The Blue Jays continue their West Coast trip as they take on the Athletics. Ricky Romero is 4-0 with a 3.64 ERA in six starts this season and an impressive 1.07 WHIP, including a 1.00 WHIP at home. He did give up 5 runs and six hits to heavy-hitting Texas at home in his last outing, so we expect him to be much sharper tonight against a weaker Oakland lineup. Last year, he shut Oakland out at their place giving up just three hits and two walks over nine innings. He's 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA in five career starts against the A's. Oakland hitters are a combined 11 for 58 against the southpaw with Coco Crisp (0-9) and Brandon Inge (1-6) having the most trouble. As a team, Oakland is hitting .201 against left handed starters and .208 at home where they are averaging less than 3 runs per game. The Blue Jays

New York returns home to begin a series with Tampa Bay. James Shields gets the start and brings a 5-0 record with a 3.05 ERA into the contest. However, he has given up 8 runs and 15 hits in his last two starts. Shields was rocked on Opening Day this year by New York; he gave up 6 runs and nine hits in five innings. He's 5-11 with a 4.39 ERA in 21 career starts against the Bronx Bombers. Robinson Cano (24-60), Derek Jeter (22-70), A-Rod (13-41) and Brett Gardner (9-31) all have hit the Rays

St. Louis continues their road trip on Monday night as they begin a series in Arizona with the Diamondbacks. Lance Lynn has been a tremendous starter for the Cardinals; he is 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in five starts this season. The righty has given up just 6 runs and 19 hits in almost 34 innings of work. Lynn has shown good control walking only seven while striking out 30 in those games. He'll face an Arizona team that is hitting only .237 at home in 13 games. They have lost two straight series falling to the Mets and Nationals. The St. Louis bullpen continues to sport an ERA right around 3.30 this season despite not having won a game yet on the road.

Joe Saunders is 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA in five starts. He has been no slouch either finishing April with the league's best ERA. He is coming off a no-decision in Washington where he gave up 3 runs and seven hits in six innings. Saunders faced the Cardinals once last season but he only lasted five innings in that game. The St. Louis offense has been potent against left-handed starters this season. They are scoring nearly 7 runs per game in those contests while hitting over .300 in the process. They smacked J.A. Happ around on Sunday snapping their 3-game losing streak. The Arizona bullpen is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA at home so they've shown some leaks as of late. We expect the Cardinals to have success against another lefty en route to a solid road win on Monday night.

9* Play CARDINALS (-) (action).

The Nationals can pick up a sweep of the Phillies with a win on Sunday night. But they will face a major step-up in pitching competition, going from Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley to Cole Hamels. The southpaw has not given up more than 2 runs in four straight starts. This will also be his fourth straight road start. Hamels only saw the Nationals twice last season giving up 4 runs and 11 hits in 14 innings striking out 11 while walking five. Ian Desmond (4-17), Jesus Flores (1-14), Adam LaRoche (4-16), Chad Tracy (2-8) and Jayson Werth (0-6) have had their problems with the lefty. The Nationals scored as many runs on Saturday as they had on Thursday and Friday combined. It's an inconsistent offense that had a stretch from 4/26 to 5/1 where they scored just 7 total runs.

Jordan Zimmermann gets the start for the Nationals. He has only picked up one win despite giving up 9 runs in five combined starts. The righty saw the Phillies once last season and he gave up 4 runs and five hits in seven innings. Zimmermann just hasn't gotten the run support to help his low ERA. Jimmy Rollins (2-6), Carlos Ruiz (3-7) and Shane Victorino (3-8) all hit him well. The Phillies ended a nice stretch yesterday where they scored 3 runs or more in their previous five games. In their last 11 games, they

Matt Cain has deserved a better fate then he's had so far this season. The righty has allowed just 5 runs in his last four starts with only one of those games resulting in a victory for him. Now he'll face light-hitting Milwaukee in the series finale on Sunday. Cain has allowed only 2 runs in 26 innings pitched at home this season. Last year, he faced the Brewers twice and he had a rough time, but it was a different lineup than he'll see this year; no Prince Fielder and no Carlos Gomez. Alex Gonzalez (0-9), Corey Hart (2-13), Cesar Izturis (1-7) and Aramis Ramirez (3-18) all struggle with the Giants

The Yankees bounced back and took the second game of their series with the Royals on Friday night and New York should continue that momentum into this early daytime start on Saturday. Hiroki Kuroda gets the start on Saturday. He's 2-3 with a 3.69 ERA in five starts this season. He snapped a losing streak last time out giving up one run and four hits in seven innings against the Orioles. The former Dodgers' starter will be making his first start against Kansas City. The Royals have had an unfortunate start to their home slate losing 11 of their first 12. They are averaging less then four runs per game at home, despite hitting around .270 as a team. The Yankees' bullpen has been good this year, blowing only one save this season. They will have to adjust without Mariano Rivera, but David Robertson is having a good season as well.

Felipe Paulino will make his first start of the season after being sidelined since the end of spring training with a right forearm sprain. He made a rehab start and is now being thrown into the fire facing the Yankees. Paulino was 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA last year for Kansas City. One of those losses came against the Yankees at home giving up five runs and eight hits in 5.1 innings. New York is putting up over five runs per game on the road and is hitting around .270 as a team. The Royals' bullpen has been awful at home and is still looking for their first win after going 0-4 with two blown saves in three chances.

9* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

The Tigers got a much needed victory on Friday night when they picked up a walk-off victory over their division rival Chicago White Sox. Now Detroit will hope some video sessions helped fix what's wrong with Max Scherzer. He's 1-3 with a 7.76 ERA in five starts. The righty believes he found a flaw in his mechanics which should fix what he has been doing wrong so far this season. One of his better starts was a 5-2 loss to the White Sox where he gave up only three runs and five hits while striking out 11 in six innings. The righty is 3-4 with a 2.51 ERA in nine career starts against the White Sox. Kosuke Fukudome (1-8), Alejandro De Aza (1-8), Brent Morel (1-10), Alexei Ramirez (3-20) and Alex Rios (3-15) all have poor numbers against the Tigers' starter. The White Sox are only hitting around .225 in their last eight games, while losing six of those contests.

Gavin Floyd is winless on the road this season going 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA. The righty dominated the Red Sox at home last time out, giving up just one run and three hits, while striking out nine and walking only one. Floyd is 7-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 18 career starts against Detroit. The righty gave up just three hits in six innings against Detroit earlier this season. That stopped a streak of games where he gave up at least four earned runs against the Tigers. Austin Jackson (5-15), Jhonny Peralta (10-32), Ryan Raburn (12-34) and Ramon Santiago (4-15) hit the White Sox starter well. The Tigers are hitting around .254 at home where they are scoring nearly five runs per game. The White Sox pen took another loss and have now changed their closer to Chris Sale who was a starter earlier this season. Look for Detroit to carry that momentum from last night's walk-off win into today's game.

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The Dodgers will look to bounce back against the Cubs and Chris Volstad who is 0-3 with a 6.11 ERA in five starts this season. The righty has given up 21 runs and 32 hits in 28 innings of work for Chicago. He has had his struggles with the Dodgers in the past going 3-3 with a 4.46 ERA in six career starts. He did beat them last year in Florida, giving up two runs and seven hits in seven innings. Jerry Hairston Jr. (5-14), Matt Kemp (5-17) and James Loney (5-16) have had success against the former Marlins' starter. The Dodgers are 7-7 on the road hitting .275 against right-handed starters this season. The Cubs' bullpen has undergone some changes as Carlos Marmol is no longer the team's closer. They are now going with Russell and Dolis in that role instead.

Chris Capuano has been a good story for the Dodgers after his second Tommy John surgery this season. The southpaw is 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts. He has given up just three earned runs and 15 hits in his last 20 innings picking up wins over the Nationals and Braves at home. Capuano threw a good game against the Cubs last season giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings. Reed Johnson (1-7), Alfonso Soriano (2-8), Ian Stewart (0-4) and Jeff Baker (0-4) have had their struggles with Capuano. The Cubs are hitting just .219 in their four games against left-handed starters. The offense hasn't been that strong as a whole averaging only around 3.5 runs per game at home where they are 6-8. The Dodgers' bullpen is sporting a high ERA on the road, but they've only blown one save in six chances. We'll continue to fade Volstad until he shows something this season.

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The Angels hope that a homestand with Minnesota and Toronto can jump start their season. Los Angeles won their series with Minnesota and now welcomes a Blue Jays team to town who just took two of three games from Texas at home. Dan Haren has bounced back after a horrible start to the season allowing just 4 runs and 15 hits in his last 22 innings of work. Those games were against Cleveland, Baltimore, and Oakland. Haren faced the Blue Jays twice last year on the road allowing just 4 runs and nine hits in 15 innings striking out nine while walking two. J.P. Arencibia (0-9), Rajai Davis (1-4), Brett Lawrie (0-3), Colby Rasmus (3-19) and Omar Vizquel (4-28) all struggle with the Angels

Jeff Suppan makes his first start since October 4th of 2010 when he takes the mound Wednesday against Milwaukee. Suppan missed most of spring training with a triceps injury before making two starts for Triple-A Tucson. The Brewers are hitting over .260 as a team in their last eight games and they are putting things together as they cope without Prince Fielder. San Diego's bullpen has a losing record this season despite sporting a low ERA.

Yovani Gallardo's numbers are pretty bad, but that accounts for two awful outings against the Cardinals whom he just can't beat. Before his last start against St. Louis, Gallardo had given up just 4 earned runs over 21 innings. He has won two straight outings in San Diego over the last two seasons striking out 20 while walking five. Chris Denorfia (1-5), Orlando Hudson (3-14) and Cameron Maybin (1-6) all struggle with the Brewers

The Blue Jays can take a series at home from the Rangers with a win on Wednesday afternoon. They'll turn to Ricky Romero who is 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA in five starts. Romero is holding opposing batters to just a .193 average so far pitching into the seventh inning his last time out. Elvis Andrus (0-8), Julio Borbon (0-3), Nelson Cruz (3-14), Ian Kinsler (1-7) and Michael Young (3-12) all struggle with the southpaw. It's a Texas lineup that will probably be without Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton again as they hold them out from playing on the turf in Toronto. Toronto's bullpen picked up their first win at home as they were able to do enough to help the Blue Jays get the lead.

Matt Harrison is coming off a terrible outing in which he allowed 14 hits and 7 runs in five innings pitched against the Rays in Arlington. Harrison is 3-1 with a 3.37 ERA allowing 31 hits in just over 26 innings. Last year, the lefty gave up 11 runs and 16 hits in just over nine innings pitched against the Blue Jays. He also struggled in his first start against them way back in 2009. Toronto hitters are 22 for 56 all-time against the Texas starter. The Blue Jays are 7-2 in the daytime while averaging 5.8 runs per game in those contests. The Texas bullpen picked up their first loss on the road last night and they figure to be without Alexi Ogando after he pitched two innings. Toronto has won 8 of their last 12 games against the Rangers, and we expect that trend to continue this afternoon.

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The Mets continue their series with the Astros on Tuesday night as Jon Niese looks to continue his hot start. The lefty has four consecutive quality starts to open the year going 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in those games. Niese faced the Astros last April and gave up 2 runs and seven hits. The biggest problem in that outing was the walks; he had five in six innings. Niese has walked only seven in 25.7 innings so far this year. Houston

St. Louis can pick up a sweep with a win on Sunday afternoon. They'll get their second look at Zack Greinke who is 2-1 with a 4.56 ERA in four starts. Greinke shut the Cardinals out at home on April 7th giving up just four hits in seven innings. His problem has been on the road where he was shelled already by the light-hitting Cubs. Greinke's last outing in St. Louis was a rough one as well giving up 5 runs in just over five innings. David Freese (3-8), Rafael Furcal (3-10), Matt Holliday (5-15), Jon Jay (4-11), Yadier Molina (4-14) and Skip Schumaker (5-15) all have had success against the Brewers

The Blue Jays snapped a 4-game losing streak on Saturday. They'll look to build upon that on Sunday behind Henderson Alvarez. The righty is 0-2 with a 4.10 ERA in four starts. Alvarez gave up just 2 runs and five hits in seven innings pitched against Baltimore in his last start. Alvarez has tossed three quality starts this season and he is trying to live up to the lofty expectations set for him. Seattle continued their daytime struggles yesterday as they lost for the fourth time in six games while hitting right around .180 in that span.

Jason Vargas is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in five starts. He beat the Tigers his last time out despite giving up 4 runs and six hits in six innings. The southpaw is 0-2 with a 7.52 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays. He has given up 13 runs and 13 hits in his last seven innings pitched against Toronto. Edwin Encarnacion (4-12), Ben Francisco (2-6) and Eric Thames (2-5) have good numbers against the Seattle southpaw. Toronto is hitting right around .260 at home where they are 5-6. They'll face a Seattle bullpen that has been solid so far going 4-3 with an ERA right around 3.30. The Blue Jays have won six of their last eight games at home in this series and we expect them to notch another solid home win in this game.

9* Play BLUE JAYS (-) (action).

The Rangers continue their run thru the A.L. East as they host the Rays on Friday night. Texas took two of three games from the visiting Yankees and they will now set their sights on a Rays

The Orioles continue their homestand after another successful series with the Blue Jays. Now they'll welcome Oakland to town after they took two of three games from the White Sox at home. Jake Arrieta goes for Baltimore. He's 1-1 with a 4.01 ERA in four starts and he

The Red Sox continue their road trip as they begin a series against Philip Humber and the White Sox. Humber threw a perfect game his last time out so now is a good time to fade him. He held down light-hitting Seattle who was struggling to score at the time. Humber's first start came against the Orioles and he gave up 1 run and six hits in 5.3 innings. The righty struggled in both of his starts last season against the Red Sox giving up 8 runs and 15 hits in 12 innings. Boston has scored 6 runs or more in four straight games while putting up double digit hits in six of their last seven games. The White Sox bullpen is shaky as they blew their game against Oakland on Wednesday afternoon.

Felix Doubront has three no-decisions this season. He gave up 1 run and four hits in six innings pitched against the Yankees his last time out. The southpaw has gone five innings or more in each of his three starts. He'll face a White Sox team who is hitting .190 in five games against left-handed starters. The team is also hitting .238 at night and they have an inconsistent lineup. Boston's bullpen has been up and down this year, but they picked up a little momentum in their series against the Twins. We see some good value in taking the Red Sox lineup against an overvalued starter in Humber, especially since he is off a perfect game in his last start.

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The Blue Jays get one more crack at trying to pick up a win from the Orioles on Thursday night. They'll get a second look at Brian Matusz who is 0-3 with a 7.98 ERA in three starts. The lefty gave up 5 runs and seven hits in 5.7 innings pitched against the Blue Jays on April 15th. Matusz is still looking for his first win against Toronto as he owns a 13.08 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays. Jose Bautista (2-6), Rajai Davis (3-11), Edwin Encarnacion (2-5), Yunel Escobar (4-5) and Brett Lawrie (1-3) all hit the southpaw well. Toronto is hitting .246 against left-handed starters. They are scoring nearly 5 runs per game and they are hitting over .260 in their last eight games.

Drew Hutchison is making his second career start after pitching against the Royals. He gave up 5 runs and eight hits in 5.3 innings of work. The righty struck out four while walking three. Hutchison is the 7th ranked prospect for Toronto, and he is backed by a bullpen that has been stellar on the road posting an ERA under 2.00 while going undefeated in the process. Baltimore may be winning, but they are hitting right around .200 in their last eight games. The team is hitting right around .235 against right-handed starters. We expect Toronto bounce back tonight with a solid road win in Baltimore.

9* Play BLUE JAYS (-) (action).

Atlanta and Los Angeles continue their series on Tuesday night. The Dodgers will send Aaron Harang to the mound; he is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. The righty has given up at least 3 runs in each of his three starts this season. He's 1-3 with a 4.53 ERA in nine career starts against the Braves. He gave up 10 runs and 13 hits in 12 innings last year, taking the loss in one of those contests. Michael Bourn (8-24), Chipper Jones (6-15), Brian McCann (11-20), Dan Uggla (9-24) and Jack Wilson (16-48) all hit Harang well. The Braves are hitting right around .300 in their last eight games. The Dodgers

The Royals losing streak is now at 10 as they fell to Toronto once again on Sunday. Now the two teams will close out their series on Monday night. Brandon Morrow is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts for the Blue Jays. He got rocked by the Rays last time out giving up 6 runs and eight hits in six innings. Morrow faced Kansas City twice last season getting crushed at home while giving up 1 run on the road. Royals

It will be a tough act for John Danks to follow after Philip Humber threw a perfect game for Chicago on Saturday. Danks is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA so far this season. He's coming off a 3-2 loss to the Orioles in Chicago after giving up 3 runs and five hits in seven innings. Danks faced the Mariners twice last season and gave up just 1 run and 10 hits in 16 innings striking out 16 while walking only two. Seattle hitters are 35 for 171 against the White Sox starter with Ichiro getting nine of those hits. Seattle is hitting .222 against left-handed starters and less than that at home this season. They'll have to face the White Sox bullpen who is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA on the road converting both of their save opportunities.

Kevin Millwood is making his third start of the season. He gave up 7 runs and nine hits in four innings pitched against the Indians his last time out. Millwood last faced the White Sox in 2010 allowing 1 run and four hits in six innings. Adam Dunn (8-19), Paul Konerko (10-27) and Alex Rios (5-18) have seen the veteran a lot and they

The Phillies continue their series in San Diego where they've been quite comfortable over the past few seasons. The Padres haven't put up much resistance against Roy Halladay in his three career starts against them. Last year, Halladay gave up 4 runs and 13 hits in 16 innings of work. Overall, he's 3-0 with a 1.90 ERA against San Diego. Chase Headley (2-11), Orlando Hudson (1-4), Mark Kotsay (3-13), Cameron Maybin (3-13) and Carlos Quentin (1-5) all have had their struggles with Halladay. San Diego's offense is hitting below .200 in their nine home games this season. The Phillies

It's been a frustrating season so far for the Royals as they continue to find ways to lose during their first homestand of the year. The Blue Jays will send Drew Hutchison to the mound. In three starts with New Hampshire, he went 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 12 batters in 16 2/3 innings of work. Hutchison throws three pitches for strikes with very good command. He'll face a Royals team that is struggling to hit right now, especially in the night time where they are batting right around .220. The Blue Jays

Baltimore continues their road trip as they play the Angels in Anaheim. Los Angeles just hasn't started the season out the way people expected them to with the free agent splashes they made. They have a good chance to make up some ground starting with this series against the surprising Orioles. Jerome Williams will look for a better outing than his first one when he gave up 5 runs and five hits in two plus innings of work. Williams picked up a win over the Orioles last August after allowing just 1 run and six hits in seven innings. Endy Chavez (1-6) and JJ Hardy (2-9) struggle with the Angels

The Mets welcome the Giants to town beginning a 4-game series on Friday night. Barry Zito gets the start for San Francisco and so far he's been a pleasant surprise. Zito has given up just 3 runs and 10 hits in two outings against the Rockies and Pirates. The Giants

Colorado bounced back with a nice 5-3 win last night after losing two straight. They wrap up their series with San Diego on Wednesday evening in Coors Field. Juan Nicasio looks to step-up after an awful home start against Arizona where he gave up 6 runs and five hits in over two innings of work. Nicasio is facing the light-hitting Padres whom he did good work against last year giving up 4 runs and 11 hits in 13 innings striking out 19 while walking only three. The righty will look to slow down a Padres

The Indians bring their suddenly hot offense to Seattle as they look to continue their 3-game winning streak. Cleveland has scored 38 runs in their last four games and they will get a look at Kevin Millwood. Millwood's first start was a solid one giving up just 1 run and four hits in six innings pitched against the Rangers in Arlington. The righty last faced the Indians back in 2010 taking the loss after giving up 3 runs and nine hits in seven innings. Michael Brantley (3-4), Casey Kotchman (7-25) and Jose Lopez (17-56) hit the veteran well. The Indians are hitting .256 in their last seven games. Seattle's bullpen is 2-1 with a 4.33 ERA this season picking up four saves in five chances.

Cleveland sends Justin Masterson to the mound. He is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA after two starts against the White Sox and Blue Jays. He has 12 strikeouts while walking only two so it's good to see the control is there with him. Masterson faced the Mariners twice last year pitching his better game in Seattle. He's 2-0 with a 2.46 ERA in five career starts against the Mariners. Chone Figgins (1-14), Justin Smoak (1-4), Michael Saunders (0-4), Dustin Ackley (0-4) and Mike Carp (0-4) all have poor numbers against the righty. Seattle's offense is hitting .211 in their last seven games and .169 in their three home games. Cleveland has won five of their last seven games in Seattle, and we expect that trend to continue tonight.

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The Dodgers are finally taking a step-up in competition when they play the Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. Los Angeles got fat and happy on San Diego and Pittsburgh so far this year with neither team figuring to compete in their divisions. The Dodgers are hitting .252 this season and just .216 away from Los Angeles. They'll face Yovani Gallardo who bounced back nicely after getting roughed up by St. Louis in his first game of the season. The righty gave up 1 run and five hits in seven innings at Chicago his last time out. He faced the Dodgers last August and gave up 1 run and four hits in eight innings. Andre Ethier (2-12), Jerry Hairston Jr. (2-13), James Loney (2-8) and Tony Gwynn Jr. (1-8) hit poorly against the Brewers

Chicago welcomes Baltimore to town after they took two of three games from the Tigers. The White Sox will get their first look at Philip Humber this season. Humber went 9-9 last season with a 3.75 ERA in 26 starts. The righty faced the Orioles twice giving up 6 runs and 14 hits in 13 innings. Nick Markakis (2-8), Nolan Reimold (1-5) and Mark Reynolds (0-6) all have had their struggles with Chicago

New York looks for the series victory on Sunday night when they host the Angels on ESPN. They'll get their first look as a team at Jerome Williams who is coming off the DL with a strained left hamstring. The righty had two solid rehab outings in Class-A Advanced as he worked his way back to the majors. Last year he went 4-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 10 appearances for Los Angeles. Only three Bronx Bombers have statistics against the righty with the majority of the regular lineup having never faced him. The Yankees are hitting .280 in the night time which has happened only four times this season. The Angels

Kansas City took it on the chin Friday afternoon and they will look to their new acquisition to turn things around. Jonathan Sanchez picked up the win in his first outing after giving up just 2 runs and four hits in five innings. The lefty struck out four while walking three in the effort. He admitted to being "too amped up" and he should be a little better in front of the home crowd in Kansas City. The former Giant faced the Indians last season and gave up 3 runs and two hits in under five innings. The big problem in that game was the six walks he allowed. Tribe hitters are 3 for 31 combined against the lefty so they've struggled with him. Yesterday's offensive explosion by Cleveland was due to great success against the opposing starter. The Indians are hitting just .186 in three games against left-handed starters this season so we expect a regression tonight.

Jeanmar Gomez makes his first start of the season for Cleveland. The righty made one appearance out of the bullpen this season throwing two shutout innings. Gomez went 1-1 against the Royals last season giving up 6 runs and 15 hits in 10 innings of work. Billy Butler (4-9), Mitch Maier (5-8), Brayan Pena (2-7), Yuniesky Betancourt (2-5) and Jeff Francoeur (13) have good numbers against the Indians

Two teams heading in opposite directions take the field Saturday afternoon in New York as the Yankees host the Angels. Phil Hughes tries to bounce back off a poor start in Tampa Bay where he gave up 2 runs and five hits in just under five innings. Hughes has not seen the Angels since 2010 when he had two starts against them at home. He won one of the starts and lost the other while showing two different stat lines in each game. Bobby Abreu (1-6), Erick Aybar (1-6), Howard Kendrick (1-8) and Kendrys Morales (0-3) all struggle with the Yankees

Washington continues their series with the Reds on Friday night as they look for another win. They'll send Jordan Zimmermann to the mound to build off his solid first effort. The righty took the loss against the Cubs despite giving up just 2 runs and six hits in seven innings of work. Zimmermann will face the Reds for the third time in his career after pitching against them twice in a 10-day span last year. In those two games, he allowed 3 runs and 12 hits in 10 innings of work. Jay Bruce (1-5), Willie Harris (1-5), Paul Janish (0-4) and Drew Stubbs (0-4) have had their struggles with the Nationals

It's the home opener for the Yankees after a road trip thru Tampa Bay and Baltimore. They will welcome the Angels and Ervin Santana to town this afternoon. Santana took the loss against the Royals at home in his first start after giving up 6 runs and seven hits in over five innings. Santana is 5-5 against the Yankees with a 5.55 ERA in 12 career starts. Last year, Santana lost two home games to the Bronx Bombers giving up 9 runs and 15 hits in 13 innings. Robinson Cano (11-32), Eric Chavez (11-31), Brett Gardner (4-14), Derek Jeter (17-38), Russell Martin (5-17) and A-Rod (9-31) all have good numbers against Santana. The Yankees have started a bit slow offensively hitting .249 as a unit, but they are putting up nearly 5 runs per game. The Angels

A series victory is on the line Thursday as the Tigers host the Rays. Tampa Bay came back on Justin Verlander and Jose Valverde to pick up the win on Wednesday. Now they'll have to handle Drew Smyly who will be making his Major League debut. Last year he made 14 starts in Class A and then seven more starts in AA while posting good numbers in each place. The lefty had an okay spring giving up 8 runs and 11 hits in 18 innings of work. Tampa Bay has been impressive this season, but their offense has not exactly been a strength. They didn

It has not been the start of the season that the Red Sox envisioned. Still, they can pick up a series win in Toronto with a victory on Wednesday afternoon. They'll send Jon Lester to the mound after his solid performance in the loss at Detroit. Lester held their potent lineup to 1 run over seven innings of work. Lester now gets the Toronto Blue Jays whom he is 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA against. In his last two outings against the Blue Jays on the road, the southpaw has allowed just 1 run and five hits over 15 innings striking out 19 while walking only two. Toronto hitters are a combined 29 for 164 against Lester with the worst struggles coming from Jose Bautista (8-39) and Adam Lind (3-24). Toronto's offense may be putting up runs, but they are still hitting below .200 as a unit.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Ricky Romero who was torched on opening day and who has an awful history against the Red Sox. Romero gave up 4 runs on three hits in five innings pitched to Cleveland in his first start. For his career, the lefty is 4-6 with a 7.12 ERA in 13 outings against the Red Sox. Jacoby Ellsbury (10-25), Darnell McDonald (5-14), David Ortiz (10-29), Dustin Pedroia (9-23) and Kevin Youkilis (8-20) all have had good success against the Blue Jays

The Diamondbacks hit the road after a successful series at home with the Giants. Now they'll face a Padres team that lost three of their first four games at home. Trevor Cahill will make his first start in the National League on Tuesday night. Cahill went 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA last year after going 18-8 in 2010. He'll be facing a San Diego lineup that is hitting .187 so far this season. Mark Kotsay (3-12) and Carlos Quentin (1-8) have struggled with the former Athletics

A pair of 1-2 teams meet at Wrigley Field on Monday night as the Cubs host the Brewers. It will be Chris Volstad

The Orioles picked up a win on Friday afternoon behind a solid effort by Jake Arrieta. They'll look for two straight wins as the series continues with the Twins on Saturday. Minnesota sends Francisco Liriano to the mound as he tries to improve from an awful season last year. He made good strides during the spring as he went 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA. He struck out 33 while walking only five which is the most important aspect of his stat line. Liriano beat the Orioles in Baltimore last April after giving up 2 runs and five hits in 6.3 innings. The lefty's other outing against the O's last season was a short one, but he allowed just 1 run in two innings. Wilson Betemit (3-15), JJ Hardy (1-4) and Mark Reynolds (0-3) all have poor numbers against the Twins

Arizona won for us last night and we

The Diamondbacks begin their season tonight as they host the Giants with both teams sending their aces to the mound. Tim Lincecum will hope to start San Francisco off right. Lincecum has said that he's going to back off throwing his slider which last year he threw 15.6% of the time. His velocity was down this spring, and he gave up 8 runs and 13 hits in his last two outings against the Angels and Brewers. It's not good for the Giants

Expectations are low for the Mets this season as most think they'll be in the basement of the NL East. New York begins their season at home against an Atlanta Braves squad that hopes their younger pieces start playing up to their potential. The Mets turn to Johan Santana to start things off. The lefty is going to be held to a pitch count around 95 as he attempts to maintain his health. Santana is 3-6 with a 2.28 ERA in 12 career starts against the Braves. He has given up just 5 runs and 17 hits in his last 19 innings pitched against the Braves. Santana's spring has been decent as the lefty gave up just 3 earned runs in his last 11 innings. Jason Heyward (1-8), Martin Prado (3-20), David Ross (0-6) and Dan Uggla (1-19) all struggle with the Mets

The Tigers face off against the Red Sox in Detroit's home opener. They'll turn to Justin Verlander who was the AL MVP and Cy Young last season. Verlander faced the Red Sox twice last season giving up just 3 runs and 10 hits in over 15 innings of work. The righty shut out the Red Sox last year at home on May 29th giving up just four hits in that win. The righty continued his solid pitching in the spring; he allowed just 6 runs and 22 hits in over 26 innings with 25 strikeouts and just three walks. Jacoby Ellsbury (3-14), Adrian Gonzalez (1-7), Dustin Pedroia (0-10), Nick Punto (4-26) and Ryan Sweeney (2-10) each have had their struggles with the righty. Boston's lineup will have a different feel to it with Sweeney and Cody Ross in it. The Tigers bullpen, should it be needed, will be led by Jose Valverde once again.

Jon Lester enters this game fresh off a 10 strikeout performance in seven innings against the Phillies. But the lefty has had notorious struggles in the beginning of the season and he will be facing a Tigers team that has smacked him around in three outings. Lester has allowed 12 runs and 20 hits in those three games with two of them resulting in losses. He'll have to contend with a Detroit lineup that smacked the ball around during the spring. Miguel Cabrera (5-10), Prince Fielder (1-3) and Brennan Boesch (2-7) all have had success against Lester. He'll be backed by an iffy bullpen that will now be without Andrew Bailey due to a thumb injury. The Tigers have been playing on a mission as of late, and we expect them to start the year off with a win.

9* Play TIGERS (-) (action).

It's a high powered match-up to open the season for the Miami Marlins as they host the St. Louis Cardinals. Josh Johnson gets the start for Miami as he looks to try and stay healthy all season long; Johnson went 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA in six outings for the Fish during the spring. He'll have completely new surroundings as the team plays their first regular season game at Marlins Park. Johnson will also get to face a Cardinals

The rain out last night and the extra day of rest should help St. Louis re-group and rebound from their road losses in Games 4 & 5 as the Cardinals try to stave off elimination tonight. They'll send southpaw Jaime Garcia to the mound. His first outing against the Rangers went well; he gave up three hits and one walk in seven innings of work. Garcia has been a stronger pitcher at home this season with a 2.45 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 91/29 strikeout/walk ratio and a 12-6 SU team record in 18 home starts. He has given up just 1 run at home in his last two playoff starts. The Rangers

Texas evened up the series with a solid Game 4 win on Sunday night. Now they'll look to take the lead before the series heads back to St. Louis for Game 6. This is a rematch of Game 1 as C.J. Wilson takes on Chris Carpenter. Carpenter was okay in his first World Series start allowing 2 runs and five hits in six innings. Carpenter will be making his third postseason road start with mixed results in the first two. He sent the Phillies home on October 7th after pitching terribly on October 2nd. He'll face a Texas lineup that is very comfortable at home having scored at least 4 runs or more in four straight games. The team is hitting right around .290 in Arlington this season.

C.J. Wilson will be glad to be home. His Game 1 effort was okay as well giving up 3 runs and four hits in 5.2 innings of work. The lefty is 8-2 in his home starts this season and he

The scene shifts to Arlington for Game 3 of the World Series with the Cardinals and Rangers tied at one game apiece. St. Louis was home for a pair of low-scoring affairs in cold weather. But in Texas, we expect hot weather and higher scoring games. Kyle Lohse makes the start for St. Louis. He has had a rough postseason so far losing both starts after giving up 9 runs and 13 hits in just over 10 innings of work. Lohse has faced the Rangers nine times in his career going 3-3 with a 7.16 ERA. The Rangers are scoring over 6 runs per game at home while hitting .294 in the process. Texas has scored 22 runs in their last two home playoff games.

Matt Harrison will be making his first home start of the playoffs. He is 8-5 with a 3.89 ERA in 15 starts in Arlington this season. The lefty has been solid so far this postseason allowing just 4 runs and eight hits in 10 innings. He's able to pitch so few innings because of the Texas bullpen which has been as stellar as the Cardinals

It

It's Game 1 of the World Series as the Cardinals host the Rangers on Wednesday night. St. Louis has been one of the best stories in these playoffs using a late run to get in before beating the Phillies and Brewers who each had homefield advantage in their respective series. Chris Carpenter has been one of the reasons for the Cardinals

The Brewers return home for a pair of must win games if they want to move on to the World Series. It's a rematch of a Game 2 disaster for Shaun Marcum and Milwaukee. Marcum has struggled recently, but he is still a solid pitcher with a 3.91 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in his 35 starts this year. Outside of his Game 2 flop, Marcum has been solid against the Cardinals, especially in his last two starts where he allowed just 3 earned runs and only 12 hits in 13 innings. At home, the Brewers

The NLCS is all even at 2 apiece after Milwaukee picked up a win over the Cardinals in St. Louis on Thursday night. Jaime Garcia is glad to be back at home where he is 9-5 with a 2.63 ERA as a starter. The lefty did get rocked earlier this series by the Brewers, but he's a better pitcher in front of his fans. On May 6th, Garcia allowed just two hits and one walk in a 6-0 complete game victory over the Brewers in St. Louis. Ryan Braun (5-22), Carlos Gomez (2-12), Jerry Hairston Jr. (2-11), Jonathan Lucroy (2-14) and Rickie Weeks (4-16) all struggle with Garcia. Milwaukee is hitting .236 on the road this season against left-handed pitching. They have the worst record away from home of any playoff team still playing.

Zack Greinke also got rocked in his first outing of the series allowing 6 runs and eight hits in six innings. He has been shelled in both of his outings so far this playoffs giving up 4 runs and eight hits in five innings to the Diamondbacks. Greinke lost to the Cardinals in his one road outing against them this season giving up 2 runs and eight hits in seven innings. Overall, the Brewers

The Cardinals return home after splitting a pair of games with the Brewers in Milwaukee. Chris Carpenter takes the mound after shutting down the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLDS. Carpenter has allowed only 4 runs and 10 hits in his last 21 innings of work winning two of those games. He has a 3.05 ERA at home in 17 starts and he has great numbers against the Brewers at home. Carpenter faced Milwaukee in St. Louis in August and September and he allowed just 2 runs and 14 hits over 17 innings pitched. Carpenter won both games including out-dueling Yovani Gallardo in one of those contests. Ryan Braun (5-22), Jerry Hairston Jr. (6-28), Corey Hart (5-21), Jonathan Lucroy (1-10) and Nyjer Morgan (4-23) all struggle with the Cardinals

After an unexpected day off, the Rangers and Tigers play Game 2 of their series on Monday afternoon. The extra rest should now favor the Rangers at home, especially since their key relief pitchers are now rested. Detroit has also announced that RF Magglio Ordonez is now out for the rest of the postseason after breaking his right ankle in Game 1. The Tigers decided this morning to put LF Delmon Young into the lineup in place of Ordonez, but Young is still not fully healthy after he strained his oblique in Game 5 versus the Yankees.

It could be a rough outing for Max Scherzer who is 8-5 with a 4.92 ERA on the road allowing 99 hits in 93.1 innings pitched. He faced Texas three times this season with his roughest outing coming in Arlington when he allowed 5 runs and eight hits in five innings. Adrian Beltre (4-11), Nelson Cruz (4-15), Ian Kinsler (4-13), David Murphy (4-14) and Yorvit Torrealba (2-5) all hit the Tigers

The Tigers move on from Yankee Stadium to Arlington, Texas where they'll begin their ALCS series. The gamble Detroit made by not using Justin Verlander against the Yankees in Game 5 paid off and now he's starting Game 1 against the Rangers. Verlander had a shaky series against the Yankees allowing 5 runs and six hits in nine innings. Overall, he's 14-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 19 road starts striking out 134 while walking only 34. Verlander lost a tough one to Texas back on April 11th after allowing 2 runs and six hits in a complete game 2-0 loss. Elvis Andrus (1-11), Nelson Cruz (1-9), Ian Kinsler (3-18), David Murphy (3-13), Mike Napoli (3-15) and Michael Young (6-26) all struggle with the Tigers

Arizona staved off elimination on Tuesday night by beating Milwaukee at home. They get a chance to even up the series on Wednesday night as they face Randy Wolf. The soft-tossing lefty faced the Diamondbacks twice in the span of two weeks back in July and he allowed 10 runs and 18 hits over 13.1 innings pitched while taking the loss in both games. He's not exactly entering the game in great form allowing 13 runs and 26 hits over his last 18.2 innings pitched. Wolf has struggled on the road allowing 15 runs over his last three starts. Willie Bloomquist (3-10), Miguel Montero (4-8), Gerardo Parra (3-9), Ryan Roberts (6-13) and Chris Young (8-27) all hit Wolf the hardest. Arizona hits .258 at home this season and they

The Tigers and Yankees turn to their aces for Game 3 of the ALDS in Detroit on Monday night. CC Sabathia is 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 33 starts. He gave up 1 run in his short appearance in Game 1 against Detroit. The lefty has faced the Tigers twice this season allowing 7 runs and 16 hits over 13 innings of work. Wilson Betemit (3-5), Miguel Cabrera (9-16), Carlos Guillen (13-44), Austin Jackson (4-14), Magglio Ordonez (19-71) and Ramon Santiago (7-24) all have good numbers against the Yankees

The Brewers overpowered the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of their NLDS series. Now they send Zack Greinke to the mound to try to push their series lead to 2-0. Greinke has allowed 2 runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts this season and he is 11-0 with a 3.13 ERA at home. The righty lost at Arizona back in July after allowing 2 runs and five hits in seven innings. The Diamondbacks

The Brewers begin Game 1 of the NLDS against Arizona at home where they have been magnificent this season. Yovani Gallardo gets the call and he brings a 17-10 record with a 3.52 ERA into the game. The righty has allowed just 4 runs and 12 hits over his last three starts striking out a whopping 36 batters while walking only three. Gallardo faced Arizona twice this season winning both games after allowing just 4 runs and eight hits in 13 innings of work. He has won all five career starts against the Diamondbacks posting a 1.20 ERA in those games. Miguel Montero (1-7), Xavier Nady (2-8), Gerardo Parra (1-6) and Chris Young (2-13) all have poor numbers against the Brewers

Houston and Colorado continue their series on Saturday night with the Astros sending lefty J.A. Happ to the mound. Happ is 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA in five starts since returning from Triple-A to work on some early season struggles. He has given up just 1 run in his last two home starts which have come against the Phillies and Pirates. The lefty last faced Colorado as a member of the Phillies in 2010 and gave up 3 runs and four hits in five innings. The Rockies

The Blue Jays pulled out an extra innings victory on Monday night as their momentum continues as they look to close the season out well. On the other hand, the Angels are fading in the race for the A.L. Wild Card. Joel Pineiro hasn't helped out much. He is 6-7 with a 5.17 ERA in 22 starts while allowing 160 hits in just 125.3 innings pitched. Pineiro hasn't faced the Blue Jays since 2010 when he allowed 3 runs and two hits in six innings. Yunel Escobar (5-13), Kelly Johnson (6-12), Jose Molina (5-14), Edwin Encarnacion (2-6) and Rajai Davis (2-5) all hit the veteran well. Toronto has won 8 of their last 11 games while scoring 5 runs or more in eight of those games. The Angels

The Angels are still battling for the playoffs, while Toronto is playing for the future, however the Blue Jays continue to play hard and are 7-3 during their past ten games, including winning 3 of their past 4 games versus the Red Sox and Yankees. Now Toronto has their best starter on the mound with Ricky Romero tonight. He is 15-10 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 30 starts this season, including 3.10 ERA and 1.18 WHIP at home where the Blue Jays are 10-5 SU with Romero on the mound. He faced the Angels on August 13th in Anaheim and he allowed just one run and two hits in seven innings. Peter Bourjos (0-5), Torii Hunter (1-7), Maicer Izturis (1-7), Jeff Mathis (0-4), Mark Trumbo (0-3) and Vernon Wells (0-3) have all struggled versus the southpaw. The Angels have lost four of their last seven games and are batting only around .240 as a team during that span.

Jerome Williams has yet to lose this season, going 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA in four starts, however he has struggled in both of his road outings, allowing 7 runs and 14 hits with 7 walks in just 11.1 innings pitched for a terrible 5.56 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in those two road starts. Only two Blue Jays have seen Williams with Kelly Johnson (5-12) having nice success. Toronto

The Diamondbacks wrap up a six game road trip thru Los Angeles and San Diego on Sunday afternoon. Arizona needs to pick up a win to prevent getting swept by the Padres. They'll turn to Joe Saunders who has won two straight road starts against the Dodgers and Rockies. He's 8-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 17 starts away from Arizona. The lefty has a 2.05 ERA in three starts against the Padres this season. He has won two straight starts against San Diego, giving up just two runs and 10 hits over 16 innings. Jason Bartlett (3-14), Logan Forsythe (1-7), Rob Johnson (2-14) and Cameron Maybin (1-7) have all struggled against this southpaw. San Diego has scored just 11 runs over their last five games. They are 32-42 at home this season hitting around .222 there. Arizona's bullpen continues to be solid on the road with a 3.38 ERA and an excellent 80% save percentage.

Aaron Harang is 13-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 26 starts for San Diego. He has lost two of his last three starts falling to the Rockies and Giants, including a particularly poor effort last Monday when he lasted only five innings in an 8-3 loss at San Francisco. Harang is 1-1 against the Diamondbacks this season, giving up 5 runs and 15 hits in just 13 innings. Geoff Blum (12-23), Miguel Montero (6-12), Xavier Nady (10-30), Lyle Overbay (9-22) and Chris Young (5-15) have all hit this former Cincinnati starter well.

10* Play DIAMONDBACKS (-) (action).

The Indians will be glad to leave Arlington as they begin a series with light hitting Minnesota tonight. Ubaldo Jimenez hasn't exactly helped Cleveland continue their AL Central push, but he's in good form right now. The former Rockies

The Angels head to Oakland to begin a series on Monday night as they try to inch closer to the A.L. West lead. Joel Pineiro gets the call as he tries to rebound from an awful start. He's 6-6 with a 4.93 ERA in 21 starts. The righty has struggled on the road going 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA in 10 starts. Pineiro gave up 11 runs and 10 hits in 7.3 innings over his last two trips to Oakland. Overall, he's 8-10 with a 4.62 ERA in 23 career starts against the Athletics. David DeJesus (13-35), Hideki Matsui (7-21), Cliff Pennington (6-16), Adam Rosales (2-6), Scott Sizemore (2-5) and Josh Willingham (3-8) have good numbers against the Angels

CC Sabathia tries for his 20th victory of the season tonight as he looks to continue his streak of winning starts. The lefty is 19-7 with a 2.97 ERA in 30 starts this year. He is also getting an extra day of rest after throwing 239 pitches in two starts. Sabathia already beat the Angels once this season, allowing two runs and eight hits in a near complete game effort in June. He has given up just four runs in his last three starts against LAA. Erick Aybar (0-4), Peter Bourjos (1-4), Russell Branyan (2-13), Jeff Mathis (1-8), Mark Trumbo (1-4) and Vernon Wells (7-34) all struggle with Sabathia. The Angels are scoring only 4.3 runs per game against left-handed starters. They are hitting around .240 in their last eight games. The Yankees

Things couldn't get much worse for the Twins who were shut out again on Tuesday night in a 3-0 loss. They have now scored one run or less in 17 of their last 33 games since August 1st. Overall, Minnesota has scored one run or less 26% of their games which is tied with the Mariners for worst in the league. They have lost 28 of their last 36 games and now have to face John Danks who just lost only his second game since the All-Star break. The southpaw has faced Minnesota only once this season, giving up three runs and eight hits in eight innings in May. That was a greatly different lineup as the Twins are now without Denard Span, Alexi Casilla, Justin Morneau and have Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer questionable as well. The team is hitting around .220 in their last eight games and are now a woeful 29-41 at home this season.

Carl Pavano has given up 14 runs and 25 hits in his last 20.1 innings, losing two of those starts at home to Detroit and Baltimore. Pavano is 7-11 with a 4.60 ERA in 28 starts overall. Gordon Beckham (8-24), Paul Konerko (12-38), Juan Pierre (11-29), AJ Pierzynski (11-35), Alexei Ramirez (9-32) and Alex Rios (9-34) all have good numbers against the Twins

The Phillies sent their first message to Atlanta on Monday night with a 9-0 win. Tonight they

Detroit put the White Sox well in their rear view mirror after sweeping them at home over the weekend. Now the Tigers can do the same to the Indians during their series beginning on Monday afternoon. Ubaldo Jimenez gets another crack at the Tigers after facing them three times already this season. He has given up 14 runs and 23 hits in 16.3 innings of work against Detroit. Even in two victories earlier this month, the Tigers managed to get hits and score some runs against him. Miguel Cabrera (5-15), Victor Martinez (4-11) and Delmon Young (6-9) have seen Jimenez the most and have done well. Detroit has scored over 6 runs per game while hitting over .300 in their last eight games. The Tigers are 36-33 on the road while hitting .264 in the process.

Doug Fister is in a groove right now. The Tigers

The Tigers can probably put the finishing touches on the White Sox with a win on Sunday night. They'll face Mark Buehrle who is 11-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 26 starts. The lefty isn't as reliable on the road where he is 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA. The southpaw is 18-9 with a 3.12 ERA in 32 career starts against Detroit. He has given up 11 runs and 28 hits in his last 17.7 innings pitched against the Tigers with the worst outing coming in Detroit back in April. Carlos Guillen (17-55), Austin Jackson (7-16), Victor Martinez (25-72), Magglio Ordonez (17-38), Jhonny Peralta (24-80) and Delmon Young (13-39) all have great success against the White Sox starter. Detroit is 27-18 against left-handed starters while hitting .274 in those games. They are on fire offensively as they

The Nationals return home after a rough 1-5 road trip thru Cincinnati and Atlanta. They now host the Mets who will send R.A. Dickey to the mound on three days rest. Dickey is just 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA in five career starts on three days rest. Overall, he is 6-11 with a 3.69 ERA in 27 starts this season. Dickey has faced the Nationals three times this season going 0-2 after giving up 8 runs and 20 hits in just over 17 innings of work. Rick Ankiel (6-17), Michael Morse (3-9), Wilson Ramos (5-7) and Jayson Werth (8-19) each hit the knuckleballer well. Washington is a much better team at home where they are 37-28 while hitting .254 as a unit. They haven

The Blue Jays and Orioles wrap up their series with an afternoon affair on Thursday. Toronto pounded Baltimore last night behind a solid offensive effort. They

Ubaldo Jimenez has loved his time in Cleveland so far, especially in front of the home fans. He has allowed only 12 hits while striking out 16 in two home starts which is good for a 0.60 ERA. Only three Oakland hitters have seen Jimenez before with Conor Jackson (3-15) and Josh Willingham (2-10) struggling against him. Brandon Allen (2-6) is the other Athletics

The Diamondbacks are one of the hottest teams in baseball and they are putting distance between themselves and the rest of the N.L. West. Arizona continues their series against the Rockies on Tuesday night hoping Wade Miley can build off his last start in Washington. Miley gave up just five hits in six innings while walking four and striking out four others. He will face a Colorado team that is hitting only .235 on the road while scoring just 15 runs in their last four games away from Coors Field. The Arizona bullpen continues to be a strength going 19-13 with a 3.55 ERA and only 12 blown saves in 59 chances.

Aaron Cook has struggled horribly in his last three outings. The righty has given up 15 runs and 29 hits over his last 18.3 innings pitched while striking out only seven batters over that stretch. Cook is 2-3 with a 6.43 ERA in six road starts with 10 strikeouts and 13 walks. He picked up a win in July against Arizona, but it wasn't because of his pitching. The Rockies

Houston returns home after playing a 7-game road trip in Colorado and San Francisco. The Astros will send Wandy Rodriguez to the mound. He's 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA in ten home games. The lefty has given up just 14 runs and 27 hits over his last 31 innings of work which includes three road games at Los Angeles, Arizona, and Colorado. Rodriguez was masterful in his last home start against the Giants as he went 8 shutout innings while allowing just 5 hits in a 6-0 Houston win. The Pirates are just 1-3 on their current road trip while hitting just .239 as a team in those four games. Pittsburgh does not hit left-handed pitching too well either as they have a .236 team batting average against lefties for the season.

Ross Ohlendorf has only pitched 13.2 innings in three starts for the Pirates this season. And the results have not been pretty. Ohlendorf is 0-1 with a 7.24 ERA. He has allowed 11 earned runs on 22 hits in those games and we can expect more of the same tonight in Houston. The Astros

San Diego

Cleveland and Seattle split a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday. The two teams will wrap up their series this afternoon in Cleveland. Felix Hernandez, who is 11-11 with a 3.38 ERA in 27 starts, goes for Seattle. He has lost his last two road starts despite throwing complete games. Hernandez faced the Indians twice last season and allowed 6 runs and 10 hits in almost 15 innings of work. He has lost his last two starts against the Indians in Cleveland. Michael Brantley (2-7), Jack Hannahan (6-12), Luis Valbuena (3-10) and Lou Marson (2-3) all hit the Mariners

Big series in Arlington starting on Monday night as the Rangers host the Red Sox. Boston won't be entering this series at full strength as they'll be without Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz with a chance of also being without Jacoby Ellsbury as well. They'll face a hot C.J. Wilson who is 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his last three games. The southpaw is 12-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 26 starts this season. He has had Boston's number in his career going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four career starts. Wilson gave up 4 runs and six hits in 5.7 innings pitched against the Red Sox back in April. Boston

Detroit continued their home dominance against the Indians on Friday night. Now they'll send Doug Fister to the mound to face the Indians for the fourth time this season. Fister has allowed 6 runs and 14 hits over 16 innings of work against the Tribe. Fister is 4-13 with a 3.58 ERA in 24 starts this season. He is coming off a rough outing in Baltimore, but that team has had his number in his career. Fister's last home start was a victory over Texas on August 3rd. Jack Hannahan (0-5), Carlos Santana (0-5) and Luis Valbuena (1-5) all have poor numbers against the Tigers

An important A.L. Central battle begins on Friday night in Detroit as the Tigers host the Indians. Max Scherzer has been stellar at home going 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 13 starts. He is coming off a win in Baltimore against the Orioles where he struck out 10 while walking zero in seven innings. The righty won his last start at home against the Tribe after giving up 2 runs and four hits in 5.7 innings of work. Michael Brantley (1-12), Jason Donald (1-5), Jack Hannahan (0-3), Matt LaPorta (2-12) and Carlos Santana (0-6) struggle against Detroit

The Nationals were close to picking up their second straight win against the Reds, but they were unable to score with the bases loaded in the ninth. Now they'll face Bronson Arroyo who is pitching with a strained left Achilles injury suffered this past Friday. Arroyo has said that the injury is still painful, but he intends to work thru it. Arroyo is 7-9 with a 5.31 ERA when healthy this season. Arroyo faced the Nationals twice last season and gave up 9 runs and 12 hits in 13.7 innings of work. Rick Ankiel (5-19), Ian Desmond (2-5), Jonny Gomes (2-5) and Ryan Zimmerman (7-20) all have good numbers against the righty. Washington is now 33-24 at home where they are putting up over 4 runs per game. The team is hitting .254 there and they

The Rangers are smoking hot right now and putting the rest of the A.L. West behind them. Texas has scored 5 runs or more in five straight games and in 11 of their last 12 games overall. Ervin Santana is 9-8 with a 3.10 ERA in 25 starts this season. Santana has faced Texas twice this season and gave up 10 runs and 18 hits in 11 innings of work. Elvis Andrus (11-27), Julio Borbon (4-11), Nelson Cruz (8-30), Ian Kinsler (17-40), Taylor Teagarden (2-6) and Michael Young (24-68) all hit Santana well. Texas is hitting over .300 as a team in their last eight games.

C.J. Wilson is 11-5 with a 3.17 ERA on the season. He has also pitched well on the road going 6-4 with a 2.58 ERA. The lefty is coming off a solid win in Oakland after giving up 1 run and four hits in six innings. Wilson has seen the Angels three times already giving up 6 runs and 17 hits over 20 innings. Bobby Abreu (2-16), Erick Aybar (6-25), Russell Branyan (0-6), Alberto Callaspo (4-17), Torii Hunter (5-22), Jeff Mathis (2-17), Vernon Wells (3-13) and Reggie Willits (2-13) all struggle against the southpaw. The Angels are hitting right around .220 in their last eight games so the offense has been an issue. The Rangers

Atlanta picked up an improbable walk-off victory on Monday night over the Giants. Randall Delgado makes his second start of the season for the Braves tonight. Delgado's first start was a tough one at home against the Rangers. He gave up 4 runs and seven hits in four innings of work. Since then, he went 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA in Double-A Mississippi and got promoted to Triple-A where he made two starts without allowing a run; Delgado struck out 15 over 13 innings pitched there. The Giants

The Reds broke out on Saturday and they

The Mets have used late inning magic to take their first two games against the Padres. They can continue their winning streak on Wednesday night when they take on Aaron Harang. He has struggled as of late giving up 14 runs and 27 hits over his last 16.7 innings of work. Harang has won two of those starts despite giving up 4 runs in each of those games. Harang is 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. Jason Bay (17-46), David Wright (8-12) and Angel Pagan (1-3) have good numbers against Harang. San Diego's usually reliable bullpen has blown two straight games. Meanwhile, the Mets are hitting over .280 in their last eight games.

R.A. Dickey is looking for some run support. The knuckleballer has been backed by only 5 runs of offense despite only giving up 7 runs himself. Dickey is 1-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 12 starts at home, but he is coming off a solid effort against the Braves where New York scored only 1 run for him. San Diego's offensive outburst has managed to only bring their offensive average up to right around .237 as a team. They are hitting right around .231 in night games. The Mets

Vance Worley has been amazing for Philadelphia this season. The rookie is 8-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 starts. Worley has been solid on the road going 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA. The righty has struck out 18 while walking only two in his last three starts. The Dodgers are now 28-33 at home where they are hitting right around .240 as a team. The Phillies

New York will try to bounce back after losing two straight games to Boston. Coming to town is Dan Haren and the Angels. Haren is 6-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 13 road starts this season. Haren faced the Yankees at home last season and gave up 3 runs and six hits in seven innings of work. Robinson Cano (6-22), Derek Jeter (7-22), Andruw Jones (3-10), Mark Teixeira (7-26) and Nick Swisher (1-3) have good numbers against the Angels

The White Sox bring a 3-game winning streak into their series with the Orioles which begins on Monday night. John Danks is 4-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 18 starts. He has been sizzling as of late giving up 5 runs and 20 hits over his last 19 innings pitched. Danks did take a loss against Baltimore earlier this season during his early struggles after giving up 5 runs and eight hits in six innings. Vlad Guerrero (4-24), Cesar Izturis (1-6), Adam Jones (1-18), Felix Pie (0-3) and Matt Wieters (1-12) struggle with the southpaw. Baltimore is 11-23 against left-handed starters while scoring less than 4 runs per game against them. The White Sox bullpen has been great on the road with an ERA near 3.00 and only four blown saves.

Jeremy Guthrie is 5-14 with a 4.41 ERA in 23 starts. The righty has lost two of his last three starts falling to the Royals and Angels. Guthrie lost to the White Sox in Chicago earlier this season after giving up 4 runs and five hits in seven innings. He is 3-5 with a 4.71 ERA in nine career starts against them. Juan Pierre (4-9), AJ Pierzynski (6-22) and Alex Rios (11-35) have good numbers against Guthrie. Chicago is now 31-26 on the road hitting nearly .250 in the process. Over their last eight games, they are approaching a .280 batting average as a team. We expect Danks to lead Chicago to a solid road win over Baltimore in this game tonight.

10* Play WHITE SOX (-) (action).

The Diamondbacks return home as they continue to chase the lead in the N.L. West. They host the Los Angeles Dodgers who lost two of three games at home to the Diamondbacks last week. It will be Josh Collmenter's third start against the Dodgers. He's 1-1 with a 4.65 ERA in those starts picking up a win back in May while losing his last outing in July. Collmenter has better numbers at home where he's 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA. Aaron Miles (1-6), James Loney (1-4), Jamey Carroll (0-3) and Juan Uribe (0-2) are among the many to struggle with the righty. The Dodgers are 22-29 on the road and they are averaging only 3.4 runs per game in their last seven games. Arizona's bullpen is 9-4 with a 4.61 ERA at home converting almost 70% of their saves there.

Chad Billingsley lost to Arizona on July 30th after giving up 6 runs and seven hits in 5.7 innings of work. He's 9-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 22 starts. Billingsley is 4-5 with a 5.63 ERA in 11 starts on the road. He has given up 12 runs and 18 hits over his last 18 innings pitched. Overall, Billingsley is 8-7 with a 3.61 ERA in 21 career starts against the Diamondbacks. Arizona is 29-23 at home while averaging 4.8 runs per game. They have won four of their last five games. Arizona has won six of the nine meetings against the Dodgers, and we expect another solid home win in this game tonight.

10* Play DIAMONDBACKS (-) (action).

Texas looks to prevent getting swept at the hands of the Tigers on Thursday afternoon. They'll face Brad Penny who has been putrid as of late. Penny is 7-8 with a 4.89 ERA. He has given up 14 runs and 25 hits over his last 17 innings of work. The righty faced the Rangers back in April and gave up 3 runs and seven hits in almost seven innings of work. He faced them back in 2009 and gave up 9 runs and 15 hits in almost 12 innings of work. Elvis Andrus (4-7), Julio Borbon (3-6), Josh Hamilton (2-6), Ian Kinsler (2-7), Mike Napoli (4-8), Omar Quintanilla (3-11) and Michael Young (8-15) all hit the Tigers

The Diamondbacks are hot as they come into Los Angeles after winning five of their last seven games. Arizona must contend with the equally hot Dodgers who have also won five of their last seven games. Ted Lilly is going for Los Angeles. He is 6-10 with a 5.08 ERA. Lilly has given up 11 runs and 16 hits over his last 16.7 innings pitched. On July 17th, he took the loss against Arizona after giving up 4 runs and four hits in 6.7 innings of work. Lilly also took a loss at home against the Diamondbacks back in May after giving up 4 runs and five hits in six innings. Kelly Johnson (6-17), Gerardo Parra (3-6) and Chris Young (6-20) have great numbers against the southpaw. Arizona has scored over 5 runs per game in their last seven while hitting .268 in the process. Los Angeles' bullpen is 6-4 with a 4.68 ERA at home this season.

Josh Collmenter has bounced back after a rough patch this season. The righty has given up just 3 runs and 12 hits over his last 21 innings of work. Collmenter is 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA in 13 starts this season. He beat the Dodgers in Los Angeles back in May after giving up just two hits in six innings striking out three while walking none. The Dodgers may be winning, but they are hitting only .230 in their last seven games. They are 27-29 at home where they are only hitting .233 as a team. Arizona's bullpen continues to be solid away from home sporting an ERA right around 3.40 while blowing only seven saves in the process. Arizona has won four of the six meetings between the two teams this season, and we expect them to win tonight

The A's have gone 8-5 since the All-Star break and they

The Tigers return home after a 4-3 road trip thru Minnesota and Chicago. They now host the Angels who continue their road trip with a 4-game series with Detroit. Brad Penny pitches much better at home. He's 4-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts in Detroit. Penny defeated the Angels earlier this month after giving up 4 runs and six hits in 6.3 innings in Anaheim. Erick Aybar (1-7), Alberto Callaspo (1-7), Maicer Izturis (2-10), Howard Kendrick (2-8) and Vernon Wells (2-15) struggle with Penny. The Angels may have taken two of three games in Cleveland, but they managed only 7 runs and 16 total hits. They are hitting right around .235 in their last eight games as a team.

Joel Pineiro has been pretty awful for the Angels as of late. He has given up 14 runs and 25 hits over his last 12.7 innings pitched while losing two of his last three starts. He gave up 11 hits to light-hitting Baltimore and 10 hits to Seattle in that span making those numbers look even worse. Pineiro

The Cincinnati Reds will try and prevent being swept at home by the Mets on Thursday afternoon. They have Homer Bailey making the start. He's 5-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 10 starts for Cincinnati. Bailey is 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in five starts at home and he

The Padres return home to host the Diamondbacks after a 4-3 road trip thru Florida and Philadelphia. They'll face Joe Saunders who is 6-8 with a 3.82 ERA in 20 starts. Saunders has struggled in San Diego. On May 8th, the lefty gave up 4 runs and five hits in six innings pitched to the Padres in a 4-3 loss. Last August, Saunders gave up 9 runs and eight hits in four innings at Petco Park. Chase Headley (4-13), Jason Bartlett (3-10), Chris Denorfia (5-15), Alberto Gonzalez (3-7) and Orlando Hudson (4-9) have good numbers against Saunders. San Diego is hitting over .270 in their last eight games and they

The Indians and White Sox will complete a 2-game series on Sunday in Cleveland after being rained out on Saturday. Chicago

Cincinnati suffered a tough loss on Friday night after blowing a 4-3 lead late. They

Atlanta heads to Cincinnati on Friday night for the first of a 3-game series. They'll hope that Jair Jurrjens turns things around after struggling his last time out. The righty has actually pitched better on the road going 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA in eight starts. Jurrjens has given up just 13 runs in 55 innings away from Atlanta. He beat the Reds earlier in May after giving up just 1 run and six hits over eight innings. Miguel Cairo (0-4), Ramon Hernandez (0-3), Fred Lewis (1-10) and Drew Stubbs (0-11) have poor numbers against the Braves

The Mets can sweep the Cardinals with a win on Thursday afternoon. They'll have Jon Niese on the mound who is 9-7 with a 3.58 ERA on the season. The lefty has won two straight outings after beating the Dodgers and Phillies. He has given up 8 runs and 20 hits over his last 20 innings pitched. Niese beat the Cardinals last season by giving up 1 run and seven hits in six innings of work. The Cardinals have struggled in the daytime hitting just .234 while putting up 3.7 runs per game. They are only 13-13 against left-handed starters as well. The Mets

After being one of the worst teams in the league, Florida has turned things around. They host the Padres on Wednesday night. Aaron Harang makes the start for San Diego. He's 7-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 15 starts. Harang has made only five starts on the road going 2-0 with a 3.81 ERA. The righty last faced Florida last April and gave up 8 runs and 10 hits over four innings of work. Overall, Harang is 3-3 with a 6.99 ERA and a WHIP of 1.80 in 10 career starts against the Marlins. Mike Cameron (8-24), Wes Helms (5-13), Greg Dobbs (5-11), Hanley Ramirez (9-23) and Gaby Sanchez (1-2) have good numbers against Harang. Florida is hitting over .260 in their last eight games.

Ricky Nolasco enters this start on a roll after giving up just 2 earned runs over his last 23 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he has only picked up one win over that span. Nolasco is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA in six career starts against San Diego. The righty beat the Padres last July in San Diego after giving up 3 runs and five hits in 8.3 innings. Padres

Detroit picked up a win against Oakland on Tuesday night as their offense awakened a bit. Now they'll try and back a hometown product making his first Major League start. Duane Below was 9-4 with a 3.13 ERA at Triple-A Toledo this season. Below is unbeaten in his last four outings giving up 6 runs and 20 hits over 26 innings of work. Over that stretch, he struck out 18 and walked only 10. Oakland is 14-15 against southpaws this season hitting .241 while scoring 3.7 runs per game.

Brandon McCarthy has struggled on the road going 1-3 with a 4.82 ERA in six starts. McCarthy has given up 9 runs and 19 hits over his last 18 innings pitched. The righty has yet to defeat the Tigers in six all-time starts against them. Earlier this season, McCarthy did hold them down to the tune of six hits and one walk in 6.7 innings, but Oakland still couldn't get the win. Magglio Ordonez (4-10), Brandon Inge (4-14), Victor Martinez (7-17), Miguel Cabrera (2-6) and Brennan Boesch (2-3) have good numbers against Oakland