Sports World: 06/28/10

New York Mets vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

Monday, June 28, 2010

7:05 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

The Florida Marlins have told interim manager Edwin Rodriguez that he’ll remain with the team throughout a series in his native Puerto Rico. There are no guarantees, however, that he’ll remain the Marlins’ manager for each of the three games there. Looking to gain any edge in the competition for the team’s full-time job, the majors’ first Puerto Rican-born manager will try to impress during the series against the New York Mets that begins Monday night, but red-hot starter R.A. Dickey could spoil his homecoming. Rodriguez won his debut Wednesday in Baltimore after taking over for the fired Fredi Gonzalez, but the Marlins have dropped four straight since then. Reliever Brian Sanches gave up a two-run homer in the eighth inning to suffer Sunday’s 4-2 loss to San Diego. Florida hasn’t lost five consecutive games since May 10-15, 2009, and reaching that mark Monday could hurt Rodriguez’s seemingly faint chances of taking over the team full-time. Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine is reportedly the front-runner for the job, and former Marlins coach Bo Porter, currently with Arizona, is also being considered.

Leading his team past Dickey could help Rodriguez distinguish himself. Dickey, a knuckleballer, limited Detroit to four hits and two walks over eight innings in a 5-0 victory Wednesday, missing a chance at his second career shutout only because closer Francisco Rodriguez needed some work. According to the Mets’ official website, Dickey is the team’s first pitcher to go 6-0 in his first seven starts with the club. The right-hander now has a chance to become the first Mets pitcher to win seven consecutive outings since Steve Trachsel from June 9-July 14, 2006. Dickey gave up three runs over 6 1-3 innings in a 4-3 win over Florida on June 4. Another win Monday could give the Mets a shot at first place in the NL East as they moved within a half-game of Atlanta with Sunday’s 6-0 victory over Minnesota. That win - highlighted by home runs from David Wright, Ike Davis and Jeff Francoeur - helped New York to its sixth series victory in seven tries, a run that began with a three-game home sweep of Florida earlier this month.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

With two weeks left before the All-Star break, the Cleveland Indians are getting a head start on next season. Mired in last place in the AL Central with one of baseball’s worst records, the Indians look to end a four-game home losing streak when they face the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. The Indians are 13 1/2 games out of first place and appear committed to a youth movement after trading slugger Russell Branyan to Seattle for two minor leaguers Saturday. The deal clears the way for prized prospect Matt LaPorta to take over as the everyday first baseman. Cleveland called up catcher Carlos Santana, another top prospect, June 11 and the 24-year-old has hit .333 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games. Outfielder Michael Brantley, acquired two years ago in the CC Sabathia trade along with LaPorta, will also likely be promoted soon. Three years removed from coming within one win of the World Series, the Indians have the third-worst record in the majors and are on pace to lose 100 games for the first time since 1991.

Shin-Soo Choo homered twice to help the Indians end a seven-game skid with a 5-3 victory at Cincinnati on Sunday. Acta’s club won’t be unhappy to see interleague play end. The Indians lost 13 of 18 against the NL for the second consecutive season.Facing the Blue Jays, however, hasn’t been a pleasant experience either lately. Toronto swept a three-game series at Progressive Field in May, and has won six of the last seven meetings there. Struggling Jake Westbrook gets the start for Cleveland in the opener of this four-game set. The right-hander has gone 1-1 with a 6.38 ERA in his past four outings. He wasn’t sharp again at Philadelphia on Wednesday, yielding four runs and seven hits in five innings before leaving without a decision in a 7-6 loss. He was lifted after 3 2-3 innings against Toronto on May 4, allowing four runs, five hits and five walks in an 8-5 loss. Westbrook will face a Blue Jays team that is coming off an 11-2 loss to the Phillies on Sunday, the club’s fifth in seven games.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

After struggling for weeks, the high-powered Philadelphia Phillies are finally swinging the bat with confidence. They’ll now try to keep pace with the NL’s top offense. Coming off another lopsided victory, the Phillies look to continue their surge Monday night when they open a three-game series against the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. With an 11-2 victory over Toronto on Sunday, Philadelphia won for the eighth time in 11 games after losing 15 of its previous 21. The Phillies’ normally prolific offense was virtually nonexistent during that awful stretch, plating 51 runs while batting .218, but appears to be back on track, scoring 75 runs while hitting .274 in the last 11. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth are leading this charge. The All-Star first baseman is batting .349 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in the last 11 games, while Werth is batting .324 with three homers and eight RBIs. The two also battered Cincinnati pitching last year, as Howard had three home runs and five RBIs in seven games and Werth homered four times and drove in nine. The Phillies went 5-2 against the Reds in 2009, and have won 12 of 17 at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati, though, has been one of baseball’s biggest surprises this season. The Reds lead the league in runs and slugging percentage, and are one-half game ahead of St. Louis in the Central. This is the latest in a season that Cincinnati has been in first place since 1999. Staying atop the division, however, won’t be easy. Following this series, the Reds, whose five-game winning streak ended with Sunday’s 5-3 loss to Cleveland, open a season-high 11-game road trip that leads into the All-Star break. Cincinnati’s pitching should be in good shape for the opener, as Baker gives the ball to Johnny Cueto. The Reds are 9-2 with Cueto on the mound since April 30. Cueto, who has yielded two runs or fewer in six of his last nine outings, gave up three hits in seven innings in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Oakland.

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

The Chicago White Sox dominated the NL during an 11-game winning streak, but their record against their own division is far from impressive. Coming off the team’s first loss in two weeks, the White Sox will try to bounce back Monday night when they open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Chicago went on a tear through interleague play the last two weeks, pulling within 1 1/2 games of AL Central-leading Minnesota after trailing by 9 1/2 games on June 9. The White Sox won 15 of 16, including 11 straight against NL teams, before an 8-6 loss to the Cubs on Sunday left them with a 15-3 interleague record. The defeat snapped a stretch of 10 straight quality starts by Chicago pitchers. John Danks gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings, but said the team feels good heading into this week.

Playing better against the Central is a must. The White Sox are 12-15 against their own division, splitting six games versus the Royals. Chicago has given up four or more runs in four of those games. One of those starts was by Mark Buehrle, who was reached for six runs and eight hits in six innings of a 6-1 loss at Kansas City on May 14. The left-hander, however, has been superb lately and is looking to win his fourth straight start. He gave up two runs in six innings of a 4-2 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday, and has a 1.80 ERA during his three-start win streak. The White Sox have won six of his past seven outings after losing his previous six. Buehrle is 20-10 with a 3.64 ERA against the Royals, but has been roughed up for a 7.00 ERA in the last three meetings. Kansas City has won three of four following a five-game skid, beating St. Louis 10-3 on Sunday. Wilson Betemit hit a three-run homer, Jason Kendall added a pair of two-run doubles and Jose Guillen extended his career-best hitting streak to 21 games with a single in the third.

Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

7:10 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

As he attempts to rebound from his first loss, Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg might not have to face the man he could end up battling for NL Rookie of the Year honors. A potentially intriguing matchup with Atlanta Braves star Jason Heyward might not happen Monday night for Strasburg as he tries to add to what’s been a thrilling start to his major league career. In his latest effort Wednesday, Strasburg broke a 55-year-old major league record with 41 strikeouts in his first four starts, but he was on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat to visiting Kansas City. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed a season-high nine hits, but he also struck out nine in six innings and issued no walks for the third time.While Strasburg’s addition has not kept Washington out of the NL East basement, Atlanta is at the top thanks in part to Heyward. The 20-year-old right fielder leads all rookies with 45 RBIs and is second with 11 homers, but he’s been battling a sore thumb and will get an MRI on Monday. Heyward, hitting .181 in June after batting .337 in May, was used as a pinch hitter Saturday and sat out Sunday.

His decreased production has hurt the Braves, batting .232 over their last 10 games.
However, Atlanta is a major league-best 26-8 at home this season, winning 16 of 18 at Turner Field. The Braves had a seven-game home win streak snapped Sunday with a 10-4 loss to Detroit. Washington, meanwhile, has dropped 20 of 24 away from home and is coming off a road sweep to the majors’ worst team. The Nationals fell 4-3 in Baltimore on Sunday for their fourth straight loss overall. They have dropped 10 of 12, hitting .213 while getting held to 34 runs, and now they have to face Tim Hudson. The veteran right-hander has won his last seven decisions against them and is 8-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 14 all-time matchups with the Nationals franchise. Hudson gave up two runs and five hits over seven innings May 6 at Washington in a 3-2 defeat.

Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

8:10 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

The Minnesota Twins have been in control of the AL Central virtually the entire season, but that won’t be the case much longer if they can’t break out of their slump. Clinging to a one-half game lead over Detroit, the Twins open a key three-game series against the Tigers on Monday night at Target Field. Minnesota is likely glad interleague play is over after going 5-9 against NL opponents since June 12. That disappointing stretch cut four games off the Twins’ division lead over the Tigers. Most of Minnesota’s recent troubles have come away from home, as the team completed a 3-6 trip to Philadelphia, Milwaukee and New York. The Twins lost to the Mets 6-0 on Sunday, their fifth defeat in six games. The Twins, who haven’t been out of the top spot in the Central since they were 5-2 on April 11, hope a return home can reverse their luck. Minnesota swept a three-game series from the Tigers at Target Field from May 3-5, and has won six of its last seven home games against AL opponents.

The Tigers arrive in Minnesota after pounding out 17 hits in Sunday’s 10-4 win over Atlanta, their 10th victory in 15 games. Brennan Boesch led the way, homering and driving in three runs. The rookie left fielder is batting .365 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in his last 22 games. Although the Tigers seem to be heading into this series with some momentum, they’re also struggling on the road, winning just four of their last 14 away from Detroit, including two of six on the trip that ended Sunday. Bonderman is facing the Twins for the first time since an 8-3 loss on Oct. 1, when he hit Delmon Young on the right knee on the first pitch of the ninth inning in a game with significant playoff implications. The right-hander, pitching in a relief role, was immediately ejected and suspended for three games the following day. The Tigers, who could have clinched the division with a win in that game, eventually lost the Central five days later in a one-game playoff.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

8:05 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

The Chicago Cubs managed to close a tumultuous week with a much-needed victory. They will try to begin stringing wins together - and put an ugly incident behind them - when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates, losers of 17 straight on the road, Monday night. Chicago has dropped six of nine and is dealing with the indefinite suspension of pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who had to be separated from teammate Derrek Lee during a dugout meltdown Friday. The club is awaiting feedback from Major League Baseball to determine the length of his suspension, with general manager Jim Hendry saying he hopes to get a response “in the next day or so.” The Cubs managed to avoid a sweep by their crosstown rivals Sunday, beating the White Sox 8-6 to snap their 11-game winning streak. Three years ago, the Cubs turned things around and went on the win the NL Central after Zambrano fought in the dugout and clubhouse with former catcher Michael Barrett and manager Lou Piniella got ejected in back-to-back games against Atlanta.

Tyler Colvin hit a three-run home run and finished with three hits and four RBIs. It was only the second time in eight games that Chicago scored more than three runs. The Cubs should be in good position to put together a win streak, as the Pirates have not won on the road since May 25 and have dropped six straight overall. Chicago, though, has lost seven of nine to Pittsburgh this season, scoring 27 runs while hitting .227. The Cubs dropped two of three to the Pirates from May 14-16 in the only matchup at Wrigley Field in 2010. Pittsburgh moved within two defeats of matching the longest road losing streak in team history, set in 1985, by getting swept by Oakland over the weekend. The Pirates were outscored 22-6 in the three games and made four errors in a 3-2 loss Sunday. The Pirates have a 7.21 ERA in the last six games. They’ll look for a better effort from Paul Maholm, who is coming off the shortest start of his career. Maholm gave up seven runs - five earned - and four walks in one inning of a 13-3 loss to Texas on Wednesday.

Houston Astros vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

Strong pitching of late has the Milwaukee Brewers feeling confident despite a deficit to make up in the NL Central. The Brewers hope Manny Parra can continue the trend when he takes the mound Monday night in the opener of a three-game home series against the Houston Astros. Milwaukee finished interleague play 9-6, its first winning record against the AL since going 8-7 in 2007. After sweeping first-place Minnesota, the Brewers took two of three from Seattle, including a 3-0 victory Sunday. Chris Narveson continued the team’s recent strong pitching, scattering four hits over a career-best eight innings with seven strikeouts. Milwaukee has a 2.14 ERA during a 6-1 stretch, getting quality starts four times in that span. Weeks has also played a key role in the surge, batting .419 with three homers and 10 RBIs in his last eight games. The Brewers remain in third place in the Central, trailing first-place Cincinnati by 7 1/2 games and second-place St. Louis by seven. They can cut into that deficit when they visit St. Louis for a four-game set beginning Thursday.

Parra looks to continue his run of solid starts. The left-hander has pitched into the sixth inning in each of his last four outings and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any appearance. He gave up two runs, seven hits and struck out six in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-3 victory over the Twins on Wednesday. Parra is 4-3 with a 4.91 ERA in seven starts against the Astros and Carlos Lee is responsible for part of that damage, going 8 for 15 with a home run against the southpaw. Houston should be happy to be finished with interleague play after going 3-12. The Astros lost of three in Arlington against Texas over the weekend, getting outscored 17-3 in the final two games. Roy Oswalt gave up eight runs in 4 2-3 innings of Sunday’s 10-1 loss. Houston has lost seven of nine on the road, during which its starters have an 8.32 ERA while pitching five or fewer innings six times.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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8:15 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

The St. Louis Cardinals missed a chance to take over a share of first place in the NL Central. They should have a good shot at claiming the top spot with Chris Carpenter returning to the mound. Carpenter looks to win his sixth consecutive decision and stay perfect against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night at Busch Stadium. St. Louis lost for the third time in four games Sunday, managing four hits while getting routed 10-3 at Kansas City. The Cardinals remained a half-game behind Cincinnati in the division. Carpenter will try to vault the Cardinals past the Reds by moving to 6-0 in nine starts since his last loss May 13. St. Louis needed some of Carpenter’s best work to get a 1-0 win at Toronto on Wednesday. The right-hander limited the Blue Jays to three hits in eight innings, and Matt Holliday delivered an RBI single in the ninth.

Carpenter has gone 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA in 10 games versus the Diamondbacks, but 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two outings against them this season. Arizona’s Kelly Johnson is 6 for 12 with a home run and four walks against Carpenter, while Chris Young is 6 for 10 with a homer and two doubles. Justin Upton has gone 0 for 8 with seven strikeouts against the Cardinals ace. The Diamondbacks will counter with Dan Haren, who is in danger of losing three straight starts for the first time since his first three outings of 2009. The right-hander held the New York Yankees to three runs while striking out eight in seven innings Tuesday, but didn’t get a lot of help in a 9-3 loss. He provided most of the offense, driving in two runs and hitting two singles to lift his season average to .452. The Diamondbacks took two of three at Tampa over the weekend, but the lineup still isn’t clicking. Arizona totaled six runs in the series and got all its offense in a 2-1 win Sunday on Gerardo Parra’s homer in the fifth.

Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

After shutting down one opponent after another to start the year, Ubaldo Jimenez stumbled for the first time last week. A start against the light-hitting San Diego Padres at pitcher-friendly Petco Park should help him get back on track. Jimenez looks to bounce back from his worst outing of the season and continue his dominance over the Padres when he takes the ball for the Colorado Rockies in Monday night’s series opener. Seeking to become the first NL pitcher since 1912 to win 14 of his first 15 starts, Jimenez was staked to an early four-run lead against Boston on Wednesday. That seemed safe considering Jimenez hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a start all season, but he gave up six runs and 10 hits in a season-low 5 2-3 innings, causing his ERA to jump from 1.15. The right-hander had been sent home sick the night before, but didn’t want to blame it on his health.

Despite the subpar performance, Colorado still rallied to win 8-6. The Rockies are 14-1 with Jimenez on the mound compared to 25-35 in their other games. Colorado lost to the Los Angeles Angels 10-3 on Sunday, dropping six games back of NL West-leading San Diego. The Padres, winners in six of seven, have their largest division lead since winning the West in 2005, despite struggling offensively. San Diego has scored the third-fewest runs in the NL and has the league’s third-worst batting average. Not surprisingly, this punchless offense has had its problems against Jimenez. The Colorado ace has posted a 2.67 ERA in winning his last four starts against the Padres. In two outings against San Diego this year, Jimenez has yielded three runs while striking out 20 over 13 innings. Jimenez, 8-1 with a 0.80 ERA in nine starts away from Coors Field this season, struck out a career-best 13 in a 5-2 win at Petco Park on May 3. The Padres are returning to Petco after sweeping a three-game weekend series in Florida, capped by Sunday’s 4-2 win. Will Venable hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the eighth inning, his third tiebreaking homer since Wednesday and fourth home run in seven games.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Live Streaming

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10:15 pm EDT Mon Jun 28, 2010

Two weeks ago, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers were tied for second place in the NL West, just out of the top spot. The clubs are still in the mix for second, but they’re quickly falling out of the playoff race. The sputtering rivals look to break out of their funks when they open a three-game series Monday night in San Francisco. The race for the division crown was shaping up to be very interesting with San Diego holding a half-game lead over the Giants and Dodgers on June 14. The West was the only division in which the top three teams were separated by one game. That’s not the case anymore, however, as the Padres have the largest division lead in the NL. San Francisco has dropped six of nine to fall 4 1/2 games out of first, while Los Angeles has gone 4-11 in its last 15 and fallen five back. Los Angeles has had its share of disheartening losses over the last few weeks, but is coming off one of its toughest defeats. Playing the New York Yankees in manager Joe Torre’s first series against his former team, the Dodgers coughed up a four-run ninth-inning lead and lost 8-6 in 10 on Sunday.

Slumping Matt Kemp was given a rare day off Sunday. The center fielder has hit .182 with 21 strikeouts in his last 14 games, but is 16 for 35 against scheduled starter Barry Zito. The Giants, who lost two of three at Dodger Stadium from April 16-18, are coming off a 5-1 loss to Boston on Sunday. San Francisco opens a season-high 11-game road trip after this series, and knows it needs to string some wins together to get back in the division hunt. Bochy hopes Zito can set the tone. The left-hander gave up five runs in a season-low four innings of a 6-3 loss at Houston on Wednesday. He has allowed five runs in two of his last four starts after giving up that many once in his first 11 outings. Zito appears to have a good chance to bounce back at AT&T Park, where he is 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts. One of Zito’s best starts of the year came at Dodger Stadium on April 18, when he gave up one run and four hits in 7 1-3 innings of a 2-1 loss. He didn’t receive a decision.

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