Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Live Streaming

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Live | Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Streaming | Cleveland vs Chicago NBA Live Stream | Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Live Webcast

7:00 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Forget the highlight reel dunks and ridiculous jumpers. Never mind that the Cleveland Cavaliers are up 2-0. LeBron James is far from satisfied. The top-seeded Cavaliers are eyeing a championship and have a chance to close out the Bulls in Chicago as their first-round series shifts to the United Center for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Sunday. Yet, the way the King sees it, that crowning achievement won’t come unless some improvement is made. The Cavaliers are outshooting the Bulls 51 percent to 43.3 percent, are outrebounding them by a 43-38 average and have 21 blocks to Chicago’s seven. Yet the numbers that stand out to James are these: The Bulls’ 56-38 scoring advantage in the paint in Game 2 and 18-15 edge on the break on Monday.Even so, the Cavaliers are in a good spot after taking Game 2, 112-102.James has simply been at his best in this series, torching Chicago the way another No. 23 often terrorized Cleveland in the postseason.

He’s averaging a Jordan-esque 32.0 points while shooting 59.5 percent after scoring 40 in Game 2, and he’s burying shots—and the Bulls—from all angles. Now, the Cavaliers have a chance to close out this series in Michael Jordan’s old home, and if they do, James’ affection for Chicago only figures to grow. James made it clear Wednesday that the Second City ranks high on his list and insisted there was no connection between his praise and the recent rips by Chicago’s Joakim Noah on Cleveland. He called it “an awesome city” while complimenting the shops and restaurants. Between the poster-worthy dunks, like that ferocious right-hander on James Johnson in the first quarter of Game 2, and those fadeaway jumpers, the Bulls simply have no answer for him.

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Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Live Streaming

Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Live | Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder | Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Streaming | LA Lakers vs Oklahoma NBA Live Stream | Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Live Webcast

9:30 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Back when the Thunder were 3-29 last season, the notion of the playoffs coming to Oklahoma City any time soon was unimaginable. But it was that same miserable stretch that made general manager Sam Presti confident that coach Scott Brooks was the right man to lead his team into the future. While Oklahoma City struggled to the worst start in the NBA, Presti was impressed by the way Brooks stayed the course and never tried to force immediate changes in hopes of making the Thunder better. He has now taken the youngest roster in the league and turned the team into a 50-game winner and a playoff team just one season after the horrendous start. For that best-in-the NBA turnaround, Brooks was recognized Wednesday as the NBA’s coach of the year. He received 71 of 123 first-place votes and 480 points to finish ahead of Milwaukee’s Scott Skiles and Portland’s Nate McMillan.

Even as he was receiving a statue of Red Auerbach, Brooks faced another daunting turnaround: an 0-2 deficit in the Thunder’s best-of-seven series against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson. Game 3 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City. While the Thunder didn’t immediately start winning after Brooks took over for the fired P.J. Carlesimo, there were signs of progress. His decision to move Kevin Durant from shooting guard to small forward increased his production, and the addition of Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic plus defensive-minded assistant Ron Adams started to pay dividends, too. Brooks can sound like a broken record at times, harping on Oklahoma City’s need to constantly improve every day, but it’s exactly the tune that Presti wants to hear. It’s why he gave Brooks a multi-year contract at the end of last season even though the Thunder had only gone 22-47 under his leadership.

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Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers Live Streaming

Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers Live | Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers | Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers Streaming | Phoenix vs Portland NBA Live Stream | Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers Live Webcast

10:00 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

It has been that kind of season for the Portland Trail Blazers: Hope for the best but expect the worst. On Wednesday, the oft-injured Blazers got some better-than-expected news about starting forward Nicolas Batum. An MRI showed he strained his right shoulder and was questionable for Game 3 of the first-round playoff series between the Blazers and the Suns. The resilient Blazers claimed the opening game of the series 105-100 in Phoenix, but fell back in a 119-90 loss on Tuesday night. Batum injured his shoulder in the second half when he went after a loose ball and appeared to bang his shoulder into Suns guard Steve Nash’s shoulder. The injury was of particular concern because Batum, the team’s primary perimeter defender, had surgery on the shoulder just before the opener and missed the first 45 games of the season.

McMillan said he even took his cell phone with him to team meetings Wednesday morning, something he normally doesn’t do, fearing the worst. The playoff series continues with Game 3 on Thursday night at the Rose Garden. Batum said if it were up to him, he’d play. The Blazers were already hurting without All-Star guard Brandon Roy, who tore the meniscus in his right knee and had arthroscopic surgery two days before the playoffs got under way. Roy was expected to be sidelined for one to two weeks. McMillan has said he wouldn’t be available until the second round at the earliest. But Roy actually did some shooting at practice Wednesday, and says his knee feels good. So good that he wouldn’t rule out returning if the series with the Suns goes the distance. The Suns practiced in Phoenix early Wednesday before heading to Portland. While the Blazers were able to effectively slow down the Suns in Game 1, Phoenix effectively slowed them in the second. One reason was the Suns’ defense of Andre Miller. The duty was passed from Jason Richardson over to Grant Hill.

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Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Streaming

Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live | Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins | Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins Streaming | Ottawa vs Pittsburgh NHL Live Stream | Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Webcast

7:00 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The young Penguins have been through everything the playoffs can offer over the past three years, but the relatively benign scenario they face in Game 5 against the Ottawa Senators is perhaps the one they’ve been least adept at handling. In advancing to the Stanley Cup finals each of the past two years, defending champion Pittsburgh twice came back to win series after losing the first two games. It also won Game 7 twice on the road and was 4-1 when facing elimination. But the Penguins have lost four of six times since 2008 in their first opportunity to end a series in a game they do not face elimination themselves— and that’s what they face Thursday. Pittsburgh leads the series 3-1 after winning three straight, including two in Ottawa. This year is obviously a new year. You learn from it. That is the good thing about the experience we have gained in the last couple years where we have been playing a lot of playoff games.

Facing a similar situation in the first round against Philadelphia last season, the Penguins played one of their worst games of their postseason in a 3-0 loss at home in Game 5. In this season’s first round, the Penguins have seemingly gotten better as the series has progressed. They took a 4-0 lead about 6 minutes into the second period of Game 4 on Tuesday and went on to a 7-4 victory, having outscored Ottawa 13-7 since losing 5-4 in Game 1. The Senators have seen things deteriorate markedly since winning Game 1 and taking an early lead in Game 2—that game tied with 5 minutes left until Sidney Crosby set up Kris Letang for the winner. Crosby by far leads the Stanley Cup playoffs with 11 points. Crosby hasn’t been the only source of Pittsburgh offense, though. The Penguins lead the playoffs with 4.25 goals per game. Slowing down that attack is the only way Ottawa can come back to win a series from a 3-1 deficit for the first time in franchise history.

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Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils Live Streaming

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7:00 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

After only four games, Martin Brodeur shaved his playoff beard in an attempt to change the luck of the suddenly desperate New Jersey Devils. About 90 miles down the turnpike, the fortunes of the star goalie and the rest of his teammates took a more tangible turn for the better on Wednesday when the Philadelphia Flyers announced that top forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne would both miss Game 5 due to right foot injuries. Both players were hurt when struck by shots on Tuesday night during the Flyers’ 4-1 victory. Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren said the players would have surgery on Friday. Gagne’s recovery time is expected to be about three weeks. Carter, who recently returned from a broken left foot, will be on crutches for six weeks and is likely to be out for the playoffs. Whether that will be enough to help New Jersey remains to be seen. The Devils trail the first-round, Eastern Conference series 3-1 and need to win Thursday at home to extend the season. If they do, they will face elimination again Sunday in Philadelphia and will try to force the series back to New Jersey for Game 7.

If not, the No. 2-seeded Devils will have to deal with the reality that despite great regular-season success, they will have been ousted in the first round for the third straight year. The Devils’ dressing room still had a pall over it as it did Tuesday in Philadelphia when the Flyers rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win to seize control of the series. New Jersey scored only three goals in the two road losses—none at even strength. As big a concern for New Jersey is the fact that it has dropped eight of 10 games to the division-rival Flyers. The Devils will need to beat them three straight times to advance to the second round. The Atlantic Division-champion Devils haven’t won three consecutive games against anyone since a five-game run in December. Whether it was lip service or true belief, the Devils said the right things as they face a premature end to a season that produced 48 wins and 103 points.

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Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators Live Streaming

Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators Live | Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators | Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators Streaming | Chicago vs Nashville NHL Live Stream | Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators Live Webcast

8:30 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The Nashville Predators are living in the moment, trying not to get too excited over their first 2-1 opening-series lead. The Chicago Blackhawks are using words like desperation and urgency while hearing about angry fans back home. This is the team that seemingly breezed into the Western Conference finals a year ago and came a goal from grabbing the No. 1 seed this time around, a favorite to win the Stanley Cup this postseason. Captain Jonathan Toews, high-priced acquisition Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have yet to score. The hard-hitting Predators are frustrating the Blackhawks and have outscored them 8-4 in this series. Coach Joel Quenneville switched up his lines Wednesday, though he refused to say who might play Thursday night in Game 4. Nashville had 2,500 tickets to sell before Thursday night after missing a sellout in Game 3. One more win, and a franchise that played its first game in 1998 will take a dominating 3-1 edge.

The Predators are being led by goaltender Pekka Rinne, the third-lowest draft pick in the NHL this season. All he’s doing in his postseason debut is lead the league both with his 1.35 goals against average and with his .953 save percentage. The Finn has allowed only two even-strength goals so far. Nashville hasn’t had top goal scorer Patric Hornqvist but David Legwand had a goal and two assists in leading four different Predators in scoring a goal apiece in Tuesday night’s 4-1 victory. Legwand, defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Joel Ward are among the top nine in plus or minus rating this postseason. Pittsburgh is the only other team with more than two that high. It’s been a welcome surprise considering Nashville scored exactly as many goals as it allowed this season.

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Colorado Avalanche vs San Jose Sharks Live Streaming

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10:30 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The one thing the high-scoring trio is missing so far is a playoff goal. The Sharks’ top line has played nothing like that in the first four games of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. After scoring 40 percent of the team’s goals in the regular season, the three have no goals and four assists in the series, and are a combined minus-7. But despite all that the top-seeded Sharks still find themselves tied at two games apiece with Colorado heading into Thursday night’s Game 5 in San Jose. The biggest reason for that is the play of Joe Pavelski’s second line. Pavelski scored the overtime game-winner in Game 4 in Denver for the Sharks on Tuesday night. Pavelski also scored the tying goal in the closing minute of Game 2, setting the stage for Devin Setoguchi’s(notes) overtime winner. Ryane Clowe also has a goal and four assists. The trio has five goals and seven assists.

The three had their troubles in last year’s playoffs when San Jose’s first-round loss to Anaheim was blamed on a lack of secondary scoring. Pavelski failed to score at all in the six playoff games, while Setoguchi and Clowe had a goal apiece. The loss after posting the top record in the NHL in the regular season hit Pavelski particularly hard. Now the key is getting the top line playing the way they did for most of the regular season. The three formed one of the top lines in the entire league and played together to help Canada win the gold medal at the Olympics. They have not played exclusively together the past two games. Heatley missed Game 3 with an undisclosed injury and didn’t look like himself in Game 4. McLellan juggled his lines a bit that game, with Thornton, Marleau and Heatley being split up at times. The Sharks feel it’s only a matter of time until the line breaks through in the playoffs.

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Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Streaming

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12:35 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The Milwaukee Brewers are having fun again. Solid pitching and surge at the plate against the punchless Pittsburgh Pirates are two big reasons why. The Brewers are in position to sweep their first series of 2010 on Thursday when they attempt to beat the Pirates for the sixth straight time. Milwaukee entered this series with a 6.06 staff ERA, bu have responded by allowing one run and 10 hits with 15 strikeouts while winning consecutive games over the Pirates. The Brewers also have outscored opponents 27-8 since losing 8-0 at Washington on Saturday. Milwaukee’s excellent pitching continued Wednesday when Yovani Gallardo and three relievers combined for a four-hitter in an 8-0 win. One night earlier, Dave Bush threw seven shutout innings in an 8-1 victory.

The Brewers have won five in a row over the Pirates, and Braun has played a big part in that winning streak, hitting .353 with two homers and five RBIs. He had three hits Wednesday, including a solo shot in the first inning. The two-time All-Star has been held hitless only once this season. He’s had a nine-game hitting streak since, batting .421 with four homers and 13 RBIs. The Brewers hope to get another solid performance on the mound from Randy Wolf as he looks to continue his dominance of the Pirates. The left-hander is 6-0 with a 3.03 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 65 1-3 innings over 10 starts against the NL Central rivals. Wolf, who was on the losing end in Saturday’s loss to the Nationals, has surrendered four runs and a homer in each of his three starts this season. Looking to avoid a season-high three-game slide, the Pirates are scheduled to give Daniel McCutchen one more turn in the rotation in place of Ross Ohlendorf, who is on the disabled list with back spasms.

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Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins Live | Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins | Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins Streaming | Cleveland vs Minnesota MLB Live Stream | Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins Live Webcast

1:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Based on the way Minnesota’s starting pitchers have fared in the first two games of their series with Kansas City, the Twins’ Scott Baker could be in for a strong outing in the finale. The Twins look for a third consecutive solid effort from a starter as they try to complete a sweep of the Indians on Thursday at Target Field.After Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano combined to allow one run and 11 hits over 16 innings in the first two games of the set, Baker tries for a third straight win and continue his recent dominance over Cleveland. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.66 ERA in his last seven against the Indians, and 7-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 16 career starts. That success could continue against Cleveland, which is last in the majors in batting average and near the bottom in runs.

Baker, the Twins’ opening day starter, has been good of late. In his first Target Field appearance, Baker lasted seven innings for the second straight game, this time allowing two runs and striking out six during a 10-3 victory over Kansas City on Friday. The AL Central-leading Twins are batting .290 and averaging 6.0 runs while going 6-2 at their new outdoor stadium. Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer hit his third homer and drove in three runs, while Denard Span had two RBIs on Wednesday. Cuddyer is batting .389 with 13 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.The Twins get their first look at Cleveland rookie Mitch Talbot, who’s coming off his first win and complete game in his third career start. The right-hander threw a six-hitter with no walks in a 6-2 win over Chicago on Friday.

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New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics Live | New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics | New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics Streaming | NY Yankees vs Oakland MLB Live Stream | New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics Live Webcast

3:35 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

CC Sabathia is known for struggling in April. That hasn’t been the case in 2010. The powerful left-hander looks to build on yet another dominant outing Thursday night while helping the New York Yankees extend their season-high winning streak to seven games with a sweep of the Oakland Athletics. Sabathia entered this year with a 12-12 record and 4.51 ERA in 37 April starts over nine seasons. He endured a sluggish opening month last year - his first with the Yankees - going 1-2 with a 4.73 ERA. Sabathia, however, is currently coming off two superb victories. Only the weather could stop Sabathia on Friday, when the reigning AL championship series MVP pitched all six innings of a 5-1 rain-shortened win over Texas. He was outstanding after allowing a run in the first inning, retiring 17 of the last 19 batters while striking out a season-high nine. That performance came after he came within four outs of a no-hitter in a 10-0 win at Tampa Bay.

Sabathia is 3-0 with a 3.23 ERA in four games against the Athletics, and all three of his starts last season led to New York victories. The Yankees got another strong effort on the mound in Wednesday’s 3-1 win. Phil Hughes took a no-hit bid into the eighth only to lose it when Eric Chavez hit a hard comebacker off his forearm. The victory extended the Yankees’ winning streak to six games with a 2.12 ERA, and they also matched a 1926 franchise record by winning their first five series of the season. New York might be in prime position for a sweep. The club has won 14 of 17 meetings with the A’s, including six of eight at Oakland. The A’s are trying to end a three-game slide, and Dallas Braden may give them the best chance to do that. Oakland is 3-0 in the left-hander’s starts, and he was impressive again in Friday’s 4-2 win over Baltimore. Braden yielded two runs and three hits in seven innings to win a second consecutive start.

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Colorado Rockies vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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4:35 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Ubaldo Jimenez knows he won’t throw a no-hitter every time he takes the mound, but is confident he’ll do it again at some point. Making his first start since throwing the first no-hitter in the Colorado Rockies’ 18-year history, Jimenez looks to continue his early-season dominance Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Jimenez tossed the majors’ first no-hitter of the season as Colorado posted a 4-0 win over Atlanta on Saturday. He walked six—none after the fifth inning—and struck out seven, and the right-hander was still reaching 98 mph in the ninth. Jimenez also has emerged as one of the league’s top pitchers - going 12-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 18 starts since last season’s All-Star break - and believes he has what it takes to throw another no-hitter. Cincinnati’s Johnny Vander Meer in the only pitcher in major league history to throw back-to-back no-hitters, accomplishing the feat in June 1938.

Jimenez was solid in his only start against the Nationals last season, allowing two runs and seven hits in eight innings of a 4-3 win on Aug. 18. Just as Jimenez is coming off a memorable performance, Washington’s Livan Hernandez is coming off a brilliant outing of his own. Thought to be a placeholder until phenom Stephen Strasburg is summoned from the minors, Hernandez has yet to allow a run in 16 innings. The 14-year veteran gave up four hits and walked two in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Milwaukee for his first complete-game shutout since throwing a three-hitter in a 9-0 victory over Florida on July 30, 2004 when he was with Montreal. Hernandez hasn’t opened a season with three consecutive victories since 2008 with Minnesota. He also pitched for Colorado later that season, and has been very tough against his former team. The right-hander has posted a 1.91 ERA in his last six starts against the Rockies, going 1-1.

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Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets Live Streaming

Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets Live | Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets | Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets Streaming | Chi Cubs vs NY Mets MLB Live Stream | Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets Live Webcast

7:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The Chicago Cubs finally managed to break out of their slump with an impressive offensive showing last time out. Duplicating that success doesn’t figure to be easy.In the finale of a four-game series at Citi Field, the Cubs try to win back-to-back games for only the second time this season when they face ace Johan Santana, who is coming off his best outing of the year for the New York Mets. After plating six runs during a four-game skid, Chicago pounded out a season-high 14 hits in Wednesday’s 9-3 win. Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd each drove in three runs for the Cubs, who haven’t won consecutive games since April 12 and 14. While Soriano has been one of Chicago’s most consistent hitters recently, batting .476 with four doubles in the last six games, he’s had no luck against Santana, failing to record a hit in 10 career at-bats.

Santana was sharp versus St. Louis on Saturday, giving up four hits while striking out nine in seven scoreless innings, but he had been out of the game for hours by the time it ended. The Mets won 2-1 in 20 innings, the franchise’s longest contest in nearly 36 years. Like Chicago, New York has also endured some offensive woes this season, plating three runs or fewer in four of their last six games. The Mets were limited to a run and two hits against starter Carlos Silva on Wednesday before finally showing some signs of life against Chicago’s shoddy relief corps, which has a 6.14 ERA. In a stunning move, Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced before Wednesday’s game that opening day starter Carlos Zambrano would head to the bullpen. With left-hander Ted Lilly expected to come off the disabled list later this week, Piniella didn’t want to move fellow lefty Tom Gorzelanny out of the rotation. Gorzelanny allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings against Cincinnati in his season debut, but didn’t have the same luck in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Houston. He gave up two runs and left with a contusion on his left arm after being hit by Pedro Feliz’s line drive in the third.

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Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox Live | Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox | Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox Streaming | Texas vs Boston MLB Live Stream | Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox Live Webcast

7:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Late heroics have the Boston Red Sox in position for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Texas Rangers are trying to avoid their longest slide in two years. The Red Sox will try to make things a bit easier on themselves Thursday night when they conclude this series with the Rangers at Fenway Park. Kevin Youkilis delivered a two-out RBI double in the 12th inning to clinch an 8-7 win over Texas on Wednesday. That came one night after Darnell McDonald hit a walkoff single to score Youkilis and secure a 7-6 victory to end a season-high five-game losing streak. Youkilis, who batted .305 last year, has four hits with two doubles in this series to increase his batting average 33 points to .250. He’ll try to help Boston sweep the Rangers for the first time since a three-game set at Fenway from Aug. 12-14, 2008. Texas is sputtering, losing six in a row after a three-game winning streak. The club hasn’t dropped seven straight since April 18-24, 2008, a stretch that included a four-game sweep at Boston.

The Rangers may try to continue utilizing their impressive baserunning to avert another loss at Fenway. They’ve successfully stolen 12 bases in this series—a team-record nine Tuesday—in extending their successful base-stealing streak to 30 in a row against the Red Sox over the past two seasons. Boston’s catchers have thrown out just one of 34 potential base-stealers this year. Despite owning the lowest ERA among Red Sox starters, Clay Buchholz has labored through two starts. The right-hander gave up four unearned runs in the opening inning Saturday, while he allowed three hits with seven strikeouts and four walks over 108 pitches before getting pulled after the fifth of a 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. Buchholz hasn’t won in four starts at Fenway Park, going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA while serving up six homers with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 20 innings. He’s 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts against the Rangers, beating them at home April 21, 2008, scattering five hits while fanning six in six scoreless innings of an 8-3 victory.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Although the Philadelphia Phillies managed to snap a losing streak, their potent offense is still scuffling. Facing Atlanta Braves staff ace Derek Lowe probably won’t help. In Thursday night’s series finale in Atlanta, the Phillies again try to break out of their funk as they square off against Lowe, who hasn’t lost to Philadelphia in nearly a dozen years. The Phillies averaged 7.7 runs while batting .315 with 15 homers in winning eight of their first 10 games, but this formidable lineup has cooled off considerably, plating six total runs while hitting .188 with one home run in the last four. Philadelphia ended a three-game skid with a 2-0 win over the Braves on Wednesday, but the offense had little to do with the victory. Prized offseason acquisition Roy Holliday delivered another masterpiece— throwing a five-hitter for his first NL shutout—while lowering his ERA to 0.82. While Holliday is cruising - winning each of the first four starts with his new team - Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino have suddenly fallen on hard times.

Howard is 2 for 16 in the last four games, while Victorino is 2 for 17. Neither appear to have a good chance of getting out of this slump against Lowe. Lowe has limited Howard to four hits in 25 career at-bats, Victorino to two hits in 14 at-bats and has pretty much shut down the rest of Philadelphia’s lineup as well. The right-hander gave up three runs in 19 2-3 innings over three starts against the Phillies last season, and he is 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts against them since 2005. His lone blemish came June 23, 1998, when he gave up three runs in six inning of a 3-2 loss for Boston. Lowe has opened this season having won each of his first three starts for the first time in his career, but he hasn’t been overly dominant in any of those outings. He allowed five runs in beating Chicago on opening day, walked a career-high seven in a win over San Francisco on April 10 and yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings in Friday’s 9-5 victory over Colorado. The sinkerballer has been aided by an offense that has backed him with a major league-best 10.9 runs per game of support.

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Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds have had little trouble scoring runs in the first two games of their series at Great American Ball Park. That trend could continue in the finale of the three-game set Thursday night. After Cincinnati opened with an 11-9 win Tuesday, Los Angeles bounced back with a 14-6 victory Wednesday. The teams have combined for 51 hits, including seven home runs, at Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly stadium. Rafael Furcal, Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez and James Loney each had three hits Wednesday for the Dodgers, who totaled 18. Los Angeles is hitting a major-league best .315 and averaging 6.6 runs per contest. Despite their success at the plate, the Dodgers will try for the fourth time to surpass .500 this season. They have a good chance to do so and win their first road series of the season while the Reds will try to avoid their seventh loss in eight games. The Dodgers are 23-5 against the Reds since 2006, their best mark against any team in that span. Ramirez is batting .421 this season, and is 8 for 20 in seven career games at Great American Ball Park.

Los Angeles hopes to stay hot at the plate against rookie Mike Leake, who will try to record the first win by a Reds starter in 2010.Leake, who earlier this month became the 21st player since the draft began in 1965 to make his professional debut in the majors, fared well against Chicago and Pittsburgh, but will face a more potent lineup from the Dodgers. The right-hander allowed three runs over the first two innings and walked five in seven innings of a 4-3 road loss to the Pirates on Friday. Vicente Padilla takes the ball for the Dodgers looking to build off his first victory of the season. The right-hander, who has improved in each of his last two starts after being roughed up in his season debut, gave up three runs and struck out seven in seven innings of a 10-8 win over San Francisco on Friday.

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Florida Marlins vs Houston Astros Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Despite a rough start, the Houston Astros believed it was a matter of time before they’d turn things around. The Astros try for a fifth consecutive victory to sweep their first three-game series from the visiting Florida Marlins in seven years Thursday night. Houston opened the season with eight straight losses, but has since won five of six to get back on track. The Astros rallied from three runs down to win 5-4 on Wednesday and deal Florida its first losing series of the season. The Astros have done it with depth in this series. After Jason Michaels’ eighth-inning two-run pinch homer helped Houston to a 7-5 win in the series opener Tuesday, Geoff Blum came off the bench to deliver a two-run triple in the seventh inning Wednesday. Carlos Lee had two hits and drove in his first run of the season Wednesday. Though Lee is batting .145, he’s hitting .356 during an 11-game hitting streak against the Marlins, who haven’t been swept in a three-game set by the Astros since May 2-4, 2003.

The Astros hope Felipe Paulino can deliver a strong outing in a bid for the sweep. Paulino allowed five runs in six innings, including four during a six-run seventh, in a 7-2 loss at Chicago on Friday. The right-hander is making his first start against the Marlins, who are hoping Anibal Sanchez can get back on track. Sanchez has given up five runs in six innings in each of his two starts, the latest when he took the loss in an 8-6 defeat at Philadelphia on Friday. The right-hander, however, is 1-0 with an 0.75 ERA in two starts against the Astros, but hasn’t faced them since 2007. Florida, which opened its nine-game road trip by taking two of three at Philadelphia, looks to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season.

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Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox Live | Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox | Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox Streaming | Tampa Bay vs Chi White Sox MLB Live Stream | Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox Live Webcast

8:10 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

The only downside of this 10-game road trip for the Tampa Bay Rays may be that it’s coming to an end. The Rays look to finish up one of their most successful swings in franchise history when they close a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night. After winning the first seven games of the trip by sweeping Baltimore and Boston, the Rays bounced back from a loss to Chicago on Tuesday with a 12-0 rout Wednesday. Sean Rodriguez had three hits, including a three-run homer during a six-run sixth inning, and starter Wade Davis gave up two hits and struck out six over six innings. Rodriguez, who had four RBIs, came in hitting .160.While scoring 59 runs on the road trip, Tampa Bay has been led by Carl Crawford, who is hitting .371, and B.J. Upton, who has driven in 12. With a win Thursday, the Rays would set a team high for victories during a single road trip. They went 8-1 in June 2004.

Chicago, meanwhile, has lost five of six to fall into last in the AL Central. The White Sox finished with four hits Wednesday, and are batting .198 at home. Carlos Quentin went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts Wednesday, dropping his average to .176. He is hitless in his last 20 at-bats. The left fielder has fared a little better against James Shields, who will take the ball for Tampa Bay on Thursday. Quentin is 3 for 13 with a home run off the right-hander. Shields gave up four runs and nine hits, including two home runs, in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win over Boston on Saturday. He is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the White Sox. Chicago will turn to Jake Peavy while still looking for its first series victory of 2010. Peavy pitched a season-high 7 1-3 innings against Cleveland on Saturday, giving up two runs and four hits in a 3-2 loss. The White Sox led until he gave up a one-out home run in the eighth. The right-hander said his lack of experience against the American League after coming from San Diego late last season is no excuse for his struggles.

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Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels Live | Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels | Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels Streaming | Detroit vs LA Angels MLB Live Stream | Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels Live Webcast

10:05 pm EDT Thu Apr 22, 2010

Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Los Angeles’ Joe Saunders have combined for 63 wins over the last two seasons. After the first three weeks after the season, they have totaled just one. Verlander takes the mound Thursday night for the Tigers while Saunders goes for the Angels as the teams close out their four-game series. Verlander and Saunders are two of the AL’s winningest pitchers over the last two years. Saunders is second with 33 victories in that span while Verlander is fifth with 30. Both have started slowly, but Verlander also struggled early last year, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA over his first four starts, including one against the Angels in which he gave up seven runs in five innings. He ended up leading Detroit with 19 victories. Verlander showed signs of regaining that form against Seattle on Saturday, giving up three runs and seven hits while striking out six in a 4-2 loss.

The right-hander could have used the kind of support Miguel Cabrera provided Wednesday in a 4-3 win. The first baseman hit a ninth inning, game-tying home run and Ramon Santiago drove in the go-ahead run off Angels closer Brian Fuentes. Cabrera has driven in 18 this year, and is hitting .412 with six extra-base hits in four games since going 0 for 4 on Saturday. Verlander is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA in six starts against the Angels. While the Tigers have won both his starts in Anaheim, he has allowed 11 runs and 19 hits in 10 2-3 innings. The Angels will be trying to bounce back after having their five-game winning streak snapped. Fuentes, who led the majors with 48 saves last year and just off the disabled list after missing 14 games with a back strain, was charged with the blown save and suffered his first loss of 2010. Kendry Morales hit a two-run homer during a three-run first inning as the Angels lost for only the fifth time in 16 home games to the Tigers. Saunders will try to help them avoid settling for a series split after he recorded his first win Saturday, pitching a season-high eight innings while giving up two unearned runs and five hits in a 6-3 win at Toronto.

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