Saturday at the Park
By Kevin Rogers
As we wrap up the final weekend of Interleague Play (until October), several solid afternoon matchups highlight the card. The Braves battle the Red Sox in Atlanta, while the Windy City battle continues from the South Side, as the Chicago showdown leads off this edition of Tip Sheet.
Cubs at White Sox - 4:05 PM EST
The Cubbies have found new ways to win and lose games over the last week. First, Lou Piniella's team rallied late in three straight victories over the White Sox and Indians at home, before picking up a conventional start-to-finish win over Cleveland last Sunday. Heading to the Motor City could not keep Chicago's momentum going, as the Cubs dropped all three games by a combined four runs to the Tigers.
The White Sox, meanwhile, have picked up their offense, against the Dodgers no less. The Pale Hose scored 16 runs in the final two games versus Los Angeles, both victories. Despite the recent outburst, the White Sox have gone 'under' the total in 20 of 24 games this season at home against right-handed starters, facing Ryan Dempster Saturday afternoon.
The Cubs are a sad 1-8 in Dempster's nine road starts, but even more tragic, is Dempster's run support numbers away from Wrigley Field. The Cubs are averaging 2.67 runs/game in the nine away starts made by Dempster, while the North Siders have been outscored by over two runs a contest in this nine-game span. Dempster has delivered four straight quality starts, but the Cubs have provided just five runs in those contests.
On the flip-side, White Sox ace Mark Buehrle is a solid 7-2 this season, owning an ERA of 3.17. The Sox have finished 'under' the total in six of Buehrle's eight home outings, and ten of his 14 starts overall. Buehrle has been one of the best pitchers in Interleague play, as the Sox are 18-6 in the lefty's last 24 starts against the National League.
The Cubs have won nine of the past 14 meetings with the White Sox, as the two teams split the two earlier matchups at Wrigley Field last week.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has the White Sox listed as $1.25 favorites with the total set at 8.5.
Red Sox at Braves - 4:05 PM EST
After seeing fireballer Josh Beckett on Friday night, the Braves will see a huge change Saturday afternoon, as knuckleballer Tim Wakefield takes the hill for the Red Sox. Boston has claimed four of its five Interleague series this season, after downing Washington two of three times earlier this week. Atlanta, on the flip side, has lost three of its four series against the American League, including dropping two of three at Fenway Park last weekend.
Wakefield's numbers in Interleague have been superb, with the Sox winning 14 of the veteran's last 18 starts against the Senior Circuit. Wakefield has won nine of his 12 starts this season, despite an ERA of 4.47 and WHIP of 1.41. It does help that the powerful Red Sox lineup provides Wakefield with nearly seven runs a contest in his 14 outings. Wakefield has also thrived during the day, winning all four of his decisions under the sun this season (Boston is 5-0 in Wakefield's day starts).
Javier Vazquez, meanwhile, has been dealt some bad cards in his first season with the Braves. The veteran right-hander picked up his first win in his last six starts against the Cubs on Monday, pitching 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball in a 2-0 victory. The Braves have tallied only 10 runs in Vazquez's last six trips to the mound, despite Vazquez delivering four quality starts in that span.
The Braves are a $1.35 home favorites, with the total listed at 8.5, according to LVSC.
Angels at Diamondbacks - 4:10 PM EST
It's taken Mike Scioscia's team until nearly July to reach the top of the AL West standings, as the Angels battle the disappointing Diamondbacks. The Rangers have been leading the division for the duration of the season, but the Halos have slowly returned to healthy form, as John Lackey takes the mound this afternoon.
Lackey missed the first seven weeks of the season with shoulder problems, but the Angels right-hander has failed to regain his ace form that he is accustomed to. Lackey has delivered three quality starts in seven trips to the mound this season (including the two-pitch effort in his season debut against the Rangers). Lackey has gone deep into games recently, pitching into the seventh inning or later in six of his last seven starts. Interleague play has been kind to Lackey, as the Halos have won 18 of Lackey's 25 career starts against the NL. The 'under' has also been consistent in Lackey's IL outings, hitting in 17 of 22 games.
Doug Davis may have the best ERA numbers for an eight-loss pitcher in baseball. The veteran southpaw owns an ERA of 3.34, despite a 3-8 record, and 4-11 team record in Davis' 15 starts. Davis has won just one of six home starts, while the D-Backs have scored three runs or less in five of his eight trips to the hill at Chase Field.
The Angels have won nine of their last eleven on the road against left-handed starting pitchers, but have faced right-handed starters in seven of their last eight games heading into Saturday's action.
Lackey and the Angels are road 'chalk' for the second straight game against the D-Backs, at $1.25. LVSC lists the total at 9, as the temperatures are expected to reach the 100's in Phoenix on Saturday.
Looking ahead to Saturday night's action:
Marlins righty Chris Volstad has been money on the road in his short career. Volstad, despite losing to the Red Sox in his last road start, has won nine of his 13 career away outings as the Fish take on the Rays at Tropicana Field. The 'under' has also been reliable in Volstad's road ventures, cashing in nine times.
The Subway Series continues from Citi Field, as A.J. Burnett tries to beat the Mets for the second time in two weeks after tossing seven scoreless innings in a 15-0 victory. Problem is for Burnett, the Yankees can't win when the righty pitches on the road, dropping four of his last five starts away from the Bronx. Six of Burnett's last nine starts have finished 'under' the total, while the Yanks have surprisingly scored three runs or less six times in this stretch.
As the countdown continues for the return of Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers lineup, L.A. will have a nice test Saturday night, facing Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. King Felix has been lights out recently, as the M's have won five of his last six starts. Hernandez has allowed five earned runs in this span, while pitching into the seventh or later in each outing. Seattle is 7-2 in its last nine Interleague games heading into Friday's action, boosting the M's over .500 on the season.
VegasInsider.com
San Francisco (39-33) at Milwaukee (39-34)
The Brewers will try to make it two in a row over the Giants when they send Seth McClung (3-1, 3.24 ERA) to the mound opposite southpaw Barry Zito (4-7, 4.54) at Miller Park in Milwaukee for the second game of this three-game set.
Milwaukee won Friday night’s opener 5-1 behind the four-hit pitching of Yovani Gallardo. These two teams have split four games this season, but the Brewers have won eight of the last 10 overall and 15 of the last 18 played in Milwaukee.
The Brewers are still in slumps of 2-5 in their last seven and 6-11 in their last 17. They are also on slides of 3-7 at Miller Park and 2-5 against the N.L. West, but they have won 18 of 26 against opponents with a winning record and 13 of 16 at home against teams with a winning mark. San Francisco is on slides of 13-31 on the road against teams with a winning home record and 11-27 against the N.L. Central, however the Giants have won five of their last seven overall.
Zito is 2-1 in his last three games, but his ERA is a whopping 7.47. He was solid in his last outing, giving up two runs on two hits over seven innings of a 3-2 win against the Rangers at home. The Giants have won three of his last four outings, including his last road start in Arizona when he allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings of a 6-4 win. The Giants are just 1-15 in his last 16 starts against N.L. Central teams.
Zito has struggled against the Brewers, losing three of his four career outings, including all three in Milwaukee. He’s allowed 21 runs in 14 1/3 innings of work at Miller Park since 2007.
McClung hasn’t made a start since September of last year. The reliever last pitched on Tuesday, throwing one inning and allowing one hit against the Twins. He started 12 games in 2008, going 6-6 with a 4.02 ERA.
With Zito on the hill, the Giants have stayed under the total in eight of his last nine Saturday starts, and overall, they are on “under” streaks of 9-3-1 on the road, 5-1 overall and 6-2-2 on Saturdays. With McClung on the mound for Milwaukee, the Brewers are on “under” runs of 5-1 at home, 9-2-1 overall and 5-0 as a favorite. As a team, Milwaukee is on “over” streaks of 4-0 against left-handed starters and 8-3 overall.
Finally, in this rivalry, the over is on streaks of 10-3-2 in Milwaukee and 21-8-2 in the last 31 meetings overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MILWAUKEE
N.Y. Yankees (41-32) at N.Y. Mets (37-35)
The Yankees are looking for their fourth straight win today as they send A.J. Burnett (5-4, 4.24 ERA) to the mound to face Mets’ starter Tim Redding (1-2, 6.08) in Game 2 of this version of the Subway Series from Citi Field.
The Yankees pounded the Mets in Friday’s opener, winning 9-1, and getting homers from Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner to go along with three-hit pitching from C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees have taken three of four from their crosstown rivals this season and outscored the Mets 24-1 in the last two games and 35-15 in the four contests.
The Yankees are 24-11 in their last 35 as a favorite, but they are on slides of 3-7 on Saturdays, 2-7 on the road against right-handed starters and 2-4 on the highway against teams with winning records. The Mets are just 1-5 in their last six against the American League and 2-6 against A.L. squads with winning records, but they are 11-6 in their last 17 at home against right-handed starters.
Burnett comes in having lost two of his last three decisions but sporting a solid 2.25 ERA in those three games. He’s given up just two runs on nine hits over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts. On the highway he’s allowed just seven runs in his last three outings, covering 15 innings. He faced the Mets on June 14 and was outstanding, holding them scoreless on four hits over seven innings of a 15-0 shellacking. The Yankees are 4-1 in Burnett’s last five starts as a favorite but just 1-4 in his last five on the highway.
Redding is 1-0 in his last three starts with a 5.12 ERA. He gave up four runs on five hits in seven innings of a 6-4 win over the Cardinals on Monday. However, the Mets are just 2-5 in his seven starts this season and just 1-4 in his last five starts as an underdog.
With Burnett on the hill, the Yankees have stayed under the total in six of his last nine. As a team, the Yankees are on several “under” runs, including 14-6 in interleague action, 7-4-1 on the highway and 13-6 against the N.L. East. The Mets are on “under runs of 4-1 on Saturday, 5-2 in interleague home games and 5-1-1 in the second game of a series. In this rivalry, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings on the Mets’ home field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Saturday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)
King Felix has given up fewer earned runs this month (four) than most people have fingers on their hand.
Hernandez (7-3, 2.74 ERA) has rebounded from a dreadful May to be nearly flawless this month. In four starts, he has lasted 30 1-3 innings, going at least seven strong each time out. During that span, he has allowed just 21 hits and struck out 26 batters against 11 walks. Good luck Dodgers.
"You could always tell he was going to be good," Mariners catcher Jamie Burke told the Associated Press. "But he is starting to mature and you can see it in his pitching. He doesn't seem like he's 23."
Jeremy Guthrie (Baltimore Orioles)
Guthrie (5-7, 5.09 ERA) has struggled to look the part of an ace for much of the season. But since lasting just 2-3 of an inning on June 5 in Oakland, in which he gave up six earned runs on seven hits, he's giving his best performances of the season.
The right-hander allowed just one earned run over seven innings in his last start, a 2-1 win at Philadelphia. That effort came on the heels of two straight quality starts following the disaster in Oakland.
Guthrie’s key to a win against the Nationals is getting outs early. He has allowed 28 runs in the first two innings this season, but just 27 from the third inning on.
Slumping
Jorge De La Rosa (Colorado Rockies)
Don’t be fooled by the hard-throwing left-hander’s 3-1 record this month.
De La Rosa (3-7, 5.85 ERA) hasn’t made it out of the sixth inning in each of his past two starts, combining to go just eight innings while yielding 11 earned runs on 18 hits. He did strike out 10 batters over that span, but also walked four and allowed three home runs.
It’s hard to expect a hurler owned in a meager 3.3 percent of ESPN’s fantasy leagues to stifle Oakland’s offense.
Homer Bailey (Cincinnati Reds)
It will be a victory for Bailey against the Indians if he doesn’t live up to his first name.
In his lone start of the season on May 23, Bailey went just 4 1-3 innings, yielding six earned runs and walking six. Since that disaster, he was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, where he has compiled a 4-0 record with an 0.47 ERA in his past five starts before being recalled this week.
But playing well in Triple-A and a quarter will get you a cup of coffee and little else, especially against a lineup as potent as Cleveland’s. And the team that shelled him and sent him to the minors last month? Yup, that was the Indians.
MLB Weekend Top 10
By Bodog.com
Whatever you do, don’t win that 10th game. It’s cursed.
As we mentioned last week, Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was the first pitcher in the majors to win 10 games this year. Halladay promptly went on the DL with a strained groin. Minnesota Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey picked up his 10th victory on Friday against the Houston Astros; according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his next start has been pushed back two days to Saturday because of “soreness in his right side.” Zack Greinke, you’ve been warned.
Top 10 paying teams
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (47-25, 20.00 units)
2. Boston Red Sox (44-27 SU, 10.02 units)
3. Texas Rangers (38-32 SU, 7.68 units)
4. Detroit Tigers (40-31, 7.05 units)
5. Los Angeles Angels (38-32 SU, 6.97 units)
6. San Francisco Giants (39-32 SU, 6.52 units)
7. Toronto Blue Jays (40-33 SU, 4.84 units)
8. Milwaukee Brewers (38-33 SU, 4.39 units)
9. Colorado Rockies (37-35, 3.78 units)
10. Florida Marlins (37-36 SU, 3.02 units)
Top 10 paying pitchers
1. Matt Palmer, L.A. Angels (8-2 team record, 9.30 units)
2. Josh Johnson, Florida (12-3, 8.89 units)
3. Tim Wakefield, Boston (11-3, 7.98 units)
4. Matt Cain, San Francisco (11-3, 7.19 units)
5. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay (10-4, 6.60 units)
6. Jason Marquis, Colorado (10-5, 6.35 units)
7. Vicente Padilla, Texas (9-4, 6.04 units)
8. Kevin Slowey, Minnesota (10-4, 5.95 units)
9. Eric Stults, L.A. Dodgers (7-2, 5.85 units)
10. Rick Porcello, Detroit (10-4, 5.84 units)
This weekend's top 10 storylines
1. Rays 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) leaves game, listed as day-to-day
2. CC Sabathia expects to start Friday for Yankees after strong bullpen session
3. Phillies to activate closer Brad Lidge
4. Reds shut down righty Edinson Volquez, will re-examine his elbow next week
5. Florida puts closer Matt Lindstrom on DL with elbow sprain
6. Royals OF Coco Crisp out for season with torn labrum
7. Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar (shoulder) back on DL
8. Yankees OF Johnny Damon (calf) returns to lineup
9. Scott Kazmir on verge of rejoining Rays rotation
10. Marlins reliever Leo Nunez leaves game with right ankle sprain
This weekend's top 10 games to bet on
1. Sunday: N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets (8:05 p.m. Eastern, ESPN)
The Subway Series terminates at Citi Field on Sunday Night Baseball. Chien-Ming Wang (1-6 team record, -6.84 units) is still in the rotation for New York.
2. Saturday: Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox (4:05 p.m., FOX)
Mark Buehrle (10-4, 4.60 units) has the under at 10-4 in his 14 starts for the Pale Hose. Ryan Dempster (5-10, -6.89 units) has pitched five straight quality starts (and five straight unders), the Cubs losing the last four.
3. Sunday: Boston at Atlanta (1:30 p.m., TBS)
A reprise of last week’s TBS broadcast, this time at Turner Field. The legend of rookie Tommy Hanson (4-0, 4.00 units) grows with every win for the Braves.
4. Friday: San Francisco at Milwaukee (8:05 p.m.)
Matt Cain takes the mound for the Giants in search of deadly win No. 10. The Brewers have lost six of their last seven at home.
5. Saturday: L.A. Angels at Arizona (4:10 p.m., FOX)
John Lackey (3-5, -3.21 units) has pitched at least seven innings in five of his last six starts, but the Halos are just 2-4 in that span.
6. Friday: Colorado at Oakland (10:05 p.m.)
The Rockies have dropped two in a row after winning 17 of their previous 18. The A’s are sending money-shredding rookie Brett Anderson (4-9, -4.27 units) to the hill; the over is 9-4 in his starts.
7. Saturday: Seattle at L.A. Dodgers (10:10 p.m.)
Felix Hernandez (10-5, 3.77 units) has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, Seattle winning five. Eric Milton (3-1, 2.83 units) has done the same in each of his four starts for the Dodgers, although none went into the sixth inning.
8. Sunday: Kansas City at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m.)
The aforementioned Zack Greinke (9-6, -0.03 units) makes his potentially lethal next start against Pittsburgh punching bag Ian Snell (4-11, -6.30 units).
9. Friday: Cincinnati at Cleveland (7:05 p.m.)
The Battle of Ohio should have betting value as a matchup of two “small-market” clubs. Cleveland is 14.10 units in the hole at 30-43; Cincinnati (34-36) is above ground for now at 0.52 units.
10. Saturday: Philadelphia at Toronto (1:07 p.m.)
Young Brad Mills makes his second career start for the Jays. He gave up four runs in 3.2 innings to the Phillies in his debut, which Toronto won anyway 8-7.
MLB Weekend Cheat Sheet
Marc Lawrence
The final round of Interleague play for the 2009 season concludes this weekend and the MLB CHEAT SHEET is here to guide you through.
This week we key in on four intra-state rivalries, all of who will be meeting for the second time this season.
Keep in mind that all pitcher records are ‘team starts' unless noted otherwise. Good luck this weekend…
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
Most Recent Series Result: White Sox 5-1 last six games vs. Cubs (1-1 this year)
Most Recent Series Result: at the Site: White Sox 3-0 last three home games vs. White Sox
Key Day/Month Stat: Cubs 14-6 on Sundays; White Sox 0-4 home on Sundays
Best Arm in the Series: Cubs' Lilly 8-2 5.94 ERA career team starts vs. White Sox; Zambrano 2-0 3.33 ERA last two away vs. White Sox
Worst Arm in the Series: White Sox' Buerhle 1-4 5.27 ERA last four starts vs. Cubs
Florida Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays
Most Recent Series Result: Rays 9-2 last eleven games vs. Marlins (2-1 this year)
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Marlins 4-2 last six games away vs. Rays
Key Day/Month Stat: Rays 16-2 home on Fridays; Marlins 1-5 on Fridays
Best Arm in the Series: Rays' Sonnanstine 4-0 3.09 ERA career team starts vs. Marlins; Garza 2-0 1.13 ERA career team starts vs. Marlins
Worst Arm in the Series: Marlins' Johnson 0-1 1.37 ERA away career start vs. Rays
Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Indians
Most Recent Series Result: Reds 8-2 last ten games vs. Indians (2-1 this year)
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Indians 10-6 last sixteen home games vs. Reds
Key Day/Month Stat: Indians 5-1 home on Sundays; Reds 1-7 on Sundays
Best Arm in the Series: Reds' Cueto 3-0 2.33 ERA career team starts vs. Indians
Worst Arm in the Series: Indians' Sowers 0-2 9.00 ERA home career team starts vs. Reds; Indians' Pavano 0-2 13.10 ERA career team starts vs. Reds
New York Yankees at New York Mets
Most Recent Series Result: Yankees 4-2 last six games vs. Mets (2-1 this year)
Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Yankees 3-1 last four away games vs. Mets
Key Day/Month Stat: Mets 9-1 on Fridays (5-0 home)
Best Arm in the Series: Yankees' Pettite 6-3 2.63 ERA last nine away team starts vs. Mets
Worst Arm in the Series: Mets' Maine 0-2 16.50 ERA career team starts vs. Mets
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, June 27
Minnesota at St. Louis (1:10 EDT). Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey (10-2) goes for his major league-leading 11th victory against the Cardinals, who have lost three straight.
STARS
Friday
-Andre Ethier, Dodgers, had his first three-homer game and drove in a career-high six runs to lead Los Angeles to an 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
-Josh Beckett, Red Sox, pitched seven scoreless innings in Boston's 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. He also threw a five-hit shutout at Fenway Park last week against the Braves.
-Brett Gardner, Yankees, had a career-high five hits, including his third homer of the season and a triple, in a 9-1 rout of the Mets.
-B.J. Upton, Rays, had two hits, stole a base and drove in three runs with a double that snapped an eighth-inning tie and helped Tampa Bay beat the Florida Marlins 7-3.
-Geovany Soto, Cubs, hit a tiebreaking three-run homer to help Chicago beat the White Sox 5-4, a day after it was revealed he tested positive for marijuana at the World Baseball Classic.
-Ricky Romero, Blue Jays, held Philadelphia hitless for six innings as Toronto topped the Phillies 6-1. Romero allowed two hits in seven shutout innings.
-Glen Perkins, Twins, worked seven innings of four-hit ball in 92-degree heat as Minnesota beat the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 3-1.
STATS
Tampa Bay is close to becoming the first team in major league history to have 100 steals and 100 homers before the All-Star break. The Rays swiped three bases Friday night in a 7-3 win over Florida, giving them a baseball-best 114. They've also hit 98 homers. ... Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco hit home runs in Detroit's 5-4 loss at Houston, giving the Tigers homers in 10 consecutive games, their longest stretch in almost two years. ... Oakland is the only team in the majors without a complete game pitched. The A's are also gone 143 consecutive games without a starting pitcher lasting eight innings, the longest streak in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki had his sixth straight multihit game, giving him a major league-leading 34 this season.
MILESTONE
Alex Rodriguez hit his 564th home run in the New York Yankees' 9-1 win over the Mets on Friday night to pass Reggie Jackson for 11th place on the career list.
BRAVE DOMINANCE
Boston's Josh Beckett (9-3) has faced Atlanta twice in the past seven days and still hasn't given up a run after beating the Braves 4-1 on Friday night. He threw a five-hit, no-walk shutout at Fenway Park last weekend. This time, he allowed six hits, struck out six and didn't walk anyone before turning it over to the bullpen. In his past seven starts against Atlanta, Beckett is 6-0 with a 0.38 ERA.
STREAK STOPPER
Miguel Tejada had a double and drove in two runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-4 victory over Detroit on Friday night, ending the Tigers' seven-game winning streak.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Tony Gwynn Jr. hit the first home run of his career in the San Diego Padres' 12-2 loss at Texas on Friday night. The homer was the first in his 161 career games, 31 with the Padres, and came 12 years to the day after his father, Tony Gwynn, hit an inside-the-park grand slam for San Diego.
FUN & GAMES
Milton Bradley attacked the cooler in the dugout after he flied out in the top of the sixth inning of the Chicago Cubs' 5-4 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday night, leading to an angry exchange in the tunnel with manager Lou Piniella, who told him to get dressed and go home.
OOPS
The New York Yankees took advantage of three errors by Mets infielders that led to a four-run second inning in a 9-1 win Friday. Third baseman David Wright, shortstop Alex Cora and first baseman Nick Evans contributed to the Mets' first three-error inning in five years.
COMING UP ACES
Yovani Gallardo (8-4) provided a big lift to a team that had lost five of its previous six games and is missing two starters by outdueling San Francisco's Matt Cain in a 5-1 victory Friday night. After giving up a first-inning home run to Pablo Sandoval, Gallardo settled down to retire 16 Giants in a row between the second and seventh innings. He gave up one runs and four hits in 7 2-3 innings.
HUNTING THE A.L.
Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer to cap an eight-run second inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Diamondbacks 12-3 on Friday night and improved to a major league-best 12-4 in interleague play with only two games against Arizona remaining.
GOING LONG
Cleveland's Jeremy Sowers pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this season, carrying a one-hitter into the seventh as the Indians beat Cincinnati 9-2 on Friday night. He allowed two runs and six hits in his longest outing since Sept. 9, when he went eight in a win at Baltimore.
FIRSTS
Pittsburgh's Virgil Vasquez made his first major league start in 22 months and went six innings for his first big league win as the Pirates beat Kansas City 5-3 on Friday night. The 27-year-old right-hander, recalled by the Pirates after Thursday's game to make his first start since Aug. 31, 2007, allowed two runs and four hits while striking out seven.
SHOWING UP
A crowd of 45,024 - the biggest at Camden Yards since opening day - watched the Baltimore Orioles rout the Washington Nationals 11-1 on Friday night in an interleague matchup between last-place clubs. ... The New York Mets drew their second straight sellout, a Citi Field record crowd of 41,278, in their 9-1 loss to the Yankees. After selling out the opener, the Mets fell short for 34 consecutive games before a discount-assisted full house Thursday afternoon against St. Louis.
BUSTED
Kansas City Royals pitcher Sidney Ponson tested positive for a stimulant during the World Baseball Classic and was banned from international competition for two years. Major League Baseball will not suspend Ponson. Under the drug rules, he will be treated as a first-time offender and is subject to a medical review and fine.
SIDELINED
Toronto catcher Rod Barajas injured his right hamstring in the second inning of the Blue Jays' 6-1 win over Philadelphia on Friday night, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game. ... Atlanta outfielder Nate McLouth was day to day after leaving the Braves' 4-1 loss to Boston in the eighth inning. He strained his left hamstring running to first base.
SPEAKING
"This has been a common occurrence and I've looked the other way a lot and I'm tired. I'm not into discipline, I'm really not. I'm going to put his name in the lineup tomorrow and that's it.'' - Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who sent outfielder Milton Bradley home Friday. The two got into an argument after Bradley attacked the cooler in the dugout after he flied out in the top of the sixth inning of a 5-4 win over the White Sox.
KC @ Pittsburgh Preview
By Marco D'Angelo
Pat Maholm has been a train wreck recently as his ERA over his last 3 starts is 6.88 however he has a ERA at home this year of 1.84. Which Maholm will show up today my guess is the struggling one. Bruce Chen makes his first start since August of 2006. I expect him to be pumped up today and pitch a good game. Given the high price today I wanted to pull the trigger on Kansas City as a huge dog but just not enough to support a Premium Play but if your playing the game I would recommend Kansas City.