MLB
Sunday, September 5
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Mike Minor (3-0, 3.91 ERA), Atlanta
Mike Minor has had a dream start to his life in the big leagues. The rookie is 3-0 in his first four starts and is coming off a 9-2 win over the New York Mets in his last outing. The lefty scattered seven hits over five innings of work while striking out four and walking two.
Felix Hernandez (10-10, 2.38 ERA) Seattle
Felix Hernandez must have a tough time keeping himself from wondering what life would be like if he wasn’t playing for the Seattle Mariners at this point. He has allowed just a single run over his last five outings, but is only 3-1 over that stretch thanks to Seattle’s terrible run support. During that time he has 48 strikeouts over 37 innings.
Hernandez took a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels the last time he took the hill, going seven scoreless innings while striking out eight.
Slumping
Vin Mazzaro (6-7, 4.05 ERA), Oakland
The good news for Vin Mazzaro is that it can’t get much worse than his last start. He gave up three homers and seven earned runs against the New York Yankees in a 9-3 loss the last time he took the hill. Mazzaro is now winless in his last seven outings, with his last win coming on July 29 at home against the
Texas Rangers.
Rodrigo Lopez (5-12, 5.24 ERA) Arizona
Lopez has suffered three tough starts over his last four outings and hasn’t won a game since July 8 against the Florida Marlins. He hasn’t made it though the fifth inning in his last two, allowing five runs apiece in those outings.
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Sunday Night Baseball: Giants at Dodgers
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San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
The Giants have a postseason berth in their sights, but their neighbors to the south have other plans.
*Statistics compiled prior to Saturday night’s game.
Until recently, San Diego seemed like a lock to make the postseason, but the division-leading Padres’ recent slide has left the door open for the Giants to make a run at their first NL West title since 2003.
Starting Off
Jonathan Sanchez (9-8, 3.54) takes the hill for San Francisco in search of a career-best 10th win. Sanchez, San Francisco’s most profitable starter (+490 units), is coming off a strong performance in which he tossed eight innings of one-run ball against Colorado.
He allowed five runs in five innings in his only start against Los Angeles this season, an 8-2 loss on June 30.
Sanchez will face Hiroki Kuroda on Sunday night. The Dodgers’ righthander is under .500 on the year, but has pitched better than his record would indicate.
In his last start, Kuroda (10-11, 3.39) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in a 3-0 victory over the Phillies. He has lasted at least seven innings in each of his last five starts, a stretch over which he has a 2.78 ERA.
Catching Up
Giants phenom Buster Posey has been as good as advertised since being called up at the end of May. Over 82 games, the young catcher/first baseman has compiled 54 RBIs and a .876 OPS.
Posey, who was just 16 years old the last time San Francisco played postseason baseball, drove in both of his team’s runs in Friday’s series-opening 4-2 loss.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have gotten a big boost from midseason acquisition Rod Barajas. The 34 year-old journeyman has filled in admirably for Russell Martin, who is out for the season with a hip injury. Since being acquired from the Mets on August 22, Barajas is batting .375 with four homers and eight RBIs in eight games.
The Pen is Mightier…
San Francisco’s bullpen is 27-14 on the year with a 3.38 ERA, third-best in the National League. All-Star closer Brian Wilson leads the NL with 38 saves and has allowed just one run in his last 10 outings.
He is a perfect two-for-two in save opportunities against Los Angeles in 2010. In three innings of work against the Dodgers, Wilson has struck out six without allowing a run.
Wishful Thinking?
The Dodgers are eight games out in the Wild Card race. Their role has seemingly shifted from postseason contender to spoiler, but don’t tell that to Joe Torre.
“I still believe this ballclub has a six- or seven-game winning streak,” Torre told the Dodgers’ official website.
For Los Angeles to make an improbable playoff run, Rafael Furcal will have to make up for lost time. The starting shortstop missed more than a month with a low back strain before making his return on Friday night.
Torre was pleased with Furcal’s approach at the plate, although Furcal committed a costly error in the field, leading to the Giants’ only two runs.
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox (-140, 9)
It’s not that the Boston Red Sox are throwing in the towel or anything, but they aren’t kidding themselves about their situation either. They sit 7 ½ games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL Wild Card.
"I don't think we've pulled up the tent yet, we just have to play really well,'' Sunday’s starter Josh Beckett told reporters. "Really, really well.''
Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games. They face Chicago’s Mark Buehrle, who has allowed more than four runs only once in his last six starts.
Pick: White Sox
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (-180, 7.5)
It’s pretty hard to go against St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter when he’s at home in a big pressure situation. Carpenter hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in his last 10 starts and is 14-5 on the year. That said, if there’s one team that’s going to put a few crooked numbers on the board against him, it’s the Reds.
Paced by NL Triple Crown candidate Joey Votto, Cincinnati has scored at least five runs in eight of their last 10 games.
Pick: Over
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This Day in Baseball
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On September 5 in Baseball History...
1908 - Brooklyn's Nap Rucker pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves at Washington Park. Rucker struck out fourteen and walked none. The Dodgers made three errors.
1918 - The Cubs switch their home games to Comiskey Park with its larger seating capacity for the World Series. Babe Ruth/A>, having completed thirteen scoreless innings in his first World Series two years ago, adds nine more in edging Hippo Vaughn 1-0 in the opener. During the seventh-inning stretch, a military band plays "The Star Spangled Banner." From then on, it is played at every World Series game, every season opener, and whenever a band is present to play it, though it is not yet adopted as the national anthem. The custom of playing it before every game will begin during World War II, after the installation of public address systems.
1921 - Walter Johnson breaks Cy Young's career strikeout mark by fanning seven Yankees to run his total to 2,287.
1954 - Joe Bauman, playing for Roswell of the Longhorn League, hit three home runs to give him 72 for the season. Bauman never made it to the majors.
1955 - Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit his seventh homer of the season for a National League record for home runs by a pitcher. The Dodgers beat the Phillies 11-4.
1971 - J.R. Richard tied Karl Spooner's Major League record by striking out fifteen San Francisco Giants in his first Major League game as the Houston Astros beat the Giants.
1979 - Matt Keough of the A's beats the Brewers 6-1 for his first victory after 14 straight losses. He ended 1978 with four defeats and barely avoided tying the American League record of nineteen consecutive losses.
1982 - Roy Smalley hit a pair of three-run homers, one from each side of the plate, as the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 18-7.
1998 - Mark McGwire became only the third player to reach sixty home runs, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. He joined Babe Ruth and Roger Maris with sixty homers in a single season.
