Sports World: 08/20/10

Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Live Streaming

Friday, August 20, 2010

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2:20 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

Derrek Lee went from a team near the bottom of its division to a playoff contender. In an ironic twist, his first game with the Atlanta Braves will come as a visitor against his former club. Lee is expected to make his debut with the NL East-leading Braves on Friday when they open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Atlanta acquired the veteran first baseman from Chicago on Wednesday for three minor league pitchers. Lee hit .298 with 179 homers and 574 RBIs over seven seasons with the Cubs and helped lead them to the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. He was batting .251 this season for Chicago, which is fifth in the NL Central. Lee joins an Atlanta team locked in a tight playoff race with Philadelphia. He replaces Troy Glaus, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list this week due to a sore left knee.

The Braves open their series in Chicago after suffering a 6-2 loss to Washington on Thursday, snapping a four-game winning streak. Atlanta had its chances, but went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. After a 5-2 homestand, the Braves now head out on a six-game road trip, including three in Colorado. They have won six of their last seven series at Wrigley Field. The Braves will face a Chicago team that has lost 18 of 22 and was outscored 20-9 by San Diego this week in a four-game sweep. The Cubs lost 5-3 Thursday for their seventh straight defeat at home - their worst losing streak at Wrigley Field since a nine-game slide May 31-June 27, 2006. While the Cubs have struggled overall, Dempster has won his last three starts while giving up three total earned runs. He allowed two in 6 2-3 innings of a 9-7 win over St. Louis on Sunday.

Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

Armando Galarraga’s last start against the Cleveland Indians featured a major controversy, with umpire Jim Joyce blowing a call that cost the pitcher a perfect game. Galarraga is trying to put another kind of controversy behind him heading into this rematch. He’ll face the Indians at home again after getting into an argument with catcher Alex Avila during his last start when the Detroit Tigers open a three-game set Friday night. On June 2, Galarraga came within one out of a perfect game when Joyce called Jason Donald safe at first base after a grounder. Replays showed that Donald was out. Galarraga was praised for his sportsmanship in the aftermath of the call, meeting Joyce at home plate the next day when the teams exchanged lineups to help console the embattled umpire.

Detroit has won 12 of 15 at home against Cleveland, but it was a four-game road series against the Indians that began the club’s slide. The Tigers were one-half game out of first place at the All-Star break before being swept by the Indians from July 16-18. Miguel Cabrera had two singles in 14 at-bats in that series. He went 11 for 25 with two homers and seven RBIs to help Detroit win six of its first eight against Cleveland. Cabrera has hit five homers in his last five games. Three of them came in Detroit’s last two contests, but that wasn’t enough to keep the Tigers from losing the final three games of a four-game set to New York. They fell 11-5 on Thursday after yielding nine runs in the sixth inning.

Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Philadelphia Phillies got a shaky start and little offensive production Thursday as they missed a chance to cut into their NL East deficit. It’s hard to imagine those struggles continuing when they welcome in the Washington Nationals. A colossal pitching mismatch appears to be on tap for Friday’s opener at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies look for a sixth straight win from Roy Halladay while trying to add to Nationals right-hander Jason Marquis’ misery. Washington topped Atlanta 6-2 on Thursday afternoon, giving Philadelphia a chance to pull within 1 1/2 games of the division-leading Braves. The Phillies failed to take advantage Thursday night. Philadelphia had one hit through eight innings against San Francisco’s Jonathan Sanchez, and a mild rally in the ninth went for naught in a 5-2 defeat.

The Phillies haven’t lost consecutive games since dropping their final two of July at Washington, but it would be a major surprise if the Nationals can saddle the NL champs with another set of back-to-back losses. Halladay has won his last five starts, allowing one run or fewer in four of them. He lowered his ERA to 2.24 - third-best in the majors - by holding the Mets to four hits over eight innings Saturday in a 4-0 victory at Citi Field. Halladay’s lone start at Washington this season was also his first with Philadelphia. The right-hander gave up one run and six hits while striking out nine over seven innings of an 11-1 opening-day win.

Texas Rangers vs Baltimore Orioles Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Texas Rangers have built a sizable lead in the AL West in large part by thriving against division rivals. Facing AL East teams, however, has been a different story for the Rangers, even matchups with the last-place Baltimore Orioles. As he searches for a fifth consecutive win, left-hander C.J. Wilson will try to help Texas snap a four-game overall slide and a five-game losing streak to Baltimore on Friday night. The Rangers hold a seven-game lead in their division as they continue a four-game series at Camden Yards. A 23-14 mark against the three other West clubs has helped build that advantage, but they’re just 12-22 against the East—2-5 versus the AL-worst Orioles.

Texas was shut out for the second time this season in its latest defeat to Baltimore on Thursday night, managing six singles and a double in the 4-0 defeat. The Rangers have lost a season high-tying six straight on the road and dropped eight of 11 overall. The Rangers have batted .227 during their four consecutive defeats - 47 points below their season average. Josh Hamilton is hitless in 11 at-bats and 1 for 16 in his last five games. Michael Young went 1 for 4 in his return from neck stiffness Thursday, but Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz are both on the disabled list. The team’s pitching staff hasn’t been much better with a 5.53 ERA over the last 11 games, including a 7.59 mark in its last four. Wilson has been a notable exception to that trend, going 4-0 with a 2.72 ERA in his last six starts.

New York Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ troubles, on the other hand, are nothing new. A loss to the Mets in Friday’s series opener at PNC Park would guarantee the Pirates an 18th consecutive losing season, extending their record among all major North American professional sports franchises. It’s been all downhill for the Mets since they won eight in a row from June 10-18 to pull within a half-game of Atlanta for first place in the NL East. New York is 21-33 over the past two months, has fallen 11 games out of first and is facing a grievance from the players’ union over how it’s handled the fallout from Francisco Rodriguez’s altercation with his girlfriend’s father. The Mets’ punchless offense, though, remains their biggest problem. They’ve totaled 14 runs in seven games after Thursday’s 3-2 loss in Houston.

While New York’s descent still has it hovering around .500, that’s a place the Pirates haven’t been this late in the season since 1998. Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Florida guaranteed Pittsburgh its 18th straight non-winning season, extending its own dismal streak a year after surpassing the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies’ record for futility. Mike Pelfrey would seem to give the Mets an edge as the clubs meet for the first time in 2010, but the right-hander is 1-5 with a 6.64 ERA in his last eight starts and has seen his ERA rise from 2.93 since July 1. He’s been solid in his last two outings, though. Pelfrey held Colorado to four hits over seven innings in a 1-0 win Aug. 10, then limited Philadelphia to three runs in seven innings of a 3-1 loss Sunday.

Seattle Mariners vs New York Yankees Live Streaming

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7:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The New York Yankees have never been swept in a three-game series at their new ballpark. The Seattle Mariners were nearly the first to accomplish that feat in their last visit to the Bronx. New York looks to win its fourth in a row when it begins a three-game set at Yankee Stadium against the last-place Mariners on Friday night. Since the new Yankee Stadium opened last season, New York has posted a major league-best 97-45 home record. Despite Alex Rodriguez missing his third straight game with a strained left calf, the Yankees won their first series this month and improved to 40-21 at home with an 11-5 win over Detroit on Thursday. Second baseman Robinson Cano is batting .417 while homering in a career-best three straight games, and Curtis Granderson is 3 for 10 with two homers during that stretch.

The Mariners are averaging a league-low 3.3 runs and are among the worst in the AL with 75 homers, but they are looking to build on back-to-back victories over Baltimore that improved their record to 6-3 under interim manager Daren Brown. Rookie Matt Tuiasosopo has two homers and seven RBIs in the last two games and could start in the infield Friday with Michael Saunders expected to return to left field after sitting with a sore right shoulder. Seattle continues its season-high 12-game trip against A.J. Burnett, who hasn’t won in his last two starts despite a pair of solid outings. The right-hander has a 2.40 ERA in those appearances, allowing one run and four hits over a season high-tying eight innings in a 1-0 loss at Kansas City on Sunday.

Houston Astros vs Florida Marlins Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Florida Marlins may be at the .500 mark, but they are seeing steady development from their top prospects. A crop of talented rookies looks to lead the Marlins their fourth straight win Friday as they open a three-game series with the visiting Houston Astros. Florida boasts three of the most promising rookies in the game in Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton. Stanton earned player of the week honors last week, hitting .583 with four homers and eight RBIs. The 20-year-old outfielder has 14 home runs in his first 59 games in the big leagues. Stanton’s teammate in the outfield, Morrison has shown potential in his 20 major league games. He’s batting .382 during a nine-game hitting streak, and has had at least one hit in all but two games he’s played.

Sanchez hit a three-run homer Thursday night and another rookie, Alex Sanabia pitched 7 2-3 innings of four-hit ball as Florida beat Pittsburgh 4-2. Florida’s young talent should continue to benefit from the example of veteran infielder Wes Helms, who signed a one-year contract extension Thursday. The left-hander is 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in four starts in an Astros uniform since coming over in the Roy Oswalt trade. He gave up two runs and three hits Sunday in six innings of an 8-2 victory over Pittsburgh. Happ is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in two career starts versus the Marlins. Anibal Sanchez will get the start for Florida. The right-hander gave up two runs in six innings Sunday as the Marlins fell 2-0 to Cincinnati. It marked the fourth consecutive loss in which Florida’s offense supported Sanchez with either one run or none.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox Live Streaming

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7:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

As the Boston Red Sox attempt to get back in the playoff chase, they may not mind having the Toronto Blue Jays in town - and they’ll certainly be happy to have ace Jon Lester on the mound. Lester looks to extend his 14 1-3-inning scoreless streak while the Red Sox seek a 10th victory in 13 meetings with the Blue Jays on Friday night. Boston also dominated its season series with Los Angeles, but its lone loss in 10 games against the Angels was a 7-2 defeat Thursday night. That dropped the third-place Red Sox 6 1/2 games out of first in the AL East, and they also played without star second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The 2008 AL MVP was activated from the disabled list Tuesday after recovering from a broken left foot.

Boston struggled offensively without Pedroia, but the club has averaged 6.3 runs while going 9-3 against the Blue Jays this year. The Red Sox may not need much offense if Lester continues to dominate. The left-hander lost his first four starts after the All-Star break, but has responded with outstanding performances in his last two outings. Lester pitched 14 1-3 shutout innings in road victories over New York and Texas, both among the highest-scoring teams in the major leagues. He held the Rangers to five hits without a walk in eight innings of a 3-1 win Saturday. The Blue Jays have struggled to solve Lester, who is 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA against Toronto since the start of last year. He has posted a 1.38 ERA while winning both starts versus the Blue Jays in 2010.

San Diego Padres vs Milwaukee Brewers Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The San Diego Padres have put themselves in position to win their first NL West title in four seasons at the expense of the Central division. The Padres look to win six straight road games for the first time in four seasons Friday and extend their dominance of the NL Central as they begin a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. San Diego, which owns the NL’s largest divisional lead, is 22-5 against the Central following its first four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with Thursday’s 5-3 victory. By comparison, the Padres are 26-21 versus the West, including a 12-12 combined mark against the bottom two teams in the division - Arizona and the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego, a NL-best 37-25 on the road and a season-best 26 games above. 500, will give the ball to Wade LeBlanc as it seeks its longest win streak away from Petco Park since an eight-game stretch April 19-May 14, 2006.

LeBlanc allowed eight hits in 6 1-3 innings of a 9-0 win over the visiting Brewers on April 29. Milwaukee, which lost three of four in San Diego from April 29-May 2, counters with Yovani Gallardo, who is 3-1 with a 4.55 ERA since returning from the disabled list with a right oblique strain. Looking to win his third straight decision, the right-hander walked three and gave up four runs and seven hits over seven innings of Friday’s 5-4 loss at Colorado. It was Gallardo’s longest outing since June 24. Gallardo struck out 11 and yielded one run in seven innings of a 2-1 victory in San Diego on May 1. Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee is 1 for 9 against the Padres this season, but he is batting .383 with five homers and 19 RBIs in his last 15 games.

Los Angeles Angels vs Minnesota Twins Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Los Angeles Angels shipped out four players in exchange for Dan Haren last month in hopes of bolstering their starting rotation for the stretch run. Without giving up anything, the first-place Minnesota Twins have gotten a major boost from Brian Duensing. While Duensing tries to build on his first career shutout, Haren will be looking for his first road win in more than three months Friday night as the Angels make their first visit to Target Field. Los Angeles sent left-hander Joe Saunders and three minor leaguers to Arizona on July 25, adding Haren in their attempt to make a last-ditch run at a fourth consecutive AL West title. Although Haren hasn’t pitched poorly with his new team, the Angels have lost four of his five starts. They remain seven games behind Texas despite gaining ground with Thursday’s 7-2 win over Boston.

The surging Twins have been doing plenty of that, seizing a four-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central with a major league-best 24-9 run since the All-Star break. Minnesota had won six in a row overall and nine straight at home before losing 11-0 to the White Sox on Thursday, and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire knows his team still has work to do. With struggling starter Nick Blackburn in the minors, Duensing has provided a major lift for the Twins’ rotation, going 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in five starts after making his first 39 appearances of 2010 in relief. After the left-hander pitched a three-hitter in a 2-0 win over Oakland on Saturday, Gardenhire compared him to former Minnesota ace Johan Santana in terms of his transition from the bullpen.

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Live Streaming

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8:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Chicago White Sox will try to make up ground by taking advantage of a more favorable schedule. Another strong start from surprising recent acquisition Edwin Jackson could get that stretch off to a positive start. The right-hander will try to stay unbeaten with the White Sox as they open a three-game series at the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Chicago routed Minnesota 11-0 on Thursday, but one-run losses in the previous two games at Target Field helped drop the White Sox four back of the Twins in the division. Before meeting Minnesota again Sept. 14, Guillen’s club will attempt to climb back towards first place while playing 16 of their next 22 contests against sub-.500 clubs.

The White Sox swept Kansas City in the most recent matchup July 9-11 at U.S. Cellular Field and enter the opener having produced double-digit hits in six consecutive games, including a season-high 21 on Thursday. They’ll also send out Jackson, who has a string of impressive outings since returning to the AL in a trade with Arizona on July 30. The right-hander lost his final four games with the Diamondbacks but has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his three starts for Chicago. Jackson, who also pitched for Tampa Bay and Detroit, gave up one run over seven innings and struck out 11 in his home debut, a 3-2 loss to the Tigers on Saturday. Jackson is 3-3 with a 5.08 ERA in six career starts against the Royals and 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in two at Kauffman Stadium.

San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals Live Streaming

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8:15 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants have resulted in the clubs falling behind in their respective division races. The wild-card lead, however, is well within reach. The Cardinals try to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss Friday night when they start a three-game home series against a Giants team that has dropped nine of 15. St. Louis has fallen 3 1/2 games behind NL Central leader Cincinnati, while San Francisco trails West leader San Diego by six games. The Giants, though, are one game behind Philadelphia for the wild card, with the Cardinals two back. Despite Albert Pujols’ eight homers in his last 15 games, the Cardinals have had problems scoring lately. Cleanup hitter Matt Holliday is 2 for 15 and Yadier Molina, who has started 21 consecutive games at catcher, is 1 for 13.

St. Louis made a move Thursday that was more about defense, acquiring third baseman Pedro Feliz from Houston. Feliz batted .221 with four homers and 31 RBIs for the Astros, but his .967 fielding percentage is better than slumping Felipe Lopez’s.925 mark at third base and was a major factor in the trade. The Cardinals will get their first look at Madison Bumgarner, who has recorded all of his victories on the road. He gave up two runs over seven innings of a 3-2, 11-inning win over San Diego on Saturday. The left-hander has gone 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in his last four outings after going 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his previous four. The Giants ended a three-game slide with a 5-2 victory over the Phillies on Thursday. Rookie Buster Posey had two hits and two RBIs and Jonathan Sanchez took a shutout into the ninth inning.

Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Streaming

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9:40 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Colorado Rockies have alternated wins and losses in every game this month. A road series against the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks appears to be a good opportunity to break that cycle. The Rockies begin a three-game set Friday night against a Diamondbacks club that has dropped four in a row at Chase Field. Colorado lost 2-0 to Los Angeles on Thursday to fall to 7-8 in August. A win over Chicago on Aug. 1 was the Rockies’ fourth in a row, but they’ve been alternating defeats and victories since. Colorado was shut out for the fourth time in nine games Thursday, with the club’s only two hits coming on a double by Dexter Fowler and a single from Troy Tulowitzki. The Rockies have batted .187 over the last seven contests.

The Diamondbacks, though, took two of three from the Rockies at Chase Field from June 4-6, with each game being decided by one run. The Rockies have batted .217 while dropping 16 of 22 on the road. Colorado may have a tough time raising that average if Carlos Gonzalez can’t play in this series. The outfielder, who leads the team with a .325 average, 18 homers and 79 RBIs, sat out Thursday with a right knee contusion. He was injured the previous night when he crashed into the wall at Dodger Stadium while making a catch. Manager Jim Tracy said Gonzalez isn’t expected to be placed on the disabled list, but the slugger was limping around the clubhouse Thursday and said the pain hadn’t lessened. Colorado will send Esmil Rogers to the mound Friday. The right-hander was called up Aug. 8 to replace the injured Aaron Cook in the rotation and has gone 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two starts since.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Oakland Athletics Live Streaming

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10:05 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

Jeremy Hellickson has done more than the Tampa Bay Rays could have expected in his first three major league starts. After Friday night’s outing, however, he may be headed to the bullpen. The red-hot rookie will try to improve to 4-0 in what may be his final start of the season as the visiting Rays look to rebound from a series-opening loss to the Oakland Athletics. Hellickson has risen from the minors to fill a void in the Rays’ rotation, providing a major boost with Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann on the disabled list. The highly-touted right-hander held Baltimore to one run and three hits in six innings of Sunday’s 3-2 win, becoming the first player since 1920 to pitch at least six innings and give up three hits or fewer in each of his first three big league games.

Tampa Bay’s original plan had been to use the 23-year-old Hellickson in relief, as the club did with left-hander David Price when he was first called up in 2008. That outcome may come to fruition next week if Davis and Niemann can return from shoulder strains. First, Hellickson hopes to help the Rays regain a share of the AL East lead. While Tampa Bay slipped one game behind New York on Thursday night, the club still leads Boston by 5 1/2 games for the wild card. The Rays had won five straight before opening this four-game series with a 4-3 loss. It was their first game against the A’s since May 9, when Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game against them.

Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers Live Streaming

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10:10 pm EDT Fri Aug 20, 2010

The Cincinnati Reds have their first six-game winning streak of the season after their offense broke out during a three-game sweep to begin a lengthy road trip. They’ll need every bit of momentum they can muster heading into Los Angeles. The NL Central leaders have lost 12 consecutive road games against the Dodgers, but they’ll hope for better luck in Friday’s series opener as Homer Bailey tries to build upon an impressive return to the rotation. Cincinnati swept Florida prior to departing on its nine-game road trip and didn’t let up against NL West-worst Arizona. The Reds hit .348 and totaled 26 runs at Chase Field, finishing a three-game sweep with a 9-5 win Thursday that increased their division lead to 3 1/2 games over St. Louis.

Dusty Baker’s club last won seven straight Aug. 31-Sept. 6, but reaching that mark Friday won’t be easy. Cincinnati has not won at Chavez Ravine since 2006, getting outscored 78-39 in that span. Then again, the Reds have a good chance to snap their skid if Bailey pitches as well as he did Sunday against Florida. Making his first start in nearly three months, the former first-round pick held the Marlins to three hits in six innings without a walk in a 2-0 victory. Bailey is 1-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers, one of which extended Cincinnati’s slide in Los Angeles. The right-hander gave up nine runs - six earned - over 2 2-3 innings in a 12-3 loss July 21, 2009.

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