Monday 8/29/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (67-63) at Mets (66-64)

Game: 1
Venue: Citi Field
Date: August 29, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- As unusual as the New York Mets rotation appears to be this week, manager Terry Collins did not devise it by throwing a bunch of names into a hat. But perhaps Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly will do that with his lineup as he tries to generate some offense for his sputtering club.

A pair of National League wild card contenders will meet Monday night, when the Mets host the Miami Marlins in the opener of a pivotal four-game series at Citi Field.

The Marlins (67-63) and Mets (66-64) are chasing the St. Louis Cardinals, who currently occupy the second wild card spot. The Cardinals (68-61) lead the Pittsburgh Pirates (67-61) by a half-game, with the Marlins (1 1/2 games back) and the Mets (2 1/2 games back) running third and fourth.

Both the Mets and Marlins missed opportunities to gain on the Cardinals on Sunday, when New York lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 while Miami fell 3-1 to the San Diego Padres.

The Marlins scored just one run in losing the final two games of a three-game series to the Padres. Miami scored only 19 runs in the last eight games, a span in which it has scored more than three runs once.

Following Sunday's loss, Mattingly, tongue presumably planted firmly in cheek, said he might follow in the footsteps of his former manager, the late Billy Martin, and get creative in hopes of snapping the Marlins out of their slump.

"We could throw (names) in a hat and spin it around and hope magic pops out," Mattingly said.

Collins is hoping for some magic as well with a piecemeal starting rotation. With usually sturdy right-hander Jacob deGrom being skipped due to his recent struggles -- he has allowed 13 runs over 9 2/3 innings in his last two starts -- the Mets will promote right-hander Rafael Montero from Double-A Binghamton for Monday's opener against Marlins ace right-hander Jose Fernandez.

Montero, who has made nine big league starts but has not started for the Mets since April 28, 2015, is expected to be followed in the rotation Tuesday by rookie right-hander Seth Lugo, who will be making his third big league start. The Mets' losing pitcher Sunday was rookie right-hander Robert Gsellman, who made his first career start.

"I always look at it as a learning process, and if these guys are going to pitch at the major league level, there's no better learning area than to pitch in a pennant race and learn how to deal with the pressures and the stress of what you've got to do to go out and do your job," Collins said.

The strength of the Mets was supposed to be their quartet of young fireballers -- right-handers deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey and left-hander Steven Matz -- but Harvey is out for the season after undergoing surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome and Matz is on the disabled list with a sore left shoulder, though he is expected to return and start Thursday's series finale.

"Yeah, this is the first time I've had three rookies -- basically, three rookies -- in a row pitching," said Collins, who has managed 1,818 major league games. "But it's what we've got."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (55-74) at Red Sox (72-58)

Game: 1
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: August 29, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

BOSTON -- Stunned by an eight-run rally Sunday night that cost them the series finale against the Kansas City Royals, the Boston Red Sox look to Rick Porcello to reverse their fortunes.

Porcello brings a 12-0 home record to the mound in the opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at Fenway Park.

Porcello will face fellow right-hander Matt Andriese in a rematch of a game last Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. Neither pitcher earned a decision in that game, won 4-3 by the Rays in 11 innings, and Porcello takes his second shot at a major-league-leading 18th win in the rematch.

He will bid to become the first Red Sox pitcher in 70 years to start a season 13-0 at home.

In the first year of a five-year contract extension worth $82.5 million, Porcello (17-3, 3.23 ERA) is a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate.

"I think the one thing was that we weren't sure as time went on if he would take the jump to be a top-of-the-rotation guy once we had him," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a recent WEEI interview. "We looked at him maybe as a middle-of-the-rotation type."

As David Price has lived through his ups and downs in his first year in Boston, and as Steven Wright has emerged as a pleasant surprise, Porcello has flown under the radar and run up his strongest major league season.

Dombrowski traded Porcello away from the Tigers to the Red Sox and then inherited the pitcher during Porcello's 9-15 first season in Boston. The Red Sox signed him to the big contract four months after acquiring him from Detroit but before he threw a regular-season pitch with his new team.

Since May 22, he is 11-1 with a 3.12 ERA, and he is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in August. At Tampa Bay last week, Porcello pitched 7 2/3 innings of three-run ball, striking out eight without issuing a walk.

The current Rays roster has a collective .272 batting average against Porcello, with Brad Miller hitting three home runs among his four hits in 15 at-bats against the right-hander. Evan Longoria (10-for-40) and Corey Dickerson (3-for-13) have also homered against Porcello.

Longoria has 15 homers in 72 games at Fenway Park.

Andriese (6-5, 3.71 ERA) has pitched twice against Boston this year -- an impressive two-inning relief outing at Fenway Park on July 10, during which he struck out five, and last week's quality start, when he gave up three runs in six innings. Andriese fanned eight and walked one Wednesday.

He is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in eight appearances since the All-Star break, but Andriese, who turned 27 on Sunday, said he was eager to face the potent Red Sox again.

The last-place Rays (55-74) won the final two games to earn a split of the four-game series with the Red Sox last week. Tampa Bay lost the first two in Houston before beating the Astros 10-4 on Sunday.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash is not pleased with his club's fundamentals.

"As a staff, we're losing sleep over it," Cash said Sunday, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune. "Look, we've got a group of some young players here. We're always going to have young players. But at some point those young players, even though they are young, we've got find a way to impact them to where they're making positive decisions and adjustments in their game.

"We've spent a lot of time talking about it, what can we do better this last month, what we can address more of. It's going to take all of us, myself, getting a little more hands-on and coaching these guys, trying to play it out how it's going to happen before it actually does. I think there'd be some benefit to that."

The Red Sox, who still have to go back to St. Petersburg from Sept. 23-25, lead the season series with the Rays 7-6, going 4-2 at Fenway Park.

Boston lost two of three to the Royals over the weekend, including a 10-4 setback Sunday night. Kansas City trailed 4-2 entering the sixth inning before erupting for its biggest inning in three years.

The Red Sox (72-58) are two games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, and they are a game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the first AL wild card.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (49-81) at Indians (73-56)

Game: 1
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: August 29, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- Two struggling American League Central Division teams will meet at Progressive Field Monday night. One has been struggling all year. The other has been struggling for a week.

The first place Cleveland Indians will host the last place Minnesota Twins. That the Twins are struggling is not news. At 49-81 they have the worst record in the American League and the second worst record in the majors.

At 73-56 the Indians have the second best record in the American League, but they are coming off a disastrous seven-game trip to Oakland and Texas in which they lost five of the seven games. They could easily have lost six of the seven games because the score in one of their wins was 1-0.

In their five losses on the trip that ended Sunday with a 2-1 loss in Texas, the Indians were out-scored 32-3. Overall, they scored one or zero runs in six of the seven games.

The recent slump has not dimmed Manager Terry Francona's enthusiasm for his team.

"This team to me is pretty special," he said. "Are we good enough (to reach the postseason)? I don't know. We're going to find out. I prefer to embrace the journey. You see teams in the World Series that look real glamorous, but those same teams had to weather stuff during the year. You weathered it enough to move on. I don't think that anybody claimed we were the '27 Yankees, but you look up and we're in first place."

On paper the first place Indians would seemingly welcome some games against the last place Twins, but in one of the season's more inexplicable trends Minnesota has more wins against Cleveland than against the other three division teams combined. The Twins are 8-5 vs. the Indians and a combined 7-30 vs. the Tigers, Royals and White Sox.

The two teams played a four-game series in Cleveland in early August and the Twins won three consecutive blowouts: 12-5, 10-6 and 13-5.

Monday's pitching matchup will feature two pitchers who have struggled against the team they are facing. Cleveland will start Trevor Bauer (9-6, 3.88). In 10 career starts vs. Minnesota Bauer is 1-5 with a 5.86 ERA. In three starts against the Twins this year he is 0-2 with a 7.63 ERA.

The Twins will start Hector Santiago (10-8, 5.16). In 13 career appearances vs. the Indians Santiago is 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA. In two starts against the Indians this year he is 0-2 with a 12.79 ERA.

Santiago will be making his first start since Aug. 20. Due to a bruised left thumb, he was given some extra days off between starts. The injury occurred on July 2 when he was pitching for the Angels.

In four starts since his trade to Minnesota Santiago is 0-4 with a 10.89 ERA. The thumb might be part of the problem.

"He talked about how it affects his ability on his off-speed stuff a little bit, his curveball, to have the same feel that he would like to have," Twins manager Paul Molitor told MLB.com. "People have to pitch through things at times. It's not an issue for me that he's kind of trying to find a way to work himself through it."

The Twins come into Monday's game having lost their last 10 games in a row.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (68-61) at Brewers (56-74)

Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: August 29, 2016 7:20 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- As the Pittsburgh Pirates inch closer to the second wild-card spot, the St. Louis Cardinals will look to regain some separation from their National League Central rivals in a very comfortable place: Milwaukee's Miller Park.

Since defeating Milwaukee in the 2011 NL Championship Series, the Cardinals have dominated the Brewers, winning 57 of 84 encounters during that span - including a 29-12 mark at Miller Park.

This season alone, the Cardinals have gone 9-3 against the Brewers with victories in four of their six meetings at Miller Park.

St. Louis arrives in Milwaukee having gone 5-5 in its last 10 games and begins the day with a half-game lead over the Pirates in the playoff race.

The Cardinals will turn to right-hander Carlos Martinez, who has allowed just two runs on seven hits in 15 innings over his last two starts. He has already beaten Milwaukee twice this season, allowing only a run in 13 innings of work in those outings.

Martinez went eight innings his last time out when he held the New York Mets to a run on four hits while striking out five in an 8-1 victory at Busch Stadium.

"These last two outings, I really feel like have been two of my best," Martinez said. "My main focus has been trying to stay focused on the strike zone (and) not to outdo myself, and really trying to stay in control of my pitches, and that really helps me in getting the velocity I need to get. I feel really good about myself right now."

Milwaukee will turn to right-hander Zach Davies in the hopes of snapping its string of struggles against the Cardinals as well as a four-game losing streak.

Davies had dropped consecutive decisions for the first time since April but bounced back in his last outing, when Nolan Arenado's home run was the only blemish on a six-inning outing in which the hurler allowed five hits and three walks while striking out eight.

"It was definitely a positive, definitely a step forward, but I need to make sure I go back and look at this game and work from there," Davies said. "I need to keep making steps forward."

Davies has only faced the Cardinals once in his career and it was a gem. He threw eight shutout innings and struck out nine while allowing only three hits in a 3-1 Milwaukee victory back on June 1 at Miller Park.

"It's hard to get much better than that," manager Craig Counsell said after that outing. "That's what he's capable of, against a very good offensive team, and he has the ability to pitch like that.

"It's fun to watch when a guy pitches like that. He was on the attack. Like I said, there were four pitches they were responsible for in every count, and when you're ahead in the count, you can't sit on anything."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (63-66) at Tigers (69-61)

Game: 1
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 29, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- Matt Boyd is more focused on the present than the future.

The young left-hander is making a strong case to be counted on for inclusion in the Detroit Tigers 2017 rotation.

He understands that goal can best be served by pitching well enough to remain a Detroit starter through the end of the season, which so far he has done exceedingly well.

Boyd (5-2, 3.98 ERA) starts Monday night against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in the opening of a three-game series. Detroit holds an 8-5 edge over Chicago so far.

"When you start looking within your division, we haven't played (that well)," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You have to be able to reverse that, find a way to be able to win those games.

"Games like (Saturday night, 9-3 win over Seattle) can help. But you want to be able to do that within your division.

"We have some tough teams within the division as well, teams that can pitch, and Detroit, offensively, that's a tough team. You have to be able to stop them and you have to be able to score just like they do."

Boyd has allowed three runs or less in each of his last eight starts, going 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA since July 9. Boyd has started twice against the White Sox this season, the only times he has faced them, without a decision and a 7.27 ERA.

He'll be tasked with stopping a two-game Detroit slide that followed a five-game winning streak as the Tigers lost to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, 5-0.

Boyd, Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer give Detroit three young pitchers in their rotation and the trio do their workouts together, dissect their performances with one another and push one another to exceed expectations.

While those three might get pushed back in the Tigers' rotation after Thursday's day off, Wednesday's starter, Justin Verlander, is probable to pitch in turn through September.

"If the team wants me to go on regular rest," Verlander said, "I think that's a big benefit of having a guy that's been a workhorse for a long time. I'm going to be honest with Brad and tell him if I'm good to go or not.

"I'm happy to do it. As long as I feel stay feeling good, I'm good to go."

The White Sox have veteran James Shields (5-16, 5.98 ERA) set for the opener.

His ERA with Chicago is 7.49 in 15 starts but for August it's 13.95 in five outings. He's faced the Tigers three times this season, going 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA.

The right-hander has had mixed results against Detroit over the years. In 22 starts, he is 7-8 with a 4.53 ERA.

The White Sox have been looking at the future since the All-Star break, if not before.

On Friday they traded catcher Dioner Navarro to Toronto in exchange for a young minor league left-hander, Colton Turner.

The White Sox activated former Tiger Alex Avila from the disabled list but instead of backing up Navarro, Avila will be behind Omar Narvaez.

"As we talked about," Chicago GM Rick Hahn said. "Omar has done a nice job putting himself on the map playing a role here over the next few years. And this should likely give him a few more opportunities over the next four or five weeks to play on a regular basis."

Chicago will bring up a third catcher for flexibility when rosters expand but he isn't likely to get many looks.

"There are some options in the pipeline," Hahn said. "But certainly heading into this offseason, we are going to find a direction for 2017 and some answers for 2017 behind the plate."

Chicago has lefty Chris Sale lined up to face Verlander in the series closeout Wednesday.

He has thrown 120 pitches in each of his last two starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (67-61) at Cubs (82-47)

Game: 1
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: August 29, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- A National League division title might almost be out of reach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they remain alive for October's postseason party.

The Pirates (67-61) are in the thick of the NL wild-card chase after a 3-1 victory on Sunday and four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pittsburgh has won five of its last six, is 30-20 in its last 50 games and stands just a half game out of the second wild-card spot.

"We're going to leave here in a good place, but we've got to show up in Chicago," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said after Sunday's win at Miller Park. "We'll look forward to it. I don't think you could ask for much more here at the end of August. We get to play meaningful games. It should be fun."

The Pirates open a three-game series on Monday against the division-leading Cubs (82-47) at Wrigley Field, the start of a seven-game homestand.

But they'll be without right-hander Gerrit Cole, originally slated to start in the opener. Cole (7-9) is 0-3 since Aug. 7 and departed Milwaukee on Sunday for Los Angeles and a reported examination of an ailing right elbow.

"He will miss at least his next start," Pirates GM Neal Huntington told reporters on Sunday.

Instead, right-hander Steven Brault (0-1, 3.60 ERA) is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to make his third career start and third appearance this season with the Pirates.

"He's going to be in the big leagues, he's going to be excited to be here," Hurdle said. "It's his third start and he's got a little experience doing this. We just want him to pound the zone and mix his pitches. We've seen him be able to use the fastball to both sides of the plate. He's an intelligent guy who game plans with the catchers well."

Also up from Triple-A Indianapolis is right-handed reliever A.J. Schugel. Originally an expected September call-up, Schugel has a 3.69 ERA in 49 previous appearances this season.

Brault faces Cubs ace Jake Arrieta (16-2, 2.62 ERA).

After a midsummer slump going 1-4 in seven starts, Arrieta is 4-0 in August and is coming off an eight-inning shutout effort over the Padres on Aug. 23.

Arrieta's 16 victories top the league and hes 9-2 in his career with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts against the Pirates, including a 4-1 record at home.

He had a similar run in August 2015, going 6-0 in the month and completing the regular season with an 11-0 record en route to NL Cy Young Award honors.

The Cubs dropped a 1-0 decision on Sunday to the Los Angeles Dodgers to conclude a 5-4 West Coast swing but maintain a 14-game lead over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and are 14 1/2 ahead of the Pirates. With 33 games to play, the Cubs own baseball's winningest record and their division lead is the big league's largest.

Along with the three-game series at Chicago, the Cubs and Pirates will play a four-game set Sept. 26-29 at PNC Park.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (57-73) at Astros (68-62)

Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: August 29, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- After six games serving as the designated hitter or as a pinch hitter off the bench, Yuli Gurriel is poised to make his debut defensively for the Astros this week against the Athletics, perhaps as early as Monday night in the series opener.

Gurriel worked extensively with third base coach Gary Pettis in left fielder prior to the series finale against the Rays on Sunday in anticipation of donning a glove for the first time since the Astros (68-62) recalled him from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 21. Gurriel will debut at either third base or in left, with the latter a more likely option given how effectively rookie Alex Bregman has wielded his glove at the hot corner.

Gurriel dealt with a minor hamstring issue while the Astros completed a recent seven-game road trip in Pittsburgh, delaying his opportunity to showcase his defensive chops. Gurriel enjoyed an exceptional 15-year career in Cuba as a middle infielder, but with the Astros set at second base (All-Star Jose Altuve) and shortstop (2015 American League Rookie of the Year Carlos Correa), and with Bregman emerging, Gurriel will bounce around now that his health is no longer a big concern.

"It's easier for me to trust him and have him know himself," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of deciding that Gurriel is healthy enough to play in the field. "He's been on the center stage, has been one of the best players on his team every team he's been on so he knows what it's going to take and this is fulfilling a dream of his so he's not going to be frivolous with his body."

The Astros will open the series with Oakland behind rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove (1-2, 5.20 ERA). Musgrove will make his first career appearance against the Athletics following five outings (four starts) after his promotion on Aug. 1.

Musgrove is looking to bounce back from back-to-back subpar outings against the Orioles and Pirates having allowed 13 runs on 19 hits (including four home runs) over 9 1/3 innings.

The Athletics (57-73) will counter with rookie left-hander Sean Manaea (5-8, 4.53 ERA), who made his major league debut against the Astros on April 29 in Oakland.

Manaea did not record a decision in either of his two starts against the Astros, posting a 3.00 ERA while allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 12 innings. Manaea was sharp last Tuesday against the Indians, surrendering just one run on three hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in seven innings in a 9-1 victory in Oakland.

The Athletics won their second consecutive series against a postseason contender on Sunday, beating the Cardinals 7-4 in St. Louis in the rubber match of that three-game set. Oakland also took two of three against the Indians before departing on a six-game road swing that concludes at Minute Maid Park.

"We're a good team," Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt said. "We've had an up-and-down season with a lot of injuries, a lot of new faces. But one thing about this group is we've taken a lot of series from some good teams. We're not going to quit or roll over."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mariners (68-62) at Rangers (77-54)

Game: 1
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: August 29, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Texas -- There's still more than a month remaining in the regular season, but the American League West could be all but decided in the next two weeks as the Texas Rangers play the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros for the next 10 games.

Texas owns an 8 1/2-game lead over both teams heading into Monday's game against the Mariners. The Rangers have a chance to add even more ground between it and the Mariners when the three-game set starts at Globe Life Park.

Texas, which has its biggest division lead since July 3, will start the series with one of its top pitchers going as right-hander Yu Darvish (4-3) gets the nod.

Darvish has pitched in enough big games to know not to put too much pressure on this start.

"I know this is an important game for all of us on the team," Darvish said. "I just try and focus on what I can do to try to take it just as any other game."

Darvish is coming off a start in Cincinnati that was more notable for his hitting than his pitching. He homered against the Reds but didn't figure in the decision as he allowed five runs (three earned) in his six innings. He struggled with his command, walking five.

While the walk total was one shy of his career high in a game, Darvish wasn't alarmed by it.

"I didn't throw many breaking balls in the bullpen sessions between the starts," Darvish said. "I think it was just one of those days so I didn't do anything special to work on the curveball."

Monday's game will also mark the third time Darvish has squared off against Hisashi Iwakuma (14-9) in his career. Darvish said there's no added importance about matching up against another Japanese start and that it's more important to beat the Mariners.

The game will mark just the 12th start for Darvish in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and the right-hander feels good about where he's at.

"I think I'm in a better position than I expected. Looking around at other guys who have had Tommy John surgery compared to some of the guys who are struggling, I think I'm in a better place than I was expecting," he said.

While playing big games late in the season is nothing new for Texas, it's a big deal for Iwakuma and the Mariners.

Seattle hasn't been to the postseason since 2001, so still being in contention as the games wind down is a step forward.

"That was the goal when we all (arrived), a new regime kind of in Seattle, coming on board to play meaningful games in September," first-year manager Scott Servais said. "I think we're going to play meaningful games in September. How meaningful? That's another level. That's where we want to get to.

"Getting to that point where our fan base feels it, they're tied to us every day, that's what September baseball is all about. We're close, we're not there yet. We need to finish up here and get into Texas and see where that leads us."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees (67-62) at Royals (68-62)

Game: 1
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: August 29, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On Aug. 6, the Kansas City Royals were seven games below .500, 11 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central and 9 1/2 games out in the wild-card chase.

The defending World Series champion Royals, however, have been the hottest team in the majors since then, winning 17 of 21 games and seven consecutive series.

Kansas City has crept within 5 1/2 games of the Indians and is three games back of the Baltimore Orioles for the second wild-card spot.

The Royals, who play 20 of their final 32 games at home, host the New York Yankees in a crucial three-game series beginning Monday night.

"We're getting hot as a team at the right time to get hot," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said.

The Yankees, too, are playing well lately behind slugging rookie catcher Gary Sanchez, and they remain in the playoff picture. They had their four-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 5-0 loss to the Orioles, but they are just 3 1/2 games out in the wild-card hunt.

The Royals erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning -- the most runs they scored in an inning since Aug. 5, 2013 -- to win 10-4 at Boston on Sunday night. They took two of three from the Red Sox. Rookie Raul Mondesi, who bats ninth, connected on a three-run triple in the big inning.

"You can ride guys like (Kendrys) Morales when they get hot or (Hosmer) when they get hot," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "But if you're going to have any kind of sustained winning streak, it's got to be everybody. It's got to be a different guy every night."

On Sunday, the Royals picked up a game on the Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox, all teams battling for postseason play.

After the Yankees beat the Orioles in the first two games at Yankee Stadium, New York failed to complete the three-game sweep.

"It's not what you want, but we're playing good baseball and winning series, and that's what we need to continue to do," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "If someone says you're going to win a series against Baltimore, I think you have to feel pretty positive about that, but when you win the first two, sometimes guys can get down a little.

"I'm not down -- I think we played very well this weekend. We need to continue to do that, and if we do, I'll take our chances."

While Sanchez did not homer Sunday, he doubled and singled. He homered in each of his previous three games and became the quickest player in major league history to hit 11 home runs, accomplishing it in 23 games. His 21 RBIs in his first 23 career games tied for the second most in Yankees history.

Girardi is glad his young players are experiencing a pennant race.

"I think when the games have meaning every day, you're playing in your division or against other teams vying for the playoffs, I think it's very valuable," Girardi said. "Those are games that in a sense have pressure, so I think the meaning of the games, you get a better evaluation of players, and I think that's important."

New York right-hander Michael Pineda draws the starting assignment Monday at Kansas City. Pineda has not pitched since a no-decision on Aug. 22 at Seattle, where he gave up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 in four August starts.

Pineda is 4-4 with a 3.87 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings in his past 14 starts. He went 2-6 with a 6.92 ERA in his first 10 starts. Opponents are hitting .228 off him in the 14-start stretch after hitting .320 in his first 11 starts.

Hosmer is 5-for-15 with a home run off Pineda, while catcher Salvador Perez, who has three homers in his past two games, is 6-for-17 (.353) with a homer off him. Alex Gordon is 3-for-19 (.158) and Lorenzo Cain is 1-for-10 against Pineda.

The Royals will counter with right-hander Dillon Gee in the series opener. It will be Gee's 12th start and 27th appearance. Gee lost 3-0 Wednesday at Miami, giving give up three runs in the sixth inning on four consecutive one-out singles and a sacrifice fly that ended up his evening and ceased his 11-inning scoreless streak.

Gee is 2-2 with a 4.21 ERA in August after posting an 0-3 record with a 6.04 ERA in July. He is limiting opposing hitters to a .229 batting average with runners in scoring position, while they are 4-for-37 (.108) with runners in scoring in position with two outs.

Gee will be facing the Yankees for the second time this year, having held them to one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a relief outing on May 9. He is 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA in four career appearances against the Yankees -- including three starts when he was with the Mets. Gee is 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA in six starts and 15 appearances at Kauffman Stadium this year.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (73-57) at Rockies (62-68)

Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: August 29, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

DENVER -- Kenta Maeda will try to continue his dominance against Colorado and his mastery at Coors Field when he starts Monday against the Rockies for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Maeda is 13-7 with a 3.37 ERA this season. In his past six starts, he's 5-0 with a 3.74 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a .226 average with 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 33 2/3 innings.

In his last outing Tuesday, Maeda picked up the win in a 9-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He threw 103 pitches in five innings and gave up three runs, six hits and four walks with four strikeouts.

In three starts against the Rockies, Maeda is 2-1 with a 1.45 ERA (18 2/3 innings, three earned runs) with two walks and 22 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Rockies hitters are averaging .179 (12-for-67) against Maeda.

In two starts at Coors Field, Maeda is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, issuing one walk in 12 innings with 13 strikeouts.

"Kenta is good at Coors Field because he keeps the ball down, he executes his pitches, and regardless of what team or ballpark he plays in, Kenta doesn't concern himself with that," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think that sometimes pitchers worry about pitching in Coors Field, but I think Kenta is not worried about that. Mentally, he accepts that challenge."

The Dodgers are 31-31 on the road. They will go out and back to Colorado for three games, as was the case when they dropped two of three games at Coors Field from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4, salvaging the final game to avoid being swept.

The Dodgers, who lead the San Francisco Giants by two games in the National League West, took two of three from the Chicago Cubs during the weekend and improved to 13-5 in series rubber games on Sunday while winning for the sixth time in eight games. Los Angeles is 7-5 against the Rockies this season and 3-3 at Coors Field.

Rockies starter Jon Gray, who is 8-6 with a 4.61 ERA, rebounded in his last outing on Tuesday at Milwaukee. He entered that game 0-2 with a 12.46 ERA (13 innings, 18 earned runs) in his previous three starts but held the Brewers to four hits and two runs in six innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

It was Gray's fourth game this season with at least 10 strikeouts. The Rockies were leading 4-2 when Gray left but lost 6-4.

Gray is 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA in four starts against the Dodgers. Three of those starts have come this season, and Gray is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in those games.

Gray, whose 142 strikeouts are a record for a Rockies rookie, is 5-1 in 11 starts this season at Coors Field with a 5.11 ERA in 61 2/3 innings.

A win in the rubber game of the series on Sunday at Washington enabled the Rockies to go 3-3 on a road trip that began dismally in Milwaukee.

The series with the Dodgers will kick off a 10-day, nine-game homestand for the Rockies. They have won four of their past five games at Coors Field -- against the Nationals and Cubs -- to improve their home record to 32-31. The Rockies went 4-2 against both the Nationals and Cubs this season.

"When we play the best teams, we take it to another notch," Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado said. "It's good to know if we put it all together how dangerous we can be. We have to be able to maintain it."

Arenado finished a double shy of the cycle Sunday while going 4-for-4 with his 35th homer of the season, tying him with Chicago's Kris Bryant for the NL lead, and three RBIs, increasing his major-league leading RBI total to 111.

In his past seven games, Arenado is 16-for-29 (.552) with one double, one triple, five homers, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored and has raised his average 16 points to .291, the highest it has been since he was hitting .291 on July 2.

With 32 RBIs this month, Arenado is one shy of the club record for RBIs in August set by Andres Galarraga with 33 RBIs in 1993.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (55-74) at Angels (56-74)

Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: August 29, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds don't know much about each other, playing head-to-head only nine times in their respective histories.

And they haven't played each other at all since 2013, when the lineups of each team looked very different than their current lineups.

But the one thing both teams have in common is not something either team is too happy about: Both are in last place, playing out the season and doing a lot of evaluating for next season and beyond.

The Angels, though 18 games under .500 and 20 1/2 games out in the American League West, enter the series playing well, having won four of their past five games, beating playoff contenders Toronto and Detroit during that stretch.

Not so much for the Reds, 19 games under .500 and 27 games out in the National League Central, who have lost five of seven.

The Reds, though, have Dan Straily starting on the mound coming in on a hot streak. He's 6-0 in his last seven starts and hasn't lost a decision since July 8. He leads the Reds staff in victories (10), innings pitched (151 1/3) and strikeouts (123).

A key pitch for Straily is his changeup, and he has been happy to share his secrets with his teammates. In particular, Straily recently was approached by teammate Brandon Finnegan for some help.

"It was the exact same problem I went through a couple of years ago back when I was in the minor leagues," Straily told mlb.com. "Once he told me he was having problems cutting it, I just showed him what helped me stop cutting it and it worked for him. It's just how we hold it. We have the same grip; he was just holding it the same way I used to hold it in college.

"College balls, the seams allow it to do something different. The seams are smaller and when you throw it the way we threw it back in college, now it's like a cutter, sometimes it's down, sometimes it goes arm-side, there's no control with the movement, which is a good thing, except when nobody can catch it."

The advice paid off when Finnegan struck out a career-high 12 Arizona Diamondback hitters in just six innings last Friday.

Straily may have a few tricks up his sleeve against the Angels, at least, compared to what the Angels are used to seeing when facing him. Straily started seven games against the Angels while pitching for Oakland, but went just 1-3 with a 6.69 ERA.

Matt Shoemaker will start for the Angels with a record (8-13) that won't strike fear into the Reds hitters. But Shoemaker has been far better than his record shows.

Shoemaker has given up two earned runs or fewer in more than half of his starts (13 of 25), but earned the victory in just six of those 13 games.

One of Shoemaker's biggest problems this season has been a lack of run support. The Angels have scored at least four runs in only 11 of Shoemaker's 25 starts. And early runs are even better.

"It's always good to have a lead," Shoemaker told MLB.com. "It's always nice knowing, that's in the back of your mind, 'Hey we've got a two-run lead' or whatever it is. The game plan is to attack the hitters, but then when you have the lead, same thing, attack the hitters, stay aggressive."

With just over a month to play, about the only drama the Angels have is whether or not Mike Trout can win another MVP award. Trout's numbers make him a candidate -- .312 average, 24 homers, 82 RBIs, 97 runs scored and a league-leading .432 on-base percentage.

Surprisingly, though, Angels manager Mike Scioscia generally doesn't believe players from last-place teams deserve to be an MVP.

"Yes," Scioscia said when asked if the MVP should come from a contender. "Unless somebody just separates themselves so much where you go 'my gosh, this guy's 15 more home runs than the next guy, 30 more RBI than the next guy.'

"But I definitely think there needs to be a value on how you've affected a team's performance. I think to be a contender says a lot about what a player brings to a team. ... When you play on a contender your production has more of an impact on that team's success."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Monday's Diamond Notes
By Joe Williams

Hottest team: Royals (12-2 past 14, 8-1 past nine at home)

The Royals return home to host the Yankees at Kauffman Stadium Monday night. Kansas City has won its past six games at home, and eight of the past nine. It has been like a tale of two seasons for the Royals, as they have rebounded from an ugly middle of the season to get themselves back into playoff contention. The last time they faced the Yankees things weren't going so well. Kansas City dropped three of four in the Bronx May 9-12. New York has been hot lately, especially homer happy backstop Gary Sanchez. The Yankees are 4-1 in their past five against right-handed pitching, while the Royals are 14-3 in their past 17 vs. RHP. However, the Royals are also just 1-6 in their past seven starts by Dillon Gee.

Coldest team: Twins (0-10 past 10, 0-7 past seven on road)

The Twins started to show some signs of life near the end of July and early August, going 9-3 in a 12-game stretch from July 28 to Aug. 8, which also included a 3-1 series win at Progressive Field from Aug. 1-4. They return to the scene of the crime trying to snap their double-digit loss streak. In their three weeks in Cleveland earlier this month, Minnesota posted 10 or more runs in each of the first three games of the series while the 'over' cashed in each of the four games. The Indians might be on their way to winning the American League Central Division, but it's no thanks to the Twins. Minnesota is 8-5 against Cleveland this season, including 5-2 at Progressive Field.

Hottest pitcher: Dan Straily, Reds (10-6, 3.57 ERA)

There haven't been a lot of bright spots in Cincinnati this season, but how many people could have predicted double-digit wins from Straily after he was claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres back on April Fool's Day? He is showing no signs of slowing down, going 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over his past three outings, striking out 18 batters while walking just two in the past 17 1/3 innings. The Reds are even hotter with Straily on the hill, winning each of his past eight starts, and four of his past five on the road.

Coldest pitcher: Hector Santiago, Twins (10-8, 5.16 ERA)

The Twins acquired the left-handed Santiago from the Angels looking to bolster their rotation. He had a couple of decent outings, but lately he has gone off the rails. He is 0-3 with a 12.21 ERA and 2.00 WHIP over his past three outings, striking out just eight batters in the 14-inning span. The Twins have dropped each of his past four outings on the road, and they're 0-7 in their past seven road games, 0-7 in their past seven road games against a team with a winning overall record, and 0-6 in their past six against a right-handed starting pitcher.

Biggest UNDER run: Marlins (7-1 past eight)

The Marlins lost All-Star OF Giancarlo Stanton to a season-ending injury earlier in the month, and to no one's surprise the Miami offense has struggled without their big bat in the middle of the lineup. The Marlins have posted three or fewer runs in seven of the past eight games, while they have allowed three or fewer runs in six of the past eight otuings. On Monday, it's #JoseDay, as Jose Fernandez toes the slab for the Fish. Miami is 6-0 in Fernandez's past six outings against the Mets. The under is 3-1-1 in the past five meetings in this series, and 4-1 in the past five meetings in Queens.

Biggest OVER run: Reds (7-3 past 10, 16-5 past 21)

The 'over' has been a frequent play for Cincinnati lately, especially at home. The over is 9-4-1 in the past 14 games at home for the Reds, while the Angels have seen the 'under' hit in each of their past four, while the under is 6-1-1 in their past eight vs. RHP. However, in interleague play the 'over' is 10-4-1 in the past 15 interleague games, and the over is 13-3 in their past 16 home games against a team with a losing overall record.

Matchup to watch: Rockies vs. Dodgers

The Dodgers hit the road for Coors Field looking to stay hot behind Kenta Maeda. L.A. has won each of his past six starts while going 5-1 in his past six assignments against divisional foes. The Dodgers are also 5-2 in their past seven tries against a right-handed starter on the road, while winning each of their past four overall vs. RHP. For Colorado, the Rockies are 6-2 in their past eight against a team with an overall winning record, and 10-4 in their past 14 home games against a right-handed starting pitcher. The Rockies have also managed to win four of the past five home starts by Jon Gray against a team with an overall winning mark.

Betcha didn’t know: As mentioned, the Twins have a 10-game losing streak. It is their pitching which has really let them down, as Minnesota's pitching staff has yielded three or more runs in at least one inning in each of the past six games. All those crooked numbers certainly don't help turns things around. That will certainly be put to the test, as Cleveland has scored one or fewer runs in six of their past seven games.

Biggest public favorite: Cubs (-255) vs. Pirates

Biggest public underdog: Royals (+105) vs. Yankees

Biggest line move: Rangers (-150 to -170) vs. Mariners

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Monday’s games

National League

Nationals @ Phillies
Roark is 4-1, 3.03 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over. Washington won seven of his last eight road starts.

Thompson is 1-3, 9.78 in four MLB starts (over 3-0-1).

Nationals lost six of last eight games, are 12-9 in road series openers. Over is 8-4 in Washington’s last 12 road games. Philly is 4-7 in last 11 games, 6-14 in home series openers. Under is 3-0-1 in Phils’ last five home games.

Marlins @ Mets
Fernandez 1-3, 4.50 in his last five starts; Miami lost four of his last five road starts. Over is 4-2 in his last six road starts.

Montero is making his first ’16 start; he is 1-4, 4.45 in 17 MLB games (9 starts, 8 of which were in 2014). He is 4-6, 7.20 in 16 AAA starts this year.

Marlins lost four of last six games, are 5-1 in last six road series openers. Under is 7-1 in their last eight games. New York won four of last five home games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games. Mets are 1-5 in their last six home series openers.

Cardinals @ Brewers
Martinez is 2-0, 2.14 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. St Louis is 7-3 in his road starts.

Davies is 1-2, 6.55 in his last four starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine. Milwaukee is 7-3 in his last ten home starts.

Cardinals are 3-5 in last eight games, 9-11 in road series openers. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight road games. Milwaukee lost its last four games, is 10-12 in home series openers. Under is 5-2 in Brewers’ last seven games.

Pirates @ Cubs
Brault is 0-1, 4.50 in two starts this year (under 2-0).

Arrieta is 4-0, 1.98 in his last four starts; his last three went over. Cubs lost five of their last seven home starts.

Pirates won their last eight road games; they’re 14-8 in road series openers. Under is 7-2 in Pittsburgh’s last nine games. Chicago is 16-3 in last 19 home games, 19-3 in home series openers. Over is 9-7 in their last 16 games.

Dodgers @ Rockies
Maeda is 5-0, 3.74 in his last six starts; six of his last seven went over. Dodgers are 8-3 in his road starts.

Gray is 0-2, 10.50 in his last four starts (over 4-0). Colorado is 6-4 in his home starts.

Dodgers won six of last eight games, are 7-13 in road series openers. Four of last five LA games stayed under the total. Colorado won four of its last five home games; they’re 11-10 in home series openers. Over is 10-6 in their last sixteen games.


American League

Blue Jays @ Orioles
Estrada is 0-2, 9.00 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. Toronto won six of his last seven road starts.

Miley is 1-2, 9.00 in five starts for the Orioles; his last three went over the total.

Toronto won its last three games, scoring 32 runs; they’re 2-6 in last eight road series openers. Over is 7-4 in Jays’ last 11 games. Orioles lost three of last four games; they’re 5-1 in last six home series openers. Last three games at Camden Yards stayed under.

Rays @ Red Sox
Andriese is 0-4, 6.07 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over. Rays lost three of his last four road starts.

Porcello is 3-1, 2.43 in his last four starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine. Boston is 13-0 when Porcello starts at home.

Tampa Bay is 2-5 in last seven road games, 2-11 in last 13 road series openers. Over is 7-1-1 in Rays’ last nine road games. Boston lost four of last five games, is 7-2 in last nine home series openers. Over is 4-1-1 in last six games at Fenway Park.

Twins @ Indians
Santiago is 0-4, 11.37 in four starts for the Twins (over 4-0).

Bauer is 1-1, 4.79 in his last three starts; his last four starts stayed under. Cleveland is 6-2 in his last eight home starts.

Twins lost their last 10 games; they’re 8-13 in road series openers. Over is 7-1 in Minnesota’s last eight games. Cleveland lost five of last six games; they’re 14-6 in home series openers. Under is 5-2-1 in Tribe’s last eight games.

White Sox @ Tigers
Shields is 0-4, 13.09 in his last five starts (over 9-5-1). White Sox are 1-4 in his road starts.

Boyd is 5-0, 2.97 in his last seven starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. Detroit won his last five home starts.

White Sox won six of last eight games, are 3-11 in last 14 road series openers. Four of last five Chicago road games went over. Detroit is 3-8 in last 11 home games, 8-1 in last nine home series openers. Under is 9-2 in Tigers’ last 11 home games.

Mariners @ Rangers
Iwakuma is 3-3, 3.86 in his last six starts; four of his last five stayed under. Seattle is 8-6 in his road starts.

Darvish is 2-0, 3.71 in his last four starts (under 6-4-1). Texas is 4-2 in his home starts.

Mariners lost four of last five road games, are 4-9 in last 13 road series openers. Over is 10-6 in their last 16 road games. Texas won six of last seven home games, is 14-6 in home series openers. Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Ranger games.

A’s @ Astros
Manaea is 2-2, 3.96 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over. Oakland is 1-5 in his road starts.

Musgrove is 1-2, 6.17 in four MLB starts (under 2-1-1).

A’s won four of last five games, are 1-5 in last six road series openers. Under is 8-1 in last nine Oakland road games. Houston won seven of last nine games, is 10-4 in last 14 home series openers; over is 4-0-1 in last five games at Minute Maid Park.

New York @ Royals
Pineda is 1-1, 5.08 in his last five starts (over 4-1). New York is 4-7 in his road starts.

Gee is 1-5, 5.63 in his last seven starts; under is 4-0-1 in his last five. Royals are 2-4 in his home starts.

New York won four of last five games, is 10-11 in road series openers. Under is 6-1 in last seven Bronx road games. Royals are 12-2 in last 14 games, 14-5 in home series openers. Under is 6-2-2 in last ten games at Kauffman Stadium.


Interleague

Reds @ Angels
Straily is 7-0, 1.98 in his last eight starts; four of his last five went over. Reds won four of his last five road starts.

Shoemaker is 2-0, 1.39 in his last two starts; four of his last six starts went over. Angels are 5-2 in his last seven home starts.

Cincinnati lost five of last seven games; they’re 7-14 in road series openers. Five of Reds’ last six road games went over. Angels won four of last five games, are 9-11 in home series openers. Under is 8-1 in their last nine games.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Wsh-Phil– Roark 16-10; Thompson 1-3
Mia-NY– Fernandez 15-9; Montero 0-0
StL-Mil– Martinez 12-12; Davies 12-11
Pitt-Chi– Brault 1-1; Arrieta 17-8 (4-0 last 4)
LA-Colo– Maeda 17-9 (6-0 last 6); Gray 10-13

Tor-Balt– Estrada 12-10; Miley 2-3/10-9
TB-Bos– Andriese 6-7; Porcello 19-7
Min-Clev– Santiago 0-4/16-6; Bauer 11-10
Chi-Det– Shields 5-10/2-9; Boyd 8-5 (5-0 last 5)
Sea-Tex– Iwakuma 15-11; Darvish 6-5
A’s-Hst– Manaea 9-10; Musgrove 1-3
NY-KC– Pineda 12-13; Gee 3-8

Cin-LAA– Straily 15-9 (8-0 last 8); Shoemaker 9-16


# of time pitcher allows 1+ runs in first inning:

Wsh-Phil– Roark 5-26; Thompson 2-4
Mia-NY– Fernandez 6-24; Montero 0-0
StL-Mil– Martinez 3-24; Davies 7-23
Pitt-Chi– Brault 1-2; Arrieta 3-25
LA-Colo– Maeda 5-26; Gray 8-23

Tor-Balt– Estrada 9-22; Miley 9-24
TB-Bos– Andriese 4-13; Porcello 7-26
Min-Clev– Santiago 12-26; Bauer 6-21
Chi-Det– Shields 10-26; Boyd 2-13
Sea-Tex– Iwakuma 5-26; Darvish 4-11
A’s-Hst– Manaea 1-19; Musgrove 2-4
NY-KC– Pineda 8-25; Gee 7-11

Cin-LAA– Straily 5-24; Shoemaker 6-25


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/28

Arizona 22-30-11…..27-36-5…….49-66
Atlanta 26-34-8……18-31-13……44-65
Cubs 35-21-9……40-17-8……..75-38
Reds 18-39-7……29-31-5…….47-70
Colo 25-30-12…..26-32-4……51-62
LA 27-26-9……40-21-8…….67-47
Miami 28-26-9….29-21-16…….57-47
Milw 19-37-7……36-23-9…….55-60
Mets 27-41-9……29-24-10…..56-55
Philly 21-30-16….23-29-11……44-57
Pitt 19-34-12…..38-22-4……57-55
St. Louis 29-27-6…..27-28-12…..56-55
SD 22-40-4…..28-30-6……50-70
SF 28-30-7……33-19-13……61-49
Wash 33-20-13…..27-20-17…..60-40

Orioles 24-35-8…….33-24-8……..57-59
Boston 25-27-10……41-18-8…….66-45
White Sox 28-28-8……35-28-3……..63-56
Cleveland 35-26-7……29-26-5……..64-52
Detroit 27-30-8…….30-28-4……..57-58
Astros 26-29-11…..31-25-7………57-54
KC 25-34-11……25-23-13……50-57
Angels 26-35-7…….23-30-10……49-65
Twins 25-33-11…….21-34-11…….46-67
NYY 22-34-8……30-28-10…….52-62
A’s 21-36-8……25-29-12…….46-65
Seattle 30-27-9……29-22-12……59-49
Tampa Bay 22-27-10……30-30-10…..52-57
Texas 25-34-9…….31-22-9…….56-56
Toronto 38-19-4……..38-27-4…….76-46

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'A.L. East rivals square off'

Toronto and Baltimore play a crucial three-game series north of the border. With fewer than 40 games remaining in the 2016 regular season, American League East leading Blue Jays have an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division while handing Orioles a blow to their post season aspirations.

Home cookin' has not only served Blue Jays well recently compiling a 13-6 record but also in this series as they're 5-2 in the seven meetings north of the border. Jays know the importance of winning at home vs a division opponent, as the result has been 14 wins, 4 losses of late. On the other side, Orioles have not been a peg to hang your hopes on lately in an opposing park (9-15) or against a division rival away from Camden Yards (7-12).

Marco Estrada (7-6, 3.47 ERA) opens the series carrying a 5-1 Team Start Record vs Orioles including 4-0 at the Rogers Center. Lefty, J.A. Happ (17-4, 3.19 ERA) gets the call in game-two which is another obsticle for Orioles as Jays are 10-2 in front of the home audience with the southpaw including 2-0 vs Baltimore. In the finale, it's Aaron Sanchez (12-2, 2.99 ERA) making his return after being optioned to the Minors in an effort to preserve innings. Jays have a 7-2 stretch at home with Sanchez and a 2-1 record vs Orioles this season handing the ball to the hurler.

Looking at the mentioned home field advantage along with Blue Jays' probable pitchers for the series, taking two of three or even a sweep is in order.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Monday’s games

National League

Nationals @ Phillies
Roark is 4-1, 3.03 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over. Washington won seven of his last eight road starts.

Thompson is 1-3, 9.78 in four MLB starts (over 3-0-1).

Nationals lost six of last eight games, are 12-9 in road series openers. Over is 8-4 in Washington’s last 12 road games. Philly is 4-7 in last 11 games, 6-14 in home series openers. Under is 3-0-1 in Phils’ last five home games.

Marlins @ Mets
Fernandez 1-3, 4.50 in his last five starts; Miami lost four of his last five road starts. Over is 4-2 in his last six road starts.

Montero is making his first ’16 start; he is 1-4, 4.45 in 17 MLB games (9 starts, 8 of which were in 2014). He is 4-6, 7.20 in 16 AAA starts this year.

Marlins lost four of last six games, are 5-1 in last six road series openers. Under is 7-1 in their last eight games. New York won four of last five home games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games. Mets are 1-5 in their last six home series openers.

Cardinals @ Brewers
Martinez is 2-0, 2.14 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. St Louis is 7-3 in his road starts.

Davies is 1-2, 6.55 in his last four starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine. Milwaukee is 7-3 in his last ten home starts.

Cardinals are 3-5 in last eight games, 9-11 in road series openers. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight road games. Milwaukee lost its last four games, is 10-12 in home series openers. Under is 5-2 in Brewers’ last seven games.

Pirates @ Cubs
Brault is 0-1, 4.50 in two starts this year (under 2-0).

Arrieta is 4-0, 1.98 in his last four starts; his last three went over. Cubs lost five of their last seven home starts.

Pirates won their last eight road games; they’re 14-8 in road series openers. Under is 7-2 in Pittsburgh’s last nine games. Chicago is 16-3 in last 19 home games, 19-3 in home series openers. Over is 9-7 in their last 16 games.

Dodgers @ Rockies
Maeda is 5-0, 3.74 in his last six starts; six of his last seven went over. Dodgers are 8-3 in his road starts.

Gray is 0-2, 10.50 in his last four starts (over 4-0). Colorado is 6-4 in his home starts.

Dodgers won six of last eight games, are 7-13 in road series openers. Four of last five LA games stayed under the total. Colorado won four of its last five home games; they’re 11-10 in home series openers. Over is 10-6 in their last sixteen games.


American League

Blue Jays @ Orioles
Estrada is 0-2, 9.00 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. Toronto won six of his last seven road starts.

Miley is 1-2, 9.00 in five starts for the Orioles; his last three went over the total.

Toronto won its last three games, scoring 32 runs; they’re 2-6 in last eight road series openers. Over is 7-4 in Jays’ last 11 games. Orioles lost three of last four games; they’re 5-1 in last six home series openers. Last three games at Camden Yards stayed under.

Rays @ Red Sox
Andriese is 0-4, 6.07 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over. Rays lost three of his last four road starts.

Porcello is 3-1, 2.43 in his last four starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine. Boston is 13-0 when Porcello starts at home.

Tampa Bay is 2-5 in last seven road games, 2-11 in last 13 road series openers. Over is 7-1-1 in Rays’ last nine road games. Boston lost four of last five games, is 7-2 in last nine home series openers. Over is 4-1-1 in last six games at Fenway Park.

Twins @ Indians
Santiago is 0-4, 11.37 in four starts for the Twins (over 4-0).

Bauer is 1-1, 4.79 in his last three starts; his last four starts stayed under. Cleveland is 6-2 in his last eight home starts.

Twins lost their last 10 games; they’re 8-13 in road series openers. Over is 7-1 in Minnesota’s last eight games. Cleveland lost five of last six games; they’re 14-6 in home series openers. Under is 5-2-1 in Tribe’s last eight games.

White Sox @ Tigers
Shields is 0-4, 13.09 in his last five starts (over 9-5-1). White Sox are 1-4 in his road starts.

Boyd is 5-0, 2.97 in his last seven starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. Detroit won his last five home starts.

White Sox won six of last eight games, are 3-11 in last 14 road series openers. Four of last five Chicago road games went over. Detroit is 3-8 in last 11 home games, 8-1 in last nine home series openers. Under is 9-2 in Tigers’ last 11 home games.

Mariners @ Rangers
Iwakuma is 3-3, 3.86 in his last six starts; four of his last five stayed under. Seattle is 8-6 in his road starts.

Darvish is 2-0, 3.71 in his last four starts (under 6-4-1). Texas is 4-2 in his home starts.

Mariners lost four of last five road games, are 4-9 in last 13 road series openers. Over is 10-6 in their last 16 road games. Texas won six of last seven home games, is 14-6 in home series openers. Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Ranger games.

A’s @ Astros
Manaea is 2-2, 3.96 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over. Oakland is 1-5 in his road starts.

Musgrove is 1-2, 6.17 in four MLB starts (under 2-1-1).

A’s won four of last five games, are 1-5 in last six road series openers. Under is 8-1 in last nine Oakland road games. Houston won seven of last nine games, is 10-4 in last 14 home series openers; over is 4-0-1 in last five games at Minute Maid Park.

New York @ Royals
Pineda is 1-1, 5.08 in his last five starts (over 4-1). New York is 4-7 in his road starts.

Gee is 1-5, 5.63 in his last seven starts; under is 4-0-1 in his last five. Royals are 2-4 in his home starts.

New York won four of last five games, is 10-11 in road series openers. Under is 6-1 in last seven Bronx road games. Royals are 12-2 in last 14 games, 14-5 in home series openers. Under is 6-2-2 in last ten games at Kauffman Stadium.


Interleague

Reds @ Angels
Straily is 7-0, 1.98 in his last eight starts; four of his last five went over. Reds won four of his last five road starts.

Shoemaker is 2-0, 1.39 in his last two starts; four of his last six starts went over. Angels are 5-2 in his last seven home starts.

Cincinnati lost five of last seven games; they’re 7-14 in road series openers. Five of Reds’ last six road games went over. Angels won four of last five games, are 9-11 in home series openers. Under is 8-1 in their last nine games.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Wsh-Phil– Roark 16-10; Thompson 1-3
Mia-NY– Fernandez 15-9; Montero 0-0
StL-Mil– Martinez 12-12; Davies 12-11
Pitt-Chi– Brault 1-1; Arrieta 17-8 (4-0 last 4)
LA-Colo– Maeda 17-9 (6-0 last 6); Gray 10-13

Tor-Balt– Estrada 12-10; Miley 2-3/10-9
TB-Bos– Andriese 6-7; Porcello 19-7
Min-Clev– Santiago 0-4/16-6; Bauer 11-10
Chi-Det– Shields 5-10/2-9; Boyd 8-5 (5-0 last 5)
Sea-Tex– Iwakuma 15-11; Darvish 6-5
A’s-Hst– Manaea 9-10; Musgrove 1-3
NY-KC– Pineda 12-13; Gee 3-8

Cin-LAA– Straily 15-9 (8-0 last 8); Shoemaker 9-16


# of time pitcher allows 1+ runs in first inning:

Wsh-Phil– Roark 5-26; Thompson 2-4
Mia-NY– Fernandez 6-24; Montero 0-0
StL-Mil– Martinez 3-24; Davies 7-23
Pitt-Chi– Brault 1-2; Arrieta 3-25
LA-Colo– Maeda 5-26; Gray 8-23

Tor-Balt– Estrada 9-22; Miley 9-24
TB-Bos– Andriese 4-13; Porcello 7-26
Min-Clev– Santiago 12-26; Bauer 6-21
Chi-Det– Shields 10-26; Boyd 2-13
Sea-Tex– Iwakuma 5-26; Darvish 4-11
A’s-Hst– Manaea 1-19; Musgrove 2-4
NY-KC– Pineda 8-25; Gee 7-11

Cin-LAA– Straily 5-24; Shoemaker 6-25


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/28

Arizona 22-30-11…..27-36-5…….49-66
Atlanta 26-34-8……18-31-13……44-65
Cubs 35-21-9……40-17-8……..75-38
Reds 18-39-7……29-31-5…….47-70
Colo 25-30-12…..26-32-4……51-62
LA 27-26-9……40-21-8…….67-47
Miami 28-26-9….29-21-16…….57-47
Milw 19-37-7……36-23-9…….55-60
Mets 27-41-9……29-24-10…..56-55
Philly 21-30-16….23-29-11……44-57
Pitt 19-34-12…..38-22-4……57-55
St. Louis 29-27-6…..27-28-12…..56-55
SD 22-40-4…..28-30-6……50-70
SF 28-30-7……33-19-13……61-49
Wash 33-20-13…..27-20-17…..60-40

Orioles 24-35-8…….33-24-8……..57-59
Boston 25-27-10……41-18-8…….66-45
White Sox 28-28-8……35-28-3……..63-56
Cleveland 35-26-7……29-26-5……..64-52
Detroit 27-30-8…….30-28-4……..57-58
Astros 26-29-11…..31-25-7………57-54
KC 25-34-11……25-23-13……50-57
Angels 26-35-7…….23-30-10……49-65
Twins 25-33-11…….21-34-11…….46-67
NYY 22-34-8……30-28-10…….52-62
A’s 21-36-8……25-29-12…….46-65
Seattle 30-27-9……29-22-12……59-49
Tampa Bay 22-27-10……30-30-10…..52-57
Texas 25-34-9…….31-22-9…….56-56
Toronto 38-19-4……..38-27-4…….76-46

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

StatFox Super Situations

MLB*|*MINNESOTA*at*CLEVELAND
Play On - Road underdogs with a money line of +100 or higher (MINNESOTA) poor AL hitting team (AVG <=.260) against a team with a good bullpen (ERA <=3.75), with a cold starting pitcher- ERA >= 7.50 over his last 3 starts
80-75*over the last 5 seasons.**(*51.6%*|*46.4 units*)
9-15*this year.**(*37.5%*|*-0.4 units*)


StatFox Situational Power Trends

MLB*|*SEATTLE*at*TEXAS
TEXAS is 55-35 (+23.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8.5 to 10*this season.
The average score was: TEXAS (4.8) , OPPONENT (4.6)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Cleveland w/Bauer -180 Over Minnesota

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Monday's Free Selection: Detroit Tigers - 205

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR MONDAY: Take TAMPA BAY/BOSTON OVER the total of 9 runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Monday's Free Selection: New York Yankees/Kansas City Royals over 8 1/2