StatFox Super Situations
MLB | NY METS at SAN DIEGO
Play Against - All favorites with a money line of -125 to -175 (NY METS) with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season (NL), good power team - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game on the season
27-13 over the last 5 seasons. ( 67.5% | 21.8 units )
1-1 this year. ( 50.0% | 0.1 units )
StatFox Situational Power Trends
MLB | NY METS at SAN DIEGO
NY METS are 33-10 (+22.4 Units) against the money line in Road games vs. teams outscored by opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season over the last 3 seasons.
The average score was: NY METS (6.2) , OPPONENT (3.6)
MLB | NY METS at SAN DIEGO
Play Against - All favorites with a money line of -125 to -175 (NY METS) with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season (NL), good power team - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game on the season
27-13 over the last 5 seasons. ( 67.5% | 21.8 units )
1-1 this year. ( 50.0% | 0.1 units )
StatFox Situational Power Trends
MLB | NY METS at SAN DIEGO
NY METS are 33-10 (+22.4 Units) against the money line in Road games vs. teams outscored by opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season over the last 3 seasons.
The average score was: NY METS (6.2) , OPPONENT (3.6)
Preview: Phillies (16-12) at Cardinals (14-14)
Game: 4
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: May 05, 2016 1:45 PM EDT
It wasn't a surprise that Stephen Piscotty came through ahead of Matt Holliday's walk-off single in a victory the St. Louis Cardinals hope sparks a turnaround.
A bright spot during the club's recent offensive slide, the right fielder will try to help St. Louis take three of four from the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
The Cardinals totaled six runs while hitting .186 in losses during a 1-5 stretch and appeared to be headed to another defeat down 4-3 in Wednesday's ninth inning. They instead loaded the bags before Piscotty's tying hit and Holliday's winning single.
Piscotty has gone 6 for 14 with a double and three RBIs in this series and he's hitting .373 with two home runs, five doubles and 10 RBIs over his last 14. Holliday had only his fourth multihit effort after going 2 for 15 over his previous four.
'It's, I think, a great example of the fight in this team to not let a 4-0 lead get us down and to fight right back so that's a big win,' Piscotty said. 'That's a confidence booster. We're going to hopefully keep that momentum going.'
Now Piscotty will try to help inconsistent St. Louis (14-14) put up some runs as it chases its first consecutive victories at Busch Stadium since April 14 and 15.
The Cardinals will get their first look at right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA), who has three quality starts in his last four. He settled for a no-decision Saturday after allowing three runs over six innings in a 4-3 win over Cleveland.
The Phillies aren't exactly tearing it up offensively, hitting .219 while scoring four runs or fewer in each of the past nine games. The pitching staff has stepped up with a 2.72 ERA over the past eight contests, but the let them down late Wednesday.
"For me, our team had battled all game and to have a blown save you feel bad because the whole team played hard," closer Jeanmar Gomez told MLB's official website. "You think about the mistakes you made and try not to do it the next game."
Given the way Ryan Howard is swinging in his hometown, manager Pete Mackanin might be tempted to give him a rare start versus a lefty. The slugging first baseman homered for the only run in Tuesday's 1-0 win and added a three-run shot Wednesday.
Howard is batting .331 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs over 37 games at Busch, but could be sat down against southpaw Jaime Garcia. Howard is 2 for 12 with one homer off lefties and 3 for 15 with one long ball and eight strikeouts lifetime versus Garcia.
Garcia (1-2, 3.73) has allowed 16 runs and 22 hits over 14 innings while dropping his last three meetings with the Phillies (16-12). He hasn't been sharp over his last two outings overall, giving up eight runs and 12 hits over 11 1/3 innings.
"I have to make better pitches in tough situations," Garcia said.
Odubel Herrera went 2 for 4 with his third homer Wednesday when Philadelphia dropped two of the first three in this series following a 9-1 stretch. He ranks among MLB's leaders with a .454 on-base percentage and is batting .421 over his last 11.
The speedy leadoff man is also hitting .419 in nine career games versus St. Louis.
Game: 4
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: May 05, 2016 1:45 PM EDT
It wasn't a surprise that Stephen Piscotty came through ahead of Matt Holliday's walk-off single in a victory the St. Louis Cardinals hope sparks a turnaround.
A bright spot during the club's recent offensive slide, the right fielder will try to help St. Louis take three of four from the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
The Cardinals totaled six runs while hitting .186 in losses during a 1-5 stretch and appeared to be headed to another defeat down 4-3 in Wednesday's ninth inning. They instead loaded the bags before Piscotty's tying hit and Holliday's winning single.
Piscotty has gone 6 for 14 with a double and three RBIs in this series and he's hitting .373 with two home runs, five doubles and 10 RBIs over his last 14. Holliday had only his fourth multihit effort after going 2 for 15 over his previous four.
'It's, I think, a great example of the fight in this team to not let a 4-0 lead get us down and to fight right back so that's a big win,' Piscotty said. 'That's a confidence booster. We're going to hopefully keep that momentum going.'
Now Piscotty will try to help inconsistent St. Louis (14-14) put up some runs as it chases its first consecutive victories at Busch Stadium since April 14 and 15.
The Cardinals will get their first look at right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA), who has three quality starts in his last four. He settled for a no-decision Saturday after allowing three runs over six innings in a 4-3 win over Cleveland.
The Phillies aren't exactly tearing it up offensively, hitting .219 while scoring four runs or fewer in each of the past nine games. The pitching staff has stepped up with a 2.72 ERA over the past eight contests, but the let them down late Wednesday.
"For me, our team had battled all game and to have a blown save you feel bad because the whole team played hard," closer Jeanmar Gomez told MLB's official website. "You think about the mistakes you made and try not to do it the next game."
Given the way Ryan Howard is swinging in his hometown, manager Pete Mackanin might be tempted to give him a rare start versus a lefty. The slugging first baseman homered for the only run in Tuesday's 1-0 win and added a three-run shot Wednesday.
Howard is batting .331 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs over 37 games at Busch, but could be sat down against southpaw Jaime Garcia. Howard is 2 for 12 with one homer off lefties and 3 for 15 with one long ball and eight strikeouts lifetime versus Garcia.
Garcia (1-2, 3.73) has allowed 16 runs and 22 hits over 14 innings while dropping his last three meetings with the Phillies (16-12). He hasn't been sharp over his last two outings overall, giving up eight runs and 12 hits over 11 1/3 innings.
"I have to make better pitches in tough situations," Garcia said.
Odubel Herrera went 2 for 4 with his third homer Wednesday when Philadelphia dropped two of the first three in this series following a 9-1 stretch. He ranks among MLB's leaders with a .454 on-base percentage and is batting .421 over his last 11.
The speedy leadoff man is also hitting .419 in nine career games versus St. Louis.
Preview: Tigers (14-12) at Indians (12-12)
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 05, 2016 6:10 PM EDT
Strong starting pitching has helped the Cleveland Indians enjoy some early success against the Detroit Tigers.
Hoping Trevor Bauer can continue that trend by halting his struggles against the visiting Tigers, the Indians try to complete a second three-game sweep of their AL Central foe Thursday night.
Corey Kluber tossed a five-hitter and Cleveland (12-12) scored all its runs in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 4-0 victory. The Indians, who lost three in a row prior to this set, own a 29-8 scoring advantage while going 5-0 against the Tigers (14-12) in 2016.
Cleveland starters have yielded four runs while striking out 28 and walking three over 32 1/3 innings against Detroit this season. Bauer (1-0, 5.28 ERA), though, has a 6.94 ERA in going 2-2 over seven starts against the Tigers.
The right-hander wasn't much better in relief April 24 at Detroit, when he gave up two runs and four hits over 3 1/3 innings but managed to earn the win.
In his first 2016 start at Philadelphia on Saturday, Bauer yielded three runs, five hits and two walks over four-plus innings and 78 pitches of the 4-3 loss.
Despite those numbers, Bauer saw at least something positive to take forward.
"I thought I hit my spots pretty well (Saturday), actually," he told MLB's official website. "I feel like if I throw the ball that way all year, I'll have a good year."
Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez have had good career success against Bauer, going a combined 14 for 35 with a home run each. Kinsler, though, is 2 for 18 in four games and Martinez 3 for 22 in the last five.
Batting an AL-leading .378, Nick Castellanos had two hits Wednesday for the Tigers, who have totaled three runs in the series after they averaged 7 to win the previous five contests.
Michael Fulmer looks to help the Tigers salvage a game while trying to build on a solid major league debut Friday at Minnesota. The right-hander allowed two runs in five innings of a 9-2 victory.
"He did his job," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He did exactly what we wanted him to do."
Though Shane Greene appears close to returning from a blister that landed him on the disabled list, Ausmus feels comfortable giving Fulmer another start.
"We felt like he earned another chance," Ausmus said of last season's Eastern League Player of the Year. "The most important thing at the major league level is experience, so any experience he can have here is certainly helpful."
Fulmer faces a Cleveland lineup that includes Francisco Lindor, who was 6 for 11 in the previous three games before going 0 for 3 with a run scored Wednesday. He's 8 for 18 against the Tigers this season.
It's possible backup catcher Chris Gimenez could see action in his third stint with the Indians after they acquired him from Texas for cash Wednesday.
"Everyone knows him, and there's a lot of familiarity," manager Terry Francona said. "He played a lot last year (with Texas), and got some pretty good experience in the playoffs."
Gimenez, who played for Cleveland in 2009-10 and part of 2014, has yet to play this season after opening on the DL with a leg issue.
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 05, 2016 6:10 PM EDT
Strong starting pitching has helped the Cleveland Indians enjoy some early success against the Detroit Tigers.
Hoping Trevor Bauer can continue that trend by halting his struggles against the visiting Tigers, the Indians try to complete a second three-game sweep of their AL Central foe Thursday night.
Corey Kluber tossed a five-hitter and Cleveland (12-12) scored all its runs in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 4-0 victory. The Indians, who lost three in a row prior to this set, own a 29-8 scoring advantage while going 5-0 against the Tigers (14-12) in 2016.
Cleveland starters have yielded four runs while striking out 28 and walking three over 32 1/3 innings against Detroit this season. Bauer (1-0, 5.28 ERA), though, has a 6.94 ERA in going 2-2 over seven starts against the Tigers.
The right-hander wasn't much better in relief April 24 at Detroit, when he gave up two runs and four hits over 3 1/3 innings but managed to earn the win.
In his first 2016 start at Philadelphia on Saturday, Bauer yielded three runs, five hits and two walks over four-plus innings and 78 pitches of the 4-3 loss.
Despite those numbers, Bauer saw at least something positive to take forward.
"I thought I hit my spots pretty well (Saturday), actually," he told MLB's official website. "I feel like if I throw the ball that way all year, I'll have a good year."
Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez have had good career success against Bauer, going a combined 14 for 35 with a home run each. Kinsler, though, is 2 for 18 in four games and Martinez 3 for 22 in the last five.
Batting an AL-leading .378, Nick Castellanos had two hits Wednesday for the Tigers, who have totaled three runs in the series after they averaged 7 to win the previous five contests.
Michael Fulmer looks to help the Tigers salvage a game while trying to build on a solid major league debut Friday at Minnesota. The right-hander allowed two runs in five innings of a 9-2 victory.
"He did his job," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He did exactly what we wanted him to do."
Though Shane Greene appears close to returning from a blister that landed him on the disabled list, Ausmus feels comfortable giving Fulmer another start.
"We felt like he earned another chance," Ausmus said of last season's Eastern League Player of the Year. "The most important thing at the major league level is experience, so any experience he can have here is certainly helpful."
Fulmer faces a Cleveland lineup that includes Francisco Lindor, who was 6 for 11 in the previous three games before going 0 for 3 with a run scored Wednesday. He's 8 for 18 against the Tigers this season.
It's possible backup catcher Chris Gimenez could see action in his third stint with the Indians after they acquired him from Texas for cash Wednesday.
"Everyone knows him, and there's a lot of familiarity," manager Terry Francona said. "He played a lot last year (with Texas), and got some pretty good experience in the playoffs."
Gimenez, who played for Cleveland in 2009-10 and part of 2014, has yet to play this season after opening on the DL with a leg issue.
Preview: Yankees (9-16) at Orioles (15-11)
Game: 3
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: May 05, 2016 7:05 PM EDT
It's easy to look at Alex Rodriguez's brutal offensive numbers and say the Yankees won't be missing much without him, but given the state of the rest of the lineup there's little New York can afford to lose.
There's been nothing reliable about the rotation either other than Masahiro Tanaka, who gets the ball in Thursday night's finale against the Baltimore Orioles looking to help the Yankees win their first road series.
Rodriguez went on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring suffered while running out a grounder in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Orioles (15-11). He's one of two New York regulars hitting under .200 - Chase Headley is at .153 - but there seemed to be early signs of a renaissance with six extra-base hits in Rodriguez's last 19 at-bats.
'I thought I was seeing the ball better, and the quality of my at-bats were better,' he said.
'I can't think of a worse time to go on the DL. The whole offense has been struggling. I talked to the team (Tuesday) and I said there is no reason we can't score five runs per night.'
It seems like the Yankees (9-16) believed him. After recording one hit through five innings Wednesday, New York scored three runs in the sixth and four in the eighth in a 7-0 rout.
'Something like this can get a team going,' manager Joe Girardi said. 'Hopefully it does.'
The Yankees don't figure to need a ton of offense with Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) on the mound. The right-hander has been both good and consistent through his five starts, giving up two earned runs in each and pitching at least into the seventh in the past three. The rest of the rotation has a 5.45 ERA even after CC Sabathia's seven scoreless innings Wednesday.
Tanaka was one out away from getting through seven without any damage Friday in Boston before allowing a two-run double in a game New York went on to lose 4-2.
"It's obviously tough," Tanaka said. "I thought I pitched really well tonight. Balls were coming out of the hand really good, but it was that last out that I needed to get. That's on me."
Tanaka has been fantastic early in starts, holding hitters to a .119 average (5 for 42) the first time through the order.
This will be his first outing at Camden Yards after making four starts against Baltimore in the Bronx. He's 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out 33 in 29 2/3 innings. Tanaka has made it through seven in each outing, but he's surrendered six homers - two to Jonathan Schoop and one apiece to Chris Davis, Manny Machado, the injured J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty.
Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.45) probably is happy he won't have to deal with Rodriguez, who's 4 for 8 with two homers in their matchups.
The right-hander has made two starts after opening on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. Opponents are hitting .175 against him in 11 innings after he gave up four hits and three runs over six Saturday against the White Sox.
The Orioles have totaled five runs in their last three games after scoring 23 in the previous three, but Machado has shown no signs of slowing down. He doubled twice Wednesday, raising his average to .355 and tying him for the major league lead with his 13th multihit game.
Machado's .456 average at home is easily baseball's best among hitters with at least 40 plate appearances.
Game: 3
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: May 05, 2016 7:05 PM EDT
It's easy to look at Alex Rodriguez's brutal offensive numbers and say the Yankees won't be missing much without him, but given the state of the rest of the lineup there's little New York can afford to lose.
There's been nothing reliable about the rotation either other than Masahiro Tanaka, who gets the ball in Thursday night's finale against the Baltimore Orioles looking to help the Yankees win their first road series.
Rodriguez went on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring suffered while running out a grounder in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Orioles (15-11). He's one of two New York regulars hitting under .200 - Chase Headley is at .153 - but there seemed to be early signs of a renaissance with six extra-base hits in Rodriguez's last 19 at-bats.
'I thought I was seeing the ball better, and the quality of my at-bats were better,' he said.
'I can't think of a worse time to go on the DL. The whole offense has been struggling. I talked to the team (Tuesday) and I said there is no reason we can't score five runs per night.'
It seems like the Yankees (9-16) believed him. After recording one hit through five innings Wednesday, New York scored three runs in the sixth and four in the eighth in a 7-0 rout.
'Something like this can get a team going,' manager Joe Girardi said. 'Hopefully it does.'
The Yankees don't figure to need a ton of offense with Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) on the mound. The right-hander has been both good and consistent through his five starts, giving up two earned runs in each and pitching at least into the seventh in the past three. The rest of the rotation has a 5.45 ERA even after CC Sabathia's seven scoreless innings Wednesday.
Tanaka was one out away from getting through seven without any damage Friday in Boston before allowing a two-run double in a game New York went on to lose 4-2.
"It's obviously tough," Tanaka said. "I thought I pitched really well tonight. Balls were coming out of the hand really good, but it was that last out that I needed to get. That's on me."
Tanaka has been fantastic early in starts, holding hitters to a .119 average (5 for 42) the first time through the order.
This will be his first outing at Camden Yards after making four starts against Baltimore in the Bronx. He's 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out 33 in 29 2/3 innings. Tanaka has made it through seven in each outing, but he's surrendered six homers - two to Jonathan Schoop and one apiece to Chris Davis, Manny Machado, the injured J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty.
Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.45) probably is happy he won't have to deal with Rodriguez, who's 4 for 8 with two homers in their matchups.
The right-hander has made two starts after opening on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. Opponents are hitting .175 against him in 11 innings after he gave up four hits and three runs over six Saturday against the White Sox.
The Orioles have totaled five runs in their last three games after scoring 23 in the previous three, but Machado has shown no signs of slowing down. He doubled twice Wednesday, raising his average to .355 and tying him for the major league lead with his 13th multihit game.
Machado's .456 average at home is easily baseball's best among hitters with at least 40 plate appearances.
Preview: Rangers (15-13) at Blue Jays (14-15)
Game: 4
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 05, 2016 7:07 PM EDT
A quality start may not seem like all that much for a major leaguer pitcher to be proud of, but it carries some weight for Derek Holland considering how far he's come.
A rough 2015 seems to be in the rear view for the Texas Rangers left-hander, who is coming off a solid outing ahead of facing the Toronto Blue Jays in Thursday night's finale of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.
Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) pitched the home opener for Texas (15-13) last year and lasted one inning before a shoulder injury sidelined him until August.
Once he returned, things were inconsistent with a 4-3 mark and 4.84 ERA over a nine-start stretch that featured some outstanding work, including a three-hit shutout against Baltimore on Aug. 30 and three other quality outings.
"Thank God it's over," Holland told MLB's website of his tumultuous 2015. "I was miserable. It was a lonely time. I'm definitely happy that changed."
And change it has after Holland put in his third quality outing in five starts with six scoreless innings in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He allowed four hits, no walks and kept the ball in the yard for the third time this season.
Opposing teams are batting just .206 against him.
"I'm continuing to improve and attack the zone, work on my first-pitch strikes and today I thought I made some good progress there," said Holland, whose work has helped the Rangers to an AL-leading 20 quality starts.
He is 3-2 with a 5.44 ERA in seven career starts against the Blue Jays, but his numbers improve greatly when you look at his four most recent outings in the series. Beginning with a four-hit shutout at Toronto on July 30, 2011, Holland has gone 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in those four starts with a .241 opponent batting average.
Jose Bautista (4 for 20 with six Ks) has struggled against Holland, but Josh Donaldson (6 for 20) and Edwin Encarnacion (5 for 15) have had some success with each hitting two homers.
The Blue Jays (14-15) are also getting their share of quality starts and are just behind the Rangers with 19 - five of them coming from left-hander J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.76), which ties a large group for the major league lead.
Happ worked 6 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on Saturday and was an out away from getting out of the seventh with a 3-2 lead before Logan Forsythe homered to tie a game the Rays went on to win with a walkoff single.
Since a four-start losing streak last June, Happ has gone 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA over his previous 21 outings.
He is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his previous three starts against the Rangers, who battered him for seven runs - five earned - in just 2 2/3 innings in his first career outing against them in May 2011. Prince Fielder (9 for 25 with four doubles) has the most experience against Happ among Texas batters.
After Russell Martin singled home the winning run in the ninth of Wednesday's 4-3 victory, the Blue Jays are in position to win a fourth straight home series against Texas. The Rangers are now 5-8 on the road and have lost six of their past seven away from home.
"We've got to find a way to dig deep and find a little resilience here," manager Jeff Banister said.
Game: 4
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 05, 2016 7:07 PM EDT
A quality start may not seem like all that much for a major leaguer pitcher to be proud of, but it carries some weight for Derek Holland considering how far he's come.
A rough 2015 seems to be in the rear view for the Texas Rangers left-hander, who is coming off a solid outing ahead of facing the Toronto Blue Jays in Thursday night's finale of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.
Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) pitched the home opener for Texas (15-13) last year and lasted one inning before a shoulder injury sidelined him until August.
Once he returned, things were inconsistent with a 4-3 mark and 4.84 ERA over a nine-start stretch that featured some outstanding work, including a three-hit shutout against Baltimore on Aug. 30 and three other quality outings.
"Thank God it's over," Holland told MLB's website of his tumultuous 2015. "I was miserable. It was a lonely time. I'm definitely happy that changed."
And change it has after Holland put in his third quality outing in five starts with six scoreless innings in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He allowed four hits, no walks and kept the ball in the yard for the third time this season.
Opposing teams are batting just .206 against him.
"I'm continuing to improve and attack the zone, work on my first-pitch strikes and today I thought I made some good progress there," said Holland, whose work has helped the Rangers to an AL-leading 20 quality starts.
He is 3-2 with a 5.44 ERA in seven career starts against the Blue Jays, but his numbers improve greatly when you look at his four most recent outings in the series. Beginning with a four-hit shutout at Toronto on July 30, 2011, Holland has gone 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in those four starts with a .241 opponent batting average.
Jose Bautista (4 for 20 with six Ks) has struggled against Holland, but Josh Donaldson (6 for 20) and Edwin Encarnacion (5 for 15) have had some success with each hitting two homers.
The Blue Jays (14-15) are also getting their share of quality starts and are just behind the Rangers with 19 - five of them coming from left-hander J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.76), which ties a large group for the major league lead.
Happ worked 6 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on Saturday and was an out away from getting out of the seventh with a 3-2 lead before Logan Forsythe homered to tie a game the Rays went on to win with a walkoff single.
Since a four-start losing streak last June, Happ has gone 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA over his previous 21 outings.
He is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his previous three starts against the Rangers, who battered him for seven runs - five earned - in just 2 2/3 innings in his first career outing against them in May 2011. Prince Fielder (9 for 25 with four doubles) has the most experience against Happ among Texas batters.
After Russell Martin singled home the winning run in the ninth of Wednesday's 4-3 victory, the Blue Jays are in position to win a fourth straight home series against Texas. The Rangers are now 5-8 on the road and have lost six of their past seven away from home.
"We've got to find a way to dig deep and find a little resilience here," manager Jeff Banister said.
Preview: Diamondbacks (12-17) at Marlins (14-12)
Game: 3
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: May 05, 2016 7:10 PM EDT
Adam Conley insists he has no regrets after his manager took away his bid for a no-hitter, but he realizes there are things he can improve on this time out.
The left-hander will try to be much more efficient than in that controversial outing Thursday night when the Miami Marlins chase their 10th victory in 11 games and a three-game home sweep over the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks.
Conley (1-1, 3.67 ERA) wasn't exactly masterful Friday, though he was difficult to square up while tossing 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in a 6-3 win at Milwaukee.
Even though he was just four outs away from making history, manager Don Mattingly decided to do what he felt was best and pulled Conley after 116 pitches. The second-year pro struck out seven but also walked four for the second straight start.
"If I'm going to throw a no-hitter, I'd just do the same thing I did, have the same results, but just pitch better," Conley told the league's official website. "Eighteen guys fouled off pitches. I walked four guys. There's 20-something pitches right there."
Mattingly took some heat for his decision, but the 25-year-old Conley hadn't thrown more than 95 pitches in any of his previous 19 career appearances.
Conley will be focused on efficiency as he tries to deal Arizona (12-17) its first six-game losing streak since July 10-19. He's never faced the Diamondbacks, though Jean Segura has gone 4 for 6 off him dating to his time with Milwaukee.
Segura singled as a pinch hitter in Wednesday's 4-3 loss, missing his third consecutive start because of a nagging hip injury. David Peralta hit a two-run home run - his third of the season - after going 2 for 17 over his previous five games.
"We're going to be judged on our wins and losses but I just feel like the way they're playing, effort they're giving, things will turn around," manager Chip Hale said.
Arizona, however, has batted .232 while averaging 2.6 runs during a 1-7 stretch. Star slugger Paul Goldschmidt is 5 for 26 with one homer in his last nine games.
Since going 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his first three starts, Robbie Ray is 0-1 with a 12.86 mark over his past two. The left-hander allowed five runs and seven hits - including four home runs - over four innings in Friday's 9-0 home loss to Colorado.
Ray (1-1, 4.97) also was knocked around in his only meeting with the Marlins in July. He surrendered five runs - four earned - over 4 2/3 innings in a 5-3 home defeat.
Now he'll have to contend with Miami (14-12), which has averaged 5.7 runs while batting .308 with 12 home runs over its last six games. Giancarlo Stanton has gone 12 for 32 with six homers and 12 RBIs in his past nine, while J.T. Realmuto is 19 for 37 with two long balls and five doubles over a nine-game hitting streak.
"We've been having a great time," Stanton said. "Everyone is contributing and ... it's not one guy to look to for the win. We've got to keep it going."
Miami first baseman Justin Bour was held out of the lineup and is day to day after dislocating his left pinkie when sliding into second base in Tuesday's 7-4 victory.
Game: 3
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: May 05, 2016 7:10 PM EDT
Adam Conley insists he has no regrets after his manager took away his bid for a no-hitter, but he realizes there are things he can improve on this time out.
The left-hander will try to be much more efficient than in that controversial outing Thursday night when the Miami Marlins chase their 10th victory in 11 games and a three-game home sweep over the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks.
Conley (1-1, 3.67 ERA) wasn't exactly masterful Friday, though he was difficult to square up while tossing 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in a 6-3 win at Milwaukee.
Even though he was just four outs away from making history, manager Don Mattingly decided to do what he felt was best and pulled Conley after 116 pitches. The second-year pro struck out seven but also walked four for the second straight start.
"If I'm going to throw a no-hitter, I'd just do the same thing I did, have the same results, but just pitch better," Conley told the league's official website. "Eighteen guys fouled off pitches. I walked four guys. There's 20-something pitches right there."
Mattingly took some heat for his decision, but the 25-year-old Conley hadn't thrown more than 95 pitches in any of his previous 19 career appearances.
Conley will be focused on efficiency as he tries to deal Arizona (12-17) its first six-game losing streak since July 10-19. He's never faced the Diamondbacks, though Jean Segura has gone 4 for 6 off him dating to his time with Milwaukee.
Segura singled as a pinch hitter in Wednesday's 4-3 loss, missing his third consecutive start because of a nagging hip injury. David Peralta hit a two-run home run - his third of the season - after going 2 for 17 over his previous five games.
"We're going to be judged on our wins and losses but I just feel like the way they're playing, effort they're giving, things will turn around," manager Chip Hale said.
Arizona, however, has batted .232 while averaging 2.6 runs during a 1-7 stretch. Star slugger Paul Goldschmidt is 5 for 26 with one homer in his last nine games.
Since going 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his first three starts, Robbie Ray is 0-1 with a 12.86 mark over his past two. The left-hander allowed five runs and seven hits - including four home runs - over four innings in Friday's 9-0 home loss to Colorado.
Ray (1-1, 4.97) also was knocked around in his only meeting with the Marlins in July. He surrendered five runs - four earned - over 4 2/3 innings in a 5-3 home defeat.
Now he'll have to contend with Miami (14-12), which has averaged 5.7 runs while batting .308 with 12 home runs over its last six games. Giancarlo Stanton has gone 12 for 32 with six homers and 12 RBIs in his past nine, while J.T. Realmuto is 19 for 37 with two long balls and five doubles over a nine-game hitting streak.
"We've been having a great time," Stanton said. "Everyone is contributing and ... it's not one guy to look to for the win. We've got to keep it going."
Miami first baseman Justin Bour was held out of the lineup and is day to day after dislocating his left pinkie when sliding into second base in Tuesday's 7-4 victory.
Preview: Brewers (11-16) at Reds (11-17)
Game: 1
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: May 05, 2016 7:10 PM EDT
Both bullpens better have all hands on deck Thursday night when the Cincinnati Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers.
That's because starters Alfredo Simon of the Reds and Milwaukee's Chase Anderson have simply been woeful as they meet in the opener of this four-game series.
The Reds (11-17) have lost all five games started by Simon (0-3, 13.50 ERA) while the Brewers (11-16) have dropped the last three outings by Anderson (1-3, 5.55). Simon has yet to last past the fifth inning and Anderson has done so once in his five starts.
That's not good news for the Reds, whose bullpen has allowed a run in a major league record 22 games in a row.
Cincinnati was hopeful of better efforts in the future from Simon after he allowed three runs in four-plus innings in Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Pittsburgh. Manager Bryan Price left him in in the fifth, trying to give the right-hander some confidence.
"We know he's the one veteran on a young staff," Price said. "He's got to be the workhorse, eat up some innings.'
Simon is 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in two starts against the Brewers and 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 career matchups. Jonathan Lucroy is 6 for 10 with two homers when facing him.
Anderson has posted a 10.13 ERA in losing his last three starts after he did not allow an earned run over 11 innings in his first two. He yielded six runs over 4 1/3 innings in Saturday's 7-5 defeat to Miami, walking four for the second straight outing.
"Chase is a guy who relies on his fastball, it has to be located, it has to be commanded," manager Craig Counsell said.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three starts versus the Reds. Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Eugenio Suarez have combined to go 2 for 16 against him.
The Reds homered four times to avoid a fourth straight home defeat with Wednesday's 7-4 victory over San Francisco. Phillips, Suarez, Adam Duvall and Zack Cozart all went deep, with Cozart coming through after missing two days because of tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.
"I'll probably have it off and on," Cozart said. "I just have to take a day here or there when I need it, but be ready to play every day."
Milwaukee starts a seven-game trip after splitting six on a homestand capped by Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Ryan Braun is 8 for 13 with four RBIs in his last three games.
Both teams have injured outfielders.
Milwaukee's Domingo Santana did not start Wednesday because of right shoulder tightness. It was the second time in three games that Santana was a late scratch because of the injury.
Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton also did not start Wednesday since he left the night before after aggravating his jammed left thumb, an injury preventing him from grabbing a bat.
Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart is expected back in the lineup after he had Wednesday off.
Milwaukee took 10 of 19 meetings a season ago, going 6-3 on the road.
Game: 1
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: May 05, 2016 7:10 PM EDT
Both bullpens better have all hands on deck Thursday night when the Cincinnati Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers.
That's because starters Alfredo Simon of the Reds and Milwaukee's Chase Anderson have simply been woeful as they meet in the opener of this four-game series.
The Reds (11-17) have lost all five games started by Simon (0-3, 13.50 ERA) while the Brewers (11-16) have dropped the last three outings by Anderson (1-3, 5.55). Simon has yet to last past the fifth inning and Anderson has done so once in his five starts.
That's not good news for the Reds, whose bullpen has allowed a run in a major league record 22 games in a row.
Cincinnati was hopeful of better efforts in the future from Simon after he allowed three runs in four-plus innings in Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Pittsburgh. Manager Bryan Price left him in in the fifth, trying to give the right-hander some confidence.
"We know he's the one veteran on a young staff," Price said. "He's got to be the workhorse, eat up some innings.'
Simon is 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in two starts against the Brewers and 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 career matchups. Jonathan Lucroy is 6 for 10 with two homers when facing him.
Anderson has posted a 10.13 ERA in losing his last three starts after he did not allow an earned run over 11 innings in his first two. He yielded six runs over 4 1/3 innings in Saturday's 7-5 defeat to Miami, walking four for the second straight outing.
"Chase is a guy who relies on his fastball, it has to be located, it has to be commanded," manager Craig Counsell said.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three starts versus the Reds. Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Eugenio Suarez have combined to go 2 for 16 against him.
The Reds homered four times to avoid a fourth straight home defeat with Wednesday's 7-4 victory over San Francisco. Phillips, Suarez, Adam Duvall and Zack Cozart all went deep, with Cozart coming through after missing two days because of tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.
"I'll probably have it off and on," Cozart said. "I just have to take a day here or there when I need it, but be ready to play every day."
Milwaukee starts a seven-game trip after splitting six on a homestand capped by Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Ryan Braun is 8 for 13 with four RBIs in his last three games.
Both teams have injured outfielders.
Milwaukee's Domingo Santana did not start Wednesday because of right shoulder tightness. It was the second time in three games that Santana was a late scratch because of the injury.
Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton also did not start Wednesday since he left the night before after aggravating his jammed left thumb, an injury preventing him from grabbing a bat.
Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart is expected back in the lineup after he had Wednesday off.
Milwaukee took 10 of 19 meetings a season ago, going 6-3 on the road.
Preview: Nationals (19-8) at Cubs (20-6)
Game: 1
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 05, 2016 8:05 PM EDT
Dusty Baker is returning to Wrigley Field having led the Washington Nationals to the verge of the best start in franchise history.
His former Chicago Cubs have raced to their best in more than a century.
The NL's two leading teams will open a four-game series Thursday night, and Washington's Joe Ross will try to provide another stellar outing when he faces a formidable lineup.
In his first season at the helm, Baker has the Nationals at 19-8 for their best start since 1979, when they were the Montreal Expos. That team lost its 28th game.
Washington bounced back from having a four-game win streak snapped in emphatic fashion Wednesday, routing Kansas City 13-2. Daniel Murphy provided four hits, boosting his average .398, and drove in three runs.
Bryce Harper chipped in his 10th homer and first in nine games.
The Nationals are 5-1 on a 10-game road trip and are 11-4 away from home. They'll collide with a Cubs team off to its best 26-game start since going 22-4 in 1907.
Chicago (20-6) completed a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh with a 6-2 victory Wednesday, moving six games ahead of the second-place Pirates in the NL Central.
Ben Zobrist hit a three-run homer, giving him 12 of his 16 RBIs in his last 10 games. Anthony Rizzo stayed in the thick of the NL longball race with his ninth and finished 7 for 14 with six extra-base hits in the series.
The Cubs boast easily the majors' best run differential at plus-93 (159-66). The Nationals are at plus-50 (120-70).
"Offensively we keep having good at-bats over the course of the game and then have a chance to work people down by the end. That's pretty much been the roadmap to this point," manager Joe Maddon said.
Ross (3-0, 0.79 ERA) will attempt to stifle that Chicago lineup after yielding one run in six innings of a 6-1 win in St. Louis on Saturday. The 22-year-old right-hander has yielded two runs through 22 2-3 innings, and opponents are batting .195 against him.
"There's nothing finer than a young pitcher that gets confidence and knows that he belongs here. And he certainly has confidence," Baker told MLB's official website. "He's not intimidated by being in the big leagues."
Ross' only game against the Cubs came in his major league debut June 6, giving up three runs in five innings of a 4-2 loss.
While Ross might not have to face Jason Heyward (sore wrist), who remains day to day, Ben Revere could return after being sidelined since straining his right oblique in his Washington debut April 4.
Revere has hit better than .300 in each of the last three seasons and has stolen 176 bases in his past five, fourth-most in the majors.
"(Revere) is our igniter. That's why we brought him here," Baker said. "We will add another dimension to our team and our offense to go along with what we have now."
A well-rested Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 3.91) will seek to build on a solid performance. The right-hander hasn't pitched since April 26, when he yielded one run, two hits and one walk in five innings but did not get a decision in a 4-3 win over Milwaukee.
Hendricks, skipped in the rotation following a pair of rainouts, was 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA in his prior two starts. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts against Washington, both last season.
Baker was 61-38 versus the Cubs in his six seasons in Cincinnati after leaving Chicago in 2006, with a portion of those matchups against a rebuilding organization.
Game: 1
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 05, 2016 8:05 PM EDT
Dusty Baker is returning to Wrigley Field having led the Washington Nationals to the verge of the best start in franchise history.
His former Chicago Cubs have raced to their best in more than a century.
The NL's two leading teams will open a four-game series Thursday night, and Washington's Joe Ross will try to provide another stellar outing when he faces a formidable lineup.
In his first season at the helm, Baker has the Nationals at 19-8 for their best start since 1979, when they were the Montreal Expos. That team lost its 28th game.
Washington bounced back from having a four-game win streak snapped in emphatic fashion Wednesday, routing Kansas City 13-2. Daniel Murphy provided four hits, boosting his average .398, and drove in three runs.
Bryce Harper chipped in his 10th homer and first in nine games.
The Nationals are 5-1 on a 10-game road trip and are 11-4 away from home. They'll collide with a Cubs team off to its best 26-game start since going 22-4 in 1907.
Chicago (20-6) completed a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh with a 6-2 victory Wednesday, moving six games ahead of the second-place Pirates in the NL Central.
Ben Zobrist hit a three-run homer, giving him 12 of his 16 RBIs in his last 10 games. Anthony Rizzo stayed in the thick of the NL longball race with his ninth and finished 7 for 14 with six extra-base hits in the series.
The Cubs boast easily the majors' best run differential at plus-93 (159-66). The Nationals are at plus-50 (120-70).
"Offensively we keep having good at-bats over the course of the game and then have a chance to work people down by the end. That's pretty much been the roadmap to this point," manager Joe Maddon said.
Ross (3-0, 0.79 ERA) will attempt to stifle that Chicago lineup after yielding one run in six innings of a 6-1 win in St. Louis on Saturday. The 22-year-old right-hander has yielded two runs through 22 2-3 innings, and opponents are batting .195 against him.
"There's nothing finer than a young pitcher that gets confidence and knows that he belongs here. And he certainly has confidence," Baker told MLB's official website. "He's not intimidated by being in the big leagues."
Ross' only game against the Cubs came in his major league debut June 6, giving up three runs in five innings of a 4-2 loss.
While Ross might not have to face Jason Heyward (sore wrist), who remains day to day, Ben Revere could return after being sidelined since straining his right oblique in his Washington debut April 4.
Revere has hit better than .300 in each of the last three seasons and has stolen 176 bases in his past five, fourth-most in the majors.
"(Revere) is our igniter. That's why we brought him here," Baker said. "We will add another dimension to our team and our offense to go along with what we have now."
A well-rested Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 3.91) will seek to build on a solid performance. The right-hander hasn't pitched since April 26, when he yielded one run, two hits and one walk in five innings but did not get a decision in a 4-3 win over Milwaukee.
Hendricks, skipped in the rotation following a pair of rainouts, was 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA in his prior two starts. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts against Washington, both last season.
Baker was 61-38 versus the Cubs in his six seasons in Cincinnati after leaving Chicago in 2006, with a portion of those matchups against a rebuilding organization.
Preview: Mariners (16-11) at Astros (10-18)
Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 05, 2016 8:10 PM EDT
Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano are both locked in at the same time for the AL-West leading Seattle Mariners, and that's certainly bad news for opposing pitchers.
As the star sluggers look to stay hot, the Mariners go after a season-high fourth consecutive victory Thursday night in the opener of a four-game road series against a Houston Astros team hoping to build on its first back-to-back wins.
Seattle (16-11) has taken over the top spot in the division after totaling 21 runs and 41 hits - including six homers - in a three-game sweep at Oakland to open this trip.
Cruz went 3 for 4 with his fifth home run and Dae-Ho Lee had two homers as the Mariners rallied from a four-run deficit in Wednesday's 9-8 win. Cruz's shot was particularly impressive, reaching the upper deck in straightaway center field.
Cruz finished with seven hits in 12 at-bats in the series, while Cano has gone 9 for 17 over his last four games and Kyle Seager 8 for 20 over his past five. The Mariners have hit 21 home runs while averaging 5.4 runs during their current 11-3 stretch.
They're seeking their longest winning streak since a five-game run Sept. 1-6.
"It's fun," Cruz said. "We're playing pretty loose. We're enjoying each other."
Seattle took two of three at Minute Maid Park to begin its winnings streak in September and also won a home series over the Astros last week. Cano went 5 for 12 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in the three games and Ketel Marte was 7 for 13.
Cano's .350 average in 52 games versus Houston is his highest against any AL foe.
Chris Devenski (0-1, 1.45 ERA) will face a difficult challenge in his second start since replacing Scott Feldman in the rotation. The right-hander had a solid outing Thursday, allowing two runs over five innings in a 2-0 loss at Oakland.
The Astros chase their first three-game winning streak after taking the last two of a home series with Minnesota. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa each went 3 for 5 with a home run and Jason Castro was 2 for 3 with a homer in Wednesday's 16-4 victory.
Houston (10-18), which has dropped its last five series openers, had been batting .184 while averaging 3 runs over its previous eight games.
"Now we just look to carry that momentum," Castro said. "It will be good moving forward to have a couple of wins under our belt moving into the rest of the homestand."
Seattle's Wade Miley (2-2, 5.06) hopes to build on his first shutout after giving up five hits and walking none in Saturday's 6-0 win over Kansas City. Since going 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA in his first three starts, he's 2-0 with a 2.20 mark over his last two.
"I think he's understanding who he is," manager Scott Servais said. "Wade is very aggressive by nature and he wants to attack almost too much."
The left-hander has gone 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in four career starts versus Houston. Altuve, however, is 7 for 12 with three doubles in the matchup, Evan Gattis is 4 for 8 with two doubles and Carlos Gomez 5 for 15 with a double, a triple and a homer.
The Astros took seven of the 10 home meetings last season.
Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 05, 2016 8:10 PM EDT
Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano are both locked in at the same time for the AL-West leading Seattle Mariners, and that's certainly bad news for opposing pitchers.
As the star sluggers look to stay hot, the Mariners go after a season-high fourth consecutive victory Thursday night in the opener of a four-game road series against a Houston Astros team hoping to build on its first back-to-back wins.
Seattle (16-11) has taken over the top spot in the division after totaling 21 runs and 41 hits - including six homers - in a three-game sweep at Oakland to open this trip.
Cruz went 3 for 4 with his fifth home run and Dae-Ho Lee had two homers as the Mariners rallied from a four-run deficit in Wednesday's 9-8 win. Cruz's shot was particularly impressive, reaching the upper deck in straightaway center field.
Cruz finished with seven hits in 12 at-bats in the series, while Cano has gone 9 for 17 over his last four games and Kyle Seager 8 for 20 over his past five. The Mariners have hit 21 home runs while averaging 5.4 runs during their current 11-3 stretch.
They're seeking their longest winning streak since a five-game run Sept. 1-6.
"It's fun," Cruz said. "We're playing pretty loose. We're enjoying each other."
Seattle took two of three at Minute Maid Park to begin its winnings streak in September and also won a home series over the Astros last week. Cano went 5 for 12 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in the three games and Ketel Marte was 7 for 13.
Cano's .350 average in 52 games versus Houston is his highest against any AL foe.
Chris Devenski (0-1, 1.45 ERA) will face a difficult challenge in his second start since replacing Scott Feldman in the rotation. The right-hander had a solid outing Thursday, allowing two runs over five innings in a 2-0 loss at Oakland.
The Astros chase their first three-game winning streak after taking the last two of a home series with Minnesota. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa each went 3 for 5 with a home run and Jason Castro was 2 for 3 with a homer in Wednesday's 16-4 victory.
Houston (10-18), which has dropped its last five series openers, had been batting .184 while averaging 3 runs over its previous eight games.
"Now we just look to carry that momentum," Castro said. "It will be good moving forward to have a couple of wins under our belt moving into the rest of the homestand."
Seattle's Wade Miley (2-2, 5.06) hopes to build on his first shutout after giving up five hits and walking none in Saturday's 6-0 win over Kansas City. Since going 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA in his first three starts, he's 2-0 with a 2.20 mark over his last two.
"I think he's understanding who he is," manager Scott Servais said. "Wade is very aggressive by nature and he wants to attack almost too much."
The left-hander has gone 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in four career starts versus Houston. Altuve, however, is 7 for 12 with three doubles in the matchup, Evan Gattis is 4 for 8 with two doubles and Carlos Gomez 5 for 15 with a double, a triple and a homer.
The Astros took seven of the 10 home meetings last season.
Preview: Red Sox (16-11) at White Sox (19-9)
Game: 7
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: May 05, 2016 8:10 PM EDT
Erik Johnson is getting the first chance to fill an open rotation spot for the Chicago White Sox.
The former highly touted prospect makes his season debut in Thursday night's decisive finale against the visiting Boston Red Sox.
In the aftermath of veteran John Danks' release this week, Chicago (19-9) has to fill the fifth spot in an otherwise stellar starting rotation that features Jose Quintana, Chris Sale and Mat Latos - all with ERA's under 2.00. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said veterans Miguel Gonzalez and Jacob Turner also are in the mix for the spot, and it's expected the team will have a scout on hand to watch former Giant Tim Lincecum throw in Arizona on Friday.
For the moment, Johnson gets the call to impress a club that still has the best record in the AL despite falling 5-2 to Boston (16-11) on Wednesday.
'We feel we have a pretty special thing going on in this clubhouse right now," Hahn said.
Though Chicago still thinks highly of Johnson, he hasn't been able to establish himself on the major league level the past three seasons. The right-hander, 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in six late-season starts for Chicago in 2015, was 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in four for Triple-A Charlotte after failing to make the big club out of spring training this year.
One of Johnson's better major league outings came against Boston on April 15, 2014, when he struck out nine while yielding one run over 6 2/3 innings of a 2-1 win.
The Red Sox hope for a better offensive effort than that while trying to win for a ninth time in 11 games. David Ortiz hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs to help Boston overcome a first-inning two-run homer from Jose Abreu on Wednesday.
Ortiz, whose 451 home runs are one behind Carl Yastrzemski for second on Boston's all-time list, is batting .368 with three homers and nine RBIs in his past 10 games.
'You kind of marvel at how consistent and powerful he is,' manager John Farrell said. "David is in such a good spot right now offensively."
Teammate Xander Bogaerts, who recorded his fifth three-hit game of the season Wednesday, is batting .442 in his last 13 contests.
After lasting 3 1/3 innings of his 2016 debut April 24 at Houston, Henry Owens (0-0, 4.82 ERA) went six Friday against the New York Yankees while allowing two runs in a 4-2 victory. Though the left-hander has surrendered 11 hits and walked seven in those starts, Ferrell sees progress being made.
"Just thinking back to the six innings that Henry gave us, it was a quality start," Farrell said. "He gathered himself and gained a little rhythm as the night went along."
This will be his first appearance against the White Sox, who split the first two of this set despite recording eight hits.
Abreu is batting .440 with five home runs and 15 RBIs during a 13-game hitting streak against the Red Sox. He's hit .438 with 10 RBIs in the last eight after batting .176 in the first 20.
"That's a good sign for us," manager Robin Ventura said. "Jose is starting to swing the bat."
Game: 7
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: May 05, 2016 8:10 PM EDT
Erik Johnson is getting the first chance to fill an open rotation spot for the Chicago White Sox.
The former highly touted prospect makes his season debut in Thursday night's decisive finale against the visiting Boston Red Sox.
In the aftermath of veteran John Danks' release this week, Chicago (19-9) has to fill the fifth spot in an otherwise stellar starting rotation that features Jose Quintana, Chris Sale and Mat Latos - all with ERA's under 2.00. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said veterans Miguel Gonzalez and Jacob Turner also are in the mix for the spot, and it's expected the team will have a scout on hand to watch former Giant Tim Lincecum throw in Arizona on Friday.
For the moment, Johnson gets the call to impress a club that still has the best record in the AL despite falling 5-2 to Boston (16-11) on Wednesday.
'We feel we have a pretty special thing going on in this clubhouse right now," Hahn said.
Though Chicago still thinks highly of Johnson, he hasn't been able to establish himself on the major league level the past three seasons. The right-hander, 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in six late-season starts for Chicago in 2015, was 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in four for Triple-A Charlotte after failing to make the big club out of spring training this year.
One of Johnson's better major league outings came against Boston on April 15, 2014, when he struck out nine while yielding one run over 6 2/3 innings of a 2-1 win.
The Red Sox hope for a better offensive effort than that while trying to win for a ninth time in 11 games. David Ortiz hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs to help Boston overcome a first-inning two-run homer from Jose Abreu on Wednesday.
Ortiz, whose 451 home runs are one behind Carl Yastrzemski for second on Boston's all-time list, is batting .368 with three homers and nine RBIs in his past 10 games.
'You kind of marvel at how consistent and powerful he is,' manager John Farrell said. "David is in such a good spot right now offensively."
Teammate Xander Bogaerts, who recorded his fifth three-hit game of the season Wednesday, is batting .442 in his last 13 contests.
After lasting 3 1/3 innings of his 2016 debut April 24 at Houston, Henry Owens (0-0, 4.82 ERA) went six Friday against the New York Yankees while allowing two runs in a 4-2 victory. Though the left-hander has surrendered 11 hits and walked seven in those starts, Ferrell sees progress being made.
"Just thinking back to the six innings that Henry gave us, it was a quality start," Farrell said. "He gathered himself and gained a little rhythm as the night went along."
This will be his first appearance against the White Sox, who split the first two of this set despite recording eight hits.
Abreu is batting .440 with five home runs and 15 RBIs during a 13-game hitting streak against the Red Sox. He's hit .438 with 10 RBIs in the last eight after batting .176 in the first 20.
"That's a good sign for us," manager Robin Ventura said. "Jose is starting to swing the bat."
Preview: Mets (17-9) at Padres (11-17)
Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: May 05, 2016 10:10 PM EDT
A surplus of young arms was a big reason why the New York Mets were considered the favorites to repeat as NL East champions.
After some up-and-down performances over the first two weeks of the season, the rotation has helped lead the way during a dominant stretch for New York.
Next in line is Jacob deGrom, who figures to keep the ball rolling Thursday night when he takes on the punchless San Diego Padres in the opener of a season-high 11-game trip for the Mets.
New York opened with six losses in 10 games behind a 3.74 ERA from its starters, but they've posted a 2.17 mark since while the team has won 13 of 16. The Mets (17-9) got another solid outing Wednesday from Steven Matz, who allowed two hits with no walks while striking out eight in 7 2/3 innings of an 8-0 win over Atlanta.
The lineup has also been productive during the 13-3 stretch, scoring 89 runs and hitting 31 homers to rank near the top of the majors over that span in both categories.
Lucas Duda homered twice Wednesday and Asdrubal Cabrera and Rene Rivera also went deep. Duda also homered in Monday's 4-1 win over the Braves.
"I just hope he stays hot, because he can carry you," manager Terry Collins said.
DeGrom has won all three of his starts behind a 1.02 ERA, and all three runs off him in Saturday's 6-5 victory over San Francisco were unearned. The right-hander allowed two hits but walked four over six innings after not issuing one in his first two outings.
He gets his second crack at San Diego (11-17) after giving up two hits while not walking a batter and fanning eight over eight innings of a 7-0 win at Petco Park on June 1. Among current Padres, Jon Jay has gone 2 for 2 with a double and a walk against deGrom, Melvin Upton Jr. is 3 for 6 and Matt Kemp 2 for 8 with a double.
Kemp hit .391, Wil Myers was at .348 and Jay batted .304 during a six-game stretch in which the Padres seemed to finally get on track offensively. San Diego averaged 4.5 runs during that 4-2 span after scoring 3.6 per game in the first 21.
However, the Padres were shut out for a major league-leading eighth time Wednesday and managed three hits in a 2-0 loss to visiting Colorado. No other team has been blanked more than four times.
"We don't want to get shut out. Nobody wants to get shut out," manager Andy Green told MLB's official website. "You want to come out here and put runs on the board. You want to win baseball games. We didn't do that today. But we won two out of three this series, we won two out of three last series."
Colin Rea (2-1, 4.61 ERA) makes his sixth start for San Diego, and the right-hander has pitched pretty well in his last four outings behind a 3.13 ERA. However, his 18.1 pitches per inning rank among the highest in the NL.
"This desire to be too fine too often - that's what needs to die in him," Green said after Rea allowed two runs over six innings in a 5-2 road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. "Trust his stuff, trust that what he has is good enough to get big league hitters out."
Rea has never faced the Mets, who have lost six of eight to the Padres.
Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: May 05, 2016 10:10 PM EDT
A surplus of young arms was a big reason why the New York Mets were considered the favorites to repeat as NL East champions.
After some up-and-down performances over the first two weeks of the season, the rotation has helped lead the way during a dominant stretch for New York.
Next in line is Jacob deGrom, who figures to keep the ball rolling Thursday night when he takes on the punchless San Diego Padres in the opener of a season-high 11-game trip for the Mets.
New York opened with six losses in 10 games behind a 3.74 ERA from its starters, but they've posted a 2.17 mark since while the team has won 13 of 16. The Mets (17-9) got another solid outing Wednesday from Steven Matz, who allowed two hits with no walks while striking out eight in 7 2/3 innings of an 8-0 win over Atlanta.
The lineup has also been productive during the 13-3 stretch, scoring 89 runs and hitting 31 homers to rank near the top of the majors over that span in both categories.
Lucas Duda homered twice Wednesday and Asdrubal Cabrera and Rene Rivera also went deep. Duda also homered in Monday's 4-1 win over the Braves.
"I just hope he stays hot, because he can carry you," manager Terry Collins said.
DeGrom has won all three of his starts behind a 1.02 ERA, and all three runs off him in Saturday's 6-5 victory over San Francisco were unearned. The right-hander allowed two hits but walked four over six innings after not issuing one in his first two outings.
He gets his second crack at San Diego (11-17) after giving up two hits while not walking a batter and fanning eight over eight innings of a 7-0 win at Petco Park on June 1. Among current Padres, Jon Jay has gone 2 for 2 with a double and a walk against deGrom, Melvin Upton Jr. is 3 for 6 and Matt Kemp 2 for 8 with a double.
Kemp hit .391, Wil Myers was at .348 and Jay batted .304 during a six-game stretch in which the Padres seemed to finally get on track offensively. San Diego averaged 4.5 runs during that 4-2 span after scoring 3.6 per game in the first 21.
However, the Padres were shut out for a major league-leading eighth time Wednesday and managed three hits in a 2-0 loss to visiting Colorado. No other team has been blanked more than four times.
"We don't want to get shut out. Nobody wants to get shut out," manager Andy Green told MLB's official website. "You want to come out here and put runs on the board. You want to win baseball games. We didn't do that today. But we won two out of three this series, we won two out of three last series."
Colin Rea (2-1, 4.61 ERA) makes his sixth start for San Diego, and the right-hander has pitched pretty well in his last four outings behind a 3.13 ERA. However, his 18.1 pitches per inning rank among the highest in the NL.
"This desire to be too fine too often - that's what needs to die in him," Green said after Rea allowed two runs over six innings in a 5-2 road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. "Trust his stuff, trust that what he has is good enough to get big league hitters out."
Rea has never faced the Mets, who have lost six of eight to the Padres.
Preview: Rockies (13-14) at Giants (15-14)
Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: May 05, 2016 10:15 PM EDT
Despite a rough start, Matt Cain still has the belief of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Another sketchy outing against the Colorado Rockies and that might change.
Cain looks to snap a 12-start winless stretch Thursday night when the Giants host the Rockies.
For the second time in his five starts, Cain (0-3, 7.00 ERA) allowed six runs, this time along with seven hits and two hit batters over six innings of a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday. The other occasion Cain yielded that many runs was at Colorado on April 14, when he lasted 4 2/3 innings.
Though the right-hander is 0-6 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 starts since winning at San Diego on July 22 and in danger of going 0-4 for the first time in his career, Bochy doesn't plan to replace Cain or fellow struggling veteran Jake Peavy at the back end of the rotation.
"I have too much confidence in these two guys," Bochy told MLB's official website. "I think when it's all said and done, these two will get their wins and help us a lot."
After Cain allowed four runs in the first two innings Saturday, Bochy was pleased with the way he regrouped and found a decent rhythm en route to throwing a season-high 108 pitches.
'He settled in really nicely and made some really good pitches," Bochy said. "So, it's encouraging the way Matt settled down and threw the ball well and gave us six.'
Cain will look to help the Giants (15-14) bounce back after their three-game winning streak ended when Peavy allowed seven runs in six innings of Wednesday's 7-4 defeat at Cincinnati.
Brandon Belt homered for one of his two hits and went 6 for 10 in that three-game series. He was 5 for 12 with two home runs when the Giants dropped two of three at Coors Field last month.
Belt, however, is 2 for 23 with nine strikeouts in his last seven home games against the Rockies (13-14). He's 0 for 4 with two strikeouts when facing Chris Rusin (1-0, 1.69).
The left-hander earned his win after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in a 10-6 victory over San Francisco on April 13. Due to injuries, Rusin was moved to the rotation and he allowed one hit and struck out six in five innings of a 5-2 win at Arizona in his first 2016 start Saturday.
Rusin, who hasn't allowed a run in 14 2/3 consecutive innings, went 5-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 22 starts last season for Colorado.
"I'm very comfortable with him on the mound in any role," manager Walt Weiss said. "He has shown the ability to control his surroundings, control the game."
Rusin is 1-1 with a 2.54 ERA in four starts against the Giants.
Colorado avoided a sweep at the hands of San Diego with Wednesday's 2-0 victory to improve to 4-2 on a 10-game trip.
DJ LeMahieu, who brought home a run with a squeeze bunt Wednesday, is 6 for 18 with a homer and a double against Cain. LeMahieu is batting .353 in his last 10 games at San Francisco.
Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: May 05, 2016 10:15 PM EDT
Despite a rough start, Matt Cain still has the belief of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Another sketchy outing against the Colorado Rockies and that might change.
Cain looks to snap a 12-start winless stretch Thursday night when the Giants host the Rockies.
For the second time in his five starts, Cain (0-3, 7.00 ERA) allowed six runs, this time along with seven hits and two hit batters over six innings of a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday. The other occasion Cain yielded that many runs was at Colorado on April 14, when he lasted 4 2/3 innings.
Though the right-hander is 0-6 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 starts since winning at San Diego on July 22 and in danger of going 0-4 for the first time in his career, Bochy doesn't plan to replace Cain or fellow struggling veteran Jake Peavy at the back end of the rotation.
"I have too much confidence in these two guys," Bochy told MLB's official website. "I think when it's all said and done, these two will get their wins and help us a lot."
After Cain allowed four runs in the first two innings Saturday, Bochy was pleased with the way he regrouped and found a decent rhythm en route to throwing a season-high 108 pitches.
'He settled in really nicely and made some really good pitches," Bochy said. "So, it's encouraging the way Matt settled down and threw the ball well and gave us six.'
Cain will look to help the Giants (15-14) bounce back after their three-game winning streak ended when Peavy allowed seven runs in six innings of Wednesday's 7-4 defeat at Cincinnati.
Brandon Belt homered for one of his two hits and went 6 for 10 in that three-game series. He was 5 for 12 with two home runs when the Giants dropped two of three at Coors Field last month.
Belt, however, is 2 for 23 with nine strikeouts in his last seven home games against the Rockies (13-14). He's 0 for 4 with two strikeouts when facing Chris Rusin (1-0, 1.69).
The left-hander earned his win after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in a 10-6 victory over San Francisco on April 13. Due to injuries, Rusin was moved to the rotation and he allowed one hit and struck out six in five innings of a 5-2 win at Arizona in his first 2016 start Saturday.
Rusin, who hasn't allowed a run in 14 2/3 consecutive innings, went 5-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 22 starts last season for Colorado.
"I'm very comfortable with him on the mound in any role," manager Walt Weiss said. "He has shown the ability to control his surroundings, control the game."
Rusin is 1-1 with a 2.54 ERA in four starts against the Giants.
Colorado avoided a sweep at the hands of San Diego with Wednesday's 2-0 victory to improve to 4-2 on a 10-game trip.
DJ LeMahieu, who brought home a run with a squeeze bunt Wednesday, is 6 for 18 with a homer and a double against Cain. LeMahieu is batting .353 in his last 10 games at San Francisco.
Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, May 5, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews
Most closers are a dime a dozen, but it's pretty amazing how much difference a dominant one can make. And the Cincinnati Reds had one of the most dominant in league history, at least in terms of his fastball, the past few years in lefty Aroldis Chapman. But he of course was traded to the Yankees this offseason with the Reds rebuilding. The Cincinnati bullpen was pretty good with him as the back-end anchor. Now? Terrible. On Tuesday, the Reds bullpen allowed a run for the 21st straight game, a major-league record. In this modern-day era of specialized relievers, that's almost impossible to imagine. Entering Wednesday, the Cincy bullpen has a combined ERA of 6.52 that is by a mile the worst in the majors. The Reds also have one save, which is also easily the worst.
Brewers at Reds (-112, 8.5)
We will have to see if Cincinnati carries that streak past Wednesday's game and into this one. While the Reds did set the mark for consecutive games allowing a run by the bullpen, the 2004 Indians hold the record for consecutive bullpen appearances with at least one run allowed at 30. But the Indians didn't use the bullpen 30 straight games as the Reds had done the past 21 in a row because there were a few complete games mixed in there for the Tribe. Should we be surprised that Cincinnati's relievers are struggling? The payroll for the Reds' current bullpen is just $4,754,765. The Reds are spending only 5.11 percent of their payroll on the bullpen, the lowest percentage in baseball. I feel fairly confident saying the Reds will need a reliever or two here with Alfredo Simon (0-3, 13.50) starting. If he's not the worst starter in baseball right now, I'm not sure who is. The Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy is 6-for-10 off him with two homers and three RBIs. It's Chase Anderson (1-3, 5.55) for Milwaukee. He has been pretty bad over his past three, allowing 17 runs in 13.1 innings. He has allowed six homers in that stretch. Cincy's Joey Votto is 1-for-2 off him with four walks.
Key trends: The Brewers are 0-6 in their past six Thursday games. The Reds are 0-6 in Simon's past six in a series opener. The "over/under" is 5-0 in Anderson's past five. It's 4-1-1 in Simon's past six.
Early lean: Way over! Take Milwaukee.
Tigers at Indians (-120, 8.5)
Detroit is going to be scary if it gets some consistent pitching as the team is very good offensively. One of the club's top prospects, Michael Fulmer, gets his second career major-league start here. He was acquired in the Yoenis Cespedes trade last summer from the Mets. With Shane Greene injured (and lousy), Fulmer took his spot Friday in Minnesota and allowed two runs and seven hits over five innings. Obviously no Indians have faced him unless it was in Grapefruit League play. Cleveland's Trevor Bauer (1-0, 5.28) started the year in the bullpen but was called on to start due to an injury to Carlos Carrasco, and Bauer allowed three runs and five hits over four innings Saturday in Philadelphia. He pitched 3.1 innings of relief on April 24 vs. Detroit and gave up two runs in 3.1 innings. J.D. Martinez is 7-for-16 with a homer and four RBIs off him. Ian Kinsler is 7-for-19 with a dinger.
Key trends: The Indians are 2-5 in Bauer's past seven at home. The under is 6-1 in his past seven overall.
Early lean: Tigers and under.
Diamondbacks at Marlins (-135, 8)
Young Miami left-hander Adam Conley (1-1, 3.67) comes off a no-hit effort here. What, you didn't hear about that? Conley no-hit the Brewers over 7.2 innings Friday, but Manager Don Mattingly had to pull him at that point because Conley, who has some injury history, had thrown a career-high 116 pitches. You can't blame Mattingly for that. Maybe 20 years ago you leave the guy in. The Marlins' bullpen lost the no-hitter but Conley did get his first win. He has never faced Arizona. It's lefty Robbie Ray (1-1, 4.97) for Arizona. He was the Snakes' most consistent pitcher in his first three outings but has allowed 10 runs and 15 hits over seven innings in his past two. The Rockies tagged him for four homers in four innings on Friday. Not many Marlins have faced Ray. Martin Prado is 1-for-3. Christian Yelich is 0-for-3.
Key trends: The Snakes are 2-6 in Ray's past eight road starts. The Marlins are 11-5 in Conley's past 16 starts. The under is 9-1-1 in Ray's past road starts.
Early lean: Marlins and under.
Nationals at Cubs (-137, TBA)
Clearly the series of the weekend and my guess an NLCS preview, although the Mets might have something to say about that. Unfortunately we won't see Jake Arrieta vs. either Stephen Strasburg or Max Scherzer. Will the Cubs have Jason Heyward back for the opener -- Nats were interested in him this offseason as well -- after he missed a third straight game Wednesday? Heyward is dealing with a wrist injury and I don't know how much longer the Cubs can go without putting him on the DL. Nats right-hander Joe Ross (3-0, 0.79) is scheduled for Game 1 and he has been better than Strasburg and Scherzer. Ross has allowed only two earned runs and 15 hits in 22.2 innings. No Cubs have faced him much. Kris Bryant is 1-for-3 with an RBI. Anthony Rizzo is 2-for-3 with a double. It's the weak link of the Chicago rotation in Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 3.52) but he has largely been solid. He held the Brewers to a run over five innings last time out. Bryce Harper is 1-for-6 career off him with a homer.
Key trends: The Cubs are 1-7 in their past eight vs. the NL East. The under is 5-0 in his Hendricks' past five at home.
Early lean: Nationals and under if wind not blowing out.
Red Sox at White Sox (+103, 9)
I mentioned in Wednesday's Opening Line Report that John Danks (0-4, 7.25) was set to start that game for the White Sox but that he had been so lousy that the team had to do something with him soon. It did as Danks will be designated for assignment, meaning the White Sox will eat the remaining $13 million or so on his contract this season -- about the amount Adam LaRoche would have made. This was the right move, even though Danks is very respected in the clubhouse. The White Sox moved Carlos Rodon into Wednesday's start for Danks and will use Erik Johnson as the No. 5 for now on Thursday. He's still one of the team's top prospects but the time is now since Johnson is 26 and has a career 4.17 ERA in the majors in 16 starts. He was 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Charlotte this year. Boston counters with lefty Henry Owens (0-0, 4.82), who has made two starts in place of the injured Joe Kelly. He has never faced the Pale Hose.
Key trends: The Red Sox are 0-4 in their past four Thursday games. The White Sox are 6-1 in Johnson's past seven road starts. The over is 6-0 in Owens' past six on the road. The over is 11-3-2 in Johnson's past 16 overall.
Early lean: White Sox and over.
by Alan Matthews
Most closers are a dime a dozen, but it's pretty amazing how much difference a dominant one can make. And the Cincinnati Reds had one of the most dominant in league history, at least in terms of his fastball, the past few years in lefty Aroldis Chapman. But he of course was traded to the Yankees this offseason with the Reds rebuilding. The Cincinnati bullpen was pretty good with him as the back-end anchor. Now? Terrible. On Tuesday, the Reds bullpen allowed a run for the 21st straight game, a major-league record. In this modern-day era of specialized relievers, that's almost impossible to imagine. Entering Wednesday, the Cincy bullpen has a combined ERA of 6.52 that is by a mile the worst in the majors. The Reds also have one save, which is also easily the worst.
Brewers at Reds (-112, 8.5)
We will have to see if Cincinnati carries that streak past Wednesday's game and into this one. While the Reds did set the mark for consecutive games allowing a run by the bullpen, the 2004 Indians hold the record for consecutive bullpen appearances with at least one run allowed at 30. But the Indians didn't use the bullpen 30 straight games as the Reds had done the past 21 in a row because there were a few complete games mixed in there for the Tribe. Should we be surprised that Cincinnati's relievers are struggling? The payroll for the Reds' current bullpen is just $4,754,765. The Reds are spending only 5.11 percent of their payroll on the bullpen, the lowest percentage in baseball. I feel fairly confident saying the Reds will need a reliever or two here with Alfredo Simon (0-3, 13.50) starting. If he's not the worst starter in baseball right now, I'm not sure who is. The Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy is 6-for-10 off him with two homers and three RBIs. It's Chase Anderson (1-3, 5.55) for Milwaukee. He has been pretty bad over his past three, allowing 17 runs in 13.1 innings. He has allowed six homers in that stretch. Cincy's Joey Votto is 1-for-2 off him with four walks.
Key trends: The Brewers are 0-6 in their past six Thursday games. The Reds are 0-6 in Simon's past six in a series opener. The "over/under" is 5-0 in Anderson's past five. It's 4-1-1 in Simon's past six.
Early lean: Way over! Take Milwaukee.
Tigers at Indians (-120, 8.5)
Detroit is going to be scary if it gets some consistent pitching as the team is very good offensively. One of the club's top prospects, Michael Fulmer, gets his second career major-league start here. He was acquired in the Yoenis Cespedes trade last summer from the Mets. With Shane Greene injured (and lousy), Fulmer took his spot Friday in Minnesota and allowed two runs and seven hits over five innings. Obviously no Indians have faced him unless it was in Grapefruit League play. Cleveland's Trevor Bauer (1-0, 5.28) started the year in the bullpen but was called on to start due to an injury to Carlos Carrasco, and Bauer allowed three runs and five hits over four innings Saturday in Philadelphia. He pitched 3.1 innings of relief on April 24 vs. Detroit and gave up two runs in 3.1 innings. J.D. Martinez is 7-for-16 with a homer and four RBIs off him. Ian Kinsler is 7-for-19 with a dinger.
Key trends: The Indians are 2-5 in Bauer's past seven at home. The under is 6-1 in his past seven overall.
Early lean: Tigers and under.
Diamondbacks at Marlins (-135, 8)
Young Miami left-hander Adam Conley (1-1, 3.67) comes off a no-hit effort here. What, you didn't hear about that? Conley no-hit the Brewers over 7.2 innings Friday, but Manager Don Mattingly had to pull him at that point because Conley, who has some injury history, had thrown a career-high 116 pitches. You can't blame Mattingly for that. Maybe 20 years ago you leave the guy in. The Marlins' bullpen lost the no-hitter but Conley did get his first win. He has never faced Arizona. It's lefty Robbie Ray (1-1, 4.97) for Arizona. He was the Snakes' most consistent pitcher in his first three outings but has allowed 10 runs and 15 hits over seven innings in his past two. The Rockies tagged him for four homers in four innings on Friday. Not many Marlins have faced Ray. Martin Prado is 1-for-3. Christian Yelich is 0-for-3.
Key trends: The Snakes are 2-6 in Ray's past eight road starts. The Marlins are 11-5 in Conley's past 16 starts. The under is 9-1-1 in Ray's past road starts.
Early lean: Marlins and under.
Nationals at Cubs (-137, TBA)
Clearly the series of the weekend and my guess an NLCS preview, although the Mets might have something to say about that. Unfortunately we won't see Jake Arrieta vs. either Stephen Strasburg or Max Scherzer. Will the Cubs have Jason Heyward back for the opener -- Nats were interested in him this offseason as well -- after he missed a third straight game Wednesday? Heyward is dealing with a wrist injury and I don't know how much longer the Cubs can go without putting him on the DL. Nats right-hander Joe Ross (3-0, 0.79) is scheduled for Game 1 and he has been better than Strasburg and Scherzer. Ross has allowed only two earned runs and 15 hits in 22.2 innings. No Cubs have faced him much. Kris Bryant is 1-for-3 with an RBI. Anthony Rizzo is 2-for-3 with a double. It's the weak link of the Chicago rotation in Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 3.52) but he has largely been solid. He held the Brewers to a run over five innings last time out. Bryce Harper is 1-for-6 career off him with a homer.
Key trends: The Cubs are 1-7 in their past eight vs. the NL East. The under is 5-0 in his Hendricks' past five at home.
Early lean: Nationals and under if wind not blowing out.
Red Sox at White Sox (+103, 9)
I mentioned in Wednesday's Opening Line Report that John Danks (0-4, 7.25) was set to start that game for the White Sox but that he had been so lousy that the team had to do something with him soon. It did as Danks will be designated for assignment, meaning the White Sox will eat the remaining $13 million or so on his contract this season -- about the amount Adam LaRoche would have made. This was the right move, even though Danks is very respected in the clubhouse. The White Sox moved Carlos Rodon into Wednesday's start for Danks and will use Erik Johnson as the No. 5 for now on Thursday. He's still one of the team's top prospects but the time is now since Johnson is 26 and has a career 4.17 ERA in the majors in 16 starts. He was 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Charlotte this year. Boston counters with lefty Henry Owens (0-0, 4.82), who has made two starts in place of the injured Joe Kelly. He has never faced the Pale Hose.
Key trends: The Red Sox are 0-4 in their past four Thursday games. The White Sox are 6-1 in Johnson's past seven road starts. The over is 6-0 in Owens' past six on the road. The over is 11-3-2 in Johnson's past 16 overall.
Early lean: White Sox and over.
MLB
Thursday's games
National League games
Diamondbacks @ Marlins
Ray is 0-1, 12.86 in his last two starts (under 4-1).
Conley is 1-1, 2.77 in his last four starts (over 2-1-2).
Arizona lost seven of its last eight games; five of its last six games stayed under total. Marlins won eight of last nine games; over is 8-3-2 in its last 13 games.
Phillies @ Cardinals
Eickhoff is 0-2, 5.89 in his last three starts (over 3-2).
Garcia is 0-2, 5.51 in his last three starts (over 2-2-1).
Phillies won ten of last 13 games; six of their last eight games stayed under the total. Cardinals lost five of last seven games (over 8-1-2 in last eleven).
Brewers @ Reds
Anderson is 0-3, 11.48 in his last three starts (over 4-0-1).
Simon is 0-3, 13.50 n four starts this year (over 2-1-1).
Milwaukee won three of last four games but is 3-7 on road; over is 9-2-2 in its last 13 games. Cincinnati lost eight of last ten games; over is 6-1-1 in its last eight at home.
Nationals @ Cubs
Ross is 3-0, 0.79 in four starts this season (under 3-0-1).
Hendricks is 2-2, 4.30 in four starts this year, three of which stayed under.
Washington won five of its last six games. Cubs won seven of last eight games; over is 9-2-1 in their last twelve games.
Mets @ Padres
deGrom is 3-0, 2.55 in his last three starts (over 2-1).
Rea is 2-0, 4.50 in his last three starts (over 3-2).
New York won 13 of its last 16 games; over is 7-2 in its last nine on road. Padres are 4-2 in their last six games; five of their last six games stayed under.
Rockies @ Giants
Rusin shut Arizona out for five innings in his first '16 start.
Cain is 0-3, 8.14 in his last four starts, three of which went over.
Colorado won four of its last six games; eight of its last ten road games stayed under. Giants won five of their last six home games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games.
American League games
Tigers @ Indians
Fulmer allowed two runs in five IP (93 PT) in his first MLB start. .
Bauer allowed three runs in four IP (78 PT) in his first '16 start.
Detroit won five of last seven games; eight of its last 11 games went over. Cleveland lost five of last eight games; four of its last five games stayed under.
Bronx @ Orioles
Tanaka is 1-0, 3.05 in his last three starts; his last four starts stayed under.
Gausman is 0-1, 3.27 in his two starts this year (over 1-1).
New York lost 14 of last 19 games; seven of its last nine road games stayed under the total. Orioles lost three of their last four games; under is 9-4-1 in their home games.
Rangers @ Blue Jays
Holland is 3-1, 1.88 in his last four starts (under 2-1-2).
Happ is 3-0, 2.70 in his last four starts (over 2-2-1).
Texas lost six of last seven road games; 10 of its 13 road games stayed under total. Toronto won four of its last six games; its last seven games all stayed under the total.
Red Sox @ White Sox
Owens is 0-0, 4.82 in two starts this year (over 1-1).
Johnson is making first '16 start; he is 7-4, 4.17 in 16 MLB starts, 1-1, 3.74 in four starts in AAA this year.
Boston won ten of its last 12 games; five of their last six games stayed under the total. Chicago won 11 of last 15 games; their last nine games at home stayed under.
Mariners @ Astros
Miley is 2-1, 3.15 in his last three starts; three of his last four starts stayed under.
Devenski allowed two runs in five IP (91 PT) in his first MLB start.
Mariners won 11 of their last 14 games; three of their last road four games went over the total. Houston won three of its last four games; over is 7-3-1 in its last 11.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
Az-Mia-- Ray 2-3; Conley 3-2
Mil-Cin-- Anderson 2-3; Simon 0-4
Wsh-Chi-- Ross 4-0; Hendricks 2-2
Phil-StL-- Eickhoff 2-3; Garcia 2-3
NY-SD-- deGrom 3-0; Rea 3-2
Col-SF-- Rusin 1-0; Cain 1-4
Det-Clev-- Fulmer 1-0; Bauer 0-1
NY-Balt-- Tanaka 3-2; Gausman 0-2
Tex-Tor-- Holland 3-2; Happ 3-2
Bos-Chi-- Owens 2-0; Johnson 0-0
Sea-Hst-- Miley 3-2; Devenski 0-1
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Az-Mia-- Ray 0-5; Conley 1-5
Mil-Cin-- Anderson 2-5; Simon 3-4
Wsh-Chi-- Ross 1-4; Hendricks 1-4
Phil-StL-- Eickhoff 1-5; Garcia 1-5
NY-SD-- deGrom 0-3; Rea 3-5
Col-SF-- Rusin 0-1; Cain 1-5
Det-Clev-- Fulmer 0-1; Bauer 1-1
NY-Balt-- Tanaka 1-5; Gausman 0-2
Tex-Tor-- Holland 0-5; Happ 1-5
Bos-Chi-- Owens 0-2; Johnson 0-0
Sea-Hst-- Miley 1-5; Devenski 0-1
Thursday's games
National League games
Diamondbacks @ Marlins
Ray is 0-1, 12.86 in his last two starts (under 4-1).
Conley is 1-1, 2.77 in his last four starts (over 2-1-2).
Arizona lost seven of its last eight games; five of its last six games stayed under total. Marlins won eight of last nine games; over is 8-3-2 in its last 13 games.
Phillies @ Cardinals
Eickhoff is 0-2, 5.89 in his last three starts (over 3-2).
Garcia is 0-2, 5.51 in his last three starts (over 2-2-1).
Phillies won ten of last 13 games; six of their last eight games stayed under the total. Cardinals lost five of last seven games (over 8-1-2 in last eleven).
Brewers @ Reds
Anderson is 0-3, 11.48 in his last three starts (over 4-0-1).
Simon is 0-3, 13.50 n four starts this year (over 2-1-1).
Milwaukee won three of last four games but is 3-7 on road; over is 9-2-2 in its last 13 games. Cincinnati lost eight of last ten games; over is 6-1-1 in its last eight at home.
Nationals @ Cubs
Ross is 3-0, 0.79 in four starts this season (under 3-0-1).
Hendricks is 2-2, 4.30 in four starts this year, three of which stayed under.
Washington won five of its last six games. Cubs won seven of last eight games; over is 9-2-1 in their last twelve games.
Mets @ Padres
deGrom is 3-0, 2.55 in his last three starts (over 2-1).
Rea is 2-0, 4.50 in his last three starts (over 3-2).
New York won 13 of its last 16 games; over is 7-2 in its last nine on road. Padres are 4-2 in their last six games; five of their last six games stayed under.
Rockies @ Giants
Rusin shut Arizona out for five innings in his first '16 start.
Cain is 0-3, 8.14 in his last four starts, three of which went over.
Colorado won four of its last six games; eight of its last ten road games stayed under. Giants won five of their last six home games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games.
American League games
Tigers @ Indians
Fulmer allowed two runs in five IP (93 PT) in his first MLB start. .
Bauer allowed three runs in four IP (78 PT) in his first '16 start.
Detroit won five of last seven games; eight of its last 11 games went over. Cleveland lost five of last eight games; four of its last five games stayed under.
Bronx @ Orioles
Tanaka is 1-0, 3.05 in his last three starts; his last four starts stayed under.
Gausman is 0-1, 3.27 in his two starts this year (over 1-1).
New York lost 14 of last 19 games; seven of its last nine road games stayed under the total. Orioles lost three of their last four games; under is 9-4-1 in their home games.
Rangers @ Blue Jays
Holland is 3-1, 1.88 in his last four starts (under 2-1-2).
Happ is 3-0, 2.70 in his last four starts (over 2-2-1).
Texas lost six of last seven road games; 10 of its 13 road games stayed under total. Toronto won four of its last six games; its last seven games all stayed under the total.
Red Sox @ White Sox
Owens is 0-0, 4.82 in two starts this year (over 1-1).
Johnson is making first '16 start; he is 7-4, 4.17 in 16 MLB starts, 1-1, 3.74 in four starts in AAA this year.
Boston won ten of its last 12 games; five of their last six games stayed under the total. Chicago won 11 of last 15 games; their last nine games at home stayed under.
Mariners @ Astros
Miley is 2-1, 3.15 in his last three starts; three of his last four starts stayed under.
Devenski allowed two runs in five IP (91 PT) in his first MLB start.
Mariners won 11 of their last 14 games; three of their last road four games went over the total. Houston won three of its last four games; over is 7-3-1 in its last 11.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
Az-Mia-- Ray 2-3; Conley 3-2
Mil-Cin-- Anderson 2-3; Simon 0-4
Wsh-Chi-- Ross 4-0; Hendricks 2-2
Phil-StL-- Eickhoff 2-3; Garcia 2-3
NY-SD-- deGrom 3-0; Rea 3-2
Col-SF-- Rusin 1-0; Cain 1-4
Det-Clev-- Fulmer 1-0; Bauer 0-1
NY-Balt-- Tanaka 3-2; Gausman 0-2
Tex-Tor-- Holland 3-2; Happ 3-2
Bos-Chi-- Owens 2-0; Johnson 0-0
Sea-Hst-- Miley 3-2; Devenski 0-1
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Az-Mia-- Ray 0-5; Conley 1-5
Mil-Cin-- Anderson 2-5; Simon 3-4
Wsh-Chi-- Ross 1-4; Hendricks 1-4
Phil-StL-- Eickhoff 1-5; Garcia 1-5
NY-SD-- deGrom 0-3; Rea 3-5
Col-SF-- Rusin 0-1; Cain 1-5
Det-Clev-- Fulmer 0-1; Bauer 1-1
NY-Balt-- Tanaka 1-5; Gausman 0-2
Tex-Tor-- Holland 0-5; Happ 1-5
Bos-Chi-- Owens 0-2; Johnson 0-0
Sea-Hst-- Miley 1-5; Devenski 0-1
GAME: Philadelphia Phillies (16-12) at St. Louis Cardinals (14-14)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 1:45 PM EST
WHERE: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
The St. Louis Cardinals have been searching for a way to break out of their doldrums, and their first walk-off victory of the season may provide the impetus. The Cardinals erased an early four-run deficit in Wednesday's dramatic win and look to defeat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies for the third time in four days in Thursday's series finale.
"We needed that one," St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday told reporters after delivering the game-winning single in the team's largest comeback victory of the season. Stephen Piscotty's tying RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Cardinals a .462 batting average (6-for-13) and 14 RBIs with the bases loaded. St. Louis native Ryan Howard clubbed a solo homer in Philadelphia's 1-0 victory on Tuesday and added a three-run blast the following night. It marked only the third loss in 13 games for the Phillies, who send Jerad Eickhoff to the mound to face Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia.
TV: 1:45 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phllies RH Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (1-2, 3.73)
Eickhoff bounced back from his worst effort of the season with a quality start in his last outing, giving up three runs and six hits over six innings in a no-decision against Cleveland. He was shelled for seven runs and nine hits, including a pair of homers, in his previous turn at Milwaukee to fall to 0-2 with a bloated 7.84 ERA in two road starts. Opposing hitters are batting 100 points higher (.311 to .211) versus Eickhoff on the road than at home.
Garcia has struggled with his control since his dominating 13-strikeout, one-hit shutout against Milwaukee in his second start of the season, walking 10 batters and giving up 10 runs over 16 1/3 innings. He pitched better than his line indicated last time out, giving up four runs - all in the first inning - and four hits in 6 1/3 frames against Washington. Garcia has made nine career appearances (seven starts) versus the Phillies, posting a 2-4 record and 3.27 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Howard has hit 13 career homers at Busch Stadium, matching his highest total in a non-National League East stadium.
2. Piscotty is 16-for-41 with nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
3. Phillies RHP Jeanmar Gomez suffered his first blown save in 10 save opportunities on Wednesday.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Phillies 2
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 1:45 PM EST
WHERE: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
The St. Louis Cardinals have been searching for a way to break out of their doldrums, and their first walk-off victory of the season may provide the impetus. The Cardinals erased an early four-run deficit in Wednesday's dramatic win and look to defeat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies for the third time in four days in Thursday's series finale.
"We needed that one," St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday told reporters after delivering the game-winning single in the team's largest comeback victory of the season. Stephen Piscotty's tying RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Cardinals a .462 batting average (6-for-13) and 14 RBIs with the bases loaded. St. Louis native Ryan Howard clubbed a solo homer in Philadelphia's 1-0 victory on Tuesday and added a three-run blast the following night. It marked only the third loss in 13 games for the Phillies, who send Jerad Eickhoff to the mound to face Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia.
TV: 1:45 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phllies RH Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (1-2, 3.73)
Eickhoff bounced back from his worst effort of the season with a quality start in his last outing, giving up three runs and six hits over six innings in a no-decision against Cleveland. He was shelled for seven runs and nine hits, including a pair of homers, in his previous turn at Milwaukee to fall to 0-2 with a bloated 7.84 ERA in two road starts. Opposing hitters are batting 100 points higher (.311 to .211) versus Eickhoff on the road than at home.
Garcia has struggled with his control since his dominating 13-strikeout, one-hit shutout against Milwaukee in his second start of the season, walking 10 batters and giving up 10 runs over 16 1/3 innings. He pitched better than his line indicated last time out, giving up four runs - all in the first inning - and four hits in 6 1/3 frames against Washington. Garcia has made nine career appearances (seven starts) versus the Phillies, posting a 2-4 record and 3.27 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Howard has hit 13 career homers at Busch Stadium, matching his highest total in a non-National League East stadium.
2. Piscotty is 16-for-41 with nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
3. Phillies RHP Jeanmar Gomez suffered his first blown save in 10 save opportunities on Wednesday.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Phillies 2
GAME: Detroit Tigers (14-12) at Cleveland Indians (12-12)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 6:10 PM EST
WHERE: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Indians were a popular pick to challenge in the American League Central this season due to their starting pitching, and the staff has been in strong form of late. The Indians will look for another solid start and a three-game sweep when they host the Detroit Tigers in the series finale on Thursday.
Cleveland was swept in a three-game set at Philadelphia over the weekend but only surrendered 10 runs in the contests and carried that effective pitching over to Tuesday’s 7-3 win over the Tigers. The Indians did not need to use the bullpen at all on Wednesday, when Corey Kluber threw 111 pitches in a 4-0 shutout. Detroit has scored a total of eight runs in going 0-5 against the Indians this season, and the recent slump comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak that saw it put up 35 runs against the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. Cleveland’s pitching has not been good enough to stop Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, who is 4-for-7 in the series to raise his AL-leading batting average to .378.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (1-0, 5.28)
Fulmer made his major-league debut at Minnesota on Friday and allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings to pick up the win. The 23-year-old struck out four and needed 93 pitches to get through five frames. Fulmer was acquired from the Mets last summer in the trade that sent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to New York.
Bauer began the year in the bullpen but jumped back into the rotation when Carlos Carrasco (hamstring) went down and stretched out with four innings at Philadelphia on Saturday. The UCLA product surrendered three runs and five hits in those four frames without factoring in the decision. Bauer pitched in relief of Carrasco against Detroit on April 24 and picked up the win while allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tigers DH Victor Martinez is 2-for-8 in the series after going 9-for-13 in the previous three games.
2. Indians 1B Mike Napoli, C Yan Gomes and LF Michael Brantley each drove in at least one run in the first two games of the series.
3. Cleveland acquired C Chris Gimenez from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations.
PREDICTION: Indians 4, Tigers 3
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 6:10 PM EST
WHERE: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Indians were a popular pick to challenge in the American League Central this season due to their starting pitching, and the staff has been in strong form of late. The Indians will look for another solid start and a three-game sweep when they host the Detroit Tigers in the series finale on Thursday.
Cleveland was swept in a three-game set at Philadelphia over the weekend but only surrendered 10 runs in the contests and carried that effective pitching over to Tuesday’s 7-3 win over the Tigers. The Indians did not need to use the bullpen at all on Wednesday, when Corey Kluber threw 111 pitches in a 4-0 shutout. Detroit has scored a total of eight runs in going 0-5 against the Indians this season, and the recent slump comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak that saw it put up 35 runs against the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. Cleveland’s pitching has not been good enough to stop Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, who is 4-for-7 in the series to raise his AL-leading batting average to .378.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (1-0, 5.28)
Fulmer made his major-league debut at Minnesota on Friday and allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings to pick up the win. The 23-year-old struck out four and needed 93 pitches to get through five frames. Fulmer was acquired from the Mets last summer in the trade that sent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to New York.
Bauer began the year in the bullpen but jumped back into the rotation when Carlos Carrasco (hamstring) went down and stretched out with four innings at Philadelphia on Saturday. The UCLA product surrendered three runs and five hits in those four frames without factoring in the decision. Bauer pitched in relief of Carrasco against Detroit on April 24 and picked up the win while allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tigers DH Victor Martinez is 2-for-8 in the series after going 9-for-13 in the previous three games.
2. Indians 1B Mike Napoli, C Yan Gomes and LF Michael Brantley each drove in at least one run in the first two games of the series.
3. Cleveland acquired C Chris Gimenez from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations.
PREDICTION: Indians 4, Tigers 3
GAME: New York Yankees (9-16) at Baltimore Orioles (15-11)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez told his teammates prior to Tuesday's matchup in Baltimore that there's no reason they can't score five runs per game. It took one night for Rodriguez's words to take hold with the Yankees, who hope to carry the offensive momentum into Thursday's series finale against the host Orioles.
Although Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, New York snapped a six-game losing streak with a 7-0 drubbing that night for just its fifth victory in its last 20 games at Camden Yards. Leadoff batter Jacoby Ellsbury recorded three hits and reached base in all five plate appearances while Brian McCann drove in three runs to break an eight-game RBI drought for the Yankees, who will be wrapping up a nine-game road trip. Even though Baltimore has dropped three of four, the move from third base to shortstop hasn't affected Manny Machado, who has registered three doubles in seven at-bats in the series. Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman will oppose New York ace Masahiro Tanaka in Thursday's rubber match.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.45)
Tanaka sailed through six scoreless innings at Boston on Sunday but wound up being charged with two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 frames in his fourth no-decision. It was the third consecutive start of at least six innings for the Japanese standout, who has recorded 18 strikeouts versus one walk over 20 2/3 frames in that span. Tanaka is 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles but has served up six homers in 29 2/3 innings.
A meltdown by Baltimore's bullpen wiped out Gausman's chance for a victory after he gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. It was only the second start of the year for Gausman, who yielded one run and three hits over five frames in his season debut versus Tampa Bay following a case of tendinitis in his right shoulder. Gausman is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 career appearances (five starts) versus the Yankees.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York has scored a total of 15 runs in Tanaka's five starts.
2. Orioles closer Zach Britton, who sprained his ankle on Saturday, is expected to throw another bullpen session Thursday.
3. The Yankees recalled LHP James Pazos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Rodriguez's roster spot.
PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Orioles 3
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez told his teammates prior to Tuesday's matchup in Baltimore that there's no reason they can't score five runs per game. It took one night for Rodriguez's words to take hold with the Yankees, who hope to carry the offensive momentum into Thursday's series finale against the host Orioles.
Although Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, New York snapped a six-game losing streak with a 7-0 drubbing that night for just its fifth victory in its last 20 games at Camden Yards. Leadoff batter Jacoby Ellsbury recorded three hits and reached base in all five plate appearances while Brian McCann drove in three runs to break an eight-game RBI drought for the Yankees, who will be wrapping up a nine-game road trip. Even though Baltimore has dropped three of four, the move from third base to shortstop hasn't affected Manny Machado, who has registered three doubles in seven at-bats in the series. Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman will oppose New York ace Masahiro Tanaka in Thursday's rubber match.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.45)
Tanaka sailed through six scoreless innings at Boston on Sunday but wound up being charged with two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 frames in his fourth no-decision. It was the third consecutive start of at least six innings for the Japanese standout, who has recorded 18 strikeouts versus one walk over 20 2/3 frames in that span. Tanaka is 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles but has served up six homers in 29 2/3 innings.
A meltdown by Baltimore's bullpen wiped out Gausman's chance for a victory after he gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. It was only the second start of the year for Gausman, who yielded one run and three hits over five frames in his season debut versus Tampa Bay following a case of tendinitis in his right shoulder. Gausman is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 career appearances (five starts) versus the Yankees.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York has scored a total of 15 runs in Tanaka's five starts.
2. Orioles closer Zach Britton, who sprained his ankle on Saturday, is expected to throw another bullpen session Thursday.
3. The Yankees recalled LHP James Pazos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Rodriguez's roster spot.
PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Orioles 3
GAME: Texas Rangers (15-13) at Toronto Blue Jays (14-15)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers seem to be incapable of playing games that don’t include dramatic moments in the late innings. The Blue Jays will try to follow up their American League Division Series victory over the Rangers last fall with a series win in their first 2016 meeting when they host the finale of a four-game set on Thursday.
Texas took the opener of the series when Nomar Mazara bashed a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Monday and threw a runner out at the plate in the bottom of the frame, but it has been Toronto getting the key late hits in the last two contests. Justin Smoak hit a tying home run in the ninth on Tuesday and a walk-off blast in the 10th, and Edwin Encarnacion tied it with a two-run blast in the sixth inning on Wednesday before Russell Martin’s walk-off single capped the 4-3 win. The win made the Blue Jays 4-2 in their last six games, and the pitching staff is surrendering an average of two runs in that span. The Rangers scored an average of six runs in the five games prior to visiting Toronto but have totaled six in the first three games of the series.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Southwest (Texas), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Derek Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.76)
Holland has yet to allow more than three runs in a start and cruised through six scoreless innings in a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. The 29-year-old only registered one strikeout in the outing but did not walk a batter in his second scoreless start of the season. Holland is 3-2 with a 5.15 ERA in eight career regular-season games against Toronto and was lit up for six runs – three homers – in two innings against the Blue Jays last postseason.
Happ has recorded a quality start in each of his first five outings but could not get enough run support to pull out a win at Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Northwestern product surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings but did not factor in the decision in a 4-3 loss. Happ, who was not part of the team during the run to the playoffs last season, is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki is 2-for-29 in the last eight games, dropping his batting average to .160.
2. Texas optioned C Brett Nicholas to Triple-A Round Rock and traded C Chris Gimenez to Cleveland for cash considerations.
3. Smoak is 6-for-11 in the series with his first two homers of the season and three RBIs.
PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 3
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers seem to be incapable of playing games that don’t include dramatic moments in the late innings. The Blue Jays will try to follow up their American League Division Series victory over the Rangers last fall with a series win in their first 2016 meeting when they host the finale of a four-game set on Thursday.
Texas took the opener of the series when Nomar Mazara bashed a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Monday and threw a runner out at the plate in the bottom of the frame, but it has been Toronto getting the key late hits in the last two contests. Justin Smoak hit a tying home run in the ninth on Tuesday and a walk-off blast in the 10th, and Edwin Encarnacion tied it with a two-run blast in the sixth inning on Wednesday before Russell Martin’s walk-off single capped the 4-3 win. The win made the Blue Jays 4-2 in their last six games, and the pitching staff is surrendering an average of two runs in that span. The Rangers scored an average of six runs in the five games prior to visiting Toronto but have totaled six in the first three games of the series.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Southwest (Texas), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Derek Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.76)
Holland has yet to allow more than three runs in a start and cruised through six scoreless innings in a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. The 29-year-old only registered one strikeout in the outing but did not walk a batter in his second scoreless start of the season. Holland is 3-2 with a 5.15 ERA in eight career regular-season games against Toronto and was lit up for six runs – three homers – in two innings against the Blue Jays last postseason.
Happ has recorded a quality start in each of his first five outings but could not get enough run support to pull out a win at Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Northwestern product surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings but did not factor in the decision in a 4-3 loss. Happ, who was not part of the team during the run to the playoffs last season, is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki is 2-for-29 in the last eight games, dropping his batting average to .160.
2. Texas optioned C Brett Nicholas to Triple-A Round Rock and traded C Chris Gimenez to Cleveland for cash considerations.
3. Smoak is 6-for-11 in the series with his first two homers of the season and three RBIs.
PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 3
GAME: Arizona Diamondbacks (12-17) at Miami Marlins (14-12)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
With Giancarlo Stanton leading the way, the Miami Marlins are using the long ball to fuel their current hot streak. The Marlins have launched 16 home runs while winning nine of their last 10 contests and look to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with a victory in Thursday's series finale.
Stanton went deep for the sixth time in nine games in Wednesday's 4-3 victory, hitting a two-run blast that pushed his season total to nine. J.T. Realmuto is providing ample offensive support, collecting 19 hits in 37 at-bats during a nine-game hitting streak. Arizona has lost five in a row and seven of eight as it attempts to avoid its second straight three-game sweep. The Diamondbacks will send the struggling Robbie Ray to the mound to face another left-hander in Miami's Adam Conley.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (1-1, 4.97 ERA) vs. Marlins LH Adam Conley (1-1, 3.67)
After opening the season with three consecutive quality starts, Ray has taken a major step back with a pair of rocky outings - both at home. The 24-year-old served up four homers and was charged with five runs on seven hits over four innings against Colorado on Friday in his second straight abbreviated outing. Ray - who lost his only start versus the Marlins last year - has been solid in his two road outings, giving up two runs and nine hits over 12 1/3 innings.
A high pitch count spoiled a potential entry in the record books for Conley, who was pulled from the game after throwing 116 pitches in 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball at Milwaukee on Friday. It was a much-needed boost for the 25-year-old, who was tagged for three homers and eight runs in his previous two turns. Conley, who never has faced the Diamondbacks, is allowing left-handed batters to hit .321 against him in 20 career appearances.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins RHP A.J. Ramos has converted 18 straight save chances dating to last year.
2. Diamondbacks 2B Jean Segura (hip), who didn't start the last two games, recorded a pinch-hit single Wednesday to lift his batting average to .339.
3. Marlins 1B Justin Bour missed Wednesday's game with a dislocated pinky finger sustained in the series opener.
PREDICTION: Marlins 6, Diamondbacks 3
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
With Giancarlo Stanton leading the way, the Miami Marlins are using the long ball to fuel their current hot streak. The Marlins have launched 16 home runs while winning nine of their last 10 contests and look to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with a victory in Thursday's series finale.
Stanton went deep for the sixth time in nine games in Wednesday's 4-3 victory, hitting a two-run blast that pushed his season total to nine. J.T. Realmuto is providing ample offensive support, collecting 19 hits in 37 at-bats during a nine-game hitting streak. Arizona has lost five in a row and seven of eight as it attempts to avoid its second straight three-game sweep. The Diamondbacks will send the struggling Robbie Ray to the mound to face another left-hander in Miami's Adam Conley.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (1-1, 4.97 ERA) vs. Marlins LH Adam Conley (1-1, 3.67)
After opening the season with three consecutive quality starts, Ray has taken a major step back with a pair of rocky outings - both at home. The 24-year-old served up four homers and was charged with five runs on seven hits over four innings against Colorado on Friday in his second straight abbreviated outing. Ray - who lost his only start versus the Marlins last year - has been solid in his two road outings, giving up two runs and nine hits over 12 1/3 innings.
A high pitch count spoiled a potential entry in the record books for Conley, who was pulled from the game after throwing 116 pitches in 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball at Milwaukee on Friday. It was a much-needed boost for the 25-year-old, who was tagged for three homers and eight runs in his previous two turns. Conley, who never has faced the Diamondbacks, is allowing left-handed batters to hit .321 against him in 20 career appearances.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins RHP A.J. Ramos has converted 18 straight save chances dating to last year.
2. Diamondbacks 2B Jean Segura (hip), who didn't start the last two games, recorded a pinch-hit single Wednesday to lift his batting average to .339.
3. Marlins 1B Justin Bour missed Wednesday's game with a dislocated pinky finger sustained in the series opener.
PREDICTION: Marlins 6, Diamondbacks 3
