MLB Betting Info 8/2

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August Pitchers Report
By Marc Lawrence

With the MLB trading deadline officially closed, and the NFL preseason whetting our pigskin palates, the month of August sets the table for the stretch run of the baseball season. Which pitchers can we count on to satisfy our tastes, and which ones figure to sour our stomachs?

Take a look below.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last three seasons during the month of August.

On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in August, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts.

To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each April over the last three years. And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.

Note: * designates a categorical repeat appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season’s August list.

I’ll be back next month with September’s Good Month Pitchers.

Until then, as legendary singer and songwriter Neil Diamond would say, enjoy the hot August nights.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

Arrieta, Jake - 10-5 (6-3 A)

After being Clayton Kershaw-like for nearly 12 months, the Cubs starter has "regressed" back to just being among the best starters in baseball. Arrieta has a nearly 3-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio and only allows a base hit 70 percent of the time in innings pitched this season, among the finest in the majors.

Duffy, Danny - 11-4 (6-1 H)

After starting the season as a reliever, the Kansas City left-hander was forced back into the rotation based on need and he has responded. Since June, after a pair of starts, Duffy has put up an ERA of just over 3.00 and opposing batters have just a .289 on-base percentage against him.

*Gallardo, Yovani - 9-4 (5-2 A)

Not close to the same pitcher he used to be with Milwaukee, with ERA so far this season approaching almost two runs higher than career average (5.37 vs. 3.73). The lost velocity is to blame and secondary pitches have less bite. For Baltimore to win AL East, Gallardo has to find some of his old magic.

Greinke, Zack - 10-5 (5-2 H)

After being on the shelf with oblique injury since late June, Greinke is close to returning for Arizona if no reoccurrence were to take place after a rehab start or two this month. After pathetic start to season, the D-Backs prized starter has cut ERA by 2 1/2 runs and is close to career norms in all major categories. Elite starter.

*Hamels, Cole - 12-6 (8-4 H)

Having typical Hamels season, with low numbers across the board. In bigger picture, underrated high level hurler who has not been getting acclaim after Phillies fall, but has been ace with Texas. As usual, left-handed batters have no chance with .176 batting average and .287 slugging percentage.

*Iwakuma, Hisashi - 12-5 (7-1 A)

Not having normal season for Seattle, with hits allowed much higher than usual for Iwakuma. However, has won four of five starts and the Mariners are 10-3 when the righty has toed the rubber since May 20. With Felix Hernandez back, this pair could lead Seattle charge to postseason.

Milone, Tom - 7-3 (4-1 A)

Milone starts for bad Minnesota club and is inconsistent as ever. Of his 74 hits allowed in only 59 2/3 innings, 11 have gone the yard. Maybe he can keep the ball down and spot his pitches better like previous August’s.

*Sanchez, Anibal - 9-3 (5-1 H)

With decreased velocity and no action on breaking pitches, Sanchez ERA has been six or higher almost all season. Not sure if he can respond this month, with opponents having BA over .300 and owning a WHIP of 1.64.

*Strasburg, Stephen - 13-3 (8-1 H)

Only July 21st, Strasburg suffered first loss of entire season after 13 consecutive wins. Though the fastball is no longer in upper 90's all the time, the breaking pitches disappear from batter's view and he's been exceptional. If Strasburg has true to form month, he will have real shot at 20 wins in 2016.

Teheran, Julio - 11-5 (7-2 H)

Suffered lat strain in late July and has been a victim of no run support from bad Braves club with 2.81 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and opposing batters at only .205 batting average. Note: Teheran’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

Weaver, Jered - 12-5 (7-3 A)

Shell of his former self at 33. Never a hard thrower, Weaver's fastball only occasionally makes the upper 80's these days and his once dominating changeup is a pitch batter's wait on now with lack of variance of speed of pitches. Will blend good and really awful performances these days.

*Zimmermann, Jordan - 12-6 (8-3 H)

On July 24th had excellent rehab start and will be rejoining Detroit this month. After sensational start with Tigers, Zimmermann was tagged for at least five runs in four of his last five outings. Detroit needs the Zimmermann they had early in the season to have chance to catch Cleveland in AL Central.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Gray, Sonny - 5-11 (0-7 A)

Given Gray's troubles this month, his woes of all season are very likely to continue. Gray simply has been more hittable the entire season, permitting those with bats to hit almost 50 points higher than normal batting average permitted of .233. Note: Gray’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

*Hellickson, Jeremy - 4-11 (2-9 A)

Back of the rotation starter, Hellickson has largely performed better than expected for Philadelphia and as this article went live, he was rumored to be traded. His KW ratio is significantly higher at 4 to 1 compared to 3 to 1 for his career. Will he be able to maintain the rest of season?

Kazmir, Scott - 5-11 (1-7 A)

The Dodgers port-sider has 9-4 record, but his 4.41 ERA is still above career average of 3.98. Durability has been issue all season, with too many starts around five innings for what is supposed to be Los Angeles No. 2 or 3 starter.

Koehler, Tom - 4-13 (0-10 A)

Above average arm but always up or down and unless he pulls a Rich Hill, at 30 is not likely to change. An 8-8 record, 4.18 ERA and WHIP of 1.46, is about what we have come to expect from Mr. Koehler. Note: Koehler’s record also represents his MLB career team start mark during the month of August.

*Miley, Wade - 5-11 (1-6 A)

Overrated lefty who does not miss many bats and fails to come anywhere close to averaging punch-out an inning. Strictly an innings-eater and provides nothing more than 50-50 chance to win.

Miller, Shelby - 5-11 (2-8 H)

Demoted to Triple-A in July after disastrous campaign. Miller hopes to regain confidence and repair mechanics that are really out of whack and return to Arizona yet this season.

Samardzija, Jeff - 5-13 (3-8 H)

After appearing as the No.3 starter San Francisco wanted for two months, Smards has returned to same old serviceable pitcher of the past and seen his ERA climb from 2.84 to present 4.30 heading into this month.

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MLB roundup: Kepler hits three homers in Twins' win
By The Sports Xchange

CLEVELAND -- The Minnesota Twins hit five home runs, including three by Max Kepler, who had six RBIs, in a 12-5 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Monday night at Progressive Field.
Kepler is the fifth player in Twins history to hit three home runs in a game, the first since Justin Morneau, on July 6, 2007, vs. the White Sox. The other Twins to do it: Bob Allison in 1963, Harmon Killebrew in 1963 and Tony Oliva in 1973.
Kepler hit a two-run homer off Danny Salazar in the first inning, and a two-run homer off Salazar in the third. He grounded out in the fourth, and hit a two-run homer off Cody Anderson in the sixth. He grounded out to first in the eighth inning and singled in the ninth.
Twins starter Jose Berrios (2-1), recalled from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the day, pitched six innings, giving up three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Royals 3, Rays 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Danny Duffy took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and struck out a franchise-record 16 batters in Kansas City's win.
Duffy (7-1) got within six outs of the Royals' first no-hitter in nearly 25 years, but Desmond Jennings led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to left field. His 16 strikeouts broke the record of 15 set by Zack Greinke in 2009 against Cleveland, and also set a Tropicana Field record.
The Rays saw their four-game winning streak end, and the Royals ended their four-game losing streak.

Cubs 5, Marlins 0
CHICAGO -- Addison Russell supplied a two-run single in the first inning and Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks took it from there en route to a complete-game shutout.
The win was the fourth in five games for the Cubs while the Marlins saw a two-game winning streak snapped in the opener of a three-game Wrigley Field series.
Hendricks (10-7) gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked three to claim his fifth win in six starts and third shutout outing in his last four.

Yankees 6, Mets 5 (10 innings)
NEW YORK -- Starlin Castro's sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning lifted the Yankees to a win in the first Subway Series game of the season at Citi Field. The Yankees snapped a four-game losing streak, and the Mets fell for the sixth time in eight games on their current homestand.
Adam Warren (1-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings. Dellin Betances notched his first save after navigating his way out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the bottom of the 10th.
Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius hit a game-tying, two-run single in the eighth inning off Addison Reed.

Astros 2, Blue Jays 1 (14 innings)
HOUSTON -- Carlos Correa stroked a walk-off double to the right-center-field gap, scoring Jose Altuve and lifting Houston to a 14-inning win over Toronto.
Altuve opened the 14th with a walk off Blue Jays right-hander Scott Feldman (5-4), acquired from Houston earlier Monday, and Correa followed with his first hit in six plate appearances. Altuve homered in the sixth inning, and Russell Martin went deep for Toronto in the ninth.
The Astros snapped a three-game losing skid thanks to brilliant relief work from right-handers Chris Devenski, who struck out seven over 4 1/3 perfect innings, and Michael Feliz (7-1), who pitched a perfect 14th.

Red Sox 2, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Mookie Betts hit a solo shot as Boston used another ninth-inning home run to beat Seattle.
Betts led off the top of the ninth inning with a tie-breaking solo home run, Boston's third ninth-inning homer in two games, before closer Craig Kimbrel came on to earn his 18th save in his first game since July 6.
The Red Sox (57-47) won back-to-back games for the first time since July 20-21 while moving within one game of American League East-leading Baltimore. Boston and Toronto are now tied for second place in the division and for the first wild-card spot.

Nationals 14, Diamondbacks 1
PHOENIX -- Stephen Strasburg won his major-league-leading 15th game and Daniel Murphy had three hits and scored three runs in Washington's blowout victory over Arizona at Chase Field.
Strasburg (15-1) gave up one run on three hits in six innings and tied his career high for victories set in 2012, his first full season. He is 8-0 with a 1.70 ERA in nine road outings.
Wilson Ramos had three of the Nationals' season-high 19 hits and drove in two runs, and Anthony Rendon had two hits and three RBIs as the Nationals (62-44) scored six runs in the first two innings while breaking a two-game losing streak.

Padres 7, Brewers 3
SAN DIEGO -- Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run single and scored on a triple by Ryan Schimpf as part of a five-run fifth inning, and San Diego defeated Milwaukee.
The Padres had three consecutive hits with runners in scoring position while wiping out a 2-1 deficit in the fifth to break out of a situational-hitting slump. Alexi Amarista's run-scoring single, which tied the game at 2-2, ended San Diego's run of 14 straight at-bats without a hit with runners in scoring position.
Travis Jankowski reached base all five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks, two steals and two runs for the Padres.

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MLB notebook: Rangers acquire Beltran, Lucroy
By The Sports Xchange

Sellers for the first time since 1989, the New York Yankees sent veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers on Monday for a trio of minor leaguers.
The Yankees have obtained seven prospects from the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs in deals for left-handed relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. In the trade involving Beltran, New York acquired Dillon Tate, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft, in addition to fellow right-handers Erik Swanson and Nick Green.
Beltran has been the most consistent hitter for an offense that has struggled for most of the season. In the final campaign of a three-year, $45 million deal, the 39-year-old switch hitter is batting .304 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 99 games with the Yankees.
Beltran has batted .281 with 414 home runs in 1,507 regular-season games with Kansas City, Houston, the New York Mets, San Francisco, St. Louis and Yankees. He also has been an elite postseason performer, producing a .332 average with 16 home runs and 40 RBIs in 52 games.

-- Two days after a deal with the Cleveland Indians fell through, the Milwaukee Brewers traded catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Texas Rangers.
The Brewers initially traded Lucroy to the Indians Saturday but he used his no-trade clause to block the deal. Cleveland was among eight teams on Lucroy's no-trade list and he was concerned about playing time next season with the Indians.
Lucroy, a two-time All-Star, is batting .300 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs this season. He has a $4 million salary this year as part of a contract that includes a $5.25 million team option for 2017.

-- The Los Angeles Dodgers landed two key cogs in their pursuit of the National League West title prior to the non-waiver trade deadline.
Los Angeles acquired left-hander Rich Hill and power-hitting outfielder Josh Reddick from Oakland,
Right-handed pitching prospects Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas and left-hander Grant Holmes are headed to Oakland.

-- The San Francisco Giants bolstered their starting rotation by acquiring left-hander Matt Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-player deal.
Tampa Bay received third baseman Matt Duffy as well as prospects Lucius Fox and right-hander Michael Santos for Moore, who posted a 7-7 mark with a 4.08 ERA in 21 starts this season.
The 27-year-old Moore, who is two years removed from Tommy John surgery, has struck out 109 batters in 130 innings this season.

-- The Giants acquired left-handed reliever Will Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Milwaukee will be getting catcher Andrew Susac and pitching prospect Phil Bickford in the deal.
Smith, 27, has a 3.68 ERA in 22 innings for Milwaukee this season. He began the season on the disabled list with a sprained right knee and did not make his debut until early June.

-- The Pittsburgh Pirates bolstered their pitching staff by acquiring Ivan Nova from the New York Yankees and fellow right-hander Drew Hutchison from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Nova was acquired for two players to be named while Hutchison comes to Pittsburgh for veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano, minor league catcher Reese McGuire and minor league outfielder Harold Ramirez.
Nova posted a 7-6 mark with one save and a 4.90 ERA in 21 games with the Yankees this season. The 29-year-old Dominican owns a 53-39 record in 131 career contests -- all with New York.

-- The New York Mets reacquired left-hander Jonathon Niese from the Pirates for left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo and cash considerations.
Niese is 8-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 23 appearances (18 starts) this season. The Mets shipped him to Pittsburgh in the offseason for second baseman Neil Walker.
Niese, 29, spent his first eight seasons with the Mets and won a career-best 13 games in 2012. He has a 69-67 career mark to go with a 4.00 ERA.

-- The Chicago Cubs continue to redesign their bullpen by landing right-handed reliever Joe Smith from the Los Angeles Angels for a minor leaguer.
Smith is 1-4 with six saves and a 3.82 ERA in 38 games this season. The 32-year-old briefly served as the Angels' closer when Huston Street was sidelined.
The acquisition of Smith comes after the Cubs traded for Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees last week. Chicago followed up by acquiring left-hander Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners and activated veteran right-hander Joe Nathan.

-- The Cleveland Indians added depth to their outfield by acquiring Brandon Guyer from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Guyer likely will platoon with right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall for the Indians, who shipped minor league outfielder Nathan Lukes and right-hander Jhonleider Salinas to the Rays to complete the deal.
Guyer batted just .241 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 63 games with Tampa Bay this season, although the 30-year-old feasted on left-handed pitching. Guyer batted .344 versus southpaws in 2016 with four homers and nine RBIs.

-- The Toronto Blue Jays made a frantic push to shore up their pitching by acquiring three hurlers, including left-hander Francisco Liriano from the Pirates.
Toronto also landed right-hander Scott Feldman from the Houston Astros and right-hander Mike Bolsinger from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays sent right-hander Drew Hutchison, catcher Reese McGuire and outfielder Harold Ramirez to the Pirates.

-- The Baltimore Orioles added a familiar face by acquiring veteran utilityman Steve Pearce from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay secured the services of minor-league catcher Jonah Heim for Pearce, who batted .258 with 43 homers and 116 RBIs in parts of four seasons with Baltimore.
The 33-year-old Pearce enjoyed a career campaign with the Orioles in 2014, belting 21 homers and 26 doubles to going along with 49 RBIs.

-- With two late-inning relievers sidelined, the Boston Red Sox bolstered their bullpen by acquiring left-hander Fernando Abad from the Minnesota Twins.
The Red Sox made their fifth trade in the last month and will send right-handed pitcher Pat Light to the Twins.
Abad will join the Red Sox while the team waits for Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara to recover from their respective injuries. Kimbrel currently is recovering from a knee injury that required surgery on July 11. Uehara, who assumed closing duties for Kimbrel, has been on the disabled list since July 20 with a right pectoral strain.

-- Three days after being acquired in a seven-player trade, right-hander Colin Rea is being sent back from the Miami Marlins to the San Diego Padres because of an elbow injury.
The Marlins shipped Rea back to the Padres after he only pitched 3 1/3 innings with Miami before getting injured Saturday night.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Marlins were "absolutely livid" and felt they were traded damaged goods.

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Preview: Giants (61-44) at Phillies (48-59)

Game: 1
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: August 02, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA -- San Francisco left-hander Madison Bumgarner came up big as a hitter on Sunday. He hopes to make a more conventional contribution Tuesday night, when the Giants open a nine-game road trip with a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bumgarner (10-6, 2.09 ERA) gets the start for the struggling National League West leaders, facing Phillies rookie right-hander Zach Eflin (3-4, 4.23 ERA).

Before winning the final two games of a four-game weekend series against the Washington Nationals, San Francisco had dropped 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break.

The Giants, whose 10-13 record in July represented their worst in any month this season, shored up their pitching staff by acquiring starter Matt Moore from Tampa Bay and reliever Will Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers at Monday's trade deadline, but offense remains a concern. They are averaging 3.2 runs and hitting .243 as a team over their past 15 games.

Bumgarner did his part at the plate Sunday, doubling off the right field fence in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter for starting pitcher Matt Cain. Manager Bruce Bochy made the move even though Cain had worked five no-hit innings against the Nationals -- albeit while throwing 93 pitches.

Bochy then sent in pitcher Jeff Samardzija to pinch-run for Bumgarner, and Samardzija came around to score, helping San Francisco earn a 3-1 victory.

"They both want to get into the game," Bochy said of Bumgarner and Samardzija. "Pretty impressive pinch-hit, wasn't it?"

Bumgarner, who is hitting .179 this season and .182 in his career, told MLB.com, "It's fun to just be a part of the game and get a chance to help the team win when you're not out there pitching. I'm just glad it worked out."

Bumgarner, who turned 27 Monday, is 0-2 over his last three starts, though he has allowed just seven earned runs over 21 innings (an ERA of 3.00) while striking out 24. The Giants have managed just four runs in that span.

The four-time All-Star also dropped a 3-2 decision to the Phillies on June 25, carrying a 2-0 lead into the seventh before yielding three runs in that inning, the last two on a homer by Philadelphia catcher Cameron Rupp.

"That's one of the best in the game," Rupp said of Bumgarner during the Phillies' last homestand, "and to be able to have an at-bat like I did off him, and then the result, of course it boosts confidence. I think when you have confidence, you have success. That's been the whole thing for me."

Rupp, a full-time starter for the first time this season, is hitting .273 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs. The Phillies as a team continue to struggle at the plate, however. They are 29th in the major leagues in batting average (.239) and runs (380), and their .218 home average is baseball's worst.

Eflin allowed seven runs on nine hits over five innings in an 11-1 loss to the Miami Marlins his last time out, but in his previous seven starts, he fashioned a 2.08 ERA.

Called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 10, he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Jimmy Rollins trade in December 2014. He pitched well in his only outing against the Giants, allowing just an unearned run in six innings during a no-decision on June 24 in San Francisco.

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Preview: Rangers (62-44) at Orioles (59-45)

Game: 1
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: August 02, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

BALTIMORE -- After the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles were busy at the trade deadline, the two first-place teams begin a three-game series Tuesday at Camden Yards.

Baltimore, the American League East leader, found the starting pitcher it sought, obtaining left-hander Wade Miley (7-8. 4.98 ERA) from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league pitcher Angel Miranda on Sunday night. On Monday, the team re-acquired former Orioles infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce (.309, 10 homers, 29 RBIs) from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league catcher Jonah Heim.

The Rangers got outfielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran (.309, 22 homers, 64 RBIs) from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitchers Nick Green, Erik Swanson and Dillon Tate, plus cash. Later on Monday, Texas acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy (.299, 13 homers, 50 RBIs) plus reliever Jeremy Jeffress (2-2, 2.22 ERA, 27 saves) from Milwaukee in a deal for two minor-leaguers, outfielder Lewis Brinson and right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz.

Brinson and Ortiz are former first-round picks and are regarded as top prospects.

For Baltimore (59-45), the Miley deal should help the team's inconsistent rotation, a problem area all year long. Texas (62-44) added three solid major league players who will make an already very strong team that much better.

The Orioles come into the series after a big win in Toronto on Sunday. Baltimore scored four in the 12th inning for a 6-2 victory. Jonathan Schoop (tiebreaking single) and Adam Jones (three-run homer) had the big hits in the 12th inning.

Texas enters its only trip to Baltimore this season after sweeping a four-game series against the slumping World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Mitch Moreland played a big part in the Rangers' recent improvement. He has seven homers since the All-Star break -- four in the Kansas City series -- and he earned American League Player of the Week honors for last week.

"I'm trying to go up there and have good at-bats," Moreland said. "It definitely worked out well this series for me. And not just me, we all had a lot of big hits in this series. It was a good run for us, and hopefully it can carry over after the off day."

The Rangers will start right-hander Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.09 ERA) on Tuesday, making his way back from injuries. In three starts since his second disabled-list stint of the season, he is 0-2 with a 3.31 ERA.

Darvish hasn't gone past six innings in any of his seven starts this year, but he told the Dallas Morning News he is ready to throw more than 100 pitches against the Orioles. He threw 90, 91 and 93 pitches in his three latest appearances.

Baltimore counters with rookie right-hander Dylan Bundy (3-3, 3.46 ERA). He is slowly becoming a part of the rotation, and this will be his fourth start.

Bundy has improved in each outing, and he took a no-hitter into the sixth last week against the Colorado Rockies before allowing three runs on two homers in that inning. He wound up allowing just the three runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings -- with eight strikeouts and just one walk.

The Orioles desperately need consistency from their starting pitchers, and if Bundy keeps developing, it would fill a huge hole for the team.

"Dylan was really good. Solid," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Got to get into another inning that he hadn't been into, got to throw a couple more pitches than he'd thrown. He was good. Just elevated a couple changeups. He was the reason we were in that game. Impressive."

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Preview: Pirates (52-51) at Braves (37-68)

Game: 1
Venue: Turner Field
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves, last in the majors with 65 homers, will finally have a right-handed power bat in the lineup when they open a three-game series Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field.

Matt Kemp, acquired late Saturday, had 23 homers with San Diego and the Braves are counting on him to be a part of their reboot going into a new ballpark in 2017 and a return to contention by 2018.

"We look at this as probably the first piece of starting to look at what we're going to do this winter, as far as adding other pieces into this mix," Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said.

Meanwhile, the Pirates are still hoping to make it to the postseason for a fourth straight year despite trading closer Mark Melancon on Saturday and possessing a 52-51 record after being swept in a weekend series at Milwaukee.

"We're not giving up on anything," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "We're not lowering the bar. We're not settling."

Left-hander Tony Watson will take over as the closer and the Pirates were busy Monday ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline making other pitching changes.

Right-handed starter Ivan Nova was acquired from the New York Yankees for two players to be named later and veteran left-hander Jon Niese was sent back to the New York Mets in exchange for former Pirates lefty Anthony Bastardo.

Then right at the deadline, left-hander Francisco Liriano was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays along with two prospects for right-hander Drew Hutchinson, who has spent most of the season in Triple-A.

Liriano is owed $13 million next season and had struggled mightily in 2016, going 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA.

The Braves started their massive teardown and rebuild two years ago, dealing away veteran players rather than acquiring them. The 31-year-old Kemp, though, fills a need; the remaining three years on his contract are partially covered by the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, and the deal subtracted unwanted Hector Olivera.

The Braves, quiet at the Monday afternoon deadline, held on to veteran reliever Jim Johnson, who saved four games while winning National League Player of the Week on Monday.

Gerrit Cole, coming off a career first, will start the series opener for the Pirates against the Braves' Mike Foltynewicz.

Cole (6-6, 2.78 ERA) threw the first complete game of his career on Wednesday against Seattle and is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three career games against the Braves.

He allowed three hits and one run to the Mariners, striking out six without allowing a walk. Of his 94 pitches, 70 were strikes.

The right-hander was on the disabled list for a month with a strained right triceps before returning to the Pirates' rotation on July 17.

Foltynewicz (4-4, 4.30 ERA) gave up five runs in three innings on May 19 in a loss at Pittsburgh, but has pitched much better at home than on the road this season. The right-hander has a 2.83 ERA in Atlanta compared to 5.40 on the road.

The series is Pittsburgh's last visit to Turner Field. They have good memories at the 20-year-old downtown ballpark that was once the main facility of the 1996 Olympics.

The Pirates clinched a spot in the 2014 postseason at Turner Field and celebrated in the visitor's clubhouse.

Pittsburgh took three of four games against the Braves in Pittsburgh this year.

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Preview: Cardinals (56-49) at Reds (42-62)

Game: 1
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- For the better part of eight seasons, Jay Bruce was a model of stability and professionalism for the Cincinnati Reds organization.

On Monday afternoon, Bruce was traded to the New York Mets in a deal designed to further the Reds' rebuilding efforts.

When Cincinnati begins a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, a No. 32 jersey will be conspicuously absent from the large locker on the far left-hand corner of the clubhouse.

"Over the past nine seasons, we couldn't have asked for a better person to represent our team, our city and Major League Baseball, both on and off the field," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.

"During these difficult last few months, he has answered questions about his future almost daily, while continuing to handle himself with the class and professionalism he has shown since the day we drafted him."

In exchange for Bruce, Cincinnati acquired infielder Dilson Herrera and left-hander Max Wotell. Herrera, 22, originally was signed by Pittsburgh in 2010 and was acquired by the Mets in August 2013. Wotell, 19, was the Mets' third-round pick in 2015.

"This was a very difficult trade for us to make because of how our fans, ownership and everyone in our organization feel about Jay, but we acquired two quality players who better fit the direction our organization is heading," Jocketty said.

"Herrera is considered one of the brightest young stars in the game today. Wotell fits in with the other good, strong arms we've been trying to stockpile in our minor league system."

The Cardinals, who begin play Tuesday in second place in the National League Central behind the Chicago Cubs, made a deal to bolster their bullpen at Monday's non-waiver trade deadline, acquiring lefty Zack Duke from the Chicago White Sox.

The Reds and Cardinals will play six times over the next nine days, beginning with this week's three-game set. Coming into Tuesday's series opener, St. Louis is 18-4 over the past 11 series at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati will try to reverse that trend on Tuesday behind right-hander Dan Straily who went from a long reliever to being among the Reds' most dependable starters.

Opponents are hitting just .207 against Straily, who will make his first career start against St. Louis. He leads the Reds' staff in innings pitched (122), strikeouts (97) and quality starts (12).

The Cardinals counter with Adam Wainwright, who has overcome a rough start to the season to post a 1.77 ERA in July, which ranks ninth among all major league pitchers.

St. Louis is 14-3 in his last 17 starts and has won six of his last seven road starts.

Cincinnati has had success against Wainwright, however. His 4.44 ERA against the Reds is the second-highest against any opponent. Wainwright allowed two earned runs in six innings in a 3-2 win against them on June 9. On April 16, Cincinnati roughed him up with a season-high seven runs allowed.

"He's been good, very good," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "The fastball execution has been very sharp here lately. Good movement on the cutter sinker and that makes the curveball better."

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Preview: Twins (41-64) at Indians (60-43)

Game: 2
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians, with their newly-configured bullpen, will host the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night in the second game of their four-game series.

The Twins won game one of the series Monday night as they continued their inexplicable dominance of the Indians.

Minnesota, which is in last place in the American League Central, is 6-4 versus first-place Cleveland, and 6-21 against all the other division opponents.Tuesday night's pitching matchup will feature Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco (7-4, 2.45) vs. Minnesota's Kyle Gibson (3-6, 4.54).

It will be the 100th start of Carrasco's career, and his 11th against the Twins. He is 2-5 with a 4.02 ERA in those 11 starts. Gibson is 2-3 with a 5.80 ERA in eight career starts against Cleveland. That includes a 6-1 loss on July 17 at Target Field in which Gibson gave up four runs and 10 hits.

The Indians acquired left-hander Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees in a trade on Sunday that significantly strengthened the back of the Indians' bullpen. Miller has experience as both a closer and a setup man. The Indians have closer Cody Allen, who has 20 saves this year and 78 saves over the last three years.

So who will be the Indians' closer going forward? That will be determined by how each given game unfolds. Manager Terry Francona met with both relievers on Monday, and the decision was made to let the game dictate who pitches the eighth inning and who pitches the ninth.

If the matchups in the eighth inning favor a left-handed pitcher, Miller will pitch the eighth and Allen the ninth. If the matchups in the eighth favor a right-handed pitcher, Allen will pitch that inning and Miller the ninth.

"We're going to try to leverage both of them the best we can," Francona said. "We've got a guy in Andrew Miller who is a rare breed. He's comfortable in any role. And Cody is willing to do whatever is best to help us win."

The other change for the Indians is at third base. On Monday, third baseman Juan Uribe was designated for assignment. Jose Ramirez, who has played mostly left field and some third base this year, will replace Uribe as the everyday third baseman.

The Twins, who have won four of their last five games, are riding a rejuvenated offense in recent games. They have won four of their last five games, and in the four wins they scored 26 runs. In Monday's 12-5 win over Cleveland, the Twins exploded for 19 hits, including three doubles, two triples and five home runs.

"We had 19 hits and new could have had more. We hit a lot of balls hard," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

Much of the hard hitting came from Max Kepler, who had four hits, including three home runs, and Joe Mauer, who had four hits, including a double and a home run.

"We're hoping Joe gets into a run," Molitor said. "He's tweaking some things, trying to find his rhythm."

Outfielder Byron Buxton did not play in Monday's game due to a sore right knee. An MRI exam done on the knee Monday was negative, and Buxton is listed as day-to-day.

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Preview: Royals at Rays

Game: 1
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Ned Yost was relieved to see July end.
The Kansas City manager hopes a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday is an indication of a better August ahead for the Royals following a brutal month.
"You just kind of put July in the rearview mirror," Yost said. "It's kind of just a little bit of a reset button. We're in a new month, and let's just go out and play good baseball."
July? July was a 7-19 month in which perhaps the only thing that went right for the Royals was starter Danny Duffy. In 26 games during the month, Kansas City went 5-0 when he pitched, 2-19 when he didn't.
He was never as sharp as he was Monday, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning and striking out a franchise-record 16 batters. Duffy (7-1) wound up allowing one hit and one walk in eight scoreless innings.
"Duffy had everything going, obviously," Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game, which snapped a four-game winning streak for Tampa Bay. "Electric fastball and a wipeout changeup, mixed in an occasional curveball."
The Royals (50-55) seek to continue their momentum against a Rays team that dealt away three players at the trade deadline -- left-handed starter Matt Moore went to the San Francisco Giants, utility man Steve Pearce returned to the Baltimore Orioles and outfielder Brandon Guyer was shipped to the Cleveland Indians.
Tampa Bay (42-62) got back only one major league player, former Giants third baseman Matt Duffy, who will take over at shortstop for the Rays once he has recovered from an Achilles injury.
"It was tough," Rays starter Chris Archer said of seeing Moore traded Monday. "It was definitely emotional for me because I've known Matt for a long time. And I wish him the best."
Moore was due to start Tuesday against Kansas City. In his place, the Rays will use right-hander Matt Andriese, who has been stellar as a starter and reliever, posting a 6-2 record and a 2.75 ERA while splitting time between both roles.
The Rays are in the midst of a raft of changes:
--Desmond Jennings was activated from the disabled list Monday and came up with the Rays' only hit, an eighth-inning double. He will replace Guyer as a reserve outfielder.
--Tampa Bay is expected to shift Brad Miller -- who has set a franchise record for shortstops with 17 home runs, but also has a team-high 13 errors -- to first base and outfield, with Duffy taking his place at short.
--Pearce was perhaps the Rays' most consistent hitter, so his absence diminishes the offense.
Tampa Bay played with only 23 players Monday, meaning two moves will be made to replace the departed players and fill out the roster.
As the Rays try to establish a new identity after the trade deadline, they will begin those efforts Tuesday against Yordano Ventura. The Royals right-hander is 6-9 with a 4.88 ERA in an inconsistent season that saw him go 0-4 with a 4.55 ERA in July. After mustering only one hit and two baserunners Monday night, Tampa Bay won't be hard-pressed to improve on its start to August.

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Preview: White Sox (51-54) at Tigers (57-48)

Game: 1
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- Tigers general manager Al Avila walked into a thinned out Detroit clubhouse and quietly explained why he decided to stand pat when the 4 p.m. Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline passed.

The results of that decision will start to play out Tuesday night when Detroit hosts the also relatively quiet Chicago White Sox in the middle segment of a nine-game homestand.

James Shields (5-12, 4.68 ERA overall, 3-5, 5.17 ERA with the White Sox) will start for Chicago against Detroit's Anibal Sanchez (5-11, 6.56 ERA) in a rematch of a series two weekends back that saw the White Sox stun the Tigers with a pair of walk-off wins July 24 that included a start by Sanchez.

Avila had warned folks not to expect anything "sexy" from Detroit as the trade deadline drew near and was more expansive Sunday after Detroit completed a three-game sweep of Houston.

He reiterated the Tigers biggest boost will come when pitchers Jordan Zimmerman (neck) and Daniel Norris (right oblique), along with right fielder J.D. Martinez (elbow), return from the disabled list. All three could be back this week.

It was the cost of doing business that kept Detroit off the market.

For major help, teams were asking Detroit for Michael Fulmer, Norris and Matt Boyd. Any major move the Tigers could have made, Avila said, "would have set us back five years" in terms of player development.

Avila zeroed in on some of the pitching Tampa Bay offered, but was told up front "you don't have enough" to offer.

There was a lot of noise about Chicago shedding players in favor of a rebuild, but apparently the White Sox have put that off until the winter.

Over the weekend, Chicago traded southpaw Zach Duke to St. Louis for minor league outfielder Charlie Tilson, 23, a left-handed hitter with some speed who immediately was slotted among the top White Sox prospects. He was batting .282 with four home runs, 34 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Lefties Chris Sale and Jose Quintana remain with the club despite almost daily rumors they would be dealt for a flock of prospects.

Sale was supposed to pitch against Detroit little more than a week ago but was suspended when he cut up throwback uniforms in a tizzy over comfort and corporate promotions.

Detroit took the first two games of that four-game set, but the third game was suspended by rain. When it resumed, Chicago quickly walked off with a win and then came back in the regularly scheduled game to win in walk-off fashion again.

Shields was the losing pitcher in the first game of that series, a rain-shortened, seven-inning 2-1 affair in which he gave up a pair of solo home runs to Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera.

This will be Shields' 11th start for the White Sox, matching the number he made for San Diego. He is 3-3 with a 1.71 ERA over his last six starts.

Sanchez's record for 16 starts is 3-10 with a 7.13 ERA. He lost his spot in the rotation with a string of disastrous outings early in the season and pitched relatively well in low-pressure relief outings. He was returned to the rotation, however, when Zimmermann and Norris were sidelined by injury in early July.

Norris could have been slotted in favor of Sanchez because his last rehab appearance was last Thursday, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus apparently wants him pitching against the New York Mets this weekend.

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Preview: Yankees (53-52) at Mets (54-51)

Game: 2
Venue: Citi Field
Date: August 02, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The 105th regular-season game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees, played Monday night at Citi Field, might have been the most unusual one yet.

The teams will look to return to normalcy Tuesday night when the Mets host the Yankees in the second game of a four-game, home-and-home Subway Series.

The Yankees won the series opener Monday, when Starlin Castro's sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning produced a 6-5 victory. The game featured two ties and three lead changes but was as memorable for what happened beforehand, when both teams made two trades.

The Yankees (53-52) are 5 1/2 games behind the American League's two wild-card leaders -- the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays -- but they continued to rebuild by trading outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for three prospects and right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two players to be named.

Both Beltran and Nova were at Citi Field when the trades were announced, so pulling off a wild win on a day in which the club bid goodbye to two teammates was doubly satisfying for the Yankees.

"It's been a little bit tough because we lost good people in the trades," Castro said, "but we don't have any control over this. We've just (got to) continue grinding out like we did today. We're going to miss those guys, but we'll try to go out there, have some fun and play hard."

The Mets (54-51), who are 2 1/2 games behind the Miami Marlins in the race for the National League's second wild card, acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds and left-handed pitcher Jonathon Niese from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A win would have been extra gratifying for the Mets, who squandered a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. They technically had a 25-man roster Monday but were without the services of injured shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (left patellar tendon) and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (right quad strain). As a result, manager Terry Collins had to use pitcher Steven Matz to pinch-hit in the sixth inning.

"It's something you've got to do and get through it," Collins said. "We were in good shape. We got ourselves where we wanted to be."

Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (6-5, 2.56 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-3, 3.16 ERA) on Tuesday.

DeGrom threw seven shutout innings in his most recent start last Thursday. However, he didn't get a decision after closer Jeurys Familia blew the save by allowing two runs in the top of the ninth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Tanaka took his first loss in more than six weeks last Wednesday, when he gave up four runs over five innings as the Yankees fell 4-1 to the Houston Astros. He was 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA in seven starts dating back to his previous loss, June 11.

Following the Tuesday game, the teams will play a two-game set at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Preview: Marlins (57-49) at Cubs (64-41)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: August 02, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs, who face the Miami Marlins Tuesday, not only bolstered their relief corps with a Monday trade with the Los Angeles Angels, they added a completely different look.

The Cubs added right-hander Joe Smith, who has a sidearm delivery that contrasts sharply with the Cubs mostly hard-throwing relievers.

"He's a sidearm, ground ball guy. We don't have that look or that ability right now in our bullpen,"

said Jed Hoyer, the Cubs general manager. "It's great to have hard-throwing guys with great breaking balls, but it's nice to add a different look. He's also a guy that Joe (manager Joe Maddon) can use to get a big double play in the right spot."

The deal for the 32-year-old reliever came as the Cubs wrapped up a busy pre-deadline stretch that also saw arrivals of left-handed relievers Aroldis Chapman and Mike Montgomery.

"You definitely assess your bullpen over the first half of the season and if there are areas you want to improve, you look to do that," Hoyer said. "When we looked at this team that was an area that we thought we could make some changes -- adding two left-handers and adding a guy like Smith, who can be a right-handed specialist. We felt that would improve the mix of our bullpen."

The Smith deal reportedly closed just before Monday's 3 p.m. Central time trading deadline. The Cubs gave up Class-A Eugene right-handed pitcher Jesus Castillo, 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA in seven minor league starts.

Smith is a veteran of three teams and 10 big league seasons. He is 1-4 with a 3.82 ERA , 25 strikeouts and four saves in 38 appearances this season. Smith has a career 40-27 record with 2.94 ERA and 461 strikeouts in 623 games.

He has reached 70 relief outings in each of the last five seasons, showing versatility by both closing and working set-up over the last three years.

On July 25, Chicago acquired Chapman -- the left-handed closer recently clocked with a 105-miles per hour fastball -- from the New York Yankees.

Five days earlier they landed Montgomery, 27, in a four-player trade with the Seattle Mariners for first base prospect Dan Vogelbach and pitcher Paul Blackburn while receiving minor-league pitcher Jordan Pries.

Hoyer said it wasn't just the Cubs looking at bullpen help this time of year.

"I don't want to say that almost all contenders improve their bullpen," Hoyer said, "but I'll bet if you look around the league the majority of teams in contention did something to address their bullpen."

The Miami Marlins made one trade prior to the deadline as they shed injured right-hander Colin Rea.

But the NL East contenders -- currently 4 1/2 games in back of first-place Washington -- otherwise stood pat as the trading deadline passed and a final eight-week chase commenced.

They sent Rea back to the San Diego Padres in exchange for minor league pitcher Luis Castillo. Miami had acquired Rea and pitcher Andrew Cashner in a seven-player deal but reportedly determined Rea was already hurting when he arrived.

Most attention this week around the Marlins is on outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who is just two hits away from becoming the 30th major-league hitter to reach 3,000 career hits.

He would be the third to reach 3,000 against Chicago, following Stan Musial (May 13, 1958 at Wrigley Field) and Lou Brock (Aug. 13, 1979 at St. Louis).

The Mariners send one of the league's top strikeout artists against the Cubs in Tuesday's middle game. Right-hander Jose Fernandez (12-5, 2.79 ERA) has 184 strikeouts for the season, good for second in the league.

Tuesday's start will be the second of his career against Chicago.

The Cubs will counter with right-hander Jason Hammel (10-5, 3.23 ERA) in his 21st start of the season. He is 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) against Miami. He has allowed three or fewer runs in 17 starts this year and is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break

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Preview: Blue Jays (59-47) at Astros (56-49)

Game: 2
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: August 02, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- While the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays have immediate concerns for the second game of their four-game series on Tuesday, how their respective rotations will shape out over the final two months of the season came into focus Monday.

Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (7-12, 4.66 ERA) will get the start against the Astros right-hander Lance McCullers (6-4, 3.18 ERA) on Tuesday.

In his career against Houston, Dickey is 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA over 13 games (11 starts). However, the biggest news impacting the Blue Jays' rotation was the acquisition of three pitchers Monday at the trade deadline.

In addition to landing right-handed relievers Scott Feldman and Mike Bolsinger from the Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, Toronto (59-47) acquired left-handed starter Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Liriano (6-11, 5.46 ERA) has struggled this season, but reuniting him with catcher Russell Martin, his former Pittsburgh batterymate, bodes well for a rebound.

The addition of Liriano to the rotation will enable the Blue Jays to transition right-hander Aaron Sanchez (11-1, 2.71 ERA) to the bullpen. Although Sanchez has pitched like an ace this season, his innings total (139 1/3) has already surpassed his previous professional career high of 133 1/3 set in 2014.

The Blue Jays haven't announced when the transition will take place, but they did make clear that Liriano eventually will replace Sanchez and that a six-man rotation isn't plausible.

"(Sanchez) will make his next start in Kansas City (on Friday), I do know that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.

Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said, "We feel like ... transitioning him to a relief role will be the best thing for us being in a Game 7 of the World Series."

McCullers will start against the Blue Jays for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old enters Tuesday on quite a roll, as he went 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA over his last six starts. McCullers has 50 strikeouts in 36 innings during that stretch, and if he had enough innings to qualify, he would lead the American League in strikeouts per nine innings (11.79) and strikeout rate (30.1 percent).

Like the Blue Jays, the trade the Astros made on Monday will impact the rotation. By shipping Feldman to Toronto, Houston (56-49) opened a spot on its staff for right-hander Joe Musgrove, the organization's seventh-best prospect, according to MLB.com.

"He'll be down in the bullpen as a long guy. We've got a couple of those guys down there," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, referring to right-handers Chris Devenski and Michael Feliz, who combined for 5 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings Monday in a 2-1, 14-inning win over the Blue Jays. "And for the foreseeable future, he looks to be a guy who'll be in the 'pen for now.

"He's always an option to join our rotation. We'd like to get him acclimated to the big leagues a little bit and determine his role later. We're very excited about his career. We think he's a guy who's got a ton of upside."

Musgrove, who earned a promotion from Triple-A Fresno, has worked largely as a starter during his professional career. In a combined 16 games (14 starts) in Double-A and Triple-A this year, he was 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA.

"I told him his role, I expect him to help us win," Hinch said. "He'll take the ball whenever we call down there and put him in the game."

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Preview: Dodgers (59-46) at Rockies (52-53)

Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: August 02, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

DENVER -- Two surging teams will meet when the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers begin a three-game series Tuesday at Coors Field.

The Rockies are coming off a 5-2 road trip in which they played Baltimore and the New York Mets. Colorado has won nine of its past 11 games and is 12-5 in the second half. Entering Monday, the Rockies (52-53) are five games behind Miami for the second wild-card spot, with St. Louis, the Mets and Pittsburgh also trailing the Marlins but ahead of the Rockies.

"We're playing really well, and it's really exciting where we are at right now," second baseman DJ LeMahieu said. "We believe in ourselves, and you can't fake that belief. Everybody is doing their job and doing it very well. Everybody knows their role, and we are executing. It's been fun."

The three-game series with the Dodgers is the start of an eight-game homestand that will include visits by the Marlins (three games) and Texas Rangers (two). The Rockies are 25-24 at home, having moved above .500 for the first time since they were 4-3 on April 22 when they completed a four-game sweep of the Braves on July 24 to conclude a 5-2 homestand.

The Rockies' starting pitchers recorded 20 quality starts in July, the most in franchise history for a single month. In the past 11 games, the Colorado starters have gone 8-0 with a 2.09 ERA (69 innings, 16 earned runs.

Jon Gray, who is 7-4 with a season-low 3.94 ERA in 18 starts and will take the mound Tuesday, has been a rotation mainstay as of late. He has pitched seven innings in his past three starts, going 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA in those games. Gray, who leads the team with 19 quality starts, is 4-0 with a 4.22 ERA in eight starts this season at Coors Field. He hasn't lost since July 3 when he gave up three runs to the Dodgers in six innings at Los Angeles, and the Rockies fell 4-1.

Rockies left fielder David Dahl will make his Coors Field debut Tuesday after hitting .370 (10-for-27) in his first seven games in the majors with two homers, three RBIs and six runs scored.

Rockies shortstop Trevor Story hopes to play. He jammed his left thumb and left Saturday's game in the fourth inning and didn't play Sunday.

The Dodgers were active Monday before the non-waiver trade deadline. They acquired outfielder Josh Reddick and starting pitcher Rich Hill from Oakland, and obtained reliever Jesse Chavez from Toronto and pitcher Josh Fields from Houston. Hill is on the disabled list with a blister but could return as soon as this weekend.

"We were real motivated to keep the momentum going and help the team's recent surge continue," general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "We're in a pretty good position to make a run, and we wanted to go out and get the pieces to help."

The addition of Reddick as a potential right fielder puts into question Yasiel Puig's status with the team. Puig did not travel with the Dodgers to Colorado on Monday after he was told he would be traded or demoted, FOX Sports reported.

The Dodgers were eight games behind the Giants in the NL West when Clayton Kershaw last pitched for them on June 26. They have since gone 18-10, including five wins in their past seven games, and are just two games behind the Giants.

The Dodgers averaged 4.14 runs per game in the 77 games while Kershaw was active. But in the past 28 games without Kershaw, the Dodgers have averaged one more run per game. And while going 15-9 in July, the Dodgers led the National League with an average of 5.25 runs per game.

Brandon McCarthy, who will start for Los Angeles on Tuesday, is 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA in five starts since returning from Tommy John surgery April 30, 2015. The first of those starts was July 3 against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium, and McCarthy threw five scoreless innings. In his two career starts at Coors Field, McCarthy is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA. McCarthy has made six career starts against Colorado, going 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one home run away from 300 for his career. But he has hit only nine homers this season. Gonzalez, who last homered on July 24, has hit 19 homers in 360 plate appearances at Coors Field where he is hitting .311 with a .943 OPS.

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Preview: Nationals (62-44) at Diamondbacks (43-63)

Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: August 02, 2016 9:40 PM EDT

PHOENIX -- Washington manager Dusty Baker said he always admired the way Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice went about his business, and he wants the Nationals to apply that style as they enter the final two months of the season.

"The best mentality to have is thinking about crossing the finish line before anyone else does and carrying it toward the playoffs," Baker said after the Nationals' 14-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first game of a three-game series at Chase Field on Monday.

"But it's crossing the finish line first. It's like stacking dollars, stacking pennies. More victories, more victories, more victories. Our goal is to win getaway days, win series and try to sweep some teams along the way. And look at the finish line.

"I watched Jerry Rice for years, and I never saw Jerry Rice look back. When he got open, he didn't look back. He looked straight to the finish line. To the goal line. They said Jerry Rice was too slow, but I never saw him get caught."

The Nationals (62-44) increased their lead in the National League East to five games over the Miami Marlins and 7 1/2 over the defending NL champion New York Mets when Stephen Strasburg earned his major-league-leading 15th win Monday.

Washington right-hander Tanner Roark will start the second game of the series against Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray, who was selected by the Nationals in the 12th round of the 2010 draft before being traded to Detroit and then Arizona prior to the 2015 season.

Roark (10-6, 2.96 ERA) is one of three 10-game winners on the Nationals, and Arizona will see a third when former D-backs right-hander Max Scherzer starts the final game of the series Wednesday.

Ray (5-10, 4.70 ERA) set career highs in strikeouts in each of his past two outings, getting 10 at Cincinnati on July 23 and 11 at Milwaukee on Thursday.

"He has that kind of fastball," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "He can throw 10 fastballs in a row and probably not get hit. It's the ability to maybe spin the ball in there that has made the difference with him."

Ray will be facing the Nationals for the first time in his career. Roark, meanwhile, will be looking to extend his dominance against the Diamondbacks. In five games (two starts) covering 18 1/3 innings vs. Arizona, Roark has yet to allow an earned run.

Washington collected a season-high 19 hits Monday when the D-backs gave up 14 runs for the second game in a row.

Arizona (43-63) has lost 15 of 20 games and is 17-36 at home. Washington has 31 road victories, tied with St. Louis for the most in the majors.

The Nationals broke a two-game losing streak Monday after losing the final two games of a series at NL West-leading San Francisco, and Baker sees good things ahead.

"The Giants, they had a 20-game run," said Baker, who saw the Giants go 15-5 in June. "In my heart, I know there is a 20-gamer in there for us."