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**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:41 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

MLB roundup: Two-out, ninth-inning rally lifts Red Sox
By The Sports Xchange

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Boston rallied for four runs with two outs in the ninth inning to stun the Texas Rangers 8-7 at Globe Life Park.
The Red Sox trailed 6-0 after starter David Price struggled and were down 7-4 heading to the ninth.
But pinch-hitter Sandy Leon doubled with two outs to make it a one-run game. The Rangers brought in Matt Bush (2-1) to face Mookie Betts, and Betts hit a two-run homer to center to tie the game.
After Dustin Pedroia walked, Xander Bogaerts moved him to third with a single. Bush then uncorked a wild pitch to allow Pedroia to score the winning run.
Koji Uehara retired the Rangers for his second save and made a winner of Heath Hembree (4-0).

Pirates 8, Dodgers 6
PITTSBURGH -- Jung Ho Kang and Matt Joyce hit homers and manager Clint Hurdle got the 1,000th win of his career as Pittsburgh ended Los Angeles' six-game winning streak.
Hurdle joined Bruce Bochy (1,749), Dusty Baker (1,714), Mike Scioscia (1,447), Buck Showalter (1,381) and Terry Francona (1,328) as the only six active managers with 1,000 wins. He is 1,000-1,043 but has won 315 games with the Pirates over the past four seasons; only the Cardinals (325) and Dodgers (319) have won more games in that time.
Sean Rodriguez drove in three runs for Pittsburgh, which snapped a three-game losing streak but is 7-21 since a five-game winning streak in May.

Cubs 5, Marlins 4
MIAMI -- Rookie catcher Willson Contreras homered in the first and hit the go-ahead, run-scoring single in the seventh to lead Chicago over Miami.
The Cubs (48-24), who have the best record in baseball, snapped a season-worst, four-game losing streak. They have split the first two of a four-game series against Miami.
Contreras, who had three RBIs, got both of those hits by going to the opposite field in right. In the seventh, working against reliever Mike Dunn, Chicago�s Kris Bryant walked, advanced to second on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Contreras' one-out single.

Indians 7, Tigers 4
DETROIT -- Jason Kipnis drove in three runs with two triples and Lonnie Chisenhall had a two-run triple to lead Cleveland over Detroit, their seventh straight win over the Tigers this season.
Danny Salazar wasn't his sharpest but kept Detroit scoreless through four and wound up lasting 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits plus five walks to help Cleveland extend its season-best winning streak to seven games.
Dan Otero pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings, Brian Shaw worked a scoreless eighth and Cody Allen allowed an RBI single to Cameron Maybin in the ninth before finishing up the win.

Padres 13, Reds 4
CINCINNATI -- Wil Myers had three hits and drove in five runs and Melvin Upton Jr. hit a pair of two-run homers lifting San Diego over Cincinnati.
Adam Rosales also homered for the Padres, who have won the first two games of the four-game series.
Rosales' solo homer against Raisel Iglesias leading off the sixth inning put San Diego ahead 6-4. It was his fifth homer this season.

Orioles 6, Rays 3
BALTIMORE -- Chris Davis hit a go-ahead, two-run single and Adam Jones and Manny Machado both homered as Baltimore stretched Tampa Bay's losing streak to eight games.
The Rays jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning but never scored again. The Orioles scored once in the fifth and turned the game around thanks to Jones, Davis and an error in a four-run sixth that gave them a 5-3 lead.
Orioles starter Yovani Gallardo, in his second start since coming off the disabled list, allowed three quick runs in the first inning but settled down and gave up nothing else through 5 1/3 innings.

Mets 8, Braves 6
ATLANTA -- Hansel Robles came out of the bullpen with some timely long relief to save New York for the second time this week.
Robles threw 2 2/3 hitless innings, struck out two and stopped a six-run Atlanta rally that threatened to wipe out an 8-0 New York lead. On Tuesday, he pitched 3 2/3 innings after Bartolo Colon was struck by a line drive and had to leave after throwing only four pitches.
This time Robles bailed out starter Steven Matz, who went 4 1/3 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits � eight in the fifth inning.

Yankees 5, Twins 3
NEW YORK -- Rob Refsnyder had the tiebreaking single, Masahiro Tanaka struck out seven in six innings and New York reached the .500 mark.
Refsnyder, who has been playing first base for the first time because of Mark Teixeira's knee injury, gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead with two outs in the fourth inning against Tommy Milone.
Before Refsnyder's eighth RBI in 21 games, the Yankees also scored on an RBI double by Carlos Beltran, a run-scoring single by Alex Rodriguez and a sacrifice fly by Austin Romine.

Astros 13, Royals 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- George Springer drove in five runs, four with a first inning grand slam, and Colby Rasmus had four hits, including a solo homer in the eighth inning, as Houston crushed Kansas City.
Springer, who led off the game with a triple, missed the cycle by a double. Rasmus scored three runs and had two RBIs.
Dallas Keuchel picked up his first victory in five June starts. Keuchel allowed four runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings, throwing 70 strikes in 98 pitches.

Brewers 5, Nationals 3
MILWAUKEE -- Keon Broxton and Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit home runs and Zach Davies tied a career-high with nine strikeouts to lead Milwaukee over Washington. Brewers pitchers combined to strikeout 14 Washington batters.
Wilson Ramos had four hits and an RBI for the Nationals. He represented the winning run with two out and two on in the ninth, but struck out against right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, who earned his 20th save.
Starter Max Scherzer lost his first decision since May 27, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 10.

White Sox 3, Blue Jays 2
CHICAGO -- Chicago closer David Robertson worked out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the ninth inning for his 19th save of the season and Nate Jones pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win.
Jesse Chavez allowed a run in one inning to take the loss for the Blue Jays, who've dropped four of their past five games.
Melky Cabrera went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the White Sox and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.A Brett Lawrie went 3-for-4 and Todd Frazier went 2-for-4 with an RBI single that scored the winning run.

Mariners 4, Cardinals 3
SEATTLE -- Former Cardinal Adam Lind hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Seattle snapped its six-game losing streak.
Lind homered off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal, who suffered his third blown save in 17 chances this season, with no outs.
Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager, whose eighth-inning error had allowed St. Louis to take a 3-1 lead, led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off the left-field wall. Dae-Ho Lee walked, setting the table for Lind to beat his former team with his 11th home run of the season, a no-doubt shot to right field.

Athletics 7, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. � Khris Davis hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to snap a 4-4 tie and lift the Oakland over Los Angeles.
The win moved the A's ahead of the Angels in the American League West, dropping the Angels into last place, 16 games behind first-place Texas.
The A's offense, which has struggled most of the season, pounded out 14 hits, including three each from Stephen Vogt (homer, two singles) and Marcus Semien (double, two singles).

Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 9
DENVER -- Arizona blew a four-run lead but scored twice in the ninth inning to beat Colorado.
Yasmany Tomas tied the game with a home run with one out in the ninth off Rockies closer Carlos Estevez. It was the second homer of the game and 12th of the season for Tomas.
The Diamondbacks won it with two outs when Jean Segura doubled and scored on a Michael Bourn single. Estevez blew his third save in seven opportunities.

Giants 5, Phillies 4
SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt cleared the bases with a three-run double in a four-run seventh inning to rally San Francisco over Philadelphia.
Jake Peavy limited the Phillies to two runs in seven innings for his second consecutive win as the Giants won for the 12th time in their last 13 games overall and 12th time in their last 14 home dates.
The win was the Giants' 31st in their last 40 games, the club's best 40-game run since also going 31-9 from June 12-July 21, 1954.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Twins (23-50) at Yankees (36-36)

Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 25, 2016 1:05 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The question who's on first has been a popular one for the New York Yankees.

Injuries and a lack of production have turned the position into a revolving door and a source of frustration for the Yankees.

On Saturday, the Yankees get their primary first baseman back from the disabled list as Mark Teixeira is expected to be activated when New York continues its three-game series with the Minnesota Twins.

The last time Teixeira played was June 3 when his right knee locked up in Baltimore. The diagnosis was torn cartilage and the options were surgery or rehab.

Teixeira chose the rehab and following three games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, he returns looking to improve on his sub-par numbers of a .180 batting average, a .535 OPS which is among the worst in baseball at first base.

"Our thought is that he's going to be Mark," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "I know he's off to a slow start and I really don't believe that's going to continue. It may take him a few days to get going, I understand that. He hasn't had a lot of at-bats in the last few weeks but we expect him to be Mark."

The switch-hitter has 13 hits since May 1 and last homered April 13. His 141 at-bat drought without homering is the longest of his career.

A year ago, Teixeira had a decent bounce back season by hitting .261 with 31 home runs but his year essentially ended with a broken leg that was diagnosed about a month after the initial injury Aug. 17

The Yankees have used six different first baseman including Teixeira and those players have combined for a .184 average with five home runs and 22 RBIs.

During Teixeira's absence, Rob Refsnyder received his first opportunity at first base while the Yankees also signed Ike Davis. Refsnyder, who has also played second base and right field with the Yankees, has batted .286 with eight RBIs in 21 games.

"I think you saw when Mark's on and hitting the ball, the Yankees are a team at its best," Refsnyder said. "So I'm excited for Mark to get back."

Regardless of how Teixeira does, the Yankees will be trying to go over .500. They improved to 36-36 with Friday's 5-3 victory highlighted by Aroldis Chapman throwing 10 of his 11 pitches more than 100 mph and Refsnyder's tiebreaking single.

Teixeira will be playing defense behind Michael Pineda, who will pitch on six days' rest and face the Twins for the second straight start. He put the Yankees in a 4-0 deficit by allowing four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings but did not get the decision when the team rallied for a 7-6 victory.

This month, Pineda is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts and has 29 of his team-leading 88 strikeouts in those outings.

The Twins (23-50) became the first team to reach 50 losses as they tied a season-high with three errors. Minnesota is 4-17 against the AL East and 8-25 on the road.

"We didn't play very cleanly," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said.

Ervin Santana pitches for the Twins on Saturday and looks to get consecutive wins over the Yankees for the first time in nearly 10 years. Santana started his career with the Angels in 2005 and in his first four starts against New York, he was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA.

He is 2-9 with a 5.98 ERA in his last 14 starts against New York. Before Santana allowed two earned runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings Sunday in Minnesota, the right-hander had not beaten the Yankees since getting a 1-0 victory in New York on Aug. 1, 2008 for the Angels.

Santana looks to continue his excellent control of late. Santana has 21 walks in 72 2/3 innings but none in his last three starts.

It is the first time in his career he has not issued a walk in three straight outings.

"I feel more like myself right now," Santana said.

Minnesota will likely be without third baseman Trevor Plouffe for the second straight game. Plouffe strained his right groin during the seventh inning Thursday against Philadelphia and is day-to-day.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Rays (31-40) at Orioles (42-30)

Game: 2
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: June 25, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

BALTIMORE-- The return of Manny Machado helps the Baltimore Orioles in several ways and one should be easy to see during Saturday's split doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays, who will be trying to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Since Machado was serving a four-game suspension, the Orioles were not able to replace him on their roster. That left them one player short throughout that time, something manager Buck Showalter said made life a bit tougher.

Machado returned to the Orioles (42-30) in Friday's 6-3 victory over Tampa Bay (31-40), and Showalter said he's glad to be playing with a full team once more.

"It makes it a little bit easier to do some things," Showalter said. "I think just feeling like you weren't trying to get through another day (is good)."

The Orioles brought up left-hander T.J. McFarland to help their over-worked bullpen. He'll be serving as the 26th man Saturday.

Tampa Bay will be bringing in outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, whom the team got in a trade with the Twins on Friday. The Rays sent down right-hander Steve Geltz after Friday's loss, and Danny Farquhar will be the team's 26th man for the twinbill.

Kevin Gausman (0-5, 4.37) still is searching for his first victory despite not pitching that badly with the Orioles. Baltimore simply has not given him much run support, scoring only 38 runs in his 12 starts.

Chris Tillman starts the second game and has fared much better. Tillman (10-1, 3.11) comes in on a nine-game winning streak and is one of the best pitchers in the majors.

The Rays send out Matt Andriese (6-0, 2.88) in the opener. He's made seven starts and three appearances in relief this year and is one of six pitchers in the majors to win their first six decisions.

In the second game, Jake Odorizzi (3-3, 3.63) starts, and he's also pitched well, but is tied for first in the majors with nine no-decisions.

The Rays are looking for their offense to wake up after not doing much during their slide.

Tampa Bay hit .183 in the seven games prior to Friday, and manager Kevin Cash shook up the lineup with a number of moves in that game as the Rays face the Orioles and Boston in back-to-back series, and don't want to slip farther back in the American League East.

Baltimore enters the game in first in the division while the Rays are in last place, 10 1/2 games back. The Rays banged out three runs on four hits in the first inning -- but only five more hits the rest of the way as Baltimore scored the final six runs.

The losses are tough to deal with for Tampa Bay.

"They're all frustrating, whether you lose it early or a game gets away from you," Cash said. "They're all frustrating."

Right now, the Rays need some kind of help from their offense. It just has not been there lately, a big reason they've slumped.

"We're trying to kind of pick up the middle of the lineup," Cash said. "We play the Orioles for four and then the Red Sox. This would be a really nice time for us to get it going because that's the quickest way you can make a dent in the standings."

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Blue Jays (40-35) at White Sox (37-37)

Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 25, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has seen his production significantly increase this month. It also has resulted in him using his legs more often because of how frequently he has been on base.

Abreu had a night off Friday to rest his sore legs but the White Sox hope the first baseman will be in the lineup Saturday for the second game of the three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Manager Robin Ventura said the soreness began when Abreu felt some tightness during the end of Thursday's loss in Boston. Ventura said Abreu has soreness in the back of his right leg but then said the left leg was the one that really sore and it is likely related to him having a .382 on-base percentage this month.

"He's a big guy," Ventura said. "That's part of the some of the stuff we've done the last couple of years is to get him a day here and there and in this one, he just needs it. He's been on base quite a bit and as sore as his leg feels, it also looks not to good, either."

Abreu began this month with a .237 average, and if he plays, the slugger will be looking to continue a hot streak that has seen him reach base in his last 20 games.

During this stretch, he Abreu is batting .333 with five home runs and 20 RBIs and it includes 10 multi-hit games. He also is batting .439 with two home runs and eight RBIs in his last 11 home games.

Even with his hot bat getting a breather, Abreu understood why Ventura rested him.

"If you're in a good or bad moment you always want to play but sometimes you also have to realize that the best thing you can do is just to take a break thinking of the future," Abreu said through an interpreter. "Because you don't want to push too hard and (then) something bad can happen. You have to understand that it's better sometimes to play it safe and take care of you then try to push so hard."

With Abreu watching from the dugout, the White Sox won for the fourth time in five games following last weekend's sweep in Cleveland.

Chicago's 3-2 win featured a home run by Melky Cabrera and two hits from Todd Frazier, who had been in a 3-for-37 skid. The win was secured when David Robertson struck out Edwin Encarnacion with the bases loaded.

"That felt good," Frazier said. "Squaring balls up. That's what I've been trying to do. Few and far between (this season). Seems the only ones I've been squaring up go over the wall, which is fine, but you've got to get those ones in between as you go through the year."

Toronto lost six straight games to the White Sox and four of its last five overall.

Kevin Pillar drove in both runs Friday, but Encarnacion went 0-for-5.

Despite his hitless night, Encarnarcion is batting .341 (15-for-44) in his last 12 games for an offense that has mustered 17 runs since Jose Bautista landed on the disabled list with turf toe.

"Obviously, Jose is a perennial all-star and is a big part of this team," Pillar said. "We miss having him, but we've been able to get by without him for some short periods of time, through is struggles this year, and we've been able to pick him up. The guy was good today. We faced some good pitchers in Baltimore. There's going to be an adjustment period. He's a guy we look forward to big hits (from) and big at bats and this ability to get on base. Other guys just have to step up."

Toronto will look to have productive at-bats against Chicago right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who has made 14 starts against them. Gonzalez is 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA in those starts and the first 13 came with the Baltimore Orioles before he allowed five runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings at Toronto on April 25.

R.A. Dickey will start for Toronto. Dickey is 4-8 with 4.08 ERA and all of those wins have been on the road where he is 4-3 with a 2.98 ERA in eight starts. Dickey has dropped consecutive starts but also has pitched in 10 games where the Blue Jays have scored three runs or less, including last Saturday's 4-2 loss in Baltimore when he allowed two earned runs and seven hits in six innings.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Cubs (48-24) at Marlins (39-35)

Game: 3
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: June 25, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton, who led the National League in home runs as a 24-year-old and is already a three-time All-Star at 26, is a proud man.

This year's batting slump, which saw him hit just .173 in May and has him batting .203 in June, has taken its toll mentally on Stanton.

After all, Stanton is the player the Miami Marlins locked up with a 13-year, $325 million contract a couple of months prior to the start of the 2015 season.

Yet, he is hitting just .213 after a 0-for-3 performance on Friday in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Stanton did draw a walk and score a run, however. He also hit a long foul ball in the ninth inning that would have tied the score had it not gone foul.

Stanton was better on Thursday.

After getting the go-ahead hit to beat the Cubs in the opener of this four-game series, Stanton was almost repentant and seemingly embarrassed by his slump.

"I feel I've let my team down for a while now," Stanton said.

Worse yet, from Stanton's perspective, is the temptation to try to do too much too quickly, as if one big game can un-do nearly two months of subpar performances.

It can't.

And while Stanton knows that intellectually, knowing that emotionally is something else.

"It's worse trying to play while looking up at where you're at," Stanton said of his batting average, "and trying to get that all back in one at-bat.

"I'm not going to be at ease for a long time. I'm going to keep pushing forward. There's no ease until about October. I've got a lot of work to do."

He's right about that, but Marlins manager Don Mattingly is clearly worried about his slugger's psyche.

Mattingly also tried blaming the media for bringing up Stanton's slump, as if that were the real problem.

"I don't think we can worry about the past," Mattingly said. "That's part of the problem.

"We're always saying, 'Stanton hasn't done (whatever). At some point, you just have to say, 'My season starts today' because you are not going to get (the past) back. You just have to say, 'I'm starting over from right here.'

"If he can look at it like that, I will look at it like that."

That's a nice try by Mattingly, who was trying to play pop psychologist. But the conversation with Stanton shows that the Marlins slugger hasn't forgotten his slump, and he's not looking at it the way Mattingly would desire.

Stanton knows what he's done and what he hasn't done. He realizes his huge contract comes with a price on his shoulders if he fails to produce.

You can try all the head games you want, but Stanton is smart. He knows he has to play better, and, if he does, the Marlins have a real chance to be a playoff team.

Besides Stanton's effort to revert back to his prior role as one of the dominant power hitters in the game, here are some other story-lines for Game 3 of this series on Saturday:

--The Cubs will start John Lackey (7-3, 2.78 ERA). Lackey is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his two career starts against the Marlins. Here's the crazy part: The two starts came 10 years apart.

--The Marlins will start Paul Clemens (0-0, 5.40 ERA). It will be Clemens' second start with the team. But the Marlins are reportedly hard at work to find a better solution in a trade.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Nationals (43-31) at Brewers (33-40)

Game: 2
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 25, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- Gio Gonzalez will attempt to snap the Washington Nationals' season-high six-game losing streak Saturday afternoon when he takes on Matt Garza and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Like the Nationals of late, Gonzalez (3-6, 4.25 ERA) has struggled during the month of June, going 0-3 with a 5.84 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP after starting the season with a 1.86 ERA in his first eight starts.

Gonzalez has a history of success against NL Central teams, going 15-7 with a 2.87 ERA in 36 career starts; he's made two against Milwaukee, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, but hasn't pitched at Miller Park since the 2014 campaign.

The Nationals, who struck out 16 times Friday night, are playing with a sense of added urgency. Their loss to the Brewers shrunk their lead in the NL East to three games against the Mets, who come to Washington Monday for a three-game showdown.

"It's dwindling but it's up to us to maintain it or increase our lead," manager Dusty Baker said. "We definitely need these two games here before we get to the Mets because you know we'll see some good pitching when we get there."

Garza (0-0, 0.90 ERA), meanwhile, will be making his third start of the season.

He began the year on the disabled list after straining his right lat muscle during his final exhibition start. He's only allowed one run through his first two outings, spanning 10 innings of work, while giving up 13 hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.

Garza threw six shutout innings his last time out but took a no-decision as the Brewers fell to the Dodgers, 2-1.

"He was really good," manager Craig Counsell said. "I thought Matt made pitches when he had to. His fastball up-and-in was really effective today. His first two starts have been very encouraging."

He'll be looking for his first career victory against the National. In eight previous attempts, he's gone 0-4 with a 7.17 ERA including 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two appearances last season.

The Brewers should get a boost as left-fielder Ryan Braun is expected to return to the lineup Saturday. He was given the day off Friday, as Counsell tries to keep Braun as fresh as possible following offseason back surgery.

"We want to use this stretch of the schedule as a place where we can get guys a little bit of extra rest," Counsell said. "We had three off-days in eight days, so this (was) Ryan's day to get it."

Milwaukee is in the midst of a brutal stretch of scheduling. The Brewers 12 of their last 14 games have come against the Giants, Dodgers, and Nationals -- all of whom lead or are in second place in their divisions -- with rematches against the Dodgers and Nationals and two series against the Cardinals leading into the All-Star break.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Diamondbacks (36-40) at Rockies (34-39)

Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: June 25, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies are being tested, in particular rookie closer Carlos Estevez. They have dropped two one-run games to the Arizona Diamondbacks with Estevez suffering both defeats.

Before the Rockies lost 10-9 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss reflected on Thursday night when the Rockies tied the game with three runs in the ninth only to lose 7-6.

"It's tough any time you lose late," Weiss said. "But I don't worry about that having a carryover effect on our club. They've proven to me time and time again that they bounce back well. Some losses sting more than others, but I don't worry about these guys showing up the right way the next day."

Indeed, the Rockies overcame a five-run deficit Friday and went ahead 9-8 with a four-run lead before the Diamondbacks scored twice off closer Estevez to send the Rockies to another bitter loss and another test of their resiliency.

"I still have confidence in how I pitch, and my team (does) too," said Estevez, who has allowed six hits and three runs in two innings while suffering a blown save and two losses in his past two games. "I know they have my back. Walt's shown before he's going to put his confidence in me. I'm confident right now that things are going to get better. Rough few days. We're going to wash it off and we're going to get going again."

The Rockies will try to do that behind Jorge De La Rosa, who is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts since he returned to the rotation June 14.

The Diamondbacks, who used their entire eight-man bullpen Friday night and are likely to recall a reliever, will counter with Shelby Miller. He's 2-6 with a 6.36 ERA in 11 starts overall. But after being on the disabled list from May 25 through June 19 with a right index finger sprain, Miller was reinstated Monday and started that day at Philadelphia. He allowed one earned run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts and was the winning pitcher in Arizona's 3-1 victory.

"I think just taking the break and getting the finger all healed and getting the mental break has helped him," Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said. "He could work on his stuff, (had) more confidence in his cutter. His split's been real good. And he's been real good in the one game we saw."

The Phillies had lost six straight and scored 11 runs in those defeats before Miller faced them. The Rockies have dropped three straight games and six of their past eight but have not had a problem scoring runs. Indeed, in their three straight losses they have tallied 23 runs.

Hale is not jumping to any conclusions about Miller, preferring to take a one-start-at-a-time attitude.

"And we know his next one's going to be here in this ballpark," Hale said of Coors Field, where Miller is 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA in two career starts. "It's not going to be easy. I've said this many times, I believe this lineup that they throw out there every day even without (injured Gerardo) Parra in it is as good as any lineup we see."

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Padres (32-43) at Reds (28-46)

Game: 3
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: June 25, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- While a youngster growing up in Lexington, Ky., Andy Green was a Cincinnati Reds fan. His favorite player in the early 1980s was shortstop David Concepcion and he idolized many of the members of the Big Red Machine clubs of the 1970s.

While the San Diego Padres skipper remained focused on coming away with a victory in this weekend's four-game series, he admitted to feeling a little like a fan as the Reds honored Pete Rose and many other legends from the 1976 World Series champs.

"I was here when Tony Perez had his statue unveiling," Green said. "That was very special. Davey Concepcion took the lineup card out and I was fighting for it because he was my favorite player. They didn't let me, so it was kind of disappointing. Nobody can stop me this year, so we'll have to see who takes the lineup card out."

On Saturday afternoon, there will be an on-field ceremony to induct Rose into the Reds Hall of Fame. Rose, of course, is ineligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame due to his banishment for gambling on baseball.

More than 20 members of the Reds Hall of Famer will be in attendance, including Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin and Eric Davis.

"This series has a homecoming feel to it," said Green, who spent one year in the Reds' minor league system. "It would have been special to have worn a Reds uniform at the major league level. But, I was thrilled to play for the Diamondbacks and the Mets."

It will be a matchup of left-handers on Saturday with the Reds' Brandon Finnegan (3-5, 3.81 ERA) going up against Drew Pomeranz (6-7, 3.00 ERA)

Finnegan leads the Reds' staff with eight quality starts. He's allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his 15 starts and 12 times allowed three earned runs or fewer. It will be his first appearance against San Diego.

Pomeranz also has eight quality starts this season and had an 18-inning scoreless streak snapped earlier this season.

On Friday night, the Padres tied a season-high with four home runs including two by left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. in a 13-4 victory.

Cincinnati hasn't won a season series against San Diego since 2012 and is 6-14 against them since then. The Padres will be looking to extend that dominance.

But, before Saturday's game begins, Green will be appreciating some Reds history .

"It's hard not being a Pete Rose fan growing up in (Cincinnati)," he said. "So it's going to be special to watch that happen on Saturday. I didn't leave a ton (of tickets). But, I'll leave a lot throughout the weekend."

Reds manager Bryan Price said he references Rose's approach to the game with his players during Spring Training.

"We talk about busting it out of the box the way he did," Price said. "It'll be nice to see him be inducted (into the Reds Hall of Fame). It's something that would have been instantaneous under different circumstances."

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Indians (42-30) at Tigers (38-36)

Game: 2
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: June 25, 2016 4:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- Carlos Carrasco is not looking for a repeat of his last start against the Tigers when the Cleveland Indians visit Detroit on Saturday.

Carrasco (2-2, 3.26 ERA) pitched against Detroit on April 24, and suffered a strained left hamstring covering first base in the third inning. He missed five weeks.

Also, Carrasco is 2-4 with a 7.62 ERA over his career at Comerica Park. He is working on extra rest because of Cleveland's day off Thursday.

The Indians will leave Detroit in first place in the American League Central, owing to the edge over Kansas City and Detroit they took into the three-game series.

But don't try to lure Cleveland manager Terry Francona into any discussions going farther than 12 hours into the future.

"We don't look ahead," he said. "We just try to play the game (of the day). If we do that enough, end of the season comes around we'll be where we're supposed to be.

"So just play. If you play good enough, you look up at the end you'll be OK."

Cleveland takes a 7-0 lead over Detroit in the season series into Saturday's game following Friday night's 7-4 victory.

"This reminds me of that 10-game stretch at the end of the 2013 season when we made the playoffs," Indians' second baseman Jason Kipnis said.

The game marks the return of Anibal Sanchez to the Tigers' starting rotation.

Whether it goes beyond that, who knows (outside manager Brad Ausmus and his staff).

Sanchez has been in the bullpen since his last start May 31 at Los Angeles, covering six relief appearances. He went 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

"We probably won't go much over 100 with him," Ausmus said of Sanchez's pitch limit, a tongue-in-cheek statement. "It's all based on how he feels."

Five innings would seem to be his max, based on both how little he's thrown lately and the fact he was having problems getting past the fourth and fifth innings when he was in the rotation.

Some of that had to do with the fact Ausmus was reluctant to go to a bullpen that was somewhere between mediocre and tinder. Now, Detroit's bullpen has been more stable.

The Indians have dominated the season series to date. But as catcher James McCann pointed out Thursday, the Tigers didn't have center fielder Cameron Maybin and McCann was injured for the first three-game set and fresh off the disabled list for the second.

"When you have your core guys you were counting on in spring training, that's a huge plus," Ausmus said. "But there's a lot of teams that don't have that core. Injuries are part of the game now. That being said, you still have to go out there and beat them."

Detroit's offense has perked up since an early season slump.

"They're definitely swinging the bats," Francona said. "My goodness. You look up and down the lineup you see a lot of .300s -- with some production.'

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Dodgers (41-34) at Pirates (35-39)

Game: 2
Venue: PNC Park
Date: June 25, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH -- It was a win, the Pittsburgh Pirates said, that could launch a turnaround.

"It's nice to get back on track. It's nice to get a win," Matt Joyce said Friday after an 8-6 series-opening win over Los Angeles. "You know how our month has gone. It was cool to see some guys smiling out there and having fun.

"Hopefully we can build upon it. That's what the good ones do. We just have to find our way and get back to how we win,"

The Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak and are 7-20 since a five-game winning streak in May.

Could Friday's feel-good win have an impact on Saturday?

"I think we're all optimistic, and then we'll go out and start the game (Saturday) and see where that takes us," said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, who got feted by his players after the game, which was his 1,000th win.

There certainly are no guarantees that the Pirates have turned any corners or, at 35-39, are ready to climb back to or over .500.

After all, they won the first game of this eight-game homestand, 1-0 Monday against San Francisco. They them promptly lost the other three games in that series by a combined 27-11.

But Pittsburgh is at that you-gotta-start-somewhere place.

"We're just waiting for that string of three or four or five (wins) in a row, but you've got to start with one first," Jordy Mercer said. "Anytime you can get a win against a good team -- they're a really good team -- hopefully it's the start of something we can carry over (to Saturday.)"

The man on the mound for Pittsburgh in that win Monday was Jeff Locke, who is scheduled to start again Saturday. It was something of a redemption game for Locke, who had allowed a combined 18 runs in his previous two starts. But perhaps he can start an upswing as his teammates are hoping to do, or at least get back to his form from May, when he went 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA and .203 batting average against in his six starts.

Locke (6-5, 5.44 ERA) beat San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner Monday. Saturday, he will face Kenta Maeda.

Locke is 103 with a 4.07 ERA in his career against the Dodgers.

Maeda (6-4, 2.64 ERA) at one point was going to start Sunday instead, giving him an extra day of rest, but that was pushed up to Saturday, apparently because of the resilience he showed last Sunday. In his first game after taking a line drive to his right leg off the bat of Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt five days earlier, Maeda equaled a season high by throwing 107 pitches, lasted into the seventh and gave up one run on six hits, with eight strikeouts and three walks in Los Angeles' 2-1 win.

"First and foremost, Kenta's got a lot of fight, a lot of heart," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday. "When you're not feeling 100 percent, to go out there and compete, that's what Kenta does."

X-rays after he got knocked out of that June 14 game showed no breaks, and the fact that Maeda pitched so well Sunday and now doesn't need the extra day of rest would seem to indicate he has no lingering effects.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Mets (39-33) at Braves (25-48)

Game: 3
Venue: Turner Field
Date: June 25, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- It might appear that Atlanta Braves starter Julio Teheran is being showcased in every appearance he makes. There is little doubt that the Braves' No. 1 starter is one of the team's most valuable bargaining chips, should they decide to make a move before the trade deadline.

But that isn't going to happen, Atlanta general manager John Coppolella said Friday.

In a frank question-and-answer session conducted via Twitter, Coppolella was asked if Teheran and reliever Arodys Vizcaino are part of the team's future.

Coppolella's response: "I don't see us trading Teheran at this point. He's almost into 'right-arm' type status for us right now."

Teheran (3-7, 2.66) will get his 16th start of the season on Saturday night against New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-4, 2.96). This is a rematch of the June 19th game, which the Braves won 6-0. On that day Teheran threw a one-hit complete-game shutout.

Teheran has enjoyed a very good season, his fourth full year with Atlanta. He is 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA in his last four starts. Teheran has historically pitched well against the Mets. In 12 career appearances, 11 starts, he's 6-3 with a 2.67 ERA over 70 2/3 innings.

Teheran's record would be better if the offense had been more cooperative. The team is scoring only 2.1 runs in support when he's been the starting pitcher. Nine of his 13 appearances have been quality starts.

DeGrom pitched six innings and allowed three runs in the last matchup against Teheran, when he struck out six but was tagged by Nick Markakis for a solo home run.

DeGrom has not won a game in nine consecutive starts, the longest winless streak of his career. He is 0-4 with a 3.58 ERA during that stretch. In seven career starts against Atlanta, deGrom is 3-3 with a 2.25 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 44 innings.

He has been quite consistent this season, not throwing fewer than five innings in his 12 previous starts, but not getting past the seventh.

"We've been relying on our pitching and defense," second baseman Neil Walker said. "The offense will come and go, but if you stay consistent with your pitching and defense, you'll have a chance."

The Mets would like to see deGrom go deep into the game and help the bullpen, which has been stressed with a number of short starts. On Friday Steven Matz couldn't make it through the fifth and Hansel Robles had to pitch 2 2/3 innings. Robles has now thrown eight innings in four appearances over the last week.

Robles won't be available on Saturday, but the Mets should have Addison Reed and Jerry Blevins back after each was given the night off on Friday because of an excessive workload.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Astros (38-36) at Royals (38-34)

Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 25, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After scoring 12 runs in the first two innings to crush the Kansas City Royals 13-4 on Friday night, the Houston Astros are adding another offensive weapon Saturday.

The Astros announced left-handed hitting first baseman A.J. Reed's contract has been purchased from Triple-A Fresno after the game. Manager A.J Hinch said Reed would be the designated hitter in his big league debut.

Reed, who was the Astros top prospect, hit .340 with 34 home runs and 127 RBIs last year with High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi.

"He impressed us in spring (training)," Hinch said. "He got off to a little bit of a rough start in Triple-A, but rebounded really well. He's swung the bat well as anybody in the organization the last week to 10 days."

Reed hit .372, 16-for-43, with three home runs, seven RBIs and scored six runs in his past 10 games with Fresno. He was hitting only .225 on May 26, but raised his average to .266 with 11 home runs, 19 doubles and 36 RBIs in 59 games with the Grizzlies.

"We have a run here where we are facing a lot of right-handed pitching," Hinch said. "He's swung the bat very well in Triple-A. He's played real well the past week. He's really pushed his way into the opportunity. We are at a perfect time in our schedule. Getting Reed up here, he's going to DH quite a bit, play first quite a bit. His offense can be impactful when he gets settled into the big leagues. Now is good a time as any."

Reed has a .311 batting average with a .399 on-base percentage, .566 slugging percentage and a .960 ERA in 262 minor league games. He was a 2014 second-round pick out of Kentucky, where he won the 2014 Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur player in the country.

"I'm going to tell him, like I tell all these guys, there's only one first day and he's got to enjoy it," Hinch said. "So I look forward to seeing him. It's a big move for us. It's a big jolt to the lineup. It's obviously going to be an important time in his life, but there is only one first day."

The Astros have won a season high six straight to move a season-best two games above .500 after defeating the Royals.

The Royals could also be adding a key bat to their lineup Saturday. Alex Gordon, a three-time All-Star selection and Gold Glove left fielder, has not played since fracturing his right wrist on May 22.

He went 1-for-2 with three walks Friday night with Triple-A Omaha in his fifth rehab game, but will probably be reinstated Saturday.

"Alex is doing fine," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We'll re-evaluate after tonight (Friday). We'll be anxious to get him back."

Right-hander Chris Young, who has allowed a major league high 19 home runs including at least one in all of his first 10 starts, will start Saturday against the Astros.

Mike Fiers will start for the Astros. He has walked two or less in 14 straight starts. Lorenzo Cain is 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs off Fiers.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Red Sox (41-32) at Rangers (47-27)

Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: June 25, 2016 9:20 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas could use a little Steven Wright-like surprise from the starting rotation in the wake of injuries the Rangers have dealt with lately.

Saturday starter A.J. Griffin could be just that guy. The right-hander, who hasn't pitched for the Rangers since May 7, is slated to make his first start since going down with right shoulder stiffness. Griffin (3-0, 2.94 ERA) will get the start opposite Wright (8-4, 2.01), who has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this year.

Griffin could provide a boost to a Texas rotation that is already without Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis.

Griffin doesn't feel like he has to come in and fill a void.

"My job is just to go out there and give us the best chance to win every time they give me the ball," Griffin said. "You can't concern yourself with stuff like that. It's unfortunate to lose a couple of quality pitchers have gone down but that's part of the nature of the beast. It's tough, but we've got some good ballplayers here and we'll pick them up."

The Rangers can only hope that Griffin can make close to the impact the knuckleballer Wright has done with the Red Sox. Wright had seven wins entering the 2016 season, but comes into Saturday's game as the American League ERA leader with a 2.01 ERA. He's also had quality starts in 12 of his 14 outings this year.

"The one thing I would say is what we've witnesses is just a constant," Boston manager John Farrell said of Wright. "He's has been a dependable pitcher. If he can catch reliable and dependable to a major league player, that goes a long way. He has earned trust with each outing he's made for us. He's pitched out of some tight jams at various points in the game."

While Wright is coming off a nine-inning start in his last outing against the Chicago White Sox, Griffin has made his last three starts for Double-A Frisco. His last outing, a five-inning start, was his sharpest.

"I felt really good about my last outing down there," said Griffin, who hasn't faced Boston since he was with Oakland in 2013. "I'm trying to build off that and carry it into this game against the Red Sox."

Griffin did that for the Rangers before he got hurt. He had quality starts in four of his first five outings with Texas and posted a 2.32 ERA to go along with a 3-0 record. His short May 7 outing against Detroit because of the injury snapped a string of 33 straight starts for Griffin of at least five innings. He pitched 2 2/3 innings against the Tigers.

**TheGame** · 06-25-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/25

Preview: Phillies (31-44) at Giants (48-27)

Game: 2
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: June 25, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner appears headed to San Diego next month for the All-Star Game.

Philadelphia Phillies righty Jeremy Hellickson might be headed somewhere in July as well. Only his journey could be a one-way trip.

The Phillies will showcase Hellickson, their veteran offseason rental, for a 16th time Saturday night when they take on the Giants in the middle game of a three-game series.

The Phillies arrived in San Francisco on Friday with a luxury -- a sixth starting pitcher -- with right-hander Vincent Velasquez having rejoined the team following 15 days on the disabled list.

Manager Pete Mackanin admitted he wasn't quite sure what to do with the five-game winner.

In the ideal world, the club would find a taker for the 29-year-old Hellickson, who pitched like a fourth or fifth starter any contender would love to add when he opened the season 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA, having won at New York and Washington.

But the two-time postseason starter for Tampa Bay has since fallen upon hard times, going 0-5 in his last five starts.

No doubt potential suitors have noticed the drought hasn't been entirely Hellickson's fault. He's had only one bad outing in the stretch (seven runs on nine hits in six innings at Washington on June 10), and has limited four of the other five opponents to three runs or fewer.

An impressive effort at San Francisco, where the Giants sport the second-best record in the National League (23-13), likely would get someone's attention. It wouldn't be his first -- he held the Giants to one run over 6 2/3 innings last April and three hits in five innings last September in his last two appearances at AT&T Park.

If the Phillies were to trade Hellickson after the start, they would open a spot for Velasquez without having to demote one of their current corps of young pitchers.

"It's still up on the air," Mackanin said of what to do with Velasquez, who has been one of the club's top pitchers this season. "It's not definite."

Right-hander Zach Eflin made his third start in Velasquez's spot in the rotation on Friday and, Mackanin indicated, the club would like to keep him around.

It's easy to see why. The former first-round draft pick has allowed just two runs in his last two starts.

Left-hander Adam Morgan, scheduled to start Monday at Arizona, is another story. He's just 1-6 with a 6.55 ERA and is the guy most likely to lose his starting spot if Hellickson is still around next week.

The Giants have no such issues, especially when it comes to Bumgarner, who sports and NL's eighth-most wins (eight) and third-best ERA (1.85).

The Giants have won 11 of Bumgarner's 15 starts this season and 23 of their 36 home games this season, the second-best mark in the National League behind the Chicago Cubs.

The 23rd win came in the series opener on Friday night, when Brandon Belt improved the Giants' batting average with the bases loaded to a best-in-baseball .407 when he smacked a three-run double that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning.

"They've done it so many times, it's not like they're feeling any pressure up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of his club's hitting in clutch situations. "I think they all want to be the guy up there with the bases loaded."

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