Sports World: 06/09/10

Chicago Blackhawks vs Philadelphia Flyers Live Streaming

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

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8:00 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

In a city where the Stanley Cup drought is 49 years and ticking, the temptation is to say it’s OK to win the silver trophy at home. Win it in front of the rowdy Chicago fans. Win it with “Chelsea Dagger” roaring through the stadium in an endless loop. Win it and keep partying right into the parade past City Hall. The Blackhawks would love to leave Philadelphia with a new carry-on for the plane. Beat the Flyers in Game 6 on Wednesday, and they’ll win their first championship since the days of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita in 1961. The 49 years without a championship is the longest active streak in the NHL. Toews and his teammates know the Stanley Cup will be the guest of honor at Game 6 in Philadelphia. No celebrity, no dignitary will mean more than the nearly 3 feet and 35 pounds of one of sports’ great trophies, and only 60 victorious minutes would turn it into the world’s largest champagne flute.

Holding the Stanley Cup high and giving it a celebratory shake is the dream of every hockey player. It could come true faster than most for the 22-year-old Toews, already the star and captain in just his third NHL season. Toews, who leads the Blackhawks with 28 points this postseason, drew inspiration from Pittsburgh’s championship run last season. He saw Sidney Crosby, then only 21, hoist the trophy as the youngest captain to ever win the Stanley Cup. Toews can’t beat Crosby in the age category. But he could join Crosby and have his name forever etched on hockey’s ultimate prize. Ah, yes. That Detroit-Pittsburgh final. Turns out, a year later it’s just as inspirational to the Flyers as it’s been to Toews. In that series, the Penguins lost the first two games on the road, were pounded in Game 5, and trailed 3-2 in the series before storming back to win the championship. Yo, Philly! Sound familiar? The Flyers opened the finals with two straight losses in Chicago, won Games 3 and 4 at home and were pounded 7-4 back in Chicago in Game 5.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

The Washington Nationals got a bright glimpse into their future Tuesday night with phenom Stephen Strasburg’s highly anticipated - and successful - debut. The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping for a similar first step from their top pitching prospect. Three years after Tommy John surgery slowed his progress through the minors, Brad Lincoln makes his major league debut Wednesday night hoping to help the Pirates bounce back from a series-opening loss to Strasburg and the Nationals. Pittsburgh thought Lincoln was on the fast track to the majors when it made him the No. 4 overall pick of the 2006 draft, but the University of Houston star was held back by injuries almost right away. After an oblique strain limited him to 24 innings in 2006, surgery knocked Lincoln out for the 2007 season. He never looked fully recovered in 2008 and 2009, but has pitched well in Triple-A Indianapolis this season. Through 11 starts with the Indians, Lincoln was 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA, striking out 55 and walking 14 in 68 1-3 innings.

Lincoln may not be the Pirates’ only prospect to earn a call-up Wednesday. Speedy outfielder Jose Tabata, hitting .308 with 25 stolen bases in Triple-A, is expected to join Lincoln in Washington. While Lincoln ranks as Pittsburgh’s best young arm in a system thin on high-level pitching, he isn’t considered anywhere near the sure thing that Strasburg - baseball’s consensus top prospect - was heading into his major league debut Tuesday. The hard-throwing right-hander couldn’t have looked much better in his first outing, which came one day prior to the one-year anniversary of Washington making him the 2009 draft’s No. 1 pick. Strasburg didn’t issue a walk and struck out 14 - including the final seven batters he faced - in a 5-2 victory. Strasburg’s captivating debut earned him a postgame shaving cream pie in the face from John Lannan, who will try to win Wednesday for the first time in nine home starts dating to Aug. 22.

Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Justin Masterson was among the players the Boston Red Sox traded to Cleveland last year in exchange for Victor Martinez, and the right-hander will get a chance to face his former team for the first time Wednesday night. The Red Sox are just glad they hung onto Clay Buchholz. The subject of trade rumors in 2009, Buchholz has remained in Boston and will be looking to win his sixth straight start as the Red Sox and Indians continue their four-game series at Progressive Field.Martinez has enjoyed his first series in Cleveland since the Indians traded him away July 31, going 3 for 8 to help the Red Sox win back-to-back games and run their winning streak against Cleveland to seven. The catcher is batting a major league-best .481 since May 19. The Indians haven’t been as happy with Masterson, who has gone 2-12 since joining the team. He had lost 11 consecutive decisions before beating the White Sox on Friday, holding Chicago to one run in 5 2-3 innings of a 10-1 win despite walking six and allowing five hits.

The Red Sox drafted Masterson in the second round in 2006, and he pitched well as a rookie in 2008, going 6-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 36 appearances - nine starts. But with the team in need of an impact hitter last year, Boston sent Masterson along with two prospects to the Indians for Martinez. Another 25-year-old right-hander, Buchholz has also been mentioned as a trade possibility at times, but the Red Sox’s decision to keep him has been vindicated lately. Buchholz has already set a career high in wins, going 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA in his last five starts. Friday night’s five-hitter against Baltimore was his first shutout since he no-hit the Orioles in his second major league start Sept. 1, 2007. Buchholz struggled in his only outing against the Indians, allowing six runs in three innings Oct. 4. Boston still won the game 12-7 to complete a four-game sweep, and the Red Sox are now 17-3 against Cleveland since trailing the Indians 3-1 in the 2007 AL championship series. Following Tuesday’s 3-2 win, Boston has won nine of 10 on the road and 16 of 21 overall. Red Sox starting pitchers, who had a 5.18 ERA on May 18, have a 2.60 ERA since.

Florida Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Runs were plentiful as the Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies opened their three-game set, but they figure to be at a premium in the series’ middle game. With Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson on the mound, hits may be hard to come by as well. Halladay threw the majors’ 20th perfect game in a 1-0 win when his Phillies matched up against Johnson’s Marlins 12 days ago, and another pitchers’ duel could be on tap Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park as two of the NL’s top starters square off again. Halladay already had a Cy Young Award and six All-Star selections to his credit when he took the mound at Sun Life Stadium on May 29, but 115 pitches later he cemented his place in baseball immortality. The right-hander threw the eighth perfect game in NL history and Philadelphia’s second, striking out 11 Marlins while outshining an impressive effort from Johnson in a 1-0 win.

Halladay’s follow-up to his perfection was ordinary by his standards, but it was still good enough to lift the Phillies. He gave up two runs and 10 hits over seven innings, striking out seven, in a 3-2 win over San Diego on Friday. Johnson, on the other hand, has a 3.52 ERA in four road starts as opposed to a 1.50 mark in eight home outings. He’s been virtually untouchable in his last five starts - four at home - going 3-1 with a 0.53 ERA. Johnson extended his streak of quality starts to 10 by giving up one run over seven innings and striking out eight in a 3-2 win over Milwaukee on Thursday. Johnson gave up five runs over 4 2-3 innings on Oct. 4, his last outing at Citizens Bank Park, but he’s 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in five career appearances in Philadelphia. Both teams could use quality starts from their respective aces after a high-scoring, back-and-forth opener Tuesday. Florida had 13 hits - three from prized outfield prospect Mike Stanton in his major league debut - but blew leads of 6-3 and 8-7 in a 10-8 loss.

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

CC Sabathia finished May with a troubling stretch of five straight starts without a victory. Facing the Baltimore Orioles to begin June turned out to be just the fix. Each of Sabathia’s last three victories have come at the expense of the lowly Orioles, who’ve lost nine straight to the Yankees and seven in a row to New York’s ace entering Wednesday night’s game at Camden Yards. Sabathia improved to 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA after beating the Orioles on April 28 and May 3, but the big left-hander allowed seven home runs in 28 2-3 innings over his next five starts, going 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA in that stretch. He was much better in a 6-3 win over Baltimore on Thursday, giving up homers to Luke Scott and Adam Jones but limiting the Orioles to three hits in seven innings. Sabathia is 7-0 with a 2.05 ERA in his last seven starts against Baltimore and 12-1 in his career.

There have rarely been big concerns for New York against the Orioles lately. The Yankees went 13-5 against Baltimore in 2009, including a 10-game winning streak from May 10-Sept. 2. Since losing the first game of this season’s series 5-4 on April 27, New York has outscored the Orioles 57-22 while going 9-0. Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam and Nick Swisher added five RBIs in a 12-7 victory to open this three-game series Tuesday night. Manager Joe Girardi may have been most excited about Mark Teixeira, who went 3 for 4 with two walks and a home run after entering the game hitting .211. While the Yankees lead the majors with 326 runs, the Orioles remain last in the AL in that category. Baltimore has the worst record in the majors and the team’s worst record at this point in the season since 1988, when it opened 0-21 en route to a 54-107 finish. They’ve dropped 11 of 12 overall, and they’re 1-3 since firing manager Dave Trembley on Friday and replacing him with Juan Samuel. Baltimore’s pitchers have allowed 34 runs in four games under Samuel, although the interim manager was pleased to see his club score four runs in the eighth and ninth inning Tuesday after falling behind 12-3.

San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

While his two Cy Young Award-winning teammates have struggled lately, the San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez has been steady for much of the season. With better run support recently, Sanchez has finally started to see positive results. The Giants will try to help the left-hander win his third straight start and earn his third victory in as many matchups with the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. After hot starts, the Cy Young winners in San Francisco’s rotation - Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito - are 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in their combined eight starts since May 19. Aside from last season’s no-hitter against San Diego, Sanchez hasn’t drawn as much attention, but he’s just outside the NL’s top 10 in ERA and strikeouts. Sanchez has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts, but he’s failed to win much partly because the Giants provided him just 14 runs in his first nine outings - none in his four losses. He had gone winless in five straight starts before winning his last two outings as he was given 13 runs of support. Sanchez yielded one earned run and seven hits in 11 1-3 innings in that span.

He gave up four unearned runs in the second inning Friday before settling down - retiring 13 straight at one point - and pitched into the seventh as San Francisco rallied for a 6-4 win. Sanchez will face the Reds, losers in six of nine, for the first time since 2008 but has a 1.32 ERA while winning his two career starts against them. The Giants beat Cincinnati 3-0 on Tuesday for their fifth win in six games. Juan Uribe homered in that victory after driving in four runs in Monday’s series-opening 6-5 win. Uribe has a team-best 38 RBIs, including nine in his last five contests. The veteran infielder, however, is 1 for 6 against Aaron Harang, the Reds’ scheduled starter Wednesday. Like Sanchez, Harang hasn’t gotten much help from his teammates until recently. He was given 18 runs in his first 10 starts but also had a 5.98 ERA. The right-hander has received 21 runs in his last three games and has gone 2-0. He has a 2.45 ERA in his last two outings but threw 98 pitches over a season-low four innings Friday in a 4-2 loss at Washington.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

After a stellar start from one of their talented young pitchers, the Tampa Bay Rays hope David Price can continue the team’s and his own dominance of the Toronto Blue Jays. Price looks to become the AL’s first nine-game winner while trying to help the Rays to a fourth consecutive victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. In his second full season, Jeff Niemann improved to 6-0 after throwing a two-hitter in Tampa Bay’s 9-0 rout of Toronto on Tuesday. Coming off a 3-3 road trip, the AL East-leading Rays opened a six-game homestand by improving to 19-6 against the Blue Jays since the start of last season. They’re 11-2 at home in that span and have outscored Toronto 24-3 in winning the last three matchups at Tropicana Field. The 24-year-old Price has keyed Tampa Bay’s success over the Blue Jays this season. Two wins shy of matching a career high set in 2009, Price is 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA in five career starts against the Blue Jays and dominated them in winning two meetings this season.

After throwing a four-hitter in a 6-0 home win over Toronto for his first career complete game April 25, the left-hander gave up two unearned runs in eight innings of a 7-3 victory at Toronto last Wednesday. Price is 6-1 with a 1.96 ERA in his last eight starts overall. Price outpitched Toronto scheduled starter Shaun Marcum last week. Marcum was working on a complete game but was charged with five of the Rays’ six runs in the ninth inning to fall to 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts against them. Toronto pitchers have given up 23 runs and 34 hits in losing all three games against Tampa Bay this month. Carlos Pena hit a grand slam and a solo shot in Tuesday’s series opener. Batting .183 for the season, Pena was in a 1-for-18 slump before going 4 for 8 with three homers in the last two games. Evan Longoria added three hits with two RBIs on Tuesday and is 11 for 28 against the Blue Jays this season, but he’s 1 for 7 all-time versus Marcum. Adam Lind and Mike McCoy each singled Tuesday for Toronto, which has totaled five hits while losing its last two games.

San Diego Padres vs New York Mets Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

With their home winning streak on the line, the New York Mets found a way to beat the San Diego Padres in extra innings. They weren’t as fortunate when Johan Santana last took the mound. Winners of nine straight at Citi Field, the Mets look to give their ace some much-deserved run support Wednesday night as he faces the Padres for the second time in a week. Ike Davis homered in the 11th inning to give New York a 2-1 win Tuesday night in the opener of this three-game set. The rookie first baseman’s seventh home run has put the Mets in position to try to win 10 in a row at home for the first time since an 11-game run in August 2006. With Mike Pelfrey and Santana leading the way, New York has posted a 1.95 ERA during its streak at Citi Field. Pelfrey beat the Yankees to begin the streak May 22, and Santana won the next day to close out that series. Pelfrey deserved a win after pitching nine sharp innings versus the Padres on Tuesday. Santana pitched well enough to get his own win in the teams’ previous matchup, tossing seven shutout innings at San Diego last Wednesday night, but New York lost 5-1 in 11 innings.

Santana has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings and has a 0.74 ERA over his last five starts, but his only decision was the win against the Yankees. The Mets have given Santana two runs or fewer to work with in four of those outings. The left-hander is 2-2 with a 1.99 ERA in six starts versus San Diego. The Padres will give the ball to Mat Latos, who is coming off a subpar outing, allowing three runs and walking a season-high four in five innings of a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night. The right-hander went 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his previous five starts. Latos won his only start against the Mets, giving up one run and striking out seven in six innings of a 3-1 Padres victory Aug. 8. After losing a pitchers’ duel with Phillies ace Roy Halladay in his last outing, the 22-year-old Latos now has to match up with Santana, another former Cy Young Award winner.

Seattle Mariners vs Texas Rangers Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Vladimir Guerrero won’t be getting as much playing time when interleague play resumes this weekend. Until then, the Texas Rangers certainly aren’t in any hurry to put him on the bench. Guerrero looks to run his hitting streak at home to 16 games as the Rangers face the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Texas avoided a third straight loss Tuesday night, beating Seattle 7-1 in this series’ second game. The Rangers lost four of their previous six at home, failing to take advantage of Guerrero’s continued success there. Guerrero homered Tuesday to extend his hitting streak at the Ballpark in Arlington to 15. The eight-time All-Star has five homers, five doubles and 13 RBIs during that stretch and is hitting .369 at home this season. Guerrero, though, will not play on back-to-back days during a nine-game road stretch against NL teams starting Friday against Milwaukee. Because there will be no designated hitter, Guerrero will have to play right field to be in the lineup.

The 35-year-old Guerrero has remained healthy in his first season with Texas partly because he has been used as a DH in 49 of the club’s first 58 contests. Guerrero is 4 for 7 against Ian Snell, who will take the mound for the Mariners. The right-hander allowed four runs and walked four in 5 1-3 innings of a 7-1 loss to Los Angeles on Friday night. Manager Don Wakamatsu would like Snell to work with better tempo and be more aggressive in attacking the strike zone. Snell, however, isn’t thrilled with that assessment. Snell is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts versus the Rangers and his shortest start of the year came at Texas on April 11, when he gave up five runs and eight hits in three innings of a 9-2 loss. Texas will counter with C.J. Wilson, who is 1-2 with an 8.57 ERA in his last four starts. The left-hander won his last outing, giving up five runs - three earned - in five innings of a 9-6 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday night.Wilson has not received a decision in two career starts against the Mariners, posting a 5.00 ERA. He has faced Seattle 37 times as a reliever, going 5-2 with a 5.01 ERA.

Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Carlos Zambrano said he was a little rusty when he made his return to the Chicago Cubs’ rotation last week. Back to his usual schedule, he’ll try to benefit from pitching in perhaps his favorite opposing ballpark Wednesday night. Zambrano will attempt to win his fifth straight decision at Miller Park and help his team bounce back from a disappointing series-opening loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Zambrano had five days off between his final relief appearance and his first start in more than a month Friday night in Houston. The $91.5 million right-hander was moved to the bullpen after going 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA in his first four starts of the season. He was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA over 13 relief appearances, the last on May 29.The time off didn’t seem to help Zambrano in his return to the rotation. He made 34 of his 84 pitches in the first inning and allowed three runs, six hits and three walks in 4 1-3 innings as the Cubs fell 3-1 to the Astros.

Over the past three years, Zambrano has had few problems staying in control at Miller Park. He’s 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his last five starts there, including his no-hitter against Houston on Sept. 14, 2008, in a game relocated because of hurricane damage in Texas. Zambrano, however, has a 7.20 ERA in his last two overall starts against the Brewers - both at Wrigley Field. He gave up four runs over five innings against Milwaukee on April 15 but did not get saddled with the decision in Chicago’s 8-6 defeat. Until the opener of this series, that was the Cubs’ only loss in six games against their NL Central rivals. Former Chicago prospect Casey McGehee gave the Brewers another victory against the Cubs with a two-run, two-out single in the ninth inning Tuesday night. The 3-2 win was Milwaukee’s seventh in 21 home games against Chicago since June 5, 2007. Milwaukee hasn’t won back-to-back home games over Chicago in one season since 2006, and Randy Wolf will try to deliver that with another strong outing against the Cubs, losers in six of eight overall.

Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

No matter what happens on the road, returning home to Target Field seems to bring out the best in the Minnesota Twins. The Twins look to extend their season-high home winning streak to six games when they continue their series with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. Coming off a 3-4 road trip, Minnesota opened a nine-game homestand with a 7-3 win over Kansas City on Tuesday as Kevin Slowey threw seven scoreless innings and Jason Kubel had three RBIs. The AL Central-leading Twins are 19-9 in their new outdoor ballpark, where they’ve outscored opponents 31-12 during a five-game winning streak. Minnesota is 15-15 on the road.On the same day Minnesota placed second baseman Orlando Hudson on the disabled list with a sprained wrist, Michael Cuddyer had two hits with an RBI on Tuesday in his first games since a four-game bereavement leave after the death of his father-in-law. The Twins have won three of four overall despite missing Hudson and shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has not been in the starting lineup since Friday due to inflammation in the bruised left wrist that kept him on the DL most of May. Hardy will be re-evaluated Thursday.

Cuddyer is 7 for 16 with four RBIs in his last four games, and he’s batting .345 with nine RBIs in seven against the Royals this season. The veteran outfielder, however, is 2 for 11 with a homer against scheduled starter Kyle Davies. After the Twins tagged reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke for six runs in five innings Tuesday, they’ll get their first look at Davies this season. The right-hander is 4-5 with a 4.80 ERA in nine starts against Minnesota. Davies looks to bounce back after he allowed six runs in four innings of a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last Wednesday. The Twins hope Carl Pavano can rebound in this contest after surrendering four runs in the third inning and lasting seven in a 4-1 defeat at Seattle on Thursday. The right-hander is 5-5 with a 6.98 ERA in 10 starts versus the Royals. After he allowed seven runs in 3 1-3 innings of a 10-5 home loss to the Royals on April 18, Pavano gave up two in seven innings of an 8-3 win at Kansas City on April 23.

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

The Chicago White Sox haven’t gotten much out of their pitching staff this season, but Freddy Garcia has provided mostly solid performances over the past month. He’s had plenty of them against the Detroit Tigers in recent years. While attempting to earn his sixth victory in seven starts, the right-hander also tries to improve to 9-1 in his last 11 outings against the Tigers on Wednesday night. One of the main reasons for Chicago’s struggles this season is a 4.85 ERA that’s next-to-last in the AL, and the White Sox gave up six runs in the seventh inning Tuesday in a series-opening 7-2 loss to Detroit. Mark Kotsay drove in Chicago’s only runs on a fourth-inning homer, and the Tigers took the lead for good in the seventh, scoring five of their six runs off Matt Thornton. The veteran reliever entered the game second on the White Sox with a 2.10 ERA. However, they’ve worked out well lately when Garcia has pitched, with Chicago winning five of the six games he’s started since the beginning of May.

Garcia, trying to win his third start in a row, is 11-2 with a 3.15 ERA over his last 14 outings against Detroit. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in eight of those starts.He is 17-6 with a 3.73 ERA in 27 lifetime matchups - Garcia has more wins versus the Tigers than any opponent - and might not have to face former teammate Magglio Ordonez. The right fielder, hitting .312 with eight homers and 41 RBIs, was scratched from the lineup Tuesday because of soreness in his left side. Ordonez had perhaps his best game in Rick Porcello’s previous start Thursday, finishing a single shy of the cycle and driving in a season-high five runs in a 12-6 win over Cleveland. Porcello returns to the mound after missing a chance to earn consecutive wins for the first time this season as he gave up six runs - three earned - over 5 1-3 innings.

Houston Astros vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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8:40 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

After losing six consecutive starts, Felipe Paulino started to show some positive signs when he faced the Colorado Rockies last month. Now he’s finally shown some positive results. Paulino has given up one run in 16 innings over his past two outings, and he’ll look to capitalize on the momentum of his first victory Wednesday night as the Houston Astros continue their four-game set in Denver. Paulino doesn’t have the record of a pitcher who’s steadily improving, but the hefty right-hander - who’s received a major league-low 2.14 runs of support per game - has done just that recently. He started off by giving up two runs over six innings in consecutive starts last month, including a 7-3 loss at Colorado on May 19 in which he didn’t earn a decision. Since then, Paulino has looked dominant. The Astros didn’t give him any help when he tossed eight scoreless innings May 30 in a 2-0, 10-inning loss at Cincinnati, but he finally got some support Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Paulino again went eight innings, allowing one run and striking out seven in a 3-1 victory.

Paulino has a 3.00 ERA in two home starts against Colorado, but he’ll want to forget his lone previous outing at Coors Field. The Rockies shelled Paulino for eight runs over four innings in a 12-1 win on May 12, 2009. Ian Stewart and Todd Helton each took Paulino deep in that contest, but Brad Hawpe has been the toughest out for Paulino. Hawpe is 4 for 6 with three walks against the right-hander. Paulino isn’t the only Houston pitcher to have trouble retiring Hawpe, though. The Rockies’ right fielder has hit safely in all 16 games against the Astros since 2008, batting .458 with three homers and 19 RBIs. He had two hits and drove in one of Colorado’s three first-inning runs Tuesday, but those were the only ones Houston allowed. Carlos Lee had a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth - one of his three hits - as the Astros rallied to win 4-3.

Atlanta Braves vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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9:40 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Martin Prado’s day off was certainly merited, just as a win for Kenshin Kawakami would be. Prado is expected back in the Atlanta Braves’ lineup, which will try to support Kawakami as he seeks his first win of the season in a matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. Even without Prado, NL East-leading Atlanta managed 14 hits Tuesday in a 7-5 win over Arizona in the second game of this four-game series in Phoenix. Prado had been playing despite a sore left hand over the past few weeks. He was finally given a break, getting scratched from the starting lineup for the second time this season. The second baseman leads the NL with a .325 average and has remained productive despite the injury, batting .386 with seven RBIs during a current 12-game hitting streak.Braves veteran Chipper Jones also was back in the lineup, getting enough relief from a cortisone shot in his right ring finger to play for the first time in six games. The six-time All-Star went 1 for 6 and is hitting .237 this season.Kawakami can use all the help he can get from Atlanta’s lineup as he makes his 12th start. He lost yet another game Friday night, giving up five runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-4 loss to Los Angeles.

The right-hander, though, posted a 2.41 ERA over his previous three outings. He has pitched well enough at times this season to deserve a much better record, but he’s getting an average of 3.0 runs to work with - fourth-fewest in the NL. One of his worst outings of the season, though, came against Arizona on May 14. Kawakami allowed four runs and needed 96 pitches to get through 4 1-3 innings, but the Braves scored twice in the ninth to win 6-5. Ian Kennedy surrendered three runs in 6 1-3 innings in that game - his only career start versus the Braves - and will oppose Kawakami again Wednesday. Kennedy didn’t receive a decision Friday night after giving up six runs - three earned - and striking out eight in six innings of a 7-6 win over Colorado. The right-hander was making his fifth start at home, where he is 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA. Arizona’s pitching struggled in this series’ latest game after posting a 2.39 ERA in its previous seven contests. The Diamondbacks had won three of four following a 10-game losing streak.

Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

Oakland managed to snap the Los Angeles Angels’ longest winning streak of the season. Now, it hopes Dallas Braden can end his own personal skid. The left-hander looks to avoid a fourth straight loss when the Athletics continue their four-game home set with the Angels on Wednesday night. Braden makes this start a month to the day he pitched the first perfect game of the season in a 4-0 Mother’s Day win over Tampa Bay on May 9. Since then, Braden is 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA. However, he’s received one run of support or less in three of those outings. In his last, Braden allowed four runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-4, 11-inning loss to Minnesota on Friday. Braden is 2-4 with a 4.61 ERA in seven starts against the Angels, including 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA this year. In his first start after the perfect game May 14, Braden allowed four runs in eight innings of a 4-0 loss at Los Angeles to become the first pitcher to follow a perfect game with a complete game since Cleveland’s Len Barker in 1981. Angels’ scheduled starter Joe Saunders also threw a complete game in that contest, giving up four hits to improve to 10-4 with a 3.73 ERA in 16 starts against the A’s.

The left-hander, 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in his last five starts, allowed a run in six innings of a 7-1 win at Seattle on Friday. Saunders looks to help the Angels bounce back after their six-game winning streak was snapped in a 10-1 loss to the A’s on Tuesday. Los Angeles was held in check after batting .310 and averaging 7.2 runs during the winning stretch. Kurt Suzuki went 4 for 5 with a homer and four RBIs as the A’s pounded out a season-high 18 hits to snap a four-game skid against Los Angeles. Jack Cust added a two-run homer, giving Oakland 12 home runs in June after combining for 15 in April and May. Suzuki has four homers and 10 RBIs while batting .389 in eight games this month. However, he’s 2 for 24 with a home run lifetime against Saunders. After hitting a two-run homer in Los Angeles’ 4-2 series opening win Monday, Bobby Abreu went 1 for 4 on Tuesday. Though he’s batting .375 against the A’s this season, Abreu is 9 for 45 in his last 11 games in Oakland.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Streaming

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live | St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers | St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Streaming | St. Louis vs LA Dodgers MLB Live Stream | St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Webcast

10:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 9, 2010

The Los Angeles Dodgers have needed only one run to pick up a victory three times already on their homestand, but they may find it a challenge to score at all against Adam Wainwright on Wednesday night. Coming off his first career shutout, Wainwright hopes to stop the Dodgers from completing another three-game sweep of his St. Louis Cardinals, who are in danger of losing four in a row for the first time in a year. Los Angeles swept the Cardinals in an NL division series last year, and the club has won seven of nine to begin this 13-game homestand, a surge often aided by spotless pitching. Hiroki Kuroda and two relievers combined on a six-hitter in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over St. Louis, with Manny Ramirez’s eighth-inning RBI double providing the only offense. The Dodgers beat Arizona 1-0 in extra innings on back-to-back days last week, and their four 1-0 wins this season are the most in the majors. Their 2.88 team ERA since May 9 is a big reason they’ve gone an MLB-best 22-7 in that stretch to capture first place in the NL West.

Runs may be hard to come by again Wednesday as Wainwright faces Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Wainwright was all but unhittable Friday night against Milwaukee, pitching a two-hitter in the Cardinals’ 8-0 win. Wainwright is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts against Los Angeles since the start of 2008, and the right-hander has gone 3-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 30 innings over his last four overall outings. The only loss in that stretch was a 1-0 defeat at San Diego on May 25. The Cardinals hope to provide more run support than they did for Chris Carpenter on Tuesday. Carpenter’s seven shutout innings weren’t enough to claim a victory, as Albert Pujols went 0 for 4 for the second consecutive game. St. Louis now tries to avoid being swept on the road for the first time in 2010. The Cardinals, who lost 4-3 to Milwaukee on Sunday and 12-4 at Los Angeles on Monday, haven’t lost four in a row in the regular season since a five-game skid from June 5-9, 2009.

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