Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Thursday, May 21
Cleveland at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EDT). Royals ace Zack Greinke (7-1, 0.60 ERA) will try to match the league-lead with his eighth victory. He beat Cleveland in his shortest outing of the season on April 13, lasting only five innings.
STARS
Wednesday
-Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, hit his second three-run homer of the game in the 13th inning to help Arizona beat Florida 13-9 for a split in a doubleheader overshadowed by the death of Diamondbacks pitcher Scott Schoeneweis' wife.
-Jermaine Dye, White Sox, hit a grand slam to cap a seven-run fourth inning and lead Chicago to a 7-4 victory over the Twins.
-Dan Uggla, Marlins, homered and drove in four runs to help Florida beat Arizona 8-6 in the first game of a doubleheader.
-Aaron Harang, Reds, gave up one run and struck out nine in Cincinnati's 5-1 win over Phillies.
-Chris Carpenter, Cardinals, returned to St. Louis' rotation with five scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory over the rival Cubs.
-Robinson Cano, Yankees, Cano had three hits, including a homer, and three RBIs in New York's 11-4 victory over Baltimore.
-Yunel Escobar, Braves, hit a three-run homer in a nine-run fourth inning and Atlanta beat the Rockies 12-4.
SO THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT
David Ortiz's record homerless streak is over. The Red Sox designated hitter hit a two-run homer to straightaway center in the fifth inning against Toronto, his first home run in 149 at-bats - the longest drought of his career - including 135 this season.
SAD DAY
The wife of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Scott Schoeneweis was found dead at her home. Police said the cause of death hasn't been determined. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said deputies found the body of 39-year-old Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis on the floor of the master bedroom in the family's suburban home shortly after noon. A team spokesman said Schoeneweis had left the team, which was playing a doubleheader in Florida on Wednesday night, and was returning to Phoenix.
1, 2, 3 INNING
The Texas Rangers turned a triple play in the fourth inning of a 5-3 loss to Detroit. The Tigers had runners on first and second, and they took off on Matt Harrison's 0-1 pitch to Gerald Laird. Laird hit a line drive to second baseman Ian Kinsler, who flipped to shortstop Elvis Andrus to double Brandon Inge off second. Andrus then took a couple steps to tag Ryan Raburn, who had stopped just short of the base. It was Texas' first triple play since 2002 and the first against Detroit since 2006.
CRAZY 8s
Boston center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury tied a major league record with 12 putouts by an outfielder in a nine-inning game, previously done by Earl Clark of the Boston Braves in 1929 and Lyman Bostock of the Minnesota Twins in 1977, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He accomplished the feat in the Red Sox's 8-3 win over Toronto.
HOMER, HOMER, HOMER
Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera hit consecutive home runs for the New York Yankees in an 11-4 victory over Baltimore. All three solo shots to right field came in the second inning off Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie - with two strikes. It was the 11th time the Yankees have hit three straight homers. Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui were the last to accomplish the feat on June 21, 2005, against Tampa Bay.
OOPS
Houston's Kaz Matsui was out without batting in the first inning of the Astros' game with Milwaukee after the team presented an incorrect lineup card to umpire Eric Cooper. The official batting order submitted by the Astros before the game had Matsui batting first, but Michael Bourn led off instead. Manager Cecil Cooper said before the game that Bourn would lead off and Matsui would bat second, a flip-flop from Tuesday's order. Bourn singled to right off Yovani Gallardo, but the hit was nullified when Brewers manager Ken Macha showed the umpires the mistake. Matsui was called out while he was still in the on-deck circle and Bourn batted again, drawing a walk. Lance Berkman doubled to right-center to drive in Bourn and give Houston a 1-0 lead.
SHARP IN RETURN
Chris Carpenter gave up three hits in five innings of St. Louis' 2-1 win over Chicago while throwing 67 pitches in his first outing since he strained a left ribcage muscle April 14 at Arizona. Carpenter has not allowed a run in 15 innings over three starts. He's 8-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cubs, and 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in six starts against them at home.
SPOTLESS
San Diego's Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth inning of the Padres' 2-1 win over San Francisco for his 11th save in as many chances. He has thrown 17 scoreless innings to start the season, making him one of two qualifying relievers posting a 0.00 ERA. Texas' Frank Francisco is the other.
BELEAGURED BULLPEN
The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the bullpen of the Washington Nationals for the third straight night, scoring on a wild pitch from Joel Hanrahan in the ninth inning for a 2-1 victory. The Nationals relief corps has a record of 1-15.
FIRSTS
Oakland's Brett Anderson pitched into the seventh inning for his first major league win, a 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay. ... Baltimore's Nolan Reimold hit his first homer in the majors, off New York's Mariano Rivera in an 11-4 loss. ... Wandy Rodriguez gave up his first homer since August 2008, a span of 15 starts and 88 1-3 innings. Mike Cameron's drive ended the longest homer-less streak for an Astros pitcher since 1989-90, when Juan Agosto went 91 2-3 innings without giving up one. ... Dodgers rookie Brent Leach got his first major league win, retiring both batters he faced in the eighth inning of a 2-1 win over the Mets.
SPEAKING
"I'm usually ready for a team to turn an inning-ending double play, but I didn't even think about them doing that.'' - Detroit's Justin Verlander on the Rangers' triple play in the fourth inning of Detroit's 5-3 win Wednesday night.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago Cubs (21-17) at St. Louis (23-17)
The Cardinals go for a three-game sweep of the hated Cubs at Busch Stadium tonight, with Adam Wainwright (3-2, 3.83) slated to toe the rubber for the home team against Chicago southpaw Sean Marshall (2-2, 4.02).
The Cardinals have posted wins of 3-0 and 2-1 to begin this series, holding the Cubs to a total of just nine hits. The back-to-back wins for St. Louis come after a 4-10 slump, including a 2-7 rut against N.L. Central rivals. Tony LaRussa’s squad is now 20-7 in its last 27 as a home chalk, 6-1 in its last seven against lefty starters and it has won eight consecutive Thursday contests.
The Cubs have followed up a five-game winning streak with three straight defeats, and they’re 1-4 in their last five road games, all within the N.L. Central. Chicago has also lost eight of its last nine as an underdog, five of its last seven on Thursday and eight of their last 10 against teams with a winning record.
This is the third series of the year between these hated rivals, with the Redbirds now holding a 5-3 lead, including winning four of the last five battles, all in St. Louis. The host is 6-1 in the last seven clashes.
Marshall came out of the bullpen on Sunday in a 4-4 game against the Astros and got the final out in the top of the ninth inning, then earned the victory when the Cubs scored in the bottom of the ninth. In his last start on May 10, Marshall earned a 4-2 victory at Milwaukee, allowing two runs in five innings. That snapped Chicago’s eight-game losing skid in games started by Marshall. Still, the Cubs have lost 17 of Marshall’s last 22 starts overall, including four of his last five on the road and five of his last six on Thursday.
With the win at Milwaukee, Marshall improved to 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA in four appearances (two starts) on the road this season, with the one defeat coming in an 8-2 loss at St. Louis on April 25. In fact, Marshall faced the Cardinals in consecutive starts last month, giving up a combined six runs in 11 innings, with Chicago losing both games. For his career, he’s 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 11 appearances (seven starts) against St. Louis.
Wainwright was a tough-luck 1-0 loser on Sunday against the Brewers, allowing the single run on two hits in a complete-game, eight-inning effort at home, which came on the heels of two poor outings (11 earned runs allowed in 12 innings against the Phillies and Reds). The right-hander is now 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA in five home starts.
Despite Sunday’s setback, with Wainwright on the bump, the Cardinals still enjoy positive runs of 19-7 overall, 16-5 at home, 16-6 as a favorite and 4-0 against Chicago. That includes two wins eight days apart last month – 7-4 in Chicago against Marshall and 4-3 at home – even though Wainwright allowed a combined seven runs (five earned) in 13 innings. He’s just 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA all-time against the Cubs (17 appearances, eight starts).
The over is 11-4-2 in Wainwright’s last 17 starts overall, 8-2-1 in his last 11 against N.L. Central rivals and 4-1-1 in Marshall’s last six starts. However, with Marshall starting, the Cubs are on “under” streaks of 13-3-1 on the road, 7-1-1 versus the N.L. Central and 4-1-1 when he faces the Redbirds.
The under is 7-1-1 in the last nine series battles at Busch Stadium, including 3-1-1 this season. For Chicago, the over is still on streaks of 6-3-1 on the road, 35-17-1 on Thursday and 11-6-1 as a road underdog. Conversely, the Cardinals carry “under” trends of 6-2 overall (all against the N.L. Central) and 50-22-1 on Thursday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ST. LOUIS
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto (27-16) at Boston (24-16)
For the second straight day, the Blue Jays send a rookie pitcher to the Fenway Park mound, with Robert Ray (1-1, 3.60) squaring off against lefty Jon Lester (2-4, 6.51), who will try to pitch the Red Sox to a three-game sweep of this series between A.L. East rivals.
One night after edging Toronto 2-1, Boston pounded out an 8-3 victory Wednesday. The two wins come on the heels of a 1-4 slump, and last night’s offensive outburst ended a string of nine straight games in which the Red Sox failed to score more than five runs. The Sox carry positive trends of 79-33 at home, 18-7 as a favorite, 37-14 on Thursday and 6-1 in divisional contests.
The Blue Jays have dropped two in a row after arriving in Boston on a 12-5 surge. Toronto is 12-5 in its last 17 Thursday games but just 5-8 in its last 13 roadies and 1-6 in its last seven as an underdog. Cito Gaston’s crew had surrendered three runs or fewer in eight of nine games, including last six in a row, prior to Wednesday’s blowout loss..
Boston is now 6-1 in the last seven clashes with Toronto dating to last season.
Ray threw a gem against the White Sox on Sunday, allowing just one unearned run on three hits over eight innings, with the Blue Jays scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth to give the right-hander a 2-1 victory, his first in the big leagues. However, in his first road start, Ray got rocked for six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings at the Angels, losing 6-1. Ray, who is making his fourth major-league start tonight, is facing Boston for the first time.
Lester, who got off to a slow start in April before turning things around in leading the Sox to four straight wins, is in a funk once again. He’s given up 13 runs (all earned) on 18 hits over his last two starts totaling just 10 innings (11.70 ERA), losing 14-5 at home to Tampa Bay and 5-4 at Seattle on Saturday. With the eight-run, 4 1/3-inning outing against the Rays, Lester is now 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA in four home starts.
Despite Lester’s recent struggles, Boston is still 39-19 in his last 58 starts overall, 22-5 in his last 27 at home (all as a favorite) and 20-9 in his last 29 against the A.L. East. In five starts against Toronto, the southpaw is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA, but 1-0 with 0.56 ERA in two games at Fenway (both Red Sox victories)..
Toronto is on “under” stretches of 4-2 on the road, 5-2 against A.L. East rivals and 4-1 as an underdog. Boston is 6-2-1 “under” in its last nine overall (4-1-1 “under” in the last six), 5-1 “under” in Lester’s last six Thursday outings and 2-0 in Lester’s two home starts against Toronto. Finally, the under is 4-2 in the last six meetings between these clubs and 7-4 in the last 11 clashes at Fenway Park.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Thursday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals)
Greinke looks to match the major league lead with his eighth win as the Royals try for their third in four games Thursday when they close a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City (21-19) is over .500 through 40 games for the first time since 2003 thanks in large part to the success of Greinke (7-1, 0.60 ERA). The right-hander's ERA is less than half the next-best mark in baseball, and Greinke also ranks near the top of the majors in strikeouts (65) and opponents' batting average (.189).
Though he's only appeared in eight games, the 25-year-old Greinke is getting a lot of the credit for the team's overall success so far.
"It creates such a positive environment, and everybody thrives," general manager Dayton Moore told the team's official Web site. "There's no doubt it permeates throughout the organization."
Greinke's dominance continued Friday, when he sat through a 2 1/2-hour rain delay before holding Baltimore to one run and six hits while striking out six in seven innings of an 8-1 victory. He improved to 5-0 with a 0.73 ERA in five home starts and extended his streak without giving up a home run to 88 innings, including 60 this season. No other pitcher has thrown more than 28 innings in 2009 without giving up a homer.
"When he goes out there and gives 100 percent, it gives the team extra energy to win games, score some runs for him and play better," said Miguel Olivo, who has caught all of Greinke's games. "He brings a lot of energy and a lot of attitude for the pitchers and the whole team."
Greinke is 2-3 with a 2.37 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 30 1-3 innings spanning his last six starts against the Indians (15-26). He beat them on April 13 when he struck out nine in five scoreless innings of a 4-2 win.
Matt Garza (Tampa Bay Rays)
Following another dismal outing by Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza (4-2, 3.50 ERA) - who is 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his last four starts - will take the mound for the Rays. The right-hander gave up two runs and five hits in six innings of a 4-2 win over Cleveland on Saturday.
Garza struggled at Oakland on April 25, surrendering four runs and four hits while walking four in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 setback. He suffered a loss in his only other appearance versus the A's despite allowing just one run and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings of relief in a 1-0 defeat on Sept. 13, 2006.
Slumping
Adam Eaton (Baltimore Orioles)
Adam Eaton (2-4, 7.93) hopes to bounce back from his worst outing of the season for the Orioles, whose pitching staff has a 7.20 ERA on the road trip He allowed seven runs and 10 hits in five innings of an 8-1 loss at Kansas City on Friday.
The right-hander gave up four runs in five innings of a 12-5 victory over the Yankees on May 9. He is 2-1 with a 5.17 ERA all-time versus New York.
Jon Lester (Boston Red Sox)
Boston's Jon Lester (2-4, 6.51) looks to avoid a third straight loss after giving up five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-4 loss at Seattle on Friday. He's allowed 13 runs in 10 innings over his last two outings.
"I bust my rear to go out every five days and perform, and I'm not performing right now,'' said the left-hander, who is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts against Toronto.
Debuting
Craig Stammen (Washington Nationals)
Craig Stammen is set to make his major league debut in the series finale for Washington, which has a major league-worst 5.84 team ERA
Stammen, who went 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Syracuse, takes the spot in the rotation of Daniel Cabrera, 0-5 with 5.95 ERA. With Stammen's promotion, the Nationals have a rotation with four rookies - Stammen, Shairon Martis, Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler - along with Lannan, who's in his second year. They are supported by a bullpen that has a 1-15 record.
Acting general manager Mike Rizzo said Stammen and Detwiler will stay in the rotation on a start-by-start basis.
Kris Medlen (Atlanta Braves)
The Braves are scheduled to give Kris Medlen his major league debut after an ineffective Jo-Jo Reyes was moved to the bullpen.
Medlen, expected to be called up prior to Thursday's contest, went 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA in eight games - six starts - at Triple-A Gwinnett. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up only 19 hits while striking out 44 in 37 1-3 innings, helping him earn the promotion ahead of Tommy Hanson, one of the Braves' top prospects.
American League Research
By Indiancowboy
Texas vs. Detroit
Texas is looking to avoid losing 3 in a row to Detroit and the last two have gone under the posted total as well. Millwood has a 2.93era but he has given up 16 hits over his past 2 games. Jackson has had back to back quailty starts as he's given up 1 run in 14 innings. Keep in mind though that Jackson does not usually put together 3 quality starts in a row, so I wouldn't be shocked if he gets hit a bit by the Rangers who are looking to bounce-back after losing 2 in a row. I know the last 2 games have gone under and I know the line is 8.5, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this go over the posted total today. Millwood is 2-1 with a 2.33era in Comercian Park while Jackson has the lowest era on the Tigers staff.
Minnesota vs. Chicago Whitesox
Minnesota has now lost 6 in a row as they are struggling to get things together. The Whitesox had lost 5 of 6 until they saw the Twins and now have won back to back games as they look it to make 3 in a row. Blackburn picked up a ND in his last start but the Twins lost 4-6. He was at the Whitesox earlier this year and gave up 3 runs in 6 innings and his team lost 1-6. Colon defeated the Twins 6-0 in his last start and despite giving up 0 runs in his last start, he picked up a ND as Toront ended up winning 2-1 in that contest. A small lean on the Twins here as I think the Twins have seen Colon once already this year and they are likely to have some succes, also a small lean on the Under.
Cleveland vs. Kansas City
Cleveland won 6-5 in their last contest against KC. Pavano has helped his team the last 3 of 4 contests. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings against TB, but his team fell short 2-4. I expect Pavano to continue his strong pitching today. Greinke has been unstoppable. He is 7-1 with a 0.60 era. I wouldn't be a bit surprised today if this game too dips under the posted total of 8 given Pavano on a bounce-back of sorts after 3 straight wins and Greinke continuing his Cy Young type of season with a 0.60era.
Oakland vs. Tampa Bay
How about Oakland yesterday and the last 2 days winning in TB? Not bad. They have cashed as +178 and +168 dogs the last 2 days. Garza is 0-2 with a 3.97era against the As lifetime. Braden was 5th in the AL in era before being roughed up in his last start so I do expect him to bounce-back today while Garza has put together 4 straight quality starts. I expect this game to likely go Under today.
Toronto vs. Boston
Toronto lost once again to Boston yesterday as they are still atop the division. Ray had a great start in his last start and looks to contiue that at Boston. Lester has given up 13 runs over the lats 10 innings as he looks to get it back on track at home today. Lester rarely has 3 straight non-quality starts so I expect Lester to do well today. But, I'm just staying away from this game entirely.