Wednesday 4/27/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

At the Gate - Wednesday
By Mike Dempsey

We have three days left of the spring Keeneland meeting and then it is back to New York for the opening of the Belmont Park meeting on Friday.

I decided Gulfstream Park was going to be the place to be this winter, as I had grown tired of the racing at Aqueduct along with what I consider a rather underachieving group of jockeys, short fields and uninteresting betting opportunities.

Things get better starting Friday in the Big Apple, the 54-day spring/summer meeting getting underway highlighted by the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1), the third jewel of racing’s Triple Crown on June 11.

There are 29 graded stakes to be contested during the meeting. The Belmont Stakes Festival that starts on Thursday June 9 will feature 19 stakes worth nearly $10 million in purses.

There are four supporting Grade 1 races on the Belmont Stakes Day card, the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap for three-year-olds and up, the $1 million Manhattan for older horses on the grass and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game for the turf female division, and the the $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares and the $700,000 Acorn for three-year-old fillies.

The opening day feature on Friday is the $100,000 Affirmed Success for state breds which drew a field of nine that will go six furlongs on the main track.

The first graded stakes come up on Kentucky Derby Day- the $200,000 Sheepshead Bay (G2), $150,000 Westchester (G3) and the $150,000 Fort Marcy (G3).


Here is today’s opener from Keeneland to get the day off to a good start:

KEE Race 1 Clm $10,000 (1:05 ET)
#3 Tapanna 7-5
#2 War Point 8-5
#1 Phillips Best Day 8-1
#6 Northern Empire 6-1

Analysis: Tapanna stumbled and was bumped coming out of the gate and after being outrun early could not make up enough ground late in a seventh place finish against $7,500 starter allowance foes. The gelding beat $12,500 claimers two back on poly at Turfway Park. The Maker barn has heated up and now leads all trainers at the meeting with 10 winners from 34 starters. The gelding has not gone nine furlongs but is by Tapit out of a Sir Cat mare and should be able to handle the extra ground. He looks well spotted here dropping back in for a tag.

War Point was a sharp winner last out in the slop against $12,500 non-winners of four or two races in a year. The effort was flattered when the runner up and third place finisher both won next out. He has won two of his four starts since Stidham claimed this guy for $15,000 last December. He steps into open company here but his best makes him a player.

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 8-5 or better.
EX: 2,3 / 1,2,3
TRI: no play

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Keeneland:

KEE Race 8 Alw $62,000N1X (4:57 ET)
#8 Gone Away 3-1
#1 Verbouwen 4-1
#2 Shiawassee 6-1
#11 Lottie 5-1

Analysis: Gone Away checked in a good third last out in the Herecomesthebride (G3) in her first go against winners. She ran into the talented Catch a Glimpse, who returned to win the Appalachian (G3) in her next start here on April 14. Our top pick broke her maiden at Gulfstream park last December in her second career start and tag nine furlongs.

Verbouwen stalked the early pace and finished gamely to break her maiden in her third career start at Gulfstream park going 1 3/16 miles on the turf. The runner up Gioia Stella came back to break her maiden in her next outing on April 20. She is in good hands with the Chad Brown barn that is having a tough luck meeting with just one winner form 19 starters with seven runner up finishes. He is overdue to win a few closing week of the meeting.

Wagering
WIN: #8 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 1,8 / 1,2,8,11
TRI: 1,8 / 1,2,8,11 / 1,2,8,10,11

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Keeneland
R1: #1 Phillips Best Day 8-1
R2: #3 Drafted 10-1
R7: #2 Tiger Tank 8-1

Good luck today!

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Northfield: Wednesday 4/27 Analysis + Pick Four ticket
By Jeremey Day

DRF HARNESS

Race 8 - $10,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool

Jeremey’s $1 Pick Four play:

1,3,5 / 9 / 1,2,3,4,5 / 4 = $15


Best Bet: CROWNED WITH GLORY (2nd)

Spot Play: RAILROAD LANE (1st)


Race 1

(9) RAILROAD LANE three-year-old makes his first start of the year against a suspect bunch. (8) MATTER OF PRIDE might be the horse to beat but gets a very tough starting post. (1) MARKET TIMER is the only horse in the field with a win over the track; threat.

Race 2

(2) CROWNED WITH GLORY looks primed for a big effort third start back off the bench. (3) CREDIT TO THELIMIT well bred filly needed her last start and is one of few threats in the race. (1) NOBLE DUNN had an excellent record on the fair circuit last year but is probably best used underneath.

Race 3

(6) COSMIC ROCKER trotter will be tough to beat if he minds his manners. (5) ANASTASIA GUNNER showed a big burst of speed in his career debut and will look to make it two straight. (3) PRECIOUS LOVE will offer a big price in a field full of question marks.

Race 4

(5) THIRDSTRAIGHT SHOT lightly raced pacer makes his first start of the year for capable connections. (6) BIG BAD'S SHADOW looks to offer low value and could need a start; use caution. (3) JOHNNY MAGIC pacer gets a much better starting post and has room to improve.

Race 5

(1) WILD NORDIC couldn't seal the deal down in class two starts ago but will be tough to beat with an easy early lead. (9) FLYING MUSCLES picks up a top driver against a weak field. (6) RETURN TO PARIS is just now back in racing shape and will offer a big price.

Race 6

(6) WELCOME WAGON gets sent out for the top connections at the track. (4) GOT WHAT IT TAKES put in a decent effort last week despite not owning a victory in well over a year. (8) JK EVEN STEVEN has some question marks but is capable of pacing a fast mile.

Race 7

(1) AXLE picks back up a top driver with the best post; fires early. (3) HASTE fourteen-year-old trotter takes a significant drop in class; threat. (6) ROSE RUN PRINCESS almost took no prisoners last week against a decent field.

Race 8

(5) SKULL OF ROSES will be very tough to beat if the pacer's ready to roll. (3) TIM'S FINALE six-year-old owns more ability than what he shows; threat. (1) MEXICAN COAST paced a big effort out of nowhere. If the 13-year-old puts in another similar effort it could be lights out.

Race 9

(9) AIRZOOMS IMAGE has been super sharp off the layoff and will look to make it three straight. (1) KIMCO HALL was no match for the top choice last week, however the 4-year-old trotting mare gets a much better starting post; threat. (2) PHAT STACKS has an excellent win record and looks to be in line for a nice ground saving trip up close.

Race 10

(1) BIG BAD JUNIOR looks to be one of the faster pacers in the field and gets the rail. (2) WIGGLER is just now back in racing shape and has plenty of room to move forward. (3) WESTER HELENS BOY has some upside making his second start back off a layoff.

Race 11

(4) STEVENS QUEEN should be primed for a big effort second start back adding second time lasix. (1) CAVIAR CRUISER comes from a nice family and showed a nice late burst last week. (6) WERE GONE looks to be one of three threats in the race.

Race 12

(2) ELOCUTIONIST finds a weak and inconsistent field to do some damage. (1) ULSHOOTUREYEOUTKID has just been racing evenly but so has most of the field. (9) DRIVEN TO SUCCEED would be the horse to beat with a different driver; threat.

Race 13

(2) GYPSY OSBORNE put in an excellent first start of the year. The filly should be sharper this week. (3) LOOK KIMBO could need a start but did put in a decent first qualifier. (5) FRISKIE ZENA picks up a top driver in a field full of question marks.

Race 14

(7) HANGIN JUDGE will either win by open lengths or make a miscue. (1) CEANA'S STAR has been very shaky with breaks in two of his last three. (5) POWER STICK four-year-old owns some ability and with some racing luck could threaten.

Race 15

(1) SASSY OSBORNE should be closer turning for home against a weak bunch. (2) KEYSTONE ROYCE has been a cash burner all year long; use caution. (3) MACH THE KASBAH gets sent out first start for new connections; threat.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Wednesday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE


Evangeline Downs (2nd) Man of Strife, 6-1
(5th) Sweet N Special, 6-1

Gulfstream Park (1st) Dancing Cool, 8-1
(4th) Honeymoon Spring, 3-1

Indiana Grand (4th) Sugar Kate, 9-2
(8th) Da Money Man, 9-2


Keeneland (5th) Francesca Di Fiori, 3-1
(7th) Grande Basin, 7-2


Mountaineer (4th) Seven Strikes, 7-2
(8th) Bit Growth, 3-1


Penn National (3rd) Spiked, 4-1
(7th) Better Luck, 5-1


Tampa Bay Downs (4th) Western Shine, 8-1
(8th) Catalactic, 7-2


Thistledown (3rd) Jiddy, 4-1
(5th) Coyote Moon, 9-2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (7-14) at Giants (11-11)

Game: 3
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: April 27, 2016 3:45 PM EDT

There was a time Jeff Samardzija and Andrew Cashner sat in the Wrigley Field bullpen together putting in their time as relievers while being considered the potential future front end of what's presently the best team in baseball's rotation.

They've since moved west and face off as starters for the first time Wednesday in San Francisco as the Giants try to complete a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.

Teammates in 2010-11 before Cashner was traded to San Diego, neither ended up seeing it through to the end of the Chicago Cubs' lengthy rebuilding phase. Rather than being a part of the 15-5 Cubs, they're on teams at or below .500, though they're both coming off arguably their best starts of the season.

Samardzija (2-1, 3.00 ERA) gave up a run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings in Friday's 8-1 win over Miami, his home debut for the Giants.

"It was great to come out here and throw well the first time out here in this stadium. It was an electric atmosphere," Samardzija said. "It's a very educated fan base with high standards, so you want to live up to those standards. When you come play at a park like this with the history they have here, as a new guy, you want to prove your worth and prove that you belong on this team. Hopefully they saw some things they like."

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in four appearances at AT&T Park and 3-1 with a 2.76 mark in six games against San Diego. Jon Jay is 8 for 18 against Samardzija, but former Chicago White Sox teammate Alexei Ramirez is 3 for 15.

Cashner (1-1, 4.29) has gradually gotten better in his four starts and earned his first win in Friday's 4-1 home victory over St. Louis. The right-hander allowed a run and three hits in six innings and impressed Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.

"He came at us and he used his other pitches more than just his fastball," Matheny said. "He was making pretty good pitches overall. We had to fight for any kind of rhythm at all."

The Giants have found that rhythm plenty against Cashner and particularly so at AT&T Park, where he's 0-4 with a 6.91 ERA in five starts and four relief efforts. Buster Posey (11 for 25 with two home runs) and Brandon Crawford (6 for 14 with a homer) have had the most success against him.

Tuesday's 1-0 win took very little offense with the Giants (11-11) managing four hits in Johnny Cueto's complete game. After being swept in four games at home by Arizona, they've won four of five with the rotation earning each decision with a 2.25 ERA.

The quiet offense Tuesday was an anomaly as Giants have won the last seven meetings with the Padres in San Francisco by scoring 7.43 runs per game and batting .328.

The Padres (7-14) have lost four straight and are averaging 2.67 runs over a 1-5 span.

"Everybody is frustrated after a game like that," manager Andy Green said. "... We have to find a way to scratch out a run."

Derek Norris is 1 for 16 in the last five games, though Wil Myers is batting .383 on an 11-game hitting streak since moving to the No. 2 spot in the order. He hit safely in a career-best 12 straight as a rookie in July 2013 with Tampa Bay.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (10-10) at Nationals (14-5)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: April 27, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

It's no surprise to Gio Gonzalez's teammates that he's off to a strong start for the Washington Nationals. That's in part because the left-hander continues to pitch well against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Facing those Phillies for the second time in 11 days, Gonzalez tries for another successful outing Wednesday night at Nationals Park.

A 21-game winner in his first season with Washington (14-5) in 2012, Gonzalez (1-0, 1.42 ERA) did not win more than 11 games in each of the next three years but also hasn't experienced a losing season in the nation's capital.

The three earned runs he's allowed are the fewest through his first three starts with the club. Opponents are batting .186 with an on-base percentage of .230 against Gonzalez, who has walked four and owns a 0.89 WHIP.

"I think he had a good winter," teammate Jayson Werth told the Nationals' official website. "He worked hard. I think his confidence is where it needs to be. He's been working really hard. He wants to be good and do good. I'm happy for him."

Gonzalez allowed one run over his first two starts, that coming in seven innings while striking out eight in a 3-2, 10-inning loss at Philadelphia (10-10) on April 17. He then yielded the other two earned runs and also fanned eight in six-plus innings of Friday's 8-4 win over Minnesota.

'He can paint the outside with his fastball and change and he keeps you honest inside," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

Even if the Nationals again struggle offensively against the Phillies, Gonzalez would seem to have a good chance at holding them at bay after posting a 2.13 ERA in his last four matchups.

He'll try to keep the Phillies from taking this three-game set after their 4-3 victory Tuesday ended Washington's eight-game home winning streak. Andres Blanco's two-run homer highlighted his three-hit night, and he scored the go-ahead run on Maikel Franco's double in the seventh inning.

Franco is 8 for 18 with nine RBIs in the last four games, but 0 for 8 with three strikeouts against Gonzalez.

Hours after Phillies manager Pete Mackanin talked about how to pitch to Washington star Bryce Harper, the reigning NL MVP went 1 for 2 with an RBI and three walks. He's 21 for 46 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in his last 12 games against the Phillies, and homered in each of the first three meetings this season before Tuesday.

'I'm going to walk him every time we face him this series," Mackanin said. "No, I'm kidding. That's a joke.'

Harper is 3 for 5 with a double and three walks against Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 5.21), who allowed six runs and seven hits over three innings of a 9-1 loss to Washington on April 15. The right-hander wasn't much better five days later when he gave up four runs and a career high-tying 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-4, 11-inning victory over the New York Mets.

Hellickson, who gave up two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings of his first two 2016 starts, is 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in three against the Nationals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (15-6) at Blue Jays (10-12)

Game: 3
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: April 27, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

The sudden retirement of Adam LaRoche during spring training and subsequent rift between players and management shifted the focus off the field and made headlines nationwide.

Fast forward six weeks, and the Chicago White Sox are garnering attention for much different reasons.

Their latest winning streak began with yet another quality start from Jose Quintana, and he'll look to remain perfect in his career at Rogers Centre by helping Chicago complete a three-game sweep of the slumping Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

The White Sox (15-6) have come from threatening to boycott a spring game in a wacky turn of events that involved LaRoche's teenage son to being tied with the crosstown Cubs for the most wins in baseball with season's first month drawing to a close. They've won five in a row and moved nine games over .500 for the first time since late September 2012 after crushing Toronto 10-1 on Tuesday with help from Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, who have turned their anger from the fallout with executive Kenny Williams into solid performances on the diamond.

Sale pitched eight innings to win his fifth straight start, and Eaton increased his average to .309 with a homer and two RBIs as Chicago set season highs for runs and hits with 15.

'Our pitching's really been carrying us, but we know we can put some runs up on the board,' Eaton said.

The White Sox's winning streak began with Friday's 5-0 win over Texas as Quintana (2-1, 1.82 ERA) allowed four hits in seven innings. He ran into trouble in the sixth, but his defense turned the majors' first-ever 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play.

"Q came out and pitched his butt off, which we love to see," Eaton said.

The left-hander has done that often. His 49 quality starts since 2014 are tied with Sale for fifth in the AL, and he has eight during a stretch where he's gone 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA over his last nine outings.

Quintana has earned a quality start all seven times he's faced the Blue Jays (10-12), going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA. In his last start against Toronto on July 7, Quintana went eight innings but was done in by Josh Donaldson's fourth-inning homer that was the difference in a 2-1 loss.

He's won all three of his starts with a 0.89 ERA at Rogers Centre. Toronto has dropped five of seven overall and mustered only four hits while scoring its fewest runs of the season Tuesday.

Donaldson went 0 for 4 from the DH spot as he battles a sore left thigh, but he could return to third base for this one. Manager John Gibbons also hopes catcher Russell Martin will be able to go after missing the last three with neck spasms.

"We still have confidence in ourselves," Gibbons said. "We'll get it going."

If Martin is behind the plate he'll be working with Marco Estrada, who hopes to have better control in this outing. Estrada (1-1, 2.50) allowed one run and struck out nine in five innings Thursday, but he also surrendered six hits and issued four walks in Toronto's 3-2 loss to Baltimore while throwing 104 pitches.

'Physically, I was drained,' Estrada said. 'Mentally, I was drained. It was just a grind.'

The right-hander seemed just fine in his only career start against the White Sox, allowing three runs in seven innings before the Blue Jays fell 5-3 in 10 innings May 27.

Todd Frazier is 3 for 14 with two homers against Estrada.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (9-12) at Mets (12-7)

Game: 3
Venue: Citi Field
Date: April 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

Matt Harvey wasn't supposed to be a work in progress this season.

Fortunately for the New York Mets, their offense is starting to look like a finished product.

Harvey attempts to build on his first win of the season as the Mets try to slug their way to an 11th straight victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Harvey returned from Tommy John surgery last season, posting a 2.71 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 8.94 strikeouts per nine innings, but he hasn't been nearly as effective early in 2016.

The right-hander allowed two runs in Friday's 6-3 win at Atlanta, his fewest of the season, but needed 101 pitches to make it through five innings for his shortest outing.

"Still a work in progress," Harvey told MLB's official website. "Part of the game obviously felt better and felt like I was releasing the ball the way I should be. Other times it was not that way. Still working.

"There were more positives than negatives out of this game."

That's generally been the theme when Harvey (1-3, 5.24 ERA) faces the Reds, as he's gone 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA in four starts.

The Mets (12-7) have won 15 of their last 17 meetings with Cincinnati (9-12), including 10 straight to come one shy of their winning streak against Colorado for their longest active run against a single opponent. New York has outscored the Reds 60-25 despite compiling only five more hits during the streak.

The Mets have won 10 of their last 12 overall behind a .290 average and 27 homers after rallying for a 4-3 victory Tuesday. David Wright hit an RBI single in the seventh after Yoenis Cespedes' three-run, pinch-hit homer tied it earlier in the inning.

The Mets are getting accustomed to the long ball, connecting for 29 to tie their second-highest April total from 1994 and '88. They need four more over the next three games to match the franchise record set in April 2006.

Cespedes could be back in the lineup for the finale after missing three straight with a bruised right thigh and having his knee drained Monday. His six homers are a personal best for April, and he's hitting .300 with 17 RBIs in 16 games with at least one hit in 13.

Curtis Granderson is on a tear, going 12 for 29 with seven RBIs and eight runs over the last seven games after batting .143 through the first 12. He has an 11-game hitting streak against the Reds, during which he owns a .404 average with six homers and 15 RBIs.

Cincinnati has lost five of the last six games, scoring seven runs and batting .172 in those defeats.

Jon Moscot (0-1, 5.06) has been a step below mediocre in his first two starts, and although he only gave up three hits over five innings against the Cubs on Friday, he issues four walks that helped lead to four runs crossing.

"That's just not a good performance by me," Moscot said. "It's kind of unacceptable, actually. It's frustrating on my part and unacceptable. I've just got to move forward."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (11-10) at Tigers (9-10)

Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: April 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

While a Justin Verlander start against the Oakland Athletics typically delivers good fortune to the Detroit Tigers, the latest comes against a pitcher currently riding better early-season luck.

Verlander hopes to reverse his own against the cruising Sonny Gray when the Tigers host the Athletics on Wednesday night.

Verlander (1-2, 5.79 ERA) has dominated Oakland the last 4 1/2 years, surrendering eight earned runs over 10 starts. He's posted a 1.04 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in that span, aided by a shutout and two more scoreless outings spanning eight innings.

In those 10 games, Oakland (11-10) mustered only 39 hits in 69 innings against the former AL Cy Young Award winner while striking out 75 times.

Those numbers look far better than the ones Verlander holds through the first four starts of his 12th MLB season for Detroit (9-10). Although he has three quality starts, Verlander owns a 1.37 WHIP while opposing hitters are batting .276 with five home runs.

Most of the damage came when he coughed up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-4 loss to Pittsburgh on April 11. Verlander has allowed five runs in 13 innings since, though all of them came via four long balls.

Still, manager Brad Ausmus liked what he saw from Verlander in Friday's 2-1 loss to Cleveland. He became the second Detroit starter to complete seven innings, limiting the Indians to four hits - two of which were homers - while walking two and whiffing 10 for his first double-digit strikeout game since July 29.

"Verlander was outstanding. He really was," Ausmus told the team's official website. "One of the better games he's thrown in the last year and a half."

While Verlander has owned most Oakland hitters of recent memory, Billy Butler is likely to earn a Wednesday start based on his gaudy numbers against the right-hander, largely while with Kansas City from 2007-14.

Butler is the hitter with the most career at-bats (84) and hits (34) against Verlander. He has a pair of home runs and five doubles, and his .405 average is second to only Salvador Perez's .477 of players with more than 21 at-bats.

Gray and Verlander matched up twice in the 2013 AL division series, each side winning once en route to Detroit's five-game win.

Gray (3-1, 2.73 ERA) holds a 2.33 ERA in four career starts against the Tigers and held them to two hits in eight innings his last outing in June.

The right-hander has opened 2016 strong with four quality starts. He tossed seven innings in Friday's 8-5 win in Toronto, holding one of MLB's best lineups to six hits and three runs while striking out a season-high seven.

"It's incredible to play defense behind him," left fielder Khris Davis said. "Every time he's out there, he gives us a chance to win, no doubt about that."

Gray's third straight victory would give Oakland its fifth in its last six games at Comerica Park, where the Tigers are 3-6. The Athletics are 8-3 away from home.

Miguel Cabrera went 4 for 4 with two home runs in Monday's 7-3 series-opening win, and he is 5 for 11 lifetime against Gray with a pair of homers.

An MLB spokesman confirmed before Oakland's 5-1 win Tuesday that Detroit outfielder Tyler Collins will not face a suspension for his obscene gesture in Monday. He waved his left middle finger at booing fans after a fly ball he lost in the lights dropped.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (11-8) at Rays (10-10)

Game: 3
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: April 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

Suddenly, the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are headed in opposite directions.

The shine of the Orioles' unbeaten start has quickly worn off, and the host Rays will try to hand them their fourth straight loss on Wednesday night while returning the favor of an early-season sweep.

Baltimore (11-8) was the darling of the AL after its first 7-0 start since opening 9-0 as the St. Louis Browns in 1944. The Orioles are 4-8 since, though, and dropped their third straight with Tuesday's 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

A lineup that averaged 5 runs through its first 16 games has combined for two in the last three, leading to a 1-4 start to a six-game road trip.

Baltimore did snap its 20-inning scoring drought with Mark Trumbo's RBI single in the fourth inning on Tuesday - which extended his hitting streak to 11 games, one shy of his career best.

However, the Orioles failed to add on despite having the bases loaded with no outs.

'We've got to execute better in that situation, and more times than not this season we have," catcher Caleb Joseph said.

The Orioles sent the minimum to the plate in the final five innings, their three singles wiped off the board by a pickoff and two double plays. Baltimore's Nos. 1-4 hitters - Joey Rickard, Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Chris Davis - are batting .109 the last three games with four singles and a double.

Machado opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak but is hitless in his last 13 at-bats. Jonathan Schoop is mired in a 2-for-30 slump.

Baltimore has one run and 14 hits in the first two games of this series after totaling 11 runs and 21 hits in a two-game home sweep of the Rays from April 8-10.

Tampa Bay (10-10) has won three straight and four in a row at Tropicana Field. The Rays are 7-3 since their 3-7 start.

In a matchup of two pitchers who have plenty of experience against the opposing team, Tampa Bay will send Matt Moore to the mound.

Moore (1-1, 3.60 ERA) has seen mixed results in nine career starts against Baltimore, combining for a 1.56 ERA in seven of them and a 11.70 mark in the other two. He tossed seven scoreless innings in his most recent matchup but left with a no-decision in a 4-3 loss Sept. 17.

In his first three starts this season, Moore allowed six runs and 15 hits over 18 1/3 innings while striking out 21. However, in Friday's 6-3 loss at Yankee Stadium, he surrendered eight hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings.

"He probably wasn't quite as sharp as we've seen him, but he still threw the ball well and gave us a chance to win the ballgame," manager Kevin Cash told the team's official website.

Baltimore will counter with Chris Tillman (1-1, 4.42), who has thrown 122 1/3 innings against the Rays - more than any other opponent. This is the eighth consecutive series against Tampa Bay that he will start a game in.

The right-hander's ERA in this matchup is just one tenth of a point lower than his 4.20 career mark. He has failed to pitch six innings in four of the last five starts, logging a 5.67 ERA, but has a 2.93 mark in nine outings at Tropicana Field.

Evan Longoria has hit .333 against Tillman in 51 career at-bats with seven home runs and four doubles.

Desmond Jennings and Kevin Kiermaier, though, are a combined 4 for 40 in this matchup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (4-16) at Red Sox (11-9)

Game: 3
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: April 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

The last time Steven Wright pitched, David Price got roughed up the day before and put plenty of pressure on the knuckleballer to spare the bullpen.

Circumstances will be different for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night, and the Atlanta Braves lineup Wright faces is far from imposing as the Red Sox try to carry their success in Atlanta back to Boston.

The Red Sox (11-9) won both games in Atlanta and put Tuesday's 11-4 win about out of reach with a four-run first inning as Price made it through eight. Travis Shaw was 2 for 5 with a three-run homer, double and five RBIs, while Xander Bogaerts went 3 for 5 to give Boston its 10th win in the last 12 meetings.

Atlanta (4-16) has lost seven straight after starting the season on a nine-game slide. The Braves are 12 games under .500 in 20 games or fewer for the third time in franchise history after they started 3-15 in 1988 and went 3-15 with a tie in 1914.

While Atlanta's 4.85 ERA is among the worst in baseball, much of it falls on the offense. The Braves have averaged 2.14 runs on the most recent skid and are batting .227 for the season with nonexistent power. Tuesday was their 15th straight game without a home run, which they last topped on a 16-game drought in September 1946 as the Boston Braves. Every other team has at least four times their total of three for the season.

The 1975 California Angels are the only other team in the expansion era - since 1961 - to have hit as few as three home runs while playing 20 or more games in April.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez is making no guarantees the power numbers will get a substantial boost on a team that lacks home run hitters.

"The home run stuff, you can't teach that," Gonzalez said.

Wright (1-2, 1.40 ERA), who had made 11 career starts before this season, gave up an unearned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of Friday's 6-2 victory in Houston.

"He's been the most consistent starter without question," manager John Farrell told MLB's official website.

However, the 31-year-old right-hander walked five after issuing three walks in 12 2/3 innings of his first two starts, and three of those came in his final inning to deny him from completing the seventh.

"It's something I don't think I can ever live with, because there's no way to defend a walk, and so I feel like that's why I got so frustrated," Wright said.

Bud Norris (1-3, 6.75) has done nothing to bolster the Braves' rotation. The right-hander has allowed at least four runs in his last three starts without going beyond 5 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs and five hits in four innings of Friday's 6-3 home loss to the New York Mets. Norris has yielded five home runs in those three outings, and his opponent OPS is at .877.

One of the two he allowed in the most recent start followed two walks to set up a grand slam, and Norris has issued 3.80 walks per nine innings through his four starts with his new club.

"I didn't help myself," Norris said.

He saw plenty of the Red Sox while with Baltimore and is 0-3 with a 3.09 ERA in four starts at Fenway Park. All five runs he gave up in a 5-1 loss there June 24 were unearned.

Hanley Ramirez is 8 for 17 in their matchups, but Chris Young (2 for 17) and Bogaerts (2 for 12) have struggled.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Brewers (8-12) at Cubs (15-5)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: April 27, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

Amid a remarkable stretch of dominance that now includes a second no-hitter over his last 11 regular-season starts, Jake Arrieta continues to remain confident and humble.

That won't change against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, when Arrieta looks to extend his historic Wrigley Field scoreless-inning stretch while the Chicago Cubs try to win a franchise-record 18th straight start by the right-hander.

A day after becoming the third Cub to throw more than one no-hitter in Thursday's 16-0 rout of Cincinnati, Arrieta (4-0, 0.87 ERA) admitted that he probably won't become the first pitcher since Johnny Vander Meer in 1938 to accomplish that feat in back-to-back outings.

'I don't expect that,' he said. 'I try to be good, but that's a little much.'

Then again, the way Arrieta has pitched since the end of June, anything seems possible

'Every time he goes out there, he's got no-hit stuff,' Reds outfielder Jay Bruce said. 'He's arguably the best pitcher in the game today.'

Arrieta is 20-1 with an 0.86 ERA while recording 24 consecutive regular-season quality starts - a team record and the longest run since Bob Gibson went 26 straight in 1967-68. He's struck out 173, walked 33 and served up four homers while posting an 0.70 WHIP during that span.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has 15 wins in 17 starts - all Cubs victories - since he was on the mound July 25 when Cole Hamels no-hit the Cubs (15-5). A victory Wednesday would equal the team mark for consecutive wins from a starter set by Rick Sutcliffe in 1984-85.

That loss opposite Hamels was also the last time Arrieta allowed a run in the regular season at Wrigley, where he's pitched 48 2/3 scoreless innings. It's the longest streak at the historic ballpark and the longest at any home field since Ray Herbert's 54 straight for the White Sox in 1962-63.

'It's crazy, man, what he's done,' manager Joe Maddon said.

"He's kind of matter of fact, 'Yeah, I can do this, I believe it. I'm not here to brag at it, I know I can do this.' And he does it."

Arrieta also managed to stay calm and collected while addressing recent rumors from other major leaguers that he's used performance enhancing drugs to turn around a sagging career.

'I think it's funny because I've always been in good shape,' the 30-year-old confirmed health nut said. 'I just sucked early in my career."

Arrieta didn't allow a run in his last 18 innings while going 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA in three post-All-Star break starts against Milwaukee (8-12). He struck out 11 in a three-hit, 4-0 victory over the Brewers at Wrigley on Sept. 22.

Chicago beat Milwaukee 4-3 on Tuesday for their 13th win in 14 meetings. Addison Russell delivered a go-ahead two-run triple in the seventh for the Cubs, who are off to their best 20-game start since 1907.

After batting .196 in his first 14 games, Russell is 5 for 13 with four RBIs in four contests. He is 3 for 4 against Taylor Jungmann (0-3, 8.47).

The right-hander allowed an earned run over five innings of his first start, but 15 in 12-plus to lose three straight. He yielded three runs and walked six in four-plus innings of Thursday's 8-1 loss to Minnesota.

"He's got to throw strikes, and I think he's just really making it hard on himself,' manager Craig Counsell said.

He went 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA against the Cubs last season.

Aaron Hill and Ryan Braun are a combined 11 for 27 with a homer each against Arrieta.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees (8-11) at Rangers (11-10)

Game: 3
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: April 27, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

Elvis Andrus has found a new home in the Texas Rangers' batting order, and it's much lower than usual.

Andrus looks to continue his hot hitting and help the Rangers to a second straight win over the New York Yankees.

Andrus is second in the AL with a .343 average, batting seventh or eighth in all but two games. He's been in the No. 2 spot in 624 of his 1,093 career games.

"It's been a good position for me so far," said Andrus, who had a .250 career average in April prior to this year. "As long as I'm still doing my job, I kind of like it."

He certainly did Tuesday, going 3 for 4 with a double and one RBI in a 10-1 win over the Yankees to end Texas' four-game skid.

Andrus has a .375 average over his last 17 home games against New York, and he's 10 for 22 overall against scheduled starter CC Sabathia.

Since a solid season debut, Sabathia (1-1, 5.28 ERA) has struggled in his past two starts. He's allowed six runs and 16 hits over 9 1/3 innings, losing his only decision.

The left-hander surrendered 11 runs and 16 hits - three homers - in 7 1/3 innings in two starts against the Rangers last year. He's 3-2 despite a 5.79 ERA in his past six starts in Arlington.

The Rangers (11-10) will counter with Martin Perez (0-2, 4.50), who is getting a fifth chance at his first win of 2016. The left-hander didn't come close Friday, surrendering five runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

He'll hope to atone for a dreadful performance in his only other start against the Yankees (8-11) on July 28. Perez tossed a scoreless first inning before surrendering eight runs and getting the hook while failing to get an out in the second in a 21-5 loss.

This time, Perez is facing a New York club that's batting .218 with eight runs over the last four games. The Yankees were held to six hits Tuesday - all singles.

"We should have put better swings on the mistakes, but he didn't have many," first baseman Mark Teixeira said of starter A.J. Griffin. "He hit corners a lot, and give him credit."

Teixeira is turning his season around in a big way, going 9 for 20 over the past five games after his average dipped to .170 in the first 14.

The Yankees might have Alex Rodriguez back from a left oblique injury that's sidelined him for two games. However, he's batting .145 with two homers and six RBIs through 15 games.

Texas' Ian Desmond had two hits and scored three runs Tuesday. He's batting .448 with three homers in his last eight games after hitting .091 with no home runs in his first 12.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Indians (9-9) at Twins (7-14)

Game: 3
Venue: Target Field
Date: April 27, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Jose Berrios had the pitching repertoire to reach the major leagues much earlier, but the Minnesota Twins understandably have been cautious with their top prospect.

Now that their top two starters are on the disabled list, it's time to give the kid a shot.

The 21-year-old makes his major league debut Wednesday night as the Twins go for a three-game sweep of the visiting Cleveland Indians.

Berrios had a combined 2.87 ERA between Double- and Triple-A last season and was named Minnesota's minor league pitcher of the year, his fourth with the organization. The Twins decided not to call him up at the end of 2015, though, because he threw a career-high 166 1/3 innings.

The right-hander went 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in three starts with Triple-A Rochester to begin this season, and he'll get his chance to show what he can do at the big league level with Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson on the disabled list.

Santana has a lower back strain, and Gibson suffered a right shoulder strain while allowing seven runs in three innings of Friday's loss to Washington. General manager Terry Ryan said Berrios will get every opportunity to stick with the Twins (7-14) if he performs.

"Berrios is a guy who spent his time in the minor leagues to get prepared the last few years, and now it's his turn," Ryan said. "He's got pitches, he's athletic, he's got command. He's gone up our system at a very rapid rate for a 21-year-old. We wouldn't have called him up if he wasn't ready."

The Twins hope to keep hitting for the rookie. They beat the Indians 4-3 on Oswaldo Arcia's ninth-inning homer Monday, then tied a season high with 14 hits in Tuesday's 6-5 walkoff victory.

Brian Dozier and Danny Santana had three hits apiece before Miguel Sano drove in Dozier with a single in the ninth. It was only Sano's third hit in his last 17 at-bats as the Twins won for the ninth time in 11 meetings.

'Arcia told me you can be a leader, the big guy in the game,' Sano said of Arcia's ninth-inning message. 'He don't pitch to (Joe) Mauer. He tried to pitch me.'

Dozier is 6 for 15 with six RBIs over his last three.

Josh Tomlin (2-0, 1.54 ERA) gets the ball for the Indians (9-9) after going 2-4 with a 5.88 ERA in his first seven starts against the Twins. Mauer is 7 for 16 in their matchups while Dozier is 2 for 13.

The right-hander has looked good since missing the first week and a half with a right hamstring injury. After beating the New York Mets in his first start April 16, Tomlin gave up one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of Friday's 2-1 win at Detroit.

"The way Josh pitched, he pitched so well," manager Terry Francona said. "That was fun to watch."

Francona certainly hasn't had much fun losing back-to-back games in the Twins' last at-bat. Mike Napoli's homer tied Tuesday's contest in the ninth as Minnesota closer Kevin Jepsen blew his third save.

Michael Brantley made his season debut in the eighth inning of the series opener after recovering from a tear in his shoulder before going 0 for 4 in his first start.

Brantley hit cleanup, with Carlos Santana remaining in the leadoff spot.

'I kind of like the idea of Carlos leading off, getting on base the way he can,' Francona said. 'It should create some scoring opportunities for (Jason Kipnis) and (Francisco) Lindor and (Brantley)."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (12-9) at Rockies (9-11)

Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: April 27, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

Jon Gray's season debut ended the way most of the starts during his 2015 callup did - with a no-decision - and that was probably the deserved outcome with multirun innings bookending three of dominance.

The Colorado Rockies aren't yet concerned about an unflattering ERA and nonexistent win total to start his career, and there are reasons to believe that could be the right attitude. The right-hander again tries for his first big league victory Wednesday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, who have already roughed him up twice.

Gray, who made nine starts last season, gave up five runs in five innings of Friday's 7-5 home win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. After allowing two home runs and a triple in a three-run first, he ended up striking out a career-high 10 batters after starting the season on the disabled list with an abdominal strain.

"His slider was filthy," manager Walt Weiss told MLB's official website. "He ended up going to his slider, and that's where a lot of his punchouts came, with the slider. I thought he did a great job. He could've went the other way after that first inning, but he stayed the course, hung in there, didn't get flustered whatsoever, and threw the ball really well after that."

But the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft is now 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and .321 opponent batting average through his first 10 starts. It's been a rough early sample, yet there's plenty of reason to believe those numbers will level.

Gray's batting average on balls in play is .402, which is 20 points higher than the next-worst mark for a pitcher with at least 10 starts since the beginning of 2015. It's still far too early in his career to nail down what a reasonable BABIP will be for the 23-year-old, but his mark over 56 games in the minors was .321. No qualifying MLB starter since 2008 has had a single-season BABIP over .345.

His fielding-independent pitching also stands at 3.93. Five qualifying Rockies starters have combined for nine total seasons with a FIP under 4.00 since 1997, and they were all seasons that pretty much thrilled starting pitching-starved Rockies fans. Ubaldo Jimenez did it three straight seasons from 2008-10 while going 46-32 with a 3.43 ERA. Jorge De La Rosa did it in '09 (16-9, 4.38) and '13 (16-6, 3.49). Jason Hammel did it in '09-10 (20-17, 4.57). Jhoulys Chacin went 14-10 with a 3.47 in '13, and Aaron Cook was 16-9 with a 3.96 in '08.

The Pirates are already familiar with Gray, tagging him with one of those losses and eight earned runs in nine innings over two starts last year. Jordy Mercer (3 for 4 with two doubles), Gregory Polanco (3 for 6), Andrew McCutchen (2 for 4) and Starling Marte (2 for 5 with a home run) have done much of the damage.

Gray is up against Jonathon Niese, who's been a bit more fortunate to start his first year in Pittsburgh with an 8.10 run-support average. Niese (3-0, 4.24 ERA) got his third straight victory in Friday's 8-7 win in Arizona, though the left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Chase Field roof was open, making for some less-than-ideal pitching circumstances, but the same can be said about Coors Field.

In four starts there, Niese has a 7.94 ERA. Mark Reynolds (8 for 15 with two home runs), Nick Hundley (5 for 11) and Gerardo Parra (4 for 9) have all hit him well.

The Pirates (12-9) have won the first two of the four-game series and seven straight in Colorado while batting .348 and averaging 7.86 runs. Tuesday's 9-4 victory came with McCutchen homering three times in the first six innings to double his previous 24-game home run total at Coors.

Pittsburgh has won three straight while averaging 9 runs per game and batting .320, but McCutchen had been 2 for 19 in his previous five and got a day off Monday.

"He's gone through a period where he was getting challenged and kept working and kept looking for the answer, something to get him rolling again. He found something tonight," manager Clint Hurdle said.

The Rockies (9-11) have dropped four in a row and are batting .232 with a 5.59 starting ERA over a 3-7 span.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (11-9) at Diamondbacks (11-11)

Game: 3
Venue: Chase Field
Date: April 27, 2016 9:40 PM EDT

Adam Wainwright probably didn't think he would be searching for silver linings in late April, but he settled for one in his last start.

He is still seeking his first win in over a year.

The right-hander will try to get on track while helping the St. Louis Cardinals to their fourth win in five games in Wednesday night's visit to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Wainwright (0-3, 7.25 ERA) missed most of 2015 with a torn left Achilles before pitching out of the bullpen in the NLDS. He was the opening day starter for the Cardinals (11-9) this season but hasn't held the form he featured previously.

He's coughed up 18 runs and 29 hits in 22 1/3 innings while walking 10 and striking out nine, and his 1.75 WHIP and .326 batting average against are well above his career marks of 1.17 and .244.

Wainwright already has three losses, one third of the defeats he finished with in both 2013 and 2014 when he won a combined 39 games. He hasn't won since last April 19, six days before he suffered the Achilles injury.

However, Wainwright found some positives from Friday's 4-1 loss at San Diego. Again without his best stuff, he held the Padres to three runs in six innings.

It was a huge improvement from six days earlier when Wainwright was pounded for seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 9-8 loss to Cincinnati.

"They beat me and I'm getting tired of losing, I know that,' he told the team's official website. "So I'm just going to keep grinding, keep working. But that start right there is miles ahead of my last start, so that is how I'm going to look at it.'

History says a matchup against Arizona (11-11) should help. Tuesday's 8-2 win was St. Louis' 14th in the last 16 meetings, and the Cardinals have won six of seven at Chase Field.

Wainwright is 6-3 with a 2.15 ERA in nine starts against the Diamondbacks. However, he will have to face a pair of players who have had success against him with other teams, Jean Segura (8 for 19 with a home run) and Welington Castillo (7 for 20 with three doubles). Paul Goldschmidt is 3 for 9 with a homer in the matchup.

A St. Louis lineup that has pounded out 52 hits and 34 runs while winning three of four will face left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51).

St. Louis crushed Arizona's top two starters, Zack Greinke and former Cardinal Shelby Miller, while splitting the opening two of this four-game set. The two were tagged for 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings, raising Arizona's ERA at home to 6.43 - the second-worst in the majors to Colorado's 7.27.

Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty homered Tuesday as St. Louis dropped Arizona to 4-8 at Chase Field.

Corbin was roughed up in Friday's 8-7 home loss to Pittsburgh, surrendering seven hits - three of them home runs - while giving up four earned runs in six innings.

"I just missed some spots early and was not very good," Corbin said. "I didn't have my best stuff. Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Corbin also gave up three homers in his first start at home. He has a 5.54 ERA in two outings at Chase Field compared to 1.42 in two on the road.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Royals (12-8) at Angels (10-11)

Game: 3
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: April 27, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Chris Young showed through his first three outings why he hasn't been known as a strikeout pitcher for quite some time. He then felt the need to explain himself after recording double-digit Ks for the first time in eight years in his last start.

It doesn't seem likely that he'll repeat that performance against a Los Angeles Angels team that has struck out less than anyone else, but he hopes to have enough to help the Kansas City Royals avoid a fifth straight road loss Wednesday night.

Young (1-3, 6.41 ERA) lost each of his first three starts while combining for 10 strikeouts and allowed 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings over his second and third. He bounced back Friday, though, fanning 10 for the first time since doing so against San Francisco on April 24, 2008, and giving up two runs in six innings of a 4-2 win over Baltimore.

'Certainly the last two games, I struggled a little bit,' said Young, whose 6.57 strikeouts per nine innings ranks 98th among starters since 2008. 'It's a function of making good pitches. You're not throwing the ball expecting a strikeout or swings and misses. To me just winning the game the night I pitch is the most important thing, whether I strike out 27 guys or no batters, I could care less what the strikeouts are.'

Young's chances for Ks might be few and far between in this start as the Angles' 108 strikeouts are the fewest in the majors. The right-hander's only appearance against Los Angeles (10-11) last season was in early April when he threw two scoreless innings of relief.

Mike Trout's only hit off Young in six at-bats left the park, and Kole Calhoun is 4 for 4 with a homer.

Trout is 11 for 24 with three homers during a seven-game hitting streak and had a two-run single in Tuesday's 9-4 win over Kansas City (12-8). Former Royal Johnny Giavotella hit a three-run homer and Yunel Escobar had four hits for the Angels, who finished with season highs for runs and hits (14).

Los Angeles will look to complete a three-game sweep of the World Series champions as they hand the ball to Nick Tropeano (1-0, 1.69). The right-hander allowed two runs and two hits and issued two walks in the first inning Friday, then gave up two hits over the next 4 1/3 before the Angels lost to Seattle 5-2 in 10 innings.

It was only the 14th career start for the 25-year-old. He's pitched into the sixth in each of his three outings this season after taking the injured Andrew Heaney's spot in the rotation.

'My fastball command was poor early, but I thought I made a little bit of an adjustment after the first and executed those pitches early in the count instead of nit-picking at the corners,' Tropeano said. 'I was being aggressive, feeding off that fastball command, and that makes every other pitch better.'

Tropeano has never faced the Royals, who are coming off their first loss in 12 games when they've scored at least four runs.

Kansas City is hitting .211 during its road skid despite finishing with six doubles Tuesday, the most it's had since belting seven against the Angels on Aug. 15.

Mike Moustakas homered in the first, and Eric Hosmer's fifth-inning single extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 16.

The Royals had won 10 of the previous 11 meetings in Anaheim, including the postseason, prior to this series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (8-11) at Dodgers (12-9)

Game: 3
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: April 27, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Don Mattingly's Miami Marlins have gotten the best of his former team at the halfway point of their four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Considering how an ailing Scott Kazmir has struggled for Los Angeles of late, the Marlins might have a good chance to secure their first series win at Chavez Ravine in six years with a fourth straight victory Wednesday night.

After holding on for a 3-2 victory Monday in Mattingly's first game back since leaving the Dodgers in late October, Miami (8-11) used a five-run sixth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit in Tuesday's 6-3 win. Before this season, the Marlins were 5-10 at Dodger Stadium since last winning a series there in 2010.

Giancarlo Stanton has helped put the Marlins in position to do it again after homering for a third straight contest with a three-run, go-ahead shot off Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday.

'I'm just trying to help us get up and stay up,' Stanton said. 'That's what it's about. Doing that at (the) right place, right time.'

Stanton is 6 for 12 with those three home runs, six RBIs and just two strikeouts in three games after batting .193 with three homers and 24 strikeouts in his first 15 contests. The Los Angeles area native is 13 for 30 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his last eight games at Dodger Stadium.

'Giancarlo is a dangerous cat,' Mattingly said.

Stanton went 0 for 3 the last time he faced Kazmir (1-1, 6.63 ERA) in 2013, also the most recent appearance the left-hander made against the Marlins. Despite a sore thumb and wrist, Kazmir appears set to try a fourth time to win his 100th game.

He gave up a hit over six innings of a 3-0 win at San Diego in his Los Angeles debut, but 14 runs in 13-plus innings of the three that followed. Five of the 20 hits Kazmir gave up over the last three have left the park, including two in the fourth of five innings he lasted while earning a no-decision in Friday's 7-5 loss at Colorado.

'I can't make any excuses,' said Kazmir, who gave up four runs in that outing.

Not even the hand issues, which manager Dave Roberts will remain cautious in handling.

"When you've got to take a pitcher out because of soreness in the arm, yeah, there's concern for sure," Roberts told MLB's official website.

Los Angeles (12-9), which hasn't lost three in a row thus far in 2016, is 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position in the series. Kershaw recorded two of the Dodgers' six hits Tuesday.

Yasiel Puig's homer Monday is his only hit in 12 at-bats over his last five games against Miami.

With originally scheduled starter Jarred Cosart optioned to Triple-A New Orleans, Justin Nicolino was recalled to start in his 2016 debut Wednesday. Nicolino went 5-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 12 starts in his 2015 rookie season.

After losing out on his bid to make the big club out of spring training, the left-hander went 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA for New Orleans.

"We expect him to come up and pitch well," Mattingly said.

Nicolino hopes to fare better than June 26 when he allowed five runs in four innings of a 7-1 loss to the Dodgers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (6-15) at Mariners (11-9)

Game: 3
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: April 27, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Robinson Cano hopes he's snapped out of his slump. Hisashi Iwakuma could use another career night at the plate from his second baseman.

Cano looks to build on his best offensive showing of the season and help Iwakuma pick up his first win Wednesday night when the Seattle Mariners try to sweep this three-game series with the Houston Astros.

Cano leads the AL with 21 RBIs after he matched a career high with six in Tuesday's 11-1 win. The six-time All-Star connected for his 10th career grand slam following a two-run single as the Mariners (11-9) pounded out 13 hits.

Cano's performance gave him 1,004 career RBIs.

"Those are the memories that you can share with your kids," Cano said.

He's 3 for 7 in this series after batting .192 with two homers and seven RBIs over the previous 13 games.

Cano has routinely pounded the Astros (6-15) to the tune of a .349 average in 51 games. He's hitting .405 with 13 RBIs in his last 11 matchups.

Iwakuma (0-2, 3.81 ERA) would surely appreciate some production from Cano and the rest of the lineup after the right-hander received eight runs of support in his first four starts.

The offense let him down again in Friday's 5-2, 10-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed two runs over eight innings after having his scheduled start pushed up a day due to an illness to ace Felix Hernandez.

"That says a lot about him and what he thinks about our team to take the ball like that and not look back," first-year manager Scott Servais told MLB's official website.

Iwakuma is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA over his last three home starts against the Astros, who own the worst record in the AL after reaching the division series last fall.

Collin McHugh (1-3, 7.56) takes the ball, and he's had major problems in three of his four starts. His only win came after he pitched seven scoreless innings to beat Kansas City 8-2 on April 11.

The right-hander, a 19-game winner last year, has surrendered 15 runs in 9 2/3 innings over the other three outings, including a 6-2 loss to Boston on Friday in which he gave up five runs and 10 hits in four innings.

Perhaps a visit to Seattle can help. McHugh has won all three of his starts there behind a 1.66 ERA.

He struggled with Cano last year, allowing him to go 3 for 8 with a double. Nelson Cruz also went 3 for 8 in their 2015 matchups and homered twice.

Houston's Jose Altuve was 7 for 16 with four doubles over his previous three games before going 0 for 2 with two walks Tuesday. The All-Star second baseman is 4 for 26 over his past six meetings with the Mariners, but he's 10 for 27 when facing Iwakuma.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, April 27, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

When the season opened, Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was considered the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball -- behind the Dodgers' Corey Seager -- and he was also the +250 favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year honors. That's not happening. The massively struggling Buxton was sent to Triple-A by the Twins on Monday, and they had to do it. He hit just.156 in 17 games with 24 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. In 63 major league games, Buxton is batting .195 with two home runs, eight RBIs and 68 strikeouts. Plenty of future superstars were sent back to Triple-A for some seasoning and they turned out fine. I'm sure Buxton will eventually as well as he's a five-tool guy.


Brewers at Cubs (-330, TBA)

All eyes will be on Chicago's Jake Arrieta (4-0, 0.87) here as he tries to throw consecutive no-hitters, and the way he's going it might actually happen. Arrieta was named the NL Player of the Week on Monday for his no-no in Cincinnati on Thursday in Chicago's 16-0 win. It was the largest margin of victory in a no-hitter since 1884, and it came just 10 regular-season outings since his first career no-hitter (at Dodgers). Since last Aug. 30, Arrieta has almost as many no-hitters (two) as regular-season starts in which he gave up a run (three). Since Aug. 20, Arrieta has made 13 starts and allowed a total of five earned runs. Former Cy Young winner and 2015 AL runner-up David Price just gave up eight in his last start. Arrieta has 24 straight quality starts and is 20-1 with a 0.86 ERA in those. He has allowed only 17 earned runs in those starts. It's simply the greatest 24-start stretch of dominance in MLB history. Arrieta was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA vs. Milwaukee last year. Ryan Braun is 4-for-10 off him with a homer and four RBIs. Milwaukee's Taylor Jungmann (0-3, 8.47) has allowed 15 runs over 12 innings in his past three starts. The Cubs' Addison Russell is 3-for-4 off him. Jorge Soler is 3-for-5.

Key trends: The Brewers are 0-9 in Jungmann's past nine road starts. The Cubs are 7-0 in Arrieta's past seven at home. The "over/under" has gone under in five of Arrieta's past six at home vs. Milwaukee.

Early lean: Can't remember the last time I saw a team at -330. Don't you almost have to take Milwaukee at +290 in case Arrieta tweaks something early and has to leave or something?

A's at Tigers (+105, 8)

I'm assuming that Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins will be suspended by the time this game takes place if not sooner. I'm sure you have seen by now how he flipped off his home fans after botching a fly ball in Monday's game. For comparison, Jonathan Papelbon was suspended seven games in 2014 for grabbing his crotch after getting booed by fans in Philadelphia. Not a huge loss as Collins is hitting all of .100 on the season. The A's start ace Sonny Gray (3-1, 2.73). All four of his starts have been quality this season, each lasting at least six innings. Gray shut out Detroit on two hits over eight innings in his lone start against the Tigers in 2015. Miguel Cabrera is 3-for-6 off him with a homer and two RBIs. Detroit's Justin Verlander (1-2, 5.79) comes off his best start of the year, allowing two runs and four hits over seven innings vs. Cleveland, whiffing 10. But he took the loss. Verlander has a career 2.51 ERA vs. Oakland in the regular season. Billy Butler is a .405 hitter off him in 84 at-bats with two homers and 15 RBIs.

Key trends: The A's are 1-4 in Gray's past five on the road. The Tigers are 3-10 in Verlander's past 13 at home. The over is 8-3 in Gray's past 11. It is 6-2-1 in Verlander's past nine.

Early lean: Tigers and over.

Yankees at Rangers (+100, 9)

ESPN game and should have live betting available. Not clear if Alex Rodriguez will be ready to go here for New York after he injured his oblique on Sunday and then sat out Monday. He's hitting just .145 this season. Speaking of vastly overpaid guys who should retire, CC Sabathia (1-1, 5.28) pitches the series finale for the Bombers. He has been consistent thus far, allowing three earned runs in all three starts. But the big lefty hasn't gotten through five innings in his past two. Sabathia was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in two starts last year vs. Texas. Elvis Andrus is 10-for-22 career off him. Prince Fielder hits .263 against him with a homer and four RBIs. It's lefty Martin Perez (0-2, 4.50) for Texas. He allowed five runs in 5.2 innings last time out at the White Sox. Perez lost his only career start vs. the Yankees last year, allowing eight runs in one-plus inning in Arlington. Jacoby Ellsbury is 2-for-4 off him.

Key trends: The Yankees are 3-7 in their past 10 vs. lefties. Texas is 0-7 in Perez's past seven. The over is 7-3 in Sabathia's past 10 road starts.

Early lean: Rangers and over.

Reds at Mets (-215, 7.5)

New York could be without catcher Travis d'Arnaud for a while after he left Monday's game with shoulder soreness. It's likely he lands on the disabled list. Kevin Plawecki would serve as the primary catcher during any d'Arnaud absence. Also monitor if New York's Yoenis Cespedes plays. He hurt his leg on Friday and hasn't played since. He had fluid drained Monday but the team says Cespedes should avoid the DL. What is behind the struggles of the Mets' Matt Harvey (1-3, 5.24)? He was OK last time out, allowing two runs and seven hits in Atlanta but still was far from dominant. Harvey was 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts vs. the Reds in 2015. Zack Cosart is 4-for-8 with two doubles off him. Jon Moscot (0-1, 5.06) makes his first career start vs. the Mets for Cincinnati. Moscot has allowed three earned runs in both his starts this year.

Key trends: The Reds are 1-4 in Moscot's past five. The Mets are 7-2 in Harvey's past nine vs. teams with a losing record. The over is 3-0-1 in Harvey's past four at home.

Early lean: Mets and over.

Cardinals at Diamondbacks (+101, 8.5)

St. Louis has to be mildly concerned about Adam Wainwright (0-3, 7.25). He is off to perhaps the worst start of his career. The former Cy Young winner has allowed at least three runs in all four of his starts this season and has failed to record an out beyond the sixth inning. Since his return from Tommy John surgery in 2012, Wainwright is one of five pitchers to strike out 20 percent and walk fewer than 5.5 percent of batters faced over 700 innings pitched. But Wainwright has only nine strikeouts in 22.1 innings compared to 10 walks. He didn't face Arizona in 2015. Jean Segura is a career .421 hitter off him in 19 at-bats with a homer. Snakes lefty Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51) had his worst start of the season Friday against Pittsburgh, allowing five runs and seven hits in six innings. He allowed three homers for the second game already. Corbin allowed a run in six innings. vs. St. Louis last year.

Key trends: The Cardinals are 17-8 in their past 25 vs. a lefty. The D-backs are 4-9 in Corbin's past 13 at home. The under is 7-2 in Corbin's past nine at home. The under is 6-0 in Wainwright's past six vs. Arizona.

Early lean: Diamondbacks and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Wednesday's games

National League games

Phillies @ Nationals
Hellickson is 0-1, 12.27 in his last two starts; his last three went over total.

Gonzalez is 1-0, 1.89 in three starts this month (under 2-1).

Philly won four of its last five games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Washington won eight of its last nine home games; under is 5-2-2 in its last nine games overall.

Reds @ Mets
Moscot is 0-1, 5.91 in two starts this month (over 1-1).

Harvey is 1-3, 5.64 in four starts this month; his last three starts went over.

Mets won eight of last nine games; eight of their last 11 went over. Cincinnati lost seven of eight road games (over 6-2).

Brewers @ Cubs
Jungmann is 0-3, 11.25 in his last three starts; under is 3-1 in his '16 starts.

Arrieta is 4-0, 0.87 in four starts this month (over 4-0).

Milwaukee lost seven of its last ten games; over is 5-2-1 in its last eight. Cubs won six of last eight games; over is 4-1-1 in Chicago's last six games overall.

Pirates @ Rockies
Niese is 3-0, 5.02 n four starts this month (over 3-1); Pirates scored 26 runs in those four games.

Gray allowed five runs in five IP in his first start, against the Dodgers. .

Pirates are 7-3 in their last ten games; eight of their last ten road games went over. Colorado lost six of its last seven games; five of its last seven home tilts went over. .

Cardinals @ Diamondbacks
Wainwright is 0-3, 7.25 in four starts this month (over 2-2).

Corbin is 1-2, 4.56 in four starts this month (over 2-2). .

Cardinals won six of their last eight road games (over 7-1). Arizona won six of its last nine games but is just 4-8 at home- five of their last six games went over.

Marlins @ Dodgers
Nicolino is making hsi first '16 start; he was 2-0, 1.93 in his last two starts LY, is 2-2, 3.60 in four AAA starts this month. .

Kazmir is 0-1, 9.69 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1). .

Dodgers lost three of last four home games; under is 5-2-1 in their home games. Miami won its last three games, with Stanton homering in all three- four of their last five games went over

Padres @ Giants
San Diego won last three Cashner starts (2-0, 2.65); under is 2-1-1 in his '16 starts.

Samardzija is 2-1, 2.49 in his last three starts (under 3-1 in his '16 starts). .

San Diego lost five of its last six games; over is 8-2 in their last ten. Giants won four of their last five games (over 9-4-1 in last 14).


American League games

White Sox @ Blue Jays
Quintana is 2-1, 1.89 in his last three starts (under 3-0).

Estrada is 1-1, 2.50 in three starts this month (under 3-0). .

Chicago won seven of its last eight games; under is 7-3 in its last ten road games. Blue Jays lost five of their last seven games; eight of their last 13 games overall stayed under the total.

A's @ Tigers
Gray is 3-1, 3.08 in four starts this month (over 2-2).

Verlander is 1-2, 5.79 in four starts this month (over 2-1-1). .

Oakland lost three of its last four games (over 3-1). Detroit lost six of its last eight home games (over 6-2).

Orioles @ Rays
Tillman is 1-1, 4.26 in four starts this month (under 3-1). .

Moore is 1-1, 396 in four starts this month (under 2-1-1). .

Baltimore lost five of its last six road games; seven of its last eight games stayed under the total. Tampa Bay is 7-3 in its last nine games; under is 9-1 in its last ten home games. .

Bronx @ Rangers
Sabathia is 2-1, 5.28 in three starts this month (over 2-1).

Perez is 0-2, 5.50 in his last three starts (over 2-2 in '16 starts). .

Bronx is 4-9 in its last 13 games; four of its last six games went over. Rangers lost four of their last five games, but won six of last eight at home; over is 8-2 in their last ten home games. .

Indians @ Twins
Tomlin is 2-0, 1.54 in two starts this month (over 1-1).

Berrios is making MLB debut here; he was 2-0, 1.06 in three AAA starts, allowing eight hits in 17 IP.

Cleveland is 5-6 in its last 11 games; four of its last six road games went over total. Minnesota won six of its last seven home games; over is 8-3-1 in their last twelve games overall.

Royals @ Angels
Young is 1-3, 6.41 in four starts this month (over 2-2).

Tropeano is 1-0, 2.45 in three starts this month (under 2-0-1).

Kansas City won 11 of its last 18 games; five of its last seven games stayed under the total. Angels lost seven of their last 12 games; five of their last seven home games went under the total.

Astros @ Mariners
McHugh is 1-3, 8.10 in four starts this month (over 2-1-1).

Iwakuma is 0-2, 4.50 in four starts this month (over 2-2).

Houston lost seven of its last eight games; over is 8-3 in their road games. Seattle won six of its last seven games but is 3-5 at home; under is 7-3 in their last ten games. .


Interleague

Braves @ Red Sox

Norris is 1-3, 7.17 in four starts this month; his last three starts went over.
Wright is 1-2, 2.33 in three starts this month (under 2-1).

Red Sox won its last five games; five of their last seven games stayed under the total. Atlanta lost its last seven games; over is 5-2 in its road games.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Wsh-- Hellickson 2-2; Gonzalez 2-1
Cin-NY-- Moscot 0-2; Harvey 1-3
Mil-Chi-- Jungmann 1-3; Arrieta 4-0
Pitt-Colo-- Niese 4-0; Gray 1-0
StL-Az-- Wainwright 1-3; Corbin 2-2
Mia-LA-- Nicolino 0-0; Kazmir 1-3
SD-SF-- Cashner 3-1; Samardzija 2-2

Chi-Tor-- Quintana 3-1; Estrada 1-2
A's-Det-- Gray 3-1; Verlander 2-2
Balt-TB-- Tillman 3-1; Moore 3-1
NY-Tex-- Sabathia 2-1; Perez 0-4
Cle-Minn-- Tomlin 2-0; Berrios 0-0
KC-LA-- Young 1-3; Tropeano 1-2
Hst-Sea-- McHugh 1-3; Iwakuma 2-2

Atl-Bos-- Norris 1-3; Wright 1-2

Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Phil-Wsh-- Hellickson 2-4; Gonzalez 0-3
Cin-NY-- Moscot 0-2; Harvey 1-4
Mil-Chi-- Jungmann 3-4; Arrieta 0-4
Pitt-Colo-- Niese 0-4; Gray 1-1
StL-Az-- Wainwright 2-4; Corbin 2-4
Mia-LA-- Nicolino 0-0; Kazmir 2-4
SD-SF-- Cashner 1-4; Samardzija 1-4

Chi-Tor-- Quintana 1-4; Estrada 1-3
A's-Det-- Gray 1-4; Verlander 3-4
Balt-TB-- Tillman 2-4; Moore 0-4
NY-Tex-- Sabathia 0-3; Perez 1-4
Cle-Minn-- Tomlin 1-2; Berrios 0-0
KC-LA-- Young 2-4; Tropeano 1-3
Hst-Sea-- McHugh 2-4; Iwakuma 0-4

Atl-Bos-- Norris 1-4; Wright 2-3


Umpires

Phil-Wsh-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Little games.
Cin-NY-- Six of last seven Davis games stayed under.
Mil-Chi-- Home teams won five of last six Marquez games
Pitt-Colo-- DeJesus' first MLB game behind plate was a 6-3 win for the road team.
StL-Az-- Favorites won five of last six Hallion games.
Mia-LA-- Six of last seven Tichenor games stayed under.
SD-SF-- Home side won nine of last twelve Fagan games.

Chi-Tor-- Three of last four Porter games went over.
A's-Det-- Four of last five Foster games stayed under.
Balt-TB-- Favorites won eight of last ten Conroy games.
NY-Tex-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Culbreth games.
Cle-Min-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Diaz games
KC-LA-- Road team won six of last eight Timmons games.
Hst-Sea-- Under is 5-1-2 in last eight Dimuro games.

Atl-Bos-- Over is 8-4 in last twelve Danley games.