Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Live Streaming

Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Live | Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Streaming | Boston vs LA Lakers NBA Live Stream | Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Live Webcast

9:00 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

When Kobe Bryant joined the Lakers and Paul Pierce landed with the Celtics in the late 1990s, they both learned most of what they needed to know about their franchises’ histories and expectations simply by looking at the forests of fabric high above the court. These teams only hang banners for championships, and they’re usually in big groups. Multiple titles are the only metric of success, the only validation still interesting to Bryant and Pierce. Bryant is trying to accomplish the rarest of NBA feats for the second time in his career, while Pierce’s Celtics get their first chance when the NBA finals begin Thursday night at Staples Center. Pro basketball’s most successful franchises are together in the NBA finals for the second time in three years and the 12th time overall. These teams will have won 33 of the league’s 64 titles when they finish a potentially fascinating series with plenty of modern subplots.

Bryant is enjoying a dynamic postseason despite hobbling through injuries during a third straight finals run by his remarkably steady Lakers, who are 8-0 at home in the playoffs and haven’t even trailed in a series. Boston’s swift rise from a 50-win regular season as a No. 4 seed has been even more surprising, with Rajon Rondo making a quantum leap into stardom during what might be the last stand for Boston’s Big Three of Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. But on the biggest scoreboard of all, the one these players claim they seldom check, it’s Celtics 17, Lakers 15. Don’t expect fans in either basketball-crazy city to forget that score when their team takes it all again. And just in case the Staples Center fans didn’t have enough reason to go crazy in Game 1, Pierce threw out the first volley against his own hometown.

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Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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1:05pm ET

Thursday

Jun 3, 2010

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Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Live | Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox | Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Streaming | Oakland vs Boston MLB Live Stream | Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Live Webcast

1:35 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

The Oakland Athletics have had a tough time slowing down David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox in their first two games at Fenway Park, but they may have the right man on the mound to do so in the third. Brett Anderson’s lone career complete game was one of his two wins at Fenway last season, and the left-hander looks to pick up where he left off Thursday afternoon and help the A’s salvage the finale of a 10-game road trip. Boston totaled nine runs in losing two of the first three on its seven-game homestand, but it’s been in a groove at the plate ever since. Ortiz hit a three-run homer in an 8-1 win over Kansas City on Sunday, then Adrian Beltre hit a three-run shot and Victor Martinez went 5 for 5 in a 9-4 victory over Oakland on Tuesday. Ortiz continued his stunning revival Wednesday. With the Red Sox down 3-2 in the fifth inning, Ortiz - hours earlier named the AL player of the month for May - hit a two-run homer off Ben Sheets, one of the four times he reached base in a 6-4 win. One of those walks was his first intentional pass of the season, increasing his on-base percentage since May 12 to .479. Ortiz is hitting .393 with eight homers and 22 RBIs over his last 18 games.

Ortiz has started 17 of Boston’s past 20 games, with two of his days off coming against left-handers Francisco Liriano and Cole Hamels. Francona could opt to give him a rest Thursday against another southpaw. Ortiz is 0 for 7 against Anderson, who’s had success against the rest of the Red Sox’s lineup as well. Anderson is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in three starts in the series, allowing Boston’s batters to hit just .145. Both wins came at Fenway in July, including a two-hit, nine-strikeout performance July 6. Anderson wasn’t that dominant Saturday at Detroit, but he was good enough after missing five weeks with tightness in his left elbow. The left-hander was on a strict pitch count, but held the Tigers to three hits over 5 2-3 innings in a 6-0 victory.

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Washington Nationals vs Houston Astros Live Streaming

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2:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

The Washington Nationals are in last place in baseball’s most tightly packed division, but with the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft and the arrival of their superstar-in-waiting, they’re about to be the talk of the majors. The Houston Astros would be happy simply extending their winning streak. The Astros have won just one series since late April, but can double that total Thursday afternoon when they try to close their four-game set against the visiting Nationals with a third straight victory. Washington is just five days away from the highly anticipated debut of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg, and a night before the 2009 No. 1 pick debuts, it’s expected to make power-hitting prospect Bryce Harper the top selection of the 2010 draft. The Astros, on the other hand, seem to have far less hope on the horizon. While mired in last place in the NL Central, it’s 2-0 in June after Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Nationals. Lance Berkman had five RBIs in Tuesday’s 8-7 victory, and Carlos Lee - finally showing signs he’s emerging from a season-long slump - homered Wednesday for the first time in two weeks.

Berkman, Lee and Pence are hitting .337 with 20 RBIs in their last eight games, and the trio could lead Houston to its first home series win since a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh from April 23-25. To do so, the Astros will have to go through a starter who may be fighting for his job. J.D. Martin could be the odd man out of the rotation when Strasburg debuts Tuesday, making Martin’s second start of 2010 - on the same afternoon Strasburg makes his final tune-up in the minors - that much more critical. The right-hander gave up four runs - one earned - and struck out five over six innings Saturday in a 4-2 loss at San Diego. Martin, who started 15 games as a rookie in 2009, has yet to face the Astros. None of Martin’s outings last season went as poorly as Brian Moehler’s first start of 2010 for Houston. Starting in place of the injured Bud Norris, Moehler was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits - three homers - over 2 2-3 innings Saturday in a 12-2 loss at Cincinnati.

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Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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2:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

After spending all of May below .500, the Los Angeles Angels can finally get back to the break-even mark. The Angels will try to even their record and capture a four-game series from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. Los Angeles split 24 games in the first month of the season before starting May on a six-game skid. That forced the Angels into an uphill battle, but the three-time defending AL West champions appear to finally be clicking by winning six of eight. The Angels are trying to win their sixth straight series over the Royals since the clubs split two games April 16-17, 2008. Los Angeles won 7-2 on Wednesday as Scott Kazmir pitched 5 2-3 innings, and Torii Hunter homered and drove in three runs. The lone bit of bad news for the Angels came when left fielder Juan Rivera left in the fifth inning after fouling a ball off his left big toe the inning before, and was replaced by Reggie Willits. X-rays were inconclusive and manager Mike Scioscia said the struggling Rivera is day-to-day.

Hunter, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui all should face a challenge Thursday when they face Kansas City ace Zack Greinke. Hunter and Abreu are .250 hitters against the right-hander, and Matsui is at .200. Greinke continues to find it difficult to pick up wins, losing his second straight outing Saturday. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner gave up one run, five hits and three walks in six innings in a 1-0 loss at Boston. Greinke is 1-3 with a 4.09 ERA in five career starts against the Angels, going 0-1 with a 0.56 ERA in two last year as the Royals gave him a total of one run of support. Kansas City has scored a total of 10 runs in losing four of five. Leading hitter Billy Butler is 2 for 17 in that span while RBI leader Jose Guillen is 2 for 18 with one RBI. David DeJesus has been the most productive Royal in this series with six hits in 11 at-bats. Guillen has the best numbers of any Kansas City hitter against Jered Weaver, going 8 for 18 with four doubles. Weaver went 0-4 with a 5.64 ERA in four outings against the Royals before ending that skid in his lone start against them last year, allowing one run over seven innings in a 2-1 road victory Sept. 9.

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Milwaukee Brewers vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

Tommy John surgery didn’t stop Josh Johnson from becoming one of the majors’ top pitchers. After undergoing two such procedures, Chris Capuano is just happy to be returning to the mound. Johnson and the Florida Marlins conclude a four-game series Thursday night against a Milwaukee Brewers team set to give Capuano his first start since 2007. Florida couldn’t take advantage of a strong start from Chris Volstad on Wednesday night, losing 7-4 to Milwaukee for its first loss in this series. Now the Marlins will give the ball to Johnson, who has given up one earned run over his last four starts, going 2-1. He was on the losing end of Philadelphia ace Roy Halladay’s perfect game Saturday night, surrendering an unearned run in seven innings as Florida was defeated 1-0. Johnson is 4-1 with a 1.53 ERA in seven outings at home this season and has posted a 2.35 ERA in winning his two career starts against the Brewers.

There was a time, though, when the right-hander’s career was in jeopardy. He was limited to four starts in 2007, undergoing Tommy John surgery that August. Johnson didn’t pitch again until July 2008, winning seven games in 14 starts that season. Last year, he went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA, and he’s now on track to have an even better 2010. Certainly, Capuano would love to follow a similar path, but he appears to be facing much longer odds. Two surgeries identical to Johnson’s cost him nearly 2 1/2 years. This is Capuano’s first start since Sept. 28, 2007. The 31-year-old left-hander won 18 games in 2005, and made the NL All-Star team the following year. He started 5-0 in 2007, but lost his last 12 decisions. Capuano is 3-1 with a 2.85 ERA in six starts against the Marlins. Florida has scored 23 runs over its last three games after being held to three or fewer in each of its previous five contests. Third baseman Jorge Cantu has led the Marlins’ surge, driving in six runs over his last three games.

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Texas Rangers vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

The Texas Rangers are in position to record their first three-game road sweep of the Chicago White Sox in 24 years. They might have to get it done without one of their star players once again. Vladimir Guerrero could miss a second straight game with an eye injury as the AL West-leading Rangers look to complete a sweep of the White Sox on Thursday night. Leading Texas with a .335 average, 12 homers and 44 RBIs, Guerrero missed a 9-5 win over Chicago on Wednesday after a ball he hit during batting practice ricocheted off the cage and struck him above the left eye. Though he suffered “significant swelling,” the eight-time All-Star is day-to-day after X-rays showed no structural damage. The Rangers proved they can win without their star, scoring nine runs for the second straight game after entering this series on a four-game losing streak during which they totaled nine runs.

Texas - 4-1 against Chicago this season - is on the verge of sweeping its first road series against the White Sox exactly to the week since they last did it June 2-4, 1986. Matt Treanor homered and drove in a career-high four runs while Michael Young and Josh Hamilton each had three hits Wednesday for the Rangers. Young, who doubled twice, is 24 for 55 with 11 doubles and 11 RBIs in his last 13 games. Hamilton is 12 for 23 with five RBIs against the White Sox this season. After the Rangers were able to get the best of Chicago’s Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd in the first two games, they’ll try to do the same against scheduled starter Freddy Garcia on Thursday. Garcia is 6-5 with a 4.39 ERA in 19 starts against the Rangers, including 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in his last three. The right-hander looks to build on one of his best outings of the season after coming off his worst.

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Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

Over the past two weeks, the Atlanta Braves have vaulted from worst to first in the NL East. The next two weeks could determine if they have what it takes to stay there. The surging Braves look to win nine straight games for the first time in a decade when they open a season-high 11-game trip Thursday night against a Los Angeles Dodgers team seeking its fifth consecutive victory. Atlanta’s chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2005 weren’t looking good as a nine-game losing streak from April 21-29 dropped the club a season-worst six games below .500. The Braves were still 6 1/2 games back of first-place Philadelphia on May 17, but they’ve gone a major league-best 13-2 to open up a 2 1/2-game division lead. Atlanta finished a three-game sweep of the defending NL champion Phillies on Wednesday with a 2-1 win. The Braves, who have outscored their opponents 51-21 during the eight-game winning streak, haven’t won nine consecutive games since reeling off a franchise-best 15 straight from April 16-May 2, 2000. No team has had both a winning and losing streak of at least nine games in a single season since Cleveland in 2008, which had runs of 10 games.

It would certainly be a surprise if Atlanta can continue its winning ways over this next stretch. After this four-game series at Dodger Stadium, the Braves have four in Arizona followed by a three-game series at AL Central-leading Minnesota. Atlanta then returns home for three against Tampa Bay, owner of baseball’s best record. The Dodgers enter this series having won three straight games in their final at-bat. Garret Anderson came up with the big hit in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Arizona, driving in Matt Kemp with a two-out single in the 14th inning. Los Angeles has won four straight despite Andre Ethier’s struggles at the plate. Ethier is 1 for 14 in three games since coming off the disabled list after missing the previous 15 because of a broken right pinky finger. He hit .367 with three homers, two doubles and nine RBIs in seven games against Atlanta last season, but the Dodgers lost four. Hiroki Kuroda takes the ball for Los Angeles looking to bounce back from his worst outing of the season.

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Minnesota Twins vs Seattle Mariners Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 3, 2010

Ken Griffey Jr. denied taking a nap during a game last month. It turns out the 13-time All-Star was, in fact, tired - of becoming an afterthought in the Seattle Mariners’ plans. A day after Griffey announced his retirement, the Mariners continue to move on without the greatest player in franchise history as they conclude a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. Griffey’s decision was announced Wednesday night, just hours before Seattle beat Minnesota 2-1 in 10 innings on an infield single by Ichiro Suzuki. Griffey had the Mariners’ previous game-winning hit, a pinch-hit single in the ninth of a 4-3 win over Toronto on May 20. It was the final hit for the 40-year-old Griffey, whose 630 homers are fifth on the all-time list. Griffey was hitting .184 with no homers and seven RBIs, recently going a week without even getting any playing time, and that may have left him disinterested. The News Tribune, quoting two Mariners who spoke anonymously, wrote that Griffey was asleep in the clubhouse during a 4-3 loss to Los Angeles on May 8, leaving manager Don Wakamatsu scrambling to get someone else to hit. Griffey insisted he was available.

A 10-time Gold Glove outfielder, Griffey played 22 years in the majors with Seattle, the Chicago White Sox and his hometown Cincinnati Reds, hitting .284 with 1,836 RBIs. For a stretch in the 1990s, the ’97 AL MVP was widely considered to be the best player in the majors. Minnesota will be without slugging right fielder Michael Cuddyer, but only for a few days. After a 2-for-4 game Wednesday that included his seventh homer, Cuddyer will leave the team Thursday following the death of his father-in-law. He will not rejoin the Twins until they return home June 8 to face Kansas City. The Twins are trying to bounce back from their second straight loss after winning the series opener 5-4 on Monday night. Minnesota will give the ball to Carl Pavano. He earned a win in his last start, allowing two runs in seven innings of an 8-3 victory over Texas on Saturday.

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