Sports World: 07/02/10

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

Friday, July 2, 2010

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1:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

It’s difficult to say who’s having more trouble at the moment: A.J. Burnett or his former team. The Toronto Blue Jays have lost five straight games and Burnett has lost five straight starts, so one of those streaks will end as Burnett’s New York Yankees begin a three-game set against the visiting Blue Jays on Friday night. Burnett, who won 38 games for Toronto from 2006-08, went 13-9 in his first season with the Yankees in 2009 and got off to a 6-2 start with a 3.28 ERA this year. The sudden deterioration in the right-hander’s performance, however, has been stunning. Burnett has posted an 11.35 ERA during his longest losing streak since dropping his final six decisions for Florida in 2005. He gave up six runs and six hits with six walks in three-plus innings of a 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

Burnett, who has also been dealing with the recent death of his grandfather, gave up six runs - three homers - in six innings of a 6-1 loss at Toronto on June 4. Since joining the Yankees, he is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts against the Blue Jays.Toronto’s bats, however, have gone all but silent as the team has matched its longest slide of the season. With a 9-18 record since the beginning of June, the fourth-place Blue Jays have slipped nine games behind the AL East-leading Yankees. Jose Bautista is batting .154 with two home runs and five RBIs in 23 games since hitting two homers off Burnett last month. Adam Lind continues to slump with one home run and a .157 average in his last 25 games. The Blue Jays were held without a home run while getting swept in a four-game set at Cleveland this week. That drought is the longest of the season for the team that leads the majors with 115 homers.

Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

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2:20 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The Cincinnati Reds opened their series at Wrigley Field with another win in their final at-bat. The Chicago Cubs would settle for runs at any point they can get them. Cincinnati tries for a ninth win in 11 games Friday afternoon on Chicago’s North Side, where the Cubs’ lack of offense could leave them buried in the NL Central race by the time the first-place Reds leave town. Cincinnati closed a six-game homestand with a victory in its last at-bat, getting Jay Bruce’s eighth-inning, two-run shot to defeat Philadelphia 4-3 on Wednesday. The Reds did it again Thursday, though this time they needed 10 innings. After blowing a 2-0 lead in the eighth, Drew Stubbs’ RBI groundout in the 10th lifted Cincinnati to a 3-2 victory, giving it a ninth consecutive extra-inning road win dating to June 2009. No NL team has done that since Atlanta in 1999-2000. Dusty Baker’s club is a season-high 10 games above .500.

The Cubs could find themselves 13 1/2 games behind Cincinnati by Sunday afternoon if they don’t start to play better quickly. Chicago has dropped seven of 10 despite a 3.26 ERA. The club is hitting .215 in that stretch and .179 with runners in scoring position. They’ll try to get going against Bronson Arroyo, but that won’t be easy. Arroyo has gone 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in his last six outings at Wrigley, and 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his past three starts overall versus Chicago. Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee are hitting a combined .218 against Arroyo. If there’s a way to get to the right-hander, it might be via the home run. Arroyo has given up four homers in his last four starts, two by Cleveland’s Shin-Soo Choo over five innings of the Reds’ 5-3 loss Sunday.

New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

If the New York Mets want to remain in contention for an NL East title, they are going to have to start beating teams at the bottom of the division like the Washington Nationals. The Mets hope Jonathon Niese can continue his success on the mound as they try to bounce back from another loss to the host Nationals on Friday night. Though New York is two games behind division leader Atlanta, the Mets have struggled against the East’s weaker teams, going 8-14 against Washington and Florida. They fell to 3-6 against Washington after a 2-1 loss Thursday. The Mets have lost five of six on the road and five of eight overall. Another solid start from Niese could help New York avoiding losing for the eighth time in nine games at Washington. Trying for a fifth straight win, the left-hander is 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts since returning from the disabled list for a strained right hamstring. Niese, though, struggled in his only career start against the Nationals— giving up six runs and walking five over 4 1-3 innings—but he did not factor in the decision of an 8-6 win May 11.

Niese is going to have to find a way to win without leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, who will miss his third consecutive game because of tightness in his lower back. In his last 20 games, the shortstop is batting .372 and hit five of his six home runs in that span. Ryan Zimmerman’s game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth Thursday helped the Nationals win for the second time in three games. Though Zimmerman has an RBI in each of his last three games against the Mets, he is batting .161 against them this season. Nationals rookie Luis Atilano makes his third start against the Mets in this contest. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 5.99 ERA versus New York, but allowed seven runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings of a 10-7 home loss May 20.

Oakland Athletics vs Cleveland Indians Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

A week ago, the Cleveland Indians were struggling to win one game. Now, they don’t lose. The Indians look to extend their season-high winning streak to six in the opener of a home series with the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. Cleveland snapped a season-high seven-game skid with a victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, concluding a 2-7 road trip. The Indians built on the win by returning home and sweeping four games from Toronto. Trying to win six straight for the first time since a seven-game run Sept. 15-22, 2008, Cleveland looks to continue its recent run of home success against Oakland. The Indians have won six of seven over the A’s at Progressive Field. Cleveland’s Matt LaPorta homered for the third consecutive game Thursday, hitting a three-run shot in a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays. The rookie first baseman has five RBIs in as many games since returning to the majors after a three-week stint at Triple-A Columbus. He batted .218 with one home run and seven RBIs in 35 games before being sent to the minors.

LaPorta, however, is 5 for 25 with nine strikeouts against the A’s. Cleveland has allowed eight runs during the winning streak. Mitch Talbot began that run of pitching dominance and looks for a second straight victory in his first appearance against Oakland. Talbot allowed a run and three hits in seven innings of the 5-3 win over the Reds on Sunday. Though the right-hander is among the major league leaders in wins by a rookie, he is 3-3 with a 5.64 ERA at home compared to 5-3 with a 2.39 ERA on the road. Oakland counters with Gio Gonzalez, who has gone 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts against the Indians. The left-hander allowed five hits in seven innings of an 11-0 win over Cleveland on April 25. Though Gonzalez lost his last two decisions, he posted a 0.69 ERA in going 0-0 in his two most recent starts. He allowed a run in six innings of a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The Philadelphia Phillies’ injury situation has gone from bad to worse. That’s not ideal for a team four games out of first place in the NL East. The banged-up Phillies look to avoid a third consecutive defeat Friday night when they continue a four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Philadelphia lost Thursday’s opener at PNC Park 3-2 after learning Chase Utley probably won’t return until September because of a damaged ligament in his right thumb. Utley is one of seven Phillies on the disabled list—and that doesn’t include backup catcher Brian Schneider, who left Thursday with a hyperextended left thumb. Schneider, taking the spot of the injured Carlos Ruiz, is hitting .313 with two homers and four RBIs in his last six games. He may not know until Friday if he will be sidelined. Utley’s replacement Wilson Valdez had another strong game Thursday, homering for the second time in three days, but the heart of Philadelphia’s lineup must step up to have any chance of catching division-leading Atlanta.

Jimmy Rollins is 2 for 17 in his last four games, Ryan Howard doesn’t have an RBI in the last five and Jayson Werth has gone seven straight contests without driving in a run. Rollins hopes to get back on track against scheduled starter Ross Ohlendorf, against whom he’s 3 for 5 with two homers and a double. Ohlendorf, winless in 16 starts since beating Milwaukee on Aug. 18, didn’t get a decision after he gave up two unearned runs and two hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss to Oakland on Sunday. Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t done much to help Ohlendorf, backing the right-hander with 2.37 runs per game. Despite plating 10 runs in five games, the Pirates are 3-2. They’re trying to win three in a row for the first time since May 4-6. Philadelphia hasn’t lost three straight since June 10-12, and seems to have a good opportunity of bouncing back behind Jamie Moyer. Since being tagged for nine runs in a loss in Boston on June 11, Moyer has posted a 1.96 ERA in winning his last three starts. Against Toronto on Sunday, the 47-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and six hits while striking out seven in seven innings of an 11-2 victory.

Seattle Mariners vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The Detroit Tigers are concerned about their struggles on the road, but for the near future all that’s on the agenda is continuing to win at Comerica Park. The Tigers return from another unsuccessful trip to finish the first half with nine straight games in Detroit, and they’ll be seeking an 11th victory in 12 home games Friday night when they host the Seattle Mariners. The Tigers have to be thrilled to be back at Comerica, where they’re 25-11 and will play 26 of their next 37 games. That’s especially true considering the alternative. Detroit completed a 3-6 road trip Wednesday with a 5-1 loss at Minnesota, dropping to 16-25 away from home. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 67-36 in winning 10 of their last 11 at home, and they’ll have to feel good about staying hot there with Max Scherzer on the mound.

The hard-throwing right-hander was sent to Triple-A Toledo with a 7.29 ERA in mid-May, but he seems to have corrected some issues upon his return. He’s 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA in his last four starts after holding Atlanta to three hits over 5 2-3 scoreless innings Saturday, leaving without a decision in Detroit’s 4-3 loss. Scherzer’s lone start against Seattle came April 18 at Safeco Field, where he allowed two runs over six innings in a 4-2 victory. That is the Tigers’ lone victory in five games against the Mariners. That game took place in the afternoon, and that’s when Scherzer has shined this season. He’s 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA in seven starts during the day, as opposed to 1-3 with an 8.03 ERA in seven outings under the lights. That’s one reason the Mariners will be pleased that the series opener is a night game, and their ugly afternoon record is another. Seattle dropped to a major league-worst 8-19 during the day with Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees, missing out on a chance to sweep the World Series champions.

Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

It’s been nearly a year since Tim Wakefield recorded a win in Boston, but Friday night he’ll have extra motivation as he seeks to snap his winless streak there. Wakefield will set a club record for most starts at Fenway Park when he takes the mound for the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series against the AL-worst Baltimore Orioles. The 43-year-old knuckleballer will be making his 201st career start at Fenway on Friday, passing Roger Clemens for the all-time record. Setting the record would likely mean more to Wakefield if he can get his first win at home since July 8 against Oakland. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 6.32 ERA in nine starts and two relief appearances in Boston since that victory. The Red Sox are 2-5 in his starts at Fenway this year, and he leads the team in total losses. Francona will turn to Wakefield after the Red Sox had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 9-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Reliever Manny Delcarmen faced five batters in the eighth and all of them scored.

Francona said the reliever is dealing with a sore elbow, adding to concerns about a bullpen that has given up 25 runs and 33 hits over its last 20 2-3 innings pitched. Despite those struggles, Boston is 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Wakefield will try to help the Red Sox make up some ground after allowing four runs and 11 hits in seven innings of a 5-4 loss at San Francisco on Friday. Wakefield has no record and a 7.00 ERA in two games - one start - against the Orioles this season, allowing three homers over nine innings. He’ll face a Baltimore team, however, that dropped two of three to Oakland after winning its previous four. The Orioles lost 8-1 Thursday, giving up 15 hits while committing two errors. The loss came hours after team president Andy MacPhail confirmed he interviewed former Indians manager Eric Wedge and Orioles broadcaster and former player Rick Dempsey for the club’s manager position. MacPhail would not say whether interim manager Juan Samuel, who took over for the fired Dave Trembley on June 4, would finish out the season.

Florida Marlins vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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7:35 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

Josh Johnson gave up two runs in eight innings in his most recent outing, a line almost any starter in the majors would be happy to replicate. For Johnson, it was his worst outing in nearly two months. Florida’s red-hot right-hander can take over sole possession of the major league lead in ERA as he leads the visiting Marlins against the first-place Atlanta Braves on Friday night. While Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez has 14 wins and a no-hitter to gain the inside track for the NL Cy Young Award, Johnson has equaled Jimenez’s ERA after allowing six earned runs in his last nine starts. The 6-foot-7 Johnson had worked at least six innings while allowing no more than one run in eight consecutive outings before Saturday, when San Diego ended the longest such streak since Bob Gibson in 1968 by notching two runs and five hits off Johnson to hand him a 2-1 defeat. Johnson, whose 23-8 record since the start of last year is the majors’ third-best, was hard on himself despite another standout performance.

Still, opponents have managed a .545 on-base plus slugging percentage against Johnson, the lowest of any pitcher in the majors. Although the Braves haven’t seen him this year, Johnson has excelled against Atlanta in the past, going 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 12 appearances - 11 starts. The Braves have taken two of three from Detroit and Washington to begin their homestand, remaining atop the NL East and improving to a major league-best 33-15 since May 10. They beat the Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday behind a strong pitching performance from Jair Jurrjens, who returned from the disabled to pick up his first victory. Kris Medlen has been posting quality performances consistently as the Braves have won eight of his nine starts. The right-hander is 4-0 with a 3.40 ERA as a starter. He worked 6 2-3 innings in a 3-1 win over the Tigers last Friday, beating out Kenshin Kawakami to remain in the rotation following Jurrjens’ return.

Chicago White Sox vs Texas Rangers Live Streaming

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8:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

It’s been nearly a month since the Texas Rangers have had to bounce back from a series loss, but they’ll have a good chance to pad their lead in the AL West over the next two weeks. Owners of the best home record in the AL, the Rangers begin a 10-game homestand Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Texas dropped two of three to the second-place Los Angeles Angels this week, seeing its division lead cut to 3 1/2 games - still the largest in the AL. The Rangers had four hits in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat, going 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and leaving the bases loaded in the seventh. They averaged 6.8 runs and hit .310 while winning 17 of their previous 20. The series loss was Texas’ first since being swept by Minnesota from May 28-30. After that, the Rangers won two of three against Chicago for the start of eight straight series victories. Josh Hamilton went 0 for 3 and was intentionally walked to end a career-high 23-game hitting streak Thursday. The last time he was held without a hit was an 0-for-4 performance June 3 against the White Sox.

Hamilton and the Rangers will try to hand Freddy Garcia his first loss in more than a month as they start a homestand that leads into the All-Star break. Texas is an AL-best 28-12 at home. The White Sox, however, have won Garcia’s last six starts, during which the right-hander has a 3.54 ERA. He gave up two runs in seven innings of a 3-2 win over the Cubs on Saturday, but did not factor in the decision. Garcia gave up three runs in seven innings of a 4-2 win against Texas on June 3 to win his third straight decision against the Rangers. Hamilton is 1 for 7 against Garcia. Garcia will try to get the White Sox back on track after they lost for the third time in four games following an 11-game winning streak. They fell 7-6 to the Royals on Wednesday. Chicago is 2-4 against the Rangers this season, losing two of three in Arlington from April 27-29.

San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

San Francisco has the right man on the mound to help snap its longest losing stretch of the season. Ace Tim Lincecum looks to bounce back from his shortest outing of the season as the Giants try to avoid a seventh consecutive loss Friday night against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. After dropping five straight to conclude a 1-5 homestand, San Francisco opened its season-high 11-game trip with a 7-3 defeat at Colorado on Thursday. The Giants are 8-18 against NL West opponents. The Giants hope Lincecum can help prevent the club from losing seven in a row for the first time since an eight-game skid June 13-22, 2007. The Giants are 8-2 in games Lincecum pitches following a loss. However, the right-hander gave up four runs, five hits and walked three in three innings of a 5-1 loss to Boston on Sunday.

Lincecum is 5-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 12 starts versus Colorado, but allowed four runs and walked five in 5 2-3 innings of a 4-0 loss May 31. He’ll face a Colorado team that has won three of four. Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and Dexter Fowler added three hits Thursday for the Rockies. Gonzalez, who matched a career high with his 13th home run, has homered three times in his last four games. However, he’s 2 for 10 against Lincecum. Colorado rookie Jhoulys Chacin takes the mound looking for another strong outing against the Giants. Though Chacin has lost five of six starts, one of his better efforts came May 2, when he allowed one hit and struck out seven in seven scoreless innings of a 4-1 victory at San Francisco. The right-hander allowed five runs - two earned - and struck out a season-high 12 in six innings of a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. He is 1-2 with a 2.04 ERA since June 16. San Francisco’s rookie catcher Buster Posey has not faced Chacin, but he is 5 for 14 this season against Colorado. Posey hit his second homer Thursday and should continue to see more playing time after the Giants traded veteran catcher Bengie Molina to Texas for reliever Chris Ray earlier in the day.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The Tampa Bay Rays hope an extra-inning win against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins means they are finally putting a dismal June behind them. With David Price going to the mound, they have to feel good about their chances of continuing to build on that trend. Price will try for his AL-leading 12th win as he and the Rays continue a four-game series against the Twins on Friday. Tampa Bay went 11-14 in June, but closed the month with a 9-4 win over division rival Boston on Wednesday and then opened July with a 5-4, 10-inning victory over Minnesota on Thursday for back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-game winning streak June 6-9. After Evan Longoria hit a run-scoring double in the ninth to plate Carl Crawford with the tying run, Willie Aybar drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th. Crawford has two four-hit games in his last three starts, healthy again after being held out of the lineup last week for three straight games because of a sore left shoulder.

With the victory, the Rays remained two games behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees and moved within one-half game of Boston for second. Price will try to continue the club’s improved play as he goes for his fifth win in six starts. The left-hander posted a 2.18 ERA in June while going 4-1. He gave up two runs and struck out a season-high 11 over eight innings of a 5-3 win over Arizona on Saturday. Price has made one start and one relief appearance against the Twins. Last season, he gave up one run and struck out 11 in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 win. Minnesota, which dropped to 25-15 in its inaugural season at Target Field, leads Detroit by one game in the AL Central. The Twins now hope Scott Baker can end his recent funk as he takes the ball. The right-hander will try to avoid a third straight loss after allowing season highs of six runs and 11 hits - including three home runs - in 4 1-3 innings of a 6-0 loss to the Mets on Sunday. He has dropped three of four.

Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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8:15 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The power-hitting first basemen for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers are heating up, but only one club is benefiting. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals try to avoid losing their third in a row Friday night when they face Prince Fielder and the surging Brewers in St. Louis. St. Louis has dropped five of eight and is in danger of falling 2 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central for the first time since June 9 of last season. The offense has been the biggest reason for the Cardinals’ struggles, totaling eight runs in the last five defeats. With a 4-1 loss to Milwaukee in Thursday’s series opener, St. Louis was held to one or no runs for the 18th time. It only had 20 such games in all of 2009. While the rest of the offense is in a bit of a funk, Pujols is rolling. The three-time league MVP hit his NL-leading 19th homer in the opener and has four home runs in his last five games. Pujols’ homers don’t always lead to Cardinals victories, though, as the team has lost three of the last five games he hits one out.

Milwaukee is faring much better when Fielder homers. Fielder hit his 18th home run Thursday, giving him five in his last eight games. The Brewers, winners of eight of 11 overall, are 6-2 in the last eight games in which Fielder homers.Casey McGehee and George Kottaras also homered Thursday for the Brewers, who lead the NL with 99. Milwaukee tries to continue its turnaround against scheduled starter Jaime Garcia, who is hoping to bounce back from the worst start of his brief career. Garcia entered Sunday’s game in Kansas City with the majors’ second-best ERA, but lasted a season-low two innings while being knocked around for five runs, four hits and two walks in a 10-3 loss. His ERA jumped nearly half a run from 1.79, but pitching coach Dave Duncan isn’t concerned.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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9:40 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

The Arizona Diamondbacks hired A.J. Hinch to be their manager despite his lack of experience. Now that Hinch’s tenure is over, it’s safe to say the team didn’t get the desired results. After firing Hinch and general manager Josh Byrnes, the Diamondbacks will take the field for interim manager Kirk Gibson as they host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Hinch, a surprise hire because he hadn’t managed at any level, had an 89-123 record in a little less than 14 months at the helm. He has two years remaining on his contract after this season while Byrnes - once considered a rising star among young baseball executives - has 5 1/2 years left on a deal that runs through 2015. Diamondbacks bench coach and ex-major league slugger Gibson will take over as manager on an interim basis starting Friday against the team he helped win the 1988 World Series.

Amid the chaos in the dugout and the front office, Edwin Jackson will take the mound in the series opener for the first time since throwing a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay last Friday. The right-hander got two extra days off after walking eight and throwing 149 pitches - the most ever in a no-hitter. The achievement was magnified for Jackson because it came against one of his former teams. He spent three seasons with Tampa Bay, tying a franchise record with 14 wins in 2008 as the Rays won the AL pennant. Once labeled a can’t-miss prospect in the Dodgers’ system, Jackson struggled for Los Angeles and was traded in January 2006 to the Rays, who then shipped him to Detroit after the 2008 season. His strong first half of 2009 with the Tigers made him an All-Star, but Detroit traded him to Arizona in December.

Kansas City Royals vs Los Angeles Angels Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

Things have gone well for the Los Angeles Angels during their longest homestand of the season. They hope Joe Saunders can again benefit from some rare home success. The Angels look to continue their solid home play in the opener of a weekend set against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Los Angeles improved to 6-3 on the 12-game homestand with a 2-1 win over Texas on Thursday. The Angels took two of three each from the rival Dodgers, Colorado and the AL West-leading Rangers. Los Angeles has a good chance to continue its home success against Kansas City. Though the Royals have won five of seven, they’ve lost four in a row at Los Angeles and 15 of 18 overall against the Angels. The Angels took three of four at Kansas City from May 31-June 3. Saunders looks to build on his last outing and remain perfect against the Royals. The left-hander avoided a third straight loss after he allowed two runs, four hits and struck out a season-high eight in seven innings of a 4-2 home win over Colorado on Saturday. Saunders is just 2-6 with a 6.18 ERA in nine home starts.

Saunders has pitched well against Kansas City, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts. He tossed a five-hitter in a 1-0 victory in his only previous home start versus the Royals on May 9, 2009. Kansas City’s Jose Guillen is 5 for 10 against Saunders, and batting .362 with 16 RBIs in his last 24 games overall. He hit a three-run homer in a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. The Royals had 13 hits in that contest, and lead the majors with 777. Kyle Davies looks to avoid a fourth consecutive loss as he takes the ball for the Royals. The right-hander allowed five runs in seven innings of a 5-3 loss to St. Louis on Saturday to finish June 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA in five starts. Davies is 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in three starts against the Angels. He gave up six runs in four innings of a 7-2 loss to Los Angeles on June 2. Los Angeles’ Torii Hunter is 7 for 17 with two doubles and a homer against Davies. He’s batting .333 on the homestand, and .389 with two homers and five RBIs versus the Royals this season.

Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010

By shutting down one opponent after another over the past two months, Mat Latos is emerging as the staff ace for the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. Roy Oswalt has enjoyed that same role with Houston for much of the past decade, but his days with the Astros could be numbered. Latos looks to win his fourth straight decision and help the Padres bounce back from a tough loss Friday night, while Oswalt, whose name has come up in trade rumors, tries to continue his dominance over San Diego. After going 4-5 with a 4.62 ERA in 10 starts as a rookie in 2009, the 22-year-old Latos is putting together an All-Star caliber season. The right-hander has a 1.89 ERA in 11 starts since the start of May - yielding two runs or fewer 10 times - and his .197 opponents’ batting average on the season is the best in the baseball.

Latos was in line to win his fourth straight start Sunday against Florida, giving up one run, six hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings, but the bullpen couldn’t protect the lead. The Padres still went on to win 4-2, improving to 8-2 in Latos’ last 10 starts. This stretch began with a commanding performance in a 7-0 win at Houston on May 7, when Latos allowed two hits and struck out a career-best nine in eight innings. San Diego took two of three in Houston in May, but lost Thursday’s opener 6-3 in 10 innings. The Padres still have a 2 1/2-game lead on second-place Los Angeles in the division. Houston’s Michael Bourn hit a two-run triple in the 10th, leading the Astros to their sixth victory in nine games. Houston’s offense is showing signs of turning things around, plating at least five runs in seven of its last nine contests. The Astros, 13 games back of NL Central-leading Cincinnati, had reached the five-run mark twice in their previous 10 games. The Padres could have some trouble of their own offensively against Oswalt, who has routinely frustrated San Diego over the course of his 10-year career.

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