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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Bradley hitting streak ends in Red Sox loss
By The Sports Xchange

BOSTON -- Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story and Dustin Garneau each hit two-run homers for Colorado, and the Rockies beat the Red Sox 8-2 Thursday night at Fenway Park.
Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-for-4, snapping his 29-game hitting streak, which was the longest in the majors this year.
Nolan Arenado and DJ LaMahieu also drove in a runs for Colorado, which pounded out 12 hits to halt a three-game skid. The Rockies (22-24) salvaged the finale of a three-game series.
Rockies starter Jon Gray (2-2) won his first career start at Fenway Park, throwing 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out six.
Boston (29-18) saw its four-game winning streak end.

Nationals 2, Cardinals 1
WASHINGTON -- Danny Espinosa, batting .199 at game time, hit a solo homer to right with one out in the last of the seventh to break a tie and Washington beat St. Louis.
Bryce Harper, hitless in his previous 10 at-bats on the homestand, had tied the game at 1-1 with a long solo homer to right in the sixth. It was the 12th homer of the year for Harper but his first since May 13. One inning later, Espinosa went deep for his fourth homer and first since May 11.
Both homers came off Reds starter Mike Leake (3-4), who gave up just the two runs in seven innings of work with one walk and five strikeouts.

Pirates 8, Diamondbacks 3
PITTSBURGH -- Right-hander Gerrit Cole hit a three-run homer and Pittsburgh broke the game open in the eighth inning for a victory and a series sweep against Arizona.
Pittsburgh finished its homestand 8-2, winning for the fifth time in six games against Arizona this season. The Pirates have won each of the past five series between the clubs.
Pinch-hitter Josh Harrison smacked a two-run double off the right-field wall in the sixth to break a 3-3 tie.

Marlins 9, Rays 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Ace Jose Fernandez won in his old backyard for the first time, striking out 12 batters in seven innings as Miami cruised past Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
Fernandez (7-2), a first-round pick out of Tampa's Alonso High School in 2011, had lost in two previous starts at the Trop, but got plenty of run support Thursday, earning a win for the sixth straight start.
The Marlins took three of four games from their in-state rivals, while the Rays saw their bats held in check for the second day in a row.

Blue Jays 3, Yankees 1
NEW YORK -- J.A. Happ pitched seven sharp innings and Toronto scored two unearned runs in the third inning against CC Sabathia in a victory over New York.
Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run single for the Blue Jays, who won for the fifth time in eight games and 10th time in their last 13 trips to New York. Devon Travis added insurance with an RBI single in the ninth off Aroldis Chapman.
Happ's lone mistake was a 1-0 fastball to Starlin Castro with two outs in the first inning. Happ's eighth pitch of the game went into the right-center field seats, but the left-hander (6-2) did little else wrong.

Astros 4, Orioles 2
HOUSTON -- George Springer recorded his third career multi-home run game and Houston completed a series sweep of Baltimore with a victory at Minute Maid Park.
Springer hit his 10th and 11th homers in support of right-hander Lance McCullers (1-1), who earned his first win on the season. McCullers and three relievers combined for 15 strikeouts, helping the Astros set a major league record for strikeouts in a three-game series with 52. Washington pitchers recorded 47 strikeouts of the Twins April 22-24.
Luis Valbuena also homered off Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman (0-2). Houston right-hander Ken Giles notched his first save with the Astros despite allowing an RBI single to Manny Machado with two outs in the ninth inning.

Brewers 6, Braves 2
ATLANTA -- Starter Wily Peralta contributed with his arm and his bat and helped Milwaukee beat Atlanta and sweep a series at Turner Field for the first time in their final visit to the facility.
Peralta (3-5) allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings, with four strikeouts. It broke Peralta's two-game losing streak and provided the big right-hander's first win since May 1 against the Marlins. He also got his first hit of the season to drive in two runs.
Reliever Jhan Marinez rescued Peralta, who left in the sixth inning with runners on second and third and one out. Marinez retired the final two outs and worked out of a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless seventh.

White Sox-Royals postponed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Heavy thunderstorms and an unfavorable weather forecast caused the Chicago White Sox-Kansas City Royals game to be postponed about an hour before the first pitch.
The game has not been rescheduled, but it will not be made up during the four-game weekend series turned into three games by the rainout.
Thursday's scheduled starters, White Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez and Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, will pitch Friday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (26-21) at Cubs (31-14)

Game: 1
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 27, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies are miles apart in terms of offense, but are surprisingly only separated by five wins.

After recapturing their offensive mojo against their archrivals, the Cubs return home Friday to face a Phillies team coming off one of its highest-scoring games of the season.

Chicago (31-14) has ascended to the top of the NL Central thanks to a pitching staff sporting a major league-best 2.74 ERA coupled with an offense that averages 5.7 runs. The Cubs have plated 101 more runs than Philadelphia's 155 - the majors' second-worst mark - but the Phillies (26-21) aren't far off the pace in the NL East.

'We have to try things,' Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said after Andres Blanco swiped home as part of a double steal in Wednesday's 8-5 win at Detroit. 'We can't bang it out with most teams, so we've got to try all that kind of stuff, take chances.'

The Cubs returned to their high-scoring ways in St. Louis, winning 9-8 Wednesday a day after a 12-3 victory snapped a three-game losing streak in which they plated six runs. They went 16 for 37 (.432) with runners in scoring position in three games against the Cardinals after going 6 for 45 (.133) in such situations in their previous seven.

Ben Zobrist, who turned 35 on Thursday, has been the catalyst to the offense, becoming the first Cub to reach base safely in 31 straight games in a single season since Starlin Castro had a 40-game run in 2011. He is batting .435 with a .509 OBP during a 12-game hitting streak.

"I think he's at the top of his game now," Maddon told MLB's official website.

Kris Bryant has also been locked in, homering four times on Chicago's 4-5 trip, and batting .320 with nine RBIs in the last six games.

"He's had really good at-bats," Maddon said. "From my perspective, he's not chasing pitches out of the zone."

Bryant, however, doesn't have a favorable matchup with the left-handed Adam Morgan (1-2, 5.61 ERA) taking the ball at Wrigley Field. The 2015 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .213 against lefties compared to .303 versus righties, and has fared worse at Wrigley (.233) than on the road (.311).

Anthony Rizzo is in the midst of a 3-for-38 slump and is 7 for 47 (.149) against lefties on the season. He had the majors' sixth-best average for a left-handed batter against southpaws last year at .294.

Odubel Herrera has been Philadelphia's top hitter, batting .356 while hitting safely in 28 out of 31 games since being moved to the leadoff spot. However, he is 3 for 19 versus lefties since May 8 and will get his first look at Jon Lester (4-3, 2.60).

The Phillies expect to have No. 3 hitter Maikel Franco in the lineup after he left Wednesday with a sprained right ankle. He is 7 for 15 in his last four games but hitless in six career at-bats against Lester, who is coming off a rare poor outing.

After yielding zero or one run in six of eight starts, Lester was tagged for five and walked a season-high three despite going 2 2/3 innings - his shortest outing since August - in Saturday's 5-3 loss at San Francisco.

He is 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies, throwing seven innings of two-run ball in a matchup last July at Wrigley.

Morgan was coming off a rough outing of his own before bouncing back Saturday against Atlanta, allowing two runs over six innings in a 2-0 loss. He permitted seven runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 9-4 loss to Cincinnati six days earlier.

The Phillies went 5-2 against the Cubs last season, winning all three at Wrigley.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (24-24) at Nationals (29-19)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: May 27, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

Max Scherzer doesn't care how many batters he strikes out or how dominant he looks on the mound. He's more focused on progressing with each outing and picking up as many victories as possible.

The St. Louis Cardinals realized last month how effective he can be when he's in a groove.

Scherzer seeks a fourth consecutive solid start as the Washington Nationals continue their four-game series with the visiting Cardinals on Friday night.

The 3.80 ERA seems a bit uncharacteristic for Scherzer (5-3), who hasn't finished with a mark that high since 2011 with Detroit. But his recent hot streak began May 11 against his former team when he fanned an MLB record-tying 20 in a 3-2 victory.

Scherzer tossed another quality start with 10 strikeouts May 17 but the Nationals (29-19) were shut out by the New York Mets, then he struck out eight while giving up two runs in eight innings of Sunday's 8-2 win over Miami.

The right-hander said he's getting more and more comfortable on the mound.

'I felt like I had good command of all the off-speed pitches,' Scherzer said after beating the Marlins. 'That's what I'm most proud about. It gives you a lot of options because you have all of them working.

'I'm kind of getting in midseason form. Sometimes it takes a few starts. Every start I keep getting a little sharper.'

Scherzer was plenty sharp against the Cardinals (24-24) on May 1, fanning nine while allowing four hits in seven scoreless innings of a 6-1 win. He has a 2.70 ERA in five starts against St. Louis, which counters with the struggling Jaime Garcia as he looks to get on track.

Garcia (3-4, 3.59 ERA) was awful against Arizona on Sunday, allowing five runs and 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings of a 7-2 defeat. He gave up three runs and walked four while laboring through five innings of a loss to Colorado in his previous start May 17.

Something felt different even before he faced the Diamondbacks, though. He failed to complete three innings for just the third time in 126 starts, and it was his shortest outing since a two-inning stint at Houston on June 5, 2012.

'I didn't feel good warming up before the game,' Garcia said. 'Coming out of the game in the third inning, you never want to do that. It's definitely a long time you have to think about it.

'I've got to figure out if there's something I need to do different between starts."

The left-hander stayed in the game much longer against the Nationals on April 30 but still wasn't very effective, giving up four runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 6-1 defeat. That dropped him to 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA in seven starts against Washington, which hopes Bryce Harper has put his struggles behind him.

Harper was mired in a 4-for-31 slump heading into Thursday's series opener, but he smacked a tying homer into the upper deck in the sixth for his first long ball since May 13. Danny Espinosa's seventh-inning homer was the difference in a 2-1 victory.

The Nationals pulled out the win while resting Daniel Murphy, who leads the majors with a .394 batting average and is hitting .450 in his last five.

St. Louis played without Matt Carpenter after he was placed on the paternity list prior to the game. Matt Adams left in the fifth with back stiffness, and his status for this contest is unclear.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Sox (29-18) at Blue Jays (24-25)

Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 27, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays anticipate Aaron Sanchez anchoring a spot in their rotation for many years to come. That means at some point the youngster will have to generate the arm strength to handle the grind of a full season.

That won't be this year with the Blue Jays being cautious, giving him an extra day of rest leading up to Friday night's series opener with the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Sanchez (4-1, 3.20 ERA) hasn't pitched since giving up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings of last Friday's 9-3 win over Minnesota. He originally was scheduled to start Thursday against the New York Yankees, but he's on an unspecified innings limit this season and was pushed back a day for rest.

The plan heading into this year was to have the 23-year-old begin as a starter before eventually moving to the bullpen, and that still appears to be the case. Sanchez has never thrown more than 133 1/3 innings at any stop in his professional career.

"Give Sanchy an extra day," manager John Gibbons told MLB's official website. "(We've been) looking to do that. Boston is predominantly right-handed, and (the Yankees) are lefty and switch, but the primary reason is to give him an extra day when we can."

Pushing the right-hander back to face the Red Sox seems like a wise move for other reasons as well. Sanchez allowed one run and two hits in seven innings to win 5-3 at Fenway Park on April 17 and is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in three starts and eight relief appearances against Boston.

He'll be getting the nod in the opener after Toronto (24-25) took two of three from the Yankees with Thursday's 3-1 victory. Edwin Encarnacion and Devon Travis drove in runs to help offset the absence of Troy Tulowitzki for the second straight game.

Tulowitzki is battling a sore right quad, leaving his status unclear as the Blue Jays prepare to face a rejuvenated Joe Kelly.

Kelly (2-0, 5.28) pitched no-hit ball for 6 2/3 innings to beat Cleveland 9-1 on Saturday. He had been on the disabled list with a right shoulder impingement since April 20 but threw 104 pitches in a stellar performance.

Juan Uribe broke up the no-hit bid with a double to the right-center gap in the seventh, and manager John Farrell decided to lift Kelly immediately.

'I saw my pitch count climbing up. I'm not stupid,' Kelly said. 'I tried to get first-pitch outs because I knew I wasn't going to be out there much longer. I threw a fastball down the middle."

The right-hander wasn't nearly as good against the Blue Jays in his first start of the season April 8. Kelly allowed seven runs and seven hits while walking three in just three innings before the Red Sox rallied for an 8-7 win.

Boston (29-18) jumped ahead of Colorado on David Ortiz's two-run homer in the first inning Thursday, but mustered only five more hits the rest of the way in an 8-2 defeat.

The Red Sox had their four-game winning streak snapped, and Jackie Bradley Jr.'s 29-game hitting streak also came to an end when the final out was recorded with him on deck. Xander Bogaerts' 19-game run now is the longest streak in the majors.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (25-23) at Mets (27-19)

Game: 1
Venue: Citi Field
Date: May 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

Chase Utley expected to be the center of attention in the Los Angeles Dodgers' first game in New York since last year's playoffs, but he'll gladly cede the spotlight to one of one baseball's most heralded prospects.

Teenager Julio Urias makes his major league debut Friday night as the Dodgers begin a three-game series with the Mets that already contained one intriguing storyline.

With Alex Wood scratched due to a sore triceps, Urias will be promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City and become the first 19-year-old pitcher since Felix Hernandez in 2005 to start an MLB game. He'll be the youngest Dodger hurler since another Mexican left-handed phenom, Fernando Valenzuela, made his debut at age 19 in September 1980.

Urias earned the call-up with dazzling numbers at Oklahoma City, compiling a 4-1 record and 1.10 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance while throwing 27 consecutive scoreless innings.

Utley still figures to garner plenty of scrutiny - and hostility from the crowd - if he's in the lineup for the opener. The veteran second baseman didn't play the two games at Citi Field that followed his controversial takeout slide in Game 2 of the NLDS that fractured shortstop Ruben Tejada's right leg.

The Dodgers also dealt with a little additional drama in their just-completed series with Cincinnati, with manager Dave Roberts removing Yasiel Puig from Tuesday's game after the mercurial outfielder failed to hustle after hitting a line-drive single off the right-field wall. Puig didn't start Wednesday's 3-1 win, though Roberts said it was a scheduled day off.

Los Angeles (25-23) otherwise finds itself in good spirits as it enters a challenging seven-game trip against two of the NL's top teams in the Mets and Chicago. The Dodgers have won a season-high four straight and held the overmatched Reds to three runs in a three-game sweep.

'We got our work cut out for us on this road trip,' Roberts said. 'We feel pretty good about ourselves.'

Matt Harvey's ongoing struggles have kept the Mets in the public eye as well. The star pitcher was hit hard again in Tuesday's 7-4 loss at Washington, though New York (27-19) did earn a series win from their NL East rivals behind another gem from Steven Matz on Wednesday.

Matz yielded four hits over a career-high eight innings in the 2-0 victory to win a seventh consecutive start. The Mets are 13-4 in games started by Matz and Noah Syndergaard and 14-15 in the others.

They've lost three of Jacob deGrom's last four starts, with the 2015 All-Star going 0-1 with a 4.63 ERA while receiving seven runs over that stretch. He allowed a season-high four in five innings of New York's 5-4 win over Milwaukee on Saturday.

DeGrom (3-1, 3.07) did hold the Dodgers to two runs over a season-high seven innings in a no-decision May 10. He was a major factor in the Mets' besting Los Angeles in five games in the NLDS, surrendering two runs and amassing 20 strikeouts in winning both starts.

New York has hit 10 homers in winning five of six. David Wright has gone deep in back-to-back games after going 5 for 36 with one RBI and 17 strikeouts over his previous 10.

"Hopefully I can lock it in mentally, how it kind of feels - the swing, the pitch selection, the rhythm, the timing, and things like that - and start to be more consistent," he told MLB's official website.

The teams split a four-game set at Dodger Stadium from May 9-12.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (26-19) at Indians (25-20)

Game: 1
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

Mike Wright has dropped his ERA under 5.00 for the first time since July. Keeping it there might require some success against a streaking team he's never faced that just beat two of the top pitchers in the AL.

The right-hander pitches in Cleveland on Friday night as the Baltimore Orioles begin a three-game series with the Indians, who are seeking their third winning streak of at least four games this season.

Before an off day Thursday, the Indians (25-20) won the last three of a four-game set at the Chicago White Sox. Wednesday's 4-3 win was Cleveland's worst offensive game of the series, and it's averaging 6.5 runs with an .804 team OPS over an 8-3 span. Prior to that, the Indians averaged 4.2 runs with a .695 OPS.

It's moved them within a half game of the AL Central lead with Michael Brantley and No. 2 starter Carlos Carrasco on the disabled list.

"It's encouraging, that's to say the least," Jason Kipnis said. "We've put a real good emphasis on April and May this year so we're not playing catch-up all year. This team is competing. This team is understanding the importance of these games early on and how they can help us down the road."

Wright certainly has his work cut out for him after Wednesday's win for the Indians came over Jose Quintana, and they handed Chris Sale his first defeat on Tuesday.

"That's big for us," Kipnis said. "We put up two good pitchers today with the getaway game and day game and came out on top. Those are games that add up in the end, and those are ones that we need to get, especially against the team you're chasing, so it was good to close the gap."

Wright (2-3, 4.97 ERA) gave up four runs â?? two earned â?? and five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision in a 9-4 win over the Angels last Friday. That followed his top start of the year at home against Detroit six days before.

The 26-year-old gave up at least four earned runs in three of his first five starts.

The Indians counter with Trevor Bauer (3-2, 4.31), who is coming off possibly his worst start since entering the rotation. The right-hander gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings of Saturday's 9-1 loss in Boston.

After going 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in his first three starts, he's lost his last two with a 5.40 mark. Bauer is also 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in two starts against the Orioles (26-19). Manny Machado is 2 for 5 with two home runs, but Adam Jones is 0 for 6.

Baltimore won five of six meetings with the Indians last season, including the last four while holding Cleveland scoreless in the final 19 innings of a three-game sweep at Camden Yards.

The Orioles were swept in their midweek series in Houston with Thursday's 4-2 loss, extending their skid to a season-worst four games with 2.3 runs per game and a .195 average.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees (22-24) at Rays (21-24)

Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: May 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

There have been more comforting times for the Tampa Bay Rays to have Chris Archer trying to help them overcome a span of five losses in six games with plenty of pitching struggles.

He was already a part of it with his last start, which he'll try to forget about Friday night as the New York Yankees come to town for a three-game series.

After Thursday's 9-1 home loss to Miami, the Rays (21-24) have posted a 6.53 ERA in their last six games. It was the second time in that span they allowed nine runs, and the first came with their struggling ace on the mound.

Archer (3-5, 5.16 ERA) gave up six runs and eight hits in three innings of Sunday's 9-4 loss in Detroit to match the third-shortest start of his career and shortest since lasting 2 1/3 at Toronto on Sept. 28, 2013.

Catcher Curt Casali put a positive spin on it.

"He was nasty," Casali told MLB's official website. "But sometimes it's too nasty. Sometimes his stuff is so good it's hard to control. And I completely get it. He gets it, too. He knows he needs to be better. The team needs him to be better. He's going to get back to the drawing board tomorrow and get back to work and help us in his next start."

The right-hander is issuing 4.47 walks per nine innings, which is up from a 3.01 mark entering this season. His worst single-season mark with at least 30 innings pitched was 3.33 from 2014. His opponent batting average is also up to .274 after having a career .229 mark entering the year.

Archer maintains four of his last six starts have been respectable.

"I've kept the team in the game," Archer said. "So mechanical, there's no adjustments. Just need to throw pitches in better locations."

He did that against the Yankees in his first eight matchups, going 5-0 with a 1.78 ERA, but he's dropped the last two behind a 4.38 mark. Alex Rodriguez (1 for 12), Carlos Beltran (2 for 16), Chase Headley (2 for 13) and Brian McCann (3 for 19) have had trouble with Archer, while Jacoby Ellsbury is 16 for 24.

Adding to the struggles is the difficulty of his opponent, though Masahiro Tanaka (2-0, 3.24) just isn't coming by many decisions. He gave up a run and five hits in seven innings of Saturday's 5-1 win in Oakland after surrendering 10 runs in 12 innings of his previous two starts.

"I think the two-seamer was working well today," Tanaka said. "Being able to put the two-seamer in good locations, I think that was one of the keys."

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay. Evan Longoria (1 for 11), Desmond Jennings (1 for 9), Logan Morrison (2 for 12) and Brad Miller (2 for 12) have struggled against him.

Like the Rays, the Yankees (22-24) have lost two straight after taking the first of a three-game series against Toronto to extend their win streak to six. They fell 3-1 on Thursday with four hits and are batting .221 in their last five.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (25-22) at Braves (12-34)

Game: 1
Venue: Turner Field
Date: May 27, 2016 7:35 PM EDT

Even when Giancarlo Stanton was mired in an extended hitless slump, manager Don Mattingly didn't feel the Miami Marlins were better without him in the lineup.

It's likely just a coincidence that they've won the last two with Stanton sitting out, but at least they're finally showing they can produce offensively when he's not around.

Stanton might not play again Friday night against Atlanta. The visiting Marlins could get Christian Yelich back, though, as they open a three-game set against the Braves.

A sore right side kept Stanton on the bench Wednesday and Thursday as the Marlins (25-22) pulled out 4-3 and 9-1 victories over Tampa Bay. Stanton, batting just .214, had hit safely in three straight following an 0-for-17 drought.

Miami didn't seem to miss him in the series finale as Adeiny Hechavarria and Chris Johnson homered in a makeshift lineup. Hechavarria led off, Marcell Ozuna hit third and J.T. Realmuto batted cleanup - spots in which they hadn't appeared all season.

Ozuna had two hits and has reached base in 33 straight, one short of the franchise record.

"We've talked all year that we've got to find a way, every day, no matter what," Mattingly said. "No matter what lineup we throw out there, no matter who's pitching, no matter who we are facing, we have to try and find a way to put wins on the board every day, and we are capable of doing that. We look at our lineup and see a bunch of guys who can hit - from Yeli and Big G, but also Justin Bour and Marcell and Hechy can hit, J.T. can hit, (Martin) Prado can hit. We have a lot of guys who can give you good at-bats."

Yelich missed his sixth straight because of back spasms, but Mattingly said he expects him to play at some point this weekend against the Braves (12-34). Adam Conley will be tasked with shutting down Atlanta in the opener.

Conley (3-3, 4.15 ERA) is coming off an awful start after allowing six runs and walking seven - three intentionally - in 5 1/3 innings of Sunday's 8-2 loss to Washington.

The left-hander has walked 23 in 47 2/3 innings over nine starts.

'Putting a guy on for free is about my least favorite thing in baseball,' Conley said. 'And seven of those guys got on in my eyes without earning it. That's a hard pill to swallow.'

Conley walked four while allowing six runs in eight innings over one start and one relief appearance against the Braves last season. This time he'll oppose Williams Perez, who is coming off one of his better outings.

Perez (2-1, 3.86) took a no-hitter into the seventh and allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings of Saturday's 2-0 win over Philadelphia on his 25th birthday, marking the third time in four starts he's allowed one run or none.

'He was outstanding,' interim manager Brian Snitker said. 'The aggression, attacking the strike zone. Under adverse (weather) conditions, it didn't bother him. He kept throwing.'

Perez had a rough outing against Miami on April 16, though. He allowed three runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings in Atlanta's 6-3 win.

The Braves have lost all four games since Perez's victory. They've totaled five runs during that skid after falling 6-2 to Milwaukee on Thursday, managing only Tyler Flowers' two-run homer in the first inning.

Earlier in the day, outfielder Hector Olivera was suspended 82 games, retroactive to April 30. Olivera was arrested April 13 at a hotel outside Washington, D.C., charged with assault and battery of a woman and immediately placed on leave.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (27-19) at Rangers (27-20)

Game: 1
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 27, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

While Jeff Banister admits it will be emotional for him to face the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time, his mentor Clint Hurdle is trying to make it seem as business as usual this weekend.

The managers will be in the spotlight for Friday night's three-game series opener between Banister's Texas Rangers and Hurdle's Pirates in which Texas starter Cole Hamels seeks to remain perfect in Arlington with his 13th straight regular-season victory.

Banister played for the Pirates in 1991 with a hit in his only big-league at-bat and served with the organization in a variety of roles since retiring. He was Hurdle's bench coach between 2011-14 after Hurdle beat him out for the job as Pittsburgh manager and was hired by Texas (27-20) before last season.

"Twenty-nine years of my life," Banister told MLB's official website. "That's how long I wore that uniform. I love the organization. I love everything it stands for. There are a lot of ties."

Banister's first season with the Rangers was a success as he won 88 games and the AL West title, earning AL manager of the year honors. He credited Hurdle, who attended the award ceremony, for much of his success.

Now that the clubs are playing, Hurdle is focusing more on the field than on who is in the opposing dugout although he did say he's "proud" of Banister.

"It's not going to be a kumbaya," Hurdle said. "That was done over the winter, when I was fortunate enough to go out there and share in his award presentation for manager of the year. We're going in to play baseball, with a focus to beat the Rangers. There won't be lunch or breakfast, none of that."

One edge for Banister is that he begins the series with Hamels, who is 12-0 with a 2.99 ERA in his last 18 regular-season starts. Hamels (5-0, 2.83 ERA) has tied Bobby Witt's club record for consecutive wins.

In addition, the left-hander is 7-0 with a 3.87 ERA in 13 career outings in Arlington including one victory over the Rangers. He can match Barry Zito as the only other pitcher to begin 8-0 at Globe Life Park.

Hamels gave up two runs in eight innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts in Sunday's 9-2 rout at Houston.

He's 3-2 with a 2.43 ERA in nine starts against Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen is 7 for 24 with a homer in this matchup.

Hamels will have a red-hot hitter in the lineup to support him in Nomar Mazara, who has four homers in his last seven games and went deep for the second straight contest in Wednesday's 15-9 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

It's unlikely that Rougned Odor will play since a decision is expected before Friday's game on the second baseman's appeal of an eight-game suspension for punching Toronto's Jose Bautista during a May 15 brawl.

Rangers outfielder Ian Desmond is hitting .385 with 15 RBIs in his last 18 games. Desmond has the most at-bats among Texas hitters against Pirates starter Jonathon Niese, going 8 for 29.

Niese (4-2, 4.75) allowed one run in seven innings in a no-decision in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Colorado. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Rangers.

Pittsburgh (27-19) has won four straight and nine of 11. Gregory Polanco went 7 for 13 with six RBIs in a three-game sweep of Arizona capped by Thursday's 8-3 win.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (15-32) at Brewers (21-26)

Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: May 27, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

While John Lamb hopes to shake the Cincinnati Reds out of their recent funk, the Milwaukee Brewers' Zach Davies is out to secure his first career win at Miller Park.

Lamb's first victory of the season would end baseball's longest current losing streak while denying Davies his elusive win on Friday night.

Cincinnati (15-32) opens this three-game series with losses in its last 10 games, three shy of its skid to end last season.

The Reds' last winning streak came with victories in the first two games of a series against Milwaukee (21-26) from May 5-8. The Brewers took the final two games of that set, starting Cincinnati's current 2-15 stretch.

Lamb started the finale of that series, but he was forced to leave with a sprained left thumb in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss. He finished allowing two hits and a run - off a Ryan Braun homer - in four innings.

Lamb's return from his injury left much to be desired as he surrendered 10 hits and seven runs in four innings of a 15-6 loss at Cleveland on May 16. He picked up the slack on Saturday, logging a quality start in a 4-0 loss to Seattle.

Lamb (0-2, 5.40 ERA), though, still was unable to lead Cincinnati to a win for the fourth time in his four starts, giving up six hits and four runs in six innings - the big hits a pair of Mariners home runs.

The left-hander also took a scare when Nelson Cruz lined a fourth-inning pitch off his upper left arm. Lamb took a warmup pitch and stayed in the game.

"Now I know how it feels to get drilled by (Aroldis) Chapman on his best day or Nolan Ryan or some of those old timers that you hear threw pretty damn hard," he told MLB's official website. "It stung, it stung. I'm fine. I don't see it affecting anything moving forward."

Lamb has a 5.17 ERA in three career starts against the Brewers, and Braun is 4 for 6 with a pair of home runs, a double and two walks.

While Lamb hopes to shake the Reds out of their funk, Davies (1-3, 5.75) is chasing his first career win at Miller Park. The second-year Milwaukee pitcher is 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA in six career starts at home, and he has a 4.63 mark in four 2016 outings there.

The right-hander took a no-decision from Saturday's 5-4 loss on the road against the New York Mets, giving up five hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five, but the two big blows were a Curtis Granderson leadoff home run and Yoenis Cespedes' two-run shot in the sixth - starting and ending Davies' night.

Between the two homers, Davies pitched well, surrendering only one other run on three hits.

"The game is frustrating that way," Davies told MLB's official website. "Overall, I was happy with what I was doing in the game."

Cincinnati's Jay Bruce homered off Davies in his only career start against the Reds on Sept. 18. Davies gave up five hits and three runs in six innings while walking and striking out four.

After a fast start, Bruce has two hits in his last 22 at-bats. His triple drove in the Reds' only run in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (27-21) at Royals (24-22)

Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: May 27, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

Danny Duffy figures to have more pitches in him this time when he faces the Chicago White Sox.

He'll make his third start since moving into the rotation as the Kansas City Royals open a rain-shortened three-game home series against the White Sox on Friday night after Thursday's scheduled opener was postponed.

Due to injuries to Chris Young and Kris Medlen, Duffy (0-0, 2.13 ERA) is a starter once more. He was limited to 48 pitches in a three-inning stint in a 4-2, 13-inning win over Atlanta on May 15.

The left-hander threw 63 pitches and lasted 4 1/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Chicago. It's not clear what his pitch count will be at Friday.

"I try to be available when my team calls upon me to do something," Duffy said. "That's what's happened the past two outings."

Austin Jackson is 8 for 25 with a homer off Duffy, and Jose Abreu is 7 for 19 with one homer.

Duffy will once again be opposed by right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (0-1, 4.57), who gave up two runs over six innings with eight strikeouts Saturday to drop to 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his last four outings versus Kansas City.

Salvador Perez is 5 for 14 off Gonzalez, but Kendrys Morales and Eric Hosmer each have gone 1 for 13.

Morales is expected back in the Kansas City lineup after he rested in Wednesday's 7-5 loss at Minnesota. Alcides Escobar had three hits and Hosmer had a two-run double in the finale of a 4-2 trip.

Third baseman Mike Moustakas will likely miss the rest of the season, as the Royals placed him on the 15-day disabled list with a torn right ACL. He and left fielder Alex Gordon collided Sunday while chasing a fly ball in Chicago. Gordon went on the disabled list Monday with a right wrist fracture.

Moustakas, a 2015 All-Star, was hitting .240 with seven home runs and 13 RBIs in 27 games. It is Moustakas' second trip to the disabled list in May after missing three weeks with a broken left thumb.

Cheslor Cuthbert started the last two games at third base in Moustakas' place.

Perez is hitting .432 in an 11-game streak after he went 9 for 12 in the series against the Twins. Lorenzo Cain was 0 for 3 on Wednesday, ending a six-game run in which he was 12 for 26.

Chicago has dropped three straight and 11 of 15 after capping a 3-7 homestand with Wednesday's 4-3 defeat to Cleveland. The White Sox are 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position in this three-game slide.

One positive sign Wednesday was Abreu's second straight three-hit effort. The slugger was in a 2-for-20 slump in his five games prior to that and sat out Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Royals.

The White Sox hit .215 and went 1 for 23 with runners in scoring position in losing two of three to the Royals last weekend. They dropped six of nine at Kansas City last year.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Giants (30-19) at Rockies (22-24)

Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: May 27, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

Matt Cain was relieved to record his first victory in about 10 months for the San Francisco Giants, and he hopes his next doesn't take so long.

Cain looks to build some momentum while helping the Giants remain red-hot when they open a 10-game road trip Friday night against the Colorado Rockies.

San Francisco (30-19) wrapped up a 5-1 homestand with a sweep of San Diego and seeks its sixth straight win while improving on a 13-1 stretch.

That would take the Giants improving on their 3-4 mark against Colorado (22-24) this season.

Cain (1-5, 5.37 ERA) has been great in his last three starts and finally picked up a victory Saturday. The right-hander held the MLB-leading Chicago Cubs to one run in six innings of a 5-3 win.

It was his first victory since July 22, snapping a streak of 15 winless starts in which the Giants went 3-12.

'When you haven't had one in a year, it's pretty nice to have,' Cain said. 'You want to go out there and give your team a chance to win. When your team wins, it's great, but it's also nice to have one when you haven't had one in a long time.'

Cain made only 26 starts over the previous two seasons while battling a series of injuries, and his beginning to 2016 didn't go so well either as he posted a 7.89 ERA over his first six outings.

However, he has a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts while striking out 17 and walking four in 21 innings.

Colorado played a big hand in Cain's rough start, shelling him for 14 runs and 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings to hand him a pair of losses - 11-6 in Denver on April 14 and 17-7 on May 5 in San Francisco.

The 12-year veteran's ERA against his NL West foe jumped from 3.23 in his first 35 matchups to 3.58.

Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.02) was also left with a poor result at Coors Field against the Giants on April 12. Chatwood was rocked for five runs and 11 hits in six innings of a 7-2 loss. After holding a 1.88 ERA in his first five starts against San Francisco, the right-hander has a 7.00 ERA in the last three.

Chatwood has pitched at least six scoreless innings in three of his nine outings, and he gave up one run in six Saturday. He held Pittsburgh to six hits during the Rockies' 5-1 victory and set the franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings on the road at 27 2/3.

'It's pretty cool to have the record but even better that we scratched out the win,' Chatwood said.

But the five-year pro has experienced two different seasons in Denver and away from it. He is 4-0 with a 0.53 ERA on the road, easily the majors' best away from home, but is 1-3 with a 6.65 ERA at Coors Field.

Surprisingly, Cain has the best batting average of current Giants hitters against Chatwood with three singles in four at-bats. Gregor Blanco (4 for 9) and Brandon Crawford (7 for 17) have also seen him well.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (19-29) at Diamondbacks (21-28)

Game: 1
Venue: Chase Field
Date: May 27, 2016 9:40 PM EDT

The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered an ugly end to their road trip after two promising previous series. A return home to face the lowly and road-challenged San Diego Padres might be just what they need to get back on track.

The Diamondbacks open a short five-game homestand with three against the Padres in a matchup of NL West bottom-feeders Friday night.

Arizona (21-28) rolled into Pittsburgh on Tuesday having taken two of three at St. Louis following a three-game home series victory over the New York Mets, but the Diamondbacks couldn't maintain that level against the Pirates. They lost 8-3 on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep in which they were outscored 25-8.

"We had opportunity - opportunity after opportunity - to score runs early in the game and we did not execute," manager Chip Hale told MLB's official website. "That's something that we're going to get better at. The younger guys are getting more experience in these pressure-type situations, and at some point it's going to turn and instead of hitting a ground ball to the pitcher or a popup, they're going to drive the ball in the gap and we're going to score a bunch of runs."

Hale said Wednesday that his level of concern regarding his bullpen was "rising," and that trend continued Thursday. Andrew Chafin allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings to give the bullpen a 9.69 ERA in the last five games.

Michael Bourn went 2 for 3 to make him 7 for his last 14, while Brandon Drury was 2 for 5 and is 5 for 16 over the past four games.

San Diego (19-29) is also coming off a sweep, dropping three games at San Francisco, and has lost four straight away from home to fall to 9-14 there. The Padres' troubles in one-run games continued as they dropped to 4-12 after Wednesday's 4-3, 10-inning loss.

'If you want to play winning baseball and get to the playoffs you have to find a way to win these games,' Shields said. 'We're not getting it done.'

San Diego has lost four in a row overall and eight of 10.

The Padres will send out Christian Friedrich (0-1, 2.89) for his third start of the season. He lasted only 3 1/3 innings last Friday, giving up two runs, six hits and three walks while throwing 75 pitches in a 7-6 home win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The left-hander has faced the Padres 13 times, though only one of those appearances was a start. He's posted a 1.69 ERA over 16 innings in those matchups.

Arizona's Rickie Weeks is 4 for 7 against Friedrich with a homer, triple and double.

Friedrich will be opposed by Robbie Ray (2-3, 4.18 ERA), who's allowed three earned runs in 12 innings over the past two starts. He's 1-3 in his last five outings, during which he received no runs of support in four of them.

Ray has thrown more than 100 pitches in each of his last four starts but made it to the sixth inning once in that span.

The left-hander has lost all three career starts against San Diego - each coming last season - with a 4.96 ERA. Matt Kemp is 3 for 8 with a home run and a double against him, while Derek Norris is 2 for 6 with a homer and a double.

Arizona took two of three April 15-27 at Petco Park in the teams' first meeting this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (20-28) at Angels (21-26)

Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 27, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Mike Fiers hopes to finally put together back-to-back quality starts, and if he can, he may be able to extend the Houston Astros' longest winning streak of the season.

Fiers looks to extend the momentum from his latest outing and the Astros' pitching staff as he faces the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Houston (20-28) finally put together a three-game winning streak with Thursday's 4-1 win over Baltimore, fueled by George Springer's two home runs. After sweeping that series, the Astros now look to win four straight games for the first time since a five-game run July 19-24.

Houston had lost its previous four games while scoring five runs but totaled 11 against the Orioles while holding them to seven. The Astros set a major league record with 52 strikeouts in the three-game set and became the first team since 1913 to strike out at least 15 batters in three consecutive games.

That trend might end with Fiers' 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings being the lowest of any Houston pitcher besides Doug Fister.

Like his team, Fiers (3-2, 4.35 ERA) has been up and down, especially in his last five starts. He tossed seven solid innings in three but failed to escape the fifth in the other two.

However, the right-hander logged one of his best outings Saturday when he held Texas to two runs in seven innings while striking out six without a walk. Still, his three-game winning streak was snapped in the 2-1 loss.

'You get a starting pitcher that goes out there and gives you that kind of outing, more times than not you are going to come out ahead and feel really good about it,' manager A.J. Hinch said. 'I still feel really good about what Fiers did, but unfortunately, it was in a loss.'

Fiers can feel pretty good about his two 2015 starts against the Angels (21-26). He logged a pair of quality starts, surrendering 10 hits and six runs in 13 2/3 innings while striking out 11.

He did give up four home runs, one each to Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun and two to C.J. Cron. Those three are a combined 6 for 17 against Fiers.

Los Angeles will counter with Matt Shoemaker, who has struggled with Houston.

Shoemaker (2-5, 6.81) has a 5.59 ERA in three career starts and two relief appearances against the Astros despite his latest outing against them dropping that ERA more than three points. He held Houston to three hits over seven innings of a 3-0 loss July 30, walking one and striking out seven.

Shoemaker's latest start brought a similar stat line. The right-hander is coming off Saturday's gem in which he held Baltimore to three hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 3-1 loss. Shoemaker struck out a career-high 12 without issuing a walk, throwing 71 of 95 pitches for strikes.

'When you get a starter (to) have an outing like that, you expect to win the game,' manager Mike Scioscia said. 'It's tough.'

Jose Altuve (4 for 9) and Colby Rasmus (2 for 6) each homered off Shoemaker last season.

Altuve is in a 1-for-21 slump and Rasmus has an 0-for-12 drought, but Luis Valbuena has homered in three straight games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (23-23) at Athletics (20-28)

Game: 1
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: May 27, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Miguel Cabrera is on the upswing and already victimized the Oakland Athletics last month.

Now the Detroit Tigers superstar may have a perfect opportunity to end his woes against left-handers when he faces Sean Manaea for the first time.

Cabrera and the visiting Tigers start a three-game set Friday night when they meet Manaea and the struggling Athletics.

Detroit (23-23) took three of four from Oakland at home from April 25-28. Cabrera went 5 for 12 with two homers, two doubles and five RBIs in that series, Cameron Maybin was 6 for 13 and Victor Martinez 5 for 11.

Cabrera has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, batting .452 with seven homers and 15 RBIs. He homered twice with five RBIs as the Tigers took two of three from Philadelphia to cap a 7-2 homestand after Wednesday's 8-5 loss.

"It was a good homestand," acting manager Gene Lamont told the Tigers' official website. "Once you're 7-1, you want to go out 8-1."

Lamont was in charge for Brad Ausmus, who will miss the game to attend his daughter's high school graduation.

Cabrera is a career .316 hitter off southpaws, leading the AL in that department in 2013 at .368. That's why it's surprising that he's hitting only .219 off left-handers this year in 40 plate appearances.

He may like his chances of getting untracked against the rookie Manaea (1-2, 7.62 ERA), who is limiting left-handed hitters to a .130 average but allowing right-handed batters to hit .346.

Manaea yielded five runs over 6 2/3 innings in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees.

"I let my mind wander and I didn't get it back, that's completely on me," Manaea said. "I didn't execute the plan that we talked about before. It's something that I need to get better at."

Batters putting the first pitch in play against the left-hander are 10 for 19 and 5 for 8 when putting a 1-0 pitch into play.

The Tigers will counter with their own rookie in Michael Fulmer (3-1, 5.13), who won his home debut Saturday by yielding one run in seven innings with 11 strikeouts in a 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay.

The right-hander goes back on the road, where he posted a 6.52 ERA through four outings and failed to last past the fifth inning each time. Fulmer has never faced the Athletics.

Oakland (20-28) has dropped six of seven after a 13-3 rout by Seattle on Wednesday. The Athletics fell behind by six runs after three innings.

"At one point we came back it was 7-3 and we had a chance, and then it got out of reach a little bit," manager Bob Melvin said.

Khris Davis hit his 13th homer. The slugger went 6 for 17 with a homer and a triple in last month's series in Detroit.

Jed Lowrie was 7 for 15 in that series but Chris Coghlan was hitless in 12 at-bats. Coghlan is in a 1-for-22 slump.

Detroit's Ian Kinsler could return after missing two games due to the flu.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (12-34) at Mariners (28-18)

Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 27, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

After taking advantage of a downtrodden opponent in his last start, Felix Hernandez now faces another.

The Minnesota Twins will at least be entering a challenging matchup with the Seattle Mariners ace on a rare positive note Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

After beginning May with a bad start in Oakland, Hernandez (4-3, 2.21 ERA) has bounced back by stringing together three good ones. The six-time All-Star held lowly Cincinnati to four singles and twice stranded the bases loaded in six innings during Saturday's 4-0 win, improving to 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA since being reached for eight runs in four-plus innings by the A's on May 4.

Hernandez could be in line for a repeat result against Minnesota (12-34), which ranks last in the AL in runs and near the bottom of the majors with runners in scoring position. He's dominated the Twins over the previous four seasons, amassing a 4-0 record and 0.63 ERA in five meetings.

Minnesota also owns the AL's worst road mark at 4-19 and enters a six-game West Coast trip having lost 20 of 25 overall. The Twins did generate some momentum heading into the trek, though, after scoring four unanswered runs to rally for Wednesday's 7-5 victory over Kansas City.

Miguel Sano hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning and Eduardo Nunez and Brian Dozier went back-to-back in the first to help the Twins halt a three-game skid.

"It feels a lot better in here after a win," Dozier, who ended a 1-for-20 rut and 13-game homer drought, told MLB's official website. "It's obviously always good to score early, and you see the life and some of the swagger come back. We felt that from the first inning. It was good to see."

The Twins have won five of six at Safeco Field, with the lone blemish Hernandez's five-hit, nine-strikeout shutout April 24, 2015.

AL West-leading Seattle (28-18) is coming off its best offensive display of the season, homering four times and collecting 17 hits in Wednesday's 13-3 rout of Oakland. Adam Lind broke out of his slump by finishing 4 for 4 with two homers and six RBIs, while Nelson Cruz continued his hot stretch with three hits including a two-run shot.

"A really outstanding night for our offense," manager Scott Servais said. "It was certainly great to see Adam Lind have that kind of night. He's capable of that. He's capable of carrying a club for a few weeks."

Lind, who entered Wednesday hitting .216 with 12 RBIs, will likely sit the opener against left-hander Pat Dean (0-1, 3.86). The 27-year-old rookie pitched well in his first major league start, surrendering a two-run homer to Jose Bautista but just two other hits in six innings Saturday against Toronto.

"The big thing was just staying aggressive," he said. "I knew these guys would be out there swinging and swinging hard. They've been doing that all series so I wanted to make sure I was aggressive as well."

Dean will face a Seattle lineup that likely won't contain Leonys Martin after he exited Wednesday's win with a hamstring injury. The center fielder is 15 for 30 with four homers over a nine-game hitting streak.

Cruz is batting .367 with five homers and 15 RBIs over his last 14 games and has five home runs in 55 at-bats against lefties.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday, May 27, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

Wake me up when Boston outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. extends his hitting streak to 40 games, and then I'll get excited. He took a 29-game streak, pretty impressive no doubt, into Thursday's game. That was tied with Johnny Damon (2005) for the fourth-longest streak in team history. If Bradley's streak reaches 30, he'd be in a three-way tie for second place in franchise history with Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Tris Speaker (1912). The Red Sox record is by Dom DiMaggio with 34. I don't need to tell you another DiMaggio holds the major-league record at 56 in a row. That's never being broken. Bradley is the first major leaguer to have a hit streak of 29 games since Denard Span in 2013. The last player to reach 40 was Pete Rose in 1978 when he got to 44. If Bradley can extend it Thursday at home vs. Colorado, the Sox are in Toronto on Friday night. Bradley is 0-for-3 career against Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez.


Phillies at Cubs (-270, TBA)

This is your lone matinee with a 2:20 p.m. ET start. The Cubs looked very mortal on their just completed nine-game road trip with a 4-5 mark, although the offense exploded for 21 combined runs in the final two games to take two of three in St. Louis. I thought Cubs ace Jake Arrieta might finally lose on Wednesday, and he didn't pitch very well, allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings in his worst start in about a year, but his offense bailed him out. So now the Cubs begin a 10-game homestand behind Jon Lester (4-3, 2.60) on Friday. The lefty comes off his worst start of the season, allowing five runs and six hits in 2.2 innings in a loss to the Giants. It was the first time a Cubs starter did not go at least five innings this season. Lester hasn't faced the Phils this year. Lefty Adam Morgan (1-2, 5.61) goes for the Phillies. He lost in Atlanta last time out despite a quality start, allowing two runs in six innings. The Cubs' Kris Bryant is 1-for-3 career off him with an RBI. Jason Heyward and Dexter Fowler are each 2-for-3.

Key trends: The Phillies are 1-4 in Morgan's past five on the road. The Cubs are 5-2 in Lester's past seven on five days of rest. The "over/under" has gone under in seven of in Morgan's past nine on the road. The under is 5-2-1 in Lester's past seven after allowing at least five runs in his previous start.

Early lean: Cubs and wait on wind direction.

Dodgers at Mets (-152, 7)

An MLB Network national TV game and will have live betting at sportsbooks. These teams will be done with each other on Sunday for the season unless they have another playoff meeting. They split four meetings in L.A. from May 9-12. This will be must-see TV because the Dodgers are promoting a guy who many call the top pitching prospect in baseball, lefty Julio Urias, to make his big-league debut. Alex Wood was originally supposed to start on Friday but was pushed back to Monday as he is dealing with soreness in his left triceps. Urias is just 19 and has 27 consecutive scoreless innings in Triple-A with a 1.10 ERA down there this year. He will be the youngest Dodgers starting pitcher since Dick Calmus on Aug. 23, 1963. The Dodgers signed Urias in June 2012 when he was just 16. New York starts Jacob deGrom (3-1, 3.07). He was opposite Wood on May 10 and allowed two runs and eight hits over seven innings in also getting a no-decision. Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-10 with two homers and six RBIs against him.

Key trends: The Mets are 10-1 in deGrom's past 11 vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 5-1 in deGrom's past six at home vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Dodgers and under.

Yankees at Rays (-108, 7)

Probably the best pitching matchup of the day here. The Yankees might have to put first baseman Mark Texieira on the disabled list as he's dealing with some neck issues. He missed Wednesday's game after getting a cortisone shot. Tex is really struggling this season. The Bombers go with ace Masahiro Tanaka (2-0, 3.24). They have won his past three. He allowed a run and five hits in Oakland in his last start. Tanaka took a no-decision on April 23 vs. the Rays in allowing two runs in seven innings. Evan Longoria is 1-for-11 off him. Logan Morrison is 2-for-12 with six strikeouts. It's Chris Archer (3-5, 5.16) for Tampa. For a few starts there, Archer looked to have turned his season around. But he was shelled for six runs and eight hits over three innings Sunday in Detroit. He hasn't faced the Yankees this season but is 5-2 with a 2.25 ERA career against them. Alex Rodriguez, who was to return to the Yankees on Thursday, is 1-for-12 off him. Jacoby Ellsbury hits .667 against Archer in 24 at-bats.

Key trends: The Yankees are 3-7 in their past 10 on Friday. The Rays are 4-0 in Archer's past four following an outing of less than four innings in his last appearance. The under is 4-1-1 in Archer's past six at home.

Early lean: Rays and under.

Giants at Rockies (+103, 10.5)

San Francisco got good news on first baseman Brandon Belt as he suffered only an ankle sprain after a slide into second base on Wednesday when it looked potentially much worse. Belt, who thinks he can play Friday after a day off Thursday, is hitting .276 with four homers and 22 RBIs. The Giants go with Matt Cain (1-5, 5.37) here. He was awful to start the season but has really turned it around of late, allowing four combined runs over 21 innings in his past three starts. Cain is 0-2 with a 12.46 ERA in two starts this year against Colorado. Carlos Gonzalez hits just .154 off him with 17 strikeouts in 52 at-bats. Mark Reynolds is 8-for-27 with two homers and four RBIs. For Colorado, it's Tyler Chatwood. It was Eddie Butler's spot, but he was needed in relief on Tuesday. Chatwood (5-3, 3.02) has been magnificent on the road this season but shaky at home with a 6.65 ERA. He lost at Coors Field to San Francisco on April 12, allowing five runs and 11 hits in six innings. Belt is 4-for-17 off him. Brandon Crawford is 7-for-17.

Key trends: The Giants are 1-5 in Cain's past six on the road. The Rockies are 1-4 in Chatwood's past five at home. The over is 7-1-1 in Cain's past nine on the road. The over is 4-1 in his past five against Colorado.

Early lean: Rockies and over.

Twins at Mariners (-220, 7.5)

Seattle will be without Leonys Martin for a few games. He was pulled Wednesday after tweaking his hamstring while running the bases. Martin is having a really nice season, batting .262 with nine homers and 20 RBIs while playing excellent defense in center field. The Mariners start ace Felix Hernandez (4-3, 2.21) here, and he's second in the AL in ERA. King Felix shut out the Reds on four hits over six innings in his last start. He's 8-5 with a 1.93 ERA in 17 career starts vs. Minnesota. Joe Mauer hits .341 against him with two homers and seven RBIs in 41 at-bats. Trevor Plouffe is 6-for-11 with three RBIs. Minnesota goes with lefty Pat Dean (0-1, 3.86). He made the third big-league appearance of his career and first start Saturday vs. Toronto and was solid, allowing two runs and three hits over six innings.

Key trends: The Twins are 0-7 in their past seven after an off day. The Mariners are 15-6 in Hernandez's past 21 series openers. The under is 4-0-2 in Hernandez's past six at home.

Early lean: Mariners and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Pirates visit Rangers'

Pittsburgh Pirates at Texas Rangers May 27, 8:05 EST

Texas Rangers host Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Park in Arlington in the opener of a three game interleague set. According to opening odds the Rangers are -$1.45 to -$1.65 home favorites depending on locale with the total a consistent 9.0 runs across all shops.

Cole Hamels get the start for Texas. The lefthander carries a 5-0 record with a 2.83 ERA in his nine trips to the mound and is now 12-2 since joining Texas last August with Rangers 18-5 in his twenty-three starts. Hamels is 3-2 in nine career starts vs. the Bucs (5-4 TSR). Hamels trades pitches with lefty Jonathon Niese entering 4-2 on the campaign with a 4.75 ERA in nine starts with his new club. Niese is 1-0 in two career starts vs Rangers (2-0 TSR).

A key to baseball handicapping is the ability to unearth hidden gems among a sea of baseball betting tips. Those whose focus is baseball betting have certainly done the research and have come up with the fact Pirates have an 8-0 road streak vs A.L. West opponents including 3-0 vs Rangers. Additionally, Niese's teams (Pit/Mets) have thrived when he tosses on the road posting a sparkling 10-1 last eleven in hostile territory.

Taking an underdog is always a risky proposition, though in this case, the amount of supporting data in favor of Pirates makes it much less risky.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Friday's games

National League games

Phillies @ Cubs
Morgan is 0-2, 8.38 in his last two starts (under 3-2).

Lester is 0-2, 5.79 in his last two starts; three of his last four starts went over.

Phillies lost four of their last six games; under is 5-3 in their last eight. Chicago is 4-6 in its last ten games; over is 7-2 in their last nine Wrigley games.

Cardinals @ Nationals
Garcia is 0-2, 9.82 in his last two starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight starts.

Scherzer is 2-1, 2.31 in his last three starts (over 5-3-2).

Cardinals lost four of last five games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight. Washington won six of its last eight games; over is 3-2-1 in its last six home games.

Dodgers @ Mets
19-year old Urias is making MLB debut; he was 4-1, 1.10 in seven AAA starts. .

deGrom is 0-1, 4.63 in his last four starts (over 4-3).

Dodgers won their last four games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games. Mets won five of last six games; over is 5-3 in their last eight games.

Marlins @ Braves
Conley is 1-2, 6.46 in his last three starts, all of which went over.

Perez is 2-1, 2.66 in his last four starts (over 4-2)

Miami is 9-3 in its last 12 road games, last four of which stayed under. Atlanta lost 20 of 22 home games; four of their last five games stayed under total.

Reds @ Brewers
Lamb is 0-2, 5.85 in four starts this year (under 2-1-1).

Davies is 1-0, 3.97 in his last four starts, three of which went over.

Cincinnati lost its last ten games; over is 7-3-1 in their last 11. Milwaukee won its last three games; under is 5-1-1 in their last seven games at Miller Park.

Giants @ Rockies
Cain is 0-1, 1.71 in his last three starts; four of his last six starts went over.

Chatwood is 3-1, 2.70 in his last five starts (under 8-1).

Giants won 13 of last 14 games; their last seven road games stayed under. Colorado is 2-6 in last eight games but they've won last four at home- their last four games went over the total.

Padres @ Diamondbacks
Friedrich is 0-1, 2.89 in two starts this year (over 1-1).

Ray is 1-3, 5.54 in his last five starts (under 5-3-1).

San Diego lost eight of last ten games; under is 6-2 in their last eight road tilts. Arizona lost five of last six games; under is 9-1-1 in their last 11 home games. .


American League games

Red Sox @ Blue Jays
Kelly is 2-0, 1.54 in his last three starts, but that covers only 12.1 IP (over 2-2). .

Sanchez is 3-0, 3.12 in his last five starts, three of which stayed under.

Red Sox won five of last seven games; over is 12-3-1 in their last 16 games. Toronto is 5-2 in its last seven games; four of last five Toronto home games went over.

Orioles @ Indians
Wright is 3-3, 5.53 in seven starts, last four of which went over. .

Bauer is 0-2, 5.40 in his last two starts (under 3-2).

Baltimore lost its last four games; nine of its last 12 road games stayed under the total. Indians won eight of last 11 games; over is 9-3 in their last 12 home games.

Bronx @ Rays
Tanaka is 1-0, 3.32 in his last six starts; six of his last eight starts stayed under.

Archer is 1-1, 7.71 in his last three starts, all of which went over.

New York won six of last eight games, but lost last two; under is 9-4-1 in their last 14 road games. Rays lost five of last six games; under is 16-5 in their last 21 home games.

White Sox @ Royals
Gonzalez is 1-1, 3.31 in his last three starts (over 3-1).

Duffy hasn't allowed a run in two starts, but lasted total of only 7.1 innings, throwing 48-63 pitches in the two games. .

Indians won seven of last ten games; over is 13-6-1 in their last 20 games. White Sox lost ten of last 14 games; six of their last eight games stayed under.

Astros @ Angels
Fiers is 2-1, 3.19 in his last five starts (over 3-1-1).

Shoemaker is 1-0, 2.19 in his last two starts (under 4-2-1 in last seven).

Houston won its last three games; five of its last seven road games went over the total. Angels are 3-8 in last 11 home games; five of their last six home games went over.

Tigers @ A's
Fulmer is 2-0, 4.96 in his last three starts; all five of his starts went over.

Manaea is 1-2, 7.62 in his five starts (over 3-2).

Detroit won seven of its last ten games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games. Oakland lost six of last seven games; over is 6-3 in their last nine home games.

Twins @ Mariners
Dean allowed two runs in six IP (95 PT) in his first MLB start.

Hernandez is 2-1, 2.21 in his last three starts (under 7-1-1).

Minnesota lost eight of last ten games; over is 8-2-1 in their last 11 road games. Seattle won six of last seven games; six of their last eight home games went over.


Interleague

Pirates @ Rangers
Niese is 1-2, 5.16 in his last five starts (over 6-3).

Hamels is 2-0, 3.71 in his last four starts; four of his last five starts went over.

Pirates won nine of their last 11 games; their last four games went over. Texas won 11 of last 14 home games; over is 7-3 in their last ten home games.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Chi-- Morgan 2-3; Lester 6-3
StL-Wsh-- Garcia 4-5; Scherzer 6-4
LA-NY-- Urias 0-0; deGrom 4-3
Mia-Atl-- Conley 5-4; Perez 4-2
Cin-Mil-- Lamb 0-4; Davies 2-5
SF-Col-- Cain 3-6; Chatwood 6-3
SD-Az-- Friedrich 1-1; Ray 3-6

Bos-Tor-- Kelly 3-1; Sanchez 5-4
Balt-Clev-- Wright 4-3; Bauer 2-3
NY-TB-- Tanaka 6-3; Archer 4-6
Chi-KC-- Gonzalez 2-2; Duffy 2-0
Hst-LA-- Fiers 4-4; Shoemaker 2-6
Det-A's-- Fulmer 4-1; Manaea 2-3
Min-Sea-- Dean 1-0; Hernandez 5-4

Pitt-Tex-- Niese 6-3; Hamels 7-2


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

Phil-Chi-- Morgan 0-5; Lester 1-9
StL-Wsh-- Garcia 2-9; Scherzer 5-10
LA-NY-- Urias 0-0; deGrom 2-7
Mia-Atl-- Conley 3-9; Perez 2-6
Cin-Mil-- Lamb 2-4; Davies 2-7
SF-Col-- Cain 2-7; Chatwood 2-9
SD-Az-- Friedrich 1-2; Ray 0-9

Bos-Tor-- Kelly 1-3; Sanchez 2-9
Balt-Clev-- Wright 1-7; Bauer 1-5
NY-TB-- Tanaka 1-9; Archer 5-10
Chi-KC-- Gonzalez 3-4; Duffy 0-2
Hst-LA-- Fiers 2-8; Shoemaker 3-8
Det-A's-- Fulmer 2-5; Manaea 1-5
Min-Sea-- Dean 0-1; Hernandez 0-9

Pitt-Tex-- Niese 2-9; Hamels 2-9

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Friday's six-pack

Odds on select college football games this season:

-- Sept 10: Arkansas @ TCU (-6)

-- Sept 17: Oregon @ Nebraska (-2)

-- Oct 1: Tennessee @ Georgia (pick)

-- Oct 8: Oklahoma (-14) vs Texas (in Dallas)

-- Oct 15: Ohio State (-3) @ Wisconsin

-- Oct 29: Michigan (-2) @ Michigan State