Hot Pitchers
-- Maine is 2-0, 2.84 in his last two starts.
-- Pirates won five of last six Maholm starts.
-- Washington is 6-0 in Redding road starts; they won his last nine starts overall.
-- Stults is 2-0, 1.80 in his first two starts this season.
-- Bush is 2-0, 1.20 in last two starts, but Brewers lost five of his six road starts.
-- Davis has a 1.80 RA in his last three starts.
-- Cubs won last four Lilly starts, scoring 28 runs.
-- Greinke is 2-0, 1.80 in his last three starts, but Royals are 2-6 in his last eight road outings.
-- Bronx is 8-1 with Mussina if they score four or more runs.
-- Red Sox won five of last six Masterson starts (4-1, 3.75). Rays won last three Shields home starts (7-1 in his '08 home starts).
-- Tigers won last five Galarraga starts, scoring 31 runs. Twins won last three Perkins starts, scoring nine runs in each.
Cold Pitchers
-- Lohse has an 8.38 RA in his last four starts.
-- Harang is 1-5, 7.75 in his last seven starts.
-- Tucker is 1-2, 7.20 in his last three starts.
-- Oswalt is 2-5, 5.33 in his last eight starts.
-- Maddux is 0-2, 6.26 in his last three starts; Padres won his last six no-decisons. de la Rosa has 7.29 RA in his four home starts.
-- Giants are 0-8 in Aito home starts this season.
-- Burres has 8.69 RA in his last four starts, but Orioles won his last three outings, scoring 22 runs.
-- Feldman is 0-2, 5.63 in his last eight starts.
-- Sowers is 0-3, 6.49 in his last five starts. Floyd has an 8.31 RA in his last three starts, but White Sox won his last four home starts, and seven of eight overall.
-- Garland has 5.30 RA in his last three starts, but Angels won five of his last seven outings, overall. Smith is 1-2, 6.00 in his last five starts.
-- Dickey is 0-2, 20.26 in his last two starts. Toronto lost the last three Halladay starts (0-1, 5.30).
Hot Teams
-- Mets won five of their last seven road games.
-- Nationals won three of their last four games.
-- Astros won five of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won six of their last seven games. Royals won last five road games, six of last eight overall.
-- Rays won five of their last six games.
-- Detroit won five in row, 17 of last 21 games. Twins are 11-1 in their last twelve games.
-- White Sox are 20-4 in their last 24 home games.
-- Oakland won five of its last seven road games.
-- Mariners won five of their last six games. Toronto won five of its last seven games, but is 2-9 in last eleven on the road.
Cold Teams
-- Cardinals lost five of last seven road games.
-- Reds lost last five home games, scoring ten runs. Pirates lost five of their last six road games.
-- Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
-- Dodgers scored seven runs in last four games, have total of three hits in their last two games.
-- Colorado lost its last seven games, outscored 40-21. Padres lost last eight games and 11 of last 12.
-- Arizona lost four of its last five games. Brewers lost three of their last four contests.
-- Cubs lost their last six road games. Giants lost seven of last eight home games.
-- Bronx is 4-5 in last nine games, 1-3 in last four at home. Texas is 1-7 in the game after its last eight wins.
-- Red Sox lost six of last seven series openers.
-- Indians lost five of their last seven games.
-- Angels lost three of last four games, scoring five runs.
Totals
-- Four of last five St Louis home games stayed under total.
-- Over is 28-7-2 in Pittsburgh road games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Florida home games.
-- Last seven Dodger games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in Colorado's last eleven games.
-- Under is 7-0-1 in last eight Arizona games.
-- Over is 8-3 in Cubs' last eleven games overall.
-- Over is 8-3 in Orioles' last eleven games.
-- Under is 5-2 in last seven Bronx home games.
-- Six of last seven Red Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 4-1 in last five games at the Metrodome.
-- Over is 5-1 in White Sox' last six home games.
-- Seven of last nine Angel games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Seattle games.
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals [ESPN | 7:05 PM ET]
Mets: John Maine has won two straight thanks to just four runs allowed over his last 12.2 innings of work. Maine has a solid 3.64 ERA on the road this season but his record is just 4-4. However, Maine is 3-1 in his last four starts away from home. The Mets are just 5-5 in his last 10 starts, with Maine allowing 20 runs in the five losses. You can expect to see a lot of runs scored when Maine is on the mound. The OVER is 7-3 in his last 10 starts.
Mets are 3-7 in their last 10 games following a win..
Key Injuries - OF Ryan Church (.300; concussion) has been activated off the DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Cardinals (-110, O/U 8.5): Kyle Lohse has been one of the NL's top pitchers this season. He's 6-0 with no-decisions in his last seven starts and hasn't recorded a loss since May 8. In his last 10 outings, Lohse has allowed three runs or less seven times. Control has been a big reason for Lohse's success. He's only walked 24 batters in 98.1 innings pitched this season. Lohse has been dominant at home, going 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in nine starts at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals are 7-1 in Lohse's last 8 starts.
Key Injuries - SS Cesar Izturis (.241; hamstring) is on the 15-day DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays [NESN | 7:10 PM ET]
Red Sox: It's usually good news for the Red Sox when Justin Masterson takes to the hill. Boston has won five of the seven games Masterson has started this season. Masterson got a no-decision his last time out against Arizona after allowing four runs over six innings. The four runs are out of the ordinary for Masterson. He's allowed three runs or less five times this year. Masterson's last two starts have gone OVER the total.
Red Sox are 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.
The UNDER is 21-8-3 in Boston's last 32 Monday games.
Key Injuries - OF Coco Crisp (.270; suspension) is OUT until July 3.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Rays (-145, O/U 9): James Shields won his first game in a month and a half his last time out against Florida. In that outing Shields went seven strong innings, allowing just one run. In his three games prior to that Shields allowed a total of 13 runs. Despite his recent struggles, Shields has been extremely tough at home, going 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in eight starts at Tropicana Field. The UNDER is 5-1 in Shields' last six starts at home.
Rays are 25-7 in their last 32 games on turf.
The UNDER is 22-8-1 in Tampa Bay's last 31 home games.
Key Injuries - 2B Akinori Iwamura (.276; suspension) is OUT until July 1.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks [9:40 PM ET]
Brewers: After getting hammered for most of the season, Dave Bush has bounced back strong in his last two outings, picking up wins against Toronto and Atlanta. Bush allowed just two runs over 15 innings of work in those two games. While the victory over Atlanta came on the road, Bush has really struggled away from home overall, going 1-5 with a 6.92 ERA. A lot of runs are usually scored with Bush on the mound. In his last 10 starts, the OVER is 6-3-1.
Brewers are 20-8 in their last 28 games on grass.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Milwaukee's last 9 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - RP Eric Gagne (10 saves; shoulder) has been activated off the DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Diamondbacks (-125, O/U 9.5): Doug Davis hasn't recorded a decision in his last three starts, although he's pitched well. In his last 20 innings of work, Davis has allowed just four runs. Davis has pitched well overall for the Diamondbacks this season, allowing three runs or less in seven of his nine starts. Even though Davis hasn't recorded a win in last three appearances, he's pitched well enough for the UNDER to cash all three times.
Diamondbacks are 18-5 in Davis' last 23 home starts.
The OVER is 11-5-1 in Davis' last 17 starts overall.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels [10:05 PM ET]
A's: Oakland's Greg Smith will try to win for the first time in three starts and beat the Angels for the first time in his career. Smith has gotten just one run of support combined over his last two starts, and he lost to LA back on June 7 after giving up five runs and seven hits in 6.1 innings. He is also 2-3 in eight road starts with a 4.05 ERA.
A's are 4-12 in their last 16 games as an underdog.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Oakland's last 9 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - 3B Eric Chavez (.259; shoulder) is day-to-day.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Angels (-130, O/U 8): LA's Jon Garland will look to continue a fairly solid stretch of pitching when he goes to the mound against the A's. Garland has allowed three runs or less in nine of his last 10 starts, including a strong outing at Oakland opposite Smith on June 7. He allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings against the A's with a season-high eight strikeouts to improve his career mark against them to 4-9 with a 4.82 ERA.
The UNDER is 14-5-2 in LA's last 21 home games.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Streaking
Eric Stults, Los Angeles Dodgers (2-0, 0.60)
Stults has opened his third MLB season with a splash. The left-hander is 2-0 with a sizzling 0.60 ERA and 0.80 WHIP surrendering just 10 hits and one earned run in that span. He also has eight strikeouts against a meager two walks in his last two starts.
In one road game, the righty conceded just one earned run in six IP. He also has one hit and an RBI in six at bats this campaign.
Los Angeles is 5-1 in its last six tilts against the NL Central.
Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (7-4, 3.40)
In five seasons in Kansas City, Greinke has never finished with a winning record, but this season could be different. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his last three starts, including a 10-strikeout outing against the Rockies on Tuesday.
Greinke is 3-3 outside KC, but is fresh off a road win over the Cards last Thursday in which he collected seven strikeouts and surrendered just one earned run in seven innings.
The Royals are 5-0 in their last five road games and 6-1 in their last seven overall.
Slumping
Miguel Batista, Seattle Mariners (3-10, 6.53)
Batista is amidst the worst season of his 10-year MLB career. The journeyman pitcher is 0-2 with a towering 14.73 in his last three outings as a reliever. In his last three tilts, Batista has conceded six earned runs and walked seven in a mere three IP.
Monday's tilt versus the Blue Jays marks Batista's first start since an 11-3 loss to the league-leading Red Sox on June 7. To make matters worse, the Mariners are one of the most futile offensive clubs in the league batting .254 with 318 runs on 685 hits.
Seattle is 1-9 in its last 10 at Safeco Field and 5-12 in its last 17 against the AL East.
Jeremy Sowers, Cleveland Indians (0-3, 5.97)
Sowers is winless in his last nine starts dating back to 2007. He is coming off a respectable outing last week against the Mariners, but conceded 19 hits in his last three outings, surrendering 10 earned runs in a mere 13 innings.
The left-hander is 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA in his last three outings and is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA on the road. He is also winless with a 3.00 ERA in one career start at U.S. Cellular Field.
The Tribe is 0-4 in Sowers' last four-road starts. Cleveland is also 0-4 in its last four trips to U.S. Cellular Field.
STARS
Sunday
- John Lackey, Angels, held the Dodgers to three hits for 8 2-3 innings in a 1-0 win.
- Kevin Slowey, Twins, breezed through his fourth straight dominant start, beating Ben Sheets and the Brewers with a three-hitter in a 5-0 win over Milwaukee.
- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, went 5-for-5 and Seattle beat Jake Peavy and the punchless Padres 9-2 for a three-game sweep.
- Oliver Perez, Mets, limited the Yankees to one run and three hits in seven sharp innings, striking out eight without a walk in a 3-1 win over the Yankees.
- Jason LaRue, Cardinals, drove in four runs with a home run and a triple in St. Louis' 9-6 win over his former team, the Royals.
- Ronnie Belliard, Nationals, hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning to give Washington a 3-2 win over the Orioles.
- Rich Aurilia, Giants, homered and matched his career high with five RBIs to help San Francisco beat Oakland 11-1 and get its first series win in the Bay Area rivalry in two years.
NO HITTERS
A day after Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo did not allow a hit in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers, the Angels allowed hits - three of them - but no runs in a 1-0 win. That's three hits and one unearned run in two games for the offensively challenged Dodgers, who are hitting just .234 for the month. The Dodgers have scored 83 runs in June, tied with the Nationals for the fewest in the majors.
SLUGGER
White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome hit his 522nd career homer in a 5-1 victory over the Cubs, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.
MUCH BETTER
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to complete a remarkable first-half turnaround. The Rays are 49-32, the most victories midway through a season by a team that had the majors' worst record the season before, according to Stats, Inc. The only team with a better half-season winning percentage than the Rays' .605 after having the worst overall record the previous season was the 1903 New York Giants, who were 45-25 (.643). The 2001 Cubs were 48-33 at midseason after going 65-97 the year before.
MUCH WORSE
The Colorado Rockies lost their seventh straight game, 4-3 to the Detroit Tigers. After their 81st game on Saturday, they were 32-49, giving them the fewest wins at the halfway point for a team a year after making the World Series since the Florida Marlins in 1998, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That Marlins team was dismantled a year after winning the World Series, and went 28-53 in their first 81 games.
OVER .500
The Tigers won their fifth straight game and 15th in their past 18, 4-3 over Colorado. Detroit has a winning record for the first time this season.
RETURN
Edwin Encarnacion, back in the Reds' lineup after missing five games with back spasms, hit a two-run homer in a 9-5 win over Cleveland. ... Mets RF Ryan Church was activated from the disabled list and went 2-for-4 in his first game since June 6, a 3-1 win over the Yankees. He'd been slowed by the effects of his second concussion this year.
BRING ON THE YANKS
Mets starter Oliver Perez (6-5) limited the Yankees to one run and three hits in seven sharp innings of a 3-1 win. He retired the first 10 batters and wound up striking out eight without a walk. Perez improved to 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees, including a win last month at Yankee Stadium.
STAT
Of Washington's 18 home wins, eight have come in the final at-bat, including a 3-2 win in the bottom of the 12th inning Sunday.
AILING
The Twins placed right fielder Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list, hoping his second stint on the shelf this season will let a lingering finger injury heal. ... The Tigers placed right fielder Magglio Ordonez on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled muscle in his right side. Ordonez pulled his oblique muscle in the third inning of a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night. ... Royals outfielder David DeJesus was removed from the game against St. Louis after a collision at the plate with catcher Jason LaRue. ... Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla was out of the lineup against the Diamondbacks, a day after he sprained his left ankle and had to leave the game. He said he should be able to play in a few days.
WELCOME BACK
The Brewers activated right-hander Eric Gagne from the 15-day disabled list after the game at Minnesota, but manager Ned Yost wasn't ready to formally assign the former closer a role upon his return. "Reliever,'' was all Yost said. With Salomon Torres 12-for-12 in save opportunities since taking over the ninth inning duty, though, Gagne is likely headed for a setup spot after missing more than a month because of rotator cuff tendinitis.
NEMESIS
Mark Loretta had a pinch-hit, RBI single in the eighth inning off Hideki Okajima to lift the Astros to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox. He also hit a three-run homer on Saturday in the Astros' 11-10 win. An All-Star second baseman for Boston in 2006, Loretta, who signed with Houston as a free agent in January 2007, is a career .337 hitter against Boston.
SPEAKING
"I'm not going to sit here and say I expected us to be at this particular place in the standings. It's been an anonymous first half ... there's no one guy having a killer season, which makes it more appealing to me that we're at this juncture, knowing somebody's going to turn into a beast in the second half.'' - Rays manager Joe Maddon after the team improved to 49-32, the most victories midway through a season by a team that had the majors' worst record the season before, according to Stats, Inc.
SEASONS
July 1
1910 - Comiskey Park - then known as White Sox Park - held its first major league game, with the St. Louis Browns beating Chicago 2-0.
1917 - Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched complete-game victories in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toney threw a three-hitter in each game for 4-1 and 5-1 wins, setting a record for the fewest hits allowed in a doubleheader by a pitcher.
1920 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-0 at Fenway Park with the season's only no-hitter.
1925 - Hack Wilson of the New York Giants hit two home runs in the third inning of a 16-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Wilson also doubled twice during the game.
1941 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees singled off Boston's Jack Wilson in the fourth inning, tying Willie Keeler's hitting streak of 44 games.
1951 - Bob Feller of the Indians pitched his third career no-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland.
1990 - Andy Hawkins of the New York Yankees pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and the third in less than 48 hours, but lost 4-0 to the Chicago White Sox on two outfield errors in the eighth inning.
1994 - Baltimore and California tied a major league record by combining for 11 home runs in the Orioles' 14-7 victory. Jeffrey Hammonds hit two homers for Baltimore.
1997 - Detroit's Bobby Higginson homered in the first inning against the New York Mets, tying a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats over two games. Higginson, who struck out looking in his next at-bat, became the 23rd player since 1900 to accomplish the feat and the fourth Tiger.
2002 - Los Angeles' Eric Gagne picked up his 30th save in a 4-0 win over Arizona, reaching that mark in the Dodgers' 82nd game - a major league record. The previous mark was 83 games by Bobby Thigpen with the Chicago White Sox in 1990 and Lee Smith with St. Louis in 1993.
Today's birthdays: Rich Thompson 24; Jamie Walker 38.
Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. BALTIMORE
Kansas City is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games
Baltimore is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
7:05 PM NY METS vs. ST. LOUIS
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
NY Mets are 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games at home
7:05 PM TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games on the road
NY Yankees are 11-4-1 SU in their last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 10 games
7:10 PM BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games
7:10PM PITTSBURH vs. CINCINNATI[/b]
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
7:10 PM WASHINGTON vs. FLORIDA
Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
8:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. HOUSTON
LA Dodgers are 5-12 SU in their last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home
against LA Dodgers
Houston is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing LA Dodgers
8:10 PM DETROIT vs. MINNESOTA
Detroit is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Minnesota
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
8:11 PM CLEVELAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Cleveland is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Cleveland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Chi White Sox are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Cleveland
9:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. COLORADO
San Diego is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego
Colorado is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing San Diego
9:40 PM MILWAUKEE vs. ARIZONA
Milwaukee is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
10:05 PM OAKLAND vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games
Oakland is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Angels's last 12 games when playing Oakland
10:10 PM TORONTO vs. SEATTLE
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Toronto is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
Seattle is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Toronto
10:15 PM CHI CUBS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 6 games
-- Maine is 2-0, 2.84 in his last two starts.
-- Pirates won five of last six Maholm starts.
-- Washington is 6-0 in Redding road starts; they won his last nine starts overall.
-- Stults is 2-0, 1.80 in his first two starts this season.
-- Bush is 2-0, 1.20 in last two starts, but Brewers lost five of his six road starts.
-- Davis has a 1.80 RA in his last three starts.
-- Cubs won last four Lilly starts, scoring 28 runs.
-- Greinke is 2-0, 1.80 in his last three starts, but Royals are 2-6 in his last eight road outings.
-- Bronx is 8-1 with Mussina if they score four or more runs.
-- Red Sox won five of last six Masterson starts (4-1, 3.75). Rays won last three Shields home starts (7-1 in his '08 home starts).
-- Tigers won last five Galarraga starts, scoring 31 runs. Twins won last three Perkins starts, scoring nine runs in each.
Cold Pitchers
-- Lohse has an 8.38 RA in his last four starts.
-- Harang is 1-5, 7.75 in his last seven starts.
-- Tucker is 1-2, 7.20 in his last three starts.
-- Oswalt is 2-5, 5.33 in his last eight starts.
-- Maddux is 0-2, 6.26 in his last three starts; Padres won his last six no-decisons. de la Rosa has 7.29 RA in his four home starts.
-- Giants are 0-8 in Aito home starts this season.
-- Burres has 8.69 RA in his last four starts, but Orioles won his last three outings, scoring 22 runs.
-- Feldman is 0-2, 5.63 in his last eight starts.
-- Sowers is 0-3, 6.49 in his last five starts. Floyd has an 8.31 RA in his last three starts, but White Sox won his last four home starts, and seven of eight overall.
-- Garland has 5.30 RA in his last three starts, but Angels won five of his last seven outings, overall. Smith is 1-2, 6.00 in his last five starts.
-- Dickey is 0-2, 20.26 in his last two starts. Toronto lost the last three Halladay starts (0-1, 5.30).
Hot Teams
-- Mets won five of their last seven road games.
-- Nationals won three of their last four games.
-- Astros won five of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won six of their last seven games. Royals won last five road games, six of last eight overall.
-- Rays won five of their last six games.
-- Detroit won five in row, 17 of last 21 games. Twins are 11-1 in their last twelve games.
-- White Sox are 20-4 in their last 24 home games.
-- Oakland won five of its last seven road games.
-- Mariners won five of their last six games. Toronto won five of its last seven games, but is 2-9 in last eleven on the road.
Cold Teams
-- Cardinals lost five of last seven road games.
-- Reds lost last five home games, scoring ten runs. Pirates lost five of their last six road games.
-- Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
-- Dodgers scored seven runs in last four games, have total of three hits in their last two games.
-- Colorado lost its last seven games, outscored 40-21. Padres lost last eight games and 11 of last 12.
-- Arizona lost four of its last five games. Brewers lost three of their last four contests.
-- Cubs lost their last six road games. Giants lost seven of last eight home games.
-- Bronx is 4-5 in last nine games, 1-3 in last four at home. Texas is 1-7 in the game after its last eight wins.
-- Red Sox lost six of last seven series openers.
-- Indians lost five of their last seven games.
-- Angels lost three of last four games, scoring five runs.
Totals
-- Four of last five St Louis home games stayed under total.
-- Over is 28-7-2 in Pittsburgh road games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Florida home games.
-- Last seven Dodger games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in Colorado's last eleven games.
-- Under is 7-0-1 in last eight Arizona games.
-- Over is 8-3 in Cubs' last eleven games overall.
-- Over is 8-3 in Orioles' last eleven games.
-- Under is 5-2 in last seven Bronx home games.
-- Six of last seven Red Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 4-1 in last five games at the Metrodome.
-- Over is 5-1 in White Sox' last six home games.
-- Seven of last nine Angel games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Seattle games.
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals [ESPN | 7:05 PM ET]
Mets: John Maine has won two straight thanks to just four runs allowed over his last 12.2 innings of work. Maine has a solid 3.64 ERA on the road this season but his record is just 4-4. However, Maine is 3-1 in his last four starts away from home. The Mets are just 5-5 in his last 10 starts, with Maine allowing 20 runs in the five losses. You can expect to see a lot of runs scored when Maine is on the mound. The OVER is 7-3 in his last 10 starts.
Mets are 3-7 in their last 10 games following a win..
Key Injuries - OF Ryan Church (.300; concussion) has been activated off the DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Cardinals (-110, O/U 8.5): Kyle Lohse has been one of the NL's top pitchers this season. He's 6-0 with no-decisions in his last seven starts and hasn't recorded a loss since May 8. In his last 10 outings, Lohse has allowed three runs or less seven times. Control has been a big reason for Lohse's success. He's only walked 24 batters in 98.1 innings pitched this season. Lohse has been dominant at home, going 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in nine starts at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals are 7-1 in Lohse's last 8 starts.
Key Injuries - SS Cesar Izturis (.241; hamstring) is on the 15-day DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays [NESN | 7:10 PM ET]
Red Sox: It's usually good news for the Red Sox when Justin Masterson takes to the hill. Boston has won five of the seven games Masterson has started this season. Masterson got a no-decision his last time out against Arizona after allowing four runs over six innings. The four runs are out of the ordinary for Masterson. He's allowed three runs or less five times this year. Masterson's last two starts have gone OVER the total.
Red Sox are 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.
The UNDER is 21-8-3 in Boston's last 32 Monday games.
Key Injuries - OF Coco Crisp (.270; suspension) is OUT until July 3.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Rays (-145, O/U 9): James Shields won his first game in a month and a half his last time out against Florida. In that outing Shields went seven strong innings, allowing just one run. In his three games prior to that Shields allowed a total of 13 runs. Despite his recent struggles, Shields has been extremely tough at home, going 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in eight starts at Tropicana Field. The UNDER is 5-1 in Shields' last six starts at home.
Rays are 25-7 in their last 32 games on turf.
The UNDER is 22-8-1 in Tampa Bay's last 31 home games.
Key Injuries - 2B Akinori Iwamura (.276; suspension) is OUT until July 1.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks [9:40 PM ET]
Brewers: After getting hammered for most of the season, Dave Bush has bounced back strong in his last two outings, picking up wins against Toronto and Atlanta. Bush allowed just two runs over 15 innings of work in those two games. While the victory over Atlanta came on the road, Bush has really struggled away from home overall, going 1-5 with a 6.92 ERA. A lot of runs are usually scored with Bush on the mound. In his last 10 starts, the OVER is 6-3-1.
Brewers are 20-8 in their last 28 games on grass.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Milwaukee's last 9 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - RP Eric Gagne (10 saves; shoulder) has been activated off the DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Diamondbacks (-125, O/U 9.5): Doug Davis hasn't recorded a decision in his last three starts, although he's pitched well. In his last 20 innings of work, Davis has allowed just four runs. Davis has pitched well overall for the Diamondbacks this season, allowing three runs or less in seven of his nine starts. Even though Davis hasn't recorded a win in last three appearances, he's pitched well enough for the UNDER to cash all three times.
Diamondbacks are 18-5 in Davis' last 23 home starts.
The OVER is 11-5-1 in Davis' last 17 starts overall.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels [10:05 PM ET]
A's: Oakland's Greg Smith will try to win for the first time in three starts and beat the Angels for the first time in his career. Smith has gotten just one run of support combined over his last two starts, and he lost to LA back on June 7 after giving up five runs and seven hits in 6.1 innings. He is also 2-3 in eight road starts with a 4.05 ERA.
A's are 4-12 in their last 16 games as an underdog.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Oakland's last 9 games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - 3B Eric Chavez (.259; shoulder) is day-to-day.
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Angels (-130, O/U 8): LA's Jon Garland will look to continue a fairly solid stretch of pitching when he goes to the mound against the A's. Garland has allowed three runs or less in nine of his last 10 starts, including a strong outing at Oakland opposite Smith on June 7. He allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings against the A's with a season-high eight strikeouts to improve his career mark against them to 4-9 with a 4.82 ERA.
The UNDER is 14-5-2 in LA's last 21 home games.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: TBD
Streaking
Eric Stults, Los Angeles Dodgers (2-0, 0.60)
Stults has opened his third MLB season with a splash. The left-hander is 2-0 with a sizzling 0.60 ERA and 0.80 WHIP surrendering just 10 hits and one earned run in that span. He also has eight strikeouts against a meager two walks in his last two starts.
In one road game, the righty conceded just one earned run in six IP. He also has one hit and an RBI in six at bats this campaign.
Los Angeles is 5-1 in its last six tilts against the NL Central.
Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (7-4, 3.40)
In five seasons in Kansas City, Greinke has never finished with a winning record, but this season could be different. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his last three starts, including a 10-strikeout outing against the Rockies on Tuesday.
Greinke is 3-3 outside KC, but is fresh off a road win over the Cards last Thursday in which he collected seven strikeouts and surrendered just one earned run in seven innings.
The Royals are 5-0 in their last five road games and 6-1 in their last seven overall.
Slumping
Miguel Batista, Seattle Mariners (3-10, 6.53)
Batista is amidst the worst season of his 10-year MLB career. The journeyman pitcher is 0-2 with a towering 14.73 in his last three outings as a reliever. In his last three tilts, Batista has conceded six earned runs and walked seven in a mere three IP.
Monday's tilt versus the Blue Jays marks Batista's first start since an 11-3 loss to the league-leading Red Sox on June 7. To make matters worse, the Mariners are one of the most futile offensive clubs in the league batting .254 with 318 runs on 685 hits.
Seattle is 1-9 in its last 10 at Safeco Field and 5-12 in its last 17 against the AL East.
Jeremy Sowers, Cleveland Indians (0-3, 5.97)
Sowers is winless in his last nine starts dating back to 2007. He is coming off a respectable outing last week against the Mariners, but conceded 19 hits in his last three outings, surrendering 10 earned runs in a mere 13 innings.
The left-hander is 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA in his last three outings and is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA on the road. He is also winless with a 3.00 ERA in one career start at U.S. Cellular Field.
The Tribe is 0-4 in Sowers' last four-road starts. Cleveland is also 0-4 in its last four trips to U.S. Cellular Field.
STARS
Sunday
- John Lackey, Angels, held the Dodgers to three hits for 8 2-3 innings in a 1-0 win.
- Kevin Slowey, Twins, breezed through his fourth straight dominant start, beating Ben Sheets and the Brewers with a three-hitter in a 5-0 win over Milwaukee.
- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, went 5-for-5 and Seattle beat Jake Peavy and the punchless Padres 9-2 for a three-game sweep.
- Oliver Perez, Mets, limited the Yankees to one run and three hits in seven sharp innings, striking out eight without a walk in a 3-1 win over the Yankees.
- Jason LaRue, Cardinals, drove in four runs with a home run and a triple in St. Louis' 9-6 win over his former team, the Royals.
- Ronnie Belliard, Nationals, hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning to give Washington a 3-2 win over the Orioles.
- Rich Aurilia, Giants, homered and matched his career high with five RBIs to help San Francisco beat Oakland 11-1 and get its first series win in the Bay Area rivalry in two years.
NO HITTERS
A day after Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo did not allow a hit in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers, the Angels allowed hits - three of them - but no runs in a 1-0 win. That's three hits and one unearned run in two games for the offensively challenged Dodgers, who are hitting just .234 for the month. The Dodgers have scored 83 runs in June, tied with the Nationals for the fewest in the majors.
SLUGGER
White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome hit his 522nd career homer in a 5-1 victory over the Cubs, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.
MUCH BETTER
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to complete a remarkable first-half turnaround. The Rays are 49-32, the most victories midway through a season by a team that had the majors' worst record the season before, according to Stats, Inc. The only team with a better half-season winning percentage than the Rays' .605 after having the worst overall record the previous season was the 1903 New York Giants, who were 45-25 (.643). The 2001 Cubs were 48-33 at midseason after going 65-97 the year before.
MUCH WORSE
The Colorado Rockies lost their seventh straight game, 4-3 to the Detroit Tigers. After their 81st game on Saturday, they were 32-49, giving them the fewest wins at the halfway point for a team a year after making the World Series since the Florida Marlins in 1998, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That Marlins team was dismantled a year after winning the World Series, and went 28-53 in their first 81 games.
OVER .500
The Tigers won their fifth straight game and 15th in their past 18, 4-3 over Colorado. Detroit has a winning record for the first time this season.
RETURN
Edwin Encarnacion, back in the Reds' lineup after missing five games with back spasms, hit a two-run homer in a 9-5 win over Cleveland. ... Mets RF Ryan Church was activated from the disabled list and went 2-for-4 in his first game since June 6, a 3-1 win over the Yankees. He'd been slowed by the effects of his second concussion this year.
BRING ON THE YANKS
Mets starter Oliver Perez (6-5) limited the Yankees to one run and three hits in seven sharp innings of a 3-1 win. He retired the first 10 batters and wound up striking out eight without a walk. Perez improved to 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees, including a win last month at Yankee Stadium.
STAT
Of Washington's 18 home wins, eight have come in the final at-bat, including a 3-2 win in the bottom of the 12th inning Sunday.
AILING
The Twins placed right fielder Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list, hoping his second stint on the shelf this season will let a lingering finger injury heal. ... The Tigers placed right fielder Magglio Ordonez on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled muscle in his right side. Ordonez pulled his oblique muscle in the third inning of a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night. ... Royals outfielder David DeJesus was removed from the game against St. Louis after a collision at the plate with catcher Jason LaRue. ... Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla was out of the lineup against the Diamondbacks, a day after he sprained his left ankle and had to leave the game. He said he should be able to play in a few days.
WELCOME BACK
The Brewers activated right-hander Eric Gagne from the 15-day disabled list after the game at Minnesota, but manager Ned Yost wasn't ready to formally assign the former closer a role upon his return. "Reliever,'' was all Yost said. With Salomon Torres 12-for-12 in save opportunities since taking over the ninth inning duty, though, Gagne is likely headed for a setup spot after missing more than a month because of rotator cuff tendinitis.
NEMESIS
Mark Loretta had a pinch-hit, RBI single in the eighth inning off Hideki Okajima to lift the Astros to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox. He also hit a three-run homer on Saturday in the Astros' 11-10 win. An All-Star second baseman for Boston in 2006, Loretta, who signed with Houston as a free agent in January 2007, is a career .337 hitter against Boston.
SPEAKING
"I'm not going to sit here and say I expected us to be at this particular place in the standings. It's been an anonymous first half ... there's no one guy having a killer season, which makes it more appealing to me that we're at this juncture, knowing somebody's going to turn into a beast in the second half.'' - Rays manager Joe Maddon after the team improved to 49-32, the most victories midway through a season by a team that had the majors' worst record the season before, according to Stats, Inc.
SEASONS
July 1
1910 - Comiskey Park - then known as White Sox Park - held its first major league game, with the St. Louis Browns beating Chicago 2-0.
1917 - Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched complete-game victories in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toney threw a three-hitter in each game for 4-1 and 5-1 wins, setting a record for the fewest hits allowed in a doubleheader by a pitcher.
1920 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-0 at Fenway Park with the season's only no-hitter.
1925 - Hack Wilson of the New York Giants hit two home runs in the third inning of a 16-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Wilson also doubled twice during the game.
1941 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees singled off Boston's Jack Wilson in the fourth inning, tying Willie Keeler's hitting streak of 44 games.
1951 - Bob Feller of the Indians pitched his third career no-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland.
1990 - Andy Hawkins of the New York Yankees pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and the third in less than 48 hours, but lost 4-0 to the Chicago White Sox on two outfield errors in the eighth inning.
1994 - Baltimore and California tied a major league record by combining for 11 home runs in the Orioles' 14-7 victory. Jeffrey Hammonds hit two homers for Baltimore.
1997 - Detroit's Bobby Higginson homered in the first inning against the New York Mets, tying a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats over two games. Higginson, who struck out looking in his next at-bat, became the 23rd player since 1900 to accomplish the feat and the fourth Tiger.
2002 - Los Angeles' Eric Gagne picked up his 30th save in a 4-0 win over Arizona, reaching that mark in the Dodgers' 82nd game - a major league record. The previous mark was 83 games by Bobby Thigpen with the Chicago White Sox in 1990 and Lee Smith with St. Louis in 1993.
Today's birthdays: Rich Thompson 24; Jamie Walker 38.
Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. BALTIMORE
Kansas City is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games
Baltimore is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
7:05 PM NY METS vs. ST. LOUIS
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
NY Mets are 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games at home
7:05 PM TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games on the road
NY Yankees are 11-4-1 SU in their last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 10 games
7:10 PM BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games
7:10PM PITTSBURH vs. CINCINNATI[/b]
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
7:10 PM WASHINGTON vs. FLORIDA
Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
8:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. HOUSTON
LA Dodgers are 5-12 SU in their last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home
against LA Dodgers
Houston is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing LA Dodgers
8:10 PM DETROIT vs. MINNESOTA
Detroit is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Minnesota
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
8:11 PM CLEVELAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Cleveland is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Cleveland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Chi White Sox are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Cleveland
9:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. COLORADO
San Diego is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego
Colorado is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing San Diego
9:40 PM MILWAUKEE vs. ARIZONA
Milwaukee is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
10:05 PM OAKLAND vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games
Oakland is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Angels's last 12 games when playing Oakland
10:10 PM TORONTO vs. SEATTLE
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Toronto is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
Seattle is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Toronto
10:15 PM CHI CUBS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 6 games
