Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, April 25
Philadelphia at Florida (7:10 p.m.) Jimmy Rollins and the World Series champion Phillies try and gain ground on Hanley Ramirez and the NL East-leading Marlins.
STARS
Wednesday
— Grady Sizemore, Indians, hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning and Cleveland beat Kansas City 5-2.
— Dave Bush, Brewers, held Philadelphia hitless for 7 1-3 innings in Milwaukee’s 6-1 victory.
— Albert Pujols, Cardinals, homered twice as St. Louis beat the New York Mets 12-8 to complete a three-game sweep.
— Joey Votto, Reds, homered, doubled twice and singled to match a career high for hits in Cincinnati’s 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
— Chad Billingsley, Dodgers, pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning, leading Los Angeles to a 2-0 win over Houston.
— Felix Hernandez, Mariners, allowed four hits over seven innings in Seattle’s 1-0 victory against Tampa Bay.
LEADOFF HOMER
Ichiro Suzuki lined James Shields’ second pitch of the game for a home run, the only run of Seattle’s 1-0 victory over the Rays. It was the 22nd time a leadoff homer was the deciding run in a game, and it was just the second time it happened for the Mariners. Greg Briley’s shot provided the lone run June 19, 1992, against Minnesota.
DANGER ZONE
Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels left the game against the Milwaukee Brewers after being struck in the shoulder by a line drive in the fourth inning. One pitch after giving up a two-run homer to Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder laced an infield single that hit Hamels in the front of his left shoulder. Trainers immediately tended to Hamels, who left the game with what the team called a left shoulder contusion.
TURNAROUND
The Orioles’ Adam Eaton allowed six hits, struck out nine and walked none in 7 1-3 innings of a 6-2 win over the White Sox. The right-hander left with runners at the corners in the eighth, and Jim Thome ruined the shutout bid with a two-out, two-run single off Jim Johnson. Signed in March after being released by Philadelphia, Eaton had an 11.25 ERA in his first two starts with the Orioles and failed to last more than four innings.
SEARCHING STARTER
Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang threw 70 of 91 pitches for strikes over seven innings in an extended spring training game. Wang, who is 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA, was sent to the Yankees’ minor league complex to work on pitching consistency. He allowed five runs—four earned—nine hits and struck out 11 against Phillies minor leaguers. The right-hander has not been told if he will make his next start in the majors or the minors.
BACK TO THE BENCH
After playing one game at far less than full speed, Milton Bradley is back on the Chicago Cubs’ bench, nursing a lingering groin injury. He had only one hit in the season’s first week before sustaining the groin injury April 12 at Milwaukee. After going hitless in two pinch-hitting appearances, he returned to right field Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
SIDELINED
The Toronto Blue Jays put closer B.J. Ryan and starter Ricky Romero on the 15-day disabled list. The two left-handers joined four Toronto righties on the DL. Ryan was put on the DL with soreness between his shoulder and back, one day after he blew his second save chance of the season. Romero was put on the DL with a strained muscle in his right side, retroactive to April 20. … The Rangers put reliever Willie Eyre on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right groin. They recalled Luis Mendoza from the minors to take Eyre’s spot.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
St. Louis beat the Mets 12-8 en route to sweeping New York in a three-game series at home for the first time since Aug. 6-8, 2004.
OFFENSIVE HELP
Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang finally got some run support in a 7-1 victory over the Cubs. The Reds had scored one, two and zero runs in his first three starts
SPEAKING
“A couple of years ago I was stuck in Double-A and I was throwing well, but I was never getting a shot. I thought I’d retire and go into horticulture, which was my major. But my wife said, ‘No, stick with it. I feel that this is going to be your year.’ I got to Triple-A and did very well. The big leagues came after that, and everything just kind of rolled from there.”—Angels starter Matt Palmer after he got his first big league victory, a 10-5 win over Detroit.
ATLANTA vs. CINCINNATI
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
WASHINGTON vs. NY METS
Washington is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing NY Mets
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
TAMPA BAY vs. OAKLAND
Tampa Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
Oakland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Oakland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
CHI CUBS vs. ST. LOUIS
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY YANKEES vs. BOSTON
NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
MILWAUKEE vs. HOUSTON
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Milwaukee is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
TEXAS vs. BALTIMORE
Texas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Texas is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Baltimore is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
Baltimore is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Texas
TORONTO vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Toronto is 9-1 SU in their last 10 games when playing Chi White Sox
Toronto is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home
Chi White Sox are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games when playing Toronto
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
Detroit is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games on the road
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Detroit
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
PHILADELPHIA vs. FLORIDA
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Florida is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
MINNESOTA vs. CLEVELAND
Minnesota is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
Cleveland is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
LA DODGERS vs. COLORADO
LA Dodgers are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games
LA Dodgers are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing LA Dodgers
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Arizona is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
Arizona is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
SEATTLE vs. LA ANGELS
Seattle is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
Seattle is 6-15 SU in their last 21 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
LA Angels are 15-6 SU in their last 21 games when playing Seattle
PITTSBURGH vs. SAN DIEGO
Pittsburgh is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
San Diego is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Tips and Trends
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Yankees: A.J. Burnett looks to improve to 6-0 in his career against the Red Sox. The veteran right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA in eight career starts versus Boston. He's been even better at Fenway Park, winning all three starts at the hitter-friendly ballpark while posting a 0.40 ERA. The Yankees have won all three of Burnett's starts this season, as he has pitched into the sixth inning each time. Five players who will likely start for New York are hitting .290 or better against Josh Beckett -- Derek Jeter (.294), Melky Cabrera (.300), Robinson Cano (.333), Jorge Posada (.304) and Nick Swisher (4-for-9).
The Yankees are 12-4 in their last 16 vs. a team with a winning record.
The Yankees are 11-5 in their last 16 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - 3B Alex Rodriguez (hip) is on the 15-day DL.
3B Cody Ransom (hamstring) is OUT.
OF Xavier Nady (elbow) is on the 15-day DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (Side Play of the Day)
Red Sox (-145, O/U 9): Boston brings an eight-game winning streak into this one. The Red Sox are batting .329 with 52 runs through seven games of their nine-game homestand. Josh Beckett went 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in four outings versus New York in 2008, improving to 7-4 with a 5.33 ERA in 12 career starts. The Red Sox are 1-5 in Beckett's last 6 home starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Red Sox are also 0-4 in Beckett's last 4 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance. Going into last night's game, Boston's bullpen owned an impressive 1.65 ERA and 0.91 WHIP at home.
The Over is 10-2 in the Red Sox's last 12 overall.
The Red Sox are 8-0 in their last 8 games as a favorite.
Key Injuries - SS Jed Lowrie (wrist) is on the 15-day DL.
SS Julio Lugo (knee) is on the 15-day DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: 3
American League Research
By Indiancowboy
Yankees vs. Redsox
These two hooked up last night and the big Yuk dog got it done and kept the game Under as well. Thanks bearded man. Burnett is 2-0 with a 3.2era this year, bear in mind he has made quality starts in all 3 of his Yankee starts and the Yanks have one all 3 of these games as well. He has become the Ace of this team, which I think takes the pressure off CC a bit and this team has Pettitte has their third stud followed by Joba - solid. Beckett comes off a 6-4 win over Baltimore where he picked up the win, Beckett is 7-4 with a 5.33era against the Yanks as he comes off a 5 game suspension for his scuffle and bench clearing situation with Bobby Abreu. Burnett is a great dog today as he is 5-0 with a 2.56 era against the Sox (Yanks off a bounce-back loss as well) , no offense to Beckett, but I've always thought that Burnett had better stuff and now he is behind a decent offense, he can potentially put up 20 wins this season imo.
Toronto vs. Chicago
I wrote about getting Over a BJ in Toronto. Actually I just wanted to have the term BJ in there but what I was referring to is that the Overs are happening with regularity when Toronto hits the highway. I was on the Over yesterday in fact as a Pod and 13 runs were scored. The Jays are for real. Burres makes his first start today though and you know the Whitesox are ticked at the beating they took down yesterday. Buehrle has been solid for the Sox going 2-0 with a 3era. Burres has not looked good at all this year as he pitches for an injured Ricky Romero, he had a 6.97era in just over 10 inns in Triple A. Buehrle has been consistently dominant against Toronto as he is 4-3 with a 2.66era against the Jays and more impressively, last year he was 1-1 with a 0.59era against them.
Minnesota vs. Cleveland
Minnesota won 5-1 against Cleveland yesterday, Slowey is 2-0 with a 5.89era but after 2 rough starts against Toronto and Seattle at home, he was brilliant against the Angels giving up just 6 hits in 7 inns and 2 earned runs at home. He looks to duplicate that in his first road start. Although Pavano is 0-2 with a 9.69era, he pitched his extremely well against his former team in the Yanks giving up just 1 earned run in 6 innings. The line is high for a reason as Slowey is likely to have a let down and I don't know if Pavano has back to back quality starts in him as he did well against the Yankees as that was his former team, but prior to that, he has been getting shelled. Slowey is 1-2 with a 5.48era against Cleveland.
Texas vs. Baltimore
Tejas wisn 5-4 and cashed as a +123 dog yesterday as they are 7-9 and still doing well for the Over 73.5 wins I have them currently for the season. The Os send Hendrickson on the mound today who looks to have some success after losing 1-12 to the Redsox, but in his defense, he gave up 3 earned runs in 5 inns. Feldman has been getting shelled throughout the year as he has over a 12era, and I would not be a bit surprised to see this high total of 11 go over today as this game should be a slugfest. Feldman makes his start in place of Kris Benson who has landed on the 15 day DL. Hendrickson struggled against the Rangers in his last start this year, but I expect him to have a much better outing today. A lean on the Os here.
Detroit vs. KC
Detroit lost 1-6 to KC yesterday and although has the 6th best offense in the majors, is 20th in the league in ERA. Miner started against the Whitesox recently and got lit up so he is technically on a bounce-back today. In Miner's defense, the weather was atrocious in Chicago and as some reports indicate he had trouble gripping the ball which is the reason why he struggled. Davies is 1-0 with a 2.89era as he continues to pitch well and with consistency. He is from Decatur, Ga a place I'm very familiar with and was a hometown kid for the Braves that is finally seasoning with the KC organization. He, along with Meche, Greinke are a solid core for this Royal team. The Royals are 9-7 and they have a shot at the Division but do need to make a trade sometime soon to get a decent 4th hurler - the Reds seem to have plenty of young blood on staff as do the As and the Royals I think should make them an offer.
Seattle vs. L.A. Angels
Seattle won 8-3 at LA yesterday and are now 11-6 on the year to the Angels 6-10. Silva had a non-quality start against Detroit in his last start at home so I expect him to bounceback today; Ortega makes his first start today. Ortega was the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008, he has the ability to pitch well but after throwing for Venezuela in the Winter he has not had his best stuff this year (he was 5-0 last year) but he looks to turn it around in this start. Scocia showed faith in Palmer as well who had a similar era of late but came through for them in a good start, and he is trying that again today with Ortega.