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Preview: Pirates at Cubs

GAME: Pittsburgh Pirates (33-35) at Chicago Cubs (46-20)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 19 - 8:08 PM EST
WHERE: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A


The Chicago Cubs’ dominance against National League Central rivals is helping them run away in the division standings, and they’ll try to complete a three-game sweep of one of those rivals Sunday. The Cubs, who are 20-6 against division opponents and own an 11 1/2-game lead in their division, will look for their eighth win in nine meetings this season against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.



Chicago starting pitchers have allowed three or fewer earned runs in 21 consecutive games, the club’s third-longest such streak since 1920. Extending that streak will be the goal for right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who is 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in six home starts this season and 9-5 with a 2.70 ERA in his career at Wrigley Field. The Pirates, who have dropped four straight and nine of their last 10, have totaled three runs in the first two games of the series. They’ll try to provide a bit more support for rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft who is making his third major-league start.

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN



PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (1-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 3.05)

Taillon gets his first big-league start against someone other than the New York Mets, his opponent in each of his first two outings. The 24-year-old limited the Mets to two hits and a walk over eight scoreless frames Tuesday in New York, striking out five. Taillon was outstanding at Triple-A Indianapolis this season prior to his promotion, going 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 10 starts with 61 strikeouts and six walks in 61 2/3 innings.

Hendricks has lost two straight starts, failing to get through six innings in each. The 26-year-old ran into trouble in the sixth inning Monday at Washington and allowed four runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings in a 4-1 loss. Hendricks is 0-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four starts against the Pirates, all of which came last season.



WALK-OFFS

1. The Cubs are 43-0 when leading after eight innings, while the Pirates are 0-31 when trailing after eight.

2. Pirates SS Jordy Mercer is 17-for-53 with five doubles and two home runs in 13 games in the leadoff spot, including a 2-for-4 showing with a double and a homer Saturday.

3. Chicago CF Dexter Fowler left Saturday’s game with right hamstring discomfort and is day-to-day.



PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Cubs 4

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds at Astros

GAME: Cincinnati Reds (27-42) at Houston Astros (33-36)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 19 - 2:10 PM EST
WHERE: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A

After trading 11-inning victories in the first two games of the series, the Houston Astros will square off with the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the three-game set. The Astros rebounded from a 4-2 setback on Friday night with a 5-4 victory Saturday, courtesy of George Springer's walk-off RBI single.

Evan Gattis was buried in a 1-for-34 slump over a 10-game span before launching a two-run homer Saturday to lift Houston to its third victory in four games. Marwin Gonzalez also added a two-run shot and collected three hits as the Astros pulled within three games of the .500 mark. Reds left fielder Adam Duvall forced extra innings with his third homer in the first six games of the road trip to boost his season total to 20. Eugenio Suarez collected two more hits Saturday and is 8-for-19 in five games versus Houston.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), ROOT (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds LH Brandon Finnegan (3-4, 3.61 ERA) vs. Astros RH Mike Fiers (4-3, 4.76)

After enduring a seven-start stretch in which he allowed at least three runs, Finnegan has permitted two runs or fewer in four of his last five turns while pitching at six innings in each. The 23-year-old Texan improved to 2-0 over his last three outings after limiting Atlanta to one run and four hits over six innings. Control has been an issue for Finnegan, who has walked at least three batters nine times, but has yielded just two homers in his last seven starts.

Fiers halted a five-start winless drought at Tampa Bay on June 11, matching his season high with seven innings and giving up two runs on a pair of solo homers. Although that represented his first road victory of the season, the 31-year-old Fiers has been solid at Minute Maid Park with a 3-2 record and 3.67 ERA in seven starts. Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips are a combined 5-for-34 against Fiers, who is 2-4 with a 3.13 ERA lifetime versus Cincinnati.

WALK-OFFS

1. Duvall has homered 13 times in his last 26 games.

2. Astros CF Carlos Gomez is 8-for-17 during a four-game hitting streak.

3. Bruce has hit safely in five straight games.

PREDICTION: Astros 4, Reds 3

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees at Twins

GAME: New York Yankees (34-34) at Minnesota Twins (20-48)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 19 - 2:10 PM EST
WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A

Back at the .500 mark, the New York Yankees can complete a four-game sweep when they visit the Minnesota Twins in Sunday afternoon's series finale. The Yankees continued their dominance of the Twins by rallying for a 7-6 win on Saturday, their eighth consecutive victory in the series and 21st in the last 26 games at Target Field.

New York designated hitter Alex Rodriguez edged closer to becoming the fourth player to reach 700 career homers with his eighth blast of the season and No. 695 in his career. Teammate Carlos Beltan is 6-for-9 with a pair of homers and four RBIs in the last two contests to help extend Minnesota's losing streak to five games. The Twins' offense finally showed a pulse, scoring more runs Saturday than in the previous three games combined, as Eduardo Escobar homered for the second straight game. The Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound Sunday to face Ervin Santana, who is winless in his last 10 starts versus New York.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), FSN North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 4.90 ERA) vs. Twins RH Ervin Santana (1-7, 5.10)

Eovaldi appeared to be on his way to a berth in the All-Star Game after winning his last five starts in May while allowing a total of seven runs, but he has been rocked in each of his three starts this month. He is coming off his shortest outing of the season, giving up six runs on eight hits over four-plus innings in a loss at Colorado. Eovaldi is 2-0 lifetime against the Twins, but he has surrendering five homers and allowed 16 runs and 26 hits in his last three turns.

Santana also is mired in a nightmarish stretch, losing his fifth consecutive start after he was tagged for five runs and 10 hits at the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. Santana has been charged with at least five runs in four of the five losses and has given up seven home runs during the losing streak. Owner of a 5-9 record and bloated 6.22 ERA against New York, Santana must be wary of Rodriguez, who is 12-for-39 with four homer and 11 RBIs against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. Beltran, who is one homer shy of last season's total of 19, has 15 RBIs in the past 10 games.

2. Twins RHP Kevin Jepsen allowed a tying two-run shot to Beltran on Saturday to set a career high with six homers allowed.

3. Yankees SS Didi Gregorius has hit safely in five straight games and is 6-for-12 with a homer and five RBIs in the series.

PREDICTION: Yankees 6, Twins 4

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Marc Lawrence

NYY -129

Edges - Yankees: Nate Eovaldi 7-2 last nine overall tam starts, and 3-0 day team starts this season. Twins: Ervin Santana 0-3 vs. A.L. East foes this season, and 0-4 last four home team starts during June, and 1-11 overall team starts this season, including 0-6 at home. With the Pinstripes a dominant 21-4 the last 25 games as a visitor in this series, we recommend a 1* play on the NY Yankees.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Bruce Marshall

Texas

On principle alone, we must back surging Texas, on the verge of another sweep on a wildly successful road trip in which the Rangers have won 7 of their first 9, including two straight at Busch Stadium. Where, by the way, the host Cardinals are winless in this homestand against Lone Star State foes Astros and Rangers and now just 15-20 on the season. Texas has won five straight gaems started by Martin Perez, and no way should Mike leake be laying this sort of price.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Will Rogers

San Diego +1.5

The San Diego Padres will try to salvage a split in this home series versus Washington, and they have all the momentum after coming from behind to win last night's game 7-3. The Nats bullpen blew a three run lead, giving up six runs in the bottom of the 8th. I think the Nats are going to struggle to bounce back from such a disappointing defeat.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - Gio Gonzalez will get the call for Washington, and the former 20 game winner has not performed well this season. Gonzalez (3-5, 3.96 ERA) allowed three runs on five hits and four walks over 6.1 innings in a home loss to the Cubs in his latest outing. He's now winless in his last five starts, and he's allowed 11 runs on 21 hits over 18 innings in his last four starts versus San Diego.

2. Batter vs. Pitcher - The Padres are batting .319 with three home runs over a combined 72 at bats in previous meetings versus Gonzalez. Jon Jay is hot, hitting .366 so far in June, and he's 4-for-9 lifetime versus the lefty.

3. X-Factor - The Nationals are 0-5 in Gonzalez's last five starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jesse Schule

Chicago White Sox +1.5 -125

The Indians are clinging to a half game lead at the top of the AL Central, and they go for the sweep in the series finale versus Chicago this afternoon. We should see a pitcher's duel here in Cleveland Sunday. Carlos Rodon will toe the slab for the Sox, and he's coming off a solid performance. Rodon (2-6, 4.28 ERA) struck out seven, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits over six innings in a 3-1 loss to the Royals his last time out. It was the fourth time in his last five starts that he held the opposition to two or fewer earned runs. The southpaw is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his last four starts versus Cleveland. The Indians hand the ball to Carlos Carrasco, who has looked pretty sharp lately. Carrasco (2-2, 3.40 ERA) struck out eight, surrendering a pair of runs while scattering 10 hits over six innings in a 2-1 loss to the Royals his last time out. He's 3-5 with a 5.52 ERA in his last nine starts versus Chicago. Cleveland has won five straight in this series, but two of the last three were games decided by just one run.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cleveland At Golden State

When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, June 19, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one victory away from ending the city's 52-year sports championship drought when they visit the defending champion Golden State Warriors in Sunday's Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Cleveland is also looking to become the first team in NBA Finals history to recover from a 3-1 series deficit while Golden State strives to bounce back from two disappointing closeout failures, including an embarrassing performance in Game 6 in which two-time MVP Stephen Curry was ejected after throwing his mouthpiece and hitting a fan.

Cleveland's last sports title was won by the 1964 Browns - before the NFL's Super Bowl era - and forward LeBron James is doing his part to back up his vow to bring a championship to the city with back-to-back 41-point performances. The Warriors opened the door for the Cavaliers in Game 5 when stellar defensive forward Draymond Green served a suspension and the Game 6 meltdown marked a frustrating night for the Curry family as wife Ayesha accused the NBA Finals of being "absolutely rigged for money" before sinking into full retreat mode and deleting her social-media comments. Stephen Curry said Saturday that "if we come up short, we'll all be very, very disappointed," in regards to two opportunities already having been squandered while James is feeling confident now that his squad has turned the series into a one-game winner-take-all. "You don't put too much more added pressure on it because it's a Game 7," James said at Saturday's press conference. "One thing we all know is it's the last game of the season, so it's not like you're preserving any energy, be out there saying, 'OK, I've got to keep my body ready for the next game.' There's no next game."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James is averaging 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the series and rose his play to even higher levels with Cleveland facing elimination. Point guard Kyrie Irving also has performed well in the series with three 30-point outings - a high of 41 - while averaging 27.3 points, and he is attempting to put the long-discussed Cleveland championship drought out of his mind. "After the game, we can worry about the rest of that stuff," Irving said at Saturday's press conference. "History will be made either way, regardless of both teams, win or lose. But we're just really focused on what we can control, and (Sunday's) game is just living in the moment."

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Golden State recorded an NBA-record 73-9 mark in the regular season but things have been a bit different in the last two playoff series and the Warriors have dropped eight games overall in the postseason. "At the end of the day, we knew this wouldn't be a walk in the park," Green said at Saturday's press conference. "It's hard. It's hard to win a championship. But we've never really been a team to lack confidence. We feel like we can do anything. That's going to always be our mindset." Curry has recovered from a slow start in the series by averaging 31 points over the past three games but Golden State is getting practically nothing from small forward Harrison Barnes, who is averaging 2.5 points on 2-of-22 shooting over the past two games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Both teams have scored 610 points in the series but there hasn't been a close game - the average winning margin is 19.7 points.

2. Cleveland PF Kevin Love is averaging just seven points in the series - and scored just nine total points as the Cavaliers won the past two games.

3. Golden State F Andre Iguodala (back) remains hampered but Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn't foresee any minutes' limitations.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 106, Warriors 102

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Trends - Cleveland at Golden State
ATS Trends



Cleveland
•Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
• Cavaliers are 19-8 ATS in their last 27 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• Cavaliers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Cavaliers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 vs. NBA Pacific.
• Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games.
• Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Sunday games.




Golden State
•Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Sunday games.
• Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.
• Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Warriors are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS loss.
• Warriors are 35-14-2 ATS in their last 51 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• Warriors are 23-10-2 ATS in their last 35 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
• Warriors are 34-15-2 ATS in their last 51 games playing on 2 days rest.
• Warriors are 36-17 ATS in their last 53 games following a straight up loss.


OU Trends



Cleveland
•Under is 4-1-1 in Cavaliers last 6 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 10-4-1 in Cavaliers last 15 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 5-2 in Cavaliers last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
• Under is 5-2 in Cavaliers last 7 games following a ATS win.
• Under is 75-32-3 in Cavaliers last 110 Sunday games.
• Under is 7-3-1 in Cavaliers last 11 vs. Western Conference.




Golden State
•Under is 3-0-1 in Warriors last 4 home games.
• Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 4-1-1 in Warriors last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 4-1-1 in Warriors last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 7-2-1 in Warriors last 10 vs. Eastern Conference.
• Under is 19-6-2 in Warriors last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• Under is 6-2-1 in Warriors last 9 games playing on 2 days rest.
• Under is 6-2 in Warriors last 8 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• Under is 5-2-1 in Warriors last 8 overall.
• Under is 15-6-1 in Warriors last 22 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• Under is 12-5-1 in Warriors last 18 Sunday games.
• Over is 7-3 in Warriors last 10 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
• Under is 11-5 in Warriors last 16 games following a ATS loss.


Head to Head



•Under is 4-0-2 in the last 6 meetings in Golden State.
• Cavaliers are 4-9 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Golden State.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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