Sunday 8/21/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

DDLohaus’ Saratoga analysis

Sunday’s picks

Not the kind of day I was hoping for….beautiful weather,* awesome performance by Songbird and we spit the bit….couldn’t even get the Chad Brown favorite home in the 11th….things just not going well right now.
Time to hunker down and chip away…

Race #1
$5EXBX Born for a Storm/Samadi Sky/James Lane

Race #8
$10WP Elysea’s World

Total Bets: $50.00
Meet Total: -431.00

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hawthorne: Sunday 8/21 Analysis
By Jeremey Day

DRF

Race 7 - $20,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool

Best Bet (16 - 27 / $77.60): SUNSET DREAMER (5th)

Spot Play: SIMPLY BURBON (1st)


Race 1

In a field with few contenders, (7) SIMPLY BURBON might offer the better price and faces much weaker. (1) CARMEN O has beat this field consistently all year. (6) LIZZABELLE doesn't win often but can jump up with a good effort from time to time.

Race 2

(8) RED RED REDNECK races very inconsistently from week to week but a good effort puts him on the ticket. (7) REAL COOL DUDE gets a downgrade in the bike but has been racing gamely. (9) GENUINE DESIRE keeps the top driver off a big effort from a tough post.

Race 3

(6) IYQ YQR sophomore pacer went from empty to awesome last week winning easily. (2) EVERGREEN ELITE four-year-old gets sent out for a hot barn off a lifetime mark. (5) JEWEL MAKER well bred pacer looks to be coming on strong late in the season.

Race 4

In a really tough race to gauge, (9) SOUTHERN SPECIAL will offer a monster price and might have a chance with some racing luck. (7) ROSE GUIDA burned cash last week showing very little in the stretch; use caution. (3) FOX VALLEY KLAUS freshman trotter faces older tougher opponents but is one of few in the race with some upside.

Race 5

(5) SUNSET DREAMER dropped and popped last week sweeping past late. If the pacer gets a good setup he's a huge threat. (7) LUCKY CRUSADER pacer has been on fire since a really lackluster effort a month ago; threat. (6) MYSTICAL WALTER has been much improved for a new barn. The pacer has been really close at this level.

Race 6

(7) SEEYOUATTHEFINISH was in too tough last week. The pacing mare loves to win. (6) FEETONTHEDASHBOARD four-year-old hasn't been as good this year but is capable. (5) RYLEIGH'S LILLY has been unable to seal the deal this year; command a price.

Race 7

(5) SPORTY REDHOT nice looking two-year-old will look to get back on track against weaker. (7) FOX VALLEY JETER picks up a big driver change and has flashed ability. (3) FANCY CREEK LINK has lots of room to improve off a nice win.

Race 8

(1) CINNAMON SPIDER has strung together good efforts in the past and comes off a really nice victory. (3) SHHRAYRAY is due for a better effort; threat. (4) KING OF THE SWAMP well bred pacer is 0 for the year but is getting sent out for a capable barn.

Race 9

(5) 'CUDA HALL well bred trotter looks to be improving and will offer a nice price in a wide open race. (10) LITTLE MS CHRISSY gets saddled with a tough post but is fast enough to threaten against this bunch. (7) IT'SASWAN drops in class and owns a win against better on the year.

Race 10

(6) CAPELO five-year-old stallion drew off impressively last start and is right back in against similar. (7) OUTLAWPOCKETROCKET just missed last week racing gamely; threat. (4) HOLY MCMOSES pacer rarely wins but can hit the ticket at a price.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Sunday

TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE

Arlington (3rd) Gray Mensch, 7-2
(7th) Stand and Cheer, 4-1


Belterra Park (4th) Shirota, 7-2
(7th) Hurricane Bay, 5-1


Canterbury (5th) Honey's Sox Appeal, 5-1
(6th) Ryan and Madison, 3-1


Del Mar (1st) Ratera, 7-2
(6th) Something Unusual, 4-1


Ellis Park (1st) Path to Power, 6-1
(8th) Magic of Believing, 6-1


Emerald Downs (5th) Pukaberry, 3-1
(6th) Dirty Swagg, 4-1


Fort Erie (3rd) Kinda Crafty, 3-1
(7th) Handsome Cowboy, 3-1


Golden Gate Fields (5th) Bargaining, 3-1
(6th) Chutney, 7-2


Gulfstream Park (9th) Lady Nura, 8-1
(10th) Hy Rapid Lady, 8-1


Laurel (2nd) Sky High Class, 10-1
(9th) On Tap, 4-1


Monmouth Park (7th) Gourmet Delight, 4-1
(9th) Beau Jangles, 3-1


Mountaineer (1st) Twice With Ice, 8-1
(6th) Man O Manassas, 3-1


Presque Isle Downs (3rd) Spiced Commander, 3-1
(5th) Silent Yet Deadly, 8-1


Saratoga (4th) R Limo Joe, 8-1
(7th) Vertical Oak, 5-1


Woodbine (6th) Unbridled Majesty, 4-1
(10th) Yong Gan, 6-1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

August Pitchers Report
By Marc Lawrence

With the MLB trading deadline officially closed, and the NFL preseason whetting our pigskin palates, the month of August sets the table for the stretch run of the baseball season. Which pitchers can we count on to satisfy our tastes, and which ones figure to sour our stomachs?

Take a look below.

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

On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in August, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts.

To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each April over the last three years. And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.

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

I’ll be back next month with September’s Good Month Pitchers.

Until then, as legendary singer and songwriter Neil Diamond would say, enjoy the hot August nights.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

Arrieta, Jake - 10-5 (6-3 A)

After being Clayton Kershaw-like for nearly 12 months, the Cubs starter has "regressed" back to just being among the best starters in baseball. Arrieta has a nearly 3-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio and only allows a base hit 70 percent of the time in innings pitched this season, among the finest in the majors.

Duffy, Danny - 11-4 (6-1 H)

After starting the season as a reliever, the Kansas City left-hander was forced back into the rotation based on need and he has responded. Since June, after a pair of starts, Duffy has put up an ERA of just over 3.00 and opposing batters have just a .289 on-base percentage against him.

*Gallardo, Yovani - 9-4 (5-2 A)

Not close to the same pitcher he used to be with Milwaukee, with ERA so far this season approaching almost two runs higher than career average (5.37 vs. 3.73). The lost velocity is to blame and secondary pitches have less bite. For Baltimore to win AL East, Gallardo has to find some of his old magic.

Greinke, Zack - 10-5 (5-2 H)

After being on the shelf with oblique injury since late June, Greinke is close to returning for Arizona if no reoccurrence were to take place after a rehab start or two this month. After pathetic start to season, the D-Backs prized starter has cut ERA by 2 1/2 runs and is close to career norms in all major categories. Elite starter.

*Hamels, Cole - 12-6 (8-4 H)

Having typical Hamels season, with low numbers across the board. In bigger picture, underrated high level hurler who has not been getting acclaim after Phillies fall, but has been ace with Texas. As usual, left-handed batters have no chance with .176 batting average and .287 slugging percentage.

*Iwakuma, Hisashi - 12-5 (7-1 A)

Not having normal season for Seattle, with hits allowed much higher than usual for Iwakuma. However, has won four of five starts and the Mariners are 10-3 when the righty has toed the rubber since May 20. With Felix Hernandez back, this pair could lead Seattle charge to postseason.

Milone, Tom - 7-3 (4-1 A)

Milone starts for bad Minnesota club and is inconsistent as ever. Of his 74 hits allowed in only 59 2/3 innings, 11 have gone the yard. Maybe he can keep the ball down and spot his pitches better like previous August’s.

*Sanchez, Anibal - 9-3 (5-1 H)

With decreased velocity and no action on breaking pitches, Sanchez ERA has been six or higher almost all season. Not sure if he can respond this month, with opponents having BA over .300 and owning a WHIP of 1.64.

*Strasburg, Stephen - 13-3 (8-1 H)

Only July 21st, Strasburg suffered first loss of entire season after 13 consecutive wins. Though the fastball is no longer in upper 90's all the time, the breaking pitches disappear from batter's view and he's been exceptional. If Strasburg has true to form month, he will have real shot at 20 wins in 2016.

Teheran, Julio - 11-5 (7-2 H)

Suffered lat strain in late July and has been a victim of no run support from bad Braves club with 2.81 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and opposing batters at only .205 batting average. Note: Teheran’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

Weaver, Jered - 12-5 (7-3 A)

Shell of his former self at 33. Never a hard thrower, Weaver's fastball only occasionally makes the upper 80's these days and his once dominating changeup is a pitch batter's wait on now with lack of variance of speed of pitches. Will blend good and really awful performances these days.

*Zimmermann, Jordan - 12-6 (8-3 H)

On July 24th had excellent rehab start and will be rejoining Detroit this month. After sensational start with Tigers, Zimmermann was tagged for at least five runs in four of his last five outings. Detroit needs the Zimmermann they had early in the season to have chance to catch Cleveland in AL Central.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Gray, Sonny - 5-11 (0-7 A)

Given Gray's troubles this month, his woes of all season are very likely to continue. Gray simply has been more hittable the entire season, permitting those with bats to hit almost 50 points higher than normal batting average permitted of .233. Note: Gray’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

*Hellickson, Jeremy - 4-11 (2-9 A)

Back of the rotation starter, Hellickson has largely performed better than expected for Philadelphia and as this article went live, he was rumored to be traded. His KW ratio is significantly higher at 4 to 1 compared to 3 to 1 for his career. Will he be able to maintain the rest of season?

Kazmir, Scott - 5-11 (1-7 A)

The Dodgers port-sider has 9-4 record, but his 4.41 ERA is still above career average of 3.98. Durability has been issue all season, with too many starts around five innings for what is supposed to be Los Angeles No. 2 or 3 starter.

Koehler, Tom - 4-13 (0-10 A)

Above average arm but always up or down and unless he pulls a Rich Hill, at 30 is not likely to change. An 8-8 record, 4.18 ERA and WHIP of 1.46, is about what we have come to expect from Mr. Koehler. Note: Koehler’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

*Miley, Wade - 5-11 (1-6 A)

Overrated lefty who does not miss many bats and fails to come anywhere close to averaging punch-out an inning. Strictly an innings-eater and provides nothing more than 50-50 chance to win.

Miller, Shelby - 5-11 (2-8 H)

Demoted to Triple-A in July after disastrous campaign. Miller hopes to regain confidence and repair mechanics that are really out of whack and return to Arizona yet this season.

Samardzija, Jeff - 5-13 (3-8 H)

After appearing as the No.3 starter San Francisco wanted for two months, Smards has returned to same old serviceable pitcher of the past and seen his ERA climb from 2.84 to present 4.30 heading into this month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Royals win seventh straight
By The Sports Xchange

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Gordon hit a pair of home runs and doubled while Ian Kennedy pitched eight scoreless innings as the Kansas City Royals routed the Minnesota Twins 10-0 on Saturday night.
Gordon extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games and had only his second three-hit game of the year. Gordon raised his batting average to .227 after going 17-for-41 in his streak.
Kennedy (8-9) limited the Twins to four hits over eight innings and has won back-to-back starts for the first time since May 1 and May 7. Brian Flynn replaced Kennedy in the ninth and pitched a spotless inning to complete the shutout.
Lorenzo Cain had two doubles and a sacrifice fly, driving in three runs.
The Royals hiked their winning streak to a season-best seven games.

Yankees 5, Angels 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Right-hander Luis Cessa, in his first major league start, pitched six-plus shutout innings to lead New York to a win over Los Angeles in front of a sellout crowd of 44,129 at Angel Stadium.
By giving the Angels their 14th loss in 16 games, the Yankees moved within four games of the Baltimore Orioles in the race for the American League's second wild-card spot.
Cessa (3-0) conceded just three hits, one walk and one hit batter while amassing five strikeouts and inducing eight groundouts in six-plus innings. The 24-year-old Mexican rookie, who made his major league debut April 8, pitched in relief eight times before getting the start.

Blue Jays 6, Indians 5
CLEVELAND -- Edwin Encarnacion's home run leading off the fifth inning broke a 5-5 tie and lifted Toronto to a victory over Cleveland at Progressive Field.
Encarnacion's was the third home run allowed by Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin (11-7) in 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto reliever Joe Biagini (4-2) pitched two scoreless innings on one hit to get the win. Toronto closer Roberto Osuna, who in the Blue Jays' 3-2 loss on Friday gave up a walk-off insider-the-park home run to Tyler Naquin in the bottom of the ninth inning, pitched a scoreless ninth on Saturday to pick up his 28th save.

Phillies 4, Cardinals 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Cesar Hernandez went 3-for-4, Jeremy Hellickson gave Philadelphia strong seven innings and the Phillies beat St. Louis at Citizens Bank Park.
Hellickson (10-7), the lone veteran arm in Philadelphia's rotation, became the first Phillies starter to complete seven innings since July 26 -- a span of 21 games.
The right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
St. Louis scored both runs on a homer by Jeremy Hazelbaker to make it 2-2 in the third inning.

Marlins 3, Pirates 1
PITTSBURGH -- David Phelps pitched six strong innings and Xavier Scruggs hit his first major league home run as Miami beat Pittsburgh at sold-out PNC Park.
The Marlins, who clinched a weekend series win, moved a half-game ahead of the Pirates as the two clubs push to try to displace St. Louis, which holds the second National League wild-card spot.
Pittsburgh, which was held to four hits, has lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak.

White Sox 6, Athletics 2
CHICAGO -- Left-hander Chris Sale scattered three hits in eight scoreless innings and Chicago held on for a win over Oakland.
Jose Abreu went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two runs scored to lead the White Sox's offense. Melky Cabrera finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Chicago (58-64).
Danny Valencia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run for the A's (53-70), who lost for the sixth time in its past seven contests.

Mets 9, Giants 5
SAN FRANCISCO -- Yoenis Cespedes belted two home runs, powering New York out of its losing streak and to a victory over San Francisco.
Bartolo Colon took over the major-league lead among active pitchers in career road wins with 6 1/3 strong innings, helping the Mets snap a three-game losing streak.
In his second game since returning from the disabled list, Cespedes hit solo homer off Giants starter Matt Moore in the third inning and another off reliever Jake Peavy in the seventh, highlighting a 13-hit Mets attack.

Orioles 12, Astros 2
BALTIMORE -- Mike Fiers shut down Baltimore's dominant lineup, while rookie Alex Bregman, George Springer and Jason Castro each homered, leading Houston to a victory.
Houston, which mustered 14 hits, can take the four-game series with a victory Sunday. The fading Orioles dropped four of five and have gone 9-15 over their past 24 games.
Fiers (9-6) put together an effective outing after struggling over his past two starts when he allowed nine runs, including five homers, over just 9 2-3 innings. Staked with a big lead, he was much better against Baltimore and gave up just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk over a season-tying high seven innings.

Nationals 11, Braves 9
ATLANTA -- Ryan Zimmerman showed no rust in his return from the disabled list with three hits, including a homer on the first pitch he saw, in Washington's win over Atlanta at Turner Field.
Zimmerman, who was activated earlier in the day after missing 16 games with a left wrist contusion, joined teammates Anthony Rendon, who had four hits, and Daniel Murphy, who had three hits, to pace Washington's 17-hit attack.
Zimmerman hit his 13th homer of the season, scored twice and drove in two runs in his return.

Reds 11, Dodgers 1
CINCINNATI -- Adam Duvall, Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler homered, and Brandon Finnegan held Los Angeles hitless for six innings to help lift Cincinnati to a victory over the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park.
The Dodgers remained one half-game behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West standings.
Peraza went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, helping the Reds win their fifth straight game and improve to 21-12 since the All-Star break.

Cubs 9, Rockies 2
DENVER -- Kris Bryant hit a three-run homer as Chicago spoiled the major league debut of Jeff Hoffman and beat Colorado.
He took the mound before a crowd of 48,113 -- the Rockies' third sellout of the season -- gave up a single to start the game and then retired nine batters in a row while facing the minimum number of hitters through the third.
But the Cubs, who outhit the Rockies 15-5, broke through for four runs in the fourth and then padded their lead to 7-0 on Bryant's three-run shot in the fifth. It was his 31st home run, giving him the National League lead with one more homer than Colorado's Nolan Arenado.

Mariners 8, Brewers 2
SEATTLE -- Felix Hernandez tossed eight quality innings and Seattle used back-to-back seventh-inning home runs from Mike Zunino and Leonys Martin to pull away and beat Milwaukee.
Hernandez (8-4) threw seven shutout innings before the Brewers got to him in the eighth. He allowed two runs off seven hits over eight innings, then former closer Steve Cishek came on in a non-save situation and finished off the win.
Solo homers from Zunino and Martin to begin the seventh inning opened up a 4-0 Seattle lead before the Brewers finally got on the board on a Ryan Braun RBI double in the top of the eighth.

Diamondbacks 2, Padres 1
SAN DIEGO -- Left-hander Robbie Ray allowed one run on one hit over seven innings and Arizona turned two throwing errors by Clayton Richard into a pair of unearned runs in a victory over San Diego.
Ray (7-11) struck out a career-high 13 over seven innings and all he gave up was a 451-foot homer by Patrick Kivlehan in the outfielder's major league debut.
Meanwhile, both Arizona runs were unearned, coming after Richard threw two potential double-play comebackers into center field for errors in the fifth and sixth innings. The loss dropped Richard, who gave up the two unearned runs on two hits and three walks over five innings, to 0-3.

Red Sox 3, Tigers 2
DETROIT -- David Ortiz cracked a two-run home run in the fifth inning to reach 1,500 RBIs with the Red Sox and had a single that set up a third-inning run to lead Boston to a rain-prolonged victory over fading Detroit.
J.D. Martinez hit reliever Heath Hembree's first pitch to him with one out in the seventh onto the walkway between the two seating sections in left center to bring Detroit within 3-2. It was his 18th home run this year.
Ortiz hit a hanging inside 0-1 curve into the right-field seats off Daniel Norris (1-2) following a leadoff double by Xander Bogaerts. It was his 29th home run this season and he has 97 RBIs.

Rays 8, Rangers 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Evan Longoria went 2-for-3 with a home run and Brad Miller had a three-run double to lift Tampa Bay to a win over Texas at Tropicana Field.
Texas had a four-game win streak snapped.
Miller's double in the bottom of the seventh inning off Rangers reliever Keone Kela gave the Rays a 7-1 lead. The big inning started with a triple from second baseman Tim Beckham and he scored on a single by right fielder Steven Souza Jr.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Strategy for finding value in MLB Cy Young betting
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Despite a Major League Baseball-worst 9-21 record since entering the All-Star break with a Major League Baseball-best 57-33 mark, the atmosphere surrounding AT&T Park in San Francisco Thursday night was as electric as a midnight tour through the rarely viewed hospital wing at Alcatraz. Thursday marked the commencement of a four-game series between the freefalling Giants and equally disappointing New York Mets, who had dropped 14 of their previous 21 outings before landing in the Bay Area.

Two baseball clubs in disastrous form rarely makes for must-see television, but this game was different, as the Giants and Mets would turn to staff aces Madison Bumgarner and Jacob deGrom in the hopes of kick-starting a run that would hopefully last until late October. The pregame storyline was simple: Two Cy Young candidates who ranked among the top-five in ERA in all of Major League Baseball doing battle in a series opener that featured a Las Vegas over/under of just 6.0 runs.

30 hits, 17 runs and three hours and thirty minutes later, Bumgarner had his 12th win of the season despite surrendering four earned runs in just five innings of work as the Giants emerged victorious by way of a 10-7 shootout over the defending National League Champions. What was billed as a Cy Young showdown was anything but as deGrom served up a career-high eight runs and 13 hits in five innings pitched while Bumgarner was remembered more for his go-ahead two-run jack in the bottom of the fourth rather than the grand slam meatball he threw Justin Ruggiano earlier that same inning.

But what I found to be even more intriguing than what took place on the field at AT&T Park Thursday night was what was taking place 570 miles southeast in Las Vegas. Despite near identical ERAs entering their much-anticipated showdown (Bumgarner: 2.11, deGrom: 2.30), deGrom’s odds to win the National League Cy Young Award were significantly worse (50/1) than MadBum’s chances (4/1).

The answer to this discrepancy, in part, lies in the oft-misevaluated statistic known as “wins.”

Both Bumgarner and deGrom boasted top-five ERAs, competed for playoff contenders and owned WARs (Wins Above Replacement) north of 3.5 entering Thursday night. But Bumgarner’s 11 victories significantly trumped deGrom’s seven, which I believe was a big factor in the Las Vegas Cy Young odds.

This is a mistake, and it’s a mistake made far too often by fans, voters and media members alike.

Wins is a team metric, not an individual metric. To prove this point, let me ask you a simple question: Which of the following pitchers would you rather have taking the bump for your favorite club in Game 1 of the World Series:

Pitcher A: 10-0 record
Pitcher B: 0-10 record

Based on that information alone, virtually all of you would select Pitcher A and his perfect record. But now let’s add some additional information to the mix:

Pitcher A: 10-0 record, 9.00 ERA, 11 runs of support in every start
Pitcher B: 0-10 record, 1.00 ERA, 0 runs of support in every start

I’m guessing most of you are now leaning toward Pitcher B, correct?

The above example is just one way of illustrating how flawed the win statistic is when utilized to judge individual players. And this doesn’t just happen in baseball. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos last February, but few would make the case that he was the reason why. In fact, Manning was one of the worst signal-callers in the entire National Football League last year, but he was fortunate enough to play with the NFL’s most ferocious defense.

In addition to starting pitchers and quarterbacks, the win metric is often misevaluated when analyzing NHL goaltenders as well. Simply put, too many variables come into play with team sports to make the mistake of applying a statistic like wins to an individual player. Save that for golf and tennis. If we’re going to evaluate individual players, then let’s at least utilize individual statistics to help create a more accurate analysis.

And with that, let’s take a look at the current Cy Young landscape and see if we can identify any value that may exist:

AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG ODDS

The Favorite

J.A. Happ, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays (9/4): He’s at the top of the heap because he’s won 11 straight decisions. But note that Happ ranks seventh in the American League in ERA (3.05), 16th in strikeouts (133), 12th in WAR (3.5) and tenth in WHIP (1.14). Take away that 17-3 record and it’s unlikely the 33-year-old is your Cy Young favorite in late August.

The More Deserving Favorite

Cole Hamels, LHP, Texas Rangers (9/2): Outranks Happ in WAR (5.2, 1st), ERA (2.80, 3rd), strikeouts (159, 5th) and innings pitched (160.2, 6th). Additionally, Hamels has surrendered just ten runs through his last seven starts (48.2 innings pitched) and has a date with Cincinnati on the horizon.

The Dark Horse

Zach Britton, LHP, Baltimore Orioles (N/A): No relief pitcher has won the Cy Young since Eric Gagne back in 2003, so it’s no surprise to see that Britton has been left off the odds board…for the moment. But Baltimore’s closer has been absolutely electric this season, with a lights out 0.54 ERA and a perfect 37 saves in 37 chances. Believe it or not, Britton hasn’t surrendered a run since April 30 (42 consecutive appearances) and boasts a WAR of 3.1 despite throwing only 50.1 innings this season. Given the exorbitant prices the Cubs paid to land Aroldis Chapman and the Indians surrendered to acquire Andrew Miller, maybe it’s time to revisit the idea of using Cy Young votes on relief pitchers.

The Rest

Rick Porcello, Red Sox: 9/2
Chris Sale, White Sox: 6/1
Steven Wright, Red Sox: 8/1
Aaron Sanchez, Blue Jays: 8/1
Chris Tillman, Orioles: 15/1
Corey Kluber, Indians: 18/1
Danny Salazar, Indians: 20/1
Michael Fulmer, Tigers: 40/1
Carlos Carrasco, Indians: 50/1
Jose Quintana, White Sox: 200/1

NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG ODDS

The Favorite

Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals (5/2): Again, Strasburg’s 15 wins (tied for first in NL with Jake Arrieta) have him overvalued here. What we should be looking at is the fact that the 28-year-old ranks 19th in the National League in ERA (3.59) and 15th in WAR (3.3) while receiving a ridiculous 6.57 runs of support per start (second-most in MLB behind Rick Porcello). On a lesser club with, say, eight wins, Strasburg would be nowhere near the top of the odds board.

The Value Pick

Max Scherzer, RHP, Washington Nationals (15/1): Ranks second in WAR (4.7) among National League pitchers, first in strikeouts (211), third in K/BB (5.15) and third in opponent’s batting average (.194). Unfortunately for Scherzer, his 12 wins rank seventh in the National League and as we’ve already discussed here in this column, that metric carries far too much weight.

The Rest

Jake Arrieta, Cubs: 7/2
Madison Bumgarner, Giants: 4/1
Johnny Cueto, Giants: 4/1
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs: 8/1
Jose Fernandez, Marlins: 15/1
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: 18/1
Jon Lester, Cubs: 50/1
Jacob deGrom, Mets: 50/1
Noah Syndergaard, Mets: 100/1
Jason Hammel, Cubs: 200/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (67-55) at Reds (53-69)

Game: 3
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: August 21, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds continue their four-game set on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park with the Dodgers looking to cool off the red-hot Reds who've taken the first two games of the series by a combined score of 20-3.

"It's fun to play against them," said Reds right fielder Scott Schebler, a former Dodgers prospect. "Getting to beat up on them, always better."

Cincinnati has won five straight and is 21-12 since the All-Star break.

Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will make his 14th start of the season for Cincinnati. DeSclafani (7-1, 3.10 ERA) has produced 10 quality starts since coming off the disabled list on June 10.

DeSclafani began the season on the DL with a strained left oblique suffered in his final spring training appearance. He's came back stronger than ever with six straight quality starts from June 21 to July 20 a stretch in which he went 5-0 with a 2.59 ERA. He was the first Reds pitcher to produce at least six wins without a loss over his first nine starts of a season since Paul Wilson went 6-0 in his first nine starts in 2004.

Left-hander Julio Urias (3-2, 4.41 ERA) takes the mound for Los Angeles. He last pitched on Aug. 13, allowing three hits in 2 2/3 innings of relief. His last start came on Aug. 8 when he gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits in five innings in a 9-4 win over the Phillies.

As a starter, Urias is 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA with 22 earned runs allowed in 45 1/3 innings over 10 starts. He is facing the Reds for the first time.

Both teams are on the mend from recent injuries.

The Dodgers got some more encouraging news on ace Clayton Kershaw who threw more than 20 pitches off the mound on Saturday. "I thought it was successful," manager Dave Roberts said. "I thought the intensity was there. Very productive."

He'll throw again on Tuesday before determining if he's ready for a minor league rehabilitation stint. Kershaw is on the 60-day disabled list with a herniated disk.

Cincinnati still is without shortstop Zack Cozart, who's expected to miss another game or two with discomfort in his right knee and left Achilles. In order to fortify its bench, the Reds recalled Jose Peraza from Triple-A Louisville. Peraza had three hits including a homer and three RBIs on Saturday in his return to the big leagues.

"I wasn't comfortable with a three-man bench so we brought Peraza up," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "He'll get some starts at short. We can move him around."

The Reds also welcomed back left fielder Adam Duvall, who hit a three-run homer on the second pitch he saw on Saturday after missing four games after fouling a pitch off his left foot on Monday.

Cincinnati got seven innings of one-hit baseball from left-hander Brandon Finnegan on Saturday, which should set things up well for Sunday's game.

"Our bullpen should be fresh going into (Sunday's) game," Price said.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Sox (69-53) at Tigers (64-59)

Game: 4
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 21, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- It looks, and sounds, like manager Brad Ausmus is trying to tiptoe his way into September without disrupting his current Detroit Tigers starting rotation.

Which means Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey probably won't be coming off the disabled list until at least Sept. 1.

Even though Detroit was 3-10 for its last 13 games, it hasn't been the fault of the starting pitching. No offense (19 runs in those 10 defeats) and inconsistent relief pitching are primarily at fault with the starters largely giving the Tigers a chance to win.

Since the All-Star break, here's the Detroit rotation breakdown:

Justin Verlander -- 4-1, 1.98 ERA; Matt Boyd -- 4-0, 2.10 ERA; Michael Fulmer -- 1-2, 3.31 ERA; Daniel Norris -- 0-2, 2.93 ERA; Anibal Sanchez -- 1-2, 4.14.

Sanchez has been clocked a couple times but also has turned in two gems.

"If you have consistently good pitching, if we continue to pitch like that through the remainder of the season," Ausmus said, "I feel good about our chances."

Zimmermann had one 1 2/3 inning start in between stints on the disabled list but two ailments -- the last a sore neck area -- pretty much negated his spectacular April. Pelfrey is on the disabled list with a bad back. He was pitching decently before that.

Detroit has slow-tracked both in their return, citing nothing more than the desire to have them fully healthy when they return.

Both threw bullpens during the weekend, have simulated games scheduled and then will be sent out for rehab assignments of at least two starts each. Put five days before the first start and another five prior to the second and you're looking at month's end before either is activated.

The Tigers are off Monday, giving Ausmus a chance to rejigger his rotation so as to give Fulmer additional days before his next start as the club tries to keep his innings down.

"We have it plotted out probably through the next week and a half," Ausmus said. "To the next off day."

Does he know what that rotation looks like?

"Yeh, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what it is though. I can't remember which day Fulmer's pitching. I'm not sure if it's Friday or Saturday. Tell you Sunday."

The current starters have one of the lower ERAs in the league since the All-Star break, including starts by Pelfrey, and Ausmus clearly is in no mood to break that up.

He doesn't want to plot too far ahead though.

"Then you're going to start getting into when will Zimmermann be slotted back in," the manager said, "when will Pelfrey be available to be slotted back in. We have it written out with the people that are pitching for us right now, but that can change.

"We have options but past this coming week we haven't really etched in stone."

Verlander (12-7, 3.44 ERA) starts against Boston on Sunday. He is 4-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 14 career starts against the Red Sox.

The Red Sox scratched lefty Eduardo Rodriguez from his Sunday start when he reported lingering hamstring soreness.

Boston will bring up right-hander Henry Owens to replace him. Owens (0-0, 5.11 ERA) faced Detroit once last season at Comerica Park and earned a victory. He is thus 1-0 lifetime against the Tigers with a 1.80 ERA. He gave up three hits and a run in five innings of that start.

Farrell has tinkered with Boston's lineup over the last two weeks. Dustin Pedroia has done the bulk of the leading off, David Ortiz bumped up a notch to third, Xander Bogaerts to second, Mookie Betts to fourth or fifth and Jackie Bradley Jr. moved around with Betts.

"I really like David in the three-hole because it gives us no more than two right-handers consecutively," Farrell said. "Previous, maybe bullpens on the opposition can be lined up if there's an angled right-hander to save them for the top three guys in the order. That maybe is a little bit changed now with David in that three spot.

"But with Mookie, we dropped him down to the three and four-hole, thinking we might be able to take more advantage of the power. That's played out. The RBI have come in bunches."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jays (70-53) at Indians (70-51)

Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: August 21, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- Now that closer Roberto Osuna is back on track, the Toronto Blue Jays try to win a series from the Cleveland Indians.

The two teams have split the first two contests of their three-game set, the last of which will be played Sunday at Progressive Field.

Osuna has ridden the roller coaster in the first two games. In a spectacular blown save Friday night, he gave up back-to-back home runs to Jose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin in the ninth inning. Naquin's was a walk-off inside-the-park homer.

Saturday night, Osuna came in to pitch the ninth with the Blue Jays leading 6-5, and he retired the side in order. Better yet, two of the three outs he got were Ramirez and Naquin.

"It was almost an identical scenario," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Everybody blows a game once in a while. But when that game is over, you try to bounce back."

That's exactly what Osuna did.

On Sunday, the Blue Jays will send Marcus Stroman (9-5, 4.63 ERA) to the mound against Cleveland's Corey Kluber (13-8, 3.15).

Stroman's last start against the Indians came on July 1, in that epic 19-inning game won by the Indians 2-1. In that game, Stroman pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Stroman has made two career appearances against the Indians and has no record and a 5.63 ERA.

Kluber comes into Sunday's start on a roll.

He hasn't lost a game since July 3 -- a 17-1 loss to Toronto in which he gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings, falling to 1-3 with a 6.14 ERA in four starts versus the Blue Jays. He is 5-0 with a 1.65 ERA in seven starts since.

Sunday's game will be the finale of Cleveland's longest homestand of the season: 11 games against the Angels, Red Sox, White Sox and Blue Jays. The Indians have gone 7-3 in the first 10 games.

The Indians and Blue Jays both lead their respective divisions. The Indians are in first place in the AL Central and Toronto leads the AL East, so they could be potential postseason opponents.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (73-51) at Rays (51-70)

Game: 3
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: August 21, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The American League West-leading Texas Rangers try to get back on a winning track when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game series at Tropicana Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Rangers send left-hander Martin Perez (8-8, 4.09 ERA) to the mound to face off against Rays lefty Drew Smyly (5-11, 4.85).

Texas (73-51) had its four-game winning streak snapped in an 8-2 loss Saturday against the Rays. The game got out of reach when the Rays scored four runs in the seventh inning off of Rangers reliever Keone Kela. Rangers manager Jeff Banister says his team has to pull it together quickly.

"We've got some work yet to do," Banister said. "We get Smyly, obviously another really good arm, guy's been pitching well of late. We've got to go out and put together a good baseball game."

The Rangers have struggled against Smyly, hitting .205 with only six extra-base hits lifetime against him.

Tampa Bay (51-70) is far out of any sort of playoff race but manager Kevin Cash is looking for some consistency from his ball club as it tries to avoid any more extended losing streaks for the rest of the season.

"I think it's important to be able to bounce back after a loss and not let it linger," Cash said. "That's what was so encouraging about (Saturday). We were able to come back out and play a good baseball game."

The Rays have been dealing with plenty of injuries in the recent week. Before Saturday's game, the team announced that Nick Franklin would be placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list after he was hit on the batting helmet by Kevin Kiermaier's bat on Wednesday. Franklin tried to return Friday but said when he went out to left field he "felt like he'd just pass out there."

Kiermaier missed Saturday's game with hip soreness after he was pulled out of Friday's game after two innings. It's uncertain whether he'll be back in the lineup Sunday.

Logan Forsythe, however, appears to be on track to return Sunday after missing the past games with back spasms. The Rays would definitely welcome his bat back in the lead-off spot but Cash said the team has to continue to battle through adversity.

"Sure you'd like to have all your guys healthy but that's not realistic over the course of a season," Cash said. "We will play with the guys that we have and try to make it work."

They will face Perez, who is coming off of a solid outing against the Oakland Athletics when he gave up one run and five hits in seven innings to earn the win. It was Perez's first win in his last eight starts even though he's pitched at least seven innings in three of his last four turns.

It's uncertain if the Rangers will have the services of third baseman Adrian Beltre on Sunday as he decides whether to take bereavement leave for a death in his family. Beltre was informed of his grandfather's death before Friday's game. He is 6-for-9 in the series with two home runs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (65-57) at Phillies (58-66)

Game: 3
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: August 21, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA -- The St. Louis Cardinals were riding a five-game winning streak entering Saturday's game in Philadelphia.

They were fresh off of a come-from-behind, ninth-inning comeback victory against the Phillies on Friday.

It was another game in which they hit at least two home runs in a game, their ninth consecutive game of such stature. They became the first National League team and just the fifth team in MLB history to hit two or more home runs in nine straight games.

Saturday night, that came to a close. Only Jeremy Hazelbaker went deep in a 4-2 loss for the Cardinals.

"It's hard to hit one a game for a consistent amount of time," St. Louis manager Matheny said. "I thought today might be a day, especially when Hazelbaker hit one early. You could it the way guys were taking their at-bats there was an opportunity to maybe do it again."

Hazelbaker's home run gave St. Louis nine players with double-digit home runs on the year -- the most in baseball and tied for the most in a season in franchise history (2000).

The Cardinals look to keep slugging the ball in Sunday's rubber match at Citizens Bank Park against young righty Vince Velasquez (8-5, 4.14 ERA).

Velasquez, 24, has given up three home runs in each of his last two starts. Velasquez was blitzed for five runs -- all in the fifth and sixth innings -- on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out 10 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Velasquez is likely nearing an innings limit, but the Phillies said they don't have an exact number or date in mind just yet. He's thrown 113 innings in 2016.

"In Vince's case, we do, we are targeting a specific number of starts, innings, pitches, trying to manage his workload," Philadelphia general manger Matt Klentak said Wednesday. "He goes out (Tuesday) night, and I know with the three home runs the line wasn't as impressive as it might've looked at times, but (damn) his stuff was good last night. He was lights out."

St. Louis counters with right-hander Mike Leake (8-9, 4.78 ERA).

The Cardinals, who have a 1 1/2-game lead for the second wild card spot in the National League, need Leake to start improving if they want to continue to make a playoff push.

Leake, signed to a five-year, $80 million deal last offseason, has allowed at least three runs in five consecutive starts. He hasn't won in three August starts and his 1.28 WHIP is his worst since 2012. Leake's ERA hasn't been below 4.00 since May 31.

He previously faced the Phillies on May 4 in St. Louis, taking a no-decision while giving up four runs in five innings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nationals (73-49) at Braves (44-79)

Game: 4
Venue: Turner Field
Date: August 21, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves aren't likely to turn out their fortunes against the Washington Nationals until they get a better collective effort from their starting pitchers.

Washington has won 11 of 12 games between the two N.L. East rivals, including the first three games of the four-game series that concludes Sunday. Since the start of 2015, the Nationals lead the series 25-6.

The Nationals will send lefty Gio Gonzalez (8-9, 4.28) to the mound on Sunday against Atlanta right-hander Joel De La Cruz (0-6, 3.72).

Atlanta's problem lately has been with the bullpen. After going through a stretch where the bullpen pitched well, the Braves' relievers have been poor on the current homestand. But Atlanta manager Brian Snitker puts much of the blame on the inability of the starting pitchers to go deep in the game, thus making the relievers shoulder a heavier burden.

"It's tough to cover the innings and it effectively," Snitker said. "The key is to get the starts to go deeper and not rely on so many of those guys."

The Atlanta bullpen has changed over the last three weeks. Lefty Dario Alvarez was packaged in a trade to Texas. Lefty Hunter Cervenka was traded to Miami. Chris Withrow and Arodyz Vizcaino were both placed on the disabled list.

"We had a nice bullpen run," Snitker said. "Now we're asking guys to do things they're not capable of doing."

Washington manager Dusty Baker is also concerned with his bullpen. The Nationals' relievers wasted a 5-0 lead on Friday and nearly blew a six-run lead on Saturday.

"I'm concerned," Baker said. "I said that in Colorado. You've got to be aware of the series after Colorado. Max (Scherzer) almost gave us seven innings (on Saturday) and we've got another high-power offense to face coming up in Baltimore. "

Gonzalez had his last start short-circuited by a lengthy rain delay on Aug. 16 against Colorado. Gonzalez allowed two runs in three innings but did not return after the delay.

"That was the worst time you could have one because Gio was throwing the ball good," Washington manager Dusty Baker said.

Gonzalez will be facing the Braves for the second time this season. He received no decision on April 12 when he pitched six scoreless innings. De La Cruz will make his first career start against the Nationals.

The Braves and Nationals have two more series remaining, one in Washington and another in Atlanta.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (64-59) at Pirates (62-58)

Game: 3
Venue: PNC Park
Date: August 21, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH -- It looked like the table was set for the Pittsburgh Pirates entering their weekend series against Miami at PNC Park.

The Marlins, though, had other ideas.

Miami, which had lost three straight games and three series in a row, clinched this set with a 3-1 victory Saturday following a 6-5 win Friday.

The Marlins moved a half-game ahead of the Pirates in the National League wild-card chase and are 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis, which holds the second wild-card spot.

Miami goes for a sweep Sunday against a Pirates team that entered the weekend having won four straight games, four series in a row and was looking to create some space between themselves and the Marlins in the wild card standings.

"Every day is a game that you basically feel like you've got to go out and win," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "At this point in the year, every day you do that, it kind of stays on your side until the next day, and the next pitcher can hopefully start with zeroes.

"Things change quickly. We come out of Cincinnati (after losing three in a row and three of four) and everybody's not doing great. We're asked questions about are you fading? Two days later, you feel like you've got a good club and you've got a chance to do something. That's this time of year."

Although David Phelps' six shutout innings helped immensely Saturday, Miami's offense has been its biggest asset this weekend.

On Friday, the Marlins banged out 16 hits, including three home runs, in a 6-5 victory that could have been lopsided if they had not left 14 men on base. Saturday, they made the most of their six hits in taking an early 3-0 lead.

Entering Saturday, Miami ranked second in the National League and third in the majors with a .271 batting average.

Right-hander Jose Urena (1-4, 6.80 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday for Miami. He has been a study in trying to find consistency.

Urena has spent time with the Marlins and Triple-A New Orleans -- in the bullpen and as a starter -- since making his major league debut last season.

He most recently was called up to start Tuesday at Cincinnati, his seventh recall. In that game, a 6-3 loss, he had a rough patch in the first inning. With two outs, he gave up a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam to the Reds' Tucker Barnhart.

Then he got back in his groove and lasted through the sixth.

"I tried to put the ball down in the zone. I couldn't find it," Urena told reporters of his lapse against the Reds. "After that, I was doing better."

Urena opposes Pittsburgh right-hander Ryan Vogelsong (2-2, 3.20 ERA).

Vogelsong missed more than two months this season after facial injuries from being hit by a pitch May 24 led to surgery and a long stint on the disabled list. Since he was reinstated Aug. 4, he is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA in three starts.

He won't have to deal with the distraction he faced his last time out, an 8-5 win Monday against his former team, San Francisco. He gave up four runs on nine hits, with three walks and one strikeout, in 5 2/3 innings, but he didn't hide the fact that the Giants' fans warm welcome, including an ovation early in the game, affected him.

"That first inning, man, I wasn't ready for it, the ovation," Vogelsong told USA Today. "It threw me off a little bit. Awesome, though, awesome. Those are the kind of moments you wish every guy would get to experience.

"It's hard to stay locked in and be appreciative at the same time. There's moments in these games you want to hold on to and remember for the rest of your life, and (this) was one of those for me."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (63-60) at Orioles (67-55)

Game: 4
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: August 21, 2016 1:35 PM EDT

BALTIMORE -- The Houston Astros still have their sights set on a postseason berth and can take another step toward that goal if they take the series against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at Camden Yards.

After dropping the first game Thursday, Houston bounced back with a pair of convincing victories. While the Astros trail the first-place Texas Rangers by 9 1/2 games, they are within striking distance of a wild card berth 4 1/2 games behind Baltimore.

The offense has been the key for both teams throughout the series with balls flying out of Camden Yards. The Orioles have hit 13 homers in the three games, while Houston has gone deep nine times.

"The only silver lining with their power is we kept it to solo homers by most part, or a couple of two-run homers," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said about the Orioles. "There's do doubt that these guys live and die by the home run, more so than any team in baseball. Keeping them in the ballpark is key."

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (7-12, 4.76 ERA) starts for the Astros on Sunday. Keuchel is having an uneven season and has lost three of his past four starts. In his previous outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, he allowed six runs on six hits in five innings in the 8-5 loss.

Baltimore counters with Yovani Gallardo (4-4, 5.18). He has struggled to go deep into games this season, competing seven innings only once in 16 starts. On Tuesday, Gallardo gave up three runs on four hits and five walks in five innings against the Boston Red Sox. He didn't get a decision in the 5-3 loss.

Gallardo was hit in the right elbow on a liner by Dustin Pedroia and there were some initial concerns over whether he would be able to make the next start. But Gallardo said he suffered just a bruise and shrugged off the injury.

"It's all right," he said. "He got me pretty good, but I'll be all right."

The Orioles will likely be without four-time All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, who was placed on paternity leave Saturday. He has the option of being away for a maximum of three days.

In a corresponding move, catcher Francisco Pena was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. In nine games with Baltimore earlier this season, Pena went 7-for-33.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter is hopeful his team can put the past two losses behind them and salvage a split in the four-game series.

"Nobody clicks on all phases every night," Showalter said. "One day you hoping your offense is enough to cover some deficiency starting, then it's something to cover deficiencies in the bullpen maybe you don't catch the ball well that night. ... I can come up with three or four things they didn't do well. but they did something to overcome them. it's pretty tough to cover that many runs the last two nights. It's pretty obvious we need to pitch better."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (53-70) at White Sox (58-64)

Game: 3
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: August 21, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana will try to reach double-digit victories for the first time in his career when he takes the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

Quintana, 27, has finished with nine victories in each of his past three seasons. He has nine victories once again this season but has failed to obtain career-high victory No. 10 in each of his past two starts.

If the White Sox swing the bat like they did Saturday evening, Quintana could be in luck. Chicago (58-64) erupted to score six runs and had 10 hits against the A's to even the series heading into Sunday's rubber match.

"Nobody in here has given up," White Sox left-hander Chris Sale said. "We have too much pride in ourselves and what we do. When you look around this clubhouse, we have some pretty good guys, guys that compete. At the end of the day, that's all you can ask for."

Oakland (53-70) has dropped four of its past five series but has a chance to win two out of three games at U.S. Cellular Field. The A's have lost 10 of their past 15 games and 16 of their past 24.

The A's could be without designated hitter Billy Butler, who did not play Saturday because of an illness. Butler was sent back to the team hotel because he felt nauseated and was vomiting.

"I doubt he'll be ready to play (Sunday)," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said.

That will leave slugger Khris Davis and the rest of the A's offense to try to solve Quintana.

In his past eight starts, Quintana has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.21 ERA. He is 0-0 with a 3.51 ERA in four career starts against the A's.

Poor run support has dogged Quintana throughout the season. The White Sox have averaged 3.13 runs during his starts, which is the lowest mark for any starter in the American League. The only pitcher in the majors with worse run support is Atlanta Braves right-hander Julio Teheran (2.77 runs per start).

Oakland will counter with right-hander Zach Neal (2-2, 5.19 ERA), who will make his fourth start of the season.

Neal has fared well in the bullpen this season, but he has yet to find his groove in the starting rotation. In 10 relief appearances, he is 1-0 with a 3.15 ERA. In three starts, he is 1-2 with a 7.98 ERA (13 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings).

The 27-year-old rookie has not yet faced the White Sox.

"When he's pitching well, he keeps the ball down," Melvin said. "There is subtle movement both ways with his sinker and his slider. He throws just enough off-speed, whether it's a little bit of a curveball or a changeup to speed you up and slow you down. But for the most part, it's the late action on his sinker and his slider."

Oakland's Danny Valencia carries a six-game hitting streak into Sunday's series finale. Valencia has batted .480 (12-for-25) during his hitting streak with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (49-74) at Royals (63-60)

Game: 4
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: August 21, 2016 2:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy is seeking his 10th straight victory when the Royals conclude a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

The Royals are going for the sweep and have won 10 of 12 games against this season against the Twins. Their seven-game winning streak is their best this season.

Since June 1, Duffy's 10 victories rank second in the majors. He is fourth in strikeouts (109) and seventh in batting average against (.209) during that timetable.

Duffy tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief on April 9 against the Twins, but has not started against them this year. He is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA all-time against Minnesota.

The Twins will counter with right-hander Ervin Santana, who has won his past three starts. In that span, he has allowed three earned runs on 16 hits and four walks, while striking out 19 in 19 1/3 innings. Santana threw seven scoreless innings Tuesday at Atlanta, holding the Braves to four hits, while walking two and striking out six.

Santana will try to silence the bat of Alex Gordon, who had been quiet most of the year but has erupted with an 11-game hitting streak, including five home runs in the past five games.

"I hope it lasts the whole year," Gordon said. "We've got a good thing going right now, winning games and having fun. Hopefully I can keep this up and the team can keep it up, too."

He homered twice Saturday in the Royals' 10-0 victory.

"He's dialed in," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor is looking to tighten his outfield defense.

There were two glaring bad plays in the series opener against the Royals, although only one was an error in the box score.

Center fielder Eddie Rosario committed a throwing error on Thursday with the ball sailing all the way to the screen, while left fielder Robbie Grossman took a bad route to Kendrys Morales' double in the eighth inning Thursday.

"We talked briefly after the game about our defense and the plays that happened are not that uncommon," Molitor said. "One of the reasons that Rosario is such an exciting player is that he makes plays, offensively and defensively. We saw last year that his ability to throw runners out was an asset and I think sometimes he takes it a little bit too far.

"The misread by Robbie, I'm not sure what he saw off the bat that got him so far off line in terms of trying to make a play. I don't really relate it to where we're at in terms of the season. I think, when you have people trying to play defense it doesn't really matter if you're in your 130th game or in your tenth game. There's going to be some physical mistakes. We've had more than our fair share.

"Robbie's not the fastest. He doesn't throw the hardest, but you kind of trust him to make good decisions and be able to make the routine plays. And there's been a couple that have gotten away from him in the last week or so. You start thinking about those things maybe more than you should instead of just going out and playing."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees (63-59) at Angels (51-72)

Game: 3
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: August 21, 2016 3:35 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The pitching matchup for Sunday's game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium reflects the teams' conflicting approaches to reconstructing their rosters.

Right-hander Chad Green represents the Yankees' immediate focus on youth. But another right-hander, the Angels' Jhoulys Chacin, belongs to the squadron of stopgap solutions for an injury-riddled pitching staff.

Green comes off one of the best performances by a starting pitcher in the Yankees' history. In just his fifth major league start, Green the first 13 batters he faced, amassed 11 strikeouts in six shutout innings, conceded just two hits and issued no walks Monday night in a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 25-year-old compiled the most strikeouts by a Yankees rookie since Masahiro Tanaka struck out 11 Seattle Mariners in 2014. Green also became just the second rookie pitcher in team history to compile at least 11 strikeouts without permitting a walk or a run. Stan Bahnsen pitched a three-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts against the Boston Red Sox in 1968, the year he was named the American League's rookie of the year.

Green's start Monday night marked the beginning of his fifth stint with the Yankees after being promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"Each time, he took his demotion the right way and said, 'OK, this is what I need to work on, and I'm going to get better,' " New York manager Joe Girardi said. "He's got good stuff and his stuff has developed this year."

Part of that development includes the rapid improvement of his slider.

"It was terrible," Green told the New York Times. "It was pretty much non-existent. But the strides with that pitch have been huge. I didn't really change the grip too much. I think it was more like a mind-set. Just being more confident with it was huge."

Chacin, meanwhile, has experienced little success after the Angels acquired him from the Atlanta Braves in May.

The seven-year veteran has lost five consecutive starts since his last victory June 14. But after being sent to the bullpen in mid-season, Chacin collected 20 strikeouts in eight relief appearances covering 17 2/3 innings while allowing just five runs, 11 hits and five walks.

When Chacin returned to the rotation, however, that effectiveness evaporated. In his two starts since his return, the right-hander gave up 11 runs, 13 hits, five walks and a hit batsman while collecting just two strikeouts and pitching only six total innings.

Against the Mariners in his last start Tuesday night, Chacin threw 88 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, walked two, hit one and struck out two. Seattle scored all four of its runs against Chacin with two out.

"He had trouble closing out innings," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. "It usually comes down to one pitch. The more a team gets looks when they're ahead in the count, they're going to put better swings on pitches."

The Angels will play without Yuniel Escobar, who began Saturday ranked second in the American League with a .320 average and ninth with a .368 on-base percentage. The veteran third baseman went on the seven-day disabled list for concussions after bunting a ball off his nose in the fourth inning of a 7-0 loss Friday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cubs (78-44) at Rockies (59-64)

Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: August 21, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

DENVER -- Jason Hammel will carry an impressive scoreless streak into his start for the Chicago Cubs and oppose his former team in the rubber game of a series with the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Hammel is 13-5 with a 2.75 ERA. He gave up two hits in seven scoreless innings in his last start Tuesday at Milwaukee.

Hammel has not allowed a run in 22 innings and is 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break.

In his one start against the Rockies, Hammel gave up three runs in six innings on April 11, 2015, in a 9-5 win. Hammel pitched for the Rockies in 2009-2011 and 27-30 with a 4.63 ERA.

Hammel's start comes in the wake of the Cubs' 9-2 win on Saturday night in which left-hander Mike Montgomery, in his first start for the Cubs after seven relief appearances and governed by a 60-65 pitch limit, worked 4 1/3 hitless innings before giving up a homer to Nick Hundley on his 60th and final pitch.

Montgomery was filling in for injured John Lackey, who along with ace Jake Arrieta can be a free agent after 2017. The Cubs lack starting pitching depth at Triple-A Iowa, making Montgomery an intriguing possibility for their rotation.

"We think he can be very, very helpful to us," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It's an easy delivery. He's pitching with confidence. I can see him settling in. And he knows he belongs here and can do this and be good. Not just pedestrian. This guy can be very good."

Montgomery will have a limit of 80 to 90 pitches in his next start Friday at the Los Angeles Dodgers as he tries to build upon his outing against the Rockies.

A free agent after this season, left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, 35, who will start Sunday for the Rockies, is in the final weeks of his career with Colorado. He's 7-7 with a 5.29 ERA and has had no-decisions in his past three games, all Rockies losses, including Monday against Washington when he allowed four runs in six innings in a 5-4 loss to the Nationals.

De La Rosa, who has been with the Rockies since 2008, is 52-19 with a 4.26 ERA in 102 games, including 95 starts, at Coors Field. He's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three games against the Cubs in Denver but has not faced them at home since 2013.

De La Rosa's next start after Sunday is scheduled for Saturday at Washington. He is then next scheduled to pitch Sept. 2 at Coors Field against Arizona. That date is after the Aug. 31 deadline for making a trade after putting a player through the waiver process.

And there is a chance, albeit perhaps a small one, that on Sunday, De La Rosa will make his final start for the Rockies at Coors Field.

Regardless, the Rockies were able to get a look at their starting pitching future on Saturday night when Jeff Hoffman made his major league debut. He gave up seven hits and seven runs (six earned) in four innings, leaving with a sullied pitching line after giving up Kris Bryant's three-run homer in the fifth inning.

In reality, that line wasn't nearly as bad as it appears, and the Rockies, who acquired Hoffman, 23, in the deal last July that sent shortstop and franchise icon to Toronto, are extremely high on Hoffman.

He will make his next start Friday at Washington and figures to be in the Rockies' rotation to start the 2017 season. Hoffman gave up two hard-hit balls to the Cubs and four singles that found their way through the infield, three when the Rockies' shifts didn't pay off.

"I wasn't getting ahead as much as I should have been, and that obviously opened up a whole world of opportunities for them," Hoffman said. "When you are not getting ahead, and you are facing guys in the box who know what they are doing, they are going to find holes. That's what they did tonight, they found holes with everything."

Chalk it up as a learning experience for Hoffman in his big league debut before a sellout crowd of 48,113 at Coors Field.

"I felt very comfortable here," Hoffman said. "I don't know why that was. I was really expecting to be nervous, to be jittery, all that stuff.

"For my first big league game, this was exactly what I was expecting. A ton of people. It was loud. It was electric. I just got to go out and do a better job of executing pitches."

The Rockies are quite confident he will.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Brewers (52-70) at Mariners (66-56)

Game: 3
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: August 21, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

SEATTLE -- The struggling Seattle Mariners made a deadline deal late last month that was meant to add youth and cut payroll. When the team traded veteran starter Wade Miley for Baltimore minor leaguer Ariel Miranda, there was very little thought of Miranda being a part of the Mariners' sudden playoff run.

And yet Seattle (66-56) turns to the 27-year-old rookie again for his third start since the trade as the red-hot Mariners try to continue their climb back into contention Sunday. Miranda (1-0, 5.79 ERA) is scheduled to be on the mound for the finale of a three-game series with Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.

Since trading Miley in what looked like a white-flag move -- at the time, the Mariners were 52-51 and were on the outside looking into the postseason race -- Seattle has gone on a tear.

Saturday night's 8-2 victory over the Brewers was the Mariners' 12th win in 15 games and gave Seattle a 14-5 record in August. The Mariners sit one game behind Baltimore in the American League wild-card race.

"It's been amazing," said starter Felix Hernandez, who earned his fourth win since coming off the disabled list by beating the Brewers on Saturday. "The guys have been playing hard."

For the Brewers, the postseason isn't even a part of the discussion. Milwaukee (52-70) has lost six consecutive games and is in full-blown youth movement mode.

As veteran Ryan Braun said after Friday's loss to Seattle: "We still want to win as many games as possible, but we understand where we're at as a franchise. There's a learning curve going on."

Part of Milwaukee's problem as of late has been a bullpen that's showing signs of being taxed. Manager Craig Counsell said the issue during the current road trip has been an inability to take a lead into the late innings.

"When you're not playing with a lead, we haven't been able to get guys lined up like we need to,' Counsell said. "This time of year, every team's bullpen is taxed. But for us, not being able to line them up like we want to has been a big factor."

The Brewers hope that Sunday starter Matt Garza can change that. After missing the first 2 1/2 months with a strained lat muscle that he suffered during spring training, Garza (4-5, 4.87 ERA) finally seems to be finding his groove with three wins in his last four starts.

Milwaukee has lost seven straight on the road dating to Aug. 8 and with a 10-game homestand on tap after Sunday's game, that streak of road futility could extend into September.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Diamondbacks (51-72) at Padres (52-71)

Game: 4
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: August 21, 2016 4:40 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- The worst of the National League West is tying a bow on their four-game series.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (51-72) face San Diego (52-71) on Sunday with the Padres trying to snap a four-series losing streak.

The Padres, who are headed to their sixth straight losing season, took the first two games before the Diamondbacks rallied behind Robbie Ray's gem to win Saturday night.

San Diego will be looking to get more hits than errors Sunday, something they didn't do on Saturday. The Padres had four errors and three hits.

Arizona right-hander Braden Shipley gets the nod and the Diamondbacks are hoping he doesn't repeat his last performance. Shipley, who is making his first career start against the Padres, was rocked for seven runs (six earned) over five innings in losing to the New York Mets on Tuesday.

It was stumble for Shipley, who has been pretty solid since his debut. And he was cruising along through the first four innings when trouble arrived in the fifth. Manager Chip Hale stayed with his youngster and he didn't record an out in the sixth.

"We don't want them to take their lumps to the point where we're out of a game," Hale said. "I wish I could've gotten him out of there a little quicker."

Before the Diamondbacks get out of town, they'll face righty Luis Perdomo. An afterthought at the beginning of the season, Perdomo has become the senior member of the rotation after James Shields, Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Cashner were traded. With opening day starter Tyson Ross limited to one start, Perdomo has been thrust into a more prominent role.

Perdomo, who has hit an uneven patch, is making his 14th career start and second against Arizona. He was tagged with his third straight loss in his last outing Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Although he didn't pitch that bad, He was charged with three runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings. His trouble came in the early innings when he was trying to be too fine. He tip-toed out of a first-inning bases loaded jam by allowing one run.

"Trying to be too perfect," Perdomo said through a translator. "That was the biggest issue that I had."

Two of Perdomo's wins have come against the Diamondbacks, including one in relief. He prevailed in a start on July 4, when pitching six innings of three-run ball.

It's the first game for the Diamondbacks in which they officially know shortstop Nick Ahmen is out. He'll undergo season-ending hip surgery next week.