Sports World: 05/16/10

Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic Live Streaming

Sunday, May 16, 2010

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3:30 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

Plopped on the couch in his living room, Stan Van Gundy was watching Boston blow past Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals and thought it was some sort of replay from the Celtics’ 2008 NBA title run. There were the familiar scenes: Kevin Garnett pounding his chest, Ray Allen swishing 3-pointers and Paul Pierce pumping his fist. Boston was winning, and winning big. Orlando’s coach was perplexed. Turning back the clock to make another championship run, the resurgent Celtics are healthy again and looking to take down the playoff-perfect Orlando Magic starting Sunday in an Eastern Conference finals pitting the past two conference champions. The Celtics, with 17 NBA titles and names such as Larry Bird and Bill Russell hanging from the rafters, want to add to their lore and prove that the bullies from Beantown are back. They’ll have to do it against a favored Orlando team that’s hungry to win its first NBA championship.

The motivated Magic, spurred by last year’s NBA finals loss, swept through the first two rounds and have won 14 straight going back to the regular season. They eliminated the Celtics in seven games in the second round a year ago, and went 3-1 against Boston this year. Garnett, the centerpiece of Boston’s last title, was out with a right knee injury in last year’s playoffs and is now close to full strength for the first time since. Orlando’s starting point guard, Jameer Nelson, also was sidelined with a tear in his right shoulder last season. Add some fresh faces—headlined by Vince Carter for the Magic and Rasheed Wallace for the Celtics—and put a conference title at stake, and this year’s series is getting a facelift. The Magic are the ones with home-court advantage, rolling past Atlanta and Charlotte in the opening rounds. They have peaked at the right time, winning 28 of their last 31 games, many in blowouts.

Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks Live Streaming

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3:00 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks seemed to be on a collision course toward the Western Conference final. With 14 Olympians, seven gold medalists, two silver medal winners and plenty of other talented players, these two teams spent much of the season battling for the top spot in the conference. The buzz has only gotten bigger this week, with a berth in the Stanley Cup final on the line. The best-of-seven series opens Sunday in San Jose, all because the Sharks beat the Blackhawks by one point for the top spot in the conference on the final weekend of the regular season. The Sharks got here by beating Colorado in six games in the first round and two-time defending Western Conference champion Detroit in the second. The Blackhawks are in the conference final for the second straight year after beating both Nashville and Vancouver in six games. This is just the sixth time since the current playoff format began in 1994 that the top two seeds have made it to the conference final.

Both teams are eager to get this started. The Sharks will have had seven full days off since beating Detroit, while Chicago will have had a four-day break since dispatching Vancouver. The Sharks geared up, backed off and picked up the pace again as they waited to find out when this series would open. The Blackhawks took a day off Friday to tour Alcatraz before returning to the ice Saturday. Seven of them won gold medals for Canada earlier this year. Thornton was joined on the squad by linemates Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley and defenseman Dan Boyle. There they were teammates with Chicago’s Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. They will now be on opposite sides with another big prize on the line. Those temporary alliances from Vancouver are clearly a thing of the past for both sides.

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers Live Streaming

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7:00 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

After the Philadelphia Flyers finally fell asleep, following a history-making night in Boston, they were relieved to learn upon waking up that their incredible comeback against the Bruins really happened. No alarm clocks ruined a dream. No jolt of reality spoiled what almost seemed too good to be true for the NHL’s latest—and greatest—comeback kids. The upstart Montreal Canadiens are all that stand between the Flyers and their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 1997. Philadelphia had only one day to shake off the aftereffects of Boston Game 7 before facing the Canadiens Sunday night. The Flyers rallied from 3-0 down on Friday in Game 7 to win 4-3—capping a comeback from 3-0 down in the series against Boston. Philadelphia is the third NHL team to wipe away such a deficit and win, and the fourth overall in major North American sports.

Montreal, the NHL leader with 24 Stanley Cup titles, is in the conference finals for the first time since its last championship in 1993. If Philadelphia gets caught snoozing now, it could be left on the wayside by Montreal the same way championship contenders Washington and Pittsburgh were in the first two rounds. The Canadiens and Flyers split four games during the season, with Philadelphia holding a slim 10-8 advantage in goals. With both clubs fighting for playoff spots down the stretch, Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves in a 1-0 victory at Philadelphia on April 2. Halak was the difference on defense for the Canadiens’ in their back-to-back, seven-game series wins. Michael Cammalleri has powered the offense with an NHL-best 12 playoff goals. He scored seven against the Penguins. The Flyers got into the playoffs with a shootout win over the New York Rangers on the last day of the season. Montreal earned its spot the night before, but had to settle for the No. 8 seed.

Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

As the Detroit Tigers have already shown this weekend, a game with the Boston Red Sox truly is not over until the final out. In Sunday’s series finale, the host Tigers seek to parlay the momentum from a comeback victory into their first consecutive wins over Boston in nearly three years. Boston suffered a three-game sweep at Detroit from July 6-8, 2007, but had dominated since, winning 12 of 15 against the Tigers culminating with a 7-2 victory in Friday’s series opener. The Red Sox appeared on their way to another easy win Saturday, but Detroit plated three in the sixth inning, and two more in the eighth to erase a 6-1 deficit. The Tigers won 7-6 in 12 innings as Ramon Santiago drew a bases-loaded walk off reliever Ramon Ramirez. It was the latest remarkable comeback for a team that’s becoming accustomed to them. The Tigers have won a major league-high five games this season after trailing by at least four runs. The Red Sox have pulled off four such rallies of their own, while no other team in baseball has done it more than once.

Boston has to like its chances to secure a fifth consecutive series win over Detroit with John Lackey on the mound. Lackey is 6-1 with a 3.73 career ERA versus the Tigers, including a 4-0 record and 3.46 ERA in four starts at Comerica Park. Lackey also earned a win in his last outing despite a lackluster performance. The right-hander yielded six runs, eight hits and three walks over six innings Monday, but got credit for a 7-6 victory over Toronto. He’d lasted seven innings and given up three runs or fewer in each of his previous three starts.Lackey will be opposed by Armando Galarraga, whom the Tigers have summoned from Triple-A Toledo to make his major league season debut. Galarraga’s future appeared bright after he went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA as a rookie in 2008, but he opened this season in the minors after going 6-10 with a 5.64 ERA in 2009.

Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The New York Yankees’ last road trip didn’t go as planned. Their current homestand couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. New York looks to finish a three-game sweep Sunday when it goes for its 13th straight victory over the Minnesota Twins. Since dropping four of five to end a 3-4 trip, the Yankees are back on track following consecutive wins over the AL Central-leading Twins. Including last season’s AL division series, New York has won 12 in a row overall and 12 consecutive home games against Minnesota. Saturday’s 7-1 victory improved the Yankees’ home record against Minnesota to 29-5 since the beginning of 2002, including the postseason. If Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira continue to feast on Twins pitching in the series finale, there’s a good chance New York will improve its major league-best 12-2 home record. The Yankees sluggers are each 4 for 7 with a homer in the series. Rodriguez hit a go-ahead grand slam in Friday’s 8-4 victory and is batting .370 with four homers and 11 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak versus Minnesota.

Teixeira is hitting .417 with six homer runs and 15 RBIs in 12 games against the Twins since joining the Yankees prior to last season. Rodriguez is 3 for 9 with a homer against Sunday’s starter Nick Blackburn, while Teixeira is 6 for 6 with a home run versus the right-hander. Blackburn will try to help Minnesota avoid getting swept for the first time since dropping three to the visiting Los Angeles Angels from July 31-Aug. 2. Blackburn made some mechanical adjustments after going 1-1 with a 6.85 ERA in four April starts, and he’s 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his last two outings. Blackburn, who last won three straight starts from May 21-31, is 0-1 with a 5.89 ERA in four starts against New York. He did not earn a decision in the Twins’ 4-3, 11-inning Game 2 loss at Yankee Stadium in the AL division series. The Yankees will counter with Sergio Mitre. After making five relief appearances to begin the season, Mitre made a spot start in place of Andy Pettitte and allowed four runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings in Monday’s 5-4 loss in Detroit.

Texas Rangers vs Toronto Blue Jays Live Streaming

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1:07 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The Toronto Blue Jays’ offense continues to show no signs of slowing down. With Brandon Morrow taking the mound, it may actually need to produce more, however. Morrow looks to rebound from the shortest start of his career as he takes the mound Sunday for Toronto, which hopes to complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays had another big day at the plate with 10 hits in a 6-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday after opening the series with a 16-10 victory on Friday. After Toronto hit five home runs in the series opener, Jose Bautista added two more on Saturday, finishing 3 for 4 with five RBIs. The win was Toronto’s fourth in five games against Texas this season and fourth straight between the two at Rogers Centre. Bautista is hitting .438 in his last five games, and the Blue Jays have won 10 of their last 13, batting .266 and averaging 6.2 runs.While that kind of support is usually enough for most starting pitchers, Toronto can’t be too sure about what it will get from Morrow. The right-hander, who has struggled with control issues in his first season with the Blue Jays, issued six walks and gave up six runs over 1 2-3 innings of a 7-6 loss to Boston on Monday.

Morrow, acquired from Seattle in the offseason, didn’t fare much better in two starts and two relief appearances against the Rangers last season, going 1-3 with a 10.13 ERA. He gave up five home runs and walked seven over 10 2-3 innings. The AL West-leading Rangers will try to take advantage of those struggles after losing for the third time in five games. After recording 11 hits Friday, they were held to five Saturday - the first time in six games they failed to finish with at least 10.Texas struck out 12 times, including four by Josh Hamilton, who hit .318 over the previous four contests. Frustration for the Rangers seemed to peak in the ninth when manager Ron Washington and Nelson Cruz argued with plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt after he called strike two on Cruz, who grounded out to third on the next pitch.

New York Mets vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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1:10 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

A sweep of the New York Mets would be the highlight of an already successful week for the Florida Marlins. The Marlins look to continue their early season dominance of the struggling Mets on Sunday by recording the first four-game sweep of their NL East rivals in almost six years. Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu each had three hits while Cameron Maybin tied a career high with three RBIs as Florida beat New York for the fifth straight time this season, 7-5 Saturday. After two straight losses in Washington, the Marlins opened the week by winning two of three at Chicago then returned home to take the first three against the Mets and surpass the .500 mark for the first time since May 2. Florida hasn’t swept a four-game set from New York since Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2004 at Shea Stadium. Losers of four in a row, the Mets are 4-10 since closing April with an eight-game winning streak that briefly propelled them to the top of the division. New York, 4-11 on the road, is below .500 for the first time since April 24.

After posting three runs and eight hits in the first two games of this set, New York manager Jerry Manuel changed his lineup by moving Jose Reyes out of the third spot and back to his more familiar lead-off role Saturday. Hitting .221, Reyes had his first two hits in 13 at-bats against Florida this season, and scored twice as the Mets’ pounded out 13 hits. Their pitching staff, meanwhile, allowed at least six runs for the fourth time in five games. Florida has swung the bats well over the last two games, totaling 14 runs and 23 hits. Ramirez is 5 for 8 in the series, and batting .375 in six games against the Mets in 2010. The Marlins look to stay hot at the plate against New York’s Jonathon Niese, who hasn’t gotten a decision in his last two starts. The left-hander, who yielded six runs and five walks in 4 1-3 innings of an 8-6 win over Washington on Tuesday, allowed three runs in six innings of his only appearance against the Marlins, a 3-1 loss April 8. After another strong road start, Florida’s Ricky Nolasco again tries for his first home win of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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1:10 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The Cincinnati Reds are one win away from displacing the St. Louis Cardinals atop the NL Central. Seeking their seventh victory in eight games, the Reds look to vault past the Cardinals into first place when they wrap up a three-game series Sunday at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati entered this series riding a five-game winning streak and within one-half game of division-leading St. Louis. After dropping Friday’s opener 4-3, the Reds bounced back Saturday with a victory by the same core.Saturday’s game ended when Cincinnati shortstop Orlando Cabrera threw out Skip Schumaker at home plate. Schumaker, whose RBI single had drawn St. Louis within one, tried to score when Joe Mather doubled to left but got beaten by Cabrera’s relay. The Reds, who are a major league-best 13-5 since April 25, now have an opportunity to claim first place this late in the season for the first time since June 8, 2006.

Jonny Gomes is leading Cincinnati at the plate, batting .455 with two homers and eight RBIs in his last nine games. He hit a solo shot in the fourth inning Saturday and was walked intentionally in the sixth to bring up Drew Stubbs, who broke a 2-all tie with a two-run triple. While everything seems to be going Cincinnati’s way, the Cardinals have suddenly dropped eight of 11, scoring three runs or fewer seven times in that span. Normally consistent Albert Pujols is batting .267 with a homer and five RBIs in his last 12 games.The offensive problems have made things difficult on scheduled starter Brad Penny. After going 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA in his first four starts, Penny has dropped his last three despite a still-excellent 2.84 ERA. The right-hander has received five total runs of support during his losing streak. In Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to Houston, Penny allowed four runs - all unearned - in seven innings after throwing error by Brendan Ryan. This will be Penny’s third start of the season against the Reds. Penny made his season debut at Great American Ball Park, giving up one run in seven innings and not getting a decision in a 2-1 loss. Three weeks later on April 30, he yielded three runs, eight hits and five walks in six innings of a 3-2 defeat.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

After struggling to score runs consistently for more than a week, the Arizona Diamondbacks got a much-needed boost from their offense against the Atlanta Braves.Getting runs off Braves starter Tim Hudson, however, could prove more difficult. Hudson will try to continue his impressive month by adding to his dominance over the visiting Diamondbacks on Sunday. An inconsistent offense is one of the reasons why Arizona is last in the NL West, and the Diamondbacks were mired in another funk during their seven-game losing streak, scoring 20 runs while batting .204. They ended that skid Saturday night with an 11-1 victory, getting seven extra-base hits among their 13 total. Justin Upton, who started the scoring with a first-inning solo homer, finished a double shy of the cycle, and Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson also went deep during a five-run ninth.After batting .217 over the team’s first 30 games, Upton is 11 for 29 in the past seven and has a pair of three-hit performances in this series.

Johnson’s 11th homer, meanwhile, pushed him into a tie for the NL lead with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Andre Ethier. He’ll next face his former teammate Hudson for the first time Sunday. Given his performance over the past three starts, seeing Hudson might not be a welcome sight for Johnson. After starting 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA, the right-hander has won two of his last three outings while posting a 1.83 ERA. He overcame a career high-tying six walks to earn his latest victory Tuesday night in Milwaukee, allowing one run over six innings. Hudson has experienced few difficulties in his career against the Diamondbacks, whom he hasn’t faced since 2007. He’s 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA in six career starts versus Arizona. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, will counter with Dan Haren, who will try to bounce back from his first loss in six starts.

Cleveland Indians vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The Cleveland Indians hope Jake Westbrook’s latest effort was an indication of good things to come for the veteran pitcher. Coming off his first win in two years, the right-hander tries to help the visiting Indians to a series victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Westbrook allowed one run and five hits in six innings of Cleveland’s 8-2 win at Kansas City on Tuesday for his first victory since April 8, 2008. The Indians hope more success will follow for their staff ace, who won 44 games from 2004-06. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 4.80 ERA in seven starts against the Orioles, whom he hasn’t faced since 2007. Westbrook looks to help Cleveland build on an 8-2 win over the Orioles on Saturday. Austin Kearns’ three-run homer highlighted an eight-run ninth inning for the Indians, who avoided a third straight loss. Mark Grudzielanek and Shin-Soo Choo each added two hits for the Indians, who were limited to one run in their previous 17 innings before their ninth-inning rally Saturday.

In his first season with the Indians, Kearns is batting .333 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 25 games. Trying for its second straight winning series, Cleveland looks to extend the recent struggles of Baltimore’s scheduled starter David Hernandez. Hernandez extended his losing streak to 11 games after he allowed five runs and four walks in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-1 loss to Seattle on Tuesday. The skid is longest active streak in the majors and two short of the Orioles record held by Mike Boddicker. Despite his struggles, manager Dave Trembley said the team plans to keep the second-year right-hander in the rotation. Hernandez is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against Cleveland. Ty Wigginton homered twice Saturday for the Orioles, who held a 2-0 lead and were on the verge of a season-high fourth victory before the Indians broke out in the ninth. With 12 home runs, Wigginton has already surpassed his 2009 total of 11. Filling in for injured second baseman Brian Roberts, Wigginton is batting .314 on the season and has gone 10 for 23 in his last six games.

Seattle Mariners vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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1:40 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

Matt Garza knows to be prepared when he pitches opposite Seattle’s Cliff Lee. The Tampa Bay Rays ace certainly was the first time they met. Garza will match up with the 2008 AL Cy Young winner for the second time this month on Sunday when the first-place Rays face the Mariners in the series finale at Tropicana Field. In an 8-3 victory on May 5 in Seattle, Garza threw eight innings of two-run ball to become the AL’s first five-game winner, and fastest to reach that number of victories in franchise history. Although the Rays tagged Lee for five runs and 10 hits, Garza was nothing but complimentary. Lee earned his first win for Seattle on Tuesday, giving up one run and eight hits over 7 1-3 innings in a 5-1 victory at Baltimore. The left-hander missed the first month of the season due to an abdominal strain, but is pleased so far. Lee, who has 15 strikeouts and no walks this season, is 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA in four starts at Tropicana Field.

The Mariners were hoping Lee would be pitching for their first road series sweep in more than a year, but Tampa Bay rallied from a 2-0 eighth-inning deficit Saturday, winning 3-2 Willy Aybar’s walk-off homer. The Rays also maintained their one-game edge over the New York Yankees for the majors’ best record. Despite being among the major league leaders with 5.4 runs per game, Tampa Bay has struggled to score lately, averaging 3.3 runs while losing four of seven. Improved play from first baseman Carlos Pena and center fielder B.J. Upton would help. Both went 1 for 3 Saturday, but have been struggling for some time. Pena is batting .064 while Upton is 5 for 46 since April 30. Ichiro Suzuki has fared much better at the plate lately. The Mariners’ two-time batting champion is hitting .360, and has matched a career high with seven straight multihit games. Suzuki, who is batting .567 during this run, is 5 for 15 with a homer lifetime against Garza.

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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2:10 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

Chicago White Sox starter Gavin Floyd hasn’t been at his best in recent outings against the Kansas City Royals. The same could be said for Royals right-hander Brian Bannister when facing the White Sox. The good news for both pitchers is they have a chance to earn a rare win against a division rival in Sunday’s finale of a three-game series. Floyd gave up six runs and a career-high 13 hits over 6 1-3 innings of a 7-2 home loss to the Royals on May 4. Four of those runs came in his final inning of work. The next day, Bannister was tagged for seven runs and seven hits over just three innings in a 9-2 defeat. Both pitchers’ struggles continued into their next start. Floyd gave up five runs over 6 1-3 innings May 9 against Toronto but avoided a decision in a 9-7 loss. Bannister wasn’t as fortunate in an 8-2 defeat to visiting Cleveland on Tuesday night as he dropped his second straight start after allowing four runs, six hits and three walks over six innings. He’s been far from good against Chicago over much of the past four seasons. After winning two of his first three career starts against the White Sox, Bannister is 1-5 with a 10.06 ERA in the last 10 matchups.

Floyd has an even worse record in his last six starts versus Kansas City, going 0-5 with a 6.25 ERA. The Royals will try to add to those struggles while trying to earn their second win in three games with new manager Ned Yost. They seemed to be headed toward another victory under Yost, who took over for the fired Trey Hillman before the series opener, and third in a row overall on Saturday night after getting out to a 4-1 lead in the first three innings. The White Sox, however, scored four runs in the seventh for a 5-4 win, their seventh in 17 games. Chicago had batted .205 with runners in scoring position heading into the night but was 4 for 7 in the victory.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

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2:20 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

After the Chicago Cubs took advantage of their struggles for years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have turned the tables. The Pirates look to complete their first three-game sweep at Wrigley Field in a decade Sunday when they try for their eighth straight win over their NL Central rivals. After going 6-27 against the Cubs from Sept. 21, 2007-Sept. 29, 2009, including a 3-14 record at Wrigley Field, the Pirates have won seven in a row versus Chicago. That streak includes a sweep at home earlier this month and two victories in this series. Pittsburgh won 4-3 on Saturday as Jeff Clement homered in the ninth and Andrew McCutchen had two hits with an RBI, continuing his season-long success against the Cubs. The Pirates are hitting .293 against the Cubs this season as opposed to .227 against the rest of the league. McCutchen, 11 for 14 with five RBIs in four games against Chicago, had five hits Friday after going 0 for 9 in his previous series against Cincinnati.

McCutchen will try to help the Pirates complete their first three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field since May 5-7, 2000. Chicago, which is 8-10 at home this season, has lost nine of 11 overall. The Cubs scored in the ninth off Octavio Dotel on Saturday but couldn’t plate the tying run from third with one out. The Cubs will try to avoid the sweep when they face Ross Ohlendorf. On Monday, Ohlendorf made his first start in more than a month, giving up one run and three hits in four innings of a 2-1 loss to the Reds. The right-hander, who had been on the disabled list with back spasms after making only one start, threw 84 pitches and walked four. In Ohlendorf’s only start against the Cubs, which came last season, he gave up four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 win, striking out eight.

Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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3:10 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

For onetime Colorado ace Jeff Francis, Sunday’s walk to the mound will be one to savor for the remainder of his career. Following shoulder surgery and a setback this past spring, Francis will make his first major league appearance since September 2008 as the Rockies wrap up a four-game set with the Washington Nationals. Francis was the club’s top pitcher during its run to the World Series in 2007, leading the Rockies with 17 wins and 165 strikeouts in 215 1-3 innings. In 2008, the left-hander slumped to 4-10, and had just 94 strikeouts in 143 2-3 innings while his ERA rose sharply to 5.01. He missed all of last year after surgery to repair a torn labrum, and was forced to sit out the first six weeks this season after straining an area under his left armpit in his final spring training outing.

However, Francis is 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA in four career starts against the Nationals, losing the last time he faced them Aug. 7, 2008. The Nationals will go with Scott Olsen, who is continuing his own comeback from shoulder surgery, and whose last loss came at home against the Rockies on April 20. He yielded a season-high six runs in two-plus innings of a 10-4 defeat. In four starts since, Olsen is 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA. He gave up a total of 11 hits over 13 scoreless innings in wins over the Dodgers and Florida, then carried a no-hitter into the eighth versus Atlanta on May 6. Olsen failed to get a decision his last time out, surrendering two runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings of an 8-6 loss to the Mets. The left-hander needs one win to surpass his total from last season, when he was limited to 11 starts before undergoing surgery in July. Olsen is 1-1 with an 11.20 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field. Colorado will be looking to tie a season high with its third straight win following a doubleheader sweep Saturday.

Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

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3:35 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The Los Angeles Angels haven’t swept a three-game home series from the Oakland Athletics in more than seven years. Joel Pineiro has endured five straight starts against Oakland without a victory. The Angels hope to end both those droughts Sunday when Pineiro makes his first start against the Athletics since 2006. Los Angeles last swept three games from Oakland in Anaheim from April 11-13, 2003, but now has a chance to do so again. Following a 4-0 victory in Friday’s series opener, the Angels won 12-3 on Saturday as Kendry Morales homered twice and drove in five runs. It was the sixth career multihomer game for Morales, who has 28 home runs since last year’s All-Star break - more than any other AL player during that stretch. To try to complete the sweep, Pineiro will face a nemesis from his days in the AL West with Seattle. The veteran right-hander posted a 10.80 ERA while losing all five starts against Oakland in 2006, his final season with the Mariners.

The Athletics, however, are an almost entirely different team now. The only healthy Oakland regular with more than four at-bats against Pineiro is Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is 2 for 9. None of those at-bats took place for the A’s.Pineiro is 0-3 with a 7.06 ERA in his last four starts. That’s a bit deceiving since his last two outings have been solid - he gave up two runs over six innings May 5 in a 3-1 loss at Boston and yielded five hits over 6 1-3 scoreless innings Monday in a 5-4, 11-inning win over Tampa Bay. Pineiro will face an offense that has produced a total of five runs during Oakland’s second four-game losing streak of the season. The A’s tried to give their lineup a boost Saturday by promoting veteran slugger Jack Cust from Triple-A Sacramento. Cust, however, went 0 for 3 and committed an error in left field when he dropped a sacrifice fly by Brandon Wood.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

After a rocky start, the Los Angeles Dodgers have returned to the kind of play that led them to back-to-back NL West titles. They’ll now have to start finding a way to win games without one the major leagues’ best players. With Andre Ethier likely out Sunday, the Dodgers go for their seventh straight win as they meet the San Diego Padres in the final game of a weekend set. Ethier, who leads the majors with a .392 batting average and 38 RBIs while being tied for the NL lead with 11 homers, broke a bone at the end of his right pinkie during batting practice before Saturday night’s 4-1 win. With Ethier sidelined, the Dodgers still managed to extend their longest winning streak of the season. Garret Anderson started for Ethier in right field, and had an RBI triple in four at-bats. Los Angeles, which got off to an 8-14 start, hasn’t won seven in a row since April 30-May 6, 2009. Not having Ethier will make matching that feat tougher.

Keeping their momentum going also could be tough against San Diego’s Wade LeBlanc. After allowing 11 hits in 12 1-3 scoreless innings en route to wins over Cincinnati and Milwaukee late last month, the left-hander hasn’t recorded a decision in his past two outings. He gave up two runs, six hits and a career high-tying four walks in 4 2-3 innings of a 3-2 win Tuesday at San Francisco. LeBlanc is 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers. The win came Sept. 4, when he allowed two hits in six scoreless innings of a 2-0 victory. The Padres managed three hits Saturday, two by leadoff hitter Scott Hairston. San Diego, which sits atop the division, hasn’t lost three in a row this year. To avoid that, the Padres will have to beat Chad Billingsley, as he looks for his third win in four starts, and second straight on the road. On Monday, the right-hander gave up two runs and three hits in 5 1-3 innings of Los Angeles’ 7-3 win over Arizona.

Houston Astros vs San Francisco Giants Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

The San Francisco Giants have completely shut down the Houston Astros this season. Barry Zito, who has already contributed to the Astros’ misery, looks bounce back from his first loss of the year and lead the Giants to their second three-game sweep of Houston in Sunday’s series finale at AT&T Park. San Francisco opened the year with three straight wins in Houston, outscoring the Astros 18-6. It’s been a similar story this weekend in California, with the Giants limiting Houston to three total runs while winning the first two games. San Francisco hasn’t swept two series from the Astros in a single season since 2000. In San Francisco’s 2-1 win Saturday, the Astros managed four hits in eight innings off Tim Lincecum, who beat them for the second time this season. Zito will seek to do the same. The 2002 AL Cy Young winner made his season debut against the Astros on April 6, and gave up three hits and a walk in six innings of a 3-0 victory - an outing that set the tone for the first 5-0 start of his career.

Zito suffered his first loss Tuesday against San Diego. The left-hander lasted a season-low five innings, allowing three runs, six hits and matching a career high with seven walks in a 3-2 loss. Now, he’ll try for better luck against a Houston team that is batting .194 through the first five meetings of the season series. Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee are emblematic of that poor showing. Pence is 3 for 20 with a solo homer against the Giants while Lee, who was ejected in the sixth inning Saturday for arguing a called third strike, is 2 for 18. While the Astros have had no answers for San Francisco’s pitching, the Giants had little luck Saturday against Houston ace Roy Oswalt. Juan Uribe had three of the club’s seven hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers Live | Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers | Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers Streaming | Philadelphia vs Milwaukee MLB Live Stream | Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Webcast

8:05 pm EDT Sun May 16, 2010

Through the first two games in this series, the high-powered Philadelphia Phillies have had little trouble generating offense against the Milwaukee Brewers’ beleaguered pitching staff. Little suggests much will change when the Phillies face Doug Davis, who has been knocked around in nearly every outing this season. Philadelphia looks to send the Brewers to their worst home start in franchise history, and sweep its first series in Miller Park in almost six years in Sunday night’s finale. After a 9-5 victory Friday, the Phillies pounded out a season-best 17 hits in Saturday’s 10-6 win. Shane Victorino, who knocked in three in the opener, homered and drove in four while Chase Utley had two doubles and two RBIs. Philadelphia improved to an NL-best 12-7 on the road, and is seeking its first three-game sweep in Milwaukee since Aug. 20-22, 2004.

The Phillies, who have plated at least nine runs in three of their last four games, appear to have a good chance of achieving this considering how poorly the Brewers are playing at home. With a 4-13 record, Milwaukee has matched the worst home start in franchise history set by the 1985 team, which played at County Stadium. Losers of five in a row overall, the Brewers have dropped seven straight at home for the first time since 2002—they haven’t lost eight consecutive home games since a nine-game skid from July 31-Aug. 11, 1996. Inferior pitching has been the biggest reason for Milwaukee’s home woes with the team allowing an average of 8.6 runs during the slide. Davis has seemingly been in trouble all season, as opponents have posted a .418 on-base percentage. Against Atlanta on Monday, the left-hander allowed six runs - three earned - with six walks, and hit a batter in 5 2-3 innings of an 8-2 loss.

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