Sports World: 06/10/10

Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Live Streaming

Thursday, June 10, 2010

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9:00 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Four NBA titles, with a chance at a fifth, and two more Western Conference championships that were followed by losses in the finals. Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have had a pretty productive relationship since coming into the NBA together in 1996, winning four championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and forging a friendship that belied the differences in their personalities and their skills. A rugged and emotional point guard with a history of clutch performances, Fisher made five baskets in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night to lead the Lakers to a 91-84 victory over Boston in Game 3 of the NBA finals. Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, but it was Fisher’s 11 fourth-quarter points that clinched the win and gave the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series. His signature play this time wasn’t a long-distance heave—like the one he sank against San Antonio with 0.4 seconds left in 2004—or a series of jumpers like those that turned things around in Game 4 of the finals against Orlando last year.

Instead, Fisher helped seal the victory over Boston when he followed through on a breakaway layup before being flattened by three Celtics—including 300-pound Glen “Big Baby” Davis and 6-foot-11 Kevin Garnett. Fisher, who’s 6-1 and 210 pounds, converted the three-point play to turn it into a seven-point game. Fisher also delivered a pep talk in the break before the start of the fourth quarter, imploring his teammates to take advantage of their six-point lead and not fret about Boston’s comeback from a 17-point deficit. Fisher won three titles in eight years during the Lakers’ Shaq-and-Kobe era before signing with Golden State as a free agent in 2004. It was only then that Bryant realized what kind of friend and teammate he had.

San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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12:35 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

As well as Stephen Strasburg’s much-ballyhooed major league debut went earlier this week, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft still has plenty of ground to make up on the pitcher selected seven picks later. Mike Leake hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past two starts, and the Cincinnati Reds’ straight-to-the-majors star can improve to 6-0 on Thursday afternoon as he faces the visiting San Francisco Giants. No one expected Leake to be the first pitcher from the 2009 draft to be confounding NL hitters, but that’s exactly what he’s done since becoming the first player in a decade to bypass the minors on his way to the majors. Strasburg struck out 14 in his highly anticipated debut for Washington on Tuesday, but Leake already has spent two months establishing himself as a major league force. He seems to be getting better as he goes, limiting opponents to two earned runs over his last four starts. The right-hander pitched six innings in a 2-0, 10-inning loss to Houston on May 30, then beat the Nationals on Saturday by allowing one unearned run in seven innings of a 5-1 win.

He’s the first Cincinnati rookie to win his first five decisions since Santo Alcala in 1976. No Reds pitcher has ever been undefeated through 11 major league starts. This will be Leake’s first start against San Francisco as the Reds try to salvage a split of this four-game set. Cincinnati has not lost a series at home since dropping two of three to San Diego from April 23-25. The Reds had dropped the series’ first two games after being shut out by Matt Cain on Tuesday, but the NL’s top offense bounced back Wednesday. Leadoff hitter Orlando Cabrera and cleanup hitter Scott Rolen combined for seven hits - five doubles - in a 6-3 win. Cabrera snapped an 0-for-12 slump with four hits.Cabrera and Rolen helped Cincinnati overcome the first major league homer from Buster Posey, who continues to shine as he gets adjusted to the majors. The Giants’ prized rookie is batting .450 and has hit safely in 10 of 11 games.

San Diego Padres vs New York Mets Live Streaming

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1:10pm EDT

Thursday

Jun 10, 2010

Live Telecast : SNY

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

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2:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

General manager Kenny Williams’ patience with his struggling Chicago White Sox might be running thin, but his players might think otherwise. Coming off their highest scoring game of the season, the White Sox try for a second straight victory in the finale of a three-game home series with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Hours after Williams said he’s ready to look at options to improve a club that’s a disappointing 25-33 and has not won more than three consecutive games, the White Sox pounded Detroit 15-3 on Wednesday to even the set. Omar Vizquel had three hits with three RBIs, while backups Brent Lillibridge and Ramon Castro each homered and combined to drive in seven runs as Chicago improved to 3-5 on a nine-game homestand. Now, the White Sox will try to improve on their 4-20 record after a victory this season. Just one reason that led to Williams’ comments earlier Wednesday. Chicago also ranks near the bottom of the majors in runs and batting average.

Carlos Quentin, an All-Star in 2008, has contributed to Chicago’s struggling offense by hitting .210. However, he had two hits Wednesday and is 5 for 13 against the Tigers in 2010. In addition to a big effort at the plate, Chicago got solid seven innings from Freddy Garcia on Wednesday. The White Sox hope John Danks can provide another strong outing as he tries to avoid a third straight loss in this contest. After going 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA in his first five starts, Danks is 1-5 with a 5.25 ERA in his past six. He allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Cleveland on Friday. Looking to avoid a third straight loss to Detroit, the left-hander is 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA in eight starts versus the Tigers. The White Sox hope to carry over their offensive success when they face Detroit’s Max Scherzer for the first time. The right-hander looks to bounce back after he allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings of a 7-3 loss at Kansas City on Friday. Johnny Damon had two hits and Brennan Boesch homered for the second time in two games Wednesday for the Tigers, who will try to avoid losing a fourth straight road series.

Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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2:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

The Chicago Cubs have struggled to consistently score runs this season. However, that’s not been the case against the Milwaukee Brewers, especially with Ryan Dempster on the mound. Coming off another big effort at the plate against their NL Central rivals, Dempster and the Cubs look to win their third series this season against the Brewers on Thursday at Miller Park. Hours after the team placed struggling slugger Aramis Ramirez on the disabled list with a sore thumb, Marlon Byrd homered twice and Derrek Lee hit the 300th of his career in Chicago’s 9-4 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Despite ranking near the bottom of the majors in runs, the Cubs have scored 58 times while going 6-2 against Milwaukee this season. Chicago has won three of five overall since scoring five total runs during a season high-tying four-game losing streak.

Batting .234, Lee is one of the more prominent Cubs struggling at the plate. However, after becoming the seventh player to hit his 300th homer in a Cubs’ uniform, he could be poised to break out. Though Lee is batting .231 against the Brewers this season, three of his seven home runs have come versus Milwaukee. Dempster has certainly had success against the Brewers, going 13-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts.Though the Cubs have scored three or fewer runs in eight of Dempster’s 12 starts this season, they’ve scored 17 while he’s gone 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA against Milwaukee in 2010. The right-hander allowed three runs and struck out seven in 6 1-3 innings of an 8-5 win at Houston on Saturday. The Cubs have had their success against Milwaukee scheduled starter Dave Bush, who’s 2-9 with a 5.60 ERA in 17 starts versus Chicago. Bush, who allowed nine runs - four homers - in 3 2-3 innings of a 12-2 loss at home in his last start against Chicago on April 25, returns to the Brewers’ rotation after manager Ken Macha decided to start Manny Parra in his place Sunday.

Houston Astros vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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3:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

If the Colorado Rockies are late into a tight game with the Houston Astros on Thursday, they might not want to turn to reliever Matt Belisle. After seeing their normally solid bullpen falter in two straight losses because of Belisle, the Rockies look to salvage a split of a four-game set with the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Colorado features one of the top bullpens in baseball with a 3.31 ERA, but Belisle has suffered back-to-back losses. The reliever failed to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning and was charged with a 4-3 loss Tuesday and yielded Carlos Lee’s grand slam in the 10th on Wednesday in a 6-2 loss. The Rockies bullpen entered this series having worked 13 2-3 scoreless innings in a row at home. It has allowed seven runs in 6 2-3 innings in this set - six by Belisle, who came into the series with 11 consecutive scoreless innings. Belisle is not the only usually reliable Rockies player enduring a rough stretch.

Slumping Todd Helton was benched by manager Jim Tracy on Wednesday. Helton popped out as a pinch hitter and is mired in a 3-for-38 skid that has dropped the career .326 hitter to .239 this season. Although Houston starter Roy Oswalt is one loss behind Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton for the most in the majors, the right-hander has excelled against Colorado in his career. Oswalt is 7-2 in 11 outings against the Rockies with a 1.88 ERA - his lowest against any NL opponent - and 3-0 with a 2.17 ERA in four career starts at Coors Field. One of those defeats, though, came May 20 as he gave up three runs over six innings and was outdueled by Ubaldo Jimenez in a 4-0 loss. Oswalt allowed a season-high six runs over seven innings in an 8-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Houston is playing possibly its best baseball of the year, winning seven of nine. That run has coincided with a surge by Lee, who is batting .325 with 13 RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak and made up for four hitless at-bats through nine innings Wednesday with his 15th career grand slam.

Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

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3:35 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Los Angeles’ Ervin Santana is in the midst of his most successful stretch of the season. He seems to be at his best when facing the Oakland Athletics. Looking to win his sixth straight start and fourth in a row on the road, Santana hopes to follow a strong showing from Joe Saunders with another gem as the Angels try to take their four-game road set from the A’s on Thursday. After Saunders allowed seven hits while going the distance in Los Angeles’ 7-1 victory over Oakland on Wednesday, Santana looks to continue his recent dominance overall and against the A’s in the finale between the AL West rivals. Santana allowed one run in six innings of an 11-2 win at Seattle on Saturday to improve 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA since losing to the Mariners on May 9. The right-hander has been even better during his career against the A’s, going 11-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 16 starts. Santana gave up three runs in six innings of a 12-3 win over Oakland on May 15. Much like his team as a whole, Santana has pitched well on the road of late, going 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA since the May loss in Seattle.

After their four-game winning streak against Oakland was snapped in a 10-1 loss Tuesday, the Angels bounced back to improve to 8-2 on their current 14-game stretch away from home. The Angels conclude the swing back in Southern California against the Dodgers this weekend. Erick Aybar went 4 for 5 with two RBIs and Torii Hunter added three hits Wednesday as Los Angeles won its eighth game on a road trip for the first time since June 22 to July 1, 1987. Aybar, who fell a homer short of the cycle, is 17 for 40 with nine runs and six RBIs in his last 10 games for the Angels, who have scored 61 runs and hit .300 on the first 10 games of the trip.After going 4 for 5 on Tuesday, Oakland’s Kurt Suzuki was hitless in four at-bats as the A’s lost for the sixth time in nine games. Suzuki is just 5 for 26 this season against the Angels, who are 6-3 versus Oakland in 2010. Trevor Cahill takes the ball for the A’s in this contest as he looks to bounce back from his first loss since May 16.

Atlanta Braves vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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3:40 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

The Arizona Diamondbacks are feeling better about themselves after taking four of the first six games on their 10-game homestand. After one start, they’re certainly feeling good about their decision to pick up Dontrelle Willis. The often wild former Rookie of the Year didn’t allow a run in his Diamondbacks debut, an effort he’ll look to build off Thursday afternoon by helping Arizona finish its four-game set against visiting Atlanta with a third victory. Willis was a major bust in Detroit after being shipped there as part of an eight-player deal in December 2007, going 2-8 with a 6.86 ERA over three injury-plagued seasons. The Diamondbacks worked out a deal for the two-time All-Star after the Tigers designated Willis for assignment May 30, and that decision didn’t take long to pay off. The left-hander, who’s been plagued by control issues in recent years, walked four Saturday against Colorado, but didn’t give up a run over six innings in a 4-3 victory in his return to the NL.

Willis has plenty of experience against first-place Atlanta, but none since 2007. He’s 6-5 with a 4.92 ERA in 18 career starts against the Braves. It looked like Willis would be hoping to help Arizona earn a split of the four-game set after Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning Wednesday night, but a wild bottom of the eighth changed that. Gerardo Parra hit an inside-the-park home run when outfielders Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward collided, scoring Mark Reynolds and lifting the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 win. McLouth, who’s 5 for 50 over his last 18 games, left with a severe headache but wasn’t tested for a concussion. Heyward stayed in the game, but didn’t commit to being in the lineup for Thursday’s finale. Arizona will likely need another strong start from Willis with Tommy Hanson on the mound for Atlanta. The impressive young right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA in three starts since allowing a career-high eight runs over 1 2-3 innings against Cincinnati on May 20.

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Much like the rest of the New York Yankees, A.J. Burnett has taken advantage of the lowly Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander hasn’t allowed an earned run in two victories over Baltimore in 2010 and will try to lead the Yankees to a three-game sweep and an 11th straight win over the Orioles on Thursday night at Camden Yards. New York continued its mastery of Baltimore with a 4-2 victory Wednesday as CC Sabathia pitched seven strong innings to improve to 13-1 in his career against the Orioles. The Orioles will see another pitcher that has enjoyed success them in Burnett, who is 11-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 15 career outings. He’s yielded one unearned run and eight hits in 15 1-3 innings against them this year, and is 5-0 with a 3.89 ERA in seven career starts at Camden Yards. Burnett’s last outing, though, went poorly as he gave up six runs over six innings in Friday’s 6-1 loss at Toronto. Major league batting leader Robinson Cano has also enjoyed playing Baltimore this year, going 22 for 44 with four homers and seven RBIs. He has six hits in this series, and is 23 for 38 with five homers and nine RBIs in his last nine games at Camden Yards.

Cano is batting .376 for the season, and his .350 career average against Baltimore is his highest against any AL club. Right fielder Nick Swisher has also done plenty of damage, going 18 for 46 with 12 RBIs against the Orioles after his five-RBI performance in Tuesday’s 12-7 win. The Yankees did not start left fielder Brett Gardner, who left Tuesday’s game when he hurt his left thumb. Gardner appeared as a pinch-runner after X-rays were negative Wednesday. New York has never won 11 straight over Baltimore. The 10-game win streak in the series matches runs from May 10-Sept. 2, 2009 and April 21-June 29, 1955. A lone bright spot in this series for the Orioles is right fielder Nick Markakis, who has four hits in two games after being mired in a 7-for-39 slump over his previous nine games. Baltimore is clearly looking toward the future and has long anticipated the major league debut for Jake Arrieta, who will make it against the defending World Series champions.

Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Coming off their most lopsided loss of the season, the Boston Red Sox have no pitcher they’d rather send to the mound Thursday night than Jon Lester. The left-hander looks to win his eighth consecutive decision and remain unbeaten in seven career starts against the Cleveland Indians, who will try to salvage a split of the four-game series. The Red Sox had beaten Cleveland seven straight times before Wednesday, when their bullpen crumbled late and their offense was blanked for the first time since April 22 in an 11-0 loss. Boston has still won 16 of 22 overall and nine of 11 on the road going into the finale of this seven-game trip, with Lester a big reason for its surge. Lester has pitched like a Cy Young Award candidate since his last loss April 18 against Tampa Bay, going 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in nine starts. Opponents are batting .157 against him in that stretch. Despite pitching 6 1-3 scoreless innings in an 8-2 win at Baltimore on Saturday, Lester was not pleased because he walked three in the seventh inning before being removed.

Boston has won all six of Lester’s starts against the Indians as he’s gone 3-0 with a 3.89 ERA, but he has a 6.06 ERA in three outings at Cleveland. The Red Sox have won six of their last seven series against Cleveland - not including the 2007 AL championship series, which Boston won 4-3 - but they’ll need a victory Thursday to take three of four. The Indians will be looking for their first back-to-back home wins since a four-game winning streak at Progressive Field from April 15-18. The team is 5-14 at home since. Cleveland hopes Mitch Talbot can match what Justin Masterson did Wednesday. Masterson, the former Boston right-hander acquired in the Aug. 31 trade that sent Victor Martinez to the Red Sox, notched his first career shutout with a two-hitter in his first start against his old teammates. That was the first loss for Martinez in seven games against Cleveland, but the catcher had one of Boston’s hits and is 9 for 23 against the Indians.

Florida Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Runs were plentiful when the Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies opened their series, but they figure to be at a premium in Thursday night’s finale. 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 13 days ago, and another pitchers’ duel could be on tap as two of the NL’s top starters square off after rain postponed Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia. 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 last 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.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

No pitcher will make his first major league start in the finale of this three-game set, though there is a different first the Washington Nationals would like to cross off their list. The Nationals haven’t swept an opponent this season, but facing a struggling Zach Duke on Thursday night could give them a great chance to cap a series of debuts with a third victory over the sinking Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park. Phenom Stephen Strasburg made his highly anticipated major league debut Tuesday night, striking out 14 in a 5-2 victory, and Brad Lincoln - Pittsburgh’s top pitching prospect - took a big-league mound for the first time Wednesday. Lincoln’s first outing didn’t go nearly as well as Strasburg’s. The No. 4 pick from the 2006 draft allowed five runs in six innings, and Ryan Zimmerman’s seventh-inning RBI single off the shin of reliever D.J. Carrasco lifted Washington to a 7-5 win.

The loss dropped the Pirates into last place in the NL Central, though manager John Russell’s team owns three series sweeps in 2010. The Nationals haven’t had one since closing 2009 with back-to-back sweeps of New York and Atlanta. They should have a good shot Thursday. Duke has given up 13 runs and 22 hits over 11 1-3 innings in his past two starts. He pitched four scoreless innings Friday before giving up three homers over the fifth and sixth, when San Francisco scored all of its runs en route to a 6-4 win. Duke is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in four starts against the Nationals, whom he hasn’t faced since May 1, 2008. Adam Dunn, who has homered in the series’ first two games, is 5 for 11 against Duke and has taken him deep. Washington counters with the closest thing it had to an ace prior to Strasburg’s arrival. Livan Hernandez, however, hasn’t won in more than a month even though he’s posted a respectable 3.44 ERA in those six starts. Hernandez gave up eight hits, four walks and two runs over six innings Friday in a 4-2 win over Cincinnati.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

The Toronto Blue Jays have been a surprise contender in the AL East this season, but the Tampa Bay Rays appear to be playing on a different level. The best team in the majors can win a fifth straight over Toronto by completing an emphatic three-game sweep on Thursday night, but they’ll have to snap Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil’s impressive four-start winning streak. Toronto has been buoyed this year by a league-high 97 home runs and strong starting pitching, but neither of those things have been present at Tropicana Field this week. The Rays have outscored the Blue Jays 19-1 in the first two games of this series, and they racked up 15 hits in Wednesday’s 10-1 win to improve to 6-2 against Toronto this year. The Blue Jays went 4-14 against Tampa Bay last year, and they’re 4-19 in St. Petersburg since the start of 2008. Even some of Tampa Bay’s struggling hitters have been heating up. Carlos Pena has raised his batting average to .184 with four homers in his last three games, while Ben Zobrist hit his fifth homer Wednesday - all in his last 19 games.

If his recent performances are any indication, Cecil may be up to the challenge. The second-year left-hander has allowed a total of five runs in 29 2-3 innings over his last four starts, winning all of them while holding opponents to a .170 average. Cecil may feel especially confident after dominating the New York Yankees on Friday, giving up five hits and one run in eight innings of a 6-1 win. That includes the Rays. Cecil won in St. Petersburg in his 2010 debut on April 23, allowing four runs in 6 2-3 innings but striking out eight in a 6-5 victory. He’ll hope for similar run support Thursday, but the Blue Jays have been held to three or fewer runs in six of their last seven games against Tampa Bay, and they’ve managed six hits in this series. Toronto has gone consecutive games without a home run for the first time since April 27-28, and the club hasn’t been held homerless in three straight all season.

Seattle Mariners vs Texas Rangers Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

While the Texas Rangers have put more focus on pitching in recent seasons, their offense is proving it’s still capable of causing major problems for an opposing staff.After piling up 19 runs in their last two games against the Seattle Mariners, the first-place Rangers can capture the four-game series Thursday night as Tommy Hunter looks to build on an impressive 2010 debut. Texas has improved its starting rotation drastically in the last two years after finishing 2008 with the worst ERA in the majors, but the team’s offense has remained potent. Even with slugger Nelson Cruz on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, the Rangers have averaged 6.9 runs while winning six of nine to begin June. They scored seven runs off Seattle’s Felix Hernandez in Tuesday’s victory, then racked up 15 hits in a 12-2 win Wednesday night.

Young and Josh Hamilton both homered Wednesday, with Hamilton continuing a blistering start to the month. He’s 15 for 35 with three homers and 12 RBIs in June. Hamilton’s two-run shot in the first inning of a 6-1 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday helped give Hunter an early cushion, and the 23-year-old made it stand up by pitching a complete game. It was the first start for Hunter after beginning the season on the disabled list with an oblique strain, then spending time in the minors. The right-hander won nine games as a rookie in 2009, including a complete game in a 7-2 win over Seattle on Sept. 13. Despite a 1-2 record against the Mariners, he posted a 2.59 ERA in four starts. The last-place Mariners have struggled to score against most Texas pitchers this season, totaling 19 runs while going 2-7 against the Rangers. For the season, Seattle ranks 27th in the majors in runs and last in home runs. The team’s recent problems with pitching have been more surprising. The Mariners have lost five of six overall, allowing seven or more runs in each of the defeats.

Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Thu Jun 10, 2010

Scott Baker has fared well at Target Field. He’s always pitched well against the Kansas City Royals regardless of the location. Baker will try to win his fourth straight start against the Royals on Thursday night when the Twins try to stretch their home win streak to seven games. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA in six starts at Minnesota’s new home, including 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in the last four. His first start at Target Field was a 10-3 win over Kansas City on April 16 in which he gave up two runs over seven innings. That continued a trend for Baker, who improved to 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last 10 outings against the Royals. Kansas City regulars Billy Butler, Alberto Callaspo and Jason Kendall have all had trouble facing Baker. Baker allowed four runs over 7 1-3 innings in a 5-4, 11-inning win at Oakland on Friday. Good starting pitching is a major reason Minnesota is in position for a sweep. Kevin Slowey pitched seven scoreless innings in a 7-3 victory Tuesday before Carl Pavano gave up two runs in eight innings Wednesday in a 6-2 win.

Twins designated hitter Jason Kubel is 4 for 7 with three RBIs in this series and rookie third baseman Danny Valencia is 4 for 8. Delmon Young homered Wednesday to continue his surge. He has hit safely in 11 of his past 12 games with three home runs and 14 RBIs during that stretch. Joe Mauer’s third-inning double, meanwhile, gave the Twins at least one in 22 consecutive games, their longest such streak since 2007. Twins shortstop J.J. Hardy has yet to see action in this series and will be re-evaluated before Thursday’s game to see how his left wrist responded to a cortisone shot. The Royals have lost eight out of 11 overall and four straight on the road. Bruce Chen will make his third start of the year for Kansas City after going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in the first two while filling in for injured right-hander Gil Meche. Chen allowed two runs over five innings Friday, getting a 7-3 win over Detroit.

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