Sports World: 06/23/10

Cincinnati Reds vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

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3:35 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Prior to this week, Cincinnati had not fared well in its rare interleague meetings with the Oakland Athletics. The 2010 Reds have started turning that around. After clinching their first interleague series win against the A’s, the Reds will try to complete the three-game sweep Wednesday in Oakland. Cincinnati swept Oakland to win the 1990 World Series but went 1-8 against the A’s in interleague play before winning the first two meetings this week. After totaling one run while being swept in Seattle over the weekend, the Reds offense has woken up against the A’s. One night after Cincinnati hit three home runs in the 10th inning to win 6-4, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce each had three hits in Tuesday’s 4-2 victory. Oakland, meanwhile, has lost nine of 11 - all against NL opponents.

Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, who had an RBI double Tuesday, is 3 for 10 with four RBIs in the series. The first baseman has reached base safely in 31 straight games. He’s batting .359 with nine RBIs in his last 10. After Bronson Arroyo allowed two runs in eight innings Tuesday, Johnny Cueto makes his first appearance against Oakland while coming off his first loss since April 24.The right-hander allowed a run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings, but was outpitched by Seattle’s Cliff Lee in a 1-0 loss Friday that snapped his personal six-decision winning streak. Cueto is 4-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 10 interleague starts. Oakland’s Coco Crisp, who has never faced Cueto, looks to build on Tuesday’s effort after hitting a two-run home run in his first game since coming off his second stint on the disabled list. Signed to a $5.25 million, one-year deal, Crisp is 3 for 10 with five RBIs in three games for the A’s this season.

Kansas City Royals vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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4:35 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg was outstanding again in his last start, although the outcome of the contest muted some of the excitement for him. After leaving without a decision in a loss, Strasburg makes his fourth career start as the Nationals look to complete a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Strasburg continued to dominate his last time out, pitching seven innings and striking out 10 in a 2-1, 11-inning defeat to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. The right-hander has struck out 32 over 19 1-3 innings, a record for a pitcher’s first three career starts. The rookie was not able to achieve that for the first time in his brief major league career. Washington scored 14 runs over his first two starts before giving him one run of support Friday.

Strasburg will be trying to follow up solid outings by Nationals starters in the first two games of this series. Livan Hernandez gave up one run in seven innings of a 2-1 win Monday and Luis Atilano allowed one run in 5 1-3 innings of a 4-3 victory Tuesday, putting Washington on the verge of a sweep. Closer Matt Capps had shaky outings in both, allowing the tying run to reach third base in the ninth Monday and giving up two ninth-inning runs Tuesday. The Royals have gone 3 for 21 with runners in scoring position in the series. Kansas City has dropped five straight. Brian Bannister, who admitted to being shaken during his second straight poor start, will try to halt the slide. After giving up 11 runs in three innings of an 11-5 loss to Cincinnati on June 12, the right-hander lasted four innings and allowed five runs in a 6-4 defeat to Atlanta on Friday.

Cleveland Indians vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Interleague play hasn’t always been favorable for Philadelphia Phillies this season, especially for their rotation. That wasn’t the case for Kyle Kendrick in his last start. Kendrick takes the ball seeking to follow up one of his best outings of the year as the Phillies continue a three-game series against the visiting Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. Philadelphia was 5-7 in interleague play entering this week, due in part to a 6.18 ERA from the starting rotation. However, on Tuesday, the Phillies received another excellent start by Jamie Moyer, who gave up one run and two hits in eight innings of a 2-1 series-opening win over the Indians. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth drove in runs in the first for Philadelphia, which handed Cleveland its third straight loss and seventh in eight games. Kendrick will try to keep the momentum going. The right-hander is coming off one of his finest starts of the season. He allowed one run and four hits in seven innings of a 7-1 road win over the New York Yankees on Thursday, improving to 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA in his last four starts.

Kendrick faced the Indians for the first and only time in 2007, giving up three runs in six innings of a 9-6 win. As he tries for an encore to Moyer’s solid start, Kendrick wouldn’t mind getting some additional offensive support. Philadelphia, which was held to four hits for a second straight game Tuesday, has scored three or fewer runs during four of Kendrick’s last five outings. Getting Jimmy Rollins on track would help. The shortstop, who had been sidelined by an injured right calf since May 21, came off the disabled list before Tuesday’s game and went 0 for 4 in the leadoff spot. Rollins has been on the DL twice this season due to calf problems that have limited him to 13 games. Rollins, who is 1 for 26 in his last seven interleague games, will try to bounce back against Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook, who he will face for the first time.

Florida Marlins vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

The Florida Marlins have been unable to put together a long winning streak in the past month, managing more than two straight victories once since mid-May. They will try again Wednesday night when they face Brian Matusz and the woeful Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Florida has won three of four and is in position for its first three-game winning streak since May 30-June 1 after beating the Orioles 10-4 on Tuesday. The Marlins recorded their highest-scoring game since a 14-9 victory over Tampa Bay on June 11. The challenge now for Florida is sustaining that momentum. Since an 8-2 stretch from May 10-19, the Marlins have gone 12-17. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who sat out Sunday with a tight hamstring, had three hits and three RBIs on Tuesday. It was his first three-hit game since May 19, improving his average in interleague play to .333 this season.

The Marlins will try to start doing so when they face Matusz for the first time. The left-hander is in the midst of an 11-game winless streak but has pitched very well in four starts this month, posting a 2.39 ERA and going 0-2 in that span. The Orioles gave him five runs of support in those outings. Matusz allowed one run in six innings of a 3-2 loss to San Diego on Friday as Baltimore fell to 3-11 in his starts. The 23-year-old, though, has been able to focus on the positives despite the lack of victories. Florida will counter with Ricky Nolasco, who lost his last two starts. The right-hander gave up four runs - two earned - in six innings of a 6-4 defeat to Texas on Thursday. He has gone 1-4 with a 7.20 ERA in his last six outings. Nolasco has pitched well in two starts versus the Orioles, going 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and lasting seven innings each time. He gave up two unearned runs in a 5-2 home victory over Baltimore on June 24.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Toronto Blue Jays Live Streaming

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7:07 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

After enduring one of the worst slumps of his career, Matt Holliday is suddenly in the midst of one of his best stretches. Holliday, who has nearly doubled his season’s home run total in the last five days, looks to extend his hitting tear and help the NL Central-leading Cardinals win for the sixth time in eight games Wednesday night when they continue their road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Heading into last Friday’s meeting with Oakland, Holliday had one home run in 22 games and had gone a career-worst 43 at-bats without an RBI. The three-time All-Star outfielder busted out of his slump by hitting a two-run homer in his first at-bat against his former team and hasn’t slowed down since. Holliday finished a triple short of the cycle in Tuesday’s 9-4 series-opening win over Toronto, and is 11 for 17 with five homers, two doubles and 10 RBIs in his last four games. He had six home runs in his first 64 contests of the season for the Cardinals .

Holliday, who has never homered in five consecutive games, is the only St. Louis player with any prior experience against scheduled Toronto starter Ricky Romero, going 1 for 3 with two strikeouts against him. The Cardinals, winners of five of seven, counter with Chris Carpenter, who will make his second career start against his former team. Carpenter was 49-50 in six years with Toronto from 1997-2002, never winning more than 12 games in a season. The right-hander signed as a free agent with St. Louis prior to the 2004 season after sitting out all of 2003 while recovering from right shoulder surgery, and has since emerged as one of the top pitchers in the game. The two-time All-Star and 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is 76-25 in his seven-plus years with the Cardinals, and is well on his way to his fifth 15-win season. Carpenter, last season’s NL Cy Young runner-up, is coming off a somewhat shaky outing. He allowed four runs - all in the second - and a season-high 10 hits in seven innings of Friday’s 6-4 win over the A’s.

San Diego Padres vs Tampa Bay Rays Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Three days ago, the Tampa Bay Rays were tied for the best record in baseball. Another loss could leave them with the third-best record in their division. The slumping Rays look to avoid losing for the ninth time in 12 games Wednesday night when they continue a three-game series against the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. Tampa Bay had a six-game lead in the AL East on May 23 and was tied with the New York Yankees for baseball’s best record entering play Sunday, but consecutive losses have knocked the Rays out of the top spot and into a second-place tie with Boston. Tampa Bay has dropped eight of 11, with an inconsistent offense the biggest reason. The Rays, who had six hits in Tuesday’s 2-1 series-opening loss to the Padres, have plated 10 runs in their last six losses compared to 19 in their last two victories.

The Rays appear to have a decent chance of getting their offense on track against San Diego scheduled starter Kevin Correia, who’ll be making his first appearance against Tampa Bay. Correia gave up five runs and nine hits in five innings of Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to Toronto, the third time in four starts he yielded at least five runs. The right-hander is 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA in his last eight outings, and has an 8.53 ERA in his last three road starts. Even amid those struggles, the Padres have won four of Correia’s last five starts. San Diego’s only runs Tuesday came in the third inning, when Chase Headley had an RBI infield single and Will Venable was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.Adrian Gonzalez continued his tear at the plate, doubling twice to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. The two-time All-Star first baseman is batting .443 with six homers, 11 doubles and 19 RBIs in his last 18 games.

Detroit Tigers vs New York Mets Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Angel Pagan’s playing time may be diminishing soon, but he’s making a strong case for remaining in the New York Mets’ lineup. The center fielder looks to continue his hot streak as the Mets try to win for the 12th time in 13 games at Citi Field on Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. New York announced Tuesday that Carlos Beltran will start a rehabilitation assignment at Class-A St. Lucie on Thursday, and the five-time All-Star could return from offseason knee surgery around the All-Star break. Beltran’s eventual return is expected to cut into Pagan’s playing time, but Pagan could make it a tough call for manager Jerry Manuel. He leads the Mets with a .304 average, and he’s hitting .386 with five doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs during a career high-tying 10-game hitting streak. New York is 8-2 in that stretch. Pagan was outstanding again Tuesday, tying a career high with four hits and adding four RBIs while coming a homer shy of the cycle in a 14-6 win over Detroit in the opener of this three-game set.

The Mets are second in the NL East, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta. R.A. Dickey, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on May 19, has been another major surprise for New York, and he’ll take the mound Wednesday looking to become the first starter to win his first six decisions with the club. The 35-year-old knuckleballer is also vying to become the first Met to win six starts in a row since Mike Pelfrey did it from June 16-July 13, 2008. An adjustment helped Dickey turn in another strong effort Thursday. He allowed three runs - two earned - while striking out seven in six innings of a 6-4 win at Cleveland. Dickey is 2-2 with a 4.69 ERA in 12 games - five starts - versus the Tigers. He lost his last appearance against them July 3, giving up four runs and nine hits in three innings of relief for Minnesota. The Tigers have dropped nine of 12 on the road, and the staff has a 6.36 ERA in that stretch.

San Francisco Giants vs Houston Astros Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Barry Zito has played a key part in San Francisco’s recent dominance of the Houston Astros. Trying to remain perfect against Houston this season, Zito looks to help the Giants win their 10th consecutive game against the Astros on Wednesday night. Zito makes his third start this season against the Astros, who have dropped five straight overall after a 3-1 loss to San Francisco on Tuesday night. The left-hander has allowed three runs and struck out nine in 13 innings to win both 2010 outings, improving to 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA in five career starts versus the Astros. Zito allowed three hits in six innings of a 3-0 win in his last start at Minute Maid Park on April 6. However, Zito took the loss in his most recent start when he gave up three runs and four hits in eight innings of a 3-2 defeat at Toronto on Friday. The Giants have outscored the Astros 53-20 during their nine-game winning streak in the series. San Francisco, 7-0 against Houston this season, will try for a seventh consecutive victory at Minute Maid Park.

Myers, a right-hander, will look to avoid a third straight defeat overall after giving up four runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 5-2 loss at Kansas City on Thursday. Bengie Molina, 4 for 10 against Myers, went 2 for 2 on Tuesday for the Giants. The veteran catcher is batting .342 in his last 10 games versus Houston. After a two-hit effort in the series opener, San Francisco’s Aubrey Huff is batting.410 over the last 11 games. Michael Bourn went 2 for 4 with an RBI on Tuesday for the Astros, who have lost nine of 10. Despite a solid effort in the series opener, Bourn is 5 for 42 with 15 strikeouts in his last 11 games. Catcher Jason Castro, the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft who’s regarded as the top prospect in Houston’s system, went 1 for 4 in his major league debut Tuesday.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Texas Rangers Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Josh Hamilton is on a tear and the Texas Rangers are in position for their longest winning streak in more than 19 years. The lowly Pittsburgh Pirates don’t seem to be a likely candidate to stop their run. Hamilton looks to extend the majors’ longest hitting streak and lead the Rangers to a 10th consecutive victory Wednesday night against the Pirates. Hamilton has put together a career-high 17-game hitting streak to power Texas to nine straight victories. Another win would give the Rangers their longest streak since a team-record 14-game run from May 12-27, 1991. The All-Star left fielder got Texas closer to that mark with a double and a solo homer in a 6-3 win over the Pirates to open this three-game series Tuesday. Hamilton is hitting .485 with eight homers and 24 RBIs during his streak, and he might be in ideal position to extend it against Pittsburgh, which has dropped 13 of 15 and has one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball with a 5.18 ERA.

The Rangers have won eight of 10 all-time meetings with the Pirates, and are 16-4 since concluding last month with a four-game slide. The surge has provided Texas with a solid cushion atop the AL West, while Hamilton is among league leaders in the triple crown categories with a .339 average, 17 homers and 53 RBIs. While Hamilton has been a major offensive force, the Rangers are also getting production from Borbon. He’s batting .429 over his last 18 games, lifting his season average from .233 to .294. Texas is scheduled to give Dustin Nippert another turn in the rotation due to injuries to Derek Holland and Rich Harden. Nippert had appeared 22 times out of the bullpen before lasting only three innings in Thursday’s 6-4 win at Florida, allowing three runs and seven hits. The right-hander hasn’t pitched more than three innings since going 5 2-3 in his previous start Sept. 14, a 4-0 loss to Oakland. Nippert has a 3.86 ERA in three games - one start - against Pittsburgh. The Pirates own the worst record in the NL and have dropped eight of 10 during interleague play.

Atlanta Braves vs Chicago White Sox Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

An offensive outburst helped the surging Chicago White Sox move above .500 for the first time since opening day. If Mark Buehrle’s success in interleague play is any indication, they might not need another such performance at the plate to maintain a winning record in their next game. Buehrle looks to continue his mastery of the NL as the White Sox go for their eighth straight win - and 12th in 13 games - Wednesday night against the NL-best Atlanta Braves at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago matched a season high with 16 hits in a 9-6 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night. Carlos Quentin hit a three-run home run and A.J. Pierzynski added three hits with two RBIs as the White Sox claimed a winning record for the first time since beating Cleveland in their season opener. The strong day at the plate put the White Sox in position to win eight in a row for the first time since May 14-22, 2008.

Guillen has to like his team’s chances of keeping its streak alive with Buehrle taking the mound against an NL opponent. The veteran left-hander is 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 15 interleague starts since the start of the 2007 season, including 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA this season. Buehrle didn’t allow a run in either of his first two starts against the NL in 2010, then gave up two over 7 1-3 innings of a 5-4 win at Pittsburgh on Thursday. With him leading the way, Chicago is a major league-best 11-2 in interleague play. Buehrle made his lone start against Atlanta in 2004, giving up three runs in eight innings of a 10-3 victory. The Braves had a five-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday’s defeat, and while Wednesday’s starter Tim Hudson has had a very strong season, his record in interleague play is not encouraging. Since joining Atlanta before the 2005 season, Hudson is 2-12 with a 6.34 ERA against the AL, including 0-7 with a 7.12 ERA in eight road starts.

Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha knows there is a lot of time left in the season. For his team to be playing meaningful games at the end of it, however, it may have to go on a run over the next few weeks. Looking to take advantage of a home-heavy portion of schedule, the Brewers try to win three straight for the first time this month when they host the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. Milwaukee, nine games back of NL Central-leading St. Louis and 10 off the pace in the wild-card race, defeated Minnesota 7-5 on Tuesday night. That began a stretch of 16 of 20 at home for the Brewers. To have a realistic chance of making the playoffs, Milwaukee may have to make up some ground during that period. The Brewers are looking for their first three-game winning streak since May 27-29. They last took a series versus the Twins from June 15-17, 2007, and have since dropped five sets against them. Milwaukee got off to a good start toward ending that drought Tuesday thanks to Casey McGehee’s three-run homer, which tied the score in the fourth inning. Milwaukee hopes it’s a sign of things to come from McGehee, who hit .177 with two home runs and six RBIs in his previous 20 games.

The Brewers beat the AL Central-leading Twins for the fifth time in 17 meetings, overcoming another big game from Justin Morneau, who has routinely crushed Milwaukee pitching. The first baseman doubled and had a two-run single, and has batted .463 with seven doubles and 15 RBIs in his last 10 games against the Brewers. Francisco Liriano has also been tough on Milwaukee, posting a 2.00 ERA in winning his three career starts against them. Liriano had an up-and-down performance in a 5-1 loss to Colorado on Thursday. Squaring off against Ubaldo Jimenez, Liriano gave up three runs and four hits while hitting two batters in the first inning. He settled down and limited the Rockies to one hit without a run over the next six. Milwaukee counters with Manny Parra, who allowed two runs in six innings of a 2-0 defeat to Colorado on Friday. The left-hander has pitched well in three starts this month, posting a 3.63 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 17 1-3 innings, but received three total runs of support in going 0-2 in those games.

Boston Red Sox vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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8:40 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

In what’s starting to look like a season for the ages, Ubaldo Jimenez is about to face what should be his biggest test. Jimenez’s fellow Colorado Rockies pitchers passed that test with flying colors in their series opener against the Boston Red Sox. Jimenez seeks to help the Rockies shut down Boston for the second straight night and become the quickest pitcher to 14 wins in 14 years when the clubs continue their interleague series Wednesday night in Denver. No opponent has been able to master Jimenez, who has yielded three runs or fewer in all of his starts, and two or fewer in all but one. The right-hander lowered his ERA by a single point while winning his seventh straight start Thursday, yielding one run over eight innings of a 5-1 victory at Minnesota. He joined Roger Clemens, who went 13-0 en route to a 14-0 start for Boston in 1986, as the only pitchers since 1932 to win 13 times in their first 14 starts. If he wins again Wednesday, Jimenez will earn his 14th win on the earliest date of a season since John Smoltz won his 14th on June 19, 1996.

Even if he doesn’t look at stats, Jimenez is surely aware Boston boasts an imposing lineup. The Red Sox have scored a major league-high 391 runs and averaged 5.7 runs while winning 22 of 31. Those numbers didn’t intimidate the Rockies on Tuesday. Rookie Jhoulys Chacin pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning to outduel Boston left-hander Jon Lester, and the Red Sox failed to score until the ninth of a 2-1 defeat which snapped their season-high six-game winning streak. It was also the first meeting between the Red Sox and Rockies since Boston swept the 2007 World Series, capped by a pair of wins at Coors Field. Boston will oppose Jimenez with a starter riding a winning streak of his own. John Lackey is 4-0 with a 3.62 ERA over his last five starts. Despite the record, the former Los Angeles Angel has been far from spectacular in his first season with Boston - he’s yet to last longer than seven innings and opponents are batting .293 off him.

New York Yankees vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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9:40 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

After a rough start to his second stint in New York, the Yankees should be thrilled with Javier Vazquez’s performance over the last month. The right-hander looks for another strong outing against one of his former teams Wednesday night as the Yankees try for a second straight victory to conclude their road set with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Back with the Yankees after spending 2004 in the Bronx, Vazquez went 1-4 with an 8.10 ERA in his first six starts. However, since the team skipped his turn in the rotation last month, Vazquez is 4-2 with a 2.72 ERA. Vazquez limited the New York Mets to one run and three hits in seven innings Saturday, but had his personal three-game winning snapped as he got charged with a 4-0 loss.

Vazquez, who went 11-15 with a 4.42 ERA for the Diamondbacks in 2005 after the Yankees dealt him in the Randy Johnson trade, had a 2.03 ERA without a decision in two starts versus Arizona last season with Atlanta. He’s 5-3 with a 3.74 ERA against his former club. After falling 10-4 in Monday’s opener to Arizona, the AL East-leading Yankees won 9-3 on Tuesday. Alex Rodriguez went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer and Derek Jeter added two hits as New York won for the third time in four games. Mired in a 6 for 46 slump entering Tuesday’s game as he worked his way back from hip flexor tendinitis, Rodriguez has four RBIs in this series. Jeter has five hits in his last four games after going 0 for 11 in his previous three. The current left side of the Yankees’ infield is a combined 1 for 6 against Arizona’s scheduled starter Dontrelle Willis.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

Howie Kendrick has already helped secure Freeway Series bragging rights for the Los Angeles Angels. Closing the gap in the AL West race is the bigger priority. The hot-hitting second baseman looks to lead the Angels to a fifth consecutive win over the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle game of this series Wednesday night in Anaheim. Kendrick is hitting .419 with three homers, five doubles and 10 RBIs during a 7-3 stretch for the Angels. He has lifted his season average from .255 to .280 with that surge, which has been spurred by his success versus the Dodgers. Kendrick has a .404 average with one homer and eight RBIs in 12 meetings with the crosstown rivals. He’s 10 for 18 with one homer and five RBIs in four matchups this season, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium earlier this month.

Kendrick came up big versus the Dodgers again Tuesday, as his third hit drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh, helping the Angels win 6-3 and clinch this season’s Freeway Series with two games remaining. Kendrick has batted leadoff in each of the last five games with Erick Aybar sidelined, and his play is also softening the blow caused by the absences of Maicer Izturis and Kendry Morales. Tuesday’s victory opened what could be a key 12-game homestand for the Angels, who are hoping to trim the 3 1/2-game gap on division-leading Texas, the hottest team in baseball with nine wins in a row. Sending Joel Pineiro to the mound could help. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers after throwing a five-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 10-1 victory June 11.

Chicago Cubs vs Seattle Mariners Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 23, 2010

With the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs in the midst of disappointing seasons, several big-name players from both clubs have been the subject of trade rumors. One of those is Cliff Lee, among the best - and most coveted - pitchers in baseball, who looks to help the Mariners win their sixth straight when they take on the visiting Cubs on Wednesday night. The Mariners are finally starting to play up to expectations, yielding two runs during an impressive season-best five-game winning streak. Seattle, though, is 13 games behind AL West-leading Texas, and could decide to trade Lee if it can’t get into the race. Lee has been one of the few bright spots for the Mariners, striking out 67 and walking four in 77 2-3 innings. The ace left-hander is coming off his best outing of the year, pitching a six-hitter and striking out seven in a 1-0 win over Cincinnati on Friday.

Lee made two starts against the Cubs last season, going 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA. While Lee is perhaps the biggest name that could be available, Chicago first baseman Derrek Lee, left-hander Ted Lilly and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome have also been mentioned as possible trade targets. The three have played important roles for the Cubs in the past few seasons, but with club eight games out of first in the NL Central, their future in Chicago is uncertain. The Cubs are on the verge of dropping nine games below .500 for the first time since they were 22-31 on June 2, 2007. Inconsistent offense has been the biggest reason for their struggles, as the club sandwiched two shutout losses around a 12-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Chicago fell 2-0 in the opener of this series Tuesday. The Cubs, who only had three players get hits, will try to deliver some runs for Randy Wells as the right-hander faces Seattle for the first time.

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