Sports World: 05/02/10

Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks Live Streaming

Sunday, May 2, 2010

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1:00 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Jamal Crawford was playing like a rookie, even though he’s been in the NBA for a decade. He seemed jittery. He wasn’t playing with his usual abandon. He looked like his own worst enemy when he went up for a jumper, his form all out of sorts instead of nice and smooth. Crawford can be excused for his nervousness. He waited 10 years for this moment, finally making the playoffs after being traded to the Hawks last summer. He struggled through the first five games, hitting less than a third of his shots and making just 4 of 18 from the field in Atlanta’s shocking Game 5 loss to the underdog Milwaukee Bucks. But the series—heck, the entire season—on the line, Crawford finally stepped up and played like he had during the regular season. The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year led the Hawks with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while chipping in with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Atlanta pulled out an 83-69 road victory that sent the series back south for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.

The Hawks will be counting on a similar performance out of Crawford. The third-seeded Hawks were in a much better mood Saturday, having avoided an epic upset in a series they were expected to dominate with the Bucks missing two of their best players, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd. Of course, the work isn’t done. For the third year in a row, Atlanta has been extended to seven games in the opening round. The Hawks know they’ll be facing many of the criticisms—no heart, a lack of teamwork, too much bickering—if they don’t take advantage of this second chance on their home court. The memory of blowing a nine-point lead in the final four minutes of Game 5 is still there, but no one will care if they finish off the Bucks on Sunday.

Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Live Streaming

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3:30 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

For Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, this third time isn’t particularly charming. For the third straight postseason, the Utah Jazz have run into the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol ended Utah’s last two playoff runs, and the franchise with 15 NBA titles again is blocking the Jazz’s pursuit of their first. Although Utah finished just four games behind the top-seeded Lakers in the overall Western Conference standings, Boozer knows his scrappy but injury-tagged team isn’t given much of a shot to hold off Bryant and his playoff-tested crew in the second-round series, which starts with Game 1 on Sunday at Staples Center. Bryant didn’t exactly spend the Lakers’ 39-hour gap between playoff games studying up on fifth-seeded Utah after Los Angeles finally eliminated Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in six games. Boozer and Williams are more experienced than the Thunder’s dynamic duo and more familiar with the Lakers, although they’re on equally short rest after knocking off Denver on Friday night.

These franchises have more in common than their geographically bizarre nicknames—which would actually make a whole lot more sense if they swapped. The Lakers have met the Jazz in five previous postseasons dating to 1988. The winner reached the NBA finals each time, from Utah’s Stockton-and-Malone powerhouses in the late 1990s to Bryant’s last two Los Angeles clubs. The Lakers are virtually unchanged from last year, with only Ron Artest added to the mix of last season’s champions who routed Utah in five games in last spring’s first round. The Jazz came back impressively from that disappointment, jumping into the conference title picture this spring behind a breakout season from Williams, a first-time All-Star.

Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Streaming

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2:00 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

They’ve gotten by without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, and Marc-Andre Fleury. What the Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t done since emerging as one of the NHL’s best teams three years ago is get by without Jordan Staal. Now they must, and they know this won’t be easy. Perhaps as difficult as it is for the Montreal Canadiens to play without top defenseman Andrei Markov. It’s Game 2 of the Canadiens-Penguins series on Sunday, and two players who are largely responsible for their teams advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals will be missing. Staal, one of the NHL’s premier two-way players, is out indefinitely because of a severed tendon in his right foot. It appears likely he will miss at least the rest of a series Pittsburgh leads 1-0. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma denied Saturday that Staal is through for the season, but didn’t drop any hints when he might return.

Until now, the Penguins haven’t had to replace him. Staal has played in 358 consecutive games, counting the playoffs, never missing a NHL game except for being a healthy scratch once during his rookie season. Staal’s absence changes the Penguins lineup, their matchups and, too, their very personality. Or much like being without Markov alters the Canadiens. The Canadiens were 14-20-3 without their best defenseman during the season, when Markov sat out for two months with severed tendons in his left foot. Now, he is out again due to an apparent right knee injury that occurred when he was checked by Matt Cooke during the first period of the Penguins’ 6-3 victory in Game 1 on Friday. Markov returned to Montreal on a private plane after the game to be examined by specialists, and he could miss at least the rest of the series.

Detroit Red Wings vs San Jose Sharks Live Streaming

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8:00 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

The San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings should be closer to full strength for Game 2 of their second-round playoff series. The Sharks are expecting their leading goal-scorer from the regular season back after Patrick Marleau missed Game 1 with an illness. The Red Wings feel much more rested after playing the series opener less than 48 hours after knocking off Phoenix in Game 7 of the first round. Those two factors should lead to a different dynamic for Game 2 on Sunday night when the Sharks try to take a 2-0 series lead. The Red Wings didn’t practice Friday to try to get some rest. Coach Mike Babcock said he would have preferred that extra day off before the series started, but that didn’t happen because the Shark Tank was unavailable Friday and Saturday for an Eagles concert.

While the timing of the day off wasn’t ideal, it was extremely beneficial to a Red Wings team that had played eight games in 16 days while crisscrossing the country five times. Even though they were somewhat drained in the opener, they managed to fight back from an early 3-0 deficit before losing 4-3. They failed to convert on five power-play chances and gave up the fourth goal on a questionable power-play chance and still had an opportunity to tie the game late. The extra day off also gave Marleau more time to recover from the illness that has sidelined him the past few days. He was unable to keep any food down Wednesday night and missed the morning skate that day. He took an IV when he came to the rink Thursday night and skated before the game to see how he felt. After meeting with the training staff, it was a joint decision that Marleau would be unable to play. He watched the start of the game from the rink before heading home. He didn’t practice Friday but returned to the ice Saturday and is expected to play Game 2.

Chicago White Sox vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Fresh off their first-ever victory at the new Yankee Stadium, the Chicago White Sox have a chance to become the first visiting team to win a series there this year.They’ll have Mark Buehrle on the mound trying to improve on a poor history against the New York Yankees as the teams decide their three-game set Sunday. The White Sox had dropped their first four games at the Yankees’ new ballpark and five straight overall to New York before Saturday, when they looked primed for another defeat after a 5-1 lead turned into a 6-5 deficit. They rallied, though, as A.J. Pierzynski’s two-run double in the seventh inning provided the go-ahead margin in Chicago’s 7-6 victory. Since the club’s last back-to-back wins in the Bronx on Aug. 9 and 10, 2005, Chicago has lost 12 of 15 road games to the Yankees. Overall, the White Sox have won two of three and five of eight as they attempt to recover from their slow start. Andruw Jones has certainly helped, hitting his seventh and eighth home runs Saturday.

Buehrle has been among the Chicago players having early problems, losing his last three starts. Facing the Yankees may make it difficult to avoid dropping four straight outings for the first time since a personal five-game skid in July 2006. Despite holding New York to two runs in six innings at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 28, Buehrle failed to improve upon his 1-6 career record against the Yankees as the White Sox lost 5-2 in 10 innings. Chicago has lost nine of the left-hander’s 10 career starts against New York, and Buehrle’s 6.43 ERA versus the Yankees is his worst against any AL opponent. He picked up his 100th career loss Tuesday at Texas, allowing four runs in seven innings of Chicago’s 4-2 defeat. New York will counter with Phil Hughes, who is hoping to shake off his control problems.

Los Angeles Angels vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Johnny Damon has finally hit his first home run for the Detroit Tigers. He was hardly struggling at the plate overall, however, especially in games that Justin Verlander has started. Coming off his second consecutive outstanding performance, Damon looks to give the struggling ace some support Sunday as the Tigers try for their first sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in over 12 years. A 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Saturday put Detroit in position to sweep a series with the Angels for the first time since a three-game set at home in September 1997. Damon’s late-game heroics gave the Tigers that opportunity. Damon’s first home run in a Detroit uniform came in the ninth inning. The veteran left fielder tied a career high with 24 home runs last season with the Yankees.

Damon is 6 for 9 with two doubles, three RBIs and four runs over his last two games and is batting .344 this season. He is 8 for 14 with four RBIs and four runs in the five games Verlander has started, but Detroit has still had a tough time giving the right-hander support. Verlander has gotten two runs or fewer to work with in four of his five starts. He suffered a loss despite posting his best start of the season Tuesday night, allowing an unearned run and striking out seven in 5 2-3 innings of a 2-0 loss to Minnesota. The one game in which Detroit did produce at the plate for Verlander was a 5-4 win over Los Angeles on April 22. Verlander earned a win despite surrendering four runs and walking four in five innings. He is 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA in seven starts versus the Angels. Los Angeles will counter with Jered Weaver, who appears on his way to having another strong season with 34 strikeouts in 32 innings. This is the first time Weaver has won his first three decisions since 2006, when he joined Livan Hernandez and Hall of Famer Whitey Ford as the only pitchers to go 9-0 in their first 12 major league starts.

Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

More than three years after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Francisco Liriano is back to the dominant form he showed as a rookie with the Minnesota Twins - a scary thought for the rest of the AL Central. Liriano looks to continue his outstanding start Sunday when the visiting Twins close a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians, possibly without their All-Star catcher. Liriano emerged as one of the top young pitchers in 2006 when he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA before undergoing elbow surgery, which sidelined him through 2007. In 2008 and 2009, he was a combined 11-17 with a 5.12 ERA, but he earned the fifth starters spot in spring training and has validated that decision in his five starts since. The Twins have won all four of his starts and he has not allowed a run in his last three outings, spanning 23 innings. He pitched eight innings against Detroit on Tuesday, giving up four hits while striking out 10 in a 2-0 victory.

The left-hander was fantastic against Cleveland last month, giving up six hits and striking out six over eight innings of a 6-0 win April 21. He is 3-3 with a 3.57 ERA in his career against the Indians. He’ll try to help the Twins get back on track after they lost for the third time in four games Saturday, falling 5-4 in 11 innings. Shin-Soo Choo drove in the tying run in the eighth and Asdrubal Cabrera delivered an RBI single in the 11th with two outs and the bases loaded. Cabrera, batting .471 in the last four games, is 4 for 8 with a home run against Liriano. Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer each had three hits for the Twins on Saturday and Jim Thome hit a two-run homer, but Minnesota was without reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer, who bruised his left heel running the bases Friday.

Oakland Athletics vs Toronto Blue Jays Live Streaming

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1:07 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

The Oakland Athletics finally got a decent pitching performance on the road. Ben Sheets certainly deserves part of the blame for their past troubles. Coming off a rare road victory, the Athletics hope Sheets can bounce back from a terrible outing as they conclude a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. After losing the series’ first two games, Oakland won 4-3 on Saturday behind starter Gio Gonzalez to snap a four-game skid. The Athletics had lost eight of nine at Toronto and seven straight on the road overall. Oakland held Toronto to one hit in six at-bats with runners in scoring position after posting a 9.00 ERA over its previous four games away from home. Sheets started one of those contests, enduring his worst outing of the season. He surrendered eight runs and nine hits - two home runs - in four innings of an 8-6 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.

The veteran right-hander’s ERA was 2.74 entering that game. Sheets has a 1.93 ERA in winning each of his two starts against the Blue Jays. Rookie Josh Donaldson may be Sheets’ batterymate following an impressive first start, hitting a two-run homer Saturday. Donaldson was called up from Triple-A on Friday when Kurt Suzuki went on the 15-day disabled list. Donaldson’s shot off Dana Eveland ended a streak of 59 innings without a homer allowed by the Blue Jays. Already without Suzuki, Oakland got by with another steady hitter out of the lineup, giving Ryan Sweeney the day off to rest a sore left knee. The right fielder, though, is expected to be back Sunday. He has reached base safely in all 23 games he has played this season. Oakland now faces Shaun Marcum, who remains winless mostly due to poor support from the lineup. The right-hander, who has received two runs or fewer to work with in each of his last four starts, gave up one run in seven innings and did not receive a decision in a 2-1 loss to Boston on Tuesday night.

Washington Nationals vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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1:10 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

After being an All-Star last season, Florida’s Josh Johnson didn’t look much like one of baseball’s top pitchers for most of April. He appeared to turn the corner with a brilliant performance in his last start, and building on that outing shouldn’t be too difficult. Johnson looks to continue his dominance of the Washington Nationals and keep up his strong pitching in May as the Marlins try to win their second in a row in Sunday’s series finale. Johnson won a career-best 15 games last season to emerge as a staff ace for Florida, but failed to pitch past the sixth inning in any of his first four outings this year. He put an abrupt end to his early scuffling Monday by throwing a three-hitter in a 10-1 win over San Diego. The right-hander struck out a career-best 12, walked one and threw 117 pitches in his fourth complete game, first since June 14, 2009.

Johnson appears to have a good opportunity to win his second straight when he takes the ball against one of his favorite opponents. The Marlins’ opening day starter is 5-0 with a 3.63 ERA in 10 starts against the Nationals, and is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in four home games against them since 2008. Taking the mound in May only seems to help Johnson’s chances. In 12 career May starts, Johnson, who has a 3.39 ERA in 91 career games, is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA - his best for any month. Florida opened May with a 7-1 win over the Nationals to get back to .500 after losing five of its last six in April. Jorge Cantu hit a two-run homer, while Hanley Ramirez went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs after hitting .208 with a solo homer in his previous seven games.

Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Atlanta has managed to get back on track after suffering through its longest losing stretch in almost four years. It’s come at the expense of the struggling Houston Astros. The Braves look to match a season high with their third straight victory Sunday and complete a series sweep of the visiting Astros, who’ll try to avoid a sixth consecutive loss. Atlanta entered this set on a nine-game losing streak, but beat Houston 4-2 on Friday and pounded out a season-high 15 hits during a 10-1 win Saturday. Troy Glaus had three hits with four RBIs and rookie Jason Heyward homered in his third straight game as the Braves posted double-digit runs for the first time since opening the season with a 16-5 win over Chicago. Houston, meanwhile, is mired in its longest losing streak of the season since opening with eight straight defeats. The Astros were last swept by the Braves from May 5-8, 2005.

Recording another sweep of Houston is very much possible if Atlanta can continue to get timely hitting and solid pitching like it has over the first two games.Saturday’s contest could help jump-start Glaus, who’s batting .221 in his first season with the Braves. Since enduring a 1-for-20 stretch over seven games, Heyward is 5 for 11 with three homers in his last three contests. He leads all rookies with seven home runs and 20 RBIs. After Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson each delivered strong starts in the first two games of this series, the Braves hope Derek Lowe can do the same as he tries to avoid a third straight loss in this contest.Lowe has allowed five runs in each of his last two outings, the latest in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-4 defeat at St. Louis on Tuesday. The right-hander is 4-3 with a 3.57 ERA in nine starts against the Astros, who’ve hit .215 and scored 11 runs during their five-game skid.

Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

The Baltimore Orioles entered the weekend with four wins. They could close it out with their first sweep of at least three games at home against the Boston Red Sox since 1998. The Orioles look to build off their highest scoring game of the season and complete the unlikely sweep Sunday when they face Boston and struggling ace Josh Beckett. After Miguel Tejada’s game-winning single helped Baltimore snap a seven-game home losing streak to Boston with Friday’s 5-4, 10-inning victory, the Orioles hit a season-high five home runs and defeated the Red Sox 12-9 on Saturday, clinching their first series win of the season. Nick Markakis went 3 for 5 with a three-run homer and a career high-tying five RBIs and Ty Wigginton hit two solo homers in Baltimore’s highest-scoring game since a 13-7 victory over Toronto on Oct. 2.

Baltimore, which salvaged the finale of a three-game set in Boston on April 25, will now try to win four straight over the Red Sox for the first time since a five-game run in a row in 2004. The Orioles haven’t swept Boston in a series of at least three games at Camden Yards since a four-game set July 9-12, 1998. They also took both contests of a two-game series May 13-14, 2008. Beating Beckett to complete the sweep would traditionally be a tough assignment, but Beckett hasn’t looked like his traditional self in 2010. The right-hander has given up 15 runs, 16 hits and eight walks over 10 innings in his last two starts, and opponents are batting .316 on the season against the former World Series MVP. Taking the mound for the start of Boston’s six-game trip, Beckett did not receive a decision in Monday’s 13-12 win over Toronto, yielding eight runs and nine hits over a season-low three-plus innings.

Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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1:40 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

For Zack Greinke, April 2009 was memorable. A year later, the same month was forgettable. The winless Greinke takes the mound as the last-place Kansas City Royals close their series against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, trying to take three of four at Tropicana Field. After losing 11-1 on Thursday, Kansas City has held the Rays to four runs and 11 hits over the next two games. The Royals recorded a 4-2 win Saturday after Alberto Callaspo hit a two-run double in the 11th inning. Callaspo, who boosted his batting average to .301, is 4 for 11 with four RBIs in the series. Tampa Bay, which still owns the majors’ best record, was 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. It had two runners on with no out in the 11th, but Joakim Soria struck out the side to end the threat. The Royals, meanwhile, are looking to win their first series at Tropicana Field since 2004—and hope to give Greinke a well-deserved win.

Greinke finished April with an 0-2 record and 2.56 ERA after going 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA during the same month last year. The right-hander went on to win 16 games and the AL Cy Young Award. Though he’s allowed only 12 runs in five starts so far, Greinke’s last outing may have been the most disheartening. He surrendered six hits over seven scoreless innings against Seattle on Tuesday, but didn’t get a decision in the 3-2 loss. The Royals have dropped four of Greinke’s five starts. While Greinke is looking to get May off to a better start, facing Tampa Bay - the only AL team he hasn’t beaten - may not help. In 2009, he was 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in two starts against the Rays, and gave up six runs and a season-high 10 hits in five innings of a 10-4 loss at Tropicana Field. Over his career, Greinke is 0-3 with a 4.24 ERA in nine appearances against Tampa Bay, including six starts. Jason Bartlett, who is batting .154 in the series, is 5 for 10 against Greinke.

Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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2:15 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

After the Cincinnati Reds snapped the St. Louis Cardinals’ string of five straight victories late Friday night, the NL Central-leading Cardinals returned the favor about 15 hours later. Chris Carpenter hopes at least one streak will survive the three-game set. The St. Louis ace looks to win his seventh consecutive start against Cincinnati and pitch the Cardinals to their seventh series win of the season Sunday at Busch Stadium. The Reds’ longest winning streak of the season pulled them within three games of St. Louis after a 3-2 victory in the rain-delayed series opener, but the Cardinals cooled them off by scoring three runs in the eighth inning of Saturday afternoon’s 6-3 victory. Freese stayed red-hot for St. Louis, going 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. The 27-year-old rookie is 8 for 14 with two homers and nine RBIs in his last four games.

He has helped St. Louis win six of its last seven to bolster an early lead as it chases a second consecutive division crown. The Cardinals have won six of their first seven series, including all three at home, where they’ve gone 9-3. The club has to like its chances of adding to that total with Carpenter on the mound. The 2005 NL Cy Young winner is coming off three straight quality starts, racking up 24 strikeouts in that stretch. He held Atlanta to two runs and three hits in six innings of the Cardinals’ 5-4 win on Tuesday. Carpenter has been brilliant in winning his last six starts against the Reds, compiling a 1.26 ERA and two complete games during a streak that dates back to the 2006 season. Three of the victories came against Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang - including one on opening day April 5, when Carpenter allowed two runs in six innings of the Cardinals’ 11-6 win.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

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2:20 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Tom Gorzelanny has the lowest ERA in the Chicago Cubs’ rotation but has been victimized by a serious lack of run support in each of his four outings. He might finally be in store for some help. The Cubs have scored 23 runs in three games against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, and they’ll look to capture the series Sunday afternoon by adding to Edwin Jackson’s woes. Chicago came into this series scoring 4.36 runs per game to rank tied for 19th in the majors, but it’s started to swing the bats better against Arizona. After Thursday’s series-opening 13-5 loss, four Cubs went deep Friday in an 11-5 victory, and it was another home run that turned the tide Saturday afternoon. Alfonso Soriano’s two-run shot tied it at 5-all in the seventh, and Chicago added two more runs in the eighth to escape with a 7-5 win.

Soriano hit .241 last year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in mid-September. After a slow start, he’s hitting .354 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last 14 games. Soriano is 3 for 15, however, when Gorzelanny has been on the hill, and the rest of the Cubs haven’t been much better. The left-hander has received a total of two runs of support in the 22 innings he’s pitched. Gorzelanny gave up two first-inning runs Tuesday against Washington before settling down with six scoreless frames, but Chicago was held to seven singles in a 3-1 loss. Gorzelanny is 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA in four starts against the Diamondbacks, and he’ll want to forget his most recent outing. He allowed seven runs over three innings in a 12-3 loss at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2. Outfielders Justin Upton and Chris Young are a combined 7 for 13 with two homers, a triple and three doubles against the southpaw.

Milwaukee Brewers vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

With his team’s eight-game home winning streak now over, Jon Garland will try to get the San Diego Padres back on track at Petco Park. Garland looks to win his third straight start Sunday when the NL West-leading Padres try to post their third straight series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. After outscoring the Brewers by a combined 12-0 in the first two games of the series, San Diego fell 2-1 on Saturday for its first home loss since April 15. The loss also dropped the Padres one game behind St. Louis for the best record in the NL. Yovani Gallardo helped Milwaukee snap a four-game losing streak with a season-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings of one-run ball. He also hit a solo homer for the Brewers’ first run in 25 innings while snapping a 26-inning scoreless streak for the Padres.

Despite Saturday’s loss, San Diego’s pitching staff has been among the best in majors with a 2.88 ERA, and Garland has been a significant contributor. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA as the Padres have won his last three starts.After throwing 30 pitches in the first inning, Garland retired 12 straight at one point and matched a career high with 10 strikeouts in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory at Florida. The only other time Garland fanned 10 was Aug. 24, 2003, while with the Chicago White Sox. Garland is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts against Milwaukee, and hasn’t fared well in his career against Brewers catcher Gregg Zaun.Zaun, who is hitting .467 in his last four games, is 11 for 27 in his career against Garland. The .407 average is Zaun’s highest against any pitcher when facing him a minimum of 25 times. The Brewers will give the ball to Randy Wolf in the finale of the four-game set.

Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

Overshadowed by some of his better-known teammates, Jonathan Sanchez is nonetheless off to a strong start for San Francisco. The left-hander looks to help the host Giants to a series sweep of the struggling Colorado Rockies on Sunday. After a pair of inconsistent seasons starting for San Francisco, Sanchez now appears comfortable as the team’s fourth starter behind Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain. While Lincecum and Zito are both 4-0 and among the major-league leaders in earned run average, Sanchez has more than held his own. He’s struck out 33 batters in four games and left-handed hitters are 0 for 14 against him. It’s uncertain if Sanchez is headed down that path. The fifth-year pitcher threw a no-hitter in 2009, but went 17-24 during the last two seasons as a full-time starter. However, the strong start to 2010 has him pitching with confidence.

Sanchez is 2-3 with a 6.43 ERA in eight career starts versus the Rockies, but pitched well in the most recent meeting, giving up a run and two hits while striking out eight in five innings of a 6-3 win at Colorado on Aug. 21. He’ll have a tough act to follow after Cain pitched eight scoreless innings and yielded one of Colorado’s three hits in the Giants’ 6-1 win Saturday. Aubrey Huff, Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe each homered for San Francisco, which has won six of eight overall and seven of eight against Colorado, which has lost three in a row. Huff is 5 for 6 in his last two games after going 2 for 23 in his previous seven. The Giants’ lineup, which has plated 28 runs in the last five games, could get stronger with center fielder Aaron Rowand expected to come off the disabled list. Batting .304, Rowand hasn’t played since he was hit in the face by a pitch from Los Angeles’ Vicente Padilla on April 16.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Streaming

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4:10 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

When Manny Ramirez went on the disabled list nine days ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed someone to step up and carry the offense. Andre Ethier appears up to the task. Having homered in each of the last two games and boasting a .350 batting average, Ethier looks to help the Dodgers win three in a row for the first time this season Sunday in the finale of a four-game home series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A strained right calf landed Ramirez on the DL on April 23. Los Angeles immediately began to struggle, totaling 13 runs and batting .185 while dropping six of its next seven games. The two-time defending NL West champions broke out of their funk by beating the Pirates 6-2 on Friday, and followed that up Saturday with a 5-1 victory. Ethier was instrumental in both wins. After hitting a two-run homer Friday, the right fielder went 3 for 4 on Saturday with a three-run shot and two doubles, increasing his season totals to seven home runs and a team-high 22 RBIs.

Ethier, whose 22 homers at Dodger Stadium last year were a record for a left-handed batter, is hitting .432 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in nine home games this season, helping the Dodgers open 6-3 at Chavez Ravine compared with a 4-11 road mark. While Ethier is leading the offense, Hiroki Kuroda has been the team’s most effective starting pitcher. The rotation’s ERA leader, Kuroda has thrived on pinpoint control, issuing only three unintentional walks in 26 2-3 innings over his four starts. Two of those came at New York on Tuesday, when the right-hander gave up two runs over six solid innings, but got charged with a 4-0 loss against Johan Santana. Kuroda is 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

Texas Rangers vs Seattle Mariners Live Streaming

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4:10 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

The Texas Rangers are in position for their first sweep at Safeco Field thanks in large part to their starting pitching and some fortuitous hits from Elvis Andrus.The Rangers will send their most impressive starter to the mound in C.J. Wilson when they try to continue this season’s success against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Texas is 4-1 against Seattle this year, with its starters posting a 1.29 ERA. That includes Colby Lewis’ 10-strikeout performance over nine innings in Friday’s 2-0, 12-inning victory, and Matt Harrison’s solid six innings Saturday in a 6-3 victory. Andrus has also been a factor due to some good fortune resulting in key hits each game. He scored the first run Friday after leading off the 12th with an infield hit that eluded Seattle reliever Brandon League and second baseman Chone Figgins. Andrus added a two-run double Saturday that looked like a routine fly to left-center and fell for a hit because left fielder Milton Bradley thought center fielder Franklin Gutierrez was covering the gap.

The Rangers shortstop has hit safely in all five games against the Mariners, going 8 for 21. Texas last swept a series in Seattle from April 13-15, 1999 at the Kingdome. The Rangers are 39-55 all-time at Safeco Field. Wilson will try to add to the Mariners’ woes after winning his last two starts. He gave up two runs over six innings Tuesday in a 4-2 victory over the White Sox. The left-hander’s ERA is the lowest by a Texas pitcher after four outings since Kevin Brown had a 1.14 ERA in 1993. This also is Wilson’s first time beginning the year in the rotation. In his major league debut, Wilson allowed four runs over two-plus innings and did not get a decision in a 4-2 loss at Seattle on July 5, 2005. That was his only start against the Mariners, and he has a 5.01 ERA against them in 37 relief appearances since.

New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Sun May 2, 2010

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies each received a spectacular performance from a starting pitcher to split the first two games of their weekend series. New York hopes it has the right guy on the mound to try to continue that trend. The Mets will start Johan Santana on Sunday night when they try to bounce back in the finale of the three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Billed as an early showdown of NL East contenders, this series has featured two blowouts. New York won its eighth straight Friday with a 9-1 victory behind seven strong innings from Jonathon Niese before Roy Halladay ended the Mets’ run with a three-hitter in a 10-0 victory for the Phillies on Saturday. Both games featured poor outings from the losing starters. Philadelphia’s Kyle Kendrick lasted five innings and yielded four runs Friday, and New York’s Mike Pelfrey allowed six runs over four innings Saturday.

The Mets appear to have the advantage Sunday with Santana facing Jamie Moyer. Santana has yielded one run over his last 21 1-3 innings, and has won his last two outings. He yielded four hits over six innings Tuesday in a 4-0 home win over the Dodgers. The left-hander was 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA in seven career starts against the Phillies with the Mets before losing to Philadelphia in his last outing July 5, allowing two runs over seven innings in a 2-0 loss. He’s pitched at least seven innings in seven of those eight starts. Santana has done a good job keeping the Phillies’ Chase Utley and Jayson Werth in check. Utley is 5 for 26, and Werth 6 for 24 with seven strikeouts. Those two hitters helped key a 13-hit attack Saturday as Philadelphia ended a three-game home skid. Utley had a season-high three hits and scored three runs while Werth had two hits with three runs and two RBIs and has reached base safely in all 23 games.

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