The Mets will be at nearly full strength as they begin their series with the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Both Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are expected to be in the lineup as Kyle Lohse comes to town. Lohse has given up 12 runs and 14 hits over his last two outings against Arizona and Tampa Bay. He last faced the Mets back in 2009 when he gave up 5 runs and seven hits in 2.7 innings of work. New York has always been a tough place for Lohse as he got waxed for 7 runs and 11 hits in five innings back in 2008. Carlos Beltran (20-37), Ronny Paulino (3-7) and Angel Pagan (2-3) have good numbers against the Cardinals

The Red Sox found their offensive stride on Monday night and they

The Giants begin a 3-game series in San Francisco with the Dodgers on Monday night. San Francisco has won five of their last six games and they will face Dodgers

The Diamondbacks snapped their losing streak on Saturday and now they

The A's and Angels wrap up a 4-game series on Sunday afternoon with Gio Gonzalez on the mound for Oakland. Gonzalez is 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 10 starts at home. He has given up just 8 runs and 13 hits over his last 19 innings of work. The A's starter has not given up a run in his last two home starts against the Angels. He got touched up a bit in Anaheim back in April, but this game will be at home. Bobby Abreu (1-16), Torii Hunter (2-17), Vernon Wells (2-9), Jeff Mathis (2-8), Mark Trumbo (1-4) and Bobby Wilson (0-3) all have poor numbers against the lefty. The Angels are putting up less than 4 runs per game against left-handed starters. Oakland's bullpen has been great at home converting 80% of their saves.

Joel Pineiro is 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 14 starts. He has given up 105 hits in 90 innings and has shown that he's been very hittable lately. In two starts against Oakland this season, the righty has allowed 7 runs and 17 hits over 13.3 innings of work. Coco Crisp (10-29), Hideki Matsui (6-20), David DeJesus (13-34), Adam Rosales (2-6), Cliff Pennington (5-15) and Scott Sizemore (2-5) all hit Pineiro well. The Angels

The Brewers road woes continued on Friday night by getting shutout in Colorado. Now they'll face the Rockies

Arizona is currently on a 3-game losing streak, but they have the right pitcher on the mound tonight to stop that streak. Ian Kennedy is 9-3 with a 3.44 in 19 starts. Kennedy defeated the Dodgers back in May after giving up 1 run and four hits in six innings. Los Angeles hitters are just 8 for 38 against Kennedy with Juan Uribe (0-5), Rafael Furcal (0-3), Dioner Navarro (0-3) and Tony Gwynn (0-3) all looking for their first hits against the righty. Even with the current Dodgers winning streak, they are still 19-24 on the road and hitting under .200 over their last eight games.

Hiroki Kuroda is 6-10 with a 3.06 ERA in 18 starts. Kuroda has yet to face Arizona this season, but he has a rough history against them. Last July, he gave up 6 runs and eight hits in 1.7 innings taking the loss in a 12-5 game. Overall, he's 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew (6-19), Miguel Montero (4-9), Kelly Johnson (3-8) and Xavier Nady (2-3) all hit the Dodgers

The Angels have won 11 of 13 games and 19 of their last 25 games. They'll begin the second half of the season in Oakland against an Athletics team with a 4-game losing streak. The Angels hit 16 home runs during their 13-game homestand leading into the break. Brandon McCarthy gets the start for the A's. He has given up 10 runs and 22 hits in his last 19.7 innings pitched. McCarthy got torched by the Angels back in April when he gave up 7 runs and 14 hits in 5.3 innings of work. For his career, the righty is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four outings against the Angels. Torii Hunter (5-8), Howard Kendrick (4-7), Erick Aybar (2-4), Hank Conger (2-3) and Peter Bourjos (2-3) have good numbers against McCarthy. The Angels are hitting .274 over their last seven games and they are 24-20 on the road this season.

Dan Haren is sizzling entering Friday's game. He has given up just 2 runs and nine hits over his last 25 innings pitched. Haren is 5-2 with a 3.56 ERA in 10 road starts this season striking out 50 while walking only seven. He is looking for his first win against the A's this season. The righty has given up 6 runs and 10 hits over 14 innings of work against Oakland. Hideki Matsui (3-17), David DeJesus (4-21), Josh Willingham (2-8), Ryan Sweeney (1-9) and Cliff Pennington (1-7) have terrible numbers against Haren. Oakland has hit .171 in their last seven games. They are scuffling against the rest of the A.L. West going 13-16 while hitting .229 in those games. The Angels have won 12 of their last 21 games in Oakland. We expect Haren to continue his hot pitching and lead the Angels to a solid road win in Oakland tonight.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

The National League snapped a long losing streak to their counterparts in the American League with a win in last year

The Nationals can conclude their longest homestand over .500 with a win on Sunday afternoon. They have the right pitcher on the mound in Jordan Zimmermann to get that done. The righty may be only 5-7, but he has a 2.82 ERA and has thrown 12 quality starts this season. Zimmermann last faced the Rockies back in 2009 when he gave up 4 runs and seven hits in four innings pitched in Coors Field. The Rockies are hitting right around .230 in their last eight games and they will be without Carlos Gonzalez once again. The lineup needs him to set the tone as evidenced by the lack of runs scored on this current road trip.

Jhoulys Chacin is making his fourth straight road start. The righty is 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA in the previous three starts and he

The Indians and Blue Jays continue their series on Saturday night in Cleveland. Brandon Morrow takes the mound for Toronto. The righty is 5-4 with a 4.73 ERA in 14 starts. He faced Cleveland earlier this season in Toronto where he took the loss because he gave up 6 runs and nine hits in five innings. Over three starts against Cleveland, Morrow has given up 14 runs and 22 hits over 16.3 innings of work. Orlando Cabrera (3-10), Travis Hafner (3-5), Grady Sizemore (4-9), Matt LaPorta (3-9), Michael Brantley (2-3) and Carlos Santana (3-4) all hit the Blue Jays

The Pirates are one of the best stories in baseball as they enter their series at home with the Cubs on Friday night. Pittsburgh has won three of their last four games while the Cubs have lost three of their last four games. Rodrigo Lopez makes his fourth start of the season for Chicago. He's 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA this season. The veteran faced the Pirates only once last season and gave up 1 run and six hits in six innings. Lyle Overbay (3-4), Matt Diaz (1-3) and Garrett Jones (1-2) have good numbers against the Cubs

The Rangers swept the Orioles after their offense pounding out 46 hits in the three wins. They now welcome Oakland to town for the first of four games beginning on Thursday night. Rich Harden makes his second start for the A's this season. In outing number one, Harden held Arizona to 2 runs and four hits in six innings pitched; he struck out six while walking none. The righty last pitched in Arlington way back in 2008 when he gave up 5 runs and eight hits in 3.7 innings. Josh Hamilton (2-3), Ian Kinsler (2-3) and David Murphy (1-2) have had success against Harden in limited at-bats. Texas is 27-18 at home where they are putting up nearly 6 runs per game. They are hitting almost .300 in their last eight games as well.

Derek Holland has struggled for the Rangers. Despite those struggles, he's 6-4 with a 5.10 ERA in 17 starts. Holland got a no-decision in an earlier start this season against Oakland after giving up 3 runs and eight hits in seven innings of work. Overall, the lefty is 1-1 with a 2.42 ERA in four career starts against the A's. Kurt Suzuki (3-12), Ryan Sweeney (0-5), Conor Jackson (0-4), Adam Rosales (0-3) and Coco Crisp (0-2) all have poor numbers against Holland. Oakland is 16-28 on the road while hitting just .224 as a team in those games. We expect the hot Texas offense to keep things going en route to a solid home win over Oakland on Thursday night.

10* Play RANGERS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh can sweep the Astros with a win on Wednesday night. The Pirates have won three straight games and four of their last five games overall. Bud Norris makes the start for Houston and he's just not the same pitcher on the road as he is at home. Norris is 1-3 with a 5.29 ERA in six starts away from Houston. He has lost both starts this season against Pittsburgh after giving up 4 runs and 13 hits over 14 innings of work. Andrew McCutchen (6-19), Garrett Jones (6-17) and Neil Walker (4-12) all have good numbers against Norris. Pittsburgh has picked up nine hits or more in five straight games and they will face an Astros

The Athletics will be glad not to see Michael Pineda or Felix Hernandez in their game against Seattle on Wednesday afternoon. Instead, they will face Jason Vargas who is 6-5 with a 3.57 ERA. The lefty is only 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in six starts away from Seattle. Vargas took on Oakland back in April and gave up 6 runs and six hits over five innings of work. He has faced the A

Minnesota has won 12 of their last 14 games at home and they hope to add to that on Tuesday when they host the Rays. Scott Baker makes the start and he has shutout two straight opponents at home allowing only 10 hits over his last 15.3 innings of work there. Overall, Baker is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in six starts in Minnesota. Baker is 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA in six career starts against the Rays. In April, he gave up 1 run and four hits in seven innings of work. The Rays have managed only 2 runs in their last three games against Baker. Johnny Damon (4-17), BJ Upton (1-12), Kelly Shoppach (1-10), Ben Zobrist (2-14), Reid Brignac (0-7) and Matt Joyce (2-14) all have poor numbers against Baker.

James Shields has been good this season for Tampa Bay. But his numbers are not as good on the road. Shields gave up 2 runs and nine hits over seven innings in Tampa Bay against the Twins back in April. He is 3-1 with a 4.89 ERA in eight career starts against Minnesota. Jim Thome (8-22), Michael Cuddyer (6-15), Joe Mauer (8-18) and Drew Butera (1-3) all hit Shields well. Minnesota has scored 6 runs or more in four straight games and in five of their last six games overall. They are hitting over .260 at home as they continue to build some continuity in their lineup. The Rays

The Pirates returned home in style by picking up a victory over the Astros on Monday. They hope to do so again on Tuesday behind Jeff Karstens who has been amazing at home. He is 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA in seven starts at PNC Park. Karstens has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 10 of his last 11 starts and he has won a career-high three straight decisions. Karstens held the Astros scoreless in Houston last month while giving up just three hits over 6.7 innings of work. Jeff Keppinger (3-14), Michael Bourn (2-14), Clint Barmes (1-5), Angel Sanchez (0-3) and Carlos Corporan (0-2) have poor numbers against Pittsburgh

The Brewers return home after playing two series in New York and Minnesota. They'll host Arizona who is flying in from Oakland. Shaun Marcum will be glad to return to N.L. pitching. He took on three old A.L. East foes which contributed to his recent struggles. Marcum is 7-3 with a 3.16 ERA overall in 17 starts. He won in Arizona last year as a member of Toronto after giving up 3 runs and six hits in five innings of work. Arizona is 22-21 on the road and they are hitting right around .220 in their last eight games. Milwaukee's bullpen has a 3.38 ERA at home and they

The Pirates start a series with Houston who won only one game over their 9-game homestand. A suddenly hot-hitting Pittsburgh team will face Brett Myers who is 3-7 with a 4.60 ERA this season. The righty is 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in nine road starts. His last start against Pittsburgh came last September when he gave up 6 runs and six hits in six innings of work. Andrew McCutchen (8-13), Matt Diaz (3-4) and Lyle Overbay (2-4) all hit the Astros

The Athletics can pick up a series win over Arizona with a victory on Sunday afternoon. They'll send ace Gio Gonzalez to the mound. Gonzalez is 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts at home with 63 strikeouts and 28 walks. The southpaw has given up just 3 runs and 10 hits over his last 21 innings of work. Only Willie Bloomquist (1-6) and Xavier Nady (2-3) have faced Gonzalez before. Arizona is 12-11 against left-handed starters hitting right around .240 as a team. They have lost five of their last seven games as the offense has abandoned them at times. Oakland's bullpen has converted nearly 80% of their save chances at home and they have an ERA around 3.30.

Ian Kennedy gets the start for Arizona. He's 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 17 starts. Kennedy is coming off a home start against Cleveland where he gave up 4 runs and eight hits in eight innings of work. Oakland is 21-19 at home this season hitting right around .245 there. Arizona's bullpen has 10 losses and 10 blown saves this year so they can be scored upon if need be. Kennedy averages less then seven innings per start so Arizona

The Diamondbacks are back on the road after playing a brief 3-game series at home against Cleveland. Arizona has won four of their last six road games and they will take on a struggling Oakland offense. The Athletics have scored just 31 runs over their last 12 games and they are hitting under .200 in their last eight games. They'll face Arizona

Tampa Bay welcomes St. Louis to town after the Cardinals swept the Orioles. St. Louis turns to Jake Westbrook who is 6-4 with a 5.32 ERA this season. The righty has given up 12 runs and 26 hits over his last 16.3 innings pitched. He has scuffled in his last two starts against the American League mostly because they are familiar with him from his time with the Indians. Westbrook faced the Rays last year and took a 5-2 loss in Tampa. He gave up all 5 runs and eight hits in six innings of work. Ben Zobrist (3-9), Evan Longoria (1-3) and Matt Joyce (1-3) all have good numbers against Westbrook. Tampa Bay is hitting .268 over their last seven games scoring 5.6 runs per game over that span. They are 10-5 in interleague play. The Cardinals

The Blue Jays can claim a series victory over the Pirates with a win on Thursday night. Brett Cecil makes his return after getting sent down to AAA for ineffectiveness earlier in the season. Cecil was 8-2 with a 5.26 ERA in 12 starts at Las Vegas. Cecil spent the time working on his shoulders and bringing up the velocity of his fastballs which wasn't there when he began the season. The lefty will face the Pirates for the first time in his career and not a single Pittsburgh hitter has faced him before. The Pirates are hitting right around .240 as a team this season with injuries taking a bit of a toll on their lineup. They are averaging only 3.9 runs per game in 22 games against southpaws. Toronto

The Phillies are trying to take their series with the Red Sox on Wednesday night. They'll send Vance Worley to the mound who has returned from the minors better than ever. The righty has given up just 1 run and six hits in his 11 innings of work getting no-decisions against Seattle and Oakland. Worley is 2-1 with a 2.90 ERA in six starts for Philadelphia. He has given up just 4 runs and 13 hits over 23 innings pitched at home. Boston's offense has disappeared as of late scoring just 14 runs over their last six games while losing five of those games. The Phillies

The Padres and Royals play Game 2 of their series in San Diego tonight. Clayton Richard will be looking for his first win at home this season. Richard is 0-5 with a 2.25 ERA in seven starts in San Diego. The Padres have scored just 9 runs in those games so Richard deserves a better record than what he has right now. The southpaw is facing a Kansas City team that is 7-13 against lefties with an even worse record on the road. San Diego's bullpen takes care of business for the most part at home.

Felipe Paulino is making his 6th start of the season. The righty has given up 14 runs and 21 hits over his last 19 innings of work. These N.L. teams are familiar with him from his time as a pitcher with the Rockies and Astros. Paulino lost to San Diego last year after giving up 2 runs and five hits in seven innings pitched. San Diego's offense has come alive a bit over their last eight games as they are hitting over .275 as a unit. If they can get the hitting to match the pitching they already have, San Diego will be a tough team to beat. The Royals

Baltimore's offense is on fire right now as they begin their series with the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Baltimore has put-up eight hits or more in 10 straight games and they are hitting over .300 in their last seven games. St. Louis

The Padres have won four of their last five games as they begin a series with the Royals on Monday night. It will be a familiar foe on the mound for Kansas City as Jeff Francis makes the start. Francis has made 21 starts against the Padres in his career with most of them coming as a member of the Rockies. He's 5-12 with a 5.66 ERA against the Padres. Combine that with a 1-4 record and a 6.93 ERA on the road this season and Francis looks to be in trouble for this match-up. Orlando Hudson (9-27), Ryan Ludwick (3-9), Alberto Gonzalez (1-3) and Will Venable (1-3) have good numbers against the southpaw. San Diego is hitting .261 against left-handed starters this season. They are averaging over 4 runs per game in their last eight games.

Mat Latos will be glad to be home after pitching in Boston and Colorado. Latos is 2-5 with a 3.50 in eight starts at home. Only Jeff Francoeur (1-4) has faced Latos in his career so the Royals will be facing an unfamiliar pitcher. Kansas City has scored just 20 runs over their last six games. They are 10-21 on the road on this season and 4-8 in interleague play. Any sort of lead should be held by the Padres

San Francisco has won four straight games and they will look for the sweep of Cleveland on Sunday night with a win. They'll turn to Madison Bumgarner who lasted only one third of an inning his last time out after getting smacked around by the Twins. Before that start, he had 10 straight quality starts for a 2.03 ERA during that span. Not a single Cleveland hitter has faced the left hander. Cleveland's lineup isn't as imposing without Shin Soo-Choo who is on the DL. They are 16-21 on the road and hitting right around .230 in their last eight games. San Francisco's bullpen pitched well on Saturday and they have an ERA heading towards 2.00 at home.

Over his last seven starts, Fausto Carmona is 1-6 with a 9.24 ERA having allowed 38 earned runs in his last 37 innings of work. He gave up 6 two-out runs to the Rockies his last time out. The Giants

The Braves 4-game winning streak was snapped on Friday night at the hands of San Diego. The two teams continue their series on Saturday night as Jair Jurrjens looks to continue his hot pitching. The righty is 9-3 with a 2.11 ERA in 13 starts. Jurrjens has an even lower ERA on the road which includes a win in San Diego back in April. In that game, the Braves

The Indians took another hit on Friday night when they lost Shin Soo Choo to injury. Now they'll have to face Matt Cain who is pitching well right now for San Francisco. Cain is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA over his last four starts. Cain last faced the Indians way back in 2008 in Cleveland and took a 4-1 loss in that game. Cleveland hitters are 10 for 41 against the Giants

The Reds and Orioles meet for the first time since 2005 when Cincinnati took two of three games from the Orioles. Edinson Volquez is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three starts since spending a brief period with Triple-A Louisville. The Reds

Oakland has won six games in a row and they seem to be hitting their stride right now. They'll take on knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on Wednesday night. Dickey is 3-7 with a 4.26 ERA as a starter this season. He is coming off an outing against the Braves where he gave up 6 runs and six hits in four innings pitched. Oakland is familiar with the knuckleballer who is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in seven career starts against the A's. Hideki Matsui (3-6), Josh Willingham (2-4) and Ryan Sweeney (4-6) hit the Mets

Detroit's offense needs to pick up if they hope to get a win in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. They have struggled to score runs in their first two games after putting up 19 runs in Colorado. Ted Lilly gets the start for the Dodgers. He's 5-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 15 starts. Lilly is coming off one of his worst starts of the season as he gave up 6 runs and eight hits in 5.3 innings pitched to the light-hitting Astros. The southpaw last saw Detroit in 2009 when he gave up 6 runs and 10 hits in six innings of work. Magglio Ordonez (7-26), Victor Martinez (3-11), Jhonny Peralta (2-6), Miguel Cabrera (3-8) and Ryan Raburn (2-3) all hit Lilly well. Detroit is 14-7 against left-handed starters hitting .264 in those games. They are 17-12 in the daytime while putting up 4.5 runs per game and they will get Miguel Cabrera back after a scheduled day off. The Dodgers

Baltimore can pick up a series victory with a win on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. The Orioles

The Nationals look to start a new winning streak on Tuesday night when they host Seattle. Washington has won eight of their last nine games and they

The Blue Jays continue their road trip as they take on the Braves in Atlanta. Toronto took two of three games from the Reds in Cincinnati by using good pitching and timely hitting. Now they'll take on Tim Hudson who is 5-6 with a 4.08 ERA in 14 starts. Hudson has given up 10 runs and 18 hits over his last 14 innings pitched and took a pair of losses against the Mets. The Braves

The Indians got back on track by sweeping the Pirates. Now they'll welcome Colorado to town and do so with a new hitting coach. Joe Nunnally was dismissed from the position on Sunday as
Bruce Fields joins the team from their minor league hitting coordinator position. They'll face Juan Nicasio who is pitching for the Rockies. He is 2-1 with a 3.37 ERA in three outings. The righty lost his only road start after giving up 3 runs and nine hits in six innings pitched to the Giants. The Indians are 23-12 at home and 6-0 in interleague play. They'll face a Rockies

New York has won three of their last five games as they seek a series victory at home against the Angels on Sunday. They'll send their hottest pitcher to the mound in Jon Niese. The lefty is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last three outings picking up wins at Milwaukee and Atlanta. Niese is 3-2 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts at home this season. Not a single Angels

The White Sox hope that Arizona

It's good times ahead for the Minnesota Twins who will get back Joe Mauer for Friday's series opener with the Padres. Minnesota has won four straight games and six of their last seven games overall as they try to dig themselves out of a big hole. Clayton Richard makes the start for San Diego. He's a completely different pitcher on the road than he is at home. Away from San Diego, the southpaw is 2-3 with a 5.97 ERA striking out only 19 while walking 17 in seven starts. Richard faced Minnesota way back in 2008 and gave up 5 runs and seven hits in 4.7 innings in a 6-5 loss at the Twins. Minnesota is hitting right around .253 against left-handed starters this season while going 10-10 in those games. They are hitting over .270 in their last eight games and they will be bolstered by Mauer's return.

San Diego's offense continues to struggle. They have scored just 11 runs over their last six games and just 23 runs over their last 10 games. Brian Duensing gets the call on Friday night for Minnesota. He's 3-6 with a 4.86 ERA in 12 starts. Twins

Toronto

Derek Jeter's absence didn't stop the Yankees

The Diamondbacks return home after winning four of their last five games on a road trip thru Pittsburgh and Florida. Now they'll host the Giants who have won two of their last three games. Josh Collmenter has been impressive for Arizona this season. He's 4-1 with a 1.12 ERA in 13 appearances for the Diamondbacks. In two home starts, the righty has yet to give up a run while picking up wins in both games. Collmenter will face a Giants

Houston snapped a 4-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves last night. Now the Pirates come to town looking to move to .500 on the season. But they'll have to beat Bud Norris to get there. Norris is an amazing pitcher at home going 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in eight starts. The righty is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in his last four starts. Norris faced the Pirates earlier this season in Pittsburgh and gave up 3 runs and seven hits in seven innings. In his last home start against Pittsburgh, he managed to strike out 14 Pirates in seven innings. Jose Tabata (3-12), Neil Walker (2-9), Brandon Wood (0-3) and Xavier Paul (0-2) have poor numbers against Norris. Pittsburgh

Chicago will return to the friendly sights of Wrigley Field after a 10-game road trip thru St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. The Cubs will host the suddenly hot Milwaukee Brewers, but Ryan Dempster may have what it takes to slow them down. Dempster is 15-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 22 career starts against the Brew Crew. He has not given up an earned run against them in his last two starts which both came last year. Craig Counsell (7-28), Prince Fielder (9-36), Corey Hart (5-33), Ryan Braun (7-38), Nyjer Morgan (0-9) and Jonathan Lucroy (1-5) all have poor numbers against Dempster. For all of Milwaukee's success, they have yet to do much on the road. The Brewers are just 13-19 away from home while hitting .228 as a team.

Randy Wolf makes his 14th start of the season for Milwaukee. He is 4-4 with a 3.49 ERA. The lefty is seeing the Cubs for the second time this season. He gave up 6 runs and nine hits in a six inning home effort against Chicago back in April. Wolf is 5-10 with a 4.40 ERA in 20 starts against the Cubs in his career. Chicago hits .275 at home despite their 12-19 record. They are scoring over 4 runs per game at Wrigley and they

A tough loss for the Orioles on Saturday night snapped their 4-game winning streak. Brian Matusz's return has bolstered their rotation. The lefty is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts. He picked up his first win his last time out after giving up 2 runs and seven hits in 5.3 innings of work. Matusz is 3-1 with a 4.71 ERA in five career starts against the Rays. His last outing against them came last September when he gave up three hits in seven innings while striking out eight in a 4-0 win. The Orioles have actually won his last 10 starts dating back to August 19th of last season. Tampa Bay is 8-8 against left-handed starters hitting just .218 against them while putting up only 3.8 runs per game. Daytime games don't exactly promote offensive explosions for the Rays either; they are hitting .238 in those games while scoring 3.8 runs per game.

Wade Davis is scuffling this season. He has given up 17 runs and 25 hits over his last 15.7 innings pitched. Davis gave up 5 runs and five hits in a seven inning loss to the Mariners. He has a 1.50 WHIP this season which could explain why his ERA is nearly 5.00 this season. Davis

The Tigers have won six of their last eight games. They

The Brewers continue to put up great numbers at home after an easy 8-0 shutout win against the Cardinals last night. Now they'll face Chris Carpenter who is just 1-5 with a 4.25 ERA in 13 starts. The righty is 1-4 with a 5.32 ERA in seven road starts this season. He took the loss against a light hitting San Diego squad in his most recent road outing. Carpenter faced the Brewers twice last season, giving up 15 runs and 16 hits over eight innings. Craig Counsell (5-18), Rickie Weeks (4-7), Prince Fielder (5-15), Corey Hart (2-7) and Casey McGehee (4-14) have all hit Carpenter well. The Cardinals

Tampa Bay had their three game win streak snapped on Friday night when they fell to the Orioles 7-0. Tampa will look to start a new winning streak tonight when they face Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie. The righty is only 2-8 with a 3.71 ERA this season. Over his last two home starts, Guthrie has given up 11 runs and 18 hits in just 12 innings. He's faced the Rays three times this season, going 1-2 giving up 10 runs and 20 hits over 21 innings. Casey Kotchman (8-20), BJ Upton (11-36), Ben Zobrist (9-26), Evan Longoria (8-30), Reid Brignac (6-19) and Matt Joyce (8-20) all hit Guthrie well. Tampa Bay is 19-14 on the road where they are putting up over five runs per game. They have won 13 of their last 22 in Baltimore, including three of four this season.

David Price is 7-5 with a 3.35 ERA in 13 starts. The lefty has given up just four runs and 14 hits over his last 22 innings, picking up wins over the Indians and Angels. Price gave up four runs and five hits in seven innings against the Orioles on opening day. That was his first loss against the Orioles in six career starts. In Price's last start at Camden Yards, he gave up just one run and only four hits in seven innings. Luke Scott (2-13), Adam Jones (2-14), Mark Reynolds (0-6), Nolan Reimold (2-12) and JJ Hardy (1-5) have all struggled against the southpaw. Baltimore as a team is only 9-13 against left-handed starters this season, hitting just .237 while scoring only 3.5 runs per game. Tampa Bay's bullpen has been solid this season and the Rays are likely to bounce back after their shutout loss last night.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

The White Sox can pick up a sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a win on Wednesday night. They'll send Gavin Floyd to the hill who has absolutely dominated Seattle as of late. The righty shutout Seattle over eight innings in May; he gave up just three hits while walking only two. That was the third straight outing against the Mariners that Floyd did not allow a run. Jack Cust (3-16), Jack Wilson (4-16), Chone Figgins (5-23), Miguel Olivo (2-10) and Justin Smoak (1-13) all struggle with Floyd. Seattle is 13-15 on the road and they are hitting right around .205 over their last eight games. Seattle's offense has struggled in Chicago so far this series. The Mariners have lost 11 of their last 12 games in Chicago against the White Sox.

Jason Vargas has a 5.94 ERA over his last three starts giving up 11 runs and 16 hits over 16.7 innings pitched. The lefty is 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA in 12 starts for Seattle. Vargas faced the White Sox twice last season and gave up 7 runs and 12 hits over 11 innings of work with both games being White Sox wins. Paul Konerko (3-5), Alexei Ramirez (2-6), Gordon Beckham (2-6), Omar Vizquel (2-3) and Adam Dunn (1-3) have good numbers against Vargas. The White Sox have won six of their last eight games and they are hitting over .300 during that span. Chicago is hot right now so we expect another solid home win by them tonight.

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

The Colorado Rockies limp into their series with the Padres on Monday night. Colorado has scored just 13 runs in their last seven games with 10 of those runs coming in the first six games of their road trip thru the N.L. West. Now they'll face Clayton Richard who is looking for his first win at home. The lefty is 0-3 with a 2.42 ERA in five games in San Diego giving up just 7 earned runs and 23 hits in 26 innings of work. Richard gave up 6 earned runs to the Rockies at home in three outings last season. The reason his numbers against Colorado are poor is because he struggles at Coors Field. Jason Giambi (2-11), Ryan Spilborghs (3-13), Seth Smith (1-5) and Dexter Fowler (2-19) all struggle against Richard. Colorado is hitting only .245 against southpaws in 18 games this season. San Diego's bullpen has been solid and dependable for the most part this season converting 17 of 22 save opportunities.

Clayton Mortensen is 1-3 with a 3.69 ERA in eight appearances for the Rockies. Mortensen has given up 12 runs and 15 hits over his last 16.7 innings of work. Not a single Padres

Colorado picked up a victory on Saturday and they

It was a rare offensive outburst for the Dodgers who put up 11 runs in their win over the Reds on Saturday afternoon. The two teams get back at it on Sunday. Chad Billingsley hasn't performed well on the road this season going 2-2 with a 5.67 ERA in six outings. The righty faced the Reds twice last season giving up 10 runs and 14 hits over 8.7 innings of work. Scott Rolen (5-12), Joey Votto (7-16), Ramon Hernandez (3-5), Jonny Gomes (5-7), Fred Lewis (4-11) and Drew Stubbs (2-7) have great numbers against the Dodgers

The Yankees try to start a new winning streak on Saturday night when they continue their series with the Angels. Ervin Santana will step in for Danny Haren on the mound. The Angels

The Mariners continued their hot hitting on Thursday night as they swamped the Rays. They hope to do so once again on Friday behind Jason Vargas. The lefty hopes to bounce back after getting touched up by the Yankees. Before that outing, he gave up just 1 run over his last 14.2 home innings. Vargas faced the Rays three times last season giving up 10 runs and 14 hits over 18 innings of work. Felipe Lopez (1-13), Johnny Damon (0-4), Reid Brignac (1-4) and Sean Rodriguez (0-5) all struggle with the Mariners

The Royals hope to slow down the hot Minnesota bats on Friday night. They'll turn to rookie lefty Danny Duffy who is still looking for his first win of the season. Duffy is coming off an outing in Texas where he gave up just 3 runs and five hits in six innings of work. Duffy hasn't pitched horribly in any of his three starts, but Kansas City has lost two of his outings by one run. Minnesota snapped a 4-game losing streak on Thursday, but for the most part they've struggled to put it all together lately. They were swept in three games by the Royals the last time they were in Kansas City. Minnesota is hitting .243 as a team against lefties. Kansas City's bullpen has a decent ERA approaching 4.00 and they

The Orioles will be glad to be home after a 1-5 road trip against the A.L. West. They'll welcome Toronto to town. Going for the Orioles is Zach Britton who is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA. He is coming off his worst start of the season against the Athletics after giving up 6 runs and 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work. Home has been a great place for Britton who is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA in seven outings there. He hasn't given up more than 3 runs in any of his outings at home. Toronto has lost two straight games after winning four in a row. Baltimore's bullpen has an ERA of 1.57 over their last 10 games so they are rapidly improving.

Carlos Villanueva makes his third start for the Blue Jays. His last time out, he gave up 6 runs and eight hits over five innings pitched against the White Sox. Villanueva hasn't made it past five innings of work since August 2009 when he went five and two thirds innings as a Brewer. Baltimore is hitting .261 against righties at home where they are 15-14. Toronto's bullpen has an ERA near 4.00 over their last 10 games and they figure to be busy with Villanueva's lack of pitching deep into games. The Orioles will find their offense on Friday night so we expect them to beat the Blue Jays at home in this game.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Los Angeles continues their series with the Rockies on Tuesday night. The Dodgers have won four of their last six games as they

Cincinnati returns home after a 2-win road trip thru Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. They'll host a Milwaukee team that enjoyed a lot of home cooking over their last nine games. Cincinnati sends Travis Wood to the mound. He's 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 11 starts. The lefty is coming off a decent effort against the Phillies after giving up 3 runs and six hits in six innings pitched. Wood defeated Milwaukee earlier this season giving up just 1 run and four hits in seven innings of work. He's 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three career starts against Milwaukee. Brewers

Zach Duke makes his first start for the Diamondbacks as they continue their series against the Astros in Houston. Duke is coming off a 5-run, 5.1 inning effort in Triple-A Reno on Monday. The former Pirates

The Nationals picked up a walk-off win on Friday night after getting a home run from Michael Morse in the 9th inning. Washington and San Diego continue their series on Saturday afternoon. Tim Stauffer gets the start for the Padres. He's 0-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 10 starts. The righty has given up 13 runs and 26 hits over his last 16.7 innings pitched. Stauffer took losses to Seattle and Arizona while getting a no-decision in Milwaukee against the Brewers before that. The Padres

Two aces will be taking the field in Milwaukee as the Brewers host the Giants. San Francisco is trying to find a stopgap as Buster Posey is most likely gone for the season after getting hurt on Wednesday night against Florida. The Giants

Washington returns home as they begin a series with the San Diego Padres on Friday night. The Nationals have lost five straight games due to poor pitching and some bad luck. They'll face Padres

The Orioles have won four straight games and they

Baltimore is riding high after getting a walk-off home run by Adam Jones in Tuesday night

The Cardinals

Texas' offense got a boost from the return of Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz. They continue their series with the White Sox on Tuesday night in Arlington. Jake Peavy will make his third start for the White Sox. The righty threw a complete game 3-hitter against the Indians his last time out at home. His first start came in Anaheim where he gave up 4 runs and seven hits in six innings. Peavy got shelled in a start in Arlington last season giving up 6 runs and six hits in 6.3 innings pitched. Yorvit Torrealba (7-25), Josh Hamilton (3-7), Endy Chavez (3-9) and Elvis Andrus (2-4) all hit the righty well. Texas is now 16-9 at home where they are hitting over .270 as a team. Chicago

The Twins return home after a 7-game road trip to host Seattle who is coming off a sweep of the Padres in San Diego. Home has suited Carl Pavano well as he's 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts there. He has given up just 1 earned run in his last two starts which came against Oakland and Toronto. Pavano faced Seattle twice last season giving up 6 runs and 13 hits over 14 innings of work. Adam Kennedy (1-7), Ichiro (3-13), Jack Wilson (2-9), Miguel Olivo (1-13) and Chris Gimenez (0-2) all have poor numbers against the Twins

The Blue Jays can get a series victory on Sunday afternoon when they host the Houston Astros. Wandy Rodriguez makes the start for Houston. He's 2-3 with a 3.45 ERA. Rodriguez is pitching well, but he has been known to throw poorly on the road. He has given up 4 runs or more in two of his five outings away from Houston. Corey Patterson (3-10) and Yunel Escobar (4-9) hit Rodriguez well. Houston has lost 13 of their last 17 interleague games and they have an all-time losing record against the American League. Toronto is hitting .298 against southpaws this season. The Houston bullpen has been a problem this season sporting a 4.84 ERA on the year so Rodriguez will need to get run support if he hopes to get a win.

Kyle Drabek goes for Toronto. He is 3-2 with a 4.32 ERA this season. The righty is coming off one of his best outings of the season after giving up 1 run and three hits in seven innings pitched to the then hot hitting Tigers in Detroit. He'll be making his fourth home start after facing the Red Sox and Yankees there. Not a single Astros

The Diamondbacks are a better team at home and they have enjoyed success this week in front of their home fans as Arizona brings a four game win streak into Saturday night

A short 2-game series in Philadelphia wraps up as the Phillies host the Rockies. Philadelphia sends Joe Blanton to the mound who is 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA in six starts. The righty is sporting an ERA of 7.15 at home in two starts. Blanton has been dealing with reduced velocity since coming off the disabled list and he is even dealing with soreness while on the mound. He says he's feeling better, but he has only gone five innings in his two starts since his return. His last time out, Blanton gave up 2 runs and five hits in five innings in a 5-3 loss to the Braves in Atlanta. The righty faced the Rockies twice last season giving up 8 runs and 16 hits over 10.3 innings of work. Jose Lopez (11-36), Alfredo Amezaga (4-6), Jason Giambi (3-8), Ty Wigginton (3-6), Carlos Gonzalez (4-5) and Dexter Fowler (1-3) hit Blanton well. Colorado is 11-9 on the road and averaging over 5 runs per game in their last eight games. The Phillies

Atlanta hits the road after an impressive homestand; they

The Yankees and Orioles meet in Baltimore with the two teams heading in different directions. New York snapped a 6-game losing streak on Tuesday night after picking up a win in Tampa Bay. It's the first time since May 11th that they managed double digit hits after rapping out 12 in the victory. They have to exorcise the demons of facing a pitcher for the first time when they take on Zach Britton. The lefty is coming off a nine inning, three hit effort against the Seattle Mariners. Britton has already defeated the Red Sox and Rangers at home so he won't be intimidated by the Yankees. Britton has a 1.02 WHIP this season and a .203 BAA so he's not putting that many runners on base. New York has lost three straight games to left-handed pitchers as well.

Bartolo Colon has struggled as of late. The Yankees

The Brewers begin a short West Coast road trip on Monday night as they take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The road has suited Shaun Marcum well as he's 2-1 with a 1.14 ERA in five starts. Marcum has given up just 6 runs and 17 hits over his last 20 innings of work. The righty hasn't faced the Dodgers since way back in 2007 when he went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts. Los Angeles hitters are 9 for 48 against Marcum as Juan Uribe (2-11), Jay Gibbons (1-6) and Matt Kemp (0-3) struggle the most. The Dodgers have scored just 7 runs over their last four games. They are hitting right around .240 at home where they average less than 3 runs per game. The Brewers

Chicago returns home after winning six of their nine games on their West Coast road trip. They now host the Rangers who went 4-4 on an 8-game homestand. Edwin Jackson has found himself after some struggles. The righty has given up just 1 run and 11 hits over his last 15 innings pitched. Jackson is 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in three starts at home. He has not seen the Rangers since May of 2009 when he got the win in a 4-3 victory. Jackson is 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA in six career starts against Texas. Jackson has had success against Michael Young (4-19), Mike Napoli (1-9), Chris Davis (0-8) and Yorvit Torrealba (0-3). Texas is 6-10 on the road where they average only 3.9 runs per game. Their lineup is missing Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and now Julio Borbon. The White Sox

Texas can take their series against the Angels with a win on Sunday afternoon. They'll face Ervin Santana who is 1-4 with a 4.81 ERA in eight starts. In his last start, the righty gave up 5 runs and eight hits in six innings pitched to the White Sox in an 8-0 loss. He's had a terrible time in Arlington the last two games he pitched there. Earlier this season, Santana gave up 6 runs and 10 hits in four innings in a 7-1 loss. In October of last season, Santana gave up 5 runs and nine hits in 6.3 innings of work. Michael Young (24-64), Ian Kinsler (13-36), Elvis Andrus (9-23), Julio Borbon (4-11) and Yorvit Torrealba (2-3) hit Santana well. Texas is 14-9 at home where they are hitting over .270 as a team. On the road, the Angels

Tonight

Houston begins a home series against the Mets on Friday night. It's been

Washington returns home to take on the Florida Marlins on Friday night. It will be a pitching rematch of a game Washington won 5-2 in Florida back on May 7th. Chris Volstad pitched poorly in that game and he has actually pitched poorly all season. Volstad is 2-2 with a 6.27 ERA giving up 24 runs and 38 hits in 33 innings of work. He's sporting a 9.31 ERA on the road and a 5.40 ERA vs. the Nationals in his career. Volstad also faced the Nationals back in April and gave up 4 runs and four hits in five innings pitched. Pudge Rodriguez (5-15), Jerry Hairston Jr. (3-11), Adam LaRoche (4-10), Michael Morse (3-10), Roger Bernadina (4-13), Ian Desmond (11-18) and Danny Espinosa (2-6) each hit the Marlins

The Cubs look to turn things around on Wednesday night as they continue their series with the hated Cardinals. Jake Westbrook makes his 8th start of the season; he is 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA so far for St. Louis. Westbrook faced the Cubs twice last year and gave up 7 runs and 11 hits in 11.3 innings of work. Carlos Pena (10-32), Reed Johnson (2-7) and Blake DeWitt (2-6) hit Westbrook well. The Cubs are hitting very well this season, but they are having trouble producing runs. The team has a batting average right around .270 while averaging 3.8 runs per game. They have scored 3 runs or more in five of their last six games. St. Louis' bullpen has five losses and five blown saves on the road so they are a bit vulnerable.

Matt Garza is still trying to find the consistency that made him a good pitcher in Tampa Bay. The righty is 1-4 with a 4.43 ERA in seven starts. He's 0-2 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts in front of the home crowd, striking out 35 while walking only six batters. Garza faced the Cardinals back in 2008, but it's a different lineup now. Lance Berkman (2-13), Gerald Laird (2-10) and Matt Holliday (2-9) all struggle against the Cubs

The Indians host the Tampa Bay Rays in a match-up of surprising teams on Tuesday night. Cleveland is 13-2 at home this season, and they'll take on Andy Sonnanstine who is making his first start of the season for the Rays. He has made a few long relief outings so far this season, but the question is how successful will he be as a starter. Sonnanstine has yet to register a decision with an ERA of 2.19 in six outings. The righty is 1-3 with a 9.90 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland with the last one coming back in 2009. In that game, Sonnanstine gave up 8 runs and nine hits in three innings. Orlando Cabrera (6-13), Jack Hannahan (4-10), Austin Kearns (2-5), Grady Sizemore (3-9) and Asdrubal Cabrera (2-6) hit him the hardest. As a team, Cleveland hits hard at home averaging 6.2 runs per game while batting .292 as a team.

Tampa Bay continues their road trip after sweeping the orioles in Baltimore. They'll face Josh Tomlin who is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA. The Indians

The Dodgers have lost three straight and five of their last six games overall. They continue their series with the Mets on Saturday night. Jon Garland makes his fifth start of the season. He

San Francisco returns home to play just their 10th game in front of their fans as they host the Rockies on Friday night. The Giants have played 31 games overall so they'll enjoy not having to travel for once. Matt Cain makes the start; he's 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA in six outings. Cain gave up 6 runs and nine hits to the Rockies in Coors Field on April 20th. His last three starts against the Rockies have come on the road. Jason Giambi (0-11), Alfredo Amezaga (0-6), Todd Helton (10-48), Carlos Gonzalez (3-23), Ian Stewart (5-22), Seth Smith (1-15), Jonathan Herrera (1-11) and Dexter Fowler (3-13) all have poor numbers against the Giants

Baltimore returns home after a 4-3 road trip thru Chicago and Kansas City. Now they'll host Tampa Bay who is starting a road trip of their own. The Rays hope James Shields can continue his hot pitching. Shields is 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA in six starts. The righty is 7-5 with a 3.57 ERA in 20 career starts against the Baltimore Orioles. Shields took the loss on April 2nd in Tampa after giving up 2 runs and four hits in 7.3 innings of work. Shields' last start in Baltimore went poorly as he gave up 6 runs and eight hits in 4.3 innings pitched. Vlad Guerrero (14-36), Derrek Lee (4-6), Luke Scott (12-34), Felix Pie (5-13), Nick Markakis (17-56), Adam Jones (11-28) and Mark Reynolds (1-3) have great numbers against the Rays

The Tigers have won two straight games after losing seven straight games. They'll wrap up a 4-game set with the Yankees on Thursday afternoon. Rick Porcello hopes to continue his hot pitching ways. The righty has given up just 4 runs and 18 hits over his last 19.7 innings of work. But Porcello has struggled in two of his three starts against the Yankees in his career. The righty has given up 12 runs and 16 hits over 15.7 innings pitched. Last year, he gave up 6 runs in five innings pitched against the Bronx Bombers in August. Jorge Posada (3-6), Nick Swisher (3-7), Robinson Cano (3-8), Curtis Granderson (1-2) and Russell Martin (1-2) have good numbers against Porcello. The Yankees are 8-2 in day games while scoring 6.3 runs per game and hitting .258 in the process. Detroit's bullpen has an ERA over 5.00 this season with six losses and three blown saves.

A.J. Burnett has been strong for the Yankees so far. He's 4-1 with a 3.93 ERA in six starts. His last time out, Burnett gave up 4 runs and nine hits in a victory over the Blue Jays. The righty defeated Detroit earlier this season 10-6; Burnett gave up 3 runs and five hits in five innings in that game. Magglio Ordonez (3-12), Jhonny Peralta (3-13) and Miguel Cabrera (3-11) struggle against the Yankee. Detroit's offense has scored close to 3 runs per game in their last eight games and they are hitting only .251 in the daytime. The Yankees

The Mets return home after splitting a 6-game road trip in Washington and Philadelphia. The Mets now host the Giants who are reeling a bit offensively on their current trip. San Francisco has scored just 12 runs in their last seven games. They'll try and snap out of it against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey who is 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA in six outings this season. He faced San Francisco last year giving up 1 run and five hits in seven innings pitched on the road. Miguel Tejada (2-8), Aubrey Huff (1-6), Freddy Sanchez (0-4) and Nate Schierholtz (0-2) all struggle with Dickey. The Giants are hitting right around .225 in their last eight games, and also hitting right around .240 on the road as well. The Mets

The Red Sox begin a series with the Angels on Monday night. Clay Buchholz will get the call. He's 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA in five starts. The righty is trying to work thru control issues as he has walked 16 batters while striking out only 15 in 27 innings of work. The Red Sox starter is 4-2 with a 4.10 ERA in seven career starts against Los Angeles. Last year, Buchholz picked up three wins against the Angels including two at home. Angels

The Yankees look to close their 7-game homestand with a win on Sunday when they finish their series with the Blue Jays. New York has won three of four after losing their first two games against the White Sox. Toronto sends Jesse Litsch to the hill. He's 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts. Litsch picked up a win in Texas against the Rangers his last time out after giving up 3 runs and seven hits in six innings of work. The Blue Jays

The Dodgers return home after a 3-3 road trip to host the woeful San Diego Padres. Clayton Richard takes the mound for San Diego. He's 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA on the season. The lefty is by far worse on the road where he has given up 9 runs and 12 hits in 11.3 innings of work. Richard gave up 6 runs in 5.3 innings in Houston in his last road start. He's had success against the Dodgers going 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in his career. The lefty did shut them out last September, but that was after he gave up 4 runs and 10 hits in 5.3 innings pitched against them in August. Juan Uribe (7-15), Jamey Carroll (5-11), Matt Kemp (6-15) and Dioner Navarro (2-4) all hit Richard. The Dodgers are hitting .283 as a team while averaging 6.1 runs per game over their last seven games.

Ted Lilly is looking to bounce back for the Dodgers. The lefty is 1-2 with a 5.13 ERA on the season. He's 1-1 with a 3.08 ERA in two starts at home. Lilly faced San Diego earlier this season giving up 2 runs and seven hits in 4.3 innings pitched at Petco Park. He's 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 career starts against the Padres. Ryan Ludwick (5-34), Jorge Cantu (5-21), Nick Hundley (0-13), Will Venable (1-5), Brad Hawpe (0-2) and Chris Denorfia (0-2) all struggle with Lilly. The Padres are hitting just .207 over their last 20 games while averaging just 2.35 runs per game during that span. The Dodgers have the better offense in this match-up so we expect them to get a solid home win on Friday night.

10* Play DODGERS (-) (action).

The Twins and Rays start their series on Wednesday night after being rained out on Tuesday. Both teams are playing some good baseball right now. Minnesota has won three straight games and five of their last seven games overall. Their turn around began with the final game of their series with Tampa on the road. Wade Davis goes for the Rays. He's 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA in four outings. One of those starts came at home against the Twins. In that game, he gave up 1 run and four hits in seven innings of work. This is a change from Davis' last two starts against the Twins in which he gave up 10 runs and 18 hits in 10.3 innings pitched. Jim Thome (2-4), Delmon Young (3-8) and Alexi Casilla (2-4) hit Davis well. Davis is backed by a bullpen that is 1-1 with a 4.99 ERA on the road this season. Minnesota is hitting .297 at home averaging 4 runs per game.

Francisco Liriano is coming off his best start of the season. The lefty gave up 2 runs and five hits in 6.3 innings pitched in Baltimore. Liriano gave up 1 run to the Rays at home last year while striking out 10 in seven innings of work. He's 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA overall in five career starts against Tampa. Johnny Damon (1-5), Casey Kotchman (1-4), Dan Johnson (0-4) and Ben Zobrist (1-7) struggle with the lefty. As a team, Tampa Bay is hitting .215 in seven games against southpaws; they are hitting just .228 overall as a team. The Twins

Florida continues their homestand as they host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. The Marlins have won five of their last six games and eight of their last ten games overall. Ricky Nolasco makes his fifth start of the season for Florida tonight; he's 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. The righty is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts at home giving up just 2 runs in 14 innings of work. Nolasco hasn't seen the Dodgers since 2008 when he gave up 2 runs and five hits in six innings pitched in Los Angeles. Aaron Miles (3-13), Tony Gwynn (0-8) and James Loney (0-3) have struggled with the Marlins

The Blue Jays look for the series victory on Sunday afternoon when they host the Rays. James Shields makes the start for Tampa Bay. He is 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA in four starts with his worst outing coming on the road against the White Sox. Shields faced Toronto twice on the road last season giving up 13 runs and 16 hits in just nine innings pitched against them. He's 6-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 15 career starts against the Toronto. Among the many Toronto hitters who have hit Shields well are Jose Bautista (6-14), Edwin Encarnacion (3-8), Yunel Escobar (3-8), Adam Lind (11-32), John McDonald (3-10), Juan Rivera (7-15) and Aaron Hill (9-33). Toronto is 6-4 at home where they are hitting over .270 as a team and averaging over 5 runs per game. The Rays

The Philadelphia Phillies have enjoyed their trip to San Diego so far picking up two wins early on. They hope for a third on Saturday night behind Joe Blanton. The righty is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA, but he

After a slow start to the season, the Cardinals have played a lot better. St. Louis has won 8 of their last 11 games as they get set to host NL Central rival Cincinnati. Edinson Volquez makes the start for the Reds. He's 2-0 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts. Volquez gave up 6 runs and five hits in 5.7 innings pitched to weak hitting Pittsburgh in his last start. The righty hasn't seen the Cardinals since 2009 when he gave up 8 runs and eight hits in 7.7 innings of work. Albert Pujols (3-7), Lance Berkman (2-6), Matt Holliday (2-6), Ryan Theriot (2-4) and Colby Rasmus (2-4) have good numbers against him in limited at-bats. The Cardinals are hitting well over .300 in their last eight games and they are hitting .333 in 10 night games this season. They'll face a Reds

Los Angeles wraps up an 8-game homestand on Thursday afternoon with a fourth game against the Braves. The Dodgers turn to their most reliable pitcher in Clayton Kershaw. The lefty is 2-2 with a 2.96 ERA, but he is coming off his worst start of the season at home against the Cardinals. Kershaw should bounce back strong here as Braves

Baltimore ended their long losing streak in style last night by shutting out the Twins 11-0. Now they'll look to pick up their second straight win against Minnesota on Wednesday night. Nick Blackburn makes the start for Minnesota. He's 1-2 with a 3.06 ERA in three outings. The righty gave up 5 runs and 10 hits to light-hitting Tampa Bay his last time out. The Twins

New York and Houston both come into tonight

For the second time this series, Joe Nathan blew a save leading to a Minnesota Twins loss. Tampa Bay will go for the 4-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. They'll send Jeremy Hellickson to the mound who is 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA. He has gone more than five innings in all six of his career starts and he

Tampa Bay has won four straight games and will look to extend that on Saturday afternoon with another win over the Twins. The Rays turn to Jeff Niemann who is looking for his first win of the season. Niemann has faced two good offenses in the Angels and White Sox, but Minnesota isn't as strong. The Twins are averaging around 3 runs per game while hitting around .220 as a team. That's just not going to get it done when their pitching staff isn't throwing well either. Niemann defeated Minnesota last season and got a no-decision in another Rays