MLB
Sunday, June 27
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles (-120, 9.5)
Whatever was said at lunch between Baltimore outfielder Nick Markakis and owner Peter Angelos on Thursday must have been the right thing. Since the meeting, the Orioles have won three straight games.
"I think it was up to the point now where it's no secret -- everyone knows what's going on around here," Markakis said. "I just felt (meeting him) was the right thing to do, get some answers here and there."
The O’s, who hold a major-league worst 22-52 record and rank third-to-last in runs, have plated 24 batters during their winning streak. The team overcame five- and six-run deficits in its last two victories – both against the Nationals.
"I think it's huge," catcher Matt Wieters said of the win. "No matter what we get down by, we're going to be able to swing and get our way back into it. I think it's a big boost."
The two wins against Washington snapped a string of 11 straight series losses for Baltimore.
"I think we can even play better baseball," Adam Jones said. "We will take it right now, (but) we've got to continue to improve as a team."
Don’t expect the Orioles to climb back into the AL East race, but they are worth a play while the offense is churning and confidence is high.
Pick: Orioles
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers (-120, 9)
With ace Roy Oswalt on the verge of being dealt, the Astros have essentially announced they are in a rebuilding mode. Houston’s lineup on Saturday that featured four rookies confirmed it.
The ‘Stros trotted out four first-year position players – Jason Bourgeois in center field, Chris Johnson at third base, Jason Castro at catcher and Oswaldo Navarro at shortstop – that had combined for 33 big league at-bats. The quatrain went 2-for-14 with four strikeouts.
"We'll wait and see how everything works out," manager Brad Mills said.
Oswalt will be on the bump in Sunday’s game and every start from here until the All-Star break is basically an audition for a contending team. The heat index is projected to be 101 at its peak in Arlington Sunday and offenses usually struggle in the Texas heat.
Pick: Under
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Jaime Garcia (7-3, 1.79), St. Louis Cardinals
Garcia is only a rookie, but the Cardinals left-hander is a legit contender for the NL Cy Young award.
The most earned runs Garcia has surrendered in 17 starts this season is three – and that came in his most recent outing. Garcia didn’t walk a hitter and recorded four strikeouts in that 9-4 victory over Toronto.
“The whole game I felt like I was doing a pretty good job of keeping the ball down,” Garcia said.
All of the Royals’ lineup will be seeing Garcia for the first time Sunday and as indicated by his sub-2.00 ERA, opposing offenses have not fared well against the rookie in their first attempt.
John Danks (7-5, 3.23), Chicago White Sox
Now that the South Siders are starting to win, they may actually be able to put to use Danks’ stellar 2010 season.
The 6-1, 210-pound southpaw is the ace of the Sox staff and has gone 3-0 in his last three starts. Danks went at least seven innings in each of those outings and Chicago’s offense is finally providing him with some support – scoring nine and seven runs in his most recent starts.
Slumping
Jeremy Guthrie (3-9, 4.28), Baltimore Orioles
The O’s righty has lost five straight decisions, giving up four runs or more in all but one of those starts. Guthrie got hammered in his last outing, yielding six runs in 6.0 innings of work during a 10-4 loss to the Marlins.
“For some reason, Guthrie didn’t look right. He was missing his spots,” interim manager Juan Samuel said after Guthrie’s latest loss. “Couple pitches, some good hitters with two strikes on them, he hung some breaking balls and got hurt.”
Guthrie is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA at home this season.
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Sunday Night Baseball: New York Yankees at LA Dodgers
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New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers (-110, 7.5)
The Dodgers and Yankees meet in the final game of this interleague series at Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles Sunday Night. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Awkward reunion tour concludes
The Joe Torre reunion party concludes against his former team when the Dodgers wrap-up the final game on the 2010 interleague schedule this evening.
After being dumped by the Yankees in an acrimonious parting following the 2007 season, Torre shared plenty of hugs with some of his former players Friday night.
"The odd thing for me is I'm going to be over there in that dugout pulling against people I've never pulled against before," Torre said. "That's the weird part for me."
While Torre has kept in touch with some of his players, the skipper hasn't spoken with Brian Cashman since his book, "The Yankee Years" was released at the beginning of 2009. In addition, he has not spoken with anybody else in the front office with the exception of George Steinbrenner, whom Torre called to congratulate after last year's World Series.
The most awkward meeting is with Alex Rodriguez, whose relationship with Torre was scarred by some of the contents in the manager's book – most notably the revelation that some of Rodriguez's own teammates referred to him as "A-Fraud."
"I can't entirely understand what Joe will be going through, but I think he has a switch inside that he can just flip on," insists Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Hideki Matsui.
Blue crew
The father of Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal has died from injuries he sustained after being kicked by a horse three weeks ago. Furcal described his late father as his hitting coach and No. 1 fan. Los Angeles expects Furcal back from the Dominican Republic in the middle of the week.
Adding to the Dodgers’ personnel woes is the loss of starting pitchers Chad Billingsley and Carlos Monasterios.
Billingsley went on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain on June 12 and is expected to be activated June 28.
Monasterios went on the DL June 19 with a blister on his right middle finger and a split nail on his right index finger. His return is unknown.
June bug
Despite their stellar play in posting the best record in the major leagues this season, the Yanks entered the weekend with a scant two-game lead over Tampa Bay and Boston in the AL East.
Entering Friday, for all intents and purposes, the Pinstripes kept pace with the Red Sox in June, going 14-7 opposed to 15-7 for Boston.
The Rays’ 9-11 mark in June paved the way for New York’s surge to the top of the division standings. The Yankees will play seven more series against the Rays and the Sox before season’s end.
Southpaw slants
Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers opposes New York’s Andy Pettitte in a southpaw setting this evening.
The Dodgers are 10-5 behind Kershaw this season, including 6-2 at home (four wins in a row). Kershaw started his MLB career with losses in six of his first seven team starts in June, but he has reversed tracks, going 6-1 his last seven during the month of June.
The Yankees are 11-3 behind Pettitte’s serves this season. The big lefty is 10-4 his last 14 starts in June, including 5-1 in his last six road games.
Pettitte is 2-2 with a 3.33 ERA in four career team starts against the Dodgers while Kershaw makes his first-ever appearance against the Bronx Bombers.
East meets West
- The Dodgers are 0-6 in their last five meetings against the AL East.
- The Yankees are 6-1 in their last six games against the NL West.
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This Day in Baseball
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On June 27 in Baseball History...
1959 - With the players voting, Henry Aaron gets a unanimous vote for the All-Star Game, making him the first player so selected.
1973 - David Clyde, 18 and fresh out of Houston's Westchester high school, makes his eagerly awaited debut with Texas before 35,698, the largest Rangers' crowd of the year. Clyde, the number one pick in the draft, walks the first two Twins he faces, then gets Bob Darwin, George Mitterwald, and Joe Lis on swinging third strikes. Clyde goes five innings and gives up only one hit — a two-run home run — walks seven and strikes out eight. He is the winner, 4-3.
1977 - Willie McCovey smashes two home runs in the sixth inning to pace a 14-9 Giants victory over the Reds. McCovey becomes the first player to twice hit two home runs in one inning, having also done it on April 12, 1973. He also becomes the all-time N.L. leader with 17 career grand slams.
1980 - Jerry Reuss pitches an 8-0 no-hitter for the Dodgers against the Giants at Candlestick Park. Reuss, who strikes out only two but doesn't walk a batter, is deprived of a perfect game when shortstop Bill Russell throws wildly to first base on Jack Clark's easy grounder in the first inning.
1986 - Give him an 'A' for effort. San Francisco second baseman Robby Thompson is caught stealing four times in the Giants' 7-6, 12-inning win over the Reds, establishing a new major league record. Thompson was thrown out by Bo Diaz in the fourth, sixth, ninth and 11th innings.
