The Philadelphia Phillies avoided a disasterous sweep at the hands of the first-place Washington Nationals Sunday night, but still find themselves at the basement of the NL East. They can gain back some of that ground this week as they start another series against the New York Mets on Monday night.
A perfect time for Roy Halladay to return the mound. Despite still slumping offensively, Halladay makes the Phillies a 1 1/2 run favorite, according to Continue reading
It took Albert Pujols a month, but the dry spell is finally over. And it looks like that day off proved to be pretty therapeutic.
The 32-year old slugger, who inked a montrous 10-year, $240 million deal this offseason, swatted his first home run of the season Sunday afternoon, so let’s shut up about it. He needed 139 at bats to do it, but now he can finally get out of the microscope and try to make the Angels contenders.
Jered Weaver takes the mound as Los Angeles starts a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins where the Angels are favored by 1 1/2 runs, with a -170 moneyline, on Bovada. Continue reading
Stellar pitching and clutch hitting was expected to be the key to winning the NL East yet again for the Philadelphia Phillies. It has actually been the key for securing the top spot, but for an unexpected team. The Washington Nationals have sole possession of first place after the first month, 3 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia, using a spectacular rotation and an offensive burst from Bryce Harper.
Ross Detwiler threw another gem Thursday night, lowering his team’s ERA to a league-leading 2.03, and Harper doubled home the winning run in a 2-1 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Continue reading
Anibal Sanchez couldn’t be coming to the mound at a better time.
Just when the Miami Marlins seem to be picking up a little steam they roll Sanchez to the mound to close out a three-game set with the San Francisco Giants. Miami has won two-straight, and judging by Sanchez’s history with the Giants, could make it three on Thursday.
The Marlins have won six in a row in San Francisco, allowing a total of just 10 runs in that span. Continue reading
Bryce Harper was called up for moments like Wednesday night. The rookie phenom, brought to the majors just this week, provided a spark the team needed to get out of a major funk. He doubled twice and scored the game-winning run against the Arizona Diamondbacks, snapping a five-game losing streak to help the Washington Nationals retain sole possession of first place in the NL East.
The Nationals hope to stay on track tonight where they close up a three-game series against the Diamondbacks, where they are underdogs by 1 1/2 run Continue reading
Johnny Damon makes his 2012 debut with the Cleveland Indians tonight and Shin-Shoo Choo is reportedly back in the lineup after an injury. The Cleveland Indians, surprisingly atop the AL Central standings, could use the offensive boost as they continue their midweek series with the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night.
After a quiet off-season, Damon signed with the Tribe April 17 and was designated to the minors to get back into game shape. He hit .261 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 19 stolen bases a year ago in Tampa, but received little interest over the winter. But with Grady Sizemore down again, and an outfield just plugging holes, Cleveland could use the boost. Continue reading
New year, same problems for the Atlanta Braves.
Despite erasing the memory of last season’s collapse by racing to the top of the NL East standings, the Braves still can’t figure out the Philadelphia Phillies. With their top pitcher, Brandon Beachy on the mound last night, Atlanta dropped its series opener to Philadelphia, 4-2, and try to rebound Wednesday night.
It won’t get any easier, though. After being tamed by Cole Hamels, the Braves will face Roy Halladay who is 3-2 on the year with a 1.95 ERA. He’s 4-1 lifetime against Atlanta with a 1.78 ERA. Continue reading
For a while there it seemed nothing would be able to halt the Washington Nationals. But over the past week, even they learned the power of good pitching. Despite having one of the best rotations in baseball, Washington’s paltry lineup hasn’t been able to muster up much of a spark.
They’re still looking for answers now on a five-game losing streak they hope to snap Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Continue reading
The Atlanta Braves probably had this series circled for a while now. Seven months after their historic collapse at the hands of their division rivals, the Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday night to start a three-game series at Turner Field.
It’s the same field the Braves watched in disbelief as they were swept by the Phillies in September, capping a 9-18 month that kept them out of the playoffs. Atlanta had a huge lead in the NL Wild Card to start the month, but allowed the surging St. Louis Cardinals to gain ground. Continue reading
The New York Yankees swept their first meeting earlier this year, but nobody is playing better than the Baltimore Orioles right now. After Wilson Betemit’s heroics Sunday night, the Orioles have won five of their last six and are 14-8 overall.
Baltimore now has to prove it can contend for the division tonight against the Yankees as the teams start a three game series in the Bronx. Continue reading