his right shoulder, though the injury is not considered serious.
"There's no question he'll make his next start,'' New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "Any time those guys do something out of the ordinary, we try to be proactive.''
MILESTONE
Mark Grudzielanek became the 251st player in major league history to reach 2,000 hits when he singled in the third inning. He is the sixth player to reach the milestone in a Royal uniform. The others were George Brett, Amos Otis, Hal McRae, Frank White and Lee May. Grudzielanek's first hit was May 4, 1995, a double off Mike Remlinger of the New York Mets.
MOVE OVER MICK
Alex Rodriguez hit his 537th home run to move him past Mickey Mantle, a beloved Yankees great, and into sole possession of 13th place. A-Rod drove a 3-2 pitch from left-hander Brian Tallet off the left-field foul pole to begin the fourth inning, his 19th of the season. It was Rodriguez's 192nd home run with the Yankees, tying Tino Martinez for 15th place on the franchise list.
BRING ON THE A'S
Ervin Santana got the win in the Angels' 4-1 win over Oakland on Saturday, improving to 9-1 against the A's, including wins in his last five decisions against them. He's 35-32 against the rest of baseball.
SPEAKING
"One of the greatest Yankees of all-time,'' Alex Rodriguez added. "One of the greatest human beings I ever met.'' - Alex Rodriguez on Bobby Murcer.
Sunday MLB Research
By IndianCowboy
Nothing more irritating than 18 frames of baseball to be played in the regular 9 innings, to see 14 with no score, 1 out no one on in the bottom 9th with a total of 7 runs scored, sitting on 8.5 runs as the total, to see a 2 run shot to total 9 runs. grr...
Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland
Kaz comes off a loss on the road to the Yanks but did pitch well with a 3.6 ERA in that ballgame, he hits the road here to face Cleveland who has drilled the Drays in the last 3 games suprisingly as coming back home has done wonders for this team, Sowers has been horrible of late having lost his last 4 starts and had a 24 and 9 ERA in his last 2 starts and this is the game where if Sowers wants to continue to stay in the lineup he has to pitch well today, as this is the same team that sent Cliff Lee back to the Minors when he wasn't pitching well and now look how well Lee has pitched throughout this year. I don't trust Tampa bay, but he is pitching for his major league starting rotation spot here so likely will stay away just on that although tampa bay looks to avoid the sweep as well.
Minny vs. Detroit
Blackburn comes off back to back solid starts although he didn't win at Boston in his last start, and barely lost to Jon Lester, he pitched a gem against Detroit at home in his last time out against the Tigers going 7 strong and giving up just 3 hits and 0 runs, Verlander has pitched 7 straight quality starts, but he has lost to the Twins both times this year, the Twins are hot but Verlander has the edge in pitching here as the Tigers also have revenge as they are 1-1 against Blackburn who has a 4.7 era on the road, but the Twins are the better team right now consistently as they are winning ballgames late, no thanks.
Yankees vs. Bluejays
Pettitte is 6-2 with a 3.45 ERA on the road and he has had 3 starts including his last one, where he didn't yield a single run, as he went 8 inns against TB at home and gave up just 4 hits, Burnett has struggled in back to back starts giving up 19 hits in less than 13 innings, he did show up against the Yankees in his last start on the road and won outright as a dog beating Mussina 5-2. Lean on the Yanks here as they also have a bit of revenge on Burnett as well from the earlier loss at home - Keep in mind: The Yanks only have 3 more wins than the bluejays this year.
Baltimore vs. Boston
Cabreray has struggled on the road of late, giving up 23 runs in his last 5 starts, he had a rough start against Boston in his last start for over a 10 ERA, and Dice-K has pitched 3 straight quality starts and has given up just 1 run over his last 3 starts and is 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA, what else can be said besides the usual lean on the redsox run-line here as they cashed on this easily against Liz and the Rangers yesterday. Cabrera did pitch 2 gems against Boston this year but both were at home. Cabrera has also been averaging over a hit per inning on the road.
Seattle vs. KC
Silva is still 1-6 over his last 7 starts but bounced-back nicely in his last start at Oakland despite losing 0-2, Davies has had a rough go of it in his last 4 starts, and the White Sox hit him for 9 hits before the 6th inning even started, given how Seattle lost yesterday and Silva is looking to come back after his loss he should pitch a decent game today, but then again, Silva hasn't pitched back to back quality starts all year. This is a game that would make sense going over but one of these guys could end up showing up as well, too many variables.
White Sox vs. Texas
White Sox have won 54 games which many do not realize as compared to last year's dismal season this season has turned out to be far better, Contreras has been horrible over his last 4 starts including giving up 10 hits on the road at KC but still managing to help the whitesox win the game, and give Matt Harisson some credit for pitching very well in his first major league start at home against the Angels which is always a tough feat, heck, he gave up just 5 hits in 7 inns and 2 runs beating Saunders 3-2 as a +115 dog. Contreras has given up 33 hits in his last 15 innings on the road, lean on the rangers here especially since they lost 7-9 yesterday to danks.
Angels vs. A's
Duch, going to the all-start game did win his last start but fail to cover the run-line as the big chalk favorite at home against Silva, Mosely went just 2 innings against Oakland in his last appearance against them and gave up 7 hits, he has struggled this season overall, Duch has pitched 7 straight consecutive starts and beat the Angels on the road this year with a 1.8 ERA and given that Oakland comes off losing 1-4 yesterday, I can see Oak town likely pulling the run-line here today.