MLB
Saturday, September 18
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
David Price (17-6, 2.75 ERA), Tampa Bay Rays
Price is 2-0 in his last three starts with 0.82 ERA, while striking out 13. Batters are hitting just .123 against him this month. He threw eight innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits. Price faced the minimum of batters through six innings.
Tim Lincecum (14-9, 3.60 ERA), San Francisco Giants
Lincecum has turned it around after a terrible August. He has won three straight starts with a 2.08 ERA and 29 strikeouts over that span. Lincecum held the Padres to only one run over seven innings in his last trip to the mound, while striking out nine.
Slumping
Dallas Braden (9-12, 3.56 ERA), Oakland Athletics
Braden heads into his start on Saturday against the Twins having lost three straight. He allowed four earned runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings and walked four in a 5-3 loss to Boston the last time he took the ball.
Tim Hudson (15-8, 2.62 ERA) Atlanta Braves
Hudson is coming off his worst start of the season, giving up six runs and two homers in a 7-3 loss to St. Louis Cardinals. He has just one win in his last five, posting a 5.17 ERA over that stretch.
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Cincinnati at Houston (-145, 8)
Dusty Baker may not like how his closer Francisco Cordero is throwing right now, but he isn’t ready to hit the panic button just yet. Cordero has allowed six runs over his last four outings. Baker dismissed the notion of moving rookie fireballer Aroldis Chapman into the closing role, at least for now.
“There’s already enough stirring up when he (Cordero) comes in the game,” Baker told reporters. “As soon as he gives up one ball or one hit, the boos start. That can’t help.”
Cincinnati’s bullpen ERA checks in at 4.06, 16th in the league.
Pick: Reds
Washington at Philadephia (-165, 9)
Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan began serving an eight-game suspension on Friday and won’t be back in the lineup until Sept. 25. Morgan had been appealing two separate suspensions, eight games for his part in the Sept. 1 brawl against the Florida Marlins, and another seven games for hitting a fan with a ball in Philadelphia.
The league upheld the eight-game ban, but dismissed the other suspension. Morgan is going through the worst season of his career, hitting .258 with 23 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.
"I will be with the team and roll on. I will show support," Morgan said. "I will take batting practice and then watch the game."
Pick: Under
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This Day in Baseball
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On September 18 in Baseball History...
1908 - Bob Rhoads of the Indians pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox for a 2-1 victory in Cleveland.
1909 - Ty Cobb wins the Triple Crown with a .377 batting average, nine home runs and 107 RBI. He also leads the American League with 216 hits, 116 runs and 296 total bases.
1922 - George Sisler's 41-game hit streak is stopped by New York's Joe Bush, the same pitcher the St. Louis Browns first baseman had started the streak against on July 27. Whitey Witt, his head bandaged from being hit by a bottle, drives in two in the ninth for a 3-2 Yankees' win.
1930 - New York pitcher Red Ruffing hit two home runs as the Yankees edged the St. Louis Browns 7-6 in 10 innings.
1954 - The Cleveland Indians clinched the American League pennant with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
1956 - Mickey Mantle hits his 50th home run, making him the eighth player to do so, in the eleventh inning off Chicago's Billy Pierce. New York wins 3-2 to clinch another pennant. Mickey Mantle will win the Triple Crown with a .353 batting average, 52 home runs and 130 RBI.
1963 - The New York Mets lost their last game at the Polo Grounds to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1, in front of only 1,752.
1965 - On Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium, 50,180 fans see Mantle play his 2,000th game.
1968 - Ray Washburn pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, one day after the Giants' Gaylord Perry tossed a no-hitter against Washburn's St. Louis Cardinals.
1976 - In his last Major League appearance as a player, Cleveland manager Frank Robinson pinch-hits in the eighth inning and singles against Rudy May of the Orioles.
1977 - Spoiling Brooks Robinson Night in Baltimore, Boston's Ted Cox goes 4-for-4 in his first Major League game, a 10-4 win over the Orioles. Cox will get two more hits the following day against the Yankees, setting a Major League record for consecutive hits at the start of a career.
1984 - The Detroit Tigers clinched the American League East Division with a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, making the Tigers only the fourth team in Major League history to lead from start to finish. The other three were the 1923 New York Giants, 1927 New York Yankees and the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.
1987 - Detroit's Darrell Evans became the first 40-year-old player in Major League history to hit 30 home runs in a season as the Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6.
1993 - The Yankees trail the Red Sox 3-1 in the ninth inning when Mike Stanley hits a popup to left field. Just before the pitch, a fan runs onto the field and umpire Tim Welke calls timeout, so the last out doesn't count. The Yankees rally for three runs and the Red Sox lose the game as well as the protest filed by the team.
1996 - Roger Clemens equaled his own Major League record, striking out 20 batters and pitching a four-hitter to lead Boston over the Detroit Tigers 4-0.
MLB
Saturday, September 18
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Trend Report
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1:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. MINNESOTA
Oakland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Oakland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oakland
4:10 PM
DETROIT vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Detroit is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Detroit
Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
4:10 PM
COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
Colorado is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
Colorado is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
LA Dodgers are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games when playing at home against Colorado
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Colorado
4:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. NY METS
Atlanta is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY Mets are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
6:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. TAMPA BAY
LA Angels are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
Tampa Bay is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
7:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. HOUSTON
Cincinnati is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Houston
Cincinnati is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Houston is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
7:05 PM
WASHINGTON vs. PHILADELPHIA
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
7:05 PM
ARIZONA vs. PITTSBURGH
Arizona is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
Arizona is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
Pittsburgh is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Arizona
7:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. BALTIMORE
NY Yankees are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games
NY Yankees are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Baltimore is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Baltimore is 3-12 SU in their last 15 games when playing NY Yankees
7:10 PM
TORONTO vs. BOSTON
Toronto is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Toronto is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Toronto
7:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Cleveland is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
7:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. FLORIDA
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games
Florida is 9-4 SU in their last 13 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
7:15 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. ST. LOUIS
San Diego is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
San Diego is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego
9:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
San Francisco is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
San Francisco is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
9:10 PM
TEXAS vs. SEATTLE
Texas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Texas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Texas
Seattle is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Texas
