Jeff Mattingly: Monday MLB Handicapper Report - Winning Info!

Washington Nationals
-Picked up a 3-2 win on Sunday over the Florida Marlins, thanks to SP Livan Hernandez' seven strong innings, logging his 5th quality start in six outings. The Nationals improved to 5-1 in rubber matches this season.
-With Sunday's 3-2 win, the Nationals improved to 7-3 in one-run games. It's interesting to note that Washington is a perfect 7-0 in games decided in regulation and 0-3 in extra-inning affairs.
-Starting pitchers have posted a 1.43 ERA and a .179 batting average against in the last four contests, while the team has gone 3-1 over the last four the starting staff has not earned a decision.
-With a win tonight, Washington would boast a winning record against each of the NL's three divisions. They are currently 9-9 vs NL East, 4-2 vs Central and 4-3 vs West.
-SP Luis Atilano is the first Nationals start to earn a win in his initial two big league starts since Jordan Zimmerman turned the trick back in 2009.

Detroit Tigers
-The Tigers suffered at 7-4 loss to the Indians on Sunday afternoon. SP Max Scherzer (1-3) took the loss for Detroit after allowing five runs in five innings of work.
-Detroit enters tonight's game against the Yankees with a 3.50 ERA in 12 games at Comerica Park this season. Detroit is tied for 4th amongh all AL clubs with a 3.50 ERA at home.
-OF Austin Jackson has reached base safely in each of his pase 25 games dating back to April 11. During the 25-game stretch, he is hitting .394 with a home run and six RBI. He is tops among all AL players with a .394 average and 43 hits during that stretch.
-IF Miguel Cabrera enters tonight's game hitting .500 (19-for-38) with RISP. He is tops among all AL players with that mark.
-Relievers have posted a 1.39 ERA over the club's last 20 games. The pen leads the AL with nine victories, a 2.17 ERA and 103.2 innings pitched.
-The Yankees will be the Tigers first opponent of the year from the AL East (9-8 vs Central, 8-6 vs West).
-SP Dontrelle Willis can win consecutive decisions for the first time since September 2007 tonight. He is making his third start of the season at home, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA.

Pittsburgh Pirates
-Pittsburgh has won three or their last five games and has gone 7-5 in their last 12 games overall, after losing a season-high seven straight from 4/20-26.
-This current nine-game homestand comes to a close with this three-game series against the Reds. The Pirates have gone 4-2 thus far on the homestand after sweeping a three-game set from the Cubs and losing two-of-three to the Cardinals. The Bucs are 9-6 at PNC Park this season.
-The Pirates and Reds are meeting this week for the second time this season at PNC Park. The Bucs swept Cincinnati in a three-game set played here on April 16, winning two games by one run and the finale by two runs.
-OF Andrew McCutchen ranks first in the Majors with a .464 batting average (13-for-28) in the 1st inning this season. In his career, he has produced a .328 average and 6 HR while batting in the opening frame.
-In the first six games of this homestand, Pittsburgh starting pitchers have gone 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA. The staff enters tonight's action having allowed five earned runs in its last 24.2 innings of work (1.81 ERA).
-Dating back to last season, SP Ross Ohlendorf has won five straight decisions and eight of his last 10 at PNC Park. He went 8-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 16 starts at home last season.

Atlanta Braves
-The Braves and Brewers play the first game of a 3-game weekday series and first of seven meetings between the two clubs this season. Atlanta has won 15 of their last 27 games at Miller Park, including 2-of-3 last year.
-Over his last 14 games, Braves 1B Troy Glaus is batting .347 with 10 RBI and 10 walks.
-Braves batters have not belted a round-tripper since Wednesday, May 5 at Washington. The stretch is their longest without a homer since the Braves went 8+ games (267 at-bats) April 21-28. Atlanta began the season by homering in 12 of their first 13 contests.
-SP Tommy Hanson has one career start at Miller Park, going 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA. He allowed nine hits over seven innigs while striking out just one.
-Hanson has allowed six earned runs in the first two innings of games this season, while allowing just five the rest of the way.

Cincinnati Reds
-2B Brandon Phillips is hitting .350 in his last 10 games with six multi-hit games. In each of the last four games, Reds batters are hitting .336 with 31 runs scored.
-Cincinnati is hitting .283 with runners in scoring position this year, after hitting .251 with RISP last season. They currently rank first in the NL and second in the Majors with a .306 batting average with RISP (NYY .306).
-The Reds are 8-4 in a stretch of 15-20 games versus NL Central rivals.
-Team has won 9 of their last 13 games and 11 of their last 18 games.
-Lead the Major Leagues with nine victories in their last at-bat.
-SP Bronson Arroyo is making his seventh start of the season (2 quality starts). In his six starts, the Reds went 3-3, scoring 27 runs.

Philadelphia Phillies
-Philadelphia concluded their 10-game homestand with a 5-3 win over the Braves on Sunday. SP Cole Hamels (3-2) earned the win (5.0IP, 3ER). Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge combined to pitch 4 perfect innings of relief, as the Phillies finished their homestand with a 7-3 record.
-The Phillies are 9-6 on the road this season, having won three of their five series. They are hitting .266 with 12 HR and 79 runs scored. Among all NL teams they have scored the 2nd-most runs and rank 4th in batting average.
-Tied for the MLB lead in home runs this month with 16 (Boston). They have homered in seven of their eight games in May. Over all this season, Philadelphia is T-3rd among NL teams in homers (37).
-Through their nine games this month, the Phillies are hitting .294 with 16 HR and 50 runs scored. They lead all NL teams this month in batting average, hits, home runs and extra-base hits.
-Opposed by a left-handed starter for just the 8th time in 2010 tonight. The Phils are 2-5 in games started by lefties this season, 1-4 at home and 1-1 on the road. In 2009, Philadelphia went 29-16 in games started by left-handers.
-This month, the bullpen is posting a 1.47 ERA (3ER, 18.1IP). The pen is also holding opponents to a .123 average (5-57) this month and has only allowed two hits in their last 11 innings.
-SP Kyle Kendrick is coming off his 2nd scoreless outing of the season. He scattered 6 hits in a 4-0 Phillies win over St. Louis.

Colorado Rockies
-The Rockies have won 4 of their last 7 games since a season-long 3-game losing streak from 4/28-5/1. The club has not won more than 3 in a row, nor has the team lost more than 3 in a row this season.
-Tonight begins a 14-game stretch in which the Rockies will play all of their games against non-NL West teams. The Rockies are 7-8 vs NL West teams and 8-8 against all other clubs in 2010.
-Colorado, Atlanta and Milwaukee have played the fewest home games among NL clubs (12 each). Only Baltimore and Kansas City (20) have played more games on the road.
-Since May 29, 2009, Colorado has the 2nd-best home winning percentage (51-22, .699) behind the New York Yankees (53-17, .757)
-Bullpen is 2nd in all of baseball with a 2.43 ERA.
-Team compiled a 4-5 record on its last road trip, batting .227 as a team and the pitching staff produced a 3.16 ERA.
-SP Greg Smith owns a 2.80 ERA in his 6 career starts during the month of May. The 2.80 mark is his lowest for any caledar month.

Tampa Bay Rays
-Tampa Bay is off to the best start in club history with the Majors' best record after 31 games since the 2006 White Sox.
-Dropped the last two games of their three-game series at Oakland and tonight are hoping to avoid the first three-game losing streak of the season.
-Need one more win to clinch just their seventh winning trip to the West Coast in 39 trips.
-The day following the perfect game at Chicago last July 23, SP Matt Garza got the Rays back on the winning track beating the Blue Jays, 4-2, at Toronto.
-Scored 174 runs, second-most in the AL behind the Yankees (178) and have allowed only 94, fewest in the Majors. The Rays run differential of +80 is the fifth-greatest run differential after the first 31 games since 1900.
-The Rays haven't won a series in Anaheim since May 14-16, 1998.
-SP Matt Garza has won all three of his road starts going 8.0 innings each time. He has the AL's 3rd-best road ERA (1.13) and has held opponents to a .188 average away from Tropicana Field.