Sports World: 05/30/10

Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

Sunday, May 30, 2010

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Brett Anderson’s sharp outing was a relief for an Oakland team that has lost Justin Duchscherer for the year. Now, the Athletics need Dallas Braden to put his ankle injury behind him. Braden, who left his last start due to an ailment that has been lingering for the past month, takes the mound for the Athletics as they continue their four-game series with the slumping Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Oakland announced Saturday that Duchscherer will undergo season-ending surgery on his left hip. The two-time All-Star was limited to five starts this year after not pitching at all in 2009. The loss of Duchscherer made Anderson’s performance that much more timely. In his first outing in a month, Anderson - who had been sidelined with elbow and forearm injuries - pitched 5 2-3 innings to lead Oakland to a 6-0 win over Detroit on Saturday night in the second game of this series. Braden, meanwhile, says he has been bothered by a sore left ankle since spraining it in a 4-2 loss to Texas on May 3. He has made four starts since, including a perfect game against Tampa Bay on May 9, but discomfort forced him out of his last outing.

The left-hander has struggled in four road starts, going 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA. Braden is 2-3 with a 6.63 ERA in seven career starts against the Tigers. Oakland, which leads the AL West by one-half game over Texas, has posted a 1.90 ERA while winning seven of its last eight. The A’s have also been hitting well, scoring 24 runs during a four-game winning streak. Second baseman Mark Ellis drove in four runs Saturday, is 8 for 12 over his last three games versus the Tigers and has seven hits in his last three games overall. The A’s will now face Max Scherzer, who is being called up from Triple-A Toledo to make his first start for the Tigers since May 14. To make room for Scherzer, Detroit designated struggling Dontrelle Willis for assignment. If Willis clears waivers, the Tigers have 10 days to release him, trade him or assign him to the minors. Scherzer went 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in four starts before being sent down, but posted an 0.60 ERA while winning his two starts with Toledo.

Cleveland Indians vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Mother Nature prevented the New York Yankees’ A.J. Burnett from continuing his last start, but the result was exactly what he needed. Winless in his last 16 outings, Cleveland Indians starter Justin Masterson might need a victory Sunday at Yankee Stadium just to keep his spot in the rotation. A mismatch on paper, Burnett and Masterson will oppose each other as Cleveland and New York continue their four-game holiday weekend series. After going 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his first six starts of 2010, Burnett gave up 16 earned runs and went 0-2 in his next three outings. The right-hander bounced back Tuesday and had his best start in three weeks, striking out five and allowing three hits in five scoreless innings at Minnesota, but the game was suspended due to rain. The Yankees completed the 1-0 victory Wednesday afternoon.

Burnett would have too, but will instead try to maintain that same form against the Indians, who will once again hope for a better effort from Masterson in what may be his last chance. The right-hander allowed five runs and nine hits in four innings of Monday’s 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, dropping his 11th straight decision since a victory against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 20. Masterson, 0-10 with a 6.53 ERA in his last 14 road starts, receives among the lowest run support in the AL - 2.87 per game. The Cleveland offense performed much better than that Saturday. Trailing 10-4 in the fifth inning following Alex Rodriguez’s RBI single, Cleveland scored seven times in the seventh and once in the eighth for a 13-11 win that took 4 hours, 22 minutes to complete. It was the team’s highest scoring output of the season, but the Indians were more concerned with the health of starting pitcher David Huff, who was hit in the head by a line drive from Rodriguez in the third inning. Huff was face down on the mound for several minutes before getting carted off the field and taken to a local hospital, where a CT scan was negative.

Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays Live Streaming

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1:07 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

With two games remaining in May, the Toronto Blue Jays have already set a franchise record for the most home runs in a single month. Given how things have gone this year for the Baltimore Orioles, they may not be too anxious to pitch to their division rivals anytime soon. Looking to increase their home run total, Toronto also will try to win its sixth straight over the last-place Orioles on Sunday in the finale of their weekend set. The homer-happy Blue Jays launched four more in a 5-2 win Saturday, raising their major league-leading total to 85. Lyle Overbay hit two for his first multihomer game of the year, and Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells each went deep for the second straight game. Toronto has hit 50 home runs in May. They have six in the series, and 11 in five wins against the Orioles this year.

Wells’ one-out drive in the eighth inning snapped a 2-2 tie. The Blue Jays center fielder has 13 in 50 games after hitting 15 in 158 contests in 2009. Baltimore hopes to slow down Toronto by sending out Jeremy Guthrie. The right-hander has surrendered only seven homers in 64 1-3 innings. Guthrie struggled early in 2010, going 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA in his first six starts, but has been outstanding in four starts since, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.03 ERA. He surrendered one run for the third consecutive game and six hits over six innings of a 5-1 win over Oakland on Tuesday. Guthrie has made five starts at Rogers Centre, and is 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA while yielding five homers in 37 innings. Baltimore has dropped four in a row overall and seven straight in Toronto. Coming off his poorest outing of the year, Ricky Romero will take the mound for Toronto in search of his first win in three starts.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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1:10 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Anibal Sanchez has won three consecutive starts for the first time since 2006, when as a rookie he pitched a September no-hitter in front of the Florida Marlins’ home crowd. It took nearly four years, but Sanchez is no longer the last pitcher to step off that mound following a transcendent performance. Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw the majors’ 20th perfect game Saturday night in Miami, leaving Sanchez with a hard act to follow Sunday afternoon as he looks to help the Marlins avoid a three-game sweep. Halladay had come close to throwing a no-hitter before, getting within one out in his second major league start Sept. 27, 1998, but one of baseball’s top pitchers turned in an even finer performance Saturday. Halladay needed 115 pitches to retire all 27 Marlins he saw, striking out 11 to make an unearned run stand up in Philadelphia’s 1-0 victory.

Halladay joined Oakland’s Dallas Braden, who set down all 27 Tampa Bay hitters on May 9, to give baseball two perfect games in the same season for the first time since 1880. This was the Phillies’ second perfect game, with Jim Bunning having thrown one in 1964. Philadelphia has thrown 10 no-hitters, the last by Kevin Millwood in 2003. The Marlins, who lost their fourth in a row, were more complimentary than upset considering who was on the mound. Sanchez once looked like he could belong among baseball’s elite starters, but after going 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA as a rookie, injuries and inconsistency have kept that from happening. Lately, however, he’s looked far more like the pitcher who no-hit Arizona on Sept. 6, 2006, in his 13th major league start - the last no-hitter at Sun Life Stadium prior to Halladay’s. Sanchez has posted a 1.77 ERA while winning three consecutive starts, the latest 6-4 against Atlanta on Tuesday as he allowed two runs over 6 1-3 innings.

Houston Astros vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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1:10 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Mike Leake pitched well but didn’t get any run support in his latest start, the second time the straight-to-the majors phenom was denied a fifth straight winning decision. The Cincinnati Reds have given their pitchers plenty of offensive help ever since. The surging Reds seek their fifth straight win overall and try to improve to 6-0 against the Houston Astros in Sunday’s series finale at Great American Ball Park. Leake saw Cincinnati’s bullpen blow a 9-3, ninth-inning lead on May 20 in Atlanta, then didn’t get any support while holding Pittsburgh to one run over 7 1-3 innings Tuesday in a 2-1 loss. The Reds have made sure every starter has had ample support since Leake’s last outing. Cincinnati has averaged 9.8 runs while winning four straight, especially enjoying facing Houston’s pitching. Jonny Gomes helped lead a 15-6 rout on Friday night with four runs and four hits, and Saturday it was Ramon Hernandez and Jay Bruce who led the Reds’ potent offense. Hernandez and Bruce both homered twice and Miguel Cairo and Drew Stubbs also went deep in a 12-2 victory.

The Reds have hit at least one homer in 18 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in franchise history and the longest since the 1986 club homered in 19 straight. Cincinnati, which leads the NL with 264 runs, hasn’t scored at least 10 in three straight games since May 13-15, 1998. The last time the Astros gave up 10 or more in three consecutive games was July 29-Aug. 2, 2007, when they did it four times in a row. Houston is 3-27 when it allows four runs or more this season. The Reds appear to have a good chance at another big day Sunday against Felipe Paulino, who struggled when matched up with Leake on April 28 at Minute Maid Park. The right-hander gave up six runs over five innings while Leake held the Astros to one run in seven innings of Cincinnati’s 6-4 win. While Leake fell victim to poor support in his last outing, the Astros haven’t given Paulino much help all season. He’s received an average of 2.28 runs of support, second-lowest in the majors.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Even with Brian McCann hurting, the Atlanta Braves have enjoyed a strong run at the plate during a four-game winning streak. Kenshin Kawakami, though, hasn’t benefited from any such performances this year. The Braves, with McCann’s status still uncertain, look to finally give their winless right-hander some support as they conclude a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Atlanta has won nine of 11 and has gone 18-8 in May to move into second place in the NL East, 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia. The Braves have scored 28 runs during a four-game winning streak, which includes a 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday night. McCann missed his third straight game with a strained right quadriceps, but Atlanta got a homer from Jason Heyward and three RBIs from Martin Prado. McCann took batting practice before the game, and appears close to returning. Prado, the leadoff hitter, attributes Atlanta’s surge to Heyward’s move to second in the lineup.

Heyward is 8 for 16 with two homers and two doubles in five games against the Pirates and is hitting .368 in his last 10 games overall. Heyward had two RBIs in Kawakami’s last start, but both came after the pitcher was pulled from the game. Kawakami was again the victim of poor run support, taking a loss after allowing three runs in six innings as Atlanta was defeated 6-4 by Florida on Tuesday night. He has gotten three runs or fewer to work with in seven of his nine starts and hasn’t won since beating Florida on Aug. 31. In his only start against Pittsburgh, Kawakami surrendered three runs and struck out five in six innings of a 7-6, 15-inning win June 8. The Pirates will counter with Paul Maholm, who is 1-1 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts versus Atlanta. Maholm didn’t earn a win in his sharpest outing of the season, yielding six hits in seven shutout innings of a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The left-hander is making his sixth start at home, where he is 2-3 with a 4.97 ERA.

Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

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1:35 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

After putting 16 runs on the board in the first two games of their weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, the Kansas City Royals’ bats suddenly went silent. It won’t be easy for them to make any noise Sunday. Jon Lester seeks to earn his sixth straight win overall, continue his mastery of the Royals and help the Red Sox salvage a four-game split at Fenway Park. Kansas City began this series in brilliant fashion, following a 4-3 victory in the opener with a 12-5 rout Friday in which it had a season-high 20 hits. The outcome was far different Saturday night, when Boston starter Clay Buchholz tossed seven innings of a 1-0 victory to outduel Royals ace Zack Greinke. The only run scored in the fourth, when Mike Lowell’s groundout brought home Adrian Beltre. Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia went hitless for the third straight game, but saved a run in the eighth with a backhanded stop of a David DeJesus grounder.

With a victory, the Royals can still win a series against the Red Sox for the first time since taking two of three at Fenway from July 16-18, 2007, but on Saturday they had to tip their collective caps to Buchholz. Yost’s club will face another pitcher fitting that description in the series finale. Lester has been phenomenal for more than a month now, going 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA and a .152 opponent batting average over his last seven starts. He issued five walks Tuesday at Tampa Bay, but limited the major league-leading Rays to one hit and struck out nine over six innings of a 1-0 win. The left-hander has also been virtually unhittable against the Royals. Lester is 3-1 with a 1.20 ERA in four starts against them and has thrown 17 scoreless innings to win his last two, including a no-hitter at Fenway on May 19, 2008. Kansas City slugger Jose Guillen, who is 1 for 9 through the first two games of this series, is 0 for 11 with five strikeouts versus Lester.

Chicago White Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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1:40 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Part of what may be the best starting rotation in baseball, James Shields has looked very much like an ace this season for the Tampa Bay Rays. Jake Peavy is struggling to fill that role for the Chicago White Sox. Shields will try to pitch the Rays to a four-game series win over Peavy and the White Sox on Sunday at Tropicana Field. While Tampa Bay’s offense is among the most productive in the AL, it is the team’s young and deep rotation that is most responsible for the Rays having the best record in the majors. David Price, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Shields are a combined 27-11 with a 2.98 ERA, while Tampa Bay’s 3.08 staff ERA is by far the best in the AL. Shields has done more than carry his share of the load lately, posting a 2.65 ERA while pitching at least eight innings in three of his five May starts. He dropped to 2-2 during that span with a tough-luck 2-0 loss to Boston on Tuesday despite limiting the Red Sox to two runs and four hits in eight innings.

Shields ranks among the league leaders with 69 1-3 innings pitched and 71 strikeouts. He outpitched Peavy at Chicago on April 22, yielding two runs and six hits over seven innings of a 10-2 victory. Behind three RBIs from struggling slugger Carlos Pena, the Rays beat the White Sox 8-5 on Saturday night and improved to 2-4 on a seven-game homestand. B.J. Upton hit a solo homer and Evan Longoria had three hits for Tampa Bay, which had totaled 11 runs while losing four of its previous five games. Longoria is 8 for 16 in his last four contests, and 10 for 25 with four RBIs in six games against the White Sox this season. The news wasn’t all good for the Rays, who may be without shortstop Jason Bartlett on Sunday. Bartlett left in the fourth inning with a strained right hamstring.

New York Mets vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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2:10 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

After an outstanding homestand, the New York Mets are having trouble yet again on the road. A matchup with Randy Wolf may not help matters. Owners of the National League’s worst road record, the Mets look to end their struggles against the veteran left-hander as they conclude a three-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. New York won the last five contests of a six-game homestand, culminating in three straight shutouts. That momentum has not carried over to this six-game road trip. The Mets are in danger of being swept by the Brewers, who have won four of their last five at Miller Park after a 4-14 start there. New York, meanwhile, has the second-worst road record in the majors, dropping to 6-16 after an 8-6 loss Saturday night in this series’ middle game.

Now, New York has to face a pitcher who has always given it problems. Wolf is 6-0 with a 3.06 ERA in his last eight starts versus the Mets, and 12-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 30 starts all-time. Wolf is coming off his best outing of the season, giving up four hits in seven scoreless innings to earn a win in a 6-1 victory over Houston on Tuesday night. The left-hander dominated after going 1-3 with a 7.66 ERA in his previous four starts. The Mets will give the ball Sunday to R.A. Dickey, who has been strong in two starts since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on May 19, helping to settle a rotation that had been in flux. The 35-year-old knuckleballer tossed eight scoreless innings and matched his career high with seven strikeouts in an 8-3 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday night. This will be Dickey’s first start against the Brewers. He faced them twice in relief with Minnesota last season, throwing three shutout innings.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

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2:20 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

It’s been over three years since the St. Louis Cardinals won a series at Wrigley Field. Even another strong start from Adam Wainwright against Chicago may not be enough to change that if their offense continues to struggle. Coming off another poor effort at the plate, the Cardinals look to bounce back in the decisive finale of their weekend series with the rival Cubs on Sunday. After scoring 15 runs in its previous two games, St. Louis was stymied by Chicago’s Carlos Silva as the Cardinals were shut out for the second time in five games, 5-0 on Saturday.St. Louis, 2-3 on a six-game trip, has lost four series and split one at Wrigley since taking two of three there April 20-22, 2007. The Cardinals, who recorded five runs and six hits in the first inning of a 7-1 win over Chicago in Friday’s opener, were limited to four hits Saturday. Matt Holliday had two for the Cardinals, who’ve scored three runs and hit .198 in the three losses on the trip.

Holliday is 6 for 12 in his last three games and batting .351 in his last 10 against the Cubs. It might not take much, but the Cardinals hope to give Wainwright more support than his last start while he looks to continue his recent dominance over the Cubs, winners in nine of 13. Wainwright is 4-0 with a 2.44 ERA in his last seven starts versus the Cubs after going 0-3 with an 8.72 ERA in his first four. Though Wainwright’s lost two of his last three starts, he has an impressive 3.15 ERA during that span. The right-hander allowed a second-inning homer to Jerry Hairston Jr., and three other hits while striking out a season-high 12 in seven innings of a 1-0 loss at San Diego on Tuesday. Mike Fontenot is 6 for 17 against Wainwright and could be back in the lineup after he tripled twice and drove in a run Saturday for the Cubs, who are in position to win a third straight series. After Silva was dominant while improving to 7-0, Ryan Dempster looks to give the Cubs a second solid outing in this contest.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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3:10 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

The Colorado Rockies have a chance to end a frustrating rut against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies will try to capture a series from their NL West rivals for the first time in nine tries Sunday at Coors Field. Los Angeles has won eight straight series over Colorado and is poised to win another after Manny Ramirez homered for the first time in Denver in Friday’s series-opening 5-4 victory. The Rockies, though, responded with an 11-3 victory Saturday. Colorado improved to 7-19 against Los Angeles since the Rockies took two of three at Dodger Stadium from Aug. 19-21, 2008. Seth Smith and Miguel Olivo each had three hits and two RBIs and Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove in two runs for the Rockies, who have won seven of nine overall. Gonzalez has scored eight runs in the last four games, and has 25 RBI in his last 26. Jim Tracy notched his 100th victory as Colorado manager - exactly one year after taking over for Clint Hurdle.

The Rockies will start a pitcher Sunday who beat Los Angeles earlier this season in Jhoulys Chacin. The 22-year-old rookie right-hander made his fourth career start May 8 at Dodger Stadium, allowing six hits and striking out seven over 7 1-3 innings of an 8-0 Colorado victory. The Dodgers were impressed with their first look at Chacin. Chacin lost his next two starts before bouncing back to allow two runs over six innings Tuesday in a 3-2 win over Arizona. He’ll be up against a tough opponent in Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw, who’s 3-1 with a 0.64 ERA in his last four outings. Kershaw’s three-game win streak ended Tuesday when he allowed one unearned run over six innings of a 3-0 road loss to the Chicago Cubs. The left-hander beat Colorado on May 9 at Chavez Ravine by giving up two hits and striking out nine over eight innings in a 2-0 victory. Kershaw, however, has not fared well in the thin air at Coors Field, going 2-2 with a 6.92 ERA in five starts - a sharp contrast to his 1-1 mark and 0.75 ERA against the Rockies in four outings at Dodger Stadium.

Seattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

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3:35 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Even in victory, the Los Angeles Angels can’t seem to catch a break. The Angels begin life without slugging first baseman Kendry Morales on Sunday when they try for a second straight victory in the finale of a home set with the Seattle Mariners. Plagued by inconsistency through the first two months of the season, Los Angeles is in search of anything positive to help string together some wins and get back over .500. Saturday could have provided that moment after Morales’ 10th-inning grand slam gave the Angels a 5-1 win over Seattle. Morales, however, broke his left leg during a pileup celebration at home plate and is scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday.
Losing Morales is huge blow for the Angels. He was leading the club in batting average, home runs, total bases and RBI. Morales’ freak injury came after star center fielder Torii Hunter suffered a bruised left hand after bing hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez earlier in the game. Hunter, who has seven homers and 29 RBIs, is day to day after X-rays were negative. However, he’s more concerned about Morales.

As the Angles try to move on from Saturday’s bittersweet victory, they hope Joe Saunders can continue his success against the Mariners. After going 1-5 with a 7.04 ERA to open the season, Saunders is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA in his last four. He’s 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 11 career starts against Seattle. The left-hander, who’s won six in a row over the Mariners, allowed three runs and five walks in 5 2-3 innings of a 4-3, 10-inning victory at Safeco Field on May 8. In his last start, Saunders gave up three runs and five walks in 6 1-3 innings but didn’t get any help in a 6-0 loss to Toronto on Monday. Jose Lopez had two of the four hits Saturday for Seattle, which scored 18 runs while winning its previous three games. The veteran infielder is 7 for 19 in his last five games, and 7 for 20 against the Angels this season. Ian Snell looks to better his record against the Angels in his second start since returning to the rotation after a stint in the bullpen.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Francisco Giants Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Buster Posey had the same amount of hits in his season debut with the San Francisco Giants as the Arizona Diamondbacks have in the entire weekend series. Posey and the Giants look to complete a sweep Sunday at AT&T Park and hand the punchless Diamondbacks a seventh straight loss. Seeking a boost to its offense, San Francisco called up Posey from Triple-A Fresno before Saturday’s game. The highly-rated prospect did not disappoint. Posey had three hits and three RBIs in his season debut, a 12-1 rout. The converted shortstop is now a catcher, but he played first base Saturday. Bochy indicated that Posey will catch at some point. Posey went 2 for 17 in seven games with the Giants last September. Posey’s three-hit output matched what the Diamondbacks have produced to start this three-game set. Giants starter Matt Cain pitched a one-hitter in Friday’s 5-0 win and Jonathan Sanchez and three relievers combined on a two-hitter Saturday. Arizona, which has totaled 12 runs in its last six games, is trying to avoid matching its season-worst, seven-game slide from May 7-14.

Arizona’s woes could be good news for San Francisco starter Todd Wellemeyer, who got hit hard the last time he faced the Diamondbacks. Wellemeyer gave up five runs, including three homers, over five innings of a 13-1 road loss May 19. One of the homers was by Stephen Drew, who’s 7 for 11 with two homers in his career against Wellemeyer. The Giants right-hander bounced back to earn a 4-2 win over Washington on Tuesday, yielding two runs over six innings. He’s 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four home starts. Wellemeyer will once again be opposed by right-hander Ian Kennedy, who earned the victory May 19 by yielding one run over eight innings with a career-high nine strikeouts in his lone career start against the Giants. Kennedy gave up three runs over five innings Tuesday in a 3-2 loss at Colorado. Mark Reynolds, Kelly Johnson and Rusty Ryal are the only Diamondbacks with hits in this series. Drew, Justin Upton and Chris Young are each 0 for 6 in the first two games. Arizona has dropped 12 of 14 at AT&T Park, and is 3-11 on the road against NL West opponents.

Washington Nationals vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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4:05 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

After looking like a potential Cy Young Award candidate over his first six starts, Livan Hernandez has finally started to look beatable over his last three outings. Jon Garland, on the other hand, might be getting better as his first season with the San Diego Padres progresses. Garland tries to win a seventh consecutive decision Sunday afternoon as he and the first-place Padres play the decisive finale of a three-game set against Hernandez and the visiting Nationals.Hernandez and Garland rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in NL ERA, but while Hernandez seems like he might be slowing down just a bit, Garland has won six straight. Pitching on his third NL West team since the beginning of 2009, Garland is a big reason the Padres are in first place. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning Tuesday to make it through seven in a 1-0 win over St. Louis, the third time this month Garland has pitched seven scoreless innings.

Garland, 1-0 with a 4.85 ERA in two starts against the Nationals since 2008, has particularly enjoyed his first five outings inside spacious Petco Park with the Padres. He’s 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA. This current stretch, though, is still far from the best in Garland’s career. He won 10 straight starts with a 2.31 ERA from Sept. 26, 2004-May 17, 2005, with the Chicago White Sox. Hernandez, meanwhile, is 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in his last three starts after beginning the season 4-1 with a 1.04 ERA. After four scoreless innings Tuesday at San Francisco, he came undone in the fifth, allowing five straight two-out hits and four runs en route to a 4-2 loss. While Garland is loving his new home stadium, Hernandez has never found Petco Park to be very inviting. He’s never won there in seven starts, and is 0-5 with a 7.20 ERA in his last five trips.

Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Sun May 30, 2010

Some much-needed clutch hitting helped put Minnesota in position to sweep its second series of the season. The Twins try for a fourth straight victory Sunday while looking to sweep the visiting Texas Rangers for the first time in almost three years. Delmon Young’s bases-loaded, two-run double highlighted a six-run seventh inning in Minnesota’s 8-3 win over Texas on Saturday. The Twins, who took Friday’s series opener 2-1, now have a chance for their first series sweep since winning three games against Detroit from May 3-5. They haven’t swept Texas since Sept. 17-19, 2007, at the Metrodome. Though the Twins lead the AL Central and are among the best clubs in the league in both runs and on-base percentage, they entered Saturday’s contest batting .167 with the bases loaded.

After Carl Pavano pitched a solid seven innings Saturday, Minnesota hopes to get a solid effort from Scott Baker as he tries to avoid a third straight loss. The Twins’ opening-day starter, Baker had allowed eight runs and 18 hits in 12 innings while losing his two previous starts before giving up three hits in five scoreless innings of Tuesday’s suspended game against the New York Yankees. He didn’t get a decision in Minnesota’s eventual 1-0 defeat. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA in six starts against the Rangers. Texas has dropped three straight and five of six since winning a season-high five in a row, falling one-half game behind Oakland for the AL West lead in the process. The Rangers are batting .220 and have totaled six runs during the three-game skid. All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler has been a big part of the struggles, going 1 for 12 in the last three games and 0 for 4 on Saturday. Derek Holland will make his third start since the Rangers called him up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on May 12.

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