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
Oddsmakers have set a total for tonight’s Seattle Mariners-Tampa Bay Rays series opener, but it might not even get that high.
Not when Jeremy Hellickson and Felix Hernandez take the mound.
Both pitchers have been spectacular through the first month of the season and will battle Monday night at Tropicana Stadium. Hellickson has won five of his last six starts at The Trop, but Hernandez has won five of his last six on the road. Continue reading
Hard to imagine Justin Verlander with a bad track record anywhere. But the reigning AL MVP has some unfinished business to take care of against the New York Yankees tonight.
Verlander will go for his first win in Yankee Stadium in five years Friday as the Detroit Tigers open a weekend series in the Bronx. Verlander is riding a two-game winning streak and beat the Yankees in his most recent meeting – Game 3 of the ALCS. He struck out 11 hitters over eight good innings to pace the Tigers to a 5-4 win, and eventually the series victory. Continue reading
The American League has simply turned into a Nerf league with titanic home runs hit nearly every night and teams like the New York Yankees nearly averaging nine runs a game.
Its the opposite in the National League where teams like the Washington Nationals rarely give up a hit. The Nationals have a 1.71 ERA from their starters and just snapped a 26-straight scoreless inning streak last night.
There’s a reason why over 65-percent of bettors are going with the Nationals, according to Covers. Continue reading