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MLB > (969) MINNESOTA@ (970) CLEVELAND | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Play AGAINST CLEVELAND using the money line in Home games in games played on a grass field
The record is 20 Wins and 33 Losses for the this season (-24.75 units)


MLB > (977) TEXAS@ (978) SEATTLE | 2015-08-09 16:10:00 - 2015-08-09 16:10:00
Play ON TEXAS using the money line in Road games against right-handed starters
The record is 21 Wins and 13 Losses for the this season (+16.35 units)

MLB > (957) CINCINNATI@ (958) ARIZONA | 2015-08-09 16:10:00 - 2015-08-09 16:10:00
Play AGAINST CINCINNATI using the money line in All games when playing on Sunday
The record is 3 Wins and 15 Losses for the this season (-13.2 units)


MLB > (955) ST LOUIS@ (956) MILWAUKEE | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using the money line in All games against right-handed starters
The record is 55 Wins and 25 Losses for the this season (+25.6 units)

MLB > (979) NY METS@ (980) TAMPA BAY | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Play ON NY METS using the money line in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 28 Wins and 13 Losses for the last three seasons (+20.19 units)


MLB > (971) CHI WHITE SOX@ (972) KANSAS CITY | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Play ON KANSAS CITY using the money line in All games in games played on a grass field
The record is 63 Wins and 41 Losses for the this season (+20.15 units)
 

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MLB > (971) CHI WHITE SOX@ (972) KANSAS CITY | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Play ON KANSAS CITY using the in Home games when playing with a day off
The record is 7 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+11.05 units)


MLB > (965) BOSTON@ (966) DETROIT | 2015-08-09 13:05:00 - 2015-08-09 13:05:00
Play AGAINST BOSTON using the in All games when playing with a day off
The record is 5 Wins and 25 Losses for the last two seasons (-25.3 units)


MLB > (977) TEXAS@ (978) SEATTLE | 2015-08-09 16:10:00 - 2015-08-09 16:10:00
Play ON TEXAS using the in All games in road games
The record is 42 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (+21.3 units)


MLB > (953) LA DODGERS@ (954) PITTSBURGH | 2015-08-09 20:05:00 - 2015-08-09 20:05:00
Play AGAINST LA DODGERS using the in Road games in night games
The record is 10 Wins and 27 Losses for the this season (-19.25 units)


MLB > (979) NY METS@ (980) TAMPA BAY | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Play ON NY METS using the in All games in day games
The record is 60 Wins and 27 Losses for the last two seasons (+34.2 units)


MLB > (963) SAN FRANCISCO@ (964) CHICAGO CUBS | 2015-08-09 14:20:00 - 2015-08-09 14:20:00
Play AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO using the in Road games when playing with a day off
The record is 9 Wins and 20 Losses for the last three seasons (-21.6 units)
 

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MLB > (963) SAN FRANCISCO@ (964) CHICAGO CUBS | 2015-08-09 14:20:00 - 2015-08-09 14:20:00
Play OVER SAN FRANCISCO on the total in Road games against right-handed starters
The record is 30 Overs and 9 Unders for the this season (+20.85 units)


MLB > (955) ST LOUIS@ (956) MILWAUKEE | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Play UNDER ST LOUIS on the total in All games in day games
The record is 7 Overs and 25 Unders for the this season (+16.35 units)


MLB > (969) MINNESOTA@ (970) CLEVELAND | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Play OVER CLEVELAND on the total in Home games against division opponents
The record is 17 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+12.2 units)


MLB > (951) COLORADO@ (952) WASHINGTON | 2015-08-09 13:35:00 - 2015-08-09 13:35:00
Play OVER COLORADO on the total in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+11.15 units)
 

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MLB > (965) BOSTON @ (966) DETROIT | 2015-08-09 13:05:00 - 2015-08-09 13:05:00
Line: DETROIT-125 BTB PowerLine: DETROIT-153
Edge On: DETROIT (28)


MLB > (967) TORONTO @ (968) NY YANKEES | 2015-08-09 13:05:00 - 2015-08-09 13:05:00
Line: TORONTO BTB PowerLine: TORONTO-128
Edge On: TORONTO (14)


MLB > (979) NY METS @ (980) TAMPA BAY | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Line: NY METS BTB PowerLine: NY METS-135
Edge On: NY METS (12)


MLB > (969) MINNESOTA @ (970) CLEVELAND | 2015-08-09 13:10:00 - 2015-08-09 13:10:00
Line: MINNESOTA BTB PowerLine: MINNESOTA-128
Edge On: MINNESOTA (9)


MLB > (951) COLORADO @ (952) WASHINGTON | 2015-08-09 13:35:00 - 2015-08-09 13:35:00
Line: COLORADO BTB PowerLine: COLORADO-210
Edge On: COLORADO (35)


MLB > (955) ST LOUIS @ (956) MILWAUKEE | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Line: ST LOUIS BTB PowerLine: ST LOUIS165
Edge On: ST LOUIS (25)


MLB > (971) CHI WHITE SOX @ (972) KANSAS CITY | 2015-08-09 14:10:00 - 2015-08-09 14:10:00
Line: KANSAS CITY-134 BTB PowerLine: KANSAS CITY-166
Edge On: KANSAS CITY (32)


MLB > (957) CINCINNATI @ (958) ARIZONA | 2015-08-09 16:10:00 - 2015-08-09 16:10:00
Line: CINCINNATI BTB PowerLine: CINCINNATI-108
Edge On: CINCINNATI (27)


MLB > (977) TEXAS @ (978) SEATTLE | 2015-08-09 16:10:00 - 2015-08-09 16:10:00
Line: TEXAS BTB PowerLine: TEXAS-156
Edge On: TEXAS (19)


MLB > (953) LA DODGERS @ (954) PITTSBURGH | 2015-08-09 20:05:00 - 2015-08-09 20:05:00
Line: LA DODGERS BTB PowerLine: LA DODGERS110
Edge On: LA DODGERS (10)
 

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August 9, 2015



NEW YORK (AP) David Price pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Justin Smoak lined Toronto's first grand slam in the Bronx and the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-0 Saturday for their seventh straight win.


Newcomer Troy Tulowitzki also homered as Toronto closed within 2 1/2 games of the AL East leaders.


With two wins in a row, the Blue Jays became the first team to take a set against the Yankees since early July. On Sunday, Toronto will try to sweep them in a series of at least three games for the first time since May 2003.


A day after R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays beat New York 2-1 in a 10-inning matchup between the highest-scoring teams in the majors, Price (11-4) dominated.


PHILLIES 4, PADRES 2


SAN DIEGO (AP) - Adam Morgan held down San Diego over six innings and Odubel Herrera had two hits and two RBIs to lead Philadelphia to a win.


The Phillies won for the 15th time in 20 games since the All-Star break, the best record in the majors. With the Marlins' loss to the Braves, Philadelphia escaped the NL East cellar for the first time since May 27.


Morgan (3-3) allowed two runs, one earned, and six hits, with a walk and four strikeouts.


Ken Giles pitched the ninth, earning his fifth save.


Tyson Ross (8-9) was charged with three runs and five hits in seven innings as the Padres lost their fifth straight. Ross retired the final 14 batters he faced.


ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 0


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Ubaldo Jimenez yielded two hits over eight innings, and Manny Machado had four hits and scored two runs in Baltimore's victory over Los Angeles.


Machado and Caleb Joseph homered, and Jonathan Schoop drove in two runs in the Orioles' third win in five games.


Kole Calhoun broke up Jimenez's no-hit bid with a two-out double to center in the sixth, but the veteran right-hander turned in a dominant effort against Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the struggling Angels, who have lost 11 of 15 after winning 17 of 20.


Garrett Richards (11-9) gave up seven hits and three runs over six innings for the Angels. He has taken three losses in four starts for the first time in his major league career.


Jimenez (9-7) had four losses in his past six starts before overwhelming the Angels, striking out six. Los Angeles was shut out for the fourth time in 15 games.


PIRATES 6, DODGERS 5


PITTSBURGH (AP) - Left-hander Francisco Liriano hit the first home run of his 10-year career and Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 3 as Pittsburgh held on to beat Los Angeles.


Liriano hit a three-run shot in the second inning in his 160th career at-bat to put the Pirates ahead 4-2. However, he could not hold the lead as he wound up allowing four runs in three innings.


McCutchen is 13 for 29 (.448) with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in his last nine games. He has been on base in 14 of his last 18 plate appearances.


Neil Walker had two hits for the Pirates, including a home run.


The Dodgers got within a run on Scott Van Slyke's RBI double with one out in the ninth but Mark Melancon held on for his major league-leading 35th save.


CARDINALS 3, BREWERS 0


MILWAUKEE (AP) - Matt Carpenter hit a leadoff home run, Jaime Garcia pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and St. Louis made it three straight shutout victories with a win over Milwaukee.


The Cardinals have thrown 36 consecutive scoreless innings since the fourth inning of Wednesday's 13-inning 4-3 win. Michael Wacha won his team-leading 13th game, stopping Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday. Lance Lynn beat Milwaukee 6-0 Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.


On Saturday, Garcia (4-4) walked four, struck out five and allowed Jean Segura's hit in the first and Elian Herrera's in the third. The left-hander won for the first time in three starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left groin.


RAYS 5, METS 4


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Grady Sizemore and Kevin Kiermaier each drove in two runs to erase an early deficit as Tampa Bay stopped NL East-leading New York's seven-game winning streak.


Tampa Bay relievers Xavier Cedeno, Steve Geltz, Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger, who pitched the ninth for his 28th save, combined for four hitless innings. Rays starter Nathan Karns (7-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.


Curtis Granderson homered twice for the Mets, who blew a 3-0 first-inning lead.


The Rays went ahead 5-4 in the fourth when John Jaso drew a walk from Noah Syndergaard (6-6), stole his first base of the season, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Evan Longoria's infield single.


NATIONALS 6, ROCKIES 1


WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Strasburg returned to Washington's rotation with a bang, striking out 12 in seven innings and contributing three hits as the Nationals beat Colorado.


The right-hander had been on the disabled list since a left oblique strain forced him out after 3 2-3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 4. He went to the disabled list for the second time this season before being reinstated Saturday. He allowed one run and three hits.


The victory let the Nationals (57-52) move within 1 1/2 games of the Mets in the NL East as New York's seven-game winning streak ended Saturday night at Tampa Bay.


Strasburg (6-5) didn't walk a batter and looked sharp from the start against a Colorado team that came into the game leading the National League with a .273 average.


ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 6


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez each drove in two runs and Kansas City overcame Jose Abreu's two home runs to beat Chicago.


Perez, who had been in a 6-for-32 skid, had a two-out single in the three-run fourth. Morales and Perez picked up back-to-back run-producing doubles with two out in a four-run fifth.


White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija (8-6) failed to make it out of the fifth, giving up seven runs on six hits.


Abreu homered to lead off the fourth and sixth innings.


Jeremy Guthrie (8-7) picked up the victory, although he gave up six runs on 10 hits, including both of Abreu's homers, in 5 2/3 innings.


INDIANS 17, TWINS 4


CLEVELAND (AP) - Jerry Sands had a pinch-hit grand slam and Abraham Almonte, called up from the minors before the game, was 4 for 5 with a two-run homer, leading Cleveland to a victory over Minnesota.


Trevor Bauer (9-8) won for the first time since July 8, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings. He gave up solo homers to Joe Mauer and Eddie Rosario and a two-run homer to Kurt Suzuki.


The Indians recorded season-highs in runs and hits (19), forcing Twins manager Paul Molitor to use outfielder Shane Robinson to pitch in the eighth. Robinson walked Mike Aviles with the bases loaded, but retired the next three hitters.


Sands, batting for Lonnie Chisenhall in the fifth, homered to right off Blaine Boyer. Three consecutive walks by Ryan O'Rourke loaded the bases before Sands broke an 0-for-11 slump with his second career grand slam.


CUBS 8, GIANTS 6


CHICAGO (AP) - Kris Bryant homered and drove in three runs to help surging Chicago beat San Francisco.


Bryant's big day powered Chicago to its third straight win and ninth in 10 games. He also walked and scored on Miguel Montero's tiebreaking single in the fifth inning as the Cubs opened a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the race for the second NL wild card.


Bryant's two-run shot off Matt Cain (2-3) in the third was the rookie's first homer since July 27 against Colorado. He entered with a .162 batting average in 21 games since the All-Star break.


Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who have dropped three in a row and five of seven. Hunter Pence had two hits and scored twice.


REDS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1


PHOENIX (AP) - Keyvius Sampson earned his first major league victory, Cincinnati hit three home runs and the Reds beat Arizona on the night the Diamondbacks retired new Hall of Famer Randy Johnson's No. 51.


All the Cincinnati runs came on homers by Eugenio Suarez, Brandon Phillips and Marlon Byrd, whose solo shot in the ninth was his 150th career home run.


Sampson (1-1) gave up a first-inning run and the Diamondbacks never scored again. He went six innings and allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three.


Robbie Ray (3-7) pitched six innings for Arizona, allowing three runs and five hits. He matched his career high with eight strikeouts and walked one but fell to 0-3 in his last five starts.


ATHLETICS 2, ASTROS 1


OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Danny Valencia delivered an early two-run double and right-hander Jesse Chavez went seven impressive innings to lead Oakland to a victory over Houston.


Valencia produced in his second straight game as Oakland's new cleanup hitter, ripping a two-run double to the gap in right field in the bottom of the first. He finished 2 for 4 and is 5 for 12 with three RBIs in three games since the A's acquired him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.


Chavez (6-11) allowed an earned run, six hits and four walks while striking out four to record his first victory since July 19. Chavez completed at least seven innings for the first time since June 17, a span of nine outings. He rebounded nicely from a bad start on Monday when he gave up six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 9-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.


TIGERS 7, RED SOX 6


DETROIT (AP) - Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Detroit Tigers held off David Ortiz and Boston for the win.


Ortiz had three hits, including a home run in the sixth. His two-run single in the seventh gave Boston a 6-5 lead, but Martinez answered with a long drive down the right-field line off reliever Junichi Tazawa (2-5).


Rajai Davis also homered for the Tigers, and Ian Kinsler and James McCann had three hits apiece. Blaine Hardy (4-2) won in relief.


Bruce Rondon pitched a hitless ninth for his first save of the season. He walked Ortiz with two outs before striking out Pablo Sandoval.


Blake Swihart had three hits for the Red Sox.


RANGERS 11, MARINERS 3, 11 INNINGS


SEATTLE (AP) - The Texas Rangers scored eight runs in the 11th inning, including a two-run homer by Prince Fielder, to pull away from Seattle.


Texas opened the inning with seven straight hits, the first six off Rob Rasmussen (1-1). Fielder's homer was the eighth hit of the frame for the Rangers and marked the third time this year the Mariners have given up eight runs in an inning.


The offensive outburst came after the Mariners were unable to drive home a run in the bottom of the 10th. Shawn Tolleson (4-2) intentionally walked Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano to load the bases with two outs. The move worked, as Tolleson struck out Jesus Montero to end the inning.


Texas has won five of six and snapped a six-game losing streak against the Mariners.


The Rangers scored three times in the fourth on a run-scoring double by Fielder, an RBI single by Josh Hamilton and a bases-loaded walk to Chris Gimenez.


BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2


ATLANTA (AP) - Rookie Mike Foltynewicz won for the first time in three starts since returning to the Braves rotation as Atlanta downed slumping Miami.


Nick Markakis had three hits and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the National League's longest active streak. His run-scoring single in the fifth inning gave the Braves the lead for good.


Foltynewicz (4-3) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking four and hitting a batter while striking out three. The Braves have won five of seven.


Tom Koehler (8-9) started for the Marlins, who have lost six straight overall and six straight against the Braves. The Marlins' bullpen has surrendered 12 runs in 11 innings in the first three games of the series.
 

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LEADING OFF: Jays, Cubs, Bucs seek sweeps; Fernandez to doc


August 8, 2015



A look at what's happening all around the major leagues Sunday:




FLYING HIGH


Troy Tulowitzki and the Blue Jays go for their eighth straight victory and a weekend sweep at Yankee Stadium that would pull them within 1 1/2 games of first-place New York in the AL East. Toronto has not swept a series of at least three games from the Yankees since May 2003. Marco Estrada (9-6) pitches for the Blue Jays against Masahiro Tanaka (8-4).


FINGERS CROSSED


Jose Fernandez's stiff shoulder could be the latest setback for the Marlins in a disappointing season. The team awaits word on its electrifying young ace after Fernandez was sent back to Miami on Saturday to be examined by Dr. Dan Kaplan. The 2013 NL Rookie of the Year is 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA in six starts this season since returning from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.


FRIENDLY CONFINES


Jake Arrieta (12-6) tries to pitch the Cubs to a four-game sweep of San Francisco at Wrigley Field. Arrieta is 6-1 with a 1.37 ERA in his last nine starts. He faces veteran Jake Peavy (2-4), who is 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA in his past four starts. Chicago has won nine of 10 to open a 2 1/2-game lead over the Giants in the race for the second NL wild card.


PRIME-TIME PIRATES


Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates seek a three-game sweep at home against the Dodgers in a prime-time matchup of NL playoff contenders. McCutchen is 13 for 29 (.448) with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in his last nine games. He has been on base in 14 of his past 18 plate appearances. Alex Wood makes his second start for Los Angeles since being acquired in a trade with Atlanta.


MAX EFFORT


Max Scherzer starts for the Nationals in their series finale against visiting Colorado. He was 0-3 with a 5.48 ERA versus the Rockies while pitching for Arizona. But since leaving the NL West, the right-hander has won his only outing when facing Colorado: He threw eight shutout innings and struck out 12 for the Tigers three years ago.


FOR STARTERS


Mike Fiers makes his first start for the AL West-leading Astros since being acquired from Milwaukee in the July 30 trade that also sent outfielder Carlos Gomez to Houston. Fiers gave up six earned runs over five innings of relief work in his Astros debut on Monday.


BULLPEN BOOST


Oliver Perez is expected to join the Astros in Oakland after he was obtained from Arizona late Friday night. A starter for the first nine seasons of his big league career (2002-10), Perez has taken to his relief role as lefty specialist. He had 37 strikeouts in 48 appearances covering 29 innings for the Diamondbacks this year. Left-handed batters are hitting .183 (11 for 60) against him.
 

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Preview: Red Sox (49-62) at Tigers (54-56)
Game: 3
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 09, 2015 1:08 PM EDT


Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is enjoying himself at Comerica Park this weekend.


Justin Verlander hasn't enjoyed himself there all season.


Ortiz has fared well in the past in this matchup of stars who may be past their prime, as the struggling Verlander seeks his first home win for the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.


It's been mostly a dismal season for these players who have combined for 15 All-Star appearances. Ortiz's .823 OPS is his worst mark in 13 seasons with the Red Sox (49-62) while the Tigers have dropped all five home outings by Verlander (1-4, 5.05 ERA), who is 0-3 with a 7.76 ERA in them.


Ortiz is 4 for 8 with five RBIs in this three-game series with homers in each of the first two contests. He is hitting .400 with 17 RBIs in a seven-game hitting streak versus Detroit, including four homers and 12 RBIs in his last three meetings.


'He's been great. There's power, there's plate coverage and he's able to hit the pitcher's pitches when he needs it,' manager John Farrell said.


In 54 games at Comerica Park, Ortiz has 21 homers - the most by a visiting player.


"Big Papi" may like his chances of continuing his surge since he is hitting .370 with two homers and four doubles off Verlander in the regular season.


The Tigers right-hander has posted a 10.91 ERA in a three-start home slide that is one shy of his worst-ever such stretch set last year. He gave up five runs in seven innings Tuesday in a 5-1 home defeat to Kansas City.


Verlander hasn't walked anyone in three straight outings for the first time.


'I think he's going to have to eliminate a lot of walks, because he can't reach back and throw 98-100 (mph) anymore,' manager Brad Ausmus said. 'That's when location becomes much more important.'


Detroit (54-56) evened this series with Saturday's 7-6 win behind Victor Martinez's go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning. Martinez has connected three times in his last three games.


The Tigers bounced back one game after a dugout scrap between shortstop Jose Iglesias and catcher James McCann was caught on camera.


Boston played without Hanley Ramirez, who was a late scratch from the lineup because of a sore left foot. Ramirez was replaced in left field by Alejandro De Aza.


Koji Uehara was also unavailable after he was drilled on his right arm in Friday's 7-2 victory and will likely not pitch Sunday.


Outfielder Rusney Castillo is 4 for 10 with four runs and three RBIs in this series.


Henry Owens (0-1, 5.40) starts for Boston after giving up three runs over five-plus innings in his major league debut in Tuesday's 13-3 loss at the New York Yankees. The left-hander is taking the place in the rotation of injured former Detroit starter Rick Porcello.


Owens may want to be careful with Iglesias, a .370 hitter versus southpaws.


Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler is hitting .541 with 12 runs scored in his last nine games. Outfielder J.D. Martinez is 4 for 8 in this series with a homer and three RBIs.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Red Sox at Tigers
Fri, Aug 7 Final 7 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Red Sox at Tigers
Sat, Aug 8 Final 6 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Red Sox at Tigers
Sun, Aug 9 - 1:08PM EDT
 

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Preview: Blue Jays (60-52) at Yankees (61-48)
Game: 3
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: August 09, 2015 1:05 PM EDT


Bold moves at the trade deadline have the Toronto Blue Jays creeping closer to the New York Yankees in the AL East race.


The surging Blue Jays take aim at an eighth straight win and three-game sweep of the first-place Yankees on Sunday with a chance to move within 1 1/2 games of the division lead.


Toronto's hot streak has been fueled by deals for All-Stars David Price and Troy Tulowitzki, both of whom played key roles in Saturday's 6-0 victory. Price yielded three hits over seven innings while Tulowitzki had a solo home run, which followed Justin Smoak's grand slam that snapped a scoreless tie in the sixth.


'Everybody's doing their part. Everybody's being their piece of the puzzle,' said Price, who's given up one run in 15 innings in winning his two starts with Toronto.


The Blue Jays (60-52) have won all 10 games Tulowitzki has started and 10 of 11 overall. They've homered four times while limiting the Yankees to one run in the series and can record their first sweep of New York of at least three games since May 2003.


The Yankees (61-48), who haven't dropped three straight since June 28-30, will call upon Masahiro Tanaka to prevent their first three-game sweep since Texas accomplished the feat at Yankee Stadium from May 22-24.


Tanaka (8-4, 3.84 ERA) has won four consecutive home starts behind an offense that's produced 32 runs in those outings. The right-hander was backed generously in Tuesday's 13-3 rout of Boston in which he allowed three runs in six innings.


Tanaka won all three starts against Toronto last season but allowed four earned runs in four innings of a 6-1 home defeat to the Blue Jays on opening day.


"We need him to step up and pitch a good game, give us an opportunity to win," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.


Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run homer in that April 6 meeting and is 5 for 10 against Tanaka, who's held Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson to a combined 1 for 16 with six strikeouts.


Encarnacion is batting .400 during an 11-game hitting streak and Donaldson is at .372 with six homers and 14 RBIs over his last 11.


Toronto's 151 home runs rank second in the majors - four ahead of the Yankees - while Tanaka has surrendered six in his last three home outings and 12 in his past eight starts overall.


New York, which has managed 11 hits over the first two games, will attempt to break out against Marco Estrada (9-6, 3.40). The Yankees tagged the right-hander for five runs and eight hits over four innings in his lone start against them, a 6-3 Toronto loss at Rogers Centre on May 5.


Estrada has been solid of late, however, posting a 2.50 ERA in his last nine starts. He gave up three runs over 12 1/3 innings to notch wins over Kansas City on July 30 and Minnesota on Wednesday, though both came at home.


Estrada has gone 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in eight road starts. He's 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in eight day appearances, however.


Several Yankees have enjoyed success against Estrada. Mark Teixeira has homered twice in five at-bats, Brian McCann is 6 for 15 and Jacoby Ellsbury 3 for 5. Carlos Beltran is 3 for 15 in the matchup but two of the hits were home runs.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Blue Jays at Yankees
Fri, Aug 7 Final 2 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Blue Jays at Yankees
Sat, Aug 8 Final 6 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Blue Jays at Yankees
Sun, Aug 9 - 1:05PM EDT
 

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Preview: Twins (55-55) at Indians (50-59)
Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: August 09, 2015 1:10 PM EDT


The Cleveland Indians' previously stagnant offense has woken up against the Minnesota Twins.


Another big output could be on the way in Sunday's series finale at Progressive Field with a depleted bullpen backing up the home run-friendly Phil Hughes.


The Indians (50-59) had averaged 2.7 runs over 14 games immediately preceding this three-game series. They woke up for 14 hits in a 10-9 loss Friday, then had a season-high 19 in a 17-4 victory Saturday, their most runs since scoring as many June 9, 2014, at Texas.


"Today was a real good, fun, productive day for us," manager Terry Francona said.


Jerry Sands delivered a pinch-hit grand slam in the fifth, one of three innings in which Cleveland scored at least four runs. Jose Ramirez, who continues to fill in at second base for the injured Jason Kipnis, was a home run shy of a cycle with a career-best three RBIs.


Michael Brantley and Abraham Almonte - called up from Triple-A Columbus earlier in the day - combined for seven hits. Brantley is batting .415 with 12 RBIs in his last 13 meetings with the Twins.


Cleveland is hitting .407 while scoring 34 runs in the last three matchups with Minnesota (55-55), which is trying to avoid falling below .500 for the first time since it was 11-12 through May 1.


The Twins have used 11 relievers over the last four games, combining to allow 15 runs over 20 1-3 innings. Outfielder Shane Robinson pitched Saturday's eighth inning.


"I tried to go as long as I could without going to a position player," manager Paul Molitor said. "But I had to get Robinson in just to get us off the field."


An exasperated bullpen could be an issue after Hughes (10-7, 4.14 ERA) was unable to pitch deep into his last two starts. He gave up two homers each against Seattle and Toronto, failing to get through six innings either time after doing so in 13 of his previous 15 outings.


Hughes' 27 homers allowed are the most in the majors, and his 1.72 per nine innings marks the highest rate of his career - a year after he limited opponents to a personal-low 0.69. This is the sixth time he's surrendered multiple home runs in back-to-back starts, but he has never done so in three straight.


"I was missing over the plate a lot with my cutter and my fastball," Hughes said after serving homers up to Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki in a 3-1 loss at Toronto on Tuesday.


He has allowed exactly four runs in three straight meetings with Cleveland, splitting two this year while yielding one homer in each.


Corey Kluber (6-12, 3.60) has sandwiched a complete game July 29 against Kansas City with a couple of shaky starts, unraveling late in both. He gave up six runs over seven-plus innings July 24 against the Chicago White Sox, with four runs coming in the eighth. In Monday's 5-4 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels, all five runs during his 5 2-3 innings came in the fifth and sixth.


"Corey started out good," manager Terry Francona said. "It just seemed like about the fifth inning, they started stringing some hits together and he was having a hard time putting guys away."


Kluber is 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA while striking out 37 over 31 1-3 innings in his last four against Minnesota.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Twins at Indians
Fri, Aug 7 Final 10 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Twins at Indians
Sat, Aug 8 Final 4 to 17
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Twins at Indians
Sun, Aug 9 - 1:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Mets (59-51) at Rays (55-56)
Game: 3
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: August 09, 2015 1:10 PM EDT


The New York Mets have baseball's best record in day games at 24-10.


Bartolo Colon has started in one-quarter of those victories.


He'll look to improve to 7-0 in day starts Sunday and help the first-place Mets capture a three-game road series when he matches up with the Tampa Bay Rays' Chris Archer.


New York (59-51) apparently excels in natural light, though this contest will of course be indoors at Tropicana Field. The Mets have captured six straight Sunday games since a 1-0 loss at Atlanta on June 21.


Colon (10-10, 4.72 ERA) has posted a 4.03 ERA in winning six day starts. The streak he no longer has to worry about was a career high-tying six-game losing streak after he allowed one run in eight innings in Monday's 12-1 rout at Miami.


"That's a big outing for Bartolo because we need him," manager Terry Collins said. "If you're going to stay in the race you've got to get outings and innings from all of your pitchers."


Colon has baseball's third-best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 7.00.


The veteran right-hander hasn't faced the Rays (55-56) since 2012, going 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his last seven starts against them. Grady Sizemore is a .188 hitter in this matchup, Asdrubal Cabrera is 1 for 14 and Evan Longoria is 4 for 11 with two doubles.


Cabrera is batting .525 in an 11-game hitting streak with a career-best six consecutive multihit efforts. Longoria is batting .455 over an eight-game streak for Tampa Bay, which ended New York's seven-game win streak with Saturday's 5-4 victory. The Mets' NL East lead was cut to 1 1/2 games over Washington.


Archer (10-8, 2.54) will face New York for the first time though he has experience against Mets newcomers Yoenis Cespedes (2 for 6 against him) and Kelly Johnson (1 for 4).


The right-hander went 0-4 with a 3.96 ERA in a six-start span before he was charged with two runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts to earn Tuesday's 11-3 road win over the Chicago White Sox.


Archer is third in the majors with 10.90 strikeouts per nine innings and also has a 0.99 WHIP for one of baseball's best marks.


Curtis Granderson, who is 0 for 3 off Archer, notched his second multihomer effort of the season Saturday as the Mets blew a 3-0 lead and fell to 2-5 on the road in interleague play.


Juan Uribe was 0 for 4, dropping the average of New York's designated hitters to .143 to match Colorado for the second-worst mark among NL teams. Granderson will likely serve in that role Sunday.


Sizemore and Kevin Kiermaier each drove in two runs for the Rays, who have won four of six after ending a five-game home slide against the Mets.


Kiermaier suffered a jammed thumb but stayed in the game.


"I'm OK, there's no ligament damage, no breaks or anything like that but it definitely wasn't fun," Kiermaier said.


Curt Casali left after two innings with a head bruise after being hit one inning earlier by a back swing. The catcher was replaced by Rene Rivera.


Mets slugger Lucas Duda was 2 for 4 with two RBIs to raise his average to .340 in a 13-game stretch in which he has nine homers and 17 RBIs.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Mets at Rays
Fri, Aug 7 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Mets at Rays
Sat, Aug 8 Final 4 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Mets at Rays
Sun, Aug 9 - 1:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Rockies (46-62) at Nationals (57-52)
Game: 3
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: August 09, 2015 1:35 PM EDT


Max Scherzer doesn't have time to worry about any other team but his own.


Focused on the task at hand, the right-hander tries to help the Washington Nationals earn a needed series victory Sunday against the visiting Colorado Rockies.


Washington (57-52) is 1 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East and four out of the final wild-card spot, but as far as Scherzer (11-8, 2.31 ERA) is concerned, it's too early to get caught up in the standings.


"I really focus on what we do," he told MLB's official website. "If we get late in September and we scoreboard-watch, that's fine. But right now, it's not the time for it."


Scherzer is 1-0 in his last two starts and allowed all three runs in those contests Tuesday while striking out nine and walking three on 114 pitches in six innings to not factor in the decision of a 5-4 win over Arizona. Scherzer, who ranks third in the majors with 181 strikeouts, became the first pitcher to record 1,500 while in a Nationals uniform.


"It's a really cool milestone," he said. "It's performance and durability. We keep seeing guys go down with shoulder injuries, elbow injuries. I've been fortunate to stay away from that and be durable and make 30-plus starts. It's the reason I've been able to get to this milestone at this point and time."


Facing the Rockies (46-62) for the first time since 2012, Scherzer tries to help Washington build on Saturday's 6-1 victory that evened this three-game set. Stephen Strasburg came off the disabled list to allow that one run while striking out 12 over seven innings and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits with two RBIs for the Nationals, who have won three of the last five since dropping four in a row.


Zimmerman is batting .353 with seven RBIs in the last six games, and .373 with 12 RBIs in his last 17 at home against Colorado.


Nolan Arenado is 4 for 7 in the series after recording his 27th home run Saturday for one of the three hits by the Rockies, who couldn't capitalize on Friday's comeback 5-4 victory.


"(Strasburg) was in complete control, really,' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. 'You know he is going to be tough to score off of. He looked like an elite guy, like he's been.'


Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez went 0 for 3 on Saturday after going 4 for 9 with two homers and seven RBIs in the previous two contests. His only hit in six at-bats against Scherzer left the park.


Yohan Flande (2-1, 3.54) was pushed back to Sunday after he threw a scoreless inning of relief during Wednesday's 7-5, 11-inning victory over Seattle.


"Having the off-day (Thursday) allowed us to rearrange it a little bit," Weiss said. "Give Flande an extra day. He would've been fine throwing on Saturday, but we figured since we have the opportunity to give him an extra day we're going to do it."


Prior to that relief appearance, the left-hander went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his first two starts of the season. Last year, Flande went 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA in two starts against the Nationals




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Rockies at Nationals
Fri, Aug 7 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Rockies at Nationals
Sat, Aug 8 Final 1 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps



GAME 3
Rockies at Nationals
Sun, Aug 9 - 1:35PM EDT
 

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Preview: White Sox (51-57) at Royals (65-44)
Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: August 09, 2015 2:10 PM EDT


Jose Quintana has been remarkably consistent for much of the season after a rough first couple of months. A win against Kansas City has remained elusive, however.


He'll look to end one of the worst individual pitching slumps against one opponent in history Sunday as the Chicago White Sox visit the Royals.


Quintana (6-9, 3.50 ERA) gave up five or more runs three times while going 2-5 in his first nine starts. Since then, he has recorded quality starts in 12 of 13 games.


The only non-quality outing in that span came against Kansas City, however, as the left-hander surrendered four runs and 10 hits over 5 1-3 innings in a 7-6, 13-inning home loss July 18. The White Sox rallied in the ninth to take him off the hook for a loss, as he remained 0-6 with a 4.63 ERA in 15 all-time matchups without a decision in three meetings this year.


Only six other pitchers since 1914 have failed to record a win in at least their first 15 starts against a single opponent, and three, Herm Wehmeier against St. Louis, and Don Larsen and Joe Mays against Cleveland, finished their careers winless against that club.


Quintana is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three starts since last facing the Royals, including his first career complete game his next time out at Cleveland.


He'll be dealing with a lineup that continues to come up big in key situations. The Royals (65-44) put themselves in position for a three-game sweep by going 4 for 8 with runners in scoring position in Saturday's 7-6 win, and are batting .326 in those situations over their last eight contests.


Kansas City got two hits and two RBIs apiece from Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez, while Lorenzo Cain hit safely for the 16th time in 17 meetings. Cain, who is batting .412 with 15 RBIs in that span, is hitting .368 with 13 extra-base hits in his last 20 home games.


Cain is batting .357 off lefties this season and is 5 for 8 with two doubles against Quintana this year.


Chicago (51-57) was led by two solo shots from Jose Abreu, but fell to 3-9 in the season series. The White Sox's six-game losing streak in Kansas City is their longest there since dropping eight in a row Aug. 26, 1984-Sept. 4, 1985.


"This one, when you score that many against these guys, you have to kind of earn it," manager Robin Ventura said. "For them, they put the runs up. It's our job to try to stop them, and right now it's just not happening."


The Royals turn to a southpaw as well in Danny Duffy (5-5, 4.04), who has completed six or more innings while allowing two runs or fewer in five of his last six outings. He bounced back from a five-run, three-homer start by limiting Detroit to one run over seven innings in a 5-1 victory Tuesday, though he walked four for the second straight time.


Duffy is 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three matchups with Chicago this year, most recently holding the White Sox to one run over a career-best eight-plus innings in a 4-1 win July 19.


Chicago's .342 slugging percentage versus left-handers ranks last in the AL, though Abreu is 5 for 13 with a home run and double against Duffy.



SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
White Sox at Royals
Fri, Aug 7 Final 2 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
White Sox at Royals
Sat, Aug 8 Final 6 to 7
Boxscores

GAME 3
White Sox at Royals
Sun, Aug 9 - 2:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Cardinals (71-39) at Brewers (47-65)
Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: August 09, 2015 2:10 PM EDT


Already owning the most dominant staff in the majors, St. Louis Cardinals pitchers have reached an even more impressive level this week.


John Lackey will try to help the Cardinals secure their longest single-season scoreless streak since at least 1912 and their most consecutive shutouts in one year since 1943 on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.


St. Louis' 2.58 ERA easily outpaces the next-closest in the majors, Pittsburgh's 3.20, and is the lowest in the majors since Baltimore's 2.53 and Oakland's 2.58 in 1972. The Cardinals (71-39) have saved their best for a six-game road trip that ends Sunday, allowing six runs in five games and yielding none in the past 36 innings.


St. Louis needs to add seven scoreless for their longest single-season streak since at least 1912. The Cardinals also posted their last set of four consecutive shutouts in one season in their 42-inning run July 6-11, 1943, and their latest string of four straight road shutouts in one season.


The last major league team to record four consecutive blankings away from home was the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2012 San Francisco Giants were the last to pull off that feat in four straight overall games.


"It's a battle, especially when this pitching staff rolls in here against us," Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "From their bullpen to their starters, they're really good. They've got the best staff in baseball."


Jaime Garcia yielded two singles in a 3-0 win Saturday, and Lackey (9-7, 2.85 ERA) will try to complete the three-game sweep at Miller Park.


Lackey gave up three runs in six innings in a 3-2 loss in Cincinnati on Tuesday, ending a nine-game stretch in which he allowed two runs or fewer while pitching at least 6 2-3 innings.


He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts this season against Milwaukee (47-65) but gave up 10 hits and three runs in seven innings in his latest, a 7-4 win June 3. He allowed six runs in six innings in his only start at Miller Park on Sept. 5.


The Cardinals, winners in 19 of 25 in Milwaukee, will seek their first sweep of three games or longer there since winning four straight May 2-5, 2013.


They'll have to take on a pitcher who's on a superb run of his own, Jimmy Nelson (9-9, 3.57), who hasn't allowed an earned run in three consecutive starts (20 2-3 innings). The right-hander yielded one unearned in 6 2-3 innings in a 4-1 win over San Diego on Tuesday, improving to 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA in his last eight outings.


"It's really nice to throw a run together," Nelson told MLB's official website. "It's good for your mentality, too, not having all the ups and downs like a rollercoaster ride. Consistency gives everybody confidence."


Nelson has struggled mightily in three career starts against St. Louis, going 0-3 with a 10.05 ERA. He gave up seven runs in five innings in a 7-4 loss June 3 - his lone matchup this season.


Matt Carpenter, who had two singles in three at-bats against him in that game, is batting .395 with six homers and six doubles in his last 10 contests. He has at least one extra-base hit in eight of those games, including each of the last five.


Jean Segura is 6 for 11 lifetime against Lackey, who is seeking to reach double-digit wins for the 12th consecutive season. Adam Lind is 16 for 35 (.457) with six doubles, but has one hit in his last seven at-bats versus the right-hander.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Cardinals at Brewers
Fri, Aug 7 Final 6 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Cardinals at Brewers
Sat, Aug 8 Final 3 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Cardinals at Brewers
Sun, Aug 9 - 2:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Astros (61-51) at Athletics (50-62)
Game: 4
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: August 09, 2015 4:05 PM EDT


The Houston Astros have been stymied by the Oakland Athletics' starting pitchers in two straight games.


Chris Bassitt will make it three in a row if he duplicates his latest effort on Sunday.


Coming off his best outing of the season, Bassitt will attempt to pitch the A's to a series win over a slumping Astros team that continues to scuffle offensively on its current road trip.


After hitting three home runs in a 12-9 loss to Texas that began this nine-game trek, the Astros have scored 13 runs while batting .185 in losing four of their next five. They've managed just three runs in 23 innings against Oakland starters while dropping two of the first three games of this series.


Sonny Gray allowed a run and five hits in a complete game to help the A's (50-62) win Friday, and Jesse Chavez followed with seven innings of one-run ball in Saturday's 2-1 triumph.


Bassitt (1-4, 2.64 ERA) delivered an outstanding performance of his own Tuesday against Baltimore, scattering five hits across seven scoreless innings to record his second major league win.


The rookie right-hander has posted a 2.43 ERA in six 2015 starts but previously had little to show for it, receiving only five runs of support while losing four of the first five.


"Since he's been in the rotation, you see each and every time he's out there he's more and more confident," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He's on a roll."


Bassitt's lone prior meeting with the Astros came in relief on April 25, when he allowed one earned run in 4 1-3 innings.


Houston (61-51), which has now lost 13 of 15 on the road, has been plagued by slumps throughout the lineup. Recent addition Carlos Gomez is 1 for 15 over the last four games, Evan Gattis is 0 for 11 in the series and Colby Rasmus 2 for 12.


Jose Altuve did go 2 for 5 Saturday to extend his hitting streak at O.co Coliseum to 19 games, the longest active streak at the venue.


Mike Fiers makes his first start for Houston since being obtained along with Gomez from Milwaukee for four prospects July 30. The right-hander made his Astros debut in relief Monday in Texas, surrendering six runs in five innings.


Fiers, who went 5-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 21 starts for the Brewers, lost his final two starts with Milwaukee but was solid in his last, yielding two runs and four hits over six-plus innings in a 5-0 defeat at San Francisco July 29. He has never previously faced Oakland.


"I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible and go out there and start like I've been doing all year, being aggressive in the zone and making them swing the bats," Fiers told MLB's official website. "I'll try to go as deep as possible and put up as many zeros as possible."


Danny Valencia drove in both A's runs on Saturday with a first-inning double and is 5 of 12 with a homer and three RBIs in three games since being claimed off waivers from Toronto on Monday. Marcus Semien has been swinging a hot bat as well, hitting .400 with two homers and six RBIs in eight August games.


Coco Crisp, hitting .082 in 61 at-bats this season, exited Saturday's game after two innings due to illness but is expected to return for the series finale.



SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Astros at Athletics
Thu, Aug 6 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Astros at Athletics
Fri, Aug 7 Final 1 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 3
Astros at Athletics
Sat, Aug 8 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps



GAME 4
Astros at Athletics
Sun, Aug 9 - 4:05PM EDT
 

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Preview: Rangers (55-54) at Mariners (51-60)
Game: 3
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: August 09, 2015 4:10 PM EDT


After being hit hard in a pair of interleague starts, Felix Hernandez gets to face a familiar opponent he's handled well this season.


Hernandez can become the AL's first 14-game winner when the Seattle Mariners ace takes on the resurgent Texas Rangers on Sunday at Safeco Field.


Matchups against NL West inhabitants Arizona and Colorado proved formidable for Hernandez (13-6, 3.13 ERA), though he managed to earn win No. 13 Monday despite surrendering four runs and 11 hits over 6 2-3 innings in an 8-7 road triumph over the Rockies. The All-Star was reached for a season-high 12 hits and seven runs in losing to the Diamondbacks on July 29 in Seattle.


"He's done that time and time again for us, when we've needed a big win, particularly when he's come off a tough start," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon told MLB's official website. "He's more determined than ever."


Hernandez has fared far better within the division, going 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 starts. He has a 1.98 ERA in winning each of his two starts against the Rangers, including a 3-1 decision at Safeco Field on April 18, when he struck out 12 in seven innings while yielding a run and two hits.


Prince Fielder is 0 for 17 versus Hernandez and Josh Hamilton is hitting .169 with 21 strikeouts in 65 at-bats in the matchup. Texas has had plenty of success in the past against the right-hander, though, as Hernandez is 14-21 - by far his most losses to one opponent - with a 3.92 ERA in 44 career starts.


The Rangers' bats did plenty of damage late in Saturday's game, scoring eight 11th-inning runs and opening the frame with seven consecutive hits en route to an 11-3 victory for their eighth win in 10 games. Fielder capped the barrage with a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs to help Texas (55-54) halt a six-game series losing streak.


'Sometimes that happens where the whole team gets hot, puts good swings on the ball and gets hits,' Fielder said.


Mike Napoli started at first base for the Rangers a day after being acquired from Boston, going 0 for 2 with a walk.


Nelson Cruz went 2 for 4 for Seattle (51-60) to extend his MLB-best hitting streak to 18 games. The All-Star slugger is batting .425 with 11 home runs and 15 RBI during the tear and is hitting .471 with four homers in eight season meetings with the Rangers.


Cruz is 2 for 8 lifetime off Colby Lewis (12-4, 4.68), who enters the finale having won four consecutive starts while often backed by strong run support. That was the case in Lewis' last outing, when he allowed seven runs and three homers in six innings during Monday's 12-9 decision over Houston.


Lewis is 8-1 over his past 12 starts and has won four straight on the road while posting a 2.48 ERA. He allowed three runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings when facing Hernandez on April 18, however.


Several Mariners have fared well against Lewis. Robinson Cano is 7 for 15, Kyle Seager is 10 for 23 with two homers and Austin Jackson has gone 13 for 31 with a home run.


Cano has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games and is batting .342 with six homers and 20 RBI since the All-Star break.



SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Rangers at Mariners
Fri, Aug 7 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Rangers at Mariners
Sat, Aug 8 Final 11 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Rangers at Mariners
Sun, Aug 9 - 4:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Phillies (44-67) at Padres (52-59)
Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: August 09, 2015 4:10 PM EDT


Sweeping a series at Petco Park is nothing new for the Philadelphia Phillies.


Neither is seeing them play well anymore.


The Phillies have baseball's best record since the All-Star break and can complete their sixth sweep at the 12-year-old ballpark by handing the San Diego Padres a season high-tying sixth straight defeat Sunday.


Philadelphia (44-67) improved to 15-5 since the break with Saturday's 4-2 victory. The top three hitters in the lineup - Chase Utley, Cesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera - were 6 for 12 with all four runs and all three RBIs.


'It's fun to watch these guys,' interim manager Pete Mackanin said. 'They are having a good time playing aggressive and they are pulling for each other. It is contagious.'


Hernandez is hitting .400 in his last eight starts and will likely move back to second base Sunday since Utley, who is 3 for 9 in his first series since June 22 after being out due to right ankle inflammation, will likely rest.


Philadelphia is 29-10 at Petco for the best record among visiting teams. It posted sweeps there in its first two visits in 2004 and 2005 along with ones in 2009, 2010 and 2011.


The Phillies are enjoying renewed confidence after moving out of sole possession of the NL East cellar for the first time since May 27, though it may be hard to be optimistic Sunday since Jerome Williams (3-8, 6.09 ERA) will start. He is 0-6 with an 8.02 ERA in nine road starts and 0-5 with a 7.17 ERA in his last nine overall.


One factor in Williams' favor is that he is 3-3 in seven outings versus San Diego with a 2.18 ERA for his best mark against any opponent. No Padres batter has more than one hit versus him, with Derek Norris and Melvin Upton Jr. each going 0 for 6.


The right-hander took a step in the right direction Tuesday by yielding one run in five innings in a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in his third outing since being activated off the disabled list July 21.


San Diego (52-59) seeks to avoid matching a six-game slide from July 4-10. The Padres are batting .220 with 12 runs scored in their last five games and are hitting .217 with an average of 2.3 runs in their past eight at home.


That kind of production is something Sunday starter Andrew Cashner (4-11, 4.08) is accustomed to since he owns one of baseball's worst run support averages at 3.02.


Cashner, however, has won both starts against Philadelphia and has a 1.25 ERA in eight total appearances for his lowest mark against an opponent he has faced multiple times. He has held Freddy Galvis hitless in seven at-bats.


The right-hander has allowed three runs over 14 innings in winning consecutive home outings after the Padres dropped his first six Petco starts. He yielded two runs in six innings in Tuesday's 4-1 defeat at Milwaukee.


"Cash was good," interim manager Pat Murphy said. "He pitched well enough to win."


San Diego's Yangervis Solarte is hitting .388 with seven RBIs and eight runs scored in his last 11 games.


Teammate Will Venable has been reinstated off the paternity list and could return to the lineup Sunday.


SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Phillies at Padres
Fri, Aug 7 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Phillies at Padres
Sat, Aug 8 Final 4 to 2
Boxscores

GAME 3
Phillies at Padres
Sun, Aug 9 - 4:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Reds (49-59) at Diamondbacks (53-56)
Game: 3
Venue: Chase Field
Date: August 09, 2015 4:10 PM EDT


As Patrick Corbin continues to find his form following Tommy John surgery, the Arizona Diamondbacks plan to remain cautious with someone they expect to be a key part of their future.


The left-hander hopes to have a more efficient outing than his last when he takes the mound in Sunday's decisive finale against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.


Corbin (2-3, 3.99 ERA) allowed three runs, six hits and walked two while throwing 54 pitches in only 1 1-3 innings before manager Chip Hale took him out of a 5-4 loss at Washington on Tuesday.


'We're always going to err on the conservative side with him,' Hale said. 'We almost didn't let him go out for the second."


Corbin completed at least five innings in each of his first five starts - and yielded two or fewer runs in four of them - since returning July 4 from elbow surgery.


"We have to be very careful - we want to get through 2015 healthy,' Hale said. 'He's going to be our guy in '16, we know that. In '15, he's already proven in his six starts that he deserves to be that guy.'


A 14-game winner in 2013 who missed all last season, the 26-year-old Corbin understands the point of view of the Diamondbacks (53-56) as an organization.


"I know I'm going to be on a tight limit if I get into some trouble," he told MLB's official website.


Corbin is 1-1 with a 2.28 ERA in three starts against Cincinnati (49-59), which snapped a 30-inning scoreless drought to even this three-game set with Saturday's 4-1 victory. Brandon Phillips, Eugenio Suarez and Marlon Byrd each homered to help the Reds snap a three-game skid.


Though four Cincinnati players recorded two hits, All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier went hitless in four at-bats and is batting .104 with 16 strikeouts over the last 12 contests.


"It's just a matter of getting out of it quick," Frazier said. "Right now, it's a slow pace."


He's 2 for 9 with a double against Corbin.


Making his first career appearance against the Diamondbacks, Anthony DeSclafani (7-7, 3.71) is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last three starts. He yielded a two-run homer and struck out a career-high nine in six innings of Tuesday's 3-2 victory over St. Louis.


"He has good stuff and he trusts it," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It's more attitude than anything. I don't think he has any fear.'


The right-hander won't face infielder Cliff Pennington, who was traded to Toronto for minor league shortstop Dawel Lugo prior to Saturday's contest. The deal came less than 24 hours after the Diamondbacks sent reliever Oliver Perez to Houston.


Despite sitting 8 1/2 games out of first in the NL West, eight back of the final wild-card spot and jettisoning a pair of veterans, the Diamondbacks aren't giving up.


"Our goal has not changed," Hale said. "We're going to sprint it to the finish and we're going to battle every night to win."


Paul Goldschmidt no longer leads the majors in batting after his average dropped to .332 while going 3 for 27 with 12 strikeouts in seven games this month.


'We always count on him to be that guy but it is not that easy to do all the time," Hale said. "They are pitching him pretty well."



SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Reds at Diamondbacks
Fri, Aug 7 Final 0 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sat, Aug 8 Final 4 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Reds at Diamondbacks
Sun, Aug 9 - 4:10PM EDT
 

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Preview: Marlins (43-68) at Braves (51-60)
Game: 4
Venue: Turner Field
Date: August 09, 2015 5:10 PM EDT


Despite continuing to pitch respectably, Shelby Miller hasn't earned a win since his near no-hitter against the Miami Marlins on May 17.


Miller will try to end his drought with another stellar performance against Miami and lead the Atlanta Braves to their first four-game sweep of the Marlins in nine years Sunday.


Since coming within one out of a no-hitter, Miller has gone 0-7 with a 3.14 ERA in 14 starts and received a combined 14 runs of support. He's gotten none in seven games.


The Braves matched their best support in that winless stretch Tuesday with three runs in his seven innings against San Francisco. Miller (5-8, 2.44 ERA allowed two runs but the Braves bullpen gave up six in an 8-3 loss, dropping the team to 2-12 in his last 14 starts.


"My job is to go out there and put zeros up whether I go five innings, seven innings, whether I have good games, bad games," Miller said.


Miller is the first to have a .385 winning percentage or lower and a sub-2.50 ERA in at least 20 starts since Joe Magrane went 5-9 (.357) with a 2.18 ERA in 24 starts for St. Louis in 1988.


Miller's losing streak is the longest by a Braves pitcher since Kenshin Kawakami dropped 11 in a row from 2009-10. The last Atlanta starter to go 15-plus games without a win was Jo-Jo Reyes with an 18-game streak from 2008-09.


A matchup with Miami could end his streak as he's 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in three starts this season. The Marlins (43-68) have dropped 13 of 15, including six in a row, and 21 of 26 on the road.


The Braves are 10-2 against Miami this season and have won the last six following a 7-2 victory Saturday. Nick Swisher helped seal the victory with a two-run double in his Atlanta debut and first game since going on the disabled list for left knee inflammation June 14.


Nick Markakis went 3 for 5 to extend his NL-best hit streak to 15 games, and A.J. Pierzynski now has a 13-game streak after going 2 for 4.


The two will try to extend those runs while leading Atlanta to its first four-game sweep of the Marlins since May 15-18, 2006. The Braves dropped 18 of 24 before this series.


They'll face Brad Hand (1-2, 4.71) in his second game since returning to the rotation. The left-hander pitched four scoreless innings Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets.


"I just come here every day with a positive attitude, and whatever they decide is totally up to them," Hand told MLB's official website. "I've just got to be ready to pitch."


Hand, 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in four starts this season, took a 4-0 win in his most recent start against Atlanta on Sept. 7, throwing six innings. He was 0-3 with a 6.06 ERA in his previous three starts versus the Braves.


Markakis and Pierzynski are hitless in a combined four at-bats against Hand, all this season.




SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Marlins at Braves
Thu, Aug 6 Final 8 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Marlins at Braves
Fri, Aug 7 Final 3 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 3
Marlins at Braves
Sat, Aug 8 Final 2 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Marlins at Braves
Sun, Aug 9 - 5:10PM EDT
 

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Giants-Cubs Preview


(AP) -- As focused as the Chicago Cubs have been during a meaningful week of baseball, they haven't forgot to enjoy themselves.


The surging Cubs can continue the fun by completing a four-game sweep of the visiting San Francisco Giants on Sunday.


After splitting a rain-shortened two-game road set against NL wild card-leader Pittsburgh, Chicago (61-48) is in position to sweep a home series of least three games from San Francisco for the first time since May 1994, and first four-gamer over the Giants there since June 1977. Kris Bryant homered and had three RBIs and fellow rookie Addison Russell recorded three hits as the Cubs moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the reigning World Series champs for the second wild-card spot with Saturday's 8-6 victory.


The Cubs, who were 49-65 at this time last season, have won nine of the last 10 and are 13 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 97-64 in 2008. They've averaged 6.0 runs while batting .308 against the Pirates and Giants (59-51) this week.


"We're just rolling with it, having a lot of fun," said Bryant, who is batting .316 in his last six games after going 0 for 13 in his previous five.


Chicago's rookie foursome of Bryant, Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler have batted a combined .419 and drove in 14 of its 20 runs in this series.


"We have a lot of confidence," Bryant said.


The Cubs look to stay hot behind Jake Arrieta (12-6, 2.50 ERA), who is 6-1 with a 1.37 ERA in his last nine starts. Despite walking three for a fourth straight outing, the right-hander allowed two hits in seven innings of Tuesday's 5-0 victory over the Pirates.


"He's an interesting pitcher," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. "I will say it again, he's not there yet. He's still learning how to utilize all his weapons. There's another level of Arrieta."


That might not bode well for the Giants even though they scored four runs and recorded seven hits off Arrieta in six innings of a 4-0 victory over Chicago last season.


San Francisco is 3-6 on a 10-game trip but has won the last four starts by Jake Peavy (2-4, 3.77). The right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA in those games, and yielded one run over 12 innings in the last two.


"Certainly I expect to make a difference and expect to win on my day," Peavy said after he gave up that run and struck out eight in six innings while not factoring in the decision of Tuesday's 8-3 win at Atlanta. "We've done that the four times out of the (All-Star) break and I am extremely excited about that."


He's 8-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 16 starts against the Cubs, and has won three of his last four at Wrigley Field. Peavy hopes to continue that success and break the current trend set by Giants starters, who have a 9.75 ERA while failing to complete five innings in this series.


"They're having a tough time getting us deep in the game," manager Bruce Bochy said. "But we've got another tough game facing a tough pitcher and we've got to come out here ready to go and put these behind us. We've got no way to look at it but move on, focus forward and keep pushing."


Chris Coghlan is 3 for 7 in the last two games, and 4 for 10 against Peavy.


San Francisco's Brandon Belt has homered twice in the series for his only hits in 19 at-bats over the last five games. Brandon Crawford has four RBIs in the set, and is batting .349 in 15 games at Wrigley.




The Giants have won seven of their last nine games at Wrigley Field, while punching out double-digit hits in each of their last four road games against the Cubs.


The Giants, who have recorded at least six runs and 10 hits in three straight games for the second time this season (also May 15-17), have not done so in four straight games since June 2009.


While the Cubs have won six of their last seven games, they have scored more than three runs in just two of their last nine home games.


Giants rookie Chris Heston, who has gone undefeated (5-0) over his last eight starts, has not allowed a single home run over his last 12 starts.


Jake Arrieta has made nine consecutive quality starts for the Cubs. Over this stretch, Arrieta has recorded an ERA of just 1.37 while allowing just one home run.


Over his last seven games, Anthony Rizzo is batting .481 (13/27) with five home runs, 12 RBI, eight runs scored, and an OPS of 1.631.


Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 8/6/2015 thru 8/9/2015
 

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Orioles-Angels Preview



(AP) -- If the Los Angeles Angels aren't going to be led out of this slump by the offense, their pitching staff could sure use a shot in the arm


They're hoping Jered Weaver can provide that in his first start in seven weeks Sunday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.


Los Angeles (58-51) has averaged 3.5 runs during a 4-11 stretch - to go from leading the AL West by two games to 1 1/2 games back of first-place Houston - batting .191 in the last nine. Saturday's 5-0 loss marked the fourth time the Angels have been shut out in the last 15. They were blanked five times in their previous 94 contests.


The starting rotation has also been lackluster with a 4.67 ERA over the last 15, almost a full run higher than its season mark.


Weaver (4-8, 4.75 ERA) hasn't thrown since June 20 because of an inflamed left hip. He made two rehab starts with Class-A Inland Empire, allowing two earned runs over 9 1-3 innings.


"If it means he's good from now until the end of the year, then it was well worth the price you had to pay to miss him," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB's official website. "I don't necessarily think that the fact that a guy misses three or four weeks is going to translate to him staying fresher, but he's at a level now that he needs to be, and we need to maintain that."


Given the way Weaver has struggled this year, it's unclear exactly how much of a boost he can provide. His ERA is the highest of his career, and in 15 starts, he's four shy of his career high for losses set over 34 outings in 2010. He almost certainly won't meet the 11-win plateau he reached each of his first nine seasons.


Weaver lost each of his last four starts before being sidelined, tying the longest slump of his career Aug. 17-Sept. 4, 2010. He's only been backed by four runs of support in that span, though he also owns a 6.58 ERA while giving up six homers.


Facing the Orioles could help Weaver get back on track if his history against them holds true. He's 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA in his last nine meetings and held Baltimore to a solo shot by J.J. Hardy and two other hits over 7 1-3 innings in a 3-1 road victory May 15.


Chris Davis, who owns a 1.181 OPS with 26 RBIs over his last 19 games, is batting .189 with eight strikeouts in 37 at-bats against the right-hander.


Baltimore (56-53) has won 10 of 14 to pull within two games of the Angels for the second wild-card spot and Manny Machado and Caleb Joseph went deep Saturday, the eighth time in 11 games the Orioles have homered twice. Machado is hitting .412 over his last eight games.


Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32), trying to avoid losing a third straight start for the first time in his career, has seen his season go south with a 4-4 record and 6.05 ERA over his last eight outings. Opponents own a .383 on-base percentage in that span compared to .290 previously.


He allowed three runs, five hits and three walks and needed 94 pitches to get through 5 1-3 innings in a 5-0 loss at Oakland on Tuesday.


"I have to stay aggressive and try and throw strikes as quick as possible so my defense can be on its toes," he said.


The right-hander has completed at least seven innings in three of his four previous matchups with the Angels, going 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA.






The Angels took two of three games from the Orioles in a May series, the first time they won a series over Baltimore since 2012. From 2013 to 2014, the Orioles were 9-4 against the Angels.


Baltimore is coming off a series win at Oakland and has now has won back-to-back road series. The Orioles have yet to win three straight road series in 2015 (last occurrence was in 2014).


The Angels picked up their first win of the season when trailing after eight innings on Wednesday against Cleveland. It was also their eighth walkoff win of the year, tied with the White Sox for most in the American League.


Over the past two seasons (2014-2015), the Angels (155-114) and Orioles (151-118) have the best and third-best record in the American League, respectively.


In 19 career games at Angel Stadium, Matt Wieters is batting .355 (22-for-62) with four home runs and 13 RBI. Wieters has the highest batting average of any Orioles player ever at Angel Stadium (minimum 50 at-bats).


In 22 games since the Fourth of July, C.J. Cron is batting .366 (26-for-71) with four home runs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of 1.030. In 39 games prior to the holiday, Cron was batting .198 (24-for-121) with two home runs, eight RBI, and an OPS of .509.


Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 8/7/2015 thru 8/9/2015
 

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