Sports World: 05/21/10

San Jose Sharks vs Chicago Blackhawks Live Streaming

Friday, May 21, 2010

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8:00 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The pesky Blackhawks center has been making it difficult for San Jose’s top line, helping Chicago to a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference finals matchup with Game 3 on Friday night. Star center Joe Thornton slashed Bolland in frustration before a faceoff in Game 2 and the two got tangled up earlier in the game. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is expected to match the line of Bolland, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd against Thornton’s line, which has also included Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. Whatever Quenneville and the Blackhawks are doing is working: San Jose, the top seed in the West, has only three goals so far in the series. Coach Todd McLellan acknowledged Thursday he night do some mixing and shifting of his own to try and get the Sharks’ offense untracked. It could still come down to finding a way to solve the Blackhawks’ checking line led by Bolland.

Bolland was also a pain for the Canucks and the Sedin twins in the second round, and he scored a key short-handed goal on a breakaway in the clincher against Vancouver. But it’s his defense that has helped the Blackhawks get within two wins of their first Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1992. Bolland is often reserved off the ice but can be terrier-like on the ice, nipping at the heels and making forward movement difficult. He calls it a privilege to play against a top line and whatever he can do to disrupt is what he’s aiming for. Despite the skirmishes in Game 2, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Thornton said Thursday that the 6-foot, 181-pound Bolland is not getting under his skin. Bolland was limited to 39 games in the regular season after surgery in November to repair a herniated disc in his back. He didn’t return until early February and it took a while to acclimate himself.

Atlanta Braves vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

As the rest of baseball embarks upon interleague play this weekend, the Atlanta Braves are certainly happy to be participating in the majors’ lone intraleague series. Otherwise, they wouldn’t get to keep facing the NL Central. The Braves’ improbable seven-run rally in the ninth inning Thursday secured their eighth consecutive win against Central opponents, a streak they’ll look to extend Friday night when they visit PNC Park for the first of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Atlanta was a popular pick to contend for a playoff spot heading into Bobby Cox’s last season in the dugout, but an 8-14 start and woeful offensive production had that possibility looking shaky toward the end of April. Since April 30, however, the Braves are 13-6, with a majority of those wins coming against the Central Division. Atlanta totaled 21 runs in a three-game sweep of Houston, 28 in winning three at Milwaukee, and held on for a 5-4 win against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

The Braves’ streak looked all but over Thursday afternoon, as the Reds scored eight second-inning runs. Cincinnati carried a 9-3 lead into the ninth but Atlanta wouldn’t go away, capping its comeback with Brooks Conrad’s pinch-hit grand slam for a remarkable 10-9 win. It was the Braves’ third consecutive walk-off victory and sixth this season. This one just happened to be the largest ninth-inning comeback in franchise history. Atlanta improved to 8-6 in one-run games, but will be facing a team even better in close calls on Friday. The Pirates, however, are coming off a tight loss. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 first-inning lead Thursday against Milwaukee, but didn’t score again in a 4-3 defeat that dropped it to 8-5 in one-run games. The Pirates are 9-5 against Atlanta over the past two seasons - 5-2 at PNC Park - and they’ll try to continue that success by handing the ball to Ross Ohlendorf.

Baltimore Orioles vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

Though the Washington Nationals didn’t get everything right in their last series, some promising production at the plate can at least offer them some solace. The Nationals kick off interleague play hoping their lineup can build some momentum Friday night as they host a Baltimore Orioles team coming off its worst pitching performance of the season. Washington is reeling entering a three-game series against its neighbors to the north, losing six of seven. Some strong hitting in a two-game set with New York, though, gives the Nationals reason for hope. Washington split the series, scoring 12 runs with cleanup hitter Adam Dunn back in the lineup. Dunn missed three games due to an undisclosed ailment. The Nationals were held to 10 runs in losing five games prior to facing the Mets. Dunn has three homers and nine RBIs in his last four games versus the Orioles, who own the majors’ worst record and are looking to rebound from a terrible performance on the mound.

Baltimore surrendered 20 hits in a 13-7 loss to Texas on Thursday night. Losers of five of six, the Orioles will now give the ball to David Hernandez. The right-hander skipped his scheduled turn in the rotation Sunday due to shoulder discomfort, but he reported no problems after throwing a side session Tuesday. In his last start, Hernandez gave up five runs and walked four in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-1 loss to Seattle on May 11. Hernandez has lost his last 11 decisions, the longest active skid in the majors. He has faced the Nationals once, suffering a loss after surrendering three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings as the Orioles were defeated 5-3 on June 28. Washington will counter with Scott Olsen, who is 2-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last five starts, striking out 25 in 32 1-3 innings without allowing a home run. The left-hander gave up one run in 6 2-3 innings of a 2-1 loss to Colorado on Sunday.

Boston Red Sox vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The NL-leading Philadelphia Phillies have won more than 60 percent of their games within their own league en route to back-to-back pennants the last two years. Facing the AL, however, has produced different results. The Phillies are 10-23 within interleague play in that same stretch, and they’ll hope for a better showing when they meet the visiting Boston Red Sox on Friday night. Philadelphia won the 2008 World Series in five games over Tampa Bay but lost 4-2 to the New York Yankees last year, and it’s encountered major problems against AL opponents during the regular season lately. Those struggles have been worst at home, where the Phillies have lost six straight and 13 of their last 14 in interleague play. Boston has won four of six at Citizens Bank Park since the start of 2008 and is 14-4 against Philadelphia since the start of 2004. The Phillies are atop the NL again, thanks mostly to a 13-5 record in May. They bounced back from consecutive defeats with a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Raul Ibanez drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the eighth inning. Philadelphia leads the NL with 219 runs even though Ibanez is batting .246 with three homers and 19 RBIs. Ibanez has far more experience than any of his teammates against Boston scheduled starter John Lackey, going 18 for 48. Lackey will try to bounce back after allowing 11 runs in his last two starts. He gave up five in seven innings of a 5-1 defeat at Detroit on Sunday. The Phillies counter with Cole Hamels, who will be looking to win a third straight start for the first time since winning four in a row in May 2007. Hamels beat Milwaukee on Sunday, allowing two runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 4-2 victory. He’s still working a cutter into his routine.

Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

Late-inning comebacks have been the surprising Cincinnati Reds’ recipe for success, but they’re starting to end up on the wrong end of such rallies. Having been knocked out of first place in the NL Central, the Reds look to bounce back from their most discouraging loss of the season when they face the scuffling Cleveland Indians on Friday night. Cincinnati scored three times in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday to beat Milwaukee 5-4, its 10th win of the season in its final at-bat. The Reds’ luck ran out in Atlanta, however. Cincinnati lost 5-4 to the Braves on Wednesday by allowing a run in the ninth, but that paled in comparison to what happened the next day. Cincinnati jumped out to an 8-0 second-inning lead Thursday on Joey Votto’s grand slam, his fifth homer in 12 games. The Reds led 9-3 after eight, but Atlanta scored seven times in the ninth - capped by Brooks Conrad’s pinch-hit grand slam - to send Cincinnati to a stunning 10-9 loss and out of the top spot in the Central.

One of the biggest surprises in baseball, Cincinnati will try to quickly put the painful defeat behind it, and a three-game series against struggling Cleveland might be just what it needs to do so. The Indians, in danger of falling a season-worst 10 games below .500, have plated 12 runs while batting .199 during a four-game skid. The slide has coincided with trips to the disabled list for Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore. Because of the injuries, Cleveland had Trevor Crowe leading off and Jason Donald batting second in a 9-3 loss to Kansas City on Thursday. Both were at Triple-A Columbus less than one week ago. Getting on track offensively could be difficult against Bronson Arroyo. The right-hander pitched a seven-hitter in a 7-2 win over St. Louis on Sunday and has gone 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA in his last four starts. Arroyo also looked strong in his lone start against the Indians last season, yielding one run in eight innings of a 3-1 victory May 22.

New York Yankees vs New York Mets Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The New York Yankees are trying to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss as they begin the latest edition of the Subway Series. The Yankees will give struggling Javier Vazquez his first start in 10 days when they visit Citi Field to take on the New York Mets on Friday night. Neither New York team is playing well, with the Yankees losing eight of 12 and the Mets eight of nine. The Yankees have dropped five games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East race after falling 8-6 to the Rays on Thursday, while the Mets are the only NL East team with a losing record. The Yankees are 133-95 all-time in interleague play for baseball’s best record, going 10-8 in 2009. The Mets’ 5-10 interleague record tied them with four other clubs for the worst mark in the NL last year. Each team’s starter faces a high-pressure situation in the interleague opener, but Vazquez will likely be under the most scrutiny. This will be his second start in a 21-day span since he’s been skipped twice in the rotation.

Acquired from Atlanta after going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA last season, Vazquez was effective in his last start, allowing two runs over seven innings in a 2-0 loss at Detroit on May 12. The Yankees insisted that Vazquez skipped his next turn because of how it would affect other starters and not because of his ineffectiveness. The right-hander recorded a victory out of the bullpen Monday by getting the final out before New York rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning for an 11-9 victory over Boston. Vazquez has never pitched at Citi Field, where the Yankees swept their first visit last June by outscoring the Mets 18-3. He went 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA in two starts against the Mets last season. While most of the Mets have faced Vazquez, none of the Yankees have seen Hisanori Takahashi. The Japanese rookie left-hander will make his first major league start.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The last time Carl Crawford came to Houston with Tampa Bay, he was in his first full season and playing for a club headed for a sixth straight last-place finish as it was swept by the Astros. Seven years later, he’s headed back to his hometown with baseball’s best team. Crawford and the Rays look to match a season high with their seventh straight victory when they open a three-game series against the Astros on Friday night. Tampa Bay improved baseball’s best road record to 17-4 by sweeping two games against the Yankees to start this trip, winning 10-6 on Wednesday and 8-6 on Thursday. The Rays increased their AL East lead over second-place New York to five games. Crawford had three hits in eight at-bats against the Yankees and is batting .375 in his last eight games. The left fielder went 1 for 8 in Tampa Bay’s trip to Minute Maid Park from June 6-8, 2003. He was also hitless in two at-bats in Houston in the 2004 All-Star game. This series appears to be a mismatch. Tampa Bay has the AL’s best ERA at 2.83 while NL-worst Houston has scored the fewest runs in the majors with 122.

The Rays have posted four straight double-digit efforts in hits for the first time. Tampa Bay had a season-high four homers Thursday, two by Carlos Pena. Tampa Bay went 13-5 in interleague play last year for the third-best record in the majors and batted .300 for the best mark. The Rays will look for another strong effort from Matt Garza, who’s 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA in four road outings. Garza allowed one run over six innings Sunday and did not get a decision in a 2-1 home win over Seattle. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.80 ERA in seven interleague starts, allowing four runs in six innings in a 4-3 home loss to Houston on June 20, 2008.The Astros have lost six of seven and were shut out for the sixth time Thursday night, losing 4-0 to Colorado. They went 6-9 in interleague play last year. Houston has won three of four home games started by Brett Myers, who is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in those contests. The right-hander pitched a five-hitter Sunday in a 4-3 loss at San Francisco.

Chicago Cubs vs Texas Rangers Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The Texas Rangers have been the majors’ best home team in May, a distinction they bolstered with their best offensive showing of the season in their last game. They’ll try to continue their mastery in Arlington against a Chicago Cubs team that’s been terrible on the road in interleague play. The Rangers look to extend their home winning streak to seven and improve to 11-1 on their own field this month Friday night when they meet the Cubs, losers of 11 of their last 12 road games against the AL. Texas has a four-game lead in the AL West thanks to its .330 batting average and 6.6 runs per game in Arlington in May. That hot hitting continued Thursday night, when Texas collected a season-high 20 hits and tied its season best in runs in a 13-7 win over Baltimore. Nelson Cruz had four hits and four RBIs, and was one of eight Rangers with two or more hits as Texas scored at least 10 runs for the fourth time in 14 games.

The Cubs had won a season high-tying four straight before falling 5-4 at Philadelphia on Thursday. Despite the defeat, Chicago was encouraged by its split with the reigning NL champion Phillies. Chicago hopes to bounce back behind Ted Lilly, who will take the mound in search of his first win since his season debut April 24. The left-hander has held opponents to three earned runs over seven innings in each of his last two starts. Lilly is 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 13 games against the Rangers, going 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA in Arlington. He hasn’t faced Texas since not receiving a decision in a 6-5 road loss June 21, 2007. The Rangers will counter with Colby Lewis. After going 3-0 in his first four starts, the right-hander has gotten four runs of support over 27 2-3 innings while going 0-2 in his last four. The right-hander will try to get back on track by rebounding from his worst start of the year. He gave up five runs in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 loss at Toronto on Sunday, allowing three hits but walking four.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The Milwaukee Brewers hardly know how to react after a victory these days, but they’ll head into interleague play having finally put their lengthy losing streak to rest.The Minnesota Twins’ skid hardly compares, but they’re certainly anxious to see it end. Minnesota’s three-game slide has dropped it into a first-place tie in the AL Central, but it’ll try to get back on track by beating the Brewers for the 10th time in 13 tries Friday night at Target Field. The Brewers were outscored 68-31 in losing nine straight heading into Thursday’s finale at Pittsburgh, and appeared on their way to hitting double digits after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning.But instead of letting the Pirates pile on, Milwaukee’s pitching staff came up big while the offense did just enough. The Brewers held Pittsburgh to three hits the final eight innings, and Carlos Villanueva pitched a perfect ninth for his first save in a much-needed 4-3 victory.

While the victory certainly was a relief to Ken Macha’s club, it can’t be looking forward to interleague play - or facing the Twins. Milwaukee was 5-10 against the AL in 2009, and outscored 39-19 in losing five of six to Minnesota. The Twins have won nine of 12 overall in the series, getting plenty of production from their big hitters. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer are hitting a combined .322 with 20 RBIs, while Jason Kubel has homered five times in 29 at-bats. Those three haven’t provided much offense over the past three days, however. The trio is a combined 5 for 30 with 10 strikeouts, as Minnesota has been held to two runs and six hits in each loss. The Twins’ 6-2 loss in Boston on Thursday capped a 2-5 road trip and marked their first three-game slide since Sept. 10-12.

Colorado Rockies vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The Colorado Rockies usually don’t need much production at the plate in games that Ubaldo Jimenez starts. With Jason Hammel on the mound, their lineup might need a greater sense of urgency. After snapping a skid with yet another outstanding performance from their ace, the Rockies look to give Hammel some support as they open interleague play Friday night against the Kansas City Royals. Colorado ended a three-game losing streak Thursday night with a 4-0 win over Houston. Jimenez pitched seven innings, lowering his major league-leading ERA to 0.99.Jimenez’s effort was a big boost for a Rockies team that scored three runs or fewer in each of its previous four contests. Colorado, though, may not be able to afford another subpar game at the plate, as it starts this three-game series by giving the ball to Hammel. If Hammel had enough innings to qualify, his ERA would rank last in the majors. He has been limited to five starts due to a strained right groin that landed him on the 15-day disabled list April 27.

Kansas City will counter with Brian Bannister, who is 2-1 with a 3.70 ERA in four starts at home, including a win in his last outing. The right-hander yielded three runs in six innings of a 5-3 victory over Chicago on Sunday. Bannister is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts against the Rockies. The Royals have a 3.24 ERA in winning six of their last eight. They moved out of last place in the AL Central with a 9-3 win over Cleveland on Thursday. Kansas City has been hitting well, scoring 17 runs over its last two games and reaching double figures in hits each of the past five contests. Third baseman Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer versus the Indians. He has seven homers after hitting a career-best 11 last year, his first full season as a starter. Callaspo, though, is batting .200 with one homer in 26 interleague games.

Florida Marlins vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

Less than a year ago, Mark Buehrle was celebrating after pitching a perfect game. He’s now trying to avoid his longest losing streak since 2006. Buehrle looks for his first win in six decisions as the struggling Chicago White Sox open a three-game series against the visiting Florida Marlins on Friday night. The left-hander hasn’t had much to be happy about this season, going 0-5 with a 6.44 ERA in six starts after opening with consecutive victories. Buehrle threw his perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23 and has struggled since. He’s 4-12 with a 4.97 ERA in 21 starts dating to his historic performance. On Friday, Buehrle will attempt to avoid dropping six straight decisions for the first time since July 2-Aug. 7, 2006. He has never faced Florida. Buehrle was cruising in his previous start, allowing one run through six innings at Kansas City last Friday night. The Royals, though, scored five times against him without making an out in the seventh to come away with a 6-1 win.

Facing a lineup that’s unfamiliar with him could help Buehrle get on track. The only Marlins regular to face him in his career is infielder Jorge Cantu, who went 1 for 3 while with Tampa Bay on May 25, 2007. Ricky Nolasco is set to take the mound for Florida, and although the right-hander has never pitched against the White Sox, he has faced some of their players. He’s been able to handle Andruw Jones, holding him to one hit in 10 at-bats and striking him out four times, but Mark Kotsay is 2 for 2 with a double and triple. Nolasco enters this game pitching well, posting a 2.08 ERA in winning consecutive starts. He allowed three runs over six innings to beat the New York Mets 10-8 on Sunday. Florida is coming off a split of a two-game series in St. Louis, falling 4-2 on Thursday afternoon after managing six hits and striking out 11 times - three by Cantu.

Los Angeles Angels vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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8:15 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

After dealing with injuries and inconsistency around the time he turned 30, Joel Pineiro had a mid-career renaissance while winning 15 games last season with the St. Louis Cardinals. Brad Penny is trying to steal Pineiro’s script. Now pitching for the Los Angeles Angels, Pineiro will kick off interleague play by facing his former team Friday night in St. Louis, where Penny looks to bounce back from his worst start of 2010. Pineiro had a 5.15 ERA while limited to 25 starts due to injuries in 2008, but he went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA and helped the Cardinals win the NL Central last year, earning a two-year, $16 million deal with the Angels. He’s been living up to that contract lately, tossing 15 1-3 shutout innings in his last two starts. Pineiro pitched a four-hitter in a 4-0 win over Oakland on Sunday for his first shutout with the Angels.

Penny, like Pineiro a 31-year-old, made an unsuccessful foray into the AL last year, posting a 5.61 ERA in 24 starts with Boston after his 2008 season had been cut short by shoulder problems. He finished the year by pitching well for San Francisco, however, then signed with St. Louis. Although he has lost four straight outings, Penny began the year with seven consecutive quality starts before allowing seven runs and 13 hits in five innings of a 7-2 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday. St. Louis has steadied by winning three of its last four, retaking first place in the Central from the Reds after Thursday’s 4-2 win over Florida. Matt Holliday doubled twice and drove in two runs, ending a six-game stretch without an RBI. Holliday has only 16 RBIs after driving in 55 runs in 63 games with the Cardinals last year.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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9:40 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

Though they will lose the designated hitter heading into an NL park, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have an excellent opportunity to increase their major league-leading home run total. The Blue Jays look to take advantage of struggling Arizona Diamondbacks pitching as they open a three-game series Friday night. Toronto won six of seven before losing 4-3 to Seattle on Thursday. Still, the Blue Jays got a home run from Jose Bautista to give them 66 this year. That’s eight more than Boston and 12 more than Arizona, which leads the NL in that category. A series in Arizona seems to play to Toronto’s strength. The Diamondbacks have given up a major league-worst 63 homers and their 5.66 ERA also ranks last. The Diamondbacks will next give the ball to Dan Haren, who finds himself in a rut after two years as one of the team’s top starters. He has posted an 8.44 ERA in losing his last two starts. The right-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits - two homers - in 4 1-3 innings of a 13-1 loss to Atlanta on Sunday.

Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells is 6 for 17 with two homers against Haren. Wells has 11 home runs, one less than Bautista for the team lead. Wells was the DH on Thursday and Adam Lind was in left field, perhaps in anticipation for this series. Lind, the Blue Jays’ regular DH, is one of the team’s top power hitters. If Lind plays the field, that would likely leave regular left fielder Fred Lewis as the odd man out. Arizona’s lineup, meanwhile, certainly shouldn’t be discounted. The Diamondbacks scored 21 runs in a two-game sweep of San Francisco, getting five off two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in an 8-7 victory Thursday night. Mark Reynolds hit his 100th career home run and had three RBIs. The third baseman leads Arizona with 33 RBIs.Reynolds and the Diamondbacks will face Toronto’s Brandon Morrow for the first time. He has given up three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.

San Francisco Giants vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

Nearly everything has gone right for Barry Zito in his fourth season with the San Francisco Giants, who finally look like they’re getting a worthwhile return on their pricey investment. The Giants have to hope his overall improvement is the precursor for a similar turnaround against the Oakland Athletics. Zito’s 9.22 ERA when facing his former team is his worst against any opponent, and he’ll look to avoid a fourth loss in as many tries against the A’s as the Bay Area rivals collide for the first of three Friday night in Oakland. Zito was a three-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner in Oakland, but his 31-43 record and 4.56 ERA in his first three years across the bay hardly seemed to justify the seven-year, $126 million contract San Francisco handed him. The Giants are just now starting to see the Zito they thought they were getting all along. Opponents are hitting .203 off the left-hander, and he hadn’t allowed a homer over 47 1-3 innings heading into his previous outing. Carlos Lee snapped that streak Sunday with a fourth-inning homer, but Zito still turned in his seventh quality start in eight tries. He gave up three runs over seven innings in a 4-3 victory over Houston.

Zito has only pitched once in Oakland since leaving, and none of his three outings against the A’s have been worth remembering. He’s 0-3 and has walked 12 in 13 2-3 innings as the Giants have been outscored 26-4. While Zito is 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA in three starts away from AT&T Park this season, he’s 2-8 with a 7.61 ERA in 10 interleague road outings since joining the Giants. Oakland’s offense, however, isn’t causing opponents many issues. The A’s have been held to two runs or fewer in six of nine games. Four singles were all Oakland could muster in a 5-1 loss to Detroit on Wednesday, and it was held to five hits in a 5-2 loss Thursday afternoon. Oakland fell to 1-21 when it scores three runs or fewer. On most nights, seven runs would seem to be more than enough to support Tim Lincecum, but it wasn’t Thursday. Lincecum still had a 7-5 lead when he left, but San Francisco’s bullpen couldn’t hold it in an 8-7 loss as Bochy was ejected in the ninth for arguing balls and strikes.

Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

The Los Angeles Dodgers have recovered from their slow start to win 10 of their last 11, and another victory Friday night may move them into a tie for first place. The Detroit Tigers are already there. Back-to-back wins to begin their road trip have given the Tigers a share of the AL Central lead, and they’ll hope Dontrelle Willis can calm his control problems in the series opener at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers spotted some of their rivals an early lead in the NL West, the division Los Angeles has won each of the last two years. But some brilliant pitching has brought manager Joe Torre’s club quickly back into the race. After allowing three or fewer runs in each victory during the nine-game winning streak that was snapped by San Diego on Wednesday, the Dodgers pulled back within a game of the first-place Padres by beating them 4-1 on Thursday. Friday’s starter Chad Billingsley earned two wins during the streak, and the right-hander is coming off his best outing of 2010 after holding San Diego to four hits in 7 1-3 innings of a 1-0 win Sunday.

Billingsley has never faced the Tigers, and his counterpart may wish he had less experience against the Dodgers. Willis went 1-5 with a 6.93 ERA in seven starts against Los Angeles while a member of the Florida Marlins. Willis has battled major issues with wildness since joining Detroit. He hoped to have those problems under control after walking three or fewer in each of his first five starts, but he walked seven and allowed four runs in 3 1-3 innings Saturday night against Boston. The Tigers still won that game 7-6 in 12 innings, and the team has won four of five to tie Minnesota for the division lead. Detroit began a seven-game West Coast swing with consecutive victories in Oakland. Miguel Cabrera broke out of an 0-for-12 slump with a two-run home run in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-2 win, pulling him into a tie with injured Los Angeles outfielder Andre Ethier for the major league lead with 38 RBIs.

San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Fri May 21, 2010

As the Seattle Mariners continue to struggle, they are hoping that it will help to have the pitcher with the best record in interleague play on the mound in their first game against an NL club. The Mariners will give the ball to Cliff Lee on Friday night when they begin a three-game home series with the surprising San Diego Padres. Expectations were high for Seattle following an 85-win season in 2009, but the club has failed to meet them. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West and are at the bottom of the league in batting average, homers and runs. Seattle, though, has built its club around pitching, and the acquisition of Lee was the highlight of the Mariners’ offseason. His 12-2 interleague mark is the best among any pitcher with at least 12 decisions. The Mariners have scored a total of nine runs in losing three of Lee’s four starts this year. Lee pitched a five-hitter with a season-high 10 strikeouts Sunday in a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

The left-hander has faced the Padres twice, posting a 1.35 ERA and not receiving any decisions. While Seattle is one of baseball’s biggest flops, San Diego is in first place in the NL West. The Padres entered 2010 off consecutive losing seasons, but have used a major league-best 2.78 ERA to become a contender. San Diego is 5-1 in starts by Wade LeBlanc, who has yielded two runs or fewer in every outing. LeBlanc gave up one run over seven innings Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. The left-hander may have bad memories of his lone career outing against the Mariners, allowing four runs and recording four outs in a 9-3 road loss last June 25. LeBlanc allowed a homer and a double in two at-bats by Ichiro Suzuki, who is seventh all-time with a .340 interleague average among players with at least 150 at-bats. Suzuki has stolen 59 bases for the highest interleague total.

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