Sunday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Ricky Nolasco (14-8, 4.22 ERA), Florida Marlins
Nolasco is proving to be a solid No. 2 behind Josh Johnson in Florida’s rotation. The former fourth round pick shows first-round talent every time he takes the bump.
The Marlins are 8-2 in his last 10 starts, during which time he’s struck out 79 batters and walked just 12. He’s only pitched six innings in each of his last two appearances but he left both games with the opposition held scoreless.
Dallas Braden (8-8, 3.44 ERA), Oakland Athletics
Braden has already reached his single game, pitching pinnacle but he’s working hard to prove he’s not a one-hit wonder.
He battled through some adversity following his perfect game early this season and has really come on at the tail end of the campaign.
He’s 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA over his last six starts and the A’s are 5-1 during that stretch.
Slumping
Manny Parra (3-9, 5.36 ERA), Milwaukee Brewers
There isn’t much good a pitcher like Manny Parra can do for a staff. You’d think the one thing he could do to help out his team is eat up some innings.
Brewers manager Ken Macha would love for that to happen but Parra averages way too many pitches per inning to give the bullpen any type of relief.
Parra has pitched six innings or more just once in his last 10 starts. Oh yeah, Milwaukee is 2-8 over that period.
Sunday MLB Tips
By Kevin Rogers
The Sunday baseball card concludes with three games involving clubs looking not to get knocked off in big spots. The NL Central-leading Reds finish off their weekend set at Chavez Ravine against the Dodgers, while the Angels try to beat the Twins at Target Field. We'll start in Oakland as the A's look to pull a déjà vu performance against Tampa Bay.
Rays at Athletics - 4:05 PM EST
There's little question that Tampa Bay will return to the playoffs in October, while Oakland will miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. However, the A's have had the Rays number at the Oakland Coliseum, winning six of the last seven meetings dating back to last season.
There have been few highlights this season for Oakland lefty Dallas Braden (8-8, 3.44 ERA), but the biggest one by far was the perfect game he tossed against Tampa Bay on May 9. Braden didn't win another start until July 25, a span of 10 outings, but the A's have been on fire recently with the southpaw. Oakland owns a 5-1 record in Braden's last six starts since he was activated from the disabled list right after the All-Star Break. The competition hasn't been a cakewalk either, as the A's faced the White Sox twice, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rangers in this stretch.
Out of the five no-hitters/perfect games thrown this season, the Rays have been involved in three of them. Tampa Bay finally turned the trick after getting no-hit twice when Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Tigers on July 26. Garza went into a similar post-no-no funk like Braden, except his slump lasted only three starts. The Tampa Bay righty shut down the dynamic Rangers' lineup in a 10-1 blowout last Tuesday, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out 10. Garza is 1-2 in three career starts against the A's, while losing in his only appearance at the Coliseum last April.
Oakland grabbed the first two meetings of this series in similar fashion, rallying from early deficits to win by one run apiece. The A's own a solid 19-4 record at home during day games this season, while riding a nine-game winning streak in this situation.
Reds at Dodgers - 4:10 PM EST
Cincinnati exorcised its demons in Los Angeles on Friday night, ending a 12-game losing streak at Chavez Ravine with a 3-1 victory. The Reds have gathered themselves after getting swept by the Cardinals, racking up seven straight wins to reclaim the lead atop the NL Central. The Dodgers are running on fumes, as Los Angeles will likely miss the playoffs for the first time in Joe Torre's three-year regime as manager.
The Reds turn to veteran Bronson Arroyo (13-7, 3.87 ERA) to win the series finale, as the right-hander is coming off a win in his last start at Arizona. Cincinnati continues to dominate in Arroyo's road starts, compiling a 10-3 record in his highway outings, including seven straight quality starts. Arroyo has turned into an 'under' machine, cashing in seven of his previous eight outings. Winning at Dodger Stadium has not been something Arroyo has done in his career, owning an 0-4 mark in four starts.
Clayton Kershaw (11-7, 3.03 ERA) snapped a three-start winless streak with a 6-0 victory over the Rockies last Tuesday. Amazingly, the Dodgers are 2-5 in Kershaw's seven starts since the All-Star Break, including losses to the Giants twice, Phillies, and Cardinals. The southpaw has dominated during the day, owning a 5-1 mark and ERA of 1.79 under the sun. The Reds haven't been able to figure out Kershaw, as the left-hander has struck out 18 and allowed three earned runs in two wins over Cincinnati in two tries.
The Reds have cleaned up on the road recently, winning 11 of their last 12 away from the Great American Ballpark. Runs have come at a premium for the Dodgers, plating two runs or less seven times in the last 10 games, resulting in seven 'unders.'
Angels at Twins - 8:10 PM EST
The Sunday card wraps up at Target Field, as Los Angeles concludes its abysmal six-road trip against red-hot Minnesota. The Twins have surged past the White Sox in the AL Central to take a 4 ½-game advantage in the division. Minnesota has helped its cause with a 16-5 mark against the AL West, while Los Angeles is struggling to reach the .500 plateau.
Scott Baker (10-9, 4.85 ERA) hasn't put up the greatest numbers recently, but the Twins are winning when the righty takes the mound. Minnesota is 5-0 in his last five starts, despite only two of those outings being quality ones. Baker was the beneficiary of solid offensive performances from the Twins in a pair of wins over the White Sox to help extend their lead in the division over the past week. The right-hander hasn't seen the same fortune against the Angels, as Minnesota is 1-7 in his eight career starts, with only one outing coming at home.
The Halos send out ace Jered Weaver (11-8, 3.05 ERA), who tries to bounce back from an awful effort at Boston in Tuesday's 6-0 setback. The league leader in strikeouts (186) hasn't fared well away from Southern California, owning an ERA of 4.40 ERA and 6-6 mark on the road. The consistent trend to take from Weaver since the start of July is the 9-0-1 'under' run, as the Angels tallied two runs or less seven times in this stretch. The tall righty beat the Twins on Opening Day, scattering five hits and three earned runs in six innings of a 6-3 triumph.
The Halos are just 2-6 in the final game of a road trip this season, while owning a 6-18 mark on the highway since June 20. The Twins are riding a 10-1 run at home, as Minnesota is 22-6 over the last month of action.
vegasinsider.com
Sunday Night Baseball: Angels at Twins
By Marc Lawrence
The Angels and Twins conclude their three-game series Sunday night at the new Target Field in Minnesota on ESPN.
TRIPLE THREAT
The first-place Twins’ attack is spearheaded behind All-Star performers C Joe Mauer, 1B Justin Morneau and LF Delmon Young. As a unit, the terrific trio is averaging .331 with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs for the season.
With Morneau still on the DL while dealing with symptoms from a concussion he suffered July 7 in Toronto, contributions from Mauer and Young are crucial at this point of the campaign for Minnesota.
Amazingly, before he homered here Wednesday against the White Sox, Mauer belonged to a small group of players who’d had at least 150 at-bats and a .300 average but no big flies in their home park.
Morneau took batting practice with his teammates on Tuesday prior to the team's game against the White Sox. He hit a few home runs to right field.
"We're just letting him do his thing," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has had a number of good days. When he goes out on the field and he tells us he's ready, that's when we'll start talking. We're just letting him do his thing, that's all."
Entering this series, the Twins were 15-5 against the AL West, and they captured three of four games from the Angels in the season-opening series in Anaheim. Their next seven games are against Texas and Seattle.
PUT ME IN COACH
During a series at Toronto in early July, Michael Cuddyer played right field, third base and first base. He played first in the series finale because Morneau was out with a concussion, and Cuddyer hasn't played right field or third base since.
Cuddyer has been there all season to fill in for a teammate who gets hurt, or weary, the backup for almost all positions – as he’s doing now with Morneau still residing on the DL.
Most important, he wants to play every day.
"That's what I'm here to do," he said.
And he's been doing it well, with just four errors in 117 games at four positions: center, right, first and third. He also was hitting .342 with seven RBIs in the 10 games before Thursday's loss to Chicago.
"I told him, 'If you ever feel it, Cuddy, you come and tell me,'" Gardenhire said. "He's doing just fine. He wants to play; he loves it."
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
After watching the Angels appear lifeless, OF Tori Hunter knew exactly what he had to do. He couldn't stand what he was seeing from his team.
The veteran, who played for the Twins from 1998-2007, initiated a players-only meeting before Thursday’s 7-2 win over Boston in which they snapped a three-game losing streak.
"I thought it was time to call a meeting."
"I couldn't sleep at night," Hunter said. "The way we were playing, we were down every night. The last five games we were dead, no energy. Guys would strike out and just go sit on the bench. It was sad."
Veteran OF Bobby Abreu joined Hunter in leading the attempt to snap the Angels out of their funk.
"We can play better than we are now, so we had a little chat to find ways to start winning some games," Abreu said. "It was good that we talked. Everybody understands what we are looking for.
"We still have a lot of games left. One inning, one play, one pitch can turn a game around."
The result of the closed-door session was apparent.
"We had a little more energy, a little more bounce in our step," Hunter said. "There's music playing, cracking jokes in the dugout. That's what you've got to get back to: having fun."
The meeting gave the Halos a renewed "sense of purpose," said manager Mike Scioscia.
"I think there are a lot of different things that can come out of a players-only meeting," Scioscia said. "One thing is for guys to understand there's a lot of baseball left and how important it is for us to bring our game onto the field and win or lose with that.
"We have some powerful voices in that clubhouse, and I'm sure that's part of the message that was delivered."
BON JOURNO
Rookie CF Peter Bourjos is struggling at the plate but is leaving quite an impression in the field.
Bourjos laid down a bunt single against the Red Sox on Thursday to snap an 0-for-16 slump. Bourjos entered the weekend hitting .133 (6-for-45).
"I felt like I was watching a young Torii out there. I was, like, 'Wow. This is what it looked like?' Only now I'm seeing it live in real time," commented Angel outfielder Hunter.
Hunter has switched to right field with Bourjos attempting to take over the center field position.
RIGHT ON
A battle of promising right-handers will meet at the Target Center tonight when the Angels send Jered Weaver (11-8, 3.11) up against Scott Baker (10-9, 4.85) and the Twins.
Baker enters tonight’s fray 5-0 with a 3.77 ERA in his last five-team starts. He is also 15-5 in his last 20 home-team starts, including 8-4 here in the Target Center.
The Twins have captured seven wins in a row behind Baker during the month of August, including six in a row at home.
However, Baker has struggled against the Angels, going 1-7 with a 5.82 ERA in eight career team-starts.
Weaver is 5-2 with a 3.65 ERA in seven career team-starts against Minnesota.
The Angels have dropped four of Weaver’s last five starts during the month of August, while he’s posted a 5.64 ERA in those efforts.
Tips and Trends
Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
BLUE JAYS: Toronto continues to be one of the most underrated teams in baseball. Playing in the toughest division in baseball hasn't stopped the Blue Jays to have a winning record of 64-58 SU this year. Toronto is +12.16 and +24.33 units both SU and on the RL respectively this year, proving just how underrated they really are. Pitcher Shaun Marcum will make the road start today, as he is 11-6 with an ERA of 3.69 and a WHIP of 1.16 this season. The Blue Jays are 4-1 in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record. Toronto is 7-3 in their last 10 games as an underdog. The Blue Jays are 5-1 in Marcum's last 6 Sunday starts. Toronto is 4-1 in Marcum's last 5 starts with 5 days of rest. The Blue Jays are 9-3 in Marcum's last 12 starts as a road underdog. Toronto is 12-5 in Marcum's last 17 starts on grass. The Blue Jays are 0-4 in Marcum's last 4 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.
Blue Jays are 13-3 last 16 games against the American League East.
Over is 7-3 last 10 games overall.
Key Injuries - 3B Edwin Encarnacion (wrist) is questionable.
Projected Score: 3
RED SOX: (-150, O/U 8.5) Boston continues to hang tough in the American League East, despite several key injuries to their star players. Boston is getting by with their pitching, as their pitching staff has been near dominant of late. Boston is 70-54 SU this season, including 37-25 SU at home. The Red Sox are -0.80 and -2.46 units both SU and on the RL this year. P Clay Buchholz will make the home start today, as he is 14-5 with an ERA of 2.36 and a WHIP of 1.19 this year. The Red Sox are 1-4 in their last 5 Sunday games. Boston is 4-0 in Buchholz's last 4 home starts against a team with a winning record. The Red Sox are 7-0 in Buchholz's last 7 starts as a home favorite. Boston is 4-0 in Buchholz's last 4 starts against the American League East. The Red Sox are 6-0 in Buchholz's last 6 home starts overall. Boston is 6-1 in Buchholz's last 7 Sunday starts. The Red Sox are 21-6 in Buchholz's last 27 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.
Red Sox are 0-5 last 5 games during game 3 of a series.
Over is 6-2 last 8 games against a team with a winning record.
Key Injuries - CF Mike Cameron (abdominal) is out.
Projected Score: 5 (SIDE of the Day)