Stats, LLC
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bryce Harper will get a chance to hit against one of his least favorite pitchers when the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants complete a three-game series Wednesday night.
The Nationals won the first two games 3-0 and 6-3 to move within one victory of their third road series sweep of the season.
Washington went 9-1 during a three-city trip in April, sweeping three straight from Atlanta and the New York Mets before taking three of four at Colorado.
The Nationals pounded out 14 hits in the Tuesday win over the Giants despite getting nothing out of Harper's five at-bats. He struck out three times.
Harper learned earlier in the day that he was suspended by Major League Baseball for four games for charging the mound and participating in a brawl during the eighth inning of the Monday win.
Harper believed he was justified in taking action because he felt Giants reliever Hunter Strickland intentionally hit him with a pitch. MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre seemed to agree with Harper, handing Strickland the stiffer of the penalties, a six-gamer.
Both players appealed their suspensions. They are eligible to play until their appeals are heard.
Harper clearly wasn't totally focused on the Tuesday game, having been badgered with more questions beforehand.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker tried to deflect some of the attention, insisting to a large group of reporters that he felt Harper's suspension was unfair.
"I just don't think that the judges, whoever the judges were, have ever been in the situation," he said. "Probably only Martin Luther King (Jr.) or Gandhi would have turned the other cheek and not done something reactionary."
On Wednesday, Harper must face Giants starter Matt Cain (3-3, 4.45 ERA).
Harper has only one career hit -- a three-run home run -- against Cain in 10 at-bats. The veteran Giants right-hander has struck him out the last four times they have dueled.
Cain has handled most Nationals recently, not allowing a run in either of his last two starts against them. He is 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA against Washington in his career.
Cain will be opposed by a familiar opponent -- Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer (5-3, 2.77 ERA).
The two went head-to-head in Game 4 of the 2012 World Series, with Cain and the Giants prevailing 4-3 to complete a four-game sweep of Scherzer's Detroit Tigers.
In an effort to improve upon a 2-4 record and 5.52 ERA in six career starts against the Giants, Scherzer will have to deal with someone he has never faced -- Giants outfielder Orlando Calixte.
Called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day and immediately plugged into the leadoff spot, Calixte got his first two major league hits Tuesday, including a double that drove in two of the Giants' three runs.
"I thought he had good at-bats," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's nice to get a hit your first time up leading off the game."
With the Giants searching for a regular left fielder, and with right fielder Hunter Pence on the disabled list and with center fielder Denard Span siting out the start because Washington was throwing a left-handed pitcher, Bochy wound up playing Calixte at all three outfield positions over the course of the Tuesday contest.
He became the first Giant in eight years to accomplish the feat.
This is "The Line Drive", MLB and baseball news brought to you by the UNB! Network!
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Dodgers' bullpen looks to stay red hot vs. Cardinals
Stats, LLC
ST. LOUIS -- Here is a pro tip for teams trying to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers: Try not to fall behind by the fifth or sixth inning, because their bullpen is proving to be mighty tough to solve.
That has been the Cardinals' problem the past two games, and St. Louis was unable to figure it out. The Cardinals will take another stab at keeping Los Angeles' relievers out of the equation Wednesday night in the third contest of a four-game series at Busch Stadium.
After firing four scoreless innings Monday in a 5-1 victory, the Dodgers' bullpen soaked up the last 15 outs Tuesday night in a 9-4 win. While their scoreless streak ended at 24 2/3 innings on Yadier Molina's leadoff homer in the eighth, that was all they allowed.
"That's one of the better bullpens in the game right now," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of Los Angeles. "We know if we get deep and they've got a lead, we've got work to do."
The Dodgers' relief corps leads the National League with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 209 strikeouts.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts' lone concern at this point is the heavy usage of the bullpen over the past three games. Thanks to a rare short start Sunday by ace Clayton Kershaw, who lasted 4 1/3 innings, the relievers have picked up a total of 41 outs in that span.
"It's not a recipe or formula you want to use all year, but that's baseball sometimes," Roberts said postgame Tuesday. "Again, tonight, our bullpen was huge."
Roberts might have to pick up the phone to call the bullpen early again Wednesday night with Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-5, 4.28) making the start in place of Alex Wood, who was 6-0 with a 1.69 ERA before going on the 10-day disabled list Monday with SC joint inflammation.
Ryu does have a successful, albeit brief, track record against the Cardinals: 1-1 in three career outings with a 1.50 ERA. He picked up a save against St. Louis last Thursday when he pitched the last four innings out of the bullpen to wrap up a 7-3 victory.
That was one of 10 victories in the past 12 games for Los Angeles (33-20), which has won six straight to take over first place in the NL West by a half-game over the Colorado Rockies.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals (24-25) turn to ace Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.32) in an attempt to stem a skid that has seen them drop 10 of their past 13 games and fall under .500 for the first time since May 4.
Martinez absorbed the loss Friday night in a 10-0 setback at Colorado, although he logged a quality start, working 7 1/3 innings and giving up three runs. He is 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA in seven career outings against the Dodgers, fanning 34 over 33 innings.
After his team used five relievers to cover 18 outs Tuesday night, Matheny hinted that the Cardinals could add a fresh arm from the minors before the Wednesday night contest.
ST. LOUIS -- Here is a pro tip for teams trying to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers: Try not to fall behind by the fifth or sixth inning, because their bullpen is proving to be mighty tough to solve.
That has been the Cardinals' problem the past two games, and St. Louis was unable to figure it out. The Cardinals will take another stab at keeping Los Angeles' relievers out of the equation Wednesday night in the third contest of a four-game series at Busch Stadium.
After firing four scoreless innings Monday in a 5-1 victory, the Dodgers' bullpen soaked up the last 15 outs Tuesday night in a 9-4 win. While their scoreless streak ended at 24 2/3 innings on Yadier Molina's leadoff homer in the eighth, that was all they allowed.
"That's one of the better bullpens in the game right now," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of Los Angeles. "We know if we get deep and they've got a lead, we've got work to do."
The Dodgers' relief corps leads the National League with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 209 strikeouts.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts' lone concern at this point is the heavy usage of the bullpen over the past three games. Thanks to a rare short start Sunday by ace Clayton Kershaw, who lasted 4 1/3 innings, the relievers have picked up a total of 41 outs in that span.
"It's not a recipe or formula you want to use all year, but that's baseball sometimes," Roberts said postgame Tuesday. "Again, tonight, our bullpen was huge."
Roberts might have to pick up the phone to call the bullpen early again Wednesday night with Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-5, 4.28) making the start in place of Alex Wood, who was 6-0 with a 1.69 ERA before going on the 10-day disabled list Monday with SC joint inflammation.
Ryu does have a successful, albeit brief, track record against the Cardinals: 1-1 in three career outings with a 1.50 ERA. He picked up a save against St. Louis last Thursday when he pitched the last four innings out of the bullpen to wrap up a 7-3 victory.
That was one of 10 victories in the past 12 games for Los Angeles (33-20), which has won six straight to take over first place in the NL West by a half-game over the Colorado Rockies.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals (24-25) turn to ace Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.32) in an attempt to stem a skid that has seen them drop 10 of their past 13 games and fall under .500 for the first time since May 4.
Martinez absorbed the loss Friday night in a 10-0 setback at Colorado, although he logged a quality start, working 7 1/3 innings and giving up three runs. He is 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA in seven career outings against the Dodgers, fanning 34 over 33 innings.
After his team used five relievers to cover 18 outs Tuesday night, Matheny hinted that the Cardinals could add a fresh arm from the minors before the Wednesday night contest.
Mets aim to seal series win over Brewers
Stats, LLC
NEW YORK -- A pair of teams looking to continue their recent run of strong starting pitching will face off Wednesday night when the New York Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers in the third game of a four-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets ensured themselves at least a split of the series Tuesday night when Jay Bruce delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning to cap a 5-4 victory.
New York (23-27) has won three straight overall while the Brewers (27-25) have lost seven of nine.
The Mets' Jacob deGrom (4-1, 3.23 ERA) will oppose the Brewers' Junior Guerra (0-0, 3.12 ERA) in a battle of right-handers on Wednesday.
Both deGrom and Guerra will be looking to follow in the footsteps of their rotation mates. The Mets rank 28th in the majors with a 4.76 ERA, but New York starters -- including Tyler Pill, who allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings in his first major league start Tuesday night -- have compiled a 1.93 ERA in the past five games.
"We're starting to get our guys back to where they belong," Mets manager Terry Collins said Tuesday. "I think all the guys are comfortable with the fact that, hey, we've ironed out all the kinks. And now it's just keep charging and not worry about what happened yesterday or last week or last month."
For the Brewers, Zach Davies allowed two runs over five innings Tuesday to complete a turn through the rotation in which the starters produced a 2.37 ERA in five games. The recent strong effort by Milwaukee starters has allowed manager Craig Counsell to lessen the load on his relievers, who are averaging 3.7 innings per game.
"I think we're sitting in a pretty good place with all these guys," Counsell said of the bullpen on Monday afternoon. "It's really the quality of their innings (from the starters). That is more important, that you get quality innings from them as much as the length in the game."
DeGrom earned the victory last Friday when he allowed one run and struck out 10 over a season-high 8 1/3 innings as the Mets beat the host Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1. It was the longest start of the year for a New York pitcher.
DeGrom is 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers.
Guerra didn't factor into the decision last Friday, when he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in the Brewers' 4-2, 10-inning loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first major league appearance since April 3 for Guerra, who sustained a right calf injury during his Opening Day start.
Guerra has made one start against the Mets and didn't factor into the decision last June 10, when he gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings in the Brewers' 2-1, 11-inning loss at Miller Park.
Milwaukee's Orlando Arcia will look to extend a career-high, 10-game hitting streak after going 3-for-6 on Tuesday. On the flip side, Brewers first baseman Marcus Thames ended an 0-for-19 skid when he went 2-for-4 in the extra-inning loss.
NEW YORK -- A pair of teams looking to continue their recent run of strong starting pitching will face off Wednesday night when the New York Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers in the third game of a four-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets ensured themselves at least a split of the series Tuesday night when Jay Bruce delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning to cap a 5-4 victory.
New York (23-27) has won three straight overall while the Brewers (27-25) have lost seven of nine.
The Mets' Jacob deGrom (4-1, 3.23 ERA) will oppose the Brewers' Junior Guerra (0-0, 3.12 ERA) in a battle of right-handers on Wednesday.
Both deGrom and Guerra will be looking to follow in the footsteps of their rotation mates. The Mets rank 28th in the majors with a 4.76 ERA, but New York starters -- including Tyler Pill, who allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings in his first major league start Tuesday night -- have compiled a 1.93 ERA in the past five games.
"We're starting to get our guys back to where they belong," Mets manager Terry Collins said Tuesday. "I think all the guys are comfortable with the fact that, hey, we've ironed out all the kinks. And now it's just keep charging and not worry about what happened yesterday or last week or last month."
For the Brewers, Zach Davies allowed two runs over five innings Tuesday to complete a turn through the rotation in which the starters produced a 2.37 ERA in five games. The recent strong effort by Milwaukee starters has allowed manager Craig Counsell to lessen the load on his relievers, who are averaging 3.7 innings per game.
"I think we're sitting in a pretty good place with all these guys," Counsell said of the bullpen on Monday afternoon. "It's really the quality of their innings (from the starters). That is more important, that you get quality innings from them as much as the length in the game."
DeGrom earned the victory last Friday when he allowed one run and struck out 10 over a season-high 8 1/3 innings as the Mets beat the host Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1. It was the longest start of the year for a New York pitcher.
DeGrom is 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers.
Guerra didn't factor into the decision last Friday, when he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in the Brewers' 4-2, 10-inning loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first major league appearance since April 3 for Guerra, who sustained a right calf injury during his Opening Day start.
Guerra has made one start against the Mets and didn't factor into the decision last June 10, when he gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings in the Brewers' 2-1, 11-inning loss at Miller Park.
Milwaukee's Orlando Arcia will look to extend a career-high, 10-game hitting streak after going 3-for-6 on Tuesday. On the flip side, Brewers first baseman Marcus Thames ended an 0-for-19 skid when he went 2-for-4 in the extra-inning loss.
Arrieta looks to halt Cubs' skid in finale at San Diego
Stats, LLC
SAN DIEGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon's get-up for Wednesday's getaway day is all set. After Chicago caps its three-game series in San Diego against the Padres, Maddon will head home in style.
The Cubs had an "Anchorman" theme on their six-game, West Coast road trip and Maddon's acquisition on Tuesday is perfect.
"I finally got a leisure suit," Maddon said, "Right off the rack and it fits."
The Cubs were fitted for their World Series rings, but they've hardly played like champions.
Chicago faces the Padres for the last time this season hoping to break a season-high, five-game losing streak, including defeats in the first two games at Petco Park.
Just don't count Padres manager Andy Green among those concerned about the Cubs.
"Do I respect them? Yes," Green said. "Are they one of the best teams in baseball? Without question. Can any team go through a 50-game stretch and play .500 and still be a really competitive team at the end of the season? Absolutely. I don't look at a 50-game stretch and write them off, as good a team as they are."
Maddon scratches his head over what ails the Cubs. For example, they are among the league leaders in getting guys on base and among the worst at getting them home.
"It's the same hitters getting out there," Maddon said. "But when we get out there with runners on base, we are doing something differently. Maybe we're unlucky, but that's got to come together soon."
Still, Maddon is declining to punch the panic button.
"If there was an abject lack of any offensive prowess, maybe," he said. "But there's not. All we have to do is continue. We're not playing bad, we're just not hitting with runners in scoring position, and that has been our primary problem right now offensively.
"On the pitching side, we just have to keep the ball in the ballpark a little bit better."
The Cubs will turn to Jake Arrieta to make Wednesday's flight a happy one.
Arrieta (5-4, 4.92 ERA) has lost three of his last four outings, and that includes a Friday setback in Los Angeles. He surrendered four runs on five hits, two of them being Dodgers long balls.
"Home runs have hurt him a little bit, that's about it," Maddon said. "Overall he has thrown the ball well. The velocity is coming back up, the location of the fastball has gotten better and the curveball has been outstanding."
If only Arrieta, who is 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against the Padres, can keep San Diego from flexing its muscles. Arrieta did that the last time he faced the Padres when throwing eight innings of scoreless ball in August.
"He got beat by the home run in St. Louis with two two-run homers and another one back at home," Maddon said. "Then the Dodgers got him with homers.
"It's kind of been like that team-wise, and we normally don't do that. We have been giving up more home runs, which has been very unusual. That is not what we have done the last few years."
San Diego's Wednesday starter, Luis Perdomo (0-2, 5.61 ERA), has lost his last two decisions after not earning one in a franchise-record six straight games to open the season.
Perdomo, whose eight outings have produced five quality starts, has faced the Cubs just once. In three innings, he allowed two runs, two hits and two walks while striking out three.
His work between starts is about making his fastball more effective against left-handed hitters.
"There has been a lot of work done to combat lefties and attack them in a different manner," Green said, "and we're going to continue to see if that work comes to fruition. We've seen some progress, but there are still more steps out in front of him on facing lefties."
SAN DIEGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon's get-up for Wednesday's getaway day is all set. After Chicago caps its three-game series in San Diego against the Padres, Maddon will head home in style.
The Cubs had an "Anchorman" theme on their six-game, West Coast road trip and Maddon's acquisition on Tuesday is perfect.
"I finally got a leisure suit," Maddon said, "Right off the rack and it fits."
The Cubs were fitted for their World Series rings, but they've hardly played like champions.
Chicago faces the Padres for the last time this season hoping to break a season-high, five-game losing streak, including defeats in the first two games at Petco Park.
Just don't count Padres manager Andy Green among those concerned about the Cubs.
"Do I respect them? Yes," Green said. "Are they one of the best teams in baseball? Without question. Can any team go through a 50-game stretch and play .500 and still be a really competitive team at the end of the season? Absolutely. I don't look at a 50-game stretch and write them off, as good a team as they are."
Maddon scratches his head over what ails the Cubs. For example, they are among the league leaders in getting guys on base and among the worst at getting them home.
"It's the same hitters getting out there," Maddon said. "But when we get out there with runners on base, we are doing something differently. Maybe we're unlucky, but that's got to come together soon."
Still, Maddon is declining to punch the panic button.
"If there was an abject lack of any offensive prowess, maybe," he said. "But there's not. All we have to do is continue. We're not playing bad, we're just not hitting with runners in scoring position, and that has been our primary problem right now offensively.
"On the pitching side, we just have to keep the ball in the ballpark a little bit better."
The Cubs will turn to Jake Arrieta to make Wednesday's flight a happy one.
Arrieta (5-4, 4.92 ERA) has lost three of his last four outings, and that includes a Friday setback in Los Angeles. He surrendered four runs on five hits, two of them being Dodgers long balls.
"Home runs have hurt him a little bit, that's about it," Maddon said. "Overall he has thrown the ball well. The velocity is coming back up, the location of the fastball has gotten better and the curveball has been outstanding."
If only Arrieta, who is 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against the Padres, can keep San Diego from flexing its muscles. Arrieta did that the last time he faced the Padres when throwing eight innings of scoreless ball in August.
"He got beat by the home run in St. Louis with two two-run homers and another one back at home," Maddon said. "Then the Dodgers got him with homers.
"It's kind of been like that team-wise, and we normally don't do that. We have been giving up more home runs, which has been very unusual. That is not what we have done the last few years."
San Diego's Wednesday starter, Luis Perdomo (0-2, 5.61 ERA), has lost his last two decisions after not earning one in a franchise-record six straight games to open the season.
Perdomo, whose eight outings have produced five quality starts, has faced the Cubs just once. In three innings, he allowed two runs, two hits and two walks while striking out three.
His work between starts is about making his fastball more effective against left-handed hitters.
"There has been a lot of work done to combat lefties and attack them in a different manner," Green said, "and we're going to continue to see if that work comes to fruition. We've seen some progress, but there are still more steps out in front of him on facing lefties."
Marlins look to complete sweep of Phillies
Stats, LLC
MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins, enjoying an offensive resurgence since manager Don Mattingly moved slugger Giancarlo Stanton from cleanup to the No. 2 hole in the batting order, will go for a three-game sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon.
The Marlins (20-30) have won four of their past five games. They have won consecutive series -- vs. the Los Angeles Angels and the Phillies -- for the first time all season. And Miami's three-game win streak ties its season high.
Meanwhile, the Phillies (17-33), who are in last place in the National League East, are 6-24 in their past 30 games.
On Wednesday, in an effort to get their first sweep of the season, the Marlins will send out their most consistent starter, right-hander Dan Straily (3-3, 3.83 ERA).
Philadelphia will counter with right-hander Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.34 ERA). Nola is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins.
The Marlins have scored 48 runs in the seven games with the revamped lineup, and Stanton, who went 1-for-3 with a homer on Tuesday, has been crushing the ball. As the two-hole hitter, he is batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers, but Mattingly said this is about more than just Stanton.
"It's not the Giancarlo Stanton Show anymore," Mattingly said. "You've got JB (Justin Bour), you've got Marcell (Ozuna), you've got Yelly (Christian Yelich) -- guys who are capable of swinging the bat along with Giancarlo."
The plan is working for the Marlins, who are expected to start backup catcher A.J. Ellis for the 10th time this season. The Marlins are 6-3 when he starts, and their team ERA is 2.59. Miami's team ERA is 5.21 when J.T. Realmuto starts behind the plate.
Ellis will catch Straily, who faced the Phillies for the only time in his career last year. Straily won the game, pitching five scoreless innings and striking out six batters while with the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed six hits and three walks.
This time, Straily will be facing a Phillies team stuck in a miserable rut. On Tuesday, Philadelphia lost starting pitcher Vince Velasquez in the second inning, and he is headed to the disabled list. He sustained a right elbow flexor strain and was able to get only four outs while taking the loss.
Velasquez, who previously had elbow surgery, said he did not hear a "pop" and added that he was "not worried at all" that this would be a significant injury.
Still, it is one more problem for Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, whose job security can't be great right now.
Mackanin bemoaned his offense after the 7-2 loss to Miami on Tuesday.
"When you are going bad, it just snowballs," he said. "We just can't seem to get it going. We need a good game where everybody contributes and starts hitting.
"I don't have a silver bullet to get us out of it, but I know we will. It's early in the season. Right now, I'm not happy about it, but we're a better team than this."
MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins, enjoying an offensive resurgence since manager Don Mattingly moved slugger Giancarlo Stanton from cleanup to the No. 2 hole in the batting order, will go for a three-game sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon.
The Marlins (20-30) have won four of their past five games. They have won consecutive series -- vs. the Los Angeles Angels and the Phillies -- for the first time all season. And Miami's three-game win streak ties its season high.
Meanwhile, the Phillies (17-33), who are in last place in the National League East, are 6-24 in their past 30 games.
On Wednesday, in an effort to get their first sweep of the season, the Marlins will send out their most consistent starter, right-hander Dan Straily (3-3, 3.83 ERA).
Philadelphia will counter with right-hander Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.34 ERA). Nola is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins.
The Marlins have scored 48 runs in the seven games with the revamped lineup, and Stanton, who went 1-for-3 with a homer on Tuesday, has been crushing the ball. As the two-hole hitter, he is batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers, but Mattingly said this is about more than just Stanton.
"It's not the Giancarlo Stanton Show anymore," Mattingly said. "You've got JB (Justin Bour), you've got Marcell (Ozuna), you've got Yelly (Christian Yelich) -- guys who are capable of swinging the bat along with Giancarlo."
The plan is working for the Marlins, who are expected to start backup catcher A.J. Ellis for the 10th time this season. The Marlins are 6-3 when he starts, and their team ERA is 2.59. Miami's team ERA is 5.21 when J.T. Realmuto starts behind the plate.
Ellis will catch Straily, who faced the Phillies for the only time in his career last year. Straily won the game, pitching five scoreless innings and striking out six batters while with the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed six hits and three walks.
This time, Straily will be facing a Phillies team stuck in a miserable rut. On Tuesday, Philadelphia lost starting pitcher Vince Velasquez in the second inning, and he is headed to the disabled list. He sustained a right elbow flexor strain and was able to get only four outs while taking the loss.
Velasquez, who previously had elbow surgery, said he did not hear a "pop" and added that he was "not worried at all" that this would be a significant injury.
Still, it is one more problem for Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, whose job security can't be great right now.
Mackanin bemoaned his offense after the 7-2 loss to Miami on Tuesday.
"When you are going bad, it just snowballs," he said. "We just can't seem to get it going. We need a good game where everybody contributes and starts hitting.
"I don't have a silver bullet to get us out of it, but I know we will. It's early in the season. Right now, I'm not happy about it, but we're a better team than this."
Pirates host D-backs with series win on minds
Stats, LLC
PITTSBURGH -- Their All-Star center fielder was suspended half a season for flunking a drug test. A top pitcher underwent testicular cancer surgery. Other key players have occupied the disabled list, and the former National League Most Valuable Player has carried last season's struggles over to this one.
All that helps explain why the Pittsburgh Pirates occupy last place in the National League Central. And yet, said Andrew McCutchen, the ex-MVP, "Even though our record isn't where we want it to be, we're still in it."
The Pirates have had issues, but the club is still hanging around in the National League Central. Even though they were shut out by Arizona's Robbie Ray on Tuesday at PNC Park, the Pirates find themselves just four games behind first-place the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pittsburgh will try to close the gap in the rubber match of their three-game set with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Arizona right-hander Zack Godley will oppose the Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl.
Godley has been a pleasant surprise replacing the injured Shelby Miller in the rotation, posting a 1-1 record and 1.99 ERA in five starts. Last season he went 5-4 with a 6.39 ERA, starting nine games and relieving in 18 others.
"The fastball command, the down fastball movement, has given him the ability to work deeper into games," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "The secondary stuff has been very sharp. The curveball has been sharp, and late and the changeup has been located. He's just locked in."
McCutchen, who is hitting just .217, a far cry from when he was league MVP in 2013, stirred some memories with a game-ending home run on Monday. He hopes to build on the effort.
"Baseball is a crazy game," McCutchen said. "I mean, last year if we're in this situation, at this moment, right now we'd be, what, 15 games out or so."
Referencing the absences of outfielder Starling Marte, who is expected to rejoin the club after the All-Star break when he completes his suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug; and right-hander Jameson Taillon, who had cancer surgery May 8 but already has made one rehab start, Kuhl said, "We're right in the thick of it, and there are pieces we don't even have."
He added, "We've definitely battled some things, but it comes with it in this game. Guys go down and we've had some challenges, but we've been through it before. We're not playing our best baseball yet. Hopefully we'll get heated up."
McCutchen, the subject of trade talks during the offseason, is by far the most prominent underachiever but not the only one. Kuhl was expected to improve on a decent rookie season (5-4, 4.20) but is 1-5 with a 6.29 ERA.
Kuhl said he is working on his arm angle and learning to reduce his velocity, problems that flattened out his sinker.
"Guys can hit 97-plus (mph)," he said. "It's been proven. So, I'm just getting back to what I do best. Creating angle of the ball, moving the ball around."
Kuhl will be facing Arizona for the first time in his career. Godley made one previous appearance against Pittsburgh, allowing a run in two innings as a reliever in 2015.
PITTSBURGH -- Their All-Star center fielder was suspended half a season for flunking a drug test. A top pitcher underwent testicular cancer surgery. Other key players have occupied the disabled list, and the former National League Most Valuable Player has carried last season's struggles over to this one.
All that helps explain why the Pittsburgh Pirates occupy last place in the National League Central. And yet, said Andrew McCutchen, the ex-MVP, "Even though our record isn't where we want it to be, we're still in it."
The Pirates have had issues, but the club is still hanging around in the National League Central. Even though they were shut out by Arizona's Robbie Ray on Tuesday at PNC Park, the Pirates find themselves just four games behind first-place the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pittsburgh will try to close the gap in the rubber match of their three-game set with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Arizona right-hander Zack Godley will oppose the Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl.
Godley has been a pleasant surprise replacing the injured Shelby Miller in the rotation, posting a 1-1 record and 1.99 ERA in five starts. Last season he went 5-4 with a 6.39 ERA, starting nine games and relieving in 18 others.
"The fastball command, the down fastball movement, has given him the ability to work deeper into games," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "The secondary stuff has been very sharp. The curveball has been sharp, and late and the changeup has been located. He's just locked in."
McCutchen, who is hitting just .217, a far cry from when he was league MVP in 2013, stirred some memories with a game-ending home run on Monday. He hopes to build on the effort.
"Baseball is a crazy game," McCutchen said. "I mean, last year if we're in this situation, at this moment, right now we'd be, what, 15 games out or so."
Referencing the absences of outfielder Starling Marte, who is expected to rejoin the club after the All-Star break when he completes his suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug; and right-hander Jameson Taillon, who had cancer surgery May 8 but already has made one rehab start, Kuhl said, "We're right in the thick of it, and there are pieces we don't even have."
He added, "We've definitely battled some things, but it comes with it in this game. Guys go down and we've had some challenges, but we've been through it before. We're not playing our best baseball yet. Hopefully we'll get heated up."
McCutchen, the subject of trade talks during the offseason, is by far the most prominent underachiever but not the only one. Kuhl was expected to improve on a decent rookie season (5-4, 4.20) but is 1-5 with a 6.29 ERA.
Kuhl said he is working on his arm angle and learning to reduce his velocity, problems that flattened out his sinker.
"Guys can hit 97-plus (mph)," he said. "It's been proven. So, I'm just getting back to what I do best. Creating angle of the ball, moving the ball around."
Kuhl will be facing Arizona for the first time in his career. Godley made one previous appearance against Pittsburgh, allowing a run in two innings as a reliever in 2015.
Mariners' Paxton returns for start against Rockies
Stats, LLC
Left-hander James Paxton will return to the Seattle Mariners' beleaguered rotation Wednesday when the series with the Colorado Rockies shifts to Safeco Field in Seattle after two games at Coors Field.
Paxton, who was on the disabled list since May 3 with a left forearm strain, will be the first of Seattle's four injured starters to be reinstated.
Before going on the DL, Paxton (3-0, 1.43 ERA) made six starts and had a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings from April 5-20.
He threw 55 pitches over four innings in a rehab start Friday for Double-A Arkansas.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said Paxton, who is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in one career start against Colorado, might pitch five or six innings Wednesday, depending on where his pitch count is.
"I think we need to be realistic on what the expectations are for Paxton," Servais said. "He hasn't been out there in a while. Certainly was off to a great start. Kind of been our horse in the rotation, his ability to get deep in games and kind of taking the next step in his career because he can dominate games. We've seen that at times from him.
"It means a lot to us to get him back in there. It has been a struggle; we used our 12th starter the other day, which is unheard of at this time of the season."
Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela (7-1, 3.19 ERA) will face the Mariners for the first time. His ERA is the lowest in Colorado history through 10 starts. He pitched a career-high eight scoreless innings in his last start Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals in Colorado's 10-0 win.
While Paxton looks to knock off the rust and get his season started again, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is looking for improvement.
After flying out four times in Colorado's 10-4 loss to Seattle on Tuesday, Arenado is hitting .283 with 17 doubles, 12 homers, 34 RBIs and a .551 slugging percentage.
"I haven't felt like I'm doing the damage I know I can do," said Arenado, who led the National League in home runs and RBIs each of the past two seasons. "I haven't felt anywhere near (as good as) I know I can. I think that's a good sign.
"Obviously, it's a frustrating sign because I want to get going like I know I can and I want to start doing the damage and driving in runs that I know I can do. ... I know (my stats) could be way better if I felt like the way I know I can feel."
Arenado said he has been pitched much differently this season, seeing lots of sweeping breaking pitches and fastballs away on the corner.
"They're OK with walking me," Arenado said. "I got to be OK with taking my base. But the thing with me right now is I'm missing mistakes. When they make mistakes over the plate, I'm missing them, and that's the problem."
There has been some solace, though, for Arenado. The winner of four consecutive Gold Gloves, Arenado is playing his typically stellar defense that often includes one eye-opening play per game, and the Rockies are playing well.
"I am beating myself up too much," Arenado said. "I know I can play better, but the team right now is winning and I believe my defense is helping this team win games -- more than my offense, really."
Left-hander James Paxton will return to the Seattle Mariners' beleaguered rotation Wednesday when the series with the Colorado Rockies shifts to Safeco Field in Seattle after two games at Coors Field.
Paxton, who was on the disabled list since May 3 with a left forearm strain, will be the first of Seattle's four injured starters to be reinstated.
Before going on the DL, Paxton (3-0, 1.43 ERA) made six starts and had a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings from April 5-20.
He threw 55 pitches over four innings in a rehab start Friday for Double-A Arkansas.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said Paxton, who is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in one career start against Colorado, might pitch five or six innings Wednesday, depending on where his pitch count is.
"I think we need to be realistic on what the expectations are for Paxton," Servais said. "He hasn't been out there in a while. Certainly was off to a great start. Kind of been our horse in the rotation, his ability to get deep in games and kind of taking the next step in his career because he can dominate games. We've seen that at times from him.
"It means a lot to us to get him back in there. It has been a struggle; we used our 12th starter the other day, which is unheard of at this time of the season."
Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela (7-1, 3.19 ERA) will face the Mariners for the first time. His ERA is the lowest in Colorado history through 10 starts. He pitched a career-high eight scoreless innings in his last start Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals in Colorado's 10-0 win.
While Paxton looks to knock off the rust and get his season started again, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is looking for improvement.
After flying out four times in Colorado's 10-4 loss to Seattle on Tuesday, Arenado is hitting .283 with 17 doubles, 12 homers, 34 RBIs and a .551 slugging percentage.
"I haven't felt like I'm doing the damage I know I can do," said Arenado, who led the National League in home runs and RBIs each of the past two seasons. "I haven't felt anywhere near (as good as) I know I can. I think that's a good sign.
"Obviously, it's a frustrating sign because I want to get going like I know I can and I want to start doing the damage and driving in runs that I know I can do. ... I know (my stats) could be way better if I felt like the way I know I can feel."
Arenado said he has been pitched much differently this season, seeing lots of sweeping breaking pitches and fastballs away on the corner.
"They're OK with walking me," Arenado said. "I got to be OK with taking my base. But the thing with me right now is I'm missing mistakes. When they make mistakes over the plate, I'm missing them, and that's the problem."
There has been some solace, though, for Arenado. The winner of four consecutive Gold Gloves, Arenado is playing his typically stellar defense that often includes one eye-opening play per game, and the Rockies are playing well.
"I am beating myself up too much," Arenado said. "I know I can play better, but the team right now is winning and I believe my defense is helping this team win games -- more than my offense, really."
Pujols closing in on 600 homers as Angels host Braves
Stats, LLC
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels will face the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, their third game in a row without Mike Trout in the lineup or manning center field because of a torn ligament in his left thumb that will keep him out six to eight weeks.
The first two games saw Albert Pujols hit in Trout's usual No. 3 spot in the batting order while Cameron Maybin and Eric Young Jr. each made a start in center field. Maybin will get most of the starts in center, but he strained a muscle in his side on Monday and was out of the lineup on Tuesday.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes to mix and match his lineups, so picking up the slack for Trout will require help from all over the roster.
"I think you'll feel that impact," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Monday. "The team will require multiple people stepping up in his absence. The team will continue to fight, as it always does, but you know you're losing the heart of your order and the heart of your defense and a leader in the dugout and on the bench. It's something to absorb, there's no doubt. But I know the guys in the clubhouse will do their darnedest to absorb it."
Left-hander Jaime Garcia (2-3, 3.58 ERA) will start for Atlanta, only his second career appearance against the Angels. In the other one, on May 11, 2016, he limited the Angels to two unearned runs in seven innings and earned the victory.
Garcia has pitched better than his record would indicate this year, and he is coming off his best start of the season. Last Friday at San Francisco, Garcia threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five.
"No. 1 is being able to keep the ball down, keep the ball on the ground," Garcia told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "That's my game, that's what I try to do every time I take the mound. And then use my off-speed the right way, keep them off-balance and execute pitches on both sides of the plate."
Garcia also will try to avoid being on the wrong side of history, as Pujols is one home run away from becoming the ninth player in major league history to hit 600. Pujols is 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout against Garcia in his career.
Jesse Chavez will start for the Angels, but which Chavez will show up Wednesday is anybody's guess. Chavez (4-6, 5.09 ERA) has made four starts in which he gave up two runs or fewer, but three starts in which he allowed at least five runs.
Chavez is coming off his worst outing of the season, when he lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings and gave up five runs and eight hits in a loss at Miami on Friday. According to Chavez, his success, or lack thereof, all comes down to his execution, regardless of the opponent.
"At the end of the day, it's just a battle between myself ... between me and my mechanics," Chavez told the Orange County Register. "I'm trying to find that drive to each side of the plate."
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels will face the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, their third game in a row without Mike Trout in the lineup or manning center field because of a torn ligament in his left thumb that will keep him out six to eight weeks.
The first two games saw Albert Pujols hit in Trout's usual No. 3 spot in the batting order while Cameron Maybin and Eric Young Jr. each made a start in center field. Maybin will get most of the starts in center, but he strained a muscle in his side on Monday and was out of the lineup on Tuesday.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes to mix and match his lineups, so picking up the slack for Trout will require help from all over the roster.
"I think you'll feel that impact," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Monday. "The team will require multiple people stepping up in his absence. The team will continue to fight, as it always does, but you know you're losing the heart of your order and the heart of your defense and a leader in the dugout and on the bench. It's something to absorb, there's no doubt. But I know the guys in the clubhouse will do their darnedest to absorb it."
Left-hander Jaime Garcia (2-3, 3.58 ERA) will start for Atlanta, only his second career appearance against the Angels. In the other one, on May 11, 2016, he limited the Angels to two unearned runs in seven innings and earned the victory.
Garcia has pitched better than his record would indicate this year, and he is coming off his best start of the season. Last Friday at San Francisco, Garcia threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five.
"No. 1 is being able to keep the ball down, keep the ball on the ground," Garcia told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "That's my game, that's what I try to do every time I take the mound. And then use my off-speed the right way, keep them off-balance and execute pitches on both sides of the plate."
Garcia also will try to avoid being on the wrong side of history, as Pujols is one home run away from becoming the ninth player in major league history to hit 600. Pujols is 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout against Garcia in his career.
Jesse Chavez will start for the Angels, but which Chavez will show up Wednesday is anybody's guess. Chavez (4-6, 5.09 ERA) has made four starts in which he gave up two runs or fewer, but three starts in which he allowed at least five runs.
Chavez is coming off his worst outing of the season, when he lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings and gave up five runs and eight hits in a loss at Miami on Friday. According to Chavez, his success, or lack thereof, all comes down to his execution, regardless of the opponent.
"At the end of the day, it's just a battle between myself ... between me and my mechanics," Chavez told the Orange County Register. "I'm trying to find that drive to each side of the plate."
Blue Jays, getting healthy, look to sweep Reds
Stats, LLC
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping to do to the Cincinnati Reds what they failed to do to the Texas Rangers in the opening series of their 10-game homestand at the Rogers Centre.
That is, to sweep them out of town.
The Blue Jays could not complete the sweep Sunday against the Rangers. They will send out Mike Bolsinger (0-2, 5.75 ERA) on Wednesday to try to complete the job against the Reds.
Toronto put itself in position for the sweep by following a 17-2 win on Monday with a 6-4 win Tuesday on a two-run homer in the eighth by Kendrys Morales.
The Reds will send out Tim Adleman (3-2, 4.95 ERA) in hopes of salvaging a win and finishing a seven-game road trip with a winning record. They are 3-3 on the trip with one postponement.
The Blue Jays (25-27) are beginning to feel good about themselves as players return from the disabled list.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who hit a grand slam Monday, returned Friday, as did third baseman Josh Donaldson, who on Tuesday became the ninth Blue Jay to hit a homer into the 500 level at the Rogers Centre.
J.A. Happ returned from the DL on Tuesday and pitched an encouraging four innings. Francisco Liriano is scheduled to return Friday to start against the New York Yankees.
"It feels good," Happ said. "I think we have some good energy right now."
He also gave credit to the players who were filling in for those who were injured.
"They've been good while we were all kind of out, and we're just trying to help keep what they were doing the last several weeks," Happ said.
Morales said through a translator, "Finally, we have the whole team active. The full roster is together, so it just gives us more confidence to work as a team.
"We started really bad, but having the whole team together, hopefully it is going to keep going for us. We have a pretty talented team, now it's just about staying healthy. ... I really think we have a great team here and good things are going to happen for us."
The Blue Jays hit four homers Tuesday, but Reds manager Bryan Price was talking about their defense, including a diving catch in left field by Ezequiel Carrera on Adam Duvall's liner with two runners on base and one out.
"It sure is a different ballgame if we actually get the lead in that situation," Price said. "When the plays had to be made, they made every single one. ...
"The thing that stood out to me even more than the home runs were the plays by Tulowitzki, (first baseman Justin) Smoak, and Carrera, because those three plays are all run-scoring plays for us if those balls get down."
The Reds (24-27) hope things change when Adleman opposes the Blue Jays for the first time in his career.
He allowed one hit and two walks over eight scoreless innings Friday when he got the win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He retired 21 of his final 23 batters in the game. He is 3-1 with a 5.11 ERA in May.
Bolsinger could be making his final start for the Blue Jays in a while. He has been filling in as injuries depleted Toronto's rotation, but with Happ returning and Liriano about to return, Bolsinger may not be needed in a starting role.
He has allowed 15 walks in 20 1/3 innings in his four starts, which has hurt him. In his last start, Bolsinger yielded six hits, four walks and three runs (two earned) in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Friday. He is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in one career start against Cincinnati.
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping to do to the Cincinnati Reds what they failed to do to the Texas Rangers in the opening series of their 10-game homestand at the Rogers Centre.
That is, to sweep them out of town.
The Blue Jays could not complete the sweep Sunday against the Rangers. They will send out Mike Bolsinger (0-2, 5.75 ERA) on Wednesday to try to complete the job against the Reds.
Toronto put itself in position for the sweep by following a 17-2 win on Monday with a 6-4 win Tuesday on a two-run homer in the eighth by Kendrys Morales.
The Reds will send out Tim Adleman (3-2, 4.95 ERA) in hopes of salvaging a win and finishing a seven-game road trip with a winning record. They are 3-3 on the trip with one postponement.
The Blue Jays (25-27) are beginning to feel good about themselves as players return from the disabled list.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who hit a grand slam Monday, returned Friday, as did third baseman Josh Donaldson, who on Tuesday became the ninth Blue Jay to hit a homer into the 500 level at the Rogers Centre.
J.A. Happ returned from the DL on Tuesday and pitched an encouraging four innings. Francisco Liriano is scheduled to return Friday to start against the New York Yankees.
"It feels good," Happ said. "I think we have some good energy right now."
He also gave credit to the players who were filling in for those who were injured.
"They've been good while we were all kind of out, and we're just trying to help keep what they were doing the last several weeks," Happ said.
Morales said through a translator, "Finally, we have the whole team active. The full roster is together, so it just gives us more confidence to work as a team.
"We started really bad, but having the whole team together, hopefully it is going to keep going for us. We have a pretty talented team, now it's just about staying healthy. ... I really think we have a great team here and good things are going to happen for us."
The Blue Jays hit four homers Tuesday, but Reds manager Bryan Price was talking about their defense, including a diving catch in left field by Ezequiel Carrera on Adam Duvall's liner with two runners on base and one out.
"It sure is a different ballgame if we actually get the lead in that situation," Price said. "When the plays had to be made, they made every single one. ...
"The thing that stood out to me even more than the home runs were the plays by Tulowitzki, (first baseman Justin) Smoak, and Carrera, because those three plays are all run-scoring plays for us if those balls get down."
The Reds (24-27) hope things change when Adleman opposes the Blue Jays for the first time in his career.
He allowed one hit and two walks over eight scoreless innings Friday when he got the win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He retired 21 of his final 23 batters in the game. He is 3-1 with a 5.11 ERA in May.
Bolsinger could be making his final start for the Blue Jays in a while. He has been filling in as injuries depleted Toronto's rotation, but with Happ returning and Liriano about to return, Bolsinger may not be needed in a starting role.
He has allowed 15 walks in 20 1/3 innings in his four starts, which has hurt him. In his last start, Bolsinger yielded six hits, four walks and three runs (two earned) in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Friday. He is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in one career start against Cincinnati.
Royals' Kennedy aims for turnaround against Tigers
Stats, LLC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- May has not been a kind month for Kansas City Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy, who starts Wednesday in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
Kennedy is 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA for the season, but in three May starts, he is 0-2 with a 10.32 ERA while allowing five home runs in 11 1/3 innings.
The Tigers will counter with left-hander Matt Boyd, who is 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA this season.
Kennedy will be making his third start since coming off the disabled list after recovering from a right hamstring strain.
"I feel better and better every time, just (more) comfortable," Kennedy said.
In his first start back on May 21 at Minnesota, manager Ned Yost pulled him after two innings.
"The first time after taking 15 days off not facing hitters was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be," Kennedy said. "I felt a little better as the outing went on the other day."
In a Friday start at Cleveland, Kennedy yielded a solo home run in the second inning and three runs in the third before retiring the final seven batters he faced in a five-inning no-decision.
"My legs rebounded a lot better than I anticipated," Kennedy said. "Every time I feel more and more confident with it. My last two innings of my start, I went 1-2-3 both innings.
"Health-wise, that's all I care about. Everything else will take care of itself after health."
Kennedy said his delivery was off in his initial two starts.
"I had to figure that out," Kennedy said. "It's not quite right yet, but I feel like in between starts it's been a lot better."
He said rehabbing from an injury can create bad habits.
"Your delivery gets a little off whack," he said. "It takes time as you get out of reps."
Yost expects Kennedy will go deeper into the game against the Tigers.
"He's gotten a little better each start," Yost said. "The first start he was off mechanically. He was a little off mechanically the first three innings (the second start) and found it in the fourth and fifth inning. He should be ready to go (Wednesday)."
Kennedy is 1-3 with a 3.79 in six career outings against the Tigers. He went 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts against them last year.
Miguel Cabrera is 5-for-13 with two doubles, a triple and three walks against Kennedy. Alex Avila is 2-for-11 with six strikeouts and three walks, but both hits were home runs.
Boyd will face the Royals for the seventh time in his career. He is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in 23 career innings against the Royals, 0-2 with a 14.40 ERA in three starts at Kansas City.
Last season in two starts against the Royals, Boyd went 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA, yielding 11 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Boyd is 0-4 with a 6.92 ERA in five May starts, allowing 21 runs (20 earned) on 42 hits and 10 walks in 26 innings.
"I'm in a good place, just waiting for the next time to get out there," Boyd said. "You know, work off of the adjustments I've made over the last few starts and go out there and compete for a chance to win for the squad."
Expect Yost to load the lineup with right-handed hitters. Left-handers are hitting .231 off Boyd, but right-handers are hitting .328 with seven home runs and 21 walks.
Boyd needs a quality changeup to be effective against right-handed hitters.
"The last three outings, it could have been better," Boyd said. "Everything could have been a little better, but, you know, I trust the pitch. There's constantly work to get it better and better and better, every single day."
Whit Merrifield is 3-for-4 with four RBIs against Boyd. Lorenzo Cain is 4-for-12 with a home run and five RBIs.
"My goal out there isn't to get a win for myself," Boyd said. "My goal is to get a win for the team. If we score four, they can't score more than three. If we score one, they can't score at all. So, the goal is to go out there and put your team in a position to win. Win the game for the team, not for the individual statistic."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- May has not been a kind month for Kansas City Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy, who starts Wednesday in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
Kennedy is 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA for the season, but in three May starts, he is 0-2 with a 10.32 ERA while allowing five home runs in 11 1/3 innings.
The Tigers will counter with left-hander Matt Boyd, who is 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA this season.
Kennedy will be making his third start since coming off the disabled list after recovering from a right hamstring strain.
"I feel better and better every time, just (more) comfortable," Kennedy said.
In his first start back on May 21 at Minnesota, manager Ned Yost pulled him after two innings.
"The first time after taking 15 days off not facing hitters was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be," Kennedy said. "I felt a little better as the outing went on the other day."
In a Friday start at Cleveland, Kennedy yielded a solo home run in the second inning and three runs in the third before retiring the final seven batters he faced in a five-inning no-decision.
"My legs rebounded a lot better than I anticipated," Kennedy said. "Every time I feel more and more confident with it. My last two innings of my start, I went 1-2-3 both innings.
"Health-wise, that's all I care about. Everything else will take care of itself after health."
Kennedy said his delivery was off in his initial two starts.
"I had to figure that out," Kennedy said. "It's not quite right yet, but I feel like in between starts it's been a lot better."
He said rehabbing from an injury can create bad habits.
"Your delivery gets a little off whack," he said. "It takes time as you get out of reps."
Yost expects Kennedy will go deeper into the game against the Tigers.
"He's gotten a little better each start," Yost said. "The first start he was off mechanically. He was a little off mechanically the first three innings (the second start) and found it in the fourth and fifth inning. He should be ready to go (Wednesday)."
Kennedy is 1-3 with a 3.79 in six career outings against the Tigers. He went 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts against them last year.
Miguel Cabrera is 5-for-13 with two doubles, a triple and three walks against Kennedy. Alex Avila is 2-for-11 with six strikeouts and three walks, but both hits were home runs.
Boyd will face the Royals for the seventh time in his career. He is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in 23 career innings against the Royals, 0-2 with a 14.40 ERA in three starts at Kansas City.
Last season in two starts against the Royals, Boyd went 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA, yielding 11 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Boyd is 0-4 with a 6.92 ERA in five May starts, allowing 21 runs (20 earned) on 42 hits and 10 walks in 26 innings.
"I'm in a good place, just waiting for the next time to get out there," Boyd said. "You know, work off of the adjustments I've made over the last few starts and go out there and compete for a chance to win for the squad."
Expect Yost to load the lineup with right-handed hitters. Left-handers are hitting .231 off Boyd, but right-handers are hitting .328 with seven home runs and 21 walks.
Boyd needs a quality changeup to be effective against right-handed hitters.
"The last three outings, it could have been better," Boyd said. "Everything could have been a little better, but, you know, I trust the pitch. There's constantly work to get it better and better and better, every single day."
Whit Merrifield is 3-for-4 with four RBIs against Boyd. Lorenzo Cain is 4-for-12 with a home run and five RBIs.
"My goal out there isn't to get a win for myself," Boyd said. "My goal is to get a win for the team. If we score four, they can't score more than three. If we score one, they can't score at all. So, the goal is to go out there and put your team in a position to win. Win the game for the team, not for the individual statistic."
Red Sox hope offense stays hot against White Sox
Stats, LLC
CHICAGO -- Despite the absence of Dustin Pedroia, the Boston Red Sox swung the bat with authority against the Chicago White Sox in a 16-hit, 13-7 win on Tuesday night.
Red Sox manager John Farrell hopes the offense continues to roll on Wednesday night when No. 5 starter Drew Pomeranz (4-3, 4.70 ERA) takes the mound against Chicago's Mike Pelfrey (2-4, 4.41 ERA).
After putting Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list with a left wrist sprain, the Red Sox went deep six times on a breezy, 68-degree night in Chicago that caused Guaranteed Rate Field to "play extremely small," according Farrell.
An MRI exam revealed no structural damage, but Pedroia is dealing with soreness and swelling, and his hand and forearm were bandaged in a splint as he talked to media before Tuesday's game.
"It could have been a lot worse," Pedroia said. "I'm definitely relieved that it's not broke or anything like that."
Leading Boston's free-swinging response were light-hitting No. 9 batter Deven Marrero, who had two homers and five RBIs, and No. 8 hitter Jackie Bradley Jr., who had a three-run shot and drove in a run with a double.
"To see what (Marrero) and Jackie did at the bottom of the order was outstanding tonight," Ferrell said. "I don't know if it's an inspiration when you lose one of your better players and leader on your team, but we put together quality at-bats against a starter as quality as (Chicago's) Jose (Quintana) is.
"We were able to capitalize on some pitches in the strike zone, and that was up and down the lineup tonight."
Wednesday's forecast is for a sunny 71 degrees.
"I think we've played two games over 60 degrees at home," Farrell said. "I'm not going to pin it all on the weather, but I would hope as we get into some more consistent warmer weather, we're going to see more impact on the baseball.
"Hopefully tonight was an example of it."
And Ferrell isn't worried about temporarily plugging the defensive hole at second base with Pedroia out.
Pablo Sandoval was activated to take Pedroia's place on the 25-man roster ahead of the Tuesday game. Josh Rutledge started at second base on Tuesday, but Sandoval might be slotted there, too.
"We've got have the ability to mix and match a little bit left-handed and right-handed in that case," Farrell said. "We're certainly covered."
Before missing 31 games with a right knee sprain, Sandoval was hitting .213 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he hoped the 30-year-old Sandoval, a two-time All Star with San Francisco, would improve after a rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket.
"You're looking for more than what he showed from an offensive perspective," Dombrowski said.
Pomeranz will make his 10th start this season and is coming off a solid outing at home last Thursday against the Texas Rangers, when he scattered four hits and allowed two runs over six innings in a 6-2 win. The 6-foot-6 lefty wasn't as sharp in his previous three starts, all Boston losses, as his ERA rose as high as 5.29.
Pomeranz has made two career appearances, including one start, against the White Sox, and he is 1-0 and has yet to give up a run to Chicago in seven innings.
Pelfrey was signed as a free agent by the White Sox in April and assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. He was recalled in late April after James Shields when on the disabled list with a strained right lat.
Pelfrey will make his eighth start and has won his last two, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits over 11 innings. In a victory over the Detroit Tigers last Friday, the 33-year-old, 6-foot-7 righty allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out seven in five innings.
He is 2-5 with a 5.43 ERA in 11 career appearances, all starts, against the Red Sox. Last year, Pelfrey was 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA against Boston.
The White Sox have won four of their past six games, even with the Tuesday loss to the Red Sox.
Chicago needs a strong outing from Pelfrey after Jose Quintana was hit hard for the second straight outing on Tuesday and lost his third straight decision. The left-hander allowed seven runs on 10 hits and was yanked with two outs in the third.
"We're just going to have to keep grinding it out," manager Rick Renteria said of Quintana. "It's not the stuff. It's the command and the execution. If we can get that back on track, I think Q's going to be who he is, which is a very effective major league pitcher."
The White Sox collected 14 hits on Tuesday, the second time in the last three games they had a double-digit hits total.
Melky Cabrera and Leury Garcia had three hits apiece Tuesday.
CHICAGO -- Despite the absence of Dustin Pedroia, the Boston Red Sox swung the bat with authority against the Chicago White Sox in a 16-hit, 13-7 win on Tuesday night.
Red Sox manager John Farrell hopes the offense continues to roll on Wednesday night when No. 5 starter Drew Pomeranz (4-3, 4.70 ERA) takes the mound against Chicago's Mike Pelfrey (2-4, 4.41 ERA).
After putting Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list with a left wrist sprain, the Red Sox went deep six times on a breezy, 68-degree night in Chicago that caused Guaranteed Rate Field to "play extremely small," according Farrell.
An MRI exam revealed no structural damage, but Pedroia is dealing with soreness and swelling, and his hand and forearm were bandaged in a splint as he talked to media before Tuesday's game.
"It could have been a lot worse," Pedroia said. "I'm definitely relieved that it's not broke or anything like that."
Leading Boston's free-swinging response were light-hitting No. 9 batter Deven Marrero, who had two homers and five RBIs, and No. 8 hitter Jackie Bradley Jr., who had a three-run shot and drove in a run with a double.
"To see what (Marrero) and Jackie did at the bottom of the order was outstanding tonight," Ferrell said. "I don't know if it's an inspiration when you lose one of your better players and leader on your team, but we put together quality at-bats against a starter as quality as (Chicago's) Jose (Quintana) is.
"We were able to capitalize on some pitches in the strike zone, and that was up and down the lineup tonight."
Wednesday's forecast is for a sunny 71 degrees.
"I think we've played two games over 60 degrees at home," Farrell said. "I'm not going to pin it all on the weather, but I would hope as we get into some more consistent warmer weather, we're going to see more impact on the baseball.
"Hopefully tonight was an example of it."
And Ferrell isn't worried about temporarily plugging the defensive hole at second base with Pedroia out.
Pablo Sandoval was activated to take Pedroia's place on the 25-man roster ahead of the Tuesday game. Josh Rutledge started at second base on Tuesday, but Sandoval might be slotted there, too.
"We've got have the ability to mix and match a little bit left-handed and right-handed in that case," Farrell said. "We're certainly covered."
Before missing 31 games with a right knee sprain, Sandoval was hitting .213 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he hoped the 30-year-old Sandoval, a two-time All Star with San Francisco, would improve after a rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket.
"You're looking for more than what he showed from an offensive perspective," Dombrowski said.
Pomeranz will make his 10th start this season and is coming off a solid outing at home last Thursday against the Texas Rangers, when he scattered four hits and allowed two runs over six innings in a 6-2 win. The 6-foot-6 lefty wasn't as sharp in his previous three starts, all Boston losses, as his ERA rose as high as 5.29.
Pomeranz has made two career appearances, including one start, against the White Sox, and he is 1-0 and has yet to give up a run to Chicago in seven innings.
Pelfrey was signed as a free agent by the White Sox in April and assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. He was recalled in late April after James Shields when on the disabled list with a strained right lat.
Pelfrey will make his eighth start and has won his last two, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits over 11 innings. In a victory over the Detroit Tigers last Friday, the 33-year-old, 6-foot-7 righty allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out seven in five innings.
He is 2-5 with a 5.43 ERA in 11 career appearances, all starts, against the Red Sox. Last year, Pelfrey was 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA against Boston.
The White Sox have won four of their past six games, even with the Tuesday loss to the Red Sox.
Chicago needs a strong outing from Pelfrey after Jose Quintana was hit hard for the second straight outing on Tuesday and lost his third straight decision. The left-hander allowed seven runs on 10 hits and was yanked with two outs in the third.
"We're just going to have to keep grinding it out," manager Rick Renteria said of Quintana. "It's not the stuff. It's the command and the execution. If we can get that back on track, I think Q's going to be who he is, which is a very effective major league pitcher."
The White Sox collected 14 hits on Tuesday, the second time in the last three games they had a double-digit hits total.
Melky Cabrera and Leury Garcia had three hits apiece Tuesday.
Rangers' Bibens-Dirkx excited to make first start
Stats, LLC
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The feel-good story of Texas right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx takes another step Wednesday when the journeyman makes his first major league start against the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game series.
And while Bibens-Dirkx (0-0, 3.97 ERA) has had his work cut out for him throughout his pro career, the fact that he will face off against Tampa Bay ace Chris Archer (4-3, 3.61) adds to the pressure.
Despite what appears to be a one-sided pitching matchup, the 32-year old Rangers rookie is eager to take the ball.
"I'm pretty excited about it," said Bibens-Dirkx, who has pitched in four games for the Rangers since making his major league debut May 17. "It's something I've worked for 11-plus years, and hopefully I can go out there and continue to make pitches. I'm just trying to settle the emotions a little bit as best I can."
The first start adds to a career in which Bibens-Dirkx has pitched in the Toronto, Washington, Colorado, Chicago Cubs and Seattle organizations as well as stops in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the independent Atlantic League.
Bibens-Dirkx got the word Tuesday that he was going to make the start.
"Knowing (in advance) I'm getting the start ... I'll be able to relax a little bit and take things a little bit differently, but I'll definitely keep an eye on the hitters and I'll be in the dugout and I'll focus and hopefully see something most people might not," said Bibens-Dirkx, who has yet to oppose Tampa Bay.
What he will face Wednesday is one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors in Archer. The lanky right-hander, who is 1-2 with a 5.34 career ERA in five starts against the Rangers, comes into the game on a roll. He struck out 11 in his last start, Friday at Minnesota, and picked up his fourth win with 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball.
Archer set a club record for strikeouts in May with 51 and can add to that against the Rangers. He needs four strikeouts Wednesday to break the club record for any month, a mark set by David Price in June 2014.
One thing that is likely is Archer will pitch deep enough in the game to have a chance to pile up strikeouts. He already has made five starts of at least seven innings this season and has thrown at least 100 pitches in 20 straight starts dating back to 2016.
"I take pride having that ball in my hand as long as I possibly can," Archer said. "You mentioned the work I was doing out there. I don't do it for nothing. I take my job very seriously. I appreciate that they trust in me and that I've shown them enough to this point that I can have that ball deep into the game."
The Rays will have two off days in the next week and should be able to give Archer some extra time between starts.
"I hope that they lean on me (Wednesday) definitely equally if not more than they have in the past," Archer said. "If I get extended, 120 or 130 pitches, I've got two days extra to heal. I'm conditioned for it. And if the game dictates that I need to do it, I'm ready and willing."
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The feel-good story of Texas right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx takes another step Wednesday when the journeyman makes his first major league start against the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game series.
And while Bibens-Dirkx (0-0, 3.97 ERA) has had his work cut out for him throughout his pro career, the fact that he will face off against Tampa Bay ace Chris Archer (4-3, 3.61) adds to the pressure.
Despite what appears to be a one-sided pitching matchup, the 32-year old Rangers rookie is eager to take the ball.
"I'm pretty excited about it," said Bibens-Dirkx, who has pitched in four games for the Rangers since making his major league debut May 17. "It's something I've worked for 11-plus years, and hopefully I can go out there and continue to make pitches. I'm just trying to settle the emotions a little bit as best I can."
The first start adds to a career in which Bibens-Dirkx has pitched in the Toronto, Washington, Colorado, Chicago Cubs and Seattle organizations as well as stops in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the independent Atlantic League.
Bibens-Dirkx got the word Tuesday that he was going to make the start.
"Knowing (in advance) I'm getting the start ... I'll be able to relax a little bit and take things a little bit differently, but I'll definitely keep an eye on the hitters and I'll be in the dugout and I'll focus and hopefully see something most people might not," said Bibens-Dirkx, who has yet to oppose Tampa Bay.
What he will face Wednesday is one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors in Archer. The lanky right-hander, who is 1-2 with a 5.34 career ERA in five starts against the Rangers, comes into the game on a roll. He struck out 11 in his last start, Friday at Minnesota, and picked up his fourth win with 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball.
Archer set a club record for strikeouts in May with 51 and can add to that against the Rangers. He needs four strikeouts Wednesday to break the club record for any month, a mark set by David Price in June 2014.
One thing that is likely is Archer will pitch deep enough in the game to have a chance to pile up strikeouts. He already has made five starts of at least seven innings this season and has thrown at least 100 pitches in 20 straight starts dating back to 2016.
"I take pride having that ball in my hand as long as I possibly can," Archer said. "You mentioned the work I was doing out there. I don't do it for nothing. I take my job very seriously. I appreciate that they trust in me and that I've shown them enough to this point that I can have that ball deep into the game."
The Rays will have two off days in the next week and should be able to give Archer some extra time between starts.
"I hope that they lean on me (Wednesday) definitely equally if not more than they have in the past," Archer said. "If I get extended, 120 or 130 pitches, I've got two days extra to heal. I'm conditioned for it. And if the game dictates that I need to do it, I'm ready and willing."
Orioles, Yanks gear up for rubber match
Stats, LLC
BALTIMORE -- The New York Yankees are playing as well as any team in the majors, and they can take a key three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday at Camden Yards.
After dropping the opener 3-2, New York rebounded with a dominant 8-3 win Tuesday night.
While Yankees manager Joe Girardi is pleased with his team's performance this season, he knows there still room for improvement.
"I just think at times we've been a little inconsistent with that we've done," Girardi said. "Teams go through that. Other times, we've pitched really, really well and have not scored runs. Other times, we scored runs and not pitched really, really well. Through the course of the season, you're going to go through that, or you're going to end up with 120 wins and that has not happened.
"I still like the way we're playing. We have a chance every game."
The Yankees are displaying power this season, led by rookie right fielder Aaron Judge, who has 17 home runs and a team-high 37 RBIs. On Tuesday, Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday each hit a pair of solo homers, which took the pressure off starter Luis Severino.
Girardi appreciates that type of production from his hitters, especially against Baltimore, which has a high-powered offense of its own.
"It's never an easy game when we play them," Girardi said. "They're a very good team and they're very explosive. You never really feel it's safe."
Baltimore manager Buck Showalter has also been impressed with the Yankees this season. The Orioles' pitchers will need to do a much better job containing New York's lineup to avoid losing a home series for just the second time this season.
"They're a really good club," Showalter said. "They're going to be really hard to beat."
The Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka (5-4, 5.86 ERA) appears to be getting back on track. The right-hander allowed just one run and had a career-high 13 strikeouts in his last outing against the Oakland A's, but he still endured his third consecutive loss. In his previous two starts, Tanaka allowed a total of 14 runs on 16 hits over just 4 2/3 innings, which put added pressure on the bullpen.
Tanaka is 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore. He got a no-decision at Camden Yards on April 8, when he pitched five innings of three-run ball.
The Orioles will counter with right-hander Kevin Gausman, who has also pitched better after some early struggles. He has thrown consecutive quality starts and has shown better command recently.
In his last outing, Friday against the Houston Astros, Gausman (2-4, 6.17 ERA) allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers over 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles, however, could not muster any offense in a 2-0 loss.
Gausman has enjoyed some success against the Yankees over his career, going 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 19 appearances (13 starts).
"I know my stuff's really good when I'm getting a lot of foul balls," Gausman said. "That's one thing that throughout my whole career, when I'm on, guys are fouling it off. Unfortunately, it kind of gets me into deep counts."
BALTIMORE -- The New York Yankees are playing as well as any team in the majors, and they can take a key three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday at Camden Yards.
After dropping the opener 3-2, New York rebounded with a dominant 8-3 win Tuesday night.
While Yankees manager Joe Girardi is pleased with his team's performance this season, he knows there still room for improvement.
"I just think at times we've been a little inconsistent with that we've done," Girardi said. "Teams go through that. Other times, we've pitched really, really well and have not scored runs. Other times, we scored runs and not pitched really, really well. Through the course of the season, you're going to go through that, or you're going to end up with 120 wins and that has not happened.
"I still like the way we're playing. We have a chance every game."
The Yankees are displaying power this season, led by rookie right fielder Aaron Judge, who has 17 home runs and a team-high 37 RBIs. On Tuesday, Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday each hit a pair of solo homers, which took the pressure off starter Luis Severino.
Girardi appreciates that type of production from his hitters, especially against Baltimore, which has a high-powered offense of its own.
"It's never an easy game when we play them," Girardi said. "They're a very good team and they're very explosive. You never really feel it's safe."
Baltimore manager Buck Showalter has also been impressed with the Yankees this season. The Orioles' pitchers will need to do a much better job containing New York's lineup to avoid losing a home series for just the second time this season.
"They're a really good club," Showalter said. "They're going to be really hard to beat."
The Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka (5-4, 5.86 ERA) appears to be getting back on track. The right-hander allowed just one run and had a career-high 13 strikeouts in his last outing against the Oakland A's, but he still endured his third consecutive loss. In his previous two starts, Tanaka allowed a total of 14 runs on 16 hits over just 4 2/3 innings, which put added pressure on the bullpen.
Tanaka is 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore. He got a no-decision at Camden Yards on April 8, when he pitched five innings of three-run ball.
The Orioles will counter with right-hander Kevin Gausman, who has also pitched better after some early struggles. He has thrown consecutive quality starts and has shown better command recently.
In his last outing, Friday against the Houston Astros, Gausman (2-4, 6.17 ERA) allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers over 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles, however, could not muster any offense in a 2-0 loss.
Gausman has enjoyed some success against the Yankees over his career, going 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 19 appearances (13 starts).
"I know my stuff's really good when I'm getting a lot of foul balls," Gausman said. "That's one thing that throughout my whole career, when I'm on, guys are fouling it off. Unfortunately, it kind of gets me into deep counts."
A's look to cut down on strikeouts vs. Indians
Stats, LLC
CLEVELAND -- There will be a new, and unexpected, relief pitcher available in the Cleveland bullpen Wednesday night when the Indians host the Oakland A's in the third game of a four-game series.
Right-hander Danny Salazar will be on call for relief work for the first time since being pulled out of the Indians' rotation. Salazar, who struggled badly in 10 starts this season, has been moved to the bullpen in hopes of getting him straightened out and back pitching as he did last year, when he was selected to the American League All-Star team.
The move was made after Salazar went 3-5 with a 5.50 ERA while averaging almost five walks per nine innings in his 10 starts.
"This is not our goal, to have him in the 'pen, but it wasn't getting done," manager Terry Francona said. "You can banish a guy to the 'pen, send him to the penalty box. We're not going to do that. This is temporary. But right now he doesn't have a ton of confidence."
The Indians used the same tactic a couple of years ago with Carlos Carrasco, who went to the bullpen as a struggling starter, was able to reboot, and eventually returned to the rotation as a dependable, productive starter. Team officials hope the same thing happens with Salazar.
Oakland, meanwhile, is trying to get its season turned around. The A's have a run differential of minus-51, and Bob Melvin has used a different lineup in each of the team's past 45 games, but to little effect.
The A's continue to be plagued by strikeouts. In the first two games of the Cleveland series, Oakland hitters struck out 29 times, including 19 K's in their 9-4 loss Tuesday. At one point in the Tuesday game, Cleveland's Trevor Bauer struck out 10 of 12 batters.
"They've got strikeout guys and we do strike out some," Melvin said. "But recently, we've been striking out too much. When we don't put the ball in play, we don't give ourselves a chance."
The pitching matchup Wednesday will be Oakland's Sean Manaea (3-3, 4.35 ERA) against Cleveland's Mike Clevinger (2-1, 2.82).
Manaea has a streak of 14 consecutive games in which he has allowed five hits or fewer while pitching two or more innings. That is the longest such streak by an American League pitcher since at least 1913.
Manaea is coming off a strong start in his last outing, a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday in which he pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball. He struck out eight and walked one. In his only career appearance against the Indians on Aug. 23, 2016, Manaea was the winning pitcher in a 9-1 A's victory. In that game, Manaea pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Clevinger was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on May 7 when Corey Kluber was placed on the disabled list. Clevinger's last start was the worst of his five starts replacing Kluber. In a 6-4 loss to Kansas City on Friday, he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, two of them home runs.
In his first four starts replacing Kluber, Clevinger was 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA and held opposing batters to a .111 batting average.
Clevinger will be starting against Oakland for the first time in his career. He pitched an inning of relief in the game Manaea started against Cleveland last summer, and he gave up three runs on four hits.
CLEVELAND -- There will be a new, and unexpected, relief pitcher available in the Cleveland bullpen Wednesday night when the Indians host the Oakland A's in the third game of a four-game series.
Right-hander Danny Salazar will be on call for relief work for the first time since being pulled out of the Indians' rotation. Salazar, who struggled badly in 10 starts this season, has been moved to the bullpen in hopes of getting him straightened out and back pitching as he did last year, when he was selected to the American League All-Star team.
The move was made after Salazar went 3-5 with a 5.50 ERA while averaging almost five walks per nine innings in his 10 starts.
"This is not our goal, to have him in the 'pen, but it wasn't getting done," manager Terry Francona said. "You can banish a guy to the 'pen, send him to the penalty box. We're not going to do that. This is temporary. But right now he doesn't have a ton of confidence."
The Indians used the same tactic a couple of years ago with Carlos Carrasco, who went to the bullpen as a struggling starter, was able to reboot, and eventually returned to the rotation as a dependable, productive starter. Team officials hope the same thing happens with Salazar.
Oakland, meanwhile, is trying to get its season turned around. The A's have a run differential of minus-51, and Bob Melvin has used a different lineup in each of the team's past 45 games, but to little effect.
The A's continue to be plagued by strikeouts. In the first two games of the Cleveland series, Oakland hitters struck out 29 times, including 19 K's in their 9-4 loss Tuesday. At one point in the Tuesday game, Cleveland's Trevor Bauer struck out 10 of 12 batters.
"They've got strikeout guys and we do strike out some," Melvin said. "But recently, we've been striking out too much. When we don't put the ball in play, we don't give ourselves a chance."
The pitching matchup Wednesday will be Oakland's Sean Manaea (3-3, 4.35 ERA) against Cleveland's Mike Clevinger (2-1, 2.82).
Manaea has a streak of 14 consecutive games in which he has allowed five hits or fewer while pitching two or more innings. That is the longest such streak by an American League pitcher since at least 1913.
Manaea is coming off a strong start in his last outing, a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday in which he pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball. He struck out eight and walked one. In his only career appearance against the Indians on Aug. 23, 2016, Manaea was the winning pitcher in a 9-1 A's victory. In that game, Manaea pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Clevinger was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on May 7 when Corey Kluber was placed on the disabled list. Clevinger's last start was the worst of his five starts replacing Kluber. In a 6-4 loss to Kansas City on Friday, he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, two of them home runs.
In his first four starts replacing Kluber, Clevinger was 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA and held opposing batters to a .111 batting average.
Clevinger will be starting against Oakland for the first time in his career. He pitched an inning of relief in the game Manaea started against Cleveland last summer, and he gave up three runs on four hits.
High-powered Astros look to sweep Twins
Stats, LLC
MINNEAPOLIS -- With an offense led by the likes of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, the Houston Astros lead the American League in runs scored this season. Their shutdown bullpen shortens games, and they have two top-line starters in Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers.
Houston just needs consistency from its other three spots in the rotation and for the starters to stay healthy.
Joe Musgrove was scheduled to start the Wednesday game in Minnesota, but he was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday due to shoulder discomfort. The Astros recalled right-hander David Paulino to start the series finale against the Twins.
"I've thrown through a lot of pain in my career and stuff, and I feel like I've been able to manage it pretty well," Musgrove told MLB.com. "But I feel like this is something where a couple days of rest could really do a lot for it. I feel like I could do more harm to myself and the team to go out (Wednesday) and try to gut through it. If I go out and only get an inning in or being in too much pain to go on, that leaves a lot of work for the bullpen and kind of puts us in a tougher spot."
Paulino will be making his first appearance for Houston this season. The right-hander, considered one of the organization's top pitching prospects, was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in three major league appearances last season, making one start. He has never faced Minnesota.
The Twins will have left-hander Hector Santiago (4-4, 4.31 ERA) on the mound. Santiago is 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 11 career appearances (nine starts) against the Astros. He took a loss in his last outing against Houston, allowing five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings on Aug. 9, 2016.
Minnesota will be looking to Santiago to stem the slide at home. The Twins have lost four of the five games on their homestand and are 12-17 at Target Field.
They also are looking for some momentum after a tough 15-inning loss Sunday, which was followed by losses in the first two games of the series against the Astros. Houston used an 11-run eighth inning to win Monday's game, then rolled to a 7-2 win Tuesday.
"It's one of those things where you play that many games in our sport and you're going to be tested, there's no question about that," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "I think the guys here have a pretty good idea that this is one of those early tests that we've had.
"We've had pretty good flow so far. It's been disrupted the last couple days. We're facing a good team, which makes the task a little more difficult."
The Astros hope their starters stay healthy now. Keuchel recently returned from the DL, but Charlie Morton went on the DL last weekend because of a right lat strain.
"I even think under different circumstances you try to push through this," Houston manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com. "There's some cautiousness that's important for us to take care of (Musgrove) as a young pitcher and where we are in the season. The state of our rotation, we need to make sure we don't push him deeper into more soreness or potential injuries. When he reported more soreness, it became a very easy decision, quite frankly."
Musgrove is expected to miss only one start.
Meanwhile, the Astros' offense keeps clicking along. A day after the big inning spurred an epic comeback, Houston put up 10 hits Tuesday.
Jose Altuve had four hits Tuesday, giving him seven in the series. Alex Bregman, hitting ninth, homered Tuesday for the second consecutive game.
"Everybody knows he's not a ninth hitter, but we have to give credit to the back of the lineup because everybody seems like is getting hits, scoring runs, and that makes A.J. put Alex in the ninth spot," Altuve said. "It was perfect. Everybody's putting really nice at-bats together, and that's why we're scoring runs."
MINNEAPOLIS -- With an offense led by the likes of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, the Houston Astros lead the American League in runs scored this season. Their shutdown bullpen shortens games, and they have two top-line starters in Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers.
Houston just needs consistency from its other three spots in the rotation and for the starters to stay healthy.
Joe Musgrove was scheduled to start the Wednesday game in Minnesota, but he was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday due to shoulder discomfort. The Astros recalled right-hander David Paulino to start the series finale against the Twins.
"I've thrown through a lot of pain in my career and stuff, and I feel like I've been able to manage it pretty well," Musgrove told MLB.com. "But I feel like this is something where a couple days of rest could really do a lot for it. I feel like I could do more harm to myself and the team to go out (Wednesday) and try to gut through it. If I go out and only get an inning in or being in too much pain to go on, that leaves a lot of work for the bullpen and kind of puts us in a tougher spot."
Paulino will be making his first appearance for Houston this season. The right-hander, considered one of the organization's top pitching prospects, was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in three major league appearances last season, making one start. He has never faced Minnesota.
The Twins will have left-hander Hector Santiago (4-4, 4.31 ERA) on the mound. Santiago is 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 11 career appearances (nine starts) against the Astros. He took a loss in his last outing against Houston, allowing five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings on Aug. 9, 2016.
Minnesota will be looking to Santiago to stem the slide at home. The Twins have lost four of the five games on their homestand and are 12-17 at Target Field.
They also are looking for some momentum after a tough 15-inning loss Sunday, which was followed by losses in the first two games of the series against the Astros. Houston used an 11-run eighth inning to win Monday's game, then rolled to a 7-2 win Tuesday.
"It's one of those things where you play that many games in our sport and you're going to be tested, there's no question about that," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "I think the guys here have a pretty good idea that this is one of those early tests that we've had.
"We've had pretty good flow so far. It's been disrupted the last couple days. We're facing a good team, which makes the task a little more difficult."
The Astros hope their starters stay healthy now. Keuchel recently returned from the DL, but Charlie Morton went on the DL last weekend because of a right lat strain.
"I even think under different circumstances you try to push through this," Houston manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com. "There's some cautiousness that's important for us to take care of (Musgrove) as a young pitcher and where we are in the season. The state of our rotation, we need to make sure we don't push him deeper into more soreness or potential injuries. When he reported more soreness, it became a very easy decision, quite frankly."
Musgrove is expected to miss only one start.
Meanwhile, the Astros' offense keeps clicking along. A day after the big inning spurred an epic comeback, Houston put up 10 hits Tuesday.
Jose Altuve had four hits Tuesday, giving him seven in the series. Alex Bregman, hitting ninth, homered Tuesday for the second consecutive game.
"Everybody knows he's not a ninth hitter, but we have to give credit to the back of the lineup because everybody seems like is getting hits, scoring runs, and that makes A.J. put Alex in the ninth spot," Altuve said. "It was perfect. Everybody's putting really nice at-bats together, and that's why we're scoring runs."
LEADING OFF: Pujols takes aim at 600; Tanaka tough at night
---
SWEET 600
Albert Pujols is one big fly from becoming the ninth member of the 600-homer club. The 37-year-old slugger hit No. 599 off 44-year-old Atlanta starter Bartolo Colon on Tuesday night. Pujols has homered in consecutive games for the first time this season. He and the Angels are set to face Braves left-hander Jaime Garcia.
NIGHT AND DAY
Masahiro Tanaka appears to do his best work at night. The New York Yankees right-hander makes his 11th start of the season in Baltimore, looking to extend an unusual run of success under the lights. Tanaka is 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA in six night starts and 0-3 with a 17.51 ERA in four day games. He faces Kevin Gausman (2-4, 6.17) and the Orioles. Opponents are batting .322 with 10 homers in 54 innings against Gausman.
TORONTO TURNAROUND
The Blue Jays can move within a game of .500 by beating the Reds, a stark improvement following a 6-17 start to the season. Toronto has 47 homers in May, including four while improving to 25-27 with a 6-4 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. Jose Bautista has been a driving force in the resurgence, hitting .320 with nine homers with 21 RBIs following a miserable April. Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Kendrys Morales each homered in Tuesday's win.
STIFF COMPETITION
Oakland left-hander Sean Manaea (3-3) gets the ball at AL champion Cleveland, his latest assignment against one of the league's heavyweights. The second-year pitcher has won two straight starts, beating the Red Sox and Yankees while posting a 1.50 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 12 innings.
PAX IS BACK
James Paxton is set to come off the disabled list for the Mariners against Colorado. Paxton (3-0, 1.43 ERA) was among baseball's best pitchers in April before landing on the DL with a left forearm strain. He'll face standout rookie Antonio Senzatela (7-1, 3.19), who most recently pitched eight shutout innings in a win over the Cardinals.
WELCOME ABOARD
The major league-leading Astros (37-16) turn to another substitute starter as they attempt to win their seventh straight game. David Paulino was called up from the minors to pitch at Minnesota after Houston put right-hander Joe Musgrove on the disabled list Tuesday with shoulder discomfort. Paulino was at Triple-A Fresno and is considered one of the team's top prospects. Musgrove, who is 4-4 with a 4.89 ERA after throwing seven scoreless innings against Baltimore last Friday, could miss just one turn. But for now, he joins fellow Astros starters Charlie Morton and Collin McHugh on the DL.
DEALING D-BACKS
Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley will try to follow a gem by Robbie Ray with another one against the Pirates. Ray threw a four-hitter for his first complete game Tuesday night, and Godley (1-1, 1.99 ERA) is on a tear of his own. He pitched six scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over Milwaukee last time out and has churned out four straight quality starts. Pittsburgh right-hander Chad Kuhl (1-5, 6.29) is winless in nine starts since beating Atlanta on April 8 in his season debut.
---
More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Morales' blast in 8th lifts Jays over Reds
(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- The return of J.A. Happ from the disabled list was just another step in the Toronto Blue Jays getting their team back together after a deluge of early-season injuries.
Happ pitched four innings to a no-decision Tuesday night, and the Blue Jays had a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning from Kendrys Morales in their 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
"I was encouraged because the arm strength was there," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You could tell he hadn't pitched in a while. His last inning was good, it was key, it got him to where we kind of wanted him to get. He looked rusty but his arm was really good."
Happ's return follows shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and third baseman Josh Donaldson, who both came back from the DL on Friday.
Donaldson provided a two-run homer in the fourth inning that soared all the way to the 500 level of the Rogers Centre.
"I think we have some good energy right now," Happ said. "They've been good while we were all kind of out and we're just trying to help keep what they were doing the last several weeks."
Jose Bautista and Russell Martin also homered in the four-run fourth inning for Toronto (25-27).
"They didn't have a bunch of hits today like they did (Monday when Toronto had 23 hits in a 17-2 win) but what they did put in play hard left the ballpark," Reds manager Bryan Price said.
Zack Cozart hit two homers and Joey Votto added a solo shot for the Reds (24-27).
Joe Smith (1-0) pitched around an infield single after inheriting a runner in the eighth. Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save of the season.
Blake Wood (0-3) allowed a single to Bautista and the 10th home run of the season by Morales in the eighth to take the loss.
"I was looking for a big swing and I got a good pitch to swing, so I got it all," Morales said through a translator. "We have a pretty talented team now it's just about staying healthy and hopefully working together as a team. I really think we have a great team here and good things are going to happen for us."
Happ, starting for the first time since April 16, allowed three hits and two runs on two first-inning solo homers. Happ, who had been on the disabled list with elbow inflammation, walked three and struck out three.
"It was a battle, I expected that, the first time getting back out there," Happ said. "I kind of settled down after those couple of runs in the first there. And I got out of a couple of jams. I'll get better with command, that's going to come I think but physically I felt good. I didn't feel held back in any way."
Reds right-hander Asher Wojciechowski allowed four hits, including three home runs, and four runs in four innings. The former Blue Jays minor-leaguer struck out three and hit two batters.
"My job was to go deep and I didn't do it today," he said. "(In the fourth inning) I just left some fastballs over the heart of the plate. I've got to do a better job next time of locating my fastball."
Danny Barnes replaced Happ and allowed one hit (a solo home run), a walk and one run while striking out five in two innings.
Ryan Tepera replaced Barnes in the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Jose Peraza, who stole second, continued to third on a throwing error by catcher Martin. He scored the tying run on a single by Billy Hamilton to end Tepera's 19-inning scoreless streak.
Hamilton stole second but was caught trying to steal third after Cozart walked. Votto also walked to put runners at first and second.
Adam Duvall lined out to left fielder Ezequiel Carrera, who made a diving catch for the second out.
"It sure is a different ballgame if we actually get the lead in that situation," Price said.
"Our defense was unbelievable," Gibbons said.
Tepera ended the inning by striking out Eugenio Suarez.
After Michael Lorenzen replaced Wojciechowski and pitched three scoreless innings, Wood took over in the eighth and allowed the game-winning homer.
Happ gave up one-out homers on successive pitches to Cozart and Votto in the first inning. It was the sixth of the season for Cozart and the 13th for Votto.
Donaldson tied the game with his third home run of the season after Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth. Donaldson's blast went into the 500 level in left, the ninth Blue Jay player to reach the fifth level at the Rogers Centre with a homer for a total of 11 times.
Bautista followed with his 10th homer of the season and two outs later Martin hit his fifth.
Cozart hit his second homer of the game with one out in the fifth against Barnes.
NOTES: Toronto RHP Dominic Leone was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday to make room for LHP J.A. Happ, who was reinstated from the disabled list to make the start Tuesday. ... Toronto LHP Francisco Liriano (left shoulder) will be activated from the DL to start Friday against the New York Yankees. Liriano has been on the DL since May 11. He struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings in a rehabilitation start with Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. ... The Reds recalled RHP Jackson Stephens from Triple-A Louisville on Monday and optioned RHP Robert Stephenson to Louisville. ... Reds RHP Tim Adleman (3-2, 4.95 ERA) will face Blue Jays RHP Mike Bolsinger (0-2, 5.75 ERA) on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale.
Happ pitched four innings to a no-decision Tuesday night, and the Blue Jays had a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning from Kendrys Morales in their 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
"I was encouraged because the arm strength was there," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You could tell he hadn't pitched in a while. His last inning was good, it was key, it got him to where we kind of wanted him to get. He looked rusty but his arm was really good."
Happ's return follows shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and third baseman Josh Donaldson, who both came back from the DL on Friday.
Donaldson provided a two-run homer in the fourth inning that soared all the way to the 500 level of the Rogers Centre.
"I think we have some good energy right now," Happ said. "They've been good while we were all kind of out and we're just trying to help keep what they were doing the last several weeks."
Jose Bautista and Russell Martin also homered in the four-run fourth inning for Toronto (25-27).
"They didn't have a bunch of hits today like they did (Monday when Toronto had 23 hits in a 17-2 win) but what they did put in play hard left the ballpark," Reds manager Bryan Price said.
Zack Cozart hit two homers and Joey Votto added a solo shot for the Reds (24-27).
Joe Smith (1-0) pitched around an infield single after inheriting a runner in the eighth. Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save of the season.
Blake Wood (0-3) allowed a single to Bautista and the 10th home run of the season by Morales in the eighth to take the loss.
"I was looking for a big swing and I got a good pitch to swing, so I got it all," Morales said through a translator. "We have a pretty talented team now it's just about staying healthy and hopefully working together as a team. I really think we have a great team here and good things are going to happen for us."
Happ, starting for the first time since April 16, allowed three hits and two runs on two first-inning solo homers. Happ, who had been on the disabled list with elbow inflammation, walked three and struck out three.
"It was a battle, I expected that, the first time getting back out there," Happ said. "I kind of settled down after those couple of runs in the first there. And I got out of a couple of jams. I'll get better with command, that's going to come I think but physically I felt good. I didn't feel held back in any way."
Reds right-hander Asher Wojciechowski allowed four hits, including three home runs, and four runs in four innings. The former Blue Jays minor-leaguer struck out three and hit two batters.
"My job was to go deep and I didn't do it today," he said. "(In the fourth inning) I just left some fastballs over the heart of the plate. I've got to do a better job next time of locating my fastball."
Danny Barnes replaced Happ and allowed one hit (a solo home run), a walk and one run while striking out five in two innings.
Ryan Tepera replaced Barnes in the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Jose Peraza, who stole second, continued to third on a throwing error by catcher Martin. He scored the tying run on a single by Billy Hamilton to end Tepera's 19-inning scoreless streak.
Hamilton stole second but was caught trying to steal third after Cozart walked. Votto also walked to put runners at first and second.
Adam Duvall lined out to left fielder Ezequiel Carrera, who made a diving catch for the second out.
"It sure is a different ballgame if we actually get the lead in that situation," Price said.
"Our defense was unbelievable," Gibbons said.
Tepera ended the inning by striking out Eugenio Suarez.
After Michael Lorenzen replaced Wojciechowski and pitched three scoreless innings, Wood took over in the eighth and allowed the game-winning homer.
Happ gave up one-out homers on successive pitches to Cozart and Votto in the first inning. It was the sixth of the season for Cozart and the 13th for Votto.
Donaldson tied the game with his third home run of the season after Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth. Donaldson's blast went into the 500 level in left, the ninth Blue Jay player to reach the fifth level at the Rogers Centre with a homer for a total of 11 times.
Bautista followed with his 10th homer of the season and two outs later Martin hit his fifth.
Cozart hit his second homer of the game with one out in the fifth against Barnes.
NOTES: Toronto RHP Dominic Leone was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday to make room for LHP J.A. Happ, who was reinstated from the disabled list to make the start Tuesday. ... Toronto LHP Francisco Liriano (left shoulder) will be activated from the DL to start Friday against the New York Yankees. Liriano has been on the DL since May 11. He struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings in a rehabilitation start with Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. ... The Reds recalled RHP Jackson Stephens from Triple-A Louisville on Monday and optioned RHP Robert Stephenson to Louisville. ... Reds RHP Tim Adleman (3-2, 4.95 ERA) will face Blue Jays RHP Mike Bolsinger (0-2, 5.75 ERA) on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale.
Royals' Skoglund, relievers blank Tigers 1-0
(TSX / STATS) -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Manager Ned Yost, while removing Eric Skoglund with one out in the seventh inning Tuesday, told the Kansas City Royals left-hander what a great job he had done in his major league debut.
"Now when you're walking in, I want you to listen to the crowd because they're going to tell you how good you did, too," Yost said to Skoglund.
Skoglund gave up two hits over 6 1/3 innings as he combined with three relievers to blank the Detroit Tigers 1-0.
As Skoglund walked to the dugout, the 21,864 fans at Kauffman Stadium rose in unison to give him a deafening applause.
"From the very beginning, I was trying to throw first-pitch strikes and stick to my game," Skoglund said.
Skoglund (1-0) walked one and struck out five to beat Justin Verlander (4-4).
Eric Hosmer's two-out, sixth-inning single drove in Alcides Escobar with the game's only run.
Skoglund was a non-roster invitee to spring training, but he got injured and was sent to the minor league camp before appearing in a Cactus League game.
"I thought he did an exceptional job," Yost said. "Really impressive his confidence and composure coming into this game. We didn't get a chance to see him in spring training, so we were excited to see him tonight, and he didn't disappoint."
Verlander, who threw 116 pitches over seven innings, gave up one run on six hits, struck out five and walked one.
Relievers Peter Moylan, Mike Minor and Kelvin Herrera preserved Kansas City's one-run advantage. Herrera logged his 12th save with a perfect ninth, striking out two. Moylan struck out two on six pitches.
Skoglund walked Miguel Cabrera on a full-count pitch with two outs in the first and yielded a ground ball single to right Victor Martinez. Skoglund ended the inning by fanning J.D. Martinez for his first career strikeout.
"I had the confidence," Skoglund said. "I was just trying to execute the pitch. Fortunately, he swung the bat."
Skoglund retired the next 14 in a row, striking out five, after Victor Martinez's single. He breezed through the first five innings on 60 pitches.
"We can take some more outings like that for sure," Hosmer said. "That was fun, fun to watch. Not only an all-righty lineup, but you throw in guys like J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, a debut for a left-handed pitcher, I don't know a tougher lineup you could face. I think the biggest thing, there was no fear whatsoever, attacking guys."
The Royals' offense, however, was stymied by Verlander for the first five innings. Kansas City managed just two hits, one failing to leave the infield, and a walk in that span.
Jorge Bonifacio doubled with two outs in the second, but Brandon Moss struck out to strand him.
Whit Merrifield drew a 12-pitch walk from Verlander to lead off the third and advanced to second on Gordon's fly out to deep center. Merrifield went no further as Verlander retired the next two batters.
"This was one of his best performances of the year," Ausmus said of Verlander. "His fastball location was good. His curveball was real good early. His slider was good the whole game. He threw some really strong changeups, so he had all four pitches working as well as any outing he's had all year."
Merrifield beat out a grounder to third baseman Nicholas Castellanos with two outs in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games. Gordon's grounder ended the inning.
Rookie John Hicks caught Verlander for the first time.
"I think we worked well together," Verlander said. "It was a lot of fun to throw to him. His brother and I are best friends, dating all the way back to high school, so that was pretty cool for Goochland (Virginia) High School. That part was a lot of fun, so grinding after it and then coming out and be handed (a loss), not so much fun."
NOTES: The Royals placed LHP Danny Duffy on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday, due to a strained right oblique. His roster spot was filled by LHP Eric Skoglund, who was called up from Triple-A Omaha. ... Detroit RHP Alex Wilson tossed a scoreless eighth inning. He has allowed just one earned run in his past 17 appearances. ... Royals RHP Kelvin Herrera has nine saves this month, one shy of the club record for May. ... The Royals have not listed a starter for a Sunday game against the Cleveland Indians, but manager Ned Yost said RHP Nathan Karns (forearm) will not be ready to come off the disabled list and pitch that afternoon. ... 2B Dixon Machado batted leadoff for the Tigers for the first time in his 52 games in the majors. ... Tigers LHP Matt Boyd and Royals RHP Ian Kennedy are the probables for the Wednesday series finale.
"Now when you're walking in, I want you to listen to the crowd because they're going to tell you how good you did, too," Yost said to Skoglund.
Skoglund gave up two hits over 6 1/3 innings as he combined with three relievers to blank the Detroit Tigers 1-0.
As Skoglund walked to the dugout, the 21,864 fans at Kauffman Stadium rose in unison to give him a deafening applause.
"From the very beginning, I was trying to throw first-pitch strikes and stick to my game," Skoglund said.
Skoglund (1-0) walked one and struck out five to beat Justin Verlander (4-4).
Eric Hosmer's two-out, sixth-inning single drove in Alcides Escobar with the game's only run.
Skoglund was a non-roster invitee to spring training, but he got injured and was sent to the minor league camp before appearing in a Cactus League game.
"I thought he did an exceptional job," Yost said. "Really impressive his confidence and composure coming into this game. We didn't get a chance to see him in spring training, so we were excited to see him tonight, and he didn't disappoint."
Verlander, who threw 116 pitches over seven innings, gave up one run on six hits, struck out five and walked one.
Relievers Peter Moylan, Mike Minor and Kelvin Herrera preserved Kansas City's one-run advantage. Herrera logged his 12th save with a perfect ninth, striking out two. Moylan struck out two on six pitches.
Skoglund walked Miguel Cabrera on a full-count pitch with two outs in the first and yielded a ground ball single to right Victor Martinez. Skoglund ended the inning by fanning J.D. Martinez for his first career strikeout.
"I had the confidence," Skoglund said. "I was just trying to execute the pitch. Fortunately, he swung the bat."
Skoglund retired the next 14 in a row, striking out five, after Victor Martinez's single. He breezed through the first five innings on 60 pitches.
"We can take some more outings like that for sure," Hosmer said. "That was fun, fun to watch. Not only an all-righty lineup, but you throw in guys like J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, a debut for a left-handed pitcher, I don't know a tougher lineup you could face. I think the biggest thing, there was no fear whatsoever, attacking guys."
The Royals' offense, however, was stymied by Verlander for the first five innings. Kansas City managed just two hits, one failing to leave the infield, and a walk in that span.
Jorge Bonifacio doubled with two outs in the second, but Brandon Moss struck out to strand him.
Whit Merrifield drew a 12-pitch walk from Verlander to lead off the third and advanced to second on Gordon's fly out to deep center. Merrifield went no further as Verlander retired the next two batters.
"This was one of his best performances of the year," Ausmus said of Verlander. "His fastball location was good. His curveball was real good early. His slider was good the whole game. He threw some really strong changeups, so he had all four pitches working as well as any outing he's had all year."
Merrifield beat out a grounder to third baseman Nicholas Castellanos with two outs in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games. Gordon's grounder ended the inning.
Rookie John Hicks caught Verlander for the first time.
"I think we worked well together," Verlander said. "It was a lot of fun to throw to him. His brother and I are best friends, dating all the way back to high school, so that was pretty cool for Goochland (Virginia) High School. That part was a lot of fun, so grinding after it and then coming out and be handed (a loss), not so much fun."
NOTES: The Royals placed LHP Danny Duffy on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday, due to a strained right oblique. His roster spot was filled by LHP Eric Skoglund, who was called up from Triple-A Omaha. ... Detroit RHP Alex Wilson tossed a scoreless eighth inning. He has allowed just one earned run in his past 17 appearances. ... Royals RHP Kelvin Herrera has nine saves this month, one shy of the club record for May. ... The Royals have not listed a starter for a Sunday game against the Cleveland Indians, but manager Ned Yost said RHP Nathan Karns (forearm) will not be ready to come off the disabled list and pitch that afternoon. ... 2B Dixon Machado batted leadoff for the Tigers for the first time in his 52 games in the majors. ... Tigers LHP Matt Boyd and Royals RHP Ian Kennedy are the probables for the Wednesday series finale.
Fiers' strong outing helps Astros shut down Twins
(TSX / STATS) -- MINNEAPOLIS -- An injury gave Mike Fiers another opportunity in the Houston Astros' rotation.
Fiers rewarded Houston for giving him a second chance with one of his best outings of the season.
Jose Altuve had four hits, Alex Bregman homered and Fiers pitched six strong innings in his second shot in the rotation as the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Tuesday.
"It was very vintage Fiers for when he's right: high fastballs and a curveball off that arm slot," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. "Throwing his curveball for a strike looked to be the point in which he took control of the game and was able to control counts and was able to control the strike zone."
Fiers (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out eight batters. Chris Devenski yielded one hit in two innings and Michael Feliz pitched a scoreless ninth for the Astros.
Altuve's two-run single in the fifth broke a 2-all tie and sent Houston to its eighth win in nine games. Bregman followed two innings later with his second home run in as many games.
Jose Berrios (3-1) gave up a season-high four runs in a season-low five innings. He surrendered five hits and struck out five. Minnesota lost for the fourth time in five home games and fell to 12-17 at Target Field.
"I think I battled out there," Berrios said. "I don't have my command with my off-speed pitches, but I tried to do my best job, keep battling every pitch, every inning to try to hold the game."
Fiers was taken out of the rotation after giving up four runs -- three earned -- in 4 2/3 innings against Detroit in his last outing. Houston made room for Brad Peacock, who dazzled in a spot start, to stay in the rotation.
But a day later, starter Charlie Morton was sent to the disabled list, giving Fiers a temporary reprieve.
"You got to earn your spot here, especially on a first-place team," Fiers said after beating the Twins. "I wasn't doing my job, so when he told me I was going to the bullpen, I've got to do whatever the team needs and not try to think of it as a demotion; just take it and work on my pitches, and hopefully get another chance to get in there.
"No matter what, I want to be on this team. This team is special. It really is. No matter how they use me, I just want to be helpful to these guys."
Fiers didn't look long for Tuesday's game after throwing 30 pitches in the first inning and surrendering two runs. He walked Eddie Rosario with the bases loaded, and Byron Buxton followed with an infield single to score another run.
Settling in, Fiers retired eight in a row at one point and allowed just two hits the rest of the way. He was one off a season high in strikeouts, and he didn't allow a homer for the first time in 10 starts this season.
Fiers said he worked with Lance McCullers on his curveball between starts and then had his best curveball of the season on Tuesday.
"When that's on, I'm a whole different pitcher," Fiers said. "It could be the littlest thing when you're not pitching as well as you think. Big league hitters start eliminating the pitch and makes it a lot easier on them. Having all my pitches tonight was huge, and just being aggressive and attacking those guys."
Berrios had Minnesota hoping he had finally tapped into his immense potential. The team's top pitching prospect, Berrios had allowed four runs over his first three starts this season.
After a strong start, Berrios started to fade against the patient Astros. Control was a big part of his rookie struggles last season and he walked a season-high four batters on Tuesday.
"I told him I was proud of him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I thought he contained fairly well."
NOTES: Houston manager A.J. Hinch said the team will recall LHP Reymin Guduan from Triple-A Fresno before Wednesday's game. The team had an extra roster spot after optioning RHP Jordan Jankowski after Monday's game. ... Twins LHP Jason Wheeler made his major league debut. He pitched two innings with two runs allowed, one earned. ... Minnesota 3B Miguel Sano was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the game with an illness. It was only the second game all season Sano has missed. He was replaced at third base by Ehire Adrianza. ... Houston put RHP Joe Musgrove on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder discomfort. Musgrove was scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale. The Astros recalled RHP David Paulino from Triple-A Fresno to start Wednesday. ... Twins LHP Glen Perkins threw to live hitters on Tuesday and reported feeling as good as he has since shoulder surgery last year. Perkins will head to Florida to continue his rehab for a left posterior shoulder strain. ... Minnesota CF Byron Buxton was back in the lineup a day after sustaining a laceration on the right finger of his right hand.
Fiers rewarded Houston for giving him a second chance with one of his best outings of the season.
Jose Altuve had four hits, Alex Bregman homered and Fiers pitched six strong innings in his second shot in the rotation as the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Tuesday.
"It was very vintage Fiers for when he's right: high fastballs and a curveball off that arm slot," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. "Throwing his curveball for a strike looked to be the point in which he took control of the game and was able to control counts and was able to control the strike zone."
Fiers (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out eight batters. Chris Devenski yielded one hit in two innings and Michael Feliz pitched a scoreless ninth for the Astros.
Altuve's two-run single in the fifth broke a 2-all tie and sent Houston to its eighth win in nine games. Bregman followed two innings later with his second home run in as many games.
Jose Berrios (3-1) gave up a season-high four runs in a season-low five innings. He surrendered five hits and struck out five. Minnesota lost for the fourth time in five home games and fell to 12-17 at Target Field.
"I think I battled out there," Berrios said. "I don't have my command with my off-speed pitches, but I tried to do my best job, keep battling every pitch, every inning to try to hold the game."
Fiers was taken out of the rotation after giving up four runs -- three earned -- in 4 2/3 innings against Detroit in his last outing. Houston made room for Brad Peacock, who dazzled in a spot start, to stay in the rotation.
But a day later, starter Charlie Morton was sent to the disabled list, giving Fiers a temporary reprieve.
"You got to earn your spot here, especially on a first-place team," Fiers said after beating the Twins. "I wasn't doing my job, so when he told me I was going to the bullpen, I've got to do whatever the team needs and not try to think of it as a demotion; just take it and work on my pitches, and hopefully get another chance to get in there.
"No matter what, I want to be on this team. This team is special. It really is. No matter how they use me, I just want to be helpful to these guys."
Fiers didn't look long for Tuesday's game after throwing 30 pitches in the first inning and surrendering two runs. He walked Eddie Rosario with the bases loaded, and Byron Buxton followed with an infield single to score another run.
Settling in, Fiers retired eight in a row at one point and allowed just two hits the rest of the way. He was one off a season high in strikeouts, and he didn't allow a homer for the first time in 10 starts this season.
Fiers said he worked with Lance McCullers on his curveball between starts and then had his best curveball of the season on Tuesday.
"When that's on, I'm a whole different pitcher," Fiers said. "It could be the littlest thing when you're not pitching as well as you think. Big league hitters start eliminating the pitch and makes it a lot easier on them. Having all my pitches tonight was huge, and just being aggressive and attacking those guys."
Berrios had Minnesota hoping he had finally tapped into his immense potential. The team's top pitching prospect, Berrios had allowed four runs over his first three starts this season.
After a strong start, Berrios started to fade against the patient Astros. Control was a big part of his rookie struggles last season and he walked a season-high four batters on Tuesday.
"I told him I was proud of him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I thought he contained fairly well."
NOTES: Houston manager A.J. Hinch said the team will recall LHP Reymin Guduan from Triple-A Fresno before Wednesday's game. The team had an extra roster spot after optioning RHP Jordan Jankowski after Monday's game. ... Twins LHP Jason Wheeler made his major league debut. He pitched two innings with two runs allowed, one earned. ... Minnesota 3B Miguel Sano was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the game with an illness. It was only the second game all season Sano has missed. He was replaced at third base by Ehire Adrianza. ... Houston put RHP Joe Musgrove on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder discomfort. Musgrove was scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale. The Astros recalled RHP David Paulino from Triple-A Fresno to start Wednesday. ... Twins LHP Glen Perkins threw to live hitters on Tuesday and reported feeling as good as he has since shoulder surgery last year. Perkins will head to Florida to continue his rehab for a left posterior shoulder strain. ... Minnesota CF Byron Buxton was back in the lineup a day after sustaining a laceration on the right finger of his right hand.
Stanton, Ozuna slug Marlins past Phillies
(TSX / STATS) -- MIAMI -- Something borrowed helped make the Philadelphia Phillies blue.
Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna homered to lead the resurgent Miami Marlins to a 7-2 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.
After the game, Ozuna revealed that the bat he used to go 3-for-5, including a solo homer, was one he got from Marlins backup outfielder and future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
"I just made contact with 'Ichi's bat," Ozuna said. "After practice, I just asked him, 'Can I get one of your bats?'
"He said, 'For what, for signing?'
"I said, 'No, for using in the game tonight.'"
The plan worked, helping the Marlins (20-30) win for the fourth time in the past five games. They have won consecutive series -- the Los Angeles Angels and the Phillies -- for the first time all season. And Miami's three-game win streak ties its season high.
Both starting pitchers left the game due to injuries. Miami left-hander Justin Nicolino did not allow a hit, walk or run in three innings but was forced to leave with a 7-0 lead after suffering a contusion on his left index finger.
"No fracture," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Nicolino, who got hurt while trying to bunt. "We'll make a decision later in the week."
Phillies starter Vince Velasquez (2-5) suffered a right elbow flexor strain and will be placed on the disabled list. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, no walks and two runs.
His issues started on a first-inning pitch to Stanton.
"Just a little numbness," Velasquez said. "You can tell when you don't have full velocity. ... But I'm not worried, not at all."
In the second inning, Velasquez's catcher, Cameron Rupp, nodded toward Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, which was a signal that something was wrong.
"We went out and checked," Mackanin said. "(Velasquez) said he felt something, so we took him out. We weren't going to take any chances."
Mackanin said the Phillies will bring in a pitcher on Wednesday to "stabilize" the bullpen.
The Marlins' bullpen, meanwhile, did well, holding the Phillies to two runs in six innings. Dustin McGowan (2-0) earned the win, pitching three innings and allowing one run. He was followed by Brian Ellington, Nick Wittgren and Vance Worley, who each pitched one inning.
All of Miami's pitchers were supported by Stanton, who hit his team-high 14th homer, a two-run shot. Ozuna's homer was his 13th of the year, and it went out to left.
Stanton, who played just five innings in the lopsided game, went 1-for-3 and is batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers since being moved to the two-hole in the batting order.
The Phillies (17-33), who are in last place in the National League East, are 6-24 in their past 30 games.
After falling behind 2-0 in the second, the Phillies found more trouble in the third.
Dee Gordon led off with an infield single, and Stanton followed with his opposite-field homer into the Marlins bullpen in right. Miami scored three more times in the inning. A bases-loaded walk by J.T. Realmuto and an RBI single by JT Riddle were among the highlights.
Philadelphia closed its deficit to 7-1 in the fourth. Howie Kendrick, in just his second game back from the disabled list due to an oblique injury, drilled a homer to center, his first of the season. He is four homers short of 100 for his career.
The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but could only manage one run on a sacrifice fly by Odubel Herrera.
In the end, the night belonged to Miami's offense, including Ozuna, who said his new Suzuki bat is lighter than the wood he normally uses.
NOTES: After 3B Maikel Franco produced just two singles and a walk in 22 plate appearances, the Phillies rested him on Tuesday. ... Marlins RHP Junichi Tazawa (rib cartilage) is nearing a rehab assignment. ... LHP Braxton Garrett, Miami's top prospect, is being shut down temporarily due to elbow soreness. The Marlins, who are confident Garrett will be fine with rest, want to limit him to 100 innings this year. ... Phillies CF Odubel Herrera was benched for the second straight game but got a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. ... Marlins 3B prospect James Nelson ranks third in the Low Class A Midwest League with a .348 batting average and owns a 15-game hit streak.
Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna homered to lead the resurgent Miami Marlins to a 7-2 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.
After the game, Ozuna revealed that the bat he used to go 3-for-5, including a solo homer, was one he got from Marlins backup outfielder and future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
"I just made contact with 'Ichi's bat," Ozuna said. "After practice, I just asked him, 'Can I get one of your bats?'
"He said, 'For what, for signing?'
"I said, 'No, for using in the game tonight.'"
The plan worked, helping the Marlins (20-30) win for the fourth time in the past five games. They have won consecutive series -- the Los Angeles Angels and the Phillies -- for the first time all season. And Miami's three-game win streak ties its season high.
Both starting pitchers left the game due to injuries. Miami left-hander Justin Nicolino did not allow a hit, walk or run in three innings but was forced to leave with a 7-0 lead after suffering a contusion on his left index finger.
"No fracture," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Nicolino, who got hurt while trying to bunt. "We'll make a decision later in the week."
Phillies starter Vince Velasquez (2-5) suffered a right elbow flexor strain and will be placed on the disabled list. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, no walks and two runs.
His issues started on a first-inning pitch to Stanton.
"Just a little numbness," Velasquez said. "You can tell when you don't have full velocity. ... But I'm not worried, not at all."
In the second inning, Velasquez's catcher, Cameron Rupp, nodded toward Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, which was a signal that something was wrong.
"We went out and checked," Mackanin said. "(Velasquez) said he felt something, so we took him out. We weren't going to take any chances."
Mackanin said the Phillies will bring in a pitcher on Wednesday to "stabilize" the bullpen.
The Marlins' bullpen, meanwhile, did well, holding the Phillies to two runs in six innings. Dustin McGowan (2-0) earned the win, pitching three innings and allowing one run. He was followed by Brian Ellington, Nick Wittgren and Vance Worley, who each pitched one inning.
All of Miami's pitchers were supported by Stanton, who hit his team-high 14th homer, a two-run shot. Ozuna's homer was his 13th of the year, and it went out to left.
Stanton, who played just five innings in the lopsided game, went 1-for-3 and is batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers since being moved to the two-hole in the batting order.
The Phillies (17-33), who are in last place in the National League East, are 6-24 in their past 30 games.
After falling behind 2-0 in the second, the Phillies found more trouble in the third.
Dee Gordon led off with an infield single, and Stanton followed with his opposite-field homer into the Marlins bullpen in right. Miami scored three more times in the inning. A bases-loaded walk by J.T. Realmuto and an RBI single by JT Riddle were among the highlights.
Philadelphia closed its deficit to 7-1 in the fourth. Howie Kendrick, in just his second game back from the disabled list due to an oblique injury, drilled a homer to center, his first of the season. He is four homers short of 100 for his career.
The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but could only manage one run on a sacrifice fly by Odubel Herrera.
In the end, the night belonged to Miami's offense, including Ozuna, who said his new Suzuki bat is lighter than the wood he normally uses.
NOTES: After 3B Maikel Franco produced just two singles and a walk in 22 plate appearances, the Phillies rested him on Tuesday. ... Marlins RHP Junichi Tazawa (rib cartilage) is nearing a rehab assignment. ... LHP Braxton Garrett, Miami's top prospect, is being shut down temporarily due to elbow soreness. The Marlins, who are confident Garrett will be fine with rest, want to limit him to 100 innings this year. ... Phillies CF Odubel Herrera was benched for the second straight game but got a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. ... Marlins 3B prospect James Nelson ranks third in the Low Class A Midwest League with a .348 batting average and owns a 15-game hit streak.
Mets defeat Brewers on Bruce single in 12th
(TSX / STATS) --
NEW YORK -- The New York Mets have spent all month searching for a
reliable fifth starter and all season hunting for at least one more
dependable late-inning reliever. They might have found both Tuesday
night.
Jay Bruce capped a marathon by delivering a one-out RBI single in the 12th inning as the Mets edged the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 at Citi Field.
Bruce's hit -- his first in six at-bats -- made a winner of left-hander Josh Smoker (1-2), who struck out four while throwing three innings for only the second time in 38 major league games.
Smoker entered Tuesday with an 8.00 ERA this season and had produced a scoreless outing in only three of his previous 10 appearances. That stretch was interrupted by a brief demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas in which Smoker worked as a starter in order to better develop his off-speed pitches.
On Tuesday, Smoker might have vaulted himself into consideration for a late-inning role in a beleaguered bullpen (the Mets' relievers entered Tuesday with a 4.85 ERA, the seventh-worst mark in the majors). He wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam in the 10th, when he struck out the side, before throwing a perfect 11th and a one-hit 12th.
"I think it was really good for me, I think I needed that," said Smoker, who was wearing the crown and boxing robe awarded to the Mets' player of the game following victories. "I've been struggling a little bit of late, so I think as far as getting out there and getting that three innings in, I think it was huge for my confidence and definitely gave me some momentum going forward from here on out."
Smoker's scoreless relief work and Bruce's game-winning hit also ensured the first start of right-hander Tyler Pill's major league career would be noticed. Pill, the third pitcher the Mets have tried in place of injured ace Noah Syndergaard, exited in line for the win after allowing one run on six hits and three walks while striking out four over 5 1/3 innings.
"He lived up to exactly what I heard about," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Pill, who earned the promotion by recording a 1.96 ERA in nine starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas despite throwing a fastball that rarely exceeds 90 mph. "He doesn't give in. He doesn't beat himself."
The previous pitchers to fill Syndergaard's spot, left-hander Tommy Milone and right-hander Rafael Montero, combined to post a 10.61 ERA in five starts in May, which could explain why a dampened crowd of 24,457 gave Pill a warm ovation as he walked off the mound.
"That's a great feeling," said Pill, who turned 27 on Monday. "It's awesome how many people were behind you when you're playing and how much they're rooting for you and cheering for you."
The Mets led 2-1 when Pill left and expanded the lead in the sixth, when Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer.
The Brewers tied the game in the seventh. Domingo Santana drew a bases-loaded walk immediately before Eric Thames and Hernan Perez scored as shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera dropped what should have been the third out, a popup by Jett Bandy. Collins said Cabrera had a hard time finding the ball in a foggy mist that had settled over Citi Field.
"Once we tied it, you think you've got a shot for sure," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
The teams traded zeros until the 12th, when T.J. Rivera led off with a pinch-hit single off Wily Peralta (5-4). Michael Conforto drew a walk and was forced at second on Jose Reyes' grounder to first as Rivera moved to third.
Bruce followed by singling on a 2-0 pitch and was engulfed by teammates in between first and second base.
"One of the things you do is when a guy makes an error behind you, you pick him up," Collins said. "It's part of the game and that was a big win for us tonight."
Cabrera had an RBI double in the fifth, when Reyes drew a two-out bases-loaded walk for the Mets (23-27), who have won three straight and four of five.
Travis Shaw had an RBI double in the first for the Brewers (27-25), who stranded 13 runners on base -- including five over the final innings -- in losing for the seventh time in nine games. Orlando Arcia had three hits while Thames, Perez and Shaw each had two hits.
"We got a break, and then we just couldn't cash in on another opportunity at the end there," Counsell said.
Brewers right-hander Zach Davies allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over five innings.
NOTES: A pair of Mets recorded milestone hits in the sixth inning, when 2B Neil Walker notched his 1,000th career hit and RHP Fernando Salas, who turned 32 on Tuesday, singled for his first career hit. ... Brewers SS Orlando Arcia extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. ... Milwaukee 1B Eric Thames snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a first-inning single.
Jay Bruce capped a marathon by delivering a one-out RBI single in the 12th inning as the Mets edged the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 at Citi Field.
Bruce's hit -- his first in six at-bats -- made a winner of left-hander Josh Smoker (1-2), who struck out four while throwing three innings for only the second time in 38 major league games.
Smoker entered Tuesday with an 8.00 ERA this season and had produced a scoreless outing in only three of his previous 10 appearances. That stretch was interrupted by a brief demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas in which Smoker worked as a starter in order to better develop his off-speed pitches.
On Tuesday, Smoker might have vaulted himself into consideration for a late-inning role in a beleaguered bullpen (the Mets' relievers entered Tuesday with a 4.85 ERA, the seventh-worst mark in the majors). He wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam in the 10th, when he struck out the side, before throwing a perfect 11th and a one-hit 12th.
"I think it was really good for me, I think I needed that," said Smoker, who was wearing the crown and boxing robe awarded to the Mets' player of the game following victories. "I've been struggling a little bit of late, so I think as far as getting out there and getting that three innings in, I think it was huge for my confidence and definitely gave me some momentum going forward from here on out."
Smoker's scoreless relief work and Bruce's game-winning hit also ensured the first start of right-hander Tyler Pill's major league career would be noticed. Pill, the third pitcher the Mets have tried in place of injured ace Noah Syndergaard, exited in line for the win after allowing one run on six hits and three walks while striking out four over 5 1/3 innings.
"He lived up to exactly what I heard about," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Pill, who earned the promotion by recording a 1.96 ERA in nine starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas despite throwing a fastball that rarely exceeds 90 mph. "He doesn't give in. He doesn't beat himself."
The previous pitchers to fill Syndergaard's spot, left-hander Tommy Milone and right-hander Rafael Montero, combined to post a 10.61 ERA in five starts in May, which could explain why a dampened crowd of 24,457 gave Pill a warm ovation as he walked off the mound.
"That's a great feeling," said Pill, who turned 27 on Monday. "It's awesome how many people were behind you when you're playing and how much they're rooting for you and cheering for you."
The Mets led 2-1 when Pill left and expanded the lead in the sixth, when Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer.
The Brewers tied the game in the seventh. Domingo Santana drew a bases-loaded walk immediately before Eric Thames and Hernan Perez scored as shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera dropped what should have been the third out, a popup by Jett Bandy. Collins said Cabrera had a hard time finding the ball in a foggy mist that had settled over Citi Field.
"Once we tied it, you think you've got a shot for sure," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
The teams traded zeros until the 12th, when T.J. Rivera led off with a pinch-hit single off Wily Peralta (5-4). Michael Conforto drew a walk and was forced at second on Jose Reyes' grounder to first as Rivera moved to third.
Bruce followed by singling on a 2-0 pitch and was engulfed by teammates in between first and second base.
"One of the things you do is when a guy makes an error behind you, you pick him up," Collins said. "It's part of the game and that was a big win for us tonight."
Cabrera had an RBI double in the fifth, when Reyes drew a two-out bases-loaded walk for the Mets (23-27), who have won three straight and four of five.
Travis Shaw had an RBI double in the first for the Brewers (27-25), who stranded 13 runners on base -- including five over the final innings -- in losing for the seventh time in nine games. Orlando Arcia had three hits while Thames, Perez and Shaw each had two hits.
"We got a break, and then we just couldn't cash in on another opportunity at the end there," Counsell said.
Brewers right-hander Zach Davies allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over five innings.
NOTES: A pair of Mets recorded milestone hits in the sixth inning, when 2B Neil Walker notched his 1,000th career hit and RHP Fernando Salas, who turned 32 on Tuesday, singled for his first career hit. ... Brewers SS Orlando Arcia extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. ... Milwaukee 1B Eric Thames snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a first-inning single.
Gonzalez's arm, bat lead Nats over Giants
(TSX / STATS) --
SAN FRANCISCO -- Almost 3,000 miles west and close to 20 degrees south
of where he last pitched, Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez
insisted he felt right at home Tuesday night.
He even dressed in short sleeves to prove it.
Gonzalez braved a chilly night at AT&T Park by pitching into the seventh inning and aiding his own cause with an RBI single, helping the Nationals outlast the San Francisco Giants 6-3.
The incident-free game began hours after Major League Baseball announced that Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Giants reliever Hunter Strickland were suspended four and six games, respectively, for their roles in a fight late in Washington's 3-0 victory Monday.
Both players appealed their suspensions and remained eligible to play Tuesday. Harper went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts; Strickland saw no action.
"Never thought about it," Gonzalez said of pitching on a night when some expected retaliation for Monday's beaning. "That was done (Monday)."
Handed a 2-0 lead before even taking the mound, Gonzalez (4-1) worked around eight hits and three walks to limit the Giants to three runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six while winning for the first time since April 27.
He admitted afterward that the cold wind that blew in his face helped get him through 108 pitches.
"It was freezing," he said, "but I like the cold weather. I know how to pitch with it. It's easy to breathe. You feel clear in your lungs."
Gonzalez, a .158 hitter entering the game, delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning that increased the Washington lead to 3-0. The hit plated Michael Taylor, who had singled and taken second on Giants catcher Buster Posey's throwing error.
Trea Turner and Daniel Murphy had three hits apiece for the Nationals, who outhit the Giants 14-9 and extended San Francisco starter Jeff Samardzija to 100 pitches in just four innings.
"I liked it a lot," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of the offensive fireworks. "We had a chance to break that game open in the second. (Samardzija) got out of it, but we were able to get his pitch count up."
Turner's first hit, a single, led off the Nationals' two-run first inning against Samardzija (1-7). The Washington leadoff man scored on a two-out double by Ryan Zimmerman, who in turn came around to make it 2-0 on a single by Murphy.
Taylor and Jayson Werth had two hits apiece for the Nationals, who won for the seventh time in their past nine games.
Right-hander Matt Albers followed up Gonzalez with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief. Closer Koda Glover recorded his second save in two nights, his seventh of the season, with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Posey had three hits and an RBI for the Giants, who lost despite an impressive outing by outfielder Orlando Calixte in his debut with the club.
Promoted from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, Calixte recorded his first major league hit to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
He then drove in two of the Giants' three runs with a double in the second, and he wound up playing all three outfield positions over the course of the nine innings, becoming the first Giant to do so since Randy Winn in 2009.
"He was probably wondering where he was going to play," Bochy said of his starting left fielder. "He did a real nice job, didn't he?"
Samardzija allowed the first three Nationals runs before leaving after four innings with a distinction.
The second-year Giant became only the fourth pitcher since 1913 to record no walks when throwing 100 or more pitches in four or fewer innings. Only Bryan Rekar (2001), Luke Hochevar (2009) and Rick Porcello (2012) did it previously.
"They made me work out there," Samardzija said. "I found myself in a lot of 2-2 counts, trying to make big pitches late in the count. So you tip your cap to their hitters."
Samardzija allowed nine hits and struck out five.
The Nationals led just 3-2 before Giants reliever Bryan Morris allowed four consecutive hits and committed a costly error in a three-run fifth inning. Taylor had the big hit of the inning, a two-run single.
NOTES: Nationals manager Dusty Baker wasn't happy with RF Bryce Harper's suspension, insisting before the game, "I just don't think that the judges, whoever the judges were, have ever been in the situation. Probably only Martin Luther King (Jr.) or Gandhi would have turned the other cheek and not done something reactionary." ... Having seen the incident on television while attending school at nearby Stanford, swimming star Katie Ledecky tweeted a note to her friend Harper, offering, "If you end up suspended, come on down to Palo Alto and hang out at the pool for a day." ... The Giants announced Tuesday that 1B Michael Morse sustained a concussion when he collided with teammate RHP Jeff Samardzija during the Monday fight. He was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list. ... The Giants promoted two players from Triple-A Sacramento: LF Orlando Calixte, who took Morse's spot on the active roster, and INF/OF Kelby Tomlinson, who replaced OF Mac Williamson, who was demoted to Sacramento.
He even dressed in short sleeves to prove it.
Gonzalez braved a chilly night at AT&T Park by pitching into the seventh inning and aiding his own cause with an RBI single, helping the Nationals outlast the San Francisco Giants 6-3.
The incident-free game began hours after Major League Baseball announced that Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Giants reliever Hunter Strickland were suspended four and six games, respectively, for their roles in a fight late in Washington's 3-0 victory Monday.
Both players appealed their suspensions and remained eligible to play Tuesday. Harper went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts; Strickland saw no action.
"Never thought about it," Gonzalez said of pitching on a night when some expected retaliation for Monday's beaning. "That was done (Monday)."
Handed a 2-0 lead before even taking the mound, Gonzalez (4-1) worked around eight hits and three walks to limit the Giants to three runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six while winning for the first time since April 27.
He admitted afterward that the cold wind that blew in his face helped get him through 108 pitches.
"It was freezing," he said, "but I like the cold weather. I know how to pitch with it. It's easy to breathe. You feel clear in your lungs."
Gonzalez, a .158 hitter entering the game, delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning that increased the Washington lead to 3-0. The hit plated Michael Taylor, who had singled and taken second on Giants catcher Buster Posey's throwing error.
Trea Turner and Daniel Murphy had three hits apiece for the Nationals, who outhit the Giants 14-9 and extended San Francisco starter Jeff Samardzija to 100 pitches in just four innings.
"I liked it a lot," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of the offensive fireworks. "We had a chance to break that game open in the second. (Samardzija) got out of it, but we were able to get his pitch count up."
Turner's first hit, a single, led off the Nationals' two-run first inning against Samardzija (1-7). The Washington leadoff man scored on a two-out double by Ryan Zimmerman, who in turn came around to make it 2-0 on a single by Murphy.
Taylor and Jayson Werth had two hits apiece for the Nationals, who won for the seventh time in their past nine games.
Right-hander Matt Albers followed up Gonzalez with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief. Closer Koda Glover recorded his second save in two nights, his seventh of the season, with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Posey had three hits and an RBI for the Giants, who lost despite an impressive outing by outfielder Orlando Calixte in his debut with the club.
Promoted from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, Calixte recorded his first major league hit to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
He then drove in two of the Giants' three runs with a double in the second, and he wound up playing all three outfield positions over the course of the nine innings, becoming the first Giant to do so since Randy Winn in 2009.
"He was probably wondering where he was going to play," Bochy said of his starting left fielder. "He did a real nice job, didn't he?"
Samardzija allowed the first three Nationals runs before leaving after four innings with a distinction.
The second-year Giant became only the fourth pitcher since 1913 to record no walks when throwing 100 or more pitches in four or fewer innings. Only Bryan Rekar (2001), Luke Hochevar (2009) and Rick Porcello (2012) did it previously.
"They made me work out there," Samardzija said. "I found myself in a lot of 2-2 counts, trying to make big pitches late in the count. So you tip your cap to their hitters."
Samardzija allowed nine hits and struck out five.
The Nationals led just 3-2 before Giants reliever Bryan Morris allowed four consecutive hits and committed a costly error in a three-run fifth inning. Taylor had the big hit of the inning, a two-run single.
NOTES: Nationals manager Dusty Baker wasn't happy with RF Bryce Harper's suspension, insisting before the game, "I just don't think that the judges, whoever the judges were, have ever been in the situation. Probably only Martin Luther King (Jr.) or Gandhi would have turned the other cheek and not done something reactionary." ... Having seen the incident on television while attending school at nearby Stanford, swimming star Katie Ledecky tweeted a note to her friend Harper, offering, "If you end up suspended, come on down to Palo Alto and hang out at the pool for a day." ... The Giants announced Tuesday that 1B Michael Morse sustained a concussion when he collided with teammate RHP Jeff Samardzija during the Monday fight. He was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list. ... The Giants promoted two players from Triple-A Sacramento: LF Orlando Calixte, who took Morse's spot on the active roster, and INF/OF Kelby Tomlinson, who replaced OF Mac Williamson, who was demoted to Sacramento.
Padres hand Cubs fifth straight loss
(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- The name is spelled Dinelson Lamet. It is pronounced D-nelson la-met. And it might be worth remembering.
The 24-year-old right-hander held the Chicago Cubs to two runs over five innings Tuesday night to earn his second win in as many major league starts as the San Diego Padres scored a 6-2 victory and handed the reigning World Series champions a fifth straight loss.
Lamet allowed five hits and a walk while striking out eight.
San Diego's Austin Hedges drove in a career-high four runs with a two-run homer and a two-run double, and Hunter Renfroe hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in a four-run fifth inning.
The Padres scored a third straight win, a second straight over the struggling Cubs.
Chicago (25-26) slipped under .500 after collecting a total of nine hits in the first two games of the three-game series.
"Two runs yesterday, two today, it's been a very non-productive offensive trip," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "They did pitch well again. But we gave up the lead, and that was largely because we're not hitting like we can. ... It's a bad combination."
Maddon then spoke about Lamet and a Padres bullpen that has allowed one hit over nine scoreless innings in the series that ends Wednesday afternoon.
"Their starter was really good for a young man," said Maddon. "And their bullpen performed really well again."
Lamet became only the 13th pitcher in major league history to record eight strikeouts in each of his first two starts.
"He's got great stuff," Padres manager Andy Green said of Lamet. "We feel really good about what he is doing. The ball moves, and he has three above average major league pitches.
"We told Hedges before the game, 'Don't worry about the corners, just give him a target in the zone.' The biggest thing is his composure."
Lamet has a 2.70 ERA after 10 major league innings.
"I've been working on my slider, the changeup and pitching when there are runners on base," he said. "I feel a lot more confident.
"A pretty big mistake you can make is not trusting your pitches. I want to be aggressive. Today it started with what we did warming up in the bullpen."
Speaking of the bullpen, three Padres relievers held the Cubs to one hit and four baserunners over the final four innings. Right-hander Kirby Yates allowed a single to Jon Jay leading off the eighth, then retired the last eight Cubs he faced, four by strikeouts.
Cubs starter Eddie Butler (2-1) gave up all six runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Jason Heyward doubled inside the first base bag with two outs and scored when Willson Contreras' sharp grounder to third ate up Padres third baseman Cory Spangenberg for what was scored a run-scoring double.
Hedges put the Padres on top in the bottom of the inning with his ninth homer of the season after Franchy Cordero opened the inning with a single. Hedges drove a 1-1 pitch from Butler 404 feet to left.
Kyle Schwarber, who had had been hitless in his previous 13 at-bats, got the Cubs even in the top of the fifth with a 404-foot homer to right off Lamet on an 0-2 count.
The Padres broke the game open in the bottom of the inning.
Yangervis Solarte started the rally with a one-out single to center and moved to second on Wil Myers' single to right. Solarte and Myers both scored when Renfroe lined his double into the left field corner to break the tie.
After Cordero drew a walk, left-hander Brian Duensing replaced Butler and struck out Spangenberg for the second out. Hedges then followed Renfroe's lead and doubled into the left field corner, driving in Renfroe and the swift Cordero.
On both doubles into the corner, a Padre scored from first as Schwarber had trouble playing the carom and making a strong throw.
NOTES: Cubs INF/OF Ben Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has a sore left wrist, which is limiting him to hitting from the left side against right-handed hitters. ... Cubs manager Joe Maddon blamed RHP Jake Arrieta's slow start on the home run ball. Arrieta, who will start the Wednesday afternoon series finale, has a 4.92 ERA after 10 starts thanks to allowing 10 home runs. ... Padres rookie CF Manuel Margot had an MRI exam on his injured right calf Tuesday. Manager Andy Green said there was no structural damage, merely a buildup of inflammation and fluid in the muscle. ... San Diego RHP Jered Weaver, who is on the 10-day disabled list due to left hip inflammation, threw Tuesday afternoon.
The 24-year-old right-hander held the Chicago Cubs to two runs over five innings Tuesday night to earn his second win in as many major league starts as the San Diego Padres scored a 6-2 victory and handed the reigning World Series champions a fifth straight loss.
Lamet allowed five hits and a walk while striking out eight.
San Diego's Austin Hedges drove in a career-high four runs with a two-run homer and a two-run double, and Hunter Renfroe hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in a four-run fifth inning.
The Padres scored a third straight win, a second straight over the struggling Cubs.
Chicago (25-26) slipped under .500 after collecting a total of nine hits in the first two games of the three-game series.
"Two runs yesterday, two today, it's been a very non-productive offensive trip," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "They did pitch well again. But we gave up the lead, and that was largely because we're not hitting like we can. ... It's a bad combination."
Maddon then spoke about Lamet and a Padres bullpen that has allowed one hit over nine scoreless innings in the series that ends Wednesday afternoon.
"Their starter was really good for a young man," said Maddon. "And their bullpen performed really well again."
Lamet became only the 13th pitcher in major league history to record eight strikeouts in each of his first two starts.
"He's got great stuff," Padres manager Andy Green said of Lamet. "We feel really good about what he is doing. The ball moves, and he has three above average major league pitches.
"We told Hedges before the game, 'Don't worry about the corners, just give him a target in the zone.' The biggest thing is his composure."
Lamet has a 2.70 ERA after 10 major league innings.
"I've been working on my slider, the changeup and pitching when there are runners on base," he said. "I feel a lot more confident.
"A pretty big mistake you can make is not trusting your pitches. I want to be aggressive. Today it started with what we did warming up in the bullpen."
Speaking of the bullpen, three Padres relievers held the Cubs to one hit and four baserunners over the final four innings. Right-hander Kirby Yates allowed a single to Jon Jay leading off the eighth, then retired the last eight Cubs he faced, four by strikeouts.
Cubs starter Eddie Butler (2-1) gave up all six runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Jason Heyward doubled inside the first base bag with two outs and scored when Willson Contreras' sharp grounder to third ate up Padres third baseman Cory Spangenberg for what was scored a run-scoring double.
Hedges put the Padres on top in the bottom of the inning with his ninth homer of the season after Franchy Cordero opened the inning with a single. Hedges drove a 1-1 pitch from Butler 404 feet to left.
Kyle Schwarber, who had had been hitless in his previous 13 at-bats, got the Cubs even in the top of the fifth with a 404-foot homer to right off Lamet on an 0-2 count.
The Padres broke the game open in the bottom of the inning.
Yangervis Solarte started the rally with a one-out single to center and moved to second on Wil Myers' single to right. Solarte and Myers both scored when Renfroe lined his double into the left field corner to break the tie.
After Cordero drew a walk, left-hander Brian Duensing replaced Butler and struck out Spangenberg for the second out. Hedges then followed Renfroe's lead and doubled into the left field corner, driving in Renfroe and the swift Cordero.
On both doubles into the corner, a Padre scored from first as Schwarber had trouble playing the carom and making a strong throw.
NOTES: Cubs INF/OF Ben Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has a sore left wrist, which is limiting him to hitting from the left side against right-handed hitters. ... Cubs manager Joe Maddon blamed RHP Jake Arrieta's slow start on the home run ball. Arrieta, who will start the Wednesday afternoon series finale, has a 4.92 ERA after 10 starts thanks to allowing 10 home runs. ... Padres rookie CF Manuel Margot had an MRI exam on his injured right calf Tuesday. Manager Andy Green said there was no structural damage, merely a buildup of inflammation and fluid in the muscle. ... San Diego RHP Jered Weaver, who is on the 10-day disabled list due to left hip inflammation, threw Tuesday afternoon.
Dodgers top Cardinals for sixth straight victory
(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- Trailing 3-0 after an inning is enough to make most teams wonder about their chances of winning a game.
According to second baseman Chase Utley, the Los Angeles Dodgers aren't one of those outfits.
"It shouldn't matter," he said. "We feel like we have a good offense."
Los Angeles certainly did Tuesday night, erasing the lead with a four-run third inning and adding on to it with two more big innings as it notched its sixth consecutive victory with a 9-4 verdict over the struggling St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
In upping their record to 33-20, the Dodgers pounded out 11 hits off six St. Louis pitchers. Utley finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Logan Forsythe singled twice and walked three times.
Chris Taylor went 2-for-4 with three runs and Enrique Hernandez, giving Corey Seager a game off at shortstop, contributed a hit and two RBIs.
"It's about finding ways to win 90 feet when we need it," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said about the offense. "Guys were having great at-bats, running the bases well and the timely hits were huge."
It made up for an ugly start that saw Kenta Maeda fall behind St. Louis by three runs for the second consecutive outing. Two errors after a Matt Carpenter single scored the first run and Yadier Molina poked a two-run single up the middle.
Things could have gotten much worse for Maeda. The Cardinals (24-25) put men at the corners with no outs in the second with the top of the order coming up. But Maeda got a popup from Dexter Fowler, a lineout from Tommy Pham and a popup from Matt Carpenter.
As was the case Thursday night, when he couldn't make an early 3-0 lead stand in a 7-3 loss to the Dodgers, Michael Wacha struggled to hold the opponent down. The third inning got him in this game.
Adrian Gonzalez lofted a sacrifice fly for the first run. Utley drilled a ground-rule double to left that made it 3-2. Hernandez tied it with an infield single and second baseman Paul DeJong's wild throw over Carpenter at first plated Utley with the go-ahead tally.
Wacha (2-3) threw 77 pitches in his three innings, the shortest outing for a St. Louis starter this year. He allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits while walking three and whiffing four.
Los Angeles taxed Wacha throughout his nine outs. He ran up seven three-ball counts, six going to 3-2.
"Too many free baserunners, just not attacking right away," Wacha said. "I felt like I was starting off a lot at 1-0 and then getting behind them. Just extremely big pitch counts, long at-bats and that drives pitch counts up."
The Dodgers made it 7-3 with three runs in the fifth off just one hit -- Taylor's single that started the rally. Yasiel Puig and Franklin Gutierrez drew bases-loaded walks, while Forsythe scored the final run with a fielder's choice bouncer.
Brandon Morrow (1-0) pitched a clean fifth to pick up the win for Los Angeles, which leaned on its excellent bullpen for the last 15 outs. Its only slip-up was Molina's leadoff homer in the eighth, ending the Dodgers' 24 2/3-inning scoreless string from the relief corps.
Hernandez tacked on a sacrifice fly and Austin Barnes lashed an RBI pinch-double in the ninth for Los Angeles, which forced six Cardinal hurlers to toss a whopping 206 pitchers.
Maeda gave up four hits and three runs in four innings, walking three and striking out a pair. But his offense erased the impact of another short, mediocre performance.
"I appreciate them," Maeda said through an interpreter. "To be able to pick me up is a huge team win."
It was the 10th loss in 13 games for St. Louis, which fell under .500 for the first time since May 4.
NOTES: St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko was scratched from the lineup less than three hours before game time after receiving word that his wife was about to give birth to the couple's third child. ... Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-5, 4.28 ERA) would fill Alex Wood's spot in the starting rotation Wednesday night against the Cardinals' Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.32). ... St. Louis RF Stephen Piscotty will return to the club Wednesday after a five-day hiatus to deal with a personal matter.
According to second baseman Chase Utley, the Los Angeles Dodgers aren't one of those outfits.
"It shouldn't matter," he said. "We feel like we have a good offense."
Los Angeles certainly did Tuesday night, erasing the lead with a four-run third inning and adding on to it with two more big innings as it notched its sixth consecutive victory with a 9-4 verdict over the struggling St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
In upping their record to 33-20, the Dodgers pounded out 11 hits off six St. Louis pitchers. Utley finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Logan Forsythe singled twice and walked three times.
Chris Taylor went 2-for-4 with three runs and Enrique Hernandez, giving Corey Seager a game off at shortstop, contributed a hit and two RBIs.
"It's about finding ways to win 90 feet when we need it," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said about the offense. "Guys were having great at-bats, running the bases well and the timely hits were huge."
It made up for an ugly start that saw Kenta Maeda fall behind St. Louis by three runs for the second consecutive outing. Two errors after a Matt Carpenter single scored the first run and Yadier Molina poked a two-run single up the middle.
Things could have gotten much worse for Maeda. The Cardinals (24-25) put men at the corners with no outs in the second with the top of the order coming up. But Maeda got a popup from Dexter Fowler, a lineout from Tommy Pham and a popup from Matt Carpenter.
As was the case Thursday night, when he couldn't make an early 3-0 lead stand in a 7-3 loss to the Dodgers, Michael Wacha struggled to hold the opponent down. The third inning got him in this game.
Adrian Gonzalez lofted a sacrifice fly for the first run. Utley drilled a ground-rule double to left that made it 3-2. Hernandez tied it with an infield single and second baseman Paul DeJong's wild throw over Carpenter at first plated Utley with the go-ahead tally.
Wacha (2-3) threw 77 pitches in his three innings, the shortest outing for a St. Louis starter this year. He allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits while walking three and whiffing four.
Los Angeles taxed Wacha throughout his nine outs. He ran up seven three-ball counts, six going to 3-2.
"Too many free baserunners, just not attacking right away," Wacha said. "I felt like I was starting off a lot at 1-0 and then getting behind them. Just extremely big pitch counts, long at-bats and that drives pitch counts up."
The Dodgers made it 7-3 with three runs in the fifth off just one hit -- Taylor's single that started the rally. Yasiel Puig and Franklin Gutierrez drew bases-loaded walks, while Forsythe scored the final run with a fielder's choice bouncer.
Brandon Morrow (1-0) pitched a clean fifth to pick up the win for Los Angeles, which leaned on its excellent bullpen for the last 15 outs. Its only slip-up was Molina's leadoff homer in the eighth, ending the Dodgers' 24 2/3-inning scoreless string from the relief corps.
Hernandez tacked on a sacrifice fly and Austin Barnes lashed an RBI pinch-double in the ninth for Los Angeles, which forced six Cardinal hurlers to toss a whopping 206 pitchers.
Maeda gave up four hits and three runs in four innings, walking three and striking out a pair. But his offense erased the impact of another short, mediocre performance.
"I appreciate them," Maeda said through an interpreter. "To be able to pick me up is a huge team win."
It was the 10th loss in 13 games for St. Louis, which fell under .500 for the first time since May 4.
NOTES: St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko was scratched from the lineup less than three hours before game time after receiving word that his wife was about to give birth to the couple's third child. ... Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-5, 4.28 ERA) would fill Alex Wood's spot in the starting rotation Wednesday night against the Cardinals' Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.32). ... St. Louis RF Stephen Piscotty will return to the club Wednesday after a five-day hiatus to deal with a personal matter.
D-backs' Ray shuts out Pirates
(TSX / STATS) --
PITTSBURGH -- Approaching the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park on
Tuesday, Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray rolled his eyes and
shook his head as if he could barely believe what just happened.
Ray has been pitching in the major leagues since 2014. He expects success, although until this season, it has been erratic. But this was big, his first complete game and his first shutout, a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"Anytime you throw a complete-game shutout, and being my first time, obviously there's that wow factor of, 'Man, that just happened,'" he said.
It really did, taking a lightning-fast 2 hours, 10 minutes. For the Pirates, that was plenty long enough.
"That guy, Ray, was really, really good tonight, and quick," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Working fast has been the key lately for Ray (5-3), who struck out 10 and walked none, yielding four hits. He extended his scoreless streak to 24 2/3 innings.
"The biggest thing for me is picking up the pace a little bit," said Ray, who started the season with a 14-31 record but has now won three straight decisions for the first time in his career. "Get the ball back, get on the rubber, get the sign and go. I've said before, sometimes you can have too much time out there, thinking."
Ray threw 118 pitches. Manager Torey Lovullo said he had Ray on a short leash entering the ninth inning, but "he finished the game the way you're supposed to."
Like everything else, quickly.
"He said he felt great, and he was a man of his word today," Lovullo said. "He's locked in. Every player, whether you're a position player or a pitcher, you just want to keep it going as long as you possibly can, and he deserves so much credit for making that happen."
One Pirates runner got as far as third base. Josh Harrison doubled leading off the fourth when center fielder Rey Fuentes misjudged a short fly ball, and he advanced on Josh Bell's groundout.
Harrison remained at third as Ray struck out David Freese and Francisco Cervelli.
"His precision was pretty danged good today," Arizona catcher Chris Herrmann said. "His fastball command is great and he's landing those curveballs for strikes as well.
"For the most part, I felt like any batter coming up today was gonna be an automatic out."
Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova outpitched Ray early, retiring the first 12 batters before Jake Lamb singled leading off the fifth inning. The D-backs broke through in the sixth on Chris Owings' RBI double and added two more in the seventh. Brandon Drury drove in a run on an infield hit, and Fuentes had an RBI groundout.
The hard-luck Nova (5-4) worked seven innings, allowing all three runs and six hits. He struck out three and walked one.
NOTES: The Pirates placed backup C Chris Stewart on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and recalled C Elias Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis. Diaz was hitting .281 at Indianapolis with two home runs and 18 RBIs. He also went 2-for-9 with a double and two walks in four games with the Pirates earlier this month. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle kept UT Adam Frazier out of the starting lineup for a second straight game for rest purposes. Frazier singled as a pinch hitter. ... Pirates RHP Ivan Nova's sixth-inning single broke an 0-for-28 streak. ... With two hits, Arizona 3B Jake Lamb is hitting .343 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in his past 17 games.
Ray has been pitching in the major leagues since 2014. He expects success, although until this season, it has been erratic. But this was big, his first complete game and his first shutout, a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"Anytime you throw a complete-game shutout, and being my first time, obviously there's that wow factor of, 'Man, that just happened,'" he said.
It really did, taking a lightning-fast 2 hours, 10 minutes. For the Pirates, that was plenty long enough.
"That guy, Ray, was really, really good tonight, and quick," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Working fast has been the key lately for Ray (5-3), who struck out 10 and walked none, yielding four hits. He extended his scoreless streak to 24 2/3 innings.
"The biggest thing for me is picking up the pace a little bit," said Ray, who started the season with a 14-31 record but has now won three straight decisions for the first time in his career. "Get the ball back, get on the rubber, get the sign and go. I've said before, sometimes you can have too much time out there, thinking."
Ray threw 118 pitches. Manager Torey Lovullo said he had Ray on a short leash entering the ninth inning, but "he finished the game the way you're supposed to."
Like everything else, quickly.
"He said he felt great, and he was a man of his word today," Lovullo said. "He's locked in. Every player, whether you're a position player or a pitcher, you just want to keep it going as long as you possibly can, and he deserves so much credit for making that happen."
One Pirates runner got as far as third base. Josh Harrison doubled leading off the fourth when center fielder Rey Fuentes misjudged a short fly ball, and he advanced on Josh Bell's groundout.
Harrison remained at third as Ray struck out David Freese and Francisco Cervelli.
"His precision was pretty danged good today," Arizona catcher Chris Herrmann said. "His fastball command is great and he's landing those curveballs for strikes as well.
"For the most part, I felt like any batter coming up today was gonna be an automatic out."
Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova outpitched Ray early, retiring the first 12 batters before Jake Lamb singled leading off the fifth inning. The D-backs broke through in the sixth on Chris Owings' RBI double and added two more in the seventh. Brandon Drury drove in a run on an infield hit, and Fuentes had an RBI groundout.
The hard-luck Nova (5-4) worked seven innings, allowing all three runs and six hits. He struck out three and walked one.
NOTES: The Pirates placed backup C Chris Stewart on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and recalled C Elias Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis. Diaz was hitting .281 at Indianapolis with two home runs and 18 RBIs. He also went 2-for-9 with a double and two walks in four games with the Pirates earlier this month. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle kept UT Adam Frazier out of the starting lineup for a second straight game for rest purposes. Frazier singled as a pinch hitter. ... Pirates RHP Ivan Nova's sixth-inning single broke an 0-for-28 streak. ... With two hits, Arizona 3B Jake Lamb is hitting .343 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in his past 17 games.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)