MLB - Weekend Series Trends

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Weekend series trends
July 23, 2004
By Jimmy Sirody
Don Best senior writer

There is a silver lining among the clouds covering Arizona. The Diamondbacks have overtaken Montreal as the worst team in baseball and have given every indication that they plan to take the rest of the season off.
While every sports talk show host and baseball scribe tries to figure out where Randy Johnson will be pitching in August, the dismal D-Backs sink deeper into the NL West cellar. But Arizona fans have something to look forward to this weekend when the Colorado Rockies pay a visit.

Colorado, with a hammerlock on fourth place in the West, is eight games ahead of the D-Backs in the standings. The Rockies haven't had much luck on the road against any team, but they really have a tough time at The BOB. Arizona has won 25 of the last 31 series encounters on its home turf, including two of three in the first series clash this season.

That's good enough to earn the top spot on our weekend top-10 trends list. A peek at some other trends and angles that may come handy appear below.

The Marlins have won five of six against the Expos this season, including three straight in their last visit. Montreal has scored six runs in six games against Florida. Brad Penny has only allowed three earned runs in 15 innings versus the anemic Expos and Dontrelle Willis has thrown 12 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Yankees and Red Sox renew baseball's fiercest rivalry at Fenway Park. New York swept the Bosox in the Bronx the last time the teams met to take command in the AL East. Don't expect a lot of offensive fireworks this weekend. New York and Boston have dribbled 'under' in 23 of the last 31 clashes in The Hub, including three of four this season. They have been on the low side in seven of their first 10 encounters, overall. Curt Schilling is worth a look in the series opener. The Red Sox ace is 7-0 at Fenway Park with a 2.67 ERA and his mates are 10-0 at home when he starts.

Texas can't be taken seriously as playoff contenders until they win a few games at Oakland. The A's have feasted on the Rangers the last three years, winning eight of nine last season and two of three in the first series tussle this season. Mark Mulder squares off against Kenny Rogers in the opener in a battle of Cy Young candidates. Mulder has been untouchable at home, going 7-0 with a 3.21 ERA. The Oakland lefty limited Texas to one run in seven innings en route to a 3-1 victory at home in April. Rogers is 13-6 versus the Athletics and in two outings against them this season has allowed only three earned runs in 14 innings.

Chicago gets its first crack at the Tigers this season, looking to continue to hold all the aces. The White Sox have come out on top in 18 of the last 28 series scrapes in the Windy City. Esteban Loaiza, who has struggled in his last five starts, allowing 20 earned runs in 24 1/3 innings, could get well against Detroit. Loaiza has cashed 10 of his last 14 against the Tigers with a 2.40 ERA.

6. Cleveland is up and Kansas City is way down. That doesn't mean the Indians can afford to take the Royals lightly when they invade The Jake. KC has prospered in Ohio, cashing in eight of 10 last season and splitting a pair in its first visit in 2004.

The Pittsburgh pitching staff has performed over and above the call of duty the last month. The Pirates have won 17 of their last 22 through July 21 thanks to a mound corps that has turned in 20 quality starts in 25 tries. Oliver Perez has been the leader of the pack and well worth a look when he takes on the Reds Friday. The young lefty has already squelched Cincinnati twice this season, not allowing an earned run in 16 innings while fanning 23. Jose Acevedo has been a failure on the road, coming up short in five of six with a bloated 6.75 ERA.

San Diego hopes to cool off red-hot Los Angeles and gain ground in the NL West chase. The Padres opened the season by losing two of three at Dodger Stadium and then dropped two of three to their fiercest rivals at home. The Dodgers and Padres had slipped 'under' in 20 of 27 in LA the last three seasons until topping the total in two of the first three in 2004. Brian Lawrence and Jose Lima lock horns in the opener. Lawrence has won seven of 10 on the road with a 3.71 ERA while Lima is 6-1 at home with a 3.79 ERA. The Padres ace has prevailed in eight of his last 12 against the Dodgers with a 2.30 ERA.

Minnesota can hardly afford to look past Baltimore with a key three-game series against Chicago on tap. The Orioles have won seven of their last 10 against the Twins at Camden Yards. Sidney Ponson, coming off his first quality start in nearly a month, gets the ball for the Birds on Saturday. Ponson has baffled Baltimore in six of eight chances with a nifty 2.67 ERA.

Maybe San Francisco can slow down the St. Louis express train. The Giants won three of four at Busch Stadium last season and seven of 11 the past three seasons.
 

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