Sunday 7/24/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (42-56) at Nationals (58-40)

Game: 3
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: July 24, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals have struggled at the plate for the past week.

Perhaps facing Christian Friedrich could break the first-place team out of its funk.

Friedrich will start in the series finale on Sunday at Nationals Park and he will try to turn around a rough trend for him against Washington.

The left-hander is 0-3 in four games, with three starts, and a 10.85 ERA in his career against Washington. This year, he is 4-6 with a 4.55 ERA for the Padres.

"It didn't fare so well last time" against Washington, he said. "A big power hitting team, I have to find the bottom of the zone and work ahead. I need an aggressive mentality and to get ahead."

Padres manager Andy Green thinks the left-hander is close to turning things around.

"He's been so close to having some really good starts in his last few starts. I think he has to really be stubborn to what he does well. He can really attack and angle in on right-handed hitters; he has to stay true to that," Green said.

One nemesis has been Washington outfielder Jayson Werth, who is 3-for-4 against Friedrich in limited action. Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa is 3-for-7 against the lefty and infielder Daniel Murphy is 2-for-4 with a homer.

There is a good chance that right-handed hitter Trea Turner could bat leadoff Sunday against lefty Friedrich. Ben Revere, a left-handed hitter who has struggled, has batted leadoff most of the season. He was 0-for-5 on Friday and then started as the leadoff hitter again Saturday and was 1-for-3 as the Nationals won 3-2 with a walk-off triple in the ninth inning by Stephen Drew.

"When you start the season hurt, you're playing catch-up. You would think he would've caught up by now. He's our igniter. We need him," Washington manager Dusty Baker said Saturday of Revere.

The Nationals are slated to start young right-hander Lucas Giolito, who made his big league debut at home on June 28 against the New York Mets.

He pitched four scoreless innings before the rains came and he did not return after the delay. The Californian made his second big league start in New York on July 7 and did not fare nearly as well as he was taken out early.

"I didn't really have good command from the start of the game," he told reporters after his start in New York. "And once I started to give up a lot of hard contact, the game started to speed up, and I kind of sped up with the game and was rushing through everything."

Giolito was sent to Triple-A Syracuse and he started for the Chiefs on Tuesday. He went 6 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and no runs in a win over Gwinnett, a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. This year in the minors he is 6-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 16 starts at three levels.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (37-60) at Red Sox (54-41)

Game: 4
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: July 24, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

BOSTON -- Rick Porcello puts his undefeated streak at Fenway Park on the line Sunday as the Boston Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins in the finale of a four-game weekend series.

Porcello (12-2, 3.47 ERA) is 9-0 at home this season, and the Red Sox are unbeaten in the 10 starts he has made at Fenway. In those 10 starts, he boasts a 2.98 ERA with 52 strikeouts.

He earned his fourth consecutive win in his last start, holding the National League West-leading San Francisco scoreless on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings at Fenway.

"Rick is just in a very comfortable place in this ballpark," Red Sox manager John Farrell said about Porcello, who hasn't lost since May 17 at Kansas City.

Minnesota (37-60) won its second straight game Saturday, pounding out a season-high 19 hits to beat Boston in a 11-9 shootout.

The Twins lost a 13-2 laugher in the series opener before using a prolific pitching performance from Kyle Gibson to notch a 2-1 victory Friday.

The Red Sox (54-41), meanwhile, fell 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore for first place in the American League East after the Orioles earned a 5-2 victory over Cleveland on Saturday.

Porcello, who spent six seasons with Detroit, has plenty of experience facing the American League Central-worst Twins.

The right-hander is 8-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 26 career starts against Minnesota -- his most against any opponent.

He has already faced the Twins once this season, allowing four runs (one earned), five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in a seven-inning no-decision June 12.

Brian Dozier is 8-for-34 against Porcello, but has three homers and eight RBIs. Joe Mauer is 14-for-55 with six RBIs. Kurt Suzuki is 5-for-23 with five RBIs.

Tommy Milone (3-2, 4.71 ERA) is winless in three career starts at Fenway, going 0-2 with a 9.88 ERA.

The southpaw's last against the Red Sox was one of his best, giving up two earned runs and four total on nine hits and a walk over five innings in a no-decision last June 4 at Fenway.

Milone is 0-2 lifetime with a 9.64 ERA in four starts against Boston.

On Tuesday, he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts over a season-high 8 1/3 innings in a victory against the Tigers.

"It feels good to go deep in the game," Milone said. "I just wanted to make sure I attacked the zone. I felt like I was able to do that pretty much all night."

The heart of Boston's order has been a nuisance to Milone. Dustin Pedroia is 5-for-10 with a solo home run while all three hits by David Ortiz against Milone have been solo homers.

Xander Bogaerts is 3-for-9 while Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez are each 1-for-3 lifetime against Milone.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Indians (56-40) at Orioles (56-40)

Game: 3
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: July 24, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles will try to continue their string of good starts while the Cleveland Indians are going to search for some offense again in Sunday's series finale at Camden Yards.

The Orioles won the first two games of this series, getting strong efforts from Kevin Gausman (seven shutout innings in Saturday's 5-2 victory) and Dylan Bundy (five innings with one unearned run in Friday's 5-1 win).

That followed Chris Tillman's seven innings of one-run baseball in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Yankees. Baltimore starters now have allowed two runs in 19 innings over that three-game stretch -- each of which the Orioles have won.

"It's a good offense 1/8with Cleveland 3/8, and I think me and Bundy both pitched well the last few days and really everybody has pitched well," Gausman said. "I think that more than anything is big."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said every day is different, and the team needs to keep up that consistency in the starting rotation.

"There's going to be another challenge around every corner and you can't dwell on successes and failures here," he said. "We'll need another good pitching effort in order to compete with them."

In the series finale, Vance Worley (2-1, 3.16) will make a second straight start for the Orioles, going against Corey Kluber (9-8, 3.42).

Worley gave up three runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings of Tuesday's 7-1 loss versus the Yankees as the Orioles have been using him and Bundy in the back end of their rotation.

The Orioles were struggling there with Ubaldo Jimenez, Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright pitching in those spots for much of this season. Bundy earned his first victory as a major league starter in Friday's win.

The question is how long the rotation looks like this -- especially in the back end -- as Baltimore's made it clear that the team is searching to make a deal before the trade deadline.

Kluber earned the victory for the American League in the All-Star Game on July 12 and threw seven scoreless innings in his last start on July 18 versus the Royals, where he did not get a decision.

The Indians have one of the best starting rotations in baseball but their starters -- Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin -- lost the first two games of this series as Baltimore took early leads in both.

Cleveland also has struggled on offense as the Orioles' starters shut them down. Plus, Baltimore took a 3-0 lead in the first inning both times, with Mark Trumbo hitting homers both times, a two-run shot in Saturday's game.

"The first inning kind of jumped up and grabbed us again," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Saturday. "You know, sometimes you kind of tip our hat to the other team."

Jason Kipnis agreed with Francona and added that the offense just couldn't do enough against Baltimore's pitching. The Indians have featured one of baseball's hottest offenses in recent weeks but not in this series.

And that's something they want to change.

"The offense just didn't do our thing," Kipnis said on Saturday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cubs (58-38) at Brewers (41-54)

Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: July 24, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- The starting pitchers in Sunday's game between the Milwaukee Brewers are 32 and 31 years old.

One is a veteran with a pair of World Series rings on his hand while the other is a rookie phenom who has bounced around in baseball's wilderness.

The latter is Brewers starter Junior Guerra, who was plucked off the waiver wire a day after the season ended in 2015. Guerra, originally slated to provide some minor league bullpen depth, has emerged as one of the team's most consistent starters, going 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA while striking out 78 in 88 1/3 innings of work.

Milwaukee gave Guerra an extra day of rest coming out of the All-Star break before returning to the mound July 19, when he allowed two runs over six innings but didn't take a decision in Milwaukee's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

The extra rest came as Milwaukee tries to keep an eye on Guerra's workload. He has pitched one inning more than he worked all of last season while in the White Sox minor league system.

"We wanted to give Guerra a longer break," pitching coach Derek Johnson said prior to his last start. "We think it will help but he wasn't showing any fatigue. He has been very strong.

"It seems like he gets better as the game goes on, which I think is a good trait. ... This is the first time he has been a starter in the big leagues, and the strain and stress of that. You hope it doesn't backfire where a guy has too much time off but I don't think it will happen."

Guerra allowed three runs over seven innings while striking out a career-high 11 in his only career appearance against the Cubs -- a 3-0 Brewers victory May 19 at Miller Park.

Jon Lester (10-4, 2.89 ERA) makes his second start of the second half for the Cubs. He allowed a run over 7 2/3 innings against the Mets last time out but since winning five in a row from May 27-June 18, he's 1-1 with a 5.74 ERA in five starts.

After beating the Mets, Lester said he'd identified some flaws with his delivery that he's since corrected.

"You start worrying about that stuff, you're far gone," Lester said. "Then you're thinking too deep. You're worried about things you shouldn't."

Lester makes his fifth career start against the Brewers. He's 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA in his four previous outings against Milwaukee, but hasn't faced the Brewers this season.

Among Brewers regulars, only Ryan Braun (5-for-13) has more than five at-bats against Lester.

The Brewers looks to take their second consecutive series with the Cubs, who have still won 18 of the last 26 meetings between the National League Central rivals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (51-46) at White Sox (46-50)

Game: 4
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: July 24, 2016 3:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Trade rumors are swirling this time of year in baseball, but Chicago White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana said he is avoiding the hysteria.

The All-Star is scheduled to start Sunday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers after the teams resume their 3-3 game that was suspended after eight innings Saturday night due to rain. The Tigers (51-46) will be trying for a four-game sweep.

Quintana is focused on his current situation.

"I don't pay attention to that," Quintana said Saturday about trade rumblings. "I don't have control over that."

Quintana (8-8, 3.13 ERA) and teammate Chris Sale have been the subject of trade rumors for the fading White Sox (46-50), who have lost three straight and eight of nine and were seven games back in the wild card race.

Quintana has allowed six combined runs in winning three consecutive starts. He gave up five runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings June 5 in his other start against Detroit this season.

"I want to stay here," Quintana said. "I like it here, and I want to win here. And I'm here. I'm here for now."

Among other potential distractions, the White Sox are also dealing with "a clubhouse incident" involving Sale. He was scratched from Saturday's start against the Tigers and sent home.

"I'm not going to get into that," manager Robin Ventura said. "I just know he's not going to pitch (Sunday)."

For Detroit, right-hander Anibal Sanchez (5-11, 6.60 ERA) is scheduled to start. He struck out 10 and allowed three runs in six innings Tuesday against the last-place Minnesota Twins. Sanchez is 2-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 10 career appearances against the White Sox.

With injured players such as starting pitchers Daniel Norris and Jordan Zimmermann and outfielder J.D. Martinez nearing returns from the disabled list, the Tigers are expected to be quiet before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The Tigers were 5 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central and 2 1/2 games back in the wild card race. General manager Al Avila thinks his team can reach the playoffs.

"What we're really focusing on is trying to get the guys that are injured back and playing," Avila said. "Those are going to be our major acquisitions."

Norris, who has been on the disabled list since July 5 for a strained right oblique, made a rehab outing Saturday for Triple-A Toledo. After Zimmermann pitches Sunday for Toledo, the Tigers will evaluate whether he needs another rehab outing, Avila said. Zimmermann has been on the disabled list since July 1 for a strained right neck.

"I don't foresee us adding another starting pitcher or reliever at this point," Avila said. "We put this team together in the wintertime thinking this team is the team that's going to compete and get us into the playoffs, and we're going to stay that course. At this point, we don't really want to, in addition to that, trade away our good, young prospects for a two-month rental. We think right now we have the team that can take us into the playoffs barring any other major injuries."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Angels (43-54) at Astros (53-44)

Game: 3
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: July 24, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- Seeking their third consecutive series sweep of their American League West rivals, Houston sends right-hander Mike Fiers to the mound against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, with Fiers' recent struggles playing a contrasting role in the Astros' overall aspirations.

Fiers (6-4, 4.75 ERA) is 0-1 with a 17.18 ERA against the Angels this season, having allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings in a 7-2 loss on May 27, the Astros' lone loss in the season series. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in three career starts against the Angels.

How Fiers has pitched recently is cause for speculation. Over his last four starts, Fiers is 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA with batters posting a .939 OPS against him during that stretch. Fiers failed to escape the fourth inning in each of his last two starts, and with former starter Scott Feldman thriving as a reliever (4-1, 1.62 ERA), clamoring has begun for Feldman to replace Fiers which in turn has sparked assumptions that Sunday could mark Fiers' last shot to keep his spot in the rotation.

"I don't know if I would title it make-or-break," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "This time of year as the rumors start creating about what type of players we can add internally or externally, the players probably have a little added adrenaline and added importance to their outings. Mike Fiers has been a good pitcher in this league and has had a number of good games this year. So I wouldn't title anything make-or-break because decisions aren't made that absolute prior to starts.

"We'd like him to throw well and pitch a little bit deeper into games and part of that is being efficient in the first couple of innings and getting into the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. We'd like him to do well, but it'd be unfair to him to put that much attention on his start."

The Angels (43-54) counter with right-hander Tim Lincecum (2-3, 6.59 ERA), who will make his seventh start of the season. In his third start June 28, Lincecum allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in a 7-1 loss to the Astros at Angel Stadium.

In 10 career starts against Houston, Lincecum is 5-1 with a 1.60 ERA.

The most pressing issue for the Angels is their extended losing streak against the Astros (53-44), which reached 10 games with their 7-2 setback on Saturday night. The streak is the Astros' longest against a single opponent since a 12-game run against the Phillies and Reds spanning the 2004-05 seasons. The last team to win 10 consecutive games against the Angels was the Red Sox from July 19, 1993-July 4, 1994.

"I don't know. It's kind of a spell of bad luck," Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun said. "They play well against us, and we are not swinging the bats here like we should be."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (56-42) at Royals (48-48)

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: July 24, 2016 2:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A.J. Griffin, who missed 43 games with right shoulder stiffness, has not thrown more than five innings in his five starts since coming off the disabled list on June 25.

Griffin is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA, allowing 16 earned runs in 23 1/3 innings, in those five starts. He will start Sunday for the Texas Rangers on five days' rest in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals. The two teams have split the first two games after the Rangers won 7-4 on Saturday night.

Griffin said his arm angle was not the same after the first few innings.

"It is part of it," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.

He also acknowledged "stamina, endurance" played into it.

In his previous start on Monday at Anaheim, Griffin was staked to a 4-0 lead but gave up the lead, charged with five runs and four hits, including a home run, and three walks in five-plus innings. He has struggled in the fourth and fifth innings in his recent starts.

"That's one of the things we've talked to him about," Banister said.

Griffin threw only 76 pitches against the Angels before being removed. He threw 94 and 96 pitches in his previous two starts.

"I think every pitcher that comes back from not throwing for an extended period of time, they are going to have certain setbacks," Banister said. "One thing about A.J., we've encouraged him to continue to work on the endurance, which is going to allow him to be stronger. It's going to allow him to maintain the mechanical integrity throughout the delivery.

"The effects of not pitching, that's individual based, but for sure there is some effect. What effect, I couldn't tell you. He does get to a certain point where the mechanics do change a little bit. We're trying to get him strong enough where he can push that envelope a little bit farther down the pitch count, further along in the game."

Griffin pitched only 14 1/3 innings in the minors last season and missed the 2014 season after being shut down in spring training with Oakland with an elbow injury that would require surgery. He was 14-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 32 starts and 200 innings with the Athletics in 2013.

The Royals will counter with right-hander Edinson Volquez, who has had no success against the Rangers, which were his first club. Volquez is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in three previous starts against Texas. He last faced them on June 5, 2015, losing 4-0 at Kansas City.

Volquez is 2-2 with an 11.50 ERA in four starts this season against American League West clubs.

The Royals have some concern about reliever Joakim Soria, who gave up four runs -- three on an Adrian Beltre home run in the seventh inning -- in two innings. Soria has a 9.72 ERA in his past nine relief appearances.

"He really did a great job the first inning and had two outs there and, boom, they scored the run," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "And we're thinking, OK, let's hold it right there, but he just kind of got a pitch up over the middle of the plate to Beltre. He's a good hitter. I felt he wasn't dropping in velocity, so his stuff was still fine."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (38-59) at Athletics (44-54)

Game: 4
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: July 24, 2016 4:05 PM EDT

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It took him more than six weeks to work his way back to the major leagues, but Oakland As' right-hander Jesse Hahn made it just in time to face the Tampa Bay Rays, the team that drafted him in 2010, for the first time in his career on Sunday.

The Rays traded Hahn to San Diego with pitcher Alexander Torres to the Padres for pitchers Brad Boxberger, Matt Andriese and Matt Lollis and infielders Logan Forsythe and Maxx Tissenbaum on Jan. 22, 2014. The Padres traded Hahn to Oakland after the 2014 season.

Hahn will face Rays rookie right-hander Blake Snell, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2011, in the finale of the four-game series.

"There's a little bit of chip on my shoulder," Hahn said before the A's rallied for a 4-3 walk-off win in the ninth inning on Saturday night, their second straight walk-off win against the Rays. "I've always wanted to throw against them just because they were the first team to trade me and I have a lot of friends over there, a lot of guys I still talk to.

"It's going to be cool to do that. I finally see some of the younger guys I played with, seeing them up in the big leagues. I get to see them play in person which is going to be pretty cool.

"I know (infielder Tim) Beckham. I know Blake Snell. I've thrown against him. He's a good friend of mine. (Pitcher Alex) Colome. I pretty much know their whole team, all the guys that were Rays, drafted Rays, I pretty much know all of them."

Snell said he's "excited" to see Hahn pitch in person in the big leagues for the first time.

"It's going to be fun," Snell said. "I'm definitely looking forward to it. I haven't seen him pitch for a long time so I'm also interested to see how far he's come since high-A when I saw him last. I'm excited for it.

"We were never on the same team, but we were at extended spring (training) and instructional (league). We did have a good friendship."

Hahn was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, 45 days after he had been sent down for the second time this season. Hahn went 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA for San Diego in 2014 and 6-6 with a 3.35 ERA last year in 16 starts for the A's before being shut down for the rest of the season with strained right forearm.

This year, he got off to a rough start with the A's and never found his pitching rhythm. He has gone 2-4 with a 6.49 ERA with Oakland and 1-5 with a 3.63 ERA with Nashville. Hahn said he finally got back on track in the final month or so with the Sounds.

"There was a month stretch where I was trying to figure things out," Hahn said. "Too many mechanical adjustments and stuff. I think it became a little mental. And I finally realized that there were just some small adjustments I needed to make and I was just pitching, keeping the ball down and throwing strikes.

"I (had gotten) away from throwing strikes and throwing my off-speed stuff for strikes. So I think this last month I've done a better job of that. Kind of got into a little rhythm, which I've been kind of looking for all year."

Hahn said the adjustments turned out to be "simple."

"Just me thinking, 'Hey, I need to throw strikes. I need to keep the ball down,'" he said. "I had to get some confidence back, but it actually ended up being that simple. Before, I was thinking too much. I was thinking, 'Oh, something's wrong. What's gone wrong, what do I need to fix?'

"I thought way too far into it. I think it was good to clear the mind and string some good starts together and get that rhythm back."

Snell has been in a good rhythm throughout much of his rookie season, going 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA. He's coming off the best start of the season on Tuesday against Colorado when he allowed one hit and struck out nine in six shutout innings in a 10-1 win.

"There's more that I'm looking for in myself," Snell said. "I definitely feel that I can get better, that I can learn. I got to stay hungry."

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he has been impressed by Snell's ability to "understand and work on the things that he needs to improve upon" and get better each start.

"The stuff, it's just very high-end type stuff, and he's going to be a very successful pitcher," Cash said. "It's just kind of honing all that into the strike zone and he's done that.

"He doesn't seem to get fazed by much out there, even when he had those outings when he couldn't find the strike zone. You didn't see a sense of panic on his part. Maybe some frustration but not panic, and I think that's a pretty good sign for a young pitcher."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (33-65) at Rockies (46-51)

Game: 4
Venue: Coors Field
Date: July 24, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

DENVER -- Breaking into the big leagues is a challenge in itself. For Atlanta Braves pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, who will make his third career start on Sunday, scheduling has compounded the task.

Jenkins has pitched in two of the best hittters' ballparks in the National League and is about to take the mound in a third.

Jenkins, who turned 24 on Wednesday, made four relief appearances from June 22 to July 3. His first major league start was a spot start on July 6 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. His second start was Tuesday at Cinncinnati's Great American Ball Park and now Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Jenkins is 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in his six games with 11 walks, nine strikeouts and 20 hits allowed in 20 innings.

In his first start at Philadelphia, he allowed four hits and one run in 4 1/3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Jenkins threw 64 pitches but wasn't involved in the decision as the Braves lost 4-3.

In Cincinnati, Jenkins threw 107 pitches in six innings and allowed two runs, four hits and four walks with two strikeouts. He again was not involved in the decision as the Braves won 5-4 in 10 innings.

"He's stretched out and good to go," interim Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "The other day (in Cincinnati), he got in that groove after the second inning, that rhythm started kicking in and he was flowing.

"He's very athletic, has all the pitches. It's just the command issue (at times). The thing about the kid is he competes, he just keeps pitching no matter the situation in the game. He's got a big upside."

Tyler Chatwood, who is 8-6 with a 3.83 ERA, will start for the Rockies. He gave up a career-high-tying seven earned runs and eight hits in three innings against Tampa Bay on Tuesday and lost 10-1. Chatwood has lost consecutive starts for the first time this season. And for the first time in 52 innings since May 15, Chatwood allowed a home run -- a two-run shot by Evan Longoria.

In three starts since coming off the disabled list aftr a mid-back strain, Chatwood is 0-2 with a 8.31 ERA. He has thrived on the road, going 5-0 with a 1.30 ERA (48 1/3 innings, 7 earned runs) and struggled at Coors Field, where he is 3-6 with a 6.26 ERA (50 1/3 innings, 35 earned runs).

Obviously, the Rockies hope Chatwood can go deep in the game -- he has pitched into the seventh and beyond eight times this year -- but they added a much-needed arm to their bullpen on Saturday when Scott Oberg was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Oberg took the roster spot of reliever Chad Qualls (colitis), who was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 16.

In 27 games with Albuquerque, Oberg is 1-0 with nine saves and a 2.43 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. He has been particularly good lately, going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 18 games in June and July with six walks and 27 strikeouts in 19 innings.

In those 29 1/3 innings, Oberg allowed one home run, which is notable. He gave up two homers in 13 1/3 innings in nine games with the Rockies earlier this year and allowed 10 homers in 58 1/3 innings in 64 games with the Rockies last year.

"It's just kind of been being a little bit more consistent with everything," Oberg said of his success at Albuquerque that led to his promotion. "Getting ahead in counts and being able to execute all my pitches for the most part when I want to."

Oberg, 26, relieved starter Tyler Anderson in the seventh inning on Saturday night and retired the three Braves batters he faced, two on ground balls. Oberg threw 15 pitches, including 10 strikes.

Before the game, manager Walt Weiss said of Oberg, "He's got plus stuff across the board. It's just a matter of commanding it, and that's what he's doing. His fastball is very lively again.

"We think a lot of the kid, I certainly do. He's throwing the ball very well. So I'm looking forward to seeing him again."

In his first appearance with the Rockies since June 19, Oberg did nothing to disappoint.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (55-44) at Cardinals (52-45)

Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: July 24, 2016 8:08 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- Tuesday night's rainout will sprout a major league debut on Sunday night.

In need of a sixth starter after a Wednesday day-night doubleheader forced their hand, the St. Louis Cardinals will call up 24-year-old right-hander Mike Mayers to work the rubber game of their weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Busch Stadium.

A third-round pick in the 2013 first-year player draft out of Ole Miss, the same program that produced St. Louis starter Lance Lynn, Mayers is 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.

Earning a promotion after going 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA in nine starts at Springfield, Mayers pitched to a 2.94 ERA in nine starts at Memphis, particularly impressive considering how hitter-friendly the Pacific Coast League is.

"He's been throwing well," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of Mayers. "He's had a nice season, and he's gone about it the right way."

Mayers' first MLB game is a potentially big one for the Cardinals (52-45), which had a five-game winning streak snapped by Los Angeles on Saturday night in a sloppy 7-2 loss. A win would cap the season's best homestand at 7-3 and give St. Louis momentum going into a 10-game road trip.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers (55-44) are looking to polish off a nine-game road trip with a winning mark. Their win Saturday night was a nice bounceback after a bitter 16-inning loss in Friday night's series opener that saw them use nine pitchers.

"That game was exactly what we needed after last night," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "It was as scripted as we could have possibly hoped.

Kenta Maeda's 5 2/3-inning start wasn't as long as he wanted, but relievers Luis Avilan and Ross Stripling combined to work the last 10 outs with little opposition, enabling a tired bullpen to gain a bit of a breather.

Left-hander Scott Kazmir (8-3, 4.30 ERA) hopes to pick up his second win of the year over the Cardinals. On May 14, Kazmir came within an out of a complete game, settling for a 5-3 decision at Dodger Stadium.

Kazmir is coming off an excellent performance Tuesday night in an 8-4 win at Washington, where he cruised through seven innings. Kazmir gave up just four hits and a run, walked none and fanned eight in an efficient 88-pitch outing.

If the past week is any indication, Kazmir might have some runs to stuff into his back pocket. Los Angeles is averaging five runs per game this week and has outhit St. Louis 27-14 in this series.

Given that the Dodgers have no idea when All-Star left-hander Clayton Kershaw (back) is going to return from an injury that has sidelined him for nearly a month, they need the offense to continue their recent surge.

"I think we're trending in the right direction offensively," Roberts said. "It's nice to know you can win games when you're not playing your best. Our focus has been on the day to day, and if we can continue that, we're going to be OK."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Jays avoid sweep'

Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays July 24, 1:05 EST

It hasn't been a banner series for Toronto. Nipped 2-1 Friday, then spanked 14-5 Saturday expect Blue Jays to do what they typically do with J.A. Happ on the mound and that's win! The lefthander in excellent form is undefeated in seven with an eye-opening 46-9 KW ratio. Matching that, Jays are a sparkling 10-1 in his last eleven in front of the home audience, 6-1 in his last seven following a team loss the previous day.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Orioles go for sweep'

Cleveland Indians at Baltimore Orioles July 24, 1:05 EST

The Baltimore Orioles aim for a three-game home sweep of the Cleveland Indians as they conclude their season series Sunday at Camden Yards.

Vance Worley a recent bullpen convert gets his second straight start for Buck Showalter's club. The righthander lost his last start at New York allowing three runs over 4 1/3 innings and carries to the hill a 2-1 record, 3.16 ERA over three starts, eighteen relief appearances.

Indians counter with Corey Kluber, who is 9-8 with a 3.47 ERA. In his last outing Kluber spun seven innings of no-run ball but was tagged with a no-decision as the relief staff imploded giving up 7 runs in Indians' loss at Kansas City.

Baltimore opening +$1.25 home underdogs are worth a second look. Orioles love home cookin'. The Birds sport the leagues best home record at 35-14 and are currently ridding a 9-1 stretch in front of the home audience. Additionally, Baltimore has a habit of making life miserable for Cleveland winning 4 of 5 meetings this season, 10 of the past 12 encounters. Finally, Indians handing the ball to Kluber after a team loss the previous day serves as an alarm, since the result has been one win six losses.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Sunday's games

National League

Phillies @ Pirates
Velasquez is 3-0, 1.88 in his last four starts; Phillies are 5-3 in his road starts. Three of his last four starts stayed under the total.

Taillon is 1-0, 1.50 in his last two starts (over 4-2).

Phillies lost five of last seven games; over is 17-7 in their last 24 road games. Pittsburgh won four of last six games; six of their last eight stayed under the total.

Padres @ Nationals
Friedrich is 0-4, 7.97 in his last four starts; nine of his last 11 went over. San Diego lost five of his seven road starts.

Giolito is 0-0, 4.70 in two MLB starts (over 1-1). .

Padres lost eight of last nine road games; six of their last eight road games stayed under total. Washington lost four of last six games; eight of Nationals' last nine games stayed under.

Diamondbacks @ Reds
Godley is 2-1, 5.63 in his three starts this year (over 2-1).

Finnegan is 2-3, 8.25 in his last five starts; his last three went over. Cincinnati is 3-5 in his home starts.

Arizona lost 17 of its last 21 games; their last four road games stayed under. Cincinnati won six of its last eight games; over is 5-3-3 in their last ten home games.

Mets @ Marlins
Matz is 0-5, 5.26 in his last nine starts; under is 6-1-1 in his last eight. Mets lost three of his last four road starts.

Urena allowed one run in 5.2 IP (94 PT) in his first MLB start.

Mets lost eight of last 12 road games; 10 of their last 11 games stayed under. Marlins won five of last seven games; under is 9-5 in their last fourteen games.

Cubs @ Brewers
Lester is 1-1, 10.50 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over. Chicago is 7-3 in his road starts, 1-3 in his last four.

Guerra is 3-1, 1.85 in his last five starts (under 5-0). Milwaukee is 4-3 in his home starts.

Cubs won six of last nine games; over is 11-3-1 in Cubs' last 15 road games. Milwaukee lost seven of last ten games; under is 6-1-1 in last eight games at Miller Park.

Dodgers @ Cardinals
Kazmir is 3-0, 3.33 in his last five starts; six of his last eight went over. Dodgers are 5-4 in his road outings.

Mayers is making his MLB debut here; he was 3-3, 2.94 in nine AAA starts this year.

Dodgers lost four of their last seven games; five of last six Dodger games went over. St Louis won five of tis last six games; under is 14-8-1 in their last 232 home games.

Braves @ Rockies
Jenkins is 0-0, 2.53 in his two MLB starts (under 1-0-1).

Chatwood is 0-2, 9.82 in his last four starts (over 3-1). Colorado is 3-6 in his home starts.

Braves lost seven of last nine games; under is 13-5-2 in their last 20 road games. Colorado won six of last nine games; four of their last six games stayed under.


American League

Indians @ Orioles
Kluber is 1-0, 0.60 in his last two starts; six of his last seven went over. Cleveland is 5-6 in his road starts.

Worley is 1-0, 6.60 in three starts this year (under 2-1).

Indians are 7-10 since their long win streak ended; three of their last five games went over the total. Baltimore won eight of last nine home games; last 11 Baltimore games stayed under.

Mariners @ Blue Jays
Miley is 0-5, 5.60 in his last five starts; his last three stayed under. Mariners lost six of his nine home starts.

Happp is 6-0, 3.40 in his last seven starts; over is 5-2-1 in his last eight. Blue Jays are 8-1 when Happ starts at home.

Mariners lost 11 of last 15 road games but won last two; under is 9-3 in their last 12 road games. Toronto lost three of its last four home games; seven of its last nine home games stayed under the total.

Twins @ Red Sox
Milone is 3-0, 2.33 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.

Porcello is 5-0, 2.97 in his last six starts; over is 6-3-1 in his last ten. Red Sox are 10-0 when he starts at home.

Twins won four of last five games; under is 6-2-1 in their last nine. Boston won 11 of last 15 home games; seven of last ten Red Sox games stayed under the total.

Tigers @ White Sox
Sanchez is 0-7, 7.69 in his last nine starts; his last three stayed under. Detroit lost his last six starts on foreign soil.

Quintana is 3-0, 2.84 in his last three starts; under is 16-2 in his last 18 starts. White Sox are 4-4 in his home starts.

Tigers won five of last six games; four of their last four games stayed under. Chicago lost eight of their last nine games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten home games. Last night's game was 3-3 after 8 innings, then was suspended by rain. It will be finished before today's game.

Angels @ Astros
Lincecum is 1-3, 8.74 in his last five starts (over 3-3).

Fiers is 0-1, 12.86 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over. Astros are 7-2 when he starts at home.

Angels won six of last eight games, over is 4-1-1 in their last six. Houston won seven of last nine home games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten home games.

Rangers @ Royals
Griffin is 0-1, 6.58 in his last six starts (over 4-1-1). Texas is 4-3 in his road starts.

Volquez is 1-1, 4.26 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under. Kansas City is 9-3 in his home starts.

Rangers lost 15 of last 20 games, over is 12-4-1 in their last 17 games. Royals lost six of last nine games; five of KC's last six home games went over the total.

Rays @ A's
Snell is 2-2, 3.57 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under. He is 1-1, 2.07 in his three road starts.

Hahn is 1-3, 10.13 in his last four starts, last of which was June 8. Four of his last five starts went over the total.

Tampa Bay lost 13 of last 16 road games, scoring three runs in last two games; six of their last eight road games stayed under. Oakland won six of last nine games; four of last five stayed under the total.


Interleague

Giants @ Bronx
Samardzija is 1-1, 7.39 in his last five starts; nine of his last ten went over. Giants are 6-5 in his road starts.

Eovaldi is 1-4, 7.92 in his last five starts; five of his last seven starts went over.

Giants lost six of last seven games; three of their last four games stayed under. New York won five of last seven games; under is 10-0 in their last ten home games.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Pitt-- Velasquez 10-6; Taillon 4-2
SD-Wsh-- Friedrich 5-7 (0-4 last 4); Giolito 1-1
Az-Cin-- Godley 2-1; Finnegan 6-13
NY-Mia-- Matz 9-8 (2-7 last 9); Urena 1-0
Chi-Mil-- Lester 13-6; Guerra 10-4
LA-StL-- Kazmir 11-8 (5-0 last 4); Mayers 0-0
Atl-Col-- Jenkins 1-1; Chatwood 10-7

Cle-Balt-- Kluber 9-10; Worley 2-1
Sea-Tor-- Miley 9-8 (0-5 last 5); Happ 14-5 (7-0 last 7)
Min-Bos-- Milone 5-4; Porcello 15-4 (8-0 last 8)
Det-Chi-- Sanchez 3-10; Quintana 10-9
LA-Hst-- Lincecum 3-3; Fiers 10-7 (5-1 last 6)
Tex-KC-- Griffin 7-4; Volquez 12-8
TB-A's-- Snell 2-5; Hahn 3-4

SF-NY-- Samardzija 11-8; Eovaldi 9-8 (2-5 last 7)


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

Phil-Pitt-- Velasquez 3-15; Taillon 1-6
SD-Wsh-- Friedrich 4-12; Giolito 0-2
Az-Cin-- Godley 1-3; Finnegan 5-19
NY-Mia-- Matz 4-17; Urena 0-1
Chi-Mil-- Lester 5-19; Guerra 3-14
LA-StL-- Kazmir 10-19 (5 of last 87); Mayers 0-0
Atl-Col-- Jenkins 1-2; Chatwood 7-17

Cle-Balt-- Kluber 5-19; Worley 0-3
Sea-Tor-- Miley 7-17; Happ 5-19
Min-Bos-- Milone 0-9; Porcello 7-19 (5 of last 7)
Det-Chi-- Sanchez 5-13; Quintana 4-19
LA-Hst-- Lincecum 2-6; Fiers 3-17
Tex-KC-- Griffin 1-11; Volquez 6-20
TB-A's-- Snell 2-7; Hahn 2-7

SF-NY-- Samardzija 11-8; Eovaldi 4-17


Umpires

-- Phil-Pitt-- Over is 10-2-1 in last 13 Knight games.
-- SD-Wsh-- Underdogs are 9-8 in last 17 Diaz games.
-- Az-Cin-- Five of last seven holbrook games stayed under total.
-- Chi-Mil-- Last six Gonzalez games stayed under the total.
-- NY-Mia-- Six of last nine Basner games stayed under total.
-- LA-StL-- Favorites won last three Gibson games.
-- Atl-Col-- Underdogs are 7-5 in last 12 Muchlinski games.

-- Sea-Tor-- Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Timmons games.
-- Cle-Balt-- Under is 6-3-1 in last ten Barksdale games.
-- LA-Hst-- Eight of last nine Layne games went over.
-- Det-Chi-- Eight of last eleven Blakney games stayed under.
-- Min-Bos-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Emmel games.
-- Tex-KC-- Five of last six Cooper games stayed under.
-- TB-A's-- Over is 8-4 in last twelve Fletcher games.

-- SF-NYY-- Underdogs are 9-9 in last 18 Vanover games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Sunday's Free Selection: San Diego Padres + 180

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Chicago Cubs w/Lester -155 Over Milwaukee

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR SUNDAY: Take PITTSBURGH (Taillon) -140 over Philadelphia

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Sunday's Free Selection: Atlanta Braves/Colorado Rockies under 12

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Platinum Plays

Free Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks w/Godley +115 over Cincinnati

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick Detroit Sanchez +134

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Huddle Up Sports

Bonus Play: NY Mets Matz -116