Saturday 7/16/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Yonkers: Saturday 7/16 Analysis
By Matt Rose

DRF HARNESS

MEET STATS: 237 - 689 / $1251.30

BEST BETS: 35 - 58 / $121.30

Best Bet: PANSFORMATIVE (1st)

Spot Play: MAJOR ATHENS (7th)


Race 1

(1) PANSFORMATIVE closed very willingly last week in a nice bounce-back effort and he should easily take control tonight from this spot. (4) HEEZ ORL BLACK N hasn't been reliable this year but this looks like a spot where Vallee could get aggressive. (2) TYLER moves inside and gets Bartlett back in the bike.

Race 2

(1) MATTAMERICAN went too fast on the engine last week and paid the price; he can rebound with better rating. (7) EASY ON THE EYE N was a winner in his U.S. debut and was a good earner Down-Under; looks like he must be included. (3) STEVENSVILLE was put on the front end last week and that's not his best game; price will be better tonight with Schnittker driving.

Race 3

(5) FORTY FIVE RED gets some needed class relief and Bartlett in the bike; from this spot he can blast to the lead and never look back. (3) J T lands another decent post and gets away from some tough ones. (1) THIRTY TWO RED gets needed post relief and should hang around for a share in a race that's sure to trip up the track announcer. Use him for second if you like a hunch-play exacta box.

Race 4

(6) MCERLEAN failed to get involved in his last two but if reverts to his effort from three back he can handle this group. (1) MAKE SOME LUCK is up in class off a solid win and he draws best again; threat. (2) THESEYESRCRYING returns locally for Lappe/Kokinos and the veteran will be close up throughout.

Race 5

(2) P H SUPERCAM raced well last week after being given an early tuck in what was clearly a needed start; classy vet should handle these. (1) JENERAL PATTON gets another good draw looking for two straight. (5) BIG BOY DREAMS tired last out after cutting a quick clip on the engine; Allard trainee fits with these.

Race 6

(2) ROLLIN ABOUT has done nice work in qualifying preps and he lands a good inside post for live connections; freshman could be ready at first asking in this edition of the Sheppard. (1) SOUTHWIND DIABLO also prepped nicely in the A.M. at The Meadowlands in preparation for this. (2A) CHIP WALTHER keeps Bartlett in the bike off a nice win at Goshen and he provides good insurance for the top choice. (1A) HUMBOLDT appeared a touch short in those qualifiers but he does hail from Takter. (4) SUMMER SIDE looks like a speedy sort from Schnittker.

Race 7

(6) MAJOR ATHENS faces two interesting stakes-caliber rivals tonight but he's been so sharp in his last two I'm giving him the call. (7) OBRIGADO has really come into his own this season and is now a top-shelf trotter but will he have too far to come from this spot? (4) E R ELLIE is sure to be overlooked in the wagering but the mare has been super recently.

Race 8

(1) SANTA FE BEACHBOY is reunited with Bartlett and gets a very generous inside post assignment; he's certainly fast enough to go with these. (7) SUNFIRE BLUE CHIP didn't disgrasce himself in the Franklin against the 'big three' pacers and he was a winner when last seen locally. (6) LONG LIVE ROCK raced well last week off a tough trip. (8) BIT OF A LEGEND N makes his return off a nice freshening but it's tough to know what to expect from this spot.

Race 9

(5) VAGUE TRACES is ambitiously placed here and he looked hard to handle last week before breaking but the Croghan trainee seems fast enough to compete with these and there are plenty of question marks in this field. (6) NATIONAL SEELSTER is back with the type he can handle and he'll probably be forwardly placed. I loved (4) BLOOD BROTHER last week and was left with an empty feeling; now he loses Bartlett and is tough to endorse on top.

Race 10

(1) GREAT VINTAGE was worn down by a classy rival last week after setting a soft pace on the front end; he gets another chance to control these and is capable of rebounding. (4) ROGER MACH EM debuts for Banca off a claim and can be considered. (6) CASIMIR JITTERBUG has been very sharp in his two starts for Andrew Harris.

Race 11

(3) LADY'S DUDE was uncovered last week and never seriously threatened but he also didn't tire that badly; his effort from two back would be good enough to win this. (5) RED HOT HERBIE finished with trot after saving ground last out; it wouldn't surprise me if Dube sent him to the front tonight. (6) CASH ME OUT has been razor-sharp at Saratoga.

Race 12

(5) MAXI BON gets a touch of class relief and has a nice move in him. (1) SECOND WIND N gets needed post relief and looms a large threat. (2) CLASS SIX didn't really fire on the rim last out but he's another with class and post relief. (8) BIG N BAD sat like a potted plant last week given a totally unaggressive drive; I'm going to bang my head against the wall if he fires from the gate tonight. With that said, I'm also going to include him on my tickets.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Saturday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE


Arlington Park (6th) Muzz'em, 4-1
(9th) Snow Mesa, 5-1

Belmont Park (4th) T R Crew, 5-1
(6th) Distinctive Lady, 3-1

Belterra Park (7th) Johnny Longshot, 8-1
(8th) My Eastern Beauty, 9-2


Canterbury Park (8th) The Great Casby, 5-1
(12th) Gavar, 8-1


Charles Town (3rd) Possession Arrow, 5-1
(4th) Skim the Rail, 3-1


Del Mar (2nd) Sunshine Laurie, 5-1
(5th) Lieutenant Colonel, 6-1


Delaware Park (3rd) Wild Woo Who, 8-1
(8th) Curlish Figure, 8-1


Ellis Park (1st) Starship Journey, 4-1
(2nd) Setting Sail, 3-1


Emerald Downs (2nd) Chu and I, 7-2
(4th) The Doll Room, 6-1


Evangeline Downs (6th) Inavanti, 7-2
(9th) Zeeway, 5-1


Finger Lakes (4th) Axspectator, 3-1
(6th) The Rhythmisright, 9-2


Gulfstream Park (7th) Flashing Cat, 5-1
(9th) Starship Apollo, 9-2


Indiana Grand (2nd) Dan's Gold, 8-1
(7th) Rocket Time, 4-1


Laurel Park (3rd) Wednesdays Only, 4-1
(5th) Dancing Magician, 4-1


Lone Star Park (1st) Luv Bandit, 4-1
(3rd) Saucy Shadow, 3-1


Louisiana Downs (3rd) Pocketball, 4-1
(4th) Dale, 5-1


Monmouth Park (3rd) Paddy O'Wagon, 7-2
(6th) Naughty Delite, 5-1


Mountaineer (2nd) Marshall, 8-1
(4th) Amina Perfect, 6-1


Parx (9th) Bai Bai Baby, 3-1
(10th) Nice n' Sweet, 6-1


Penn National (4th) Confirm, 3-1
(8th) L P's Tiger, 5-1


Prairie Meadows (1st) Big Sugar, 9-2
(7th) Yodelin' Angel, 7-2


Sacramento (3rd) Tiz a Lucky One, 4-1
(6th) Pandora Ridge, 6-1


Thistledown (4th) Lovely Em, 3-1
(7th) Jimminy, 5-1


Woodbine (2nd) Spring Tempest, 4-1
(6th) Street Cash, 7-2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

July Pitchers Report
By Marc Lawrence

Fireworks and the MLB All-Star game go hand-in-hand during the month of July. It also denotes the start of the 2nd half of the MLB campaign. And as we’ve come to learn the key to each and every team’s fortune lies on the pitching staff.

Can they sustain or will they unravel like Jose Canseco going back on a fly ball? Stay tuned. What we do know is that certain pitchers love hurling this time of the season while others tend to get lit up like a roman candle on the 4thof July.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last three seasons during the month of July.

On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in July, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each July over the last three years.

And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.

Note: * designates a categorical repeat appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season’s July list.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

*Chen, Wei-Yin - 9-4 (5-1 H)

The Miami left-hander has not been terribly effective with an ERA hovering around 5. If Chen can develop more command, he's shown again this year he's tough when in challenging situations, allowing .186 batting average and .271 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position.

Garza, Matt - 9-3 (5-1 H)

Since coming back from spring training injury on June 14th, the Milwaukee right-hander has been a mix of good and bad, but come through when it counted. Opposing hitters are batting over .300 against Garza, but he's held those runners in check and induced a heavy dose of ground balls that have led to outs. If he continues, this Brewers starter might be effective.

Greinke, Zack - 11-4 (6-2 H)

Though Arizona is falling short of preseason expectations, the Diamondbacks ace is not and, other than Clayton Kershaw, has arguably been as effective as any pitcher since the end of April with batters hitting around .200 against him. Once again his array of pitches are finding the right spots and fastball is cooking!

Kazmir, Scott - 10-5 (6-2 H)

When Kazmir misses on location for fastball, the other team's lineup begins to look for off-speed stuff, which has caused his inconsistency this season. When he's working the corners on the knees early in the count, this sets up secondary pitches. In the past he's done so in July, let's see what he comes up with this time.

*Kershaw, Clayton - 12-3 (8-0 A)

When either Kershaw loses or has a less than stellar performance, which is infrequent, it is home page news on most sports websites. With opponents batting just .185 against him, baseball's best pitcher has close to as many home runs surrendered (6) as walks (9) to start the month over 121 innings. It’s no wonder his name is whispered in the same company as Sandy Koufax.

Kluber, Corey - 13-4 (9-2 H)

Since winning the Cy Young award in 2014, Kluber has not been able to match that magical season, but is part of a very good Cleveland rotation. Looking ahead, if the Indians righty can do a better job than permitting .281 batting averages with runners in scoring position, all his numbers will drop and his victories will go up. Note: Kluber’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

*Liriano, Francisco - 12-2 (7-0 H)

After several fine seasons with Pittsburgh, Liriano has not been effective in 2016. Walks and home runs have done him in and in order to reflect past results of July, he's going to have to stop leaving pitches in the heart of the plate.

Peralta, Wily - 8-4 (5-1 H)

Peralta has been thoroughly ineffective all season (6.68 ERA) and was sent to minors after June 11th start. His return this month or this season depends on his Triple-A results. Note: Peralta’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Price, David - 11-5 (7-1 A)

To date, the Boston lefty could be described as a mild disappointment, with an ERA north of 4.5 most of the season. No longer owning an upper 90's heater, Price does not blow away as many hitters as before and the fastball lacks some of the previous movement of the past. The slider has not had the usual bite from start to start. Red Sox need this ace to be one.

Ross, Tyson - 10-4 (4-1 H)

Ross has not pitched since he hit the DL with right shoulder inflammation after first start in April. San Diego Union reports a return even this month appears optimistic.
Note: Ross’ numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Santana, Ervin - 11-4 (8-1 H)

Like his teammates, Santana is not having a good year, as opposing hitters are clocking him for nearly .300 average, compared to .256 over his 11-year career. Little reason to believe this month will match the past even if he improves with this Twins club.

*Volquez, Edinson - 10-5 (6-1 A)

Never a frontline hurler, Volquez numbers this campaign have matched the Royals, being very ordinary to date. The Dominican Republic native has done the job against right-handed batters, who have been knocking him around for nearly .300 average.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Wood, Alex - 4-8 (0-6 A)

Wood – the only pitcher to appear on the July Bad Month list this season - was initially expected to be shut down for four weeks after landing on the 15-day disabled list at the end of May with a posterior impingement in his throwing elbow. Currently, the timetable is for mid-July return, but the oft-injured pitcher can hardly be counted on as record shows. Note: Wood’’s numbers above reflect his career team mark during July.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rangers' Darvish to return Saturday
By The Sports Xchange

The Texas Rangers will receive a boost to their ailing pitching staff on Saturday when they send right-hander Yu Darvish to the mound against the Chicago Cubs.
Darvish reported no issue with Wednesday's bullpen session and is line to make his return after being sidelined since June 9 with discomfort in his right shoulder.
The 29-year-old Japanese star owns a 2-0 mark with a 2.87 ERA in three starts after missing 14 months while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Darvish is coming off a pair of productive rehab outings, including Monday's performance in which he went five innings.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Darvish will be limited to approximately 90 pitches in his return.
Texas (54-36), which holds a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Houston in the American League West, has seen its pitching rotation bitten by the injury bug. Starters Derek Holland (shoulder) and Colby Lewis (lat) currently are on the disabled list along with Darvish.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Yankees RedSox resume rivalry'

The New York Yankees (44-44, -$457) and Boston Red Sox (49-38, +$19) meet in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium this weekend. This will be the seventh meeting of the 2016 season in this never-lacking-for-hype rivalry with Red Sox holding the upper hand winning four of the six meetings.

Saturday, Yankees' lefty C.C. Sabathia will trade pitches with Red Sox knuckler Steven Wright. Sabathia winless in his last four starts (2-2 TSR) takes a 5-6 record, 3.77 ERA to the mound. The veteran southpaw is 2-0 in his last four vs Red Sox (4-0 TSR), 10-8 the past 25 wearing a Yankee uniform (13-12 TSR). On the other bump, Wright (11-4, 10-7 TSR) has been light's out giving up two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 17 starts and heads to the mound undefeated in his last nine trips to the mound with Red Sox 7-2 over the span. Wright carries a 2-0 streak vs Yankees including a complete-game masterpiece earlier this season.

In Sunday's finale it's Masahiro Tanaka toes the rubber for Yankees. The right-hander undefeated in his last five starts (5-0 TSR) is 6-2 on the campaign with a 3.23 ERA. Tanaka has made eight career starts against the Red Sox, sporting a 4-2 record and 4-4 Team Start Record in those eight games. Well to note, Yankees have a 5-0 streak at home w/Tanaka, 6-1 stretch in his last seven July starts overall. Lefty David Price gets the start for Boston. Price not exactly having a banner year at 9-6 with a 4.34 ERA is 1-1 vs Yankees since joining Red Sox and will be looking to make amends for the last start at this venue where he was shelled for 6 runs over 4 2/3 innings in a Boston 8-2 loss. On a possitive note, that loss in Yankee Stadium was his first in nine trips to New York with Bos, Tor, Det, TB.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Nationals beat Pirates, Strasburg stays perfect at 13-0
By The Sports Xchange

WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg remained unbeaten and drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Friday night.
Strasburg (13-0), who gave one run and three hits with six strikeouts in eight innings, plated the winning run in the four-run seventh.
Pirates starter Francisco Liriano gave up five hits and three earned run in six innings.

Tigers 5, Royals 4
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander tied his season high with 10 strikeouts and Victor Martinez knocked in the go-ahead runs with a rare infield hit.
Verlander reached the 10-strikeout mark for the fourth time this season while holding the Royals to two runs -- one earned -- and four hits in seven innings. Francisco Rodriguez notched his 25th save.
Ian Kinsler and Tyler Collins, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day, had solo home runs for the Tigers.

Mets 5, Phillies 3
PHILADELPHIA � Neil Walker hit a three-run homer and Juan Lagares added a solo shot as New York opened the second half of their season with win.
Asdrubel Cabrera went 3-for-5 and Bartolo Colon earned his fifth victory in his last six decisions, helping the Mets snap a three-game losing streak.
Jeurys Familia, the last of five New York pitchers, worked a perfect ninth to earn his 32nd save. Familia, who leads the major leagues in that category, has converted his last 48 save opportunities.

Red Sox 5, Yankees 3
NEW YORK -- Steven Wright retired the first 14 hitters he faced and Boston hit three home runs off Michael Pineda.
Ryan Hanigan, Travis Shaw and Xander Bogaerts homered for the Red Sox, who beat the Yankees for the eighth time in the last 11 meetings and won for the eighth time in 10 games overall.
Carlos Beltran drove in two runs and Brian McCann had the other RBI for the Yankees.

Orioles 4, Rays 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jonathan Schoop's solo homer in the eighth inning was the deciding run.
The Orioles have won five of six games and the Rays have lost seven straight and a franchise-record 23 of their last 26.
Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer (4-13) leads the majors with 13 losses and the Rays have just one win in his last 11 starts.

Cubs 6, Rangers 0
CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks allowed just three hits over six shutout innings while a five-run sixth lifted Chicago to the win.
The Cubs right-hander won his third straight and fourth in five starts. Rangers starter Martin Perez lost his second straight.
Texas, now 54-37, was 3-9 in its final 12 games leading up to the All-Star break.

Reds 5, Brewers 4
CINCINNATI -- Tucker Barnhart laced a go-ahead, two-run double down the left field line and Cincinnati snapped a three-game losing streak.
Reds All-Star Adam Duvall, who competed in the Home Run Derby, just missed hitting a three-run homer, settling for a run-scoring double that helped set up Barnhart's clutch, sixth-inning hit.
Jay Bruce, Cincinnati's other All-Star, added an RBI double in the seventh to help Anthony DeSclafani earn the win.

Indians 5, Twins 2
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jose Ramirez had a pair of hits and knocked in two runs and Carlos Carrasco pitched 6 2/3 strong innings to lead Cleveland to a win over Minnesota at Target Field.
Ramirez's RBI single to left field got the Indians on the board in the fourth inning and his run-scoring single in the sixth gave Cleveland the lead for good.
Carrasco struggled early, giving up a first-inning run, but retired eight-straight Twins until Brian Dozier's one-out solo homer in the fourth inning. He walked a man and hit another with a pitch but didn't allow another hit after Dozier's blast until a two-out double in the seventh inning ended his night.

Rockies 11, Braves 2
ATLANTA -- Carlos Gonzalez celebrated his 1,000th game with three hits and an RBI to spark Colorado to a win over Atlanta at Turner Field.
Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a walk, scored a run, drove in a run and threw out a runner at the plate.
Teammate Nolan Arenado reached base five times with two singles, two walks and once on a wild pitch following a strikeout. He scored twice and drove in a run to extend his league-leading total to 71. Pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn put the game away with a pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth off reliever Dario Alvarez. It was his eighth home run, the third as a pinch hitter.

Marlins 7, Cardinals 6
ST. LOUIS -- Scoring in each of the last four innings, Miami took advantage of St. Louis' shaky bullpen and defense notch the win.
Miguel Rojas' two-out, two-strike RBI single off closer Seung Hwan Oh scored Marcell Ozuna with the winning run.
Ozuna reached on a double that sailed over the head of center fielder Randal Grichuk, who appeared to have a routine play on the ball and couldn't come up with it.

Angels 7, White Sox 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hector Santiago threw seven scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox Friday night at Angel Stadium.
Santiago (7-4) gave up five hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter to earn his third victory in his last three starts.
The Angels broke open a tight game when they batted around in the seventh inning and scored five runs. White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez (2-5) pitched well through six innings before the Angels knocked him out of the game in the seventh.

Astros 7, Mariners 3
SEATTLE -- George Springer made sure Houston came out of the All-Star Break the same way they went into it. Springer's leadoff home run in the top of the first inning opened the door for a big early lead, and the Astros held on for a win over Seattle.
Solo home runs by Springer and Marwin Gonzalez, wrapped around a five-run fifth inning, powered the Astros to a fifth consecutive win over the Mariners.
Carlos Correa went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, while Gonzalez and Jake Marisnick also added a pair of hits for red-hot Houston, which has gone 17-5 since June 18.

Padres 4, Giants 1
SAN DIEGO -- Right-hander Andrew Cashner and three relievers held San Francisco to five hits, and solo homers by Adam Rosales and Wil Myers capped a four-run assault against Madison Bumgarner as San Diego defeated the Giants at Petco Park.
The win was the Padres' first this year in 10 games against the Giants, who entered the second half of the season with a major league-best 57-33 record. The Padres are 19-18 in their last 37 games.
Cashner, left-handed relievers Brad Hand and Ryan Buchter and closer Brandon Maurer retired 22 of the last 25 Giants they faced.

Dodgers 13, Diamondbacks 7
PHOENIX -- Chris Taylor had three hits including a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs in Los Angeles' victory over Arizona at Chase Field.
Taylor had a two-run triple in a five-run fourth inning for a 7-3 lead the Dodgers never lost, doubled and scored in the fifth and hit his slam -- his first career homer -- in a four-run sixth.
Justin Turner hit his 14th homer, Yasiel Puig had three hits and three RBIs and right-hander Bud Norris (5-7) got his first victory against the Diamondbacks in eight career decisions.
Paul Goldschmidt had two hits and his 16th homer and Jean Segura hit his seventh homer for Arizona, which has lost five in a row, seven of eight and 13 of 15. They are 15-33 at home.

Athletics 8, Blue Jays 7
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Khris Davis, Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt hit home runs, powering Oakland to a victory against Toronto at the Oakland Coliseum.
Davis hit a two-run blast in the fifth inning, his 20th homer of the season. Vogt followed with a solo shot, his eighth home run. Reddick hit his sixth home run of the season, a solo blast in the third.
Davis went 3-for-4, drove in three runs and scored once, while Vogt went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and scored twice. Reddick went 2-for-2 with an RBI, walked twice and scored four runs, including the game-winner.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rangers-Cubs preview
By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 2:20 PM ET.

CHICAGO -- The Texas Rangers' starting rotation gets a big lift with Saturday's return of right-hander Yu Darvish.
Darvish, 29, was expected to be reinstated off the 15-day disabled list and start the middle game of the three-game Rangers-Cubs series at Wrigley Field. It will be his first start since a no-decision against Houston on June 8.
Darvish worked so hard on his rehab that the Rangers had to work on what to do with his extra strength.
"He practically had to learn how to compensate for the added power that he had," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Friday. "He worked out so hard on his rehab that his legs got so strong, his lower half got so strong that he was throwing a little bit harder.
"Fortunately for him, for us he's ready to go and obviously he's a huge part of our club."
Darvish will face Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel (7-5, 3.46 ERA) in the 2:20 p.m. ET game.
The Japanese right-hander was 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 2014, his last season with extensive playing time. He missed the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Darvish started the 2016 season on the disabled list, rejoined the Rangers and returned to the disabled list on June 13 with right shoulder discomfort, retroactive to June 6.
The Rangers also activated right-hander Keone Kela from the 60-day disabled list. He's expected to help the bullpen in the second half after being sidelined for surgery to treat a bone spur in his right elbow.
Kela was 1-0 with a 7.11 ERA in seven appearances.
"I feel very good about the club, getting a couple of key guys back here on the pitching staff will go a long ways," Daniels said. "You're talking about two guys -- one at the front of the rotation and the other at the back of the bullpen -- are elite-level talents. It's a big shot in the arm getting those two back here."
The weekend set is the Rangers' first at Wrigley Field since 2013 when they took just one in three games in a series that started in April and didn't finish until a May 6 makeup of an April 17 rainout.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he feels more refreshed after catching up on sleep and hopes his team feels the same way as they resumed play after an admittedly rough stretch of 24 consecutive games heading into the All-Star break.
"I always attempt to gauge what they (his team) may feel like the way I feel like," he said Friday. "I've probably have not been as tired as I was at this break ever. I think the schedule leading up to it contributed to that. If I felt the need to rest, I'm certain our guys felt the same way."
The Cubs are slowly regaining full strength with the return of catcher David Ross (concussion symptoms) and left-hander Clayton Richard (finger blister) on Friday.
Next to come back might be outfielder Dexter Fowler, sidelined since June 19 with a right hamstring strain. Maddon said Fowler could be reactivated sometime next week.
"He ran yesterday, hit the bases and felt good about it," Maddon said. "Hopefully, by the end of this coming week, he'll be available to us."
Fowler missed 21 games since being placed on the disabled list June 10 with a right hamstring strain.
Maddon foresees potential rehab assignments in coming days before Fowler is reinstated with the Cubs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Blue Jays-Athletics preview
By Eric Gilmore, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 4:05 PM ET.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Toronto Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey hopes to pick up where he left off before the All-Star break on Saturday against the Oakland A's, when he makes his 20th start of the season.
A's right-hander Sonny Gray hopes to put a nightmarish first half of the season behind him and make a fresh start against the Blue Jays.
Dickey went 2-6 with a 4.64 ERA in his first 11 starts of the season but was 5-3 with a 3.02 ERA in his final eight starts before the break. He's won three of his past four starts, striking out 24 and walking seven during that stretch.
"The month of April's never been real kind to him," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Friday. "He came into spring training focused on trying to (get off to a fast start), but you know, these guys that have been around a while, you can almost bank on it that what they do every year, it's almost going to happen. Some of it's got to be mental a little bit too, but he's been on a nice little run."
Dickey said there's "no real rhyme or reason" for his slow starts.
"I think maybe the warmer temperatures probably help a little bit with the pitch that I throw," Dickey said. "I feel like I've gotten it back to where I need it to be. But yeah, I'm traditionally a pretty slow starter."
Gray, who finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting last season, has never experienced such a horrible start. He's 3-8 with 5.16 ERA and hasn't won a game since April 22. He's lost a career-high seven straight decisions and had a 6.16 ERA during that 12-game stretch.
"What's happened in the past has happened in the past," Gray said. "You can come out and take tomorrow's start and go out and try and win a game. I think just taking that approach and whatever happened in the first half of the season kind of just throw that to the side and start here. I feel really good and feel good about that."
Dickey is 5-5 with a 3.12 ERA in 18 career appearances, including 14 starts, against the A's. At the Oakland Coliseum, he's 1-3 with a 2.78 ERA in eight games, including six starts.
"It's a great pitcher's park usually," Dickey said, of the Coliseum. "I've always enjoyed the foul territory here in particular."
The A's hit three home runs in their 8-7 victory Friday night in the series opener, a two-run blast by Khris Davis and solo shots by Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt, but they'll have to adjust Saturday in a rare test against a knuckleball pitcher.
"I see it and hit it," Reddick said of his approach. "I've always been told that on a knuckleballer you sit fastball and swing under the knuckleball. I pretty much just guess where it's going to be and hopefully it is there.
"He throws it a little firmer than most of them. Back in the day he'd throw his knuckleball like 85 (mph) and then his fastball was like 88 when I faced him in the minors. And now it seems like he's slowed it down for more movement.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Red Sox-Yankees preview
By Larry Fleisher, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 4:05 PM ET.

NEW YORK -- The second half of the season began virtually flawlessly for the Boston Red Sox.
They hit three home runs, Steven Wright pitched six solid innings and the bullpen shut the door.
Now Boston hopes Eduardo Rodriguez has fixed his flaws during a two-week stint in the minor leagues.
Rodriguez returns to the rotation Saturday afternoon when Boston continues its three-game series with the New York Yankees.
The Red Sox have won eight of their last 10 games after Friday's series-opening 5-3 win. Ryan Hanigan, Travis Shaw and Xander Bogaerts homered off Michael Pineda and Wright allowed all three of his runs in the sixth before escaping trouble.
Rodriguez has had similar success to Wright in his brief experience against the Yankees. He was on the disabled list earlier this year when Boston took four of six against New York, but last year Rodriguez was 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts against the Yankees.
He faced the Yankees on Sept. 28 when he allowed one run and seven hits over six innings in a 5-1 win
Rodriguez's success against the Yankees was part of an impressive rookie season that saw him go 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA. He has struggled to follow it up, going 0-3 with a 10.03 ERA over his last five starts.
The left-hander was so ineffective June 27 at Tampa Bay -- when he allowed nine runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings -- that it earned him a demotion to Triple-A Pawtucket.
In Triple-A, he made two starts while allowing two runs in 10 innings as he used some new mechanics.
"(He) looks like he's gaining some comfort with the hand position that has widely been talked about," manager John Farrell told reporters last week.
Meanwhile, the Yankees hope CC Sabathia has better fastball command than Pineda, who allowed the home runs on his fastball and lasted five-plus innings Friday.
Sabathia has experienced a career revival, but has struggled recently.
Sabathia is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in his last four starts after going 5-4 with a 2.20 ERA in his first 11 outings.
The last time Sabathia pitched was a week ago in Cleveland when he took a no-decision. Sabathia allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings but the Yankees wound up with a 7-6 victory in 11 innings.
Despite recent struggles, the veteran lefty is 7-8 with a 3.44 ERA in his last 24 starts since Aug. 1.
Sabathia is 12-12 with a 4.47 ERA in 32 starts against the Red Sox. With the Yankees, he is 10-8 with a 4.64 ERA in 25 starts against them.
Sabathia will be pitching for a team 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The Yankees' largest deficit has been nine games on two occasions in late June.
And with each day that ticks by without much traction in the standings, the Yankees will face questions about urgency.
"Of course there is (urgency)," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "We've talked about it. We talk about it in here, we've talked about it with the group in there. Of course there is because you start to run out of days."
"We have to focus on winning series, especially against teams that are in our division," Yankees right fielder Carlos Beltran added. "We are playing Boston, next team will be Baltimore for four games here, so we have to get it done.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Astros-Mariners preview
By Scott Johnson, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 4:10 PM ET.

SEATTLE -- The Houston Astros continue to have the Seattle Mariners' number, so much so that they might consider changing their area code to 206.
Houston extended its winning streak over Seattle to five with a 7-3 win on Friday night. Since 2014, the Astros hold a 13-10 record at Safeco Field, which is quickly becoming their favorite road ballpark.
George Springer and Jose Altuve have been particularly successful at Safeco, and the duo combined for two hits and three runs Friday.
"We didn't start the year like we wanted, and that's why people are surprised by how well we're playing now," Altuve said. "This is the team you're going to see every day. We're going to play hard."
The Mariners (45-45) will try to end the skid against Houston during a rare Saturday afternoon game. It marks the first time this season that Seattle will play a home game on a Saturday afternoon.
The Mariners plan on starting veteran Hisashi Iwakuma, who is currently the only right-hander in the Seattle rotation.
Iwakuma will be flanked by left-handed starters James Paxton, Wade LeBlanc, Wade Miley and Mike Montgomery for one more trip through the rotation, but help could be on the way.
Seattle ace Felix Hernandez made a successful rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma on Friday and could be close to returning to the rotation. Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox -- another afternoon tilt -- seems like the target date for Hernandez's return after he's spent the good part of eight weeks on the disabled list.
"I'm ready to go," Hernandez told reporters after his outing in Tacoma. "... I'll be back (on Wednesday), for sure."
The Astros (49-41) send young right-hander Lance McCullers to the mound.
McCullers has already beaten the Mariners once this season. He allowed just one run over seven innings in a 2-1 win over Seattle at Houston a few days before the All-Star Break.
The Astros swept Seattle in a three-game series at Houston and have taken full control of second place in the American League West. The Mariners led the division for most of April and May but fell behind the Rangers in early June. Two weeks ago, Houston moved past Seattle and now holds a four-game lead over the Mariners. Texas leads the Astros by 4 1/2.
Seattle's Iwakuma has an 0-4 record and 7.50 ERA over his past five starts against the Astros. He is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA against Houston this season.
Seattle is likely to play the game without shortstop Ketel Marte, who injured his ankle sliding into third base Friday night. Marte is listed as day-to-day, but Mariners manager Scott Servais said he would probably sit out Saturday's game while utility man Shawn O'Malley got the start.
Marte is hitting .273 this season and has settled in as the leadoff hitter since veteran outfielder Norichika Aoki got sent to the minors late last month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Orioles-Rays preview
By The Sports Xchange

Saturday 6:10 PM ET.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Momentum can be difficult to stop in baseball, and as the Tampa Bay Rays try to end a slide that has carried over after the All-Star break, they'll do so Saturday against a tough pitcher in the Orioles' Chris Tillman.
Three times already this season, Tillman has faced the Rays, and three times the Orioles have won -- even a June 25 outing in which Tillman gave up 10 hits and six earned runs in five innings in an 8-6 win.
For the season, Tillman is 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA against the Rays -- he was 5-9 in his career against Tampa Bay this season, but is pitching well, with a 12-2 overall record and a 3.41 ERA. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it's important to get quality starts coming out of the break after using four relievers in Friday's win.
"We're not going to have a rested bullpen the way we did tonight for the next 74 games," he said. "We were fortunate tonight -- you don't usually walk seven guys and win a game."
It hasn't mattered much who the Rays are facing on the mound of late -- they've lost seven straight and 23 of 26, the worst stretch in franchise history and worst by any team in baseball this season. It's also the worst 26-game stretch by any American League team since the 2003 Detroit Tigers.
What's more, the Orioles are 8-2 against the Rays this season, including six straight wins, their longest streak against Tampa Bay since 2007.
The challenge of ending the skid falls on left-hander Matt Moore, who has been mentioned as a trade possibility as the Rays move into seller mode as a result of playing in cellar mode with a 34-55 record.
Moore has lost to the Orioles twice this season -- he has given up eight earned runs in 13 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts but not much else to show. For his career, he's 5-6 against Baltimore with a 4.46 ERA.
Within the last five weeks and the Rays' terrible skid, Moore has been their best bet to win. In the last 29 games, he is 3-2 and the rest of the pitching staff is a combined 3-21.
That's nearly the opposite of Friday's starter, Chris Archer, who has seen the Rays win just once in his last 11 starts -- and none since June 6. The Rays brought Archer back out for the eighth inning in a tie game on Friday and it backfired, as he gave up the deciding run on a solo home run to Jonathan Schoop.
"We felt, or I felt, that Arch was the best option there to get those two righties," Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Archer's no-decision. "I still feel that way. He just left a pitch up ... a slider up to Schoop.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mets-Phillies preview
By Gordie Jones, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:05 PM ET.

PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Mets continue to hang in the National League wild-card race. The Philadelphia Phillies can only hope to get there.
The Mets opened the second half of their season with a 5-3 victory over the Phillies on Friday night to improve to 48-42, and remain tied with Miami for the second wild-card berth.
The Phillies, winners of 10 of their last 14, are seven games out. While they are rebuilding with a young roster after finishing a major league-worst 63-99 in 2015, manager Pete Mackanin is hopeful to get a little something more out of this season.
"I'm setting my sights high, because we still have to let guys play and find out, but we might as play for something, have a target," he said.
He will send his best pitcher, right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, to the mound Saturday against the Mets, as the teams continue their three-game series. Eickhoff (6-10, 3.80) was hit hard in a loss to Colorado his last time out, but in seven starts prior to that went 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA.
He will be opposed by righty Logan Verrett (3-6, 4.34), who took the loss while making a spot start on July 9 against Washington, going a season-high 6 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked a career-high five.
Verrett, who has made six starts among his 24 appearances, is 0-4 with a 9.33 ERA over his last four starts. He is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in four career appearances against Philadelphia, two of them starts.
The Mets have lost right-hander Matt Harvey for the season following surgery to repair thoracic outlet syndrome, and fellow righty Noah Syndergaard departed his July 8 start against Washington after 4 2/3 innings with what has been described by the team as "arm fatigue."
Syndergaard, who has bone chips in his elbow, threw off flat ground for the second time in a week Friday, according to MLB.com, and is expected to throw off a mound Sunday. He is scheduled to start next Tuesday in Chicago, against the Cubs.
Another starting pitcher, lefty Steven Matz, has also been plagued by bone chips in his elbow. In addition, third baseman David Wright (disk surgery) and first baseman Lucas Duda (back) are out, and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes missed his third straight game Friday with a strained right quadriceps.
Bartolo Colon and Neil Walker held the fort for the Mets. Colon worked 5 2/3 innings to improve to 8-4, and Walker hit his 16th homer, a three-run shot, matching his total for all last season in Pittsburgh.
Walker said afterward that the first game after the All-Star break is "one of the hardest games of the year," since players often struggle to regain their rhythm.
"But sometimes if you can get a big hit, like a home run," he said, "it eases the tension a little bit."
Walker victimized Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (6-7), who is the subject of trade speculation with the July 31 non-waiver deadline approaching.
"Yeah, it's on my mind, just when I see it on Twitter and talk to you (media) guys about it," he said. "Other than that, I'm focused every day on doing what I have to do for the next start. Like I've said all along, I love it here and would love to be here the rest of the year, but obviously I've been through it before and know that side of the game."
He was traded after the 2014 season from Tampa Bay to Arizona, and after last season from the Diamondbacks to the Phillies.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Pirates-Nationals preview
By David Driver, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:05 PM ET.

WASHINGTON -- If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to make a run to the postseason, they will need a strong second-half performance from Gerrit Cole.
The right-hander is expected to come off the disabled list and start for the Pirates Saturday night against the Washington Nationals.
"I'm excited to be able to play again and hopefully put ourselves in a position to win a ballgame," Cole said on the eve of his return.
"I'm just excited to be back, compete, and just play."
Cole has been on the disabled list for more than a month with a strained right triceps. He is 5-4 with a 2.77 ERA this year, but has gone seven innings only twice in 12 starts.
The 25-year-old was a first-round pick by the Pirates in the 2011 draft out of UCLA, where he pitched for three years. He lives in Santa Ana, Calif., the hometown of Washington shortstop Danny Espinosa.
Cole will make his first big league start since June 10 after he threw eight scoreless innings in two rehab starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, with the most recent coming last Sunday.
He is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in three career starts against Washington.
Ben Revere has hit Cole at an impressive clip throughout his career, going 7-for-12 (.582) with an RBI.
Wilson Ramos (2-for-8) and Michael Taylor (1-for-4) are the only Nationals players who have taken Cole deep, and Daniel Murphy is 2-for-9 with two RBIs.
Murphy is dealing with left hamstring tightness and was a late scratch from the Nationals' lineup Friday. He's listed as day-to-day.
Cole will be opposed by Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark. It will be the first career start for Roark against the Pirates, whom he has faced twice out of the bullpen.
No active Pirates player has more than one career hit against Roark, but Andrew McCutchen (1-for-2) and Staling Marte (1-for-5) have each slugged two-run home runs off of him.
John Jaso (1-for-3) also has a round-tripper against Roark.
Roark is 8-5 with a 3.01 ERA this season. Max Scherzer will start Sunday after Stephen Strasburg started the opener on Friday and allowed one run over eight innings in a 5-1 win.
Scherzer threw one inning in the All-Star game on Tuesday.
What went into the thinking of the Nationals for their weekend rotation?
"Strasburg was the strongest. Scherzer was the least rested, so we decided to give him some extra days. We had to keep Tanner kind of rested," Washington manager Dusty Baker said.
Baker is a former Cincinnati Reds manager who knows the Pirates well.
"I was in a division with the Pirates for a long time," Baker said. "They have a good power and speed combination. This is the makings of a very good series."
Pittsburgh and Baltimore will square off four more times this season, with a three-game series coming late in the season on Sept. 23-25.
The Nationals emerged with a 4-3 edge in last season's series with the Pirates, earning a three-game sweep in their first meeting but dropping three of four last July in Pittsburgh.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Brewers-Reds preview
By Mark Schmetzer, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:10 PM ET.

Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell and Cincinnati counterpart Bryan Price had definite ideas about areas to improve with their struggling teams during the last 2 1/2 months of the season.
They're both going to have to wait a little longer.
Counsell's Brewers missed a golden opportunity to pull out a win over the Reds on Friday at Great American Ball Park, loading the bases with one out in the ninth inning before Scooter Gennett and Ryan Braun popped up to help the Reds hold on for a 5-4 win.
Price's Reds committed one fielding error and another mental lapse on defense and had to overcome Tony Cingrani's ninth-inning difficulties while trying to close out the win and snap a three-game losing streak.
The rebuilding Reds' first-half pitching woes, especially in relief, have been well-chronicled, but they went into the All-Star Game break on a three-game losing streak fueled by shoddy defense and embarrassing mental errors.
"It really comes down to the consistency of play," said Price, whose team lost seven of its last eight games and nine of 11 before the four-day holiday. "We played 38 games that were decided by one or two runs, so we were in a lot of games. We just want to get better in all facets.
"We have areas with room to grow statistically. We want to make sure the young guys show growth through the process. One hundred and sixty-two games is a beast. Team defense, overall pitching, walks and home runs -- we want to see those numbers go down."
Counsell was hoping to see his similarly rebuilding team take advantage of opening the post-break schedule against a team actually below his in the standings after losing the last two games and three of the last four before the break.
"Nothing changes," he said. "We took a little break. It's not a stopping point. We'll try to do the same things we've been doing.
"We kind of limped into the All-Star break, but we played some really good teams over the last 30 games, and the margin of error is less. You could see it every night. You�ve got to take advantage of every opportunity. The two series against St. Louis, we didn't do that."
It doesn't promise to get any easier for Milwaukee. After finishing the three-game series against the Reds, which is scheduled to continue Saturday night with Jimmy Nelson (5-7) starting for the Brewers against John Lamb (1-6), Milwaukee is scheduled to face the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs and the third-place Pittsburgh Pirates in nine of the next 13 games.
After finishing with the Brewers, the Reds are due to play six straight games against last-place teams -- Atlanta from the NL East and Arizona from the NL West -- all in Cincinnati.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rockies-Braves preview
By Stan Awtrey, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:10 PM ET.

ATLANTA -- Management of the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves are both answering questions about outfielders who are not currently on the active roster.
The Rockies are trying to determine when Gerardo Parra will be able to return from a high ankle sprain that's kept him on the disabled list since June 15. The Braves are trying to decide what to do with Hector Olivera, who is serving an 82-game suspension for violation of the league's domestic violence policy.
The two clubs will play the second of a three-game series on Saturday. Atlanta will send right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (3-3, 3.67) against Colorado right-hander Chad Bettis (7-6, 5.65).
Parra may be close to returning from the disabled list, where he's been since June 15 with a high left ankle sprain. Parra was batting .263 with five homers and 27 RBI in 63 games when he was injured. His return come be soon.
Manager Walt Weiss said, "He was running around here yesterday and looked pretty good. Ran the bases. I don't have anything as far as a rehab assignment or anything like that, but he's moving around pretty good and progressing nicely.
"He does some things for you. He provides Gold Glove caliber defense, a tough out, he's productive, lot of extra-base hits, lot of doubles ... another threat all the way around."
Atlanta sent Olivera to its Gulf Coast League team to begin a rehab stint. He is expected to be promoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate next week. The club has not decided whether Olivera will be given another opportunity in the major leagues or be released, like the Rockies did earlier this summer in a similar situation with shortstop Jose Reyes. Olivera is eligible to return to the major leagues on Aug. 2.
"With all that's gone on with this, as disappointing as it's been, I think Hector has used this time productively," said John Hart, Atlanta's president of baseball operations. "We've been comfortable, I think, with the steps he's taken, certainly off the field, which has been very important to us and obviously the work he's put in on the field.
"I think he's making an honest effort to try and put himself back and sort of resurrect his career. Other than that, we'll just follow it out, stay connected going forward. But we don't have any time frame or timetable. There's a lot of things we can do come Aug. 2."
The pitching matchup for Saturday features who guys who have been pitching well.
Foltynewicz is coming off the best start of his career, seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in a win against the White Sox. He has made three career appearances, one start, against the Rockies, going 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA.
Bettis is 3-1 with a 5.79 ERA over his last six starts, of which Colorado has won five. He beat the Phillies in his last start, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings. Bettis is 2-1 with a 6.35 ERA in four games, three starts, in his career against Atlanta. He was 2-0 against the Braves in 2015.
Atlanta will likely have to go without closer Arodys Vizcaino, who suffered a possible oblique strain on Friday night. Vizcaino called for the trainer after throwing his third pitch of the inning and immediately left the field. He will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Indians-Twins preview
By Dan Myers, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:10 PM ET.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Cleveland Indians are aiming for their first series victory in three tries against the Minnesota Twins this season and will have two chances to do it after winning the opener of a three-game series 5-2 on Friday night at Target Field.
The last-place Twins, who have the worst record in the American League, have had surprising success against the Indians and Texas Rangers, the two best teams in the AL.
Cleveland's win on Friday was just the third in seven games against Minnesota, and the Twins are the only AL Central team that has a winning record over the Tribe.
"It was good (to get back out there)," Indians first baseman Mike Napoli said. "We got some rest, rested the body, and it looked like everyone looked fresh. It's going to be a grind down the stretch, but for us to be able to get some rest, it's nice."
Highlighted by a strong pitching performance from Carlos Carrasco in the series opener, the Indians will turn to Trevor Bauer on Saturday. The right-hander was roughed up in his last outing before the All-Star break, allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees, snapping a stretch of eight consecutive appearances without a loss.
Bauer went 4-0 during that stretch with an ERA of just 2.10, lasting at least six innings and allowing no more than three earned runs each time out.
In his only appearance against the Twins this season, Bauer gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings, taking the loss on May 15 at Progressive Field.
Carrasco did what most have failed to do against the Twins since mid-June and that is quiet their bats. Minnesota entered play on Friday having scored 140 runs since June 18, the most in baseball.
But after a solo homer by Brian Dozier in the fourth inning, Minnesota was limited to one hit the rest of the way and four on the night.
"We talked about who was affected more by a four-day layoff, but it's tough to tell when pitching is good," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We just didn't have enough offense. Four hits isn't going to get you many wins."
The Twins will counter with Tyler Duffey, who pitched six shutout innings against the Rangers in his last outing before the break. It has been a mixed bag for the right-hander of late; in his last four starts, Duffey las allowed one and zero runs in two starts while giving up six and four runs in two others.
With the Twins 21 games back of Cleveland in the AL Central, the club will look for more consistency from their starting pitching during the second half. That includes Duffey, who went 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA in 10 starts during the second half last season but has struggled to find that same mojo in 2016 (5-6, 5.20 ERA in 14 starts).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Royals-Tigers preview
By Dana Gauruder, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:10 PM ET.

DETROIT -- Danny Duffy's recent stretch of strong starts can be traced to his time in the bullpen.
The Kansas City Royals left-hander has been the team's best starter since he rejoined the rotation in mid-May. He's 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA and a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over those 11 starts. He'll make his first post-All-Star break start on Saturday night at Detroit.
"He's throwing a lot more strikes," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That stint in the bullpen helped him. He figured out down there that he can be aggressive in the strike zone and have success. He's brought the bullpen mentality into a starting mentality."
Duffy has gone deep into games in his last three starts, reaching at least the seventh inning and coming up one out shy of a complete game against Philadelphia. He struck out 23 batters in those outings while issuing just one walk.
"My fastball command has been there," said Duffy, who is 3-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 15 career appearances against the Tigers. "If you have fastball command, you can afford not to be perfect with your secondary pitches. You can throw everything off your fastball. I'm just trying to keep it simple, just following Salvy (catcher Salvador Perez) and doing what the coaching staff thinks is best."
Duffy made 49 starts the previous two seasons but was often plagued by control issues. He issued 106 walks over 286 innings in those two seasons. He's only allowed 12 walks since rejoining the rotation, which has led to longer starts.
"It's been pretty gratifying to not be a guy who's gone five-and-dive, like I did for so long in my career," Duffy said. "I'm not saying that's not something that will ever happen again. But I have confidence when I take the ball that I'm going to do everything I can to hand the ball off to the bullpen late in the game."
Tigers right-hander Mike Pelfrey, who will oppose Duffy, has not gotten past the seventh inning in any of his 17 starts this season. He has kept his team in the game in two July outings. He held Tampa Bay and Toronto to one run apiece while going at least six innings. He's 1-3 with a 5.35 ERA in seven career starts against Kansas City.
Detroit won the opener of the three-game series on Friday night, 4-2. That moved the second-place Tigers 1 1/2 games ahead of Kansas City, but both teams will have to chase down division leader Cleveland or shoot for a wild card.
"We were playing well (prior to the break), though we didn't do great in Toronto, but we've got to play better," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "The wild-card team is not going to be three games over .500, so we need to play better and it has to start now."
For the second straight game, the Tigers will be without left fielder Justin Upton. He was placed on the bereavement list on Thursday after a death in his family.
Tyler Collins was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Friday as his fill-in and smacked a solo homer than started a three-run, seventh-inning rally.
"I'm really happy for him, contributing to a big win for us," winning pitcher Justin Verlander said of Collins. "It's great to see the ball leave the yard and see him do it.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Marlins-Cardinals preview
By Bucky Dent, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 7:15 PM ET.

ST. LOUIS -- After the Miami Marlins pulled out a crazy 7-6 win Friday night over the St. Louis Cardinals, manager Don Mattingly was asked if they sent a message.
"I don't know how much of a message it sends," he said. "There are a lot of big games left. You love coming out after the (All-Star) break and getting a win, but it feels like Opening Day -- you have lots of games left."
Still, Miami (48-41) kept pace with the New York Mets for the National League's second wild-card spot and dropped St. Louis (46-43) two games in arrears. The teams meet again Saturday night in the middle game of their three-game weekend set in Busch Stadium.
The series opener showcased the best and worst of both teams. The Marlins' mediocre starting pitching -- aside from ace Jose Fernandez -- was offset by a solid offense and an outstanding defense.
The Cardinals' power bats -- they belted four more homers Friday night, giving them 121 in 89 games -- were ultimately canceled out by a poor defensive game and more shaky work from the bullpen.
While St. Louis was officially charged with just one error, it failed to make two plays that could have shortened innings and led to Miami runs. Three different relievers coughed up runs, with new closer Seung Hwan Oh absorbing the loss.
"It's definitely not how you want to play the game," center fielder Randal Grichuk said. "We had the lead twice and blew it both times."
After suffering one of their most frustrating defeats of the year, the Cardinals will turn to ace Adam Wainwright to make things right. Wainwright (8-5, 4.49) is coming off consecutive wins over Milwaukee and Pittsburgh in which he allowed just one run in 14 innings.
The veteran right-hander tied a season high with nine strikeouts against the Pirates on July 7, earning a 5-1 victory.
"I was having fun mixing and matching four-seams and two-seams and cutters and curveballs," Wainwright said. "I was pitching out there. That's how I did it in 2014. I've kind of found that again."
What's more, Wainwright has enjoyed pitching against the Marlins in his career, going 4-2 with a 2.33 earned run average in eight career starts. This will be just his second start against them since 2010, though
The Marlins will run right-hander Tom Koehler (6-7, 4.50) to the mound. He hopes for better success than he found Sunday, when he lasted only four innings in a 7-3 win over Cincinnati, giving up seven hits and three runs.
Koehler, who was bailed out by his defense in that outing, is 1-2 with a 7.86 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis, losing his only start against it last year.
However, Miami appears to have momentum on its side presently. In search of its first playoff spot since 2003, it has five batters over .300 in its everyday lineup, quality athletes at just about every spot on the field and one of the top bullpens in the NL.
"It doesn't take 25 guys to make the playoffs, it takes more than that," said Marlins second baseman Miguel Rojas, who had the game-winning hit Friday night. "I think we're separating ourselves from a team playing .500 baseball to a team going for the playoffs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dodgers-Diamondbacks preview
By Jack Magruder, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 8:10 PM ET.

PHOENIX -- Chris Taylor pictured a lot of grand slams when he was a kid playing wiffle ball in his backyard.
His first major league homer was the real deal -- a grand slam Friday that was a part of a big day in one of the Dodgers' biggest offensive games of the season as they opened the post-break schedule with a 13-7 victory over Arizona at Chase Field.
"That's something everybody always thinks of," Taylor said of his slam. "I was just trying to do something, maybe just hit something up the middle. It was awesome. To have it happen in that fashion. It was a long time coming, but well worth the wait."
Taylor tripled in two runs in the fourth inning, doubled and scored in the fifth and had his slam in the sixth for a 12-4 lead as the Dodgers had a season-high 18 hits. They have won four straight and nine of 12 while moving a season-high 12 games over .500.
The Dodgers have won five of seven games against the D-backs this season, five of the last six, and they will attempt to win the weekend series Saturday when right-hander Brandon McCarthy, who opened the season on the disabled list after 2015 Tommy John surgery, faces his former team for the first time. McCarthy had a rough victory against the San Diego Padres last week, giving up three runs in five innings.
Right-hander Archie Bradley gets the starting nod for the Diamondbacks, who have won three home series this season and are 15-33 at Chase Field. Bradley hasn't won since June 19, going 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA since. He gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings against them in a loss June 14.
Taylor is the latest addition to a Dodgers team that has had a lot of moving parts because of injuries this season. Andre Ethier has been on the disabled list all season, Joc Pederson has been out for two weeks and Clayton Kershaw has missed two turns through the rotation and left-handed starters Alex Wood and Brett Anderson are on the DL now.
The Dodgers acquired Taylor for right-handed prospect Zach Lee on June 19 and promoted him to the majors on June 25. He has made four starts since, two at third base, one at shortstop and Friday night at second base.
"We've liked Chris," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Personally I've liked him from the other side. He's a baseball player. He does a lot of things well. He can catch the baseball. He's good on the team. And he can hit a gap. I knew it was in there, and I'm lucky to have him."
"They had the third baseman back, and that's always been a part of my game, regardless of the hits," Taylor said. "You put me in that situation again, I'm going to try it. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good angle on it. The pitcher made a nice play..

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Giants-Padres preview
By Bill Center, The Sports Xchange

Saturday 8:40 PM ET.

SAN DIEGO -- San Francisco right-hander Jeff Samardzija will be filling the role of a stopper Saturday night when the Giants take on the Padres at Petco Park.
The Padres defeated the Giants -- and ace Madison Bumgarner -- 4-1 Friday night.
The one-game winning streak represents the totality of Padres successes against the Giants this season. San Francisco opened the season with nine straight wins against the Padres.
Not only did their domination of the Padres help the Giants post the best first-half record in the major leagues (57-33 at the All-Star break), it also tied the San Francisco Giants record for their best season-opening run against one team since the franchise moved west from New York for the 1958 season. The 1998 Giants opened the season by going 9-0 against the Marlins.
But now it is up to Samardzija (9-5, 3.91 earned run average) to prevent the Giants from losing a second straight game to the Padres, who are 19-18 since the start of June.
Samardzija has several things going for him, including the fact that his opponent is Rule 5 right-hander Luis Perdomo. The 23-year-old is 3-4 with a 7.48 ERA, although he allowed seven runs over 18 innings (a 3.11 ERA) in his last three starts of the first half.
Samardzija is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA in three career starts at Petco Park. The Padres have hit only .177 against Samardzija at Petco Park.
"I like pitching in San Diego," Samardzija said recently. "I like the ballpark. It plays fair. If you make good pitches, you get outs."
Samardzija owns a career 6-1 record against the Padres with a 2.90 ERA in nine starts. He is 3-0 against the Padres this year with a 3.10 ERA in three starts covering 20 1/3 innings.
While the Giants are looking toward another even-numbered World Series title, the Padres are clearly in a rebuilding mode as evidenced by the Thursday trade that sent their most successful starter (Drew Pomeranz) to the Boston Red Sox for 18-year-old top prospect Anderson Espinosa.
The Padres have been stockpiling young pitching prospects through the draft, trades and international signings.
But they are also looking to Perdomo to develop into a front-line starter by the time the rebuild starts paying dividends around the 2019 season. Perdomo would be 26 at that time -- and could be the veteran of the rotation.
"I think we're going to see Luis in our rotation for some time," Padres manager Andy Green recently. "I like his stuff as well as his make-up. He doesn't rattle."
"Perdomo is making great strides," said Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley. "We knew this could be tough when we started giving him more responsibility due to injuries and trades that affected our rotation.
"But Luis has reacted far better than we could have expected. He's competitive. He wants to succeed. He's learning on the job. Last year at this time, he was in Single-A. This has been a huge step for Perdomo and he's not only accepted it, he's eager for more. He has confidence in himself and poise.