Sports World: 06/15/10

Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Live Streaming

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

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9:00 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

Down 3-2 in the NBA finals against an old foe that keeps finding new ways to beat them, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to need a big Hollywood ending to escape this jam with another championship. That’s exactly where they’ll make their last stand against the Boston Celtics. Game 6 is back home Tuesday night at Staples Center, where the Lakers are 9-1 in the postseason, with everybody from Kobe Bryant to the Lakers’ bedraggled bench playing with much more passion and confidence. Sure, on paper. But two straight losses in Boston led to a dire series deficit for the Lakers, who hadn’t even trailed in any playoff series this season. The Celtics have won three of the last four games, and they’re responsible for Los Angeles’ only home loss of the playoffs. So why didn’t Jackson or Bryant seem particularly worried before they headed out on their final cross country flight of the postseason? Throughout a trying season filled with injuries and big-game setbacks since a Christmas Day loss to Cleveland, the Lakers have always been able to rise when they absolutely needed to do it.

Jackson even described the Lakers’ locker room as “spirited” after losing Game 5 in their lowest-scoring performance of the postseason in the 92-86 loss. For all their struggles in Boston, the Lakers realize they only have to defend their home court to win their 16th title. If Los Angeles survives, a champion will be crowned Thursday in Game 7. Heading into the finals, the Celtics believed they could beat the Lakers, even with Bryant at his spectacular best, if they shut down his teammates. After all, that’s what Boston did two years ago in the finals—and so far, it’s working splendidly again. Bryant is averaging 30.2 points per game, while Pau Gasol averages 18.8 points and 10 rebounds despite glaring inconsistency in his game in Boston. That’s just about it: Nobody else in purple and gold is averaging more than Andrew Bynum’s 9.6 points per game.

Washington Nationals vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

A few Detroit Tigers hitters may be rusty after getting some rest, but at least they’ll miss out on facing Stephen Strasburg as they try to ease their way back into the lineup. Without having to worry about the Washington Nationals’ hard-throwing phenom, the Tigers hope to have three of their top hitters back in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night. Both teams had Monday off, with Washington entering its break after earning a 9-4 win over Cleveland on Sunday behind an effective start from the much-hyped Strasburg. Detroit, meanwhile, completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh with a 4-3 win that afternoon, prevailing even though Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Austin Jackson were hindered by injuries.Ordonez, batting .312 with eight homers and 41 RBIs, is expected to play after missing six straight games, and Guillen will likely join him in the lineup after being held out as a precaution. Guillen has been limited to 31 games due to injuries, hitting .299 with four homers and 17 RBIs.

Jackson’s status, though, is a little more uncertain. The rookie center fielder, who left after a half-inning Sunday, is day to day. If Jackson can’t play, Ryan Raburn is a candidate to take his spot. Jackson has had an impressive first 2 1/2 months to his career, hitting .308 with 17 doubles and 10 stolen bases. Detroit can take solace in knowing that slugger Miguel Cabrera appears healthy. Cabrera hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to the opposite field that gave the Tigers a 4-3 victory Sunday. One of the majors’ premier right-handed hitters, Cabrera thrives on driving the ball the other way. Max Scherzer, set to take the mound for Detroit, could have used some support from Cabrera and the Tigers’ lineup in his last start. Scherzer gave up three runs and struck out seven in 7 1-3 innings of a 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 18 innings in three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

New York Mets vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The New York Mets’ pitching has been outstanding during their four-game winning streak, and they’ll get to hand the ball to Johan Santana as they try to keep rolling against the Cleveland Indians. Santana’s mound opponent, however, might be able to keep pace. Justin Masterson tossed a two-hitter against one of baseball’s highest-scoring teams his last time out, a performance he’d love to replicate as the last-place Indians try to keep visiting New York from a ninth victory in 10 games Tuesday night. The Mets have gone from being in last place and seven games back in the NL East on May 22 to 1 1/2 out of first by winning 15 of 20. New York has allowed 10 runs during its four-game win streak and capped a three-game sweep at Baltimore with season highs in hits and runs Sunday. Jason Bay and David Wright combined for three homers and seven of the Mets’ 18 hits in an 11-4 rout. New York entered that series 8-18 on the road.

The Mets had little trouble against the major league-worst Orioles, but Cleveland’s starter for the opener could pose a problem as the teams meet for the first time since 2004. Masterson had shown little promise in his first full season with the Indians after coming over from Boston, but his latest start was more than encouraging. Facing his former team for the first time, Masterson held the Red Sox to two singles and struck out six while going the distance in an 11-0 win Wednesday. Masterson faced the Mets once in relief while with Boston, allowing a run in three innings May 22, 2009. Santana has plenty of experience versus Cleveland, though all of that came with Minnesota from 2000-2007. He won’t fondly remember his most recent outings, going 0-5 with a 4.38 ERA against the Indians in 2007. The Mets are 2-6 in the left-hander’s last eight starts, proof that having Santana on the hill is hardly the automatic advantage it once seemed to be. The two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up eight hits, four walks and four runs over 6 2-3 innings in a 4-2 loss to San Diego on Thursday.

Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

This three-game series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies was always going to be intriguing. The pitching matchup in Tuesday night’s opener at Yankee Stadium makes it even more so. Both teams will have their aces on the mound in this rematch of last year’s World Series when the Yankees turn to CC Sabathia and the Phillies counter with a pitcher very familiar to New York in Roy Halladay. The Yankees ended a nine-year championship drought by beating the defending champion Phillies in six games last year. New York prevailed despite being outhomered 11-6, with Chase Utley hitting five homers for Philadelphia. Both teams made some key changes, with New York choosing not to re-sign World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and outfielder Johnny Damon. The biggest move was made by Philadelphia, which dealt Cliff Lee and acquired Halladay in a four-team deal in the offseason. Halladay has been outstanding, pitching a major league-leading five complete games. He’s dominated the Yankees, going 18-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 35 starts, including 8-1 with a 2.42 ERA in his last 10.

The right-hander has limited major league batting leader Robinson Cano to a .208 average while Yankee captain Derek Jeter is a .242 hitter with 24 strikeouts - his most against any pitcher. This will mark the third time that Halladay and Sabathia have met. They split the first two meetings, with Halladay posting a 3.29 ERA and Sabathia a 3.07 ERA. The Yankees ace went 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA in last year’s World Series, allowing three homers to Utley. Sabathia is 1-3 with a 4.74 ERA in six career outings against the Phillies, including three in the postseason. The left-hander’s last four victories have come against Baltimore, which he’s beaten in each of his last two starts. He gave up two runs over seven innings in a 4-2 road win Wednesday.

Chicago White Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The Chicago White Sox saw their longest winning streak of the season end Sunday, but there’s every reason to believe they can start a new one this week. The next stop on Chicago’s nine-game interleague road trip begins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the plummeting Pirates will try to snap an eight-game skid that’s dropped them into the NL basement. The White Sox had outscored Detroit and the rival Cubs 30-9 last week for their first four-game run since early September. They certainly pitched well enough to complete the sweep at Wrigley Field, but Gavin Floyd got no help offensively. He gave up three hits and struck out nine in going the distance, but Ted Lilly and Carlos Marmol combined on a one-hitter to beat the White Sox 1-0. Manager Ozzie Guillen’s club figures to have a good chance to bounce back quickly against Pittsburgh, which dropped five of six at U.S. Cellular Field the past two seasons and is in its worst rut since a nine-game slide from Aug. 28-Sept. 5.

Freddy Garcia gets the ball for the opener, looking for his fourth straight win and seventh in eight starts. Garcia got Chicago’s winning streak started Wednesday, when he gave up three runs over seven innings in a 15-3 victory against the Tigers. Garcia is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against the Pirates, whom he hasn’t faced since 2006. No one, however, would deem Pittsburgh a good-hitting team right now. The Pirates have scored a major league-low 204 runs, and are hitting .226 during their current slide, which was extended with a 4-3 loss at Detroit on Sunday. The Pirates’ offensive struggles have led to speculation that top prospect Pedro Alvarez could be called up to face the White Sox, and general manager Neal Huntington indicated Sunday that the third baseman’s major league arrival could happen this week. Pittsburgh’s top pitching prospect will make his home debut after getting his first taste of the majors Wednesday at Washington. Brad Lincoln had an up-and-down outing, allowing five runs and seven hits over six innings in a 7-5 loss.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The wins keep piling up for Tampa Bay Rays left-hander David Price, who is tied for the AL lead with nine victories. There may be nobody as envious as Kenshin Kawakami. Atlanta’s hard-luck right-hander faces a major challenge as he tries again to earn his first win of the season, although the Braves bring a nine-game home winning streak into Tuesday night’s opener of a three-game series between the division leaders. The Rays surrendered a share of the AL East lead to the New York Yankees on Sunday following their 6-1 loss to Florida, but they’re still tied for the best record in baseball in part because of Price. The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007, Price seems to be realizing his potential in his first full season. Although he walked a season-high five Wednesday against Toronto, he held the Blue Jays to one run in six innings of a 10-1 win.

Price grew up in Tennessee rooting for the Braves, who were in the midst of winning 14 consecutive division titles at the time, and this year’s team could be primed for a return to the top of the NL East. Atlanta leads the division after going 24-9 since May 10, the best record in the majors in that stretch. The Braves finished their weekend series in Minnesota with back-to-back victories, including a 7-3 triumph Sunday. One thing they can’t seem to do is get Kawakami a win, even though the Japanese veteran has posted four quality starts in his last five outings. He had eight strikeouts in six shutout innings Wednesday at Arizona, but didn’t get any run support in Atlanta’s 2-1 loss.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

With the Boston Red Sox scoring runs in bunches, Fenway Park has been a difficult place for visitors lately. At the moment, no road venue looks like a good one for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who will be trying to snap a 10-game road losing streak as they begin a six-game trip Tuesday night against Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox. Boston lost six of its first seven games at Fenway, an uncharacteristic start for a team that went 56-25 at home each of the last two years. But the Red Sox have won 19 of their last 28 at the oldest ballpark in the majors, a big reason they are back in the AL East race. They’ve scored eight or more runs five times in their last seven home games, although they missed out on a three-game sweep of Philadelphia with Sunday’s 5-3 defeat. Arizona was swept three times on its last road trip, an 0-9 debacle that featured walk-off defeats in each of the last four games - including a 1-0, 14-inning loss to the Dodgers in the finale June 2.

It has been nearly a month since the Diamondbacks’ last road win, a 5-1 win at Florida on May 17, and it may not be easy to end the drought with Buchholz on the mound. The emerging right-hander’s five-start winning streak was snapped Wednesday, but he posted his sixth consecutive quality start, holding Cleveland to three runs and three hits in seven innings of an 11-0 loss. Still, Buchholz hopes to have better command after walking four Indians. The 25-year-old faces an Arizona lineup that has not scored a run in its last 31 innings on the road, although the Diamondbacks’ hitters showed signs of life during a 6-4 homestand, scoring seven runs five times. Chris Young hit his 11th and 12th home runs in Sunday’s 7-5 win over St. Louis, including a walk-off shot in the ninth inning. Arizona is still hoping for more contributions from slugger Justin Upton, who had Sunday off after going 4 for 26 with 14 strikeouts and no extra-base hits in his previous seven games.

Texas Rangers vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The Texas Rangers have beaten two aces during their impressive run at the plate over the past week, but neither of those pitchers has been performing as well as Josh Johnson. Following a day off, the Rangers look to solve one the majors’ hottest pitchers in the opener of a three-game road series with the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night. Texas, fourth in the AL with 321 runs scored, has been particularly productive over its last six games, averaging 7.3 runs en route to winning five of those contests. The Rangers began that stretch by scoring seven runs against Seattle’s Felix Hernandez in a 7-1 victory last Tuesday night. In its last game, Texas managed four runs in six innings versus emerging Milwaukee right-hander Yovani Gallardo, winning 7-2 on Sunday. Now, the Rangers appear to have an even tougher test ahead as they face Johnson, who is 4-1 with a 0.43 ERA over his last six starts for the Marlins. His only loss during that span was against Philadelphia on May 29, when Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game.

The right-hander outpitched Halladay in a rematch to win his last outing, surrendering three hits in eight innings of a 2-0 victory over the Phillies on Thursday night. Johnson, who has never faced the Rangers, has held left-handed hitters to a .168 batting average this season. Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, though, is a tougher out than most lefties. Hamilton has homered in four of his last five games, giving him 15 this season, and is riding a career high-tying 10-game hitting streak. Hamilton is batting .372 with eight homers and 23 RBIs over his last 24 contests. Veteran third baseman Michael Young has also had a strong week, going 9 for 21 with two homers and four RBIs over his last five games. His 1,746 career hits are one shy of tying Ivan Rodriguez’s franchise record. Florida has had an impressive run at the plate of its own. The Marlins scored 25 runs while winning two of three against Tampa Bay over the weekend, including a 6-1 victory in Sunday’s series finale. Highly-touted outfield prospect Mike Stanton had two RBIs on Sunday for the second time in the weekend series. He is 7 for 19 in five games since being called up from Double-A Jacksonville on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t want to leave southern California after a brilliant start to their 13-game homestand, but some time on the road suddenly doesn’t look so bad after a disappointing finish. They’re about to get plenty of it. Fifteen of the Dodgers’ next 18 games are away from Chavez Ravine, a stretch that begins Tuesday night in Cincinnati against a Reds team hoping to salvage what’s quickly turning into a disheartening homestand. Los Angeles was feeling good after winning eight of its first 10 at home to take over the NL West lead, but its stay atop the division was short-lived. The Angels turned the Freeway Series with their cross-town rivals into a one-sided affair. The Dodgers yielded 3.2 runs per game in the first 10 games of their homestand, but the Angels averaged more than twice that after completing a three-game sweep with Sunday’s 6-5 victory.

The Dodgers are 13-14 on the road, but Ethier should certainly be excited for their first stop on a nine-game road trip. The NL batting leader had five hits in 13 at-bats during Los Angeles’ stop at Great American Ball Park from April 20-22, including two homers, and he’s hitting .369 in his last 17 games against Cincinnati. The Reds are in first place in the NL Central, but they’ve missed some chances to increase their lead on slumping St. Louis. Cincinnati began its 10-game homestand by splitting four games with San Francisco, then let Kansas City take two of three after the Royals’ 7-3 win Sunday. Still, manager Dusty Baker’s club is in first place at its latest point in the season since June 17, 2002. Aaron Harang gets the ball for Cincinnati looking to win his fourth consecutive decision. The right-hander gave up two runs over seven innings Wednesday against the Giants, escaping a bases-loaded jam in his final inning to preserve a 6-3 victory.

Oakland Athletics vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

Carlos Zambrano could be getting comfortable now that he’s back in the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation. Two days after his teammate flirted with a no-hitter, the last Cub to throw one looks for a second straight victory and tries to send the Oakland Athletics to a fourth consecutive loss Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Ted Lilly took a no-hitter into the ninth inning Sunday before Juan Pierre of the rival White Sox singled to open the frame, but the Cubs held on for a 1-0 win to snap a three-game losing streak. Zambrano, who threw a no-hitter Sept. 14, 2008, looks to provide his team with another solid outing when it faces Oakland for the first time since taking two of three from the A’s at Wrigley from June 18-20, 2004. Five days after giving up three runs over 4 1-3 innings in his return from an unsuccessful one-month stint in the bullpen, Zambrano allowed three runs and two hits in five innings of a 9-4 win at Milwaukee on Wednesday - his first victory since April 10.

The right-hander is 7-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 19 interleague starts, including a 5-3 home win over Oakland on June 20, 2004, when he limited the A’s to one run and struck out eight over 6 2-3 innings of a 5-3 win. That remains his only appearance against Oakland. Chad Tracy’s RBI single in the seventh inning drove in the game’s only run Sunday and was one of three hits for the Cubs, who have gone 6 for 38 with runners in scoring position while losing four of six. Marlon Byrd has been one of the few Cubs hitting consistently. Batting a team-leading .333, Byrd is 20 for 39 with seven RBIs in his last 10 games. A lifetime .318 hitter versus the A’s, Byrd is the only Cub who has faced probable Oakland starter Trevor Cahill, going 4 for 10 with two doubles against the right-hander. Cahill, who has never faced the Cubs, will try for his fifth straight victory overall. He allowed one run in a season-high eight innings of a 6-1 home win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday to improve to 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA in his last five starts.

Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The Kansas City Royals have to hope an off day doesn’t hurt the momentum they’ve built. They may need to be sharp again with Kyle Davies set to take the mound. Following an impressive weekend at the plate, the Royals may end up having to overcome yet another poor start from Davies as they open a three-game series with the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. In a matchup of two of the majors’ worst teams, Kansas City has been the better club of late. While the Astros were swept by the Yankees over the weekend, the Royals won two of three from NL Central-leading Cincinnati. Kansas City has averaged 6.8 runs en route to winning three of four. In their previous 11 contests, the Royals were held to three runs or fewer seven times. Billy Butler set season highs with four hits and four RBIs Kansas City’s 7-3 win Sunday. He had a home run and a double, giving him seven hits in his last eight at-bats. Butler is batting .462 with a homer, four doubles and five RBIs in six interleague games this season.

Royals outfielder David DeJesus delivered three hits, including a homer, and four runs. DeJesus is hitting .398 with 17 RBIs over his last 24 games. Jason Kendall, though, is mired in a 1-for-28 slump for Kansas City. The veteran catcher is 3 for 21 against NL opponents this season. After catching a gem from Zack Greinke, Kendall will likely be Davies’ batterymate. Davies has been terrible over his last three starts, going 1-2 with an 8.62 ERA. The right-hander surrendered five runs and eight hits while walking five in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-2 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. Davies has never faced the Astros. Houston will give the ball to Felipe Paulino, who is 1-1 over his last five starts despite a 1.75 ERA, and has gotten an average of 2.0 runs to work with. The right-hander gave up two runs and struck out seven in eight innings of a 6-2, 10-inning win over Colorado on Wednesday.

Colorado Rockies vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

Facing NL opponents has provided a big boost in recent seasons for the Minnesota Twins, who boast the best interleague record in the majors since the start of 2006. Lately, the Colorado Rockies have enjoyed playing against the AL even more. The Rockies will be looking to win their sixth straight interleague game for the first time in nearly four years while handing the Twins a third consecutive defeat as the teams open a three-game set at Target Field on Tuesday night. Minnesota and Detroit are the only teams to win more than 70 percent of their interleague games in the last five years, with each going 56-22 against the NL. The Twins, however, dropped their final two games against visiting Atlanta over the weekend, the second time they’ve lost an interleague series in 13 tries. Minnesota hasn’t dropped three straight to NL foes since losing one to Milwaukee and two to Washington from May 20-June 9, 2007. Carl Pavano will be on the mound in hopes of preventing that result, and he’s been sharp at the Twins’ new ballpark lately.

The right-hander has pitched a minimum of seven innings in each of his last five home starts, going 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA. He beat Kansas City on Wednesday, allowing two runs in eight innings of a 6-2 win. Colorado counters with Aaron Cook as the veteran sinkerballer tries again for his first road win. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.81 ERA away from Denver. Cook was sharp in his last outing, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings Wednesday against Houston, although the Rockies’ bullpen crumbled late in a 6-2, 10-inning defeat. After losing three straight to the lowly Astros, Colorado bounced back with a three-game sweep of Toronto over the weekend and improved to 16-4 in its last 20 interleague games.The Rockies have won their last five against the AL, matching their longest interleague winning streak since taking eight straight bridging 2005 and 2006.

Seattle Mariners vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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8:15 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The last time Jeff Suppan suited up for St. Louis he was celebrating a World Series championship after helping carry the club through the NLCS. The Cardinals are now hoping the 16-year veteran can be a stopgap for an injury-depleted starting rotation. Suppan will make his first start for St. Louis in over four years Tuesday night when the Cardinals continue a three-game series against the lowly Seattle Mariners. St. Louis signed Suppan on Monday one week after he was cut by Milwaukee. The right-hander made only two starts at the beginning of the year before moving to the bullpen. Although Suppan is 135-137 in his career, he went 44-26 in three seasons with the Cardinals from 2004-06 and was instrumental to their 2006 World Series title. After being named the NLCS MVP, Suppan’s last appearance for St. Louis came in Game 4 of the ’06 Series, when he allowed three runs in six innings of a 5-4 win over Detroit, but didn’t receive a decision.

The Cardinals are hoping the 35-year-old can rediscover this success after being reunited with pitching coach Dave Duncan. The highly respected Duncan gave St. Louis the go-ahead in signing Suppan after the two had a bullpen session over the weekend. St. Louis is in need of some stable pitching from the back of its rotation with Brad Penny possibly out until the All-Star break and Kyle Lohse on the 60-day disabled list. The three starters used by the Cardinals in Penny and Lohse’s absence are a combined 1-3 with an 8.23 ERA in six starts. Suppan, who hasn’t started since yielding six runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings of the Brewers’ 8-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on April 23, is 2-4 with a 7.03 ERA in 15 career starts against the Mariners, but hasn’t faced them since 2004.

Toronto Blue Jays vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

Not even an earthquake could prevent Toronto from earning a rare interleague win in its last contest. There’s a good chance the Blue Jays can make it two straight with Brett Cecil on the mound. Cecil looks for a sixth consecutive victory when the Blue Jays continue their road series with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. John Buck homered twice while Aaron Hill added three doubles and the duo drove in all of Toronto’s runs in a 6-3 win at San Diego on Monday. The game was delayed briefly during the bottom of the eighth inning, when Petco Park swayed during a reported 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered about 85 miles east of San Diego. The earthquake was the only thing to shake Toronto, which bounced back from a weekend sweep at Colorado to improve to 2-5 both in interleague play and on a nine-game road trip. The Blue Jays are 9-16 against NL teams since the start of last season. Toronto appears to have a good chance to improve on that mark with Cecil taking the ball for the first time against the NL West-leading Padres.

Cecil, who began the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, has posted a 1.49 ERA while becoming the first Blue Jay left-hander since Gustavo Chacin to win five straight starts. He allowed one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-2 win at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Cecil, who doesn’t turn 24 until next month, has a 7.20 ERA and no record in two career interleague starts. The Blue Jays will try to give Cecil the same kind of support they gave Shaun Marcum on Monday, when they matched the combined run total from their three losses in Colorado. Buck’s 11 homers this season are three more than he hit with Kansas City in all of 2009. The catcher is 7 for 17 in his last five games. Hill, who has recorded four of his nine doubles in the last two games, is 7 for 21 in his last five games overall. Toronto will get its first look at San Diego starter Mat Latos as he tries to continue his stellar season.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The Los Angeles Angels were unable to carry any momentum from a record-setting road trip back to Anaheim, suffering their most lopsided defeat of the season. Making matters worse, they could be without their leadoff hitter for a while. With Erick Aybar’s status uncertain, the Angels try to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat Tuesday night when they continue a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. After capping a 14-game road trip with Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers for its 11th victory - the franchise’s most wins on a trip since 1962 - Los Angeles looked flat in Monday’s 12-2 loss to Milwaukee. Three of the Angels’ four hits came in a four-batter span in the second inning, and Los Angeles’ top five hitters in the order - Aybar, Maicer Izturis, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Hideki Matsui - went a combined 0 for 14 with two walks.

As ugly as the Angels’ offense looked, Aybar’s injury appeared even worse. Aybar was taken out by a sliding Casey McGehee on a force play at second base in the seventh inning. The Los Angeles shortstop was vulnerable to McGehee’s slide as he stretched off the base to receive a wide throw from fill-in first baseman Kevin Frandsen. The knee-on-knee collision left Aybar with a hyperextended left knee. He had to be helped off by trainer Ned Bergert and an assistant, and is listed as day-to-day. Aybar had been one of the Angels’ hottest hitters, batting .424 in his previous 14 games, and if he has to miss extended time, it could spell trouble for Los Angeles. In the 15 games Aybar’s played since May 30, the Angels are 11-1 when he gets at least one hit, but 0-3 when he doesn’t. While Los Angeles’ offense could suddenly be without an important piece, the Brewers are hoping to build on their best offensive performance in a month.

Baltimore Orioles vs San Francisco Giants Live Streaming

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10:15 pm EDT Tue Jun 15, 2010

The San Francisco Giants are playing well at home, and are facing the best possible opponent for that trend to continue - the Baltimore Orioles. The Giants look for a sixth straight victory at AT&T Park on Tuesday night when they try to hand baseball’s worst team a 10th straight road loss. San Francisco is riding its third four-game win streak of the year after cruising to a 10-2 victory Monday in the opener of this three-game set. Freddy Sanchez drove in four runs and Pat Burrell homered for the second time in four days. Burrell signed a minor league deal with San Francisco on May 29 and is batting .407 since he was promoted on June 4. The Giants’ last six-game home win streak was Aug. 23-28, 2007. San Francisco has also won seven straight interleague home games since a 4-3 loss to Los Angeles on June 17, 2009.Baltimore continues to head in the opposite direction, falling to 2-8 under interim manager Juan Samuel after his first road game. The Orioles are batting .204 during their nine-game road skid, the team’s longest since dropping 10 straight away from home Sept. 21-30, 2009.

Matt Wieters ended a 102 at-bat streak without a homer Monday, but Miguel Tejada had a single in four at-bats to extend his homerless drought to 166 at-bats - the second-longest such stretch of his career. Both teams are starting rookie right-handers Tuesday. Joe Martinez will make his season debut for San Francisco in place of Todd Wellemeyer, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with a strained right quadriceps muscle. Martinez was called up from Triple-A Fresno, where he went 5-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 11 starts. He appeared in nine games last season with five starts, going 3-2 with a 7.50 ERA, and was best remembered for being hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Mike Cameron the first week of the season. This is Martinez’s first interleague outing. It’s possible that fellow rookie Buster Posey, called up from Fresno on May 29, may get his first start behind the plate because he caught Martinez a number of times in the minors.The Orioles are hoping that Jake Arrieta will be a bright spot as they build for the future. His major league debut was a success last Thursday as he allowed three runs over six innings in a 4-3 home victory over the New York Yankees.

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