Sunday 5/29/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (27-23) at Royals (26-22)

Game: 4
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: May 29, 2016 2:15 PM EDT

If last year's postseason didn't prove that no lead is safe against the Kansas City Royals, the last two games unquestionably have.

After delivering the largest ninth-inning comeback in franchise history, the ever-resilient Royals look to continue their mastery over the reeling Chicago White Sox in Sunday's finale of a three-game series.

Kansas City overcame a four-run deficit after 5 1/2 innings to win Friday's opener 7-5, then topped that feat with a incredible late rally Saturday. Trailing by six entering the ninth, the Royals scored seven times to come away with an improbable 8-7 victory.

Four of the runs came with two out, with Brett Eibner's bases-loaded single completing the comeback. The rookie collected his first major league hit with a seventh-inning double that sparked Friday's rally.

The clubhouse mood wasn't entirely jovial, however, after the Royals were dealt another injury to a key player. Catcher Salvador Perez exited with a knee injury after colliding with teammate Cheslor Cuthbert on a foul popup in the top of the ninth.

Perez, who went 0 for 3 to have a 12-game hitting streak end, underwent an MRI following the game. His injury comes less than a week after Kansas City lost third baseman Mike Moustakas to a season-ending torn ACL from a collision with Alex Gordon, who broke a bone in his right wrist and is expected to miss a month.

'We won the game, but that will be the more important win if we find out nothing serious with him happened," first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "Salvy is our guy. He's the leader of this team. He's an All-Star. He's everything. When you see a guy like that goes down, it fires you up."

Kansas City (26-22), which recorded eight comeback wins during last year's run to a World Series title, also has been without designated hitter Kendrys Morales for the last three games due to a sprained finger.

Another hurdle awaits in the finale in the form of Chris Sale (9-1, 2.26 ERA), though the Royals may be catching the Chicago ace at the right time. The standout left-hander had his season-opening nine-start winning streak snapped when he was tagged for six runs in 3 1/3 innings in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to Cleveland.

Sale had allowed six earned runs total over his previous seven outings and yielded two in complete games against the Yankees and Houston in his two prior starts.

He hasn't fared particularly well recently against Kansas City, nor have the White Sox as a team. They've lost six of the last seven meetings and are 14-29 in the series since 2014.

Sale is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA over his last three meetings with Kansas City and several Royals have hit him well. Alcides Escobar is hitting .385 off him and Lorenzo Cain .349 with three homers.

Chicago (27-23) has lost a season-high five straight and 13 of its last 17.

'It's tough, especially after (Friday),' manager Robin Ventura said. 'As difficult as (Friday) was, you get yourself some runs and get into a position where you can earn a win. Then that last inning, a couple walks, a tipped ball, things like that. You can't close it out, and you get punished like that."

Edinson Volquez (5-4, 3.67) tries to extend Chicago's misfortune and earn a third win in four starts. He's coming off Tuesday's 6 2/3-inning stint at Minnesota in which he allowed two earned runs in a 7-4 victory.

Volquez went 1-2 with a 1.80 ERA in four 2015 starts against the White Sox, receiving nine runs of support in those games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (26-23) at Cubs (33-14)

Game: 3
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 29, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

The Chicago Cubs are hitting with authority again following a temporary slump. It's a trend John Lackey would like to see continue.

Chicago hopes to provide Lackey with the support he hasn't had lately when the NL leaders attempt to sweep the offensively challenged Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

After mustering six runs during a season-high three-game losing streak May 21-23, Chicago (33-14) has returned to its heavy-hitting ways in winning its last four. The Cubs are batting .307 with six homers and 31 runs during the surge while posting a .529 slugging percentage, compared to .332 during the skid.

Chicago homered three times in a 6-2 win in Friday's opener of this three-game set, then put up three early runs en route to Saturday's 4-1 victory. Dexter Fowler delivered a leadoff homer, and Ben Zobrist added an RBI double in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

Lackey (4-2, 3.38 ERA) has not had the luxury of significant offensive help during a three-start winless stretch in which opponents have hit .162 against him. The veteran right-hander threw eight sharp innings in a 1-0 loss to San Diego on May 11 and took a no-decision in a 2-1 win at Milwaukee a week later, though he couldn't hold a 3-1 lead in his most recent outing.

The former Cardinal limited St. Louis to one run over six innings Monday, but surrendered a game-tying two-run homer to Matt Adams in the seventh that helped send the Cubs to a 4-3 loss.

'When you're playing tight and close games, low-scoring games like that, one pitch can be the difference and it was (Monday) for sure,' said Lackey, who struck out nine while yielding just four hits.

Lackey has produced a 2.25 ERA over a stretch of five straight quality starts and could be in line for another against Philadelphia (26-23), which has scored two or fewer runs in five of its last eight games while going 2-6. The Phillies are second-to-last in the majors in runs and homers.

They were held to five hits Saturday in Kyle Hendricks' second career complete game, a near-shutout spoiled by Freddy Galvis scoring from third when Ryan Howard struck out on a pitch in the dirt in the ninth.

'I don't want to take anything away from Hendricks because he is a damn good pitcher and I like him a lot,' manager Pete Mackanin said. 'But I feel like we took pitches we should've hit and we swung at pitches we shouldn't have swung at.'

Philadelphia fell to 1-4 on a six-game trip that began with Vince Velasquez's shortest start of the season, four-plus innings in which the talented right-hander surrendered three solo homers and a season-high nine hits Monday at Detroit.

Velasquez (5-1, 2.75) had allowed three homers over his first eight starts and was coming off a strong outing against Miami on May 17, recording 10 strikeouts over five scoreless innings in a 3-1 win.

The 23-year-old enters his first meeting with Chicago sporting a 4.50 ERA on the road compared to 0.74 at Citizens Bank Park.

Velasquez will face a red-hot hitter in Zobrist, batting .451 over his streak following Saturday's 2-for-4 effort.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (28-20) at Rangers (28-21)

Game: 3
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 29, 2016 3:05 PM EDT

While Francisco Liriano hopes to clean up his road issues to get the Pittsburgh Pirates back on track, Martin Perez hopes his home dominance leads to another series win for the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers will go for their seventh victory in nine games one day after ending the Pirates' five-game winning streak when they close this interleague series Sunday.

Pittsburgh (28-20) came within one game of matching a season-high run with Friday's 9-1 victory, but Texas (28-21) evened the series with Saturday's 5-2 win and ended a four-game skid to the Pirates.

Yu Darvish struck out seven in five strong innings in his first start in the majors in almost 22 months, and Adrian Beltre belted a two-run homer to become the fourth third baseman with at least 1,500 RBIs. Beltre has five RBIs and five hits over the last three games.

Though Liriano takes the ball with momentum from his last two starts, he also carries in a five-game road resume that includes a 1-2 record and 7.00 ERA.

After a dismal outing against the MLB-leading Chicago Cubs in which he gave up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings May 13, Liriano (4-3, 4.30 ERA) regrouped at home. Between a 3-1 loss to Atlanta on May 18 and Tuesday's 12-1 win over Arizona, he surrendered just nine hits and three runs in 12 2/3 innings.

He gave up two hits and a run in 5 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, though he did walk five.

"The chase rates he's been able to create over the last three years with his changeup and slider are off the charts, because it looks like a strike," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "I think this year there's been times where it just doesn't look like as much of a strike as the other times, and they're backing off."

Liriano's misstep against the Cubs was his only start of his last five allowing more than two runs.

The southpaw has won his last four starts against Texas with a 1.63 ERA but hasn't faced them since 2013. Beltre is the only current Rangers hitter with a home run off Liriano along with three doubles while batting .300 in 30 at-bats.

While Liriano has struggled on the road, Perez is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in five starts in Arlington.

Perez (2-4, 3.13) got his first win of May with another strong start Tuesday, tossing six innings in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

The left-hander had been 0-2 for the month despite a 2.59 ERA in four starts, and he dropped that number to 2.08 as he struck out six. He stranded the bases loaded in the sixth inning while facing the middle of the Angels' order.

'It was probably as calm as we've seen him in those type of situations all year long,' manager Jeff Banister said. 'Early on in the season, those type of situations he let speed up on him and seemed to get out of control and would lose the strike zone.'

Perez, whose run support average of 2.39 is the AL's worst, made his only career start against Pittsburgh in September 2013 when he gave up nine hits and four runs in five innings of a 5-4 loss.

Jordy Mercer (3 for 3, two doubles), Andrew McCutchen (2 for 3) and David Freese (3 for 9, double, triple) have fared well in the matchup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (21-29) at Angels (22-27)

Game: 3
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 29, 2016 3:35 PM EDT

Nick Tropeano has improved steadily this month and hopes to keep climbing against the team that parted ways with him prior to last season.

The right-hander seeks his third straight win to lift the Los Angeles Angels to a series victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Sunday.

Los Angeles (22-27) won Friday's opener 7-2 before Houston (21-29) evened the set with Saturday's 4-2 victory. Dallas Keuchel pitched seven strong innings to snap a personal five-game skid and Jason Castro hit a go-ahead two-run homer as the Astros snapped a three-game losing streak to the Angels.

The Astros will try for their fifth victory in six games against a pitcher that made his MLB debut with them two seasons ago.

Tropeano (3-2, 2.86 ERA) made his first four big-league starts with Houston in 2014 but was traded to Los Angeles that November. After some success with the Angels following his call-up last September, the 25-year-old is starting to fit into their rotation nicely.

He's given up fewer runs with every start this month and allowed just one run in 13 2/3 innings over the last two, earning his first victories since his April 11 opener.

'I think in my past, I was trying to be too fine with my pitches," Tropeano said. "Trying to throw that perfect pitch instead of a quality pitch down in the zone early in the count.'

Tropeano held Texas to four hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Monday's 2-0 win, striking out six. He has held opponents to two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts.

'That's a great effort by Nick (Monday),' manager Mike Scioscia said. 'He has good stuff, and his stuff was consistent.'

He faced his former team Sept. 23, taking a no-decision in a 6-5 Angels win. He gave up four hits and two unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out five.

Houston will send out Doug Fister (4-3, 4.12), who fell one out short of his seventh consecutive quality start Tuesday. He held Baltimore to three hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 3-2, 13-inning win.

That victory opened a three-game winning streak for the Astros before they split the opening two games of this series.

In his last five starts, all Houston wins, Fister is 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA. He has a 2.86 ERA in nine career starts against the Angels, though the last was in 2013.

Mike Trout is 4 for 10 with a double against Fister, and Albert Pujols' lone hit in eight at-bats was a home run. Both Trout and Pujols went deep Saturday, but the Angels had only one other hit.

George Springer matched them with three hits and is batting .450 in five games since being moved into Houston's leadoff spot.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (24-24) at Athletics (21-29)

Game: 3
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: May 29, 2016 4:05 PM EDT

While Rich Hill continues to pile up victories for the Oakland Athletics, Mike Pelfrey will try for a 10th time to earn his first win with the Detroit Tigers.

Hill looks to win a career-high fifth straight start in Sunday's decisive series finale against Pelfrey and the visiting Tigers.

One of the early feel-good stories of 2016, Hill (7-3, 2.18 ERA) has been the most productive member of Oakland's rotation in his first year with the team and first beginning a season as a starter since 2008.

'It's tough to even put into words,' manager Bob Melvin said. 'Every game right now that he goes out there, we have a great feeling we're going to win no matter what we're going through.'

The 36-year-old left-hander has yielded more than two earned runs in just two starts and only two home runs over 57 2/3 innings. His best outing of the season came Monday at Seattle when he didn't allow a walk in eight innings of a 5-0 victory.

Hill has a 1.61 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings over his last seven outings.

"He was outstanding," catcher Stephen Vogt told MLB's official website after Monday's performance. "He's given us a chance to win in every one of his starts this year."

Hill's first true gem of 2016 came April 26 at Detroit (24-24), allowing four hits and striking out eight in seven innings of a 5-1 win.

In that same contest, Pelfrey (0-4, 5.55) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings to fall to 0-3 with an 11.05 ERA against the A's (21-29).

That was Pelfrey's fourth consecutive loss to begin the season, and though he's avoided losing since then, he hasn't had a quality start in seven straight outings. He gave up four runs and 11 hits in six innings of Monday's 5-4 victory over Philadelphia.

The right-hander will try to contain an Oakland group that broke out for its highest-scoring game of 2016 in Saturday's 12-3 rout. Danny Valencia and Josh Phegley each had three hits and Khris Davis clubbed a three-run homer for the A's, who had lost three straight and seven of eight.

'Hopefully this will be a huge momentum carrier for us,' winning pitcher Jesse Hahn said. 'Maybe this is the game from where our season takes off.'

Valencia was 2 for 23 in six games prior to Saturday.

Davis, who has hit all but three of his 14 home runs this month, is 6 for 15 with two home runs and five RBIs in the last four games.

'He's had a nice month,' Melvin said. 'And maybe he's not done yet. I had 11 in a year once, so I have nothing to compare it to.'

Davis is batting .346 in six games against the Tigers this season and went 2 for 3 off Pelfrey last month.

With a two-run homer for one of his two hits Saturday, Detroit's Victor Martinez is batting .435 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the past six. He is 1 for 8 against Hill.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus returned to the team Saturday after missing the previous two games following the death of his mother then attending his daughter's high school graduation.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (20-30) at Diamondbacks (22-29)

Game: 3
Venue: Chase Field
Date: May 29, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

Though he barely made San Diego's rotation out of spring training, Drew Pomeranz has been one of the team's most pleasant surprises.

Now the left-hander will try to continue one of the best starts to a season in franchise history Sunday when the visiting Padres look to bounce back and take two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

San Diego manager Andy Green took a chance on Pomeranz (4-4, 1.70 ERA) at the end of a shaky spring performance, naming him the fifth starter even though most believed he'd work out of the bullpen.

The 2010 first-round draft pick has since made his skipper look like a genius, leading the Padres (20-30) in wins and strikeouts (60). His ERA is second to Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and only former San Diego Cy Young Award winners Randy Jones and Jake Peavy have posted lower marks through their first nine starts.

Pomeranz has allowed three runs over 31 innings in his last five outings. He gave up two hits and overcame a season-high four walks over seven shutout innings in Monday's 1-0 loss at San Francisco.

"Seven very strong innings - there's nothing more you can ask for," Green told MLB's official website. "(He) gave us an opportunity to win the baseball game. That's what you want out of your starting pitching."

Pomeranz seeks his fourth scoreless effort in five starts as the Padres try to avoid their 10th loss in 13 games. Their rally from a six-run deficit fell short in Saturday's 8-7 loss that evened the series.

The 27-year-old is 0-2 with a 7.91 ERA in seven appearances against the Diamondbacks, though this will be his first start since 2013.

Welington Castillo has gone 2 for 4 with a home run off him, while slugger Paul Goldschmidt is 4 for 9 with a homer and two doubles.

Goldschmidt had a two-run home run and a double Saturday and Michael Bourn went 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs as Arizona (22-29) held off San Diego in the ninth inning to end a four-game skid.

The Diamondbacks seek only their second back-to-back victories since a season high-tying five-game winning streak from May 6-10.

The offensive outburst was a welcome sign after they totaled 11 runs and went 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position during the slide.

Arizona hopes to continue that production for right-hander Archie Bradley (1-0, 7.84), who manager Chip Hale announced would be recalled from Triple-A Reno to replace the injured Shelby Miller.

Bradley ranks among Pacific Coast League leaders with a 1.99 ERA, but he's given up nine runs over 10 1/3 innings in two MLB starts.

The Padres had totaled 15 runs and hit .173 in losses in their previous 11 games before Yangervis Solarte and Melvin Upton Jr. teamed for four of the team's 10 hits Saturday.

Solarte has found a nice groove at the plate, going 6 for 14 with three homers, two doubles and seven RBIs in his last three games.

Matt Kemp went deep for the second straight contest and he's 6 for 16 with three homers in his last four meetings. His 33 homers versus Arizona are second among active players behind Adrian Gonzalez.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Giants (31-20) at Rockies (23-25)

Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: May 29, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

After an offensive surge helped them get back to winning, the San Francisco Giants should feel confident about finally taking a series against the Colorado Rockies in Sunday's finale.

As the visiting Giants seek their 15th victory in 17 games, Johnny Cueto will try to extend an outstanding three-week stretch as well as a 19-inning scoreless streak against the Rockies.

San Francisco (31-20) fell to 3-5 in the season series with a 5-2 series-opening loss before scoring six runs in the eighth inning Saturday en route to a 10-5 victory at Colorado (23-25).

Brandon Belt went 3 for 5 with two doubles and Buster Posey hit a pair of three-run homers, including a tiebreaking shot in the eighth. Belt is batting .429 over a nine-game hitting streak against the Rockies, while Posey is batting .385 with 11 homers in 49 games at Coors Field.

'This is a park that allows you to (hit for power)," Posey said. 'Sometimes at home, those balls are tracked down in the gap.'

The NL West-leading Giants now hope to provide a similar outburst for Cueto (7-1, 2.38 ERA) as they seek their 12th win in 14 road games and first series victory over Colorado in three tries.

The right-hander has struck out 26 and walked five while going 3-0 with an 0.81 ERA over his last four starts. He also tied for the major league lead with his third complete game Monday when he threw a two-hitter in a 1-0 home victory over San Diego.

"If you look at his history, the guy's had a nice career. A great career," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's got great savvy out there, along with great stuff."

The 30-year-old Cueto will try to become the ninth Giant to win at least eight of his first 11 starts of the season since the franchise moved to San Francisco and first since Shawn Estes in 1997.

He's 2-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last four starts against the Rockies, including two at Coors. He gave up no runs and scattered eight hits over 8 1/3 innings in a 2-1, 13-inning home win May 7.

Gerardo Parra, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story each had two hits off him in that contest. Parra is hitting .344 with two home runs and three doubles in 32 career at-bats in the matchup.

Carlos Gonzalez went 3 for 5 with his seventh home run and Nolan Arenado was 2 for 5 with a double Saturday but Colorado's five-game home winning streak came to an end. Gonzalez is 12 for 25 with two homers over his last six.

Chris Rusin (1-2, 3.93) hopes to fare better than he did earlier this month against the Giants. He allowed seven runs and a career-high 13 hits over 4 1/3 innings, but received plenty of run support in a 17-7 win May 5.

He's shown improvement of late, giving up two runs over 10 2/3 innings in his last two games - including one relief appearance.

Posey is 5 for 11 lifetime off Rusin, while Gregor Blanco is 4 for 6, Brandon Crawford is 4 for 10 with a home run and Kelby Tomlinson is 5 for 10 with a homer and two doubles.

Denard Span's status is uncertain due to a sore right hip.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (14-34) at Mariners (28-20)

Game: 3
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 29, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

Neither Ricky Nolasco nor Taijuan Walker has picked up a victory in May, though the latter seems to be far closer to earning one.

Nolasco hopes to shake out of his month-long slump to lift the last-place Minnesota Twins to a series sweep of Walker's first-place Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Safeco Field.

Minnesota (14-34) took the first two games of this series, 7-2 on Friday and 6-5 on Saturday, and now seeks its 10th win in its last 13 games against Seattle (28-20).

Saturday's loss was especially excruciating for the Mariners after a wild finish. After having runners on first and third with nobody out in the ninth, Dae-Ho Lee hit a popup to right field that was not deep enough to score Shawn O'Malley from third. Seattle then ran itself into a game-ending double play with O'Malley caught off third base and Kyle Seager tagged out trying to advance to second.

The Twins will try to keep rolling against Nolasco, who has struggled mightily in May after posting a 3.25 ERA in April.

Nolasco (1-3, 5.54 ERA) is 0-3 with an 8.14 ERA in five starts this month, and his latest was an all-around disaster. The right-hander gave up a season-high six runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings of Monday's 10-4 loss to Kansas City.

It was the fourth time in three seasons with the Twins that Nolasco failed to make it out of the third inning, but the first time this year he didn't get through five.

'There was just no consistency with anything,' Nolasco said. 'Obviously that loss is on me. I feel healthy and I feel good and that's all I can ask for.'

Nolasco has faced the Mariners just twice during his 11-year career, the last meeting coming in 2014. He lost both with a 4.50 ERA.

Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Seth Smith and Chris Iannetta combine to hit .429 against Nolasco. Cruz has homered twice in seven at-bats against him and Smith has also taken Nolasco deep.

Walker (2-4, 2.70) hasn't won since April 25, and Seattle's defense didn't provide him any favors in Monday's 5-0 loss to Oakland. The 23-year-old held the Athletics scoreless for six innings before giving up a leadoff homer in the seventh, then two Mariners errors led to four unearned runs in the eighth.

'It's baseball. It's going to happen,' said Walker, who allowed only four hits and a walk in 7 1-3 innings. 'People are going to make errors. People are going to walk, get base hits."

Walker has lost four of his five starts in May with a 3.96 ERA. He has given up six home runs in his last four outings.

However, he was dominant in his lone career start against the Twins, a 6-1 victory July 31. Walker's only mistake in the complete-game effort was a home run by Miguel Sano. He matched a career high with 11 strikeouts while walking only one.

Sano leads Minnesota with 10 home runs and has gone deep in the last three games with six RBIs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (25-24) at Braves (14-34)

Game: 3
Venue: Turner Field
Date: May 29, 2016 5:05 PM EDT

As poor as the Atlanta Braves have played this season, they've somehow been at their best against the Miami Marlins.

Looking to give ace Julio Teheran his first home win of 2016, the Braves try to complete a second consecutive three-game sweep of the Marlins on Sunday.

Gordon Beckham hit a three-run homer and Nick Markakis had two RBIs as Atlanta secured its first winning home series by overcoming an early 2-0 hole to win 7-2 on Saturday.

The Braves (14-34) are averaging 3.2 runs on the season but 5.8 while going 5-0 against the Marlins, who won the final seven meetings of 2015.

"It's 0-5," Miami manager Don Mattingly told MLB's official website. "It tells you you're not playing good enough in those games to win games."

Markakis is 8 for 19 with eight RBIs against the Marlins in 2016, and Beckham is 6 for 16 with six RBIs.

Saturday marked the first time this season the Braves won two in a row at Turner Field, where they are 4-20.

"We show up every day and come to the park and work hard," Beckham said. "So we're not putting more pressure on ourselves than we already put on it.'

Teheran (1-4, 2.57 ERA) has a remarkable 0.89 ERA despite going 1-2 over his last six starts. During that stretch, he's allowed three earned runs over 19 innings in three games at Turner but has gone 0-1 while his teammates have totaled three runs. Atlanta has lost all six of his home starts in 2016.

The only run the right-hander has yielded in his last two starts overall came on a homer Tuesday, when he gave up two other hits and struck out 12 in seven innings of a 2-1 home loss to Milwaukee.

'I'm feeling confident right now,' he said. 'Everything is going the right way and the way that I want it to go. It's good when you feel like that.'

Facing the Marlins (25-24) for the first time this season, Teheran is 5-2 with a 2.71 ERA in 12 starts against them - 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five at home.

Marcell Ozuna is 10 for 27 with a home run against Teheran and batting .430 while hitting safely in 26 of 27 games. He's also reached base in a major league-leading 35 straight games.

Giancarlo Stanton is 4 for 27 off Teheran but homered twice, though he could miss a fifth consecutive contest with right side soreness.

Tom Koehler (2-5, 4.79) was roughed up for six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 6-4 loss to Atlanta on April 16. However, he has a 3.06 ERA in six starts at Turner Field.

Walks have plagued the right-hander of late, issuing five in each of his last three starts.

'Unacceptable,' he said after giving up three runs in five innings of Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. 'It's something that we're looking at and seeing if we're just missing on pitches or if there's something in the delivery."

Koehler is 0-3 with a 5.00 ERA while the Marlins have lost all five of his May starts.

Markakis is 9 for 14 with two doubles against Koehler while A.J. Pierzynski is 8 for 17.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dodgers, Mets wrap series

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at NEW YORK METS

First pitch: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Dodgers -180, Mets +160, Total 6 (Over -110, Under -110)

Game 1: Mets 6 Dodgers 5
Game 2: Dodgers at Mets

Clayton Kershaw will be looking to improve to 8-1 when he faces the Mets on Sunday Night Baseball.

This Sunday night game will be the final contest of a three-game set between the Dodgers and Mets. Both teams have been playing well this season and each of them will be hoping to make a deep postseason run this year. One thing that should make this game exciting is that LHP Clayton Kershaw (7-1, 1.48 ERA, 95 K) is set to be on the mound for Los Angeles. He is the best pitcher in the entire league and it’s always fun to get a chance to see him.

Going up against Kershaw will be the crafty veteran, RHP Bartolo Colon (4-3, 3.44 ERA, 42 K). Colon is nowhere near as good as Kershaw is, but the 43-year-old is having a good season for New York and a victory can never be ruled out when Colon is pitching in front of his own home crowd.

Clayton Kershaw will be starting for the Dodgers on Sunday and he’ll be hoping to continue what has been a phenomenal season. Kershaw has allowed just one earned run in his past 26.0 innings on the mound, but he has really been straight up dominant all year. Kershaw has struck out 95 batters on the year and he has walked just five. That gives him two more victories than walks on the year. Kershaw should be feeling confident heading into a matchup with a Mets team that has struggled to hit him over the years.

Some guys to look out for offensively for the Dodgers are 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.274, 4 HR, 22 RBI) and 2B Chase Utley (.289 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI). Gonzalez is 12-for-27 with two homers and three RBI against Colon in his career. This matchup is just what he needs to break out of his slump, as he is just 3-for-17 over the past four games. Utley, meanwhile, is not an everyday player but should be in the lineup for this one. He is 10-for-20 with a homer and three RBI against Colon and it’d be shocking if that success doesn’t earn him some playing time in this one.

Bartolo Colon has a tough matchup with Clayton Kershaw in this one, but he should be coming into this start with some serious momentum. The last time Colon was on the mound was May 23 and he allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work in that game. If he can pitch anywhere near that well then the Mets would be ecstatic on Sunday.

Offensively, things are going to be very difficult for New York in this game. Not a single Mets player has homered off of Kershaw in their careers and that’s an insane statistic entering this one. OFs Yoenis Cespedes (.301 BA, 15 HR, 36 RBI) is New York’s best hitter, but he is 0-for-6 in his career against Kershaw. It’s hard to imagine the Mets finding a way to win this game with Cespedes not getting a hit, so he’ll need to find a way to figure out the lefty on Sunday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Sunday's games

National League games

Phillies @ Cubs
Velasquez is 3-0, 3.82 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over.

Lackey is 1-1, 2.25 in his last four starts, last three of which stayed under.

Phillies lost six of their last eight games; four of their last six road games went over. Chicago is 11-4 in last 15 home games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 Wrigley games.

Cardinals @ Nationals
Wacha is 0-5, 7.64 in his last six starts, last four of which went over.

Strasburg is 3-0, 2.89 in his last three starts; over is 8-0-1 in his last nine.

Cardinals is 10-5 in its last 15 road games; over is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games overall. Washington lost three of last four games; over is 5-2-1 in its last eight home games.

Dodgers @ Mets
Kershaw is 5-0, 0.64 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under.

Colon is 1-2, 4.86 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.

Dodgers won five of last six games; over is 10-3 in their last 13 road games. Mets won six of last eight games; over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

Marlins @ Braves
Koehler is 0-3, 5.33 in his last five starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Teheran is 1-2, 1.33 in his last six starts, five of which stayed under.

Miami is 0-5 against Atlanta this year, five of last six road games stayed under. Atlanta lost 20 of 24 home games, but won last two; five of their last seven games stayed under.

Reds @ Brewers
Finnegan is 0-3, 5.79 in his last seven starts; six of his last nine starts went over.

Nelson is 0-1, 1.27 in his last three starts, which all stayed under the total.

Cincinnati lost 11 of last 12 games; over is 9-3-1 in their last 13. Milwaukee won four of its last five games; its last three games went over.

Giants @ Rockies
Cueto is 3-0, 0.81 in his last four starts, all of which stayed under.

Rusin is 0-2, 5.57 in his four starts, three of which stayed under.

Giants won 14 of last 16 games; eight of their last nine road games stayed under total. Colorado lost seven of last ten games but they've won five of last six at home- five of their last six games went over the total.

Padres @ Diamondbacks
Pomeranz is 2-2, 0.87 in his last five starts, which all stayed under.

Bradley is 1-0, 7.84 in two starts, which both went over; Arizona scored 19 runs in those two games.

San Diego lost nine of last 12 games; three of its last four games went over. Arizona lost six of last eight games; under is 9-3-1 in their last 13 home games.


American League games

Red Sox @ Blue Jays
Price is 3-0, 2.57 in his last four starts; over is 6-0-1 in his last seven.

Dickey is 1-6, 5.50 in his last nine starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight starts.

Red Sox lost six of last eight road games; over is 14-3-1 in their last 18 games. Toronto won seven of its last nine games; six of last seven Toronto home games went over.

Orioles @ Indians
Tillman is 5-0, 1.77 in his last six starts, five of which stayed under.

Clevinger is 0-1, 8.71 in his two starts, both of which went over.

Baltimore lost five of last six games; nine of its last 14 road games stayed under the total. Indians won nine of last 13 games; over is 11-3 in their last 14 home games.

Bronx @ Rays
Eovaldi is 4-0, 2.16 in his last four starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight.

Odorizzi is 2-0, 1.80 in his last two starts (under 7-3). .

New York won seven of last ten games; under is 10-5-1 in their last 16 road games. Rays lost six of last eight games; under is 17-6 in their last 23 home games.

White Sox @ Royals
Sale is 9-1, 2.39 in his ten starts; five of his last six went over.

Volquez is 2-2, 5.25 in his last four starts (under 6-3-1).

Royals won six of last eight home games; their last five games went over. White Sox lost 12 of last 16 games; over is 13-2 in their last 15 road games. .

Astros @ Angels
Fister is 3-0, 3.09 in his last five starts; under is 5-1-1 in his last seven.

Tropeano is 2-0, 1.45 in his last three starts (under 5-2-2).

Houston won four of last five games; six of its last eight games stayed under total. Angels are 4-9 in last 13 home games; six of their last eight home games went over.

Tigers @ A's
Pelfrey is 0-0, 6.31 in his last five starts (over 4-0-1).

Hill is 4-0, 1.75 in his last four starts, three of which went over.

Detroit won eight of its last 12 games; over is 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Oakland lost seven of last nine games; over is 7-4 in their last 11 home games.

Twins @ Mariners
Nolasco is 0-3, 9.62 in his last five starts; his last eight went over the total.

Walker is 0-4, 6.84 in his last five starts (under 7-2).

Minnesota lost eight of last 12 games; over is 10-2-1 in their last 13 road games. Seattle won six of last nine games; eight of their last ten home games went over.


Interleague

Pirates @ Rangers
Liriano is 1-1, 2.13 in his last two starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.

Perez is 2-2, 2.48 in his last six starts; five of his last seven stayed under.

Pirates won ten of their last 13 games; five of their last six games went over. Texas won 12 of last 16 home games; over is 8-4 in their last dozen home games.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Chi-- Velasquez 6-3; Lackey 5-4
StL-Wsh-- Wacha 4-6; Strasburg 10-0
LA-NY-- Kershaw 9-1; Colon 5-4
Mia-Atl-- Koehler 2-7; Teheran 2-8
Cin-Mil-- Finnegan 2-8; Nelson 6-4
SF-Col-- Cueto 9-1; Rusin 2-2
SD-Az-- Pomeranz 4-5; Bradley 2-0

Bos-Tor-- Price 7-3; Dickey 2-8
Balt-Clev-- Tillman 8-2; Clevinger 1-1
NY-TB-- Eovaldi 6-3; Odorizzi 5-5
Chi-KC-- Sale 9-1; Volquez 6-4
Hst-LA-- Fister 6-3; Tropeano 5-4
Det-A's-- Pelfrey 3-6; Hill 7-3
Min-Sea-- Nolasco 3-6; Walker 4-5

Pitt-Tex-- Liriano 6-3; Perez 3-7


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

Phil-Chi-- Velasquez 2-9; Lackey 3-9
StL-Wsh-- Wacha 3-10; Strasburg 3-7
LA-NY-- Kershaw 1-10; Colon 3-9
Mia-Atl-- Koehler 4-9; Teheran 2-10
Cin-Mil-- Finnegan 2-10; Nelson 3-10
SF-Col-- Cueto 3-10; Rusin 1-4
SD-Az-- Pomeranz 0-9; Bradley 1-2

Bos-Tor-- Price 3-10; Dickey 3-10
Balt-Clev-- Tillman 3-10; Clevinger 1-2
NY-TB-- Eovaldi 2-9; Odorizzi 2-10
Chi-KC-- Sale 1-9; Volquez 2-10
Hst-LA-- Fister 2-9; Tropeano 2-9
Det-A's-- Pelfrey 5-9; Hill 3-10
Min-Sea-- Nolasco 5-9; Walker 1-9

Pitt-Tex-- Liriano 2-9; Perez 3-10


Umpires

Phil-Chi-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Barber games.
Mia-Atl-- Four of last five Marquez games went over.
Cin-Mil-- Three of last four Fairchild games stayed under.
SF-Col-- Visiting team won last seven Reynolds games.
LA-NY-- Four of last five Hallion games stayed under.
StL-Wsh-- Five of six Kellogg games went over total.
SD-Az-- Six of last eight Miller games went over total.

Bos-Tor-- Underdogs won four of six Lentz games.
Chi-KC-- Three of last four TBarrett games went over.
Det-A's-- Favorites won first three DeJesus games.
Blt-Cle-- Six of nine Johnson games went over the total.
NY-TB-- Four of last six Wendelstedt games went over.
Hst-LA-- Four of last five Hoberg games stayed under.
Min-Sea-- Underdogs won three of last four Muchlinski games.

Pitt-Tex-- Four of last five Fagan games went over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

StatFox Super Situations

MLB | SAN DIEGO at ARIZONA
Play On - All teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (SAN DIEGO) below average NL hitting team (AVG <=.255) against a team with a below avg bullpen (ERA >=4.50), starting a well rested pitcher who is working on 5 or 6 days rest
362-256 since 1997. ( 58.6% | 110.3 units )
11-4 this year. ( 73.3% | 6.9 units )


StatFox Situational Power Trends

MLB | PITTSBURGH at TEXAS
PITTSBURGH is 72-29 (+35.2 Units) against the money line vs. teams whose hitters draw 3 walks or less/game over the last 2 seasons.
The average score was: PITTSBURGH (5.0) , OPPONENT (3.4)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sunday's six-pack

-- Golden State 108, Oklahoma City 101-- Klay Thompson scored 41 points, as Warriors force Game 7 Monday night in Oakland. .

-- Still is weird to me how close NBA fans are to the players in the heat of a game. Fans sit so close to the fans/coaches; surprising there aren't more incidents.

-- If you're watching the Indy 500 today, the #15 car, driven by Graham Rahal, is owned by David Letterman, who now wears a full beard and looks very different.

-- Braves 7, Marlins 2-- Miami is 25-24 and on fringe of contention, but they're 0-5 against the 14-34 Braves. No bueno.

-- In the last eight seasons before this one, Troy Tulowitzki played in a total of 785 games, an average of 98.1 per year. he went on the DL again this weekend. He makes $20M a year; who would pay a guy that much who only plays half the time?

-- If these three choices were on the ballot in November, how much would c) win by? a) Trump b) Hillary c) Start over with two different candidates?

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Sunday's Free Selection: Seattle Mariners - 175

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Seattle w/Walker -180 Over Minnesota

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR SUNDAY: Take SAN FRANCISCO (Cueto) -160 over Colorado

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Sunday's Free Selection: Minnesota/Seattle over 8

 

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Atlantic Sports

Sunday's Free Selection from Atlantic Sports: Arizona Rattlers - 21 1/2 (Arena)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Platinum Plays

Free Pick: the Pittsburgh Pirates w/Liriano -120 over Texas

 

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Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick Oakland Hill -153